A/N: Thanks for the lovely review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far! I'd really love to get some more thoughts and opinions on how I'm doing. As this is fanfiction, I'm definitely taking a few liberties and adding in some things that weren't in the book or film. Which if you haven't guessed by now, I'm mixing them a bit to make my story flow more smoothly. Well I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and stay tuned for a little Bofur/Éadwyn action in the coming chapters.

Dawn came far too early. The dwarves were moving about the camp as they packed up their bedrolls and made a light breakfast. I laid there with my eyes closed holding onto sleep for just a few more minutes. It wouldn't take me too long to eat and prepare to depart anyway. A small hand touched my shoulder and I reluctantly opened my eyes to see Bilbo standing there. I squinted as I adjusted to the pale morning light. He gave me a sheepish smile as I sat up and groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Satisfied that I was awake he walked away without a word. A shiver ran down my spine at the cool morning air as I crawled out of my blanket and began rolling up my bedroll. I strapped it onto the bottom of my pack and pulled out an apple. My stomach turned at the smell of the bacon that Bombur was cooking over the fire and my head pounded as the effects from last night's wine came back to me. I continued to munch on the apple even though I had lost my appetite, I knew I needed to keep my strength up.

I sat off to the side of the camp enjoying my meager breakfast and watched the dwarves as they packed up their belongings. They seemed to have developed a routine having already been on their venture for a month or so now. In no time they had packed up camp and loaded their ponies before returning to the fire where Bombur had finished their breakfast. I caught Kili's eye and he appeared to be worried as he looked back at me. I found myself wondering what he could possibly be worried about. I focused my attention on Fili who seemed like he was trying his best to avoid looking in my direction. Their behavior was very odd, maybe I had said something last night that had offended them? I racked my brain trying to think of anything I had said to them that would have them acting this way towards me but I came up with nothing.

When I finished the apple, I picked up the empty wine bottle from last night and walked down to the stream looking to fill it with water. I stared at my reflection in the glistening, clear water and saw my hair was all out of place. I undid my braids and ran my fingers through my long, wavy blonde hair trying to smooth out the few snarls. When I was satisfied that my hair was as untangled as I was going to get it, I placed my braids back in. One on each side of my head that pulled my bangs away from my face and joined in the back as one braid before running down my back. There was a smudge of dirt on my face so I reached down into the water and splashed it on my face, rubbing at the dirt spot. The cold water from the stream was just the shock I needed to wake myself up. Observing my reflection once again I was satisfied with how I looked. I returned to the task at hand and began rinsing out the bottle when I heard someone walk up behind me.

I turned to see Balin walking down the bath towards me. "Good morning Balin!" I called to him.

"Aye it is a good morning. I don't suspect it will be as hot today if this morning chill means anything." He bent down at the edge of the creek and cupped his hands splashing the water on to his face much like I had done minutes prior. I filled up the bottle and placed the cork back on the top. I was turning to leave when Balin stopped me by placing his hand on my arm. "Now by no means do I mean to lecture you but I don't find it wise to be drinking on the road. Let's not give Thorin any excuses to leave you behind. I already spoke with the others this morning and they were in agreement about their lack of judgment last night and Thorin is to know nothing of the situation. Are we in agreement?"

That must have been why Fili and Kili were acting so strangely. They had been scolded by Balin. Perhaps they had been worried that I was going to be sent back to Rivendell? Which was still a very good possibility if Thorin found out. Thinking back to last night, I hadn't even thought about the repercussions.. At the time, I had just thought about sharing the generous gift with the few who had gone above and beyond to make me feel comfortable in joining their group. What if we had been attacked? Not that anyone was that greatly affected by the wine but if anything had happened I would have been held responsible and the guilt would have never left me. Not to mention it wasn't exactly proper for a lady to be drinking with a group of dwarves.

I began to wonder how much of last night Balin had heard and whether or not he had heard my conversation with Bofur. I hadn't meant to tell Bofur so much, in fact I had never planned on telling any of them much about me but Bofur was fairly easy to talk to. He just had an air about him that made me trust him and with the combination of the wine I had spoken far more than I had ever intended. I glanced over at Balin as he expectantly waited my response.

"I'm sorry if I have caused any trouble. I didn't mean to and even if I had another bottle I wouldn't dare touch it. I can't apologize enough for my mistake and I can assure you it won't happen again." My voice was just above a whisper as I felt ashamed at being so foolish.

"Good. Let's join the others. We should be getting ready to depart." He dropped his hand from my arm and started up the trail. I followed shortly behind him.

When we exited the trailhead my eyes searched over the makeshift camp and I noticed Fili and Kili looking over at Balin and I warily. I gave them a small smile and they noticeably relaxed. Walking over to Fëa, I tacked her up before noticing Bilbo was once again having difficulties tacking up his pony. I swiftly tacked the little mare up before helping him up onto his pony. I mounted Fëa and followed Bilbo up the trail, the last two to leave the camp.

The ride that day went much the same as the day before except I kept to the back of the group feeling a little uncomfortable after my conversation with Balin. I knew he meant well and was only looking out for everyone but I couldn't shake how foolish I felt for the whole situation. Maybe this was all a mistake afterall and I never should have left Rivendell. I was left alone to my thoughts at the back of the company for most of the day. We hadn't bothered to stop for lunch today leaving everyone to eat while we rode on. I was beginning to become anxious as we drew closer to the mountains, knowing that the threat of goblins was growing, the nearer we drew to the looming grey peaks. The dwarves seldomly burst out into song now not wanting to alert any goblins that could be lurking nearby that we were coming.

The path changed from a worn dirt trail to a stony one and the lush green grass had turned brown, unable to thrive in the rocky soil. The forest had faded away and was replaced by low growing bushes that were dotted with little red poisonous berries. I knew from experience that the bushes were also covered with thorns that served as a reminder not to pick the berries. Balin had been right that today wasn't nearly as sweltering as the day before. It was a comfortable summer day although I'm sure the coolness of the air was due in part to our slow ascent up the foothills.

Sometime after lunch Fili and Kili dropped their ponies back to ride next to me as the path had widened some to allow us to ride side by side. They looked at each other grinning wildly as they rode on either side of me. They were up to something. Fili dropped his pony behind me and I turned to see what he was doing but as far as I could tell he was just riding behind me. I turned my attention back to Kili who was whistling innocently, too innocently.

"What are you two up to?" I questioned them.

"Who us?" Kili asked in mock surprise.

"We aren't up to anything." Fili said as he rode up next to me again.

I shook my head at them choosing to ignore them. Thinking if I didn't feed into them then whatever devious plot they had couldn't be carried out. I felt a tingling sensation that felt like something crawling up my leg. I brushed at it and felt something large and hairy. I looked down to see a black spider the size of my hand crawling up my leg. I let out a shriek as I brushed at the spider trying to get it off of me which caused Fëa to rear at the sudden exclamation. I gripped the reins with both hands and held on as she landed her front feet back on the earth. As I recovered from my outburst I noticed the company had all stopped and were looking around in all directions with their weapons raised as Fili and Kili burst out laughing.

"What is it?" Dwalin growled from in front of me.

My cheeks grew red hot as I flushed in embarrassment. "It was a spider." I replied meekly. This only caused Fili and Kili to start laughing all over again.

"A spider?" Dwalin asked incredulously. I nodded my head and stared down at the ground.

Thorin rode to the back of the company with a dark look on his face. Fili and Kili suddenly looked solemn as they stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact with their uncle. Dwalin and Thorin had a hushed conversation before the latter turned to speak with the dwarf princes. "Enough of your silly pranks. If you can't take our quest seriously then why are you here?" When they didn't respond he continued. "I thought as much. As for you." He said turning to face me, his eyes flashing in anger. "If a little spider is enough to scare you, how do you think you will fare against goblins or orcs? Once we cross these mountains, you're on your own. It's not too late for you to turn back." Thorin glared at me for another moment before riding back to the front. It felt like I had been slapped in the face. He knew nothing of what I had done or seen and I could handle myself against orcs and goblins, I'd done it before.

"We are sorry Éadwyn." Kili said softly.

"It was just a joke. We didn't mean for it to get so out of hand." Fili added.

I looked at both of them and they truly looked sorry for what they had done. "It's alright. I just really hate spiders." I said with a small grin.

We rode the rest of the day in silence and I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. The peace I had felt after first meeting the dwarves was quickly disappearing. I was growing disheartened at feeling like an outcast again. Maybe I was truly destined not to fit in anywhere. Between my conversation with Balin and Thorin scolding me, maybe I would do everyone a favor and just wander off into the wilds, never to be heard from again. It would be a win-win for everyone, the dwarves wouldn't have to put up with my presence any longer and I wouldn't be a burden for anyone. I had made up my mind. Tonight when we made camp, I'd just disappear into the night.

Not long after I made my decision, we stopped for the evening. Oin and Gloin quickly got a fire going and Bombur started to cook supper. I wandered over to Fëa and began brushing her down, waiting for the dwarves to settle in for the night. The sound of laughter from around the fire interrupted my thoughts. I gazed over at the group and felt a pang in my heart as I longed for the camaraderie that they had. Even Thorin had laughed at whatever story was being told. It was refreshing to see the leader of the dwarves have a smile upon his face. It suited him.

The sound of a flute playing softly drew my attention and I noticed Bofur was playing the instrument. The song was light and sweet. It seemed to dance in the air as note after note was played. My foot began tapping along softly to the beat as I watched him play. The song ended and silence followed as the dwarves settled in. No one bothered me tonight, keeping to what Thorin had said that I was really on my own. That I was just a body among them but not really a part of their company. Not even Bilbo sought me out. My heart felt heavy with sorrow, I had thought I was finally gaining some real friends.

I turned my attention to the sky and gazed up at the stars, picking out the constellations that my father had shown me all those years ago. I laid back on the stony ground and attempted to count the stars to pass the time. The moon rose high into the sky and I could hear the dwarves tossing and turning less as they slowly drifted off to sleep. Somebody wandered down the trailhead a little ways away from where I was currently laying. I listened to the soft footfalls until I could no longer hear them. I turned my head towards the fire and saw that it was glowing much dimmer than it had been earlier having not been fed any more wood for quite sometime. I could make out the shape of the dwarves scattered around the fire on the bed rolls. It was time for me to depart.

I rose slowly from my spot on the ground and placed Fëa's saddle and pad upon her back snuggly. I carefully placed my saddlebag upon her back, taking care not to let the contents rattle around and make too much noise. I grabbed the reins and silently led Fëa back down the trail before mounting her. Carefully, I navigated the trail in the moonlight taking care not to make too much noise. I hadn't made it far when a low growl to my left caught my attention followed shortly after by a piercing howl. On the path in front of me stood two large wolves with more entering the roadway to my left. They were as large as ponies and their teeth were as long as steak knives. In all my years in Rivendell I had never encountered wolves like these before.

I halted Fëa who danced underneath me uneasy about the great grey beasts that blocked our path. We slowly backed up the path, careful not to make any sudden movements. My mind flickered back to the dwarves who were sleeping up at the top of the hill, I had just come down. The horse beneath me stumbled on a rock which in turn made the wolves crouch down low ready to pounce on us. I didn't give them the chance to though. I pulled the reins tight and spun Fëa on the spot digging my heels into her side, encouraging her to sprint up the hill. I burst into the camp and rode hard over to where the dwarves were sleeping.

"Wake up!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. "There are wolves!"

The dwarves leapt from their beds as Gloin, who must have been on watch, entered the camp with his axe raised at the wolves. He was backing up slowly brandishing his axe in front of him daring them to attack. By this time the others had gathered their arms and were sprinting towards the wolves. I noticed Bilbo standing in shock on the far side of the fire. I dismounted grabbing my blade and leading Fëa to Bilbo. "She will keep you safe if the need should arise." Was all I said as I charged towards the wolves.

By the time I made it to where the battle was raging there were already twenty wolves starting to circle around the dwarves. Half a dozen wolves already lay dead upon the ground. I saw an opening between the vicious beasts and sprinted through it positioning myself next to Ori who had a slingshot raised and Bofur who was brandishing his mattock. The wolves snapped at us as they drew closer. I waited for them to strike first, knowing I could easily bring my sword down upon whichever one chose to lash out.

All at once they lunged forward and I swung my sword down on the snout of the one that leapt at me, slicing its nose clear off. I quickly swung my blade around to the one that jumped at Ori, who had fallen to the ground, and stabbed it right through the side. It fell to the ground with a loud yelp and didn't rise again. I pulled my blood covered blade from its side and turned back around to face the one who's nose I had sliced off. It was crouching low preparing to strike. I raised my sword as it leapt at me. The force of the wolf knocked me straight to the ground and it crashed upon me in a heap where it stayed. My sword having pierced its chest as it landed on me. I tried to push the body off of me but I found it was too heavy. My breathing was becoming labored as the weight of the dead wolf crushed my chest not allowing me to breathe. I turned my head in all directions looking for any wolves that could possibly attack me but I saw none. The fight had ended as quickly as it had started. Dwalin embedded his axe in the head of the last wolf. I breathed a shaky sigh of relief.

Unable to call out due to being pinned down, I lay there waiting for anyone to notice me. Before long Ori and Bofur who must have seen me fall, rolled the wolf off of my body. I laid there catching my breath for a minute before I grabbed Bofur's outstretched hand. He helped me to my feet with a concerned look on his face as I struggled to catch my breath.

"You alright there lass?"

"I'm… fine." I huffed beginning to feel an ache across my ribs. "Really." I said trying to sound convincing as I winced in pain. Bofur didn't look convinced but he didn't say anymore.

Ori stepped forward and clasped my hands in his. "Thank you Éadwyn. I am in your debt." He had a small smile on his face as he squeezed my hands lightly before letting them go again.

I shrugged my shoulders only to wince again as the pain racked my ribs. "Oh no need for debts. I didn't do any different than anyone else here. I saw a wolf and killed it."

"Do not sell yourself short." Thorin spoke coming up behind me. I turned to look at him. "If you had not returned to warn us who knows how many of us would have been slaughtered in our sleep. Will you stay or will you leave us again?" I paled at having been caught trying to desert the dwarves. In the excitement I had almost forgotten I was going to leave them.

"You were leaving?" Bofur asked with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

I looked at him, he had shown me nothing but kindness since we had met. I felt incredibly guilty and I was glad that it was night so no one noticed the blush rise on my cheeks. Bofur, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo had been so kind to me and had tried their hardest to make me feel comfortable but I had just up and abandoned them. How would I ever regain their trust? I held back tears as I turned back to Thorin. "If you will still have me, I will accompany you over the mountains."

He stood there mulling it over as I patiently awaited his response. I glanced around at the others who had already started piling the carcasses up to burn them in the morning. I noticed Bilbo had joined them and was attempting to help carry one of the wolves but he was unable to lift more than a single leg. "You may stay and our previous arrangement still stands. You are to carry your own weight and we are not responsible for you." With that said he walked away to help the others.

I clutched my ribs and sat down. They were definitely bruised and possibly a few of them were broken, if the current pain I was feeling meant anything. Bofur crouched down beside me, worry written all over his face. "You are most definitely not okay." He said as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me up to my feet. "Come on. Oin needs to take a look at you." I leaned into him for support as it hurt to stand up straight and stretch my ribs out. In our close proximity, his scent was overpowering and almost made my knees buckle though I wasn't sure why. I noted he smelled of earth and smoke and something else that I couldn't quite place.

We hobbled over to a log where I sat down next to the fire. He left me there while he fetched Oin to tend to me even after insisting I was fine. Next to the warmth of the fire, I began to doze off. It must have been late into the night by now. The moon had already started its descent into morning. I was roused as Oin sat on the log next to me. I looked around for Bofur but didn't see him. "What needs tending to?" He asked gruffly.

"I just cracked a few ribs. There isn't much we can do for them, I told Bof-"

"Well let's have a look then. They will probably need binding." He cut me off. I stared at him for a minute, his words slowly processing through my mind. I'd have to remove my shirt or at the very least lift it high enough for him to get the bandage around. "No need to be modest. Nothing I haven't seen before." He reached into a bag that was strapped around his side and pulled out a large bandage.

I slowly lifted my shirt and he started his exam. I flinched under his touch but he continued to poke me. "You've got some pretty nasty bruises but it doesn't feel like anything is broken." He took my shirt and pulled it down, placing his hands on my back and then my chest. "Your breathing seems fine as well. I don't suspect any damage to your lungs. I'll bind your ribs and they should heal up nicely. I also have some medicine that will help with the pain."

I shook my head as he pulled it from the bag. "Save it. You never know when someone else might need it."

He hesitated before putting the vial back. I lifted my shirt back up when he was ready to wrap up my torso. Just when everyone else started to wander back to their bedrolls he finished and I lowered my shirt. I was able to sit up straight again although for the first time in my life I was dreading our ride tomorrow knowing that I was going to feel every bump along the way.

Fili carried my bedroll over to the fire while Kili untacked Fëa who had I had forgotten all about after the fight. I thanked them profusely before settling in for a few hours of sleep. Thorin had ordered a double watch for the rest of the night and Fili and Kili were chosen for that duty. I doubted though that anything was still lurking in the shadows.

I tossed and turned as I tried to get comfortable but it seemed impossible. My minder wandered over the events of today, it seemed like it was a long road down hill. I had left Rivendell only two days ago and already things were not going anything like I had imagined. Through all the bad though I couldn't help think but the small acts of kindness the dwarves had shown me in the past hour. Oin binding my ribs, Fili preparing my bed, Kili looking after Fëa, Ori indebting himself to me, and Bofur looking out for me after the skirmish. Maybe I could make this work after all.