Once she had signed the contract, Mona joined the company in the living room as well. The dwarves were gathered around a warm, cozy fireplace and she spotted Thorin standing in front of the hearth. He didn't seem to notice her while he stared absently into the flames.

She sneaked inside and sat down next to Kili. Suddenly, the dwarves began to hum a dark and heavy melody. Her head snapped towards Thorin as he started to sing with his deep and somehow soothing voice. She sensed the heavy emotion waving with every word he sang and she was more than surprised about this rather soft and melancholic side of the stubborn dwarf king.

One by one, the others joined into the song and Mona listened carefully. She was aware that they were singing about their long lost home and their urge to reclaim it from the beast. Once the song ended, the dwarves fell silent for a moment until finally the silence faded and they began chatting again.

Kili turned to look at her. "As I said, this is a very emotional quest. Especially for my uncle. But I knew he'd take you with us."

She smiled weakly as she realized that Kili seemed to be the only one of the company so far who was able to comfort her. At least, he was the one who tried his best to make her feel comfortable and that she was now officially a part of their group. A shadow fell over them and pulled her out of her train of thoughts as she looked up at Gandalf.

"Mona, I think I could need your help. Would you follow me for a moment?"

She shrugged and followed him back into the hallway. "What's the matter?" she asked curiously and watched Gandalf expectantly as he leaned down and replied,

"I'd like to ask you to speak with Bilbo."

"Why me?" she asked surprised. Yes, Kili had told her that Bilbo refused to join the company, but she failed to see why she could be able to change his mind.

He smiled. "Because I am certain that you have the right arguments."

She watched him thoughtfully for a moment until she finally accepted. Gandalf pointed at the door at the end of the hallway. "There is his room. Good luck."

Mona sighed and approached the door. Gently she knocked against the wood.

"Leave me alone!"

She scratched her head in frustration. "Bilbo, please. It's me—Mona."

Silence lay upon them for a second until he called, "Fine. Come in."

A smile curled her lips as she opened the door and stepped inside. She spotted Bilbo sitting on the edge of his bed and met his gaze as she entered. He sent her a smile though it was more a grimace. Mona knew exactly how he might feel in this very moment. She pointed at a chair nearby.

"May I?"

He nodded wordlessly and watched her lowering down into the comfy armchair. She watched him intently, but he avoided her direct eye-contact.

"You are afraid, aren't you?"

Once again he just nodded.

"Listen, I know exactly how you feel right now. Back in my homeland I lived a quiet and peaceful life with my parents. I travelled sometimes, not too far though. It was actually like in this place. I enjoyed exploring the nearby nature surrounding my small town. And then—one day, the civil war began. Everything changed and I was ripped out of my peaceful life and was thrown into—things."

She couldn't bring herself to tell him everything by now without scaring him more than he already was.

He watched her questioningly. "Have you ever been on such an adventure?"

She chuckled. "I've been on many adventures. I may not know much about this country and the dangers that are awaiting us, but I am certain that you are safe. You have a group of dwarves out there! And a wizard! That is more than I had. And, of course, you'll have me. I assure you that I will take care of you. I will protect you with my life."

"I—I can't decide it just out of the blue. I really have to think about it," he replied quietly and his head hung lower again.

Mona nodded and got up. She approached him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Bilbo couldn't tell what it was or where it was coming from, but a sudden warmth flowed through him. He looked up at her as if he was certain the warmth came from her. But all he saw was her warm smile.

"That's fine. Think about it. At least, you have the chance to do it. I had not such a chance back then."

And with that she left his room and headed back to the living room which was actually surprisingly quiet. As she stepped inside she saw that most of the dwarves were already asleep and snoring quite soundly.

'Perfect. And where shall I sleep?'

There was no sign of Thorin or Gandalf in this room. She went into the dining rom again which was perfectly empty and silent. She lowered down on the wooden bench at the table and tried to get some rest. Her head was pounding from all the events which had been very turbulent. She didn't even have a clue how long ago her victory over Alduin was.

A wave of weariness washed over her and so she laid back on the bench and closed her eyes. Soon she drifted into sleep, but was plagued by confusing dreams.


Purple and black. That had been the colours surrounding her once she had passed the portal to Sovngarde. Heavy silence hung upon this place and a dusty mist crawled over the ground right before her. The mist was thick and she knew that she would have to fight through it.

It wasn't just harmless mist. It was a soul snare. The soul snare of her greatest enemy. She managed to go through without getting hurt too much.

Suddenly, she could hear him. His dark voice calling her name. She wanted to Shout. She wanted to run. And again she was alone and no one would help her.

Once again her name was called from the distance.


Mona snapped awake and realized that this had only been a bad dream. She felt someone was watching her and slowly looked up. She saw Thorin looking down at her with his ocean-blue eyes.

"You nearly woke the entire company. Why did you scream like that?"

She sat up and watched him quite puzzled. She had a dream, though to her it had been more like a memory. Suddenly she put the pieces together. That voice in her dream hadn't been Alduin's. It had been Thorin trying to wake her up. She cleared her throat, looked back at him again and replied calmly,

"I just had a bad dream. That's all."

He cocked an eyebrow. "And that strange language you were talking?"

That surprised her quite a lot. Had she really spoken Dovahzul in her sleep? She shifted nervously. "It—it was just—I guess just nonsense."

She could see by the look in his eyes that he was not satisfied with her answer, but it seemed to her that nothing what she would say or do would ever satisfy him.

"It's about time to get up. We will have a quick breakfast and then we'll leave with the first light of day."

"And what about Bilbo?"

He shrugged. "He won't come anyway. Who cares?"

And with that he left her alone again. She shook her head in disbelief. How could one man, or dwarf, be so arrogant. The last time she thought that about someone it was a man she had forced to give her information in a certain matter by slamming her right fist into his face. Then again she realized that Thorin reminded her also of someone else. Someone much more important in her previous life. The fur coat, the boots and even the beard even though Thorin's was dark instead of blonde.

Mona pushed these thoughts aside and finally got up. She left the dining room and nearly bumped into Fili, the elder brother of Kili. He was also quite handsome with blond hair and a uniquely braided beard. Even though Nords braided their hair as well, but she sensed that the braiding customs of these dwarves seemed to be quite a bit different. She noted it in her mind to ask for it sometime later.

"Good morning. You slept in the dining room?" he asked with a smirk playing around his lips.

"Yes, there was not much space left for me in the living room. Unless, you wanted to cuddle with me," she winked and grinned playfully.

His lips curled up again. "Well—"

"Fili!" a dark voice boomed up.

Mona rolled her eyes as she noticed that it was no one other than his uncle. She still could not understand how one family could be so different. Fine, she had to admit that they were all very good looking, even Thorin, but while he was like a grumpy, emotionless dwarf, his nephews seemed to be happy and ready for a joke all the time.

"Go and wake the rest. We'll leave in one hour," Thorin said.

Fili sent her smile and wandered back into the living room. Mona shot a dark look at Thorin before she went into the bathroom. She closed the door and watched her reflection in the mirror.

'What is wrong with that dwarf?'

She splashed a handful of cool water into her face and made a ponytail. As she left the bath, a sudden realization came upon her. She had no weapons anymore. Her daggers. Her greatsword. Everything was left forgotten somewhere inbetween time and space. She spotted Gandalf who just entered the house and wondered where he had been the entire night.

She approached him quickly. "Gandalf! We need to talk!"

He watched her surprised and she realized that her voice might have been more demanding than it should be.

"What's the matter, my dear?"

Mona lowered her voice a bit. "I have lost my weapons. And I cannot go on a quest without a sword."

He nodded understandingly and looked around until he spotted Dwalin. "Ah, Master Dwalin. Would you come here for a moment?" he said to the bald dwarf who approached them curiously.

"Dwalin, do you have a spare weapon for your new companion?"

The dwarf watched her amused. "Can you handle a sword?"

She nodded. "Of course, I do."

"Fine, I have a small sword in my bag. You can have it, but be careful," he went to fetch the sword for her. A few moments later he returned with a one-handed, silver shining and quite odd looking sword. He handed it to her. "There you go."

"Thank you," she took the sword and weighed it in her hands. It was quite light, but easy to handle. She put it in the holster at her waist. Once more her thoughts drifted to Bilbo and wondered if he might have made up his mind and join them.

"Now, let us have breakfast," Gandalf placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her back to the dining room. Once again the room was already occupied by the dwarves. She sat down between Bofur and Thorin. The dwarf king looked down on her and saw the sword.

"How did you get this sword?" he asked puzzled.

She grinned at him. "Dwalin gave it to me. I hope it's alright that I want to be armed when going on a quest like this."

Thorin shot a look at Dwalin who just shrugged and continued to eat his bacon.

"Have you ever used a sword?" the king growled suspiciously.

That was the moment she just couldn't hold back anymore. She laughed. She truly laughed at him and she was well aware that he narrowed his eyes and mumbled something in a language she did not understand.

"S-sorry, but yes. Yes, I have used many swords and other weapons in my life. Even bigger and heavier ones than this little fellow here," she patted the sword on her waist.

Kili and Fili chuckled as they realized that this girl seemed to be tougher and braver than any of them had thought. She laughed about Thorin and therefore questioned his authority. None of them would risk that, not even Dwalin.

"We will see how useful your skills really are," Thorin managed to say in his anger and continued to ignore her again.


Once they had finished their breakfast, the Company was ready to move out of Bag End. Mona decided to leave a message for Bilbo. She left the piece of parchment on the bookshelf in his living room and went outside with Gandalf.

The company travelled to the edge of the Shire where a group of ponies was waiting for them. Mona watched those animals and missed her companion Chestnut. He had been strong and brave.

She stood silently and watched the dwarves preparing their ponies until Gandalf said, "Do you want a pony of your own or want to join me on my horse?"

"I guess I will take my own pony," she replied with a smile and saw Kili approaching her with a dark-brown pony.

"There you go. This is a calm and lovely little lady," he said to the pony and pointed at Mona. He looked up and sent her his biggest smile which only caused her to laugh amused.

"That was a good one," she hopped onto the back of the animal.

"Seems you are familiar with riding?" Kili asked and mounted his pony as well.

"Yes, I once had a horse of my own."

"Can we move out now?" Thorin suddenly called from the head of the group.

"Aye, Aye!" Kili replied and earned an annoyed look from his uncle while Mona smiled at the young dwarf.

And so the company rode off along a tranquil forest path. Mona rode next to Dwalin. Though that dwarf didn't talk much, but she liked him somehow and he gave her some security. Not that she needed any protection, but it was good to have a strong, armed companion close at hand.

After a few miles, they suddenly heard a voice calling from somewhere behind them.

"Wait! Hey! Wait for me!"

They stopped and turned around just to see Bilbo. The hobbit came running towards them with his contract waving in his hands. He stopped next to Balin and handed him the paper.

"I signed it!" he breathed with a smile while Balin checked the contract with a small looking glass. He finally looked at Bilbo and said,

"Everything seems to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, in the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

Mona's gaze drifted to Thorin at the front. He seemed to be deep in thoughts and it was obvious that he was annoyed. What a surprise. After a couple of moments he said, "Get him a pony!"

He turned and continued riding along the path. The others followed him while Bilbo looked quite startled.

"Wait—what? No, I can walk! That's fine! I did some—Ah!" his protest was cut off as Kili and Fili lifted him up and placed him onto a pony's back.


Once the sun was setting, they made a camp on a cliff overlooking the vast landscape below. The dwarves made themselves comfortable with their pipes and once they had their supper, they leaned back and relaxed.

Gandalf was sitting under a tree, smoking his pipe while Thorin was sitting on a boulder with his eyes closed. And yet, Mona knew he was not really sleeping. She was certain he just wanted to be alone with his own thoughts. She couldn't blame him for that, though.

Kili and Fili were sitting at the fire, while Bilbo walked up to his pony and offered her an apple. Mona sat on another boulder and let her gaze drift over the Company. Suddenly they could hear a loud cry from the lands below. Bilbo turned around quite frightened.

"What—what was that?"

"Orcs," Kili replied with a low and threatening voice.

"Orcs?" Bilbo repeated with a high-pitched voice which caused Thorin's eyes to fly open, his body ready to attack if necessary.

"Yes. Deadly creatures. Mostly attacking at night. No bodies left, only a lot of blood," Kili added.

Mona frowned. She knew Orcs from her own country. She even had spoken to several of them during her time on the road and they never appeared aggressive to her. Nor did they make such sounds. Once again she realized that here were indeed quite a lot of differences between Middle Earth and Skyrim.

Bilbo was clearly shocked, but Mona could see that the brothers began to snicker quietly.

"Do you think an Orc raid by night is a joke?" Thorin growled angrily with his voice low and dark as he got up.

"N-no. We—we didn't mean anything by it," Kili said nervously.

"No, you hadn't. You know nothing about the world!" his uncle replied and walked off towards the cliff. He let his gaze drift thoughtfully over the lands below.

Balin approached the fire and said,

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race. Azog the Defiler.

"The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed; we did not know. We were leaderless, defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him; the young dwarf prince facing this terrible foe, his armour rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken.

"Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back; our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast or songs that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief.

"We few had survived and I thought to myself then, 'There is one I could follow. There is one I could call King.'"

Thorin slowly turned around to face his company who just stood and watched him in awe. He walked back to his boulder again.

"What happened to the pale Orc?" Mona asked curiously. Thorin cast a glance at her and replied,

"That filth crawled back whence it come from long ago," and with that he lowered down again and closed his eyes.

The rest of the company also fell asleep after a little while. Gandalf had volunteered to take the first night-watch. Mona decided to lay down next to Kili at the fire, but she couldn't find much sleep. She thought about Thorin's horrible past. As Balin had told them the story, she had been aware that Thorin shared nearly the same past with her. He too was ripped out of his home, his family wiped out in front of his eyes and broken, trying to survive in the wild and now he was on his way to reclaim his home from the beast.

She felt a sudden, strange sympathy for the dwarf king. Her gaze drifted to his now sleeping form. He was angry. He was arrogant. But he was also very sad. He just tried to hide it.