Chapter 12: At the Start of the Open Road

"Bri." She felt her shoulder move under someone's hand. "Bri, wake up."

She let out a soft grumble and finally let one of her eyes open. Fili was leaning over her, shaking her shoulders and looking behind him. All around them was a flurry of silent activity. The levity that hung in the air mere hours ago was gone and in its place was a solemn, stale feeling. The company knew that they had much ahead of them. It was time to go. That feeling of security the homely house brought her was replaced with the cold chill of uncertainty. Brili trembled slightly in her brother's grasp.

"Bri, c'mon," he urged, shaking her again. "We have to go!"

She let out a groan, annoyed that she was being woken up so abruptly. So she had been able to fall asleep after all. She sat up with stiff limbs and casually stretched her arms out and wiggling her fingers. Fili noticed her do this and smiled; some things never change. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder before bustling off to help gather the rest of the supplies, leaving Bri to double check that her toes hadn't disappeared in the night. Satisfied when all of her digits were accounted for, she rubbed her eyes and reached down to touch the pendant that fell past her breasts and tickled her stomach. It was warm from being pressed against her and she was soothed by its touch. She was a part of this now and she would behave as a ranger would. First she needed her things.

She got up off the bench and walked past the busy company, no one stopping to notice her. This would at least give her the chance to walk through the city one last time. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was yet to be decided. She would need some spare clothes and her sword. She also thought it would be a good idea to go down to the kitchens and grab some food. She could even go to the medicine stores and take a couple of healing herbs.

"Where are you going?" Thorin asked directly behind her with disapproval in his tone.

She turned to him very confused. "I need my things, Uncle. I'll be of no use to any of you without my sword."

He looked like the idea of her handling a blade in front of him was troubling him. "I'm sure we can find other uses for you without a weapon."

She blanched. Did he mean for her to be left defenseless? What if she were left alone for whatever reason? Her knives could only get her so far! No, she needed her sword. "You can't mean that! What about my clothes! I can't walk around naked or dirty!"

He shook his head and offered her a reassuring smile. "Your brother has already collected your things – I believe your sword is one of them – for you. I sent him earlier in the evening when Fili had gone to find you. Speak with him."

Bri's mouth began to open and close in indignation. How on this green earth had that her brother even found her room?! Had someone escorted him there? They must have. But who would have done so. She shuddered at the idea of her brother rummaging through her drawers and taking things out as he saw fit! Not that she had anything incredibly personal, mind you, but she had become a rather private person since leaving Ered Luin a little more than five years ago. Those were her things and Kili had no right to scramble around in them! Thorin let out a gruff grunt of sorts and steered her by her shoulders until she was directly behind Kili, who was busy rolling various blankets as tightly as he could and stuffing them into backpacks.

"Get your things and let's get going. We don't exactly have time on our side," he said in a no nonsense tone before walking off.

Kili heard his uncle speaking and turned to the sound. There he saw Bri standing behind him with a terrified expression on her face. As a matter of fact, she looked like she was about to retch all over his boots. He lifted a brow in response and let out a heavy sigh. It surely wouldn't kill him to at least extend some sort of olive branch. He quite frankly didn't like the way she was afraid to talk to him. It hurt him in ways he couldn't begin to describe. He leaned over the bundles of blankets and pulled out a very full pack.

"Grabbed you a couple changes of clothes even though they all look the same," he said plainly, holding the pack in front of him while he eyed her cautiously. She swallowed and made a couple of faces at him, her eyes going wider and wider with every word he said. He reached into a side pocket of her pack and pulled out a leather bound book, holding it out for her to take. "Grabbed this too. It was by your pillow so I'm guessing you were reading it."

She let out a little squeak and nodded her head. Unable to form a coherent sentence around her own brother she sharply turned on her heel and began to walk away. The sheer embarrassment of knowing that he had been through her drawers – her under things drawer was causing her the most grief – was enough to propel her away from him. She wasn't ready to talk to him. She wasn't ready for any of this! She heard Kili follow her.

"Look, Bri, I'm sorry!" he called out, stopping short when the words escaped his lips. She stopped too, as if what he had said had struck her like a physical blow. She turned to him, her eyes wary and untrusting.

Before he could begin to explain himself, Thorin was beginning to round everyone up. He knew his sister was waiting for him to enlighten her on his behavior since they had found her but couldn't articulate his feelings. Instead he shook his head and held her pack out for her to take. Her eyes softened a little and she accepted her bag with a neutral stare until she noticed that she didn't have her sword. She looked at him worriedly, afraid he would keep the blade for himself or that he didn't think her worthy to carry it.

As if he read her thoughts he sighed and said, "The sword's with Fi. He asked for it before he woke you up."

Behind her she heard a few dwarves beginning to lift their packs onto their backs, ready to depart. She nodded her head and without a word ran off to find her brother. She simply could not start this journey without her sword. It was important to her; one of the first things that Aragorn had done for her at the start of her lessons. She would never forget standing in the forges of Rivendell, her short arms being measured over and over again to be fitted with a new sword. The first time she held her new sword had been one of her most memorable moments. The hilt made of the finest leather and the blade was sharp and gleaming, still was as a matter of fact.

She found Fili standing off to the side of everyone, inspecting her blade. He shifted it in his hands, judging the weight and analyzing the craftsmanship. His eyes were narrowed and his lips pursed in concentration. She approached him with eyes that left no room for negotiation. This was her sword and she wanted it back now. He heard her footsteps but didn't look away from the blade.

"I wanted to make sure you had a good one before we set off." He finally looked at her as he sheathed her sword and tossed it to her. "It's a fine blade."

"Thank you, I'm rather proud of it to be honest," she admitted shyly.

The siblings met eyes for the briefest of moments and Brili knew that Fili had lied to her back in the training room. While the thought made her angry she tried her best not to show it and smile at him. She knew how constricted the gesture must seem and that her eyes narrowed at the idea of being deceived again. She, however, swallowed her feelings down and stiffened her chin. She had no time or patience to be angry with either of her siblings at the moment. She nodded stiffly to Fili and turned from him, ready to report to her Uncle and leave the place she felt most at home.

"Bri–" Fili began, taking a step towards her. He knew that she suspected him of lying and wanted to make things right if she would let him.

She held up a hand beside of her, her back still turned to him. She didn't want to hear any more excuses from anyone. She wanted to get this journey underway so that she could hurry and return to this place unscathed, emotionally or physically. For she would return to this place, she promised herself this. Whatever may come her way, she would come home.

And so their journey began as such. Brili chose to walk beside the oldest member of the company, Balin, for whatever words he did have to say were brief and often of nothing important. However, his brother, Dwalin, was quite invested in her, being her godfather of sorts. In the rare event that her entire family was to perish, Dwalin was chosen to be responsible for Brili's care. It was an honor without a doubt but mainly a formality that Dwalin went above and beyond over. She hadn't known this, but he had also had a hand (and a few choice words) in her arranged marriage to Bofur. He had often sent away for lavish gifts for the girl and he too was greatly saddened by her disappearance. Bri could feel Dwalin staring into the back of her head but didn't dare to turn around and face him. She continued her trek with solemnity and made it a point to commit each home and tree that they passed to memory. They came upon the garden of flowers and Bri felt her heart pang with fresh sadness for she loved the garden and the serenity it offered. She stopped for a moment, staring off into the distance and longing to walk the paths just one last time. She was stopped by Dwalin's hand on her shoulder, nudging her forward with a curt nod and narrowed brows.

They soon reached the edge of the wild, as her uncle had announced. While their journey through Rivendell had been marked by a few brief pauses, each filled with their own memory and recollection, this had marked her first real stop. Bri had turned, standing in front of Bilbo with shaking hands that clung to Aragorn's medallion, and wished nothing more than to turn back. She could very well run down the path and scream her way to sanctuary, alerting the city to her family's escape. She could seek refuge in Aragorn's quarters, knowing he would not reveal her location without her consent.

"Master Baggins," her uncle called out, interrupting her daydream with a stern voice. "I suggest you keep up."

She heard the hobbit turn and begin to tread with the rest of the company but still couldn't move. She couldn't bring herself to look away from the beautiful city. There was no guarantee she would ever see such a sight again and she wasn't ready to walk away from it. The rest of the company walked past her, occasionally bumping into her already shaking shoulders and pulling her from daydreams of escape. She knew she should turn around and follow before she raised suspicion but her legs were frozen save her quaking knees.

"Brili," her uncle called sharply. "The same goes for you."

But how could she move? She felt tears burning her eyes and blurring the edges of her vision. She was afraid they would spill out and release a flood that she didn't care for anyone else to see. She tried to move but found herself faint and weak without any cause. This was no way to start a quest! Taking a tiny, shaky step backwards, not looking away from the city, she stumbled and would have crashed to the ground if it weren't for two hands that caught her. Bofur held her upright against his chest an alarmed look on his face.

"Are you alright, milady?" he asked, not daring to use her name.

She could hear her uncle's boots approaching and shook herself out of Bofur's grip. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene on the first day of travelling with her uncle. She scowled and wiped the last remnants of tears from her eyes as her uncle reached them.

"I'm just fine," she hissed, stalking away from both of them with a fleeting glance behind them at the city. "I'm going to be fine."

She wasn't sure if the last thing she said was to comfort her or them.

~o~

"See this, Bri. That spot on the ground?" Kili asked eagerly as he crouched down and pointed to what was obviously a footprint.

She looked at the print, annoyed with her older brother's enthusiasm. They had been travelling for most of the morning and now the afternoon sun lay over the company who now pressed on from a brief rest. She had attempted to go on ahead under the ruse of scouting the area ahead but Kili, who had apparently had an overnight change of heart and was desperately trying to win his sister's affections, had followed. Did her family not know how to take a hint? She sighed and watched his fingers trace the outline in the grass, hovering over the print so that the blades tickled the tips of his fingers.

"See, this means that–"

She cut him off in a dull monotonous tone. "It means someone was already here; someone with large feet, probably a man or an elf. I'm guessing it was Aragorn."

At the mention of her friend she felt homesick again. She hadn't been gone more than half a day and she already missed Rivendell, mostly all of her friends, more than she could begin to explain. Kili looked up at her and pouted a little, his usual method of operation when trying to win her over. Go ahead, she thought, pout away and see where it gets you.

"So, you already know how to…" he began, rising from his seat with a concentrated look on his face. He made it a point to scuff out the mark in the dirt with his own shoe.

"Track? Yes," she answered, looking around her. "I'm actually halfway decent at it."

He muffled a grunt and folded his hands behind his head so that his arms formed a triangle around his face. He looked relaxed but Bri could tell he was a bundle of nerves. Served him right too! He was nothing short of a horse's backside to her since he had found out who she was. The only reason she was letting him follow her around was because he had attempted to apologize earlier that morning. She knew that even that apology was only granted because she had joined the company rather than going off and doing things her way.

"Well this is going to get boring," he complained. "Where's the fun in having a kid sister if I can't teach her the cool stuff."

She quirked an eye at him in response; all of this was his fault! What was she supposed to have done in her absence? Nothing? Had he expected her to twiddle her thumbs and wait for one of them to rescue her? Of course not! She had taken charge of her own destiny, saw the world and learned her passions! All for what; for him to complain that he had nothing to teach her? Would it kill someone to praise her talents for once?! She huffed and turned away from her increasingly annoying brother and decided to head back to Balin's side. At least he didn't constantly bring up the past!

"What?" Kili called behind her, jogging to catch up with her brisk pace. "Aw, c'mon, Bri, don't be such a sore sport. I'm just playing with ya!"

Nope! She was not about to fall for his charms! She was not the same girl that left Ered Luin and she was determined to keep a level head on her shoulders when it came to her brothers and uncle. She knew what they were capable of now and she had to make sure she didn't fall back into her old ways, when she had idolized them beyond reason. She knew that as this journey unfolded she would have to contend with all three of them attempting to win her good graces back. It was frankly inevitable. And while she was certain that given time she would forgive them, she knew she would never be able to forget what they had done. Either way, she was not in a place of forgiveness and all of Kili's attempts would be futile. She approached the company with her brother on her heels and she made it a point not to pay him any mind.

He cut her off and stood in front of her. "What's your problem?" he demanded with his hands on his hips.

She hadn't noticed him, however. No, her eyes were focused behind him where Bombur had picked up several bright red berries with little black splotches off of a small bush. Were those what she was thinking? Yes, yes they were. Surely the company knew not to eat those, right? Bombur smiled in devilish delight and selected a large one and began lifting it to his mouth. Frantically, Brili shoved Kili aside as hard as she could where he went flying into Bilbo.

"STOP!" she shouted, sprinting to the corpulent dwarf and knocking his hands away from his mouth. His face bristled in response and he looked quite taken aback by her actions. Did he really have no idea what he was about to do? She looked at him maniacally and forced him to drop the large berry in his hand. "Those are poison, you fool!"

Bombur looked at the berries that remained in his left hand and made a horrified face before dropping them to the ground. Brili hadn't noticed that she had stopped the entire company in its tracks nor had she noticed the way the other men stared at her. She held the berry in her palm with furious eyes. How could her uncle expect these men to survive when they had no basic understanding of the world around them? Sure, Fili and Kili may have some experience, Dwalin as well, but what about the rest of the company? She wasn't even sure Ori had ever left his home before! She turned to her uncle and stormed up to him in disbelief.

"He didn't even know how to recognize a poison berry!" she seethed, holding the menacing fruit out for him to inspect. "How many others don't know what one looks like?! If I hadn't seen him he would have died! He would have swallowed this fruit then his throat would have closed up and he would have died!"

"Well, it's fortunate that you did see him," Thorin stated plainly, unsure why she was in such an uproar. "He is not dead and we must carry on."

He turned from her and began walking. The rest of the company hesitated and then began to follow suit. She could hardly believe her uncle took things so trivially. How unprepared were they?

"Let me see your medicine stores," she called out, stopping her uncle in his tracks.

He turned to her. "What do you mean?"

She gaped at him and smacked her head to her forehead. "Mahal," she breathed angrily, "please tell me you have something! You cannot tell me you did not pack medicines."

He turned to Oin with questioning eyes. The elder dwarf shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, much to Bri's horror. They must be joking! Forget the elements and wounds and infections, she would kill them herself and just get it over with! What idiots expect to travel the wild without getting hurt; arrogant ones, that's who! She shook her head in her hands and sighed. She would just have to go out and gather some things herself obviously. She only hoped that Aragorn had left a few plants or some kingsfoil behind.

"Where are you going?" Thorin asked as she stalked by him. He sounded alarmed, like he didn't understand what had made her so angry.

"Fixing your mistakes!" she hollered, reaching into her pack for an empty satchel. "Just stay here and don't," she pointed to Bombur and tried to look intimidating, "eat anything off the ground until I get back and okay it."

She heard one of her brothers, Fili most likely, call out her name but she ignored the call. She knew she should probably answer but she was trying to remember what plants she would need. Calendula petals would help with some infections but she wouldn't find any of those flowers for at least another mile or so. She listed off a few other plants that she knew were local (juniper berries, golden seal and wormwood, just to name a few) and began scanning the ground for them. The plant she needed most was kingsfoil. It was the most effective in wound care that she knew of. She also wanted to find some elder flowers, or mullein to break up any congestion should someone catch cold with the cool weather approaching.

She reveled in the silence as she searched for some supplies and was fortunate to find a small patch of elder flowers growing not far from where her bewildered uncle waited for her. That seemed to be the extent of her luck thus far though. She frowned at the ground after tucking the flowers into her medicine satchel and sighed. If they had just told her their plans she could have gone to a healer and obtained some proper supplies! What if someone got hurt on this journey? She had been trained in basic wound care but would be useless without the right materials. She heard footsteps behind her but once again chose to ignore her surroundings, knowing she was close enough to her family to not be in any real danger.

"What are we looking for?"

I mean you no harm…

She turned to Bofur, her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted in surprise. She truly was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen; greater than any precious metal or gem that any mountain in Middle Earth could harvest. Her sunshine colored hair had been pulled back into an intricate half ponytail, the likes of which he had never seen before; the twists in her hair obviously a style adopted from her elven companions as dwarves were typically fond of braids. The look of surprise hadn't lasted long and she took on a stern, less appealing face.

Bri flinched at the voice and scowled a bit. Ugh, why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

"I can manage," she replied tersely before turning away from him again. "Just wait with the others."

Bofur panicked a little and blurted out, "You saved my brother back there. The least I can do is help!"

"Do you even know what you are looking for?" she snapped, bending down to pick up a few mint leaves. Knowing Bombur and his appetite, he was sure to overeat and upset his stomach.

"Well, no," he admitted. "Oin might. I could go get him for you! Would you like that?"

Curse this company and these idiot men! Did none of them understand that she wanted to be left alone?! She didn't want either of her brothers following her, she didn't want Oin and she definitely didn't want Bofur to follow her. She was sad and lonely without her friends in Rivendell and just wanted a few moments of peace to come to grips with that sadness. Was that too much to ask?! Without warning, her face crumpled and she burst into tears. She dropped the mint leaves to the ground and buried her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably.

Bofur stepped back a little, alarmed by the onslaught of tears. Who knew that she found Oin so repulsive! He dared a glance behind him and was relieved to see that the others weren't paying attention. He did not want to have to answer to her brothers or uncle if they spotted her crying like this! They would think he was the cause! He nervously shuffled closer to her to pat her on the shoulders.

"There, there," he soothed nervously while keeping a wary eye on her family. "I don't have to get Oin. If you say you know what you're doing then that's great! I won't get him!"

She shied away from the touch and rubbed her eyes, clearly embarrassed by her outburst. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" he asked simply. It was clear he felt uncomfortable in his present situation.

Frustrated, Bri was unable to contain herself and began babbling like a child. "It's all of this! First, I think my family doesn't love me because they tried to send me away to marry someone I've never met. So I run away and almost die in the process! Then I come to Rivendell and start this wonderful life full of adventure and new challenges only to have that same family find me and take me away from it all! I want to go home! I haven't even been gone a day and I'm so lonesome!"

Bofur took all this in with a grim expression. He had always assumed that Brili had left Ered Luin because of him but to have her confirm it in such a way was a bit unsettling. He had caused all of this pain and anguish, a rift between a loving family, and he longed to make it right. There had to be a way to do so, there simply had to be! He would do anything in his power to make her happy, even if it meant shoving his feelings for her aside. She looked at him and that surprised look returned on her face which slowly turned to horror as she realized just what she said and who she said it to.

"I-I'm sorry," she fumbled, holding her hands out as if she expected him to lash out in anger or turn from her. "I wasn't thinking when I… I mean… It's not…"

He held a hand up in understanding. "No, I understand," he soothed. "Being away from home is difficult. I miss the Blue Mountains something awful."

Bri smiled a little as she remembered the place she had spent her childhood. "I expect it is a little harder for you since you've been away from your home longer than I've been away from mine."

He nodded his head a little with a faraway look on his face. He looked at her after a few moments and felt his heart beat a little faster. "You miss your friends already?"

She nodded in earnest, staring at the ground. "I'm afraid I won't see Aragorn again," she admitted and it was the most heartfelt thing Bofur had ever heard her say. He watched as she clung to a chain that was draped over her neck. He couldn't see what was attached, just the chain that held it there. "I would hate for that to be true."

"Well, I'm not him but, if you'd let me, I'd like to keep you company on this journey. It might help you feel less lonely," he confessed.

Her head snapped up in alarm. Friends with Bofur; now that was an impossible thought. She hated Bofur from the moment she had laid eyes on him! He had singlehandedly ruined her life! Well, not really. If he hadn't asked her uncle for her hand then she never would have left the Blue Mountains. She never would have found Rivendell or Aragorn. She would never have met Gandalf or listened to Elrond read elvish poetry in the gardens. If not for Bofur, her life would have forever been different.

"I don't think that's…" she began worriedly, her voice trailing off at the thought.

He was eager to defend his idea. "You saved my brother, it's the least I could do!"

Instinct told her that this was quite possibly the worst idea she had ever heard. She had spent all of her nights blaming him for everything that had gone wrong in Ered Luin. She sighed and turned away from him, confusion filling her heart. What if he wasn't the awful dwarf she imagined him to be?

Bofur misinterpreted the gesture and hung his head in defeat. "Never mind, I had just thought…"

"We'll see where the road takes us," she said after a moment, turning to him with a nervous smile. "Is that alright?"

Bofur smiled and nodded his head in return. It wasn't perfect but it was a better start than he could have hoped for.

Woohooo! We are on the road! Not much to say about this chapter. I might have a couple more original scenes (My into the wild segment, if you will.) before we reach the goblin caves. I'm not too sure though, depends on how I feel when I start writing tomorrow. (which will be very late because it's 4:30 am where I am and I will be sleeping until noon at the very least!)

So I'm thinking about writing a series of one shots of Brili's childhood to go with this story. No major plot lines or anything just some cute Fili, Kili and Brili kiddie fluff with a smattering of Thorin and Dis in the mix. What do you guys think?! :)

Some super serious thank yous are in order! I had a lot of follows and favorites the past couple of days and I would be lying if I said I didn't care! It's totally awesome! So thank you to Twiggy31, my guest and thewomankingg (is this an Iron and Wine reference, may I ask?) for the awesome reviews! I really appreciate the feedback from you guys!

Thanks to Knowing Grace, Mysterious-Lover25, Surrender Moors, Merlynn Pendragon, thewomankingg, emmakmc, and KimiAshenhurst for the favorite and/or follow! No jokes, I really do appreciate the love! It relieves me that I'm not writing a ridiculously terrible story!

Anyways, that's all the talking I've got for now!

As always, please feel free to leave a review with any thoughts or questions! I do try to take the reviews into consideration for future chapters. Even if you totally hated the chapter or the story I can handle it! And let me know what you think of the prequel idea! :)

Until next time!

-kimmy