Halien shuddered, something dragging her from her memories.

"I wonder what that was all about." Bofur asked, seeing her shudder.

"She was there when Smaug came and destroyed Dale before taking Erebor." Gandalf said. "Perhaps the memories of it came back to her for a moment."

"No," Dwalin said. "We would have seen her."

"She was there, Dwalin. She returned, aiding those who needed it and getting them to safety. She found and helped the Grotsnev clan, saving their lives when she freed them from their burning home. They asked her to train their sons and in return, they took her in, giving her food and shelter." Gandalf explained to them as he looked back at Halien. "You, Thorin, and some of the others had seen her in your village in the Blue Mountains. She had left shortly after her last encounter with Thorin, and began to wander the lands again. I found her in Weather Hills, working for the head family there as a trainer for their children, much like she did for the Grotsnev clan and in your village."

"As in Master Baldrick Grotsnev? The carpenter?" Ori asked.

"Yes, Ori." Gandalf replied.

"She never mentioned anything about it." Bofur said, mostly to himself. He looked to Bombur, who shrugged, and to Bifur, though Bifur stared off like he usually did.

Behind them, the dwarves could hear Halien begin to sing softly to herself. "O môr henion i dhû: Ely siriar, êl síla. Ai! Aníron Undómiel. Tiro! Él eria e môr. I 'lîr en êl luitha 'úren. Ai! Aníron..."

As she sung, Gandalf translated the elvish hymn into the common tongue, "From the darkness I understand the night: Dreams flow, a star shines. Ah! I desire Evenstar. Look! A star rises out of the darkness. The song of the star enchants my heart. Ah! I desire..."

The dwarves looked at Gandalf, then back at Halien.

"It is a beautiful hymn of her people. It helps her keep close to her people from afar." Gandalf said, understanding how hard it was for Halien to leave her father and people behind to do what she thought was right.

Thorin watched as Halien unsaddled Torwen and placed the saddle on the log next to them. Torwen stretched her legs and neck before she lay down on the ground. Halien curled up against her mare, her head resting on Torwen's shoulder, and stared up at the stars. The sound of Orcs, however, ruined the peaceful night.

Bilbo, a little spooked, asked what the noise was. Kili began to tell him it was Orcs, that they would come and slit their throats in their sleep. When Bilbo shuddered, clearly spooked, Kili and Fili smirked and chuckled beneath their breath. Thorin was not pleased and asked if they thought a night raid by an Orc pack was a joke. Kili said that they meant nothing by it, but Thorin just scolded him and stalked off again.

Balin began to explain to Kili what had happened to make Thorin hate the Orcs so much more than anyone could ever think. He told the tale of the Battle of Azanulbizar to reclaim Moria, to all who hadn't been there, and how Azog the Defiler cut the king's head off, throwing it to Thorin's feet. He spoke of how Thorin met the pale Orc in battle, only to be beaten done and when he had lost his shield, the only thing that saved his life was an oaken branch that he wielded as a replacement. He cut the pale Orc's arm off and forced him back into the depths of darkness he crawled from. He spoke of how Thorin led the final charge that ended the lives of many Orcs, defeating their enemy, though they did not retake Moria. He spoke of how when everything was over, only those in their current company were left standing with the rest of their kin- and their king- all of whom were dead. Then Balin spoke of how he knew, when he looked upon Thorin, that he had found a king that he would follow to the death.

"And the pale Orc?" Bilbo asked. "What happened to him?"

"That filth slunk back into the hole from whence he came. He died from his wounds long ago." Thorin said as he rejoined the others.

Bilbo thought he understood now, though he felt that there was still much to learn. Nori took the first watch and the others got as comfortable as they could, soon falling asleep. Halien had listened to the whole tale and knew that Thorin had faced more hardship and loss than just the fall of Erebor and the death of so many of his kin and people. She hoped that she could lift some of that burden from him and prove to him that he has one ally yet who will not betray him. Feeling the heaviness of sleep pulling her eyelids down, Halien closed her eyes and went to sleep. Gandalf laid back and lit his pipe, smoking his Old Toby. He watched as Halien slept, seeing how much she had grown since he last saw her.

Gandalf had met the young Halien when she was still very, very young, having passed through Greenwood on his travels. She, like so many other children, was fascinated by his magik. She would follow Gandalf everywhere any time he came to visit the elves of Mirkwood- as it had been so nicknamed since the days of Sauron. Gandalf grew fond of her, a large part of that being because she was the most adventurous and fearless of all the elf children. Thranduil often tried to keep her home and safe, learning to be elegant and proper like her older brother, Legolas, and the rest of her people. But Halien would not hear any of it. She went off on hunts alone with Torwen any chance she could, even before she was old enough by her people's standards, and she discovered that she possessed an ancient elven magik that was older than even Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, the eldest of her people. Her magik allowed her to heal, manipulate the elements around her, and she could read the minds of animals and people. Halien knew, though, when it was proper to use that particular talent, so she mostly stuck with reading thoughts of other people and animals, trying to help everyone communicate. She often spoke with animals, finding more company with them than her own people.

Smiling to himself, Gandalf finished his Old Toby and went off to sleep himself.