Thank you to- , TwilightMelodic, Sage S. Adoren, Sky0828, and Kelwtim2spar for the FF. Also to everyone who has reviewed thank you so much!

I would also like to take a moment to give special thanks to Shylowdeath for faithfully reviewing every chapter, it means so much to me to have so much support from a fellow writer and someone who I admire in this community. I highly encourage everyone to run, not walk, to read Shylowdeath's fic, it is out of this world. I cannot praise it enough.

Ok, all thanks and sappy stuff aside, please enjoy.

-B

Chapter 12 - Friends and Fair Comeuppance

It had been two days since the eagles had saved the company of Thorin Oakenshield. They generously let them reside in their nest until they had gathered their strength to continue, so Gandalf suggested they used the time to recuperate for a few days. The nest was a large bowl atop a mountain, thus leaving the nest was impossible unless you climbed down yourself or asked an eagle to take you, and Eryn didn't want to do either. The eagles brought them rabbits and sheep for food, and they ate merrily for the first time in a while.

Eryn spent nearly the entirety of the first day they arrived asleep, and she had absolutely no regrets. Everyone else did about the same thing. Some slept, some conversed, while others said and did nothing, almost as if they had turned to stone. Causing Eryn to suspect the Dwarves weren't born 'the natural way' at all; they were animated out of the rocks in the mountain by Mahal himself. Thorin did not find this suspicion very funny; he insisted once again that they were born the 'natural way' and wondered if Eryn did indeed understand how it worked. Eryn thought long and hard about whether she wanted to make him describe child-birth or not; she figured she'd spare him after all.

Thorin and Eryn made more intentions to speak to each other, and Eryn tried to include him in the evening supper conversation. It wasn't a lively affair, and everyone was simply too tired to speak, so that first night was quite uneventful. That evening Oin made it a point while he was lathering a generous amount of ointment on her shoulder, followed by tending to Thorin's injuries, that he wanted to see them both one after the other. Not for any reason other than he didn't want to spend his whole day doctoring people, he wanted to do it all at once. Eryn respected his wishes and reported the next morning to Oin; she arrived just in time for an uncomfortable disrobing. It was only Thorin's shirt that was missing, but Eryn blushed and averted her eyes, Thorin coughed uncomfortably, and Oin laughed.

As for disrobing, Eryn was in a bit of a predicament herself, her clothes were either still in the cave or being used as Goblin toilet tissue. She still had her bloody, hooded jacket and her shirt that had seen better days. It was practically deteriorating, sweat-stained, and torn, with bloodstains on top of that. Eryn didn't even want to think about her undergarments. She didn't know what to do, so she asked if anyone had a spare shirt, she could borrow. Thankfully out of the kindness of Kili's heart, he lent her one of his extras, which was also dirty, but beggars can't be choosers. Eryn also discovered that not everything was lost to the goblin cave, and a few of them were able to grab their packs in the chaos. One of the things recovered was Eryn's small bag, which she rejoiced over because Eryn did not want to wait in the most offensive line in history to replace her ID once she got home. She found her phone shattered, but everything else was mostly intact.

Eryn asked Oin after they finished applying her ointment for a large cloth bandage or a strip of cloth she could use to 'wrap' herself; thankfully, he gave it to her willingly without asking too many questions.

Her next order of business to assess how disheveled she looked. She feared to look. She still hadn't inspected her shoulder; she had been putting it off after she got her small mirror back.

Pulling the mirror out, Eryn wrinkled her nose as the ratty, pathetic woman looking back at her in the mirror. Her eyes were sunken and bloodshot, her lips chapped, and she was ashen from the dust and smoke. Eryn silently thanked the heavens that she wasn't trying to impress anyone. A steady headache coming from the spot she received the blow to her head, Eryn lifted her raggedy hair and inspected the lovely black and blue lump that was blooming on her hairline above her left temple. It was and tender, she winced when she touched it.

"That looks right awful, lass," Dwalin cried, standing over her.

"Looks worse than it feels," she lied. "How did you fare in the excitement?" she asked.

Dwalin shrugged, "A few nicks, scrapes, and bruises. I've had worse."

"I'm sure you have," Eryn mumbled and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm curious, what happened to ya, in the goblin cave?" Dwalin inquired, a few other ears perked up, and Eryn sighed. It was nearly dinner; perhaps she could be persuaded to tell a story before they ate.

Eryn looked around at her audience and gulped.

"Um," as she thought about it, her mind began redacting various parts of the incident. She decided just to start and see what her mind could recall as she went along, "Well, the goblin took me to a big room, I think it was the goblin king's quarters." she shivered, a few of the dwarves muttered something under their breath. "It smelt as bad as it sounds, trust me." Eryn laughed without humor, "I looked for a way out but couldn't find one. After investigating if I was being guarded, I found out that I was alone; so, I just opened the door and walked out."

"Wait, so what you're saying is that you just walked out?" Fili asked, eyebrows raised.

"How did you get injured?" Bilbo asked, approaching.

"After I escaped, there was a goblin that found me, and he attacked me, that's when I got bit. I got away and found a channel that went downward, and I figured that if I could find my way down, I might be able to regroup with you guys or find the backdoor." Eryn said without thinking.

"You knew there was a backdoor?" Bofur asked, much to Eryns shock.

"Well, there had to be, right? That goblin mentioned us being on the 'front porch,' I assumed that implied they had a back porch," Eryn covered and quickly continued. "So I went down the channel, found a series of ladders and another channel, and kept making my way down. Once I got to a long bridge, the goblin showed up again, giving me this lovely souvenir." Eryn pulled her hair back, and a series of gasps and curses escaped their mouths, Eryn covered it back up and sat silent for a moment. This was the part that got a little hazy for her. "I think I ran some more, down a few more ladders and then I…" Eryn paused, swallowing hard. Her mind hit a bump, it was like her thoughts were muddy, and the wheels couldn't get traction enough to accelerate. "Then I…" Eryn repeated again and again like a broken record. She twitched, and her eyes grew heavy as they narrowed, searching the floor around her feet for an invisible answer.

"Lass?" Dwalin asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing Eryn to flinch away. "Don't worry, lass, I'm not goin' ta hurt ya." He retracted his hand and looked to Thorin, who was wearing a concerned and curious look on his face; his eyes dark and narrow.

Everyone was staring at her more intently now, and she felt her face grow hot. Her eyes pricked with threatening tears as she became angry at herself for being unable to articulate her thoughts. They were hers; she should be able to express them.

"Then, I hid," Eryn mumbled, rubbing her neck. "I was exhausted, and I thought... I thought someone was chasing me. I gathered myself and ran some more, only to run into my goblin friend again. This time I killed it." Eryn looked down at her hands, and she was picking at one of her nails, trying to get the blood out from under them.

Everyone sat there in uncomfortable silence for a while before someone dared to ask the question everyone was waiting for someone else to ask.

"Are you alright?" Bilbo dared to question, and a few dwarves squirmed uncomfortably.

"I… don't know," Eryn answered honestly but pondered the question.

"Ah, I know." Dwalin proclaimed, "you've never killed anything before, have ya lass? Let alone been in a circumstance that you could have been killed as well."

"N-no... not exactly," Eryn admitted. Dwalin fell silent, but only after a sharp look from Thorin.

"It's perfectly natural," Bofur volunteered next, "I remember the first time I saw battle. I was a sorted mess for days," He said, shaking his head.

Eryn thought about rejecting this idea as well but thought better of it. What was she supposed to say? That she was afraid of a voice? A voice her mind volunteered no less; they would think that she was insane. Thorin saw her internal debate display on her face and opened his mouth to intervene, but Gandalf beat him to it.

"Now, now, Miss Fey is still exhausted from her endeavors. Let her sort out her thoughts first before you begin pillaging them," Gandalf admonished. A few dwarves rose to go back to whatever it was they were doing before Eryn's tale, but some remained, including Bilbo.

Eryn felt like she would suffocate, and she had nowhere to run, so instead, she did what any healthy individual would do, she buried her thoughts and feelings deep in her mind and decided to change the subject. "So, what happened to you all? After they took me away," Eryn gushed at an attempt to lighten the mood, and it worked. As dinner was passed around, everyone remaining began their perspective of an epic tale. Thorin's bold stand, Gandalf's heroic entrance, sword fights, and their grand escape. Eryn laughed at their fervent detailed information, especially regarding parts of the story that favored whoever told it. It soon turned into an argument as to who killed more goblins in the tunnels, Eryn shook her head. Dwarves.

"And then when we landed, we thought we were through with the worst of it until the Goblin King himself landed on top of us!" Kili finished with a burst of roaring laughter, clutching his stomach with the hand that wasn't holding his pipe. The rest of the dwarves, apart from Thorin roared with laughter, though he did crack a smile while he lit his pipe. "Then we noticed that the goblins were coming after us, and we ran out the cave and gathered outside," Kili continued.

Fili decided Kili wasn't finishing the story fast enough and interjected, "That was when we discovered that our Burglar was missing as well!" He nodded towards Bilbo, who was too, enjoying his pipe.

"You too?" Eryn slyly prodded, she wondered what parts of his adventure he was willing to discuss. "What happened to you?" and she bumped him with her elbow.

"Oh, well," Bilbo began, abashed. He started fidgeting with his pocket, and Eryns eyes grew wide. He had it. Bilbo had THE ring. One of the most notorious and ominous artifacts in literary history and Eryn was sitting mere feet away. "I fell and got lost in the cave, but this awful, pathetic creature found me. Gollum was what it called itself." He nodded definitively, taking a long draw from his pipe, exhaling with a huff. "A peculiar fellow, he threatened to eat me if I didn't beat him at a game of wits." He propped himself upon his arm, a regal look in his eye.

"A game of wits?" Eryn laughed.

"What kind?" Bofur inquired.

"Riddles," Bilbo pursed his lips and nodded triumphantly. "I stumped him on my third question and demanded he show me the way out, but soon the little bugger decided I had stolen something from him and tried to eat me anyway," Bilbo huffed.

"Stolen from him?" Kili asked, "What would a pathetic creature living in a goblin hole have worth stealing?" He laughed, but Bilbo shifted uncomfortably.

"What indeed," He mumbled, taking another puff of his pipe.

"Yes, what indeed?" Dwalin challenged, suspicious, and Eryn looked to Bilbo, who had smiled nervously.

"What was the creature?" She interjected, leaned in closer to him, forcing him to look at her and not at Dwalin, "Was it a goblin, or something else?" Bilbo's eyes darted between the two before focusing on Eryn.

"Oh, he was wretched, fowl most definitely." Bilbo scrunched his nose. "Not a goblin, but…. Something else entirely." He looked downward, pity clouded his features, and he heaved a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong, Bilbo?" Kili asked, his eyebrows tightly knit together.

"I just can't help but feel sorry for him,' Bilbo admitted, and Eryn admired his compassion, "He truly was a pitiful creature, I just can't help but wonder what or who he used to be." He shook his head, somber.

"Is Gollum still alive?" Eryn wondered aloud, unnecessarily.

"He is, I could have killed him, but I couldn't do it," Bilbo groaned, "I should have." A few dwarves nodded while others narrowed their eyes, skeptical of his choice.

"Then that was compassion," Eryn remarked softly, resting her chin on her knees, "You can't be responsible for other people's actions and choices, you're only responsible for yours, and I think you made a good choice." Eryn smiled at the Hobbit, and he smiled back at her, grateful.

Bifur, who was sitting by Bofur now, yelled something in Khuzdul, and everyone perked up immediately.

"Why yes, Bofur, why don't you give us a song?" Nori chimed in from somewhere Eryn couldn't identify.

"Well, lads, I think it is indeed high time for a tune, though, I have a better idea. Miss Fey," Bofur purred with a mischievous smile, "Do you know any tunes? Why I would give my large toe to hear a whimsical tune from your world!" He boasted as Eryn laughed.

"I'm sorry Bofur, but I don't sing, at least it's been a very long time since I've sung anything," She shook her head bemused.

"Everybody sings," he proclaimed, "Why even ol' Thorin here sings when given enough ale." Bofur howled and slapped his knee, and others joined along with him.

"Aye, I do sing when the time calls for it, but that's hardly as impressive of skill as knowing when to keep quiet." Thorin shot back, and Eryn laughed until a tear escaped her eye, she wiped it away merrily.

"Won't you sing something for us?" Fili begged. Eryn looked at him and his brother, her mouth open to protest, but couldn't once she saw the delight in their eyes.

"I wouldn't even know what to sing," She admitted, racking her brain over what tune she could sing that wouldn't require explanation.

"How about in one of those languages you spoke of?" Bofur offered, "The ones you said sounded like Khuzdul."

"Oh, well, yes," Eryn pursed her lips, that would work out well, they couldn't understand them, so she would have less to explain. "I do know quite a few songs in Russian I could sing." She looked around to each person staring at her, looking for someone who could bail her out. "Do I have to?" She stammered.

They all nodded and leaned in closer. "Go on, then, we all love a good song, lass." Balin beamed, sitting down next to his brother. Eryn gulped.

So, Eryn did, she took a deep breath then began. Her voice was unsteady, it shook and broke, but as she continued, she realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. Eryn already warned them that she wasn't a singer, and who was going to make fun of her anyway? She sang a few verses from one of her favorite songs, and it seemed to captivate her audience better than expected. They stared, entranced. When she finished, she took a mock bow, and they applauded her merrily.

"That was wonderful," Bilbo praised.

"Why I've never heard anything like that in all my life," Ori mused, and others laughed at him.

"Well, you certainly are modest, Miss Fey," Bofur expressed, wagging his eyebrows playfully, "We ought to change your official title to Bard." He rose and took her hand in his, placing a playful kiss on the back of her hand, causing her to blush.

"Thank you, Bofur, that's very generous of you." She slipped her hand away and cupped it in her other hand, smiling up at him uncomfortably.

"Well, I think it is time to rest," Gandalf announced, "We will leave tomorrow at first light. I have already spoken with the Eagles, and they will take us as far south as they are comfortable, from there we will continue on foot."

"Very well," Thorin responded, rising to his feet, "Dwalin, you will take the first watch."

"Aye." Dwalin nodded.

They all took their respectful places in the nest; without blankets or bedrolls, it was hard to get comfortable. Eryn was still exhausted, so falling asleep was no challenge, but staying asleep, however, was a new challenge entirely. She dreamt of the goblin cave with a new addition, the goblin that chased her was replaced by a shadowy figure, who angrily shouted her name. Her feet were heavy when she tried to run, and her voice made no sound when she went to scream. Eryn woke incredibly thirsty, tossing and turning until she finally gave up. She sat up and looked around; everyone was asleep except for whoever was sitting by the fire on night watch. Eryn stood and tiptoed around the sleeping dwarves, approaching the light; she found that Thorin was on watch at this hour.

"Hey," she whispered, trying not to startle him, "Do you have any water?" she asked, sitting across from him.

"Aye," he replied, handing her a water skin. She thanked him and took a long drink, it tasted so good, and she sighed with relief. "Trouble sleeping?" He inquired, "You were mumbling and tossing for hours."

"I guess." Eryn shrugged and handed him back the water.

"May I ask you something?" He looked at her with narrowed eyes, Eryn shifted uncomfortably.

"Shoot," She said, crossing her arms as well.

"What is it that you left out of your story this evening?" He asked, leaning on a pack propped up behind him. "You seemed to have experienced more than what you were letting on. Did something or someone else attack you?"

"No, nothing like that, it was just more mentally taxing than I want to admit." She mumbled, and he tilted his head, looking at her carefully.

"You know, this is the reason I didn't want you to join us. I knew this would be too much for you, physically and mentally. The wild is no place for a woman." He insisted, causing Eryn to sit up, she stared at him, her eyes bore into his. He began to fidget and shift slightly; Eryn wondered if she was making him uncomfortable.

"For Pete's sake, Thorin," Eryn hissed, "I would be in this danger with you, or a different kind of danger with somebody else. I was aware of the risks when I asked to join you, and I'm not debating capability because no one like Bilbo and I are capable of fighting goblins. But we make do with what we have." Eryn rubbed the back of her neck, frustrated

"Who is Pete?" Thorin wondered, his eyes narrow, "Is he, your husband?"

"That's what you took away from that? What is it with you and husbands?" Eryn demanded, "No, Pete is not my husband; it's just a phrase." She paused to explain the phrase better, only to learn that she had no idea who Pete was either, "I have no idea who Pete is, it's just something you say where I'm from." She heaved a heavy sigh, "And I'm not married." She admitted looking down at her bare feet.

Thorin shifted uncomfortably, looking deep into the fire, "Why are you so scared?" he finally asked after a long silence.

"Scared?" Eryn tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"You couldn't tell us what happened to you in the goblin cave," he pressed again, "you intentionally left something out, and I want to know what scared you so badly, you won't even speak about it." He leaned forward, his eyes bore into hers, and she felt cornered.

Eryn took a breath and wrapped her arms around herself. "You don't want to know." she smiled wryly, "It's too much to explain."

"We are, as you have said," he paused, looking away from her now, uncomfortable, "Friends." he finally settled on the word, causing Eryn to smile at his attempt at being friendly with her. "I trust Dwalin with my thoughts, so I hope you would trust us with yours."

"Well, when you say it like that," Eryn chuckled, he surprised her with his way of rewording his question, for some reason she couldn't deny him an answer when he asked in such a direct manner. Maybe she subconsciously wanted to reward him for his attempt at friendliness, but something she couldn't quite discern made her want to tell him. "It's a long story but, I was reminded of something, in the goblin cave," Eryn started, her knees began to shake. "Something I don't feel comfortable talking about right now, even to my friend," Eryn validated, "But I will say that the stress of almost dying in the goblin cave, brought back memories of a time that I could have died in my world." Her eyes welled with tears, but Eryn willed them to remain in her eyes, because the minute they spilled over, she knew there was no going back. She stared at the fire, hypnotized.

"I felt like I was there all over again, "Eryn whispered, "curled up on the bathroom floor, waiting for the door to fly open, and my life would end just as quickly as I thought I'd fallen in love." The tears in her eyes grew, and she could barely see through them. But the firelight danced off them in a mesmerizing way, causing Eryn to forget what she was talking about for just a moment.

Thorin stared at her for a long moment, his eyes grew dark, but he never said a word, he simply listened and that impressed Eryn. He waited for her. A tear finally escaped her eye, and she wiped it quickly with the sleeve of the shirt loaned to her.

"But, that's enough of that," Eryn finally said after a few moments of silence between the two. "Will you tell me a story?" she blurted, wanting something to distract her.

Thorin looked at her, surprised. "How do you mean?"

"Any story, "Eryn sniffed, wiping the remaining moisture from her eyes, "I'm sure you were young once-" she stuck her tongue out playfully- "You probably have plenty of stories to tell from your childish days." She rested her chin on her knees and investigated the fire once again, trying not to pressure him by staring.

"I'll have you know I am still quite young and capable, despite the veins of silver in my hair." He refuted, crossing his arms.

"I never once questioned your capability, you've proven that many times," Eryn assured him, "as for the silver in your hair, I like it. I think it makes you look distinguished." She offered him this compliment much to his surprise. Warmth crept onto his cheeks, and he cleared his throat.

"A story, well," he stumbled, Eryn chuckled at his embarrassment. He paused to think about what he wanted to tell her before a broad smile grew across his face. "When Dwalin and I were lads, barely older than Fili and Kili's age, we would go out and observe the farmlands for my grandfather. We would make sure the animals were treated well and the farmers we're not without." He began as he pulled out his pipe from a pocket in his cloak, "There was one farmer who was a bit disagreeable, and we would stay in a house next to his home and stables. He was very disagreeable, frequently complaining about the size of his lands. One day, he grew angrier than usual, and instead of reporting it to my grandfather and father, Dwalin and I decided to play a bit of a prank on him." Thorin began to chuckle and paused to light his pipe, "Each night for a month or more, and we would go out and move his fence less than an inch at a time closer to his home. At first, it was hardly noticeable, but over time he thought he was losing his mind. He couldn't tell how much land he thought he had, because the fence was no longer in its original place." Thorin's shoulders shook with laughter, and Eryn couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So, what happened?" Eryn prodded him to continue.

"He tried to explain that his land was shrinking, but everyone else thought he was a lunatic. After a while, I grew to pity the man and began moving the fence back on our next visit to the farms. The farmer no longer complained about the size of his land, and nobody ever knew except for Dwalin and I," Thorin laughed softly to himself, "Well, and now you."

"You were quite the troublemaker, weren't you?" Eryn joked, he simply nodded and grew silent, Eryn wondered if she asked an incorrect question. He looked at the fire once again, but then abruptly back at her once more. She was startled by the ferocity in his eyes.

"Eryn, I promise you; I won't let anyone harm you. As long as you are with me and my kin, nobody will hurt you again." He said finally, eyes growing dark once again, Eryn gave him props for discerning more from her story that she had told. Maybe she wasn't as subtle as she thought, nobody ever was.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick. "I'm grateful to have the opportunity to be with you all." She admitted as she rose, deciding it was time to return to tossing and turning.

"I know," Thorin replied with a small smirk, one that made Eryn narrow her eyes, suspicious.

"What do you know?" She questioned, despite her better judgment.

"You do love Dwarves, after all." Thorin teased, his smirk broadened.

Eryn stood stationary, her mouth hanging slack while she tried to think of a rebuttal, but she was rendered speechless indeed. Thorin had won this round, and victory for him looked sweet based on the smug look he was wearing. Eryn snapped her mouth shut, raised her eyebrows, and nodded, turning on her heels to retreat to her corner of the eyrie. Eryn had received her fair comeuppance.