A/N: Hello everyone again! Hope you all had a good week! Here's chapter 7, and this is about the length the chapters are going to be from now on, if not a little longer. Enjoy!


The Elf woman led her past a few corridors and hallways until they reached an intricate, wooden door. The woman held the door open for Quin and bowed.

Quin muttered nervously. "You really don't have to do that. It's not like I'm royalty or anything… But I appreciate the sentiment." She added quickly, so she wouldn't offend the maiden. The Elf nodded with a slight smile and showed her the room. It was gorgeous, unlike anything Quin had ever seen in all her years. There were two large windows to one side that stretched from floor to ceiling. Pale curtains blew in the cool night breeze. A large bed was set against the opposite wall, which Quin couldn't wait to snuggle deep into, and a large wooden tub sat in the center of the bedroom, filled nearly to the brim with steaming water.

The Elf woman reached for Quin's tunic, to which Quin instinctively batted her hands away. Realizing that was probably impolite, she apologized.

"Sorry. I can take care of it." She began undressing, folding her clothing as she went. Her outer leather chest piece came off first, after fussing with the strings. Next was her dark tunic and arm braces. She undid the ties of her boots and shoved them off, as well as her brown pants. She was in nothing but her undergarments, and felt a bit embarrassed by the fact. Quin was much dirtier than the pristine Elf in front of her, and seemed to possess many more scars and flaws. The Elf's face betrayed nothing as she waited for Quin to finish. So, Quin sucked in a breath and stripped until she was nude, then stepping into the hot water quickly. The warmth was delightful, and she instantly relaxed. Her knuckles stung a little from the heat, but she cleaned the wound in the water, gritting her teeth to ignore the pain.

The Elf came over with a tray of hygienic products, such as oils and soaps. The woman sat down in a stool behind Quin and took a bowl, filled it with water, and began wetting Quin's hair. Quin thought of protesting, but didn't want to object for the third time, for fear of truly offending the kind woman. Besides, the nimble fingers of the Elf on her scalp was heavenly.

"What is your name?" Quin asked dreamily, as her hair was being washed.

There was silence, and Quin wasn't sure the woman was going to answer. "Lia" was the quiet response that finally came.

"That's a lovely name. It means 'thread' doesn't it? My name is Quin." She responded with a friendly tone. Quin could smell the floral scent of the oils being put in her hair as Lia combed it.

"You know our languages?" Lia asked in Sindarin, obviously surprised.

"I may have stolen a book or two out of a library on the subject." Quin admitted in the Common Tongue. It was the best and only crime she ever committed. She had always been fascinated with Elven culture, but had never worked up the courage to attempt visiting an Elven city without permission. Years and years of study allowed her to speak the language fairly well, though there were not often Elvish people wandering about Middle Earth that she could practice with, other than…

She shook away that thought with fervor, and glanced back at the Elf woman.

Lia nodded behind her and continued her work until Quin's hair was clean, detangled, and smelled like lavender. Quin thanked her graciously, and went to work scrubbing the rest of herself clean. Lia had laid out Quin's nightdress, a silvery flowing chemise of sorts, on the bed. Quin was grateful the Elf had respected her wishes of wanting to dress herself. Lia went to leave, but turned around at the last second.

"Would you like some clean cloth for the remainder of your journey?"

Quin was puzzled. "Cloth?"

Lia smiled as if to a child. "For your bleeding, when it comes." She placed a hand on her lower stomach to indicate the type of monthly bleeding she meant.

Quin's face flared, and she shifted uncomfortably, sloshing the water. "Ah, no, thank you. I don't… bleed." She said quickly, realizing too late Lia wouldn't understand. "You know of… Firewalker?" She asked reluctantly.

Lia's eyes widened, saying nothing, but pointing at Quin questioningly. Quin nodded.

"I was frozen in time. Therefore, I'm unable to bleed or… have children." She nearly choked out the last part. The immortality wasn't the only reason for her infertility, she knew, but it was easier to blame a group of invisible gods than face the truth. She had thought of it much over the centuries, and realized it was simply an impossible desire to continue to possess. She had accepted her fate long ago, but that didn't mean the pain had receded.

Lia's face showed a deep sadness. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Quin shrugged, looking away from the pitiful gaze. "It is what it is. Anyway, thank you for the help." She smiled genuinely at Lia, hiding all negative emotion.

Lia bowed and exited gracefully, leaving Quin alone with her thoughts. She got out of the bath and dried herself before wrapping her knuckles in a soft cloth she found on the tray of toiletries. Putting on the night clothes, it was like feeling silk. Surprisingly, it was her size, and the soft cloth clung to her in ways nothing ever had. Walking over to a large mirror standing against a wall, she hardly recognized herself clean and fresh. She laughed quietly as she thought she could even pass for an Elf, if only she were taller and had pointed ears.

Quin strolled over to the open windows, brushing aside the curtains to gaze out over the valley. The sun had almost disappeared over the horizon, leaving the cloudless sky a hazy pink that washed over every peak of tree and arch of carven stone. She sat on the edge of the precipice, dangling her legs, and released a sigh as she watched the stars slowly come into view. Even after all this time, she was constantly amazed by the world she lived in. Its beauty was abounding wherever she went, and she knew she did not appreciate it near enough.

Her thoughts drifted to the quest she had now undertaken. It surely involved peril, possibly death, which she knew, and had known, that she was not afraid of. Death had evaded her all this time, though she had not been without her share of injuries. She'd been stabbed, sliced, shot with arrows, and beaten to near death. But, she always managed to survive, even when the odds had seemed impossible. She had never made up her mind as to the reason, but just assumed it was never her time. She didn't know if this quest would be the death of her, but she would gladly give up her life for the company. They were all good-hearted people who just wanted their home returned to them. Defending them from danger was her priority now.

Then she wondered what her life would be like after the quest was over, if she were to survive. Thorin would indeed be King Under the Mountain, and his reign would no doubt be great. The dwarves would move into their home, probably spreading the word to their kin, inviting all into their kingdom. Bilbo would return to his Hobbit hole, content and hopefully visiting the Mountain often. Gandalf would go off to Eru knew where to defend some other corner of Middle Earth. But what would she do? She would gladly stay among the dwarves for a while, her friends… but…

A tear slipped down her cheek. They would eventually die. Like everyone else. The thought of Bilbo taking his last breath as an old Hobbit caused a sob to escape her throat. The solution to her emotional agony was no longer simple. She could not push away these people for fear of their deaths, not when she made a vow. Quin had to shove her despair down deep and enjoy what time she had with them all. She promised herself she would make the most of each friendship.

Was Gandalf immortal? Maybe once everyone else was gone, she could join him. That hope pushed her sadness from her mind, and she stood, striding over to her bed and diving in. The sheets were softer and warmer than she had imagined, and it did not take long for sleep to overtake her.

Quin woke more rested than she had felt in a long while. The sun was barely breaking over the horizon, but she had gone to bed quite early. She stood and stretched, feeling her joints pop and crack. On a chair to her right lay a lavender-colored dress, beautifully hemmed with a shimmery quality that all Elven fabric seemed to possess. It looked like what Elves would consider a simple summer dress, perfect for everyday wear. Next to it, on a small table, was all her normal clothes, clean and folded, as well as a pair of elven slippers. Quin reminded herself to thank the first Elf she saw, hoping the appreciation would get to the right one who had done all that. She threw on the dress with a little difficulty, mostly with lacing up the back, but she eventually had it looking decent. Looking in the mirror, she was still pleasantly surprised, but as she felt a chill up her dress, frowned. She quickly put on her clean trousers under the dress, checking herself in the mirror at all angles to make sure it was unseen.

Being content the pants were well-hidden, she put on the slippers and checked herself one last time. Her hair was curly and shiny, so she left it down, as she had little opportunity to do so in the wild. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the tray of toiletries had been replaced by a bowl of fruit. She snagged an apple, one a bit soft, and tucked it into the folds of her dress, smiling faintly. Then, she left her room, following various corridors to try to find her way out, not that she was in a hurry. She had been hoping to explore the house of Elrond a bit more anyway.

Quin was surprised to not see even one Elf for at least twenty minutes. Finally, after rounding a corner, she let out a sigh of relief as she saw Lindir speaking with an elvish guard about something. Lindir saw her approach and dismissed the guard.

"You look very well, lady Quin." He took her uninjured hand and kissed it, causing her face to flare up a little.

She laughed nervously. "Yes, well, a bath does wonders. Lindir, I was wondering, who cleaned my clothes and left me this dress? I would like to thank them for the gesture."

Lindir thought for a moment. "That would be Lia, I believe. She showed you to your room last night? Elrond designated her to you for the duration of your stay."

Quin nodded. "I see. Is she around? I was on my way to the stables, though I don't know the way, but I really must thank her before I forget."

Lindir smiled. "I believe she is tending to her duties for the day. I'm happy to pass on the sentiment if I see her today, which is more than likely. As for the stables, you may follow this pathway the entire way. You have gotten close for someone so lost." He grinned playfully at her, and she chuckled.

"I appreciate that. Thank you, Lindir."

Suddenly, the sound of light feet running echoed towards the two of them, and Quin turned to see a young human boy, no older than ten or eleven running by them, throwing a large grin at Lindir. He had wavy brown hair that fell to his shoulders and twinkling blue eyes.

"Hello, Lindir!" He called in Sindarin, rushing past them quickly. He was hiding some sort of fruit in the folds of his shirt.

"You better not be getting into trouble! You know what Elrond said about last time!" Lindir answered urgently to the boy's retreating form.

Quin stared at the place the boy had been. "Another human? Here? And he knows Sindarin!"

Lindir suddenly seemed uncomfortable for some reason. "His name is Estel. He was brought here at a very young age and raised by Elrond as his own."

Quin looked toward the direction the boy went quizzically. "Hope…"

"If you do not need assistance with anything else, there are duties I must attend to. Good day." Lindir said politely. Quin smiled at him warmly.

"Thank you."

He nodded and walked the opposite direction, leaving her to her own devices. She took her time getting there, enjoying the beautiful morning vistas and cool breezes. Once she caught sight of the stables, however, she was almost running, very excited to see her beloved horse. The stables were fairly large, and the structure was as intricate as the rest of Rivendell. As she neared, she could smell hay and pure animal scent, making her wrinkle her nose slightly. Quin entered the stables and immediately caught sight of Alioth, who was munching on some hay in his pen. She whistled their familiar tune and his ears and head perked up. He neighed happily and stomped his feet when he saw her.

She ran to him, tears flowing once again. Quin had never cried as much as she had in the past day. She hugged him tightly to her.

"Alioth, thank Eru. I'm so sorry we keep getting separated. But I promise it is the last time." She buried her face in his flank. He snorted and nudged her. She laughed.

"Yeah, I missed you too, my dear friend." She pulled away from him and reached into her dress. "Look what I brought." She pulled out the apple, and Alioth neighed again, reaching for it and munching happily. Quin pet him lovingly for a few moments, when she heard the scuffle of light feet close to her. She instantly whirled around to see Bilbo standing there, his eyes a little wide at her defensive response. He was also holding an apple in his hand, and was looking very fine in a small elven outfit, no doubt made for children.

"Oh! Good morning, Bilbo. I'm sorry if I startled you. I thought I was alone." She smiled sheepishly.

Bilbo shifted on his feet and grinned. "Oh, it's alright. I just thought I'd bring Myrtle an apple. Looks like the idea wasn't very original." He looked at the apple being slowly devoured by Alioth. Quin chuckled.

"Yes, well, I thought he should at least get something for his troubles. He's not had to run away from orcs or trolls very often." She patted her horse once more, before following Bilbo to Myrtle's pen not too far away. Myrtle was a small pony and slightly shaggy, but seemed sweet. Bilbo spoke to her softly and let her eat the apple out of his hand. Quin smiled at the sight of them.

"Myrtle seems to really like you." She remarked.

"Yes, well, apparently horses are great judges of character." He smiled mischievously at Quin as he repeated her words back to her, and she threw back her head, laughing loudly.

"You are something else Bilbo Baggins." She glanced outside at the rest of the large city she had yet to explore. A thought occurred to her, and she turned to Bilbo. "If you are willing, would you like to explore Rivendell with me?"

At her question, Bilbo's face lit up immediately. "Why, yes, of course!"

She politely nodded her head towards the outdoors, and they both left the stables, but not before giving their favorite ponies a loving peck on the nose. Bilbo was as animated as ever on their walk, explaining various historical significances of the statues or landmarks visible in Rivendell. He was eager whenever she asked a question or pointed out some of her own knowledge on the Elven city, and they spent most of the early morning enjoying each other's company.

Soon enough, both their stomachs began growling, and they agreed amidst their laughter that it was indeed time for breakfast. They made their way to the same place they had taken dinner the night before. The other dwarves were already gathered, most well into their breakfasts. The dwarves had cleaned themselves up as well, it seemed, for they were free of dirt and grime, wearing their usual dwarven attire, though now much cleaner. They greeted Quin warmly, much warmer than they ever had before, and she returned the sentiment, if not a little confusedly.

Thorin approached her. He looked very handsome in only his deep blue tunic, all armor gone. He truly looked like King Under the Mountain standing before her, smiling. She noticed his smile looked a little guilty.

"Good morning, Quin. You look… lovely." He hesitated on the compliment as he glanced down at her dress, and she could see his face flush slightly. Is he blushing? She thought, then shook away the thought, thinking herself ridiculous.

"Morning, Thorin. You are looking more handsome now with all that dirt washed away." She teased, and he chuckled, his cheeks tinging with color again. She looked behind him at the other dwarves, who were still staring at her. "Is there a reason I should know about for all… this?" She nodded in the company's direction.

"Ah. Yes…" He began, clearing his throat nervously. "I have told the company you were to join us on the quest. I received many questions about you and the reasons behind my decision. I told them of your history. Forgive me if it was not my place." He said with another guilty look. She raised an eyebrow and giggled, making him perplexed. He expected anger, not… laughter.

"You don't need to look so guilty, Thorin. I will not be scolding you like a mother. I'm not that old. Yet." She snorted, and he smiled, chuckling deeply with her. He led her and Bilbo to the empty seats left.

Balin immediately took out a long roll of parchment, handing it to her as well as a quill and ink. "The contract, lass, since you are to come onto this journey. I would have given it to you last night, but you were asleep, and ah…" He cleared his throat nervously. "I had to revise the bit about death by dragon fire."

She raised an eyebrow at him and began reading the contract, most of which she expected. But, every so often she came across something that she did not expect.

"One-fifteenth of total profits? Do you mean the treasure of Erebor?" She stared at Balin blankly.

The dwarf nodded slowly. "If our quest is successful, as a member of the company, you are entitled to that much."

She furrowed her brows. "What if I don't want it?"

The dwarves looked at her with barely-contained surprise.

"You, of course, are not required to take the amount, I suppose. It's more of a… compensation for your hard work." Balin explained.

She nodded and continued skimming. She frowned suddenly and looked at Balin with an accusatory, amused look. "Why am I referred to as 'Firewalker'?"

He seemed a bit embarrassed. "Well, everyone on this company has some sort of title in their contract. Bilbo is our burglar, Thorin our leader… we didn't really have a name for you." He admitted.

She just chuckled and shook her head, skimming the rest but finding no more points of note. Without hesitation, she signed her name and initialed wherever necessary and gave the contract back to Balin, who then proofread it to make sure all was in order.

"Everything looks fine to me! Welcome, Quin, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He grinned, and the other dwarves cheered, including Bilbo.

"Thank you. To everyone." She said genuinely, smiling at each one. "I hope we can get to know each other better, as I seem to still have trouble with your names sometimes." She smiled sheepishly, which earned her a few chuckles. "I vow to do everything in my power to bring you justice, and give you back your home, even if that means giving my life to do it."

The faces around the tables were somber, but definitely grateful.

"I doubt it'll come to that, lass! You can walk right through dragon fire and come out unscathed! Smaug should be shaking in his boots!" Dwalin shouted patriotically, causing the others to join in his confidence. Quin grinned at the burly dwarf. Thorin and Bilbo joined the others at the table, Quin following behind. She sat between the two, filling her plate with more fruits and vegetables.

"I hope we're not here long. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Gloin remarked, picking up a strange vegetable that looked a bit like a yam, grimacing. The others voiced their dissent.

"I quite like their food, actually. Their fruits are always ripe and sweet." Quin added, picking up a plump, red strawberry. The dwarves stared at her with disdain, like she'd just offended their ancestors. She snorted and shrugged, not wanting to attempt to argue with the stubbornness of thirteen dwarves.

But much to her surprise, one by one, the dwarves began adding more onto their plates, especially the fruits, and munching on their breakfast quietly. She glanced at Bilbo who gave her a knowing smile, and who was enjoying his own plate of food as much as she was. Looking around at the company, though she had not yet admitted it or even realized it, Quin was starting to finally feel at home.


A/N: Yay! Quin's an official member of the company! I've seen the snippet of information around the internet about Aragorn being about 10 or 11 at the time the events in The Hobbit took place, so I thought I'd just throw a fun easter egg (an obvious easter egg) in there about him. I like to imagine he'd be quite the troublemaker running around Elrond's halls. Anyway, thanks for reading!