The next day, Enya woke with an unbearable headache. She got up and walked up to the long oaken table everyone sat around. All dwarves talked amongst each other. Thorin was there too. He discussed something with Balin and they both did not look up when Enya approached the table. Enya did not have the energy to sit down and talk to anyone, so she grabbed an apple and wanted to leave when she heard her name.

'Enya, why are you not sitting with us?' Fíli asked her.

Enya turned around.

'I'm sorry Fíli, it was rude of me to walk away without greeting you. Good morning. I'm afraid I've got a lot to do today.'

'Come!' Kíli said and he padded on the empty chair next to him. 'Tell me you are going to eat more than that apple.'

Enya sighed. She knew that they were not letting her get away that easily, so she'd better oblige.

'Why are you suddenly so concerned for my health?' She asked while she sat down and took a bite of her apple.

'We care for you.' Fíli said and he put a plate in front of her. It was filled with mouthwatering bacon, some fruit and delicious looking bread. A breakfast she normally would not refuse. But today was different.

'Yeah, right!' Enya smirked. 'You guys are up to something.'

They shot each other a mischievous glance.

'We would never' Kíli answered.

Enya winked at them.

'I am sorry lads, but I fear I know you two rascals better than you would like me to. You did something with that food.'

'We didn't, we swear!' They said simultaneously.

Enya laughed. 'I'm off. Try Bombur.'

She quickly stood up and blew a kiss to them.

'See you later.'

Before she left the dwarves, she stopped at Dwalin's spot, who was enjoying his meal in silence. He looked up and grunted, obviously not liking the fact that she was disturbing him.

'Dwalin, can I ask you for a favor?' Enya gave him her shy smile.

He eyed her. 'What do you want?'

'Can you show me today how I should use my sai? I have to confess my skills are… well…' Enya chuckled.

'Meet me here at dawn.' Dwalin said and then he turned around to say something to Nori, who was sitting next to him.

Enya sighed. It seemed Dwalin was even more difficult to persuade to like her than the grumpy king under the mountain himself. Who knew…

Speaking of which, she noticed Thorin was looking at her, but his mind was far away. Enya shrugged and turned around. She should not yearn for his gaze. She had a lot of important to do. Number one on the list? Not losing her mind.

During the day, Enya intentionally isolated herself from the others. She could not be around the others, because the memory of what happened the night before, hurt more than she would like to admit. She sat down in the soft grass and tried to meditate. Her surroundings were serene and the only things she heard were birds singing in a distance, but Enya could not concentrate. She groaned with frustration when she felt a flame licking her hands. This was useless. If she kept feeling like this, she was well on her way being a walking fire hazard. She felt like she could explode any moment now. She had to calm down and channel her anger... but how? Enya swallowed. She was lying to herself. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't like it any bit. She hadn't cried since the day Jason left her the second time. And she was not prepared to cry over Thorin Oakenshield. Hell no.

Enya got up and concentrated on the sculpture that stood on the edge of the lawn she was standing on. She steadied her breathing and tried to resist the urge to ruin the poor sculpture with the flames brewing inside of her.

'Are you all right, Enya?'

Enya scared up and looked around. She relaxed when she saw Gandalf.

'Hi, Gandalf.'

'You were about to ruin that beautiful sculpture, weren't you?' Gandalf said softly.

Enya let out a deep sigh. 'Yes, I'm afraid I would have if it weren't for you.'

'Come, let's take a stroll. We need to talk.'

The wizard clearly expected her to follow, because he walked away without looking behind. Enya had to take a sprint to catch up.

Gandalf smiled at her when she finally walked at his side. 'Give Thorin some time.'

Enya blushed. 'I have no idea what you are talking about.'

Gandalf chuckled. 'I thought you might say that. But I am a wizard and I recognize that energy between you two. It's love, my dear. And it is a very powerful one too.'

'Is it that obvious?' Enya asked.

'To me, yes. To the others in the company not that much. Perhaps Bilbo suspects, because he is quite observant. But the others have not noticed.'

'Well, Thorin more or less rejected me last night, so that story has ended.' Enya whispered.

'No.' The wizard said. 'It has just begun.'

'But it hurts. And I don't want to get hurt, again!' Enya growled. 'I have had enough of men.'

'What did he tell you?'

Enya frowned and took a moment to reconsider the events that took place last night.

'He told me he had a quest to fulfill. That I had to behave, because he had no time for this, thing, that is going on.'

'That is why you need to be patient.' Gandalf mused.

Enya didn't answer. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

'How does love work in your world?' Gandalf asked.

Enya giggled. 'It's quite complicated, I think.'

'I suppose love always makes things complicated. But what happens if you…' Gandalf got out his tobacco and his pipe. 'For instance, what do you do when you like someone?'

'That depends on the situation you're in. But if you truly like someone, for real?' Enya sighed and thought about how things started between her and Jason. 'You approach the person you like, talk to him or her. You take each other on dates.'

'Dates?' Gandalf asked.

'Yeah, when you go on a date you hang out together.' Enya laughed when the wizard gave her a puzzled look. 'I mean, you do stuff together… go out for a walk, grab some coffee maybe. It's about getting to know each other.'

'And then?'

'Then, if you like each other that much, you start to live together, and eventually get married if you want to. You get more intimate, of course.' Enya couldn't help to feel a little awkward. I mean, she was talking to Mithrandir about love and intimacy…

'But how does that relate to this world?' she asked.

'Ever heard of dwarf courtship?' Gandalf grinned.

'Eh- no.'

Wait, what? Dwarves had special rules for that?

'I know Balin told you that dwarves are quite picky about their life partners, that is if they ever desire one.'

'Yes, he told me that.'

'Well, another thing is that dwarves, particularly those in the high classes, are old fashioned. It is the dwarf man that should court the female. Not the other way around.' He gave her a knowing look.

Did the man literally knew everything she did?

Enya smirked. 'I was only doing what I thought was right… But I have to confess that a certain someone told me twice I was too rash.'

Gandalf chuckled. 'You should let Thorin take the lead.'

'I will' Enya said and she gave Gandalf a little smile. 'But how do you DTR dwarfish style? How do I know?'

'DTR?' Gandalf said.

'Define the relationship.'

'Oh, yes.' Gandalf shrugged. 'If that means what I think you mean: he will probably ask your consent to make you his one and only.'

'And that's it?' Enya asked.

The wizard hesitated for a moment. 'Of course not.' He shot her an uneasy glance.

'OH!' Enya said when she finally understood what he meant. She giggled.

Gandalf sighed. 'And after THAT you are, according to ancient dwarf laws, his. And he is then yours of course. Dwarves are very faithful to their partner.'

'Thank you.' Enya said and she meant it from the bottom of her heart. 'I am sorry I have to ask you these things, Gandalf. But I'm a bit new in middle earth, so half of the time I have no idea what I'm doing.'

'It's fine.' The wizard said.

'I find it hard to contain my flames if I'm unstable.' Enya changed the subject.

Gandalf seemed relieved. 'That is because fire is driven by the aggressive emotions inside you.'

Enya rolled her eyes. 'And I have to be balanced.'

'Yes. Because if you are stable, and only then, the subtle forces will flow through you and will make you a stronger witch.'

'But I already am strong' Enya opposed.

'Don't underestimate the small and gentle things in life, miss Enya.' Gandalf said. 'They tend to reach more on their own than all the aggressive forces together.'

Enya blushed. 'I am sorry, Gandalf. I should have known that.'

'It is all right, child. You are untrained. I am glad we found you.'

Enya trained her mind all day and when the sun went down, she felt stable again. She walked back to the camp, to meet Dwalin. She was ready for this.

'You are late.' Dwalin simply said when she approached him. He got up. 'Come.'

Enya followed him. They left the camp behind and Dwalin lead her to an quiet open spot in the forest.

'I want you to use all your strength.' He said. 'I need to know how skilled you are. I will be gentle with you today, because I was ordered to do so.'

Enya scoffed. She had an idea whose order that would be.

'No need.' She growled.

Dwalin grinned in a way that made her shiver. 'Then show me.'

Enya grabbed her sai and hold them firmly. Dwalin eyed her.

'The way you hold them is fine, but do not hold them too tense, miss. That won't do you good in a battle.'

Enya loosened her grip.

'Like this?' She asked.

Dwalin nodded and took his axe.

'Now, show me how you would attack.'

Enya waited a few seconds and paced around him. She had no idea how to do that, but she had to give it a try. She lunged at him, but was blocked by his axe. Dwalin laughed.

'Is that all you got?'

Enya yelled and attacked him again. Dwalin did not seem to move when he countered her strikes.

'What am I doing wrong?' she panted.

'You are being predictable.' He replied, clearly amused by the fact she could not harm him.

Enya grumbled.

'Again, miss' Dwalin urged.

Enya tried again. And again, until she lost count how many times Dwalin blocked her off. But the tough dwarf had no mercy and ordered her to try again. He didn't seem to care that she was tired. Enya tried one last time, but when his axe struck her sai hard, she fell to the ground.

'That is enough for today.' Dwalin said. 'Next time you will have to counter me.'

'I don't know if I will survive a next time.' Enya complained.

When she did not receive an answer, she looked up. The grumpy warrior dwarf had left without telling her. Enya gazed up to the stars. Fine. She did not want to return to the company anyway, so maybe she should be grateful he left without a warning. She'd rather stay here on the field, where her mind was distracted by other things than the frustrating Thorin Oakenshield.

Frustrating Oakenshield. With his beautiful lips and his tongue that... she sighed. She should not be thinking about that kiss, but that seemed impossible. It was... it was perfect. Secretly Enya compared the sensation she had felt to the kisses she had shared with the other men she'd been with, but none of them could match. They all lacked... Enya frowned while she searched the right word. She smiled. It was passion. The other guys had missed a certain amount of passion. Something a certain dwarf prince did not lack of, she guessed. Enya giggled and got up. Maybe she should get back to their camp, before the dwarves started to believe Dwalin killed her.

When Enya returned to the camp, the dwarves had made a fire and sat around it. She quickly scanned the group and was both relieved as disappointed when Thorin wasn't one of them. Balin, Bilbo and Gandalf were missing too.

'See!' Gloin said. 'I told you we should have waited until our fire witch was back. It would have saved us a lot of trouble.'

The others muttered.

'Enya, over here!' Dori said with a smile and he made some room on the wooden bench so she could join them.

Enya gave him a grateful smile and sat next to him. Bofur handed her a cup with beer.

'We were talking about how hard it is to distinguish male and female elves, weren't we, Kíli?' Bofur grinned.

The other dwarves burst into laughter.

'Nice' Kíli muttered and he angrily stared in the firepit.

'Which makes me wonder if they can distinguish each other among themselves.'

Enya said, to save Kíli's ass.

Everyone chuckled. Kíli shot her a grateful look. Enya winked back.

'So miss Enya,' said Bofur. 'We want to know more about you.'

'Then ask away.' Enya said. 'Although I won't say I will answer every question.'

Dwalin was, to her surprise, the first one who shot a question at her.

'Favorite weapon.' He said.

Enya grinned. 'My fire of course. Although I am beginning to like my sai too, now I am learning how to use them properly.'

'What is your favorite food?'

Enya smiled. This had to be Bombur's question. She never heard him talk before.

'Pizza.'

'What is that?' He asked curiously.

'Heaven. It is a dish in my world that you prepare in the stove and I would kill to eat one right now. Imagine the dough of a savory pie, but then flat. You can put anything on you like, but mostly it is sprinkled with cheese, meat, mushrooms...' Enya stopped before her mouth started watering.

Bifur started talking, but Enya could not understand what he was saying.

'He asked you if you speak Khuzdul' Oín translated.

'No, unfortunately I do not. But if I ever am allowed to learn, I will'

'What about love?' Kíli asked.

The other dwarves muttered. It seemed to them that topic was far too serious to talk about.

'Did you leave someone special behind?' Kíli mused.

Enya laughed. 'No I didn't.'

'But there must have been someone!' Kíli opposed.

'That special one you probably refer to, well...' Enya paused, unsure how much she wanted to share. How much was appropriate to share. 'Let's say he was an ignorant ass who cheated on me. Twice. That story is over. So no, there no special certain person for me back there.'

'Is there anyone in this company you specifically like?' Fíli teased.

Enya bit her lip and wished she was a cold blooded liar. She hoped she could trust her sharp tongue to solve this situation. The last thing she wanted was the company finding out she had an huge crush on their leader.

'That question is hardly appropriate!' She shot back. 'But the answer is no, Fíli.'

'Bad news, guys.' Fíli said. 'She doesn't think we are handsome enough.'

The others laughed and Enya was relieved that they didn't press the matter.

'What is the thing you miss most from home?' Dori asked. Enya was grateful for the interruption.

'Everything!' She laughed. 'I miss my tweezers, coffee, hot showers, supermarkets, clubs, shampoo, perfume, makeup, my clothes, books... the list goes on and on.'

'I have no idea what all those things are' Nori muttered.

Enya giggled. 'Let's say they all make your life a bit more easy.'

'So what do you miss most then?' Ori said.

'I would say... music' Enya decided. 'Do you guys even-'

'All right lads, do you hear that? The lady wants to dance!' Bofur shouted.

All the dwarves cheered and the ones that played an instrument got up to get it.

'This one is called: the lass with the fair hair.' Gloín announced.

They started to play and Nori asked for her hand.

'Want to dance, my lady?'

Enya beamed. 'Yes please!'

The dwarves took turns dancing with her and Enya had a great time. After a dozen of songs she had a hard time catching her breath. The dwarves did not seem to bother though. For heavens sake, did they not breath?

Enya danced with Bombur and he let her spin around him. When the song came near its end, Enya released herself from his grip and twirled away, feeling a bit dizzy. She lost her balance and she cursed herself for being so clumsy. Damn! It was going to be an inelegant fall again. She gasped when someone caught her and held her tight in his arms.

She looked up and expected to see any familiar face, but not his. Thorin. Oh god. His blue eyes had an amused look over them. She forgot how to breathe again.

'I am beginning to think you ARE doing this on purpose.' He whispered.

'Do you really think I like ending up in your arms?' She teased.

He gave her a little smile before he let her go.

'The party is over.' He said to everyone. 'We know now what message the map has been hiding. We can move on.'

'Why do you always have to ruin the fun?' Enya joked while she tried to catch her breath. Her lungs were still recovering.

'Because we are leaving at dawn, miss.' He said and he gave her an intense look that made her tremble on her legs. And not because he made her afraid. It was the panty shredder look again.

'You should get some sleep.' Thorin commanded.

'Aye aye captain.' She said and trailed off to her sleeping bed. Like she could sleep now...