I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J

The company marched through the narrow path, although it was slow going. Bombur, being considerably wider than elves, kept getting stuck, and the company would have to pause for a few minutes while his cousin, Bifur, pushed him through.

Thorin was walking with a purposeful stride, and a glower that would have shriveled anything in its path. He was furious at Gandalf, both for forcing his hand at allowing the elf to help the injured girl, and for the underhanded way Gandalf ignored his wishes concerning his quest by leading them to Rivendell. He had questioned Gandalf's thoughts on this quest right from the onset, but, knowing that they had no chance in all of Arda against the dragon without the wizard's cooperation, he had eventually agreed to what Gandalf had suggested each time. But, this time he felt as though the grey wizard had gone way too far.

If he had had his wish, they would have hidden in the secret pass while the elves had fought off the wargs, then climbed out when all was quiet and continued on. Unfortunately, Kili had tripped, and his plan had become completely useless. The moment when he had realized that his youngest nephew would be killed right in front of his eyes had been absolutely terrifying to him. He loved the boys like they were his own sons, and, since he had been their father figure for over half their lives, he knew they regarded him as such. And he never would have forgiven himself for not reaching him in time.

What tore his heart even more was that he knew that Fili could not live if his brother died. They were so close, that Fili would not have the strength to go on and he would become a ghost of a shell, if he survived at all. He would be racked with grief and sorrow, and also of guilt. For, like his uncle, he would have never forgiven himself if he had let his younger brother die. From the moment Kili had been born, Fili had sworn to protect him always. Even though Thorin knew that a time may come where he couldn't protect him, and told Fili so, Fili still insisted that he would never let harm come to Kili.

Thorin had experienced the same pain when his brother, Frerin, had died. He had fallen at the Battle of Azanulbizar, along with the rest of Thorin's family save Dis, and Thorin had held him until his dying breath. He knew the pain of swearing to protect a younger brother, and of failing in his charge. He never, ever wanted Fili to experience what he had. But, Eru had had other plans, and for all Thorin did to try and tell Fili that it was a promise he may not be able to keep, he could not convince the elder that he couldn't protect his younger brother from everything. He finally gave up when Dis had told him that sometimes he had to let the boys learn life's hard lessons on their own. He wanted to protect them from the dangers life held, but as they became young men, and finally of age, he had realized (with Dis's help) that he must allow them to make their own decisions. And when the boys decided to join his company, he could not have been more proud of them.

He had expected them to join him on the quest, ever since Fili had heard that he was actually planning to reclaim Erebor, and not just dreaming about it. Kili always followed where Fili led, and so Thorin knew that, if Fili came, Kili would not be left behind. In a way, their first decision as grown dwarves had been more Fili's decision and Kili coming along for the ride, as it had always been.

He most certainly did not expect Kili's own first decision by himself as a grown dwarf to be asking elves for aid of all things! Had he even been listening during all those lessons on history and politics?! Or had Thorin and Balin simply been wasting their breath? He growled low in his throat and let out a loud exasperated sigh as the company finally reached the end of the narrow walls and looked out upon the very valley he had sworn he would never set foot in. Ever.

XXX

Lindir did not look the slightest bit happy at what he had been ordered to do, Kili noted, trying to keep a straight face at the obvious discomfort of the elf. He stood behind and to the side of Lord Elrond as he informed Lindir in Westron that the dwarves were to be their guests. Thirteen dwarves, in fact, in addition to a hobbit and Mithrandir. And when Lord Elrond had told Lindir that he was to greet the dwarf party, and inform them that there were to be food and lodgings prepared for them immediately, if Lord Elrond had not finished cleaning up by the time they arrived, Lindir's cheeks turned red in indignation and Kili could swear that the elf looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. The elf nodded his head, and accepted the orders stiffly, casting a sidelong glare at the smug dwarf, who smirked at him in return.

Lord Elrond nodded to Kili, and then left. Lindir openly glared at Kili, and said in a stiff voice, "Come, master dwarf. Your lodgings are this way." Kili followed him along three hallways, down a flight of stairs, and along another corridor until they reached a large room at the end. Some elves were busy hauling in fifteen feather beds, most man-sized (elf sized?) and one that was obviously for a child, laying the soft mattresses directly on the floor. Kili guessed the small one to be for Bilbo. Others were bringing in bedding, setting the pillows, blankets, and sheets on the foot of each bed.

Two elves brought in two washbasins and two pitchers and set them on a side table, along with a few small towels. A slightly ajar door off to the side revealed a smaller room with what appeared to be a hot spring right in the middle of the floor, tendrils of steam wafting up from the clear water. Kili moved to the side as another elf brought in two large stacks of towels and several bars of flowery smelling soap. He couldn't help the slight grin that ghosted over his face at the thought of the thirteen strong dwarves of the company smelling like roses.

The elves had finished their preparations and all left the room save Lindir and an elf woman. He muttered something to her, and she nodded and scurried out. Lindir turned toward Kili, and Kili was pleased to note that his jaw was still tight.

"Dinner will be served in half an hour," he said through gritted teeth, "I will arrive to escort you to Lord Elrond's study at that time. I trust-" Here, his eyes looked over the travel-stained clothing of the dwarf and his nose wrinkled in disgust, "You will have made yourself presentable by then." He turned on his heel and left the room quickly, not sparing the insulted dwarf a second glance. It was well that he didn't, however, because said dwarf immediately made a very rude gesture in igleshmek behind the elf's back, giving him a dirty look at the same time.

The door shut with a soft click, and Kili muttered a few choice words under his breath at the arrogant elf. He was more than willing to admit that, thanks to the disgusting troll's bags, he probably did not smell very inviting. He leaned down and sniffed his tunic, and scrunched up his face. Well, maybe the elf had a point. Plus, his tunic and his arms were still covered in the girl's blood, and the thought of what happened again made him feel a little sick to his stomach.

He made his way into what he assumed was meant to be the bath. The warm steam rising from the hot spring made the room rather humid, but the breeze wafting in from the small windows high up on the wall made it bearable. He locked the door behind him, not wanting any elves to enter uninvited, and began to remove his armor and clothing. He propped his weapons up against the wall, wishing to keep them handy. He slid into the hot bath, sighing with relief as the hot water instantly began to soothe his sore muscles. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, relishing the feeling of finally being able to rest.

He still wasn't sure whether or not he could trust these elves. Thorin's warnings from many years rang through his head, and caused the young dwarf some bewilderment. Sure, Lindir and most of the other elves had looked on him with suspicion, if not downright disgust. The many long years of animosity between their races were very apparent in the way the elves had regarded him, and only at Lord Elrond's insistence had they managed to keep their scorn mostly to themselves. Kili's brow furrowed in thought.

Lord Elrond had confused him. It stood to reason that the elves had been protecting their own lands when they fought off the orc pack, but why had he insisted on helping the injured girl? She had not taken injury defending any of his men, nor did Kili think she was an elf given her stature. He could be wrong, he supposed, given that he had never met elves before, nor did he ever see her ears. However, he had always been told that elves were ridiculously tall, like the trees they lived under.

The only way the girl could be an elf given her stature is if she were a child, he thought. But, while Kili did not understand much about the physical differences between men and women (his mother had always sent him to his uncle whenever he had asked about that particular topic, seeming to think that boys should ask men and girls should ask women, and his uncle had always stuttered, turned red in the face, and sent him back to his mother, and he had finally given up on getting answers from either of them) one thing he did know, at least with dwarves, was that girl-children were flat chested like boys, whereas grown women like his mother had different chests than men.

This girl was not flat chested (it had been hard not to notice given that he had put pressure on her wound just below her chest, however he had tried not to stare out of respect for her), so she must be fully grown, if not close to it. She did not seem to have a beard, so was she a human? Is that why Lord Elrond had helped her? But yet, humans, like elves, were at least several inches taller than dwarves as well. Kili honestly wasn't sure what to make of her.

There was another thing that was greatly confusing him. Why had she saved his life? He was not her kin, nor did he think that she was even the same race as him. Was it because he had been kind to her in the cave? No, because she had seemed terrified of him. She had seemed to recognize his uncle, and had treated him as though he was her King, insisting on bowing to him despite her injuries paining her. Kili shook his head in bewilderment, and leaned forward to duck his head under water, washing the grime of travel away.

He brought his head out of the water, his face not being able to withstand the heat for long, and reached for a bar of soap. He sniffed it, wrinkling his nose. If Fili and the others noticed that he smelled like a flowery elf maiden, he would never hear the end of it. It was bad enough that he had finer features and a scant beard compared to other dwarves his age- he had often been teased for being a girl, especially when he was younger. It wouldn't help if he happened to smell like one as well. He had a sneaky suspicion that Lindir had ordered rose scented soap for the dwarves' room deliberately and decided it was another good reason to dislike the uppity elf.

But, he decided with chagrin, he was desperate to rid his body of the nasty troll smell and the blood staining his hands, and, with a frustrated sigh of defeat, he rubbed the soap on a cloth and began to rid his body of the dirt and grime and blood covering it. He was a bit surprised to see that, no matter how dirty he was, the water never got darker. He supposed it must have a way for the old water to exit and new water to come in, even if it appeared to be a still pool.

Just as he leaned forward to rinse his hair, a loud knock sounded on the bathroom door, startling him with a rather undignified yelp as he slipped on the bottom of the pool, careening into the water head first with a loud splash. He came up sputtering and cursing, soapy water running into his blurry eyes.

"What?" he growled, hands blindly searching for a towel. He felt soft fabric under his hand and rubbed his face, finally being able to see, though his eyes still stung. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment as he realized that whoever was on the opposite side of the door must have heard the entire thing, because he could hear some stifled chortling coming from the other side of the door.

"Lord Elrond has sent me with some clothing for you to wear for dinner, and instructed me to take yours and have them washed, given that they are rather, unsuitable for dinner," he heard a familiar voice spit out, the elf's voice still wavering with suppressed laughter. Kili gritted his teeth, vowing that if Lindir began to full on laugh at his expense he would be more than happy to tell him exactly what he could do with said elvish clothes, and it would most definitely not be their customary use.

"If you think I am going to unlock that door as long as you are in here, you are far more stupid that even I thought, and that's saying something," Kili retorted, wondering what would happen if the bar of soap next to him just happened to slip out of his hand and smash against the intricately carved wooden door. The stifled laughter ceased, and Kili heard a soft thud on the other side of the door, followed by pounding footsteps and a door slamming shut. He laughed heartily. The elves he had encountered walked so softly that Lindir must have been very offended indeed if his footsteps had pounded that hard. He didn't like to think about what would happen if Lord Elrond suddenly decided to let Lindir have free reign, and decided that he should probably begin to at least attempt civility before he got both him and the injured girl kicked out of the valley.

His laughter ceased as he thought again of the girl, and his mien turned again to worry. He grabbed a towel and dried off quickly, before cracking the door open just enough to see into the room. Seeing no one, he reached through the door and grabbed the clothes before shutting and locking the door again.

He eyed the elvish clothes with a bit of distaste. Dwarf clothing resembled the dwarves themselves- very angular and intricate, like the gems and gold they wrought. The elvish clothing in his hands, however, had silvery vines embroidered on it, and the ends of the tunic much resembled the shape of leaves. It was a teal blue like his tunic, and yet so very different. There was also a pair of grey leggings to match the silver embroidery, and one look at them told Kili that he would have to roll up the ends in order to not trip on them. He knew he would be lucky if he didn't trip on the tunic as well.

He glanced at his admittedly filthy and muddy clothing, and decided that it would be rather difficult to eat if he still smelled of troll. He wished he had time to wash his clothes, but he knew Lindir would be back very soon, and he would have little choice if he wanted to get food. He donned the tunic and leggings reluctantly. For once, he thanked Mahal that he was slightly more slender than most dwarves, otherwise the tunic would be way too tight across the chest. It was still a bit snug, but he could breathe. If he had his brother's stockier build, he seriously doubted he could have even gotten it on.

He put his clothing in the bath to soak, with exception of his leather jacket, which had to be cleaned with a cloth. Then he donned his socks and boots and slung his bow on his back, and entered the bedchamber. Thankfully, the tunic remained above the floor, albeit not by much. There was a small mirror over the washbasins, and he ran his fingers through his damp hair before fastening it with his silver clasp. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and sighed heavily, looking down. If his uncle hadn't been furious with him before, he most definitely would be now, with his nephew dressed and smelling like an elf.

But then his stomach growled loudly, and he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. If being on time for dinner meant getting to eat, whereas being late meant not, then he would succumb to looking like an elf, if only during dinner. But he did not look forward to the inevitable teasing that was in store for him later. He resolved to wash his clothes the second dinner was over, so he didn't have to wear this awful elvish garb for any longer than necessary. A knock on the door sounded, and Kili squared his shoulders and stood tall. They may be mocking him for all he knew, but he would not let them have the satisfaction of the elves knowing they had gotten under his skin. He was of the line of Durin, and a Prince of his people. He would cower to no one, least of all elves.

He only hoped his uncle wouldn't hate him for what he had done.

XXX

The dwarves marched down the road that led them toward the last homely house east of the sea. Their path was soon joined by another path that Bilbo guessed the elven host had taken, judging by the fresh hoof prints in the soft soil. He had been completely speechless as he finally gazed upon the elven valley that he had so often dreamed about as a child. If he was completely honest with himself, even as an adult the Tookish side of him had never stopped wishing to see elves either. He was finally going to get to see elves at last! He kept gazing in awe at everything he saw, drinking it all in as a man lost in the desert would drink an oasis. He felt as though he had stepped into the Elder days, and it was absolutely breathtaking. He firmly decided that, should he ever wish to leave the Shire and go somewhere else to spend the end of his days, it would most definitely be here. There was a feeling of peace, as though nothing bad ever entered this land, and he immediately began to feel as though the exhaustion that had plagued him for a couple weeks now was beginning to dissipate as though it were but a memory. He couldn't stop the rather undignified grin that adorned his face, until he remembered the reason why they were here. His face sobered as he wondered if the poor girl was still alive.

He had been no less surprised than anyone else when Kili and Fili had emerged from the troll cave with the young, frightened girl in Kili's arms. He had instantly felt pity for her, wondering what awful thing had happened that such a young girl would end up out in the middle of nowhere and missing her dress. His thoughts wandered to stories of brigands raiding villages and ambushing travelers. Being among the company of heavily armed dwarves (as he had found out after Fili and Kili had dumped their own arsenal in his bewildered arms in Bag End-the two of them alone had more weapons than all of Hobbiton combined he was sure!) he needn't have feared being attacked by brigands on the road-he was quite sure the dwarves were intimidating enough that no bandit would dare to even attempt to attack them.

When the girl had bowed to Thorin, he wondered how she possibly knew that he was the leader of their company. He had noticed that she seemed to match Kili for height, and thought that perhaps she may be a dwarf. But that had confused him even more, for in conversation one night he had asked Bofur about the stories that there are no dwarf women, and asked him if it was true. Bofur had laughed heartily, and the others had joined in, leaving a very confused and red faced hobbit wondering just what was so funny. Once they had calmed down, Bofur had explained to him that yes, dwarf women very much existed, though they were few, and they seldom, if ever went abroad unless at great need. He also explained that, when they did, they often disguised themselves as dwarf men for safety.

When Bilbo had asked how they could do that when the dwarf men had such large beards and women don't, Bofur had chuckled and said that dwarf women had beards too, but they were far finer and tended to be more off to the side and along the jaw line, though he had met one or two that had just as fine a beard as some of the dwarf men, Gloin's wife being one of them. Bofur had waved Gloin over, and explained to him what their conversation had been about. Gloin had laughed, and had proudly shown him a locket with his wife and son, Gimli.

Hobbits generally didn't have beards, and neither did their women or children, so Bilbo most definitely wasn't expecting Gloin's wife to have such a full one. He was a bit startled at seeing what was clearly a woman (and a child) with beards, but, seeing how proud Gloin was of his wife, and having not had Gloin been all that warm towards him until now, had decided to compliment her magnificent beard, though he felt a bit foolish doing so. Gloin had beamed, and slapped Bilbo heartily on the back, causing the poor unsuspecting hobbit to nearly go head over heels and start coughing, much to everyone's amusement.

So Bilbo had been rather confused at seeing the girl with no beard after what Bofur had said, since she had been shorter than both Thorin and Dwalin, but much taller than a hobbit woman. But at this point he didn't really care what she was. She had saved Kili, and Bilbo had been grateful for that. Kili had been the first one to befriend him, although it had grated on Bilbo's nerves that for the entire first week Kili had gotten his name wrong and insisted on calling him "Mr. Boggins" at every turn. And when Fili and Kili had started throwing his dishes at his home he had nearly had a heart attack.

But Kili had defended him to the company, despite everyone else (himself included) insisting that he wasn't a burglar and shouldn't come along on the quest. Kili had also been the only one (except the wizard who recruited him in the first place and the deaf Oin who seemed to think he was an expert burglar) who had been willing to bet on him joining them. And, though Kili's teasing about the orcs and other pranks he had pulled on Bilbo had annoyed him at times, he had been reassured by Balin that it was because Kili had taken a liking to him.

So when Bilbo had heard Thorin and Fili yell Kili's name with panic in their voices, he had been filled with horror. He had also found out that Kili was the youngest of the company and that the others barely considered him of age, and the thought that the boy would die such a cruel death at the hands of a warg made Bilbo's heart plummet into his stomach. He was so relieved to see Kili shaken up but unharmed, only to see the poor girl lying in the pool of blood, the elf and Gandalf trying frantically to save her life. He had felt very worried, and felt guilty that he had jumped into the passage so quickly. He did not know how he could have ever hoped to defend the two when he had quite literally become the owner of a sword less than an hour before, but he liked to think that he could have done something to keep it from happening.

If there was one thing Hobbits did fiercely, it was protect women and children. The fact that a woman had gotten hurt and that he hadn't been able to prevent it made him feel as if he had failed. He wondered if the others had felt the same, especially Thorin, who, despite his first displeased reaction at the girl's discovery, had been willing to risk fighting the elves to protect her. It confused Bilbo, who had no understanding of blood debts among dwarves. Gandalf had told Thorin to leave the talking to him, saying that the only ill will to be found was that which he brought himself. Bilbo had his doubts, but still dared to hope that Thorin wouldn't say something stupid and make things worse.

The company crossed over a narrow stone bridge, and the rushing waters below made Bilbo nervous. He could not swim (most hobbits couldn't) and there were no railings to keep him from falling into the river below. He tried to keep his mind off it by admiring the elven architecture before them.

XXX

The company arrived in a round stone circle, where an elf clad in dark lavender descended the steps to greet them. Bilbo heard Thorin whisper to Dwalin, "Stay sharp" and couldn't help but notice how the elf addressed Gandalf, conveniently ignoring the company. They spoke in elvish for a second, and Gandalf asked for Lord Elrond.

"Lord Elrond is indisposed for the moment, but he has instructed me to inform you…" the elf stopped as Gandalf looked behind him and smiled.

"Ah, Lord Elrond," Gandalf said. Lindir moved aside to allow his Lord to move past him.

"Mellon nin," Gandalf said. The wizard and Lord Elrond embraced in a warrior's hug, before Gandalf pulled back, concern in his features.

"How is the girl?" he asked. The dwarves gathered behind Gandalf and looked to Lord Elrond, deadly serious as they fingered their weapons, but did not draw them. Lord Elrond's face showed concern as he looked to Gandalf, before his gaze settled on Thorin.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," he said to the dwarf.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin replied coolly, a little surprised at the elf knowing who he was, and heightening the concern Balin had mentioned earlier regarding Kili's safety.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thrór when he ruled under the mountain," Lord Elrond replied.

"Indeed, he made no mention of you," Thorin replied somewhat icily. Lord Elrond sighed, trying to remain civil.

"What of our injured companion?" Thorin asked, his expression demanding answers.

"She has lost a lot of blood, and it will take two weeks or so for her body to begin to replace what she lost. There were several broken warg teeth in her wounds as well. I got them all out, and her wound was cleaned, stitched up and bandaged," Lord Elrond replied. Thorin nodded, still suspicious of the elf, but approving of the treatment.

"What about infection?" Thorin asked gruffly, attempting to continue being civil as he addressed the elf lord.

"I put athelas, or Kingsfoil as you may know it, in the wounds before they were stitched. It will help keep infection at bay, but we won't know for certain that she won't contract infection for a few days. She is very weak and remains unconscious, which is to be expected considering how much blood she lost. She is resting in a healing room right now," he replied. Thorin nodded, then fixed the elf with steely eyes.

"And the dwarf that brought her here? Where is he?" Thorin asked. The tall bald dwarf uncrossed his arms, and casually set his hand on the head of his warhammer, but Lord Elrond read the very clear meaning behind the gesture.

If any harm has come to him, I will kill you without hesitation.

He noticed many of the other dwarves, Thorin and the young blond one especially, looked coiled and ready to spring at the slightest hint of ill news regarding their young companion. He did not blame them. Dwarves were very protective of their kin, especially blood kin, and Lord Elrond was very wise. Though he had never met Thorin Oakenshield before, tales of his hatred for elves had spread far and wide. He had a pretty good idea that they were afraid that he knew who the young dwarf was and his relation to Thorin and had imprisoned him, or worse. And, if Lord Elrond's guess was correct, the blond dwarf looked similar enough to Thorin and was of a similar enough age to Kili that he guessed him to be the young dwarf prince's elder brother.

"Do not worry, Thorin, son of Thrain. He is unharmed and freshening up in the room I have ordered prepared for you. You and your kin are welcome to stay in Rivendell until your female companion is healed," Lord Elrond replied.

Thorin nodded, then Lord Elrond continued to look at the dwarves as he ordered his servants in elvish to bring dinner to his study for his guests, and to fetch the young dwarf as well, for not all of his servants understood Westron. Plus, Lord Elrond felt that Thorin could do with a little bit of humility after his rude insult earlier about not having met formally before. As he had guessed, the dwarves jumped to conclusions, and cried out in indignation.

"What is he saying? Is he offering us insult?" Gloin growled. Gandalf rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"No master Gloin. He is offering you food!" he replied to the dwarf, casting a somewhat amused sidelong glance at Lord Elrond, who managed to keep a straight face in return.

The dwarves huddled together and quietly discussed the matter, before turning back toward the elf lord.

"Well, in that case, lead on," Gloin muttered. Gandalf allowed a small smile of triumph to grace his features as the company ascended the stairs.

If he played his cards right, perhaps he could convince Thorin to ask Elrond to get the answers they need. If not, perhaps he should go ahead and whack Thorin over the head with his staff. Goodness knows he has been tempted to do just that far too many times on this quest already, and he would love a good excuse to knock some sense into the stubborn dwarf king.

He could sure use it, Gandalf thought with a chuckle, Even if it doesn't work, it would sure make me feel better at least.