Chapter Six

The next morning, I was woken up by someone shaking my shoulders. "Amaya. Amaya, come on. You need to get up." Cracking my eyes open, I saw Kili standing over me.

"Urgh…fine. Seriously though, what is it with you lot and waking up at the crack of dawn?"

"Uncle likes to cover a lot of ground in a day. The sooner we set off, the further we travel and the sooner we get there."

"Yeah, well…doesn't mean I'm happy about it." Kili chuckled. "Is there any breakfast?"

"I saved you some. We're just packing up. I'd hurry if I were you." Nodding, and taking the food I'd been given, I quickly tidied up my pack and put it back in Fili's bag that he'd left to the side.

"You ready to go?" asked Fili, who'd come to get his bag. I nodded. "You'll be riding with me again, if that's okay. I mean, you can go with someone else if you prefer, but I thought that…"

"It's fine." I interrupted. Honestly, he stuttered more than the entire company put together. "I like riding with you." Oh God, I hadn't phrased that well. Thankfully he hadn't noticed and was busy grinning. Daft dwarf.

"And what are we talking about over here?" asked Kili, sauntering up.

"Nothing." Replied Fili.

"Oh really? And that's why you were smiling so much? May I remind you on the conversation we had last night?"

"Kili, I said that was nothing, just leave it."

"Fine, fine." He held his hands up in surrender and walked back towards his pony.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Like I said, nothing. Come on, Uncle's motioning us to go." We made our way over to his pony and he helped me up. (Honestly, it was only a pony and once upon a time it would have been easy to climb up on. This just seemed like a constant painful reminder of the fact that I had shrunk)

For the first half an hour or so, I was content to just sit on the pony looking at the scenery. But again, I'd forgotten just how boring that this got, and decided to learn more about dwarves, as it turns out from yesterday's conversation I didn't know much about them.

"Fili."

"Mmm."

"Can I ask a question?" I asked, mimicking him for yesterday.

"Of course."

"What's with all the braids. You know, because you all have them in your hair and beards and all that." I turned around and gestured to his braided moustache. "I just wondered, but…I mean…you don't have to tell me if it's like a personal or private thing…"

"It's fine, don't worry." He chuckled. "Dwarven braids are quite important to us. Each one generally has a different meaning. For example, these two," he gestured to two braids on either side of his face with a free hand, "mean that I am from the line of Durin. You can see the clasp at the end that has Durin's mark on it. But these other two," he again gestured to two other braids near the first ones on either side of his face, "signify that I am the heir of Durin after Thorin."

"Wait." I interrupted. "What do you mean the 'heir?'" I looked up at him with a thoroughly confused face.

"Uncle didn't tell you? He's the rightful heir to the throne of Erebor. The rightful king." I continued to look at him with a now blank expression. "Amaya? Amaya, come on, say something."

"So…" I cleared my throat. "That would make you like…a prince?" Fili gave me a sheepish smile. "I don't have to start calling you Your Highness, do I?"

"No! Please don't. I don't want you to treat me any differently than you do now, okay?" I nodded, smiling, although it was a bit surreal. I was riding on a pony with a prince. Like, a real prince. I thought these things only happened in Disney movies. "But I really thought you knew."

"Well now I do! But anyway, what about these two?" I flicked his moustache braids, making him twitch his mouth.

"They don't particularly mean anything. And it keeps the hair out of the way. Some dwarves have braids that are just for decoration."

"So you like these?"

"Yes, I do. Why? Don't you?"

"No! I do like them! They're great. A bit distracting though."

"Distracting?" he laughed. "How are they distracting?"

"I don't know! Like, they just kind of…move…when you talk, I guess, like…" I reached forward and flicked the braids so they swayed. "…that."

"Okay, I see your point. And may I just say, you are weirder than usual when you're tired."

"I'm not weird at all, how dare you say such a thing!" I grinned.

"Okay, okay! Not weird." He cleared his throat.

"Are there anything else about braids I should know?"

"Well, as I said, they're very important to us. To braid another dwarf's hair, or even to touch it is a sign of immense trust. Only family and partners are permitted to do this."

"Oh my God." I thought back to when I'd flicked his moustache. (Seriously, why had I even done that) "I'm sorry! I didn't know that…I shouldn't have…"

"Hey. Don't worry about it. I don't mind. And like you said, you didn't know. Anyway, are there any traditions where you come from?"

"Traditions? Urm…well, not really. I mean, I suppose it's customary for most women to have their ears pierced when they're younger, some people get tattoos when they're eighteen…"

"Ears pierced?" He sounded revolted.

"Yeah, I have mine done. See." I moved my hair behind my ears and turned so he could see. Luckily, before I'd come here, I'd picked a day to wear studs (small golden flowers with a clear jewel in the middle that I was particularly fond of) so they were able to stay in my ears and out of the way.

"Why would you do that? That's got to hurt."

I shrugged. "It's normal where I come from. It only really hurts for the first few minutes when you have it done, and it's quite quick. You keep the earrings in for six weeks, and then it's safe to take them out so your ears don't heal up to fast. But you've got to put them in every once in a while otherwise the hole heals up and you have to have them re-pierced."

"It's strange, and no offense, a little disgusting." I shrugged in response.

-8-

After stopping for a quick bit of lunch, we set off again. Unfortunately, in the time it had taken to stop and eat, some very dark clouds had rolled in, and were now causing it to rain. A lot. This was causing me to shiver an awful lot, and I had to literally bury myself in Fili's chest to avoid most of the wind. Not that I was complaining about that, at all. In fact, Fili had taken to putting his hood up and leaning his chin on the top of my head which shielded me more from behind and stopped me shivering as much as I would have been doing. I never saw him smiling.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf." Shouted Dori, over the wind. "Can't you do something about this deluge?"

"It is raining, Master Dwarf." Came the reply. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" asked Bilbo.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard, or is he…more like you?"

I saw Gandalf look slightly offended. Not that I could blame him. "I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

-8-

We stopped again that night in a small clearing that was off to the side of the road we were travelling on.

"Amaya." I turned to see Fili. "Would you like me to hang your cloak up to dry? It's wet through; you'll catch a cold."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks!" Giving him a smile, I peeled my cloak off (it was literally stuck to my shirt underneath) and gave it to him.

"You're welcome. And I was wondering, would you like to start training tonight? I just thought, the sooner the better." If I knew any better, I would say he looked almost nervous.

"That would be good. But I need to talk to Gandalf first, if that's okay?"

"Sure, just come over when you're finished." Nodding, I headed over to the other side of the camp where Gandalf was sat, once again, smoking his pipe. He seemed to do that a lot. Clearing my thoughts, I walked over to him and cleared my throat. Gandalf opened one eye and gave me an inquisitive look.

"How can I help you, my dear?"

"Well, I was just wondering…you know, because you know quite a lot, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, do you know…urm, do you know why I'm here? Like, why I was brought here? Or by who, or whatever?"

"Why you're here? Yes, I've been meaning to speak to you about that. No, I don't know why you're here. And as for who, I can only think it was an action of the Valar, for you to come here and help on this quest as you were meant to. This is just a theory of course, I doubt anyone will know for sure, other than some other people who are currently in other places."

"Oh." I looked down. "Is that why I've shrunk then? For it to be easier around the dwarves and stuff? To fit in?"

"I'd say so, yes." Gandalf shut his eyes again, and I figured that the conversation had ended.

"Amaya." I heard someone say behind me. Blimey, I was popular today. Turning around, I saw Thorin. "May I have a word with you?"

"Sure." I followed Thorin away from Gandalf, where he gestured me to sit.

"How are you faring?"

"Oh!" That was unexpected. "Well, I'm doing okay, I guess. The whole travelling in the wilderness is kind of new, but I'm okay, I went camping with my friends a few times in the past. Fili's going to train me so I can at least defend myself, so that's good."

"Good. I was just checking. I do feel responsible for you, you know." Thorin was now beginning to look quite uncomfortable, and I was gathering chats like this were quite out of character. "With you coming with us, I mean. I brought you along. And…you are beginning to grow on me."

"It's fine. And everyone's being really nice. You watch, we'll be at Erebor in no time. And I grow on everyone. It must be my great sense of humour and charm." I smiled.

"Indeed." He cracked a smile. "Anyway, I need to go and talk to Balin. And I believe Fili would like to speak with you." I could have sworn I'd seen him wink. "I will speak to you later." As Thorin walked away, I could only sit there with my mouth open. What was that? Sighing, I heaved myself up, thanked Bombur for a bowl of stew (again) and walked over to where the brothers were sitting.

"And just what were you talking to Uncle about, may I ask?" asked Kili.

"You may not." I retorted, kneeling down on the floor in front of them.

"Why not?!"

"I will tell you when you tell me what you and Fili were talking about last night." I smirked. I saw from the corner of my eye Fili's eye widen. Seriously, what had they talked about?

"Ah, no can do, Blondie. I am sworn to secrecy." I scowled, and ate a spoonful of stew.

"Very well. But mark my words, I. Will. Find. Out. And don't call me Blondie."

"Good luck with that. And no, I think I've found my new nickname for you." He snorted. As the conversation drifted out, I looked around camp and saw Bilbo sitting on his own near the ponies.

"I'll be right back." I said, getting up, and putting my bowl on the floor. "Make sure nobody touches my food." I paused. "Actually, on second thought…" I bent down and picked it up again. "…I don't trust you two."

"You have wounded me, Blondie!" exclaimed Kili, putting his hand on his chest.

"Whatever." I walked towards Bilbo and stopped just in front of him. "Hey, Bilbo." Bilbo looked up, appearing quite shocked that I was talking to him. "Do you want to come and sit with us? You look lonely, and I know that's not a good feeling."

"What? Oh,no…no, it's fine. They wouldn't want me to…I mean, I'm not sure if…"

"Well, I'm here, and I want to talk to you, so come on." Giving him a playful stern look, he sighed and followed me back over to Fili and Kili. "Now sit."

We ate in silence for a few minutes before Kili (who couldn't sit in silence for more than two minutes) broke it. "So, Bilbo, how are you faring?"

"Oh! Well, uh…it's certainly a new experience." I could tell that he was picking his words carefully. "I only wish that I'd brought a few of my books with me. I have this book, one of my favourites actually, and it has a brief history of many kingdoms around Middle Earth…" I drifted away from what Bilbo was saying(glad he was feeling more comfortable) to look at Fili. Honestly, that dwarf had my attention most of the time, and it confused me to a point. I mean, obviously I was around him for most of the day; he was probably who I talked to the most out of everyone, but it scared me of some of the things that I thought. Especially since I'd known him for all of three days. And it definitely didn't help that he was good-looking. Quite possibly one of the most good-looking people I'd seen, in my opinion. The way around his eyes crinkled when he smiled, or how he laughed when I told a joke that wasn't even remotely funny. Damn, Amaya, when did you get so soppy?

"Amaya." A voice shook me out of my thoughts. "You okay?" My cheeks must have been a dark shade of red when my eyes focused to see Fili staring at me, his cheeks blushing as well. Embarrassed that I'd been caught staring, however unintentional, I quickly looked down and cleared my throat.

"Sorry, I er…I was just thinking."

"It's fine. What were you thinking about? What you were thinking about last night? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, nothing like that, don't worry. I wasn't thinking about anything in particular. It was more daydreaming, I guess."

"Ah."

"…and there is an exquisite map of the Shire that I have produced myself that I am particularly fond of…" continued Bilbo.

"Would you like to start training now?" asked Fili, noticing my blank look as I refocused on Bilbo speaking. Honestly, I was glad he was beginning to feel included, but it would be a lot better if he spoke about something a little more interesting.

"Yeah, yeah, that would be good…" I replied, now a little nervous.

"Alright, come on." We moved towards the edge of the clearing away from everyone else. "We'll do it here. I figured you didn't want to do it in front of everyone just yet." I nodded. "Okay, we'll be training with a sword today, just the basics so you'll be able to remember it all." I nodded again. "Right, now, hold this; your right hand on top, that's right. Okay, now, you need to keep your feet apart, balance your weight on your back foot." I focused on doing this. "No, your grip is too tight, you need to relax. If your grip is too tight, you won't be able to maneuver the sword very well. Good." He walked back over to his pack and pulled out another sword. "Now I want you to swing at me."

"Wait, what?"

"Swing at me. Try and knock me down."

"But I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because what if I…I don't know…"

"You're not going to hurt me. Remember that. I am able to defend myself against any move you may make, no matter how wild."

"Hey!"

"Now come on. Attack me!" Growling under my breath, I leapt forward, trying to swing at Fili, but he cut his sword across mine, making a mighty clang. "You're too tense. Relax. Take a few breaths." Okay, okay, untensing…relaxing… "Now try again." I swung my sword at him again, this time able to rotate it at a better angle to try and catch him off guard. Not that I had any luck. Honestly, my technique was probably more swing my sword in random directions and hope it catches them off guard and distracts them so I can run away, but obviously I couldn't do that with Fili, and he would just keep making me repeat it until I got it right.

After about twenty more attempts to try and knock Fili down, my sword flew out of my hand. "You're getting better. Definitely a lot better than you were. What are you doing?"

While he'd been talking, I'd lowered myself to the ground and was lying flat on my back, breathing heavily.

"I'm tired. I'm not exactly unfit, but I haven't used half of those muscles I've used tonight in years…I am going to be sore in the morning…" Fili laughed.

"I was the same when I first started training. It takes a few weeks, you just have to keep at it. We can ask Kili if he can help you with a bow if you like? So you're not sore every evening."

"Are you mocking me, Fili?"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" There it was, that grin. That huge, lopsided grin that could probably make me smile at any time of the day.

"Well, uh, archery sounds good. Probably a lot more fun." I laughed and ran away towards Kili as I heard Fili huff. I sat down again near where we'd eaten, pulling out my pack from Fili's bag so I could lie down and get to sleep.

"You know, that wasn't a very nice thing to say, miz sanâzyung." Breathed Fili in my ear as he passed me by.

"I'd say I was sorry, but I'm not."

"You will be by the time he's finished training you." Piped up Kili. "He helped me with my swordsmanship whenever Uncle or Dwalin wasn't around. I don't think I've ever been so sore."

I looked at Fili with wide eyes. "So I'd be a little nicer if I were you." Smirked Fili.

Great. I knew I should have asked Thorin to train me…

-8-

A/N: alright, chapter six done! I hope it's okay, I'm trying to add in a lot more extra stuff as the journey is quite a long one and there's a lot more that happens than just in the films and book, just day to day conversations.

And I'd also like to point out that I am no sword expert. I have no idea how to train with a sword so any training or fighting is purely what I think would happen.

As always, please remember to favourite and review!