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LazySmurf247: I thought it was a pretty strong chapter too! It's good to see you also liked it!

lovecastle89: I had to think alot about the flashback, but i am glad it turned out well!

Bara7: Thank you so much! I read alot of fanfictions so perhaps i am learning from them! I am so glad you loved that chapter! Here's the update!

Anonymous (guest): Thanks so much! Yes I am posting wednesday! ;) (If not a little late...)

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rainv: Thanks you for the review and for loving it! You are amazing!

BloodyTink: Yes, I cant wait for their interactions either! (My favorites to write!)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit in anyway shape or form. The credit for that goes entirely to the amazing minds of J.R.R. Tolkien, and Peter Jackson. I don't know where I would be without them!

Thorin knew that she had entered.

He saw her poke her head around the corner, and knew that every one of the dwarves were already in the room, singing their song of mourn.

He almost scowled into the fire when he noticed her presence and at the memory of her having the key. He didn't know how she had come by it, but he assumed that she had taken it from the wizard, somehow.

He didn't scowl though, he just continued singing the words of their song about their lost home, and stared into the crackling fire.

He didn't let her know that he knew of her presence, because if he did, he would have to look at her eyes.

She hadn't moved the entire time that she stood there, and he began to feel uneasy. He felt her watching him, and it made him wonder what she was seeing.

Was she seeing a king; a leader worth following, like all the others saw.

Or was she seeing a dwarf who only cared about himself. A dwarf who only planned to take back his home for the gold, and the power.

Thorin couldn't help but care what she thought of him at the moment. He was at a weak point by that fire. He did not have his walls up to hide his pain and loss. His wonder for what she thought of him took over and he finally looked up; curious what her eyes would say about her impression of him.

When he looked up he didn't see green. He only saw her eyes closed and her body still.

He looked at this girl, really looked at her. He noticed the firm set of her brows and he wondered what she was thinking. What she was seeing behind those closed lids.

For the first time in many, many years, he did not hide his true thoughts from his face and watched as her lips tilted up into a soft smile. The sight of her smile almost was enough to cause him to smile as well.

Before he had a chance to, the song came to a close, and Miss Maize opened her eyes.

Thorin did his best to hide his expression, but was not quick enough before she met his eyes, and turned out of the room quicker than he thought she would.

Thorin furrowed his eyebrows and turned his gaze quickly back to the fire, mentally scolding himself for letting his walls down so carelessly.

The room was a calm still, and the only thing moving was the smoke from the pipes of the others.

He turned to face them when he made sure his face was covered, and was met with the eyes of his company. Staring back and waiting for his directions.

"Get some sleep." He said, "All of you. We have a long day of travel ahead of us, and you need as much rest as possible." They all nodded and started to settle down on the ground right were they had been standing. Thorin knew this also should apply to himself, but he knew that sleep would not come easily to him. He turned to walk from the room and went to the door leading out into the open air of the shire.

He stepped out and took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and exhaling. He looked up to the stars and felt the cool breeze of the shire move his hair.

He heard the door of the hobbits home open behind him yet made no move to see who had followed him out. A tall figured stepped out next to him, and blew a few rings of smoke out into the clear night air.

"It really is quite beautiful here." Gandalf said, and Thorin only grunted in response. As much as he hated to agree, the Shire was indeed a very breathtaking place. Not only that, but it was so very peaceful, and having been a leader in the Blue Mountains, Thorin never did get much of that.

"What is it you need, Gandalf?" Thorin asked staring into the night. From a distance he could hear the sounds of a jolly song, and hobbit laughter.

"I believe that you and I have something very important to debate on."

"The girl." It wasn't a question, but Gandalf took it as one.

"Indeed." He said and let out another flying puff of smoke, "And 'that girl' has a name. Her name is Gwendoline Maize. I believe that it would be better if you called her as such.

"Very well. You wish to speak about Miss Maize." Thorin added a pinch of disdain with the girl's name. It had been the first time he had even said it, and it made him feel strange.

"Yes. I am very much inclined to believe that you should reconsider your decision about her joining you on your quest."

"She cannot come." Thorin stated, putting foot down on the subject.

"And why ever not, master Oakenshield?" Gandalf sounded exasperated, and annoyed at the dwarf's quick refusal.

"She will be a distraction."

"A distraction to whom Thorin?" Gandalf said, but Thorin was quick enough to catch his meaning and scowled at the wizard's implication. He turned and walked back into the hole in the ground, while Gandalf just shook his head. "She will be a great asset. She will make the dwarves more light hearted on this journey when they would normally be very grim."

"Then she will only cause grief if she were to die." Thorin said, and ignored the pang he felt at the idea. She was so young. He may not be fond of her but she had a long life to live. He continued walking with Gandalf behind him until he reached the table they had sat at earlier that evening.

"All of you knew the possibility of dying, and any of you could. Not just her." Gandalf, bit at the end of his long pipe, and Thorin knew he had a point.

"But we are trained. We are prepared for battle, she has probably never lifted a sword in her life." He practically growled and leaned back in his chair in an attempt to ease the aching in his back, "It is already enough to have one untrained person in this company, seeing as the burglar would have no experience, but two? That would be to great a burden on my dwarves."

"Then we can train them!" Gandalf was letting his calm demeanor fall at frustration from the exiled king's stubbornness. Thorin did not respond seeing the wizard looking for the words that he seemed to be trying to say. Gandalf leaned close and Thorin felt himself doing the same. "She is the most important part of this quest. She will decide its success."

"And what does that mean, Wizard?"

"I met with Lady Galadriel of-"

"Lady Galadriel?" Thorin scoffed. "And why would I care of what an elf has to say about anything?"

"Because lady Galadriel informed me of the importance of our Gwendoline."

"And what is the importance of this burden of a girl?" There were many other words that Thorin was tempted to use when describing the green eyed girl, but felt as if they would not help his cause in trying to make her stay behind.

"Her name is Gwendoline."

"Miss Maize." Thorin refused to use her given name. Not only was it informal, but also she had given him no such permission to do so. Gandalf only sighed and continued.

"She knows of our quest." Gandalf's voice dropped low and silent. Thorin stood, having had enough of this wizards nonsense.

"So does every other soul in this house." He turned to walk away. "She is not coming and that is final." Just as Thorin was about to exit the wizard spoke up.

"She knows of the fate of our quest." Thorin stilled and the wizard took it as a sign to continue. "She knows that quest better than any one of the souls in this house, combined. She is our key to absolute success."

Thorin turned back to the wizard and met him with a deadly glare.

"You mean to tell me this...child, knows of the outcome of a quest we have not even started?"

"That is exactly what I mean to tell you." The wizard blew out a large ring of smoke, and Thorin had a hard time trying to see through the murk it caused. "That girl has a knowledge that none can explain, but it is a required knowledge nonetheless."

"So then what do you expect me to do?"

"Well, Master Dwarf, exactly what I have meaning for you to do. Bring her with us."

"She-"

"She is not just a wanted addition to this company, for joy, Thorin Oakenshield." The wizard interrupted the dwarf king, and sent him a determined look, "We need her. The fate of this quest lies in her hands."

Thorin held his breath. This was a risk. Taking a young girl on a dangerous quest that could very well be the end of her.

Even through all his anger, and denial at the importance of this green-eyed girl, he knew she had to come.

He hated to admit it, but they needed her.

"Very well." He finally said and turned to leave. "Have Balin make a space for her name on the contract." With that he left the room.

He stood in the hallway and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths.

He was exhausted. Upset, and worried for the fate of this quest and his company.

He hoped the girl was worth it.

As he walked to go outside once again and stand in the cool night air, he stopped walking in front of the door that he knew led into the room that Miss Maize was in.

After a moments hesitation he made his decision and walked to it. He didn't bother knocking and opened the door quickly.

The first thing he noticed was the warmth and cozy feeling of the room, the next thing was the girl on the bed looking at him with bright green eyes, and holding a book, upside down, in her hands.

It was obvious to him that she had just barely picked up the book and realized she must have been trying to eavesdrop into their conversation.

If the circumstances had been different, and he wasn't caught with her glaring green eyes, he would have laughed.

It took a few moments of recovering from the hold of her eyes

And reminding himself that she would not weaken him, before he spoke.

"We leave at dawn." He said quickly but firmly, then turned and shut the door behind him.

As he walked to the green door and stepped into the night once again, he kept repeating the same thing over and over in his mind.

She will not be a distraction. She will not distract me. She will not be a distraction. She will not distract me...

After getting over the initial shock of having practically been caught listening into Thorin and Gandalf's conversation, she threw the book down and jumped from the bed and covered the excited laugh that erupted from her lungs. She hadn't heard much, but whatever Gandalf had said seemed to have worked.

She could help them now. She could save them without having to sneak around them.

She was quick to realize that she had nothing to take with her. No clothes, no weapons, nothing. The only things she had were the clothes on her back at that moment and a determined set of mind.

She would find something someway. If not, she would just have to make do with what she had. She could earn money some how and buy what she needed when they reached a town.

She lay on the bed once more, and climbed under the covers, but it was safe to say, she did not get a wink of sleep that night.

I just want to say, that the support i receive from you all is astounding!

Never in a million years did i dream that I would be so lucky to have such amazing people reading my story! Thank you so much!

I just finished with the first part of auditions for the play I am directing, and will be calling back more people for callbacks on friday! Yay! It is so fun, and I just wish that it would leave more time for me to come and update!

But I still love when i gain new followers and favorites for the story! I write because i love it, and I am so glad you love it as well!

Also, just thought i would quickly mention that my birthday is in 9 days! I have been waiting for this day for years!

Thanks!

-Natalia