Hellooo all my lovely followers! I can't even begin to apologize over how long this has taken me! But here is another chapter. As always, read and tell me something good...

Celyn had thought that she would have gone to bed early after supper. She couldn't have been more wrong. By now, she had found out that the dwarves were a merry gathering, who always was up for a bit of fun whenever a chance was offered. They had been laughing, joking, singing long after darkness had fallen and Celyn had began to feel fatigue aching in her joints and muscles. Even though she was regaining her strength quickly, she still felt sore and tired after her time in Goblin town. Not only pshysically, but mentally as well.

She felt more at ease with the dwarves now than she had so far. Bofur had invited her to sing some more while he played his flute. She had been shy, but the rest of the dwarves didn't seem to mind her singing and voicing her exsistence. Sadly, they shared little songs that they both new, so their repertoar had been narrowed down to a few well-known songs typical for taverns and inns.

"Don't worry, lass." Bofur had said when he had watched her embarrassment over not knowing any of the songs. "We'll have plenty of time until we get to Laketown to learn from each other."

Celyn smiled as she lay down on her bedroll. Bofur... He encouraged her so much... She couldn't remember the last time that she had been encouraged to do anything in her life, really. For as long as she could remember she had been told only one thing; she wouldn't be able to do anything with her life. She had no future. But today she had been showed the art of wielding a sword and shooting with a bow. And she had been rather good at the latter. Even the others had told her so. She had never had the chance to try it before, but now she liked it. Then she had been cooking and recieved words of apprechiation for it. To finish she had been singing, and no one had told her to stop or crudely told her to shut up. It wasn't like before. Those dwarves was nothing like Him.

It had been a good day for Celyn. The best one in a very long time.

She could hear the laughter and partying dying down in the kitchen, the dwarves seeming to grow tired as well. Soon, they would all come to join her, to sleep on their own bedrolls before it was time to depart tomorrow. Celyn hadn't been riding that much, so she was a bit nervous with coping on a horseback for...Well, she hadn't been told for just how long she would have to manage.

Celyn laid down on her back. She could feel her muscles ache and beginning to relax, back unraveling with a few quiet popping sounds. She absentmindedly played with a few straws of hay next to her bedroll. She was soothed to know that she was safe, and that there were people around her. She smiled softly to herself as her consciousness entered a dark tunnel, leaving the laughter and conversations far behind her in the waking world...

Celyn was waiting. There was always a sense of wanting to get it over and done with.

'Just come at me already. Just hit me.' Celyn would think. 'Just do it. But just let it be the last time.'

He would always be there. This time it was at a market. The market in Bree? Maybe so...But no, this one was more colourful, had more people, more scents, more goods, more to look at... Even before he would enter her dreams, she could feel him. Celyn could sense him scanning the crowds for her, with his one good eye and jaws tightly clenched in anger. He would always find her, eventually. Sometimes she even wanted to be found, to get it over with. And, she had nowhere else to go, really. She had hoped to be safe from his rage when they were out in the open, but no one paid any notice to them as she felt the first punches rain down upon her.

'I. Told. You. To. Stay. Home.' A punch puncturing each syllable. It was his specialty to get his point across. 'You whore!'

She wanted to hit back, to defend herself, but she could never do so. Frozen like a statue. She took it all. Every punch, every slap, every word... Sometimes he wouldn't even attack her. He would sit in his disgusting chair by the fire, and Celyn would try to kill him, reclaiming her freedom by doing so. But she had always been like a ghost then, hands going through him as she went to punch his jaw. She would scream in frustration, but no sound would escape her.

He had her on the ground, then. Still, no one paid any attention to the pair. Not even in her mind did she brace herself for this part anymore. She would see his face. His horrible face. Eyes wide in anger, hardly seen behind the low brow, knitted in rage, lips was up in a sneer, showing off his rotting teeth. She just saw him taking back his leg...Preparing to land a kick. She heard a woman scream in fear, but it was not her own mouth moving...

'No! The baby! The baby!'

Bofur had been the last one to go to bed that night. It had been a good day. Most of the company had been at ease, and he was actually relieved to know that Celyn was coming with them now. He had had fun with her at dinner. They had been singing together, or he had played his flute and she had been singing herself. Together, they had entertained the group. Though shy at first, he could tell that she was relaxing more and more as the night went on. It could be seen in her smile...That smile that had been playing at the corner of her lips at first, until her face had broken out in laughter. He remembered her voice. It had been strained and quiet at first. Then, it had gradually increased in strength and clarity. He loved her voice already. He thought fondly of it, and of her in general. She looked at him and...He didn't know how to put it, but she looked starved. Starved for any kindness and attention he was offering.

It wasn't long before Bofur could hear her voice. He knew it was her, naturally, but it didn't sound like Celyn at all...

"No..." Bofur could hear it from her bedroll, along with her tossing and turning violently on the hay. The rest of her speech came out slurred, until one high pitched yelp made his heart skip a few beats. In the dark, he could see the outlining of her, now sitting up. It seemed to take a while for her to come to realization where she was, that she even was awake... When she seemed to do so, she hid her face in her hands, a dry sob shaking her body.

Automatically, Bofur had already moved up in a sitting position himself, now watching her. He had hoped that she could sense him looking, but she didn't move.

"Lass..." he said softly. She didn't seem to hear him at first. Was she sleeping after all? "Celyn..."

Having spoken a little louder this time, she turned around and saw him, looking at her from his own bedroll. Bofur. In the pale moonlight she could make out his distinct beard over his lighter skin. She could also make out that his thick eyebrows was turned up in a concerned frown.

"Sorry if I woke you up..." she whispered back to him, voice thick and hoarse. "Try and go back to sleep. I will be quiet..."

"Oh lass, no..." he said, moving very quietly on all fours to her bedroll. She kept her gaze fixed on him, feeling nauseous at this late hour, her neck sweaty from tossing and turning. "I'm only concerned for ya, that's all. I didn't exactly call out to tell you to be quiet. You must have been having one nasty nightmare."

"Is it really that obvious?" she said, sarcasm in her voice and eyes rolling in the moonlight. He was so close to her now that they both could whisper comfortably.

"Oh, I reckon it is lass..." Bofur said. "What made you scream like that?"

Celyn fidgeted on her bedroll, wrapping her arms over her legs, drawn up to her chest. She could always tell him that she couldn't remember her dream. She could just say that she had been dreaming of Goblin town. She could tell Bofur she dreamed about being whipped or starved to death. How she would be in a room full of delicious food, with no means to eat any of it, her hands tied or cut off and her mouth sewn together...But no, that was not this nights dream...

"It is a long story..." she murmured quietly.

Bofur got up from all fours and stood over her, reaching out his hand for her to take.

"Come on then," he whispered. "You got my ears all night."

Celyn wanted to protest and turn down his offer. Part of her wanted to tell him to go back to bed, and that she would do the same, that he had no obligation to ask her these things or listen to her. But his hand was there, and hers reached for it on its own accord. Again, she felt how warm his calloused hands were as they helped her on her feet. She could feel how strong he truly was. Bofur picked up her blanket for her and led her towards the hearth, where they had been sitting the night before.

"Watch your step, lass."

Bofur still held her hand as they staggered on the floor, avoiding the sleeping and snoring bodies laying in their path. If Celyn hadn't been there with them, he was sure he would have been one of them. He wasn't really a light sleeper, and particularly not if he had been drinking. Then, a raid by orcs couldn't wake him. But it was like he, looking out for Celyn, had now stretched beyond the waking hours. It had not been a choice, it just seemed to happen on its own.

As she sat down, Bofur took the blanket he had brought along and wrapped it over her shoulders, smoothing the fabric over her with a few long, kind strokes of his palms. Celyn wasn't cold by any means, but she appreciated the symbolic gesture anyway. No matter how alien it felt to her after so long. She remembered how her mother would do the same thing for her when she had been cold. In wintertime, if Celyn was really cold, her mother would sit her down by the fire, take Celyns hands into her own and put them into her armpits. They had both laughed at that - her mother yelping at the cold. Celyns mother had always been like that - she always put Celyns and her brother Celéons needs before her own. It pained Celyn a lot that she never could tell her mother of everything that she had experienced in the past few days. About the eagles, Bilbo, Gandalf, Beorn, all the dwarves...Bofur. It was always the worst part, coming to the realization that she would never speak to her in this world again. It was easier to forget than one would think.

"Want me to put the kettle on?" Bofur asked her. He wanted to take care of her. Anything to chase away that slight frown the seemed to be etched onto her face.

"No, thank you." Celyn said. She didn't feel like drinking tea now. "And please Bofur...you needn't fuss so over me...It was all just a dream."

"Sorry lass." Bofur said. He didn't sound hurt, but only sat down beside her now. "But I'm quite used to...Bifur waking up in the middle of the night. From nightmares. He hasn't done so for quite a while now, though. But tea usually helps then."

Celyn nodded. Somehow, it made her feel less...unique...She felt ashamed over that feeling. That feeling that Bofur would do this for anyone. Bifur was his cousin, but he would probably had done the same for any of his companions. Suddenly, she got an image of Bofur comforting Thorin in the night and smiled a bit, despite herself.

"Maybe your cousin has made peace with himself." Celyn said. "More so than before."

"Aye." Bofur said. "Or maybe he just couldn't do it anymore. Waking up every night, screaming...Maybe he just had enough..."

For a while, Bofur thought that she wouldn't want to tell him about her nightmare. That they would drop the subject and that they would talk about some lighter topic as a distraction, or just sit quietly. He thought so until Celyn spoke;

"I dreamed about him, Bofur..." her voice was so small, with weak confidence that could vanish at any second.

"Dreamt about who, lass?" he asked.

"My husband." she said, looking into the embers like she had the night before. "Back in Bree..."

Bofur felt like he was being ripped in two. He couldn't breathe...Was Celyn a married woman? Did she have a husband back in Bree? Suddenly, that feeling was back, like a slimy worm making its way through his heart. Stronger than ever. That feeling he had felt when he had caught Nori staring at her earlier that day...That feeling that had surged through him as he saw Fili laying his hands upon Celyn, his body close to hers. The cheeky, youthful grin he had sent to his brother as he had stepped away from her...The innuendos that would have made him laugh in other circumstances. He hated this feeling. He hated not to be able to stop it...She was not his. He had no right...

"I see..." Bofur said, trying with all his might to not let any of these unwanted feelings show. This was about Celyn. Not him. She didn't need to deal with his feelings on top of her own.

"If a husband is what you could call him..." she said. "I...I don't know what to say...How to explain..."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bofur asked, not angry, but puzzled.

"You asked me if a had a husband in Laketown, I know..." she said. "I had one in Bree. I lived with him there. Forgive me, but I don't know why I kept it from you...It didn't seem to matter...I never thought I would tell you this...I don't know why I even do it..."

She hadn't dared to tell Bofur that much before...Now, she saw no reason to hide what she had been running away from. She might as well be honest, given that they would spend quite a lot of time before they got to Laketown. But then, for the same reason, she might as well be quiet.

"I don't know where he is now..." she continued. "He...He..."

Her throat felt dry. For a second, she regretted having turned the offer of tea down.

"So that is why you went into the wild then, is it?" Bofur asked without taking his eyes off her. Celyn nodded at this. She was thankful that she did not need to speak. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest. She was too aware of Bofur's eyes on her.

"Did he..." Bofur started, not sure how to put it. He had never been one to put things delicately. "Treat you badly, lass?"

She was quiet for a second. Should she tell him everything? About all the words, all the beatings? How he had forced himself upon her from their first night together...? How many times more had there been? How many more nights?

"I suppose you could say that." she said quietly. No, he did not need to know...Not about it all.

"For how long?" he asked, anger thinly veiled. He was in chock to hear what Celyn just had told him. And he was angry, and briefly wondered if the bastard was still alive or if he could do something about that otherwise...

"For as long as we were married..." Celyn said. "That's where that mark comes from...The one you asked me about?"

"I remember..." Bofur said, remembering her hesitation before answering him. She had said that it had been from the goblins as well.

"That was from his belt."

Bofur balled his fists. He could not imagine the pain he must have inflicted upon Celyn. He could not imagine any husband doing that to his wife...Women were rare amongst dwarves. They were all precious. That any man who had sworn to protect a woman would do such a thing, was unthinkable to him.

"You must think I'm such a liar..." Celyn began, voice thick with uncertainess and sorrow. She was cut short.

"Lass, don't you dare saying that." Bofur said, trying with all his might to not let it show how upset he truly was. "Don't you think I understand why you didn't tell?"

Celyn fell quiet. She should have had higher thoughts about the dwarf, but he was really still mostly a stranger. They had only known each other for a few days, and now Celyn told him all of this...She couldn't get her head around it. It was so out of character for her...Or maybe it wasn't...She could not recall her old life. Who had she been before everything started to go so very wrong? She didn't really know who she was anymore. She had been imprisoned for so long... She had wanted to sing, but she had always been told to shut up. Slowly, the spark inside her had died down. And now, Celyn didn't know if it was possible to rekindle it again. What if it wasn't?

"You told me you didn't want to talk about it yesterday..." Bofur said. He knew that there had been something she didn't tell him, and he had accepted it. "And trust me, I know it must be hard. But I said it then and I'll say it now; you can always talk to me about anything, if you want."

"Bofur..." she said, her voice thick. He felt how his heart would break if she spoke his name like that again. Almost, pleading...It took a while for Celyn to regain her composure.

"I did not marry him by choice..." she said, looking directly at him. Bofur saw that the expression was hard, and that she forced the words to come out. This was difficult for her, and he couldn't blame her. "I just want you to know that Bofur. I never loved him...I might have tried to, but I never could..."

"I understand that, lass..." Bofur said, nodding. "Don't you worry, I understand if you don't-"

"No." Celyn interrupted him. "I want to. No more lies. I won't keep this locked within myself any longer."

Celyn took a deep breath and looked into the embers once more.

"It was my father who sent me away..."

Celyn would never tell Bofur, but as she said those words, she thought back on one of the last conversations she had had with her father;

"Celyn, you have put shame over this family...I am sending you away..."

"Sending me away?" she asked, chocked by his tone. Their argument had escalated and reached its peak moments before."Where to?"

"To my cousin in Bree. I just received word from him a few days ago."

Celyn had only met Halbar, her fathers cousin once. She had been a child back then, when he had decided to move away from Laketown to try his luck in Bree. Apparently, he also had been forced to move because of inappropriate behavior. Or so people said...

"To your cousin?" Celyn repeated, her anger resurfacing. She didn't like at all where this was going. Also, her father had been going behind her back. Talkied about her behind her back... "What will I be doing there?"

Her father looked sad...He didn't speak for a few moments.

"Father?" she said, her face now red in frustration. He was making her angry with his silence, and she demanded an answer from him.

"He has promised to take you in, Celyn." her father said without meeting her eyes. "He will take you as his wife."

Celyn had been at a loss for any words. Had she even heard him right? Was she, a young woman, to move away from her hometown to marry a man at least twice her age? And for what? Because no one would talk to her anymore? Because the dealers in the market wouldn't let her shop from them anymore? Celyn could feel what little freedom she had left being taken away from her. Her life...Even if it wasn't much...It was all draining away, much like from a wound, and there was no way to stop the loss of blood.

"I wish I didn't need to..." her father said, his voice now choking on tears. Celyn had only seen him cry a few times in her life, and now it only made her more angry."But you leave me no choice, Celyn... I wanted a better life for you. In Bree, you may find a fresh start. No one will even know you once you get there. They won't know of your past...You can find forgiveness."

"This can not be..." Celyn said, not knowing if she wanted to cry, scream or laugh. One thing was for certain though; this was no laughing-matter. And she was angry. "He's your age father...He's even older than you!"

"Celyn, I know." her father silenced her. "I know. It's true, he's old, but he's never taken a wife... He knows all about our situation, about you being..."

Celyn wanted to cry...She gave up a frustrated scream. Damn it if the neighbors heard her - she did not care anymore.

"I did it for us, father!" she screamed. "Why don't you just go on and say it already? Say it! Your daughter is a harlot! A whore!"

Her father wanted so badly to silence her. The thought of it made him sick to his core. He knew that the neighbors knew of it by know. He knew that the entire town knew. She could hardly go out during the day, and for once, he was glad that he was unable to... If Celyn stayed in Laketown, she might not live to see another year. Things were already spiraling out of control... The other inhabitants would simply go much further that just name-calling and abuse some day... He could already feel it in the air, and it had gotten worse. If the people had their say, it would not matter if the Lord of the town had her under his protection or not. They wanted blood. And if they wanted his daughters blood, then they would make sure to get it.

"And why is she a whore?" Celyn continued, still screaming and trembling with pent up anger. Had she had less respect for her father she surely would have hit him already. "Because I'm useless on the lake, and I couldn't even get a simple job as a chambermaid! And do you know how much I loathe myself for it...? I'm more disgusted with me than you are! Just look at me! I'm a whore, and every single man, woman and child in this town hates me! But it's true father - it's the truth!"

She broke down, right there on the floor in front of the fire. Her tears was staining the wood underneath her, face pressed against the floor. Her father wanted so badly to comfort her in any way...But not only had that been her mothers task when she had been alive, but he also couldn't get up so easily from his seat...His lost foot rendering him useless...Also, he knew he was the cause of that pain. If only she could understand him...If only she'd known he just wanted his daughter to have a better life. He just wanted her to be safe. He just wanted her to live.

"How could he do such a thing?" Bofur asked her. If he had been a father, he would have done anything to protect his children.. Children were more valued than all the gold in the world. They were a precious gift from Mahal. One simply didn't send them away to go live with a stranger...

"I told you yesterday..." Celyn said, her face remaining stoic. "He couldn't work...The entire town is poor, but I guess some were better off than others. He wanted me to have a better life than what was offered to me...Please try to understand. I made peace with it long ago..."

Maybe it wasn't the entire truth. But she used to hold a stronger grudge against her father...But upon leaving Laketown behind she had decided one thing; she would never tell anyone she met the reason why she had left. No one could ever know. Not only could she be risking her life on revealing such information about her past, but there was also one more thing that kept her from telling;

Shame. The ultimate, white hot shame. The shame she would feel when she could see them whispering behind cupped hands or fans, undoubtedly about her... The shame she had felt when she had been going to buy fish from the market.

"I know where those money come from...Ye can keep yer filthy money, 'cause I 'aint selling to women like ya."

That woman...Celyn had almost wished her dead. Even though she mostly had been hurt, she also made Celyns blood boil. She knew who the womans husband was, and she knew him too well...Well, she knew what he liked. She had entertained him a few times at the tavern...His wife probably knew all about it. She hated Celyn. But then again, the hate was mutual.

Bofur nodded at her. He knew that the inhabitants of Laketown mostly consisted of poor, unfortunate people, given the location by the mountain. The town traded with few others than the wood elves, and the area offered little ground to farm. Even though Celyn was a well-mannered young woman he hadn't thought that she had come from a rich family or anything.

"I just want to see my father again before he goes..." she said. "His cousin took my life away from me...But I don't know if there still is time..."

Bofur put a hand upon her shoulder and squeezed softly.

"We will find him, lass." he said. "I promise ya that."

They both knew he could make no such promise. But still, it was good for Celyn to hear. She noted his use of the word We and almost smiled.

"Please..." Celyn said, her voice pleading. "Please do not be mad at me for not telling you...But I was afraid..."

"Oh lass..." Bofur said. "You had no reason to be. I told you that you could talk to me and I'll keep that promise."

Celyn wanted to believe him. She would.

"It was just that with what Thorin said..." she started, her tone more relaxed now that he didn't seem mad at her. "About me having duties back in Bree..."

Yes, Thorin seemed to be very opinionated about what a woman's place should be. Celyn very much doubted he had ever had or been with a woman...He certainly didn't seem to know how to talk to them.

"Oh, I think you should tell him, lass." Bofur said. "He may not be very good with people, but I think that he'd understand if you told him..."

Celyn dreaded the thought of telling Thorin what she had told no one else but Bofur. It had been hard enough to do just that. And to face the grumpy dwarf in all his regalness and tell him this intimate detail of her past scared her. But then, it might make him less suspicious of her.

"Very well..." she said. "Do you mind...Telling him for me? I would never ask this of you, but I don't know him...and I don't know if I can..."

Bofur wanted to take her hand, just like he had last night, but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate after everything she had told him.

"I'm sure you'd do fine on your own lass." Bofur said. "But if it helps, I'll be there for you. I'll butter him up."

Yes, surely Thorin couldn't be immune to Bofur's charms. As far as she

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a while. Celyn didn't want to do it, but she felt she had to voice it again;

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner..." she said. "But I don't want you to treat me any differently for knowing this. I know I can't demand it from you, but I'm asking you to find it in your heart..."

Now he didn't care whether it was inappropriate or not. He put his hand on hers and squeezed, not letting go so soon this time. He knew that she would need the reassurance after opening herself up to him in the way she just had.

"This changes nothing between us lass." he said with a smile which he hoped would be calming to her. "Nothing. I'm just glad you told me."

Celyn was quiet for a second.

"Why are you being so kind to me?" she then asked out of the blue. "You are indirectly responsible for my rescue, you talk to me, you encourage me and you even take care of me in the middle of the night...When you really should be sleeping...I have done nothing to deserve such kindness from anyone."

Bofur chuckled.

"Oh lass..." he said with a tilt of his hat-less head. "The question you really should ask is, why wouldn't you deserve such kindness?"

Celyn looked down, ashamed. She briefly noted that he hadn't let go of her hand yet. Neither had she made any move to escape his touch. She surprised herself with noting that it wasn't unpleasant. That she even welcomed his touch. It was warm, it was soft. It was all the comfort she needed so badly, even if it was a small gesture. She looked into his face. His kind, dark eyes, surrounded by those wrinkles that told the tale of his joyful nature. His eyebrows, thick, dark and beautifully arched...His nose. Much smaller than the other dwarves, slightly turned upwards. The dimples in his cheeks...

"I'm sorry..." she said. "Old habits die hard, I suppose. I just-"

"You're afraid that you will be in debt with me?" Bofur said. He had suspected it for a long time, but he hadn't want to say it. "That you'll be in debt with all of us for saving you?"

Celyn nodded mutely. How could he know so much about how she was thinking? Well, maybe it wasn't a strange thought after all...She should stop studying his face now. She turned her head down.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that you're sorry all the time, lass." Bofur was now moving his fingers upon hers with his hand, stroking her softly. With his other free hand, he cupped her chin softly, making her look at him again. Celyn thought that her face would burst from all the warmth that flooded to her cheeks. It felt too good, and her skin was getting more and more sensitive to his touch. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with kindness. Celyn blushed even deeper at her thoughts...It had been so long...

'What is happeing to me?'

"Alright..." she said, barely able to use her voice. "I shall stop doing that. At least not do it as much... But thank you Bofur...Thank you for being such a good friend."

She did already count him as a friend. He was the closest thing to a friend she had at the moment. The closest thing she had had since she was a mere child. But with her choices and duties, her friends had vanished, one by one. Celyn remembered seeing them in Laketown from a far. All memory of any friendship would be gone as they would ignore her, not even acknowledging her as a ghost from their past. It was either that, or the words.

Whore.

"That's my lass." Bofur said as he squeezed her hand one more time before letting go. Celyn couldn't help but to whimper softly to herself at the loss of another beings kind touch.

She knew it meant nothing, but she couldn't help but to note it this time.

My lass.

She liked it. She liked the thought of being someones. To be someones freely. Without having to be forced. To have a choice.

The next day came, and the company was awoken by Beorn himself.
While having breakfast with them, he offered the company advice for the remainder of their journey.

"Your way through Mirkwood is dark, dangerous and difficult," he said. "Water is not easy to find there, nor food. The time is not yet come for nuts, and nuts are about all that grows there fit for food. In there the wild things are dark, queer, and savage. I will provide you with skins for carrying water, and I will give you some bows and arrows. But I doubt very much whether anything you find in Mirkwood will be wholesome to eat or to drink."

Celyn now thought about the fact that they were going to go through Mirkwood. She hadn't given it much thought up until now. But was the wood really the same that she had passed through years before? She did not remember it the foul place that the others spoke of...They had been escorted by the elves of the forest. They had offered a safe passage through the woods, since the elven king Thranduil traded with the men of Laketown and they did it as a favor on the rare occasions needed. She decided to let that be unspoken for now, though. She knew that dwarves had a strong dislike for the elves and that the feeling probably was mutual. Celyn herself had nothing against the pointy-eared, etherized and impossibly beautiful creatures. Living in Laketown, she had met them several times when they would transport or fetch goods. They would even be at the tavern, but they would pay her no notice. She hoped that it would remain that way, in case they would meet any of them. She already dreaded the thought of coming back to her hometown...Maybe she wouldn't have if she had had any other options...

She felt sad for a moment. What was she going to do with herself? Really?

After they all had given their thanks to their host, they all mounted their ponies. (horses for Celyn and Gandalf.) The sun had only just turned west when they started, and till evening it would lie golden on the land about them.

Since Beorn had told them about the goblins that patrolled these parts, the company wanted to get a move on as quickly as possible. Even though Celyn felt safe with her horse she felt how her body ached during the long distances of galloping. The company tried to do so whenever the ground was grassy and smooth.

They all rode in silence for the most part. Celyn was lost in her own thoughts of home. The distraction of conversation would have been welcomed. But the gentle rocking of the horseback made her somewhat calmer. Bofur was riding in front of her, his braids sticking out to his sides as his head moved, and every now and then he looked over his shoulder towards her. If she noticed him looking he would smile at her. A reassuring smile. Celyn felt strange after having told him so much last night...She felt slightly...Violated, even though she knew it was her own doing.
But then, she thought back on his kindness...The lighter topics they had spoken about after that. She thought back on his hand lingering upon hers. It had been so long for her...
Battling away her curious and somewhat hot-blooded thoughts about dwarven physique, Celyn briefly wondered if the dwarf had had a chance to speak to Thorin and tell him about her past. Part of her hoped so...And another part just wanted to take back all she had told Bofur the previous night. It was all such a strange mixture of relief and confusion.

She was brought to a lighter mood when she heard how the dwarf in question started to sing, finally deciding to break the silence. The other dwarves soon joined in with the merry toymaker.

There's an inn, there's an inn, there's a merry old inn

beneath an old grey hill,

And there they brew a beer so brown

That the Man in the Moon himself came down

one night to drink his fill...

The dwarves had been singing it the night before when they all had been in high spirits. Now Celyn knew some of the words and tried to join in with a small portion of the song, bringing her to a lighter mood. The mountains towered darkly above them on their left, and Celyn felt that the singing in a way was to mask the worrying thought about something foul and dark coming down from those mountains... She had had enough of goblins for more than a lifetime and shared the others concern.

It would be dark soon. The last rays of sunlight was beginning to hide behind the hills behind them. Celyn could feel the warmth of the day dying away with the light. The sky was clear, and it was certain to be a chilly night. Suddenly, she felt how under-dressed she was for this trip and sleeping beneath the stars. She had received boots that the young Ori had sewn together for her in a haste. They weren't very warm, but it was better than nothing. He really was a well-mannered and intelligent young dwarf. Shy, timid, but kind. It was hard for her to believe that he was Noris younger brother...In fact, Nori was so different from both Ori and Dori that she wondered if they really were brothers, after all.
She didn't turn to look, but she knew that the dwarf in question rode behind her on his pony. Had he ended up behind her by chance? Celyn doubted it...

Suddenly, just as Celyn was beginning to have a hard time seeing through the gloom and her whole body ached and screamed for relief, Thorin signaled for the company to stop.

"We camp here for the night." he said before dismounting his pony. "Set up camp. And be on your guard, all of you."

It went without saying, that. They all felt worried about the closeness to the mountains and its disagreeable inhabitants, though no one felt the need to voice it the way Thorin just had.

"You all right, lass?" Bofur asked as Celyn had dismounted her horse with some difficulty. Her legs were so stiff after the long ride, and it took great effort to swing one over the beautiful mares back.

"Yes..." she said, happy to be face to face with him again. "I just need to get the blood flowing into my legs again, I'm afraid." Celyn rubbed her thighs with the palm of her hands, then moving back to her saddle-sore bottom. Bofur shared a cheeky grin with her at her administrations.

"Bombur!" Thorin barked as he walked around camp. "Make us something to eat. We are all hungry."

Celyn heard that and turned to Bofur.

"Do you think your brother would appreciate some help?"

Celyn was not exactly afraid of the big dwarf. But she was cautious with anyone who hadn't showed much interest in her or spoken to her. Bombur had been one of them. Despite being Bofurs brother, Celyn knew that did not automatically meant that he would like her or even approved of her being with them.

"Bombur?" Bofur said. "Why not? Go ask him. But I warn ye, he's much too busy stuffing his face than to talk very much."

Celyn smiled to the dwarf and turned to go seek out Bofurs brother. Bofur looked after her, her míthril hair glowing in the gloominess. He was almost forgetting himself for a while. She was so eager to work, so eager to show that she could be of use. He knew how much she really needed to rest, but now she used the last of her strength to make herself useful. It was a trait to admire.

"Dori." Thorin said. "You take the first watch. And after that it's you, Nori."

The silver-haired dwarf suppressed a sigh and pouted but nodded to his king. No one liked to be on watch duty. And especially not in these parts.

As it turned out, Bombur very much appreciated Celyns help. He let her help with cutting up the vegetables that would go into the stew he was making. They made little conversation, except for the vast topic of food. And Celyn didn't try too hard. If he didn't feel like talking to her, she wouldn't force him. Bombur didn't seem to be the talkative sort anyways, so she was not to take it too personally. He really was different from his brother. Both in appearance and personality. Celyn looked over to Bofur who was helping with gathering wood for Gloín and Oín who were about to get a fire started. She noticed that he could carry a lot without seeming to be weighed down by his burden. He had such broad shoulders...Celyn had not really been surprised to learn that Bofur had been a miner...She admired the strength of the dwarves. They were all muscles and power packaged in small, sturdy frames. Celyn briefly wondered if it was a wise idea to start a fire so close to the mountain but held her tongue. If they wanted her opinion they would surely ask for it.

She noticed that Nori was tending to the horses. Dwarves did not seem to have a good hand with animals. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Beorn didn't care for their sort. But Nori didn't seem to mind them too much, and neither did they mind him as he went about, unsaddling the animals. They seemed very happy indeed to get rid of their burden.

As if sensing her looking his way, he turned his head towards her and looked directly at her. He smiled a smug smile before going back to unsaddling the animals. His slender form was so different from the other dwarves. He reminded Celyn of a fox. Celyn remembered their encounter at the pear tree. How he had looked at her...His hands upon her hips. The things that he had said to her...

"...can't wait to taste your pears. Or what other forbidden fruits you're offering."

Celyn hated to admit it to herself. She could hardly do it, but somehow she felt...flattered. That, and disturbed. Was it because he was a dwarf? Even though it was obvious that Nori was no gentleman and was being indelicate, Celyn didn't believe he was one to force himself upon women. Bofur told her how Nori had been, or were still, a thief. That the dwarf had been living rough. That he would have been the burglar, had he not been a dwarf. The dragon Smaug was accustomed to the smell of his kind, but not of the smell of hobbit. Which is one of the reasons why Bilbo had been allowed to join the company to do what in Celyns ears very much sounded like dirty work.

"Miss Celyn."

She heard a voice behind her back call out from the darkness. The voice that made her nervous in all its regalness and sternness. She thought about rising, but had no energy left for such formalities.

"My lord Thorin." she said, settling for that. "How may I help you?"

"I wish to speak with you for a moment." he said over her. "In private."

Celyn felt how she froze and noticed the other dwarves curious looks. The ones that were within hearing range, that is. Well, she might as well get it over and done with for now...

"Of course."

She excused herself to Bombur and got up from her seat. Thorin led her away from the rest of the company so that they both were surrounded by darkness. Celyn felt how cold the night truly was when they stepped away from the warmth of the now crackling fire. For a minute, she looked at Thorin in the darkness and wondered if it would be possible to borrow his warm fur coat once again. It was going to be a long night...

There it is! I'm sorry it ended in a odd place, but I think it would have gotten too long otherwise.

I have received quite a lot of negative comments with the way I'm writing Nori. In my eyes, he's not a rapist/villain, but a starved man who never has learned how to approach the opposite sex. I wanted someone to have more impure thoughts about my OC, and for me, Nori was the natural choice. There's more to my story, and I'm not finished by far. But if you don't like how I'm writing him, simply don't read...Ok? Ok.

The next chapter is already in the making since I had to cut quite a lot at the end. And all of you who haven't been moaning and favorited/followed/been nice; THANK YOU! You are gold. :)