You almost brought him with you, really. In fact there was nobody else on this earth that you would have chosen. As much as you missed and wanted his companionship, you knew that it was impossible. He had always looked up to you and was constantly interested in how you perceived the world. He wanted to know everything about you, and he just about did. You didn't feel comfortable allowing anybody else into your world. You probably would have ended up spending the rest of your life with him by your side, you sure knew he wouldn't hesitate to do so. There was always that issue with blood lines intertwining, though. What is it with Kings who only allow their sons to wed with princesses? You sure were no princess, and even if you were you didn't act like one. Oropher was fond of you, but even he wouldn't allow such a sacred tradition to be broken amongst his kin. You knew this from the moment you met Thranduil, though. The thought of it had already drifted away, and you had accepted that he was just a true and loyal friend. Thranduil had not come to terms as quickly as you had, though. He would always tell you that when he was King, there would no longer be royal bloodline romances. You would always laugh it off and remind him that he was just an idiot. By that time you had long forgotten your feelings. You really wish that you hadn't, but you had more important things to worry about than settling down...like saving the world. And stuff.

After the King had dismissed you, Legolas returned you to your cell. Murmuring continued amongst the dwarves, and one of them had even caught the hiccups. As he closed the gate, he paused and stared at you for a long time, remembering his old friend.

"You and Tauriel a thing yet?"

He blushed angrily and furiously stomped away. You always kinda liked doing that, it was funny to watch him act the same way he had when he was just a toddler. If you ever talked about love around Legolas, expected a rampaging pink faced elf. Maybe he still believes in cooties.

"Were ye negotiating?"

Oh, you had almost forgotten about Bofur, to be honest, "Um...sure." you replied. Gasps echoed through the halls, "and what did you tell him?!"

"I told him that he could have a bottle of my finest wines for each of your heads."

"WHY YOU MANGEY LITTLE-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU TWIG-LIKE PANSEY!"

A loud voice boomed over the angry crowd, "are you all so gullible to believe in her words?" everyone slowly lowered their voices and began to argue amongst one another. Thorin sighed and began to speak directly to you, "what say you, elf?"

You blinked, "What say me? What say you to say me?"

"Are you with us or are you not."

"I wasn't aware that I had two options."

"Gandalf spoke of you as if you had already discussed our journey with him. I don't condone this, but I will trust the wizards word."

Wizard? Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks! You had a fond encounter with the old man, he spoke to you of many lands beyond your wildest imagination, creatures that would keep your mind buzzing with excitement, and all the different races that roamed the lands, and the marvelous kingdoms he would describe!

"I had no idea he was still in business!"

"So he did not speak to you...great."

"Well, if he so highly recommended myself to do...whatever it is you are doing, I may consider whatever...it is that you are doing!"

Thorin went quiet, and then old Balin took the spotlight. He spoke to you of many tales; A great dragon that had emerged from the North, swallowing everything in its path. It had claimed Erebor, the great Dwarven halls, and left little to none alive as it sunk in its greed for treasure. You were already familiar with this story, for you were still around when Thranduil had set off to aid the kingdom under the mountain, just to turn away. That was something that bothered you, that great king. You don't remember growing up with a coward.

"So what part do I play in all of this?"

"Ah yes," Balin replied, "we need you to protect our burglar."

You thought hard about this, "What, are you planning on stealing back all your precious gold?"

Thorin stifled a laugh, "Could you do that?"

"I can do many things, dwarf."

Balin cut the both of you off quickly, "Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We are not going to take the gold just yet, we had something else in mind."

Thorin jumped back into conversation, "Are you in or out, elf?"

Well to be honest, you had nowhere else to go, and you sure as hell did not want to be stuck in these chambers while Thranduil wallows for the next thousand years. You needed adventure, and challenging a dragon would be somewhat fulfilling. If you didn't incinerate, of course.

"What do I get in return?"

"You can keep Bofur!" another dwarf shouted, "Yes, he makes a lovely maid and looks marvelous in a dress!" cried his brother. The dwarves began to roar with laughter again, and you could hear Bofur awkwardly laugh and try to shut them up.

"Deal."

"Thank god we got that guy off our backs!" joked another.

"So what is your master plan?" you asked.

"Master plan?" replied Thorin.

"To get us out of these cells."

"Get us out...you know, I don't think we've quite thought that far ahead, yet."

Another dwarf took a deep sigh, "We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?"

A new voice sprang up throughout the cells, this was definitely no elf. You looked through the cell bars to see the tiniest man you had ever laid eyes on.

"Not stuck in here, you're not!"

You just stared at the midget. Dwarves can really surprise you.