Warnings: None.

October 31st, night

Sam

"Brr. It's cold here."

I shivered and rubbed my hands over my upper arms. Even though I was lying in my sleeping bag with three layers of clothes on – my long-sleeved T-shirt, my vest, and my jacket – I was still feeling cold. We were at the edge of the Misty Mountains, and it was most certainly freezing here, so we were all lying close to one another, trying to keep our body warmth as close to ourselves as possible, like penguins. I didn't think anyone was asleep, except for Kíli, who had been chasing animals for most of the day, and he was exhausted.

I heard Fíli shuffle next to me.

"Here, take this," he said, handing me something. It was his coat.

"You sure?" I asked. "Don't you need it yourself?"

It wasn't like I didn't want more clothes to keep me warm, but I was a bit worried about him. I didn't want him to be sick when we had to go into Moria. That would mean he'd be less focused and that'd mean a bigger chance for him to get hurt and die, and although I knew I could save him, I couldn't save him until he was dead, and that would mean that I'd have to watch him be in incredible pain and die. That'd probably scar me forever, and it wouldn't be so nice for him, either.

Fíli shook his head.

"No," he said. "The cold does not bother me. I am used to it."

I didn't reply; I had already started to put on the coat somewhere in the middle of his first sentence. It was nice and warm, and big enough to fit over my own jacket. I let out a sigh.

"Thanks. "

"No problem."

The silence returned, between us, at least; most of the other Dwarves were whispering things to each other. I caught some words from their quiet conversations.

"...a thousand Orcs..."

"...outnumbered..."

"...monster..."

I shivered again, but not because of the cold this time. I knew which monster they were talking about. The Balrog that lived in the Moria mines – a demon bigger and stronger than anything our small army had ever encountered, myself included, although I had come across quite a few big and strong creatures.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Fíli, who propped himself up on one elbow to look at me.

"Are you still cold?" he asked, sounding a little worried.

I shivered and shook my head.

"No," I replied. "It's just... this stuff about if the Monster of Moria is still there is freaking me out."

I didn't say that I knew that it must be there, because it would attack about sixty years from now, but that I simply didn't know whether it was captured or not.

I heard the blond prince chuckle softly. "Shall I tell you a story?"

"What?"

"Shall I tell you a story?" he repeated his question. "There was a story Mother used to tell Kíli and me. It might help us sleep, too."

I shrugged. "Okay."

The night was going to last long if I'd be awake, so I might as well kill some time. Fíli sat upright, his legs crossed on top of his sleeping bag.

"There once was a warrior, strong and fierce," he began, "and although this warrior was a woman, she was the strongest, smartest and fiercest of them all."

"Like Mulan."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. Go on."

"One day, a monster was found and accidentally released in her city – the wealthy city of Khazad-dûm. Everyone in the city fled; their king was killed, they were chased out of their homes. There was one person that stayed. Guess who?"

"That warrior girl you were talking about."

I was getting sleepy, and my voice was thick because of it.

"Correct. She stayed behind, thought up a plan to trick the monster, and captured it in a cage, strong enough to never let it out again. Her people did not dare return to the city, because they did not dare find out what else was hidden in the depts of their city, and so they left. Mother said that they then travelled towards Erebor."

He sighed softly.

"I thought of this warrior when I met you. Strong, fierce, smart, and with a good heart; you are much alike."

Unfortunately, I didn't hear that compliment. Fíli told me later on that he had said that, because somewhere at the end of the story, I had fallen asleep.

A/N:

Damn, I sure hope I'm doing this 'they-are-slowly-starting-to-like-each-other' thing right... :P