When night fell, I stood with Gandalf, Elrond, Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo in a beautiful hall, sort of like a library, watching Thorin, Gandalf, and Balin fight over whether to show Elrond something or not. I was completely out of the loop and was very confused as to why I was even there. Bilbo and I shared an exasperated glance, looking on. "Our business is no concern of Elves." Thorin snapped. I winced, sneaking a look over at Elrond, who didn't seemed fazed by the Dwarf's comment.

"For goodness sake, Thorin, show him the map." Gandalf commanded. I would've been shaking in my boots if he spoke to me like that and comply immediately, but Thorin, the thick-headed Dwarf, refused still. "It is the legacy of my people; it is mine to protect, as are its secrets." The Wizard's tone turned reasonable, but lost none of its scariness. "Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond."

Thorin thought the offer over for a few seconds, all of us watching him. Looking a bit defeated, Thorin walked to Elrond to give him the map. Balin's arm shot out as he tried to stop his friend. "Thorin, no!" The Dwarf leader pushed past Balin and gave the map at Elrond.

The wise Elf examined the map, his expression darkening a bit. "Erebor. What is your interest in this map?" I frowned and walked over to him, peering over his shoulder. I had yet to see this map and wanted to know just where we were going. On the map had a mountain labeled the Lonely Mountain. I gulped when I saw a picture of a Dragon drawn near the front of the mountain. We were going to a place that housed a Dragon? I barely looked at the rest of the map, which contained cities and lands and other things not important.

Thorin was about to tell Elrond, but Gandalf cut him off, replying, "It's mainly academic. As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text. You still read Ancient Dwarvish, do you not?" Elrond turned his back to us and walked away a bit, giving Thorin the time to give Gandalf a nod of appreciation. I internally groaned. Gandalf is obviously covering for the true purpose of the quest. So what is it really? And what does it have to do with going to the Lonely Mountain and a Dragon living there?

Elrond stopped walking when the moonlight touched the map. "Cirth Ithil." he said. Gandalf nodded, ahhing. "Moon runes. Of course. An easy thing to miss." Elrond put the map down and turned to us. "Well in this case, that is true; moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written." I rolled my head back and placed my hands on my hips. It was almost completely impossible that tonight was the night the runes had been written.

"Can you read them?" Thorin asked, desperation in his tone. Elrond looked to Gandalf before looking down at the Dwarf. "We can try. Come." The Elf walked away with the map in hand. We all followed. Elrond led us to an area on a cliff face with waterfalls falling all around us. It was beautiful, a word I was using a lot to describe Rivendell.

There was a large table in the middle of the area, most likely made of crystal. Elrond placed the map on the table. "These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield; the same moon shines upon us tonight." My eyes widened. Woah, that is lucky.

The moon came out from behind some clouds and shone down on the crystal table. I stood behind Balin and Bilbo, who were shorter than me by a lot, and watched as runes appeared on the map. Elrond started to translate them aloud. "'Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole.'" Durin's Day? Key hole for what? All these phrases and words were starting to frustrate me because I didn't know what they meant.

Luckily, Bilbo didn't seem to know everything either. "Durin's Day?" Gandalf, the little know-it-all, answered, "It is the start of the Dwarves' new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together." Thorin looked strickened. "This is ill news. Summer is passing. Durin's Day will soon be upon us." "We still have time." Balin consoled. Bilbo looked confused, which confused me because I thought he knew what we were doing. Apparently not. "Time? For what?"

"To find the entrance. We have to be standing at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened." Balin explained. Well, there goes our academic excuse. "So this is your purpose, to enter the Mountain." Elrond stated. I frowned, remembering the Dragon. "What of it?" Thorin asked challengingly. Elrond replied coolly, "There are some who would not deem it wise."

Gruffly, Thorin took the map back. Gandalf frowned. "Who do you mean?" "You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth." The Elf replied with a knowing look, walking away. I took this time to speak up. "Uh, why are we going into the Mountain? In case you didn't see, there seems to be a Dragon in there." Thorin shot me a nasty, dark glare. "Trust me, Miss Paige. I aware of the Dragon."

I frowned, watching as he stormed off. Looking to Gandalf, I hoped that he would tell me what's going on. Unfortuantely, the fellow Wizard was lost in thought, not any help to me. Bilbo had wandered off, leaving me to ask Balin. I didn't know the Dwarf really well yet, but he seemed kind and friendly enough. Balin smiled, as if he already knew what I was going to ask.

"I admire your stubborness, lass, but I'm not sure I'm the one to explain all this to you." I frowned. "Please, Balin. I'm almost completely out of the loop. If I'm to help, I need to know what we're doing." The Dwarf chuckled. "How can you help us?" His words stung, making me scowl. "I can fight. I have magic, Balin. I saved Kíli and Thorin's lives when we were running from the Wargs and Orcs. Isn't any of that proof enough? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I can't do what you're doing. And if you don't...I'll put a really nasty hex on you." The Dwarf thought for a moment before, sighing and nodding. "Alright, lass. Come with me." We left Gandalf to his thoughts and wandered to an empty room, with me smiling slightly.

Third POV

At the White Council meeting, consisting of Gandalf, Elrond, Saruman the White, and the Lady Galadriel, they were just finishing up their discussions about the Morgul blade when Lindir came in and bowed. Elrond looked up and asked, "What is it?" Lindir looked pale and a bit frightened. "The girl, Miss Paige. She is Witch."

Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman looked sharply to the Gray Wizard. Gandalf didn't tear his eyes away from Lindir. "Go on. What makes you say this?" he said, giving nothing away in his voice. Lindir replied, "There was a fire in the fireplace and she took out a wand. She casted a verbal spell and distinguished the fire with water that came out of the wand."

Gandalf said nothing as the other three guardians took in this information. Elrond excused Lindir, leaving them to discuss Paige. "Did you know, Gandalf?" Saruman asked, his tone a bit accusatory. He shrugged innocently. "Well, she told us she was a Wizard, but I have not yet witnessed her doing magic yet myself. Although, according to Master Kíli, she saved both his and Thorin's lives using wizardry when the Orc pack was persuing us."

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "And what does the Company think of her?" Gandalf frowned. "There are mixed impressions. Some, like Kíli and Bilbo, are growing fond of her. While others, like Thorin and Dwalin, do not trust her. In my opinion, I think she could be very helpful and beneficial to this quest." Galadriel cocked her head, taking in his words. "Mithrandir, she is a person, not a weapon. I do not believe it wise to bring her along. She is just a girl. However, where she came from, that is more curious."

"She claims to come from another world. And I believe it. She does not act the way women act in Middle-Earth. Does not dress like them either nor, most importantly, holds the same values as them. Paige believes that she can do anything a male sets their mind to, and I don't see why not. She wants to be apart of the quest, if only Thorin allows it. I see her wanting to prove herself, but the Dwarves not giving her the chance."

"And you believe she could help? Fight?" Saruman asked. Gandalf nodded. "I do. I have actually seen her fight. They can protect each other if it comes down to it." Elrond shot the Wizard a look. "What do you mean by that Gandalf? We still have much to talk about before, if, we let them continue on their quest." Galadriel narrowed her eyes. "They are leaving." She said to Gandalf telepathically. "Yes." Gandalf replied. "You knew." Her tone wasn't an accusation, but an amused statement.

Gandalf nodded his head lightly, causing Galadriel to smile slightly. Footsteps were heard and again and Saruman stopped talking. Lindir appeared again, bowing. "My Lord Elrond; the Dwarves and Miss Paige, they've gone."

Paige's POV (What's going on before/during the Council meeting.)

We sat down in two chairs by the fireplace. Balin was about to start a fire, when I beat him to it, casting verbally without a wand, "Incendio." Balin jumped back, startled. "Sorry." I mumbled, bowing my head.

Back home, being a Witch/Wizard was normal, a gift. But here in Middle-Earth, all it did was make people be distrustful of me or be frightened of me. They saw it as an evil, something to fear. Balin patted my hand. "It's alright, Miss. It's just something we Dwarves have to get used to. It seems Bilbo and Gandalf already like you. Kíli and Fíli, too." he said kindly. I smiled smally. Balin pulled out a pipe and started to smoke, getting ready to tell me what was going on. I tried to keep a straight face as he smoked, filtering my air, and trying not to wrinkle my nose. Nobody smoked anymore back on Earth, so it was a weird experience for me. Balin started the tale and I listened intently.

"Many years ago, Durin's Folk had a great kingdom called Erebor under the Mountain. Thror, Thorin's grandfather was king during the time. We had great wealth and thriving trade. A city of Men, Dale, lied outside our walls and were our greatest ally. However, as our wealth grew, a gem was found. The Arkenstone, it was called. It was named the King's Jewel and Thror's most prized posession. However, in the years to come Thror fell under a Sickness and became obsessed with gold and all the other treasure Erebor had. He became greedy.

"Erebor was a dark place and yet darker days were to come with a corrupt king. A Dragon came and destroyed Dale, destroyed Erebor, taking its wealth for itself. Smaug was a great Dragon of the north, and like all Dragons craved treasure, which I'm sure you know. Now, this is where the feud between Elves and Dwarves heightened. Nobody really knows when it started at first, but this event made it even worse, as you've seen. Thranduil, King of the Mirkwood Realm, had come with an army, but had turned his back on us when we pleaded for help. He felt that it would be a waste of Elven blood if they were to aid us against Smaug. We were homeless, had nowhere to go. We wandered the wilderness for a very long time, never settling down.

"Thorin's hatred for Smaug and hatred for the Elves intensified as time passed. Now at one point, Moria, another Dwarf realm, had been overrun with Orcs. We had come to assist. It was a bloody battle, Miss Paige. So many Dwarves lost. The leader of the Moria Orcs, Azog the Defiler, had a mission that day. To cut off the line of Durin. Thror had gone to battle the Pale Orc, but had died. Thrain, Thorin's father, went mad with grief and despair when he saw his own father's head roll down the hill. I apologize if this is getting a bit gory.

"Thorin had wanted to go after the Pale Orc, but his father held him back. He, nor anybody else, never saw his father again. We presumed that he was dead, but Thorin looked amongst every body later on and never found it. When his father didn't come back, Thorin took on Azog next. He fought valiantly, but it looked as if he wasn't going to make it. Just as Azog was about to make the killing blow, Thorin took up an oak branch and used it as a shield. Hence the name 'Thorin Oakenshield'. He won the battle that day, succeeding in cutting the Orc's arm off. And we haven't seen him since, presumed to die of battle wounds. Our quest, is reclaim our homeland from Smaug."

My mouth fell, open taking in all this new information. A million thoughts rushed through my head. When I had processed everything I could in a few minutes, I asked, "But why now try and take the Mountain back? After all this time." Balin shrugged. "Gandalf felt it was time, and like you said earlier; we trust Gandalf. Or at least we should, we'd be fools if we didn't." The Dwarf stood up and stretched. "You should get some sleep now, Miss."

As Balin walked away, I called, "Thank you, Balin. And please, just call me Paige, no 'Miss'." He smiled and nodded. I stared into the fire, deep in thought. This was a dangerous quest. One I could die on if I wasn't careful. "What have you gotten yourself into, Paige?" I asked myself aloud, sighing.

There was a knock on the door and I jumped, only to see that it was Lindir. I relaxed and smiled at the Elf. "Oh, hello Lindir." His lips twitched into a faint smile, saying, "Lord Elrond has instructed me to show you to your sleeping quarters." I stood up from the comfy chair and turned to the fire, putting it out with magic. "Aguamenti."

I stood up and put my wand away, sighing when I saw Lindir's alarmed expression. "Yes, I'm a Wizard." He stared at me for a second before turning on his heel and walking away. I jogged after him to keep up. He brought me to a lovely room and walked away before I could thank him. I changed into a long, comfy nightdress when an Elf maid came in to take the clothes I wore today. "Your own clothes have been hung up in the closet." She said with a distant smile. I nodded and started to get ready for bed.

As I washed my face in a basin of cool water left for me, I wondered what my Dwarven/Hobbit companions were doing. As if on cue, I heard uproariously laughter and furrowed my eyebrows. Padding over to the window, I opened it, looking out to see them right below me on a terrace connected to their quarters. I frowned, wondering why I didn't have one, not that it really mattered. Bombur was on the floor and judging by the broken furniture, he had broken the seat he had sat on.

A small smile crept up my face, growing wider when I spotted what looked like sausages being cooked over a fire they made. I guess that they got their meat after all. I left the window slightly ajar as I walked to the bed in the room. I stopped, though, when I heard my name in their conversation. I walked back over to the window and opened it a bit further, wondering what they were saying.

"I think that we should leave her and the Hobbit here. They are usless to us." Dwalin suggested. Hurt welled up in my chest at his words. I was useless to them? Several other Dwarves grumbled in agreement and I felt tears forming in my eyes.

Since I met them no more than twenty-four hours ago, all I had been trying to do was show them that I was worthy of joining their quest, that I could do whatever they could. But every time, all they did was shut me down. "I'm not so sure we should leave them behind. Paige could be useful to us." Balin replied.

I felt hope in me, if a sliver. Balin was second-in-command, of sorts, to Thorin. He could maybe persuade them. "She's a Witch! A dabbler of evil!" Dori exclaimed. A few tears leaked out of my eyes and down my face as I sunk to the ground in front of the window. Every time I was called a Witch negatively, it felt as if I were being flogged, another time the whip cracked against my skin. "She saved my life! And Thorin's, as well! Does that count for nothing?!" Kíli retorted. There was more grumbling, none of which I could understand, when it all fell silent.

"Thorin." Balin addressed. He didn't say anything, leaving me to assume that he was thinking. "We take the Hobbit with us. Leave the girl behind. She was never meant to come with us." There were some agreements and some protests, but I broke out into sobs either way. I muffled them by hiding my face in my arms, but it didn't hurt any less.

If Mum were here instead of me, she'd be down there with the Dwarves arguing her right to be apart the Company. She'd show them how and why she was apart of Thorin & Company. Mum would gain the Dwarves respect in a heartbeat. They'd accept her in seconds. But you're not Mum, a voice sneered in my head. You're a burden; a Witch. Mum would have a chance, if they knew who she was, they'd wish she were here instead of you.

I tried to stop crying, wiping at my eyes. "Get some rest. We leave at first light." Thorin announced. An idea suddenly popped into my head when the door opened. The Elf maid came back, carrying the clothes I wore today, folded and washed. "Thank you." I said kindly after clearing my throat, getting into bed. The She-Elf nodded and left.

My wand, laying on the bedside table, fell into my hands as I casted a few charms to pack up my things for me. I was going with them, whether they liked it or not. I set a magical alarm for myself so I wouldn't miss the first light.