How long Natasha sat contemplating the egg in her lap, she wasn't sure, but when she looked up after Lady Galadriel had left her, she could see the shadows lengthening. The sun had traveled across the sky and was now beginning its descent into the seas in the West. She had lost most of the day to her thoughts and to this wonderful discovery. She never would have guessed that Gandalf would have been carrying such precious cargo for the entirety of the Quest, but then again, there were many things she never would have guessed about her mentor before she'd known about them.

For instance, she'd seen the ring on his finger quite a few times now. A simple band with a single blood-red stone set into it, but she could feel the Power coming from it. But she had never been sure how to ask him about it, feeling that surely it was a ring of power, most likely one of the elven three. She had never asked him about it, and now would never be able to. Surely that ring was now lost too, having been destroyed in the heat of the Balrog as it and Gandalf tumbled into the abyss of Khazadum. She grieved briefly for the loss of one of the three, as one does for a thing of beauty that is lost, but there were more pressing matters than that loss at hand.

She turned her attention to the egg, carefully replacing it in Gandalf's satchel, now hers by inheritance, and refastened the clasp. She pulled the strap over her shoulder and made her way back to the Fellowship's Pavillion, using every trick that Gandalf had ever taught her to find her way back along the winding paths she'd taken. In her mind, however, she was speaking to the tiny Dragon within the egg.

"I will see you safely to the Grey Havens, little one. You are safe so long as I draw breath."

She arrived back at the Pavillion just as dinner was being served. Aragorn and Legolas looked up at her entrance, relief flooding their faces as they came to guide her to the spot between them. They'd started worrying when noontide had passed, but again Lady Galadriel had commanded them not to go after Natasha, so they had stayed in the Pavillion, resting anxiously in a little alcove, watching as the hobbits talked and joked.

Natasha was silent for most of the meal, keeping one hand always on the satchel at her hip. Now that she thought about it, she'd seen Gandalf with his hand thus many times during the journey to Moria. At the time, she'd wondered why, but now she understood.

The meal finished, Natasha made her way back to her bedroll, where she, Aragorn and Legolas had left them that morning. She sat and waited, watching the surrounding bushes. She didn't have to wait long, as first Aragorn and then Legolas followed her to their bedrolls, and sank down onto them, beside hers.

"Did you have a nice walk in the Wood?" Aragorn asked quietly, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips.

"It was very refreshing." Natasha sighed as Legolas pulled her back gently to lean against his chest. "To just walk with no destination in mind, not having to worry whether I was going to get left behind. I needed to clear my head."

"Understandable, given the events of the past couple days." Aragorn caressed her cheek, and dipped his head to take a gentle kiss. Legolas was nuzzling into her hair.

"Does your head still pain you?" Legolas asked, his fingers trailing up and down her bare forearm. His lips were ghosting over her neck.

"No." she sighed, before fully realizing what she had said. Her eyes opened wide for a moment and she gave a little gasp as she realized that no in fact she was not in pain any longer. "I'm not sure when the pain went away, but it's not there anymore."

"Good. We were getting worried. I seem to remember Ada telling me that the pain should only last for a few hours, though the grief takes longer to fade." Aragorn said, laying out on his bedroll.

Natasha followed with Legolas coming in behind her. She laid her head down on Aragorn's chest, sighing in contentment as his arms wrapped around her and Legolas sidled up close to her. Reaching over their heads, Natasha silently pulled the satchel in between their bodies, nestling it next to her belly.

"Natasha?" Legolas groggy voice questioned, his hand coming to an abrupt halt as it encountered the satchel in its path along her side.

"Shh, I just need to keep this close. Let's go to sleep." Natasha leaned up and kissed Aragorn, turning her head to be kissed by Legolas.

"Sleep well, vanima." Legolas smiled sadly against her hair, pressing himself close to her. Along his bond to Aragorn, he sent a wave of his love and contentment to his husband, receiving the same back, as well as the equivalent of a kiss. Smiling more in contentment now, he let his eyes lose their focus as he slipped into the dreamland of the elves.

Aragorn remained awake awhile longer, his fingers running through first Natasha's hair and then Legolas'. He too wondered about the satchel between their bodies, but refrained from saying anything. He could feel that there was something bulky within, but Gandalf hadn't seen it necessary to inform him of its contents. Perhaps Natasha would later, once she had rested. She had mentioned that she had met Lady Galadriel on her walk during the meal, but again, had not gone into the details of their meeting. He knew that his grandmother was sometimes intimidating, but Natasha had seemed relaxed, if a bit distracted. Perhaps he would ask her about it in the morning. But that could wait. For now, he smiled, looking down at the two people who held his heart, for now his world was right and he would enjoy it.

"Help us! Please!" a group of voices kept calling to her. "Natasha, please!" Natasha awoke to many voices calling her name.

She looked around, finding herself in a long corridor. She'd been here so many times before. A light glowed in the distance but she knew that, even as she ran towards it, she would never reach it. It seemed, as it had each and every other time she'd had this dream, that it kept getting farther and farther away, taking the voices with it.

"Wait! Who are you?" she called back. "How do I help you? Where are you?"

"Natasha! Help us! Please!" the voices were weaker and farther away now.

"How?" she cried desperately.

"We are dying!"

"How can I help you?!" she shouted out in frustration.

"I will help you." A calm, male voice came from behind her. This had not been in her dreams before.

Turning, she was confronted by a shining entity. It stood tall, its head several feet above her head.

"Who are you?" she asked, raising a hand to her eyes to protect from how bright the entity was.

Immediately, the entity's glow lessened in intensity, and a wave of apology flooded through her.

"I will help you to save my people." The entity stated reaching out a hand to her, palm up. Only it was and it wasn't a hand. At once it appeared to be both a hand, and a claw. "But to help save my people, I need you to help me grow and quickly."

"You're the Dragon." Natasha breathed, and suddenly she was able to make out the entity's full form. She could see his horse like head at the top of his long, graceful neck. She could see the wings folded tightly against his back and his sweeping tail curled almost daintily around his crouching legs.

"Yes. The one called Gandalf has been telling me of your dreams, and now I see who is sending them. I'm afraid my kin will no longer have the energy to send you their pleas. Will you help us?"

"What must I do?" Natasha asked, remembering his earlier statement. "How do I help you grow?"

"We will form a bond, much like the one you had with your teacher. Your extra Power will be channeled to me, to help me grow, and keep me hidden. Though I suppose your two elves will need to know about me." The dragon then grinned. "It would not do for them to try to initiate relations with you with me present, now would it?"

Natasha gave a startled laugh. This Dragon had quite a mature sense of humor considering he was just about to hatch. The Dragon chuckled.

"This is not the first time I've hatched. Resources were scarce so I went back into my egg to wait for a time of plenty. It also helped me to escape the Massacre, it seems."

His mood suddenly took a dramatic dip from the near giddiness of his laughter. Natasha could feel it as though it were her own.

The Dragon again reached out a claw to her, and this time she placed hand into it, surprisingly not flinching when his claws closed around it. A bright light erupted from their clasped hands, and Natasha could feel the Dragon begin to draw power from her, though it turned out to be not more than what she normally put out when she was not performing any magick. True to his word, the Dragon was only using the excess of her Power, not touching her inner stores.

"And now, my dear friend, I'm afraid it is time for you to wake up." The Dragon said, turning her around and giving her a gentle push. "Your elves are waking and they are eager for you to join them."

"But you're going to hatch, aren't you?" Natasha asked, not wanting to start anything that would need to ultimately be delayed. He chuckled and gave her another push.

"I will not hatch for another couple days. Now go."

This time, Natasha did not have a chance to respond, as she slowly faded from the dreamworld and melted back into body.