The sound ripping through the night was unlike any I had heard before, but surprisingly no one else woke up. Bilbo was already awake, and he whirled back towards the camp in fright from where he had been standing near the ponies. The only others still up were Fili, Kili, and Balin who were on watch. The three of them didn't react other than to glance around before returning to their watch. Bilbo meanwhile had raced over to the fire and stood shivering in fear.

"What was that?" he cried worriedly. At his query Kili looked up towards him, a tinge of fear showing in his eyes and a serious frown on his face.

"Orcs," he muttered softly.

"Orcs!?" Bilbo shrieked, his high pitched voice causing Thorin to jolt awake in a slight panic. When the king realized there was no immediate threat, he scowled at the hobbit before scolding his nephews who were currently doing a good job of frightening poor Bilbo. Suitably chastised, the two turned regretfully back to staring at the fire, avoiding looking after Thorin as he walked away to gaze out into the distance. Balin took pity on the two crestfallen dwarves, trying to ease their guilt at having disappointed their uncle.

"Don't worry lads, Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." He went on to tell the tale of the battle of Azanulbizar, a story I had heard before when the boys were still too young to be told of it. I tuned him out in favor of my concern with the threat out in the night. Gliding forward to stand beside Thorin, I put a hand on his arm to gain his attention before speaking too softly for the others to hear.

"I'm going to check out the noise, I'll be right back," I whispered. He glanced over at me in surprise, sighing when I simply gave a shrug and a smile to his unspoken question.

'You'll be careful?'

'I'll be fine.'

Though neither of us had spoken aloud, our eyes gave away what we wanted to say. He had my promise, and the knowledge that it was all he was going to get. I was not one to back down, not even to him and he knew it. Giving me a nod, he muttered grouchily back.

"Go then, but be quick about it."

I slid off into the darkness, avoiding the tree Gandalf sat under, the wizard puffing pensively on his pipe once more. I did not know why I had decided to hide my powers from him, especially after our previous talk concerning honesty, but I did. I felt a brief twinge of guilt at my hypocrisy before justifying that it would take too long to explain at present. Disguising myself as a bird, I flew silently off through the shadows, sharp eyes piercing the dark to find our enemies. I scanned the land carefully, my gaze flicking past each tree and rock and discarding them as I found them empty. I was close to giving up when I heard a soft snarl that sounded almost like some strange speech. My head snapped over to a wooded cliff, looking, looking... there! Two figures blending in the shadows. They looked odd from here, and I got closer before realizing it was not two but four. Two orcs mounted on two wargs.

Fluttering closer while keeping out of their sight, I watched as they stared towards our camp before landing quietly behind them. Shifting back, I had them snared in a heavy tangle of roots before they could blink. The trees here were much more cooperative, needing no encouragement to go after the foul creatures. I winced slightly at the noise as I dispatched them, but it couldn't be helped. I could at least be certain they were the only ones nearby, and as they were watching for us, perhaps their death would ensure we were not discovered for awhile yet.

It was with relief that I headed back to camp, leaving the forest with a gentle nudge to dispose of the bodies as they saw fit. I heard roots crackling as they hid my work from sight and smiled at the thought. Landing in the same spot where I had taken off from, I could hear Balin finishing up his tale. I entered the camp at the same time that Thorin headed back to the fire, ensuring that the attention was on him. Sitting down, I stared into the flames for a moment before being dragged away from my thoughts by a hand on my arm.

"The problem?" Thorin muttered questioningly.

"Taken care of," I answered just as quietly. A rare smile of satisfaction crossed his features before he turned away to sit down and finish his rest. I in turn looked to the sky before turning in, watching the gathering rain clouds that would no doubt be unleashed upon us in the morning.

It was not long after dawn that the clouds rolled over us, breaking open to thoroughly drench the company. Hoods and cloaks were rendered useless with the wind blowing just strongly enough to throw the rain in our faces. It set most of the company to grumbling morosely about the situation, even going as far as to ask Gandalf to change the weather. The wizard merely smiled at their foolishness.

"It is raining, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world you ought to find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked curiously. I perked up, eager to hear his answer.

"There are five of us. Saruman the white is the head of our order. Then there are the two blues, though I must confess I've quite forgotten their names. Lastly there is Radagast the brown. A shy fellow and a good friend of mine who prefers the company of animals. He lives in Mirkwood, which we will have to travel through, so we may meet him at some point."

We rode on in silence for a few moments, each of us lost in thought, before the others decided to ask me the same question.

"Hold on, you have power too Alanta. Can you make the rain go away?"

I turned to the ever fussing Dori, who had posed the question for the rest of them and chuckled. "Nay my friend. I have no power over water, that gift belongs to others of my world. The most I could do would be to convince the trees to block the rain more with their branches, but that would likely take more energy than it is worth. I imagine the weather will clear by tomorrow morning, and until then we could use a bath." Some of the younger ones snorted with laughter at this observation, their elders looking mildly indignant. Bowing our heads, we continued onwards through the deluge.

Our camp at night was a miserable one, the driving rain still pouring down. We had been unable to find any sort of shelter, and the wood on the forest floor was too wet for even the dwarves to get lit for a fire. I stared around at my grumpy companions for a moment before sending a silent request to the trees surrounding the clearing. Moments later everyone glanced up in surprise when the down pour reduced to a steady drip before ending entirely. The branches up above had twined together, weaving themselves neatly into a makeshift roof.

"Praise Mahal," they moaned gratefully.

"Now, to get a fire going," I mused.

"Wood's too wet," several chorused. Seeing the mischievous grin on my face they asked for my plan. "What are you thinking?"

I smiled. "Wood is not the only thing that burns. I may have a little friend who can be of use to us. He's very rude though, so don't listen to anything he says." They exchanged glances, frowning in confusion at my description. Calling in my head, I summoned the companion I had in mind, hoping he would behave. Moments later, a creature of pure fire, an elemental, rose up out of the ground with a harsh grating sound.

"By fire be purged!" the little being growled angrily, sending many of the dwarves scurrying backwards away from the flaming hammer he wielded.

I rolled my eyes at his display. "Everyone, this is Ragnaros. He's a fire elemental, and a bit of an ass." Upon hearing his name he turned to stare at me. "By fire..."

"Yes, yes, we know," I soothed. "He also really only knows how to say one thing. Pay him no mind." Facing the little elemental once more, I adopted a stern scowl. "You behave or I'll bring out Aquatis." Upon hearing the threat he settled down, retracting the hammer to somewhere amongst his flames. The company looked surprised at the change of attitude and inched forwards cautiously, grateful for the heat. "Aquatis is another elemental in my possession," I explained. "He is made of water, and Ragnaros really doesn't like him as you might imagine." Chuckles sounded throughout the clearing as dwarves stripped off wet outer clothes to dry by the fire. The night much improved, we all settled down after a warm supper for a more comfortable night than we had expected.

The morning dawned cloudy but dry, much like I had predicted, and it cheered the company greatly. I thought even the clouds would likely be gone by midday, for a heavy breeze was pushing them quickly across the sky. In better spirits and dry clothes, we rode now across rocky hills towards another patch of forest in the distance. We would make it there by late afternoon, and it was there that we would set our next camp.

We had been riding for some time when I cursed to myself, noticing that one of my small knives was missing from its sheath. Pulling my pack over my shoulder, I dug around inside, wondering if I had thrown it in there for some reason. Finding nothing, I slung it back over my shoulder with a disgusted huff. I was about to put the matter out of my mind when I noticed Bilbo with a look of guilt upon his face, and Nori smirking knowingly at his back. Drawing alongside him, I gave the thief an incredulous look of surprise.

"Bilbo, getting in some practice I see?"

The poor hobbit babbled apologies as he handed over the knife, but I merely laughed. I was impressed with his integrity when he failed to mention Nori's influence in the whole affair. I was quite certain Bilbo had not come up with the plan to steal from me himself. "Do not fear my friend, I'm not angry, merely impressed."

He gaped at me. "Why?"

"Because you actually managed to go through with it successfully. First time that has ever happened, and not for lack of trying I'll tell you," I grinned, giving Nori a pointed look. Nori actually had the nerve to look proud, like a teacher with a student who had completed a difficult task. Wanting to needle him a bit, I snorted. "Looks like the student has already become the master, and in only one lesson too. Losing your touch there master Nori." He frowned, hearing the challenge in my voice, before paling when another voice joined in the conversation.

"What's this I hear about stealing?" Dwalin rumbled from behind us.

"Oh nothing to worry about," I reassured him. "Just giving Bilbo a lesson in burglary. After all, he'll need to be skilled if he's going to steal from a dragon."

"Of course," Dwalin drawled sarcastically. "I'm sure that it was all your idea." I just winked at the burly dwarf, telling him I knew he knew the truth, but I was not at all offended with the turn of events. He dropped the subject, knowing it would be useless to pursue when I was determined to take the blame for Nori's actions. Dwalin loped off ahead to speak with Thorin, and I smiled when the king shook his head and sent an amused glance back in our direction once he heard the story. Bilbo was still blushing in embarrassment, so I tactfully distracted him with questions about his home. He visibly brightened as he engaged in a deeply descriptive story about some of his cousins, leaving us howling with laughter at their antics.

"They sound like us!" Fili and Kili said in awed appreciation. Hearing this, the others chuckled.

"Don't go giving those lads any new ideas now Bilbo," Bofur called out teasingly. The brothers tried for an innocent expression, failing miserably as they continued to question Bilbo for more details on his family's prank wars. They were a spirited lot it seemed, when not caught up with the growing of food and flowers. Indeed, many of their jokes involved such things, or started with them, or ended with them. I imagined the peace they lived in, happy to think such a thing existed so completely. I remembered the unblemished nature of the Shire, and told myself I would return there one day for a more extended visit. It seemed the ideal place to let go of ones troubles and simply relax.

As predicted, we were back under the relative shelter of the trees by noon, and when we came across an abandoned farmhouse some hours later, we made camp. Gandalf seemed concerned as he strode forward to examine the dwelling, so I followed after him.

"A farmer and his wife once lived here," he said thoughtfully. I glanced around with renewed interest, uncertain why he would know that from the ruins.

"Did you know them?" I asked curiously. He nodded pensively, holding silent as he looked around. I followed his gaze, noting the burned timbers and smashed stonework. "This was no accident," I muttered.

"No, it was not. I think we should leave this place," Gandalf said as Thorin strode towards us. The dwarf frowned, not seeing any reason for his concern. Ignoring this, Gandalf pressed his point. "We could make for the hidden valley. We would be safe there."

Instantly Thorin became hostile. "I would not go near that place if it were my last choice," he growled angrily.

"The elves could help us," Gandalf exclaimed, and I grew much more interested in the conversation. In all my time here I had yet to meet those that would technically be my kin, and I was curious, despite the bias I knew the dwarves held for them. "They could give us food and shelter, and advice," the wizard said, trying to placate him.

"I do not need the advice of elves," Thorin spat, the determined frown he sported stating he would brook no argument.

I felt unreasonably insulted, the words driving home the fact that I was not a dwarf and leaving me to wonder why he even tolerated my presence if he felt so strongly. When Gandalf walked out of camp in a huff I followed after him, leaving Thorin with a reproachful glare. He realized quickly the effect his words must have had on me, but pride held him silent. Hauling myself into a tree, I climbed up almost out of sight, my selfish half wanting to teach him a lesson in manners. Ignoring me, he called out for Bombur to start supper, and sent Fili and Kili to watch the ponies a little ways away from camp.

Supper was ready and the others had started eating when Bombur sent Bilbo off with two bowls of hearty soup to give to Fili and Kili. I had not left my perch, and occasionally the others sent worried glanced up in my direction, all save Thorin. He was stubbornly refusing to look my way at all, incapable of offering an apology. His mood was shattered when Fili came bolting back into camp. Everyone looked to the young prince as he gasped for breath for a moment before giving the reason for his haste.

"Trolls," he cried urgently. "They took some of the ponies, Bilbo and Kili went after them, hurry!"

"How many," Thorin barked.

"Three, I think. I didn't stay long to watch," Fili apologized. I relaxed then, remembering trolls to be a small inconvenience back home, and forgetting that they could be different here. Surely our large group would have no problem with only three of the pests, even without my help. The others jumped to their feet, weapons drawn as they followed Fili out of the clearing. Thorin was the last to go, stopping under my tree before he left.

"Well, are you coming?" he grouched.

I bristled at his annoyed tone. "Surely you don't need the help of an elf to beat three measly trolls," I snorted. Reclining along my branch, I turned my head away from him. "I'll be here when you get back, someone ought to guard the camp." I listened in petty satisfaction to his annoyed huff as he followed the others away into the forest. Keeping my ears pricked, I heard the sounds of combat pick up not far away. Weapons clashed on flesh, and squeals rang through the air. From the sounds of it, the dwarves were doing well, none of the cries were their own.

The missing ponies came bolting back into camp, shaking with fright. Sliding out of the tree, I hurried to sooth them, gathering the others and making sure they were all tethered together. I was still trying to comfort them when the sounds of combat died out abruptly. I smiled, awaiting their return and eager to hear the story of the trolls defeat. I was sure the younger ones would be creating embellishments to the tale already, and Bilbo was certain to have put his new combat skills to use. When almost a half hour had passed I began to wonder what was taking them so long. Surely they should have been back by now? Setting Luna and a couple of my other companions to guard the ponies, I headed in the direction I had last heard sounds.

Thorin was stewing, furious that he had found himself in such a humiliating situation. It should have been easy to defeat these three stupid trolls, but a simple mistake had cost them all. Everyone had been fighting well, even Bilbo he was forced to admit. It was when the hobbit had turned away to free the ponies that their squeals of fright had attracted the attention of one of their enemy. Before he could blink, the poor hobbit had been grabbed by all four limbs, and the threat of him losing them had the others dropping weapons to the ground in surrender.

He lay now, wrapped in a sack on the ground beside half of his kin. The other half were presently in far worse condition, being as how they were tied to a spit over a slow fire. Things were looking desperate, and he began to wonder if he should feel bad or grateful that he had driven Alanta to stay behind. At least she would not have to suffer the same fate they were. He strained to think of a way out of this, frustrated when he couldn't come up with anything. It was with surprise that he looked up when Bilbo began speaking.

"Wait!" the hobbit cried in panic. "You're making a horrible mistake!"

"You wot?" one of the trolls snarled incredulously.

"With the seasoning," Bilbo babbled on. He was about to continue when his attention was momentarily diverted. Thorin watched as his eyes flickered towards the trees bordering the clearing, and had to hold back a grin when he caught familiar movement in the shadows. The hobbit quickly refocused his attention on the trolls, who were now all watching him, so as not to give his friend away. He opened his mouth to finish his thought when a feminine voice filled the clearing.

I inched forward slowly, analyzing the situation. I was disconcerted to find that trolls here were vastly different from those I knew. These were arguably dumber, but much much larger. My friends were in grave danger of being roasted alive, and they appeared not to have a plan. Mind working furiously, I paused when Bilbo began nervously talking. I crept a little closer, trying not to laugh when he began talking about seasoning. He spotted me, and I waved him off, signalling frantically for him not to give me away. With a wink, I started circling to a better position behind the trolls as Bilbo relaxed and followed my lead.

Stepping out behind them, I kept myself ready to run, intending to draw them off and hoping they were slow moving. "Forget seasoning," I drawled lazily. "I would taste far better then them."

The three trolls turned to find the source of the interruption, moving eagerly forward at the sight of me standing unarmed before them. "An elf!" one sneered. "Better indeed. It's been too long since we tasted elf. You're a strange one, all purple like that."

"Oh who cares. Purple or not, she'll taste the same once she's cooked!" another exclaimed. They were getting closer as they talked, moving slowly as if they expected me to bolt. I began to back away at the same speed, a grin of challenge filling me with adrenaline.

"You'll have to catch me if you want to find out," I teased, before darting off amid the trees just fast enough to keep them interested. They snarled in outrage, chasing after me faster than I had anticipated. Picking up my speed, I wove around the forest, leading them a merry chase until we were far enough from their camp that I began to circle back. I got there well before them, or so I thought, and began to untie the knots keeping Thorin trapped.

"About time," he joked, silent apology filling his eyes.

"Sorry I'm late," I murmured while I focused on the knots. They were unbelievably tight, and I had all my attention on them when Thorin yelled out in warning.

"Behind!" he cried. I whirled around, swearing when I was enveloped in a tight grasp. My knife was out of reach, distraction keeping me from shifting effectively. I soon found myself as bound as the rest of them, hands behind my back and legs hobbled. The only difference being that they didn't have a sack large enough for me, so I sat beside the others, eying the fire with growing worry.

"We'll save her for desert," the leader said menacingly. He leered at me, trying to cause fear, but I just settled my features into a look of stone. Inwardly I was still searching for another plan, any other. I listened carefully to their talk, nearly squealing with glee when they revealed an exploitable weakness.

"Better hurry," the little one grunted. "It's nearly dawn and I don't fancy being turned to stone."

"They turn to stone in the day?" I whispered to Thorin out of the corner of my mouth. He nodded almost imperceptibly and I gave face to a feral grin at the news. Struggling to my feet, I angled myself so my hands were facing towards them, offering up a prayer that I would not hurt my friends. I took one last breath.

"All of you close your eyes!" I yelled, glaring at my companions fiercely. They hastened to obey while the trolls stared at me quizzically. I gave them no time to wonder. Focusing hard, I drew on one of my lesser used powers, the ability to harness the energy of pure sunlight. Concentrating it into a powerful beam, I sent it hurtling towards the trolls, wincing at their screams of pain. I was forced to let go of the power after a few moments, the energy I channeled leaving me exhausted. As I slumped back to the ground, panting from the exertion, I examined my handy work. The trolls had fallen over, and were moaning horribly as they clutched at their wounds. They appeared to have trouble moving, their limbs stiffening and parts of their skin turning the dull grey of stone. It had not worked quite as well as I'd hoped, but it bought us time.

I began to struggle in earnest with my bindings, only looking up to the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the clearing. I sighed in relief to see Gandalf appear on top of a boulder on the east side.

"Care to help us out?" I called with a smile. In answer, he slammed his staff into the rock, breaking it apart and finishing what I had started. Morning sunlight flooded the clearing. The trolls seemed to shudder before turning entirely immobile. Cheers rang out through the company, and we hurried to free each other from our bonds.

"Where did you go off to?" Thorin asked Gandalf politely.

"I was looking ahead," he replied.

"What brought you back?" the dwarf wondered aloud in curiosity.

Gandalf just smiled indulgently. "Looking behind." I snorted in laughter, causing the others to join in, and before long we were dissolved in merriment at the situation. Fili and Kili lost no time in replaying Bilbo's attempt to stall the trolls, and praising my luck at having incapacitated them. I was brought up to speed on what happened before I got there, shaking my head at the kind-hearted efforts of Bilbo that had led to their initial capture.

Thinking on the way they had died, a question came to mind. "If they cannot travel in the daytime, they must have had somewhere to hide, did they not?"

"Yes, there must be a cave nearby," Thorin agreed. "We should find it, trolls sometimes hoard loot and they may have something useful." We spread out to look, the sharp eyed Nori eventually finding their hideout. It was a large opening in the side of a stone outcropping, the surrounding bushes almost hiding it from view. A few of the dwarves stayed outside as lookouts, Bilbo opting to remain with them. I chose to join those going inside, wrinkling my nose in distaste at the smell. The stench of death was heavy in the small space, and it was no less unpleasant for all its familiarity. Controlling my stomach with the practice of years, I let my eyes adjust to the dim cave and rove around in search of something interesting.

"Gandalf," Thorin called, holding up a couple swords that had caught his attention. Knowing it took a lot to impress him, I moved closer to see what he had found. "These were not made by trolls," he stated certainly, handing one to the wizard to inspect.

Gandalf drew forth the shining blade from its sheath, eyes widening slightly in appreciation. "Nor were they crafted by any smith among men. These were made in Gondolin, by the high elves." I made a noise of irritation when Thorin twitched, reflexively moving to put the weapon back.

"Really Thorin? At least look at it properly first," I admonished him. Gandalf seconded my statement.

"You will not find a better blade," he scolded the biased dwarf. Frowning, Thorin drew the sword, his displeasure melting in the face of the perfect metal. He handed it to me to examine, and I looked curiously at the swirling runes on the blade, and the way it curved gracefully to a fierce point.

"Keep it," I smiled. "While different, it's just as fine as anything you could make yourself."

He nodded in agreement, needing no encouragement. We left the cave soon after, Gandalf stooping near the entrance when he trod on something hard. I looked back as he used his staff to sweep the debris of the cave floor off an object a bit longer than my knives. Bending over, he scooped up the small sword he had uncovered, smiling in satisfaction.

"This will be perfect for Bilbo. Elvish make, it will glow blue if orcs or goblins are near." Leaving the cave, he walked over to present it to the hobbit. Bilbo smiled in excitement, eager to supplement his growing collection of weapons, and he quickly strapped it to his waist beside the knives already residing there.

"That's a handy feature," I remarked, having arrived beside the two of them just as Gandalf finished telling Bilbo what the sword did. He nodded, pulling out the weapon to look closer at it. It bore similar marks to the one Thorin wore at his own waist. Leaving him to give a thorough examination of the blade, I followed Gandalf to where he was now approaching the dwarf king.

"I still think we should go to the elves," he insisted.

"I cannot trust them," Thorin replied stiffly as I drew near.

"I'm an elf, don't you trust me?" I asked.

"That's different," Thorin snorted. "You're not like them."

I sighed in exasperation, changing tactics. "I don't know that though do I? Will you deny me the chance to meet those who would be considered my kin in this world? Can you blame me for being curious? Seventy years I've been here, and not once have I met them." Thorin frowned slightly, softening with my persuasion. "Besides," I continued, driving the point home. "I hardly think Gandalf would encourage us to go somewhere unsafe."

Thorin deflated, running out of arguments. "Fine," he grunted. "But you're going to regret this." He stalked off to inform the others of the plans, muttering as he went. "Can't believe this, meeting with pretentious tree shaggers." I burst out laughing at his insult, causing him to glower in annoyance before smirking slightly.

"Where are we going?" Bilbo asked as he walked up beside me.

"To see the elves," Gandalf said happily. "To Rivendell."

Author's note: A rather exciting chapter if I do say so myself. We see a bit more of Alanta's skills, and the growing influence she has on Thorin. That will play a good part in the next section. As you may have noticed, I also made a divergence from movie canon, it will be relevant later that she managed to convince Thorin to go to Rivendell. Her reaction to her 'kin' so to speak will be interesting, and we will have a few added 'flavor' characters. They are part of hobbit canon (I think, at the very least they are mentioned in quite a few stories so the names ought to be recognizable). Anywho, I'm starting to ramble. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to relaxing in Rivendell next chapter.