Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nope, Hobbit is not mine. If it were than Thorin, Kili, and Fili would not die. They would live! THEY WOULD LIVE! But sadly, I don't own Hobbit. But I write this fanfic for amusement, and I hope all you will enjoy it.

Summary: A mistake as a child leaves Elizabeth cursed, and if she falls…so shall the Durin line.

Pairings: Eventual Thorin/OC, Biblo/? (I am open to suggestions on Bilbo's pairing since I haven't anything in mind yet.)

Verse: It will be a mixture of the book and movie, but probably will lean more towards the movie since it's the one I know most about. I've only read half of the book so far.

Warning: Eventual nightmares, torture, sexual themes and more

I want to thank BloodBlackAlchemist, Gingah18, LuvWolves4ever, Wolves of Midnight, chrisd1016929, dianaemrys15, nbowles, Goalphabeticalorder, MYSTERYGEEK, Neewa, ThaliaHuntressGrace, Tiryn, aeriestar, , MissVanora, Prost, TerribleSuccubus, izatelles, jorja85, SprinklingStardust0596, Voletta97, gallant2195, Zinverai, WindyCorners, kassiopeia089, InezSophia, Ogregal, blushingpixie, valeries26, wishmaster720, SpiffyPixie1, cheechee123, BelievingInMiracles, Katya Romanov, FlyingHampsterOfDoom, Shasaria, CrazyDarkness15, ERidg17, Karana92, , Creative Lunatic, AnnieVogel90, Trance20666, Creative Lunatic, Jordan Lynn 7, , DaRk-SnOw-FlOwEr24, lostfeather1, jasmine1810, Emily-Who-Killed-A-Man, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, WackyJ, Yuilhan, Peaceful Watcher Soul, StarlessGalaxies, Beckah Godric-Northman, Just4Me, Mephistominion, machine hearts, PrincessMacaroni, LadyLucy1990, viendla, shinoyami and THE WALKING sexy AMC for the follows! Thank you!

I also want to thank dianaemrys15, Tiryn, ThaliaHuntressGrace, TerribleSuccubus, MissVanora and Goalphabeticalorder, jorja85, Voletta97, gallant2195, WindyCorners, camsam17, Ogregal, blushingpixie, SpiffyPixie1, Prost, Shasaria, Jaxx Ren, ERidg17, Karana92, Creative Lunatic, Trance20666, Kaitana08, , DaRk-SnOw-FlOwEr24, PeaceLoveUnicorns94, lostfeather1, kitsune-miko-witch, Emily-Who-Killed-A-Man, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, lovetobeme14, gosserika99, Peaceful Watcher Soul, Beckah Godric-Northman, GemDragon22, misscoco, sleeplessnite, viendla

and DrAnime203 for the favs.

And I am giving a special thanks to the reviewers, thedudewithoutaname, Shishi, Goalphabeticalorder, Beckah Godric-Northman, Prost, and Shasaria! If I missed anyone in the follows, favs, or reivews just shout out at me in a review, or PM. :D

Guest Reviews:

Shishi: Ah, I wish I was a whacked out Robin. But I'm afraid I'm more like Aqualad…L Now every time I type Rrs, I'm going to think "are urs", lol. Thank you for your review.

Between updating my NCIS fic, and trying to update the other NCIS (Spooks edition) fic, I had trouble getting this chapter done. So I sliced it in half at a spot that I felt was good so I could update faster. FYI, if any of you are Richard Armitage fans like me, and love him not only as Thorin, but as Lucas North then go check out my NCIS fic 'The Girl in Memory: Spooks Edition'. It's a cross with MI-5 Spooks, and he is one of the main characters! I know, I know, I am shamelessly plugging my other fic. :D

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! GLAD YOU ALL LIKE THE FIC! :DThis chapter was inspired by the song "Comes and Goes (In Waves)" by Greg Laswell. It is a beautiful song.


CHAPTER NINE

'SHADOWS

'

Death was nothing new to Elizabeth.

She had seen many a time in her life, it was inevitable given the longevity of her lifespan. However, coming face to face with a sightless pair of eyes startled her more than she could have ever imaged. There was a split second were pure shock left her motionless, where Elizabeth's eyes clashed with lifeless ones. Where she sat face to face with a dead woman with lips parted in a silent scream. After that split second, a yelp parted through Elizabeth's lips before she could help it and her heart leapt into her throat. The reactions to her scream were instantaneous. Dwalin charged through the thick wild fields, his axe held up ready to strike down any enemies, and it was not soon after that

Thorin sprinted after his battle brother, his sword drawn to his side and his expression thunderous. She caught glimpse of the other dwarves all scrambling off their horses, and Bilbo shoving through the thick of them, running as fast as his hobbit legs would take him. Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the lifeless face only inches from hers. The stench of death was choking, and the sounds of flies buzzing around was near deafening. Yet, she couldn't find it in her to take a step back, horrified by the sight of the dead woman's face twisted in fear.

"You alright, lassie?" Dwalin stopped short at the sight of the corpse. "By Mahal," he breathed out, underneath his breath.

"What is the matter? What has happened?" Thorin demanded, as he reached them. His blue eyes swept over Elizabeth still knelt there on the ground then they landed on the body, and widened ever so slightly.

"Lassie!"

"Is she alright?"

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth jolted, her eyes blinking hard. "I'm fine! Fine," she shook her head, and stumbled back in a half crawl. "I just was startled…" she stared down at the body, and her expression trembled. "I…I know her," she rose from the ground, her legs felt weak and a horrible confusion welled up inside of her. "Sweet Eru…I know her," Elizabeth breathed out, her eyes widening in shock and the blood drained out of her face. "Dolly…her name is Dolly. She and her husband are traders from Bree. They come to the Shire to pick up goods-clothes and crops." Her eyes were troubled as she traced Dolly's face that was frozen in terror. Her dead eyes were still set in fear, and her hair that only a few days before was a deep rich brown was now white as snow. "I passed them on my way to the Shire. They were heading home," she stated, her gut churning violently.

Dwalin spared her a quick sympathetic glance while Thorin's jaw clenched, as his blue eyes swept across the wreckage that laid just a few feet further down the hill concealed by the swaying grass. It appeared that there had been a great struggle, but there was no blood. No clear sign of what had killed these people. "Spread out. See if you can find anything that caused this," Thorin barked out, looking around with a distrustful glance around.

Elizabeth as much as she didn't want to looked back at Dolly, her eyes running across her body. There were no marks. There was no blood. There was nothing, but the terror on Dolly's face. It looked quiet literally like she had been scared to death. A frown marred her features, and she walked around the body when her foot hit something hidden in the grass. Reaching down, she pushed the thick grass out of the way and found a small leather bound book. It must be a journal, she thought as she picked it up. Carefully, she unclasped the fasten and flipped the book open.

The pages weren't worn, so it had to be relatively new. Her fingers brushed over Dolly's name written in the front cover, and she hesitated because it felt like a violation privacy if she read it. However, there might be something in the journal that might indicate what happened. With a heavy sigh, she turned the page carefully. Her eyes drifted over the words, how Dolly penned about every little thing that happened (even Elizabeth was in there). Her outlook was so bright, and happy then abruptly it changed.

We came upon these ruins. Darrim couldn't resist poking around in them. Some days I wonder why I married him…She skipped over a bit. Darrim found something. An old tablet of some sort. I told him to put it back…it had some strange writing on it…Obviously, Dolly had began to feel something wrong. There was something different in way she wrote, the script was sharper as if she to put more effort in it. Probably to keep her hand from shaking. Elizabeth frowned deeply, and turned to the next page. There's something unsettling about these caravan attacks. I expected bandits, but now I am not so sure. My husband, Darrim, has decided to take a longer way to Bree to avoid the main roads just in case, but I don't think we should have. There something about these woods…like something is watching us, waiting. I only hope that morning comes soon so we can leave. I do not like it here.

She turned to the next page, but there was merely one line written on it. "The night is dark and full of terrors," Elizabeth stated, troubled. She brushed her thumb across the sentence, and flipped the page. Then again. And again, but there was nothing else. That one unsettling sentence had been Dolly's last entry. Shutting the journal gently, she stepped backwards. A strange feeling weighed down upon her shoulders, and she looked to Gandalf who made his way down the hill with the help of his staff. She walked towards him, a sense of purpose to her steps. Her face was pale, and her eyes were stark with their worry. "Gandalf…this wasn't an ordinary accident, was it?" She asked, her voice flat.

There was a wariness and suspicion in Gandalf's gaze as he watched the dwarves start going through the wrecked wagon. There was something troubled about the wizard's expression, his brows furrowed in thought. "What makes you think that it is not so?" Gandalf inquired lightly.

"…Dolly was just a young woman. Just turned twenty and seven last winter," Elizabeth stated, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Now, she looks like she has aged a half a century. If it were not for the fact that I knew her so well, I would not have recognized her. And there this," she held out the journal towards him.

Gandalf frowned, clasping the book between his long, bony fingers and flipped through the pages. His grey eyes drifted over the pages, and with each page the more pronounced the lines on his face became. Elizabeth's eyebrows rose into her hairline, and her expression turned concerned. "What is Gandalf?" She asked, not completely sure that she wanted the answer.

"Rage…" Gandalf answered, softly as he slowly closed the book. "Rage against a dying light." His grey eyes were narrowed, and his face very grim. He turned and walked over to Thorin, his staff clinking against the ground. "Thorin, we should not linger here. I believe it is best we press onward, and go as far as we can go until we no longer have daylight," the wizard stated, seriously.

"Dwalin's horse is injured. She cannot hold a rider," Thorin reminded the wizard. His blue eyes were narrowed. The fact that something was troubling the wizard greatly was not lost on him. "We will not make far."

"Dwalin can ride Aracala, and Elizabeth can ride with someone else," Gandalf stated, and he craned his head towards Elizabeth. "Is this agreeable?"

"Yes…" She cleared her throat. "Yes, it is," she nodded. She agreed whole heartedly with Gandalf that they had to get away from this place. They were near the Withywindle valley, one of the most strangest parts of the whole woods. And dangerously close to the Barrow-Downs, if Elizabeth was correct. A chill ran down her spine, and she was suddenly hyper aware of her surroundings. She had heard stories of the Barrow Downs, things made from nightmares lived down there.

Thorin eyed her and the wizard for a long moment before he inclined his head. "Very well," he agreed.


The dwarves worked with a surprising swiftness, and had went through the wreckage, but found nothing clue as to what happened to Dolly. Or the whereabouts of her husband. In the end, they had built a makeshift burn pile and laid Dolly's body on to. As black smoke drifted upward into the sky, they set off. Elizabeth eyes flickered back to the fire with a heavy heart as the other mounted their steeds. It was not the first time that she had seen a makeshift funeral for a body on the side of the road. In fact, it happened more often than not. Travelers disappearing all the time, never to be heard from again. It had never happened to someone she had known though.

"Miss Elizabeth, who are you riding with?" Ori asked, a bit concerned.

Elizabeth turned with a light frown in his direction before she comprehended his words. "Oh…right. Forgot about that," she stated, with an attempt an a grin. It fell flat. Her gaze flickered towards the company, and she did not know who she would ride with. She knew she could not ride with Aracala with Dwalin. Aracala was a sturdy horse, there was no doubt, but the weight of both she and Dwalin would tax her too much. Bilbo's pony was out, right off the bat. The thing was tiny, probably meant only for a packing mule though it was the perfect size for the hobbit. She knew Kili and Fili would offer, however she had a feeling that would more of a hassle than it was worth. The others, she wasn't sure if they would offer or feel particularly comfortable with her riding with them. "I guess whoever is brave enough to put up with me," she told the young scribe, with a half of a smile and shrug of her shoulder.

When Fili and Kili started riding towards her with twin grins that spelled nothing, but trouble, she nearly resigned herself to having to ride with one of the two. However, an unlikely hero came to her aid. A hand was held out towards her, she saw it out of the corner of her eye and everything seemed just to stop. Fili and Kili looked shocked, and Ori gave little squeak. Dwalin arched a brow, and Balin smiled ever so slightly. Bofur chuckled, while Bilbo looked as stunned as Elizabeth felt.

She stared up at Thorin Oakenshield, who held out his hand towards her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He held out his hand wordlessly to her, and for a moment she is struck silent. No witty comment, or question came to mind as she stared at him with wide eyes. When his brows start to become pinched with a heavy scowl, she is pulled out of her stupor and slowly she placed her hand into his. His hand is such a sharp contrast to hers, though she is not certain why she noticed that. Thorin helped her onto the horse and she settled in front of him. He radiated warmth like the sun, which struck her as odd since he had such a cold disposition. It was like his heat wrapped around her, and the scent of leather and armor mixed with a deep, musky smell that had her mind draw pictures of mountains.

A breath shuddered through, and she realized that she sitting as if she were made from stone. Forcing herself to relax in the saddle, and unavoidably against him, she brushed her out of her face. "Thank you," she murmured, quietly after a long moment.

"…Your are welcome," he finally said, after a moment then he silently urged the horse forward. She jolted slightly, alarmed by the sudden burst of movement and grabbed onto the saddle horn to keep herself steady. The weight of the others stares were upon, and while it did unnerve her a bit, she felt a bit relieve to know that she wasn't the only one stunned by Thorin's actions. Dwalin sped up to ride along side of them, and tossed Thorin a look with an eyebrow arched before he offered some comment, in their own language. Elizabeth had no idea what he said, but something about his tone made her feel distinctly uncomfortable and a flush appeared on her chest. She wasn't the only one that found Dwalin annoying in that moment. She felt Thorin stiffen behind her and had no doubt his signature scowl was pointed in Dwalin's direction.

The company rode onward after that in a somber kind of silence, and it was a striking contrast to when they had set out. Elizabeth only hoped that this was not a sign of things that were to come.


A rider rode against the dying light of day as swift as his stead would take him. His grey eyes were locked on the distant horizon as his jaw clenched with determination. Sweat poured down his brow matting his long dark hair onto his face, and his lips thinned out. "Yah! Yah!" He urged his horse faster. He wished to make it to Bree before nightfall. There were many troubling things that lingered in the shadows.

And he wished to encounter none of them.


The day was coming to a quick end. The traveling had been wary on all of them with the tension lingering upon there shoulders. Elizabeth the wariest of them all. The words from Dolly's journal kept repeating through her mind, and when she managed to turn her thoughts else, they fell upon Thorin. His presences surrounded her, and it was hard to escape it considering that he sat right behind her. "You find the silence unnerving," Thorin finally spoke, and it took Elizabeth a moment to realize that it was not her imagination.

"I am not unused to silences. It has been a companion to me several times, especially when I travel alone," Elizabeth said, her voice soft.

"And yet now you unnerved by it," Thorin noted, his voice was a low rumble. As much as he prided himself on control, he could not ignore Elizabeth's presence during the ride today. The way her slender body that her thin leather armor did nothing to hide pressed against him as intimately as only a lover would. The way the wind picked up the silkly loose strands of her hair, and tease them across his face. Her scent had enveloped him, a soft purely female scent with the hint of earth. Her frame was lithe and delicate like a bird's, she was so small compared to him making him feel like a giant who could easily swoop her away. It was a strangely powerful feeling, one that threatened to consume his thoughts. He squeezed the key between his fingers, so painfully tight the metal bit into his flesh. Quite a feat for something to break a dwarf's skin.

"Why join this quest? Why help us get out home back?" He needed to know her reasons, something inside of him demanded to know them.

Elizabeth looked at him over her shoulder with a pair of wide eyes as if stunned. Then she tilted her head, the silk strands of her hair gently shifting in the gentle wind. "I gave my word," she stated, a gentle frown tugged on the corners of her lips. "Is that not a good enough reason?"

"I have found the word of men means nothing," Thorin stated, his eyes flashed with bitterness and past slights.

Elizabeth arched a brow. "Lucky for that I am not a man," she said, carefully. She shifted carefully in the saddle, trying not brush up against him. It really didn't work. "You may not believe the merit of my word, Master Oakenshield, and that is your right. However, it is my right to prove you wrong and prove you wrong I shall."

"Such honeyed words," Thorin murmured. "However, whether you will stand by your word when the times comes is something yet to be seen."

"The journey is still young. I have a feeling there are many things that are yet to be seen," Elizabeth said, archly. She looked around with a lazy kind of gaze though she was actually hyper aware of her surrounding. "My reasons for coming are my own. Maybe one day if you're lucky…I'll share them with you."

Thorin hummed underneath his breath, before he scanned the area carefully with his blue eyes. "Halt!" He called out the rest of the company and drew his stead to a stop. "We shall stop here for tonight," he ordered, his voice brokering no argument or protests.

There were murmurs of relief that floated through the group, and Dwalin looked the most relieved. Aracala was overly excited when meeting new people so she had been rambunctious when the dwarf got on her saddle. He probably was afraid off getting thrown off a horse again, Elizabeth mused with a slight smile of amusement. She started to get off the saddle, then paused when Thorin's hand landed on her waist to help steady her. His hand felt like brand, and burned even through the clothes she wore. The unexpected sensation drew a gasp from her lips, and she tossed him a look. His face was expressionless, but he drew his hand back quickly as if she were wildfire and he had been burned.

Elizabeth dropped down from the horse, and immediately found it easier to breath. Brushing the loose strands of her hair out of her face, she walked over to Bilbo who after a couple of tries finally made it off of his pony. Myrtle nickered at her approached, and she reached out, petting the pony's snout. "You alright, Bilbo," Elizabeth inquired, gently. "The first days of riding can be a bit…trying."

Bilbo knew exactly what she meant. His legs felt numb, and his thighs sore. "I wish I could walk," he sighed, heavily.

"It will pass, I promise," Elizabeth gave him a smile. "Besides, I know for a fact that you've already become fond of dear Myrtle here. Sneaking her treats when you think that no one is looking," she teased him, and the hobbit turned red.

"I didn't know anyone was watching," Bilbo said, quietly while fiddling with the buttons of his jackets.

"Not anyone. Just me," Elizabeth assured him, with a laugh. "How are you doing? Really?" She asked, her eyes very serious.

Bilbo ran his fingers through his curls, a bit a tiredness around his eyes. "I feel very thing…sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread," he tried to describe the feelings that were welled up inside his chest. He hadn't seen a dead body since…since the Fell Winter. It had not been easy to see that body. It had shocked him down to his core. "Oh, how I wish I was at home, with the kettle just beginning to sing."

"And what shall you do, Bilbo Baggins?" Gandalf appeared at their sides. "Go back? That would be no good at all. Go sideways? That's impossible. Going forward is all we can do now, Master Baggins. The journey may have only just begun, but we have taken took many steps already. We could not take them all back if we tried."

"All I wanted was a normal life," Bilbo bemoaned.

"My dear hobbit, when are you going realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue?" Gandalf drew himself to his full height to peer down his nose at the hobbit. "In fact, it denotes a lack of courage!"

Bilbo looked at him, stubbornly. "Well, it's what I wanted…"

"And yet you came anyways," Elizabeth said, with an easy smile.

"Only because I was bamboozled by the two of you!" The hobbit stated in a furiously whisper.

"Halfling!" Thorin called out. Bilbo jumped, and looked at Thorin with wide eyes. "Go with Dwalin, and help him gather firewood," the Leader of the Company ordered, his voice firm and his eyes dared for the hobbit to argument. "Kili, Fili, take care of the horses. Bombur, Dori, it will be your duty to prepare the evening meal. I leave it to the rest of you to set up camp while I go to scout the perimeter."

"Alone?" Elizabeth spoke up. She already had reservations about this place, and they only grew tenfold now that the group separated to go about their task. "You cannot not go alone. It is not safe. What if danger befalls you?"

Irritations flashed through him, whitehot and sudden. Her words had hit his pride, and he immediately felt annoyance. Did she think him some milk drinker incapable of wielding a blade? "Then I will face it as I have faced every other danger that has come my way. With a shield at my hand, and sword buried in their chest," Thorin stated, his voice so cold that it could have frozen the fires of Mordor.

"Then do it with someone at your hand," Elizabeth demanded. "You cannot go in those woods al-"

"Do not presume that you hold so much value to this company that you can speak to me in such a manner. I am the Leader of this company, and I have made my decision. It is final," Thorin stated, darkly. He gave her one last sharp look before he stalked into the woods.

"I…" Elizabeth looked faintly stunned. His anger hit her hard than a fist would have, and it was feeling that Elizabeth did not care for one bit. "I don't understand. What just happened? I was merely speaking out of concern," she looked to the others for clarification. No one offered her a reply right away, instead they went about her tasks.

"It is a matter of pride, Miss," Ori was the only one to speak up.

"Pride?" Elizabeth's brows pinched together.

"Aye," Dwalin nodded.

"Thorin is a warrior. He has lead his people through dark times since he was merely a child himself, and there are few that surpass his skill in combat. You words of concern, could easily be misconstrued as doubt of his prowess. For one who prides him on his strength, he would have taken your words as a slight," Gandalf explained, in a whisper.

"But that is not what they were," Elizabeth did not like the thought that Thorin would take her words in such a way. She knew not why it left her with such a sinking feeling in the pit of stomach, but it did.

"I am aware of that. Thorin is just a stubborn dwarf and set in his ways of seeing enemies everywhere and holding distrust for all. Once he clears his mind, and allows himself to see past it, he will see that your words bore no harm. And perhaps he will admit to what truly troubles him," Gandalf murmured the last bit underneath his breath, with a mysterious gleam in his eye. He then cleared his throat, and gathered himself. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have business to attend to."

Elizabeth and Bilbo both turned towards the wizard. "Business?" Elizabeth parroted, with her hands on her hips.

"What kind of business could you be attending to in the middle of nowhere?" Bilbo asked, looking a bit flummoxed.

"The kind of business that is only for a wizard to know," Gandalf huffed, haughtily. He drew himself and walked past them, his grey cloak flapping about dramatically.

Elizabeth stared after him. "I will never understand that man," she stated, with a slow shake of her head. "Probably for the best."

Bilbo silently agreed.


Night was nearly upon them now. The jagged view of distant mountains set before the blazing sun while Elizabeth finished bandaging up Dwalin's horse's hoof. A fondness swelled up in her chest for it reminded her of her younger days in Rivendell where she was taught how to tend to the animals, and care for them. It was a short sweet respite because as soon as she was done, the feeling of unease fell back upon her shoulders. Perhaps it was because she was about twenty feet from the rest of the group, or the shadows of the woods just yards away. Elizabeth dismissed both from her head immediately. She had traveled alone before. The lack of company would not affect her so, and she had long since grown used to shadows.

Lips tilted downward in a frown, she made her way back towards the camp. Her eyes searched for a familiar star shaped head of hair, and she found him. Nori was leaning against a tree, cleaning the gunk out from underneath his fingernails with a sharp knife. How he did not cut himself was beyond her. She came to a halt right beside him, carefully not to intrude too much upon his personal space because she had the feeling that Nori would not like that. "Master Nori," Elizabeth greeted, her voice low and quiet.

"Miss Morgan," Nori greeted her carefully. His eyes took in all that surrounded him and Elizabeth had a feeling little escaped his notice.

"The sharpness of your eyes and the keenness of your ears are only outmatched by the swiftness of your hands," Elizabeth noted, with a quirk of her lips.

"My what a compliment. I do believe you've turned my ears red." Nori arched a brow, though a trace of smugness appeared on his face. "Been listening to some whispers have you?" Nori asked, with a half smile.

"I do not need rumors to learn what I see with my own eyes," Elizabeth flashed him a toothy smile. "And do not fear, I shall not hold your occupation against you. I understand that sometimes what we chose to become is out of hands, especially when hard times fall upon us."

"Very kind words," Nori mused. "But one has to wonder why you are giving them to me so freely."

"Perhaps not freely," Elizabeth admitted, with the grace to look sheepish. "I come to seek your advice on something that feel is gravely important."

"Indeed? I daresay if you've come to seek advice or bouts of wisdom, you'd have better luck with the wizard…or my brother, Dori. He prides himself on giving the best advice," Nori stated, with a snort.

"It is not the kind of advice that the wise or the more moral inclined can provide. You notice things that other would miss, and while I pride myself on being observant, there is something that I cannot pinpoint that is troubling me," Elizabeth fiddled with the pouch she had her father's pocket watch in.

"Ah," Nori nodded, understanding. "Thorin has that affect on most people."

Elizabeth jerked, and sent him a startled look. "Thorin? Who said this has anything to do with Thorin?" She asked, baffled.

"It doesn't?" Nori blinked, innocently. Too innocently.

Elizabeth shot him a flat look. "The woods," Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. "I was talking about the woods. Do they not unnerve? Even in the slightest?"

"If the woods unnerve you so, don't you think that traveling is not for you?" Nori said, amused. He gave a laugh when Elizabeth gave him a dry glance. "In the sake of seriousness, we dwarves are more in tune with stone rather than the earth and…greenery." He gave a slightly disdainfully glance at all the green. "However…I cannot deny that there is something about the shadows that…does not feel right."

Elizabeth felt marginally better, now that she knew that she was not the only one that felt this sense of unease. Her eyes raked across the rest of the camp, and across the dwarves who were busy with settling down. Bombur sat in front of the pot, with Kili by his side who looked eager to be the first one to taste the delicious stew. Bifur sat beside Dori who stitching up some of Ori's while the scribe busily wrote in his book. Gloin was proudly showing off the picture of his wife and son to Oin, and that when Elizabeth noticed that some of their company was still missing. "Has neither Thorin, nor Dwalin and Biblo return yet?" She frowned.

"No," Ori spoke up, his quiet voice surprisingly loud. "Gandalf hasn't returned, either."

Gandalf was not surprising. Once he got caught up in wizard business, he had a habit of disappearing time to time. She gave a small shake of her head. "What of Bofur and Fili?" Elizabeth asked, straining to catch a glimpse at them moving through the woods. She saw nothing. No movement at all. Neither dwarf, or animals. Her gut twisted into knots.

"Bofur and Fili went to…" Bombur paused, a dust of red appeared on both of his cheeks. "To relieve…"

Elizabeth spared him. "I understand," she gave a small nod. "However, they should have all returned by now." She scanned the surrounding area with her eyes, and begun to strap on her weapons.

"Lassie…" Balin looked at her with a frown. "You believe that something is wrong."

She paused, and looked over Balin. She could not hide the worry from his knowing gaze, and nodded. "Yes. I do feel that something is wrong," she admitted, after a long moment. "I have felt something has been wrong since we came across that accident."

"She is not the only one," Nori spoke. Elizabeth looked faintly surprised by his open show of support, but gave him a grateful look nonetheless.

"Wrong?" Dori reached out, and tugged Ori to his side. "What kind of wrong? Dangerous wrong?"

Elizabeth felt a bit overwhelmed by the stares that rested upon her, and inanely she wondered how Thorin did not crack underneath the weight of them. She drew in a large breath, and placed her hands on her hips. "I am not sure, and I have not the time to debate the possibilities. We have to find the others, while we have precious daylight left." She glanced over the horizon where the sun was quickly dipping behind. They thrive…in shadows….Lady Galadriel's voice came to her, and a shiver ran down her spine. "Stay away from the shadows," Elizabeth said, a bit dazed.

"Away from the shadows?" Kili looked lost. "I don't understand."

Elizabeth looked at him, then at the other dwarves and left out a large sigh. "Neither do I," she admitted, with a troubled sort of smile. "But I do now when I'm not entirely sure of the situation, I follow my gut instinct. That is telling me that we should not wander aimlessly in the shadows. It is best the rest of you stay together. There is safety in numbers."

"The lass is right," Balin said, heavily. "We cannot be running around in the woods without a wit about us. It is best we stay here and send a scout to look for the others."

"And you have one," Elizabeth slung her bow and arrows over her shoulders. "I shall go look for the others. I am a decent tracker."

"You should not go alone," Balin protested. "We agreed that if anyone left the group, they were to go with someone else."

"I know, Master Balin. But we cannot risk anymore getting lost," Elizabeth told him, firmly. "I appreciate your concern, Balin. But I can take care of myself, and I've been taught to track whether by the sun or by the moonlight. I'll find the others, and we shall find our way back."

Balin stared at her for a long moment before he gave a firm nod. "Very well. I pray that swiftness by on your side because if you are not back soon, lassie, we shall send someone one after you," Balin warned her, with a stubborn tilt to his chin.

Elizabeth inclined her head, with a smile on her face and she turned to leave when Bombur called out for her. "Yes, Bombur?" She turned to look at the red headed dwarf. He grunted and made hand gestures at Bifur whom pulled out a torch from his bag. Bifur handed the torch to Bombur, who lit it with the campfire and then held it out towards Elizabeth.

"You say we should not be in shadows," Bombur said, perhaps a bit sheepish. "Neither should you. In case the day passes before you find the others."

Elizabeth looked stunned then smiled. "Much obliged, Master Bombur," she said, gratefully. "Your kindness is much appreciated." And with that, she turned and stalked into the woods.

When she had been gone for barely over a minute, Dori spoke up, "Surely we are not going to let the lass run off by herself?"

"Of course not," Balin rolled his eyes. "Master Nori, if you will."

Nori's face split into a quick smirk, and he gave a jaunty salute. Then in the next second, he melted into the shadows and was gone.


END OF CHAPTER!

Yep, Elizabeth going off on her own. Not very bright on her part, but her reason will be explained in the next chapter. Ugh! I expected to have written the Company in Bree by now, but this chapters turned out to be longer than I had anticipated. I had to cut into three separate chapters. This one, the next one, and the one after that we will have the company in Bree! Alright, now that my rant is over. I hope you all enjoyed.

Quiz: Can you guess what is responsible for the accident, and the danger that may befall the group? (It is something Tolkien wrote about, and I'll give you a hint…FotR. If you can you will get to name an OC that will appear in Bree.)

Rrs are appreciated, and always answered! :D