A/B: Hello, thanks, and welcome! I think that covers it all! :) So we move on a bit in this chapter. If you have read my original story, "To Seek the Pale Enchanted Gold," you might recognize a little bit of what appears here. I hope you enjoy and please consider letting me know what you think!

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Sparky: Thanks! We are just at the beginning so there is a lot of … a lot of things to come! :)

Tibblets: Thanks! I went back and fixed that!

Petal: Glad to hear from you! Yes, we now have all the dwarves in play and things will start to move forward now. :)

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All Tolkien's. Rhae is mine.

Once she helped Gandalf deposit Bilbo in a chair by the fire and got him a mug of tea she retreated to the far end of the hall. Thorin was in deep conversation with Balin and she didn't want to be accused of eavesdropping. The distance between them, however, could not stop her from overhearing some of what was said and she tried to make it appear that she was busy inspecting items in a curio cabinet on the wall.

"I will take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them they came. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that." The sincerity in Thorin's voice was evident and it surprised her to hear such in the stern dwarf king.

Balin seemed to sigh a bit. "You don't have to do this. You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains, a life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."

"From my grandfather to my father this has come to me," he said, holding up the key Gandalf had given him. "They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would take back their homeland. There is no choice, Balin. Not for me." The emotion visible on his face touched her. It was almost as if she could see a spark in him, a small ember struggling to stay lit and she knew that if he didn't attempt this that spark would go out. She couldn't picture the strong confident dwarf withering away but that was what would happen if he wasn't able to rekindle that flame inside. If she had had any lingering doubts about taking on this quest what she'd just overheard cemented the deal for her. As much as she wanted to return home so to did these dwarves … and they had been away from theirs much longer than she had. The two moved away from her into another part of the house and, her curiosity getting the better of her, she began poking around, peeking into some of the rooms.

What little had been shown of Bag-end in the movies had been incredibly charming and she wanted to know what else the home held. Though everything she saw was cozy and well kept it was a tad disappointing to only find bedrooms and bathrooms. Still, it seemed like a very nice place to live and she could understand why Bilbo would not want to leave it … despite the fact that he would be facing a dragon if he did leave. As she closed the last door she was caught by her reflection in a mirror on the opposite side of the hall. She scrutinized what she saw; it had been so long since she'd actually seen herself. Her hair was definitely longer but she knew that from how long it took to braid it. The scar from her first encounter with orcs was visible along her hairline, dipping a bit lower onto her forehead before it stopped near her ear. Her face appeared pretty much the same though there was something different in her eyes, a toughness she hadn't seen there before. That wasn't the only part of her body that had toughened up. Lifting her hands she could see that the fingerless gloves only hid the calluses that had formed on her palms, the ones on her fingers clear evidence of how different things were for her now. The somewhat worn and ragged look of her clothes were also a testament to a life in the wild. The longer she contemplated herself the more she realized that she didn't mind the changes. She was a stronger person now – physically, emotionally, mentally – and desperately hoped those changes would not disappear when she and David returned to their world.

"What are you doing snooping around?"

"I'm not hiding my actions so it could hardly be classified as snooping. I am simply curious as to what the rest of Mr. Baggins' home is like. I have never had the pleasure of visiting a hobbit."

"And I didn't even startle you!"

"I am a Ranger, Master Fíli. It would take quite a bit to catch me off guard."

He grinned then become more serious. "Are you truly as old as you say you are?"

"It was quite a shock when I found out as well."

Glancing down at the floor he fiddled with the edge of one of his sleeves nervously for a moment. "Do you miss where you came from?"

"Sometimes I do, it was quite different, but I have found things here much more to my tastes than I originally expected."

"How was it different?"

Rhae thought on this for a bit. What could she tell him that would be believed? That wouldn't sound completely ridiculous or give away more than she wanted to reveal? Though neither Lord Elrond nor her mother had warned her about saying anything she thought Gandalf's caution about saying too much was the proper course to take. Knowing that she was not from their world was one thing. Letting them find out that in her world not only were they fictional characters but they died was completely different.

"Things here are much slower, simpler in some ways. People are more … grounded. They'll talk to you straight-forwardly." She glanced towards where Gandalf's shadow was visible on the wall. "Unless, of course, they're a wizard."

Fíli grinned at her. "He has a way of speaking in riddles."

She snorted. "You have no idea."

Dwalin beckoned from the living room doorway and he excused himself. Seeing all the dwarves congregating there she moved down the hall and found a spot on a bench outside the room, settling down in the shadows so she could observe but not be observed herself.

For some time the company merely sat in the glow of the fire, pipes in hand. Rhae got the impression that they were all very deep in thought and, by the expressions some of their faces now held, the memories were not pleasant. A moment later that was confirmed when a low hum began to rumble through the room. It quickly merged into words and she sat in awe. The sound of their deep voices joining together in perfect harmony, the way it vibrated through her, was mesmerizing and very moving. If that wasn't enough she almost fell from her seat when Thorin began singing, his deep baritone filling the room. She let it wrap around her like a warm blanket and Rhae felt like she would be perfectly content to listen to him speak for the rest of her life.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The pines were roaring on the height.

The winds were moaning in the night.

The fire was red, it flaming spread.

The trees like torches blazed with light.

Closing her eyes she listened to the rest of the song, the story behind it reminding her of her own journey to get home. She could almost see the mountain, the city, flames spreading everywhere, dwarves and men panicking as they went through the verses. When the last verse was finished and the sound of their voices faded she opened her eyes to find the king watching her. There was no anger in his face now only curiosity, as if he was still trying to decide if she had told them the truth. She remained still, letting him come to his own conclusions in his own time. Eventually he must have either come to a decision or realized there was nothing to learn just by staring at her and he returned his attention to the flames in Bilbo's fireplace. Once he had done that she quietly slipped from the room in search of a place to curl up for the night. Finding a bedroom at the end of the hall she quickly kicked off her boots and made herself as comfortable as possible on the hobbit sized bed. It would probably be the last night in quite a while that she would have the opportunity to sleep on a mattress and she intended to take full advantage of it.

Not surprisingly she dreamed of fire that night.

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They left before the sun was fully up the next morning. She had been surprised to see how completely the dwarves had cleaned Bilbo's house. Besides the faint hint of pipe smoke still lingering there was no sign of there having been thirteen rowdy, unexpected dinner guests the night before. The contract that had been written up for the hobbit was left on the small table before the fireplace, Thorin and Balin's signatures already affixed at the bottom. Before she hurried out the door she placed one of Bilbo's handkerchiefs next to the parchment. She recalled that little episode from the movie and thought she could at least help him avoid that bit of embarrassment and ridicule. After a quick stop at the Green Dragon Inn where the dwarves had left their ponies they began their trek down the Great East Road. As they left Hobbiton bets were made between various members of the company on whether they thought Bilbo would show up; most didn't think he would. Rhae at first declined to join in as she felt it wouldn't be fair since she already knew the outcome. However as several of the dwarves continued to make some not very kind remarks about the hobbit she decided to join in, offering a bet larger than any of the others.

"Eager to lose some coin are you, lass?" Nori asked as he pocketed her part.

She just smiled. "I guess we will see, won't we?"

When Bilbo finally caught up with them later in the day she couldn't quite contain her laughter of amusement at the shocked looks many of the dwarves wore. The sound of her merriment must have reached their leader's ears because Thorin turned and frowned at her before leveling a rather condescending look at the hobbit.

"Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield," Balin said with a smile and a wink after he'd looked over the signed contract. There were a few cheers from the dwarves that had wagered on Bilbo showing up but Thorin looked rather unimpressed.

"Give him a pony," was all the king said as he nudged his mount back into a trot.

"What? No! No, no, no. That won't be necessary thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. Got as far as Frogmorton once - " He was cut off as Fíli and Kíli grabbed him by the shoulders as they passed by and deposited him on one of the supply ponies. Seeing how terrified he looked as he held the reins out in front of him she joined Gandalf by his side.

"She won't bite." Bilbo looked up at her in surprise and confusion and she tilted her head towards the pony. "They are all quite tame."

"What about yours?" he asked, eying the large black horse cautiously.

"Oh, Talagor looks scary but he's a big softy, aren't you boy?" She reached up and ran a hand through his mane. The horse snorted a bit, tossing its head as if to agree with her. Bilbo smiled a little.

"Stryker!" Nori yelled as he tossed a bag her way. Catching it easily she thanked him with a grin and an exaggerated bow of the head. "I think I'll take my cues from you from now on, lass!"

"That could be wise … or folly," she answered and was rewarded with a wink.

"What's that about?" the hobbit asked as he watched.

"Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you'd show up. Most of them bet that you wouldn't," Gandalf told him.

He looked between the two of them. "What did you think?"

The wizard caught a small sack that came his way and she shook hers.

"We never doubted you for a second, Master Baggins."

He seemed like he was about to say something but instead let out a loud sneeze.

"Uhh … all this horse hair. I'm having a reaction." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, blowing and wiping his nose. He glanced over at her. "For some reason I think I have you to thank for this. In my hurry to pack I hadn't thought about grabbing a handkerchief but low and behold there was one waiting with the contract."

"Call it woman's intuition."

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The next day, as they neared Bree, Rhae found herself riding near Thorin at the head of the line. She wasn't quite sure how it happened (she suspected Balin might have had something to do with it) but he hadn't said a word to her all day. In fact he hadn't said a word to her since the evening in Bilbo's house. Far from irritating her she knew it was probably for the best. Their first conversation hadn't gone very well after all and while she certainly didn't care what he thought of her she really didn't want to start this quest off arguing with the king. That didn't stop her from feeling the tension rising in him as they drew closer to Bree.

"Are you alright?" she finally dared to ask as the town gates came into view.

He looked at her in surprise, almost as if he hadn't realized she was there, then frowned as he turned back to where the gates were slowly getting larger.

"I am not fond of entering towns of Men."

While not sharing the general attitude toward dwarves she was nonetheless very aware of the prejudices against them. They were a secretive race, largely keeping to themselves, and had developed a reputation of being generally disagreeable to those not of their kind. Many things were blamed on dwarves, usually falsely, when they happened to appear in the villages and towns of Men and so she could not blame him for his apprehension.

"I'll speak to the gate keep and once we are through I will get us a table at the Prancing Pony."

"You would do that for us?" He seemed genuinely astonished and she barely kept from rolling her eyes.

"Of course I would. I am part of this company to help you and I think that would fall under the category of helping."

A curt nod of the head was the only response she got. With a shrug she pulled her mask back up and pulled her hood over her head, completely covering her face from prying eyes.

True to her word she got the gates opened for them and after tethering her horse she entered the inn to secure them a table. Several men scurried out of her way as she walked through the large room and she had a silent laugh at their expense. What would they think if they knew the hooded figure they were afraid of was a woman? Taking a seat she didn't have to wait long for the rest of the company to come through the door. Their arrival caused an immediate change in the atmosphere of the Prancing Pony. Low grumbling was heard as they joined her at the large table by the fire and many of the patrons stared at them in open hostility. Barely veiled threats and taunts were thrown in their direction. The company was doing a good job of ignoring it all but the tension around the table was obvious. She kept a close eye on those closest to them as they were served stew and ale, her body tensed in anticipation.

Thorin wanted to get his company on their way and hurried them through their meal. He was very aware of the glares from many at the other tables and while used to the treatment it galled him; he was in no mood for a brawl. The best way to avoid such an unwanted confrontation would be to get his company out of the inn and on the road. Years of practice had helped him to keep a reign on his temper when treated thusly. However he began to feel his anger bubbling to the surface when he went to give the proprietor coin for their meal and was told they would have to pay double for taking up so much space. He began to argue, feeling all eyes turn towards him, and he inwardly groaned as he sensed what he had hoped to avoid was about to occur anyway. Suddenly there was a loud smack as a sword was slapped onto the bar top.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Butterbur?" a low voice said and Thorin turned to see Stryker holding the sword that had just silenced the entire room. He could only stare.

"I was just trying to get full payment from the dwarf," the nervous man said.

"He appears to be giving you the correct sum so what is the problem?"

"Well, he's a - dwarf - and they were..." Mr. Butterbur stuttered and it was clear he was afraid his words might push Stryker into action.

"Yes, he is a dwarf paying for a meal. He is a dwarf who has caused no problems and minded his own business, which is more than I can say for some of your other patrons. I'll ask again, Mr. Butterbur, is there a problem?" Thorin couldn't even recognize the Ranger as the same one he'd faced off with in the hobbit's home. Her voice, her demeanor, it was so different … but quite effective. After a strained silence the man shook his head and took the coins. She turned towards him and he thought he caught a glimpse of her eyes in the lamp light at the bar. They were hard and full of suppressed anger.

"I would suggest we get our friends outdoors before one of these fools decides to test your patience - or mine."

"Agreed," he replied gruffly before returning to the group. Stryker remained standing with sword drawn until all the dwarves and Bilbo were out the door and then followed. More of the inns customers shrank back from her, not wanting even the edge of her cloak to touch them as she passed. Outside most of the others were already on their ponies and she easily swung up into her saddle. Thorin shot a glance at Gandalf, who merely raised an eyebrow, before vaulting onto his pony.

"Let's go," he ordered.

They slipped back through Bree's gates in silence. A little further down the road Thorin brought his mount next to hers though it still took a little time for him to actually say what was on his mind.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For your intervention back there. We probably would've had a problem on our hands otherwise."

"I told you I was here to help."

"Many in Middle Earth would not step up to defend a dwarf."

"I am not like anyone else in Middle Earth, I assure you of that."

A slight smirk was visible for a second under his beard then was gone, replaced with his usual hard expression. "I will not lie to you, Ranger. I'm not entirely comfortable with this … situation. It goes against everything dwarves believe to allow a woman to step into danger. I also am not sure what to think about your story." He flexed his hands on his reins and shifted his shoulders. "However, as I've been reminded by Balin, the Valar seem to have made this decision and I will abide it … for now."

"Fair enough but no matter what, I will be accompanying you all the way to the end … from the shadows if need be. I gave my word and I shall stick to it."

"You come willingly? Knowing the dangers we may face?"

"Aye."

"Just remember I will be watching you."

She grinned. "How flattering, Your Majesty." That was obviously not the reaction he had expected and he left her side with a slight huff, rejoining Balin and Gandalf at the front of the line.

The company of thirteen dwarves, one wizard, one hobbit, and one ranger continued their trek down the Great East Road. It was a road that would take them from the Shire and Bree, past Rivendell, over the Misty Mountains, and even through Mirkwood. It would not be a quick journey nor would it be easy. The Ranger knew this for certain, as did the wizard, and while a few of the dwarves were aware of what dangers most likely lay ahead of them, none of them had traveled in these parts for many years.