Author's Note: I own nothing.

4 That First Week

It took Bella a few days to get everyone, and their relations to each other, straight. It seemed that everyone in this company was in some way related to each other. Fili and Kili were brothers, and Thorin's nephews. Balin and Dwalin were brother as were Oin and Gloin, Dori and Nori, Bofur and Bombur. The rest seemed to be cousins. Ori to Dori and Nori, and Bifur to Bofur and Bombur. If Bella herself didn't have quite a large family it might have been very difficult for her to keep them straight. But as the first week of their journey drew to an end the Company settled in to a kind of habit.

Bella was of some help during that time. She and Bombur became fast friends over the cooking of meals. Bombur was fascinated by the regular meal schedule of Hobbits.

"Seven you say?" He questioned and Bella nodded.

"You have breakfast of course. Second breakfast." She began ticking them off on her fingers.

"Second breakfast you say?" Bombur asked and Bella nodded.

"Yes, second breakfast. Then elvenses, luncheon, afternoon tea." She went on ticking these off on her fingers as well. "Dinner and supper." Bombur laughed loudly and jovially.

"I think Hobbits have the right idea!" He boomed, making Bella laugh too. He turned to Thorin where he sat nearby the fire. "What say you King Under the Mountain, any chance of establishing Hobbit style meals when we take back Erebor?" Thorin rolled his eyes turning away from the pair of them as Bombur began to serve up the stew.

"King Under the Mountain?" Bella asked confused, it seemed there was nothing about these Dwarves did not confuse her. Balin was the one to explain the whole bloody business. The fall of Erebor, in detail was finally relayed, and then the failed attempt at reclaiming Moria. He only stopped in his storytelling when Thorin spoke in Khuzdul.

"Enough Balin. She doesn't need to know all Dwarf lore." He grumbled. Balin rolled his eyes.

"She's a sweet enough lass Thorin. I do not believe she has it in her to betray anyone." He pointed out as Bella rolled her eyes, still unable to understand Khuzdul. A few of the Dwarves did this regularly to shut her out of the conversation. Dwalin and Thorin were the worst offenders in this. At least Bifur couldn't help but shut her out, speaking as he did only in Khuzdul. Bella sighed.

"I know when I'm not wanted. I'll take Kili some dinner then." She said picking up two bowls and stomping out of the ring of firelight. Gandalf rolled his eyes at the dwarves. He had half a mind to go after Bella, though at least she and Kili were growing friendly.

Bella frowned as she stepped carefully through the foliage. They'd made camp a ways off the East Road, so they would see anyone coming down the road. As she drew closer to their agreed upon scouting point she heard a low singing. Kili was humming a tune she remembered her mother singing a few times.

"May it be an evening star shines down upon you." He sang for a verse before falling off and only in that moment did it occur to Bella that many verses of that song were sung in Quenya, an elven tongue. She cleared her throat and Kili's hand flicked up to the quiver on his back.

"It's just me." She said raising her hands, in a form of surrender, though she nearly spilled the stew in doing so. Kili relaxed.

"Dinner?" He asked grinning lightly. She nodded handing over one of the bowls.

"Yes, stew, Bombur assures me this is a good one. He's yet to disappoint." Bella said with a smile of her own. Kili took the bowl and began to dig in. Bella sat down next to him.

"They shutting you out of the conversation again?" He asked. Bella didn't normally stay on watch. Thorin doubted her ability to keep it. She nodded taking a spoonful of stew. She really didn't want to talk about it. She knew one of these Dwarves was the source of her Tuning. She'd narrowed it down a little. Gloin had a wife and child back in Ered Luin. According to Bombur Oin and Balin had both found and lost their One, Balin to the dragon's fire when Erebor fell and Oin to a disease. It was sad but not unheard of for one of the pair to have to live without the other. Only Elves died of broken hearts and privately Bella had always wondered if they were the lucky ones for it. After all they did not linger long without their One. That was what the Dwarves called their Tuning, the One's Song. She had wondered if hers might be Fili or Kili but it seemed she might eliminate another from the list. She sat in silence for a moment eating with Kili. When he'd finished she spoke.

"You know my mother was an Elf friend." She commented lightly. He spluttered but she did not look at him, allowing him time to compose himself. "She taught me to speak some of the languages, Sindarin, a little bit of Silvan, Quenya." She said finally looking over at him. Even in the starlight she could see the red flush to his cheeks.

"Do you know that song?" He asked, sounding a bit choked.

"Not well enough to sing it myself. My mother told me it was a song all the elves sing. Quenya is an old elf dialect. Do they always sing in it?" She asked returning to her contemplation of the stars. He shook his head.

"No. Never common though. Sometimes it's…" He sighed. "I don't know the names of elvish dialects." He said sounding defeated.

"I know some. Enough to muddle through anyway." Bella said. Kili turned to her and she looked at him surprised to find a little bit of fear in his eyes.

"You cannot tell the others, please Bella. Thorin would never forgive me. I don't know if the others would either. I beg…"

"There is no need for begging Kili. They will hear nothing from me." He still looked a bit apprehensive so Bella leaned forward conspiratorially. "Since I have stumbled across this secret of yours, through no fault of your own, I will share a secret of mine."

"I thought you said Hobbits had no secrets." Kili said looking suspicious.

"Most of us don't and to Hobbits mine is no real secret. But I would prefer it if the company were to discover this on my terms." Kili raised an eyebrow but nodded, leaning in a bit closer. "The source of my Tuning often sings in the language of the Dwarves." Kili's eyes went wide.

"Your One sings in Khuzdul!" He exclaimed glancing back at the soft glow of the campfire.

"If that is what it is called yes. It is the same language you all speak, that much I know. But since I think no one here would hold that against me where you seem to have a notion that they would hold your Tuning against you, I will tell you the rest."

"Thorin would, he hates only Orcs more than he hates Elves." Kili muttered then frowned. "There is more to your secret than your One being a Dwarf?" His eyes widened. "You only changed your mind about coming with us after the song we sang!" She nodded.

"You've figured me out. It's true. I heard that song in my mind before I heard it from down the hall. But I do not yet know whose voice it was I heard. You were all singing at once." Kili shook his head.

"Your One is one of us! Well, we know it cannot be me. It also cannot be Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin or Dori. Of the others I do not know."

"And you will not go asking!" Bella laughed for she had seen a spark of curiosity growing in Kili's eyes. "I would discover this for myself. It is my turn to beg of you not to speak of this but when we are alone." Kili nodded.

"I would not betray your trust and if I do you have my permission to cut off what little beard I have." He said with a wry grin. Bella nodded laughing. She had no idea why he sounded so solemn about some facial hair but she passed it off as an oddity of Dwarves and nodded to him.