Kili and Rhavaniel quickly at their warmed stew, then doused the fire and collected their packs.

Kili took one last look back at the mere. "She looks like you, doesn't she?"

Rhavaniel was shocked, "I thought you did not see her face! Do I really look like that?"

"Not the monster!" Kili quickly assured her. "The Lady of the statue. She has your little chin and your curly hair."

"Oh," she blushed, "I am not so pretty, but thank you."

"You are that pretty." Kili insisted. "We are ready, then?"

"Yes." she replied.

Kili turned south. Rhavaniel turned north and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Kili asked, "Mirkwood is this way."

"I am not going back to Mirkwood." she replied. "Why should I? I know all of the undarkened parts of the Woodland Realm. You have seen the Keep - the only part of King Thranduil's castle that Dwarves are allowed to see, apparently. On the other hand, neither of us have ever seen a dragon. I say we head North."

"No! I explained this - I need to take you home."

"I am not ready to go home." she calmly stated.

"This is not amusing, Rhavaniel."

Rhavaniel kept walking, "You can drag me south, kicking and screaming, or we can head north in harmony. You do have a choice in the matter."

Kili caught up with her, "You need to do as I tell you."

"Does that tone work on Dwarf girls?" she scoffed. "I think not. I would not have had to teach you how to kiss if it had."

Kili put himself in front of her path, "Why are you suddenly so stubborn?"

Rhavaniel stopped and looked Kili in the eyes. "I have always been stubborn. You have not noticed because up until know, I have thought your plans to be best for us both, and complied. Now that we have established that we are equals, and I disagree with you, there will be no budging. I head north, even if I go alone."

She dodged past him and kept walking.

She called over her shoulder, "When I find your Uncle, I will tell him that you are alive. I am sure he will be happy with the news, and pleased to get an archer of any race or gender to replace you."

Kili laughed despite himself. It was impossible for him to stay mad at this girl for more than a moment.

He ran after her. "You are wrong. Uncle Thorin is not going to like this. Not one bit."

"Your Uncle Thorin put you on this path," she said, "but Aulë himself must have put me on your path, you know. Aulë outranks your Uncle."

"How do you manage to mix so much blasphemy into your strange logic?" Kili asked incredulously, " Aulë, Mahal, does not make Elves. You would behave far more Dwarfishly if that were the case."

Rhavaniel smirked, "I am keeping my clothes on - how is that for Dwarfish behavior? The sun is finally out and beautiful. I should be enjoying it on my skin. But no, I am compromising."

"You are not compromising, you are manipulating," Kili told her, "and quite shameless about it."

"I already confessed to being a bad influence." Rhavaniel smiled.