The rest of the company soon settled down to sleep with the exception of Gandalf, who had volunteered to take first watch. Amelia waited until each of the others were snoring- Bombur snorting bugs in and out of his open mouth as he did- and then rose silently. Gandalf glanced up as she joined him by the fire, but he didn't say anything, continuing to smoke his pipe. For several minutes they were silent, and Amelia scanned over the dark land, searching for any signs of trouble.
"What do you want to know?" she asked at last.
She watched Gandalf study her from the corner of her eye, noting how the wizard crinkled his nose as he thought over his words.
"You know what happens on this quest?" he asked.
Amelia nodded, turning her head to face Gandalf.
"What did you see in my mind?" she asked.
Gandalf frowned; he hadn't quite been able to make sense of everything he had seen. Still, he knew with relativity all the dangers they would encounter, of his capture at Dol Guldur, and of the Battle of Five Armies.
"I saw this quest," he stated. "Nothing else." He tilted his head to the side as he watched the Phoenix nod, trying- and failing- to read her expression in the dark. "Do you plan on changing anything?"
Amelia sighed, wondering if she should tell Gandalf. She quickly decided that she might as well; it would become fairly obvious as time went on.
"I do," she whispered.
"What do you intend to change?" asked Gandalf.
Amelia cast a quick glance around the camp, making sure that the others were truly asleep. "I'm going to save the line of Durin," she told him. "All three of them."
Gandalf nodded slowly, frowning ever so slightly. "Are you sure that is wise?" he asked. When Amelia glanced at him sharply he sighed. "Changing the course of fate could have unintended consequences; you might do more harm than good."
"I know," Amelia said. She sighed. "If things go the way I plan, that won't be the case."
Gandalf studied her dubiously. "And how do you plan?" he asked.
Amelia pursed her lips, remaining silent. She had trusted Gandalf when she had first met him, but they had each been different at that time. Now she was a different person, with her own agenda, and she was beginning to think that Gandalf, who was not yet the man she had known, wouldn't agree with that agenda.
She needed to put aside old friendships. It didn't matter that she had once known the company; they didn't know her, and frankly, she didn't know who they were now. The tension between them all made for a highly unpredictable combination; the company wasn't yet the close knit family that it would grow to be, that she had become so attached to. Amelia couldn't base her actions on who they would become; she had to act based on who they were now.
"Do you intend to tell the company of your foreknowledge?" asked Gandalf. Amelia bit her lip; that was a question that had been worrying at the back of her mind all night.
"I think I will have to eventually," she said. "I might as well do so now; if they think I've been hiding the truth from them any trust I manage to build will be ruined. It's best if I'm honest from the beginning."
"How much will you tell them?"
"Only what they need to know." Amelia pursed her lips as she thought, running through the quest in her mind. "I'll tell them of each peril we'll face as we draw near to it, and how I intend to counter it. They'll have to contend with trusting me to know things they don't."
Gandalf let out a snort. "Thorin won't be happy about that."
"No," agreed Amelia. "He won't." She sighed, reaching her hands up to rub the back of her neck. "Don't tell anyone about Thorin, Fili, and Kili's deaths. I think it would be best if I simply changed that from behind the scenes."
Gandalf turned to her, surprised. "I think Thorin might be more willing to listen to your advice if he knew his nephews' lives depend on it."
Amelia shook her head, recalling how the dwarves had barricaded themselves within Erebor just before the Battle of Five Armies. "Perhaps at first," she said. "But if I fail to save Thorin from the gold sickness, the threat of death upon his heirs might just keep him from emerging from the mountain in the end. Even now, while he's in his right mind, he might very well cancel this whole quest if he's uncertain of Fili and Kili's fates."
Beside her Gandalf sighed, knowing she was right and knowing that they couldn't afford to let Smaug remain in the mountain. Though Gandalf wasn't aware of the true danger the one ring would pose in the future, he nonetheless knew that Erebor was a potential stronghold they could not afford not having.
For several minutes the two were quiet, Gandalf blowing smoke rings up into the night sky. "I am curious," he stated at last. "Who are you exactly? I have been told of you by the Valar, but I never thought I would meet you."
Amelia couldn't help a chuckle at the thought that to the wizard she had been a legend, an awe inspiring figure that he'd heard tales about. Once he had been that figure for her. Instead of answering his question however she shrugged, and Gandalf sighed.
"I am the Phoenix," she answered finally. "That is all that matters now."
Gandalf frowned, but said nothing. The two faded into silence, and eventually Amelia rose and began to walk in circles around the camp, scanning the dark for foes in the night. As Gandalf woke Nori for the next watch Amelia returned to her bedroll, pretending to be asleep. Eventually sleep did come, washing away her worries for a few hours.
When she woke the next morning the first thing she saw was a pair of fur lined, leather boots. Automatically her hand went to where one of her daggers would appear should she need it, even as her gaze travelled upward to the owner of the boots. Thorin stood just in front of her, a scowl fixed on his face that made the Phoenix not at all certain of her safety.
She sat up slowly, keeping her hand on her leg. She sensed she wouldn't need to defend herself, but she had also learned that danger struck when least expected. She took care to conceal her worries however, greeting Thorin with as cheery a smile as she could manage.
"Good morning," she called.
Thorin's scowl deepened, if that was at all possible, and he crossed his arms. "Gandalf informed me that there is something you wish to speak of with me," he stated. "I would advise you to make your words precise."
Amelia sighed, bracing herself mentally. This was sure to be an interesting conversation. "There is, in fact," she admitted. She sighed again, settling back against the tree her bedroll was set up under. "Did you wonder at all how I knew immediately who you were?"
Thorin nodded brusquely, and Amelia guessed that it had been his next question.
"The reason for that," she explained, "is the Valar. You see, wherever I go, when I first arrive, they place into my mind knowledge of where I am and what my task is; an information boost, if you will. They told me who you all are, where you are going, and, most importantly, what will happen to us as we travel."
She noticed that the company paused what they were doing, some leaving half bound braids to slowly unwind as they devoted their attention to her. Gloin stepped forward, an incredulous frown upon his face.
"You mean you know the future?" he asked. When Amelia nodded he gave a snort of disdain. "I don't believe it," he declared.
Amelia gulped, noting the way several dwarves around the camp were nodding in agreement. The older ones seemed especially biased against her, muttering angrily to each other in Khuzdul. Bilbo seemed unsure what to think, staring at Amelia with mixed admiration and disbelief, but she switched her gaze quickly away from him, turning her eyes to Fili and Kili.
Fili looked like he might be pressed to believe her, but he took one look at his uncle's scowl and adopted an identical one. Amelia sighed; as long as Thorin didn't trust her, Fili wouldn't allow himself to either. She shoved away sadness at the thought, turning her eyes to Kili. The dwarf had a pensive look upon his face, looking as though he wanted to believe her but at the same time felt that he should remain skeptical. Their eyes locked, and something clicked in Kili's brown eyes. He gave her a small nod, letting her know that he was on her side.
Somehow, even though it shouldn't have, that gave her the strength to stand up to Thorin. She stood, meeting Thorin's blue eyes with a glare that rivaled his. "Believe what you will, Thorin, son of Thrain, but what I tell you is the truth. You swore to me that I would have until we reached the Misty Mountains to prove my worth; you will find that I have shown you my foreknowledge within a month's time."
Thorin's eyes flickered with a furious blue fire. "I'll not be reminded of my vows by you," he spat. "I won't have some madwoman travelling with my company."
Amelia opened her mouth to retort, but before she could Gandalf stepped in. "You will allow her to stay," he ordered. "I can assure you that she speaks the truth, and she is vital to this quest. If you refuse, we will both be leaving, and good luck to you without us."
Gandalf's gaze softened then, and he stepped forward, kneeling down so that he was on the same level as Thorin. "Please," he pressed. "If you do not trust her, trust me."
Thorin narrowed his glare at the wizard now. "I know you no better than I know her." He jutted his chin towards Amelia, and she rolled her eyes.
"Listen here," she scolded. "I have a job to do, and I won't see myself fail for the first time because of the stubbornness of dwarves! By the end of this quest you will be glad for my presence!"
Thorin's eyebrows shot up. "And what is that job?" he asked.
Amelia sighed. She didn't want to tell Thorin that she intended to change the future; that would set him on edge as to whether or not she would fail. The knowledge that something dreadful would happen if she didn't succeed wouldn't bear well for anyone there.
"To ensure that this quest is successful," she said. She had to force herself not to hold her breath as she spoke, carefully avoiding looking at Gandalf. She knew what the wizard's expression would be.
Thorin pursed his lips. "You believe you can guide us safely through danger?" he asked.
Amelia gulped. "I believe that I can get you through the worst of it; there may be things I can't predict. However, I won't be able to do anything if you won't listen to me." She crossed her arms, adopting a stern but kind expression. "Are you willing to do that?"
Thorin scowled, but didn't answer. "And I assume by your lack of details that you won't be sharing your knowledge with me?"
Amelia shook her head ever so slightly, then sighed. "I'll share with you each danger I know about as we draw near to it."
Thorin's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not," he declared. "I'll not have you knowing secrets that I do not know myself."
Amelia sighed. "I can't tell you," she pressed. "This is knowledge meant only for me, and I won't share it with you until the time is right." She forced her face into a softer expression, resisting the urge to kneel before Thorin as Gandalf had done. "I promise you I will tell you everything in due time."
Thorin studied her for a solid two minutes, weighing his options. He didn't trust her one bit, but the truth was he needed Gandalf, and Gandalf refused to stay if he sent away the Phoenix. Besides, his gut was telling him to let her stay for the time being, and he had learned over the years to trust his gut.
"Fine," he growled. "Our agreement will hold- for now." With that he turned and stalked away, leaving Amelia to her thoughts.
She ignored the way the others were still staring at her, stooping down to roll up her bedroll. Soon Bombur had breakfast ready, and once more Amelia ate on the outskirts of the group, picking absentmindedly at her food. She noticed, but found she didn't care that the others were staring and whispering.
They set out quickly, and Amelia started walking at the back of the company, adopting an easy lope that would allow her to stay near the others as long as they kept their ponies at a slow pace. About halfway through the day it started to rain. Not a drizzle- which Amelia sometimes enjoyed- but a downpour harsh enough to rival a small waterfall. Amelia scowled up at the sky; her jacket didn't have a hood, and she was unprotected from the rain.
She glanced up to where the company was; most were protected, but Bilbo's coat was perhaps worse than the sturdy leather of her jacket. The hobbit was drenched, his somewhat shaggy hair weighing down into his face.
"Gandalf," called Dori. "Can't you do something about this deluge?"
Gandalf rolled his eyes with an amused smile. "It is raining, master dwarf, and it shall continue to do so until the rain is done. If you have an issue with that, I suggest you find yourself another wizard."
"Is there another?" asked Bilbo. He glanced imploringly at Gandalf, curiosity overriding his annoyance at the rain.
Gandalf nodded. "There are five of us," he stated. "Saruman the White is the head of our order; he is a great and wise wizard. Then there are the two blue wizards."
"And the last?" asked Bilbo.
Gandalf crinkled his nose. "That would be Radagast the Brown."
Bilbo nodded. "And is he a great wizard?" he asked. "Or is he more like you?"
Gandalf slanted an offended look back at Bilbo, arching two bushy eyebrows. Promptly he turned back to the path before them with a huff, and several dwarves gave laughs. Even Amelia couldn't resist a chortle, which drew the attention of the company to her. She received several looks of horror as they realized her drenched state, their gazes slanting guiltily to their own hoods. They might not like her, but each felt that they were honor bound to see that she was properly cared for, being the only woman among them. Bifur was the first to approach, shrugging off his cloak and trying to hand it to her. Amelia waved it away, giving the hardened dwarf a smile of thanks as she assured him that she was fine. Several members of the company protested, and so Amelia retreated from them, walking under the shade of the trees. They didn't provide as much cover as she would have liked, but it seemed enough to quiet the dwarves' grumbling.
To her surprise, that night she found that the brothers Ur again settled down near her, led that way by Bifur. He set down his bedroll not with a suspicious glare, however, but with a small nod that indicated something akin to companionship. Amelia didn't know what had prompted it, but she wasn't about to send him away.
Fili and Kili sat on either side of her as she wrung out her hair, shooting her identical grins as they resumed their guessing of her name from the day before. Amelia gave a small smile as the two boys continued to trade names back and forth, pulling her hair back in her customary ponytail. She sighed as her fingers scraped through forest debris and knots; she would need to find a stream to bathe in soon.
Having apparently decided that as long as she was there they might as well enjoy her company, the dwarves soon pulled Amelia forwards until she was a part of the group, and she sat in between Kili and Bifur. Kili was yammering happily in her ear while Bifur sat quietly, nursing his stew with a placid expression. Again Amelia wondered why he had taken to her, but as the dwarves soon turned away from her, unintentionally excluding her from the conversation, she knew why. They were doing the same to Bifur.
The axe he had taken to the head in the battle of Azanulbizar had cost him more than just his ability to speak in anything other than Khuzdul or Iglishmêk. Sometimes the dwarf seemed happy, as though nothing bad had ever happened in his life, and sometimes he descended into barely contained fits of rage, muttering angrily to his pony as he guided it through the muck that coated the Great East Road. Although he was as loyal and as strong a fighter as ever, he was still different from the others, and difference, Amelia knew, was always met with some degree of shunning. Even if it wasn't intentional. As such, the two had both spent the day quietly at the back of the group, given little other option.
A bond had subconsciously joined between her and Bifur, a bond that even Bilbo seemed to be benefitting from. It seemed that the old dwarf was less bitter towards the unwanted hobbit than most of the others; he even shifted over a few inches to allow Bilbo closer to the fire. The three were soon sitting quietly at the edge of the company, enjoying their silent companionship as Bofur started on one of his nightly stories.
Before Amelia knew it the dwarves were comparing weapons, proudly showcasing carefully wrought swords and axes. Fili twirled his twin blades through the air proudly, while Kili held up his bow. He did so somewhat timidly, knowing how his kin looked down upon his elven weapon. Off to the side Ori was pouting as he fingered his one weapon; a simple slingshot that he had fashioned with Nori's help- and at the time, without Dori's knowledge. Dwalin chuckled as he slapped his knuckle dusters together, and Oin tapped his iron staff upon the ground.
"What about you, Bilbo?" asked Nori. "Can you put that walking stick of yours to any use?"
Bilbo glanced to the wooden pole strapped to his pack, a look of horror forming on his face. "Eros no," he exclaimed. "I am a Baggins of Bag-End; we do not carry weapons."
There were several exasperated eye rolls from around the company, and Thorin all but growled. Despite her inclination to go easy on Bilbo, for she knew he would prove his worth, Amelia was still a tiny bit exasperated by the hobbit's soft skin. She could only imagine how the others were feeling without her foreknowledge.
"What about you?" asked Bofur. He turned brown eyes on Amelia, wrinkles from constant laughter around the edges. "You said you carry weapons, yet I see none."
Amelia smiled softly. "They don't appear unless I require them," she stated. "Therefore, I can walk anywhere and escape notice, yet still be able to defend myself at a moment's notice."
"And what weapons do you use?" asked Thorin. "Do you know how to use them?"
Amelia nodded. "I carry a bow and a dagger, though I can use any weapon should the situation require. I am a well-trained fighter."
"A bow?" asked Kili. His gaze travelled down to where his own bow sat in his lap, and he felt a hint of relief that finally there was someone other than him who used the weapon.
Amelia nodded, smiling. Then there was a silver shimmer around her shoulders and right leg for a moment, and when it faded the company oohed at the weapons now visible. First was a triple bladed dagger the length of Amelia's forearm, strapped to her right thigh. Across her back was slung a quiver, bearing a series of arrows sharpened to lethal points; beside them was a bow. Amelia produced it to show the others, and they stared curiously at it. The bow was not made of wood but of aluminum and composite materials, with a series of gears and wheels connecting various parts. On the front of the bow, right where her hand held the weapon, were two buttons, and attached to the bow were two rows of small containers, each no larger than a small acorn. One row of the containers held on their fronts a blue line, the other row red.
"Why does it have so many parts?" asked Kili. "And what are those?" He pointed to the buttons and the small containers, and Amelia smiled as she returned the bow to her quiver. As soon as it was in place, the weapons disappeared.
"It's a different type of bow than you are used to," she told him. "A compound bow it's called. The gears allow me to shoot the same distance as your bow with less effort and more stability, which comes in handy. As for the buttons and these," and here she shot Kili a small grin as she pointed to the small boxes lining the side of her bow. "Those are surprises."
Kili pouted. "Please," he asked. "What are they?"
Amelia shook her head as she sat again. She didn't think the company would try and harm her, but she still liked for some things about her to remain a secret.
"I'd like to train with you at some point," said Dwalin. "So that I can see just how well you can really fight."
Amelia nodded, and she couldn't help but notice that several dwarves looked relieved. Ori leaned forward excitedly, staring at where her weapons had just disappeared.
"How do you do that?" he asked. "How do you make them appear and disappear like that? Where do they go?"
Amelia pursed her lips as she thought over the best way to explain the feat to the company. It involved physics, which was, even after so many years, not her strong suit.
"I'm not too sure about the specifics," she said. "But basically my weapons are out of sync with the rest of the universe. Only slightly, but just enough that they don't exist on the same plane of existence as we do. When I need them I can bring them into sync with the rest of the universe, and send them out of sync again when I'm finished with them."
Several dwarves were making faces that said they had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?" asked Oin. "Out of sync with the universe?"
Amelia sighed. "Someone start a beat," she ordered. "Tap out a rhythm, keep repeating it over and over."
Bofur jumped to do as she said, drumming out a quick tap-tap-tap on his legs. Each series of three taps was followed by a brief pause, after which followed three more taps.
"Alright," said Amelia. "Hypothetically, assume that's the rhythm that the universe is on." She pointed to Bofur, and the dwarves nodded as they took in his repeating rhythm.
"Now this," she said, "is the hypothetical rhythm my weapons are on." She began her own tapping sequence, beats of four separated by a slight pause. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
"The two rhythms are off sequence," she told the company. "The result is two different planes of existence; we exist on one." Amelia pointed to Bofur and the rhythm he was still tapping. "And my weapons exist on the other." Now she nodded down to the rhythm she was drumming on her own leg.
"When I need my weapons, I have the ability to call them to our plane of existence, so that the two rhythms are in sync." She changed her rhythm then, matching it to Bofur's. "When I'm done with the weapons I put them out of sequence again, and they are forced to disappear." Again she resumed her initial rhythm. "Get it?"
There were several nods, though Amelia suspected the dwarves understood far less than they were claiming. Several of them, Bifur and Kili included, had rather pained expressions on their faces. Even Thorin looked slightly uncomfortable, recognizing- and disliking- the fact that Amelia knew more than him, even if it was about something he had no use for.
"Alright," he declared. "Enough with the lessons. Head to bed; we rise at dawn. Phoenix, since you are so intent on being helpful, why don't you take first watch."
Amelia nodded, keeping her face expressionless as she found a boulder at the northern edge of camp to sit on. Behind her the others settled down to sleep, and soon their snoring filled the air. Amelia sighed and stood, beginning to walk in circles around the clearing they were camped in, scanning the spaces between the trees for foes. As she walked she was unaware that one of the company was still awake, watching her silently.
Kili closed his eyes each time the Phoenix stalked past him, assuming a light snore that he had perfected over the years. It had always come in handy when he had wanted to sneak out late at night, especially when he had been young enough that his mother had checked on him in his sleep every night. Now he utilized this old skill, curious about what the Phoenix would do when she thought no eyes were upon her.
It wasn't that he didn't trust her; for some reason he already felt a strong compulsion that she was extremely trustworthy. He simply wanted to know more about her; she was an enigma, and while Kili had never much been interested in deciphering complicated things, he sensed that the reasons for the Phoenix's guarded behavior led to many a good story. Kili had always enjoyed stories.
He surveyed the Phoenix carefully as she paced slowly around the perimeter of the clearing, scanning over the forest with keen hazel eyes that missed nothing. Guarded and enigma were definitely good words to describe her, Kili decided. She wouldn't be quite so mysterious if she were to tell them something more about herself, but of course, that was where the guarded part came in. She was perhaps more secretive than Thorin, a task Kili had always thought impossible.
Still, despite the tough outer shell brushed with cheery humor that the woman bore, Kili could sense something underneath. He wasn't sure what, but he was certain that it would come out when the Phoenix didn't need to keep up any pretenses. He was not disappointed.
She paced for several minutes more, then returned to her original position on the boulder, letting out a soft sigh as she faced out and away from the camp. As she did Kili raised his head slightly to watch her, taking in how her shoulders drooped slightly, how her arms curled inward, almost as though she was hugging herself.
It was a demeanor Kili was very familiar with; it was one Fili often bore. One that told of sadness and of a heavy burden that one was doomed to carry alone. Kili had always sensed this sadness in his brother, who, as the heir to the throne of Erebor, had always been placed under a stronger pressure by their family to be perfect in all aspects. Kili had never told Fili that he knew how his older brother felt; he had simply done his best to lighten Fili's burden slightly. Even as his own clumsiness and occasional stupidity caused Fili stress, Kili knew that he was often the only one who was able to bring a smile to Fili's face. So he had made it his personal mission to never be unhappy, to always have a smile burning and a joke on his tongue, so that he could help with that weight on Fili's shoulders.
Something told Kili that humor wouldn't be enough here. He had no idea what to do for the Phoenix, or even what afflicted her mind, but as he watched the woman before him curl her arms closer around her torso as she fought to keep away her troubles, Kili determined that he would find out.