A/N

Hey guys! Here's another chapter- much longer than the rest :)

A quick note- I have recently learnt that 'Dwarrow is a more correct term for multiple Dwarves rather than the word 'Dwarves' so I intend to keep on using that from now on, when using Thorins POV- as I do not believe Solara would have learnt this information- please do not become confused. I will hopefully remember to put a reminder at the bottom of every chapter from now on.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Thorin POV

I watched the rest of the Company settle down into slumber with ease. I couldn't help feeling a fondness for them, even for the little hobbit whom was now curled tightly into a ball shape with his knees touching his chest. Hobbits slept strangely, unlike the rest of the Company whom slept wherever they fell, a few of them not even on their bedrolls; for they had rolled over into the dirt.

My eyes poured over the people I had come to love like a family and my eyes stopped on the small form closest to the small fire. Unlike everyone else, she had no bedroll. I had remembered when I unpacked our packs from the long journey there was nothing on her pack that resembled something one might sleep on.

A large hand rested upon my shoulder, drawing me out of my thoughts. Gandalf stood close with his pipe in his mouth. "We should go through Rivendell," He said suddenly. Before I could say anything he began speaking again. "It is the fastest way to Erebor, and we can speak to Lord Elrond about the girl" Someone had filled him in on the situation regarding the small girl on their journey this morning.

Gandalf knew how much Dwarves hated Elves, and how much I in particular hated Elves. "What makes you think they'll help her?" I asked as I looked over to her again. She had moved again and I imagined she was having some trouble sleeping. The rough ground must have been terribly uncomfortable.

"Despite what you think Thorin, Elves are generally kind and good natured and they welcome anyone with good intent into their Kingdoms. I know you do not enjoy the company of elves, but I can assure you this visit will be beneficial to your journey" Gandalf explained

I grunted. "Beneficial, how?" I asked but he didn't reply, instead choosing to put his pipe into his mouth and wander off toward the ponies. I sighed. Gandalf was infuriating, he knew so much, but refused to give away information unless vitally necessary.

He was odd too, in all my years of knowing Gandalf; I had never seen him sleep. He seemed to disappear for amounts of time for no apparent reason but I had never seen him rest, I decided it must be a wizard thing and left him to it.

I turned to check on the Company again. My eyes once again settled on the girl, Solara, whom had shuffled around once again. She was much too close to the fire, almost in danger of catching on fire but I could see from here she was shivering slightly, her thin blanket barely covering her legs. I sighed as I walked over to her, weaving in and out of the sleeping dwarrow. I unhooked my heavy coat before draping in over her shivering form. I heard her sigh slightly as I walked away and I could barely contain the small upturn of my lips.

Solara's POV

The next morning, I was all but dragged from the floor, with Thorin explaining that we would be headed to Rivendell and would be there by that night. All we had to do was cross the river, and Thorin continued to explain to us that there should be a shallow crossing not much further north.

Everyone was given jobs to do in order to get us moving quicker. All the dwarves moved with purpose as they strode around the camp. I took the quick opportunity to stroll into the depths of the forest to relieve myself, as I knew there would be little chance to do so later, and if so, it would not be nearly as private as a forest covering.

The camp was packed up by the time I got back to the clearing and the ponies were waiting. Bilbo offered to let me ride with him, but his pony was much too small and I feared I would crush it, so I politely declined and took Fili's offer of letting me ride with him.

I enjoyed sitting in the saddle behind Fili, was much better than the being in the saddle stuck behind Thorin. Fili and Kili were very talkative, asking me questions and telling stories and making jokes. We were at the back of the long line of Dwarves, with Kili behind us on a short black pony. We were riding along the edge of the river, while Gandalf was occasionally dismounting his pony to check the depth of the river with the long wooden stick he obsessively carried.

Not long after noon, we reached the place we were supposed to be crossing at. Thorin went in first, after dismounting his pony and grabbing the reins. The water was by no means still and quiet and my heart was thumping hard as I watched him fight against the current of the river. His horse was difficult to lead, stopping and pulling here and there but eventually he managed to get across, his clothes soaking up to his waist, I quickly noticed the coat he always seemed to wear was nowhere to be seen.

He pulled his pony up onto the dry land, and I could see from the pony's dark coat how deep it was.

Bilbo turned away from the water and came over to me as someone else was entering the water. Bilbo told me each of the names of the dwarves I had yet to speak too.

Balin went next, Bilbo pointed out, and despite being one of the oldest dwarves in the group, he managed it easily and his horse crossed with no problems.

Gloin complained the entire way across, but managed it. Fili and kili managed easily, almost showing off as they all but ran through the rough waters.

Nori and Dori pulled their horses along, whilst Ori, being one of the youngest was told to sit atop his horse whilst walking across the waters. He huffed at those instructions but did as he was told anyways. Bofur held on to his hat just as tightly as his pony as he crossed, almost tumbling into the water at one point as he seemed to lose his footing.

My stomach was in knots thinking about crossing. I was small and the water seemed rough and unforgiving.

When there was only me, Bilbo and Gandalf left on this side of the river, Gandalf suggested Bilbo, being the smallest, stay on top of his pony and that I, being taller and probably heavier; lead him. Gandalf smiled gently at me, and I am sure my face shows how terrified I am as I edged slowly to the water.

The water was cold as I dipped my foot into the water and it flooded into my boots. And when I say cold, I mean freezing. It was a good job Bilbo was able to ride through the waters as I am sure he would have frozen by the time we got to Rivendell.

My foot touched the bed of the river and I breathed in sharply as cold water reached my stomach, it was just above my waist. I grabbed the reins off Bilbo the walked forward, keeping my eyes on the water as if looking to see where I was going. It was so odd not being able to see where I was standing and I was glad I was wearing shoes.

I felt the pony's wariness as it slid down the embankment and into the river loudly, and I turned to make sure Bilbo was ok. He smiled slightly but held tightly onto the front of the saddle. I pulled on the rains as I pushed through the waters, trying to feel for where I was standing before I actually put my foot down. The pony Bilbo was on was struggling, his pony being smaller than that of the dwarves pony and I kept a tight hold on the reins as though I would be able to keep the pony above the waters if it fell.

I had gone about 15 steps when I stopped. I tugged on the reins as I realised I couldn't go any further unless the pony walked forward more. He wouldn't. I turned to look at him- the brown eyes staring back at me. I grabbed the reins higher up and closer to the mouth and tugged harder, but all it achieved was pulling the ponies head closer towards me; his feet stayed exactly where they were. Bilbo began nudging the pony's sides with his large hairy feet, a universal movement that I knew made horses move forward, but still he did not. I could feel the water freezing through my clothes as I stood still and I looked other to Thorin desperately.

I don't know what my face looked like, whether I looked scared or cold or whether I was turning blue, but Thorin rushed back into the water with no regard for the temperature and slowly moved towards me. It took him just minutes to get to where we stood and he slowly took the reins from me.

"Go." He said, nodding towards the embankment where the rest of the Dwarves who had crossed were sitting. I nodded and looked at Bilbo whom smiled encouragingly at me. I was in no state to argue as I waded through the currents towards the edge of the river. I was shivering badly now, and as I reached the edge, I grabbed the nearest hand that was held out for me and let it pull me up. I couldn't help but cough harshly when the freezing water left my body.

I turned and watched Thorin with the horse; he had given the reins back to Bilbo, and seemed to be instructing him of what to do. Bilbo nodded and I barely had time to comprehend what was happening before Thorin slapped the pony roughly on its flank and it was coming as fast as it could in the deep waters towards us. Bilbo held on tightly to the reins as the horse galloped up the side of the embankment with no problem and towards the rest of the horses. Bilbo dismounted the pony immediately, just as Thorin was climbing up the embankment.

"Are you ok?" He asked me, before looking at Bilbo. I just nodded, shivering too badly to do anything else. I looked towards the river as I noticed Gandalf coming through the waters, doing so easily and with elegance I would never have been able to pull off. Since he was on a much taller and sturdier horse, he was riding his easily through the river, and the soles of his shoes barely even got damp.

I huffed as I looked down at my sodden clothing. I tried looking of the bright side; at least I had gotten to bathe.

I shivered as Gandalf came onto the embankment and someone came over to me and put something warm and cosy around my shoulders. I turned to see Thorin standing there and looked down at what had been put around my shoulders.

"Thorin, I can't, I do not want to ruin it." I shoved his warm and thick coat off my shoulders and went to hand it back. "You are cold, and I am not. You have a greater need of it than I do." He said as he pushed it back into my hands. I frowned and heard him sigh. He took it from my hands and put it back around my shoulders.

He was standing close to me now, as he helped to put my numb arms into the overly large sleeves. I blushed when I realised how close he was; I could practically smell him. He pushed my other arm into the sleeve and buttoned the buttons. I felt like a child at that time, but I would not have been able to button the coat myself, as my hands were numb and the coat was that large. I looked down as he stood back, as though he were admiring artwork. He smiled slightly.

I huffed. "Do not laugh Thorin." I warned. I heard the chuckle as he backed off and gave the next orders. We were to continue to Rivendell.

I had rode with Fili earlier, but Thorin told me I would ride with him now at the front of the line of dwarves, as the wind was behind us and I should not let myself get colder unless I wanted to become ill.

When he mounted his pony, I went to get behind him as I had done once before. He stopped me and held his hand out.

"You sit here, in front this time." He said. I must have looked shocked because he explained further. "The wind is behind us, it will do you no good to sit behind me. If you sit here" he motioned to the space in front of him "You will be protected from the wind."

I nodded, because it made sense. I grabbed his offered hand and he lifted me into the saddle. It was different, and I felt stiff as I sat there in front of him; he put his arms around me to hold the reins in front of me and kicked his pony onwards. I sat up straight and stiff. I was already tense from the cold, but now I was tense through not wanting lean back against Thorin. I could almost imagine the warmth. Dwarves were much stockier, I had heard, and could therefore withstand the cold much better than humans and hobbits. That along with the amazing amount of hair they were able to grow.

We had been riding for an hour, when all of a sudden my rigid body gave up and I slumped unwillingly against the hard body behind me. I could feel Thorin tense slightly, before relaxing again. I didn't care; I was revelling in the warmth his body provided.

A large hand clasped gently on my shoulder and I sat up with a start. The lull of the pony's movement had relaxed me to the point of sleep and the body behind me had provided a comfortable place to lean against.

Now though, I was sat up straight again, and as I moved I could feel my clothing was still damp. "We're almost at Rivendell," Thorin said as he pointed downwards. I held onto the saddle and peered down. The river had long since gone and was now a deep valley; I could barely see the water below.

Looking in front of us I could see Gandalf following a path, and the path led out of sight and down the hill. We would be going into the valley.

Despite my nap, I was wide awake as I took it the surroundings. I had heard of the beauty of Rivendell but nothing compared to seeing it in person. The river we had crossed earlier today stemmed into a beautiful rushing waterfall, and although it looked like a valley from up top, the further we came into the valley, the more I could see.

There were beautiful stone looking buildings almost built into the backdrop of the cliffs and there seemed to be a mist surrounding it. There was no doubt there was magic here. I could barely keep my mouth closed, but behind me I could hear the Dwarves mumbling about poor structure and architecture, and I could almost imagine Gandalf's smile in front of me.

Gandalf stopped suddenly and Thorin pulled the reins harshly, effectively stopping the rest of the line of dwarves behind us. Gandalf began talking quietly to someone I could not see in a language I could not understand. I knew from my Father that Elves have different several different languages as opposed to the general Westron.

A tall and beautiful male Elf came into view from in front of Gandalf and I had to work to hold in my gasp. I had never seen an Elf before, but they were barely any words for the Elf standing in front of me. The word beautiful did not even begin to describe him.

"Welcome to Rivendell" The Elf said proudly and began to introduce himself. "I am Lord Elrond."

Thorin dismounted behind me. "I do not believe we have met," His voice was gruff in comparison to the bell-like sound of Lord Elrond's. I watched Lord Elrond smile as Thorin brought himself forward, as though he knew who Thorin was. "Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, welcome to Rivendell," He looked towards us, his eyes lingering on me before looking behind me, to where the rest of the Company were. "Welcome all of you."

He began to walk down the path and Gandalf began to follow him. Thorin quickly mounted the pony behind me and we followed Gandalf down the pathway.

I was not paying much attention, I had heard Lord Elrond call Thorin by his full names, and I was sure I had heard of part of it before, especially the names Thrain or Thror, but I couldn't remember their importance, or why I had heard of them before.

I was drawn back to reality when I heard Lord Elrond begin to give out orders. We had arrived in Rivendell, and the buildings were even more wonderful up close. There were many elves coming forth now, all with things to do. Lord Elrond was speaking in his own tongue and I could hear the Dwarves complaining behind me.

"What did he say," one said, outraged.

He calmed down quickly when Gandalf replied.

"I believe he is offering you food, Balin."

Several elves came forward, both male and female and took our bags and horses away. A female elf in particular took my small bag and gestured with her hand to follow her. I looked warily at Thorin who simply nodded his head encouragingly.

It turned out she was taking me to my room, in a different part of the building to where the male dwarves would be staying. She told me her name was Kilieth and that she would be here if I needed anything.

The room I was shown into was as beautiful as the rest of the valley, the main chamber was open and I had a balcony with views of the river and the grassy lands beneath. I had not noticed when walking here, but we had come quite a way up.

"There is a warm bath waiting for you in there my Lady," She pointed towards a room I had yet to see. "If you leave your clothes on the bed they will be mended and cleaned and returned to you." She put a dress of some sort onto the bed and showed me where the soaps and cloth to dry myself with were. I thanked her graciously before she left. I couldn't wait to have a warm bath; it had been years since I had been able to indulge in bathing in warm water, much less since someone had drawn me a bath.

I stripped my damp clothes quickly and left them in a pile on the floor. There was a privacy curtain which I pulled quickly around the large metal tub. Stepping into the water, I could feel years' worth of grime coming off my body; river water alone could only clean so much. There was plenty of soap provided, with lovely scents, and some kind of hair soap as well, which Kilieth had said would remove tangles and knots. I would have liked to have relaxed, to sooth my aching muscles and clean my body thoroughly but the water cooled quickly and I had to quickly lather my body in soap, I had no desire to be in cold water twice in one day.

Someone had come in whilst I was bathing, silently of course, and taken my dirty clothes away, along with my shoes and replaced them with a long blue Elvish gown and robe. There were some simple brown leather boots where my old ones had been, with laces up the fronts and a thin sole. They were light, much lighter than leather and they slipped on my feet easily enough. The gown and robe were beautiful. The gown came to just the tip of my boot and I realised it must not have been made for an elf; otherwise it would have been touching the floor due to elves being so tall. The robe was slightly longer, with wide sleeves. I had never worn such an elegant outfit in my life.

I sighed as I sat down on the bed and waited for Kilieth to come and collect me for supper.

Dwarrow- Multiple Dwarves

Westron- General language for Middle Earth