The sun was beginning to rise later and set earlier as autumn quickly fell upon the company of Thorin Oakenshield. The lack of sunlight that allowed them to travel safely soured Thorin's already darkened mood, making for a miserable journey with moral steadily dropping. Natalia hardly noticed. Ever since the incident in the woods she was having trouble keeping her mind off of Fili. He had been genuinely concerned for her, had gone out of his way to try and protect her...

Watching the back of Fili's head as he rode ahead of her in the line, Natalia found herself wishing she were next to him. The feeling disturbed her. She had agreed to join this company as a favor to Gandalf, to protect and fight alongside the dwarfs as they tried to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Nothing had prepared, or could have prepared, her for the emotions that surged through her body whenever she heard him laugh, or chanced to make eye contact with him. What was it that made her long for a man she had not met but a week ago?

"Dwalin! Natalia!"

Thorin's shout brought Natalia back to her senses. She pulled her horse out of line and trotted up to where Thorin was waiting.

"My king?" Dwalin was already beside his best friend, he was never far.

"Do you see that ridge over there?" Thorin pointed towards the larger hill in a group of three. "I've been told orcs are starting to wander these lands. Scout ahead, that is where we will make camp for the night."

"Aye my king." Dwalin spurred his pony forward.

Natalia's mare reared slightly and pranced to the side in excitement, giving her rider the chance for a fleeting look towards Fili, before galloping off down the small rise they were on. It made Natalia's heart burn to have her gaze met by his, their eyes locking for the shortest of moments.

She followed Dwalin for a ways, having to hold her faster mount back to keep pace with his, until they separated to make a loop around the ridge line. Letting her mare have her head Natalia settled in for a long ride, her bow already in her left hand. She reached the appointed hills peak well ahead of her scouting partner, where, from her vantage point, she could see him rounding the base of the far hill. She could also see the long, slow moving and still far off line of the rest of the company as they made their way towards her. She had a while to be alone.

This is stupid. She thought to herself as she scanned the area for orcs. I've sworn I would never fall in love. Love is nothing but pain and suffering. She would not have been so bothered if what she felt was simply lust. Lust she could handle. You do not live to be almost 83 (20 if you compared it to humans) without knowing how to handle a little desire. Natalia was well aware of how her elven blood made her look, she never had much trouble finding a man to ease her needs, if only temporarily.

Dwalin finally made his way to Natalia's side, his pony huffing and covered in sweat. "All clear your side?" He asked gruffly. He did not dislike Natalia but neither was he a fan of her. When she nodded he turned his horse to head down to the group. "I'll report back, you start camp."

She knew better than to object, even if her horse was well rested compared to his poor pony. Not everyone was blind to the strange connection her and Fili were developing, and certainly most were far from supportive of it. It came as no surprise that they were separated as much as feasibly possible. Honestly it was probably better that way. Who was she, but a halfbreed nobody? Where he was the heir to the Erebor throne, a son of Durin! Once again pulling herself from her reprieve, Natalia dismounted and grabbed her packs from behind the saddle. Keeping herself busy was a good way to keep her mind off of blue eyes and golden hair.

By the time the rest of the company made it to camp the sun was well below the hills, its last rays barely visible on the horizon. Everyone busied themselves with the normal routine, before Natalia could offer her help Gandalf called her over to him.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" He asked. Not waiting for an answer, he began to walk away from the group towards a strand of trees near the base of the hill.

"Should we tell someone we're leaving?" Natalia asked, looking over her shoulder as she followed.

"No need, Thorin already knows. Not that he cares really." Gandalf chuckled as if telling a private joke. He waited until the company was well out of sight and earshot before he turned to address her directly. "You are starting to worry me, I hope the trust I put into you will not be a mistake." The sternness in his face hid all traces of age that might once have been there.

"You've chosen to put me in an impossible situation... I apologize if my performance has been less than satisfactory." She could not hide the anger in her voice.

"I assumed you were capable of handling yourself!" His voice rose to meet hers.

"I don't understand why this all has to be a secret anyway! I'm less of a threat if I can relax my guard, even if only a little." Natalia sighed and rubbed her temples, her head was beginning to pound.

"Do you think these dwarfs have accepted you?! Do you think it would be any better if you exposed yourself?! I think not." He scoffed.

"Then why am I here Gandalf? Do you wish for me to leave the company?"

Gandalf glared at her for a moment before he ignored the question and walked back up the hill, leaving her to stew alone. She thought about heading back as well but decided to give herself a moment to calm down. The air was crisp and clean, only a gentle breeze stirring the grass and trees around her, it made for a relaxing night.

"So you're leaving?"

Natalia jumped in surprise and spun around to see who had spoken. Fili was standing just inside the tree line with an arm full of sticks and dried limbs. Her heart began to race, and not just from the scare.

"No... I don't know." She replied shamefully.

Fili did not seem to like the answer. He scowled and shifted his pile of tinder. "You would be disappointing a lot of people."

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I'm not so sure about that. It seems I'm more of an annoyance around here than anything else. I don't want to be a burden on the backs of those already so laden."

"A burden? Ya carry more than your fair share of the weight around here. Plus ya aggravate Thorin like nothing I've ever seen!" He laughed softly and smiled, his blue eyes meeting Natalia's lighter ones. His voice lowered as he struggled with what to say next. "Not ta mention Bofur and Kili have grown quite fond of ya."

Natalia was sure her chest was going to burst with the pressure she felt in it. "Fili... I..."

"No, let me finish." He took a step closer. "There's somethin about ya I can't let go of. I've never been so confused or frustrated by a woman in my life!" His eyes had taken on an intensity Natalia had never seen before. "I've grown fond of ya as well, and I think, I hope, ya feel the same..."

The only thing Natalia could manage was a feeble "I do". She watched as if in slow motion as Fili's beaming face turned into a frown. He was looking over her right shoulder when his frown turned into screaming her name, the pile of tinder dropped as he reached for the sword on his back. Only she could not hear him. She was too busy looking at a group of orcs that seemed to materialize from the trees behind him, their grotesque snarls snapping her into action. She managed to grab her bow, but before she could draw an arrow a searing pain stabbed into the back of her head and she fell into darkness.