By the time someone came looking for me, I had moved to sit on the edge of the fountain, my boots cast aside and my leggings rolled up past my knees. It was mid-morning; I had sat here for several hours, thinking about the vision I had had the night before. It was rare I could focus on one thing for so long a time, and I found that the state of where I was affected how well I could concentrate. For example, if I were still in Dol Guldur, I would not be able to concentrate on anything but memories and nightmares and death. On the other hand, if I were in Rivendell, I would be able to concentrate considerably better than other alternatives. This place: Beorn's home… I was able to rest here. All the same, my thoughts were troubled and dark.

I sat on the weathered marble seat, my feet in the water, the sun in my hair, and darkness in my mind. 'How can I avoid this fate?' I thought, imagining different scenarios in my mind, each more desperate than the last. I kicked at the water, feeling it splash up onto my skin. 'How can I save them?'

"Aeyera?"

Fili's voice reached my ears, but it was as if I was hearing it from underwater, and I didn't turn around. Instead, I stood up on the edge of the fountain and stepped into it, letting the waist-deep water to lap around my hips and soak my tunic. I closed my eyes and dove into the water, letting it soak my body as I tried to concentrate. It was rare that I could achieve this: the blending of dream and reality, the elves' version of sleep. 'How can I save them?'

I stood, water cascading off me, and Fili tried again, growing agitated. I was rudely jerked from my thoughts, scowling. "Aeyera, we need to talk."

I sighed in frustration as my concentration slipped away completely, leaving me with nothing but a few impossible ideas and wet clothing. "About what?" I finally asked, moving to sit on the edge of the fountain again and allowing myself to dry. As he moved closer, I pulled my dripping hair over to one side and began braiding it over one shoulder, keeping it out of my face. It wasn't as if I had no interest for what Fili was trying to say—I did—but I had a feeling it had to do with Kili, and I had no desire to discuss my feelings with said person's brother.

"About my brother," he said. I stopped what I was doing, snapping my gaze to his frozen form and narrowing my eyes. He looked somewhat uncomfortable about approaching this particular topic with me, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly reconsidering his choice to confront me.

"What about him?" I replied somewhat testily, finishing the braid and tying it off with a thin leather band. I swung my legs over the side of the fountain and faced him, toes digging into the lush turf. It was rare for a dwarf to be nervous, especially one from the line of Durin, so I knew what he had to say was important. I just didn't know if I wanted to hear it.

Fili took a deep breath before plowing forward, eyes fixed on mine. "I know you overheard us talking yesterday," he said softly, sitting down on a bench across from me, "and I know you feel something for my brother."

I looked down, breathing heavily, angry at myself for being such a fool, angry at Fili for being so protective and curious, angry at Kili for stealing my heart… angry at everything. Feeling the sting of tears, I blinked them away before looking back up at the blonde dwarf and raising my head up, straightening my shoulders. "Why would you—?"

"I saw you crying, Princess," he said, sounding exasperated. "And I've seen the way you look at him." I felt a flush begin creeping up my neck, and I began twisting my brother's ring around my finger nervously. "What is that?" he asked suddenly, sounding alarmed.

I held up my hand so he could see the ring, but I did not take it off. "It's my brother's ring," I said softly, watching him in confusion as he slumped forward, relieved. "He gave it to me the last time we saw each other. Why?"

"I thought…" he trailed off, sounding embarrassed.

I finished the thought for him. "You thought Kili gave it to me," I said softly, understanding. He flushed, but didn't bother answering. "Why are you so against this, Fili?" I whispered.

"Because I don't know that it's what is best for my brother," he answered harshly. We stared at each other for a moment; green eyes boring into blue, until Bofur's voice broke the silence and made both of us look away.

"Aeyera? Fili?" Bofur's voice carried out to us from the house, and we both turned towards it. "Breakfast!"

I stood and grabbed my boots, but before I could escape to the house, Fili grabbed my arm. "Do you love him?" Fili asked, watching me carefully. I froze, eyes trained on the open door ahead of me. "Do you love Kili?" He repeated sharply.

I turned to him slowly, shaking, as a million answers careened around inside my head. I decided on the truth, knowing that the prince would find out the truth eventually. "Yes," I whispered.

He nodded and released my arm, looking a decade older than he had a moment before. "I thought so," he said simply.

"Don't tell him!" I yelped desperately as he turned to go inside, grabbing his arm tightly. "Please don't tell him!"

He faced me, his face drawn. His eyes saddened as he looked at me. "I won't," he promised. "But you will."

"I can't," I whispered. I felt as though my heart was being pulled in two directions: half towards Kili, and half towards the Undying Lands. I had to leave, that much was certain, if I wished to live; but I found myself wishing that I could spend what little time I had left with Kili before passing on.

"You can," he said, pulling his arm away. "I know you're dying, Princess." I froze, staring wide-eyed at the prince. "Kili doesn't. If you keep leading him on, he'll be heartbroken, and it will be even harder for you to let go when the time comes."

"B-but I—" I stammered, close to tears. "I don't—"

"Aeyera," he said, stepping closer and taking my hands in his. I hadn't felt this young in forever, and I knew that Fili was just trying to protect the two of us. It didn't make it any easier. "I don't want you or my brother to get hurt."

I nodded, my vision swimming. "I know. That's why I can't tell him. I promised I would take protect the line of Durin, and I can't do that if my heart is telling to protect only one. If I tell Kili I love him, then he will try to protect me, and—wait. Does… does he—?" I gulped, suddenly unable to breathe properly. "Does he love me?" I managed. I had overheard their conversation, yes, but 'love' and 'like' are very different, and I had no desire to be led on any more than Kili did.

He nodded wearily. "Yes. You know now why I confronted you," he said. "You feel something for each other. Feelings that are now sparks, but that can grow into a flame that can consume us all. When you tell him, you need to tell him it will not work out between you. That is the only way to protect you both."

"Princess! Brother!" Kili's voice caught my attention, and I swung around to face the beaming dwarf. "Come inside," he called, grinning.

"We're on our way, Kili," Fili called. As we headed in, he gripped my shoulder tightly. "It is your choice," he whispered ominously in my ear before stepping away and following his brother inside.

I took a deep breath and followed them inside, making a choice. I would tell Kili eventually about how I felt, but not now. And I wouldn't lie: I wouldn't hurt him by saying I didn't love him.

I walked inside, blinking quickly as my eyes adjusted to the dim atmosphere. All the dwarves were sitting at Beorn's table, and the skin-changer was walking around the perimeter of the table, filling up the dwarves' flagons with fresh milk. I stood against a support beam, watching the meal silently. No one was speaking, and a very tense silence reigned over the room.

"It is nice to see you again, old friend," I said, smiling. Beorn straightened up and turned to me, eyes wide in surprise, before scooping me up in a hug. I laughed with him as he set me down, beaming.

"My princess," he said happily, his voice deep. "It truly is an honor to see you again."

"Much time has passed," I agreed. "But I am here, and I am well."

A knowing look passed over his face. "I do not know if that is true," he said, "but no matter. My heart is gladdened to see you in good health once more." He turned and continued serving the dwarves, a smile on his face.

The room was silent for several more minutes, and by the time he spoke again, the smile had disappeared from his face. As he poured Fili's drink, he spoke, his voice brooding. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield," he said to Thorin, who leaned against a pillar at the edge of the gathering. "Tell me," he said, turning around and fixing him with his piercing gaze, "why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Thorin and I both froze, and his eyes went wide as he clenched his fists. "You know of Azog," he said. He looked to be struggling to maintain his composure, and fear was clear in his eyes. He turned around to look at Beorn, curious. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains," Beorn said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Before the orcs came down from the North." He paused, his face expressionless, but his eyes grieved. "The defiler killed most of my family." I looked away. I had guessed this, but had not asked him. 'We are the same, he and I. Both have lost what we loved most to darkness. We both are alone.' "But some he enslaved," he said. My eyes travelled to his wrists, where the remains of chains still hung, and I looked down quickly. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport." His voice was bitter and angry, and anger and hatred towards the darkness grew inside me as well. "Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." I closed my eyes, feeling tears pricking at the corners of them.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo spoke up, curious.

"Once there were many," Beorn whispered, turning away.

"And… now?" Bilbo frowned.

"Now there is only one."

Each member of the company drew a sharp breath, feeling grieved for this man: the last of his kind. "You need to reach the Mountain before the last days of autumn," he said, sitting down.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf nodded, raising his pipe. Thorin looked as though he would like nothing more than to strangle the wizard.

"You are running out of time," Beorn said.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf said. I jumped horribly upon hearing the name, and I looked at him as though he had betrayed me. In a way, he had.

"A darkness lies upon that forest," Beorn said grimly, glancing at me. "Fell things creep beneath those trees." I shuddered as his unblinking gaze fell upon the rest of the company, which shifted restlessly. "There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur." A cold chill raced down my spine and I gripped the post tightly to keep from falling over as the blood drained from my face. "I would not venture there, except in great need."

"We will take the elven road," Gandalf said reassuringly. "Their path is still safe."

"'Safe'?" Beorn repeated as Thorin stood and began moving away from the table. "The wood-elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin." At his words, the eyes of most of the company travelled to me. "They are less wise, and more dangerous. Simply compare your princess to the elves of Rivendell, and you will see a glimpse of what I mean. But it matters not," he whispered.

Thorin turned around. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with orcs," he said ominously. "Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." The faces of all the company turned white with horror, including Thorin's. Beorn stood suddenly, pushing back his chair, and I jumped as he made his way to the dwarf-king, banding under the eaves of the roof. "I don't like dwarves," he growled, straightening to his full height. "They're greedy, and blind," he picked up a mouse Bofur had carelessly brushed off his sleeve. "Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." Thorin watched him, eyes glimmering in defiance with what I could have sworn were tears as Beorn watched the small, white creature in his hand. "But orcs I hate more," he said softly, eyes widening. Thorin looked surprised. The mouse peeked out over the edge of his large hand. "What do you need?"

At this point, I had ducked outside, feeling sick. Not only had Beorn scared me—I truly though he had been about to attack the dwarves—but I also had learned that I was going home to the Greenwood, now christened 'Mirkwood'. I couldn't go there—I was an exile! The instant I stepped foot in those woods, I was writing myself a prison sentence.

"Aeyera!" Kili called.

I had found my way into a large tree, and I looked down sourly at the dwarf below me. "What?" I called back bitterly. "Come to ask if I mind being bait? Maybe you can offer me to my father as a 'Get-through-Mirkwood-free' pass!"

"Calm down!" Kili said, sounding wrong-footed by my outburst. "What are you talking about?"

I swung myself down, landing on my feet in front of him. "We're going through Greenwood the Great," I said, panicking. "Except now it's called Mirkwood. My home, which I was exiled from two hundred years ago! My father and brother live there, and the instant they find out I'm back, I'll be thrown into prison for the rest of eternity!"

Kili looked alarmed and slightly frightened at the sight of me, in tears, panting from exertion. My hands were on my knees, and I was bent over, gasping. He pat my shoulder awkwardly, clearly not knowing what to do. "It's going to be alright," he said, trying to calm me down. "We won't let them take you. I won't let them take you," he added under his breath.

I stood, shaking out my shoulders as Gandalf and Thorin came outside. "My dear elf," Gandalf began, but I cut him off, speaking angrily in elvish.

"Mithrandir, why would you not tell me we were going through the Greenwood?" I snapped. "You of all people know that it is one of the most dangerous places in Middle Earth for dwarves to travel!"

Gandalf did not respond in elvish, rather, he spoke in the language of the Westron, allowing the others to listen to at least his half of the conversation. "Princess," he said tiredly, "if I had told you, it would merely have given you an excuse to throw a fit that much sooner." I flushed angrily as he continued. "Besides, Mirkwood is the only safe way to the Mountain. Going South would lead to Dol Guldur, and heading North would lead to Ered Mithrim, which is perilously close to Mount Gundabad and the Grey Mountains. So unless you wish to explore the Necromancer's fortress or the breeding grounds of the Wargs, I suggest you grow accustomed to the fact that our road leads through your old home, and that we are travelling there whether you wish it or not!"

I turned and walked away, biting my tongue to keep from cursing the wizard with all the breath in my lungs. As I rounded the corner of the house, I ran into Beorn, who was carrying a leather bag, which was dwarfed by his large hands. "These are the clothes you left behind when last you were here," he said, handing them to me.

I thanked him, still angry. "Beorn?" I asked, having a sudden thought.

"Hm?" He replied, turning around.

"Is there anywhere I can clean myself off?" I asked. He nodded and pointed to a small lake behind his house, surrounded by a thick wooded area, which was about a square quarter of a mile, which would shield me from prying eyes. The entire area, including his house, was surrounded by a tall, thick hedge, which kept the orcs and wargs away.

"I will keep the dwarves away," he said, smiling serenely. "But just in case," he added, "take this dog with you. She will bark if anyone approaches." He whistled, and a beautiful white wolf trotted over, clearly tame. "Her name is Ehiela," he said. "I believe it means 'devoted' in your language." She pressed her muzzle into my hand and licked it once, wagging her tail. With a smile, I nodded and headed over to the water, casting nervous looks around me as Ehiela stayed by my side.

Once I was deep in the woods and convinced no one had followed me, I sat down at the water's edge and began pulling off my tunic. I sighed as I surveyed the damage done to my underclothes when I reached them. I had tied the ends together, but it was a miracle they had stayed on for so long. I lay my boots and worn leather corset on the grass to stay dry and pulled the rest of my dirty clothes into the water with me. Once I was convinced the dirt was mostly out of them, I lay them on the shore to dry before turning and jumping into the water. The pond was large enough that Beorn in his bear form would have no trouble swimming comfortably, and was deep enough that, while Beorn could touch, I could not.

There were several boulders sticking up out of the water, and I leaned against one as I scrubbed months of grime off my skin with a piece of cloth. It had never felt so good to be clean. Such was my joy that I did not notice anyone approaching until Ehiela barked and growled. I jumped behind the boulder, bright red, fully aware that I was wearing absolutely nothing.

"Aeyera?" Kili called. I wrapped my arms around my chest, scowling. "How, whoa," he said, sounding nervous. "Easy there…" Ehiela barked menacingly, and I didn't have to look to see that she was about to attack.

"Ehiela, come!" I called in elvish. She instantly trotted over to where she could see me and sat down, watching Kili warily.

"Aeyera, is that you?" Kili asked.

"Obviously," I snapped, still beet red. "I'm busy right now, please go back to the house and wait for an appropriate time to talk."

"What? But why…" it became obvious that he had noticed my clothes and where he was, and I could hear the embarrassment in his voice. "Oh, Mahal… I'm so—I didn't… I'll go!" I heard him turn and book it back to the house, and not until Ehiela relaxed did I come out from behind the boulder and finish cleaning myself off. Once I pulled on the clean clothes Beorn had given me, as well as my boots and corset, I clicked my tongue, and together Ehiela and I made our way back to Beorn's house.

Every time I thought of Kili, I would blush bright red. 'He caught me bathing, for Seldarine's sake… what would the others think if he had told them?! Did he see anything? Oh, please let him not have seen anything…'

As I entered the house, the place went silent, and several dwarves winked at me before nodding their heads to Kili, who sat, looking mortified, in his corner. As I approached and set my belongings down, he spoke up, talking at the speed of light. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't know you were bathing, I just didn't know where you were after you stormed off and I didn't want you getting hurt, so I followed you, but I swear I didn't see anything, and—"

"Kili," I said, relieved that he hadn't seen anything but annoyed that he had told the others what had happened. "Forget it."

"So, princess," Bofur spoke up, grinning childishly. "How was your bath?"

At the sight of Kili's and my bright red faces, the others all began laughing, and I wouldn't have minded if not for the dark look Fili cast my way.