How was I supposed to tell him I was scared to love him? That if something happened to him I would waste away like my mother. The ache in my chest was replaced with something more when he was kissing my neck. If it hasn't been for the fact that everyone was mere feet away I would have probably turned around and jumped on top of him, only to regret it later. No matter how much I tell myself I can't get into that position, I know deep down I am already there.

Once he finally fell asleep I threw the blanket he gave to me cover him and myself, curling into him. Almost as if he sensed my movement, he turned onto his side, letting me fit in the crook of his neck. He threw an arm over me and pulled me closer, sniffing my hair. A sigh of contentment filled me, this is where I was meant to be.

Suddenly he grasped my bottom and gave it a squeeze.

Oh Kili.

I was woken by someone kicking my leg. It wasn't a light kick either. With a rub to my eyes, I squinted against the rising sun to find Thorin standing above me. It was difficult to try and detangle myself from his nephew. Kili's leg was wrapped around me along with his arm. Surprisingly the prince was a heavy sleeper, as he did not wake when I got up.

Thorin was still standing before me, watching intently.

"Did you need something," I asked somewhat bitterly.

"A word with you," he muttered in distain.

I rose, stretching as I followed Thorin a little ways out away from everyone. We came upon the stream, where he bent down and splash water on his face and drinking lightly. When he rose and wiped his hands on his pants I stood a little straighter. Even if I didn't care for him he was still a king. Right?

"You are not of this world," he started as if it were a rehearsed speech. "You will come with us to the Lonely Mountain, so we can return you to your world. If it fails and you cannot be returned, you are to go stay with the Hobbit in the Shire. He has agreed it would be the best for you."

"Very well," I sighed almost at a loss.

"You are not to get close to Kili."

A harsh laugh left me, "It's already too late for that. He knows me better than anyone in my world and now your's."

"I have seen how he looks upon you," Thorin spat. "He is infatuated. He is heir to be king if something happens to Fili. Dwarf kings do not mate with Halflings."

That jab didn't hurt at all. Halfling. If it weren't true I would have been insulted.

"Alright," I muttered, "anything else?"

"This journey will be long and hard. If something happens to you I will not lift a finger for your aide. I will not be stopped by some mere girl that cannot take care of herself."

A scoff left me as my arms crossed over my chest.

"King or not Thorin Oakenshield," I spat out, "I won't stand here and let you insult me just because you don't like that I'm not a dwarf. I can take care of myself plenty out in the woods. It seems you have forgotten, so let me refresh your memory. I saved your ass and everyone else's from three damn trolls just a few days ago. "

A look of disgust passed his face. "If it not for Kili I would leave you here," he muttered, "for if I left you, he would stay as well. Your words run wild and you speak of things you do not know. You have no place among us."

"Whatever. I didn't plan on trying to pursue Kili anyway, so don't get your trousers in a twist."

Someone cleared their throat, making my attention flip over to see Gandalf standing. He gestured to his left, revealing the rest of the dwarves. It appeared everyone came to listen in on the thrashing I was receiving. Kili looked more furious than myself. None the less I passed by each of them and back to where my things were. I wasn't going to stay where I wasn't welcomed.

After all my things were gathered I went back to the castle of sorts that the elves lived in. I was welcomed politely, even offered food. As I sat at the small table eating fruit everyone else came in to start eating as well. The mood was very somber, no one really speaking. At least all the food was fresh and plentiful.

Elrond joined the hall at the larger table with Gandalf. "Morning guests," he stated. "Tonight the moon will be perfect for reading the map you have brought. This time tomorrow you will be able to continue on with your journey with new knowledge and purpose."

Most of the dwarves cheered, starting new conversation soon after.

"Tell me Laurel," Elrond continued lightly, "why do you feast on the flesh of nature?"

I wiped at my lips, ridding myself from the juices of an apple. "Animals? Well because it is food," I stated confused.

"Elves value all life," Kili offered, "they will not maim animals unless their lives are in danger. Eating creatures is absurd to the elves."

"In my world it is very common for us to eat meat. There are farms dedicated just for it. I don't make a lot of money, so I hunt for food mostly, even have a small vegetable garden," I replied.

"Do you like it," Elrond asked interested.

"Yes, especially deer. Very clean and healthy meat."

Throughout the day I practiced using my newly acquired bow. It was beautiful. The string was very flexible, but easy to pull. I could not really test the distance it could shoot, but it did pack quiet a wallop. Though I did not hit my target every time, I was able to come pretty close. As long as my target in the future was big enough I would be able to strike fatally until I could make my aim more acute.

Kili didn't speak to me at all, instead he just watched me and followed wherever I went. It was sort of annoying, but I did not say anything to him about it.

Occasionally another dwarf, usually Bofur or Nori, would sit with me in the clearing and tell me stories of other adventures they had gone on. I in turn told them of different things in my world.

"They are called airplanes. Huge machines that travel people or things from far distances. They travel in the air like birds," I explained.

"Amazin'," Bofur seemed dumb founded.

As night started to fall, the dwarves gathered back to where they first had a fire the night before. I was contemplating on if I should ask if there was a room inside I could stay in. Obviously Kili wasn't in a good mood, so trying to sleep next to him again probably wasn't in my best interest. Food was brought out here this time. I don't know how much longer I could just eat bread, fruit, and vegetables. This night I did not share wine, instead I drank water and ate my food in silence. Thorin and Gandalf both were missing from the group once more.

After finishing my food I read from my book of herbs again. It was marvelous, holding drawings of the plants and a description of what they can help with. Only a fourth of it I already knew from my grandmother, the rest was new to me. Maybe my mom was an elf and so was grandmother, she did look quite young.

Kili whom sat next to me elbowed me lightly, offering me something that he had just bitten off of.

"What is it," I asked before accepting it.

"Dried meat, go ahead," he nodded, "you can have the rest."

The meat was spiced like jerky, but tasted good either way. I thanked him quietly and continued to read from my book.

"What is that," he asked, pointing to the writing I made out of wet charcoal.

"This is English writing."

"It looks confusing."

"The elvish writing was confusing," I stated, "this way I can study from it. This here is what we call California Poppy in my time. 'Infuse it with water and it will make the drinker fall asleep.'"

He leaned in closely to watch what I was pointing to. For a while we sat by the firelight reading from my book, his arm draped around me lightly. Slowly I found myself curling into him like it was story time. We went through all the pages together, coming to the end where blank pages were for me to add things if I wanted.

"Show me how you write your name," his voice was soft in my ear. I printed my name clearly so that he could see. "Write my name."

I did the same for his not really knowing how it was spelt. So I simply wrote Kili out for him to see. The conversation around us grew into a mess that I stopped paying attention too, just background noise. My face rose so that I could look up at him. I felt his hand raise and play with my braid. "I am sorry about what Thorin did this morning. It was not right," he stated.

"It's fine," I murmured letting my head fall back against his shoulder as I shut the book. "I understand what he's saying."

Kili didn't respond, instead he wrapped me up in his arms and gave a soft squeeze. We rose together and moved to where we slept the night before. Without question I settled down next to him and did not fight it when his arm was thrown over me and pulling me to his chest.

"I do not know why you fight me Laurel," he sighed into my hair, "but for now I will allow you to fight me. Soon I will grow tired and not allow it."

Without our horses we were due to walk the rest of the journey. I made it a habit to stick to the back of the troop so that I didn't have to be anywhere near Thorin. Bilbo tended to float back and forth between the front and back to talk to me. If what he said earlier was true, then he was probably a distant cousin of some sort. It was odd to think that this world I was in was actually the past. There was nothing of this written in any books that I knew of.

By time we stopped for our first break I had to sigh in contentment. Never have I walked that much before in my life. It was very tiring.

Placed between Kili and Fili I did more work going through my book and checking the herbs that were packed in my bag. Most of them were dried and folded into cloth and tied. Some of the more rare things were placed in small glass vials of water, wrapped in cloth so they would not break.

Kili rose to disappear into the woods for a while. Once he was out of sight Fili elbowed me, glancing around at everyone and their positions.

"Tell me Lady Laurel, what do you see in my brother," he asked quietly, blue eyes alive with wonder.

It was one of the first times I actually looked at Fili. It was odd how the brothers were like complete opposites. Here is Fili the older brother with his long blonde hair, and braided mustache and beard. Bright blue eyes that would make women weak at the knees. From what I have seen Fili was usually the more serious of the two.

Then there was Kili, the younger brother with long black hair and lack of actual beard. His light brown eyes were full of mirth and fun. His nose was formed perfectly with his cheeks to scream perfection. Just thinking of his scruff against my skin had me closing my knees as they quivered.

"I see a lot of things in him. Though he is usually in a light mood of fun and laughs, he can be serious. I always find he is kind and selfless," I thought aloud, "he is strong and fights well I've seen. He talks fondly of family and friends. Kili does have a way of charming me, and I do find him quite attractive."

Fili laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulder to pat my back. "Do not let him hear you say these things! He already thinks too highly of himself, you would only make it worse."

"Why doesn't he have a beard and mustache like you," I wondered.

"Ah, he was never fond of the longer hair. He is still young for a dwarf, as he grows older he will become accustomed to it and start his braiding."

I eyed the clasps that kept the braids of his mustache together, "I've seen men braid beards in my world, but never mustaches. Your clasps looks like the one Kili put in my hair."

"He braided your hair? Put one of his beads in it did he?"

My brows furrowed, I did know that braiding was very important to them. Braiding the hair of a dwarf woman surely meant something to them I figured. "Yes," I trailed off, fingering it once more.

In turn he pulled me closer, leaning in and whispering in my ear. It sent shivers down my spine unwillingly. It was just because of the fact that it was hot breathe on my ear, but startled me none the less.

"I'm sure you understand that braiding the hair of a dwarf maiden is meaningful," he started softly, "it shows that he is interested in you as a mate. Putting our family bead in the braid says he is very interested. It is bold considering Thorin forbade the relationship. You do look very lovely none the less."

A soft giggle left my lips, charming woman must run in the family. I looked up to see that Kili returned, he was standing next to Bilbo talking, starring daggers in my direction. Why on Earth would he be in a foul mood now? He was just fine this morning. The feeling of Fili retreating from my proximity sent off alarms in my head.

He thought Fili and I were probably flirting together. Shit.

Just as I was thinking of throwing off Fili's arm, he removed it himself, coughing and looking away awkwardly. Kili didn't return to us for the rest of our break and left for the front of the troop while we continued on towards what they called the Misty Mountains.

"Well," I sighed kicking a rock while Fili and I brought up the rear, "seems we've pissed him off."

"Nonsense," Fili waved away, playing with yet another knife I haven't seen on his person before, "he is just jealous at the moment. By the end of day he will be talking to you again."

"I hope so," I sighed, "he's one of the greater friends I have. Especially here. There is nothing to be jealous of."

The dwarf next to me nudged me with his elbow once more, pointing ahead of us, "I don't know about that. I find your company likeable, Ori, I think has taken a small liking to you as well.

"If I hadn't known about your attachment with my brother I would find an attachment to you I think. Do not worry about Kili, he usually has always been the jealous type. Though it is only the second time I have been the one he was jealous of."