It took Enya about fourteen days before she was confident enough to be around other breathing beings again. She quickly developed a daily routine, which meant during the day she tracked the company (she was no girlscout but jeez, dwarves were surprisingly easy to track anyway). At night she trained her new skills and took the time to meditate. She followed her instincts and took grandma Gigi's warning about the consequences of an unstable mind very seriously.

Enya also learned that surviving in the wild was far more difficult than the camping trips she had done in the past. There was no tent, no bathroom and (god how terrible) no toilet paper. She had to admit that, at this point in time, she would do literally anything to get a bar of soap or a toothbrush. She never felt so gross in her whole life. She shivered with delight when she thought about the Jacuzzi in her home. Oh the hot water... and the bubbles! Would she be able to enjoy that heavenly hot tub again? She shrugged. A splash of water in her face every now and then would have to suffice.

For now...

It was an hour before dusk and Enya crept through the forest, searching for signs that the company was near. She was still unsure when (or how!) she should try to join the group of dwarves again. She hadn't forgotten the night she almost hurt Dori, nor did she forget the way in which she behaved towards Thorin... She sighed. She had survived so far on her own, but she really longed for a friendly conversation around a comforting fire. 'Bitch... you carry fire. Remember?' her mind scoffed and Enya chuckled. It must be the company she missed, then. She quickly took cover when she heard Gandalfs voice resonating through the forest. Oh and boy, he sounded very angry. She hid under a bush and peered through the thick branches. A smile went across her face when she detected the company, that was preparing to set up a camp. Gandalf was standing in the eerie skelleton of what used to be an house and Thorin was standing next to him. The wizard was shouting while gesturing at the structure. Something was amiss, she could feel it.

'Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!' the wizard raged.

Thorin looked at him, unmoved. Enya giggled. Even without proper context of the conversation, she could understand why Gandalf was so upset. That look on Thorin's face would make her livid too. Gandalf muttered something she could not hear and stormed off on his horse.

'We are camping here!' Thorin ordered.

Enya decided she had seen enough and trailed off. They probably would leave at dawn again, which meant she had enough time to practice. And she had no time to lose.

Enya woke from the sound of trampling hooves and nervous whining and got up from the bushes she slept in. Fourteen horses were running just past her, obviously in great distress. She put her coat on and ran towards the camp, only to stop at the open spot.

Empty. No dwarves.

The camp was set and the sleeping beds were still there, ready for their owners to jump into them. Even the stew was left untouched... Enya frowned. Why did the dwarves left so hastily? She crept towards the ruins of the house and startled when she heard voices. Something was very off. She snuck through the forest and stood still when she heard the light voice of Bilbo Baggins:

'You should…. skin them first!'

What?

The dwarves were as baffled as Enya was, because they started protesting and screaming. What was going on? Enya crept forward and whimpered when a very unfortunate scene unraveled before her.

Three massive trolls were sitting by a fire, their fat bodies almost too big for the large boulders they were sitting on. Their skin looked appalling and the odor that their bodies spread made Enya gag. Well, it was safe to say that they definitely needed that bath more than she did. The trolls had arranged a big fire and above it they had hung a spit: eight dwarves were tied to it. One of the trolls seemed to be the chef, because he was wearing a filthy apron. He turned the spit at an even pace and the poor dwarves were protesting as they spun around. The other dwarves, who perhaps were more lucky, were tied and laid on a the ground, unable to move. Enya cringed when she saw a pile of weapons lying next to the fire, quickly recognizing Dwalin's axe and Ori's slingshot. The foul beasts were not very interested in the pile, although the smallest one was trying to pick his teeth with one of the swords. A shiver went through Enya's body. That thing probably had bones stuck in his mouth from his last meal.

Bilbo was the only one standing and it seemed to her he tried to postpone their death, because he was convincing the "chef" that he should alter the recipe. Skinning her skin instead of boiling them first... Great move.

No one should hurt her kin without suffering the consequences.

Enya felt anger flaring up inside of her and suddenly a little flame licked the palm of her hand. For a moment, she watched it but then a smile appeared on her face. This was her chance to prove to Thorin what she was worth. She studied the big boulders at the other side of the spot. Hell yeah... They would make a perfect entrance.

Enya climbed on the boulders and waited. She took the knife she had stolen from a farmer a few days ago and pointed it at the head of the troll that was in opposite of her. Obviously was charging two enormous trolls instead of three easier, so she should kill one now while she still had the element of surprise. She let out a deep sigh and adjusted her aim. With a straight jerk from her arm the knife swung through the air. The nauseating sound of the blade reaching skin and bone made it clear she had hit her mark. Right between the eyes. She grinned when the troll gasped in surprise and fell down on its back. That one was not going to move again. The other ones stood up and turned.

'Hi.' Enya said.

For a moment, thirteen dwarves, two trolls and one hobbit were staring at her in shock and Enya enjoyed the attention.

'Missed me?' She purred.

'Can we eat you?' The left troll, who had been picking his teeth earlier, asked. He was small and Enya could tell he wasn't the brightest of the pack.

'I wouldn't.' She answered.

The tiny troll looked kind of disappointed, but his mate wasn't buying it.

'You will pay for what you did to William!'

Enya arched an eyebrow felt her hands itching to throw in some action. When she saw Bilbo trying to get out of the restraining potato sack he had been put in, she decided to postpone her attack for a moment to give him a few seconds before things got messy.

'No, I won't.' She said. 'You tried to eat MY dwarves, MY kin, for which, I'm afraid, YOU will pay, with death.'

With a tiny movement from her hand the fire underneath the spit was extinguished.

'NO!' The tiny troll screamed. 'I worked hours for that mighty fire!'

'You call that mighty?' Enya mused and she let the palms of her hand fill with fire.

'W-W-WITCH!'

She yelled and shot a dozen of fire balls at them. Before they could even react, she pulled up an ice cage to hold the biggest one. She then turned to the tiny troll.

'You look delicious.' He said malevolently.

'I know.' Enya said.

'There's no need to wait, I bet I can eat you like this: nice and crunchy. I had witches before you know.' He told her as he tried to grab her. Enya dodged him and got away just in time for his grasping big hands.

'And I like my food frozen!' She countered and shot a range of icicles in his head.

The troll yelped and fell down as his head was bleeding. Behind her, she heard her cage crumble to pieces. Before she could turn and react, she was hanging upside down in the air.

'PUT ME DOWN!' she bellowed.

The troll grinned. 'You can kill William and Tom, but Bert is not going to let you get away with it.'

'Is he now?' She mused.

Enya cursed violently as Bert moved her to his mouth.

'Put me down, you son of a bitch! You have no manners! I-' she hold up her hand and expected him to be set ablaze, but she was surprised when something else happened. Her hands were trembling as pure sunlight seemed to come out of them. Bert growled and lowered her for a bit.

'Well if I can't eat you now, I will roast you anyway.' He said.

Enya wanted to protest when she suddenly heard a familiar voice. She smiled.

Gandalf.

'The dawn will take you all!' He exclaimed and with his staff he broke the boulder she just had been standing on moments ago, in two.

Bright sunlight peered through and turned all the trolls (dead or not) into stone. Everyone cheered and Gandalf beamed. Enya heaved a sigh, feeling relieved and angered at the same time. The now stone troll was still holding here firmly in his grip and because of her uncompromising position, she could not see what the other ones were doing. Would anyone help her out? She heard the dwarves shouting and the clattering of weapons and she folded her arms.

Beneath her, Thorin stood next to Gandalf.

'What were you doing?' He asked.

'Looking ahead.' Answered Gandalf.

'What made you coming back?'

'Looking behind.' the wizard replied.

Unbelievable. She had a strong feeling they were just ignoring her.

'Although it is very good hearing you gentlemen reconcile with each other, I would like to be on my feet again!' She stressed.

She still could not see them properly and already had enough of playing the damsel in distress, so she decided to try to free her feet from the stone hand herself. With all the strength she had left, she got up and locked herself around the stone arm. The stone had grown very firmly around her, so there was no way she could squeeze her feet out of that grip. She hissed. Maybe she should try to freeze the stone. There was a possibility she would lose her own feet too, but hanging upside down for the rest of her life was not an option too. She laid her hand on the stone arm, concentrated, and KRRRRRRRRRRRRR-

'What the-?' She murmured when she suddenly was freed from the grip and fell to the ground. A single moment she thought she would fall through that hole again and end up in the pine forest at home.

Instead she got caught by something soft but yet very masculine. Deep blue eyes that pierced through her soul, just inches away from her own orbs made her forget how to breathe Yep, she most certainly was still in middle earth.

'Ehm.' She said, lost for words.

'Well that's new.' Thorin muttered. 'I've never seen YOU speechless before.'

His strong arms held her tightly against him, making Enya swoon.

'It happens to the best of us.' she finally murmured and gave him a little smile. If she reached out, she could kiss his cheek. Before she made up her mind about doing so (or not), Thorin seemed to realize he was still holding her. He quickly put her down, way too soon for her liking. Enya turned around to Gandalf.

'Welcome back.' the wizard said. 'It is an honor to accompany a fire witch'

'Please, the honor is mine!' Enya blushed. 'You are Mithrandir! I mean, you are one of THE wizards, well and I am…'

'Balin, the contract for miss Enya please.' Thorin brutally interrupted their conversation.

A contract? Enya raised her eyebrows. If she wanted, she could start a discussion about how she didn't want to join a company that only wanted her because she was a witch, but she wanted to be near Thorin more than anything so she decided to let that one go. Balin searched in the pockets inside his jacket and retrieved a lengthy document. He handed it over with a smile.

'There you go miss. Please read it carefully before you sign.'

Enya sat down and opened the contract. It consisted of a lot of tiny scribbles and clauses that were evidently added later to the parchment. She sighed. Hell no she was reading this thing in full.

'Anything special I need to know?' she inquired.

'Not really' Balin said. 'Just some safety measures and arrangements for your funeral and so forth.'

Enya looked up and found herself directly in the gaze of Thorin. She wondered if he put something secret in there to make her stay with him after the trip. The thought screamed 'quirky high school girl' and she bit on her lip to hold back a nervous giggle. She straightened her face and took the feather quill Balin was holding. She signed 'Enya Blueheart' right next to the breathtaking signature Thorin had set some days ago. She then gave the contract back to Balin, who studied it meticulous for a few seconds.

'All appears to be in order!' He said enthusiastically. 'Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield, miss Enya.'

Enya smiled. So at last, her journey would lead to Erebor. She couldn't wait.