Gandalf was the one who woke them all the next day, with both his voice, and by whacking his staff against the rocky surroundings. 'Up you get! It is dawn, and we must carry on. Ori, if you would begin serving out the bacon from last nights supper?'

I awoke with something tickling my nose, and had blinked hard when I realized that it was Kili's shoulder length hair. The said Dwarf was blinking awake also, and with a sniff, glanced down at me. A cocky smile lit up his features, which only resulted in me grimacing at him. 'Did you sleep well?' he asked, pausing to swiftly kick Fili, who had not awoken at Gandalf's word.

Fili awoke with a yelp.

I yawned, rubbing away the crick in my neck. 'I've had better sleeps,' I shrugged. Silently though, I had been thinking that people with insomnia had probably had better sleeps than that.

I stood then, taking notice of the rising sun and the misty look of the land below our campsite. The camp was slowly beginning to wake up, along with the world around us. Bombur snorted awake, and a moth promptly shot out of his mouth with the force of the sound. I stood, mid-stretch, both fascinated and horrified. The Dwarf looked mildly fascinated at the little creature.

Bilbo then wandered past me, his sack in his arms. 'Five of them came tumbling out of his mouth last night,' he informed me quietly, with obvious distaste. I'd snorted softly at that, plopping myself down in front of Ori, who was slapping pieces of bacon onto wooden plates.

Kili and Fili followed soon after, though Kili looked miffed at something that his brother was saying. I never knew what it was that Fili could have said to have bugged his brother, but now that I think about it, I should have known. The brothers sat beside me, taking their plates gratefully and stuffing the food into their mouths. Fili was slightly less disgusting about it.

I paused in my eating, staring with repulsion and admiration at Kili, who was managing to fit whole pieces of bacon into his mouth. 'Watching you eat,' I'd informed him factually. 'Is like watching that cake scene from Matilda'.

Kili smiled around a bit of bacon. 'I have no idea what that means, but thank you,' he'd said, swallowing the mouthful tightly. 'Done. I'm going to go and saddle Wendy'.

Who the hell names a pony Wendy?

He turned around once, asking, 'are you riding with me today?'

Fili answered a quick and forceful, 'yes', before I could so much as finish my mouthful. I glared at the elder one, who merely smiled, his braided mustache twitching with mirth.

That's when the rain began.

And it wasn't a drizzle, let me tell you. It was horrible, wet rain that soaked through every piece of clothing that you wore, the kind that did not stop. The air was muggy with it, and that just made the whole ordeal even worse.

I had been contemplating the odds of Fili noticing if a began braiding his hair, when the Dwarf in front of me said, over the rain, 'tell me about your home and your family, Millie'. I'd paused at that, my hands half raised toward his hair. Dropping them quickly, I pulled a confused face and answered with a blunt,

'Why?'

'Because I know very little about you'. Fair enough, I guess.

Thanks to the loud rain, our conversation was kept quite private. Perhaps Fili and Bofur could hear my monologue, but they never said anything. It was nice, anyway, to talk of home when I was so far from it. 'I have a mum and a dad and a cat,' I started. 'My dad's a manager at a Museum, a place where they keep things from history for people to look at. My mum used to be a 'stay at home wife', but once I was old enough, she took back her job of being a supply teacher, so she doesn't work all the time. And my cat,' I thought. 'Well, his name is Flower Pot and he's a grumpy little sod'.

Kili's back shook with laughter. 'I would be too, with a name like that'.

I couldn't deny my smile. 'I named him when I was four, and let me tell you, I was a weird kid'.

'I don't really have much to say that you'll understand. I was studying Textiles before...this, and before I came here, I planned to do something in Fashion, maybe. I was never really all that interested in it, but I was good at it, so I thought, you know, might as well do it if I'm good at it, huh?' I pressed my forehead against his back, feeling the rain assault every inch of my face. 'I think I'm about to drown'.

'Here, Gandalf,' called one of the Dwarves. 'Can't you do something about this rain?'

Gandalf, who was shielded by his abnormally large hat, replied sassily with, 'it is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard'.

I scoffed. 'You just got told'.

I was ignored.

Instead, Bilbo's comment of, 'are there any?' was taken notice of. Fair play, it was actually quite a good question, and something that I had wondered. Surely if Gandalf was the only Wizard in Middle Earth, then wouldn't he be like super famous with loads of adoring fans? Gandalf then started wittering on about the other five wizards, and one named Saruman the White.

Three guesses what colour clothing he wore.

I'd been pretty sure at the time that 'Sauron the White' was meant to be super-evil, anyway. Judging from my small amount knowledge, he'd be in The Lord of The Rings films and screwed stuff up majorly. You can't really trust me knowledge though, I had been sure that who I now know to be called Gollum, was called Dobby.

The subject went onto a Wizard names Radagast, who pretty much sounded like a tree-hugging hippy. Bilbo, in all his subtle glory, said to Gandalf, 'is he a great Wizard? Or is he more like you?'

I still strongly believe that my comment of, 'burn', was much needed.

Two hours later, the rain had stopped and we had managed to break away from the muggy, stuffy confines of the forest, and instead out into the open air. The clothes I wore began to dry from the sun, as did my hair. This, though, only resulted in my dark hair looking almost as messy as it had been before.

We didn't speak much once the rain had cleared, only sharing comments on our direction, the time, and our food supply. I could have cried with relief once Thorin said, upon approaching a broken down home, 'we'll camp here for the night!' Sure, the place looked pretty creepy, but it was better than a rocky floor. I would much rather the soft bed of grass.

And I called Radagast the tree-hugger.

'Fili! Kili!' ordered Thorin. 'Gather the ponies!'

'I can help,' I told them, still atop the pony, while the rest of the company began setting up camp. Kili, who still sat in front me, snorted.

'Hey!' I whined.

Fili, with laughter in his voice, said, 'with all due respect, you did have difficulty collecting a pile of twigs'. He shared a look with his brother, looking as if both of them were the funniest beings in all the land. Idiots, they were.

'I did gather the wood,' I told them, grabbing my bag from the saddle and putting it across my shoulders. 'It was just the getting it back to camp that stumped me,' I shrugged.

'-To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense!' grumbled Gandalf, appearing all of a sudden and storming past us, his grip on his staff tight.

'Then look no more!' I said, spreading my arms, only to be ignored by the angry Wizard. Although, I had caught a smile from Ori, who looked as if he was trying to hard to bite it back.Success.

'And who's that?' inquired Bilbo, looked quite alarmed at Gandalf's abrupt departure.

'Myself, Mister Baggins!' barked the Wizard.

'Alright, Mister Modest,' I grumbled, attempting to clamber off of the pony with Kili still on it. Said Dwarf sighed and kicked himself off of the pony and steadily onto his feet. He then brushed his long hair back, gazed up at me, and held his arms out, looking expectant.

Ngh.

I slid off of the pony and into his arms, half-distracted by the fact that Gandalf had left. 'He will come back, won't he? He was the one who found me, he can't just leave me alone with you guys!'

Kili's eyes - which I now saw to be a dark shade of green - practically laughed at me. 'Are we so bad?' he inquired. The moment was broken by Fili slapping his brother on the back, reminding him of the task at hand. Kili and me, upon realizing we still half-held each other, stepped back quickly. Kili with a half smile, and me with a pink face.

'I'll take this one,' I said hurriedly, grabbing a random pony. 'Lead the way,' I told Fili, whose amused smile shrunk at my withering look.

We lead the ponies to the edge of the wood, where there once must have been a stable for horses that once resided there. The place was not too far from the camp that the other Dwarves were starting to set up. After a back and forth trip to get each pony, Thorin ordered Kili and Fili to watch over the ponies, until Nori and Ori took over later into the night.

I lingered around with the other Dwarves for a while, while Kili and Fili made their way over to the grazing ponies. After a moment of me sitting near the fire and nursing my aching thighs (bloody pony), I was approached my Bofur, who was holding a green cloak that I recognized to be his in his arms. I glanced at him, then at it. '...Yes?'

'Gandalf mentioned that you were a sower,' he began. 'Aye, I am able to fix clothing too, but I thought it better to have a professional. Would you mind?' he asked, holding out the cloak. 'The seam on the bottom has come undone, and I can't be doing with a broken cloak, not with the weather as it is'.

Unable to say no (and have nothing else to do) I had said yes. While I fought to find my sowing kit in my bag, Bofur sat beside, and I was once again dazzled by his hair and his hat.

'I was one of those who requested that you did join us on the quest, to Thorin,' he said, and his accent was thick. I glanced up from my sowing, my face softening slightly, but my words were a different story.

'I don't know whether to thank you,' I said. 'Or hit you'.

He laughed at that, and lent back into the grass, watching Bombur as he prepared his meal. 'Do you have a home, Miss Millie? If I may be so bold to ask,' he said hurriedly.

Utterly non-offended, I shook my head. 'No, I did, but not anymore. You can ask questions like that, you know,' I said suddenly. 'I won't be offended or, I don't know, blush. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a special case'.

Bofur chuckled lightly. 'You see, that's why I wanted you to join us. I think with us, you belong. Maybe you could even find a home among us, be it in Erebor, or the Blue Mountains. You should be with your own kind, Miss Millie'.

I was stumped, and even more stumped when he stood suddenly, smiled brightly and reached for the cloak, which I had finished around two minutes before. 'Well, isn't that just lovely! Many thank yous, Miss Millie'.

And with that, he was turning away and slapping Bofur on the back, who, subsequently, ended up spilling some soup down himself. I'd always remember that chat that I had with Bofur. Although Kili and Fili had made me feel welcome, Bofur spoke of a time when the quest would be over, when I would not know what to do with myself.

Which, actually, was an everyday occurrence for me.

After realizing that dinner would not be ready for some time, I stood and made my way over to the clearing where I knew the ponies to be, as well as Kili and Fili. Crickets sounded in the grass beneath me as I walked, and I cringed at the thought of stepping on one of them. Ugh, nature. Upon approaching the ponies, I heard the loud and familiar voices of the Oakenshield brothers.

'-Will you shut up?'

Ah, the ever charming Kili.

'It was just an observation, brother! It's not my fault when you become overly offended'.

And the annoying Fili.

They were standing - or more leaning - against two trees. Kili with his arms crossed, and Fili with a big, shit-eating grin on his face. His blue eyes jumped to my face as I came into view.

'Hola, amigos'.

Fili smiled widely. 'And there she is!' he practically chirped, gesturing at me. Kili's dark eyes had a different effect on me than Fili's, and my stomach did an embarrassing flip. Ugh, feelings.

'You two are being very loud,' I observed, approaching them. 'What were you arguing about?'

'Nothing,' said Kili.

I'd sent him a dry look. 'As if that won't pique my interest'. Knowing that they would not tell me, I changed the subject. 'I need the toilet, stay here and make sure nothing creeps up on me while I, you know, pee'.

Fili closed his eyes and shook head, while Kili gazed up at the heavens. 'There are somethings,' said Kili. 'That a woman does not share with a man'.

'Jesus Christ,' I ranted, dropping my bag onto the floor. 'It's not as if I'm peeing right here, is it? You men, I'm less of a prude that you are, and I'm meant to be the prim and proper woman'. With that, I turned on my heel and disappeared into the wood. Worried that they would hear me piddle, I ventured out a little further than I should have, did my business (ah, the relief) and then promptly yelped loudly when something dropped from a tree above, and onto my head.

It felt, looked, and sounded like a snake.

The sound of metal being drawn and twigs snapping should have had me backing away and into the general direction that Fili and Kili were coming from, but no, not me. Let me tell you this, dear reader. Alexandria Millicent Fournier does not like snakes. The way they unhinge their jaws when they eat, their slithery bodies, their faces.

They practically have me gagging when I think of them, and still do.

So, having had one drop onto my head, I was in a little bit of a horrified state. The thing wriggled around on the floor, and I jumped wildly away from it, and ended up bumping into something hard.

That time, I screamed properly.

'It is us, Millie!' assured Kili, turned me around and grabbing me by the shoulders. 'What is wrong?'

I pushed myself behind both of them, making sure that they guarded me safely. 'Okay, I get that you think I'm a weakling and a wimp but there is a snake over there, and you cannot blame someone for being a tiny bit terrified of their biggest phobia, can you? I'm sorry I made you panic, but it dropped on my head'. I gagged and shuddered. 'It was on me, oh God!'

The brothers shared a glance. 'You're scared of a grass snake?' The little shit was still having a freaking seizure on the floor, hissing and bitching. I made sure that Kili was firmly in front of me.

'Yes. They are horrible. How can you not hate-' I shuddered as they both turned to face me. 'They are simply tails with faces,' I informed them, as if this revelation was the worst of them all.

'I think it's time for you to go to bed,' suggested Kili. I shook my head, thinking of snakes in the grass that I had been so willing to sleep on. 'Alright then. Stand watch with Fili and I, until Nori and Ori take over'.

I sniffed and nodded. 'That sounds acceptable'.

He grinned at that and shared a short look with his brother. 'Come along then. You can tell us about the other phobias that I am sure you have'. They guided me the way that we had come, though I was hyper aware of anything that rustled in the trees.

'What the hell was a grass snake doing in a tree anyway? Stupid thing, doesn't even know what kind of snake that it is,' I grumbled, gracefully tripping over a tree root. Asplinteredtree root. Kili's had shot out to grab my elbow, righting me.

I thanked him, then I looked up.

The tree that I had tripped over looked like it had been pushed out of the way by something large. The trunk had splintered, and the roots were being pulled from the ground. My stomach dropped unpleasantly as thoughts of what had happened fluttered through my mind.

'Ah,' I said. 'That's not how we left it'.

'Indeed,' said Fili. 'Nor are the ponies. There are fourteen, where there were once sixteen'.

Seeing as you guys are reviewing so amazingly, I thought I'd shove up another chapter. I hope you like it, and we all know what comes next chapter, so review!

And yes guys, butterflies were cried.