Hey! Another update! *and there was much rejoicing* this one's a bit longer to make up for the double cliff hanger. Sorry about that, it was poor planning on my part. But Thorin needed to develop his character in that moment. So...

Enjoy!

Young Mariah Falsworth was the fisher's daughter. A fisher's daughter anyway. There were, of course, lots of fishers in Laketown. But the young girl prided herself on being the only Mariah Falsworth in all of Laketown. Well… the only Mariah Falsworth now. There used to be another Mariah Falsworth, her grandmother. But she was dead now, so now there was only one.

She was also the only fisher's daughter who got taken for fishing trips out of Laketown. Mariah was very proud about that. She would walk along the banks when she got bored, and find the most interesting things that got washed down river. Interesting twigs, elven trinkets, spider legs, anything.

It was on one of such fishing trips that Mariah came upon what would most likely be the most interesting thing to ever wash up on the shore of the lake. It was a person. Mariah brushed a dirty brown lock out of her eyes as she hurried to take a closer look. Her hair may have once been blonde, but it was so covered in dirt and fish oils that you could never tell for sure.

It seemed to be a short person. Perhaps a child? A woman! Mariah discovered as she flipped over the body. Seems a bit younger than mum. But much prettier. The young girl appraised. A pudgy hand reached out and grabbed one of the soaked, dark brown locks, pulling it close to the her eyes. It was rather pretty. Mariah dropped the hair and put one ear to the woman's chest. She had seen someone do this before. Wonder why? Oh… her heart was still beating!

"DA!" Mariah shouted. "DA, COME QUICK!"

"What is it?" her father's gruff voice replied in panic, fearing the attack of some wild animal, or worse, orcs. The fisher grabbed his rough axe and hurried over the rocky crest to where his daughter had last disappeared too.

"Look! Da, she's still alive! But she ain't breathing. What's wrong with her da? Why's she so short?"

"Back away darling," her father said, pulling his daughter from the woman's motionless form. "It's dead already."

"But I'm telling you, she's not!" Mariah protested. "Look!" she yanked herself away from her father and nudged the motionless body with her foot. Only to let out a scream when woman burst into life, coughing and hacking like you wouldn't believe. The man and his daughter watched wide eyed as the short woman rolled onto her stomach and continued to cough out more and more water in a seemingly endless stream.

At last, once it seemed the entire river must have emptied from her lungs, the woman shakily looked up. Her eyes met the end of a handmade axe that was being pointed at her. At the other end were Mariah and her father.

"What are you?" the man demanded, clearly terrified. The woman blinked rapidly, trying to get her thoughts to stop swimming around and focus.

"Uh… uh Emilie… Brandybuck. At your serv- ah… Pleasure to meet you." She coughed out, trying to sit up and failing.

"But, what are you?" The man asked again.

"I'm… I'm a hobbit." Emi managed to get out.

"A what?"

"Oh! Da, maybe it's like a rabbit!" Mariah gasped, turning excitedly to the woman. "Are you a rabbit lady, miss?" Emi blinked back in reply. What was with all these people thinking she was rabbits and ferrets and squirrels and such? It was completely unreasonable. And she opened her mouth to give the girl a piece of her mind on the subject, then paused, considered her options, and shut her mouth again. She really wasn't in any position to be making enemies. Emi knew she was in quite the fix. Where were those confounded dwarves anyway?

"Yes." Emi replied at last. "Yes, I am." Mariah squealed in delight. "And I'm quite far from home as well. I seem to have misplaced my dwarves along the way, I don't suppose you've seen them?"

"Can't say I have." The man replied warily, seeming to relax a bit. "But I heard some talk about a group of 'em arriving in Laketown not past midday!" Emi could have cried out in joy, sprung up and ran around in circles shouting and praising whatever Valar was responsible for her amazing good fortune. But she was tired. And in pain. And didn't want to scare off these rather cautious seeming people. So she just smiled in relief.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that." Emi grinned, trying to get up again. She just managed to stumble to her feet. "I don't suppose… you could give me a lift back to this… Laketown as you called it?"

"Well…" the man frowned. "I wouldn't mind it. Ain't no trouble to give you a lift… but the Master's got a iron grip on Laketown and it would be impossible to get you passed the toll gate without some type of conundrum."

"If it's a matter of being seen…" Emi replied, subconsciously fiddling with the gold ring that by some miracle was still in her pocket. "I think I'll be able to manage."

The boat ride to Laketown smelled heavily of fish. Being a fisherman, Mr. Falsworth had a boat… full of fish. And it smelled like fish. Naturally. Not that Emi minded the smell of fish too terribly much. But it was very fishy. And she was very hungry. And after a while it became hard to disguise the sounds of her stomach rumbling hungrily.

Mariah chatted excitedly the whole time, not a bit wary of the stranger she had, as Mariah put it, 'heroically pulled from the water'. Though really, Emi had been mostly washed ashore to begin with.

"Will you be staying with us forever?" Mariah asked excitedly. Mr. Falsworth cast an alarmed glance at his young daughter.

"Thank you for the generous invitation, but I'll have to decline." Emi laughed through chattering teeth. Her clothes were thoroughly drenched. As was her hair, and skin, and eyes, and toenails, and fingernails, and… pretty much all of her. And it was cold. It didn't help that there was actually ice floating on the surface of the lake.

When the tiny, fish filled boat finally approached the town, Emi could not help but stare in wonder. She could see now that it was aptly named. For Laketown was, in fact, a Town on a Lake. Though it didn't look too stable. But it was huge.

"We're approaching the toll gate." Mariah announced.

"Hide yourself lass." Mr. Falsworth said, looking around for someplace to put the tiny woman. But when he looked back at her, the hobbit was gone. Mariah was equally confused. "Well…" the man started. "That's a pretty good hiding spot." He could of sworn he heard someone chuckle from thin air.

The tollgate was passed without a hitch. And Emi slipped off the ring as soon as they were around the bend, startling both Mariah, and her father horribly.

"It's a rabbit lady thing." She explained weakly. But her attention was drawn to the changed scenery around her. It was cramped, and dirty, and the buildings towered high and askew in a very hodge podge fashion. What is this place? She asked herself.

Snow fell through the darkness of night, melting into the many torches that were scattered amongst the wooden buildings. It was all to easy to picture the town going up in flames. You think they'd be more careful with torches around all this wood… I guess it is on a lake though. Emi thought to herself.

"Seems awful quiet." Mariah commented to her father. A snowflake landed on Emi's nose, causing her to shiver even more. Not because the snowflake was cold, but it reminded her of how cold she actually was.

Then a clamor rose somewhere over the quiet.

"I would see those days return." A voice rose above the rest. She knew that voice. Emi sprung out of the small boat onto the walkway nearby, nearly sending the boat over.

"Sorry." Emi apologized quickly before dashing off into the streets. "I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" Cheers erupted in reply. How come she always seemed to find him because he was being so loud?

"Death!" another voice silenced the crowd as Emi neared the cluster of people. "That is what you will bring upon us! Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all!" Emi squeezed herself into the thick crowd that was now whispering anxiously.

"You can listen to this naysayer." Thorin replied evenly, in an attempt to mask his detest. "But I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" The people cheered at this pledge until the weasel man in black spoke up.

"Why should we take your word, eh?" Thorin turned to him. "We don't know nothing about you. Who here can vouch for your character?" There was an obvious silence.

"Me." This was followed by another silence. Slowly, Thorin turned around, eyes wide. Standing, just outside the crowd, was a shivering, drenched, three-foot hobbit with long tangled dark brown locks and a sword strapped to her hip. "I'll vouch for him."

Still, no one spoke as Emi took a few more steps away from the crowd, past the bewildered line of dwarves. Thorin still stood, transfixed, as though he was staring at a ghost. But surely, everyone else could see her too. They were staring straight at her. "I tell you, whoever you may be…" Emi spoke to Alfrid. "I have traveled far, through many perils with this company. And I know, that Thorin Oakenshield, will not lie, lest his last breath depend upon it. And if Thorin Oakenshield gives his word, then he will keep it."

As soon as Alfrid looked convinced, Emi smiled slightly and took a step back, but not before glancing briefly at Thorin. The hobbit's forced smile disappeared as she looked at the face Thorin wore. It was unreadable. She had not an inkling of what it might mean. But… it didn't seem angry. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"All of you!" the naysayer spoke again over the cheering of the crowd. "Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened in Dale?" heads shook slowly. "Have you forgotten those who died in the Firestorm!"

"No!" the crowd replied.

"And for what purpose?" the man continued. "The blind ambition of a mountain king, so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!" Whatever look had been on Thorin's face was now gone completely, replaced by one of malice as he stared up at the man who had just insulted his grandfather.

"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame." The Master interrupted. "Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!" The crowd roared in agreement with… something, as Thorin turned to Bard in shock.

"It's true sire." Alfrid nodded. "We all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark." The crowd was angry now. Bard looked around in distress before walking closely to Thorin.

"You have no right," he hissed. "No right to enter that mountain!" Thorin stared straight into the man's eyes before leaning over ever so slightly.

"I have to only right." Then he leaned away again and turned to the Master. "I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" Everyone watched with baited breath. "What say you?" Thorin prompted. Emi could hear the master thinking it all through behind those beady little eyes.

"I say, unto you…" Everyone froze. "Welcome!" The crowd roared their approval. "Welcome and Thrice welcome, King Under the Mountain." Thorin climbed a few steps and turned triumphantly to the cheering crowd as Bard silently slipped away. No one heard Emi sneeze, or see her shivering in the cold, as all headed inside for a feast.

Welllllllllll? What did you think about that! For once, I actually carried through on a cliffhanger! Go me! ...hm

ANYWAY... please review if you have a moment. It's very very encouraging!