It took a few minutes to get everyone out of their burlap sacks and fully dressed and armored once more. The entire time Amelia received varying looks from the dwarves. Some were of gratitude for interceding on their behalf, others were confused, and some were angry.

Thorin's reaction was predictable. He hurriedly strapped on his weapons, then charged for Amelia, fury in his eyes. Amelia tensed slightly, but took the fact that his weapons were- for now- sheathed as a good sign.

"You allowed this to happen," Thorin snarled.

Amelia nodded. "Did it not happen as I said it would?"

Thorin's scowl deepened. "For the most part," he admitted. "But why, if everything was going just fine, did you feel the need to step in? Or perhaps were your predictions incorrect?"

Amelia sighed; the fact that things had changed was bothering her as well. She had known it was a possibility, but the fact that it was now a reality didn't settle her nerves.

"I always knew there was a chance of things going sideways," she explained. She held up a hand as Thorin opened his mouth to start yelling, pausing his tirade. "That's why I watched everything. Just to be safe. The story I know is merely a blueprint; a general idea of what should happen. In my experience things generally go according to that plan unless efforts are made to divert the course of fate, but small differences are always possible."

"So you don't actually know what will happen, do you?" asked Thorin.

Amelia sighed. "I know enough. I might not be able to tell you every time someone is going to stub their toe, but I can predict major conflicts ahead of time. It's the details within the individual conflicts that can vary, but the general plot remains the same."

"Unless you change it?"

Amelia nodded. "Exactly."

Thorin eyed her curiously. "Do you plan to change things?"

Amelia bit her lip, twisting her gaze away from the king's. "I told you," she said. "The future is for me to know. Trust that I will handle things."

She started to move away, but Thorin reached out and grabbed her arm. Amelia glanced down at him sharply, noting the fury still present in the blue irises.

"That will not suffice," he growled. "You have just shown me that you are not all knowing. I won't have you endangering my company or my quest for a few secrets that you may or may not be correct about. Especially since if you change anything, you will know even less than the little you already do know."

Amelia yanked her arm roughly away. "All of my efforts here are to ensure the safety of your company. Any secrets I keep are for its wellbeing."

"Do you think I am incapable of handling your knowledge?" Thorin asked.

Amelia sighed. "I don't know you well enough to decide. Until I do, the only person I shall trust with my foreknowledge is myself. I'm sure you can understand that."

For a moment she and Thorin glared at each other, and then he sighed.

"I can," he acquiesced. "I do not like it though."

Amelia nodded, and when she spoke next her tone was much more sympathetic. "I know. But I am here to help you, and I do know what I'm doing. Can you reconcile yourself with that much?"

Thorin scowled slightly as he thought. "I suppose I can," he said at last. "For the time being."

His tone made it clear that at some point in the most likely near future he was going to want more information from her. He sighed though, and for a moment he gazed around him at the forest, then turned his eyes back to Amelia. "Are there any other surprises I should be made aware of?"

Amelia bit her lip. "There is," she said. "However it is something that is unavoidable, and I feel that the best course of action would be to let things play out as I know they will."

"And why is that?" asked Thorin. "What is coming?"

"Nothing we can't handle. As long as everything goes according to plan, you won't even need to draw your sword."

Thorin's eyebrows rose. "And if things don't?"

Amelia shrugged. "Then we handle it. Together. If something happens Thorin, I will fight beside you. You have my word."

Thorin studied her for a moment, then gave a curt nod. "So be it," he stated. "But if any harm befalls any member of this company, I will hold you personally accountable."

Amelia nodded and moved away.

So will I, she thought.

A moment later Kili ran up to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, ignoring the glares sent his way by the others for his concern.

Amelia nodded. "Fine. You?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "Fine." He glanced over to Fili, who was now speaking with their uncle. Immediately after the troll encounter Fili had rushed to ensure his little brother was alright, and from there the two had watched, along with the rest of the company, as Thorin and the Phoenix had spoken. Now the two seemed to have reached a sort of temporary peace, but Kili was uncertain just how long that would last.

"That was pretty impressive," he said, gesturing to the tree Amelia had been sitting in to indicate her leap onto the troll's head. "Though probably smelly."

Amelia let out a small laugh. "Extremely," she agreed. She paused, studying the look in Kili's eyes. "You wish you had done that."

Kili shrugged. "I've always been the baby of the family. Sometimes I think the others don't take me seriously. Part of why I came on this quest was so that I could prove that I'm more than they think."

Amelia offered a small smile and squeezed Kili's shoulder. "You'll prove your worth," she promised. "Just don't be an idiot about it."

Kili grinned and clapped Amelia heartily on the back. "But what's the fun in that?" he asked.

Amelia rolled her eyes. Before she and Kili could say anything else Gloin burst into the clearing, shouting that he had found the troll's cave and that it was filled with treasure. Eagerly the others bounded off after him, and with a small chuckle Amelia followed.

She hung back at the entrance as everyone crammed their way inside. She had no desire to see what was in there as she knew none of it would ever come to her. Instead, as the others started hiding treasure for later collection, she returned to their camp site and began packing all their things up.

As she returned, their bags all strung over her shoulders, Kili started towards her. He was stopped as Fili grabbed his arm, holding him in place.

"What?" asked Kili.

"You should keep your distance from her," Fili muttered.

Kili's eyes grew wide. "What? Fili, that's—"

"Completely logical," Fili interrupted. "Kili, we almost died. She let it happen!"

"You said she predicted everything," Kili said. "She knew we would come out of it alright."

"Then why did she feel the need to intervene?"

"You already know the answer," Kili snapped. "I saw you talking with Uncle. What's your true issue?"

Fili sighed. "We don't know her," he reminded Kili. "She refuses to even give us her true name. How do we know she isn't plotting to lead us to our deaths?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "Gandalf says she's a figure of legend, a protector of good. I think leading us to our deaths is the last thing she would do. If she was going to, anyhow, she'd have done it already!"

Fili scowled. "Minds can be corrupted," he reminded Kili. "What if she's no longer the person Gandalf has heard of?"

Kili sighed. "I don't believe that. I think we need to trust her."

"Why? Why don't you believe that? Is it because of your late night chats?" Fili nodded at the horror stricken look on his brother's face. "Yes, I know about those. And no, I haven't told Uncle. Yet. But I don't think becoming so close to her is a good idea."

Kili frowned and pulled away. "I disagree."

"Kili, you don't—"

"Don't what? Don't know her? I know enough. Right now it's you I feel as though I don't know. Since when are you so wary?"

Fili scowled. "Since I grew up. You need to do the same."

Kili snorted. "Whatever." He stalked away, roughly kicking his way through the grass towards the Phoenix. She met him with raised eyebrows, sensing his distress.

"Fight with your brother?" she asked.

Kili scowled. "It's nothing." He threw himself to the ground next to where she was sitting, grabbing a stick and twirling it through his hands. "He's just being a prick."

Amelia chuckled. "I'm sure he's only looking out for you."

"I don't need him to look out for me though," Kili snapped. "I can handle myself!"

Amelia sighed and reached over, squeezing Kili's hand. "I know," she soothed him. "But he's your big brother. It's his job to worry."

Kili slanted a glance at her. "You speak as though from experience."

Amelia froze, tilting her head away so that Kili couldn't see her face. He sighed and went back to twirling his stick, absentmindedly watching the others emerge from the cave, brushing cobwebs and dirt off their shoulders.

Then there was a rustling from behind him, the sound of many hurried feet dragging something heavy. Kili sprang to his feet, but didn't even have time to draw his bow before the oncoming object burst forward.

It was a wooden sled drawn by a series of rabbits. On the sled stood a little man who was simply a mess. Leaves and twigs were all caught up in his hair and brown robes, and there was even bird scat on the side of his head. Kili could see several small insects peeking out of the man's disheveled beard, and his eyebrows were nearly as bushy as Gandalf's. One of the stranger's hands clutched a railing on the sled; the other held a gnarled staff that looked like it had seen better days.

"Gandalf!" the man exclaimed. He leapt from the sled as it slid to a stop, hurrying towards the grey robed wizard. "Gandalf, oh, I'm so glad I found you!"

Gandalf frowned as the man skidded to a stop. "Radagast?" he asked. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Kili glanced over to Fili, but his brother looked just as confused as Kili felt. He then glanced to the Phoenix, but she was already striding forward, moving to stand next to Gandalf.

"Hold on, hold on," said Radagast. "I can't remember. Ohh, it's right on the tip of my tongue. Oh, wait."

He stuck his tongue out of his mouth, revealing a stick bug sitting on the edge. Amelia chuckled as off to the side Bilbo gagged, and Gandalf reached out and gently moved the bug off of Radagast's tongue.

"Gandalf," called Thorin, stomping over. "Who is this?"

Gandalf sighed. "This is Radagast the Brown. Radagast, might I introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

As a series of understanding noises went around the company- who all remembered Gandalf's purposefully vague description of the brown wizard- Radagast smiled and offered a hand to Thorin.

"Hello," he said. "It's a pleasure to—"

"Why are you here, Radagast?" Interrupted Gandalf.

Radagast thought for a moment, and then his gaze fell on Amelia. His eyes swept up and down, and Amelia watched as he silently put the pieces together. When things finally clicked into place his eyes widened, and he swept into a low bow.

"The Phoenix," he breathed. "I've heard so much about you."

"Really?" called Dwalin. "Like what?" He was eyeing Amelia distastefully, and was eager to jump at any chance of information on her.

Amelia didn't allow Radagast to elaborate. "Show us," she commanded.

For a moment Radagast gazed at her in amazement, wondering how she knew why he was here. Then he pulled from his robes a long, cloth wrapped package, holding it out as though uncertain if he should hand it to Amelia or Gandalf.

Gandalf rolled his eyes and grabbed it, quickly unwrapping it. As he did Thorin cast a glance around the forest; something seemed off. Everything was suddenly much quieter, and that never boded well.

Suddenly there was a fierce growl from above, and Thorin spun to see a warg standing on a rock outcropping above, beady eyes glaring down at him. The creature leapt, but a moment later an arrow struck it in the chest, causing it to tumble to the ground feet away from Thorin.

He glanced back towards the Phoenix, but she hadn't even drawn her weapons. Thorin's gaze went then to Kili, who was already nocking another arrow, eyes scanning around.

"Good job Kili," he called. "Thank you."

He glanced back over to the Phoenix, wondering why she hadn't acted. Then as he saw the calm, expectant look in her eyes, he realized. She had known Kili was going to handle it.

He sighed. This woman was far too confusing for him, and he was growing tired of it.

Gandalf spun towards the warg. "A scout," he observed. "There will be more shortly." He turned to Thorin. "Who did you tell about this quest?"

"No one."

"Who?"

Thorin clenched his hands into fists. "No one, I swear!" His gaze went to the Phoenix, but no, it couldn't have been her. Thorin shook his head. He would worry about who had betrayed their quest later; right now he needed to see to the safety of his company.

Amelia bounded easily up the slope, pointing with one slender hand East. "I suggest we run that way," she stated.

"What about the wargs?" asked Ori. "They'll catch up to us!"

Amelia's gaze went to Radagast, and she was pleased to see that he had already come up with his course of action.

"I'll distract them," he offered. "I can buy you time to get to safety."

He leapt onto his sled, but Gandalf frowned and grabbed his arm. "These are wargs," he said. "The worst of them. They'll overtake you in moments."

Radagast raised an eyebrow challengingly. "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

With that he was off, giving a shout of glee as his sled tore through the underbrush. Gandalf gave a sigh of resignation and stuffed the package Radagast had brought into his robes.

"Let's go," he said.

Each person seized their bags and began to run, Gandalf in the lead. Amelia hung to the back, shoving Bilbo ahead of her.

"What about the ponies?" he panted back to her. "They're lost in the woods."

Amelia glanced behind her, then back towards Bilbo. "They'll be fine," she assured him. "Hurry up."

Bilbo nodded and huffed forward, and with a roll of her eyes Amelia took his sack from him and swung it over her own shoulders. Unburdened, Bilbo was able to run slightly faster than before.

They soon emerged from the forest into a series of yellow fields dotted with large boulders. The company ducked behind the nearest cluster of these rocks and peered around them. As they did Amelia took Bilbo's new sword and helped him strap it to his belt, so that he could focus on running and not dropping the weapon.

"There," whispered Bombur. He pointed, and the others followed his gaze to where Radagast was wheeling rapidly through the field, tailed by a small force of orc bearing wargs. At the front of the group Thorin swore darkly, his hand going to his sword.

"Follow me," whispered Gandalf. "And stay together."

He darted out from behind the rocks, hurrying over to the next set. The company followed, quickly pressing their backs to the stone.

"Gandalf," hissed Thorin. "Where are you leading us?"

Gandalf ignored him, leading the company forward once he was sure the coast was clear. Beneath the next rock outcropping they were forced to pause as a snuffling sound came from above them; a warg.

Thorin tapped Kili's shoulder, gesturing upwards. Kili nodded and nocked an arrow, took a deep breath, and stepped out from under the cover of the rock. Before the warg had a chance to focus its eyes on the dwarf it was dead, tumbling down and carrying its rider with it. Immediately the company jumped forward, and the orc rider was disposed of.

As a howl sounded to the side Amelia allowed her bow to appear in her hand. "Now they know where we are," she called. "I suggest we hurry."

Gandalf nodded and moved forward again, to the next outcropping of rocks. Here Ori nearly ran past him, but Thorin grabbed the boy's tunic and yanked him back to safety. He cast a scalding glare back at Amelia as he did.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Amelia nodded. "Nothing different has happened," she assured.

"So far," Thorin muttered. He sighed and followed Gandalf as the wizard continued forward again, freezing halfway across the expanse of the field as a second howl split the air. Turning to his left, he saw a pair of wargs charging for him.

The Phoenix and Kili stepped forward to deal with them, both firing arrows with rapid precision. Both wargs and orcs fell.

"There're more coming," shouted Fili. The crown prince had both swords drawn as he began to move back through the high grass towards the others. "Kili, let's go!"

Kili ignored him, edging further away from the company as he fired off another arrow. He grinned as a warg toppled to the ground, and a moment later he had eliminated its rider.

Thorin swore and cast his eyes around him. "Where did Gandalf go?" he asked.

"He's abandoned us!" shouted Dori.

The Phoenix rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous," she reprimanded. She shrugged off the bags she was carrying, shoving them at Bilbo. "Head that way," she ordered, pointing him towards another set of boulders.

A moment later Gandalf's voice could be heard from within the boulders. "This way, quickly!" he shouted.

The company bolted in the direction of the voice, and Amelia scanned around her. A group of wargs that had separated from the group chasing Radagast were getting too close for her comfort. She frowned, wondering how that had happened. The company must have taken too long reaching the tunnels. She wondered if the time added by Radagast's wonderment towards her had cost them the precious moments, but pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She could worry about this later; right now she had to make sure the company reached Rivendell safely.

"Kili," she called. "Come on!"

Kili scowled as he continued to fire off arrows. Warg and orc alike fell under his aim, and with each kill his ego seemed to flare more and more.

Worry about that, Fili.

"Kili!"

He glanced behind him at the sound of his uncle's voice, only to see the dwarf sprinting straight at him. Panic was on Thorin's face as he drew his new sword, pointing it at a place above Kili's head.

"Behind you!"

Kili spun to see a warg on a nearby outcropping of rock. It had slipped silently past him, and even as Kili reached for another arrow it leapt. Kili knew he would never fire off an arrow on time.

There was a whizzing sound as an arrow soared above his head, and the warg fell to the ground. Kili glanced behind him to see the Phoenix moving towards him, already firing another arrow at the wargs closing in to their left.

"Move," she ordered. Reaching Kili, she shoved him roughly towards where the others were disappearing, being shoved down the hidden tunnel by Balin and Fili. A moment later Balin shoved Fili to safety, much to the younger dwarf's disdain, and Amelia allowed herself a sigh of relief. She spun and fired off three arrows in rapid succession, but even as she did the first of the wargs reached them, and Amelia cursed and drew her other weapons to life.

She soon lost sight of the others, whirling around amid the small battle. An orc dismounted its warg and charged her, and Amelia used her bow to block his sword even as she drew her dagger. This was plunged into the orc's neck, and as black blood squirted over her arm the orc screamed.

She turned to see another orc grinning at her. It didn't rush her however but drew a bow, pulling back the string with a steady hand, its arrow aimed at Amelia. She was about to fire her own arrow at him when something else caught her eye.

Thorin, engaged in a fight with a pair of orcs some way away, didn't see the orc creeping up on his back. The orc brandished a mean looking sword that was inches away from the king's back, and Amelia knew it would kill Thorin.

Cursing, she swung her bow to the side, sending her arrow flying at the orc advancing on Thorin. Even as she released it she tensed, waiting.

She almost screamed when the arrow bit into her shoulder. The force of it sent her flying, twisting her to her right and sending her tumbling to the ground. There she lay for a good two seconds, gritting her teeth to keep from shrieking in agony.

As she finally regained control of her body she forced herself into a kneeling position. The arrow was embedded in her right shoulder, just beneath her collarbone, and she grabbed at it and pulled. With another flash of pain that had Amelia's vision turning red the arrow came free, and she quickly nocked it on her own bow. A moment later the orc who had shot Amelia was falling backwards, his own arrow protruding from between his eyes.

Amelia staggered to her feet, letting her bow fade out of existence as she unsheathed her dagger with her left hand. She took a moment to ensure that both Thorin and Kili were alright, then she sidestepped an oncoming orc and stabbed at the creature.

"Kili, go!"

Amelia chanced a glance behind her to see Thorin shoving his nephew towards where the others had disappeared. Kili hesitated, his eyes moving to Amelia, and with a growl of frustration she started backing towards him.

"Go!" she shouted. "I'll be there in a minute!"

She turned back to the battle. There were only two orcs left, though she could see the rest approaching in the distance, having given up on catching Radagast. Ducking under the first's swing, she chopped off the second's arm and spun, appearing on the other side of the first orc before he even knew what had happened. A moment later his head hit the ground, and then his body.

Amelia stabbed the second orc in the eye and then ran, hurriedly sheathing her dagger as she went. Thorin was standing by where the entrance to the tunnel was, waving for her to hurry up. As Amelia approached he stepped aside to let her slide down first.

"Go," he ordered.

Amelia shook her head. "You first."

Thorin rolled his eyes and shoved at Amelia, and with a yelp of surprise she tumbled down. As she went she tucked her injured arm against her side and used her left arm to cover her head, gritting her teeth as her shoulder screamed in protest. At the bottom of the tunnel she had barely scrambled to the side before Thorin himself came sliding down, landing much more gracefully than Amelia had.

"Is everyone here?" he asked.

Slowly everyone nodded. A moment later the sound of a horn split the air, causing everyone to glance up.

"What's that?" asked Bofur.

Before anyone could answer a warg came tumbling down the slope of the tunnel, and with cries of surprise the company leapt to the side. Amelia almost chuckled at the sight, but the adrenaline of battle was fading, and the after effects of exhaustion, being multiplied by her injury, were making it hard for her to even stand.

Thorin strode forward and pulled an arrow from the warg's throat. "Elves," he spat.

There was a murmur of distaste around the company, and Gandalf rolled his eyes. A moment later, deciding they had better find a way out of their little hole in the ground before the elves came to finish them off, Dwalin started forward, finding to his surprise that the tunnel they were in continued on quite a ways.

"Should we see where it leads?" he called back.

"Of course," replied Gandalf. He paused, casting a glance around the company. "Is everyone alright?"

Thorin scowled. "Fine," he snapped. "No thanks to your Phoenix."

Balin sighed and stepped forward. "That's not quite true, laddie."

Thorin paused, frowning. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Amelia gulped and slipped into the darkest section of the tunnel, attempting to start ahead while she could still walk. As she did Balin's eyes went pointedly to her, and Thorin reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

Amelia hissed in pain as his grasp jolted her shoulder, automatically yanking away. Thorin's eyes widened as he saw for the first time the red stain spreading across her shoulder.

"You're hurt," he stated.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. We need to keep moving."

To her chagrin Gandalf tapped his staff on the dirt floor of the tunnel, and the white glow that emitted from the end fully illuminated the blood slowly soaking her jacket. Amelia took a moment to send him a glare, then tried to start down the tunnel again.

Thorin scowled and moved to block Amelia's path. "What happened?" he asked. His eyes moved to Balin, who was staring at Amelia with an unreadable expression.

When Amelia refused to answer Balin sighed. "She took an arrow for you."

Thorin's head snapped towards Amelia so fast she decided it probably hurt him. "You did?" he asked.

"It was a calculated injury," she said. She had to force the words out through gritted teeth, and knew she didn't have long before she passed out. She needed to get the company moving.

"Calculated in- what does that even mean?" asked Dori incredulously.

Amelia sighed. "It means that I had a choice between stopping an orc from shooting me or stopping another one from skewering Thorin. I chose the latter."

She chanced a glance down at Thorin. The king was blinking rapidly, evidently unsure what to say. Amelia raised an eyebrow, pointing down the tunnel.

"Can we go now?" she asked.

"Not so fast," said Oin. He all but shoved Amelia down onto a protrusion in the wall, and was slightly alarmed at how easy it was to move the usually steady warrior. "First let me see that shoulder."

"I'm fine," Amelia stated. "I've had—"

"Don't say it," warned Kili. "Don't you dare. Phoenix, you need that bandaged before you bleed out on this tunnel floor."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic," she mumbled. She shook her head slightly to clear it, but the action only caused the red spots in her vision to expand.

She winced as she felt Oin cut through her jacket and shirt with a small knife. He sighed as he surveyed the wound in her shoulder, a jagged hole that was bleeding profusely.

"Where's the arrow?" he asked. "It might have been poisoned. I need to look at it."

Amelia shook her head. "You're not going back out there," she stated.

"Where is the arrow?" asked Fili.

Amelia managed to send a smirk in the dwarf's direction. "In its owner's head."

This earned a chuckle around the group, but it was short lived as Amelia began to waver in place.

"Phoenix?" asked Kili. He jumped forward, resting his hand on her left shoulder to keep her from toppling over. "Oin?"

Oin sighed, doing his best to stitch together her shoulder with some cord and needle. "I'm trying," he said. "I'm not sure that I have the right supplies on me. We need to get her to civilization."

"Gandalf, where do these tunnels lead?" asked Bilbo. He glanced down the dark chamber, then back to the wizard. Could it lead to elves?

Gandalf sighed. "It leads where we need it to," he said. "Phoenix, can you walk?"

Amelia nodded, reaching out to brace her left hand against the wall. As she pulled herself to her feet she gave a small cry of pain and staggered forward, but a moment later someone wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I've got you," promised Kili.

"Aren't you a bit short?" she managed.

She could imagine the scowl Kili sent her way. "I think it's the other way around. Come on."

He started forward, and with a groan of pain Amelia forced her feet to move, to shuffle forward. A moment later another arm wrapped around her waist, and she somehow knew without looking that it was Bifur.

The dwarves hurried along after the trio, watching Amelia nervously. Bifur and Kili were half dragging her along, but she was just conscious enough to keep her feet moving. To conserve her energy she let her eyes close, putting all her strength into forcing her legs to move, and as her head began to loll ever so slightly she heard several upset murmurs from behind her.

The feel of the sun on her back told her when they emerged from the tunnels, and Kili and Bifur came to a stop. On either side of her they gasped in wonder, and Amelia wished she had the strength to open her eyes, so that she could see what had them so enthralled.

"Welcome to the Rivendell," said Gandalf.

Whatever words were exchanged next were lost on Amelia as her sense of hearing began to fade, but she could vaguely make out Thorin's ever angry baritone mixed in. Eventually they began to move forward again, over a wooden bridge and into the heart of the city.

Amelia knew that they were outside Elrond's house when they stopped again, and vaguely heard the sound of clopping hooves. From there she could make out a series of words, a mixture of Sindarin and Thorin's angry rumble. The last thing she knew as her senses fled her was the sensation of someone lifting her up, and then she felt no more.