There weren't any windows in this room but sunlight slowly made its way in from other parts of the house. I stretched my legs out with pointed toes and heard several ungodly cracking sounds. Secretly, I was glad that they let me have the chair. After nearly a week of sleeping on the ground, the chair was a sweet relief and there was no telling when I would get to sleep in anything so soft for a while. So I stayed snuggled up in the chair for a few moments longer, determined to make the comfort last. Soft snores emanated up from below me and I knew Fili and Kili were close by. It wasn't until I heard other people shuffling around that I finally surrendered and climbed out of the chair.

I tiptoed around the brothers, not wanting to wake them up yet. Though I imagine, I could have stamped on both of them and they would not have woken up.

A couple of people milled about in the dining room, sorting out their packs and having a small breakfast. Gandalf sat in one corner smoking his pipe. He gave me a small smile when he saw me and waved me over. The white-haired dwarf next to him poured over some papers on the table.

"Ah Leah, my dear," Gandalf said, then he pointed to the dwarf "This here is Balin, though I suspect you may have known that already." A knowing smile curved the corners of his mouth.

I might have had an inkling, yes. Balin looked up from his papers at the mention of his name. He gave me a genuine smile and I smiled back.

"It's nice to meet you, lass. I've drawn up a contract here for you to sign," he pointed to the paper. "It's very much like all the others and you will get a cut of the treasure."

I raised my eyebrows at that. That was a surprise. I hadn't really accounted for the treasure. It is not as if I really wanted any of it.

I looked down at the contract, twisting my head slightly to read it properly. It seemed similar to the one that Bilbo had been reading out yesterday. Only mine had a new section just for me, essentially saying that I won't reveal sensitive information about the future to anyone outside of the company.

You couldn't really argue with that.

Balin handed me a pen and I signed my name. He gave it a quick once over before deciding that everything was in order. Then he folded the contract up and left the room to give it to Thorin.

A few more dwarves woke up, following the smell of toast. Turning around, I came face to face with a very enigmatic dwarf. His hair was black and white and there was a very noticeable axe protruding from his forehead.

"Imnê Bifur zai adshânzu. Abnâmul tada abdakhizu," he said very fast.

I had no hope at all of understanding what he said. But I wasn't about to be rude so I gave him a polite smile and said hello.

"He was saying that his name is Bifur and that it's nice to meet you lass," came a voice from behind Bifur. He emerged and placed a hand over his chest, a small bow to his head, "I'm Bofur, his cousin."

So that's how 'Nice to meet you' is supposed to be pronounced in Khuzdul. No wonder Kili laughed at my pronunciation when I tried to say it all those months ago. "Hello, it's nice to meet you too."

"That one over there is my brother Bombur," he pointed across the table to a very large ginger dwarf. "He's a bit shy. Say hello Bombur."

Bombur looked up at me and gave me a very brief and tentative hello. Then he went back to piling toast onto his plate. Bifur started saying something else, speaking so fast I'm surprised that Bofur could keep up. His hands moved along as he spoke. It must have been Iglishmek, the dwarven sign language.

"Bifur would like to know if you've had any food yet. He's concerned Bombur over there has stolen all the bread," said Bofur, an amused smirk creeping up onto his face.

Bombur gave a disgruntled noise at the accusation and it made me giggle. "No, I haven't had anything yet. I only came in a little bit before you did."

"Right then," Bofur nodded before reaching across the table and stealing a piece of toast right off of Bombur's plate "Here ye go."

He handed me the bread. It was already slathered in thick homemade Jam. Bombur was not too impressed by the thievery.

"I'm sure I can find something else. I don't want to steal your breakfast," I said, offering the toast back to Bombur.

Bombur shook his head "It's okay lass. I'll let you have it."

I smiled and thanked him, taking a seat at the table. I started to dig in but being an actual gremlin in disguise, I somehow managed to get jam on the table and down my shirt. I heard Bifur laugh at the mess I'd made and say something to his cousin. A smile pulled at my lips but my cheeks heated.

"Don't worry about Bifur lass. He's not speaking different to be mean," said Bofur "The thing in his head makes speaking difficult for him. He can understand everything fine but the words don't come out right. No one really knows why."

That made me pause for a moment. Why did that sound familiar? It wasn't just because I already knew about Bifur's affliction. Something else was tugging at my mind. Then it came to me. From the first psychology lecture, I had dragged Kili to.

"That sounds a bit like Broca's aphasia," I said around a bite of toast.

"What's that, lass?" said Bofur. All the other dwarves were now looking at me expectantly as well.

"Uh there's a part of the brain towards the front called Broca's area," I motioned towards my forehead "It's responsible for speech production. So when people damage it they struggle to get their words out properly. They can understand what you're saying. They just can't speak."

There was a stunned silence. "That does sound like what Bifur has," mused Bofur, then a hopeful look shone in his eyes "So if other people have this, is it fixable?"

I pondered for a moment, trying to recall exactly what the lecturer had said. "I think after a while the brain makes new connections so that they can start to speak properly again," I said "Though, I think the fact that the axe is still in your head might be stopping that from happening."

Bofur rubbed a hand through his moustache "I see. We'll have to get that looked into after this quest is over then cousin."

After a little while, all the dwarves were awake. Bilbo was a no-show but I knew that he'd show up later. Kili wandered into the dining room tiredly, rubbing his eyes. His face lit up once he saw me and he came and sat down.

"For a second there I was concerned that I dreamt you up yesterday," he said, reaching for a cup of water.

"Do you often dream about me?" I joked.

Kili nearly spat out his drink "N-no. Nope" he said, shaking his head. "Nothing of the sort."

I laughed at his embarrassed demeanour. Fili then came up behind us and patted his brother on the back.

"Oh Leah, you're making him blush," he quipped before sitting down on my opposite side.

I heard Kili mumble something under his breath about him 'not being a blusher' but his brother simply laughed. Kili went back to drinking his water while Fili found a stray apple on the table and bit a chunk. After downing his drink, Kili's eyes widened as if something had dawned on him.

"Is it really your birthday today?"

I pursed my lips, puzzled. "I'm not sure because when I arrived here, it was a completely different month. Though technically I think it would be today back in my world."

"We should celebrate in some way," said Fili from my right side. "You're only 21 once."

I raised an eyebrow "How are we going to do that? We're setting off today. Not much time for celebrations on the road."

"Oh, we'll think of something," Fili mused.

If you say so Fili. I shook my head, not quite believing him. Gandalf then leaned forward in his chair.

"You know, among elves, they usually celebrate the day they were conceived rather than the day they were born," said Gandalf.

My eyebrows creased together and a surprised laugh fell from my mouth "How would you know the day you were conceived?"

"Oh, elves have an uncanny ability of simply 'knowing' when they are with child. The moment the child's Fëa has formed an elf can detect it."

"That's so weird," I surmised.

Gandalf simply chuckled and leaned back into his seat.

It wasn't long before it was time to go. Everyone was packed and all we had left to do was to sort out the ponies. Oh, and purchase a new horse for me to ride.

They had only brought enough to carry the 14 of them, along with one for supplies. I could have taken the supply horse but then the poor thing would be overburdened so a new one had to be found.

Gandalf knew a hobbit that may sell us one and lead Thorin and I to scope it out. The hobbit's name was Ferdinand and he was a happy, portly fellow. A few ponies and full-sized horses milled around in a paddock behind him. They looked like they were well cared for, with brushed coats and trimmed hooves. He was reluctant to sell at first as he was so close to the animals but in the end, Gandalf convinced him that we would take good care of the horse.

I bit my tongue recalling the trolls that would potentially eat the poor thing. Hopefully, I will change that outcome.

The horse they chose for me was slightly larger than the ponies that the dwarves had. Its coat was a shiny grey with splodges of black along its body. She was a very patient horse which I was thankful for and I gave her a piece of apple for being so good.

Hobbiton burst into life around us as the sun made its slow ascent across the sky. People wandered around with their families, off to the market or their work. Fauntlings, ran around splashing in the brooks and getting told off by their parents. A few nodded and greeted us as they walked past, suspicion still in their eyes but their inherent need to be polite winning out.

These were the people that Bilbo would have to leave behind. A frown formed on my face. They were also the same people that would then auction off his possessions when he came back.

Maybe I could do something to prevent that.

"Gandalf?"

"Yes my dear?" said Gandalf from behind me.

"Does Hobbiton have a Mayor or something?" I asked

Gandalf arched a brow "They have a Thain. Thain Fortinbras I do believe. Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking I could help Bilbo. In the story, Bilbo comes home only to find out everyone had auctioned off his things because they thought he was dead," I said in a low voice so that no one could eavesdrop.

Both Thorin and Gandalf seemed shocked by the information.

"Oh my. That would be terribly disheartening to come home to." Gandalf looked around at the different buildings dotted around, "The Thain should be over in that building over there."

Gandalf pointed towards one of the only two-story buildings that I could see.

"Right, I will be back in a moment," I said.

I had to skip around a couple of children playing with snails in the middle of the road and avoid a wheelbarrow of fruit but I eventually made it to the building. The doors lay open, which I took as an open invitation and peeked my head inside. The first thing I noticed was a small desk with a female hobbit behind it. Her blonde hair had the usual hobbit curliness and she smiled brightly when she saw me.

"Hello," she sounded very surprised. "Can I help you?"

"I think I need to speak with the Thain," my voice did not sound convinced by my own words.

"That would be me, my darling. How can I help you today?" A voice came from a door to the left.

A rather tall hobbit poked his head from around the door with greying temples and a portly belly. His eyes were creased with permanent laugh lines.

"It's about Mr Baggins," I said

"Bilbo? What's he up to then? And with an elf no less," he asked, a crease forming between his eyes.

"He's uh. He's going on a trip...To see Rivendell," I made up on the spot "So he might not be back for a while. But he will be back at some point and he needs to know that his possessions will be alright."

"Going on holiday, is he? Well, I'll make sure all of his things are accounted for when he gets back, don't worry," He said.

"Thank you, that's perfect. I'll just get out of your hair now,"

"No worries, my darling," he said.

I gave him a little wave and turned back down the street. Thorin and Gandalf appeared at the end with a horse in tow.

"She's all yours," said Thorin, handing me the reins.

It felt rather scary to be the one in control of such an animal. I did not want to do her a disservice by being a bad rider. But she bumped me with her nose and I took that as her reassuring me. I gave her a quick pat, her hair soft beneath my fingertips.

We led her to the rest of the company. Most were already saddled up and ready to go. Kili saw us wandering towards them and bounded over happily. He helped me attach my bag to the back of the horse.

Thorin mounted his own pony and everyone else followed suit. Well, nearly everyone. I hesitated as nerves took over. I had not ridden a horse since I was a young child at fair. It's not exactly the same as riding a bike.

Just as I was debating the best way to climb onto the saddle, a thought threw itself into the forefront of my brain so fast it rebounded off the inside of my skull and whited out my vision.

The horse in front of me was now a lot larger and her coat gleamed like silver beneath my small hands. I marvelled at the softness. Without warning a strong pair of hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me up high. A shocked giggle fell from my mouth as I was placed into the saddle.

"I can do it myself, Ada," I exclaimed.

Dad smiled up at me, his eyes lighting up. "I'm sure you can tithin ven," said Dad "Now show me how you sit on a horse properly."

I shifted in the saddle so that I was towards the middle. Then my feet slipped into the stirrups below me, and my legs gripped the horse but not too hard. I straightened my back and held my head higher. Just like I had been shown before.

"Like that?"

Dad looked inquisitively at my positioning. "Nearly. Just remember that it's only the balls of your feet that go into the stirrups," he repositioned my foot as he spoke. "Mithiel is a very patient horse and she will look after you."

"Okay Ada."

Dad beamed up at me. "Your Naneth is over there, why don't you try riding towards her."

The scene stopped and my actual surroundings slipped back into sight. I blinked several times to try and reorient myself.

What the hell was that?

It had the look and feel of a memory, only that could not be possible. My Dad had never shown me how to ride a horse, and he most certainly did not have pointed elf ears.

First the dream and now this. Was I going to be plagued with conflicting and perplexing visions during my time in Middle Earth? When would things start to make sense?

Kili noticed my internal struggle and reached a hand up to my shoulder, shaking me out of whatever that was.

"Are you okay? Your eyes sort of glazed over for a second," he asked, concern in his voice.

I shook my head "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I think," I tried to give him a convincing smile "Let's just get on our horses and we can get going."

My body seemed to automatically know what it was doing. Even if my mind was reeling. In one smooth motion I was on the horse and in the stirrups.

"Have you done this before?" Kili asked, impressed.

"No," I tried to keep the panic from my voice.

I called the horse Mithiel.

It felt rude to just call it horse and I could no longer ask the owner what her true name was. If it was good enough for that weird not-memory then it was good enough for me.

When Kili asked me what I had named my horse, he gave me a confused face.

"What does that mean?" he said, a crease forming between his eyes.

"No Idea," I relented, shaking my head.

"It means Grey daughter, my dear. Quite fitting for her colouring."

I swivelled my head around to see Gandalf riding alongside us. His horse was full sized and towered above us.

"How did you come by such a name?" his eyebrows raised in question.

"I don't know," I mumbled, looking away.

A part of me did not want to reveal my momentary lapse in rationality and I kept my lips sealed.

I could tell by Gandalf's face that he wasn't convinced by my answer "I see," was all he said before he urged his horse further forward.

The rest of the dwarves introduced themselves to me while we rode. Some were more jovial than others. Gloin, Oin and Dwalin gave me very brief introductions. I just about got in a 'nice to meet you' before they rode ahead. Ori, Nori and Dori stayed around a little longer for a chat. Nori's voice always seemed to have a suggestive lilt to it and he was fond of wagging his braided eyebrows at me. Dori was very proper and most definitely a mother hen. Especially to his younger brother Ori. Ori himself was very eager to say hello to me. I could tell he was still rather shy but his excitement got the better of him. He wanted me to tell him everything about my world as he wanted to write it all down.

It wasn't long before the bets started flying around. Would Bilbo show up? Who knows? Oh wait, I do.

Kili leaned in towards me from his pony. "So, will you be betting any money oh future teller?" he waved his eyebrows at me.

"I don't think they'll let me," I said "It would be like betting against a rigged game."

"We'll place the bet for you," said Fili, coming up on my other side "They'll never know."

I pondered for a second. He made a strong case and I could use the extra money.

"Deal," I said

I reached into the pack attached to the saddle, fumbling blindly through the contents. My tongue stuck out as I searched for the small bag of money I had gathered during my time in Rildolach. The coins jingled musically as I pulled them out. Though I still wasn't certain about what each coin was worth I'm sure there was a fair sum in the bag.

I handed the bag over to Kili. His eyes widened at the weight of it. "Where did you get this from?"

"You're looking at a successful Bard," I said, flicking my hair.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kili smiled.

So Fili and Kili placed my bet for me. There were a few suspicious glances but no one called me out for cheating. Everyone was chatting amongst themselves when I caught the sound of pounding feet. I turned around to try and hear the sound better. Soft yells started to carry on the wind. However, no one else seemed to notice yet.

"Bilbo's here," I spoke loudly so everyone could hear me.

Several dwarves stopped their ponies and turned to look around.

"Where? I can't see anything," said Dwalin.

The shouts got louder and thankfully some faces flickered towards the sound and they realised that I was correct. A breathless Bilbo appeared over the crest of a hill, dressed for adventure with the contract in hand.

"Told you," I smirked.

Bilbo ran up towards Thorin "Look, look I've signed it. I would like to join your company."

Thorin took the contract from Bilbo's outstretched hand. He gave it a quick once over before handing it to Balin, who gave the contract a more indepth perusal and admitted Bilbo into the company of Thorin Oakenshield.

Bilbo was pretty adamant about walking beside everyone. However, he didn't get much of a choice when a couple of dwarves lifted him up onto a pony. He was most definitely not in his element, holding the reins as if the whole thing was about to explode any second. Fortunately, his pony just followed after the others and Bilbo didn't need to steer at all.

I moved my horse closer to his. Bilbo smiled upon seeing me and I returned the expression in kind.

"Thank you for convincing me to pack a bag last night," he said, "It made racing to catch up with you a little easi..ah..achoo," he sneezed.

Holding up a finger, he reached into his bag and withdrew an embroidered handkerchief. He wiped his nose quickly before tucking the handkerchief away. "And thank you for reminding me about a handkerchief. You're a lifesaver."

"You're welcome Bilbo," I paused for a moment. "Oh, I told the Thain that you were leaving for a while."

Bilbo was taken aback. A deep crease formed in the middle of his eyes "The Thain? What for?"

"I told him that you were going away for a while but that you would return at some point. That way, hopefully, all your stuff won't be auctioned off because they think you're dead. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins will have to find another way to steal your silverware," I explained.

A shocked gasp fell from his mouth "Is that, you know, the future thing? Was that what was going to happen? The thieving. conniving little…"

I let him rant for a little bit. Those Sackville-Bagginses could be real pieces of work apparently.

Tithin ven- Little One

Naneth- Mother

Ada- Daddy

Imnê Bifur zai adshânzu. Abnâmul tada abdakhizu- My name is Bifur, at your service. Nice to meet you.