It became a restless night. Once in a while Alyssae aroused by the howling of approaching wargs, but by dawn they still hadn't show up. Despite Thorin's pain, they decided to continue the journey, to create as much distance as possible between their enemies.
Alyssae smoothed her hair with her fingers, but still she wasn't able to comb it. In the end she hung it over her left shoulder and left the barn, encountering the morning sun.
Mithrandir walked in front and told them he would bring them to an acquaintance, where they could take some rest. Alyssae used the trip to gain the trust of the dwarves, since she suspected they would arrive at Mithrandir's destination by the end of the day, where they could finally decide about her faith.
Now she had exchanged some neutral words with Thorin – although very few – she hoped he would have changed his mind a little. They couldn't deny she had proven her qualities, because Thorin's condition would have been much worse without her.
'Tell me something about your home,' Kili assigned her after they crossed a small streamlet.
'Chyndall is located in a forest, just beneath the Misty Mountains,' she told him. 'Our community consists of approximately thousand elves.'
She considered her words. Actually she didn't want to let them know she was a royal descendant. Maybe the dwarves would distrust her even more.
'My parents have an enormous courtyard,' she came up, 'where they grow a large amount of food and herbs with medical uses.'
Her mother was indeed a healer, so she was close to the truth.
'We live in a white house, with a large porch and colorful flowers and plants.'
She sighed silently. Now she thought back, she surely longed for her home. She saw Melline's face, who would be waiting for her every morning with a bunch of flowers in her hands. She wouldn't know what to do. Alyssae intended to send a letter as soon as they reached a village, so she could reassure her family.
Thranduin would be desperate. Would he be engaged to another woman? Would he be with someone else when she returned? That prospect didn't shock her as much as it should, which made her a little restless. To turn her thoughts to something else, she asked: 'What does your family look like?'
'Thorin is my uncle,' Kili announced, which surprised her. She knew dwarves grow older than humans, but less old than elves, but she expected a whole generation would have been more visible. 'So before we were dislodged from Erebor, we lived in a building we couldn't complain about. After that moment we roamed in different cities and my father tried to earn some money by working in the mines.'
Alyssae couldn't imagine she would return to her homeland, to find only ashes. She had no idea where she would go, but that was exactly what happened to the dwarves.
'I really hope you will reconquer your homeland,' she sighed.
A careful smile was visible around his lips and from the corner of her eyes, she saw Thorin turning his head for a second, as if he had heard the whole conversation.
She felt a jittery feeling in her stomach, which she couldn't define very well and she didn't dare to say anything. Probably she was wrong, making a fool of herself.