That night Fíli passed Kíli a bowl of their supper. "Let's go sit."
Kíli's attention was caught by Andréa letting out a soft, pleased sigh. He looked over to see that Bilbo was giving her a back massage.

Fíli's attention followed and he smiled softly to himself, thinking that Kíli seemed to often be distracted by their backup wizard. He headed in their direction.
"Master Baggins," Fíli greeted them. "Perhaps you could do mine next?"
Bilbo laughed nervously, unsure if Fíli was being serious or not.
Fíli promptly sat down right next to Andréa.
Andréa nodded and moved over. "By all means."
Bilbo raised his brows, but then he sighed and got to work on the dwarf's back instead.
"Bit harder," Fíli directed.

Kíli sat down behind Andréa and began to eat. He watched her grip at her own shoulders, continuing the massage herself. Seeing an opportunity, he put his meal to the side.
He placed his hand over hers. "May I?"
She smiled back at him. "Oh, please!" Then she moved a bit closer to him to make it easier.
Kíli smiled to himself as he placed his hands on her shoulders and got to work, his thumb pressing hard into her muscle.

She bit down to stifle the cry of pain, but the entire company heard it, turning their heads to see Kíli with his hands up.

Andréa was bent over and whimpering, clutching the shoulder he'd begun to knead.
Kíli glanced at the rest of the group, and his mouth fell open, unsure what to say.
Bofur contemplated walking over, but made eye contact with Fíli, who nodded in understanding.

Andréa looked behind her, wincing. "Be gentle with me, Kíli," she whined.
He was beside himself with guilt. "I only pressed as hard as I would for Fíli."
She sat back up, rolling her shoulder with some difficulty, and forced a small smile. "Your brother may be made of stone, but I am not."
At this, Fíli let out a laugh. "You must train your muscles, wizard."
"Surely I could train for a hundred years and never match the strength of a dwarf?"
The rest of the company seemed to relax at this comment, some chuckling at her remark.

She reached behind her and took Kíli's hand in hers, placing it on her other shoulder. "Gently?"
Kíli hesitated. "Now I fear to harm you."
She laughed and glanced back at him again. "Learn to contain your strength. I weep for your future wife."
"A dwarf wife would likely tell him to press harder," Fíli commented lightly.
"True," she agreed, her smile fading slightly.
When Kíli began again, she closed her eyes, melting at the touch.
"Better?"
"Mm, much." She let out a happy sigh and tried to focus on how nice it felt to have his strong hands working her tired back. Sleeping on the ground and carrying a pack for days on end were things she could do, but it wore on her more than it seemed to on the dwarves. She imagined Bilbo was missing his bed as well.

Kíli tried not to smile with satisfaction at how limp she had gone under his touch. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts and he wondered idly if they were of him at all.
After several more minutes of this, Andréa seemed to come back to reality. Kíli felt as she took a deep breath before turning to smile affectionately at him.

"We should switch now," she suggested.
"Oh, you don't have to-"
"You don't want me to?" She raised a brow, her smile fading.

"Um, alright." Kíli tried not to appear as awkward as he felt, switching places with her. He removed some layers so that she could work his back through his linen shirt instead of leather.
Then he took his supper back into his hands and began to eat.
Fíli watched this and glanced back at Bilbo. "Would you like a turn, Master Boggins?"
Bilbo narrowed his eyes at Fíli, knowing that he'd said his name wrong on purpose. "No, that's quite alright. Thank you."

Andréa gently raked her fingers through Kíli's hair, sending shivers down his spine at the unexpected touch. She gathered it all together and pulled it up into a bun, which she secured with a bit of ribbon from her pack to keep it out of her way.

Fíli took note of Kíli's facial expression as the backup wizard began to knead his broad shoulders. It was the same nearly neutral face he made when he thought he was getting undeserved praise. Fíli smirked and moved so that he could face the other three in their little group.
"Bilbo, has anyone told you of the time when my brother, my uncle and I hunted a boar that had ravaged our hunting grounds?" Fíli launched into a full narrative, distracting Bilbo from the other two for several minutes.

Kíli furrowed his brows, though his voice held no irritation. "Are you doing magic on me?" he asked, barely loud enough for her to hear.
"Oh you caught that?" she whispered nervously, leaning forward. "I just thought my fingers might not be enough."
He shuddered at the sensation of her breath on his ear.

She waited for him to say something in reply, but he'd closed his eyes, trying to allow himself to relax more under her hands, his meal forgotten. She noted the way his shoulders seemed to melt lower beneath her touch and took it as permission to continue. Closing her eyes, she let her fëa pull warmth through her body and out her fingers, willing it to ease his hard muscles.

For a time the world seemed to fall away, all sounds of low voices and crackling fire replaced by a heartbeat. Not hers, she realized, seeing the dwarf in her mind's eye.
In that moment, it was as though she could feel his skin as her own, the pleasant sensation of warm muscle being manipulated flooding her body. Her hands continued to smooth over his shoulders and back for long minutes that she would have been content to never end. They found just the right angles and worked wherever felt best until another area seemed to want attention.
Eventually, as they moved out towards his sides, they were tempted to wander elsewhere; to explore the rest of his muscles and flesh. Her hands moved up his back, though they were called to his broad chest. His strong core. Lower.

She gently pulled her hands away, opening her eyes and severing the connection. Had that desire been her thought, or his?
She took a silent, steadying breath as she carefully removed the ribbon from his bun. To Kíli's delight, she combed her fingers through his long hair once more, fanning it out to fall on his shoulders in its usual style.

"And then WHACK!-" Fíli's voice seemed to startle them both back to reality as he grinned at Bilbo. "Thorin got the boar right between the eyes!"
"So you were safe?" Bilbo asked hopefully, seeming to be so lost in the story that he'd forgotten that he already knew the three of them had survived.
"It wasn't that easy," Kíli laughed, shifting to face the hobbit and his brother.
Fíli smirked. "No, because just as Thorin landed that blow, another boar came round the bend. There had been two of them giving us chase the whole time."

Andréa also turned to sit facing Bilbo and Fíli. She sat cross-legged, and, because of how close she'd been to him, her knee rubbed against Kíli's. Just as she shifted to move away from him, his hand landed softly on her knee, holding it in place. She looked up only to see him smile when their eyes met.

He leaned over so that he could speak quietly, smirking slightly. "It's alright if you haven't touched me enough today," he teased.
She snorted and smacked his arm.
He laughed, and his hand slid off her knee. But even as they both tried to pay attention to Fíli's story, Kíli was acutely aware that she made no effort to move away.

The following day progressed as per their usual routine, everyone riding their ponies uneventfully until Thorin called for a mid-day break to have lunch.
While Bombur prepared their lunch, Andréa walked a bit away from the group to do a quick meditation.

As she sat with her back to a tree, eyes shut and clasping her necklace, she heard a faint sound. The hairs on the back of her neck rose in alarm and she opened her eyes, scanning the area silently.

There it was again; the sound of a foot moving the soil of the forest floor.
She slowly stood and crept toward the sound. To her great relief, she was met shortly with the sight of Bilbo alone in a small clearing past the treeline. He was drawing his new blade, giving it a few half-hearted swings, and then sheathing it - over and over, as if in practice.

She stepped closer and cleared her throat. "Bilbo."
He started anyway, color rising to his cheeks as he hid the blade behind his back. "Andréa! Oh, I- ha," he let out a nervous laugh. "I didn't see you there."
She smiled back at her hobbit friend. "It's good that you're practicing."
"You caught that?" He bashfully sheathed the sword again.
"May I offer some guidance?"

Thorin scanned the company, noting that both the blue wizard and the burglar had somehow gone from the group. He walked toward where he'd seen Bilbo last - not that he was paying the hobbit much mind; why would he, after all? - and heard faint noises through the trees.

He followed the sounds until he came upon them.
Andréa was holding her sword out in front of her, explaining her grip and how she changed it for various movements. Bilbo was following along with the small blade Gandalf had given him.
Thorin smiled softly to himself, thinking it rather humorous that the little wizard would be giving fighting lessons when there were plenty of seasoned warriors in the company who surely would have been better at it.
Perhaps he does not trust the dwarves to teach him?
To his surprise, though, her advice was sound, and so he waited unseen behind a tree until she finished.

He stepped forward, feigning to have stumbled upon them as they sheathed their swords.
He raised a brow, his tone somewhere between teasing and offense. "Afraid to practice with the rest of the company?"
Bilbo felt the heat in his cheeks and he looked away. This was exactly why I wanted to keep it secret.
Andréa laughed easily. "What hope do either of us have in combat against such fine dwarf warriors?"
"I have seen you in battle, backup wizard." He smirked and pulled out Orcist. "Spar with me."

Andréa gaped, immediately intimidated. But she knew that to decline would make her seem cowardly in the eyes of a dwarf, and that was the last thing she wanted the leader of their company to think of her.
She blinked back to reality, shaking her head.

She pulled her sword back out, then laid her staff against a nearby tree, looking nervous. "I don't want to harm you, or be harmed, though," she hedged. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally wound the person she was supposed to be protecting.

"It will be good for Mr. Baggins to watch and learn."
"No, you needn't do such a thing-" he put his hands up in panic. "Certainly not for me."

Thorin gave a battle cry and charged at Andréa.

She gave a yelp and deked out of the way, smacking his back with her fist on her way past, then positioned herself on the other end of the open space. She held her sword defensively, looking at the dwarf leader with trepidation. She wanted to trust that he wouldn't actually hurt her, but somehow she didn't think dwarves were known for holding back in battle.

The commotion drew the attention of the company, who all started to appear, one by one, at the edge of the clearing to watch the bout.
Bilbo saw Kíli come up beside him, his hand on his hilt.
"They're just sparring," Bilbo explained, though his tone wasn't as reassuring as he'd intended.
Kíli glanced at Fíli and fell back with his brother to watch.

Thorin charged her again, and this time Andréa blocked with her sword. The two got into a bit of a test of strength as their blades pushed against each other, but it swiftly became clear that Thorin would win. She maneuvered to the side and shifted her sword so that his force against it would cause him to fall somewhat forward. At the same time, she kicked at his side and took a few steps back defensively.

Her kick barely knocked him, but in combination with how she'd snuck her sword out of his path, it was enough to catch him off guard. He growled as he turned toward her. "Strike at me, coward! With your blade!"
He stood open, goading her to approach.

Bilbo shuddered, finding Thorin's sudden lust for a battle with one of their party members quite frightening. There was no way Bilbo could ever hold his own in a spar against the dwarf, and he wished that Andréa hadn't indulged their leader.

But Andréa felt an inner desire to fight growing, especially seeing that the company had gathered as an audience.
She tilted her head, taunting Thorin back as she flipped her sword around in her hand and regained a defensive position. "Well, I wouldn't want to hurt you."
Thorin laughed darkly. "You think you can hurt me?" He started moving in a circle.
She mirrored his side-stepping so keep her distance. "Don't forget I am holding back so as to be fair."
"You dishonor me by holding back?"
"It's unfriendly to use magic in a sword fight."
"Do you need magic to best me, child?"

"No."
She rushed forward and, just as he raised Orcist to strike, she dove to the ground, rolling around him on the ground to his right. She sprung up on his left and struck his face with a fist, then ducked around him again, smacking the pommel of her sword into his back before running toward a nearby tree.
He growled, and as he turned to strike back, she was already disappearing up into its branches and out of sight.

Thorin braced himself, looking up at the canopy as snickers and whispers sounded out low from the company.
"Do you only know how to run, wizard?"
An acorn hit him in the forehead with a loud thunk. This elicited many more stifled laughs.

"I'm not in the habit of bloodying my friends, that's all," came her disembodied voice from somewhere above.
His nostrils flared with anger. "Come back down and fight! Baruk Khazâd!"

To Bilbo's surprise, she dropped from the sky with a thud, like she had the day they'd met. She stared down their leader with a dangerous spark in her eye before smirking as she lunged forward.

Their swords clashed again, but this time Thorin was faster, knowing his opponent's speed. They swung and dodged, blades meeting and parting in a frantic dance about the open space. Neither was holding back now, grinning at each other each time they met the other's fierce gaze.

The dwarves in the company watched on with reverence while Bilbo was beside himself with worry.
"Surely that's enough?" he asked timidly, glancing over to see Gandalf watching with a carefree expression.

After she blocked another strike, Andréa flicked her wrist to twirl her sword around and strike back down at him. To her surprise, the blade connected with his thick hands and she saw red appear even as they continued to grip the hilt.

She dropped her sword to the ground and started to raise her hands defensively. "Thorin, you're-!"
She winced as his blade swung at her head.

She trembled with shock, staring up at him with wide eyes as the sharp edge barely rested against the thin skin of her neck, where he'd managed to stop its swing just in time.
"-bleeding," she breathed.

He blinked, catching his breath, and only then noticed the slash across his two hands, thick red warmth spreading slowly over them. He carefully pulled Orcist away from her, noting the thin trail of blood moving down her skin. He stared back at her in alarm.
Her hand moved to hold the wound. She read the sparks of fear and shame behind Thorin's tense gaze. "Gandalf!" she called out, eyes not leaving Thorin's.

The grey wizard was upon them at once, first using his staff to heal Andréa's shallow cut, then the gash that had been carved across Thorin's two rough hands.
Thorin mumbled out a thank you to the grey wizard before bowing his head shamefully at Andréa.
"You fought honourably."
She was visibly tense. "Same to you." She quickly took her sword from the ground and walked away to retrieve her staff.
Thorin watched her step past the line of dwarves and back toward the cooking fire, eyes low and shoulders raised.

Kíli stared after her, but the group was all rooted in place with the same awkwardness.
Gandalf looked between the dwarves silently, wondering if they'd simply go back to their journey or if one of them was going to bubble over and say something.
To his surprise, it wasn't a dwarf that spoke out.

Bilbo stepped toward the still-stunned Thorin and lowered his brows, lips pursed. "You need to apologize," he hissed, pointing toward where Andréa had walked off.
Thorin scowled. "What for?"
Bilbo's voice was quiet and scalding. "You nearly cleaved her head off! And for what? A fight that only you wanted!"
He raised a brow in challenge. "She did not decline the fight."
"Yes, because you're the leader. She does whatever you say! But a leader is meant to protect the party, not- not-" he threw his hands up in frustration. "Indulge your childish need for sport!"

Thorin blinked incredulously at the censure he was receiving from their hobbit.
Bilbo shook his head. "I thought better of you, Thorin Oakenshield, I- I really did." He huffed and walked off, pushing past Fíli to follow after Andréa.

Thorin took a few deep breaths, his face dark with frustration.
How dare the hobbit speak lowly to him? Even if he did nearly kill their backup wizard. Even if the guilt was burning his throat like coals. Didn't think the little ferret had it in him.

He turned to the group, giving them a death glare. "Eat your lunch! We'll soon be on our way."
The dwarves all quickly complied, wanting to get away from Thorin in his foul mood.
Thorin paused beside Gandalf and his face softened somewhat. "Do you think I must apologize?"
Gandalf tilted his head back and forth, considering, then shrugged lightly. "I imagine it would do no harm. But knowing that girl, she'll follow you regardless."
"To keep us safe?"
"Oh, that too." Gandalf chuckled. Then he walked slowly back toward the group.

Thorin frowned. There is another reason?
He recalled the way she'd looked up at him after Balin told the tale of the Battle of Azanulbizar. Her keen interest in 'dwarrow'.
'I'm not in the habit of bloodying my friends', she'd said. Was Thorin a friend in her mind?
He looked down to his now-healed hands and sighed.

Back at their temporary camp, Andréa was sitting beside Kíli.
Bilbo had checked in on her, but had gone to tend to his pony when the rest of the company had started to filter back to the cooking fire to serve up lunch. He had seen the way Kíli's brow had furrowed at the sight of them alone together, and had no intention of being on the receiving end of dwarf jealousy.
Kíli and Fíli had approached together, but Fíli quickly offered to grab them all their lunches and walked over to where Bombur was plating them up.

Thorin walked back toward camp and came within earshot as he queued for lunch. He pretended not to notice their conversation.

Kíli wrung his hands and glanced over at her neck again.
Andréa rolled her eyes. "Kíli, I told you. I'm fine." She stretched her neck to show off where she'd been nicked. "See? No wound, no scar, perfectly intact."
He touched his rough fingers to her skin and she tensed in surprise, but didn't move away. "He could have killed you."
"But he didn't."
"He should not have struck at your neck like that, even if you hadn't dropped your blade."
"It was just an accident, Kíli. Please don't dwell on it."

Kíli let out a frustrated sigh. "Why were you sparring with my uncle anyway? You should know better than to challenge a dwarf."
She pursed her lips in sudden frustration and offense. "I did not challenge him. He was the one who suggested it, to show Bilbo-"
"You should have refused."
She crossed her arms. "Why? Because no wizard can best a dwarf?"
"N- No, that's not what I'm saying…" He flustered a bit, trying not to say something offensive.
She narrowed her eyes.

"But you…" You should be more careful.
"You think I cannot best a dwarf?"
His voice was low and serious. "I think you could."
She calmed at the look of respect he was giving her. Any offense she'd taken seemed to have been projection. Her shoulders lowered, and she averted her gaze.

He frowned softly. "Still, you should be careful not to be injured. We need our backup wizard in one piece."
Before she could reply, Fíli walked over with their lunches.

That afternoon, as they rode their ponies, Bilbo spotted Thorin fall out of line to ride beside Andréa. He watched as the two leaned toward each other slightly, speaking too quietly and too far from him for him to hear anything.

He saw Thorin reach his arm out to squeeze Andréa's shoulder, and how the wizard shrugged and shook her head at the older dwarf. She said something with a grin and Bilbo saw Thorin's face light up with a laugh before he hung his head, shaking it as he tried to contain the aftershock snorts from whatever she'd said to him.
Andréa seemed to have relaxed, riding taller on her pony at their leader's side.

Bilbo smiled.
So you do know how to apologize.

That night, after they'd all had supper, the dwarves struck up a reprise of 'That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates'.
Andréa delighted in the song, grinning in surprise as they sang it by rote. When they finished, however, she turned to Bilbo with an apologetic expression, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I would hate that too."
Bilbo laughed. "Thank you, that's encouraging."
"If I had a home, I'd know better than to invite this lot," she joked.
"In their defense, they didn't actually… burn the corks, or…" Bilbo struggled to think of the words to the song.
"We cleaned up proper," Bofur nodded. "Just a bit o' good natured razzing."

Nori said something, and soon the dwarves were having a big group back-and-forth about who did what cleaning, and whose idea it was.

Bilbo narrowed his eyes at Andréa. "If you had a home? You don't have anywhere you consider home?"
"No, not at the moment." She smiled at him and shrugged. "I've mostly been a nomad since our house burned down."

Bilbo was unsure what to make of this information. "Then… Do you have plans after we are done in Erebor?"
She shook her head, seeming unconcerned. "Not in detail. If Gandalf has another use for me, I suppose I'll do that. If not…" She shrugged.
Bilbo let out a small, incredulous laugh. "You really haven't put any thought into it?"
"We don't all have hobbit holes to return to."

She laid on her back and looked up at the stars, smiling softly at their sight. "Or someone waiting for us."
"Well, you're always welcome at my home," Bilbo offered. "For whatever that's worth."
"That's a kind offer. Thank you." She grinned, but kept her eyes on the sky. "If I survive this, I should like to see the Shire."

He laid down beside her to look up at the sky as well. "Forgive me for saying so, but… You seem to take your life rather lightly."
She hummed in thought. "Tell me, Bilbo, if you lost all that you had lived for, the places and people… what would you live for, then?"
He felt a pang of sympathy, but took the question seriously. "I suppose I would live for the hope of finding new people and places to live for. New experiences, to remind me that… Well, that life is worth living."
She reached one arm out until her hand met his sleeve. "Then you understand me well, friend. Right now, I'm quite pleased to be travelling with the company."

Kíli looked over from where he had been cajoling with his kin, and could not help the surge of annoyance he felt when he took in the sight of Andréa laying so intimately with the hobbit.
He walked over casually and stood leaning over their heads.
"Oh, look, Bilbo," Andréa pointed. "That constellation looks just like Kíli."
All three let out small laughs.

Kíli raised a brow. "Stargazing?"
"We considered Dwarf-gazing, but we've done that all day."
He rolled his eyes at her, then joined them on the ground, laying on her other side. "What's so interesting about stars? Cold, distant lights."
"They are the very light of creation," Andréa countered with reverence. "Older than the sun and moon."
"Old, distant lights," he amended.
"They're quite pretty," Bilbo added.
"My mother loved the stars." Andréa gave a wistful sigh. "On clear nights, when I was small, we would lay under the sky and she would tell me of the constellations until I fell asleep."

Kíli turned his head to look at her, frowning at the abnormally sad expression on her face.
He looked back up at the night sky. "What did she tell you about them?"
She raised her hand and traced shapes in the air. "That there is Wilwarin, as a butterfly."
Kíli tried to imagine a butterfly, but he saw only random spots of light.
"And over there is Menelmacar, the Swordsman of the Sky. He is a foreboding of the final battle, the end of days."
"That's cheery," Bilbo laughed nervously.
She laughed easily. "We will not see that day in these lives."
"How do you know?" Bilbo teased, looking over to her.

She was silent for a moment, still looking up at the sky. "It is just a tale." Her hand reached up again. "And there is Durin's Crown."
Kíli raised a brow and looked over to her. "You know of Durin's crown?"
She smiled, still looking up. "Of course. My father told me the tale often as a child. Durin the Deathless travelled south until he came upon the lake Mirrormere. When he looked upon his reflection, seven stars appeared as a crown above his head, despite it being day. He saw it as a good omen and built the great city of Khazad-dûm beneath the mountains that fed the lake."

She turned to Bilbo. "Khazad-dûm is better known as Moria."
He nodded, recognizing the name.
She turned to look at Kíli, grinning. "Never thought I'd meet Durin's Folk. You're something out of a bedtime story to me," she laughed.
"I'm glad my people's history was so entertaining to you," he teased.
She looked back up at the sky. "I asked my father what the city of Khazad-dûm was like, but he didn't know, so we would trade tall tales about it. I've always wanted to see it."

"Nobody's seen it in years, but it is said to be the greatest of all the mansions of the dwarves." Kíli placed his hands under his neck. "Perhaps after we reclaim Erebor we can reclaim Moria."
"Yes, let's," she replied lightly, though she didn't take him seriously.
Kíli snorted. Laying under the sky, he didn't find the stars especially interesting, but knowing that they brought comfort to the backup wizard made him regard them slightly better.

After a few moments of comfortable silence staring at the night sky, Bilbo excused himself.
Andréa shivered and rubbed her hands together.
Kíli raised a brow and sat up to look down at her. "Are you so cold, Peony?"
"Andréa," she corrected pointedly. "Just my hands."
He shook his head, mocking her. "It's hardly that cool a night. How cold could you be?" He put his large hands around hers, and his taunting expression gave way to horror. "You're like ice!"
"Your hands are so warm." She closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling.
"You should sit nearer the fire if you're cold."

She pulled her hands away and used them to sit up beside him. "I could, or I could steal your warmth from you." She placed her hands on his cheeks.
He flinched and batted her arms away, narrowing his eyes playfully. He wanted to be more annoyed by her teasing, but he couldn't stop the grin he got from her paying him her sole attention.
She snickered softly, pulling her hands under her cloak as she smiled up at him.

"Is it because you're a dwarf?"
"Is what?"
"That you're so warm. I can't seem to keep my hands warm once the sun sets, no matter how I try."
He shrugged, shaking his head. "I've no idea. Perhaps wizards simply have cold hands?"
She let out a small laugh. "Mm, you might be right. If only I were like you."
He smirked. "A handsome dwarf?"
She tilted her head. "And heir to the throne of Durin, no less."

Meanwhile Thorin watched as Bilbo went to sit beside Bofur, leaning in to whisper in the dwarf's ear. Thorin narrowed his eyes, wondering what they might have to be secretive about.
Bofur grinned and glanced over at where Bilbo had come from before whispering back to Bofur, eliciting a laugh from the hobbit.

"There's a song about Durin," Kíli said lightly.
"Oh?" Andréa stared up at him, eyes wide and alight. "Would you sing it for me?"
He laughed, meeting her gaze. "Are you so curious?"
"Of course! I want to know all about dwarrow."
He was going to tease her, but her earnest interest won him over. He nodded and called out to the rest of the company, "Durin's song?"

There were several grunts and nods, and soon a humming began among the dwarves.
Andréa sat up, already entranced.

The world was young, the mountains green
No stain yet on the Moon was seen
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone

She felt goosebumps rising on her skin as she recognized the tune but not the lyrics. She hung on every barrel-chested word.
Kíli couldn't help but smile with pride when he glanced her way. The hobbit certainly hadn't held her attention like this.

At last they came upon words she knew.

She joined in, her voice clear and sweet, octaves higher than theirs but harmonizing perfectly.
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere
There lies his crown in water deep
'Till Durin wakes again from sleep

"You know Durin's Song?" Thorin asked when they stopped, brow raised.
She shook her head. "I only know that last bit."
"How?"
"My father knew many dwarves. But he must have only learned the end of the song." She laughed softly, shaking her head. "That's just like him." She grinned at Thorin. "That was so lovely, though, thank you."

"Lovely," Thorin snickered.
"Beautiful," she insisted.
"Your language is too flowery," Kíli grimaced, leaning toward her. "We are dwarves, not elves."
"Oh! Then, resonant? Powerful? I know not," she laughed, gesturing. "But it was wonderful, truly. I could listen to dwarven songs forever."
Gandalf laughed to himself at her fawning. Perhaps she was too enamoured with dwarves.

Andréa had strange dreams that night.

She walked in a dark wood with the company. They were all in good spirits, though when they spoke, their voices were far away; she could not make out their words. Everyone's movements seemed to blur in her vision, leaving impressions of where they'd been. She felt dizzy as she watched them.

Kíli laughed and clapped his hand down on her shoulder, saying something indistinct. As she leaned toward him to try to ask what he'd said, a deafening clap of thunder sounded as lightning struck a tree before them. The downed limb landed between Gandalf - who was leading the group - and the rest of the company.

Gandalf gave a meaningful nod to Andréa, then continued down that path while Kíli grabbed her arm, pulling her in the opposite direction. She tried to fight against him, but the company overpowered her, and she found herself dragged away, straining to see where her mentor was going through the sea of dwarf movement.

She woke before the sun rose and had to catch her breath. She looked over the camp and was relieved to see that Gandalf was safely asleep near some of the dwarves. She held her necklace and shut her eyes, willing herself to be calm. When she opened them, she took better stock of camp, her eyes locking onto Kíli's.

He and Fíli were already awake and ready to go, watching the camp as the rest slept.
Kíli raised a brow, concerned after having watched her wake up in a start. "You alright?" he mouthed from across the space.
She gestured for him not to worry, then quietly gathered her belongings.

When she brought her pack over to the young brothers, she sat down beside Fíli. "Nothing stange?" she whispered.
"Only you," Kíli joked. He grinned when she smiled despite rolling her eyes.
Fíli stretched his arms up and then wrapped them around both Andréa's and Kíli's shoulders, pulling them both toward him. "Quiet morning," he murmured, patting them both.
Kíli played it up, snuggling into his older brother. He reached his arm toward Andréa and pulled her closer with mock concern. "The wizard gets cold, brother, we'll have to keep her warm like this."
"Mm," Fíli grunted in agreement, hugging them both tightly. "It's only practical."
The confusion on her face faded to passive resignation and she laid her head on Fíli's chest, glancing at Kíli's face just inches from hers. He flashed her a goofy grin, his eyes wrinkling.
Fíli felt Andréa's shoulders shake with a silent laugh, and smiled to himself as he looked out over the camp and surrounding woods.

"Do you think there'll be a storm tonight?" Andréa asked after a moment.
Fíli hummed, and she felt the vibration through his chest. "Seems like a clear sky so far. Depends on how far we go, though."
"If there is, we'll find cover," Kíli assured her.
"Of course." Andréa looked over to Gandalf again.

Kíli followed her gaze and frowned. Something was bothering her about the grey wizard, and after her implication of him being disloyal, Kíli had felt suspicious of him.

When Thorin woke, he sent Kíli and Fíli to scout ahead, so Andréa joined them.
Kíli noted the way her hand kept reaching for her necklace through her shirt; the way her brow furrowed, lost in thought.

"Peony, are you afraid of lightning or something?" He smirked, walking backward in front of her with his hands cupped behind his neck.
"Hm?" She raised a brow, her dream flashing in her mind again. "N-no, not really."
"Are you sure? Seems like maybe you are." She didn't even correct me on her name.
"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

She glanced past him and put her hands out to grab his torso, pulling him to a stop. "You need to watch where you're going," she lightly scolded him.
Kíli grinned, looking down at where her hands were on him, then glanced over his shoulder to see that he'd been about to trip over a fallen log. "But I prefer your interventions," he chuckled.
She let go and smacked his chest, then stepped past him. "Don't be so reckless."

He followed after her, licking his lips. "It's not reckless if nothing bad happens to me."
"What if I stopped helping you, hm?"
He took her hand in his and made puppy eyes at her. "You made a vow to protect me, though."
She scrunched her face, and pulled her hand away. "Yeah, I will," she conceded.
Fíli tried not to laugh as he walked several feet ahead of them, listening to their conversation.

"Don't you want to?" Kíli batted his lashes at her.
"Yes," she sighed, looking back over at him. "But you're not the only one I'm supposed to be protecting."
"But I need the most attention, don't you think?"
"Oh, yes, that's quite clear." She raised her brows. "Are you ignored at home?"
"Yes, my family is very neglectful," Kíli lied, voice suddenly sullen.
She laughed, covering her mouth. "You're terrible."
He grinned, chest puffing out. "But you laughed. Finally."

"Finally?" She looked up at him with a furrowed brow. "Do I not laugh usually?"
"You've been serious all morning," he frowned, reaching a finger up to tickle her chin.
She batted his hand away. "I have not."
"Yes you have." He poked at her side next, and she smacked his arm.
"I'm just concerned about what might happen!"
"Don't you feel safe with us dwarrow around you?"
"I- Yes, mostly, but…"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You can always hide in my arms if you get scared."
"I'm not scared, Kíli. I just had a strange dream."
"A dream?"
"Yes, where Gandalf left-"
"Was I in your dream?"
"Y-Yes, you were. But that wasn't the point-"
He squeezed her in closer. "And were you in my arms?"

She sighed, her voice dry and low. "You did grab me against my will, like you're doing now."
He laughed. "Ah, see? So you know you're safe."
She glared up at him. "Could you stop teasing for one minute and listen to the words coming from my mouth?"
He smirked, looking at her lips. "What was that about your mouth?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him off of her. "Ha-aah. I'm sure all the dwarf girls back home fawn over themselves when you tell them you're the heir to Erebor or what have you, but-"
"Oh, no-" Fíli interrupted, having stopped to turn toward them in concern when she'd used the words 'against my will'. "The dwarf dams don't pay Kíli any mind."

Kíli shot him a dirty look. There was no reason to tell her that.
She gave Kíli a once over, then looked at Fíli pointedly. "Truly." She raised a brow, placing a hand on her hip.
Fíli grinned. "He's not popular with them at all. Neither of us are."
She rolled her eyes again. "Right. I suppose dwarf women are all blind?" She turned to walk away in annoyance, flipping her staff up over her shoulders. "Speaking to you two is pointless today. I'm going back."

With Andréa's back turned to them, Kíli flashed Fíli a dopey grin.
Fíli stifled a laugh, caught off guard by her complete distrust in his comment. "She thinks we're good looking," he whispered in Khuzdul.
Kíli was quite chuffed as he followed Fíli further out to scout ahead.