Chapter 2

"Ava, wake up." a voice spoke. I groaned and curled back into my pillow. Funny, I don't remember it being so warm… and breathing. My eyes popped open to see I was cuddled into Kili's chest. I blushed and rolled over. He moaned softly in his sleep as I moved. Fili was kneeling on my other side, a smirk on his face.

"Have a nice night?" he whispered. I sat up and smacked his shoulder playfully. He just laughed and I smiled at him. "C'mon we're leaving at dawn." He told me. He held out his hand and I took it, him hoisting me up. I grabbed my bag and went in search for an empty room to change. I found one after a bit of searching, ducked in, and got dressed. After I armed myself, I left the room and went back to the company. Most of them were preparing to leave. As I made my way over to Fili and Kili, who was now awake, I saw Balin making his way over to me.

"Mornin' lass. I noticed you never signed the contract." He said, holding up a piece of paper and a quill. I took it and the contract and used my leg before I signed my name.

"You're not even gonna read it?" Kili asked as he and his brother came up behind me.

"Nope." I answered, handing it back to Balin.

"Welcome, Avaleigh, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He smiled.

"You may call me Ava." I smiled. He left to go get ready and I turned to the boys.

"We don't have an extra pony for you, so you get to ride with me." Kili smiled. A light flush rose to my cheeks and I nodded. I noticed a faint blush creep onto his face but I ignored it and I left the hobbit hole. The sun was just barely rising over the horizon. Only a few of the dwarves were outside, prepping the ponies. I saw little Ori struggling to get something on his pony. I walked over and helped him pull the bag onto the saddle.

"Thank you, miss." He smiled shyly and I gave him one in return.

"You can call me Ava, Ori." I told him. He nodded and went to his brothers. I saw Fili and Kili leave the house and I walked over to them.

"So are ye ready, Ava?" Fili asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I told them. We prepped the ponies until Thorin finally announced that we were leaving. I followed the brothers to their ponies. They both got on their respective ponies and I waited for Kili. He rode over to me and grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me on in front of him. I blushed furiously as he kept an arm wrapped around me.

"Wouldn't want ya fallin off now do we?" he whispered in my ear. Fili joined us on our side and we started riding into the woods.

"I bet he wont show." He bet.

"Wanna put a wager on that?" Kili asked, daringly.

"Alright. 10 coins he won't show." His brother smirked.

"10 coins he will." Kili replied.

"I bet he will." I told the two with a sly smirk.

"Ok, it's a deal." Fili smiled. After a while, I shyly rested against Kili's chest, listening to his heartbeat. We rode side by side, telling stories of our adventures. After only a short time did we hear something.

"Wait! Wait!" a faint voice called. We all stopped our ponies and turned around. Little Bilbo was running towards us, the contract in his hand. He dashed right up to Balin's pony.

"I signed it." He breathed, taking deep breaths. Balin smiled as he took the contract and examined the signature.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins… to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He congratulated. There was light laughter among the dwarves and a small smile appeared on my face.

"Give him a pony." Thorin ordered. Bilbo automatically started to protest as Fili and Kili rode over to him.

"No, no. No, that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frogmorton once." He stammered, being cut off when Fili and Kili grabbed him by his arms and set him on a pony. He held the reins towards his chest and had a scared look on his face. I giggled a bit at his expression. We rode once again, Fili moving forward. Kili and I talked a little bit but mostly, we just sat in comfortable silence.

"Come on, Nori! Pay up!" Oin called. Nori groaned and threw a sack of coins to him. Bags of money started flying back and forth.

"Fi! Pay up!" Kili called. Fili groaned and threw a pouch of coins to both of us. I smirked to him and put the pouch in my bag. Bags of coins began flying between the dwarves. I heard Bilbo ask what they were doing and Gandalf explained, eventually catching a bundle of his winnings. All of a sudden, Bilbo sneezed.

"Ah, it's horse hair. Having a reaction. Oh. No, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around." He called loudly. I felt Kili and mine's pony stop as we peered ahead, wondering what was going on.

"What on Earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked.

"I forgot my hankerchief." Bilbo panicked.

"Here. Use this." Bofur said, ripping a piece of his clothes and tossing it to the hobbit. Bilbo caught it and looked at it with disgust written on his face. Some of the dwarves laughed and I smiled a bit.

"Move on." Thorin ordered. We started to move once more and Kili, Fili and I started talking again. Gandalf talked to Bilbo in front of us. We traveled through rocky hills and tall trees. I marveled at the beautiful scenery around us. After a long day of traveling, the sun retreated from the sky, being replaced by the moon and we found a small outcrop for us to rest for the night. "We camp here for the night." Thorin told us. We hopped off our ponies and I grabbed my bedroll. Gloin and Oin started a fire and Bombur made some food. I sat with Bilbo and Kili as I ate. When we all finished, we laid out our bedrolls. I set mine a bit away from the company but still close enough that I could feel the fire. Suddenly, a hand grabbed it and pulled it toward the outcrop. I looked up to see Fili smiling at me as he laid it down next to his and Kili's. I smiled lightly as I saw Kili sit down and pat the spot next to him. I moved over and sat next to him. I rested my sword close to my mat and gently laid my bow and quiver next to it. Fili sat on my opposite side and we rested against the rock. All the dwarves were asleep besides, Gandalf, Fili, Kili, and me. Fili and I were smoking from our pipes. Kili was doing something that I couldn't see. Bombur snored, inhaling and exhaling a few moths. Bilbo sat up and looked at Bombur exasperatedly. He sighed, knowing he wasn't going back to sleep. He got up and walked to the ponies. I heard him whispering to his pony, Murtle, and chuckled slightly. Suddenly, we heard a screech in the distance. I tensed immediately and held the hilt of my sword. Kili turned and looked at me, worriedly.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked.

"Orcs." Answered Kili, darkly. Images flashed in my mind as I brought my legs to my chest.

"Orcs?" Bilbo gasped, bounding over to us. Thorin jolted awake when he said that.

"Throatcutters. There'll be dozen of them out there. The Lone-Land's are crawling with them." Fili told him.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Kili finished. Bilbo looked out over the cliff. Kili turned to us and laughed quietly and Fili joined in. They stopped when they saw the dark look in my eyes.

"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" Thorin scolded, getting up. Bilbo looked to the brothers with mild shock.

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili muttered shamefully.

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world." His uncle growled as he stalked off.

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." Balin told Kili. I knew he was going to tell a story so I sat up and moved a little closer to Kili. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler." When he said that name, I immediately tensed and shivered. Kili noticed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "The giant gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin." Balin continued. I began to feel sick, not wanting to hear his next words. "He began… by beheading the king… Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat… and death were upon us. That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing more than an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day… that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied… and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast… nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then… there is one who I could follow. There is one… I could call king." Balin finished. By now, all the dwarves were awake and standing. I felt a pang of anger flood through me as I thought of Thorin, whose life was also torn apart by the Pale Orc. Thorin turned from the cliff face and started to us.

"And the Pale Orc. What happened to him?" Bilbo asked.

"He slunk back into the holes whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin growled, returning to the company. My head popped up and I looked at him with a gasp.

"A-Azog is dead?" I whispered. The company looked at me, all with concerned and questioning glances. Thorin nodded to me, a look of question on his face.

"Ava? Are you all right?" Kili asked next to me. I let out a rushed breath and looked to Kili.

"Y-Yeah. I just- I just need a minute. Excuse me." I excused and stood up. I rushed around the dwarves and ran away into the forest.

Kili's POV

I thought about going after her but I guess she needed her space. "What was that about?" Thorin asked Gandalf. I looked over to the wizard to see him with a grim face.

"You're not the only one who's encountered Azog, Master Dwarf. Some at a really young age." Gandalf began, somberly. I got closer to Fili and he rested a hand on my shoulder. "She lived in a village, close to Arnor. Her parents were of the Dunedain, therefore she is one of them as well. When she was at a very young age of 12*, her village was attacked. By a large pack of orcs, led by Azog the Defiler. Her parents were brought before the Pale Orc and beheaded in front of her. Ava attacked but was quickly outnumbered. But she was spared. She never told me what happened during her captivity, only saying she wished she had been killed with her fellow rangers and family. A few years later, I found the village and the massacre left behind. I tracked down the pack. That is when I found Ava. She was in such a broken state... it broke my heart. When the dreadful pack was distracted, I rescued her. I took her to the elves of Rivendell where she was healed. When she was older, she practically begged me to take her to her village. We traveled to Arnor and to the ruin of her village. She found what was left of her family. She took up her father's sword, her mother's bow and vowed to kill Azog the Defiler. She became a ranger and traveled Middle Earth, searching for the Pale Orc to exact her revenge."

Gandalf concluded, pausing a few times to hold back tears. Fili and I couldn't hold them back as they escaped our eyes. The whole company was either crying or had tears brewing in their eyes. Even Thorin looked to be struggling with tears.

"Shall we go check up on her, brother?" Fili whispered to me. Unable to find words, I simply nodded and the two of us got to our feet. The others watched us leave the camp.

"Where do you think she went?" I asked my brother once we left camp.

"Don't know. But I understand that she needed to get away." He replied as we kept walking. After searching for a short while, we heard soft cries. Quickly, we followed them through the trees. We found Ava amongst a tree's roots, her knees pulled to her chest as she cried. Immediately, Fili and I sat on either side of her like we always do. I wrapped my arm around her waist and Fi wrapped his around her shoulders. She rested her head in my chest and sobbed. We both comforted her, rubbing her back and made soothing noises. I couldn't help releasing a few tears myself. After about an hour, her cries had mostly stopped. I looked down to find her asleep, gently holding my shirt. I smiled softly at her. She looked so peaceful when she slept.

"Kili. We should get her to camp. Who knows what is out here at night." Fili told me. I pulled my gaze from Ava to my big brother.

"Ok. Let's go." I answered. I looked back down to Ava. I really didn't want to wake her. So, I brought my arm under her knees and picked her up. She shook slightly as a reflex of being moved but was still asleep. Fili and I started walking to camp. As we approached, I saw that everyone was sleeping as we moved to our spots. I looked at Fili and nodded my head to her bedroll and he set it up for her. When he was finished, I knelt down and delicately laid her down on the mat. Fili grabbed her blanket and covered her up to her shoulders. We both moved our mats closer to hers so she was in between us like she always is.

"G'night, Kili." Fili said from the other side of Ava.

"G'night, Fili." I returned. We curled ourselves facing Ava and got comfortable.

"G'night, Ava." We whispered together before falling asleep.

Ava's POV

I woke up the next morning with an arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I looked behind me to see it was Kili's and blushed. I knew I had to get up but he looked adorable when he slept. Wait. What? I shook those thoughts out of my head and gently moved his arm. He mumbled sleepily and opened an eye.

"Mornin'" he smiled.

"Mornin'" I smiled softly back. I sat up and armed myself. Eventually, Kili got up and helped me get the bedrolls on the pony. When the company was ready, we all hopped on our ponies and started on our way. After about an hour of riding, it started pouring rain. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and I felt Kili do the same behind me. I leaned back into his chest as I tried to keep warm.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori called.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain till the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf replied.

"Are there any?" Bilbo questioned.

"What?"

"Other wizards."

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two blue wizards… do you know, I've quite forgotten their names." Gandalf informed.

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo wondered.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown." The wizard answered.

"Is he a great wizard? Or is he more like you?" Bilbo said, causing me to give a quiet laugh.

"I think he's a very great wizard… in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the east. And a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world." Gandalf explained. After a few hours, the rain stopped, much to everyone's relief. We continued riding on until we came upon what looked liked a destroyed barn.

"We'll camp here for the night." Thorin announced. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." He instructed. They nodded and I made eye contact with Kili, who blushed a bit and followed his brother.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf thought aloud.

"Oin, Gloin. Get a fire going." Thorin ordered.

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the hidden valley." Gandalf voiced.

"I have told you already: I will not go near that place." Thorin said, sternly. The two began to argue and I moved towards Bilbo.

"Stubborn fellow, ain't he?" I asked him.

"Quite indeed." He answered.

"How are you holding up, Mr. Baggins?" I wondered. He let out a soft sigh.

"I'm doing alright. Not what I'm used to that's all." He told me, truthfully. All of a sudden, we saw Gandalf stomp away from Thorin.

"Everything all aright? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." He answered.

"And who's that?" I finished.

"Myself, Ava! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." he yelled, as he walked off. My eyebrows furrowed but I realized he probably just needed some time.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin called.

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked me. I just shrugged and decided to go help Fili and Kili with the ponies. After about an hour, the two brothers went back to camp for a bit. I was alone with the ponies so I got up and counted them off.

"Weren't there 16?" I thought out loud. All of a sudden, I heard something stomp behind me. I spun around and gasped. A huge troll stood in front of me, his horrid face twisted into a smirk.

"Lookie what we 'ave here." He laughed. My eyes widened as I tried to turn and run but there was another troll behind me. That was when everything went black.

Kili's POV

When we returned to the ponies, Ava was nowhere in sight. I immediately felt worry.

"Where's Ava?" I asked Fili. His eyes scanned the area before they turned concerned as well.

"She's not the only thing that's missing." He whispered. I quickly counted the ponies.

"Some are missing." I observed. We stared out, trying to figure out what it could be. If Ava was hurt, I would never forgive myself. I heard light footsteps behind us but I didn't turn.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo's voice asked.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." I told him.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fi explained.

"We had 16."

"Now there's 14." He finished. The two of us moved through the ponies, naming them off.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing. Ava's disappeared too." I reported.

"Well, that's not good. And that is not good at all," Bilbo chuckled nervously when we found a fallen tree.

"Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" he asked us.

"Uh, no. Let's not worry him. As our official burglar, we thought you might look into it." Fili clued. I began to feel really worried about Ava.

"Well, uh… Look, something big uprooted these trees,"

"That was our thinking."

"It's something very big and possibly quite dangerous." The hobbit finished. Something caught Fili's eye.

"Hey. There's a light. Over here." He told me. I ducked under a tree and met him on the other side. "Stay down." He warned. We crouched behind a large trunk, trying to see what was out there. There was throaty laughing and grunting coming from the light. I knew what was there and I think I knew where Ava was.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked us.

"Trolls." I growled. Fi and I leaped over the tree and ran towards it.

"Ava could be there, Fi." I whispered, worriedly.

"I know. We'll find her, Ki." He promised. We ducked behind trees as a huge troll carrying a pony in each arm.

"He's got Myrtle and Minty. I thing they're going to eat them. We have to do something." Bilbo gasped. Fili and I got an idea, and we turned to the hobbit.

"Yes. You should." I told him, jumping up and switching spots with him.

"Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you." I explained to him as he protested. "It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you." I started.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl." Fili finished, pushing him towards the trolls. He started mumbling as Fi and I circled around. We met outside the circle of firelight and scanned the area. I frantically looked around for Ava. "Kili. Look." Fi whispered, patting me on the shoulder and pointing. I looked over and saw Ava, tied to a tree and limp. I gasped and jumped up but Fi brought me back down.

"You can't. They'll see you." He scolded but I could tell he was worried for her too. I whimpered softly and I looked at her. She moved a bit and her head lifted a bit.

"I can go around. Cut her ropes. Bring her back over here." I negotiated. Fili looked at me worriedly and looked back to Ava.

"Fine. But be careful." He ordered. I nodded and got up, moving towards her. I moved to a shady part of the tree and pulled out a dagger.

"Ava?" I whispered. She groaned quietly and moved her head towards me.

"K-Kili?" she muttered back. I smiled in relief.

"Just hold on, I'm cutting the ropes." I assured her. I brought the knife to the ropes and sawed away at them, occasionally looking towards the trolls to make sure they didn't see me. When they were about to snap, I positioned myself so I would be ready. I finished cutting them and grabbed Ava round the waist and pulled her behind the tree. I held her close and carried her over to Fili. I knelt down beside him and rested her in my lap.

"Ava?" I whispered. She looked to me and blinked.

"Hey fellas." She smiled slightly. We chuckled lightly and watched Bilbo. He wasn't doing so well.

"Ok, I'm going to get Thorin. You two stay here." Fili ordered. We nodded and he ran off. We both turned just to see Bilbo get picked up and sneezed on.

"Ewww." We both whispered.

"Ahh! Blimey! Bert! Bert! Look what's come out of me hooter." One screamed in a high-pitched annoying voice. "It's got arms and legs and everyfing." He continued.

"What is it?" one of the other asks.

"I don't know. But I don't like the way it wiggles around." He panicked, throwing him onto the ground. One of the trolls walked over and pointed a knife at Bilbo.

"What are you, then? An oversized squirrel?" he asked.

"I'm a burglar – a hobbit!" Bilbo answered.

"A burglarhobbit?" one repeated.

"Can we cook him?" another asked.

"We can try!" one replied, making the others attack.

"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful. Not when he's skinned and boned!"

"Perhaps there's more burglarhobbits around these parts. Might be enough for a pie!" They were yelling to each other and trying to grab him before they finally grabbed him by the legs.

"Gotcha! Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't?" he asked.

"No." Bilbo lied.

"He's lying." A troll growled.

"No, I'm not!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"Hold his toes over the fire. Make him squeal!" he snarled.

"All right, I've had enough." I said. I burst from the trees, slashing a troll's leg with my sword. He squealed in pain, falling backwards.

"Drop him!" I roared.

"You wot?" The troll holding Bilbo asked.

"I said drop him." I smiled, twirling my sword. He growled and threw Bilbo at me. We both fell to the ground as I heard the rest of the company burst from the trees. Ava came over and helped Bilbo off of me. She held out her hand for me and I took it, allowing her to help me on to my feet. We smiled at each other before jumping into the fight. The both of us had our swords drawn and we were slashing at the trolls every chance we could.

"Ava!" I heard Fili call. She and I both looked at him to see him with his hands together. Ava smiled and nodded before running towards him. She jumped and when her feet came into contact with Fi's hands, he lifted her up into the air. She flew, cutting the trolls in midair. I watched in amazement when she landed on her feet. We made eye contact before going back to the fight. After a long time of fighting, I heard a yelp and we all stopped. I looked at the trolls and saw that two each had an arm and a leg of Bilbo. My eyes widened when I saw the third troll. The third troll had Ava in his large hand, squirming in his grip.

* Ok, so ages. Fili is 82, Kili is 77, and Ava is 73. Just so ya know.

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoy it :)