Rose was woken the following morning by Bilbo shaking her shoulder lightly. "Rose? Rose, wake up." With bleary eyes Rose managed to rouse herself and sit upright. "I thought you might want to wake before Thorin realises you're still sleeping."

"What time is it?"

"About an hour after dawn." The hobbit looked as exhausted as Rose felt. "We're leaving in half an hour." Rose nodded, getting to her feet and rolling up the bed roll. Bilbo took it to return to Bofur, leaving Rose to herself. She ran her fingers through her hair in attempt to rid it of the tangles. She eventually gave up, searching out Gandalf.

"Good morning, miss Spinner!" he greeting cheerfully. He was sitting on a log smoking his pipe, a smile on his face. "How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could possibly point me in the right direction." She asked sheepishly. "I've never been so far this side of Bree before and never in these woods. I'm afraid that I have no idea of which way to go."

Gandalf chuckled. "I could tell you which way to go, or I could ask you to join us."

"You will tell her which way to go." Thorin barged past, holding several water flasks. "She's not coming with us."

"I rather think that's my decision, don't you?" Gandalf smirked, a twinkle in his eye. "Miss Spinner has an adventurous streak in her, quite a large one if she takes after her father as much as I believe her to."

"Adventurous streak or not she's going home."

Rose sighed and smiled up at the wizard. "It's best if I did go home; I'm in a skirt after all!" she laughed, motioning to her attire; a red frock with a white undershirt. A small red band pinned back her hair. "Not something to go running across fields in."

"That never stopped you as a child." Gandalf pointed out with a gentle smile. This was true. As a young lass Rose had gone on many 'adventures' in various frocks. She'd made it several miles at one point before her mother had chased her down with a broom and several sharp words.

"That was some thirty years ago." Rose smiled. "No, I think it is best that I return home. I don't wish to intrude in your company or anger Master Thorin further." The dwarf grumbled something but Rose didn't quite hear.

"Tell your father that I will visit you soon." Bilbo said with a firm smile. "Good luck on your way home."

"Good luck on your quest, Bilbo Baggins." Rose quickly said her goodbyes and turned to stumble back through the woods.

Gandalf called after her, stopping her in her tracks. "You throw away my outside and cook my inside. You then eat my outside and throw away my inside. What am I?"

Rose turned to look at him with a frown. "I beg your pardon?"

"It is a riddle, my dear child. Do you know the answer?"

"Yes; you're an ear of corn."

Gandalf nodded. "If you feed me I will grow, if you water me I will die. What am I?"
"Fire."

"What's black when you get it, red when you use it and white when you're finished with it?"

Rose frowned. "Is there a point to all of this?"

"Do you not know the answer?"

"Of course I do! It's charcoal!"

Gandalf nodded. "Then it is decided. You are to come with us, Miss Spinner." There was a collective 'what?' from the group of short people surrounding him. "You shall come only as far as the Trollshaws unless asked to stay longer by Thorin."

"Unlikely." The dwarf muttered.

"It will be most satisfying for me to have someone to talk to who can hold a half decent conversation. Welcome, Miss Spinner, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

The company was suddenly all abuzz, Thorin barking orders and talking quietly with Gandalf. The others were strapping their packs to a small collection of ponies and hoisting themselves up onto them. Bilbo looked very uncomfortable on the back of his horse. He was sniffing and had sneezed several times. Rose moved to stand by his side, holding out a small handkerchief. "Thank you." Bilbo smiled gratefully. "I'm afraid that I left Bag End in such a hurry that I forgot my own handkerchief!"

"It's quite alright. I always carry a spare."

"Miss Spinner!" Thorin called across the camp. "Find yourself a partner. We leave immediately." He hoisted himself onto his pony, the others mounting theirs.

"May I?" Bofur trotted up behind her, offering her his hand. "It's either me or Fili 'n' Kili." Rose glanced across at the two young dwarves who were bickering and shoving each other.

"Thank you." Rose accepted his hand with a smiled, sliding onto the pony. She sat in front of him, hands clasping the pony's mane lightly. The ponies moved off in single file, quickly finding the road. Rose glanced back only briefly. What would her father be thinking? Her mother would be worried out of her mind. Her cousin would think her dead or worse and would never forgiver herself. But they all knew how adventurous she was. They would figure it out. Finnie wasn't stupid; she'd know that Rose would be with the dwarves.

The dwarves were quite a cheerful bunch. The majority of them sang as they travelled or involved themselves in storytelling. Rose could only remember a few names but Bofur took the liberty of explaining who everyone was as they travelled. "You know who Gandalf his so we'll skip him and start with Thorin."

"There's a reason he's so grumpy I take it?"

"Aye. Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain."

"Oh. Oops."

Bofur chuckled. "Don't worry about him too much. There's not much he'll do to you except glare and yell. Unless you're Fili 'n' Kili. Then he might have a go at you. They're his nephews, sons of his sisters and a pain in the neck."

"What about the one with the axe in his head? Bidur?"

"Bifur."

"Right. What happened to the poor dwarf?"

"He fought with us at the battle of Azanulbizar, where an orc tried to kill him. He lived, but he can't really talk anymore. He's a good toymaker though and a dwarf I'm proud to call my cousin."

"What's an orc? And where's Asulnibar?"

"Azanulbizar," Bofur corrected. "is the valley below the Great Gates of Khazad-dûm in the Misty Mountains. We fled there after Erebor was attacked by Smaug the terrible but the orcs had gotten there first. Before you ask again, orcs are ugly, horrible creatures. They have black, hairless skin and stand taller than us. If you ever come across one, run as fast as you can in the other direction."

"Who's Smaug and why did he attack Erebor?"

Bofur sighed, realising that Rose knew very little about the world outside of the Shire. "Well, Smaug is a dragon. Think 'furnace with wings'." He began, resigning himself to telling Rose everything she'd need to know about the quest she'd been signed onto.

They stopped for the night at Weathertop, one of the tallest hills in the Shire. They sheltered at its base where the wind and the worsening weather would be kept from them. "Bombur, get the fire started. Oin, Gloin, watch the ponies. Bofur, find something for Miss Spinner to sleep on. That does not include your bedroll." Thorin ordered before the others had even dismounted their ponies.

"Don't worry too much about him, lass." Balin smiled gently when Rose had been left on her own. "He's like that with most people. Poor Master Baggins is going through the same treatment."

"It's not like I chose to be here." Rose sighed, untangling the pony's mane. "I'm just not up to arguing with a wizard."

"It's not long until we reach the Trollshaws then you'll be on your way again. I assume you'll have a way of getting home?"

Rose nodded. "There's a small human community that lives in Tharbad. They come up Mitheithel every other month to deliver to the Prancing Pony. They should be arriving at the same time as us. We should meet them at the Last Bridge if we make good progress. If not then we will meet them on the road."

"How can ye know so much about geography but so little about history?" Bofur asked, returning to her and the pony.

Rose laughed. "I'm the daughter of an inn owner, not the daughter of a historian. I'm taught the route of traders, not the path of heroes."

"How far does your knowledge extend?"

"As far as the Misty Mountains. Hobbits rarely venture over them and we don't receive trade from the Eastern Lands."

"How far do your trades extend?"

"As far South as Lond Daer and as far north as Fornost. There's a small settlement in Eregoin who will occasionally trade."

"And yet I mentioned Smaug and you were oblivious." Bofur chuckled. "Come, my brother has dinner ready then we will set out your bed."

Dinner consisted of lots of meat and little vegetables. Bilbo managed to find some apples for the two of them after dinner, but the dwarves turned their noses up at them. Rose only ate about six meals a day (compared the usual seven) but she'd abided to the dwarf eating rules for the day; breakfast, a light lunch and dinner. "I've packed a sack of apples for tomorrow." Bilbo assured her with a smile. "Dwarves don't eat much."

"Ever thought we just eat too much?"

"Nonsense!" Bilbo scoffed. Neither you nor I are unhealthy. Now, I believe Bofur's set up a make shift bed for you next to mine. Come along or else Thorin will have our head for disrupting the night watch."