The next morning, Halien rejoined the company. She came up next to Thorin, astride her mare, and gave him her full report.
"There was nothing in the woods, sire. The road ahead is safe while we remain in the Shire," she said.
"And beyond?" Thorin asked, curious to see how far she went.
"I scouted ten miles ahead along the road we are traveling, including in the surrounding areas. It remains safe and there is an excellent spot to make camp. We should arrive there just before nightfall." she assured him. "I will scout around again, once we reach the spot." Then, before she went on ahead, she stopped and looked at the dwarf king. "It is good to see you again, Thorin. No matter what has happened between us."
Thorin watched as she and Torwen trotted on ahead ways, seeing her scan the area as they rode on. She was an excellent scout, as elves should be, but Thorin had heard tales of her skills as she passed from village to village, town to town, helping the dwarves and humans readjust to life after Erebor was taken and Dale fell. He was impressed with what he had heard over the years and saw a brief glimmer of her skill the day he had seen her again in the Blue Mountains, as she taught the young boy, Dorin, how to shoot an arrow. The boy made his first shot, dead center in the target, which told Thorin that Halien was indeed an excellent teacher.
Balin came up next to him and said, "You remember her, don't you? It has been twenty years since she was last in the Blue Mountains, yet she seems to be just as comfortable with each of us as she was then."
"Halien, daughter of Thranduil, princess of the Greenwood, and once the ambassador of her people to those of Dale and Erebor. Yes, I remember her. I cannot say whether or not it pleases me to see her again, but her skills are needed. I saw only a small bit of what she can do, having walked in on one of her training sessions with the children, but it was not enough for me to trust her skills and trust her to be good enough for this company."
Balin smiled. "I remember how you looked at her, the last time that she was in Erebor. You had the same look, briefly, when you saw her again in our village. It shall be interesting indeed to see how you two interact with one another."
Thorin remembered the short time he had spent with the elf and as he remembered, that warm sensation began to rise again. He remembered the day he had seen her training some of the older children, teaching them the ways of the sword, dagger, maul, ax, and archery. He had seen her move fluidly and gracefully as she patiently walked the children through each step of the different fighting styles. As he remembered seeing her, the warm sensation grew hotter and enveloped his whole body. He could not figure out what the feeling was, but it seemed to persist more and more the longer he thought of her. He chose to ignore it and put his mind back onto their journey.
They made their way several miles outside of the Shire and before long, they made their first camp after Bilbo had joined them. As promised, Halien left the company to scout the area, covering a six-mile radius around their camp. When she returned, the dwarves were not prepared for it.
As she approached, she stepped lightly over a large branch as she came to the edge of the camp. An arrow was shot and struck her right shoulder. Next came a dagger, striking her in her left thigh, causing her to stumble back. Cursing, the young elf maiden came out of the bushes and pulled the arrow from her shoulder, wincing only a little, and then pulled the dagger out, falling to one knee.
"By the ancestors! You trust me that little?" she asked, looking at Kili and Fili as they each bore a look of incredible guilt upon their faces. She closed her eyes tightly and grasped her wounds, trying to hide her pain.
"Halien will not bring us harm. Lower your weapons," Gandalf said.
Thorin watched Halien as she tried to hide her pain as she stood, unsheathing her bow and quiver.
All of the dwarves- Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin- watched as Halien groaned in pain, her arm, and leg bleeding as she fell to her knee again. Kili had put his bow and arrows aside and grabbed some bandages. Fili came to help, his guilt growing, but was stopped when Halien threw the dagger at his feet, embedding it in the ground and narrowly missing his big toe. Kili looked to make sure his brother was OK.
"Careful, lad, she's a good shot," Bofur told him.
"Best to keep your weapons close," she said, pain clear in her voice. Kili started to wrap her leg and arm, but Halien shook her head. "No need."
"You are wounded, elf. If you do not treat these wounds quickly, they will only get worse," he said, insisting.
"She has a name, Kili," Bofur said, defensive over an old friend.
Halien smirked. "I said there was no need." Then she placed both of her hands on each of the wounds as they began to glow. Kili sat back, the bandages in his hands, and watched as the wounds closed and the bleeding stopped.
Standing, Halien stretched her leg and her shoulder, making sure everything was working. The dwarves stared at her in wonder- Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur simply smiled, having seen her use that power before in their village- as Kili stood and asked, "How'd you do that?"
Halien smirked. "It's one of my many talents." Leaving it like that, Halien went to her dappled gray mare.
Unsure what else to do, the dwarves went about their business, speaking with each other to pass some time, and Thorin stood to watch. Gandalf and Bilbo smoked their Old Toby and Halien made sure that her horse was fed and rested. She pulled an empty sack from her saddle and went over to the large rock wall at the dwarves, climbing up the rock face to reach the top branches of a nearby fruit tree. She swung onto a branch and grabbed a few of the fruits. As she collected as many of the fruits as she could reach and placed them into the sack, the dwarves nearest her watched as she filled the sack. When she finished, she hung upside down and flipped out of the tree, sliding down the rock face and landing softly on the ground below. The dwarves watched her grace, which had Thorin impressed especially. It reminded him of the time she had climbed a pillar in the halls of Erebor to get a better look at its grandeur.
Halien walked over to her horse and offered her one of the fruits. "Here, Torwen, you have earned this."
The mare took the fruit and nudged her gently in thanks.
"You are a good girl, Torwen. Thank you for coming with me." Halien said, cooing to her mare.
Torwen was a gift to Halien from her brother, Legolas. When Halien reached an age where she was allowed to hunt on her own, Legolas presented her with the dappled gray mare since the usual steeds of their people didn't seem to favor her company much. Torwen was a filly at the time and Halien was still very young. Halien trained Torwen, raised her, and took her everywhere.
Thorin watched as Halien stood, watching the moon, at the edge of their camp, her weapons at her side. A chill wind blew through the air and she pulled the cloak tight around her. It was not a night like the last she had spent in the village with the dwarves she had saved years ago. They had settled north of Erebor in the Weathered Heath, in the Grey Mountains. As she began to remember, she shuddered.
