Slowly opening her eyes, Katy couldn't remember the last time that she had that good a sleep. Definitely not since we've been in Middle Earth, she thought.

She sat up in her camp bed, and was startled to find Sarah sitting on Fili's empty bed, grinning at her. It was then she realised that she and Sarah were the only ones in the room, and she could hear the sounds of the dwarves and Bilbo preparing breakfast in the next room.

'Did I sleep in or something? I'm surprised Dwalin didn't yell at me to get up,' Katy said, still sleepy.

Sarah kept grinning at her.

'He was planning to, but I persuaded him that I should be the one to wake you up,' she said.

Katy looked at bit puzzled.

'Really? And why is that?' she asked.

'I wanted to be the first person to talk to you about that,' Sarah answered, gesturing at Katy's head.

Katy sighed, and started running her hands through her hair.

'When are you going to stop going on about my frizzy ha-' Katy stopped, as her hand came across a neat braid.

Sarah practically squealed with delight.

'I told you he wanted to braid your hair! He must have done it last night, when you were asleep!' she said, delighted.

'Erm, yeah, I guess he must have done. Also I might have asked him to last night,' Katy mumbled, her fingers still holding the braid.

'What?! You asked him to do it? Good for you, cos to be honest, I was starting to think he would never take the massive hints I was dropping,' Sarah laughed.

Katy rolled her eyes as she climbed out of bed.

'Yeah I'm not sure how much more obvious you could have got,' she said.

'Oh, don't be like that. Stop trying to hide the fact that you're delighted he's put a braid in your hair,' Sarah said, grinning at her friend again.

Katy sighed and then grinned as much as Sarah.

'Fine, I'm really happy about. Now leave it alone. I'm actually a bit worried about what Thorin or the other dwarves might say when they see it,' Katy said.

Sarah shrugged.

'No one said anything when Kili braided my hair,' she replied.

'Hmm, I don't know, it might be a bit different. Like you said, he is the heir to the throne,' Katy said, looking a bit worried.

'Look, don't get all weird about it now. And don't think too much about it. From what I've gathered about the hair braiding, all it means is that you're basically dating the dwarf,' Sarah said reassuringly.

'I guess you're right. I mean its not like I'm saying that I want to marry him and have his children… if that would even be possible…' Katy said.

'Well I'm sure finding out it if it was possible would be fun,' Sarah giggled.

'Ok, I think this is where we end this conversation,' Katy said, and she started to make her way to the door.

'Oh come on, like it's never crossed your mind. I know he's a dwarf but as far as I can tell they've got all the same parts-' Sarah said, laughing.

Katy turned to face her friend before she opened the door.

'Sarah! I'm going to be embarrassed enough about the braid let alone thinking about having sex with… FILI!' she said, startled as she opened the door to find the dwarf in question standing there, looking as surprised as she did.

'Ah, there you are, Dwalin was threatening to come and wake you, but I thought I would be more gentle about it,' Fili explained.

'Oh I bet you would be gentle!' Sarah said loudly.

Fili looked a bit puzzled, while Katy turned a bright shade of red.

'Ignore her. Please, ignore her. So, breakfast?' Katy said, putting on a big smile, and walking past Fili.

'Is she alright?' Fili asked Sarah, still looking puzzled.

'She is now that you've braided her hair,' Sarah smirked, as the two of them followed Katy to the living area.

'Oh, you noticed that? She isn't annoyed that I did it, is she? I mean, she did ask me to,' Fili asked.

Sarah sighed.

'What are the pair of you like! Of course she's not annoyed, she's probably the happiest she's been since we got to your crazy world. I think she's just unsure what the other dwarves will think,' she explained.

'She doesn't have to worry about them. Now that they know that we're courting, it would be out of place for them to make any comments,' Fili said. 'The same goes for yourself and my brother. Who, by the way, is wondering what is taking you so long to join us for breakfast!'

'Hey, like my ex-boyfriends found out, it isn't smart to try and rush me in the morning. Quest or no quest,' Sarah teased, as she and the dwarf joined the rest of the company.

The dwarves, Bilbo and Katy were gathered around the large table, with Beorn once again sitting at the head. As Fili and Sarah joined them, Beorn's ponies and dogs started passing around plates stacked full of cooked meat, bread and eggs.

'I don't think I'll ever get used to that,' muttered Katy to Bofur, who was sitting next to her.

'Me neither, lass!' he replied, grinning.

'And here I was thinking that Sarah and I were the only ones surprised by it!' Katy said, somewhat relieved.

'Oh, no! I've never come across anyone like Beorn before. And as for animals that serve you breakfast, never in my life have I even dreamed that, let alone see it. It's kind of a genius idea, though!' Bofur said, laughing.

Katy nodded in agreement as she glanced around the table, finally locking eyes with Fili, who was smiling shyly at her. She gave him a small smile, causing Kili, who was sitting next to his brother, to beam widely at the pair of them.

Before she could notice if any of the other dwarves had spotted her braid, Beorn started loudly telling them a funny story he had heard about goblins, and the dwarves soon were telling stories of their own. Everyone seemed in high spirits, and neither Sarah nor Katy wanted the meal to end.

'- and let's just say that other wargs will receive a harsh warning if they dare come so close again!' finished Beorn, and both of the girls, who had been talking with the dwarves either side of them, turned sharply towards their host on the mention of those hideous creatures.

'A warning? Do you think he put up a sign or something?' whispered Sarah to Balin, who was sitting next to her.

The dwarf hesitated for a moment.

'I'm not sure his writing skills would have been needed, if you get what I mean,' he said, not wanting to alarm her too much.

Sarah just pulled a face and tried not to think too much about it. It was such a pleasant morning that she didn't want any thoughts of wargs or orcs to put her in a foul mood. Before long, though, talk turned to the next stage of the quest.

'I will provide you with plenty of food and supplies to take you on your way, and you may also each have a pony to ride as well,' Boern said.

'Do you think the pony will cook me breakfast in the morning?' giggled Sarah to Dori, who was on the other side of her, and the dwarf tried his best to suppress a grin.

Boern's offer seemed to signal that breakfast was over, and as his animals cleared the table, the host himself started to put together packs for the company.

'You will not need to carry water this side of the forest, as there are streams and springs along the road. But your way through Mirkwood is dark, dangerous and difficult, and water is not easy to find there, so make sure that you carry plenty with you,' Beorn said, and the girls couldn't help but dread the time when they would have to enter the forest.

'Also be very careful of the food you find in Mirkwood. Nuts are about all that grows there, and the wild things are dark, queer and savage. I doubt very much whether anything you find in Mirkwood is wholesome enough to eat,' he finished.

With those heavy words in mind, the company quickly sorted out their packs, now full with Beorn's supplies, and made their way outside. Sixteen ponies and a horse were standing nearby, and the dwarves and Gandalf were soon climbing onto them. Katy, Sarah and Bilbo hesitated slightly, before clambering up themselves.

'I really don't know how you can get up on one of these things so gracefully,' Sarah muttered at Kili, who just grinned at her.

Gandalf, Bilbo, the girls and the dwarves said their goodbyes and thank yous to Boern, and both Katy and Sarah found themselves sad to be leaving his house as the company began to move.

'For all that he could turn into a bear, he was a really nice guy,' said Sarah to Katy, who were riding their ponies near the back of the group.

'I know, we probably ate him out of house and home, but he didn't complain one bit. He was so kind to us!' replied Katy, but just as the words had left her mouth, the company rode past what could only have been Beorn's warning to the other wargs. There on a large post on the edge of Beorn's land, was a dead warg's beaten and bloody head.

'Lovely,' said Sarah, screwing her face up at the sight and smell, 'I guess Beorn is a bit choosy about who he wants to have as a guest!'

The company continued on for most of the day, stopping only a couple of times for something to eat and drink. There were a few conversations going on throughout the group, but these slowly drifted off until the whole company was silent. It was as if every one of them could sense the approaching forest, and before long Gandalf signalled them to stop. They had reached the edge of Mirkwood Forest.

'Here it is, the greatest of the forests of the Northern World!' the wizard announced.

'If that's the greatest, then I'd hate to see the worst,' Sarah whispered to Katy.

'Now, it is here that we must send back Beorn's ponies, for we are to continue on foot. And I will also be leaving you here as well,' Gandalf continued.

Katy and Sarah let out a groan. They had forgotten that the wizard had told them he wouldn't be accompanying them any further.

'Now, now, we've dicussed this before. I have other matters to attend to. But I will see you again soon, no doubt, and I will find out how to get you two home safely,' he said, and smiled reassuringly at them.

'Thanks Gandalf. We're just a bit sad to see you go. You've been so kind to us,' said Katy.

Bilbo also looked sad to see the wizard make his farewells, and the dwarves muttered their goodbyes. Thorin looked a bit apprehensive as to continuing the quest without the wizard, but he didn't seem to want to show this too much to the rest of the company.

Once everyone had dismounted from the ponies (the girls no more graceful at that), Gandalf wished them all good luck on the quest.

'Remember Beorn's warning about the water and wild animals in the forest! And whatever you do, do not stray from the path!' he said, and with those words, he turned and left them at the forest entrance.

'And then they were 16…' muttered Sarah, as the company silently moved into the forest.

With each step, the world around them seemed to grow darker and quieter. No birds could be heard singing, and the trees themselves were huge and gnarled, with branches twisting into the path. The forest gave off a strange kind of feeling – sort of dark and secretative, and as if someone, or something, was watching them.

'Ok, I get it now about the dark and dangerous stuff that Beorn and Gandalf were going on about. I really don't like this place,' Sarah said quietly to Kili, who gave her a slight smile and squeezed her hand. She turned to Katy, who was walking just behind her with Fili, and could see from the look on her face that she felt the same way.

None of the company were making much small talk, and no one felt in the mood for jokes or games. After a couple of hours of walking, the forest had become so dark that it was becoming difficult to see very far in front of them.

'Let's stop for the night, and make camp. We'll only end up losing the path if we continue,' said Thorin, and everyone quietly set to work on setting up camp. A small fire was lit, and Bombur started on the stew, but it didn't do much in providing warmth in the cold air of the forest.

'How are you doing?' asked Fili, sitting close to Katy as they both ate their stew.

'I'm ok, considering the dark and freezing forest we're in,' she replied, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Weirdly, she also found herself feeling a bit shy – she hadn't found the time to thank the dwarf for braiding her hair. I guess we've got slightly more pressing matters to think about, rather than hair braiding, she thought, as she gave Fili a smile.

He returned the smile, and continued eating his stew.

After what had been such a pleasant nights sleep at Beorn's, both girls found themselves struggling to get to sleep in the forest. All the company were huddled close by to one another, and an oppressing silence settled over the group as they all lay on the ground with Kili sitting bolt upright, taking first watch.

When Nori took over the watch a couple of hours later, Sarah was still awake as Kili shifted in his sleeping bag next to her.

'How long do you think it will take to get through this forest?' she whispered, slightly startling him.

The dwarf shook his head.

'I have no idea. Maybe a week?' he replied.

Sarah let out a little whimper.

'God, that feels like ages,' she muttered, and Kili's heart sank, not knowing what to say to her what would make her feel better.

'As long as we all stick together, we'll be fine,' he said, pressing closer to her. She smiled at him, and eventually the two of them drifted to sleep.

All too soon though, morning broke, and the company reluctantly got up and starting packing away their sleeping bags. After a small breakfast, they were once again walking through the forest.

Trudging along the path, today felt no different to the previous, and soon each day merged into one. It was the same pattern. Get up, have breakfast (which seemed to grow smaller each day, as the food supplies grew fewer), and walk along the path until they stopped to camp. Most of the company were getting quite short tempered with one another, and even Sarah, Katy, Kili and Fili had snapped at one another.

After one particularly pitiful meal, a few of the dwarves started talking about catching one of the squirrels that they had seen darting about.

'I mean, it might not taste great, but it could be something,' said Dori hopefully, and Bombur looked to agree with him.

'Hmm, I'm not so sure about that, laddie, remember what Beorn said about the wild animals in the forest. I wouldn't want to risk it myself,' said Balin.

'Well, look! It was only a suggestion! I'm just trying to be a bit positive about things. We're running out of food, and it looks like some people are eating more than others!' Dori retorted.

'And who exactly are you referring to when you say that, eh?' bellowed Dwalin.

'I'm not naming names! It just seems to me that some ladies are being given more of the food when the dwarf that they are courting is handing out the food!' said Dori loudly.

'Excuse me?! Katy and I are having just as much, or should I say, just as little food as the rest of you, so don't start having a go, ok?! And thanks a bunch for sticking up for us!' Sarah said, glaring at Kili.

The dwarf just glared back at her, and grabbed his bow and arrow. For a second Sarah thought he was going to put an arrow through Dori, but he aimed it at the tree above them. Quickly firing the arrow, a dead squirrel soon fell into Dori's lap, causing him and some of the dwarves around him to jump.

'Eat that if you're hungry,' muttered Kili.

Dori looked to be considering it for a minute, before deciding against it. Shaking his head, he tossed the squirrel into the bushes, mumbling about the smell putting him off.

'Is it wrong that I find Kili really hot when he's all mean and moody?' whispered Sarah to Katy.

Her friend rolled her eyes.

'Nope, not in the slightest,' she replied, and Sarah grinned at her.

The company may have discarded the idea of eating squirrel, but that didn't stop them feeling hungrier as each day passed. The forest seemed neverending.

'Is there no end to this accursed forest?' said Thorin. 'Somebody must climb a tree and see if he can get his head above the roof and have a look round.'

No one seemed to be volunteering for the job, until Bilbo said loudly that he would do it.

'Careful, Bilbo!' shouted Sarah, as the hobbit slowly climbed up a tall tree nearby.

'Yes, thank you for that!' he snapped not looking back at them.

'Ok, even Bilbo is grumpy now,' muttered Sarah.

The company watched as the hobbit climbed further up the tree, until they could see him no more. After an agonising few minutes, Bilbo reappeared.

'Well, what did you see?!' said Bofur eagerly.

'Life!' exclaimed Bilbo. 'There was sun, fresh air, a cool breeze, even butterflies!'

'And what about an end to this forest?' asked Thorin.

The hobbit shook his head sadly.

'I could see no end to the trees and the leaves in any direction. The forest goes on forever and ever!' he said, and everyone's hearts sank.

'Then we must press on. We have probably got enough food for one more meal, so we can't waste anymore time,' said Thorin.

The company continued on, and ever so slowly, the trees started to change slightly. Although no one voiced their opinion, for fear it was wrong, they all had a tiny bit of hope that they were perhaps getting closer to the other side. The more they looked at their surroundings, the more they were convinced that there seemed to be a bit more colour in the light. Perhaps a bit more life was creeping into the forest.

That night they are their very last scraps and crumbs of food, and the next morning when they woke the first thing they noticed was that they were still gnawingly hungry. The day passed as each day before it had done, with the company keeping to the forest path with very little conversation between them. Fili had taken to holding Katy's hand, and the gesture was pretty much all that was keeping the girl going through the long days.

Suddenly Sarah turned to Katy, Kili and Fili, who were all walking close together.

'Do you hearing singing? Like, really soft, cheerful singing?' she asked them.

Kili and Katy shook their heads, but Fili nodded in agreement.

'Yes! I did hear that a while back, but thought it was my imagination!' he said, rather excitedly.

'Oh thank god, I thought I was going crazy! Do you hear them now?' Sarah asked.

Fili was silent for a minute, listening carefully.

'No, sorry,' he said, and Sarah looked a bit disappointed.

'Hmm, cause I thought I heard it just there. Maybe we are all going crazy…' she said.

'I will take the craziness as long as I can have some food,' said Katy, and the rest of them looked to agree.

They fell back into silence, with all four of them listening out for any singing, when suddenly Balin shouted loudly from the front of the group.

'What was that? I thought I saw a twinkle of light in the forest!' he exclaimed.

'Oh dear, now Balin is seeing things,' said Katy, but no sooner had she said it when Dwalin shouted that he too had seen a light. The two dwarves pointed in the direction that they had spotted the light, and soon the whole company was watching a red twinkle in the dark. At first it was just one tiny dot, but soon another and another sprang out beside it.

'Quick now, let's see what it is!' cried Nori, and without any hesitation, the whole company ran towards the light, but remembering to stick to the path. When they had at last drawn level with it, it seemed plain that torches and fires were burning under the trees, but a good way off their track.

'What should we do? We can't get any closer without leaving the path!' said Kili.

'Forget about the path, I say we head straight for the light. It's clearly a camp, and there might be food and water!' said Dori.

'But remember Gandalf's warning about straying from the path,' replied Fili.

Everyone was silent for a moment, unable to decide on what to do.

'I say we send out some spies who can creep nearer to the lights and find out more about them,' said Balin, and there was soon a rabble of voices as all the dwarves seemed to want to be one of the spies.

'Enough!' shouted Thorin. 'We cannot afford to get separated. We all move towards the light, slowly and together.'

Katy and Sarah both felt a little fearful at leaving the path, but there was no way they were going to remain there without the dwarves.

Keeping close to one another, the company moved off the path and toward the lights, trying to be as quiet as possible. As they got closer, they hid behind nearby trees, and looked out onto a small clearing in the forest. A number of fires had been lit, and gathered around them were a large number of people.

'Elves!' hissed Thorin, and Katy and Sarah were reminded of the dwarves' hatred for the elves.

The elves looked to be having some kind of feast, and they were all eating, drinking and laughing merrily. The sight and smell of all the food appeared to be enough for the dwarves to put aside their hate, as they all suddenly moved forward. Without giving it a moments thought, Katy, Sarah and Bilbo also moved towards the feast, but no sooner had they got any closer when all the lights went out as if by magic.

'What the hell happened there! I swear I could smell the meat!' hissed Sarah, as darkness suddenly surrounded the company. Everyone was fumbling around, trying to find each other, until Thorin told them all to stay still.

'Can anyone remember what direction the path was in?!' he whispered. No one could, and it wasn't long until Bofur said what everyone else was thinking.

'We're lost! Lost in Mirkwood Forest!' he cried, and Katy and Sarah could sense the panic spreading throughout the group.

'Ok, everyone just calm down and stay where you are. We've got no choice but to stay here until the morning, and then we can find our way back to the path,' said Thorin, and grumbling, everyone settled down on the ground beneath their feet. Luckily Fili was still holding onto Katy's hand, and even though she could barely make him out next to her, he squeezed her hand so she knew he was there.

'What do you think happened to those elves? They can't just have vanished, surely?' Sarah whispered to no one in particular. Just as she said it though, Dori shouted out.

'There! The lights are coming out again over there, and there are more of them than before!'

Everyone was immediately on their feet.

'No rushing forward this time! No one is to stir from hiding until I say. I shall send Bilbo alone first to talk to them. They won't be frightened of him,' said Thorin.

No one could tell exactly where Bilbo was standing, but everyone heard the indignant squeak he gave when Thorin said this.

'What about if I am frightened of them?!' he said.

'You were pretty keen on the elves when you met them in Rivendale,' said Bofur, and before the hobbit could reply, Thorin gave him a sharp nudge forward. As he fumbled around with something in his pocket, the lights suddenly went out for a second time.

'Everyone, again stay where you are!' shouted Thorin.

'Where's Bilbo?!' yelled Sarah, but no one could locate him.

'Look, Thorin, we can't keep chasing those lights. We're going to have to sleep here, and find the path again in the morning. And I suggest if the lights do appear again, we try and locate the hobbit,' said Balin. Thorin looked like he was going to argue, but held his tongue. They had been so close to reaching the fires, but it would have been foolish to try to move in the darkness.

'Ok, everyone, get yourself as comfortable as you can. We're staying here for the night,' said Thorin.

Both Katy and Sarah were worried about Bilbo, but they realised that there was no way of finding him in the dark. Settling down with the dwarves, they soon drifted off to sleep.

For the second time since arriving in Middle Earth, Katy found herself having a vivid dream of her life back home, and of her parents. They were all in the kitchen, and it looked like they were preparing Christmas dinner. Katy loved that time of year, and she was pleasantly dreaming of sitting by a warm fire in her living room, when suddenly something sharp poked her arm. Still half asleep, she tried to reach for her arm, only to find that she was bound by a strong sticky substance. Struggling to gain full consciencenss, Katy realised that something was binding her whole body with the substance. As she frantically tried to reach for her sword, she felt another sharp poke in her arm, only this time she turned to see the largest spider she had ever seen right next to her. Before she even had to chance to scream, she felt herself grow even more woozy, and she fell into a deep sleep.