Fíli can acknowledge that he fully deserves the lecture in responsibility and following instructions that Thor gives him as soon as he is dressed after being released. His uncle had very clearly instructed Fíli, more than once, to take Bilba back to their camp for the night and stay there. Fíli can't even really explain why he disobeyed Thor. Before Gandalf had shown up Fíli had never been prone to moments or rashness or even ignoring Thor's instructions. Working in the forge and training can be dangerous if he takes it upon himself to ignore everything that Thor has ever tried to teach him or told him to do. In part it is a desperate desire to prove himself, even if he has no idea who he is trying to do it for, the other is pure confusion.

Thor is different since they left Bree. He doesn't dress the same way, doesn't act the same and isn't treated the same way by others. Even Dwalin, who Fíli has known most of his life, treats Thor differently and it might be that Fíli is only now noticing it because he is looking for it, especially because Ori doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. They were never poor in Bree, they never struggled even though most of their clothes seemed to be second hand, and Thor was well respected as a master smith. No one deferred to him there the way that the others do now. It has become increasingly clear that his uncle knows more about what is going on than he claims to and even more obvious that Thor is not necessarily who he has always claimed to be. With this in mind, Fíli has begun to question his own identity and it's probably those questions as much as anything else that had prompted him to ignore Thor's orders and convince Ori to do the same.

If not for Bilba they might all be dead right now, and Fíli doesn't need Thor to tell him that he owes her an apology. The hobbit is studiously ignoring them all, a blush painting her cheeks as she walks beside Gandalf. She's obviously embarrassed, having been thanked by everyone else while Thor had been shouting at Fíli. Even Gandalf had praised her quick thinking, much to her obvious discomfort, before pointing out that the trolls must have had a cave. It is this cave they are heading towards now, the trail of broken branches and damaged trees telling leaving them a clear enough path to its location for even the most inexperienced tracker. They have little real interest in the horde, troll hordes are usually substandard items anyway, damaged or rusted from lack of care. Thor's main concern is ensuring that they haven't missed a fourth troll who may come looking for its missing companions come nightfall. Gandalf assures them it's unlikely, but Thor is refusing to take any chances and when he orders Fíli to wait outside with Bilba the young dwarf readily agrees. He has no desire to see or smell another troll again.

"I'm sorry," he says to Bilba as soon as everyone else has gone into the cave. He digs at the damp earth underfoot with the toe of his boot. "I never should have left you alone and I shouldn't have convinced Ori to come either."

"No, you shouldn't have," she's leaning against a tree, arms crossed and face set. She's the only one of them who managed to get any sleep, but she looks exhausted. "It was frightening to wake up and discover both of you were gone."

The way things played out had resulted in the best possible outcome, Fíli knows. Bilba could easily have slept later and been found by the trolls the following night while trying to work out what to do, or she could have come looking for them and found nothing more than a pile of bones. They had been lucky, Fíli realises, not just that Bilba had come looking and managed to distract the trolls for long enough that they could be turned to stone, but also that the trolls had decided to cook them at all.

"I didn't think," he admits, now able to understand why Thor had sent the three of them away. He had been trying to keep them safe and ensuring there would be someone to help Bilba to get to Rivendell.

"That appears to be a recurring problem for you," Bilba observes, obviously referring to the incident with the pony. "But I think you did," she counters. "You thought about your family and you wanted to be with them. I'm not angry that you left me, I'm angry that you didn't include me in the discussion."

"We didn't think you would want to come," Fíli responds.

"Of course I didn't," she laughs. "But if I had known you were going it would have been less terrifying to wake up and find you both gone."

"I'll remember that for next time," he assures her.

"I suspect your uncle will skin you himself if there's a next time," Bilba yawns and Fíli agrees.

They sit at the base of the tree, cradled by the roots while they wait for the others to emerge. Ori appears first, sneezing as he steps out of the dark cave into the bright light of early morning. He sits next to them and leans his head against Fíli's shoulder, rapidly falling asleep and the small clearing is quickly filled with the sound of his snoring. Fíli grins at Bilba, tempted to join his friend in slumber but aware that he is supposed to be keeping an eye out for unexpected company.

"I can keep watch if you like," Bilba offers, "I at least got some sleep last night and you have to be as exhausted as Ori."

"Thank you," he yawns," but I shouldn't risk rousing my uncle's temper any more than I already have. You look like you need it more than I do."

"I don't think I'll feel properly rested until I've bathed at least three times and eaten a proper number of meals," she pulls a dark curl forward and scowls at it. "In fact, I'd happily sacrifice second breakfast and afternoon tea for a nice hot bath," her lips twist ruefully. "Listen to me, I'm about as far from being a respectable hobbit as I could possibly get right now."

"I think we can probably take you a couple of steps further," Gandalf says as he approaches. He has an unfamiliar sword at his hip and a short dagger in his hand. Fíli looks at it curiously, all of his blades come in pairs by his own preference and he finds himself wondering why Gandalf picked up the tiny thing. "This should do it, I think, for now at least and I am certain that Lord Elrond would be happy to have someone teach you to use it." Bilba regards the little blade warily, then accepts it with obvious reluctance.

"What am I ever going to need a sword for?" She asks.

"You are more like your mother than you realise, Bilba Baggins," Gandalf replies seriously, "and you have advantages she never did. Come," he straightens and turns away, "let us return to camp and find some breakfast, Thor will join us momentarily."

Fíli nudges Ori and his friend wakes with a start, blinking bleary eyes at him as he rubs his cheek with a gloved hand. Ori sits upright with a groan and Fíli gets to his feet with a chuckle, offering his hand to Bilba to help her up. She smiles gratefully, still holding her sword with the kind of tentativeness usually reserved for venomous snakes. He finds it oddly amusing to see how wary she is of the little blade. It's sheathed, so she isn't likely to injure herself or anyone else and she'll need it if the fears she had confided in him before the troll turned up are anything to go by. Bilba already knows from experience just how dangerous the road can be.

Thor and the others join them as they walk and even Nori's feet are dragging with exhaustion. The heaviness in Fíli's limbs only feels worse now that he is on his feet, his eyes drooping as he squints in the sunlight. He's almost afraid to blink, half convinced that if he closes his eyes for even the briefest of moments he will fall asleep mid-stride. He wonders if Thor will send Nori, Dwalin and Bilba straight to Rivendell. Although it seems unlikely, he is also aware that they don't necessarily have the supplies or time to wait another day, and none of them can say how long it will take Lord Elrond to gather the amount they will need, if the elf even agrees to help them at all. Part of him still wishes he were going with them. Rivendell might be an elf settlement, but it would still be worth the trip to see it. Thor will never allow it, especially after Fíli threw himself straight into danger for the second time in a week.

Camp is much as they left it. The previous night's dinner still sits, barely touched, in its pot above the fire, the embers of which have long gone cold. Bedrolls are spread around, creased and rumpled where Bilba obviously checked for everyone before realising she had been left behind and Fíli collapses onto his with a jaw-creaking yawn. Dwalin builds the fire up to reheat the meal they didn't eat the night before, adding a handful of Bilba's foraged mushrooms into the pot and watching as Nori swings himself up onto the top of the ruined outer wall of the house, exhausted and watchful. Balin and Thor take themselves to a corner and immediately begin a hushed conversation that is a frustrating mix of clipped Khuzdul and rapid iglishmêk, the gestures half hidden by their bodies. Fíli can't follow what they are saying, and even if he could he's too tired to think about it properly. It very likely has to do with Rivendell, but since he isn't going, and the others aren't showing any signs of packing up Fíli decides that it will not do any harm if he curls into his blankets and sleeps.

"Eat up, lad," Dwalin rouses him almost an hour later with a bowl of stew. Fíli smiles up at him gratefully and looks around as he begins to shovel hot food into his mouth. There are no signs that they have decided to break camp, though it has been straightened slightly.

"Thor," Nori appears at Fíli's side, making him flinch, "riders approaching, four of them."

"Orcs? Men?" Thor demands, tensing.

"Elves," Nori replies. "We're close enough to Rivendell to expect patrols, they may pass us by."

"Or they may be looking for us," Thor grumbles. "We do not have time for this."

"We may have to make the time, Thor," Gandalf disagrees. "We are in poor condition to move forwards today and need the supplies Rivendell can provide. There is little sense in avoiding the patrol if they find us, and I would like to speak to Lord Elrond about last night in any case. Those trolls were too close to his borders for my comfort."

"But not within them, and so not his problem to deal with," Thor replies, bitterly.

"You know Elrond better than that," Gandalf chastises. Fíli has no idea how Thor could know the Lord of Rivendell, whether well or at all. He knows Thor must have had a life and experiences before he came to Bree with Fíli and Kíli and he also knows that Thor doesn't talk about it. The only thing Fíli knows about the situation with any certainty is that Thor doesn't like elves, especially the ones who live in Mirkwood if the way he speaks about them is anything to go by. Fíli has never actually met an elf, they almost never come as far as Bree when they head west and the few that do, he has only seen from a distance. For all Thor's harsh words about them he finds himself quite excited at the thought of meeting an elf, he knows that Kíli would have been excited too and it's another thing about this journey he wishes he could have shared with his brother.

The question of whether or not they should attempt to continue avoiding Rivendell is put to rest by the sound of approaching horses, quickly followed by the arrival of the beasts and their riders. Fíli has become accustomed to Gandalf and his horse over the weeks they have been on the road, but he has rarely been around so many horses. With elves on their backs, elves wearing armour and helmets and heavily armed, they seem somehow more intimidating and that is not a feeling he likes. Dwalin, Nori and Thor come forwards, placing themselves between the new arrivals and the youngest members of their party. Gandalf stands to one side with Balin, leaning heavily on his staff and with his eyebrows arched and a crooked quirk of his lips that speaks to his amusement at the posturing of Fíli's uncle and his friends.

"Mithrandir," one of the elves dismounts, removing his helmet to show dark hair and a youthful face, although such is apparently average of elves. Gandalf steps forward and squints at him as he continues. "My Lord Elrond has had us searching for you for nearly three weeks."

"Your father would do better to leave me to my own devices, Elladan," the wizard replies.

"I'm Elladan," another says, also removing his helmet as he approaches. "He's Elrohir." They're twins, Fíli realises as they stand next to one another. At a glance he can't see any difference between them, though there must be because Gandalf huffs a laugh.

"I have known you both for too long to fall for that, Elrohir," he shakes his head almost fondly. "What does your father want with me?"

"I think you already know, Mithrandir," Elladan replies.

"Better than we do by all appearances, since you are in the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Fíli feels the bottom drop out of his stomach, this isn't the first time he has heard his uncle called Thorin and from the irritated noise Thor makes it holds some truth. "It is an honour to meet you again, Shield of Durin," they both bow.

"A pity I can't say the same," Thor replies.

"If this is about the incident with the sword when last we met, it was all Dís' idea," the one Fíli thinks is Elladan shrugs and Fíli frowns at the mention of his mother's name. "How is she? Is she with you?"

"She's dead," Thor says curtly, "gone sixty-four years." The two elves look genuinely grieved to find out that she is dead and Fíli wonders at the fact that his uncle makes no mention of his father, brother or himself. Confusion floods over him.

"You have our condolences," Elrohir's voice is momentarily softened. "However, your presence has saved us a trip, we had hoped Mithrandir would know where you were hiding."

"I suppose Lord Elrond desires my presence as well," Thor grumbles.

"Uncommonly quick for a dwarf," Elladan smiles, "at least, I've always thought so. All of your companions are welcome, of course, we shall have to insist on it, in fact."

"Yes, Father was most firm on that point," Elrohir agrees.

"My understanding is that Elrond has to be firm with every point where you two are concerned," Thor observes caustically. Fíli hears something that sounds suspiciously like a giggle from one of the still mounted elves as Dwalin lets out a loud snort. Beside him Bilba ducks her head behind his shoulder to hide her own wide smile as the twins assume matching hurt expressions.

"You wound us, Thorin," Elrohir's tone carries notes of false injury. "We shall overlook it, however, in the generosity of friendship and help you to break camp so that we might have a chance of reaching Imladris by nightfall." Nori mutters something in Khuzdul that Fíli knows would have Thor washing his own mouth out with soap if he were to do the same and his uncle nods in apparent agreement.

"There's nothing for it, Thorin," Dwalin says, startling Fíli by using the name that the elves and Balin have. "You know better than I the abilities of elves, especially these two."

You're too kind, Master Dwalin," Elladan bows floridly.

"I wasn't aiming to be," Dwalin sneers. "They've found us. We go to Rivendell and deal with Elrond. The quicker we get it over with, the quicker we can get back on the trail."

"I dislike it," Thor responds, "but I see the sense in it. Very well."

Fíli wants to be excited as they all begin to pack their belongings, but he isn't. He can't be. Uncle Thor, he has realised, really isn't who he has always claimed to be. There is no way around it, no way that he can pass it off as a mistake, not if the elves, not if Dwalin , so obviously know him as someone else, as the Thorin Oakenshield of legend. Thor, Thorin, barely looks at him, doesn't even introduce him, all of the warmth that his gaze usually holds when it falls upon Fíli is gone. Fíli feels alone and adrift, bereft in a way he didn't experience even after Kíli was lost. All he can do is follow in silence and he doesn't see the concerned glances from Bilba and Ori.