A Change of Fate

by awalkerlifeforme

Leah Ambrose was never normal. By age sixteen she was a top fighter in the MMA. For a while she enjoyed it. But at twenty-one things started to change. She became quieter, withdrawn, now enduring dreams about strange woods and odd - albeit familiar - characters. When Leah has a little too much fun one night, she gets the offer of a lifetime. But is it more than she bargained for?

10. Rivendell

There was something strange happening to me as we followed the path. It seemed like I was gradually getting weaker and weaker. I wasn't sure why, though. I had only gotten one arm barely scratched by an arrow. How was I in so much pain already? Thankfully Kili was practically glued to my hip as we walked through the cave. The only problem was that it was a very narrow crack between the two tall cliffs, which meant that it was hard to get through at some parts. In the moments that we had to walk one-by-one, Kili and Fili kept their hands on me as I walked between them.

Fili kept my hands in his. He was clearly making sure that I wasn't going to flop forwards. Kili's hands were on my hips, keeping me steady as I tried to walk. My vision was slightly blurred and I knew that I was staggering around. To my pleasure, we made it through the pathway within a few minutes. Suddenly the pathway opened up into what appeared to be a large valley. As everyone spread out, I placed myself between Fili and Kili, staring at the beautiful valley of Rivendell below us. The massive waterfalls, old stone castle, and rocky mountains were incredible. I'd never seen something so lovely.

As the entire company stared at Rivendell breathlessly, I laid a hand on Kili's chest - partially because I was stunned at the sight and also because I thought that I might fall. His hand tightened over my waist. "The Valley of Imraldis," Gandalf called softly. "In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo breathed.

It was almost impossible not to tell him that one day he would end up here. The place he had always wanted to be. "Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea," Gandalf said.

"Oh, it's beautiful," I said happily.

Fresh running water! A real bath. A real bed! No more snoring dwarves! Oh, yes, I was thrilled to be in Rivendell. "There's a certain quality about it," Fili said from my side.

"Oh, just admit it. It's lovely," I huffed.

Bilbo stared at Rivendell in awe. As everyone else began moving towards the edge of the rocks, Thorin turned back and advanced on Gandalf. "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy," he sneered.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself," Gandalf said.

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us," Thorin hissed lowly.

For good reason, too. It was quickly becoming almost impossible to keep my mouth shut about the future and all that I knew. "Of course, they will," Gandalf said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But we have questions that need to be answered." Thorin let out a breath and looked down towards the ground. "If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

The others didn't look thrilled with Gandalf's words. I snorted softly as we walked off. Kili kept an arm wrapped around me as we began making our way down the pathway. My head was still spinning. "How long will it take us to get down there?" I asked Gandalf breathlessly.

How was I short of breath? Besides the long run - which I had recovered from - I hadn't done enough to make me exhausted. "No longer than an hour," Gandalf said, looking back at me. His eyes widened. "Miss Ambrose? Are you alright?"

The entire company turned back to look at me. "Tired, I guess," I mumbled stupidly.

There was definitely something wrong with me, but this was the wrong time to discuss it. I supposed that someone could help me out when we got down into Rivendell. If there was actually something wrong with me. I must not have looked good, because Kili kept giving me a concerned look. He brushed back sweat off of my forehead, which made no sense. It wasn't that hot out. It was rather cool, actually. What the hell was wrong with me? And why was I gradually feeling worse and worse? Why did Kili have to drag me along?

He seemed about ready to pick me up and carry me, but I refused to prove Thorin right and be the weak damsel-in-distress. I could manage myself. I just needed the slightest bit of a hand right now. The valley far below was gradually getting closer and closer. Like Gandalf said, the trip down took almost an hour, at which point I was feeling worse and worse. I could hear the voice of hurrying water in a rocky bed at the bottom of the valley; the scent of trees was in the air and there was a light on the valley-side across the water.

The elves were there. I was sure that I would never forget the way that we slithered and slipped in the dusk down the steep and winding path into the secret valley of Rivendell. The air grew warmer as we got lower, and the smell of the pine-trees made me drowsy. It wasn't good, because I was already getting drowsy. Every now and again I nodded and nearly fell off. Each time Kili tightened his grip around me and nudged me gently to keep me awake and walking. He looked incredibly concerned for me. But my spirit rose as we went down and down.

Medicine and rest were getting closer. As we walked the trees changed to beech and oak, and there was a comfortable feeling in the twilight. The last green had almost faded out of the grass when we came at length to an open glade not far above the banks of the stream. It was lovely and smelled like what I imagined Rivendell would smell like. Clean. Gripping onto Kili, I grinned and looked up at the stars. His gaze followed me, grinning at the wonder in my eyes. The stars were burning bright and blue. Just then there came a burst of song like laughter in the trees:

"O! What are you doing,
And where are you going?
Your ponies need shoeing!
The river is flowing!
O! tra-la-la-lally
here down in the valley!

"O! What are you seeking,
And where are you making?
The faggots are reeking,
The bannocks are baking!
O! tril-lil-lil-lolly
the valley is jolly,
ha! ha!

"O! Where are you going
With beards all a-wagging?
No knowing, no knowing
What brings Mister Baggins
And Balin and Dwalin
down into the valley
in June
ha! ha!

"O! Will you be staying,
Or will you be flying?
Your ponies are straying!
The daylight is dying!
To fly would be folly,
To stay would be jolly
And listen and hark
Till the end of the dark
to our tune
ha! ha!"

Weren't the elves supposed to be super uptight? I thought that it was the dwarves that liked to sing and dance? Perhaps I remembered The Hobbit even less than I thought that I did. To my pleasure the elves laughed and sang in the trees; and pretty fair nonsense I realized. It was lovely. It was nice to see that they were a little happier and more carefree than they were in the movies. I figured that they wouldn't care what they thought of us; they would probably merely laugh all the more if we told them so. They were apparently careless elves. Perhaps Thranduil's elves were different.

Soon I caught glimpses of the elves as the darkness deepened. Risking a glance over at Bilbo, I could see that he already loved the elves. As we walked, he whispered to me that he had seldom met them; but apparently, he was a little frightened of them too. At the moment, so was I. Judging by the looks on their faces, the dwarves wouldn't get on well with them. Apparently even decent enough dwarves like the company thought them foolish (which was a very foolish thing to think), or got annoyed with them. It seemed that the elves teased and laughed at them; most of all at their beards.

"They're awfully chipper," I whispered to Kili.

They really were a lot friendlier and gigglier than I had been expecting. But it was kind of cute. Kili glanced over at me and his eyes widened. "Leah? Are you sure that you're alright?" Kili asked gently.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm just... oddly tired," I said.

"You're looking pale," Kili said, placing the back of his hand against my forehead.

"Maybe I'm just tired. I'm not... I don't know," I breathed.

One of Kili's hands went around to grip at my waist as the other gently laid against my stomach. Clearly, he was trying to keep me awake. "We'll get you something to eat and find you somewhere to rest," Kili promised.

"A bed. God, I hope they have actual beds," I groaned.

Kili grinned, clearly trying to make me feel better. "Am I not a good enough pillow?" Kili teased.

I laughed, immediately launching into a coughing fit. Kili pressed a hand underneath my chin to try and steady me. Once I had my breath back, I grinned tiredly at Kili. "Oh, you make a wonderful pillow. In fact, there's never been a better one," I teased.

"What high praise," Kili joked.

At least he was trying to keep me moderately happy and awake while we walked. But I could still see his fear for me in the back of his eyes. At least he wasn't explicitly telling me that he was concerned with me. I didn't want him to treat me differently until we knew that I wasn't okay. I smiled at Kili as we walked over a narrow grey stone bridge, the only thing separating us from a steep waterfall, and entered the city of Rivendell. We walked past two huge statues of elf soldiers as I glanced up towards the magnificent staircase in front of us, where two real elves stood guard.

Everyone began spreading out around the entryway as Bilbo stared in awe at the beauty of the place. I knew how he felt. Right now, I never wanted to leave Rivendell. The rest of the dwarves looked uneasy, Thorin and Dwalin most of all. I could see them looking at each other for reassurance. Probably mentally planning an attack against the elves. I glanced up in surprise when a dark-haired elf walked down the stairs to greet us. Kili's arm tightened around me as the elf came closer. All of the dwarves looked at him with suspicion.

"Mithrandir," the dark-haired dwarf called as he descended the staircase.

Gandalf turned back and grinned. "Ah, Lindir!"

Lindir... Did I know who Lindir was? I barely recalled him being in one of the Lord of the Rings books. Was it the first one? I didn't know. I vaguely remembered from the film that he seemed to be Lord Elrond's right-hand man. Lindir placed a hand over his chest before motioning out towards Gandalf in what appeared to be a welcoming greeting. Lindir looked perfectly nice to me. The dwarves instantly began murmuring among themselves in distrust. I rolled my eyes. Of course... All because he was an elf.

Thorin leaned into Dwalin and whispered, "Stay sharp."

I turned towards the two of them in aggravation. "They're here to help us. They're not going to do anything to you," I snapped.

They both glared at me as Lindir finally fell into step right in front of Gandalf. "Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen," Lindir said. It was one of the elvish languages, but I recognized his words. He had mentioned that he had heard that we had crossed into the Valley.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," Gandalf said urgently.

"My Lord Elrond is not here," Lindir replied.

"Not here? Where is he?" Gandalf asked suspiciously.

In the back of my mind I realized that it was probably going to be pretty cool to meet Lord Elrond. I had always liked Hugo Weaving. He played such cool characters! Lindir looked like he was about to respond when, suddenly, the elvish horns from earlier echoed throughout the valley again. Right now, they were just giving me a throbbing headache. Even worse, the company instantly began reacting to what they believed was a battle cry. The company - myself included - turned around to see a group of armed horsemen approaching along the bridge at a rapid rate.

"Ifridî bekâr!" Thorin yelled. In the back of my mind, I realized that it must have meant something about weapons, considering the fact that everyone instantly raised their weapons. "Hold ranks!"

"Get back!" Kili yelled to me.

Just as they were doing with Bilbo, I was shoved towards the middle of the pack. I stumbled in and practically collapsed. "Are you nuts?" I hissed at the rest of the company. They were such morons. "They're just coming back home. They're the ones who killed the Orcs."

Fili turned back for a moment to stare at me. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The elvish arrows, you morons," I snapped.

They were such complete idiots. The elves were trying to help us. They were just returning back home right now. The dwarves bunched up together into a tight circle with their weapons pointed outward. I noticed that Bilbo and I were the only two without a direct line towards the outside of the pack. In front of me were Fili and Kili, clearly not daring to leave me in danger of getting hit. The mounted elves arrived quickly and rode in circles around the dwarves, who were all panicking. Eventually, they stopped, and one elf, Elrond, separated himself from the others.

He turned towards Gandalf with a grin. "Gandalf," he greeted.

Gandalf instantly bowed gracefully. "Lord Elrond." Gandalf swept his arms out to the side while the rest of the company looked on mistrustfully. "Mellonnen! Mo evínedh?" Gandalf said.

Vaguely I remembered him saying something about how they were friends and asking where the other had been. "Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui," Lord Elrond replied.

Now that one I did remember. The language was familiar enough, having seen the movie multiple times. But there was something even more familiar about it. It almost sounded like something that I could recognize. I remembered Lord Elrond telling Gandalf that they had been hunting the pack of Orcs that had come up from the South and that his company had slayed a number of them near the Hidden Pass - the ones that we had drawn out there. Lord Elrond dismounted from his horse and quickly came to Gandalf's side, giving him a brotherly hug.

"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near," Lord Elrond said.

Whoops. I wanted to say something - perhaps apologize for drawing the Orcs in - but I knew that it wasn't my job to speak right now. Like Gandalf had said, speaking was his job right now. He had to charm the elves and make sure that they didn't know about our mission. Which didn't really matter. They would find out soon enough. Lord Elrond held up the Orc sword that he must have taken from one of the dead Orcs before handing it off to Lindir. Gandalf gave Lord Elrond a slightly guilty smile.

"Ah, that may have been us," Gandalf said.

Not may have been us, Gandalf, it was definitely us. The Orcs were following us and we had accidentally drawn them into Rivendell - which wasn't very helpful of us. I noticed that Lord Elrond looked just the slightest bit exasperated. Probably sick of having to clean up the messes of everyone else in Middle Earth. To my surprise, Thorin stepped past Dwalin and Nori to get to Lord Elrond. Even more shocking, Gandalf motioned for me to step forward. I pulled away from Kili with much difficulty, but I was determined not to look weak in front of the regal elves.

Lord Elrond looked us both over with something akin to recognition in his eyes. "Miss Ambrose," Lord Elrond greeted, smiling at me. My eyebrows shot up. He knew me just by sight? "A pleasure to finally meet you."

"Huh?" I called dumbly.

"Miss Ambrose," Gandalf chided sharply.

"Right, sorry, um... I wasn't expecting you to know who I am," I said stupidly. Sound a little more idiotic, why don't you, Leah? "But it's lovely to meet you, Lord Elrond."

"And you as well, Miss Ambrose," Lord Elrond said, unbothered by my stupid muttering.

As he moved forward, I reached out a hand and smiled bashfully when he kissed the back of it. "Just Leah, please," I said as Lord Elrond stepped away.

"Of course. We've been looking forward to having you arrive here," Lord Elrond replied.

Had they really been expecting me? It didn't make sense. Gandalf and Lord Elrond must have known that I had been on my way here. Or, they had known that someone was planning on bringing me here. How had someone known that I would be on my way here? Was this really some kind of huge plan? I turned back to look at the company - all of whom were staring back at me. Clearly, they understood why Lord Elrond knew about my ultimate arrival about as much as I did.

"I've been looking forward to it as well," I said truthfully.

And I really had been looking forward to getting to Rivendell. It was lovely here. And I was so excited for a real bath and bed. Lord Elrond stepped past me and moved in front of Thorin. "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain," he greeted.

Thorin's gaze remained firmly locked on the ground. He was clearly uncomfortable with the greeting. "I do not believe we have met," Thorin replied.

Really? He couldn't even say 'hello'? "You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain," Lord Elrond explained.

"Indeed; he made no mention of you," Thorin sneered.

"Well that's nice," I huffed.

Lord Elrond didn't look like he was even slightly bothered by the way that Thorin was speaking to him. I assumed that he knew just how much Thorin hated him and being here. But that still didn't excuse Thorin's behavior. The elves had saved our lives and were now helping us. They were keeping us safe and offering us refuge. I was bothered by Thorin's words, but my head was spinning too much for me to snap back at him. Ignoring Thorin's obvious insult, Lord Elrond turned back and began speaking in Sindarin. How did I know that?

"Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin."

There had been no subtitles in the movie. So how did I know that he was saying: "Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests." I had no idea. I didn't speak Sindarin. Before today, I hadn't even known that I knew what language they spoke. I'd always just called it Elvish. My head snapped up in surprise. Where the hell had that come from? The dwarves were looking back and forth between themselves, grumbling in aggravation at the fact that they didn't understand what Lord Elrond had said, who was still looking straight at Thorin.

Only Kili had noticed my instant reaction. "Are you alright?" Kili asked me.

"I - Yes. Just... nothing, never mind," I said.

There was no way to explain what had just happened. How was I supposed to admit that I understood Sindarin all of a sudden? "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gloin growled angrily.

The dwarves were growing bellicose as they began gripping their weapons uneasily. Gloin looked like he was about to move forward and cut off Lord Elrond's head. "No, master Gloin, he's offering you food," Gandalf said exasperatedly.

The dwarves all stepped back, gathered in small circles, and quickly discussed that revelation among themselves. I rolled my eyes as I stepped off to the side of their conversations. Finally, Gloin looked back at Lord Elrond and said, "Ah well, in that case, lead on."

But just as we were about to step forward, Lord Elrond's eyes shot over to my bandaged arm. His eyes traced up to my face curiously. "Were you hit by one of the Orc's arrows, Leah?" Lord Elrond asked me curiously.

The entire company stopped and turned around to look at me. "Oh, my arm was scratched by one of them just before I tumbled down the hole. No big deal. We just have to keep it clean," I said, embarrassed at the sudden attention.

They were going to start looking at me like the damsel-in-distress. "I fear, my dear, that it may be a bigger issue than you think that it is," Lord Elrond said gently.

"Excuse me?" I asked fearfully.

Kili - who had come back to my side to assist me in getting around - tightened his grip almost painfully around my waist. "Most Gundabad Orcs use Morgul bows," Lord Elrond explained.

"I - I don't know what that means," I stuttered.

"The arrows used in those bows have taken the Morgul venom from the Morgul blades used by the Ringwraiths and implanted them in the arrowhead," Lord Elrond explained.

Weren't those the creepy black things in Lord of the Rings? Damn me for not reading those books more than once! That was when it dawned on me. I knew exactly what was happening. Idiot... What an idiot I was. How didn't I realize the truth? I remembered being in the theater and gasping when Kili had been struck by the Orc arrow. It had let to the eventual blood poisoning that Tauriel had saved him from. Currently the same thing was happening to me. I had just gotten a lesser injury that had been spotted much sooner than his would be.

Well, I knew that he wasn't exaggerating the pain in the film. My entire arm felt like it was on fire. "We're lucky that we've caught the injury early. If left untreated, the venom will cause excruciating pain and eventual death. You already appear to be experiencing the early symptoms," Lord Elrond said, looking me over closely.

The entire company began muttering worriedly, closing in around me. "Can it be fixed?" Kili asked sharply.

"Of course. We have wonderful healers. You will be ready for dinner tonight. Come," Lord Elrond said.

"Alright," I mumbled.

Getting my arm healed sounded wonderful at the moment. I began to pull myself out of Kili's grasp when Thorin snapped at him, "Go with her."

"We will provide her with the best care possible. You need not fear," Lord Elrond reassured the rest of the company.

"I'll go with her," Kili said, stepping forward.

Suddenly another elf with long, dark, hair stepped forward. He must have been the one that was planning on healing me. "Please get ready for dinner. I am well-trained for healing," the elf told Kili, who looked less-than-thrilled to be getting ordered around.

"We're not -" he began.

"It's fine," I interrupted, stepping in between the two, sensing the tension. But I was the one that needed to get healed! They could have their little pissing contest in between the dwarves and elves after my life was out of jeopardy. I laid a hand on Kili's chest, gently pushing him back. "Hey, it's fine. I'll see you in a few hours for dinner, alright?"

"Leah -"

Clearly, he didn't want me out of his sight. "It's okay. They saved us from the Orcs. They're giving us a place to eat and rest. They pointed out the poison in the first place. I think that we can trust them," I said confidently.

"Someone should -"

This time it was the dark-haired elf that interrupted Kili. "We'll take good care of your meleth," he promised.

The last word was clearly something in Sindarin. But he had said it too fast and I'd only been half paying attention. Did he call me a melon? They must have known what he had said, because there was an instant reaction from everyone in the company. I really wished that I had been paying attention because I so desperately wanted to know what he had said. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Thorin and the older dwarves growling conspiratorially between themselves. Thorin gave me a sharp glare as Kili turned a bright red.

What the hell had the elf called me? "What does that mean?" I asked softly, no wanting to sound like a complete moron.

"Come, Miss Ambrose, please," the elf called softly.

He was clearly trying to pull me along and not make things any more awkward. So, I turned back to Kili and gave as confident of a smile as I could. "Don't worry, I'll be right back," I told him.

Kili clearly didn't want to let go of me, but ultimately, he did. "All right. We'll see you at dinner."

"Of course," I said.

"Come, please," the dark-haired elf called.

"Thanks," I told him.

Tired as I was, and as desperate as I was to have the wound healed, I would have liked to stay a while. The elvish singing was lovely, especially in June under the stars. But I supposed that I could hear them later. Also, I would have liked to have a few private words with the people that seemed to know my name and all about me, although I had never seen them before. Plus, I thought their opinion of the adventure might be interesting. Elves knew a lot and were wondrous folk for news. They must have known what was going on among all the peoples of the land.

Perhaps they could have known about the fact that Azog wasn't dead. That would be good news to have shared before we got caught on our way out of Goblin Town. But it wasn't time to speak with each other right now. Perhaps another time. Perhaps before we left for the mountains. After all, right now the dwarves were all for supper as soon as possible. Not that I blamed them. I was starving. I was excited to get healed and have a real dinner. On the dwarves went, lead in the opposite direction as me, until they were brought to a good path and, at last, to the very brink of the river.

It was flowing fast and noisily. Above I could see that the sun had been all day on the snow far up above. There was only a narrow bridge of stone without a parapet, as narrow as a pony could well walk on; and over that they had to go, slow and careful, one by one. The elves had brought bright lanterns to the shore, and they sang a merry song as the party went across. Each dwarf wished me well and told the elves to care for me well as we finally went our separate ways, myself towards the palace and the dwarves down into a great hall.

As the dwarves and their chattering headed away down towards the hall, I headed off down a hallway with the dark-haired elf. From what I could hear as they walked off, the dwarves were going to be shown somewhere that they could get cleaned up before dinner. Which was a good idea, since they could really need a bath. Not that they would really enjoy getting cleaned up. That wasn't what they ever did. The two of us walked up and down hall after hall and I quickly lost track of where we were heading. Rivendell was too big.

For a long time as we walked, the two of us didn't speak to each other. It didn't take long for it to turn into a somewhat awkward silence. At least, on my part. I had a feeling that the elf barely even noticed my awkwardness. I realized as we walked that the elf was actually rather attractive. His dark hair was perfectly straight and braided through a crown. Was he royalty? I wasn't sure who he was, but then again, the only one that I recognized here was Lord Elrond. The only other elves I knew were Tauriel, Legolas, and Thranduil. We wouldn't meet them for months to come, anyways.

Finally, I couldn't stand walking in silence anymore. "Hello, by the way. I - uh - don't think that I ever said that," I stammered awkwardly.

The elf turned back to me. "Good afternoon."

"I'm Leah."

"My name is Elladan."

Now that name I did know. I was absolutely positive that I had heard that name before. It dawned on me suddenly. "Oh, you're one of Lord Elrond's kids, aren't you?" I asked.

Didn't he have himself and his brother? They were the older ones and Arwen was the younger one. Or something like that. Elladan looked over at me in surprise. "Yes, in fact, I am. Myself and my twin brother - Elrohir - are Lord Elrond's firstborn. My younger sister, her name is Arwen," Elladan said. I almost grinned. I would have loved to meet Arwen. "Might I inquire as to how you knew that?"

Uh-oh. Backpedal! "Um... Gandalf told me," I said dumbly.

If anyone would be able to cover for my knowledge of things that I shouldn't know, it was Gandalf. "Mithrandir has a bad habit of speaking where he shouldn't," Elladan said slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," I said.

"It's quite alright, Miss Ambrose."

"Just Leah, I mean it."

"Of course," Elladan said. He glanced down at my bandaged wrists curiously. "Is there something wrong with your wrists?"

My hands went to my wrists. They were slowly healing. Now they were mostly itchy. "We were cornered by trolls a few days ago. I got hung to a tree for a number of hours while they were discussing how to eat us. My wrists got rubbed raw and we've been applying a salve to them since, to make sure that they don't get infected," I explained.

Elladan nodded thoughtfully. "I do believe that you are accident-prone, Leah Ambrose."

A small grin cracked over my lips. "Oh, you could say that."

"We can help you clean up the wrists as well."

"Thanks."

"My pleasure."

The two of us walked down another hallway as I practically staggered into the wall. I really needed to sit down. Hopefully we were getting close to the hospital. Or wherever they would heal me. "Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Of course," Elladan said.

"What was it that you said before I left the rest of the company? It sounded like you said... melon, or something like that," I said stupidly.

"Meleth," Elladan corrected. I swallowed nervously. That sounded far too familiar. "It means love."

"What?" I gasped.

"It means -"

"No, no, I heard you. Why -? Why would you have called me his love?" I stammered.

No one needed to be calling me Kili's love. Thorin would have a conniption. Elladan looked at me in surprise. "Pardon me, I was unaware that there were no romantic feelings there. It did not seem that way. He is very protective of you," Elladan explained.

Awkward... Now even complete strangers thought that Kili and I were romantically involved. That was not something I needed. "No. He's one of my best friends. I didn't even know him until we went on this journey. I've known him maybe for two months. That's about it. We're just friends... You know that elves don't really get along with dwarves. I just don't think that any of them want me away from them, with elves, where they can't see me. After all, Thorin ordered someone to come with me," I explained our situation as well as I could.

"Yes, of course. But he seemed to have the hardest time letting go," Elladan pointed out.

"Well..."

What could I say now? Elladan was right about that. "Pardon me, Leah. It is not my place to speak on the matter," he said. I shook my head. I could really use some advice about Kili. "But I am old. I see things."

"Things?" I repeated.

"A relationship blossoming."

"N - No."

"Of course, I could also be wrong." Why do all of you do that? Just give me a straight answer! I was about to ask Elladan to explain when he stopped me in front of a thick wooden door, intricately carved with flowers and vines. "We're here. Come in, please," Elladan prompted.

"Thanks," I breathed.

It was about damn time to get inside and get me fixed up. My arm was throbbing and my head was spinning. I was getting weak on my feet as well. Elladan gently pushed open the door to allow me to walk inside. It appeared to be a bedroom that they were using as something like a healing chamber. Which was fine by me. Elladan almost immediately walked me into the bathroom. They must have been using some type of incense because it smelled wonderful in there. Although it was also making my head spin even more than it already was.

There was a bowl off to the side of us that was filled with some kind of root. It must have been whatever the root was that would draw out the poison. I vaguely recognized it as the root that Tauriel had used to save Kili. I smiled weakly at Elladan as I was seated with two elf maidens who had arrived just moments after we had. They must have been the healers. The two of them sat down on either side of me as they began pulling off the wrappings from my wrists and arm so that they could get cleaned. Elladan watched them work for a while in silence.

The elf maiden on my right pushed forward my injured shoulder. "Sit still for a moment," she warned me softly.

"Okay," I breathed.

"Athelas," Elladan whispered from his place, perched on the edge of the bathtub.

"What?" I asked.

"That's what they're putting on you. It's used to draw poison out of a wound," Elladan explained.

Anything to draw the damn poison out of the wound. It was getting worse and worse by the second. Slowly the elf maidens placed the athelas down against the wound - that had an eerie black webbing around it. The moment that it touched my skin there was an excruciating pain. My head dropped back against the edge of the chair as I groaned in pain. It hurt worse than the wound did. This was definitely not the way that I wanted to experience my first piece of comfort (the padded chair) in weeks.

It took a few minutes for the pain to recede. Eventually it seemed more like a dull throb in my arm. It took a few more minutes before the feeling finally turned to more of a cooling sensation. My head dropped back against the chair again as I brushed the sweat back off of my forehead. Now I was feeling much better. The elf maidens were quick to apologize for how painful the healing process was. I was quick to thank them for all that they were doing for me. They could have easily let me deal with the pain and ultimately my death.

"It should start to feel better soon," Elladan informed me.

"It already does. Thank you," I said breathlessly.

"Our pleasure," Elladan said for the three of them.

Eventually the elf maidens moved me off back into the bedroom for me to rest for a few minutes. I was allowed to lay in the fluffy bed, perfectly happy to get to have some real comfort. Hours could have passed while they fixed me up, putting me almost back to normal. The poison took a long time to completely pull out of my shoulder. Eventually the two elf maidens wrapped my arm back up - the root tucked into the wrapping - with the promise that the wound would be almost healed when I woke up in the morning.

That was much quicker than I had been expecting. Once they were done healing my arm, the two women went down to my wrists. Right now, they were ugly, jagged, pieces of torn skin. I really hoped that they could fix it because it looked terrible. The feeling had been getting better over the days, but it still wasn't good enough. I wasn't sure what it was that they put on them but I felt the cooling sensation, which was much appreciated. I would be back to normal by the morning. At that point, all of the injuries would likely be back to normal.

As the elf maidens began cleaning up the supplies and old bandages, I turned to Elladan, who had been watching over me the entire time. "Thank you for all of this," I said.

"It is our pleasure, Leah," Elladan said.

The elf maiden with soft blonde hair - much like my own - stood at my side with her hands knitted behind her back. "Dinner will be served soon, Miss. Shall we assist you in getting ready?" she asked gently.

"Uh, yeah, sure," I muttered dumbly.

How did royalty ever get used to people speaking to them like that? It was so formal and awkward. "I will return to escort you down in a bit," Elladan said respectfully, getting to his feet.

"Thanks, Elladan," I said.

"You are welcome," he replied.

The elf maidens instantly went to work. I could tell by the look on their faces that they must have thought that I would be a ton of work. They weren't completely wrong. I must have looked rather terrible. The two elf maidens were quick to ask me if I would be all right spending the night - and any more that we would spend in Rivendell - in the bedroom that we were currently in. For propriety's sake, as they said. I really didn't like the idea of being away from the company, but I agreed since we were their guests. It would just be for a few nights, after all.

It took a long time for the two elf maidens to get me ready for dinner. It seemed silly. When I was at home, I always merely wore my pajamas to bed. But that would have been inappropriate around the company. Perhaps I could eventually ease them into the idea, because right now, getting fully dressed and made up for dinner seemed a little bit odd. To my complete pleasure, I was finally allowed to take a bath. More like they insisted on taking a bath, really. It seemed like the first time that I had gotten to take a bath in months.

One of the first things that they did was wash my face and body completely off, clearing it of the dead and dirty skin. I realized with a hint of disgust that blood and dirt and sweat ran off in droves. Gross... The good thing was that I actually smelled like a female for the first time in a long time since the water was laced with flowers and all sorts of perfumes. The two elf maidens cleared my skin of excess hair with a straight razor. I nearly jumped up and screamed at the excitement of being hairless again. The elves laughed at my excitement.

The two women pared off my nails with a knife before letting me climb out of the bathtub. My skin was smooth and hairless. According to the two elf maidens, the potion that they had put in the bath water would make the hair grow back even slower. It was nice to see them laugh when I had asked them to bottle some up for me. As they dried me off and ran some type of lotion over my skin, I took in a deep breath and grinned. I felt much better right now than I had in a long time.

It shouldn't have surprised me that they had placed me in a dress. It was the first time that I was glad to be in one, because it was absolutely lovely. The dress was a deep forest green at the top, fading to an off-white color at the bottom with just a tinge of green. The top of the dress was a sweetheart neckline with some type of crystal beading sewn into the edges. It dipped much lower than I had been expecting it to and I grinned. My style, indeed. The bodice was tight silk made much like the corsets that I usually wore over my tunics. The bottom of the dress hit my toes and flowed gently.

The elves gave me a pair of soft slippers to walk around in that felt kind of like the bedroom slippers I had back home. There was a jeweled belt that wrapped around my waist and hung loosely in front of me. The most impressive part of the dress was something like a cloak that fell back over my shoulders. It was tied around my throat, where two pieces of material shifted off to the sides and drooped down my back, leaving my shoulders exposed. It was the darkest part of the ensemble and jeweled just like the neckline and belt.

It took me less than a second to tell them that I thought that it was lovely. The elves smiled at their handiwork before moving to my face, which apparently needed a lot of work. They ended up putting something on it that looked a little bit like shine. Their version of makeup, I supposed. It made me look almost ethereal. My hair ended up with gentle curls in it. My bangs were pulled back into intricate braids that wrapped around the back of my head a few times and then fell down over my back. The entire thing was absolutely beautiful, the entire thing.

Elladan walked back into the room the moment that they had finished getting me ready. He looked me up and down in a respectful manner and smiled politely. "You look a bit like an elf," he commented.

"Is that a compliment?" I asked carefully.

Did I look stupid? "It is," Elladan said, grinning.

A small blush fell over my face. "Well thank you. To all of you, it's lovely," I said, giving the two elf maidens a hug. The two of them smiled gratefully at my appreciation. "I could never do something like this."

"You are welcome," the two elf maidens said.

As the two of them left the room, I was left alone with Elladan. I smiled at him as I awkwardly shifted the skirt of the dress around my feet. "Maybe if I grow another few inches, I can actually be an elf," I teased.

"And what of a dwarf?" Elladan asked.

My face burned. "I think I prefer to not have a beard."

Elladan smiled at my hesitance. "You would look lovely even with a beard," he said. I blushed stupidly again. "In fact, I do think that your dark-haired friend would appreciate that even more."

"Shut up," I snapped.

Although, in the back of my mind, I really was hoping that Kili would appreciate the work that had been done on me. Elladan and I smiled at each other as we walked through the halls to get back towards where the dwarves were eating dinner. I was so excited because I really was starving. It seemed like it had been days since we had eaten. Even down the hallway I could hear the dwarves laughing and chattering back and forth loudly. I gave Elladan a guilty smile. I had kind of forgotten that they had destroyed Rivendell while they were there.

The two of us rounded the corner in to the table but I refused to walk any further for a moment. I needed a few seconds to gather myself. The dwarves had only ever seen me in trousers and blouses. I had never worn makeup or been dressed up around them. I could only imagine the looks that I would get. I didn't even look like myself right now. It would take me a second to get used to the way that I looked right now. I glanced into the banquet hall and smiled. The dwarves were sitting around the table; however, they didn't look appreciative of the elves' food.

Ori was holding up a piece of lettuce with a confused face. "Try it. Just a mouthful," Dori goaded his younger brother.

"I don't like green food," Ori groaned.

Had they ever even tried any green food? I rolled my eyes at them as Dwalin began pawing through a bowl of greens. "Where's the meat?" he asked curiously.

Oin held up a vegetable with his knife and looked at in disgust. "Have they got any chips?" Ori asked hopefully.

All around the great hall the elves were doing everything in their power to make the dwarves feel welcome, but they were all being completely moronic. The least that they could do was pretend to be grateful. There was an elf maiden playing the harp in the background. I thought that it was lovely, but clearly the rest of the dwarves didn't appreciate the soft music. Elrond and Gandalf were walking through the halls of Rivendell, looking at the dwarves. Elladan clearly didn't like the way that the dwarves were acting. I turned to him apologetically.

"Sorry, they're not really used to other cultures," I said awkwardly, running my hands through my curled hair.

"So, I see," Elladan said.

"Kind of you to invite us," Gandalf told Lord Elrond, drawing my attention back to them. "I'm not really dressed for dinner."

"Well, you never are," Lord Elrond replied.

The two of them laughed. So did I. I could believe that. Gandalf was a wandering wizard. I couldn't remember him ever looking halfway decent until he had become Gandalf the White - or something like that - in Lord of the Rings. Damn, I should have watched those movies more often. I watched as Gandalf and Lord Elrond walked up the stairs and into the courtyard where the dwarves were still arguing about their food. I debated on moving towards the table when I saw Kili's gaze shift towards the harp player. My foot hesitated on the first step.

Elladan hesitated behind me. He looked a little confused at my actions. But I didn't remember this part of the movie... To my surprise - and aggravation - I saw Kili staring at the elf maiden playing the harp in wonder. She was staring back at him with a half-grin. Kili's lips turned upwards in a grin as he gave her a wink. A slight pang of jealousy shot through me. Why? He owed me nothing... That didn't change the fact that I was thrilled to see Dwalin scowling at him. Kili's face fell and he gave a very embarrassed look, realizing that he had been caught flirting with her.

"Can't say I fancy elf-maids myself," Kili said, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes. Liar. "Too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me. Although... that one there's not bad."

Kili was looking up at an elf passing behind him. "That's not an elf-maid," Dwalin informed him.

This had to have been in the extended edition, because I didn't remember any of it. But I was more than happy to get to see it right now. Kili deserved a moment to feel like a fool, since he so often was effortlessly calm. As Kili's face fell, Dwalin gave him a wink and the rest of the table erupted into laughter. Even Balin - who normally hated our joking around - gave the slightest grin. I giggled softly as I placed a hand over my mouth. Kili nodded, trying to laugh along with everyone else.

"That's funny," he mumbled, going back to his food.

"And as for human maids, lad?" Balin asked.

Kili's face turned red for a moment before he managed the slightest grin, tossing a roll at Balin. The rest of the dwarves began laughing even louder as my cheeks burned stupidly. Subtlety was one of the many things that the dwarves were lacking. It was obvious to me - and everyone else - that the dwarves were making a hit at me, since our friendship with each other was very obviously flirtatious. We clearly cared for each other. Even Elladan cracked a grin at their words. I groaned, noticing Kili looking even more embarrassed than before.

Come on, guys. Change the subject to something else, please. I was so desperate for them to stop making fun of our relationship. It was bad enough without them teasing us. Maybe it was time for me to go back to my bedroom and pretend that I had fallen asleep and missed dinner. It would be much easier for me to gather my bearings again. But Elladan was blocking my pathway back to my bedroom. So I slowly walked towards the table. I could see an elf maiden playing a flute. Oin stuffed a napkin in his hearing trumpet, looking very happy that he could no longer hear the music.

As I walked up, I decided to tease Kili one more time. "Planning on embarrassing yourself again?" I called over their chatter.

The entire table instantly went silent at my entrance as their gazes traveled over me. I noticed that even the music from the elves had faltered slightly. Oh, yeah, I should have gone back to my bedroom and avoided this. I must have looked a lot worse than I had thought that I did. Trying to push back the urge to run, I merely gave a very embarrassed smile. Kili stood straight up, probably preparing to welcome me, but instead knocked straight into the table and collapsed again. The dwarves all laughed at his actions as I walked over, blushing softly, taking my seat next to him.

As everyone went back to their dinners, Kili leaned into me. "You look lovely," he whispered.

"Thank you," I whispered back. I noticed that Elladan was still standing behind me, clearly wanting to keep an eye on me until I had actually seated myself at the table. "And thank you, Elladan."

"My pleasure, Leah," Elladan said.

He gave me a gentle bow and I smiled. But there was one person who wasn't smiling at Elladan. Kili was giving him a sharp scowl. "Are you okay?" I asked Kili worriedly.

"What?" Kili asked confusedly, turning back to me, seemingly having almost forgotten that I was here. "Yes, I'm fine."

He didn't seem fine. He seemed quite bothered about something. But I decided not to comment on it and go back to what I had said before. "I meant what I asked before. Are you planning on embarrassing yourself again?" I teased.

Kili's lips turned upwards. "Not right now. Although, as long as you're around, dressed like that, it is very likely that I will manage to embarrass myself again," Kili said honestly.

"It's okay. It's cute," I said brightly.

"Cute, am I?" Kili asked teasingly.

"You're adorable," I replied.

We both laughed as Kili ran his hands through the curls around my shoulders. I laughed softly as we turned back to our dinners. I didn't want to look at him more than I absolutely had to right now. Because I was still embarrassed at the way that he was looking at me. His eyes, darker than they normally were, seemed to be following each line of my body. Look at something else, Leah. Anything else. I noticed that most of the dwarves didn't seem to like the dinner that they had been offered. I rolled my eyes at their childishness.

"It's free food. Stop being so picky," I snapped as Kili poked at the lettuce on his plate.

"It's -"

"Green?" I interrupted.

"Odd."

"Come on, try something new."

On my other side, Fili raised up a full leaf. "What is it?" he asked.

My jaw dropped. "It's lettuce, brainless!" I snapped. Fili glared at me. "You've never had lettuce before?"

"Perhaps when it was ground up and put in something else," Fili explained.

"Honestly, you boys are pathetic. Just eat it," I said.

They both took in small bits of the lettuce. Like little children, they screwed their faces up in disgust. "That's disgusting," Kili said. I scoffed as I took a bite of my own salad. "Do you like this?"

"Every now and again," I said honestly. Salads weren't my favorite thing in the world, but I definitely liked them from time to time. "Especially after I've only had meat, cheese, and god knows what else on this trip so far. Not that Oin's cooking is bad."

"Better than yours?" Kili asked.

"By a landslide," I said quickly. Kili's eyebrows raised in surprise. Did he not understand what that meant? "Sorry, was that odd?"

Kili grinned. "Perhaps it was a little bit odd, but I like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." My cheeks lit up slightly as I looked down at the table. When I glanced back up, I saw that Kili was staring at me even closer than he had been before. Come on, Kili, you're making me blush. Look away! "You look the slightest bit like an elf," he commented.

"That's what Elladan said," I replied.

"Who is he?" Kili asked.

"Elladan?"

"Yes."

Saying an elf probably would have been considered obvious. So, I said what I did know about Elladan. "He's one of Lord Elrond's kids. He and his twin brother are their oldest. They have a younger sister, Arwen. He's apparently the only one in Rivendell right now. Lord Elrond's asked him to look after me," I said, remembering what Elladan had told me during my healing process.

Apparently, the dwarves weren't good enough protectors. Lord Elrond wanted one of his own kids looking after me. Why I needed extra protection was another question altogether. "You don't need someone else looking after you. You have us," Kili said defensively.

"Green-eyed monster?" I asked teasingly.

"Excuse me?" Kili asked.

His eyes widened slightly. I laughed under my breath. Of course, he didn't know what that meant. "Means you're jealous," I explained.

Kili guffawed at the insinuation. "I am not jealous. I just - I don't trust elves," he explained weakly.

"Elves in general or just that one?" I asked.

Kili gave me a long look. "Elves in general, and definitely that one," he eventually admitted. I couldn't help it. I smiled down into my food as Kili very briefly brushed his hand against my knee. My skin raised in goosebumps at his touch. I couldn't help but to wonder what another one of his touches would feel like... Stop it, Leah! "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

Grateful to Kili for finally saying something, I turned back towards the hall entry. "They have a room for me back that way. They, uh... don't seem to think that our previous sleeping arrangements are exactly appropriate," I said awkwardly.

"Will you be staying there?" Kili asked me.

Did I really want to be staying there? No. I would have much rather been with Kili and the rest of the dwarves. But it wasn't really an option. "We're in their homes. It's their rules. So I think that I might have to kind of abide by them." Kili definitely didn't look thrilled. "But I doubt that we'll be here more than a few days. I'll be back to using you as a pillow in no time," I teased.

"As well as drooling on me?" Kili added playfully.

My jaw fell open. "I don't drool!" I snapped.

Kili grinned, knowing that he had embarrassed me. "It's quite alright. You can do it as long as you like," Kili said.

Very daringly I asked, "What about after the quest?"

You should not have said that! It made it sound like I wanted to sleep with him, which I did, but it wasn't appropriate for me to say that. Much to my pleasure, Kili grinned. "If you would like," he said.

"Would you?" I asked carefully.

"I would," Kili said.

There was a broad grin written across his face. My face must have been every shade of fuchsia, magenta, and crimson possible. Did he want to sleep with me, too? Perhaps, but I had a feeling that he would never admit it. He wasn't too proper to not mention the fact that he wanted me in his bed, but he would have never explicitly said that he wanted to sleep with me. To my surprise, I was summoned to the other end of the table by Gandalf a few moments later. I stood and walked over to see that Lord Elrond was examining the swords that Gandalf and Thorin had found in the troll hoard.

It appeared that Lord Elrond was examining Orcrist first. I could see my sword also laying on the table. They must have brought it in with the rest of my things when I had gone off with Elladan. "This is Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin," Lord Elrond said, examining the sword closely. He turned it over and handed it back to Thorin. "May it serve you well."

Thorin looked shocked to see how accepting Lord Elrond was of him having an elvish sword. I grinned to myself as Lord Elrond then picked up my small blade. He examined it closely and curiously. "This sword remains unnamed. It has never seen battle," Lord Elrond finally explained. "May it serve you well and may it earn the name that you give it."

He handed it back to me and I accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Lord Elrond."

It was lovely and all mine to name. The question was, what did I want to name it? Lord Elrond then picked up Gandalf's. "And this is Glamdring, the Foehammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the goblin wars of the First Age..." he began explaining.

But, if we were being honest, I wasn't much into the whole history of Middle Earth. I had never really been one for history. It had always rather bored me, as a matter of fact. Perhaps it was because no one ever really made it interesting. There were too many confusing words and names. Elrond's voice dropped and faded off as I turned away to leave. Just before I could leave, though, something else distracted me. I could see that Bilbo was pulling out his sword to examine it. Sting, as he would eventually name it. That one I remembered.

It was a lovely sword. Just slightly smaller than the one that I was using. "I wouldn't bother, laddie. Swords are named for the great deeds they do in war," Balin said, not unkindly.

"What are you saying, my sword hasn't seen battle?" Bilbo asked curiously.

"I'm not actually sure it is a sword; more of a letter opener, really," Balin replied

Bilbo looked down at his sword curiously. As I walked past, I laid my hand on Bilbo's shoulder. He glanced up at me and smiled, placing his hand over mine. "Don't listen to him. It's not the sword, it's the person holding it," I said softly.

Bilbo's face turned up in a slight smile. "Thank you, Leah."

As I turned back to take my place in between Fili and Kili, Lord Elrond's voice echoed through the dining hall. "How did you come by these?" he asked.

"We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by Orcs," Gandalf explained.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Thorin's not-so-subtle glare that he aimed towards Gandalf. "And what were you doing on the Great East Road?" Lord Elrond asked curiously.

"Excuse me," Thorin growled.

There was something bitter about the way that he had gotten back to his feet. I assumed that he was fed up with being around the elves constantly. Plus, he must have realized that Lord Elrond already knew what we were all planning to do. Maybe he just wanted to get out of here because he was afraid that he was going to skewer Lord Elrond with Orcrist and really ruin dinner. No one ever answered Lord Elrond as we all went back to our dinners. I chatted away with some of the dwarves for a long while before I overheard Lord Elrond speak again.

"Thirteen dwarves, a halfling, and a human woman. Strange traveling companions, Gandalf," Lord Elrond said suspiciously, taking a drink of his wine.

"These are the descendants of the House of Durin," Gandalf said proudly, motioning to the dwarves. "They are noble, decent, folk." At that moment, Nori tucked away a flask. "They're surprisingly cultured." Of course, Bombur took that moment to stuff his face with food, eating without bothering to close his mouth. "They've got a deep love of the arts."

Nori turned back to the harp-playing elf and growled, "Change the tune, why don't you? I feel like I'm at a funeral."

He plugged his ears as Oin asked, "Did somebody die?"

I snorted under my breath at the excitable look on Bofur's face. "All right, lads. There's only one thing for it," Bofur called.

The poor elves had no idea what they had gotten themselves into the moment that they had invited the dwarves into their home. I knew that they would make a royal mess of the place. Bofur threw himself backwards out of the chair that he had been sitting in and bounced back to his feet. Without giving the elves or anyone else a moment to process what was happening, Bofur jumped up onto the table and began knocking over plates and drinks, not giving a care in the world. Bofur held out a hand to Gandalf and Lord Elrond and began to sing:

"There's an inn, there's an inn, there's a merry old inn beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down one night to drink his fill.

"The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he saws his bow
Now squeaking high, now purring low, now sawing in the middle.

"So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle, a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said."

It took mere seconds for the dwarves to start singing and pounding on the table, laughing and playing along, singing the tune along with Bofur. I began giggling happily. It was adorable to see them in their element. In seconds there was also food getting thrown back and forth disgustingly. Come on, guys. Pretend that you have some manners. The elves had all long since stopped playing their music and were now staring at the dwarves in disgust. As the song ended the dwarves erupted into laughter as the food literally went flying throughout the hall.

Much to my amusement, Kili pegged some mashed potatoes right next to Lindir's head. The elf looked shocked and horrified that he had to deal with them. It took almost ten minutes for the dwarves to stop laughing and calm themselves down. Eventually we all continued eating our dinners. In the now-calmer air I began chatting with the rest of the dwarves and finishing my salad. What was left of it, at least. Despite them ruining the hall, I was having more fun tonight than I had in a long time. I laughed along with the rest of them all night long as I glanced out in the distance.

There was a beautiful blue light spreading over the waterfalls and mountains of Rivendell. To my surprise, Kili leaned into my ear and dropped his voice so that no one else could hear. "Pretty, isn't it?" Kili whispered.

"It's a lovely view," I breathed.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Kili offered.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go," I said happily.

A romantic walk in the moonlight of Rivendell... It probably wasn't something that I needed but it was definitely something that I wanted. It would likely confuse my feelings for Kili all over again, but I didn't care. I wanted to go. The two of us left dinner together, mostly ignoring the looks and comments that we were getting from the rest of the dwarves. I was extremely grateful that Fili spoke with Thorin for a while to keep him from asking where the two of us were going. We quickly slipped from dinner and headed out into the gardens. It was the loveliest sight I had ever seen.

"Is your arm feeling better?" Kili finally asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yes, it is, actually. The venom is apparently pretty fast-working. I was already feeling pretty nasty when Elladan had a few elf maidens put the root against it," I explained.

Kili's eyes narrowed. "Elladan seems to have taken well to you."

There was definitely something tense in his voice. My head tilted to the side slightly. "He's been kind to have taken care of me. Not that I would rather have him taking care of me," I said quickly, spotting the bitter look in Kili's eyes. I didn't know Elladan. I appreciated him, but nowhere near as much as I did Kili. "I mean, trust me. I know the company and love you all - even the ones who don't really love me - and I... I'm rambling. Sorry."

"That's all right," Kili said, grinning. "I just meant that -"

"That you don't trust the elves?" I interrupted.

Kili gave me a knowing smile. "You can imagine that growing up with Thorin has planted some seeds in my mind," he explained. Another one of my sayings. I smiled at Kili, letting him know that he had used it correctly. "We just care for you, Leah. No one wants to see you in their company while the rest of us are predisposed."

"Yeah, I understand," I said truthfully. As we meandered through the dimly lit pathway, I decided to add, "The entire company or are we talking something a little more specific?"

"Well I definitely care for you the most," Kili stated proudly.

"You sound proud of that fact."

"Oh, I am."

At least I knew that I would always have a friend on this journey. A friend, if nothing else. In the back of my mind there was still a slightly rooted fear of what would happen once Tauriel came into the picture. Would Kili suddenly forget about me? My worries were silenced as I felt Kili's arm wrap around the back of my waist, keeping me walking at pace with him. If there was one thing that I knew, Kili had definitely gotten touchier in the last few days. I didn't mind one bit. I smiled to myself and tucked my head into his shoulder as we stood side-by-side in the greenery.

Just off in the distance was one of the magnificent waterfalls. For a moment I debated on asking Kili if he wanted to go swimming but I changed my mind at the last moment. That was probably too inappropriate. Instead we settled on chatting lowly with each other. I was very grateful that we were far enough into the gardens that none of the dwarves or elves could hear or see us. This was one of our moments and we spent it speaking in hushed tones about the beauty of Rivendell and what it was like for us to have made it to the first big location on our journey.

Eventually our conversation turned back to the elves. "As much as I may dislike the elves, I am very pleased that they were able to save you. The venom could have been deadly," Kili said worriedly.

My head lifted off of his shoulder. "Thankfully it was all okay. Lord Elrond was quick to notice that it was a Morgul blade that had done the damage and Elladan jumped into action, making sure that the elf maidens who were caring for me had the root... whatever it was called," I said.

Kili's face knitted into a scowl. "Yes, Elladan is wonderful."

He's definitely got the green-eyed monster. "But there's someone that I like much better," I teased.

We were still standing pressed together as I glanced up and smiled at Kili. His eyes playfully bored into mine and I felt the little flutter of nerves acting up again. To my complete pleasure - making my heart skip a beat - Kili leaned down and brushed a kiss against my cheek. It wasn't the first time that he had done so, but it was the first time that the kiss had almost pressed against the side of my mouth. It was the closet that we had ever come to really kissing each other. And this time - much to my surprise - he was the one who had initiated it.

His lips seemed to linger a few seconds longer than he had to before he finally pulled away. I did the same, hoping that he couldn't hear my heart hammering against my ribs. Once we were back to our original spots, I realized that Kili was staring at me and had been for a good few moments. There was a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach. I so desperately wanted to have Kili the same way that I used to be able to have Brian. That was the one thing that I did miss about the old world. Getting to do what you wanted with someone without repercussions.

I was very glad when Kili spoke again, shattering my train of inappropriate thoughts. "Leah?"

Oh, come on, Kili. stop ruining the moment and kiss me! "Yes?" I asked as calmly as possible.

"I do remember you once mentioning that you were only staying with us until we reached Rivendell."

Just like that, the peaceful air that we had created around the two of us was shattered. The image of a perfect first kiss fell away from me as reality set back in. My head shot upright. He was right... When I still thought that this was all a dream, I made Gandalf promise to bring me back home once we reached Rivendell for Lord Elrond to help. I hadn't thought about that in a long time, which naturally made me twinge with guilt. My parents, my sister, my boyfriend, and my friends. None of them had so much as crossed my mind in weeks. I had been so happy with the company.

"No, yeah, I did," I coughed awkwardly. "Um..."

"Were you planning on leaving?" Kili asked carefully.

The thought of leaving now broke my heart. I wanted to be with them. "Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it in a while. I've been really happy with the company. Did you want me to go back home?" I asked slowly.

"No!" Kili gasped suddenly. I jumped in surprise as Kili reached out for my hands apologetically, leaving us both laughing. "No, of course I don't want you to go back home."

"Some of the others seem like they'd like me to," I muttered.

Kili shook his head, his hands tightening over mine. "Everyone has opened up to you since you've been here. We all - even Thorin - enjoy having you around. No one wants to see you leave."

Thorin hated me... "What about you?" I asked curiously.

Kili flashed a grin. "Oh, I'd be devastated if you left."

"Be serious," I snapped.

His grin fell. "I am."

Would he really be devastated if I left? I wasn't sure. But I knew that I would be. Even if I could really get home now that we were in Rivendell, did I want to leave? "Can I be honest?" I asked Kili.

"I'd like that," he replied.

"There are days when I really miss my family. I miss my parents and my sister and all of my friends from home. I grew up with them. But it never really felt like they understood me, you know? Being here, with all of you, I feel like you understand me. In your own ways, at least. It would really hurt to leave you all. Especially you. And I think that Robbie would have wanted me to stay on the journey. Hell, he would have wanted to come."

The two of us stood and stared at each other in silence for a few moments. I had meant every word that I'd said. Mom and Dad simply weren't around that often. But I did miss getting to talk to them when I had the chance. And Harley... I really did miss my sister. Plus, all of my friends and Brian. Our nights out were always something to be cherished. But there was still something missing from that old life. Passion. People who really understood me. I had that here. The dwarves were beginning to like me more and more. Perhaps everyone else would have wanted me to come home but Robbie would have told me to stay.

Because this place did feel like home. "This is a choice that you have to make and you alone. But if it's not too bold of me to say, I would very much like it if you stayed," Kili said quietly.

"No, it's not too bold," I said, blushing stupidly. "I think I need some advice."

If I wasn't here, who would save the three of them? "Who would take up my entire bedroll at night if not you?" Kili teased.

Most mornings I did wake up to see that I had pulled Kili's blankets onto myself. "You wouldn't miss me that much. It might be nice for you to have that entire bedroll to yourself again," I pointed out.

"Quite on the contrary, Leah. I would very much miss having someone to share it with," Kili argued.

"That big bed in Erebor will be quite lonely."

For a moment I merely stared at Kili. That was when my previous words came back to me. That was something that I would have said to Brian or any other guy that I was trying to playfully tease. It had been an automatic response, as so many other things that I had told Kili were. Stupid accidents that made me sound terrible. A monstrous blush flooded its way down my face onto my neck and chest. I must have looked like a Christmas tree. But I couldn't believe that I had just said that. Idiot! Kili didn't seem affected by my words though. He grinned playfully at me.

"Perhaps I'll get someone to share it with me," Kili teased.

"You'll have to ask her," I said softly. The air was too tense so I was quick to add, "Or him, I don't judge."

Kili's face fell as he glared at me. "You're a pain," he snapped. We both started laughing madly as we leaned up against each other. Once he had finally stopped laughing, Kili straightened up and gave me a long look. "Do you think that she would say yes?"

Say something honest... "I would," I said breathlessly.

And I would have gladly said yes. "You would?" Kili asked.

"Yes," I answered.

The two of us both smiled at each other again. It was another one of those moments. Those moments that felt like they could have extended for years. The ones that I never wanted to end. Kili and I turned straight into each other and I stared at him with wide eyes. I had no idea where the two of us went from here. So, I merely gave Kili an even stare, wishing so desperately that I could read his mind. But I couldn't do that. So, I settled for looking into his eyes. Which currently seemed to be tracing down to my mouth.

Yes... His eyes were definitely down at my mouth. For a moment I thought that he might have been looking at the dress, but I knew that he was staring at my mouth. Mostly because I realized that he was licking his lips gently. Perhaps there was a chance that he really did want to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him. That one thing that I wanted more than anything right now. Forget him eventually dying. Forget him falling in love with Tauriel. Forget everything that was eventually going to matter. Right now, it was just about the two of us, in this moment.

Nothing else mattered right now. I could feel myself at peace for the first time in a long time. This was where I was happy to be. I decided to take things into my own hands - taking the dare that I was giving myself - and stepped forward towards him. Kili was quick to respond to my actions. One of his arms wrapped around my lower back to pull me right up against him. His other hand raised up and pushed the hair back off of my forehead. I shivered slightly as his fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, pressing against my spine.

Could he hear my heart pounding in my chest? I could feel it hammering against my own. Our bodies were pressed up against each other. The two of us seemed to meld in every single way, each curve matching. The pads of his fingers gently ran down my upper spine. My entire body gave a shiver that I had never experienced before. Yes. As our eyes locked again, I knew for a fact that he definitely wanted to kiss me. We were literally centimeters away from each other. Our lips were just inches from touching. One kiss wouldn't hurt us. No one ever had to know.

His nose had just barely brushed mine when there was a call. "Miss Ambrose."

Kili and I shot apart. I was instantly horrified at the realization that someone had seen us. Who the hell had just seen us mere seconds away from kissing? Kili stepped back from me as my head whipped around to see Elladan standing at the base of the staircase leading back into the hall. I was relieved to see that no one else was there. No one else would know that the two of us had just very nearly shared a kiss. Other than the burning embarrassment from having been caught, I was also furious that Elladan had interrupted us when we were so close to finally kissing.

But this was a damned movie and that meant that the kiss wouldn't happen that easily. Elladan knotted his hands behind his back as he walked up to us. "Pardon the interruption but you have been requested by Gandalf and my Lord Elrond," Elladan told me.

"Y - Yes, of course. Thank you, Elladan.," I stammered dumbly, looking back at Kili. "I'll -"

"Yes -" Kili interrupted.

"What?" I asked confusedly.

"You should -"

"Go?" I interrupted. "Yes."

"Uh -"

"See you," I mumbled, quickly cutting off whatever he was going to say. As I turned back to Elladan, I nodded at him to move. "Come on."

It looked like Kili might have still been planning on saying something, but I wanted no part of it. Nope. That didn't just happen. I won't even think of it. I practically burst into a run back towards the halls of Rivendell. With Elladan's long legs, he was easily able to keep up. I could tell that Kili was staring after us. As I glanced back, I saw him whip around to stare down at the water, which was good, because I didn't want to see him right now or vice versa. As Elladan and I walked off, I mentally berated myself both for almost kissing Kili and for not doing it.

It was not an easy internal battle to be had. "Would you like to speak about what I oversaw?" Elladan offered.

I turned towards him with a heated glare. "Oh, yeah. Sure. How about we talk about what the hell you were doing out there?" I snapped.

"Coming to get you," Elladan said obviously.

My head dropped back in annoyance. I knew that he was coming to get me. "Ugh... Elladan!" I barked, whipping back to him. Elladan looked very surprised at my change of demeanor. "When you see someone about to have a moment, you're not supposed to interrupt them! You're supposed to walk away and pretend that you couldn't find them!"

"My deepest apologies. Should I allow you to return to your friend?" Elladan offered.

"Not now!" I yelped. That would only make things worse. "The two of us might never be able to look at each other again."

"You seemed just fine with each other right now," Elladan pointed out.

He actually looked rather apologetic for having ruined our moment. "Because we didn't think that anyone would see and we weren't thinking about what would happen afterwards. We were just thinking about what the two of us were doing in the moment. Which was stupid! No. No, I don't want to go back to him," I said, more trying to convince myself than anyone else.

"Might I offer some advice?"

"What the hell? Can't get any more confused. Go ahead."

"Speaking as someone who is very old and has shared his number of loves, you should never let a love like that go," Elladan said quietly. I turned to him with a surprised look. I wanted to ask about his loves, but judging by the look on his face, he didn't want to talk about them. "You should tell him how you feel about him. Before something else happens."

Before something else happens... Could he have somehow known about Tauriel and Kili's eventual demise? I shifted awkwardly. "What if he doesn't feel the same?" I mumbled.

"Did you see the two of you together just now? I think you know how he feels about you," Elladan said.

"Yeah..." I mumbled. But did he really feel as strongly for me as I did for him? "Think he feels the same?"

"Perhaps he feels even stronger than you think," Elladan suggested. My face burned slightly as Elladan led me towards an open-air hall, much like the one that we had just had dinner in. "This is the council hall. I will leave you here."

"Thanks. Even though I still kind of want to kill you for interrupting earlier," I said.

Elladan gave me a scrutinizing stare before nodding. "My deepest apologies. Perhaps one day you will allow me to make it up to you," he said.

Make it up to me? I didn't have the slightest clue what that meant. "We'll see. See you later, Elladan," I called.

"Good luck, Leah."

Even though I liked Elladan, as he had been quite nice and helpful with me so far, I was still kind of steaming over the fact that he had interrupted my moment with Kili. Although it did save me from having to have an awkward conversation later. Desperate to think of anything else, I walked into the council hall, feeling very awkward. I was already nervous to be in here and even more so after what had happened with Kili. I didn't want to accidentally give what had happened away. As I walked in, I noticed that Gandalf, Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo were in the hall with Lord Elrond.

All of their heads turned towards me. "Welcome, Leah Ambrose," Lord Elrond greeted me.

My face burned slightly. "Hello. Sorry if I'm late."

"Please, come in, Miss Ambrose," Gandalf said.

Slowly I strode into the council hall to place myself at Bilbo's side. Thorin turned to Gandalf with a heated glare. "Our business is no concern of elves," he spat at Gandalf.

Gandalf rolled his eyes. "For goodness sake, Thorin, show him the map."

"It is the legacy of my people; it is mine to protect, as are its secrets," Thorin hissed.

Gandalf looked like he was about to take the map and shove it down Thorin's throat. "Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond," Gandalf barked back.

But Thorin still didn't look his he was going to budge. So, I decided to push him along a little bit. "Come on, Thorin. We need to get to the Lonely Mountain. If you want to complete this mission, you're going to have to get over it and let Lord Elrond help. Come on. Is your pride worth potentially failing?" I asked softly.

It had been as respectfully as I possibly could. I didn't want Thorin to get angry and not show Lord Elrond the map. I didn't remember much from it with the exception of the fact that there was some day that we had to be there by. Something about the moon or sunlight having to light something to make sure the door was visible. You are completely useless, Leah. In the meantime, Thorin was thinking quietly for a few seconds with everyone looking at him. Finally, he reached his hand into his coat pocket to hand the map over to Lord Elrond.

Balin reached for Thorin's arm to stop him. "Thorin, no!"

But Thorin quickly raised a hand to stop Balin from keeping him back. I was almost impressed to see just how determined Thorin looked with everything. He really did want to get back to his home. Thorin very slowly pulled the map out of his breast pocket as he walked towards Lord Elrond. I could see the look of horror written plainly across Balin's face as Thorin handed the map off to Lord Elrond. Bilbo and I watched in mild fascination. He unfolded the map and glanced down at it.

"Erebor," Lord Elrond said in surprise. Thorin finally glanced up to meet eyes with him. "What is your interest in this map?"

Thorin was about to speak, perhaps to tell the truth of what we were planning on doing, but Gandalf interrupted him. "It's mainly academic," he said. Thorin stopped speaking and looked over at Gandalf. "As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text. You still read Ancient Dwarfish, do you not?"

Thorin and Gandalf shared a meaningful look. Clearly Gandalf didn't want Lord Elrond to know what we were planning. Perhaps he really was afraid that, if Lord Elrond knew the truth, he would really try and stop us from going to Erebor. Did he know how this would ultimately affect the War of the Ring? If only I knew. Lord Elrond turned his back on us and walked off, still observing the map. As the moonlight hit the map, Lord Elrond lifted it even further, clearly realizing something.

"Cirth Ithil," he said.

Bilbo looked like he understood just as much as I did. "Moon runes. Of course," Gandalf said. He turned back to see the baffled look on our faces and smiled at us. "An easy thing to miss."

"Well in this case, that is true; moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written," Lord Elrond explained, turning the map over and looking back at Thorin.

"Can you read them?" Thorin asked hopefully.

It was very hard not to laugh when Lord Elrond beckoned us forward. They would never understand just how coincidental it was that tonight was the one night that we could actually read the runes. Well done, Peter Jackson. Or Tolkien. Whoever wrote this part... Lord Elrond led us outside towards an open area, against the side of a cliff, with waterfalls surrounding us. It was a lovely sight as the moon barely lit the sky from behind the clouds. I had never been to a place like Rivendell where everything held some beauty. Even the large crystalline table that we now stood around.

"These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield; the same moon shines upon us tonight," Lord Elrond explained, looking to Thorin.

"Well... that's lucky," I said awkwardly.

To my surprise, Lord Elrond turned to me with a little smile. Even Bilbo gave the slightest chuckle. Perhaps that was my role in the film. Idiotic but lovable comedic relief. But I wasn't really that funny. As we all looked up, the clouds covering the moon slowly floated away, and rays of moonlight hit the crystalline table, causing light to flow through the map that Lord Elrond had laid on the table. Ancient runes became visible on the map. It kind of reminded me of the way that the Marauder's Map worked in Harry Potter.

As they appeared up and down the page, Lord Elrond translated them out loud. "Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole."

"Durin's Day?" Bilbo asked.

"What's that?" I added.

Gandalf turned back to us and said, "It is the start of the dwarves' new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together."

"This is ill news," Thorin said, pacing back and forth shortly. "Summer is passing. Durin's Day will soon be upon us."

"We still have time," Balin said, walking over from our side.

"Time? For what?" Bilbo asked.

"To find the entrance," Balin explained to us. He then turned back to Thorin. "We have to be standing at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened."

That was enough to garner Lord Elrond's attention. "So, this is your purpose, to enter the Mountain," he said.

"What of it?" Thorin asked defensively.

"There are some who would not deem it wise," Lord Elrond warned.

Thorin took the map back gruffly. "Who do you mean?" Gandalf asked confusedly.

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle Earth," Lord Elrond warned Gandalf.

Something clearly dawned in Gandalf's eyes. Perhaps he was finally realizing something. As Lord Elrond began to walk away, Gandalf turned slowly, thinking deeply. "He's just offering his opinion," I offered as helpfully as possible.

To my surprise, Lord Elrond turned back to come stand in front of me again. "Miss Ambrose," Lord Elrond called. I turned back with as close to a smile as I could. "When you get the chance, could we please take a moment to speak? Gandalf has mentioned a situation that you are stuck in that we may be able to assist with."

Right... Potentially going back home... "Yes - of course. Just tell me when," I stammered.

"Tomorrow. It is late. We should all be making for our chambers," Lord Elrond advised.

"Thank you, Lord Elrond," I said.

"Sleep well, all of you," Thorin advised.

We all began slowly heading out of the council hall. I fell into step with Bilbo. "Where are you sleeping, Leah?" he asked.

"The elves don't exactly think that our previous sleeping arrangement was appropriate. They asked me if I would mind taking a room for the night while you all take one of the halls," I explained.

"Are you alright with that?" Bilbo asked.

The only good thing was that I wouldn't have to listen to them snoring. But I would definitely miss being around everyone. What if they left in the middle of the night and didn't tell me? I just had to push that out of my mind for now. "Believe it or not, I think that I'll be alright. I might enjoy having a real bed for one night and not having to listen to the rest of the dwarves snoring," I said.

Bilbo grinned. "I'll be jealous of you."

"You could probably ask for your own room."

"At this point, I think that I'm used to them."

"Yes, I know how you feel," I said, giggling. I had never liked snoring but now I was just used to it. I liked being able to be sure that they were all still around. The two of us walked off together when I noticed a blurry figure out on the bridge out in the distance. Was he still there? "Would you excuse me for a little while? There's a conversation that I need to finish."

Bilbo didn't even bother to look. He already knew what was happening. "Ah, with Kili?" Bilbo asked. My face turned a slight red as I nodded bashfully. "Of course."

"I'll tell you about it later," I teased.

"I'll look forward to it," Bilbo shot back.

The two of us exchanged a quick hug as we headed back into the hallway. I took a few moments to bid the rest of the company goodnight. Not only the ones who had been in the council hall with us, but also the ones who had been in the dining hall as I headed back through it. That was where they were sleeping, so I stopped by to give them a quick parting word. They didn't seem to like that I was sleeping in a room away from the rest of them and agreed that the elves were too stiff. At least, the ones that Lord Elrond kept close to him.

Perhaps the dwarves were finally getting around to really liking me, because they clearly didn't like that the elves were keeping us apart. We spent a while telling each other goodnight before I finally headed off. I would likely walk back through the halls with Kili later to come back to our rooms, but not knowing what would end up happening tonight, I decided to say it right now. Who knew where the two of us were going to end up at the end of the night, anyways? It had to be Kili out there on the bridge. At least, I was hoping that it was, considering he wasn't here.

Knowing that I should have headed straight for bed to try and recover all of my thoughts - both about Kili and about what Lord Elrond wanted to talk about later - I headed back towards the bridge that we had been on earlier. My mind was racing too fast to think about going to bed anyways. I had too many things on my mind. My feelings for Kili, fear of the company discovering my secret, whatever Lord Elrond wanted to tell me (likely about potentially returning home), and my never-ending fear over whether or not I could save Fili, Kili, and Thorin.

It was enough to make anyone lose their minds. Slowly I meandered back out into the gardens and towards the glowing bride, now illuminated by the blue moonlight. It was lovely. To my surprise, the outline was of Kili's figure. He was still there, right in the place that I had left him an hour ago. Perhaps this entire time he had been waiting for me to come back. Maybe he wanted to talk about what had almost happened. I knew that it was the right thing to do. We were adults and perfectly capable of talking about our feelings. But the thought was enough to make me nervous.

"Glued to that spot, are we?" I called teasingly.

Kili turned back to me with a small grin. "Hoping that you would return," he answered honestly. I smiled as I walked up to lean against the bridge with him. "Anything discovered in the meeting?"

"Not really. We talked a little bit about the map. I don't know, I don't really understand much of it," I answered vaguely.

He could talk about the map with Thorin and the rest of the dwarves. They were the ones who were really invested in it and understood it. I had just gotten dragged along for the ride. As a brief silence passed, I realized that I felt a little bit awkward to be up here with him. Not something that I was used to. I really did like Kili and I wished that I would have just kissed him earlier. But that moment had passed. It wasn't the time right now. Perhaps I could have said something, but I was afraid to do it until I knew that the moment was right. Another time, I supposed.

In the meantime, I would settle on something that I had always been good at. Teasing him to avoid any real feelings. "Have you made any progress with your elf-maid?" I asked.

To my complete pleasure, he blushed. "I didn't realize that he wasn't a woman," Kili said defensively.

"So I see." We stood in silence before something else dawned on me. Maybe he was just flirting with me because I was the only person available. "Was that all that you wanted? Just a woman?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, no. There's something that I wanted much more than just a woman. No... I know what I want. I just wonder if she feels the same," Kili replied.

We had both been staring down at the water when he had said it. I had been trying to face the reality that Kili might really not like me. Perhaps he had been bored on the quest and had merely settled on teasingly flirting with the one person who was here. But his last words... there was something about them. Something about the slightest strain in his voice. I turned to look at him as he gave me a playful grin. My hands were gently resting on the ledge that protected us from falling in the water and I felt the edge of Kili's hand rest against mine.

Before I got the chance to ask him if it was a dwarf in the Blue Mountains, Kili spoke again. "To be completely honest, it's a little strange being around these many women at once."

As much as I would have liked him to explain who he was interested in, I was never one for the emotional conversations. So, I switched gears. "The elf-maids?" I asked curiously.

"Yes."

"It must have been strange to have me around. A woman constantly in your company."

Kili grinned. "It's been a welcome surprise."

Stop blushing, you moron. He's just teasing you. "Not many women hanging around the Blue Mountains?"

"Very few."

"None of them wanted to come on the journey?" I asked curiously.

Kili shook his head. "There's no way that any of them would have been allowed to come along. They're not fighters, dwarf women. They're closely looked after," Kili explained. I raised a brow. Dwarf women had always seemed to me like they would have been warriors, just like the men. "They would have never been allowed along."

Huh... So, dwarf women were controlled just the way that women used to be controlled in my world. "I always wondered why there were no women who were a part of the company. Dwarf women, anyways," I said.

"There aren't many of them to spare, as a matter of fact," Kili said.

"Oh?"

"Dwarf men outnumber the dwarf women by three to one."

Damn... It was almost a perfect fifty-fifty split between men and women in the old world. "Small pond to catch your fish from," I commented without thinking.

The moment that I realized what I had said, Kili and I turned to stare at each other for a few moments. "Saying from Rohan," we both laughed at the same time.

"Yeah..." I mumbled, giggling.

One of these days I would really have to learn to stop speaking before thinking. "With so few dwarf women around, most men never even marry. Two-thirds of the population find a craft that they love and that becomes their first and foremost priority. Soldiers, blacksmiths, farmers - you name it," Kili explained. I raised a brow again. Most of the dwarves in the company would never even marry simply because there weren't enough women. The thought seemed a little depressing. At least they had their crafts, I supposed.

"Some dwarf women choose not to marry - either they don't want a husband or no one will marry them. It's because dwarf women are so seldom seen that a legend stemmed that dwarves were only born by growing out of stone," Kili continued. I grinned at the amusing idea. That would be comical to see. "But they do exist. Dwarves have always wanted their women to be protected from other races so we usually keep them concealed inside the mountain halls. They seldom travel in the outside world, only in great need, and when they do, they are dressed as men."

His words processed for a long time before I said, "Sounds controlling."

"Why do you think that the dwarves here are so fascinated by you, Leah?" Kili asked. I gave him an even stare. I wasn't sure what he meant by that. "Because a human woman is much different than a dwarf woman."

"I guess I'm so used to being in my own culture that sometimes I forget that your culture is quite different," I admitted.

"They are indeed," Kili agreed.

"But, in all honesty, some of it doesn't sound half-bad. Getting to refuse having a husband?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where I'm from, people are different. There's no one universal rule for marriage. Some people never get married - either because no one wanted them or they didn't want it. Some of them get married when they're older - they want to wait for the right person. Other people get married seemingly every few years after they divorce their previous significant other. Other people get married when they're teenagers, just because. For pregnancies, because their parents forced them into it; there's all sorts of reasons. But love doesn't really seem to be one of them anymore."

Every word was true. I really didn't think that people got married for love anymore. Even my own parents just seemed content with each other. Not in love. Perhaps that was where I had gotten my relationship with Brian. Because I wasn't used to seeing people completely in love with each other. I had never gotten used to it. None of my family, none of my friends, and even strangers on the street just seemed to be there. Not in love, the way that I had always seen in films. The way that I wondered if anyone would ever feel about me.

"Sounds... disingenuous," Kili finally said.

My eyebrow lifted. "That's a good way to put it," I admitted. "I think that's why more than half of all marriages end in divorce."

"What's divorce?" Kili asked.

"You don't know what a divorce is?" I asked, surprised.

"Evidently not."

They loved each other that much in Middle Earth that they never even thought about potentially ending their relationship. It seemed so sweet. "I've never had to explain a divorce to someone before. I guess the best way to put it is that it's the legal dissolution of a marriage. Basically, legally separating from your spouse," I explained as best I could.

"Like you're no longer married to them?" Kili asked.

"Exactly."

He looked horrified. "Why would anyone do that?"

Who knew? That had never been a part of my plan. If I ever married, I never wanted to get divorced. "I don't know. I guess... marriage isn't really a sacred thing where I come from. Not like it seems to be for the dwarves. People do it without really thinking about it. See, in Rohan, there's no real danger. People don't fall in love the way that you do. There is no thinking that I would give my life for this person, because there's no scenario where that would happen in Rohan. So people fall out of love. Does that make sense?" I asked.

Kili nodded. "In its own way, I suppose that it does."

"Things might be more dangerous here, but I like them. Seeing the way that the company interacts with each other. The bond where you would all give your life for the other."

"And any one of us would give our lives for you."

"Save Thorin," I joked.

Kili shook his head, placing his hand over my own. "Don't believe that, Leah. You and Thorin might not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but in his own way, he does care for you. He wouldn't let anything happen to you. If it came down to it, he would trade his life for yours."

No... My one damn mission was to make sure he didn't die. "Well ask him not to do that, all right?"

"I would too," Kili added.

"If you ever try to give your life for mine, I'll bring you back to life just to kill you myself, got it?" I snapped.

"No," Kili said sharply. "And you won't be getting me to budge on that one."

Despite myself, I jumped slightly. I really hadn't been expecting him to get as angry with me as he had. It wasn't really angry either. More defensive. But I wouldn't dare have him let himself die for me. Not just like the way that he had died for Tauriel. If all went as according to plan, Kili wouldn't die at all. He would live and have a happy life in Erebor. I gave a flustered smile at Kili, despite everything. It was the first time that anyone had said something like that to me. But I didn't like the tenseness. I wanted to make things a little less serious between the two of us.

"You know, my grandmother would love you," I said.

"Why is that?" Kili asked.

"Because she loves any boy that I talk to," I said. Kili laughed softly. "She comes from a day when everyone got married. That was about all that women were good for. Getting married, keeping the house, and eventually having kids. She's still kind of in that mindset. Doesn't help that everyone in my family has married young."

"How young?"

"Way too young for me. My grandparents - both sets - married when they were barely legal. Eighteen and nineteen, all of them. My own parents got married when my mom was twenty-two and my dad was twenty-four. Harley's in a relationship and seems to think that it's serious and she's only sixteen."

"And what of you?"

"Of me?" I repeated, flabbergasted.

No way. I really didn't want to have to tell him about my relationship with Brian. "Before you left home... was there anyone?" Kili asked carefully.

There was some part of me that figured that Kili didn't want me to answer. At least, he didn't want to hear me explain that I had been with someone. "Why do I feel like if I answer this honestly, I'm going to get judged?" I said slowly.

"I'll never judge you for anything you did before we met," Kili said, sensing where I was going with everything. But I still felt a little too awkward to tell him. He didn't really realize everything that had happened between Brian and I in the old world. "What you did before you joined the company is your business. You can share that with me or not. It's your choice."

"Okay," I breathed. If he really wanted to know, I would tell him and just hope that he didn't judge me. "Nothing serious."

Kili sensed my hesitation. "Leah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

But it was time for me to be honest with him. "No, I actually don't mind talking about it. I guess things are different in Rohan. We date because... just because, I guess. It's something to do. You find the person physically attractive, maybe you're lonely, they might make you laugh, or because you want to be physically intimate with someone without the guilt of not being with them. I - uh, I never had anything serious," I said. Kili smiled at me encouragingly. "Just wasn't interested. No one caught my eye."

Kili arched a brow. "So, you've never been with someone?"

"I didn't say that. I'm not a complete loser," I teased.

Kili laughed. "And I never said that."

It was enough to make us both laugh again. "Oh, man. How old was I when I went on my first date?" I asked questioningly. I couldn't even remember. It had been that long. "I think that I was... twelve."

"Twelve?" Kili asked in shock.

"Don't give me that look!" I barked, whacking him on the chest. "We don't live to be three hundred and fifty years old. We're lucky to make it to eighty. We've gotta have fun while we're here."

"Tell me, what do twelve-year-old's do on a... date, is it?"

"Date, yes. Well... I think that my first date was pretty normal. We went to the market and walked around with my parents. We watched a play in the park together, also with my parents."

Technically we had gone to the mall. We had gone one way while my parents had gone the other. We had then gone to a movie and sat in the front row while my parents were a row behind us. "That sounds actually rather nice," Kili said.

"It was nice. But the aftermath, not so much."

"Aftermath?"

"Yeah. We got back to school a few days later and he started telling everyone that we had kissed on the date. When you're only twelve, that's a huge scandal. Damaged my reputation," I said teasingly. Kili laughed softly. It had been the truth. We had never spoken again after that one failed date. "So, I decided to take it out on him by punching him when his friends started laughing at me."

Kili laughed softly, laying his hand over my own again. "Always were tough, huh?"

"A little," I giggled. I'd been suspended for three days for the punch. My parents had taken me out to the movies for it. "If there's one thing that my first very failed date taught me, it was... to guard myself."

Kili's face fell. "Not everyone is like that."

"Oh, I know. But it doesn't change things."

"Was that your only... significant other?" Kili asked carefully.

"Significant other. You make it sound so scandalous," I teased. We both started laughing. They were so shy in Middle Earth. It was both cute and annoying. "No, I had a few others. Some serious. Some not so serious. But no one that I cared enough for to last a lifetime."

"Do you not want to ever marry?" Kili asked carefully.

He wasn't the first person to ask me that question. "I don't know," I said honestly. Kili nodded thoughtfully. "I didn't really think much about what I wanted. I guess I just figured that I would know what I wanted when it came along. I had a long-term boyfriend before I came on the journey."

Why the hell did you say that? Kili's eyes widened. "Did you?"

"Yes," I said bashfully.

"May I ask what his name was?"

"Brian."

Kili stared at me for a moment before asking, "Did you love him?"

I didn't miss the hint of hesitation in his voice. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer or not. "No," I said immediately. Kili stared at me. "I know that sounds bad. Brian was a sweet guy and I used to enjoy our time together. We hung out together all the time when we first started going out. We were dating for about six months before the journey but we'd known each other for years. One night after a few too many drinks we just... got together. I - I mean -"

The last thing that I wanted to do was admit to Kili that I definitely wasn't innocent. "Leah. I'm not judging you. I have no right to judge you of anything that you did before we met. I have no right to judge you even now," Kili said seriously.

So, he didn't care about my past. A warming sensation spread from my fingertips to my toes. He got better by the moment. "Thank you. Afterwards, we didn't really say anything. We just kind of... fell into our routines. He was more of a friend than anything else. But we... you know," I said stupidly, my face burning with embarrassment again. Kili nodded reassuringly. "Like I said, I wasn't really in love with him. He wasn't in love with me either. We didn't really mind it. We were kind of more of a habit. I think I stayed with him for fear of losing his friendship."

"Did you end things with him before coming here?" Kili asked.

Unfortunately, I was plastered drunk when I got sucked here. "Not really. Like a coward, I kind of ran off," I said, mostly because I was thinking about just avoiding Brian forever. "I wish that I hadn't done that. He deserved to know the truth of how I felt. At least, for me to say it out loud. He likely already knew. I'm just hoping that he moves on. He deserves someone to really love him. Not just be comfortable with him."

Kili hummed. "He sounds like a good man."

"He is. I just don't love him," I said, trying to hint that there was no competition for my affections. Just in case... "What about you? Did you leave a girl?"

"No. No one that really caught my fancy."

"What about the elves?"

"Not the elves. Someone has caught my fancy. Just not one of them," Kili said.

For a moment my head shot up from staring at the rushing water. My face was burning with... what was it? Not quite embarrassment. Desire, maybe? I wasn't sure. As my head turned slowly and my own eyes met Kili's I saw that he was staring at me with a look that I had seen a few times before. A half-quirked smile. I blushed madly. There had to be something else that he was smiling at. Perhaps the baffled look on my face. It wasn't at me. He didn't love me. He didn't even like me. No. He never would. I had just been fooling myself earlier.

At the moment, I was desperate to change the subject and lighten the air. "Okay, so tell me. Tell me what 'dating culture' is like with the dwarves. I'm genuinely curious," I said.

"Different than yours," Kili chuckled.

"Tell me," I goaded.

"Well, men are always supposed to approach the woman. It's considered inappropriate for women to make the first move. You meet their family right away. They have to approve. Men are supposed to plan everything. The woman goes along with it. They take charge. We follow her parents' rules. Bear in mind that the woman goes from one man to another in her life. Her father to eventually her husband. And, um..."

His face had gone slightly red and he no longer was looking at me. "No intimacy?" I guessed.

"No intimacy," Kili confirmed.

"And do you agree with that?" I asked carefully.

Did he think that I was repulsive for what I had done? "Not anymore," Kili said pointedly.

A tingle shot through me. Change the subject before you say something really inappropriate. "It seems very sweet that you all are so... reserved. Where I'm from, it's considered old-fashioned. But sometimes the old ways to do things are the best ways. Although it was easier. You didn't have to dance around things. You could just say what you wanted," I explained.

"What would you say?" Kili asked. I arched an eyebrow. "If no one was around to judge you."

"I'd say that..." I trailed off, unsure of what I could say. "I'm dealing with some things that I've never had to deal with before. And I don't know how to handle them. I don't know who I can talk to about the things on my mind."

"You can always talk to me," Kili offered.

"Not about this," I said, grinning bitterly. There was no way to explain to anyone that I knew what would happen. I knew that I was talking to a dead man. "What about you? What would you say with no one to judge you?"

"The same thing. I'm experiencing things that I never thought that I would have to deal with."

"Want to tell me about it?" I offered curiously.

"May I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"It's selfish."

"Things usually are," I pointed out.

"You mean very much to me, Leah Ambrose," Kili said, turning to face me and grabbing my hand. I blushed. Again. "It would be very painful to lose you in the journey right now. Just as painful as it would be to lose any of the others. I would very much like you to stay."

"It might be a little bit selfish on my part too. I have a family waiting for me back home. Friends. A man that I owe answers to. But I don't want to leave."

"Good."

"Being with you all, I like it. The unconditional love that you have for each other. I've never seen that before. I can't even imagine what it would be like."

"Perhaps you'll feel it one day," Kili said slowly.

Might as well give it a chance... "I think I'm starting to," I whispered.

It was the complete truth. I really was starting to feel that unconditional love. Not just from Kili but from the entire company. Or, most of them. Kili and I stared at each other for what could have been hours. I realized that we had somehow come to stand practically pressed against each other. I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed a small kiss against Kili's cheek. As I pulled away, I saw that he was giving me one of his killer smiles. To my surprise, I felt one of his arms sliding around my lower back, resting on my other hip. Kili's dark eyes were boring into mine.

"Leah -"

"Miss Ambrose," a faint call echoed, cutting off whatever Kili was about to say.

Kili and I didn't pull apart, but I did drop my head down. "Of course," I breathed. I had been so desperate to know what he was going to say. I finally pulled away from Kili and turned back to see one of the elf maidens who had helped me earlier. "Yes?"

"Lord Elrond sent us to ask if you would like some assistance getting ready for bed," the elf maiden offered.

"Umm... Yes, thank you. Give me a moment, will you?" I asked her.

"Yes, ma'am."

The elf maiden gave a gentle bow before turning away. Once she had gone, I turned back to Kili, feeling stupid all over again. "Suppose I'll see you tomorrow," I mumbled.

"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow," Kili said.

"Bye."

Just as I had turned to go find the elf maiden, Kili called me back. "Leah?" I turned back curiously. "I'll miss having you in my bedroll," Kili teased.

"You know where to find me if you get lonely," I shot back.

The two of us grinned at each other as I laughed softly. At least he was better with recovering from these embarrassing moments than I was. In the back of my mind, I really was secretly hoping that he would slip into my bedroom at night. Perhaps something could happen where we wouldn't get interrupted. But I knew that he wouldn't. He was still used to the old-fashioned ways of the dwarves. So, Kili walked up to me and pressed a small kiss almost at the corner of my mouth. I smiled softly as I squeezed his hand and turned away, headed off to bed.

A/N: There's going to be more than one Rivendell chapter, since we're going with the novel storyline, where they don't just spend one night there. There will probably be three - but the other two will be shorter. Fair warning. This is also a good chance to put in some fillers and see where everything stands with Leah and the company. Thanks for the follows and favorites! Please review! Until next time -A

ColdOnePaul: Thank you! She hasn't gotten much time to interact with Lord Elrond and hasn't met Galadriel yet, but she will in the next few chapters. Hope you liked this one!

ArcherWriter: Love the Game of Thrones-like idea! I like the idea of Silence. I'll definitely keep that in consideration. Hope you liked this one!

Avid-reader: I'm so glad that you love the story! Kili is so cute and fun to write and I really love writing Leah. I'm glad that you find her likeable and well-written and not too annoying. I know that OC's in any Tolkien story can be a problem. Thank you! Hope you liked this one!