Chapter 1

Several months previous

"I saw one; a sea woman."

The whisper across the campfire was so soft that some of the dwarves seemed not to have heard it, but there was a collective widening of eyes.

"Ya mean a selkie?" one asked, his voice tinted with awe.

"Aye, out on the rocks she was, one evening when I was doing some fishing. She was laying about on the rocks before she saw me and slipped into her pelt, diving back into the waves."

"Only ever seen one, he has. Two in my lifetime," the trader's companion boasted. "Ne'er gotten close, though."

"What's a selkie?" Kili tried the word, and it rolled off his lips smoothly.

The two goods traders stared at him in shock, along with most of the dwarves from his own group; only his uncle and Nori, who he was having some sort of conversation with, didn't stare his way.

"You don't know of the selkies?" one of the traders asked in astonishment, and Kili shrugged.

"Seal people. They wear seal pelts and dive about the waves, occasionally coming to sunbath on the rocks or folic on the beaches where they take off their pelts to reveal unmatched beauty. Their appearance matches that of elves, only they are even more lovely, and lack the elfish personality," the other trader told the young dwarf.

"Kindly, sweet creature too, as the stories go. It's said that, many years ago, they were taken as wives, and were wonderful mothers and cooks," the first trader grinned, "Even meeting a selkie is one of the greatest honors a dwarf can acquire. If she comes as your wife, then you are more than simply lucky."

Kili's eyes shown with the myths, but Fili interrupted the trader's stories, staring intently at his brother.

"Perhaps you forget the rest of the legends," Fili turned to Kili, "They always long for the sea, even if they are happy on land. They leave to return to their true homes as soon as they are able, because it's said that, on land, they can never be truly happy. The minute they find their pelts, they leave. And not all myths paint them as kindly creatures, some say that they are selfish and care naught for the land or the beings on the land."

Kili blinked as his brother's eyes stared deeply into his own, but the trader's voice called him back.

"But they needn't find their pelts. If you ever get that close, then you hide the pelt! And that's all rubbish about them not being happy. Have you never heard of the legend saying how the one selkie rescued her husband from the ice in her seal form, and since she was then stuck in that form she couldn't return, but every seven years she would come back and spend her one day on land with her family?"

Fili shook his head, turning to his knapsack and pulling out some food, munching it casually.

"Rubbish indeed," he muttered.

Kili watched as the two light hearted traders laughed their cares away, also eating some food, and Kili wondered if he'd ever get the honor of seeing a selkie.

That night, both groups of dwarves camped under the stars together, and in the morning they shared the same fire for breakfast.

As they parted ways, one of the two traders approached Kili.

"Listen, young dwarf," he said seriously, "You listen closely; if you ever do see a selkie, you hide their pelt, and then they will come to you. You will both be happy, and she'll bring greatness to your family. Yes, some don't believe it, but they're just jealous of the idea they couldn't see a selkie. You tell your brother that, eh?" The trader then grinned and, tipping his warm wool hat, he leaped atop his pony, and followed his companion into the woods.

Kili's own group got ready to depart, myths floating about Kili's young head.

"I believe we'll reach the sea today. It's been a long travel, but we'll get good wares here," Thorin spoke to the small group of dwarves, "Then, after spending a good amount of time, we'll return home with what we've found. Let's be on our way."

Kili got onto his pony, lost in day dreams until he received gentle push from one side. He turned to find Fili riding beside him.

"This'll be your first time to the shore, won't it?" Fili asked, "I've been once before, but that was quite a while ago. I think I was younger than you are now! Do you remembered that, when Uncle Thorin and I were gone for so long?"

Kili nodded, his mind elsewhere, and Fili seemed to notice his brother's lack of enthusiasm.

"You alright?" Fili asked, and Kili nodded absent mindedly.

"Yeah, just thinking. Did you see a selkie when you came last time?"

Fili sat back in his saddle, surprised.

"No, can't say I did. It's rare that people do. I wonder if those traders last night even had. Like they said, it's a rarity and, supposedly, an honor if you do. I don't see how it could be an honor just to see some such creature. I recommend you just forget what they said and focus on the excitement of seeing the sea. The waves rolling along the beach, the slippery, ocean rocks, and the sun setting under a sparkling sea, are all really quite beautiful."

"I'm sure they are beautiful," Kili murmured, but it wasn't the waves, ocean rocks, or even the sunset, that he was thinking of.

AN: Well, it's my new resolution to answer pretty much every comment, so expect that when you review. This goes for Shivers as well. I was a bit spotty before, but I'm going to be trying harder in that regard. Anyway, tell me what ya think so far :)