A/N: Shoutout to Rythulian124 and Hanna :) Thanks guys.

I was reediting Chapter 2, but had to repost all, for the order to work, hence the spam in your folders, sorry about that folks.

Big hugs to my beta Tyren :)

On with the show :D

Chapter 11: Thoughts And Feelings

From feeling like she was burning inside and out, Linshara slowly began to feel cold, her skin tight and strained. She was still lying on her stomach on the back of the great eagle that'd come to her rescue, just trying to proverbially pick herself back up again but everything hurt so much and she felt burned, drained and now slowly chilling. On top of that she wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd rescued her.

~Peace, Starwalker~ the eagle spoke into her mind.

Leaning her cheek against the feathers on the back of his neck, she tried to project back. ~My name is Linshara…~ she said.

His feathers were so soft, she could almost fall asleep and get lost in them. But with her injuries, she knew she couldn't fall asleep or she may never wake again, and she was too drained to heal through the power of the Force. She well and truly needed help.

~How is it that you can talk?~ She decided to keep the conversation flowing.

The Eagle seemed to sense his and follow her line of thought, ~our kind was brought into existence by Manwe Sulimo. Lord of the Winds and chiefest among the Valar.~

She nodded into the feathers, trying to stop her eyes from drooping. ~Why? I'm sorry it sounds like a silly question...where I come from there are no creatures such as you, that I know of.~

She could almost feel him smile, if that were possible through telepathy. ~We were sent by the Lord of the Valar to keep an eye over the Noldorin exiles and to aid the free peoples in their battle against the Dark Lord and now you, in the battle against the Red One. He must not ally himself with the evil forces of this realm.~

~The Noldor...the Kinslayers..~ She remembered what Gandalf had told her in their travels so far.

~And those that followed.~

Linshara grabbed tighter hold over the Eagle's neck as he did a steep turn and dive, ~I will not allow that to happen, the Red One to win, not while I live.~

~That is an encouraging thought~

She readjusted her sword so it lay tip side down and flat side against the eagle's back. ~Where are you taking me?~

~To an ally. He will offer a safe haven, he will help you.~ Landroval made a descent slowly.

She felt a drop in the pit of her stomach and somewhat queasy considering she was still injured, which for a moment, she'd actually forgotten. Linshara grabbed tighter to him and closed her eyes, focused on not expunging whatever it is she had left in her stomach as they descended.

~His name is Beorn~ Landroval spoke again, ~he is a skin changer~

~Skin changer?~

~He changes from a man into a bear.~

~You have shape shifters?~ What was next, walking skeletons?

~We do indeed.~

The Eagle swooped down to what looked like a small house surrounded by a giant round hedge. Landroval flew over the hedge and settled near a very tall and hairy looking man.

~We shall meet again, Starwalker, fare you well.~ Landroval shifted gently so Beorn could lift her off of him since she had little strength.

~Perhaps one day, we can speak without the shadow of darkness looming over us. Good journey, Landroval~ Linshara reached out in the Eagle's direction.

Landroval bowed his head a little, bumping his 'forehead' against her shaking palm. ~We shall.~

He straightened up and took a few clawed steps away from them, spreading his wings. The soft morning light illuminated his outline. He was truly a majestic creature. Once again, Linshara felt in awe of this place she'd come to be stuck in. Simplistic, lacking any technology yet at the same time, so immensely complex and powerful. With a great swoop of his wings, he flew away.

She found it ironic, as she lay in the arms of a big hairy man, that she realized, she could call this place home. Before she could dwell on it more, she heard the man's thickly accented voice and looked up into his large yellow eyes.

"Welcome to the Carrock, Starwalker. I am Beorn." He said.

She coughed a little as she tried to talk, and smiled a little crookedly, realizing only just now, that she'd dropped her sword on the ground as Beorn took her off of Landroval.

"My name...is….Linshara." She managed finally, surprised at just how hard it was to actually talk. The mental conversation hid the extent of her internal injuries it seemed.

Beorn nodded, "I believe my guests would be someone you know."

Her eyes widened a little as she reached up, palm on his chest, "they..'re h..ere? All..of them?"

Unbeknownst to both, Gandalf had stepped out as Landroval landed, and he observed the interaction. It wasn't until Linshara asked about them that he made his presence known.

"We are indeed. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you live, my dear." The old wizard smiled down at her.

She coughed again. "Barely…"

"We need to get her inside." Beorn said turning towards the entrance to the house.

Gandalf nodded and stepped ahead of them. Linshara felt oddly calmed as Beorn carried her. When she touched his skin, she felt power beneath it, something she couldn't explain to herself, nor did she try in her current state.

"Liiiiiiiinnnn! Lass! Linshara!" She heard excited calls as Beorn stepped through the door with the battered Jedi in his arms.

She saw Fili and Kili rush towards her, followed by Bofur and Ori. "Are you alright? What happened? Who was that? Was that the Slyth? That was an amazing display of power!" The myriad of questions nearly overwhelmed her.

She tried to get them to stop, but they wouldn't let up until Gandalf's voice boomed over them. "Give her some space for goodness sake!" He shook his head at the dwarves and motioned for Beorn to place her on the biggest and softest part of the hay he could find.

Linshara groaned deeply as Beorn set her down, her body remembering the pain it was in. "Give me some room. Fili, go fetch her sword. Oin, I will need your help. Bofur, see if we have any of the elvish bread left, the rest of you see if you can find a spare piece of clothing that she could wear."

The wizard looked at the dwarves who suddenly got quiet and were looking from the wizard to their leader who was oddly silent. Gandalf gave him a very pointed look. Dwalin looked at Thorin with an imploring look, whilst Balin seemed to lean in the other direction.

"Do it." The dwarf king grumbled.

Noone seemed to noticed that Fili had gone without waiting for Thorin's approval. Oin ambled over to her, his kind smile ever present.

"How are ye feelin' lass?" He asked as he began to push away her duster and unbutton the waistcoat underneath.

She could barely move, now that the adrenaline was wearing off. "Oh...just...peachy."

The elder dwarf grinned crookedly, "excellent," he was clearly running with her sarcastic joke. "Cuts and bruises then?" His face fell a little then as he began to take true stock of her injuries.

She winced as he probed at her broken cheek, "oh yes...just an ointment...ssssss", a deep breath, "will...do." This forced her into another coughing fit.

Gandalf stepped away from them.

"Burns...inside…" Linshara explained.

Oin nodded. He began to inspect the rest of her, poking and prodding gently. She winced several times when he touched the right side of her ribcage, and her right knee. The actual cuts, she barely felt, mostly the few big ones, and the lightsaber burn across her chest.

It wasn't until she saw a shadow looming over that she looked up slowly, seeing the concerned visage of the golden prince.

"Fili…" she croaked, a small smile on her face.

He kneeled next to her and showed that he'd retrieved her blade. He placed it above her head on a beam and looked down at her again, a fond smile on his face, the usual barriers behind his eyes gone.

"I feared you gone." He admitted softly as he looked her over, golden brow furrowing at her injuries.

Gandalf leaned over them and handed Oin a clay pot, a square wrap and a clay glass filled with something as well as some clean cloth and a bowl of water before he left them again.

Linshara felt an unexpected rush of emotion at Fili's words. Slowly she reached a hand up and placed it on his bearded cheek and rubbed gently, slightly choking up on what exactly she wanted to say. His large hand closed over her's gently and he turned his cheek into her palm, placing a gentle kiss into it.

"Don't speak, heal first." He urged, as she winced when Oin applied an ointment to one of her burns, "I will come later."

Gandalf returned again with a big thick blanket which he fixed over the entrance to the enclosure she was in so as to give them some privacy, as Oin would need to remove her clothing to fully inspect her, and the less prying eyes the better, what for their own minds and her own decency.

About an hour later, she was as clean as she could be, dressed in fresh clothes and propped up a little. Her hair was free of restraints but still somewhat dirty and matted. She would have to wash it when she was more mobile. Gandalf urged them to leave the heavy conversation for the morning after she's had time to rest, meditate and heal.

Gandalf had concocted that liquid again, which he'd given when she first met him. It had helped her inner burns considerably, but she still had some force healing through meditation to do before she would recover completely.

She felt Fili sit next to her as she unwrapped the square wrap and bit into it. Jerking her head a bit to the right, she blinked. She felt instantly better. How was this possible?

Fili was clearly amused, she could tell. "It is elvish bread. They say one small bite can fill the stomach of a grown man."

Linshara nodded, taking another bite. She was famished she realized. Finally she looked over at Fili. "I am glad you are all alright." Her voice was still somewhat croaky but she could finally speak.

Fili smiled warmly at her, "and we that you survived. That was nearly fatal for all of us. I saw the Red One briefly, feared for you." He admitted almost shyly.

Moving now easier for her, she placed her hand on his which were intertwined together on his knee. "The Force was with me after all, it watches over those who wield it."

The words were more for comfort than for anything else, but he seemed eased by them. He unentwined his hands and wrapped them around hers, rubbing them them gently. His emotions were a lot closer to the surface but still behind a barrier.

Her green eyes caught his blue ones, searching the other's. Truth be told she wasn't sure what she was searching for. She found comfort though, yet a rush at the same time. Was this fondness she held for the Heir of Durin growing? Or was it just stress?

He held her hand up and brought it to his lips placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles and smiling at her. "We'll talk more after you rest, zakal." His tone was soft a smile on his face. "Rest."

She could hardly believe she was blushing, when was the last time someone showered her with this much affection? ~Never.~

As he stood and pulled back the blanket curtain again, she shifted down a little, finishing her lembas bread before shuffling as best she could and settling for some sleep. Lost in thought, sleep came sooner to her than she expected.