A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait, guys! There was a horrible combination of having very little down time and a lack of inspiration going on. I'm hoping that this goes away, because I don't like keeping people waiting :( On a slightly different note, I also have an Archive of Our Own account now (actually I have had it for awhile; I just forgot to mention it in chapter 22). The username is still Renovek for those of you who want to find me there. I also have a drabble up for Star Trek if you guys are into that; there's no romance, just a nice bar fight~!

Chapter Twenty-Three

The sun had barely risen when Will lightly shook his sister. "C'mon, Baylee. Time t' get up."

"'M still sleepin'," she mumbled, pulling the covers over her head. "Go away."

Rolling his eyes, Will reached down and pulled the pillow out from underneath his twin's head. She cursed, but made no effort to get up; instead, she slowly curled into a ball and clutched the blankets closer to her. He knew that, with their injuries, he couldn't do anything drastic to Baylee like he normally would, leaving him with very few options. As such, he stiffly leaned down and scooped her up, causing her to wriggle in protest.

"Will!" she whined. "I was havin' a good dream!"

He chuckled as he placed her over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we're leavin' today. Bifur, Bofur, an' Lovisa already have breakfast laid out for us."

"I can walk, y'know!"

"Yes, but you weren't gettin' out o' bed, so I decided t' help you."

Pouting, Baylee tried to glare at her brother, but it failed when she realized she could only look at the back of his head. "Arsemunch."

He tilted his head slightly. "What's that? Ya want t' go for a swim out in the duck pond?"

She squeaked. "William Braddock, don't you dare!"

Will grinned mischievously as he started down the stairs. Baylee began to squirm again when he made, not for the dining hall, but instead for the garden. He laughed as she lightly swatted his shoulder, cursing at him to put her down. It did little to cease his footsteps.

"Baylee, those words are hardly befittin' for a woman o' your age an' status," he teasingly scolded. "Especially when we're around others! Tsk, tsk big sister…"

Baylee's face was crimson as Will set her down in a chair; he had brought her outside where the dwarves were already eating. They were doing their best to hide their amusement at her plight, but it was a poor attempt –Nori couldn't help but snicker and Dwalin was grinning too broadly for that time of day. Holding back his laughter, Bofur started to pile her plate up with food.

"You're the one who made me think you were goin' t' toss me into the pond," she mumbled to her brother.

"When have I ever thrown ya into any sort o' pond?"

She gave him a dry look. "Let's see, shall I clump all o' the summer days from Lake Town together or would ya like me t' name 'em separately?"

His only response was a cheeky grin in her direction.

"I take it that Will's bein' a pain in the arse this morning?" Dwalin asked, still finding amusement in the siblings.

"Just a wee bit. Thank you, Bofur." She kissed Bofur's temple before starting to eat.

Will pouted slightly, pulling a few slabs of bacon onto his plate. "Hey now –without me, you'd be sleepin' still an' missing this good breakfast." Lovisa set three fried eggs onto his plate when he wasn't looking.

She wrapped the blanket –which she had clung onto the entire time- around herself like a dress, shivering slightly as the crisp morning air touched her bare arms. "I almost wish ya had. It's chilly out here."

"Then it's a good thing you've that blanket."

"Ba!" Everyone paused and looked at Zori, who trying to grab a spoonful of porridge from Nori. He already had quite the amount of porridge covering his cheeks and chin, but it seemed he wanted more. "Bababada!" he delightfully cried before he was fed some more food.

Nori raised his brow. "Child, you are too enthusiastic in the morning," he murmured, taking the opportunity to eat some of his own food. "We'll be leavin' before noon, right?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Aye," Dwalin replied. "In fact, it'd be nice t' leave within the next few hours –if possible, that is." He speared an egg with his knife and shoved it into his mouth, chewing it. "We've got a cart an' some horses to pull it for those who can't walk or ride for long as well as for supplies." He stole a small glance at Baylee and Lovisa.

"An' we've got horses for the rest o' us," Ori chirped, happily covering his fried potatoes in white-pepper gravy. "If we keep up a good, leisurely pace, it should take us about two weeks t' get back while followin' the river."

Bifur set his cup down after taking a long drink of water. "Good! Zirikh ganag funm," he sighed. "Sulur lîz nalim, kânush bed-mâ."

Bofur nodded, grinning. "I'll attest t' that," he agreed. "I miss my bed as well. I mean, the beds here are very nice an' plush, but there's just somethin' 'bout layin' in your own bed that makes someone sleep easier."

There were varying sounds of agreement as the others ate. Whenever Nori failed to feed him fast enough, Zori would start to babble loudly at his father, trying to get his attention. It earned some bouts of small laughter from the group. They did their best to eat as much good food as their bellies could handle before they began the long trek home. With better supplies, they knew they wouldn't need to worry about starving on the way back, but they also knew that they couldn't eat as much.

Two hours later found Bifur, Dwalin, and Will were loading the supplies into the back of the cart while Nori, Ori, and Bofur made sure the horses were all properly saddled, each carrying equal amounts of gear. Lovisa, on the other hand, was currently trying to slather Baylee's skin with a strange ointment made of herbs, minerals, and fat. Will had told them that it would help protect their skin from getting burned by the sun and that he had used it when he was last in Dorwinion, but had forgotten to mention the peculiar odor of the salve.

"It reeks," Baylee cringed, fanning her nose with her free hand.

Lovisa glanced up at her as she continued to rub the ointment into Baylee's skin. She lightly shook her head, sighing.

"I know," Baylee told her, "I'm actin' like a babe about this an' complainin' over somethin' that'll stop me from turnin' as red as a crawfish, but it's not a pleasant smell. There's too many flowers crammed into this stuff."

Lovisa gave her another look and motioned for her to hold out her other arm. As Baylee did so, she quietly chuckled. The smell was unpleasant, but not as much as the young woman was making it out to be. In fact, it was almost pleasing when she had gotten used to it –which had been nearly twenty minutes earlier, when she made everyone else put it on.

"I'm goin' t' be in the cart anyway," Baylee quietly told her. "It's covered. Why do I need it?"

'Will walk, ride at times,' Lovisa signed. 'Close eyes.'

Doing as she was told, Baylee sighed when Lovisa gently rubbed the lotion into her face and neck. "Thank you," she mumbled, knowing that Lovisa only had her best interests in mind.

Lovisa kissed the top of her head when she finished and grabbed a towel to wipe her hands off. She motioned for Baylee to wander off while she tidied up things. It was as she was capping the clay pot that Bifur walked up to her.

'Everything in order,' he signed to her, 'but found something odd. Don't remember packing it.'

She cocked her head. 'What?'

He held out a large, yellow clay jar. It was tightly sealed with wax around the rim. 'Three others, too.'

Lovisa let out a hoarse laugh. 'That for Baylee, Galiene!' she told him. 'Preserved lemons."

Bifur looked at her oddly. 'Can preserve lemons?'

Stiffly standing up, she nodded and took the jar from him. 'Are tasty. Would let taste one, but not want open jar. When get back to Dale, will let taste.'

He looked down at the jar for a moment, his brows furrowed in thought.

'What?' She wiped the ointment pot down, ridding it of any stray lotion.

'How lemons preserved?'

'Salt, lemon slices, lemon juice. Sometimes herbs added. No herbs with these.'

Bifur's brow slowly rose as he glanced back down at the jar. 'Would not think salted lemons taste good…'

She let out another hoarse laugh. 'Not salty. Promise.' Taking the yellow jar from him, she tucked it under her arm before daring to kiss his cheek. 'Thank you.' And then she walked off, leaving Bifur standing there, blushing and confused.

'What did I do?' he thought, head tilting to the side.

"And ya promise she won't be killed…?"

"I swear to you, Lady Baylee. She is being cooperative and has not tried to resist us. She does not want harm to befall her people."

Baylee nodded in understanding. "Good…She helped me an' Ori a lot. I don't want t' see her killed." She winced slightly as she rested against the wagon, though she ignored the pain in her leg as she looked over at the dwarves as they were helped into their saddles. "Rán…why is Girish saddling up as well?"

She looked at the younger woman, chuckling. "By his request, I have relieved Girish of his duties as a ranger," she explained. "It seems that his heart now lies within in Dale."

"Really?" Her brows rose, amused, as Rán nodded. "Do you know who or what owns it now?"

"Apparently, the golden-haired maiden at your inn."

Her eyes widened. "Ya mean Wenna?!" Rán nodded, quietly laughing once more. "Well now, this should give her a proper surprise," she chuckled.

"And it will give you and your family a long-time customer," Rán added. "Though, he does need to work on his Westron…"

Baylee gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure we'll have him near fluent by the time we get back t' Dale," she told her. "We'll take care o' him."

"And he will also be able to help protect you and the others, since he suffered hardly any injury during the fight last week," Rán added. "Which, by the way…I am still left baffled as to how you and your brother are healing so quickly."

She shrugged, though mentally rolled her eyes. 'You and everyone else in this place,' she thought. "We've always been fast healers," is what she instead said. A shadow suddenly towered over her and she looked up, watching as Will came towards them. "Is it time t' go?" she asked her twin.

He nodded. "Aye, it is. C'mon, let's get you in the wagon."

Turning to Rán again, she gave her a small smile. "Goodbye, Rán. Thank you for all the help you've given t' us an' continue t' give. I hope we can meet again –under better circumstances." She gave the ranger a last hug.

Hugging her in return, Rán forced herself to smile. "I wish your journey goes well and I pray for an even faster recovery for you all," she replied, stepping back. She managed to force a smile that seemed natural enough. "Take care, Lady Baylee."

"You as well, Rán."

As Baylee was helped into the cart, Rán left the company and went to the north gate of the city. It was closed, so rarely was it used thanks to the trade from the east. Giving the order for it to be opened, she went up the steps and stood near the tower on the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. Soon enough, seven horses and a wagon left the city through the gate. Her gaze fixed onto the group, watching as they slowly shrank into the distance.

"Treat her well," she whispered.

Ori quietly hummed as he stirred a pot of rabbit stew. It had only been cooking for a quarter of an hour, but it was already making his stomach rumble in anticipation. He glanced over at Lovisa, who currently had her back to him. Grinning cheekily, he dared to lean forward and steal a taste of the dinner. The action earned him a small knock on the noggin from Nori as he and Zori came to sit next to him.

"What was that for?" Ori frowned.

"You're startin' to pick up my bad habits," Nori replied.

"I was just seeing if it needed any seasoning."

Nori's brow rose. "Mhm. That wasn't the first taste you've stolen, lad, and you've not added anything to it." Leaning over, he traded Ori's wooden spoon for Zori, grinning as Ori managed to awkwardly hold the child. Zori cooed happily as he gummed away on a wooden horse that Bofur had carved for him over the week.

Ori shifted, starting to lightly bounce his nephew on his knee while holding onto him with his good hand. "Why is it always me you give Zori too?"

"That's not true. I've passed him off to Lovisa, Baylee, and even Will plenty o' times."

"More like they steal him from you."

He shrugged. "Either way. He's your nephew, you know. You need to get used to watching him –especially if Dwalin lives up to his threat of kidnapping him from me."

Rolling his eyes, Ori fixed the crooked cap Zori wore. "He won't take Zori from you, Nori. He may threaten an' joke about doing so, but he won't actually do it." His brows furrowed slightly as he tucked part of the cap behind Zori's ear, which seemed unusually pointed to him. He had noticed it in the past, but had made no mention of it to his brother, thinking that Zori just had to grow into them.

"Is something wrong?"

Glancing up at Nori, he quickly shook his head. "No, no…just thought somethin' was off, but it isn't."

"What do you mean?" Nori asked, frowning.

Ori nonchalantly shrugged. "It's nothing. I just thought his ear was a tad bit…pointed for being a human child."

Nori watched him from the corner of his eye. "…You've noticed it, too?" His voice was quiet and solemn.

He looked up at his brother. "What?"

Nori slowly nodded. "Aye, I've seen it, too. Since he's started gaining weight, he's grown a bit and his ears are getting a bit more prominent." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't think he could be…?"

Ori looked down at the child; Zori was happily growling at his wooden horse as he covered it in drool. "He could very well be. You don't know what his parents were."

"I'm positive he's not a…full one." He sighed, closing his eyes. "He doesn't have that much charm about him. Not that the 'fair folk' have personality…we dwarrows are much more friendly."

"I don't know…It had to take quite a bit to make you of all people to keep him and decide to raise him."

Nori shot him a small glare. "Well, I couldn't just give him up, you know –he had grown fond of me," he defensively told his little brother. "It would be a shame to just give him up after everything he had gone through. What if he didn't like the new parents as much? He'd grow up not feeling much affection for them. That'd be a shame on all fronts."

Ori's brow rose. "I've seen you play with him, Nori. You adore this lil' guy." He smiled at Zori and lightly rubbed his nose against his. "Whether he's elf or not."

"Don't call him an elf," Nori grumbled. "Even if he has…that kind of blood in him, he's my son and that's makes him a dwarf." He stirred the stew as it started to violently bubble. "Have the carrots been added into this?"

Shaking his head, Ori managed to turn Zori around to face Nori. "No. They haven't even been sliced yet."

With a sigh, Nori reached down into the dinner basket and pulled out a carrot and a knife. He started to peel the carrots, not realizing that Zori was watching him with great intent. After peeling the carrot, he leaned forward and started to cut it into small rounds, which landed with small 'plops' into the stew.

'There are only two races with pointed ears,' thought Nori, 'but only one of them lives on this side of the Misty Mountains. Otherwise, we would have heard about hobbits long before Mister Baggins…' He stirred the carrot pieces into the stew, watching as they disappeared into the thick, white broth. 'So that does make him at least part elf. If he's full, though, I don't think the dwarrows back home will like him being in the city…'

He stole a glance at Ori and Zori, finding that Ori was 'dancing' with the child. A small smile came to his features. 'Elf or not, he's my son now and that makes him an honorary dwarf. He's of the Ri clan now, like it or not.' He reached into the basket for another carrot, but paused as he heard a small 'Ahpa' come from his right. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Zori leaning over, trying to reach him.

"Ahpa! Ahpa!" His right hand was clenching onto the horse while the other opened and closed; both were stretched towards him.

"That's right, I'm your papa," he quietly chuckled, taking him back. He sat him down between his legs, Zori's back resting against his stomach. "And you're my Zori."

"Ahpa?"

"Z-or-ee." He plucked up the second carrot and began to peel it, the orange peels falling to the ground like rain.

Zori's head tilted as he watched the pieces fall. "...Ahwee?"

"Z-or-ee." Nori started to cut it up now.

He tried to grab a fistful of peeks. "Ohee."

"Close enough. Those are icky, put them down." He smiled slightly, taking the peels from his son and tossing them into the fire.

Ori softly laughed, shaking his head. "You may not admit it, but you enjoy being a dad."

Nori sighed in defeat. "Just…don't let the others know 'bout Zori's heritage, alright? I don't need them hatin' him."

"They can't hate him; he's a baby! Who in their right mind hates babies?"

He gave his brother a dry look. "You know what I mean, Ori."

"Yes, but I'm just letting you know –none o' them will hate a baby. Yes, they may not enjoy the fact tha' he's part elf, but…" He looked down at Zori, smiling. "It's not his fault. He's too cute to dislike, anyway." He carefully smooshed Zori's cheeks together, making him giggle. "He's got such chubby cheeks now!"

Nori laughed out loud. "Aye, he does. I reckon he's gained a good five pounds since I've saved him. Soon enough, I bet, he'll be a lil' crawling ball of chub."

"As any good dwarrowling should be." He gave his brother an assuring smile only to get patted on the back.

"Aye, don't you know it."

A hiss of pain left Baylee's mouth as she slowly massaged her hip. It was aching something awful after just a few hours of riding, almost making her regret choosing the pony over the wagon. Despite this, she kept her pain to herself, not wanting to worry anyone –especially Will or Lovisa. They were already too preoccupied with the rationing of supplies and their own wounds. She looked down at the fabric covering her side and pulled her shirt up a bit. The bandages wrapped around her hips had some stains on them, but they were from the beginning of the trip and had gone through some washings since then.

Relieved to see no fresh blood, she tucked her shirt back into her trousers and leaned back against the wheel of the wagon. She slowly brought her leg up, leaving the other stretched out. 'Can't wait for this pain to go away,' she thought. 'It's really cumbersome and making me feel useless…' Thanks to her crutches, she couldn't do much around the camps they made at night unless she was sitting.

"Yeh hungry, lass?"

Her eyes opened and she looked up to find Dwalin standing beside her, two bowls in his hand. The bandages around his head were still there, but they covered much less area now that his eye socket had healed a bit. She gave him a small smile. "Aye I am."

"Then have some stew." He held out one of the bowls to her. "Nori an' Ori helped make it, so I can't guarantee it's any good." After she took it, he leaned against the wagon, starting to eat.

Brushing some hair behind her ear, she rested the bowl atop her knee. "I've survived Will's cookin'; I think I can survive theirs," she chuckled. "How're your injuries doin'?"

He gave a small nod as he chewed a bit of rabbit. "Some o' them still hurt, but I'm well on my way t' bein' mended. My socket itches somethin' awful, though, an' I can't even rub it t' relieve the feelin'."

"I know how that goes," she agreed, "only it's my hip. I don't think I should ride again for a couple of days; it's aching horribly."

"Just give it some time an' it'll be all healed up again. Though, I'm surprised the warg didn't outright crush yer bones. Yer a wee lass, Baylee, an' the bite o' a warg that size is nothin' t' laugh at." He poked around his stew, looking for more rabbit meat. "Though, I got t' hand it t' yeh, lass –yeh did a good job protectin' Ori."

She glanced up at him as she chewed on a bit of carrot; it could have been left in the stew a bit longer, but it was still edible. "I did?"

He nodded. "Aye, yeh did. Some o' the ranger women an' Ori were tellin' me 'bout it." Fishing the last bit of meat from his stew, he slowly chewed it. "Yeh were apparently quite the feisty lil' fighter!"

Her cheeks turning a bit pink, she managed a tiny smile. "That's what Bofur was tellin' me…He said I could have been a female dwarf, I was hoppin' around so much on the battlefield."

Dwalin laughed. "Is tha' so? Cannae say I saw yeh fightin' much; I was too busy bludgeonin' things. I'll take his word for it, though."

"Truthfully, I don't remember much of any o' the fights," she sighed. She ate some more of the broth. "I just want t' forget most o' it. I can fight, but that doesn't make me a fighter."

"Aye, that's true, lass, but what yeh did…Not many human women would do that." He shrugged, drinking the rest of his dinner right from the bowl. "If yeh were a dwarf, yer actions would earn yeh a warrior's mark."

She glanced up at him. "Warriors mark?"

He held up his knuckles, showing her the tattoos on them. "Tattoos. Some o' them are t' denote what clan yer from, others, yer job. But these ones…" He rubbed his head, sighing. "They're t' show others how good yeh are in battle. They're always in a visible area so tha' folk can know not t' mess with yeh."

"Huh…Interestin'," she murmured. She had always known he had tattoos, but she had never really stopped to take the time to look them over. Now that she was inspecting them, however, she saw intricately some of them were and how straight and linear the lines were.

"I know yer family has a bit o' a fascination with our culture," he chuckled, "so I was goin' t' ask yer brother if he wanted me t' give him one."

"Knowin' Will, he'd love that."

He nodded slowly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "If yeh want, yeh can have one, too. I mean, yeh did fight just as much as the rest o' us." His tone was casual enough, but Baylee could tell that he was trying to convince her to get one.

As such, she lightly shook her head and quietly laughed. "We'll see. I'm not sure how I feel 'bout the idea o' a needle repeatedly gettin' stabbed into my skin."

"Not so bad after the first couple dozen strikes." He looked at her bowl, finding it nearly empty. "Yeh want more, lass?"

For a moment, she was quiet as she pondered the question. Her stomach didn't feel entirely full just yet, but at the same time, she knew she couldn't eat an entire bowlful. As such, she handed the bowl up to him. "Aye, please –though, just fill it halfway. I don't think I could eat an entire second bowl."

"Understandable, lass," he chuckled. Taking the bowl from him, he wandered back towards the fire. He grabbed the ladle and refilled his bowl and half of Baylee's, Bofur coming to stand by him while he did so.

"You tryin' t' convince Baylee t' get a warriors mark?" Bofur quietly asked.

He shrugged. "Just passed the idea along t' her. She seems a bit interested, though there may the whole stigma o' the fact that she's a human."

Bofur quietly chuckled. "Well, if she does choose t' get it, I'm sure the two o' you could find a spot that makes it subtle."

Dwalin glanced down at him, chuckling. "What, yeh wouldn't want her t' have it on her face like other lasses?"

"…Well, I wouldn't be opposed t' it, but how many humans do you see walkin' 'round with big ol' tattoos on their faces?" He took the half-full bowl from Dwalin. "I think she's pretty enough as is, ink or not. But, if she were t' get the tattoo…" Innocently shrugging, he grinned and walked off.

"O' course yeh would." Dwalin shook his head, amused, and went to go sit between Ori and Bifur.

The days passed by without incident. So little had happened, in fact, that everyone was beginning to get bored from the lack of excitement. Even Baylee, as peaceful of a person as she was, felt like she would go bonkers if something didn't happen soon.

Luck was once more in their favor, for just when they were about to go insane, something did happen.

The company was about four days (by Will's reckoning) from Dale and had stopped for their midday rest when a small flock of ravens flew overhead. They came to land nearby, catching the attention of a buck-naked Zori. He was starting to crawl towards them only to be plucked up by Baylee. He whined and writhed in protest, doing his best to pout at her, but it failed.

"You silly lil' thing," she cooed, holding him against her shoulder. She winced as she walked; without her crutches, it was still a very painful process. "Those birdies are twice your size, wee one. They'd fly off with you." She started to limp back towards the group, flinching with almost every step. When he continued to whine, she pulled him back and blew a raspberry on his belly, earning giggles from him.

"Curious that there would be a flock of ravens this far out," Nori murmured, staring at the birds. He took a bite of beef as Baylee set Zori on the ground in front of him. "They tend to prefer stayin' close to Erebor…"

Will glanced up, slowly munching away on a bit of cracker. He tilted his head slightly, his brow rising. "Aren't those the king's ravens…?" he asked, looking at his sister.

"In all honesty, I wouldn't know. I've never seen them," she replied. She eased herself down onto the ground, her eyes shut as she slowly exhaled. The pain slowly left her leg, fading from a sharp pain to a dull throb.

"Leg still hurtin' somethin' awful?" Bofur came over, holding two bowls of meat, sliced fruit, and crackers. He handed one to her and kissed her temple before sitting down beside her.

"Aye, but not as bad as when we first set out. Thank you." She started to nibble at a bit of meat.

Will shook his head. "We'll get you looked at as soon as we're back in Dale," he told her. "Uncle should be able to figure out why you're not healin' as fast as the rest o' us."

"Tooth in bone," Bifur piped up, though he spoke slowly and methodically, trying to pronounce everything correctly. "Slow heal. Always slow heal." He crunched into some meat and cheese that he had wedged between two crackers.

"Gettin' better with your words!" Bofur grinned. "Keep practicin' an' we'll have Bombur surprised soon enough." He shoved almost a whole cracker into his mouth, happily crunching away. As he ate, he subtly slipped his free arm around Baylee's waist and tugged her just a bit closer to him. Hearing her soft giggle, he smiled.

Bifur shrugged. "Westron hard relearn. Take time."

Dwalin patted him on the back. "Yer doin' good, though, lad," he assured him. He then looked over at the ravens. One of them was hopping closer to the group and he cocked his brow, his head tilting slightly. He tossed a bit of cracker over, watching as the raven gobbled it up. "Yer a hungry bird, aren't yeh?"

"As you would certainly be if you had flown for half a day!"

The cracker Dwalin held fell from his hands as he stared at the bird. He wasn't the only one to stare, however –the rest of the company, save for Zori, was gawking at the bird.

Noticing this, the raven let out a harsh cackle. "Clearly you have not heard a raven speak before!"

"Oh, no," Bofur blinked, "we have –before the Battle o' Five Armies. It's just we didn't expect you lot to be some o' Carc's folk!"

The raven hopped over, tilting his large head this way and that as he looked over the group. "So then this is the group of travelers who went in search of those who had been kidnapped?"

"Aye, we are."

"There are more heads than what I had been told to count. Two more, in fact! A hatchling and one who has seen many summers pass by. But this is good news. We were told to seek out the group of nine and finding eleven instead is better than finding seven."

"Who sent you?" Will asked.

"The kings of Dale and of Erebor, of course!" The raven spread a wing and picked at it with his beak for a few minutes. "They have sent us to scour the lands before them so that we may bring back any news to them and so that they can meet you."

Baylee gawked at the raven. "They…they've set out for us?"

Nodding, the raven stretched both wings, flapping them idly before settling down in the soft grass. "Too long you have taken to return; they had grown uneasy and with so little news, they gathered their best and left. Lord Dain remains in Erebor; however, King Bard does come forth with soldiers. Both men and dwarves there are! The finest in the two cities. Two elves there are as well, though they come on behalf of neither king, but rather on behalf of their love of the innkeeper's children. They number only twenty, but they are hardy and will do well against foes should a fight take place."

"Well, they needn't worry about any fights," Will told him. "We left those behind us."

"As I can see! You are all marked with battle-injury –save for the hatchling. The kings, I fear, will not be entirely pleased by this news, but such things happen when one's kin is taken hostage! As the human walks, they are a day away from here, but riding ever closer. My flock and I will fly back and tell them of this good news…but first, we have traveled far. May we have food?"

Will and Dwalin both got to their feet and dug out spare crackers before grinding them up into large crumbs and pouring them into one of the smaller pots. The ravens thanked them and started to eat only to be further delighted as they were also given bits of meat. Zori watched them the whole while, entranced by their glossy feathers and wide wings.

Bofur, meanwhile, fed Baylee a bit of his cheese. "I didn't know ya had elvish friends…"

She lightly shrugged. "Our family has a few o' them –mostly the ones tha' like t' come t' the inn for drinks when Mirkwood's run out o' wine. I don't know who'd come all this way t' help look for us, though." She rested her head against his shoulder. "Don't worry; I don't plan t' run off with an elvish boyo."

He chuckled. "I wasn't thinkin' about tha'," he told her. "Just…curious that they came out here is all."

"It is," she admitted. She looked up as Will came over to them, bearing a clay bottle. "Heya, Will," she smiled.

He crouched down, handing the bottle to her; Baylee frowned in disgust. "You need t' drink some o' this," he told her, a knowing look on his features. "I know ya don't like it, but it seems t' help take the pain away."

"It tastes horrible," she sighed. Inside the bottle was a concoction they had picked up in the last village they had passed by. The healer had sworn that the contents would help relieve pain for an entire day on just two, small drinks. After discovering that it was true –despite Baylee's complaint that it tasted like rancid cheese- Will had bought three bottles.

Taking the bottle from her twin, she uncorked it and closed her eyes. As she took a sip, she heard Will and Bofur crack up; her face had contorted into one of pure disgust. Taking a second drink of the stuff, she stuck her tongue out and corked the bottle, thrusting it back into Will's hands.

"Get it away from me," she gagged.

Will laughed and ruffled her hair. "You may not have to drink it must longer, from the sounds of it," he assured her. "If there's a small army comin', then that means healers. An' that means no more of this stuff, even though it does seem t' work with ya."

Baylee looked up at her twin, a rather pathetic look on her face. "I think I'd rather some o' uncle's medicines than this stuff," she told him. "Have ya tasted it?"

"I haven't been in much pain."

"Take a drink. You'll see why I cringe."

Raising his brow, Will uncorked the bottle and tossed back a drink of it. He instantly regretted it. Shoving the cork into the bottle, he started to splutter and cough, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth as quickly as possible. Girish and Ori, having seen what transpired, joined in with Baylee and Bofur's laughter.

"Alright, alright," Will finally wheezed. "I see your point –this stuff is nasty. But just because it tastes nasty doesn't mean it hasn't been workin', so until you get looked over by uncle or someone just as good as him, you're goin' t' keep drinkin' it." He once more spat on the ground, the taste still filling his mouth.

"I know," she replied, offering him a cracker.

Bofur chuckled and shook his head. "If I didn't know the stuff was medicine, I'd think the two o' you were crazy for even tryin' it. The smell alone is bad enough! Why risk the taste?" He popped a bit of meat into his mouth, though something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. "Ah, hello there, Zori. Are you on another adventure, laddie?"

"Avoidin' his bath is what he's doin'," Nori answered as he snatched up the child. "He knows what's comin' and is trying to hide from me." Zori wriggled, but laughed as Nori tickled his sides. "Come along, lil' one. You stink." He walked over towards the stream, the ravens taking off to the north so that they could deliver the news.

"So I guess now the question is whether we stay here an' wait for the others or continue on to meet them," Ori suddenly spoke, drawing most everyone's attention. "Personally, I think we should move on a bit. We don't really have any protection from the sun out here an' it looks like there's some sort o' forest in the distance."

"I doubt that it's a forest; we're still almost a week out o' Dale an' the closet forest t' Dale is Mirkwood," Will told him. "If anything, it's the beginnin' o' the hills outside o' the city. They sometimes look like forests when they're this far away."

Shading his eye, Dwalin peered out into the distance. "Hills or trees, my vote is t' keep movin'. I don't like stayin' still this long, even if help is on the way."

"Same," came the chorus of agreement from others.

"Will start pack wagon," Bifur slowly told the others as he stood up. Taking Lovisa's empty bowl, he began to collect the empty dishes from the rest of the company, getting himself a nice, tall stack by the time he reached the wagon.

Lovisa stood and began to clean up the sacks and barrels they had gotten into for food. Hoisting a barrel of cured meat over her shoulder, she winced in pain (for her ribs were still hurt) before also plucking up the small barrel that held their crackers. Her strength still managed to surprise the dwarves, who, thanks to Lovisa's height, were constantly forgetting that she was half dwarf.

Setting the barrels down on the floor of the wagon, she gave them both a shove, wedging them back into their places with the other supplies. Beside her was Bifur; he was patting the bottoms of each bowl, freeing them of any remaining meat or bread crumbs before tucking them back into their basket. He glanced up at the half-dwarf, giving her a small smile as he caught her watching him. A cheeky grin came to her features before patted him on the back.

'Good job,' she signed to him. 'Help hitch horses?'

Bifur nodded as he pushed the basket towards the middle of the wagon. Lovisa started to walk off towards the horses, which were grazing some yards away, and he followed behind her. His head cocked to the side as he (unconsciously) noticed that her hips seemed to have a bit more of a sway to them than normal. Of course, he promptly gave himself a mental smack across the head when he noticed that he was staring at her hindquarters.

He was a gentledwarf; staring like that was improper of him.

…And yet, the view was quite pleasing.

He mentally smacked himself again.

The sun was just ready to dip beneath the western horizon when the company decided to make camp for the night. Will, Girish, and Tyko were helping the dwarves and Baylee from their horses when a great chorus of cawing filled the night. Looking to the north, the group could see riders in the distance. Overheard, the sky was turned black by the flock of ravens that circled above them, letting the riders know of their position.

"Stay here," Will ordered before mounting his horse again. He rode off into the distance, intending to meet with the oncoming riders. He did not have to ride far; within ten minutes, he had halted his horse as the small army ceased riding as well.

"Will!"

His eyes shot open as someone rode towards him. "Dad?" he called, shielding his eyes against the dying sunlight. When he saw that the rider was, indeed, his father, he laughed and dismounted. "Da'! It is you!"

Warren grinned as he dismounted. "We got too anxious waitin' for ya, lad!" he laughed, pulling his son into a tight bear-hug. "Where are the others?"

"'Bout a mile further," he answered, wincing slightly as his dad gave him a tight squeeze. "Careful, da', I've got a few hurts about me."

Pulling back slightly, Warren squinted through the dying light to look his son over. "Aye, that you do," he frowned. "Please tell me your sister isn't hurt."

Will glanced away, biting his lower lip. "Well…t' tell you the truth, da'…we all got hurt. Some worse than others, but we're all up an' walking." He looked up as a black horse came over to them; its rider was Bard. Will gave a slight bow, feeling the muscles in his back twinge slightly. "Good evening, my lord, Bard."

"It is indeed a good evening," Bard smiled. "We're glad to have found you all once again. I take it you have ridden ahead of the others?"

He nodded. "They're making camp for the night," he explained. "We're all rather tired after bein' on the road for so long –especially at the start o' summer."

Bard let out a quiet laugh. "I would imagine," he agreed. "Soon enough, the lot of you will be returned home and you can sleep in your own beds and return to your normal lives again."

"Speakin' o' which, Will…" Warren gave his son a stern look. "We've got t' talk about Adela."

Will flinched. "Er…aye, I know, da', I know." He smiled innocently. "Not in front o' the king, though…"

Within an hour, the two groups had come together. Not only had Warren come, but Richard, Dori, and Bombur as well. Warren and Richard had seemed rather heartbroken when they found Baylee limping and missing two fingers, but they were quickly cheered up again when she practically tackled them to the ground. Bombur was more than a little relieved to find his brother and cousin whole, having fretted quite a bit about their safety when he had heard the news.

Dori, on the other hand…

Dori was fuming.

Seeing his younger brothers, he got down from his pony and stormed right over to them. "What in the world were you thinking!?" he snarled, jabbing his finger into Nori's chest. "Goin' off after Ori without telling me? Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you even think?!"

Nori smacked his hand away. "Excuse me, but we couldn't waste any time sendin' word to Erebor about what had happened! We had to get on the trail of the kidnappers right away if we wanted even a slim chance o' finding them."

"I didn't know for a week, Nori! Do you know how worried I was when I heard the-" He paused as a quiet whining came from behind Nori.

"Oh, now you've gone an' done it," Ori scolded. "We had just managed t' get him to sleep…"

Dori's brows were knitted together as he watched Nori sling something from his back. His eyes widened and he let out an uncharacteristic curse as he saw his middle brother pull a child from a sling. "What in Aulë's name…?"

Standing up, Nori plopped Zori into the stunned Dori's arms. "This is your new nephew," he told Dori. "His name is Zori. I rescued him. You woke him up when Ori an' I had just managed t' get him to sleep after an hour. As such, it's you who gets to put him back to sleep."

Dori stared at the child for a moment, watching as Zori fussed and squirmed in his blankets. His half-closed, blue eyes looked up at his uncle, both tired and confused. Dori then looked up at Nori, who wore a look that was a cross between amused and irritated. Finally, he glanced at Ori, who was hiding a yawn –or laughter, he couldn't really tell- behind his hand.

"You named him Zori?" he asked, his tone almost pathetic sounding.

"May as well keep it in the family," Nori shrugged. "He is my son, after all. It was almost Tori, but I thought Zori more fittin'."

Nodding slowly, Dori started to instinctively rock Zori and coo at him, trying to get him to quiet down. "What happened to your arm, Ori?"

"Broke it. Got attacked by a warg, but Nori gored it before it could do any worse." He lightly shrugged. "Not nearly as bad as Dwalin…He lost an eye. Will got mauled across the face and shoulders an' Baylee got pretty bitten up on her thigh as well as got two fingers chopped off. Zori there is the only one who didn't get hurt, honestly."

Dori frowned, shaking his head. "All that because of some raiders…? That's insane…"

"They were warg riders," Nori told him. "And their wargs were about twice the size of any warg we had seen." He glanced down at his little brother. "We've quite the tale to tell over the next few days, don't we, Ori?"

Ori nodded vigorously. "That we do," he grinned. "And I'll make sure to get it all written down when we're back home."

"Of course you will," Dori said, taking a seat beside Ori. He looked back down at Zori, finding that the child had stopped fussing and was now just watching him. "…He is a bit of a cutie, though," he admitted, smiling fondly. It was a well-known fact that Dori had a soft spot for children.

"He's cute –until he farts. Then he becomes a lil' stinker," Nori grinned, sitting down again as well. "Which, he may start doin' soon. He had a nice, big dinner of bits of fruit and cheese.

As if on cue, there came a high-pitched noise from Zori's hindquarters. Nori and Ori burst out laughing as Dori did his best to fan his noise.

"By Aulë's beard!" Dori gagged. "That is potent!" He couldn't help but burst into a laughing fit, though. "Just like Nori when he was a wee tyke!"

Nori suddenly stopped laughing. "I was not!" he argued.

"Oh, yes you were! Don't you even try to deny it –you laughed every time mother and I were forced to change your diapers, they were that bad."

"I guess it runs in the family then," Ori snickered, having scooted away from his brothers and nephew. "Zori a big stinker just like Nori."

Dori's laughter began anew while Nori did his best to look angry.

He most certainly was not a big stinker.