- Chapter 18 -

"She does not belong with that company," Elrond said firmly. He paced the balcony with his hands behind his back, a frown upon his face. The three of them lingered in the meeting space despite the departure of the head of their counsel.

Saruman had taken his leave and for that Elrond was almost thankful. The white wizards temper seemed to sour after they heard the dwarves departed without his counsel, and Elrond had enough on his mind for the moment.

"Her fate is already tied to the dwarves," said Galadriel. "You have seen it."

"I know not the outcome," he said heavily, clearly recalling the vision she was speaking of. He came to stand at the edge of the balcony, his eyes looking down over the gardens below them. There, only just a few short hours ago, he had sat quietly with his niece before being interrupted. Their conversation was put on hold by Gandalf's pressing urgency, so reluctantly he'd left her to sit alone, never uncovering the reason behind her unusually foul mood. He suspected the dwarves had a play in it, but perhaps there was something else...

Now she was gone, and Elrond's frustration was slowly rising.

"Even the wisest can not see all ends," she said. When he turned around, the Lady Galadriel gave him a small encouraging smile.

"She has not walked this earth long enough to understand what she will be facing," he said.

"The dwarves expect her to follow," she said, and her eyes shifted to Gandalf, who sat off to the side smoking his long pipe quietly and thoughtfully.

"She signed the contract," Gandalf added slowly. "She is bound to fulfill her part in this."

"Only because you encouraged it," Elrond snapped. "She is not their puppet Gandalf."

"She was bound to this task before coming back to Arda," Gandalf said, standing up. He fidgeted with his pipe before it disappeared out of sight, the smell of the tobacco lingering just the slightest in the open space.

"You bound her to this task by deceiving not only her but me as well," Elrond said angrily. "A visit to the Shire seemed harmless enough, if only I had looked closer at the signs. I should never have let her leave these borders in the first place. I should have sent her to Lorien, to be with Arwen. I would no more wish this task upon her than I would my own daughter."

"If they are successful she could help restore the peace between the dwarves and elves in the East. There are worse things out there to fight against than ourselves," Gandalf said. "Besides, your vision showed not all bad things."

"King Thranduil will not be so easy to convince in that area. He does not take kindly to dwarves, regardless if they are his neighbors or not," Elrond explained. "Thror damaged the relationship with the Woodland Realm once he was consumed by dragon sickness, and Thorin will suffer the same fate. A sickness lies upon that mountain and anyone who enters it."

"Shyloh will not succumb to dragon sickness," Gandalf said but Elrond fixed him with a dark look.

"She may not be consumed by dragon sickness herself, but she will still suffer from it while she watches it destroy Thorin piece by piece," Elrond said. "Has she not already been through enough?"

"Mithrandir is right," Galadriel said softly. "I feel she is bound to this quest but for what purpose I can not say."

"The company will fail," Elrond said, and Gandalf looked up quickly. "Do you forget the prophecy so easily?"

"The bells will ring in gladness at the mountain king's return," Galadriel recited from memory, her face becoming serious as she herself recalled the prophecy. "But all shall fail in sadness, and the lake will shine and burn."

"You will follow them?" Elrond asked suddenly, looking at Gandalf.

The wizard nodded slowly. "That is the plan."

"You will take the elven road through Mirkwood?" asked Elrond and again, Gandalf nodded. "She is not to go further than the Woodland Realm. If that dragon wakens, it will destroy all within its path."

Shyloh looked down upon the house of Elrond from the side of the mountain feeling completely disheartened. She had no desire to leave the comforts of her home so soon, in fact, she didn't want to leave them at all. Her eyes lingered on the darkened outline of the vaulted rooftops one last time before she felt a pair of eyes on her. Turning her head just the slightest, she caught Thorin watching her out of the corner of her eye.

"You gave us your word," he said evenly, and she pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"I'm allowed to look at my home, Thorin," she retorted. "We haven't left the Valley yet and I haven't fallen behind."

"You seem like you want to change your mind," he said, letting the others pass as he waited for her.

"Of course I want to change my mind," she said, and she fell into step behind Bombur who brought up the rear. "That doesn't mean I'm going to."

He eyed her suspiciously as she walked past but she just fixed her stare straight ahead and ignored him as he fell into step behind her. He never brought up the rear of their party, and it was unusual for him to let Balin take the lead, but he neither pushed his way forwards nor complained as they walked through the Hidden Valley quietly. Silently, she wondered if he was following behind because he was afraid she would make a run for it and leave them. She didn't though, and she pretended Thorin didn't exist for a long time.

The last couple of days were definitely not enough time to enjoy the comforts of Rivendell but she had no say in the matter. Thorin and Gandalf planned the departure of the Hidden Valley carefully so that they would leave during the White Counsel meeting.

Stepping back into the Wild was a daunting feeling. She would rather high tail it back to Rivendell without a backward glance than go another step further. However, one step turned into two, and two turned into ten, and before she knew it she was that much closer to Erebor and that much further from home.

Their first night in the wild was a quiet one and Shyloh looked up at the cloudy sky with a frown. The snoring of the dwarves around her told her they were all fast asleep. Bifur rolled over once after waking her for night watch and then he zonked out within seconds of making sure she was awake. She stood and quietly walked the perimeter of their camp, pulling her cloak closer around her, trying to jolt the sleep from her weary body. They only rested briefly while traveling through the night and most of the day. Thorin seemed determined to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Imladris in one go, so they walked more and talked less.

Looking over at the lump that was Thorin's outline, she gave him a bitter look. Elrond had been a generous host, the least the dwarves could have done was say thank you, but did they? Nope. She wondered how much trouble she was going to be in with her uncle and she bit her lip. He didn't seem overly happy with her or Gandalf at first but his time had been mostly consumed with the counsel meeting and other obligations, that the two of them had had very little time to discuss anything before she left.

Shaking her head, she pushed the disappointing thoughts from her mind and looked out across the open landscape around them. They had come to rest along a shelf that offered them protection from the bitter western winds for the night. The fire flickered in the breeze so she added another log to it for fuel and then stepped around Oin's body and went to sit further down the rock wall, giving herself a good view of the rolling hills around them. She could easily make out the shapes of each dwarf and hobbit as they slept a short distance away.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, she found herself humming softly. The tune was one she knew she'd never hear in Arda and she was sadly reminded of all the great music she'd never hear again. The tune though, was one she knew well and one her mom had sang to her as a little girl.

Stand by me had always been a favorite of hers, but the humming slowly turned into words and she sang it, doing her best to keep quiet so as not to wake the dwarves.

"That song your singing," came a voice from the dark. "What is it?"

Thorin's eyes met her startled ones as she scanned the lumps of dwarves that were scattered around the campsite. His dark eyes reflected the glow of the firelight.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, only half apologetically. He shook his head and then stood, closing the distance between them in a few strides much to her surprise. He was a head shorter than her when they were standing but it didn't make much difference when he sank down onto the cold ground next to her with a slight huff, and then his own eyes scanned the campsite, as if he had to make sure no one else had woken.

"I do not sleep much anymore," he said quietly and she wondered just how long that had been going on. Then again, she never really took notice of the sleep patterns of her companions until just now, so if Thorin didn't sleep much, that was news to her.

She also wondered, if he wasn't sleeping much because they were slowly making their way closer to the mountain, or if he hadn't slept well since the dragon claimed their homeland so many years ago. Irregardless, she made a mental note of it. If he wasn't sleeping because of the latter, she would have to mention it to Gandalf when he met them later on.

"The song?" he asked again. "What is it? I know very little of elvish tunes."

Stretching out her legs before her and crossing one over the other, she tucked her hands between her knees. "It's not elvish, actually. My mom used to sing it to me when I was a kid and couldn't sleep. I was a stubborn child."

He snorted. "I can believe that."

Rolling her eyes she went on. "She always said I had my nights and days mixed up, that I would always be wide awake at night and sleepy during the day. So she'd take me outside and we'd sit under the stars and she'd sing me that song."

"Will you sing it again?" he asked, again much to her surprise. She didn't often sing, much less in front of other people, and hadn't sang anything since coming to live in this world. She had a husky voice and didn't think of herself as a talented singer.

"I'm not very good," she said, but he looked up at her.

"I would not ask if I thought you weren't."

Her face reddened a little and she looked away. Licking her lips she looked up again at the cloudy sky, silently cursing the clouds for hogging the stars to themselves for the night.

With a small sigh, she sang softly.

When the night has come

And the land is dark

and the moon, is the only light we'll see

No I won't, be afraid

Oh, I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

So darlin', darlin', stand by me

Oh stand by me

Oh, stand

Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

Or the mountains should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry

No I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

So darlin', darlin', stand by me

Oh, stand by me

Whoa stand now

Stand by me, stand by me

Whenever your in trouble won't you stand by me

Oh, stand by me

Whoa, just stand now,

Oh, stand, stand by me

When she finished she looked over at him apprehensively, feeling a little embarrassed but he neither looked displeased nor did he fall back asleep. Instead, he was looking off into the distance with a weird look on his face.

"That was beautiful," he said quietly, and then they sat in silence for a long time until the morning sun peaked over the horizon and the camp began to stir.

Thorin's mood shifted as they walked and it made Shyloh's lips form a thin line. He'd gone from being temperamental when they were leaving the Valley, to calm and gentle last night as they sat together. Now, his face was pulled into a tight frown as his boots sloshed through the creek they were crossing. She knew he had always been quick to temper, even Balin muttered that under his breath to her a few times, so she tried to tell herself he was just stressing out over the trip. However, while he was consistent with the way he treated his fellow dwarves, the way he treated Shyloh and Bilbo went up and down, stretching between being decent and civil to harsh and irritating, that it made her bite her tongue and walk away on more than on occasion.

The terrain became rougher as they began making their way up the mountain side. They walked as much as possible during the daylight hours until they could go no further, and would then seek out a place to hunker down for the night. Always someone kept watch and some nights they went without a fire, plunging themselves into the darkness of the world, for there was still the possibility of being hunted during the night by orcs.

Often times Kili would walk with her and they would compare notes about archery or they'd walk in silence, but the days grew long for all of them. Sometimes Bilbo kept her company but for the most part they all kept to themselves while they walked.

Camp talk, however, was a different story and Shyloh was their favorite topic of conversation.

She laid out her bedroll and spread her legs out in front of her as she sat down, pulling her weapons close to her. It had become a habit to have them within reach especially since they were now completely on their own. She reached inside her tunic and pulled out the little chain that she wore. Lately it had been rubbing against her skin so to ease herself of one annoyance she let it dangle over her shirt.

While she rebraided her hair, though, Kili sat down across from her and squinted at her.

"What's that Snowball?" he asked, pointing to her front.

Confused and thinking she might have spilled something on her, she looked down at herself but saw nothing.

"What's what?" she asked.

"Those little gems," he said, pointing at her again. At the mention of gems, the other dwarves took a curious interest in their conversation.

"Oh," she said, touching the little squares on the chain, then she waved her hand carelessly and went back to her hair. "It's nothing."

He smirked and Fili crouched down next to him, curious what all the fuss was about.

"Well that doesn't look like nothing," Fili said, raising his eyebrows.

Suddenly everyone else was coming for a closer look and she shooed them away.

"It's really nothing," she said, her face reddening.

"I've never seen you wear them before," Gloin commented, as he bent lower.

"I've never seen them before either," Dori said from his seat a ways back. He was one of the few that hadn't gotten up to get a closer look.

"I've always worn them, they're just rubbing on my neck is all," she said, leaning away from the hairy dwarfs prying eyes. "Will you cut it out?"

"How come you always hide them?" asked Bofur and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "I was probably just afraid it would get caught on something and I'd lose them."

Suddenly a hand reached out and snagged the necklace inside fat little fingers.

"Hey!" she cried as Nori leaned down to examine it. He was way too close for comfort but she didn't want to break the chain he held so she kept still while he looked.

"They're oddly cut," he said as he let the chain drop back over her tunic and he straightened up. "Obviously not made by dwarves, nor even elves for that matter."

The dwarves murmured to each other, as if what Nori said made them understand why she'd hidden them.

"Who gave them to you?" asked Fili.

"What's his name?" asked Kili, grinning as he leaned in closer.

"Whose name?" she asked.

"The fellow who gave you that," Fili asked, pointing to the necklace.

"There's no fellow," she snapped, her face reddening even more.

"Sure there isn't," smirked Kili and he gave her a wink.

"I bet he's an elf," Gloin said but Nori shook his head.

"Elves didn't make that necklace," Nori reminded him.

"You're face is bright red," Fili said. "So who is he?"

"I bet fellows give you stuff all the time," Kili said, leaning back against a tree trunk.

"No they don't!" she said, eyes widening.

"Can't be much of a fellow if he's giving you strange gifts like that," Gloin muttered.

She looked around the camp wildly, eyes wide in disbelief as they continued to press her for information. She gave Thorin a pleading look, but he looked just as curious as the rest of them.

"Look, guys, there is no fellow," she said but they didn't believe her. "I'm very much single and loving it!"

"How can a girl like you be without a fellow?" Bofur asked as he tossed a log onto the small fire.

"What do you mean, 'a girl like me?'," she asked, giving him a narrow look.

Bofur straighten and his face reddened, eyes growing wider. "Um..."

"You seem like the kind of girl that would have a fellow," Kili said quickly. "We always figured you did, you know, cause you're pretty. I mean, for an elf that is." He added with quick shrug but his eyes darted away from her suddenly in embarrassment.

"I don't know what kind of girl you think I am, but there is no fellow. At least, not anymore."

She must have said the wrong thing because that made them all quiet down and grow still so suddenly that it made her blink.

"We're sorry lass," Balin said quietly. "We meant no offense."

"We're sorry for your loss," Dori said gently, and her mouth literally parted in realization. They thought her 'fellow' had died or something.

"No, no, you misunderstood me," she said quickly. "Ugh, let me explain. This necklace, came from my parents a long time ago. As for the 'fellow,' I tossed his sorry arse to the curb years ago."

"What do you mean Snowball?" asked Bofur.

"I mean, he really, really, really enjoyed brunettes."

Finally, the dwarves seemed to understand as realization flooded some of their faces.

"He hurt you," Thorin said quietly in his deep voice. She looked back down at the hair she was still holding between her fingers and quickly tied the braid off with the leather string.

"Really not a big deal," she said quickly.

"Did you love him?" Bofur asked.

She shrugged, uncomfortable with having them all watch her so carefully. "No. No I didn't love him. I thought I did at the time." Then she laughed lightly, and half jokingly said, "Who knows, maybe someday I'll find a poor fellow that can put up with me."

Bilbo surprised her then and gave her a strange look. What he would say next would render her speechless. "You deserve the world."

Dawn crested the horizon in a cloudy, dreary looking way. The sky opened up shortly after they packed up camp and they trudged through a torrential down pour, slipping and sliding over the rocky landscape as they continued to make their way east. The dwarves made no further mention of her necklace again.

Soaked to the bone, Shyloh glared at the mountains before them. Thorin and Dwalin led the company mostly, and it seemed to her they knew where they were going at least, so she said nothing about their choice of paths and stayed quiet like the rest of them. Before long, the landscape dropped off completely to their right, and the path they'd been following narrowed considerably the further they went. A simple misstep would be all it would take for one of them to plummet to their deaths into the open air below. How high up they were she couldn't guess, but the thin line of a river and the peaks of trees were barely visible through the sheets of rain that plagued them. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped above, sending violent shivers down Shyloh's arms.

Night was coming, and she prayed with all her might they wouldn't have to sleep on the ledge of the path they were on. Her heart dropped as she looked below despite her attempts to keep her eyes focused straight ahead. If only she weren't so afraid of heights this wouldn't be so bad.

Dont' be ridiculous, she head snapped. It would still be bad!

To her complete dismay – and apparently the entire companies – they made camp on the ledge of the mountain while the rain continued to pour down upon them. They sank down to the path and passed provisions between themselves and slept as best they could. The following day went about the same way as the rains continued, and they slowly made their way across the face of the mountain. The path never seemed to end and they were all too tired and focused on where they were placing their feet to do any talking.

A flash of lightning sent a shock wave through her and she slipped a little on the slick surface. A hand grabbed her arm from behind to help steady her and she would have shot the dwarf a grateful look if a shout from ahead of the line hadn't caught her attention.

"Giants! Stone giants!" Bofur cried out and the company came to a halt.

"It's a thunder battle!" Balin shouted and Shyloh could not believe her eyes.

Turning her head too late, she only felt the shower of rocks rain down on their heads and the ground beneath their feet shudder violently. They hugged the rock wall and when she looked up next she lost the breath in her chest.

The mountains were moving!

Towering above them like skyscrapers, the mountains suddenly seemed to sprout arms and legs. The two giants raised their massive arms and swung at each other with such force that boulders literally fell off of them like little specks of dirt instead of chunks of earth. They watched in disbelief and also in horror, for they were right in the middle of the battle itself.

At first it felt like an earthquake beneath their feet and they clung to each other and the wall behind them for dear life. However, when they were pitched forwards, Shyloh felt her heart leap into her throat when she thought they were all going to go face first off the edge of the cliff. Without warning, the mountain behind them moved and suddenly they were dropping. It was like they were riding a roller coaster and she felt sick to her stomach. The ledge they stood on was no longer just a mountain. Above them, arms stretched out into the air, preparing to strike. With a foul blow, the giants fist hit its mark and they felt the contact through the bottoms of their feet. Then, the stone began to crack.

"Kili!" Fili shouted above the noise, and she twisted to look at him. He was two dwarves ahead of her and then she realized what was happening. They'd broken off from the rest of the group and the ledge they stood on moved forwards, away from the rest of the mountain. As the giant twisted to throw another punch, they clung to the rock with all their might but another giant beat it. Like an explosion, the other giant's fist knocked half the head off the one they were sat on, and a violent shake made their feet slip and slide beneath them.

Shyloh got a quick look at the other half of the company. They were practically split in two and the others raced across the rocky ledge to safety while Shyloh and the others held on for dear life.

This was not how she imagined dying.

She wanted to scream as they twisted in the air but her breath escaped her when she realized what was happening. The rock face of the mountain in front of them was fast approaching and she knew right then and there it would be all over with. They were going to be crushed to smithereens and she wondered briefly if it would hurt, or if dying this time would be instant. She'd died before, and it had hurt. The pain had been blinding and paralyzing.

As their deaths rushed towards them, they froze in pure terror as rock met rock with such an earsplitting blow she didn't know if she was screaming out loud, or if it was all in her head as she was lurched forwards and darkness descended, swallowing them all whole.