Kili:

The next morning, I woke up to the sun streaming directly into my eyes. To my surprise, only a few of the dwarves were awake, despite the sun shining down on all of them. Dwalin and Fili sat by the morning fire, both looking like they had gotten no sleep. Nylelyth, who I had fallen asleep next to,was no where to be found. I glanced back at Fili and Dwalin, who both pointed in the direction of the river simultaneously.

Maybe it was the singing that had lured me in, or maybe it was the way the soft waves of the river washed upon her bare skin.

"You're a sweet little babe,

You're a sweet little babe.

Honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop

Gonna bring a bottle to the baby."

Her voice was slow and smooth, like butter spreading over fresh baked bread. The bottom of her hips were hugged by the water, the rest of her upper body breathing in the fresh forest air. Bruises littered her back, some yellowing and others vibrant purples and blues. She looked like someone had held nothing back as they beat her senseless. She stroked her hair as she kept singing.

"Don't you weep pretty babe,

Don't you weep pretty babe.

She's long gone with her red shoes on

Gonna need another loving babe"

Her voice had lulled me into a hypnotic state, much like a siren lures her bargeman to his death. When I got closer, I could see that her ribs were almost visible. Her body was famished and starving, as if one more step would cause her to collapse. The singing had subsided into humming.

"I-uh, excuse me." I stuttered, still slightly hypnotized by her voice. Immediately, she dunked herself under the water, hiding herself from me. The only part of her showing was from her nose up. Her whiskey brown eyes stared deep into my core, almost reaching the very center of myself. "I just wanted to tell you that-uh, breakfast will be ready soon. And we'll also be leaving soon." She nodded, her wide eyes indicating embarrassment and fear. I made my way back to camp, still in shock at how bruised her body was.

She ate her breakfast next to Bilbo again, listening intently to his stories about his home. Life was slowly beginning to return back to her eyes, making them almost glow. I gave my empty plate to Ori, who was on dishes duty for the day, and went to pack up mine and Nylelyth's things. As I began to strap my bag to the saddle, a soft feminine hand stopped me.

"Let me." Her gentle voice had frozen me solid as she pushed me aside. "I feel as if I have done nothing to help when I've been with you."

"You're injured, you don't have to."

"If I am going to keep with you, I must help at least a little bit." She tightened the final strap.

Throughout the day, the improvement of her mood had become palpable. She had taken to talking to whoever happened to be next to her, which most of the time was Fili, but occasionally Bilbo would slip in. Her arm had relaxed around my middle, only holding on to a small part of my coat. At midday, we had stopped for a moment to stretch our legs and fill our water skins in the nearby creek.

"Can I take the reins?" Her shy question had startled me.

"Well, I don't see why not. Have you ever ridden before?" She scoffed at me and mumbled something under her breath. Without a second glance, she leaped on the horse. Fili gave me a sideways look and I shrugged my shoulders, hopping on behind Nylelyth. She paused for a few moments.

"Kili..." She finally whispered. "I forgot how to make her go..." I chuckled and jutted my heels into Daisy's haunches. As Daisy started to move steadier, Nylelyth's body moved more in sync with mine. My thighs outlined hers, her body relaxed against mine.

"Here," I reached around to correct her hands. "It's more comfortable if you do it like this." I looped the reins through one of her hands, my hand grazed the deep purple bruise on her wrist. Her body tensed as my arms enclosed around her. Clenching her eyes shut, her breathing became forced. I backed off a little bit, leaving some room between her back and my chest.

"Thank you." She turned to me. I examined the back of her neck, a yellowing bruise in the shape of a hand around the nape of her neck. What had they done to her?


Nylelyth:

Kili had let me take the reins on the horse, and soon enough my confidence on horseback was remembered. I had taken to chatting among the company, learning new things about each one. Bombur, the fattest one, had been one of the best chefs in the Blue Mountains. Bofur, Nori, and Dori were all toymakers. Oin was the best healer they had. Gloin and Bifur were miners. Ori was a scribe, which explained why his nose was always in a sketchbook. Dwalin was the captain of the guard. Balin was the king's adviser . No one would tell me about Thorin, Fili, or Kili. I was told they were part of an important family, but what that family did was unknown to me. I didn't pry any more as we traveled on, there was an obvious secret they were trying to keep that I didn't know if I wanted to know.

"We'll camp here tonight." Thorin ordered as he swung off his pony, I didn't complain, for I was tired and hungry and ready for bed. With the sun on the other side of the sky, we started to unpack. Kili had been strangely silent all day, mostly taking to staring at my bare skin, the parts of me that were so mysteriously black and blue. When we were settled in, Kili took his quiver and bow into a clearing.

"Hey Fili." I nudged the blonde with the walking stick I had made myself so I could move on my own. "I think it's time for your redemption." A big cheeky grin splattered across his face.

"Oi! Kili!" He shouted, the brunette firing his last arrow and turning to us. "Looks like you have a challenger!" Cheers of excitement rang out from the whole company.

A small ring of dwarves had gathered around Kili and I. A small target had been painted on the tree with the painted Ori had donated. I fidgeted with the string of my bow as Fili explained the rules.

"You each get three shots. Whoever hits closer to the middle of the target wins. No crossing this line." He pointed to the line that was drawn in the dirt. "Good luck." As the bets were flying around us, I fidgeted more with my bow, regretting the decision to challenge Kili. He was probably better than me, and I would have to face utter embarrassment after he had beat me.

"I'm betting on the lass." Oin said, readying his coin purse to either empty it or fill it.

"You have two on your side!" Fili reassured, giving me a small smile. I nervously smiled back.

"Make that three!" Bofur added in, smiling from cheek to cheek.

"Ladies first." Kili said, gesturing towards the line. I stumbled to the line, getting my feet settled. "The pointy side goes first." Kili joked as I fidgeted with my arrow. I gave him the dirtiest glare I could conjure and notched my arrow. Before I released the arrow, a gasp of anticipation from the company rang out. I cursed under my breath as my first arrow landed a foot below the target.

"Not too bad. Still better than Fili." Kili looked almost impressed. The company had turned in somewhat disappointment as Kili shot his arrow directly into the center of the target. He turned and smirked at me, my dirty glare returned. Settling my feet again, I breathed deeper, planting myself steadily. I let my heart rate relax, and within seconds released the arrow. I knew it had hit its mark. The arrow landed directly on Kili's, splitting it into shards as it planted itself in the tree. I lowered my bow and glared at my competition. All of the dwarves were entirely silent, eyes darting back and forth between the arrow and myself. Thorin stood on the outside of the circle, leaning against a tree, a smirk of amusement on his lips. My own lips curled into a smile, but I bit my bottom lip to hide it. Out of no where, a howling laugh erupted from Dwalin. Toppling over himself and bright red in the face from laughing. The rest of the company had followed and were all red and teary eyed. Even Thorin had snickered.

"Now hold on!" Fili shouted between laughs. "Kili still has two shots left!" The laughter died down, and Kili lined himself up, firing an arrow inches above the center mark. For my third and final shot, I breathed and settled my heart rate, as I did before. My arrow soared directly into the center spot, splitting my own arrow in two. Silence fell over everyone, their smiles faded in amazement. I stepped aside so Kili could fire his final arrow. He slowed his breath and released the arrow. It landed only a few inches below the two shattered arrows.

"It looks like we have a new champion archer!" Fili announced. Everyone started to cheer, and those who had lost their coin filled the others coin purse. I held out my hand to Kili for a handshake. The rest of the dwarves had left us alone by now, cheering and bragging all the way back to camp. Kili accepted my handshake with a twinge of disappointment in his eyes.

"At least Fili will never be better than you." I whispered as our handshake released. With a chuckle and a gentle pat on the back, he helped me back to camp.

We had been sitting around the fire, our bellies full of food and Bofur telling a story. Out of the bushes an unfamiliar figure emerged from the forest.

"Gandalf," Thorin welcomed him to the camp. "We were wondering when you would return." The figure named Gandalf stood a couple heads taller than everyone around him, even myself. His pointy hat and staff I had recognized, but I couldn't remember where.

"Ah, yes." He replied with a smile. "Business with the head of my order is never short. I see everything seems to be in order, and you may have gained another member of the company?" His eyes wandered to me, sitting next to Kili. With his long steps, it took him no time to get over to me, his figure towering over me even when I stood up. "Nylelyth, what brings you to the company of Thorin Oakenshield?" His voice was calm, and nonchalant. My eyes grew wide with fear and confusion. Who was this Gandalf character, and more importantly, how did he know my name?