Up ahead, waiting for the others to catch up to her, Halien rubbed Torwen's neck. "I know, Torwen, but he needed to understand," Halien said, listening to her mare's thoughts, wiping the tears from her eyes. She had hoped that she could quell the sadness before the others joined her and she was grateful for a few more moments alone.

Not long after, Kili was the first to join her. He walked his pony up to where Halien and Torwen stood in silence, unsure if he should say anything. Halien looked ahead of them, resting her head against Torwen's neck.

"Don't mind Thorin, elf. He has had an... unfortunate history with your people," Kili said, trying to be comforting, but not sure how. He had never met an elf before.

"I understand that dwarf- I was there when it happened- but that is no excuse," Halien said, not meaning to be harsh toned.

Kili looked away for a moment, then back to Halien. "He does mean well, Thorin I mean. He just takes some getting used to."

"You speak as if you know from experience," Halien said, looking at him.

"Well, he is my uncle after all," he replied. Halien rolled her eyes, making him jump to defend his uncle. "He is a good man. Just give him time."

Halien saw a gentle nature in Kili and she smiled softly. "I know he is, but it will not be easy to work around the damage my father caused."

They were silent for a moment, then Kili said, "I wanted to apologize for last night. My brother and I acted upon instinct, we shouldn't have..."

"It's not your fault, dwarf. You trusted your instinct, which is something you should always do." Halien said.

"Your healing power is quite extraordinary," Kili mentioned. "It will definitely be of use on our quest."

"That is part of why Gandalf asked me to join you," Halien replied. "As I told you last night, there is no need for bandages. I have spent a very long time training and developing this skill, so unless I am not with you, you and your companions will not have to worry about wounds or illness slowing us down."

Kili nodded, feeling somewhat comfortable around the elf, not sure why. Beside him, Halien was feeling the same way.

"I'm Kili, by the way, at your service," Kili said, offering his hand.

Having grown quite accustomed to the dwarven culture, Halien shook his hand. "I am Halien, at yours, as we were never formally introduced."

"Halien is truly a beautiful name," Kili mentioned with a smile.

Halien smiled softly, feeling a little better than before. "It is not the most beautiful among my kin. Tauriel has a far more beautiful name, she is a more skilled warrior, a far better shot than I and she stills holds favor with my father."

"Tauriel?" Kili asked.

"Tauriel was raised in my father's court for six hundred years and when my mother..." Halien paused for a moment, the painful memories almost too much to bear, but Halien swallowed them and continued. "Tauriel practically raised me. She trained me, taught me to sing our people's songs, she even asked my father to consider me for a position on the guard with her when I got older. But that day I went back, she did not ask my father to reconsider and let him exile me without a word."

"I'm sorry," Kili said. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been."

Halien sighed and looked at him. "It does not matter now, I have no intention to return there. I have grown my skills on my own since that day and I have become a far better warrior and magik user alone than I had with Tauriel."

Behind them, the others had rejoined them. "We are ready to continue forward," Gandalf said, coming to a stop next to Halien. "Shall we?" He gestured forward.

Halien nodded and mounted into her saddle, then urged Torwen forward. The others followed suit as they continued on their journey.