Wow, so I guess it's been a while? I got a little stuck here, losing some interest and getting caught up in some other stuff. I hope you're all okay - where I'm at there has been some terrible snow and cold storms and if you were in any of those places that got hit with heavy snow and ice, I hope you are safe and okay.

I want to give special thanks to Immortal Horse for your review! I appreciate it and hope to hear from you again!

I want to say hello and thank you to Lania-Ra, Ogregal, cuilwen1, Saphirabrightscale, mamabam, Filislady, IsraAl'Attia-Theron and Gemdragon22 for the favorites and follows.

Once again - I don't own the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. I don't know Wicca practices so if you see mistakes, please feel free to correct me. I don't know Japanese either so if I messed up there please let me know.

Read, enjoy, and review!

Wishing Well

**Seven**

I didn't expect that my time here would be wasted on stalking Gandalf and doing chores. If I wanted to do that, I would've moved back in with my parents – I could easily do my own laundry and dishes there. What I wanted was to explore some of the areas we took breaks in and see some cool wildlife beyond the typical birds and rabbits we saw. I wanted to find and spy on some trolls or goblins and find hidden gold or something. Above anything else, I wanted to try out some magick!

Trying to learn through observation with Gandalf not knowing I was watching him was tiring. I racked my brain for days trying to figure out how he could light his smoking pipe with just the flick of his finger. He blew smoke rings that would change into all kinds of different shapes and creatures when he smoked. At one point he even managed to have his shadow change and spread menacingly around the area when he got into an argument with Thorin.

It drove me nuts knowing he didn't have to cast any kind of symbol, say any chant, or freakin' prepare any materials to do things. He performed his skills on his own free will and I wanted to do the same. Granted I didn't see Gandalf reign thunderbolts down own Thorin when that dwarf annoyed him but he did some pretty cool stuff. I wanted to just flat out ask Gandalf if he could teach me but I was still iffy about it. I didn't want to get burned at the stake if the guys didn't find Wiccan to be a good thing. I liked being alive too.

With the time we've been traveling with the dwarves, hobbit and wizard we all developed some kind of routine. I would always ride with either Fíli or Kíli when we traveled while Wendy alternated between Bilbo and Ori. I didn't mind it – it gave me plenty of time to hang out with the brothers. We swapped stories of growing up in our hometowns, getting into trouble and all the stupid, crazy stuff we've done. The good friendship I was building with the guys got me a few times out of doing chores with Wendy. Sometimes Fíli and Kíli would invite me to help them 'watch' the ponies. Kíli understood that I wanted to go out beyond where Wendy would let me and often he'd let me sneak off for an hour or so to just 'look around'.

And that's what I did the few times I was able to.

When the ponies became restless and defiant early into the day, Thorin decided it would be best to come to a stop. Everyone seemed to be getting a little bit of 'cabin fever' (if you can get that from traveling on a pony for too long) so the early halt was welcomed. The moment Fíli and Kíli were assigned to watch the ponies I immediately volunteered to watch with them.

Wendy, who had been riding with Bilbo, gave me a sad look as she hopped of her pony. I almost felt guilty for ditching her but I really wanted to do something besides help Bomber prepare food or look for firewood.

"Is everything alright between you and Wendy?" Fíli asked as everyone began to break off into their own little groups to do whatever they typically did. I gave him a confused look as I followed him to where they were leading the ponies to graze. (That's what ponies do right, graze?)

"You seem to be avoiding her a lot lately."

"You would too if she kept making you do boring stuff around the camp." I mumbled back. Fíli made a face like he understood and nodded his head in agreement. "Anyway, I'll be right back." I patted him on the back and began walking towards a more woodsy area out of everyone's view.

"Don't be gone too long!" The blonde dwarf called as I continued walking away. I gave him a wave to show I acknowledged his statement and continued on.

Today was the day I was going to be productive!

(Moments Later)

The flames crackled as I stood by myself in a secluded little spot. I wasn't too far off that I'd get lost from the group but far enough out that I could light this tiny fire without being seen. Hopefully the smoke would dissipate enough to where no one would see it drift up. With some hard work and the luck of a few matches (which may or may have not been 'borrowed') I got a small fire to start. Cool beans Gandalf could light a fire on his own but I was planning on one-upping him: I was going to learn to control it. I'd never seen him do that before!

The red and orange flames flickered as I stood across from it, trying to relax and breathe evenly. If I was going to do this, I'd have to be completely calm and in control. Minutes slowly ticked as I felt myself become a little more relaxed and receptive to the nature around me.

"Ever mind the rule of three, whatever you send out comes back to thee." I chanted, using the Rede to keep me focused. I continued taking deep breaths as the flames danced about. It blazed and crackled wildly about like typical fires did.

"This lesson well, you must learn: you only get what you do earn." Slowly the flames began to still in place, not easily blowing to any side as breezes passed through them. It was like the fire was aware of me and standing attentive, waiting for me to continue.

"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill – and it harm none, do what you will." I extended my out my right arm towards the flames, feeling the warmth from the flames radiate towards me. I began to sway my hand slowly back and forth like a pendulum, moving it to tune of the Rede. Slowly the flames from the fire began to sway in a slow, perfect rhythm with me. The fire was like a snake and I was the charmer, playing a melodic tune to capture its attention and follow me.

There was no way the wind was doing this.

"Greet the days and greet the nights, with joy and thanks for all delights." The gentle sway of the flames seemed to be too easy for the fire so I switched it up. I began moving my hand around in a circular motion as if rubbing the tips of my fingers around the top of a wine glass. For a second the flames lost their consistency and rhythm with me as if they were confused by the change. I paused for a moment, trying to even out my breathing and focus on the fire.

Nothing existed besides me and the fire – it was just me and the fire together.

"Sing the seasons all around, till wondrous awe and love abound." I began again. Very slowly the fire began to obey my command. At first, the fire seemed confused, the flames timidly rolling in a circular motion as if it was chasing itself. Slowly the fire seemed to hollow out in the center and the flames began making a thin ring of fire. It was a perfect circle and I could see the charred sticks and grass that was used to get the fire started in the middle. For a moment I wished I had placed stones around the fire to help contain it but the flames seemed to behave and stay in their spot.

A part of me wanted to yell for Wendy, to get her to come over here and see this. There was no way in the world the wind was doing this. There wasn't a possible way for her to deny the existence of magick and how I was getting a little better with it. The other, sane and responsible part of me kept me focused on the flames. I didn't want to be the one to start a forest fire – that wouldn't have been good. I was so enthralled with the flames I didn't notice anyone coming. Apparently everyone in Middle Earth walked with the grace and precision of a cat...

"That's quite a nice little trick you're doing there." An older, male voice commented, causing me to jump in surprise. The fire seemed to jerk around with my movements, the little flames waving around wildly. Little embers seemed to jump from the fire and tumble around as if they were also scared and didn't know what to do.

"Oh! Careful." Gandalf commented stepping on a stray ember. I stomped around wildly about, trying to put out the tiny glowing pieces that seemed to continue hopping around and refusing to go out.

"Geeze, Gandalf! Don't scare me like that!" I snapped, finally ending the life of the final ember.

"It wasn't my intent to." The Wizard calmly replied back as he got closer to inspect the now dead fire pit I once had going. Little charred remains of sticks and grass was the only evidence that there had been a fire going. "What were you doing just a moment ago?" Gandalf asked nudging the ashes with the end of his staff. I paused momentarily trying to think this one through.

This could be my chance to explain to Gandalf that I was a Wiccan and that I was practicing magick. I could ask him to teach me what he knew, help me develop some of my skills.

Or it could be the biggest mistake I was making and could be burned at the stake because I was Wiccan.

I opted for the second choice.

"Nothing?"

Gandalf immediately saw through that lie and gave me a stern look like parent does to a child. Far too often did I get that look when I was a kid.

"It looked like you were controlling the fire a bit to me." He stated as he continued to investigate the area. Eventually he noticed the used matches on the ground. "You weren't able to start the fire on your own?"

"I…" I couldn't formulate a coherent sentence in my head. All I could think was how screwed I was.

"Oh, be honest now. I know you and Wendy are hiding something from me." Gandalf commented, sounding a little annoyed with the whole situation. "You may have smothered everyone else's interests but I know there's a little more to the both of you than what you let on." I just stood there, trying to think of something in my mind as Gandalf moved closer to me. He leaned on his staff to peer down at me while I stood still like a bump on a log. For an old man he was pretty intimidating.

"What are you two hiding?" He mumbled scrunching up his face like he couldn't quite see me. Maybe he needed glasses…

"Nothing. I'm just…a little odd. That's all." I stated as I took a few cautious steps away from the Wizard. The way he was examining me made me feel nervous. It was one of those creepy I-am-gazing-into-the-depths-of-your-soul look and those were always weird and uncomfortable.

"What you were doing wasn't odd." He began. With every step back I took, he took one forward to keep up with me. "Your clothes are odd. Your speech and dialect is odd. Your behavior is sometimes odd."

Thanks Gandalf – you've got a way of making a girl feel good about herself. I didn't think I was that weird. Some of the dwarves had leant me and Wendy spare clothes to wear but it wasn't my fault tunics and blue jeans didn't go well together!

"You're not an elf so - "

"Can elves do magick too?" I asked interrupting whatever he was going to say. I had accidently tuned him out a moment ago and only came back from my corner of self-doubt when I heard 'elf'.

"I'm asking questions, Elli. Not you." The Wizard stated, hitting me on the head with the end of his staff. He didn't quite bash my brains in but it wasn't a gentle tap either. I winced in pain and rubbed the spot as Gandalf turned away and started walking off. "You'd better get going now. You normally get an hour of free time before the Durin brothers come looking for you."

I stood there a bit in shock.

I thought I had been the one watching him – not the other way around.

How much did he actually know about me and what I was doing?

(Back at Camp)

I sat by the fire pouting and sending Wendy sad faces every time she glanced over at me. She was across the camp doing something with Bofur and Bifur. She'd glance over occasionally and smile a bit before turning back to the two dwarves. The sun was going down and casting an orange glow on everything signaling an end to the day. I was pouting partly because Wendy wasn't hanging out with me and also because I couldn't do anything with the fire in front of me. No matter how hard I concentrated, no kind of change would happen.

Yes, it was stupid to do it with everyone around but I wanted to see if I could do it without chanting and using hand movements. I couldn't and that upset me too.

"What's wrong?" Kíli asked, flopping down and taking a seat next to me.

"Nothing." I grumbled back, giving up on the flames.

"You're a terrible liar." Fíli stated, taking a seat by his brother. I tried to send a glare at the two but ended up making a weird face at them instead. Both of them had wet hair and were wearing just their basic pants and tunics. Their thick jackets and cloaks weren't with them and I glanced around noticing some of the other dwarves weren't wearing their typical multi-layers of clothes. I turned my attention back to the brothers again and noticed how young they kind of looked without all their…stuff…on them. Take away their swords, bow and arrows, knives and thick heavy jackets you got two cuddly looking teddy bears.

Granted I was beginning to think one teddy bear looked a little better than the other but that wasn't important.

"Wendy found a lake while looking for firewood with Bilbo." Fíli stated. "Since Wendy finished doing laundry, we've all been taking turns going back and cleaning up."

"You should probably go back and take a quick bath before it gets too dark." Kíli added.

"Are you saying I'm filthy?" I asked, watching Kíli shift uncomfortably under my fake glare. I wasn't mad at him but seeing him being uncomfortable was fun. Not very often was I in the position to make him feel embarrassed. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"No… I didn't mean…" The poor dwarf fumbled around for words while I started laughing.

"It's okay Kíli. I know what you meant." I did a quick mental count of everyone in the area and made sure all fifteen male members were within the area as I got up. I looked around and saw a clothes line that had some of the clothes that were leant to Wendy and me to wear.

"I'll be back." I said to the guys as I made my way to get clean clothes and get all squeaky clean.

Hopefully I could wash away the fact that I was royally screwed if Wendy knew what I was doing.

(To the Dwarves)

Wendy rarely sat with him and his brother without Elli. If the blonde haired girl wasn't with them, Wendy hung close to Ori or Bilbo. Fíli didn't know if 'staying clear of Thorin' meant she'd stay clear of them too but Kíli certainly wasn't helping the situation.

"Give it back Kíli." Wendy whined reaching out and trying to retrieve an item that the black haired dwarf had snatched from her hands. Kíli easily side stepped Wendy, holding the object up a bit causing it to glint a little from the firelight.

"I just want to take a look at it."

"Well, look with your eyes. Not with your hands."

"You sound like a child."

"Fíli! Tell him to give it back!" Wendy whined again when she couldn't get the item back from Kíli. Fíli gave his brother a look and the dark hair dwarf tossed the object over to him. He caught it easily and held it out to the firelight to get a better look at whatever his brother was taunting Wendy with. It was an amethyst crystal about an inch and a half long that had changes of color in it. The tip of the crystal started off clear and white then slowly changed to lavender in the middle and then to dark purple as it got to the base. Wendy must've had Bofur create a hole in it for her to make a necklace out of it. I thin leather strap was pulled through the crystal and knotted off at the ends.

"What do you think?" Kíli asked as Fíli fiddled with the crystal.

"The clarity is nice but the color quality is poor." He commented while getting up.

"Fíli." Wendy was beginning to sound annoyed with them. "Can I have it back, please?" Fíli held the item out by the string, letting the crystal dangle like he was waiting for Wendy to grab it. When she got close enough to take it back, he pulled his hand away and tossed the crystal back to Kíli. Fíli couldn't recall the last time they had played 'Keep Away' from someone. Nori and Dori didn't like him and his brother playing it on Ori and his charcoal pens so that had stopped.

"No matter how you cut it you'll still get the color changes." The black haired dwarf commented. "It's not that valuable of a stone."

"I'm not planning to sell it." Wendy stated, folding her arms across her chest and shooting Kíli a glare. The dwarf grinned in response, enjoying getting a rise out of Wendy.

"Look Fíli, I think she's actually getting mad." Kíli teased, tossing the necklace up and down as if taunting Wendy to come for it. Fíli took a few steps off towards the side, making himself open to getting the crystal tossed back to him.

"Well then you should probably give it back then Kíli," Gandalf stated, sneaking up on the trio. "Making a woman angry isn't the wisest thing to do." It was a clear warning that Gandalf wanted them to stop. Kíli hesitated for a second before reluctantly tossing the item back to its original owner.

"Thank you." Wendy said more to Gandalf than Kíli as she caught the item. She was about to pocket it but the wizard asked if he could look at it. She reluctantly obliged, handing it over.

"Where did you find this?" He asked, inspecting it. He didn't seem too impressed or disappointed with the crystal. It sounded more like he was trying to strike up a casual conversation with her. Fíli eyed the two, trying to see where the conversation was going to go.

"In the lake while I was doing laundry."

"It's pretty." The wizard commented, handing the necklace back. Kíli mumbled the comment 'its poor quality' under his breath and Fíli shot him a glare.

Gandalf had warned them once, they didn't another one.

"Thank you. I planned on giving it to Elli," Wendy stated as she pocketed the necklace and resumed her seat on the ground but a few more feet away from Fíli and his brother. "She likes these kind of things."

"Useless, shiny rocks?" Fíli jabbed his brother in the side for the comment. Apparently he didn't get that now was not the time to pick on Wendy 'precious gem'. Gandalf was right there and he was in the top three of people not to aggravate on this journey.

"Nature and everything it has to offer," Wendy began, smiling a little at Kíli. At least she didn't look upset or annoyed anymore. "Even if it appears to be just a "poor quality" rock with flaws. El likes and appreciates those kind of simple things."

"Does she?" Gandalf asked, sounding a little more interested than what he should have been. Wendy didn't seem to mind and continued on.

"Yeah. Ever since we were kids she's had love for wildlife an affinity with nature. She believes it's the greatest thing in the world." Gandalf seemed to nod his head with the comments that Wendy made, prodding for more information about the girl a few times. After a bit, the Wizard mumbled quietly to himself like he was having a one sided conversation. The odd behavior caused Fíli to look at his companions who were making faces as if they were as equally confused as him.

"Don't see any harm in it." Gandalf commented to himself as he began walking off. The trio looked at each other completely lost at what just happened.

"That's not normal for him, right?" Wendy asked.

"No. That's a first."

"Is there something you're not telling us about Elli?" Fíli asked. Gandalf's interest in the blonde female was a bit off and Elli wasn't one of the most 'normal' people in the group. Neither was Wendy but at least she stayed close to Ori and didn't sneak off to be by herself frequently. Wendy shrugged her shoulders at him.

"El is El. She likes the color green, has two older sisters, hates our hometown and loves Middle Earth. There's not much I can really tell you about her."

Fíli could tell she was keeping something from him by the way she tensed up. She suddenly seemed interested in the dirt and wouldn't look at him.

(Elli!)

"Anything cool happen while I was gone?" I asked, taking a seat between Kíli and Wendy as I returned, all clean and in new clothes. Unfortunately the only dwarf closest to my height was Dwalin and his spare clothes weren't too comfy. Kíli and Fíli questioned me about what I meant by 'cool' while Wendy replied with 'nothing'.

"But I did get you something." Wendy added, digging around in her pocket. I leaned over towards her, trying to get a glimpse of what she had. The dwarf brothers seemed uninterested and I could tell they were rolling their eyes at her.

"What for?" I asked, holding my hand out for whatever she had. I gasped when she dropped an crystal amethyst necklace into my hand.

"I'm sorry I haven't been the best of friend to you lately. I just wanted to apologize and thank you for putting up with me." She stated as I put the necklace on. I glomped my friend – pretty much tackling her to the ground and hugging her violently.

"You're the bestest friend anyone could ask for Wenny! I love it! Thank you!" I squeaked, squeezing the air out of her. I could hear Kíli huff, making a comment of how it wasn't actually 'that valuable of a stone' and Fíli telling him to 'shut up'.

I rolled my eyes at the two as I let go of Wendy and sat back up. What did dwarves know about stones? I glanced back over to Wendy and saw her dust herself off. She had a big smile on her face and I felt a little guilty.

I wasn't being the best of friend right back with all the sneaking around behind her back I was doing.

(*****)

Ever since Gandalf had caught me playing with fire, I had tried to be more cautious. I tried to decrease my time away from the dwarves and spend more time with Wendy and everyone. The Wizard had me on pins and needles whenever he was about so if I busied myself with the others. It seemed he never let on to the dwarves that he saw me practicing magick but whenever we happened to see each other, he had the look on his face that he hadn't forgotten about it.

I didn't know if I was more relieved or disappointed.

On one hand I didn't want the whole Wicca thing to get out of control and on the other I didn't want to never learn magick. I found it pathetic I still couldn't start my own fire or do more then make it move with me. I wanted to start and stop fires – I wanted to move it out of its confinements of the fire pit and make it do so much more. Unfortunately I didn't have that kind of skill.

"Screw it! I give up!" I snapped, throwing my arms up in the air in defeat. I had been trying get part of the flames to levitate for me. I had tried to see if I could separate a part of the flames and maybe move the portion of it out of the pit but had no success. The flames blazed a bit brighter in response to my attitude and my hands going up.

"Oh, so now you do something different." I commented back, placing my hands on my hips and glaring at the fire. It seemed to mimic my attitude, blazing and burning a bit faster.

"Yelling at it doesn't seem to be effective, does it?" Gandalf commented, causing me to jump up in surprise again. Déjà vu.

"Friggen geez! Gandalf, don't scare me like that!" I snapped turning to the wizard. He casually shrugged his shoulders like he could've cared less. "Pretty sure we've had this conversation before." He seemed to not mind that I was in a foul mood and investigated my fire from a distance.

"It isn't my problem you allow people to sneak up on you," he stated, "maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings." I kept my mouth shut as I tried to calm down. I was frustrated and angry at the stupid fire and my stupid inability to do anything and I didn't want to take it out on the old man. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, hoping it would do the trick.

"Gandalf, can I ask you a question?" I asked out loud. Nothing bad has happened so far so I guess it couldn't hurt. It was like dipping your foot into a pool of cold water – either you eased in slowly or you jumped right in. I could continue this pathetic keep quiet and observe Gandalf thing or just flat out ask him. If I ended up being deemed a witch and sentenced to burn on the stake - then maybe that was the experience I needed to control freakin' fire.

I opened my eyes to see the wizard had actually moved over to where my fire was and that he was digging a canteen out of his satchel. He made a motion for me to continue on as he poured what water he had in his canteen onto the flames. The fire seemed to angrily hiss at him as it slowly went out. "Can you give me any advice, from wizard to Wiccan, what I'm doing wrong?"

I took the plunge.

Gandalf gave me a confused look then came closer to me. He did the whole creepy 'I'm-gazing-into-the-depths-of-your-soul' thing when his light blue eyes met mine.

"What is a Wiccan?" He asked, leaning on his staff and examining me like he did last time. I debated for a second, trying to think of the best possible way to describe it. How does one explain Wicca…

"A Wiccan is a person who practices Wicca," I began, thinking just how stupid that sounded, "It is a belief or way of life that is nature based." Gandalf made a face and I racked my brain, trying to think of another way to describe it. "It honors and loves nature and what it offers. I believe that nature is a divine power and that everything has some form of spirituality, power or magick within it." The word 'magick' seemed to catch his attention.

"And you practice magic, correct?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't that be considered witch craft, making you a witch?"

It was a simple question and I was amazed he said it without accusation or fear. When anyone back at home heard 'witch' or 'magick' they instantly thought I was some devil worshipping heathen. Especially members of the Congregation that I was from. When I announced I wasn't a Witness anymore, they (and my family) flipped. Fun fact for you all though: Wiccans don't believe in Hell or Satan – that's strictly a Christian thing.

"No. Not completely. Witchcraft is a practice of magick and is a skill anyone can learn regardless of belief or spirituality. I am a Wiccan. Yes I practice magick. Yes you can consider me a witch but magick is part of everyone and everything. It can be used and practiced to honor nature and help one learn how to protect and develop themselves spiritually. Not every Wiccan practices magick and not every person who practices magick is a Wiccan."

There seemed to be a long and agonizing pause between us. I felt like I had summed up what I and Wicca was pretty well and that I deserved a pat on the back. Go me.

"Is Wendy a Wiccan too?" Gandalf asked.

I snorted and rolled my eyes at the wizard. He seemed a little surprised by my response.

"No, she barely believes in magick. She still thinks you lighting your smoking pipe with your finger isn't real."

"But she's seen me do it countless times." I nodded in response to him.

"Wendy is pretty average and says she doesn't 'believe in magick'. She's got some pretty awesome female intuition about knowing when something bad is going to happen though." This seemed to catch Gandalf's interest in Wendy now and it was kind of creepy.

"How accurate is her…intuition?" He asked, "Does she always know what's going to happen?" I made faces trying to think of whenever Wendy was ever wrong. She always had a feeling when pop quizzes were going to happen when we were in high school. She always had a terrible or bad feeling when something 'bad' was about to happen: it ranged anywhere from bad storms to accidents, most recent one being finding Fíli and Kíli floating in the river (which wasn't that bad). Her mad intuition skills gave her a terrible feeling when her boyfriend was cheating on her in the past but I think all women have a built in 'my boyfriend is cheating on me' radar. She got pretty good at pointing out what would happen if her friends did something stupid. One day when we were kids she told me to not climb any trees randomly and I didn't listen. I found the coolest, biggest tree someone could find and decided to go up it. While out on one of the limbs, it snapped and I went tumbling to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "told you so."

After that, I believed she had kind of a knack for knowing when trouble was coming.

"Eh. I'd say majority of the time. It's not like she can see the future but she always gets some kind of 'bad feeling' when something is going to happen." Gandalf mumbled a bit to himself, making faces like he was deep in thought.

"Any reason why you're so curious about us?" I asked. I fidgeted on my feet as Gandalf came back to Middle Earth and put his attention on me. He gave me a smile and tapped me on the head with his staff, causing me to wince in pain.

"Just trying to figure out the mysteries of the two new members of our little group." I rubbed the sore spot on the top of my head and tried not to glare at the wizard.

"And what have you figured out so far?"

"You two seem harmless enough. Still not being entirely truthful, but I'm sure the more we work together, the more we'll learn." Gandalf's comment caught me off guard as he nodded his head and began walking away.

"Work together?" I asked, catching up to him and walking alongside him.

"You want to learn from me, correct?" The wizard asked, making me nod my head in response. "Then the only way you'll learn is if we work with each other."

My heart began racing and I jumped up and down, throwing my fists in the air. Gandalf looked at me as if he might have made a mistake or that I was being weird. Probably both.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" I stated, hopping around joyfully. "But, do we tell the others?"

I liked the dwarves – I really did. I didn't want to scare them or freak them out and the last thing I wanted to do was make them hate me. And get burned on a stake – I really didn't want that. "Would they be accepting of me being...ya' know…a Wiccan?"

"Let's just keep this our little secret for now."

I nodded in response to Gandalf's statement. This was it. I had a teacher. I could learn. That was one less secret I had to keep and a whole lot of new opportunities open to me.

Whee!

(Fíli)

Fíli knew something weird was going on even though everyone else thought nothing of it. Elli no longer volunteered to 'watch' the ponies with them when they were assigned to it. Also, Gandalf assigned tasks for Elli to do at times which often resulted in her leaving camp for a tiny bit. Normally Fíli wouldn't think nothing of it but a few times he noticed Gandalf would be missing too. The wizard was known to come and go as he pleased but both of them being gone around the same time was odd.

There was some protest from Wendy to Elli about the little disappearances and Gandalf actually had to intervene. Quiet words were exchanged between the two and ever since then, Wendy let Elli go about as she pleased. The whole thing wasn't suspicious in and out of itself but Wendy seemed to be a little more anxious afterwards. When Fíli questioned Elli and Gandalf, Elli stated she was just helping the wizard out while Gandalf told Fíli to not poke his nose unnecessarily into people's business.

The only other person who would know anything was Wendy and anytime Fíli tried to talk to her she seemed to busy herself with whatever task she was doing or avoided him completely.

Except for today.

It seemed that he became a task she had to deal with.

Fíli winced, scratching violently around his left collar bone and shoulder. He didn't want to admit it but his left side and back were beginning to itch like crazy too. Kíli and Ori had their sleeves rolled up and both dwarves were scratching violently at their forearms and hands. The trio had been ordered to sit on a fallen log a little away from everyone else. Oin came walking up to them, Wendy following in tow. Fíli hadn't seen her most of the day so it was a little odd to see her with Oin.

"Aye, so this will be a good learning experience for ya, lass." The older dwarf said, causing the three boys to look at him confused. "Take a look an' tell me what you think."

Kíli let out a groan as Wendy came over to examine him and Ori. She nervously fiddled around with the strap to a satchel in response to Kíli's protest.

"Hold out your arms please." She ordered politely, leaning over and examining the two. Fíli glanced over to see Kíli and Ori's arms were covered in angry, red splotches and nail marks. Red, raised, marks ran down their arms from where they had been scratching themselves repeatedly. "Turn them over, please." Wendy ordered again. Both dwarves did as told, Ori looking worried while Kíli rolled his eyes. The red rash seemed to cover all around their arms but didn't seem to spread past their elbows. "Is it just your arms and hands that itch?"

Both dwarves nodded.

"What about you Fíli?" Wendy asked turning her attention towards him. He rolled up his sleeves and held out his hands for Wendy to examine. His arms and hands were free of redness and swelling and he felt like he was about to be relieved to get back to the rest of the group till he began itching his shoulder.

"Move the collar of your shirt over." Wendy commanded, leaning in a bit closer. Fíli didn't move and looked at the oldest dwarf of the group. Oin gave him a look that said he better do it. Fíli could hear Kíli snickering as he moved the collar of his shirt over, exposing the itchy area. He didn't notice how bad it actually was till he looked at it. His skin was a raw, angry red color where he had been scratching himself.

"Itai! Fíli take off your shirt." Wendy stated, sounding a little concerned.

"Excuse me?" Fíli asked, genuinely shocked. Kíli let out a laugh while Ori tried to hold back his. Fíli looked to Oin who shook his head.

"Do it lad." The older dwarf commanded. Fíli didn't budge and Oin gave him a look like he wasn't playing around. Fíli reluctantly followed the command, pulling his shirt over his head. He kept his arms in the sleeves and felt ridiculous as Wendy examined his chest, side and back. A little green leaf slipped from somewhere within his shirt and onto the ground. He must've not noticed it before and began to wonder if this was the culprit and just how bad the rash was spreading.

"What do you think lass?" Oin asked as Wendy told Fíli to put back on his shirt. Fíli shot his brother and Ori a glare as the two continued laughing.

"They got into poison ivy or sumac." Wendy commented, picking up a stick and poking the leaf that had tumbled out of his shirt.

"Aye. So what should we do first?"

"Wash the affected area?" She asked, sounding a bit unsure. She looked over to Oin for confirmation and the older dwarf nodded his head, handing over a canteen to her.

"Good. An' after that?"

"Control the itching."

"Aye. An' you know why I sent them over here to sit?"

Wendy asked Ori to hold out his arms and began to slowly pour water of them.

"The oil from the plant could still be on them and the things they touched?" Oin praised Wendy for a moment as she finished up with Ori and moved to Kíli. The older dwarf rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a couple of rags and a jar that contained some kind of ointment in it. "There ain't much but this should help with the itching." Oin stated, handing Ori and Kíli rags to dry their arms off with then the ointment.

"I can clean myself off." Fíli stated as Wendy moved towards him. She swished the canteen around, checking it for how much water it had left in it and looking as if she was debating on listening to him. The two had a mild stare down – Fíli didn't want Wendy's help and he could tell she didn't trust him to do the task alone.

"Let me get some more water and I'll just stick by in case you need help." She stated before heading back to camp. She wasn't exactly helping him but she wasn't leaving him alone either.

"I think she might like you." Kíli joked once Wendy was out of earshot. Fíli shot his brother a glare while Ori gave them a confused look.

"I think she's overreacting." Fíli replied back.

Wasn't this conversation reversed when Kíli was injured and Wendy kept fussing over him a while back? Fíli was sure they had this conversation before.

"She just wanted to see how bad the rash is." Ori piped in.

"Or she wanted to see Fíli without his shirt." Kíli joked. Fíli rolled his eyes at his brother's immaturity.

"She just wants to help. Back in her hometown, she was studying healing and medicine so she could help people." Ori commented, defending Wendy in her absence. Fíli and his brother looked over at the younger dwarf who was mildly reprimanding them. "She's been working really hard with Oin to learn how to treat minor ailments and injuries. Be nice to her."

The Durin heirs were a little surprised. Not often did Ori stand up to them and tell them what to do.

"How do you know that?" Kíli asked, seeming mildly interested. "Wendy doesn't talk to anyone outside of Elli and even then, she doesn't say much when we're all together."

"Maybe if ya talked to the lass instead of picked on her, you'd learn a little more about her." Oin stated. He pointed to Ori and Kíli and motioned them over. "Now, ya two come with me. Ya' lads are gonna have to clean down everything you've touched before someone else catches poison ivy." The two dwarves let out a groan as Oin led them back to camp, scolding them about playing around with poisonous plants. Fíli sat patiently as Wendy came back to him carrying a few more things.

"I brought an extra shirt and some cloths for you to use just in case." She stated, handing the items over to him. "When I looked at your back, it looked like the rash was beginning to spread back there too. If you need help, just let me know." Wendy turned her back to him a took a couple of steps away to give him some privacy.

Fíli took off his shirt and looked over his shoulder to see what was going on. He could feel his back begin to itch even more and could see the red splotches starting to spread down his back.

"I guess I'm going to need your help." He sighed, reluctantly giving in. This was awkward and he knew that the whole day would be awkward from this point on.

(Later)

Apparently Kíli was the culprit behind the poison ivy. The dwarf had left his quiver of arrows by a tree the night before that had the poisonous plant growing on it. When they had been packing up that morning, Kíli must've gotten poison ivy when he brushed up against the plant or when he touched the quiver. Ori must've caught it from Kíli when he was helping him pack up that morning. Fíli unfortunately contracted the rash when Kíli had patted him on the shoulder that morning when they were eating breakfast and having jokes with the older dwarves. A leaf must have been caught in Kíli's sleeve which slipped into Fíli's shirt.

Magically Elli didn't contract anything when she rode with Kíli that morning and was forced to ride with Bofur for the remainder of the day. Wendy rode with Bilbo that morning and then switched to riding with Oin. Fíli couldn't talk in the awkwardly tense moments that Wendy was alone with him, helping him clean himself off and apply ointment to his back. During breaks or stops, Oin and her would meet up with the three of them and ask them how they were doing. The ointment Oin had was the new treasure between Ori, Fíli and Kíli. As the day went on, the itching got worse and the hoarding and use of the salve increased.

"Are you sure?" Kíli asked, holding out the tiny jar that had the last remaining bits of the ointment in there.

"You need it more than me. You can't shoot if you can't use your hands." Fíli stated, ignoring the jar. He did his best to keep a stoic face and resist every single urge to scratch his neck, shoulder, back and side. Nothing made an itch worse than one you couldn't scratch. Kíli mumbled a thanks and continued pouting. Ever since their Uncle scolded him for joking about the seriousness of Orcs, the younger dwarf had been a little upset. After the reprimand, Balin began telling a story about the Battle of Moria and devastation that had occurred between the Orcs and Dwarves. Thank Durin that Elli and Wendy had turned in earlier because Balin must have forgotten that the girls weren't supposed to know about the Lonely Mountain and the dragon Smaug. Either no one beside Fíli noticed it or no one felt it was within their right to correct the older dwarf.

"Do you want me to take watch for you?" Kíli asked, yawning as he leaned up against the giant slab of rock behind him. He had used up the last of the ointment and was tossing the jar up and down our of boredom. Fíli shook his head no and told his brother to get some rest. With how itchy he was, he wasn't going to get any sleep. At first Kíli protested, trying to keep his brother company but eventually went over to where he had set up his sleeping cot to turn in for the evening. Once Fíli felt his brother was in a deep enough sleep and wouldn't wake up, he began scratching at his neck, shoulder and side frantically. The was an area on his back he couldn't reach and settled on rubbing his back against the rock wall he was leaning against. He felt like an idiot and knew he looked like one too but the relief just felt too good.

There was a shuffling noise and Fíli stopped what he was doing and peered around camp. He could see Wendy stirring a bit under her blanket and waking herself up.

"What are you doing?" She asked groggily, sitting up a bit.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep." Fíli replied. Wendy rubbed her eyes wearily and looked like she was about to go back to sleep. After a moment of stillness, she moved over to the pack Oin had given her and rummaged through it. She found whatever item she was looking for and quietly made her way over to him.

"You shouldn't scratch at it. You'll make it worse and possibly get an infection." She stated as she took a seat next to him. "Turn around, please."

Fíli sat straight up, pulling his back away from the wall.

"I wasn't scratching at it." He lied. Wendy let out a yawn and motioned for him to turn around. When he didn't budge, she huffed a bit.

"Do you want some of this or not?" She asked, showing she had a little glass jar that looked similar to what Oin had. Fíli mumbled in Khuzdul under his breath and turned his back towards Wendy unhappily. He didn't like doing this. He didn't like her telling him what to do.

"Where did you get that?" He asked. Oin didn't say he had another jar hidden away and he didn't believe the dwarf to be so mean to let them suffer.

"Oin showed me how to make it." Wendy replied back. "You know the drill, shirt off."

Fíli followed the command, taking off his coat and shirt. He tossed the two items into a pile on the ground to the side of him. He felt ridiculous sitting exposed out in the cold but he really wanted some relief prom the poison ivy. The moment Wendy touched his back with the ointment, he tensed up and let out a surprised hiss.

"Cold?"

"Mmhmm."

Wendy uttered an apology and continued to gently apply the salve. After a minute, he relaxed a bit and closed his eyes when the coolness of the ointment started settling in. He let out a sigh of relief as the pain and irritation from the poison ivy slowly went away.

"Feel a little better?"

"Mmmhmm."

There was a quiet pause between them and Fíli began to relax even more.

"Are you going to fall asleep on me?"

"Probably." It was a half lie, have honest comment. He was tired and the stuff felt really good - he probably could fall asleep sitting there. There was a pause from Wendy and Fíli thought she was going to hand over the jar and let him finish applying the stuff. Instead, he felt Wendy's cold finger on his neck and shoulder and he immediately opened his eyes and tensed up again.

"You don't have to do that. I can finish up from here." Fíli stated, turning around to take the jar from Wendy. The girl evaded him, scooting away and getting up. Fíli shot a glare over his shoulder to her but realized she wasn't there.

"Or you can calm down and let me finish my job." Wendy stated, moving around and taking a seat in front of him. "I swear, you and Kíli act like I'm trying to trying to murder you every time I try to come around to help." She leaned over and began applying the ointment to the areas on his shoulder and chest. Fíli reluctantly let her continue and glanced around the camp. He didn't want to stare at Wendy and he didn't want any of the dwarves to wake up and catch him in such and awkward situation. Kíli had given him enough grief, the last thing he needed was someone else joining in on it.

"How's Kíli doing?" Wendy asked interrupting his watch, "Is he any better or worse than when I last saw him?"

"A little better." Fíli replied back. "He isn't scratching his arms as much. How about Ori? Is he alright?" Wendy smiled a little bit and sat back. Fíli couldn't tell if she was smiling because he mentioned Ori or if she was smiling because she was satisfied with the work she had done.

"That dwarf listens and didn't pick at himself so he's healing up just fine." She wiped her hands off on her pants and closed up the jar. Fíli decided she was smiling because she liked Ori – applying salve to poison ivy wasn't anything to really smile about. "I'll take a look at Kíli in the morning and see what's going on." She picked up his shirt and coat and handed it over to him.

"Good luck with that." Fíli commented, pulling his shirt over his head. Wendy had to literally chase Kíli at times when she tried to check up on him.

"Thanks, I'll need it," She replied back, "I'm sorry but your brother acts like he's five sometimes."

"He's 77."

Wendy froze for a moment, looking completely shocked. Fíli grinned, enjoying the stunned look on her face.

"How old are you?"

"82." It wasn't that much of a surprise. "What about you and Elli?"

"We're 20."

Now it was Fíli's turn to be surprised. He knew humans and dwarves aged differently but he didn't know it varied that much. Wendy and Elli barely looked older than Kíli or Ori. The two looked at each other in confusion for a moment.

"Well then. I'm sorry but Kíli acts like a child sometimes." She corrected as she handed the small jar over to Fíli. There was a quiet, awkward pause between them.

"Now that were done, I'm going to go back to my spot and try to get some sleep tonight." She said while getting up. Fíli scooted over a bit and patted the ground beside him.

"Sit and talk with me. I could use some company till I have to get Gloin up for watch." He stated. The moment was mildly perfect: everyone was asleep so no one would over hear their conversation or interrupt. Gandalf and Elli couldn't silence any questions he could ask Wendy and for the time being, she wasn't 'on guard' or 'too busy' to talk with him. Wendy seemed to debate it over momentarily before taking the spot next to him cautiously. She wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her knees up to her chest as if she was cold. Fíli couldn't accurately judge if she was actually cold or just suspicious of him now. He knew he'd have to get her talking again for her to let her guard down. He quickly glanced over her, noticing she wasn't visibly shivering. Regardless, je pulled off his coat and handed it over to her.

"Aren't you cold?" She asked, trying to hand it back to him. Fíli refused it and pushed it back to her.

"No, I'm fine. You're the one who's cold." He stated as Wendy draped the coat over her like a blanket. She looked a little ridiculous with the jacket on her backwards and her curled up under it. "You know that's a coat and not a blanket, right?"

Wendy gasped and made a fake shocked face.

"Wow Fíli! Thanks. I would've never figured that out." She replied sarcastically as Fíli chuckled lightly to himself.

"No problem. I'll just give you a few minutes to figure out how to put it on right. If you need help, just let me know."

"Ha ha, Fíli. You're so funny." Wendy rolled her eyes but was smiling. "You're just as funny and sweet as Kíli."

"Thank you. We are brothers, you know." Fíli felt Wendy lightly elbow him and he elbowed back. She rolled her eyes at him again and curled up a bit more under his jacket.

"Do you have any siblings?" He asked when they went quiet for a moment. Wendy replied with a yes and Fíli gave her a look to elaborate when she didn't continue.

"I've got two older sisters and two older brothers." He made a face, surprised at the number. Most dwarf families had a maximum of three children. Five children in one family was unheard of.

"Do you have any more siblings, Fíli?"

"No, just Kíli."

"Aww, so he's the baby in the family," Wendy began, smiling and looking over to the sleeping dwarf. "Sore totemo kawaii ne." Fíli shook his head and made a confused face.

"What did you just say?"

"Sore tote-"

"In Westron." He corrected, cutting her off. "Elli may let you get away with it but I'm not." Wendy shook her head no childishly.

"You guys have your dwarvish Khuz-da-something. I've got my Japanese." He hadn't heard that language before but then again, he hadn't heard of Indiana either.

"You tell me what you said and I'll teach you some Khuzdul." He bribed. At first, Wendy looked excited at the offer but then seemed to blush and hide a bit under his coat again. He raised a brow at her odd behavior. "This could be your only chance…" He continued on, hoping she'd take the bait. He was quiet for a moment as Wendy seemed to stop hiding.

"I said, 'That's so cute.'"

Fíli started laughing at Wendy's comment, making her whine and look embarrassed. She 'punched' his arm but it felt more like a pathetic slap which caused him to laugh more.

"I told you what I said now it's your turn." Wendy whined as she repositioned the coat and herself to face him better. Fíli did the same, moving so they could stare directly at each other. He tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't help it.

"You think Kíli is cute?" He asked, receiving another 'punch' but this time at his knee.

"Him being the baby in the family is cute – not him in particular." Wendy corrected, looking a little more embarrassed that she stated Kíli wasn't 'cute'. "Not that your brother isn't attractive. It was just in the context of using the word 'cute'…" Wendy fumbled about. Fíli shook his head and stifled his laughter.

"Are you done making an idiot out of yourself?" He asked, patiently waiting for her to respond. Wendy nodded her head and resumed hiding under his coat again. If he continued picking on her he'd lose her under his jacket entirely.

"Alright…" He began as Wendy showed her face again.

(Hours later)

He didn't mean to get so sidetracked.

It started off with him teaching her a few words and phrases in Khuzdul that then progressed to him learning some Japanese. Neither were any good at speaking each other's language but that didn't stop them from at least trying. Wendy couldn't pronounce constantans hard enough, making her words lose meaning or be a different words completely. Fíli was told that he kept changing the intonation at the end of his sentences, making everything sound like a question. Wendy also told him he kept leaving out formalities between them – switching between being polite to informal. He'd never heard of any language where certain terms were used to demonstrate status, relationship, politeness and respect between people.

"What is the point of all those honorifics?" Fíli asked, becoming frustrated. He was good at learning new things. He was speaking Westron when most dwarflings were just learning it. He practically taught Kíli Westron when they were younger.

He was skilled in hunting, tracking and was the first of his peers to handle different types of weaponry proficiently. He could mine, smith and easily distinguish perfect precious stones from flawed ones. He had a knack for learning new things fast and becoming good at them.

The only thing Fíli couldn't do was beat his little brother in archery. He wasn't about to let Japanese fall into that category of things 'he couldn't do'.

Wendy covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. During their learning experience she eventually put the coat on correctly and looked like she was about to curl up and fall asleep in it.

"They are expressions of respect or endearment and portray the relationship between speakers. The tone of the conversation or meaning of your statement can be changed with the use of honorifics."

"Give me an example." Fíli said as Wendy rubbed her eyes. If he kept this up she'd get no sleep and would probably fall asleep on whoever she rode with in the morning. He was determined to figure this out before he woke up Gloin for watch though. He wasn't ending this without any results.

"So –san is your basic Mr. Miss. Mrs. honorific. So addressing you as Mr. Fíli I'd say Fíli-san. If you were to address me it would be Wendy-san. It's polite." She stated. Fíli nodded for her to continue. "-Kun shows familiarity or endearment and is used between peers. You might say Ori-kun depending on your relationship."

"So not –san because I know him and were close in age." Wendy nodded at Fíli, making him feel a little better. Maybe he wasn't a complete idiot.

"Yes. Sensei is used on people who are teachers. It literally means 'one who came before'. Dwalin taught you how to sword fight, right?" Wendy asked. Fíli gave her a yes response and she continued on. "So when he is a teacher to you, you'd call him Dwalin-sensei. Outside of his teaching role he'd be -san again."

"So if I'm ever unsure of what honorific to use, -san would be the best one to fall onto."

"I don't think you're going to run into any Japanese people here in Middle Earth." Wendy stated, blinking her eyes a few times to wake herself up, "So don't worry about accidently saying –kun when you should say –san'." She looked like she was about to pass out any moment and weirdly, she looked a little shorter than what he remembered too.

"Then what is the point of –chan if –kun is the form of closeness?" That was where he was getting a little lost. Wendy seemed to mull over the thought in her head as if trying to think of how to better explain it.

"-Chan is a more affectionate term of endearment. It's used more with small children, mostly between girls, or between people who are either really good friends or lovers." Fíli made a face at the last term. That wasn't an odd group within the category. "Elli can say Wendy-chan, we're friends. It shows that we are close. It can also be used like a nickname."

"What's a nickname?" Fíli asked. Japanese was becoming ridiculous - It had too many nuances that were becoming annoying. And this was just with names.

"Shortened version of your name. Like, how I call Elli 'El' a lot. She has a hundred different nicknames for me like Wenny, Wen, Wen-ten, Wenny-kins."

"That's four, not a hundred." Fíli joked, earning another pathetic hit to the knee.

"Back to –chan and nicknames." Wendy began, smiling and trying to refocus him. "Let's say me and Kíli are really good friends. I could call him Kee as a nickname."

"Kee?"

"Yeah or you Fee. Let's pretend we are really close friends. You could say Wen-chan or I'd say Fee-chan. But that's only if we are close and we are comfortable with each other. In that case, it can actually be disrespectful."

"How so?"

"Say Kíli and I didn't like each other. I could call him Kíli-chan which can be translated into 'Little Kíli'." Fíli smiled and nodded to himself. He could see how that would be insulting. It was false affection and demeaning towards that person. Also, Kíli hated being referred to as a child even though he practically acted like one at times.

"How do you know when to use each suffix with each person? Can't you lose friendships between people?"

"Mmhmm. You correct that person. If Ori and I were close but then got into a fight he'd correct me to denote distance in our friendship. If I called him Ori-kun, he may correct me by asking me to call him Ori-san instead." Wendy covered her mouth when she yawned again.

"This whole lesson wasn't painful at all." Fíli joked, getting up and stretching. He held his hand out and helped Wendy up. She was really at her end and didn't look like she could take anymore questions or even make it to her cot.

"You're doing great Fíli." Wendy said, complimenting him. "El gave up when she realized she couldn't call everyone –chan."

While they were standing, Fíli did a quick examination of Wendy and noted she was a little shorter than what he recalled. When they first met she was an inch or two taller than him. Now she was the same height as him. He'd never known anyone to shrink before.

"Will you teach me more Khuzdul tomorrow?" Wendy asked, slipping off his coat and handing it back over to him.

"Of course, but you'll have to ride with me tomorrow."

Wendy seemed confused and pouted for a second.

"Huh, why?"

"We're not going to shout Khuzdul and Japanese back and forth like idiots while we're traveling." He stated while walking with Wendy over to where her 'bed' was at. Gloin wasn't too far from where Elli made her bed so it wasn't out of his way to lead Wendy back next to her friend. "Everyone will think we're insane."

"That's true." She stated, lowering herself onto her makeshift cot. "Well, I'll see you in the morning then." Fíli nodded and bid her a goodnight before walking over to where Gloin was. He didn't make it too far until he heard Wendy call out to him.

"Hey Fee," She began, causing him to stop and turn back to her. She was sitting up, looking a little half out of it. "Tonight was nice. Thank you."

The comment was odd and made him a little uncomfortable.

"For what?"

"For just talking with me. I know you had other…topics…you wanted to discuss but this was nice." Fíli thought for a moment of what to say next. He was a little cautious of her and Elli and what was secretly going on and she was cautious of him. Now he didn't feel so bad for trying to pry into their business – there was something they didn't want him to find out.

"It was."

"So don't worry too much about Elli. She likes you…and Kíli…and Ori…and everyone in the group."

That didn't make him feel much better.

"I take it you aren't going to tell me either what's going on then."

Wendy shook her head no.

"It's not my place to tell but just remember: Elli did save you and your brother. She may not be the brightest star in the sky or the most 'normal' person in the group but she's not out to hurt anyone."

"I'll try to keep that in mind. Now go to sleep. You're about to pass out." He stated as quietly as possible. Wendy gave him a nod and laid herself back down, curling up under her blanket. Satisfied Wendy actually went to sleep this time, Fíli resumed to waking up Gloin for watch. Once the older dwarf finally woke and got up, Fíli quickly and quietly made his way over to where his brother was sleeping. Once he laid himself down to sleep and pulled his blanket over himself, Fíli mulled over some thoughts in his head hoping to come to some decisions for the night.

He decided didn't like what was going on.

He didn't like how Elli, Gandalf and Wendy were hiding something from him. Two of the three were aware of the craziness of his and his brother's experience – Gandalf didn't need to be involved in the chaos and mystery of it. The fact they were hiding something from him made him uneasy.

He also decided that he didn't pick up on as much Japanese as he would have liked to. Outside the honorifics, he couldn't remember the other words that Wendy taught him. He was so wrapped up on getting those right, he forgot some other things he was trying to learn.

Compliments from Wendy or not, he didn't feel like he accomplished much.

Most of all, he didn't like how much he actually liked being called 'Fee'.

He was going to blame feeling on being up to late.


So, I hope you're okay with how I ended this one. It took a while to do and I thought I marked romance on story category and hope to squish it mildly in there somewhere. If you have any thoughts or suggestions I'm open to them. :)

Once again, I don't know Wicca or Japanese so correct me if I'm wrong. If you see errors, let me know of those too. I tried to proofread this multiple times and went back and edited some of the other chapters.

If anyone knows any Khuzdul or sites where I can steal a few dwarvish words I'd love that!

Now, to do the next chapter and bring in the Trolls!