Disclaimer: I own nothing except Eva. Please don't sue, not making money

AN: Thank you again to all the reviewers. You're the ones that keep this story.

AN2: Guest reviewer - if you have an account here, please submit your review under your name. You bring up some very good points that I do not take offense at. Firstly, I have read the book just to double-check. Just after the troll scene, the book actually makes no mention of Radagast at all in this scene. That was all the movie's doing. Also, the first mention of Radagast was in the conversation in the pouring rain with Dori and Gandalf. I did not include this snippet, hence Eva saying that she must have missed that conversation. Having said this, I appreciate you pointing out the plot holes as I have been taken up with the story and some of these loose ends have slipped my mind. I will try my best to make sure the onwards story is tighter.

Warning: Sexual themes, some language.

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Chapter 14 - Lighting the Forge

When she was quite certain that she was alone, she peeled off her clothing piece by piece. She could see the steam rising from the hot spring and she finally got the time to herself to enjoy it while the others were busy setting up camp.

With her hair clasped up, exposing the tanned column of her neck, she slipped into the warm water and moaned in pleasure. Sweet relief washed over her as she sunk up to her neck in soothing warm water. She turned to grab the soap and began to slowly wash the weeks of dirt and grime off her.

It took a long while, but Eva wanted to make sure that she was clean. She relished the baths in Rivendell and she wanted to enjoy what little reprieve she had. She unclasped her hair, placed her clasp with her towel and the rest of her clothes, then fully submerged her head. When she came back up, she was met with a surprised yelp.

"Eva, lass. I-"

"Dear God! Dwalin, a little warning next time!"

"Mahal," she heard him say hoarsely, "I'm sorry, Eva. I shoulda made more noise on ma way down-"

Eva turned to the stuttering dwarf behind her, rising up from the hot springs until her shoulders were exposed. Steam curled from her heated skin and she shone pale in the moonlight, little beads of water shimmering like tiny stars. Her raven black hair was plastered to her back, a few errant strands flowing down her front and disappearing under the waterline.

Whatever it was that Dwalin was going to say died on his lips as his entire face flushed red. He watched as a trail of water dripped down her cheek, onto her shoulder and down into the waterline, his blood rushing south with it. His eyes dropped to look at the ground as he stumbled to backpedal. He hazarded a quick glance upwards to find that Eva had not moved from her position, the water of the hot spring covering her shoulders still. She hadn't taken her eyes off him either.

Dwalin's eyes widened and his breath caught as he saw her drag her eyes appreciatively up and down his form.

"Oh, wow..." Eva whispered huskily.

Dwalin's eyes snapped open to the pre-dawn light filling the skies of Rivendell. He fought hard to control his breathing, not knowing who was on watch. He shifted and felt his loins pulse, bringing him into sharp awareness of his current situation. He swallowed thickly as his body trembled, heat and want coursing through his veins.

He was in trouble and he knew it.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Eva woke the next morning again to discomforting quiet. What didn't help though was her dream from the previous night. Seeing the great battle-hardened Dwalin flushed and flustered lit a completely different burn in her body, and she found herself conflicted. Her heart missed Liam, but there was no denying that she enjoyed looking at the solidly built dwarf.

She was not used to her mornings being so quiet either. She missed Bofur's cheeky wink, Fili and Kili's exuberant greeting. She missed the sounds of metal being strapped away, and she even missed Bilbo's quiet moaning. Two months had softened her heart and distracted her out of her perpetual cloud of grief.

Her nightwear was discarded to the laundry for an elven dress that had obviously been modified for her lack of height. It was the only complaint that she had at present - elves were bloody tall things. Ordinarily, Eva hated dresses, but considering the condition that she had come in, she was not in a position to be picky. Also, the light shades of blue reminded her of water. Of all the things that she needed at the moment, she needed to flow with the calmness that water brought in order to get her task done.

Grabbing her journal from beside the bed, she read what she had written the previous afternoon. Her eyes scanned the first page and her mouth set into a grim line. She was going to be stuck in Rivendell for the next two weeks until the right moon, and she intended to squeeze out as much as physically possible. She had a number of questions written on the page and her eyes zeroed in on the most obvious one.

What does the layout of Rivendell look like?

She had no idea if Thorin would let her continue on with them, but she would claw her way up the bloody mountain in order to keep her promise if she had to. She tapped her pen against her cheek, flipped to a new page and wrote down the things that came to mind. After the page had been filled, she allowed herself the time to look over what she had written.

Her eyes honed in on the last entry of 'Library' and her lips pulled up in a determined smirk. The Library would be a perfect place to start on her hunt for information. She could tackle several things at once if she made her way to the Library first. She might even be able to get a map to prevent her from getting lost in the enormous place.

Grabbing a fragrant apple from the bowl on her bedside table, she bit into it as she slipped quietly out of her room. Her bare feet slid softly across the polished floor as her eyes adjusted to the morning light. As she walked, Eva was quickly discovering that even though she could see many elves getting ready for the day, many of them did not approach her. Some of the less distracted ones waved, but overall it was a near silent journey to… to…

"Fuck, I've got no idea where I'm going….." Eva muttered.

"Good morning, My Lady." came the lilting voice of an elleth "Are you alright?"

Eva turned around and was stunned to silence as she beheld an elleth with fair, flawless skin and richly dark brown hair. She had two thin braids placed either side of her head, just above her ears, but apart from that, her hair was loose. Brown eyes held her gaze with concern and curiosity. She was dressed in the same rich brown shades as Lord Elrond had been, which meant-

"Lady Arwen?" Eva whispered.

The elleth blinked in pleasant surprise "Yes, I am she. Are you alright?"

This is a rather … interesting development….

"Umm… Library?"

The elleth giggled softly "Come then, My Lady. You are unfortunately heading in the entirely opposite direction."

Eva huffed good-naturedly "Yeah, that'd be 'bout right…"

The two womenfolk walked the route to the library in cheeky banter, Eva's despair from yesterday's abrupt exit of the dwarves all but forgotten. There was spring in her step that she had not felt since before her Jump, and she was grateful for the presence of another female.

As the daughter of Lord Elrond, there was a certain amount of flexibility of the rules as Eva was escorted by Arwen. The map that Eva wanted of Rivendell quickly turned into several maps as she had one of the general layout of the city as well as one of the structures that she was currently staying at. When the elleth learned that Eva had only been in Middle Earth for two months, she took it upon herself to find every map that she could of every place that she had heard of. This happened to include maps of Mirkwood and the wilds around the Misty Mountains, as well as the area around what used to be Dale, complete with a little red drawing of a dragon breathing out smoke. Nice...

After obtaining a small carry bag for the maps that Arwen had gifted her, she settled down in the vast library of Rivendell and brought out her journal again. She crossed out 'Library' and tapped her pen against the page in contemplation. Taking out the map of the area where the dwarves were staying within Rivendell, she spotted a kitchen not far from the courtyard. Smiling, she shoved the map back into her little bag before making her way to said kitchen.

This'll be useful later…

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"She's been marked by Mahal! How are you even entertaining this thought?" Kili cried in exasperation.

"Weel," Gloin began bitterly, "we've been captured by trolls, chased by orcs and we're now surrounded by Khalam. Do I really need to say more?"

The dwarves of the Company were sitting in a tight circle in the courtyard the Lord Elrond had assigned them, quietly but vehemently arguing over Eva's presence and what exactly it meant. They had been like this for at least the last half hour, and Kili and Ori in particular felt like they were going in circles.

"If she really is Mahalmarkel," Balin began "then it stands to reason that she would not deliberately try to cause us harm-"

"That's the thing though," Gloin began "we don't know if she's deliberately trying to harm us so she can deliberately try to save our hides!"

"What purpose would that serve?" Bofur asked in confusion

"Trust." Oin replied, tapping his nose with a thick finger "If Gloin's theory is right, then she's trying to build trust among us so we might not question her actions later."

Bifur cried out something vehemently in Khuzdul before angrily stomping off. Bombur's eyes followed his cousin and he sighed.

"He's right ya know." Bombur began softly "She's not even par' o' this Company and she's saved us at least twice now."

"Nadad!" Bofur called out "Oi! Wait fer me!" Bofur scrambled up to follow his cousin.

Bifur was occasionally a strange dwarf, and he was alright with that as long as he had Bofur and Bombur with him. The hatted dwarf knew well that Bifur had taken a liking to the woman ever since that day that she had approached him by herself without fear. Bofur had seen the way that he would protect and guard her like a member of their family. The Ur family had had long, quiet conversations while Eva was at training about the prospect of her travelling with them as an unattached female. Her sweet, caring nature endeared her to Bifur, and Bofur had admitted on more than one occasion that the inclusion of the woman would not annoy him at all.

The axe-headed dwarf grumbled out his frustration to his younger cousin as he stomped down the hall, Bofur trailing helplessly behind him.

"I know, Bi." Bofur said in near desperation, trying to get him to calm down. "But how do you fancy trying to get around Thorin-"

A familiar voice stopped both dwares short "After you, Bilbo."

The two dwarves rounded one of the ornate corners just in time to see Bilbo being escorted into a room by a woman dressed in the blues of a summer sky. A soft giggle, then-

"By the Lady!" Bilbo exclaimed "Oh, you are really Valar-sent, Miss Eva… oh… this all looks so good…"

Eva looked up and down the corridor, spying the two dwarves at the end.

"Coming?" She called. "I think you'll like this room, Master Bifur."

As Eva stepped aside to let the two dwarves in, Bofur's eyes widened and Bifur's lopsided grin returned. They followed BIlbo's happy exclamations into the vast room. Shelves lined with jars and overflowing baskets lining the floor, wide benches and stacks of wooden bowls and plates.

"Bombur's going to love this!" Bofur murmured

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

That afternoon the Company grumbled quietly that, yet again, they had been fed green food. The absence of both Bilbo and Eva did not seem to bother them, as Bilbo had accepted rooms off Lord Elrond, and Eva was still apparently in the Healing Halls for the next few nights. Having said this, they had no idea where Bifur and Bofur had disappeared to, no matter how much they tried to press Bombur.

The Company had split off into their family groups and were quietly talking to each other when Ori's attention was caught by something he had rarely heard - laughter.

"Oi! Give that back!" called a distant voice.

Ori turned his attention to the entry to the courtyard. Seeing their brother distracted, Dori and Nori looked in the same direction that Ori was. It didn't take long for the rest of the Company to pay attention either, as the sound of footfalls and laughter seemed to be approaching them.

"Hey!" Eva cried out "Give it back!"

Rich brown robes came streaking into view with long brown hair flowing after it, a lilting laugh sounding as the ellon turned around to see if she was indeed being followed. Heavier footsteps soon sounded and they heard Eva grumble in frustration.

"Damn long-legged elves!"

Eva came running into view, her elven dress trailing all different shades of blue from the lightest shades of blue found in some of the crystals in Erebor, through to the intense blue of a summer sky. The Company could still see the bandage binding her shoulder through the gaps in the dress' sleeve. Her black hair was loose, except for two long thin braids that ran either side of her face.

"Just a peek-"

"NO!" Eva yelled sharply, all frivolity forgotten. This caught the attention of the Company and Ori stood with building fury in his gaze. Eva suddenly put on a burst of speed and managed to catch the elf unaware, snatching the small package from the elf's grasp.

"No!" Eva said with anger clear in her eyes "This was a gift. They'll be no peeking."

The elf, suddenly realising that he was in the process of angering not only a guest, but a guest travelling with dwarves, quickly tried to placate the woman.

"I apologise, My Lady, I meant no offense-"

"Do you elves make it a habit to riffle through your guests' things?" she demanded lowly, her eyes burning with anger "Because if you do, then I've had quite enough."

"It was not meant to anger you, or any of your companions-"

Ori quickly made his way over to Eva and reached out to gently, tentatively, put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her. She snapped her head to look at him with fury blazing in her dark eyes before she recognised that it was sweet young Ori, and not any of the Company. Her face immediately softened and she placed her hand on top of his, squeezing gently as he tried to pull away. Eva, to Ori's surprise, did not let go of his hand as she turned back.

"Upon arrival in the Valley, your companions attempted to make a mockery of us, not even checking to see that there was an injured person amongst us. Then your Lord rides in with his guard on horseback, no doubt trying to scare my companions-"

Thorin's attention was immediately caught at this. He remembered assigning Dwalin to carry Eva into Rivendell when she had swooned from pain. How could she have known how Lord Elrond had entered?

"-insult to injury, you then proceed to feed my companions food that does not sustain them!"

Dwalin and Balin rose at this particular accusation.

The ellon looked confused "I don't believe I understand what you mean, My Lady."

"You mean to say that you haven't bothered to tell my companions of the kitchen that is attached to this courtyard-"

"WHAT?!" Dwalin cried

"Or the fact that you have three full deer carcasses hanging in the cold room behind it."

A sharp male voice caught the whole party off-guard "Elrohir!"

The ellon, fully grown as he appeared to be, winced "Ada…."

Lord Elrond strode in, his face unreadable, but his tone demanding an explanation. "Is what Lady Eva says true, ion nin?"

The silence of the ellon and his contrite look told Lord Elrond the truth of the matter and the elven Lord sighed in frustration. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he spoke Sindarin in a sharp staccato that had the other ellon visibly flinch. Eva didn't need to understand the language to know a telling off when one was being given. After all, she had given out enough of them.

"My Lady Eva," Lord Elrond began, "I offer my sincere apologies that I have not been able to see this rectified in a timely manner. This is not the behaviour that I would expect from any living here. In recompense, might I extend an invitation to you and your Company to the Hall of Fire tomorrow tonight? I will also see that your Company is properly fed too for the duration of your stay."

Eva looked at the Elven Lord with kindness before replying.

"Firstly, my Lord, the Company you refer to is in no way mine. It is the Company of Thorin, son of Thrain. I believe that if there is anyone that should be apologised to about proper food, it should be him. Secondly, I am a travelling companion of Gandalf's. I am in no way actually associated with the Company other than the fact that I am traveling with them."

Dwalin and Balin watched the scene play out in front of them as Eva kindly, but firmly, corrected a few assumptions that Lord Elrond had made. She was respectful, but clear in the mistakes that had been made, not against herself, but against a group of dwarves that she had no formal ties to.

"Hmmm….." Balin hummed to himself quietly. "I wonder…"

"Whilst I may accept your kindness, Lord Elrond, I do not and have never claimed to speak on behalf of Thorin's Company." There was a particular emphasis on Thorin's name as she glanced at the regal dwarf for an instant. She saw no difference in the expression on his face and she inwardly sighed "You will need to ask him."

"Hey!" Kili called out suddenly "Does anyone know where Bifur and Bofur are?"

"Oh" Eva began casually "They're in the kitchen, more likely still eating." The Company looked at her in bewilderment "At least, that's where I last left them. I figure Bilbo nearly-"

"The Halfling?" Thorin began suspiciously "He's with them?"

Eva had to suppress an eyeroll "Well, he did cook us lunch. That's where I was before he" Eva gestured to Elorohir "decided it was a good idea to nick me things."

Both Elrond and Thorin huffed in annoyance, before the Elven Lord turned to the dwarf "My invitation still stands, Master Thorin. You are welcome to join us in the Hall of Fire tomorrow night. You and your Company."

Thorin's answer was cut short by jovial conversation echoing down the corridor. Eva smiled as she recognised Bilbo's stutter, as well as Bifur's grunted Khuzdul and Bofur's jovial lilt.

"How d'ya not put on weight?" Bofur cried in wonder "If I ate like tha' everyday I'd burst ma buttons!"

"Well," Bilbo began enthusiastically, not realising that they had an audience "hobbits are well known for eating six to seven meals a day. Those who have the resources usually take all seven, but we can get by on six-"

Bifur cried out in alarm and Bofur's face fell as he listened to his cousin "Aye, Lad! We've been starvin' ya!"

Bilbo spluttered "No- not … well-"

Thorin felt a rush of shame as he realised that he hadn't even considered that Bilbo's whining was in part due to a racial difference in the way they ate. True, the hobbit was not as experienced when it came to life on the road, but he hadn't realised how different they had been.

"-as bad as it could have been. Miss Eva and I managed to find enough for me to get by on the trail. So, no, you've not been starving me." Bilbo finished softly.

In a flash of decisiveness, he turned to Lord Elrond "I accept your invitation, Lord Elrond." he rumbled, consideration colouring his voice "At the very least, my Company can be well rested before we leave on our onward journey. I don't know when the opportunity for rest may come again."

Eva turned to look Thorin dead in the eye and then inclined her head, as though she was conceding to him.

"Hey!" Kili called out "Any chance of leftovers?"

The party gathered burst out laughing. Even Elrohir smiled slightly, even though he knew that he would end up paying for his five minutes of glee. His smile slipped when he saw the disapproving look on Lord Elrond's face.

Nobody noticed a small figure crouched in the bushes stifling their own giggles, before they silently slipped away.

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Khalam - Elves (plural)

Mahalmarkel - Mahal's Shield

Nadad - brother (older)

Ada - father

Ion nin - my son

AN: Thank you for your patience. This has taken a little longer than I would like. The pandemic has meant that my writing time has had to be sacrificed for other things, so I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, favourited and followed this story so far.