ASHLEY

It wasn't too hard to find the cave the trolls had been living out of once Kíli had found the imprints of heavy boots in the soft soil that made up the ground, all of us following it to the entrance of a cave that was covered by a heavy stone door, Bilbo finding the key for that with a helpful smile. Before he even voiced his finding, he watched the Dwarves struggle to force the door open and I began to realize that the Hobbit and I would get along nicely.

"Too entertaining to pass up," he tells me as we enter the yawning black hole of the cave," and it serves them right for what they did to my poor home."

"Yeah, throwing a rave in a stranger's house is on the big list of no-no's," I agree with a smile, though the smile is quickly replaced by an expression of revulsion once the stink hits us. "What the holy hell is that?" The stench was horrible, making most of us gag and cover our noses and mouths. I wince when I hear a sharp crack under my foot, remembering the same sort of noise happening inside Moria when we stumbled blindly into the mine, it's a noise that happens when boots come in contact with bones.

Hesitantly, I move my gaze to the floor and find what I really didn't want to see again—bones, still covered in bits of flesh or mold, littered the floor and added to the smell of troll. Another moan escapes and I move quickly towards the center of the large cave where no bones resided, only letting out a relieved breath when my feet hit smooth dirt.

"You alright, lassie," Gloin asks, putting a hand on my arm to help steady me. Not wanting to open my mouth and chance the putrid odor making me gag again, I give the red-haired Dwarf a nod and cover my mouth and nose with part of my tunic, not that it smelled so great itself. Along the walls were clothing of previous victims, quite a few stained with blood and none of them big enough to even fit over one of the trolls' fat heads.

I move further along, taking in old weapons and even bits of armor, rusted from age and thrown carelessly into piles. I kneel next to a pile of cloth, picking up the fine silk of a dress and examining it closer until I'm able to recognize it; it's fine and high quality with small roses stitched into the sleeves along the elbows, the vibrant red standing out against the black of the material. This is Elvish made, similar to the gown Enelya wore on the day I met her, and that means either dead Elves or humans that were trading with them. I drop it quickly and move away from it, only interested in getting back outside.

I get a few looks as I barrel past everyone, but all of them just go back to whatever held their attention. The fresh air outside was more than welcome and I take several deep breaths after finding a suitable place to sit down, shaded by the slight overhang of rock with my back against the rough wall outside the cave. I lean my head back and close my eyes, willing my heart to slow down and nausea to go away.

"What would Adar do," I whisper to myself," how would he calm himself? Probably by picturing his family, but that'll only make me more upset right now. Ugh, that stench is never gonna leave, I just know it." I scrunch up my nose and shudder in disgust, willing the smell to stay in the cave and not waft outwards. "Okay, think of autumns in Minas Tirith; long walks in the gardens, leaves changing colors, flower crowns. Yeah, that's better." Soon my heartbeat is back to normal and my stomach doesn't feel like it's doing summersaults, the quiet mumbling of the Company taking me back to the nights I would listen to the Fellowship before we broke apart.

I was almost asleep when I felt something cold nudging my cheek, my eyes opening and then crossing in order to look at the dark brown thing inches from my face. It took me longer than I'm proud of to realize that brown thing is Thalion's nose and that the stallion had followed us here after the sounds of fighting had died down.

Smart boy.

Smiling softly, I reach out a hand to run it along his leg, the coarse hairs making my fingers itch. Thalion lets out a soft snort and moves back a little, the front of my tunic in his teeth as he makes me stand up.

"Bossy today, aren't you," I ask with a laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck loosely and hugging him. "We've been through everything together pretty much, but you were smart enough to stay away from those nasty trolls, boy." If they had eaten my horse, I would've dropped them on their heads.

The others start coming out soon after Thalion arrived, each carrying some food and talking about everything they'd found while Dwalin and Balin heft out a large barrel of ale; Bilbo and Bombur take control of making breakfast while Gandalf and Thorin look over a pair of swords they'd found, and the others look over the small chests of gold and pouches of coin. I had no need of money considering I've got it made and I wasn't hungry after nearly being squished by trolls, so I settle for lying down close to Thalion and trying to sleep.

HALDIR

After being forced to rest until late afternoon by Alistair, Haldir was more than ready to shoulder his pack and head through the portal, but no one seemed especially ready for that to happen; Ariel clung to him tightly and continued to whimper, Kharl kept suggesting that he take Haldir's place, and Ellesar was still fighting the deep sadness that he had the first time he'd sent his daughter through a portal. The only one of the group with even a bit of a clear head was Legolas and even he had his doubts about it all.

"I'll back soon, nîn orë, and I'll have your naneth with me when I do," he murmurs to the baby in his arms, resting his cheek against her soft curls. He would miss her the most while he's gone, the little girl that stole his heart and held it in her hands; he was so used to falling asleep with her familiar weight on his chest that he didn't know how he would sleep without it. "Be good for Andrea, alright?"

"Adar," she whimpers, little hands fisted in the material of his shirt," mine."

"Always and forever, little heart, but I must go for a little while. I promise I will come back, I promise you, my sweet girl." Even knowing he had to go on a dangerous mission to rescue his wife, Haldir found it nearly impossible to let the Queen take his child, having to fight back tears of his own when he no longer has her safely in his arms.

"You know she'll be safe here," Ellesar says reassuringly, resting a hand on the Elf's shoulder. Haldir nods and swallows past the lump building in his throat, pale eyes turning to the swirling portal in the middle of the forest on the outskirts of Minas Tirith. It was a miracle that no one had stumble through it before—Alistair would have sensed something like that—and here he was about to jump through it voluntarily. "Here's Larien's pack, it has her favorite book in it as well because we all know how crabby she can be when bored."

"All too well." Haldir nods again with a faint smile, remembering the calm days after Minas Tirith was rebuilt and she had nothing to keep her occupied for long periods of time. In fact, he's quite sure it was around then that Ariel was conceived, though Andrea and Aragorn seemed to have more restraint. "I'll ensure she gets this and I'll bring her back."

"You'd better," Kharl calls out from his spot between Faramir and Legolas, his arms around their necks in order to stay upright. He still looked horrible, skin pale and cheeks flushed from the fever he couldn't shake off, and his dark green eyes were bright with worry that only made him feel worse. They'd only dressed him fifteen minutes ago and his tunic was already stuck to his body because of sweat. "Else I'm comin' in after ya, and you won't like it one little bit, Elfy."

"I'll keep that in mind," Haldir responds with a smile, taking Ashley's pack from her adar. "Now, where exactly will this portal have me end up?"

"Alistair used a bit of jiggery pokery," Andrea says, her fingers intertwined with her husband's," and he says it'll let you out somewhere near Rivendell. The Company passed through there at some point and we're using the hope and guess method that you'll be able to intercept them."

"Jiggery pokery?"

"Would you rather I used mumbo jumbo or hocus pocus? 'Cause I have several of those terms memorized." He can't help his laugh, suddenly glad that Andrea had the ability to make people happy despite the horrible circumstances. Maybe that's where his wife picked it up? "Alright, Haldir, go pick up our idiot and bring her back so I can slap her until she's black and blue."

"As you command." He gives a dramatic bow, laughing again when the blonde gives a light kick to his ankle with a smile of her own. "Hopefully I can find her and get her back before this evening so she can attend her little brother's celebration." He meets Aragorn's anxious gaze, the smile disappearing as he gives another curt nod of understanding. Just get back in one piece. He takes a deep breath and faces the portal, gathering his courage before taking the last few steps forward.

And then he was lost in a dizzying spiral of darkness.

Nîn orë=my heart

Naneth=Mother