I dedicate this chapter to ChelseeBelle and NobodyEpic

*This is what Gandalf says in the movie – I'm just sticking to it people.

"So you really were a dragon, then?" Bilbo questioned. My eyes only flicked to him as we rode next to each other before returning to watch Thorin conversing with Gandalf.

"Don't you believe my words?" I questioned him. Bilbo seemed put off by this, so I continued. "I understand your hesitance though." I confessed, surprising the Hobbit. "I would be in equal disbelief if a stranger appeared and claimed that they used to be a mermaid."

Bilbo chuckled quietly at this before he coughed tensely. "Are there others like you?" He queried.

I looked over at him with wide eyes before answering with a breathy smile. "Goodness no." I answered him, able to relate to the sudden relief that shined in the small creature's eyes. "Else I'm afraid that I probably wouldn't have lived to today." This came out somewhat grimmer.

Bilbo easily caught on, but whether or not I liked it was debatable. "You've obviously encountered trouble because of what you are." He drew a conclusion.

"More so than you would think." I looked down at my clawed fingers holding Lily's reins as I said this. "Unfortunately," I held up one hand to show him as I flashed its back and front. "These attract quite a bit of attention."

Bilbo smiled wryly at this. "We're both outcasts here, aren't we?" He asked quietly, his eyes trailing away from me to watch the rest of the company as they continued to ride on, who seemed completely oblivious of us riding in the very back.

"That's how it looks, Mr. Baggins." I replied evenly, knowing that due to the Dwarf's nature and general inability to trust other species, and to our being said other species, we would undoubtedly be the outcasts on this journey.

We fell silent, each of us brooding over similar thoughts before Bilbo broke the quiet. "Do you think there's a way to prove ourselves to him?" He questioned.

"What?" I asked with alarm, unsure if I had heard him correctly. What he had said – if I had heard correctly – would have closely resembled my thoughts.

"A way to prove ourselves, to Thorin Oakenshield." He glanced at me before rubbing at his nose. "Do you think there is one?" He questioned.

I had to shake my stare at him. My eyes went to the front of the company to watch Thorin as Bilbo continued. "He's the leader of the company – if he believes in us, then the rest will follow." Thorin Oakenshield was still talking quietly with Gandalf as they rode next to each other. My eyes narrowed slightly when Gandalf's eyes flicked back to Bilbo and I briefly before he said something.

Adverting my eyes, I spoke to Bilbo before Thorin glanced back at me. "I don't know." I said honestly. "But if there is one, then it would prove wise to snatch it at the first chance." I gave Bilbo an honest look, feeling more and more at ease with him as we bantered.

He paused before talking, seeming to gather his words. "You know, Charna," He paused once more before swiping at his forehead, seemingly nervous. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were relieved to have me traveling with you." He spoke nervously, glancing around before his eyes settled on me almost curiously.

"I am." I admitted, a gust of wind bustling around us. "It's nice not to be the only outcast for once…" I muttered under my breath, but Bilbo smiled lightly despite this.

"It must've been tough, being alone all of those years." Oh my. It seems that Hobbits have even better hearing than Dwarves. I stayed silent, unwilling to admit to it and knowing that my lie would be unconvincing.

We fell silent once more. This time, I was much more grateful.

-x-x-x-x-x

We stopped for lunch, and I found myself sitting near Thorin and Gandalf, who seemed to be debating whether or not we should go through Mirkwood. Bilbo and I exchanged a look.

"We have yet to even reach the Troll Forest," Thorin told Gandalf brusquely, standing, agitation clear on his face. "We still have time to decide." He left with a flourish, leaving Gandalf to look at Bilbo and I almost tiredly.

"What was Mirkwood like the last time you passed through, Charna?" Gandalf asked me, lighting his pipe and taking one of the two bowls of soup Fili had. The Dwarf sat in front of us on another decaying log and promptly began to devour his food as he listened to the conversation curiously. I accepted one of the three bowls Kili held, with Bilbo voicing both his grateful and weariness as he was given the other. Kili joined his brother sitting cross-legged in front of, glancing at our small group happily before he began to eat even faster than Fili.

"It was…mind-numbing." I confessed. Gandalf seemed to pause at this, and I looked into my reflection inside my own broth before continuing. "I recall it from much younger days – it has never been that bad before, at least in my life time. I fear that if we go through Mirkwood now, we will not make it through… Will you be accompanying us that far, Gandalf?" I asked apprehensively, almost not wanting an answer.

King Thranduil, despite my never having met him, seemed to not be powerful enough to fight off the effects of the forest even then. It would've only grown worse. Thinking of the dark gloom of that forest, even without its threatening magic, was enough to make me shiver. It was much too easy to get lost among those old and twisted trees.

"I do not know." Gandalf responded, and I quickly began to consume my meal. One of the things that I found curious about Dwarves was their habit to consume large amounts of food in short amounts of time. This, however, was not a large amount of food and the time spared to us was shorter than normal. "I do not know when, but I will be forced to depart from the company due to other circumstances." Gandalf informed me. I nodded at this, knowing that the Wizard leaving was inevitable.

No Wizards ever stayed in one place for long.

"I can only hope that you will be able to assist us going through those woods." I answered grimly, looking over at Bilbo as I let out a small sigh.

The Hobbit was sighing at his lack of food, and I could only imagine what he had to be going through. Our rations where snacks compared to a Hobbit's diet. Bilbo suddenly looked up at me, seeming confused. I gave him a questioning look, and he elaborated. "Mirkwood…are there not Elfs there?" He questioned, and I nodded. "Will they not help us with safe passage?" I twitched slightly at this as Fili, Kili, and even Dwalin, who had been almost grudgingly sitting on Bilbo's other side, immediately all went into long-winded explanations of why the Elfs were evil.

I only sighed, not wanting to get caught up with the racial hating, and freed myself by taking the confused and paling Bilbo's bowl before fleeing. The poor Hobbit was trying to defend himself against a lost cause. It wasn't that I felt the Elfs were evil as well – really, I didn't particularly dislike or even like their race as a whole – but the Dwarves have had a grudge against them for some time and were not going to give it up for a quiet little Hobbit.

Walking over the now doused fire in the middle of the camp, I handed the bowls to Bombur. He turned to watch as several other Dwarves gathered around the alarmed Hobbit, shaking his head. "Do you hate the Elfs, Bombur?" I suddenly questioned. My eyes widened as I finished my question, realizing what I had just asked. This was probably not something that us, two comfortable companions, should be talking about together.

Bombur was silent for several moments as he scraped what little remains of our food there were into the former fire. "I believe that what they did was wrong; but if they came to us suddenly, looking for forgiveness, I do not think that I would have the heart to turn them away." He admitted, stacking our bowls with the others. He then took the stack and started to walk to his pony as I tailed behind him.

"Do you hate them, Charna?" He questioned as I opened up one of the pony's side bags, letting him put the bowls in much more easily.

"I don't particularly hate or like them, really." I admitted with a small shrug. Watching as Bombur took his hands out, I redid the bag's top as he swiped at his hands to clean them. "If anything, they can get slightly annoying. Them and their long lives!" I grumbled. "I'm afraid that too many of them know about me, but I could be wrong. It's been some time since I interacted with anything but Humans." I continued, following Bombur as he made his way back to the dead fire. Taking Bifur and Bofur's bowls, he cleaned them out and started a new pile before responding. Seeing that we were talking and apparently already having put his two cents in the group who was still surrounding Bilbo, a smoking Bofur watched us with interest.

"Only humans?" Bombur questioned with surprise, and I gave a small shrug as I ran a hand through my messy hair, letting my hood be pushed down.

"It's easier." I told him, frowning slightly. "Humans don't live as long as any other species and they also seem to have worse memory." Both Bombur and Bofur chuckled at this.

"That is true, lass." Bofur acknowledged. "But don't you ever get lonely?" He questioned, surprising me.

I shifted slightly at his expectant gaze before answering. "Rarely, I guess…" I eventually made out, unsure of how to answer that question. "You get used to it after so long." I admitted. The two's eyes seemed to darken at this, and my eyes flicked between them in confusion. What did I say?

"You've lived a long time, Charna." Bombur accepted Dwalin's bowl, who quickly went back to terrorizing the Hobbit. I believe that they were mocking his small stature now, and Gandalf seemed to have disappeared. Our little Hobbit will have to hold out on his own for now. "Your life seems sad." I blinked in surprise at this.

"Sad?" I questioned, unsure if this was an accurate description or not. "I've never really thought of it that way…" I admitted, trailing off.

"What do you think of your life as?" Bofur questioned, tapping his pipe against his lips almost thoughtfully.

I opened my mouth to respond, only to pause. What do I think of my life? I wondered, coming up empty handed. "It's probably better not to think of anything at all…" I muttered to myself, hoping that this answer would suffice. I was not about to go delving into my deep secrets and my emotional chasms that were brimming with who knows what.

"Bombur, we'll be leaving soon." Balin warned him, handing the larger Dwarf his bowl and glancing at us before leaving. I glanced around our small camp.

"Guess that's my cue." I glanced over at Bilbo, who was now only being tormented by Kili and Fili. This was a crowd that I could take. Walking over, I waited for Bilbo to scuff out a defensive statement to protect his pride before I spoke. "We'll be leaving soon – I'd do something productive if I were you three." I shamed them, and Kili frowned while his brother stood.

Fili gave me a nod before leaving, apparently recognizing that they had gone more than a little too far in teasing Bilbo. Kili trailed after him, still frowning and feeling his chin as if hoping that a full beard would spring in suddenly. I looked down at Bilbo, who was looking up at me thankfully.

I knelt down next to him. "Dwarves can be rather harsh in their jesting, Bilbo." I warned the agitated Hobbit.

He only looked at me with wide eyes. "That was jesting?!" He hissed, standing and brushing his waist coat off sternly before practically marching to his pony. He clambered onto it with some difficulty, and I made a point not to mention it.

"They are a thick-skinned species." I continued after I had mounted after him. "I am sure that once you get to know them, you will discover that they are not as terrible as you believe them to be." I tried to amend the upset Hobbit, knowing that any ill-will towards our companions had the chance of not blowing over easily.

Bilbo only huffed, spurring his pony into motion to ride alongside Gandalf. I sighed, unsure if I was happy or upset that I was left to ride all alone in the back of the group. Looking at the Dwarves in front of me, I found the unfamiliar backs of Dwalin and Balin.

I decided to be unthankful for Bilbo's departure.

-x-x-x-x-x

Night had fallen. Depending on what direction we chose to start off at in the morning, we would either be heading through the Troll Forest or continuing on the Great East Road. Gandalf, Thorin, Balin and Dwalin had been discussing it earlier before everyone pulled out their bedrolls – they were still indecisive, but Gandalf had been adamant for staying on the road. I don't blame him; Trolls were a constant threat in that forest and the size of our company made it hard to move with stealth.

I had been elected for first watch, but I was not the only one awake. Gandalf was puffing on his pipe, staring into the fire that threw light onto my back. Sitting with my back to the Company, I had placed myself on a large stone, enjoying the slight leverage to my vision as I sat. Despite not being able to see anyone else, I could hear the occasional turning and shifting of the King as he attempted sleep. He had been like this for some time, and to take my mind off of the noise that kept drawing my thoughts back to him, I concentrated on the wilderness that was in front of me.

The ponies had all lain down some time ago – I had seen their shapes decrease in the darkness as well as heard them – and now the only living things that came close to our camp were the bats and the insects. A stick bug was slowly climbing up the rock, and I gave my rapt attention to its almost eerie yet natural existence.

It moved slowly – climbing up the stone with small steps, but it not deter in its course. "What is your reason, my little friend?" I quietly asked it, unconsciously frowning when one of its footholds broke loose and it slid down the stone. It grappled for footing on the surface, and I felt pity for its small form. Reaching out for it, I was about to block it from sliding further down when a quiet voice next to me made me jump.

"It has no reason." My eyes widened and I instantly went on alert, my hand flying to my belt as I forgot about the stick insect. It slipped to the bottom of the rock and into the grass, unnoticed.

Thorin stood beside me, arms crossed as he frowned at the small bug that had disappeared from his sight. "I should hope," He started, eyes trailing up as he looked at the trees and shadows in front of us, "That this is not how you intend to spend all of your watches – or for the rest of this one, for that matter." He berated me, looking at me firmly.

Immediately I went to defend myself. "The fire has died down. We are more unnoticeable right now, and tonight is a calm night." I assured him.

"What does it matter if it's calm?" He queried, looking at me dubiously.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I replied, looking back out into the woods that we had entered some time ago. "It's a feeling. We won't be attacked tonight, Thorin." I continued. Glancing at him discreetly, I was surprised to find him intently studying the forest.

"Feelings do not affect reality, Charna. You of all people should know this." He told me with a cold voice, and immediately my expression darkened. Glaring at the woods, I tried to wrangle in my temper in the fear I would say something that I would regret.

"Feelings are a part of reality, Thorin." I reminded him, feeling gratified when I kept my voice even. I looked over at him as I said this, letting my serious show through my eyes as well. "Was it not a feeling that started this whole journey?" I questioned him. "Does the feeling of wanting to reclaim Erebor have nothing to do with this quest?" I continued, proving my point.

His eyes did not widen. His did not have a sudden intake of breath. He did not shake. Rather, I could see something fall away in his eyes – as if I had cracked an impassible wall that I hadn't even known to exist. He was silent for a few moments as I observed him, suddenly unsure if the level of interest I was suddenly displaying clearly on my face was appropriate or not.

"I suppose that you are right." He finally admitted, and I had the sudden sense that he was doing it grudgingly. We lapsed into silence and I watched him for a few more moments as he stared into the forest before I turned to look at the bottom of the stone.

The stick bug was once again ascending the surface of the stone.

"Look, he's trying again." I pointed out.

"He is very driven." Thorin agreed after a beat of watching the insect. "I wonder what drives him so?" He glanced at me, and I had the impression that he was humoring me.

I was silent at this, and my gaze fell back to the insect, which seemed to have doubled its efforts in trying to scale what must be a sheer cliff to its species. "Feelings." I eventually answered, looking up and seeing a surprised Thorin. It wasn't a wide eyed, open mouthed surprise, but merely a slight widening of his eyes and the rubbing of his first three fingers in front of his mouth as he held his hand there by putting his elbow on his other crossed arm. A calm surprise – but a surprise nonetheless.

Seeing this, I continued with the whispers of a dry smile on my face. "That's all we have to go on, isn't it?" I questioned as he rubbed below his bottom lip. With a small sigh he let his arms fall before looping his fingers in his belt, gazing once more into the forest.

"I'm to relieve you of first watch?" Bilbo suddenly asked from besides me, making me start and look over at him with surprise. I had forgotten that Hobbits could be so quiet! He seemed unsure of himself, probably feeling as though he was intruding on our conversation.

Choosing consciously not to dawdle on this thought, I merely gave Bilbo a nod before I spoke. "I surrender," I said, putting up my hands in mock exaggeration. Standing up somewhat awkwardly, I half slid half stepped off the stone, finding it difficult my feet which had fallen asleep some time ago against the cold rock. Yawning as I started to step away, I paused when the stick bug caught my eye.

It was teetering at the top of the rock, looking as though it had no idea where to find its next foothold. Without thinking I reached out my hand and ushered it to climb on with my other one, setting it down on the highest point of the rock that it had been aiming for all along. "There we go." I looked at it contently as it openly stared at me.

"You're just going to give it its prize?" Thorin asked, surprise now evident in his voice as we all stared at the stick bug.

My eyes flicked up to him. "I helped it. The stick bug has tried multiple times to scale this rock, each time failing as it was about to do. So I took mercy on it – and helped it achieve its final goal." The insect shifted, stretching out one of its legs before replacing it before falling still.

Stifling another yawn, I went to find a suitable tree to sleep against when Thorin's voice stopped me. His voice was lowered, yet still strong, and…is that desperation? I suddenly wondered, recognizing the tone. It couldn't be…

"Are you not supposed to be a monster? A vile creature that is neither human nor dragon? A curse to this world? Something that would deal death to someone just because they made a terrible decision, despite them doing it for her?" I did not bristle at this. In fact, I did not take any offense to it. This was the truth…if not a twisted version of it, even.

I had accepted that truth long, long ago.

I looked back at Thorin, taking note of the wide eyed and paled Bilbo. Bilbo was shocked, if not a bit scared – as if he expected me to lunge and be done with it. Thorin no longer had his thumbs hooked in his belt, and the wall inside of him seemed to have hardened further if it was even possible. His eyes were cold and steely, but I did not let this deter me. I know what I had seen – the King Under the Mountain does not only have feelings, but he has a heart as well…if not the barest hints of one.

"The Tale of Duality may define me at my worst, but it does not bind me, Thorin Oakenshield."

My voice was even, and I left my words echoing in their minds as I calmly turned and left, choosing a tree that was a little ways away from the camp.

What's going on…? I wondered to myself. I attempted to curl up into a ball of sorts, bringing my knees close to my chin as my arms automatically wrapped around my head. Letting my forehead hit my knees, I allowed my eyes to slide shut naturally at this comforting position.

These short-living beings…

Seem to have gotten to me.

"Only humans?" Bombur questioned with surprise, and I gave a small shrug as I ran a hand through my messy hair, letting my hood be pushed down.

"It's easier." I told him, frowning slightly. "Humans don't live as long as any other species and they also seem to have worse memory." Both Bombur and Bofur chuckled at this.

"Your life seems sad."

"But don't you ever get lonely?"

"It's probably better not to think of anything at all…"

Right?

x-o-x-o-x-o

She has not moved a muscle sense beginning watch some time ago; dragon.

She cares for creatures; human.

Her claws left scratch marks on the rock as she rubbed it absentmindedly, gathering her words; dragon.

She is…able to prove herself verbally; human.

She was unfazed by the insults thrown at her; …neither.

X-O-X-O-X-O

It was pouring rain. I was completely soaked. Bilbo and I rode alongside each other, each of us hunched over against the foul water. He was worse off for me – and for this I felt sorry for him, but I was not sorry enough to part with my cloak, which did little to protect me from this storm. I had been hoping that the freezing rains would hold off until we got to either Dale or Laketown (I wasn't quite sure which we were stopping at, if we were stopping at all) so that I could procure a heavier coat – I now admit that the hope had been desperate.

However, I had no such luck. Just as we started to leave the storm broke, the rain steadily getting colder and colder sense then. My fingers had long sense gone numb, and I gave no thought to what could be left of my ears as I wiggled my toes, the sudden motion bringing painful pins-and-needles.

The rest of the company was suffering as well, and they were silent. The only one talking was Bilbo – and he was even just muttering under his breath, his words lost to the howling wind and the distance between us. Not bothering to question him, I merely led my equally miserable pony along the path, watching the ground with concentrated eyes as I picked out what part of the path Lily could both access and stumble the least on. The poor pony was better off than the others, despite her state – the Dwarves merely plodded along, either not caring enough to take the time to search out a steady path or not being able to.

I doubted the latter.

"Gandalf, can you do something to stop this deluge!?" Dori yelled to Gandalf, making an effort to have his plea heard over the winds, which chose that moment to calm somewhat.

"No, Master Dwarf. It will continued to rain until the rain is done." Gandalf didn't even glance back as our hopes were grinded into dust and washed away in said rain. "If you wish to change the weathers of the world, you must find yourself another Wizard!"

I tensed at this, the grip I held on the reins tightening. My eyes narrowed. Liar! Rancid emotions immediately began to build up inside of me.

Noticing this and frowning in confusion, Bilbo questioned Gandalf while the winds were still quieted down. "Are there – " Sneezing in the middle of his sentence abruptly, Gandalf urged him on and he restarted his sentence. "Are there any other Wizards?" He called to the current leader of the group, making me consciously hold back a shiver of mistrust and hate towards the Wizard currently leading our company.

He's known all along…!

Keeping myself quiet, I forced myself to listen to Gandalf's voice as the rain continued to pelt against me. "Yes! There are five in our order. Our leader is Saruman the White!" He paused. "Then there are the two blueses*... I've quite forgotten their names." He admitted.

"And the fifth?" Bilbo questioned, noticing we only know of four Wizards and that my condition hadn't changed.

"That would be Radagast the Brown." Gandalf instructed us, and my eyes widened. H-He doesn't know…? The question seemed to empty my head as my temper fled. I-I rushed to a conclusion… I dully realized. I had assumed that Gandalf knew the Emerald Wizard – and I was ready to kill him for not only betraying me, but for information as well.

Glancing over at Bilbo, I was surprised to see him frowning at me quizzically. My eyes widened, realizing that he had queried in order to find out more about my state. He gave me a questioning look, and I returned it with one that could be vaguely translated as 'I'll explain later'.

..

The only place we could make even what vaguely resembled a camp was under a small overhang on a somewhat-cliff. On another occasion I would've gone to inspect said cliff in case my weary feelings towards not only the weather but today in general had to be acted on, but with the rain pelting harder than ever even the ponies wanted into the already cramped 'shelter'.

Truthfully, it only blocked us from the downpour about half the time. The fire wouldn't light, much to my displeasure. I had been expecting a fire to be raging nearly every night on this journey, what with traveling with thirteen Dwarves – they are the best at making fires, as it has been seen.

Tonight, however, we would be forced to sleep in the dark, dank, cold underneath a poor overhang. There were no songs – in fact, everyone was feeling quite glum. Poor Bilbo had chattering teeth and was shaking terribly for the cold. I only felt a small amount of pity towards him, though. I was worse off.

He at least had the body heat of myself and Dwalin as he was scrunched between us. I, however, had automatically gone to the corner in an attempt to avoid such a touchy situation and now found myself regretting it. The stone was cold and unforgiving, already freezing. I was squished into the corner, not willing to move and give up the spot which had already warmed up – don't you dare stop me from lying to myself here. I've just lost the feeling in my back at this point and don't want to be reminded of it – and sit closer to where the overhang stopped.

Did I mention it was a small overhang?

I had lost feeling in my toes long ago, and my fingers were only bringing pain as I held my hands tightly together. I hadn't brought anything along for this trip besides my daggers and a few other miscellaneous highly personal items that any female would need, and I was regretting that choice strongly. Usually I didn't have to deal with this kind of thing – I would migrate with the birds to the shore and then back to the mountains, or vice versa. It all depended on the season and how much time I had left.

So it's been awhile sense I was hit in the face with freezing rain for an extended period of time. Usually I would've been able to find shelter if it had come down to it – which is had long before we stopped – but there was no such luck in this situation.

So I was left to freeze in the corner, my teeth chattering as I was tightly pressed between the wall and an equally soaked and freezing Bilbo, too proud to voice that I was going to freeze to death soon. Miserably I laid my forehead on my knees, forcing my eyes open and to stay awake. If I fell asleep now, it was debatable whether or not I'd wake up again.

"Hey!" a panicked Bilbo and a hand on my shoulder started to shake me. My eyes widened as I realized they had been drifting shut, and my head immediately shot up. Delirious for a moment, I could only blink and squint in confusion as something was thrusted into my hands. Staring down at the material, it took me a second to realize what it was.

Looking up with wide eyes, I openly stared at Dwalin with wide eyes. This was his extra cloak – I had seen him pack it up after using it as a second blanket previously. Seeing my expression, he elaborated. "Go ahead and use it, lass." He told me gruffly. I looked down at said material, still unsure. "I'll get along fine without it." He finished, seeing my dubious expression. Looking back up at him, I was surprised when he only looked away.

My gaze immediately went to Bilbo, who had seen this interaction. He shrugged at me and I looked back at the material before spreading it out. Shivering violently as I wrapped it tightly around myself, I relished the feeling that slowly returned to me. This cloak wasn't nearly thick enough to act as a blanket, but it did help.

The rain let up as night fell – we had been forced to stop about midday yesterday as the path became intangible. Slowly the Dwarves came out of their freezing stupor. Bilbo was quick to move and get the blood back into his body. I, however, was content to sit there and revel in the feeling of no rain while the others started to bustle around me.

With my forefinger and thumb, I tightly held onto a corner of Dwalin's spare cloak while I shakily stood, using the wall for support. Oin and Dori were trying to get a fire started desperately, the others all busying themselves with their packs to see what had become wet –everything – and soaked – again, everything.

Getting a grip on myself, I quickly gathered the cloak in my hands and started to wring it out in front of me, flinching when noticeable amount of the freezing water hit my shoes. My feet were burning with the temperature change, and my fingers felt the same. I was weary of touching my nose, knowing the same result was bound to happen.

Offering Dwalin his cloak as he strode by, he took it with a "Thanks, I hope it served you well lass." I nodded, still shaking slightly from the cold as I went Lily to see how the poor pony had held up.

I wonder where that sudden change of Dwalin's attitude came from... I numbly wondered, using my aching fingers to pet Lily's head. She remained silent, but not uncaring of my affections – she, too, was shaking from the cold. "You poor girl…" I muttered under my breath, unaware of my words.

Letting loose a sigh, I leaned against her wet coat as I felt exhaustion take over my body.

"You're going to smell like wet horse now." I deadpanned as Thorin reminded me. Quickly recovering, I leered at him as I stood on my own two feet fully.

Opening my mouth to retort, I snapped it shut with an audible click as I was unable to come up with something clever enough to say.

Glancing at me with what seemed to be a confident look, I turned to leer at his back as he walked past me to talk with Gandalf, who had not yet left us. I failed to notice the looks exchanged behind my back as Kili and Fili turned to each other. Frowning slightly, I turned back to rub Lily's snout as I continued to leer at anything that passed my general direction.

What is going on…? I wondered before fixing my expression. Openly shivering when I saw a successful few sparks from the fire that was hopefully from our future, I made my way over to observe their efforts.

I didn't have a watch tonight. I may or may not have one tomorrow night – it all depends on how many people we go through. Balin had set up a system where after a person's watch, they go wake up another certain person that was in line after them. I was awakened by Bifur. It was very awkward the first time – he had gone to grab my arm, and I had reflexively held a blade to his throat after he had brushed against me. He'd been acting jumpy around me sense then, but I had hoped that he would eventually get over his fear and just wake me up in a less physical manner. Like walking near me. Or tossing a stone close to me. I was a surprisingly light sleeper.

Which was exactly why I'm awake right now.

Dwarves snore. This is just a simple fact that must be accepted in life. I usually was able to ignore them in favor of sleeping a small distance away from camp, but tonight I was unable to creep away even now. The trail we had used was pure mud, and everything was still wet. The air had a heavy feeling to it – the eerie sensation I'd had all day had only progressed, as well.

I had taken shelter under a nearby pine tree, leaning against it and staring almost crossly at the sleeping Dwarves. Fili and Kili were talking quietly by the fire, and Bilbo was awake as well. I'd watched him toss and turn, trying to block out the same noise that troubled me, with some kind of sick satisfaction.

He stood, reaching into his pocket as he easily avoided stepping on the sleeping Dwarves and made his way over to the ponies. I watched with interest, having nothing better to do. I suppose I could stand and join Fili and Kili by the fire, but I know that I wouldn't be able to sleep there, either. My safest bet was to continue my self-imposed isolation by the tree, having successfully grabbed the spot from Oin, who had been about to steal it before me. We had stared at each other before he sighed and moved on, realizing that the battle was a lost cause on his side.

Taking an apple out of his pocket, I raised an eyebrow as he fed it to Mertle – again, a ridiculous name for a pony. Who in the world names there ponies these things? I wondered. We have Mindy, Mertle, Sun, Lily… I wouldn't be surprised if one was named 'Tree', quite honestly… Fine. I would be surprised. Grudgingly admitting this to myself, I watched as Bilbo took another apple out of his pocket.

Glancing behind himself, our eyes locked and his widened. Glancing down almost guiltily at the apple in his hands, he looked back up at me. Gesturing to me with the apple, I smirk wound itself onto my face as I raised my hand. He tossed the apple, and I caught it cleanly. Looking down at it, I dusted it off for show before I held out my thumb, using my other hand to help me slice more-or-less cleanly through the apple with some working.

Looking up at Bilbo who had a smile on his face as well as an almost disbelieving expression, I gestured to him with the slightly larger half of the apple. He nodded, flashing another grin as I tossed it over. He caught it cleanly and toasted to me with it, tipping his head before we both took a large bite in unison.

Suddenly realizing that the brothers had gone silent, I glanced over at Fili and Kili who were both giving us amused looks. I gave them an expectant look and Kili laughed, gesturing for me to go over. Shaking my head while laughing internally, I stood and took a small bite of my apple. Glancing over at Bilbo, he merely chuckled silently before quickly downing his entire half.

An Orc cry resounded the night behind me, and I instantly flew around, my hand going towards my belt as I grasped my half-apple with my mouth. My eyes scanned the night, my ears listening intently for even the softest of noises as I tried to find the source.

"What was that?!" Bilbo suddenly whisper shouted from behind me. "A wolf?!" Taking my hand away from my pouch, I stood back up with normal posture and looked back to see him discreetly jumping to the Fili and Kili. Tension was laced in my posture, and I was breathing deeper.

It seems that my ominous feeling was spot on.

"Wolf?" Fili questioned, eyes roving the night. "No, that is not a wolf." Bilbo waited anxiously with wide eyes, desperate to know what could possibly be hunting us in the night.

"An Orc pack…" Kili muttered, gaining Bilbo's full attention.

"Orc pack?!" Bilbo exclaimed surprisingly louder, startling Thorin awake. Glancing to the side, I noticed that Balin's eyes were open as well.

"Aye, throat-cutters. There be dozens of them out there." He admitted. Suspicion swirled inside of me when I saw Kili notice how pale and ridged Bilbo had become, but kept talking. "The low-lands are crawling with them." Seeing Bilbo pale, my eyes narrowed as I turned around fully, taking the apple out of my mouth and chewing thoughtfully on a small bit I had taken off. "They creep into villages and kill while everyone's asleep – just all blood, no screams!" Kili waved his hands, and I was surprised as Bilbo paled further, looking frightened by this prospect. Fili and Kili chuckled at this, making my eyes narrow unconsciously.

"You think a night raid by Orcs is funny?" Thorin asked them seriously, standing up.

Immediately Kili's eyes shot down. "I didn't mean anything by it." He said, clearly ashamed of his actions.

"No you didn't." Thorin assured him. "You know nothing of the world!" He scoffed under his breath, turning and looking at me as he walked away from them.

Thorin strode by me, and my eyes widened a minuscule as his found the apple slice and narrowed. I went rigid when he brushed past me to walk to the cliff, clearly making a point. I waited a few beats before looking back at him, having fully expecting to get a verbal chewing-out of sorts for having the apple. Looking down at said apple, I decided the safest route of how not to no longer have it. Getting rid of the apple would spare me from other reprimanding things – looks, glares, and even words. It was unlike Thorin to do this – usually if someone does something wrong he will tell them.

Shoving the last bit, which was a little large into my mouth, I started to chew casually as if I hadn't just shoved a fourth of an apple in my mouth. Looking back at the fire, I saw that Balin had stood and made his way over. Glancing at the other Dwarves, I saw that a good majority of them were awake as well.

"Don't mind him, laddie." Balin assured him. "Thorin has more reason than most to hate orcs." This perked my interest. I had heard the tales that the Dwarves eagerly told the group, but those were all childhood stories. This seemed to be heavier, more useful…

In understanding Thorin Oakenshield.

I listened as Balin told the story. It was sad – the Dwarves had tried to reclaim their kingdom, but had ultimately failed…at least in my point of view. However, despite the dark tale, there was some light to be found within it. Without this happening, it is likely that this quest would have never started. I would still be on my alone in my mission to destroy Smaug. Is it wrong that I don't feel guilty…? I wondered, but didn't dare voice my thoughts.

Thorin turned as Balin finished the tale, and I was surprised to see the wall behind his eyes nonexistent. I watched in rapture, observing the way the light reflected off of them and recognizing it as excess water. Thorin was…sad.

The realization was strange, both foreign on my tongue and in my mind. It was strange to think of our normally cold and distant ruler as someone who would have emotions. I was very unaccustomed, if not slightly shell shocked, because of the idea.

The Dwarves had stood while Balin talked, and now a few lined a path for him to walk back to the fire, which Dwalin and Bofur had joined Balin at. I found myself as a natural part of the first wall, and leaned against the tree as I made an effort not to stand out as I finally swallowed the rest of the apple.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I saw Thorin's open expression immediately harden after he took this act of awe in. He once again became the cold and distant leader than I found myself often going against. He waited a moment before slowly walking back to the fire, not glancing at me as he passed by. I found this slightly unnerving – as if I was being over looked, dismissed.

I was unsure if this was a good thing or not.

Am I going to be spared the mortal lives of these beings? I wondered, discreetly looking around me at the Dwarves as they closed in after Thorin. Or am I going to fall further in…? My eyes trailed to Bilbo as he spoke.

"And the pale Orc," I blinked in surprise at his position. He had sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest sometime during the story. "What happened to him?" He questioned, reminding me of the small children that are often inclined to this kind of behavior.

Thorin strode past him, speaking. "He slunk back into the hole from once he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." His tone left no room for argument. My eyes immediately flicked to Gandalf, who had lit his pipe and was leaning against another tree. He let out a large breath slowly, the smoke wreathing around his head as he stared into the ground, lost in his own thoughts.

I doubt it for some reason. Gandalf had proven that he might indeed know what was going on in the world… It might be unwise to go against him now… 'Might' being the key word.

Thorin settled back onto the rock he had been sitting on earlier, leaning back onto the larger stone behind it. A few of the Dwarves returned to slumber, while the majority returned to the fire. I watched them with interest, almost jealous of the way Bilbo 'fit in' with them.

Not wanting to be caught staring, I turned away to look into the sea of mist that had gathered on the other side of the cliff. Hearing one of the Dwarves who had laid down start snoring, my eye twitched slightly as I resigned myself to a sleepless night. Standing with a small sigh, I made my way to where the ponies were grazing on the grass a little ways away from the fire. It was a steep slope, and if not for the path it would be impossible to get up here.

The ground quickly fell away, I now realized as I inspected it, standing and leering into the fog. It gives the impression of a cliff when it's really just a very steep slope… Glancing at one of the ponies, I wondered how they had not slid on the wet grass yet.

My mind fell silent as my gaze trailed up and into the night, observing the ocean of mist that spanned as far as I could see. I watched it roll and spin, thicken and thin to the point of perhaps being able to see though it, but not quite. The hills around us gave me the impression that this was perhaps actually a bay of mist. If the silver had flooded perhaps the Shire, then it would be an ocean – there were no hills as tall as these to ruin the impression there.

"What are you thinking about?" I didn't jump this time as Thorin's deep voice manifested next to me. Nor did I glance over.

"It looks like a bay." I sighed, but gave no more information. It was strangely soothing to loose myself in the dancing of the mist. Allowing my thoughts to empty was calming. In the wild, I didn't have to think as much as I did now. I merely acted on my impulses, living day to day however I wanted to. However, returning to civilization puts mental restraints on me. It's not as free – not as easy as living true to myself.

I suppose that is what it means to live as a human, anymore.

Thorin remained silent, and I allowed this fact to implant itself into my missing thought process. I held it almost curiously, not understanding what was happening between the two of us.

Eventually, I decided to speak.

"You must despise me." I eventually settled on, knowing it to be true. I felt Thorin's eyes on me – I elaborated. "I am the sister of Smaug, and I am a dragon." The reasons were all very, very clear. There was no other alternative that could possibly be true.

The King was silent.

I tried to lose myself in the graceful dancing of the mist.