It took a great amount of will power for Fili to force himself awake, the rushing waterfall like a lullaby and the cold making him loath to leave the warmth of the bed. When he finally sat up he saw that Natalia was already getting dressed in her riding clothes.

"That bad?" He asked teasingly as he slipped back into the clothes he had worn to her room the night before.

"I'm sure the company is wondering where we are, if they haven't guessed already." She seemed flustered.

Fili went up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close to him. "You are mine, and I am yours. I don't plan on hiding that."

Natalia leaned back against him for a moment before turning around to look into his eyes. "Are you sure? I can only imagine Thorin..."

Using his lips to quiet her protests, Fili allowed himself to taste her mouth before responding. "I don't care."

She nodded in understanding. "Still, you should probably go get some clothes on." She smiled slyly at him. "I'll meet you downstairs." And like that she was gone.

Fili chuckled and exited after her, but not before taking one last look around the room. He was going to remember last night until the day he died. As he walked barefooted down the cold stone spiral he could not help but wonder what the future had planned for them both. He did not have long to contemplate it though, for as soon as he opened the door to his lesser than grand room he was bombarded by his brother.

"Where've you been?! I've been looking everywhere for..." Kili stopped when he took in his brothers appearance. A huge grin spread across his face. "Ah, I see!"

Fili tried to ignore his brother as he stripped and began putting on his own traveling clothes.

"Looks as if someone found a willing elf maiden. And after you told me to stay away from them!" Kili was leaning against the closed door with his hands across his chest in mock anger.

"Kili... now's not the time."

"Why not? Have another date planned?" It had never been Kili's style to heed his brother's warnings.

Standing from where he had been pulling on his boots, Fili stared darkly at his brother. "I'll not have ya speaking so flippantly about what I do in my own time!"

Kili raised an eyebrow. "That good eh?" When Kili saw his brother's shoulders square he finally shut his mouth.

"Let's go." Fili pulled the door open, almost knocking Kili over.

When they entered the gathering hall at the base of the tower the quiet roar that had been sounding quieted down. Fili made his way to where his uncle was conversing with Gandalf and Elrond.

"Are we prepared to leave?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Your horses are saddled and ready at the Eastern Gate, their packs replenished with everything you may need." Elrond was smiling at Fili with his hands folded inside his sleeves.

"I cannot thank you enough." Fili gave the elf lord a bow. "Your help will not be forgotten when we succeed in our mission."

Elrond returned the bow. "Your success is all I ask for. The elves miss their trading partners in the Lonely Mountain, even if Lord Thranduil will never admit it." He walked beside Fili as they made their way to the East Gate. "Smaug is a calamity that I would be glad to see erased from these lands."

The company began mounting up and filing out of the narrow gate. Fili was stopped by Elrond again as everyone passed.

"You have someone with you whom I would caution you against."

Fili looked to where Elrond was gazing, his eyes falling on Natalia's back. "What do you mean?" He asked, brow furrowed.

"I was close friends with her mother, the same... condition... ran in her veins." Elrond's eyes seemed saddened. "Sometimes she would be gone for months, only to return with no recollection of where she had been, leaving me with elves to bury and stories to fabricate." He looked up at Fili. "The more she gives into the creature side of herself the more it will consume her. Be careful." He then turned and glided away, his kinsfolk following.

Fili kicked his pony forward, Elrond's words echoing through his head. A gentle rain began to fall as he made his way up the line towards Natalia, only to be stopped by his uncle. Thorin had dark rings under his eyes as if he had not slept in days.

"I'm beginning to wonder where your loyalties lie." He was looking at Fili through sodden hair and hood, making it hard for Fili to discern his expression.

"I'm not sure what you mean, uncle."

"First you go to the elves for shelter, then you shove me aside to speak privately with that snake, Elrond."

Confused, Fili shook his head. "You asked me to make a decision, I did. You did not object, nor did you offer input in Rivendell, so I did for you. Forgive me if I overstepped." He spurred his pony on again before Thorin could say anything else, Fili was not in the mood to deal with his uncle's anger right now.

When he made it up to Natalia he placed a hand on her leg as they rode side by side. "Ride at the front with me?" He asked. "I would like your company."

Natalia nodded and they wove their way forward on the narrow, quickly climbing path. "We'll be in the mountains soon." She said when they were together again at the front.

"Aye, the road will only grow more dangerous from here, especially in this damned rain." He felt himself relaxing now that he was next to her. "I'm not sure how much further the ponies are going to be able to take us."

"If we let them go I'm sure they will find their way back to Rivendell."

It ended up being that they all decided to let the horses and ponies go when they made camp that night. The road was becoming treacherous, Ori nearly falling from the path down a ravine when a raven startled his pony. Because there were no trees around to speak of their fire was a tiny spark of warmth that barely lit the area five feet around it. Fili set his bedroll next to Natalia and wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to make them both warmer. Knowing nods passed through the company as everyone tried to find their own means of warmth in the bone chilling rain.

"It's about time." Kili muttered as he settled down between Nori and Bifur, the rest of the company lying as close as they could to each other in order to share body warmth. Bifur grunted something unintelligible before passing into loud snores.

Through the darkness Gandalf watched from where he was leaning against the rock wall as Thorin fell into a fitful sleep, the dwarf king's angry glare finally leaving his nephew and Natalia. With a frown, Gandalf pulled his gray hat over his eyes, a troubling thought keeping him from sleep. It might come to be that dragons and orcs were not the only dangers the company would face in their near future...