Well, I was wrong.

Apparently Fili was not on my side.

Three days had come and gone since our little incident with the Easterlings. I spent much of that night and the days that followed trying to redeem myself for the mistake I made. Thorin barely looked at me; didn't even seem to listen. My opinion was invalid to most. I was just a stupid girl trying to be something I was not: A warrior.

At least that's the conclusion I came up with.

No one had really said it out loud…but I could tell by the way they looked at me. The sideways glance. The scuff and glare.

It was something I was slowly becoming used to.

Bilbo and Kili were the only two who would speak to me about silly things. Sight seeing mostly or the occasional joke. They kept me sane for these three quiet days. Fili had taken to traveling in the back where he could keep a better eye on our tails. No need to have any one sneaking up on us and taking the company by surprise.

Or he just didn't want me to fall behind…wander off…whatever he thought I might do. It was easier to keep a closer eye on me from the back of the group.

How did I know that? Because I would catch the arse watching me. Frequently. It actually started to make my skin crawl. Creeper.

If I had the courage to knock him upside the head, I would have done so a day or two ago, but he was far too angry with me to be so bold.

A sigh from my lips brought Bilbo next to me. He made it a point to stay as close as possible. The acting role of the 'big brother' or something like that. To defend me against those who might speak to me with a foul tongue. He had mumbled that plan more than a few times. He didn't like the way some of the group glared at me. It was sweet. Really. Annoying, but sweet.

"Everything alright, Miss Emma?" Concern lacing his tone.

"Aye Bilbo. I am just tired, is all. How long before we make camp?"

Bilbo leaned in, keeping his voice low. "To be honest, I am not sure. They haven't told me a thing since this morning."

Poor Bilbo. He was in the same boat as me. Most believed he shouldn't be on this journey at all. He was just a hobbit after all. And I was just a sad little girl who brought them nothing but trouble.

"Well I suppose we'll just have to deal with being the outcasts, Bilbo my old friend. For it would seem we have been labeled as such." I said louder than I anticipated.

I was sure I had caught the attention of a few dwarves, but I refused to even give them the time of day. They were the ones shunning me. What did I care what they thought if I got a little loud?

"Keep your voices down back there." The commanding voice of our so-called leader rippled back to us.

I scuffed at his demand. More like snorted, actually.

Bilbo gave me a side-glance. "Miss Emma, you should really listen to him. More trouble is not something we need."

I crossed my arms and looked away from him. He was right, but it didn't stop me from opening my big fat mouth.

"Not like it's going to matter anyway. This lot seems to find trouble all on their own without my help. Just you wait."

Raising a confused, but concerned brow at me, Bilbo gave me his full attention. "What do you mean?"

I only rolled my eyes. My annoyance of this who situation was starting to me at me.

Shut down. Just shut down. It was the only thoughts in my head. Talking was the last thing I wanted to do at the moment.

Then, just as I was starting to talk myself out of bursting into a fit of rage, I felt eyes on me again. This time, however, I swiveled my head around to catch Fili's stare head on and give him a glare I hoped would scare him into never laying eyes on me again.

My attempt seemed futile as he continued to glare openly at me, not fearing my attitude in the least bit.

Giving up, I turned away with a rather loud huff and trudged with the rest of the group with anger in each stomp.

THIRD PERSON POV

"Must you be so cruel to her?" Kili whined next to his eldest brother. He would catch Fili staring at her so often he had lost count.

When the poor lass had retaliated by giving Fili a taste of his own medicine, only to have it backfire, he felt sorry for everything she was forced to endure.

"Why? Does it not bother you at all what she did? She put us all in danger because she wandered off like a fool when I told her to stay put. She deserves nothing less than a beating." Fili's harsh words brought a frown to Kili's.

"Are you more upset because she put us in danger, or that she put herself in danger?" The moment the words came out of his mouth, a dagger just barely missed his head and thudded into the tree they passed.

Recovering from the quick evasion, Kili smirked at his fuming brother. "Struck a nerve, have I?"

"Hold you tongue!" Fili spat out, obviously annoyed with the accusation...that happened to be entirely true.

Kili, ignoring the wrath of Fili, slung an arm over the blonde dwarf's shoulders and gave him a cheeky smirk. "You are entirely transparent. I wouldn't take up acting if I were you. You'd make a terrible living."

"This is no laughing matter!" He threw Kili's arm from his shoulder and quickened his pace to get away from his idiotic brother. The move did little to deter him.

"How can it be when you're so strung up half the time." Kili grumbled under his breath.

"You don't know what you're talking about brother. Cease this talk."

"You're only going to push her away."

"I am well aware of the consequences, but she needs to learn her lesson." Frustration was building up inside of Fili as his brothers' words made more and more sense.

"I don't believe she needs to be treated like a child. You've already estranged her from the rest of the group, why cause her more pain by being so callous with her."

"I estranged her? What are you talking about? She did that all on her own!" It was a wise decision to travel in the back of the company. By now the heated argument would have caused the company to stop and a very upset Thorin would step in.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been rattling on to everyone these passed days about the lass. 'She could get us all killed!' 'We should have left her.' 'However are we supposed to complete our quest with this girl running about in the woods like a fool?'" Kili did his best impression of his brother, knowing full well it could enrage him more.

"So? The girl is a menace! She ran off when I specifically told her not to! How can we trust someone who cannot follow one simple order?" Fili rounded on his brother, stopping them both in their tracks.

Kili looked at his brother, trying to hold back the malice bubbling within him. Understanding his elder sibling was normally easier than this. The moment their eyes locked, Kili knew he would never understand.

"What is this girl doing to you, brother?" The words quietly left his lips, but you would have thought he had shouted it into Fili's face with the reaction the blonde dwarf held upon his features.

Fili had widened his eyes in shock before looking down, disappointed that he was treating his younger brother so harshly...when none of this was his fault.

Blue eyes traveled across the group to the back of the woman who was the cause of all of his temperament. She was the plague. Her milky skin and kind smile. The way she threw her chocolate hair over her shoulder. The twinkle of her bright green eyes when she watched the sun go down with envy. She would never cease to flood his head with her image.

Obsession. He could very well call it that. Anyone could if they took a glance into his mind. But if you were to ask him, he'd say it was a sickness. It preyed on his mind and filled his heart with a fierce anger he could never rid himself of. A darkness of his soul. A shadow consuming him. She was a black void devouring him.

When her back was turned to him, he wanted to hate her for all that she did to him...but when she faced him, her soft face and warm smile melted the hardened anger into a luke warm pool of water.

Things had changed drastically after they left the Elves realm. His fight for sanity with this girl was exhausting him.

Perhaps it was the same sickness Thrain endured. However, it was not gold that he was haunted by. Just a girl named Emma.

"She has done nothing. I just… fear for her safety." A lie. Even Kili could see through it, but he made no move to pursue it further.

"Aye, a woman with little combat training should not be on this journey, but she does have us to look after her." Kili sighed as he pulled on the strap of his pack, trying to make it less of a burden on his shoulders.

"If only she followed orders…" FIli grumbled under his breath.

Kili smirked as they both looked ahead to the lass. "She's been following them for the last couple days without incident. I think she learned her lesson."

Fili only scoffed, but didn't deny it. She probably had come to her senses and realized she had been completely in the wrong when she wandered off like that.

"You have to admit…it's been nice having a woman to look at. We've been without the real company of a woman since Bree I suspect." Kili was indeed missing the feel of a woman. They normally flocked to the brothers. They were handsome and, of course, princes after all.

"Speak for yourself." Kili looked at his brother. Fili was smirking. His blue-grey eyes were locked ahead of him, obviously looking at the young woman in their company.

Kili barked out a laugh and slapped his brother on the back. "How could I forget? You've been so vile towards her that I almost forgot your blissful encounters."

"Shhh!" Fili threw a hand over Kilis' mouth, quieting him. "You are not to speak of it. It was nothing…and we didn't…"

Kili pulled the hand away and waved him off. "Don't worry brother, your secret is safe with me."

And suddenly, they were back to being brothers. Teasing and laughing. Talking about what they normally spoke about. It was as if nothing had been wrong with Fili at all. Every once in a while, Kili would catch Fili watching Emma, a small smirk playing across his face. Then it was like he remembered something and would glare before returning to the conversation they were having.

EMMA POV

Night had slipped into the journey faster than I had realized. Once minute we had miles to go and then the next, they were stopping. Thorin shouted for camp to be set up and everyone around her moved on autopilot, doing what they had always done.

I watched as everyone fanned out around their new camp site, preparing for their overnight stay. I should have helped them, but my mind was fogged over. It matched the atmosphere almost exactly. The forest around us was giving way to the rocky exterior of the Misty Mountains. With the mountains came a having fog that enveloped our surroundings. It was light, not anything to worry about, but still…it gave me a sense of dread.

Most of my day had passed by in deep thought. I was still upset. It didn't seem like anyone cared much about what had happened days earlier, even Fili seemed to let up on the glaring…but I was still filled with concern and an overbearing sense of dread.

Everything at once came crashing down on me throughout our trek. Fili. The company. Sauron. I didn't even want to think about what was going to happen when we finally climbed into the mountains…or what was to happen after. It was frustrating. It weighed heavy on my heart every single day. Every minute. Every second.

I hated not having Gandalf here. It made this all the more complicated. He understood what I was going through. He knew who I was, what I was doing here (for the most part), and most of all; he knew the burden that was placed upon me.

I barely noticed someone next to me when a throat being cleared caught my attention. I could feel the circles under my eyes creak as I looked at the face behind the sound.

Bilbo stood next to me with an arm outstretch. A smile faintly bloomed on his lips. When I glanced down, I spotted the piece of dried bread between his fingers.

My eyes slide from the bread up to his face once more. His lips moved, but all I could hear were muffled tones. Slowly they became clear.

"Emma, aren't you hungry?"

It was barely audible, but I heard it. Just beneath his warm tone was another voice that whispered something darker. I closed my eyes, willing it to go away. The dark voice continued to mock me as Bilbo called out my name above it.

"Emma? Emma, are you ill?"

My bottom lip trembled. A headache was beginning to take form as I mentally pushed the darker voice from my mind. I didn't know what it was saying, but I knew it was just relishing every distressed moment I was suffering.

"Emma?"

Finally my eyes snapped open. "Stop calling me that!" Why had I said that? Probably because I hated that name. I hated that I was being called Emma by him. By any of them…because it made me remember that I was hiding something from them. That I had another name. A name that made me just as uncomfortable as Emma. I didn't even want to think about it.

As I looked at the hurt and confused expression Bilbo had on his face, my reasoning and logic seemed to come back. I yelled at him for no reason. He was offering me food and I punished him for calling me the name I was given.

Guilt balled up in my throat and I opened my mouth to apologize, but nothing came out. We both stared at each other, not noticing the eyes of the company were also on us.

Tears welled up as I looked down at the ground. I was acting crazy. Insane. I was losing my mind to something dark. With all the courage I could muster up to face Bilbo again, I gently placed my hands on his hand, still outstretched to offer me food.

"Do not worry about me, Bilbo. Keep it." Slowly I pushed his hand down and pulled away. I just wanted to lay down. Hopefully I would die in my sleep, ridding every one of my moody outbursts and bloody stupid decisions.

"But you have to eat…" His words stopped me from walking away and I looked back up to capture his eyes. He looked more hurt that I refused his food than when I shouted at him.

I smiled. Truly smiled. Bilbo was the only real friend I had here. He didn't hold a grudge and understood exactly how I was feeling. I felt useless; something he could relate to. I was a burden; surely he felt the same. Most importantly I was angry. Angry at myself for being so stupid, angry at the dwarves for always making me seem so weak, and angry at Gandalf for leaving me with them. For letting me go through this without anyone to talk to. Bilbo and I were alone in this company. The dwarves didn't believe they needed us…and I was beginning to believe it as well. That single emotion, anger, is how Bilbo and I stood apart. He couldn't hold that much anger in his heart. Not as much as I could.

With that thought, I reached out for his hand once more and grasped it lightly. "You will need this more than I will." I made sure to look him directly in the eyes, keeping the gaze between us strong. "This quest will weigh heavy on you, Bilbo. Eat all you can to keep your strength."

What I had said shocked him. His eyes searched my own, looking for some explanation as to why I would say something like that. He must have chalked it up to my 'seer' abilities when he finally surrendered and dropped his hand way from mine.

"All right. Just promise me you will eat in the morning." He wasn't pleased with my decision not to eat, but arguing with me was pointless.

I gave him a nod and turned my back to him. Looking at him any longer and I might have sobbed. He was going to go through so much and he didn't even know it.

My body felt numb while I unravelled my bedroll as far away from the fire as possible. I couldn't stand to be near those loud dwarves. I had much I my mind and all I wanted was to be alone. I needed to clear my head and gather my wits. In other words, I really needed to get my shit together.

A huge hole was being bored in the back of my head as I laid down. Probably Thorin glaring at me because I didn't lift a finger to help them set up camp.

Whoever it was, I didn't give one lick about the way I was behaving. They could piss off. This pathetic journey meant nothing to me. How was I going to change the fate of this journey if all I did was fuck it up more than it was supposed to me?

As the fire grew larger and the night darkened, I could see shadows cast upon the tree line. The company was sitting around the fire. The shuffling of bodies moved about it as they worked on their supper. I heard the laughter of a few who spoke of stories told to them as youngsters. It seemed eerily similar to any other night on the road. There was no sense of urgency or fear of the unknown that awaited them. I frowned in frustration. Dwarves were a very strange bunch. Here I was wallowing in my pathetic existence while they merrily gathered around the fire.

"Bifur, Oin. You're on first watch." I heard Thorin call out above the chit chat. "Balin and Emma will be on second. Bofur and Dori on third."

My eye twitched and I glanced over my shoulder to see Thorin standing only a few feet away.

"Is that a problem Miss Emma? Since you decided sleeping was more important than pulling your wieght, I thought perhaps you could at least stand watch." His tone almost got me off my feet, but with my weary bones and tired mind pulling at my every being, I only waved him off.

"Whatever your highness commands." I turned away and closed my eyes. Oh yea, that hole in my head was getting a bit bigger now. I could just feel the venom rolling off him, but instead of him commenting on my obvious disrespect, he walked away with only a grunt.

Thankful that there was nothing more to be said, I closed my eyes. In seconds I was nodding off, hoping that it would be longer than a few hours before my shift started.

A light hand had me whirling back to consciousness. My eyes sprung open to see Balin standing above me with a smile on his face.

"It's our turn Miss Emma." He offered a hand to me and without any hesitation I took it.

After a few hours of peaceful sleep, I was at least not in a horrid mood. Lucky for him. If it had been the beginning of the evening, I could have cut his hand off just for reaching toward me.

What wonders a few hours of sleep could do.

I gingerly made my way over to the dying fire. Balin grabbed a log laying nearby and placed it into the embers, hoping to rekindle the fire to star warm. He took a seat opposite of myself and in silence we settled into our watch.

For a very long time we just sat there, staring into the fire that remarkably started right back up again. Every once in a while I would glance up, only to see him smiling at me.

Quite quickly I looked away and toward the fire that was roaring in front of us. The old dwarf was being very transparent. We both knew he knew something. Maybe my status amongst the beings of Arda. He must have known I was from the lands the Valar hail from. That would explain the tongue I spoke within Rivendell.

"Trouble sleeping?" Balin's voice cut my thoughts off.

I glanced up, seeing Gloin take a seat on a nearby rock. His face was filled with weary exhaustion. He looked dreadful, but his eyes were set in concern. The red haired dwarf had something occupying his mind, keeping him from resting.

"Aye…" He sounded worn down.

"What has you up so late?" By now I had slouched down onto my hand. My elbow lazily placed against my knee as I listened to them speak. I tried not to hold any interest, but poor Gloin looked very much out of character. It was kind of sad.

"I was just thinking of home…" His hand tightened suddenly and within it I spied what looked like a locket. What was in it?

Balin smiled at the large dwarf and walked over to him, patting his shoulder in some form of comfort. "Don't fret. It won't be long before this quest is over and we can return to them."

"My wife didn't want me coming on this journey, but I insisted this was to better our lives…and my poor lad wanted to come along. Too bad he was't old enough." Gloin glanced over to his sleeping brother. "I'm grateful Oin is with me…and my kin. I just can't wait for this to be over."

Balin must have felt equally glad that his own brother had come along, for he gave himself a moment to spy his slumbering sibling just a few feet away. I smiled at the sentiment. They were all very close to each other…the notion made me feel almost alone in this world. I was the outsider in all of this. My smile slowly turned into a frown as I thought on it.

"What of your family, Miss Emma?" Balin asked with a knowing smirk. Was he fishing for more information?

Averting eye contact, I shifted on the log. "My family?"

I thought of my mother, Yavanna, and my father, Aule. Both of them were so far away and could do little to help me. Magic was the only way to make contact and it was through them, not myself, that it was possible. My mother was probably worried sick. My father likely trying to keep her calm. I was and always would be her little girl. The last time I put myself in danger, I died. I wouldn't blame her for worrying about me. When I saw her in the forest when the orcs first attacked us, she looked stricken with grief and relieved to see me alive. I had been deceased for centuries after all.

Sadly I recalled how happy my life was. Though there were many heartbreaking moments, I had many more memories that filled my heart with warmth. Both my parents were proud of me. Surely they still are. Even my father, regardless of how many times he had ignored my existence to work on the dwarves, was still able to love me for the being I became.

"The moment we reclaim our home, I'm finding myself a wife." Beside me, Bofur spoke up. I practically jumped from my seat. He was so silent that I didn't hear him walk over.

"A wife? Ha, that'll be the day!" Gloin barked out a laugh in response to Balin's comment.

"What? Don't believe I can find one?" Bofur crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.

"It's not that, lad. I just don't believe you can narrow your love down to one woman." Gloin explained.

Bofur smirked and took a seat next to me. "Can't deny that. But one day I could see myself loving just one dwarf maiden and making her a proper wife."

"Tch." I rolled my eyes and looked toward the fire. Love was just a silly notion. Love turned into deception and betrayal faster than I could blink. In time, all love soured and withered into a vile emotion. Hate.

"What's this?" I turned my head to the sound of Bofurs' voice. He was looking at me with a smirk upon his lips. "Does the prospect of love damper your mood?"

"What?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your opinion of love must not be as happy as our own, Miss Emma." Bofur continued. "Have you never been in love?"

I blinked at the question. The question was so forward that I was unprepared for the emotion that followed. Balin and Gloin watched me carefully as I fought with myself to answer. Finally, after several long moments of fighting with my better judgment, I answered.

"I am a woman, Master dwarf. Of course I've been in love."

"You say it with such distaste." Kili took a seat on the other side of me. I glanced at him with narrowed eyes before looking away.

"Who was this man to have captured the heart of our young Emma? He must have been something special to grasp your love." Bofurs' words only dampened my mood.

They had no idea what sort of hell I went through. The man I once loved was nothing short of a beast. A dark void that sucked in all things good in this world.

My eyes focused into the fire as a scowl prominently laid upon my face. I knew I should never speak of him, but my mouth was moving before I could comprehend what I was about to say.

"Special? There's nothing special about a monster." I didn't even try looking at their faces. I knew the comment would be received with confusion.

"Lass?"

I ignore the voice and stared into the fire, remembering all that had come between Mairon and myself. I had fell for him in the worst possible ways. He had said everything that a woman would want for a man to say. I would never be left alone. I would never want for anything. He would give me the world. I closed my eyes and remembered how his hands felt as they held my own. How gentle he was when holding me. The light brush of a fingertip upon my skin. How his voice hummed as he spoke my name. The butterflies that played in my stomach as he looked at me. I loved him for all that he was.

How very wrong I was to assume he loved me as much. He took what we had and threw it away for the greediest of things; power. I recalled our last meeting. It was less than amicable. He took from me what he wanted and finished me off with a painful death. The memory of the last moment when he looked down at me, a black hole staring into my soul, brought a tear from behind my stoned eyes. I felt it slide down my face and heat up with the fire burning only a few feet away from me.

He showed no emotion. No inkling of the mighty, beautiful warrior he once was.

"I'll always want you."

The voice had spoken in a dark language, but like always, I understood it. My eyes opened slowly as I peered into the fire. Within it I found familiar eyes.

I felt weak against its menacing glare.

A breathy sigh escaped, my lips quivering as it was drawn out.

My body was weightless and before I could make sense of what was going on, the fire erupted into an inferno. It burst high above us. A hand grabbed my arm, but just as quickly I was released. I sat there, staring into the fire as startled voices raised around me. I could only assume the others had awoken.

"Do you not love me?" The voice brought a shiver up my spine and the familiarity of it had me almost weeping.

The flames danced and swayed until a stream of fire whipped towards me, touching my face lightly. I didn't flinch as it brushed me, not burning as it made contact. It felt like skin. Like rough skin that had once brought me great pleasure.

"Emi…"

I felt my body sway against the log, ready and willing to go with him if he asked. It seemed only right that I leave these hopeless dwarves before I make things worse for them.

"Come to me."

I leaned forward, closing my eyes as the flame slide against my cheek. The burn that would have been agonizing transformed into a lovers warmth. It came to a rest beneath my chin, holding tight as though trying to guide me to my beckoned destination.

Giving in was what he wanted…and I was far too tired to fight him off. Within moments a whirlwind of fire engulfed me, bring screams of pain with it. My eyes snapped open to see the company around me begin to burn and fade into ash.

"No!" I turned away from the fire to reach out for one of them. Unsure of who was burning beside me I dove to grab a hand, only for it to break into ash within my grasp. All around me they burned up into the darkness and the fire suddenly died along with them.

My eyes wandered the campsite where just moments ago the dwarves and Bilbo had been intently listening to me. Why had this happened? Tears brimmed my eyes at the sudden realization that I was alone in this world. The only friends I made in this forsaken place were taken from me in the blink of an eye.

"You brought this upon yourself, Emi."

My head snapped up to meet the figure standing a few feet away from me. In the darkness I could only make out an outline, but I knew who it was the moment he spoke.

"You bastard! I'll-" My threat ended in a wail as a sword pierced the flesh of my shoulder.

"You'll do nothing. You are weak and incapable of doing damage to even the most miniscule of creatures." I could feel the hot breath upon my cheek before the blade was swiftly removed.

The pain that shattered my shoulder was gone and when I opened my eyes, I saw no wound. My eyes darted to the figure still standing in the same place.

"There is no place for you to run, my love. I will find you." The darkness around him seemed to magnify, reaching toward me like slithering snakes. "Your soul will forever be attached to mine. We were destined for each other."

I spit at the ground and narrowed my eyes, hoping the glare would ward him off.

"You will never have me."

I could feel his smirk within the darkness. "But you forget, my dear. I've already had you. Over and over…"

"Trust me, you monster, I did not forget. I remember everything that you've done to me." I sniffled as I looked around me, wishing this was all just a dream. My friends were gone and now I was at the mercy of Sauron.

At the sight of my sorrow, he scuffed before letting out a laugh. "Don't be so absurd. Your company of repulsive dwarves are of no concern to me."

At his words, my anger bubbled over and I got to my feet, hoping to take him by surprise. The plan would have worked, had it not been for the scenery around us turning into a dimly lit room. I stumbled and caught myself against something soft. When I looked up, I saw what I was clinging to.

A bed. Glancing about the room, I could see it was a room filled with the furnishings of a bedroom…one that looked painfully familiar.

"Do you like it?" He whispered into my ear, causing me to fall onto the bed to get away.

I gasped at his appearance. He was…beautiful. Sauron no longer looked like a hideous ruler of all things evil. Sauron looked like…Mairon. His long black hair fell around his shoulders. His bangs pushed away from his face. His face…gods his face. It was as fair as the day I first met him. His features were seemingly chiseled to perfection by Eru himself. His golden eyes bore into mine and for a brief moment, I was happy to see him.

"M-Mairon?"

My vision blurred and my face stung as I fell back onto the bed. I looked up to see his hand still raised. He struck me with enough force to momentarily knock me unconscious. I didn't even remember seeing his hand come at me, or even see the sneer that was now present upon his face.

"You are to never call me that!"

I stared at him in utter shock, scared of what he might do next. The sneer was replaced by a smirk and he slowly reached up to his armor and began unbuckling it from his body, letting each piece drop to the floor. Every thud of armor brought out a flinch of muscles. It was a terrifying sound…because I knew what was coming next.

"NO!" I screamed out and crawled away from him. This was not happening. I was not going to be violated. Not again.

I nearly made it to the other side of the bed, when my legs were ripped out from under me and I was dragged down onto the mattress. I closed my eyes as a heavy weight held me against my will. I couldn't even struggle.

The silence that filled the room was almost too much to bear. I wished I could have whimpered or screamed. Anything to fill the void. Anything other than my soft panting. It echoed in my ears and after a few moments, a cold breath prickled against my cheek. The strong hands holding my wrists tightened and I felt the shift of him above me.

I heard the breathing in my ear before his words echoed into my head.

"You think you have suffered so greatly? When I have finished, I'll make you wish for something as sweet."

My eyes sprung open. His voice. No, not his voice. Elrond spoke to me in that moment. I cried out and tried to shove him away. He was not going to do this to me. The face of my friend hovered above me with an uncharacteristic smirk. One that told me it was most certainly not him. I looked away and struggled against the strong grasp that held me still.

"You will never be rid of me. No matter how hard you try."

No! This wasn't happening. My eyes shot to the face of Kili, who grinned malevolently at me. Tears brimmed my eyes as I watched him morph before me. Gandalf now laid upon me, with no sign of mirth behind his eyes, nor kindness in his features.

"You'll give yourself to the darkness. You're too weak to save yourself…much less your friends."

"Release me you bastard!" I shoved at him as hard as I could with little to no success. All I seemed to accomplish was pissing him off even more. The evidence of that was grasping around my throat. His hand tightened ever so slightly as I spit into his face…Or rather Gandalf's face.

And that triggered another morph, which had me stopping all together. It felt as though my eyes were going to pop out of my head as I stared up at Fili…but instead of a sneer or anger, he only smiled at me and wiped the spit from his face.

"That wasn't very nice. I thought we were on better terms than this." That smile. Gods, that smile.

My lips trembled and the tears ran freely. This was torture. Absolute torture. The grip on my throat loosened and as I turned away from what I thought would be another blow, I felt lips touch my cheek delicately.

"Come now, why do you shy from me? Are you not delighted to be in my bed?"

It was as if my brain was turned to mush. My head turned of its own accord and I let out a stuttered breath. Even his eyes were the same color. Like I was looking into an icy lake, clear and strong. I faltered in my speech, but had the clarity to remember that this was not Fili in front of me. It could never be.

"Please…stop. I beg of you." It was a whisper. A terribly incoherent one, but he heard it nonetheless. His once kind smile twisted into something sinister and fire flared into the icy blue eyes that I was fond of.

"You love him. How very transparent of you." He turned back into Mairon and let out a laugh that could only be describe as terrifyingly monstrous. It echoed and shook the room.

Actually…Did the room just…fade? For a brief moment, the room we were in shifted and faltered. An illusion. I looked up at the laughing demon in front of me and noticed even he was doing something strange. Like a hologram. A projection. Like it wasn't real…

Finally he looked down at me with a toothy smirk and leaned into my space once more.

"He'll be the first one I kill. I'll make you watch as he dies and when it's over, I'll rape you over his dead corpse until you give into me."

I smirked. It caught him by surprise. The way his eyes narrowed told me all that I needed to know. He wasn't very good at hiding his agitation.

"You seem to be mistaken, Mairon. Love is for fools."

The impact of being thrown across the room only hurt for a moment. If this wasn't real, how could he harm me? That thought carried me to my feet as I squared off with him. I was sure I looked like a mess, but the fire that burned behind my own eyes was surely frustrating him.

"You loved me once you wretched whore! If you call me that name one more time I'll-"

"You'll what? Hurt me? Torture me? Feed me to your orcs?" I walked toward him with determination and hatred coursing into my very soul. This illusion would stop NOW. "You will do nothing. Not when you're so far away."

"You know nothing! I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!"

Fury was behind his threat. What happened to being so wise? So collected? It was gone in an instant. The moment he realized I would not be brought to my knees, he lost it.

"Prove it." Pride would get the better of him. I knew him better than he thought.

My assumption was correct. He came right at me, sword in hand. If he thought I was going to flinch, he was dead wrong. The blade came within inches of my face before it made a dead stop. The rush of wind was the only thing that hit me.

"I killed you once…what makes you so confident that I will not do so a second time?" A valid question.

"You're not nearly as powerful as you were so long ago. You've let your feelings get in the way." I brought a hand up and lightly touch the sword, pushing it away with a nimble finger. "How can you kill me, when you're so desperately in love with me?"

Once more his eyes narrowed and he took a step forward grabbing my arm and yanking me to him.

"Did you forget that I slayed you already? Love did not stop me then and it will not stop me now." His voice hissed as he gritted his teeth in ire.

"On the contrary," I pulled my arm away. Right through his hand. He looked astounded that I was able to use the illusion against him. "Love is the only thing stopping you right now. That ring held a sway over you…and now that you no longer possess it, I can only imagine how hard it must be to use your power. To keep your strength…No physical form to hold you…You're a shadow now. A mist. You are completely transparent, Mairon. You can't even hide your heart."

My words wounded his ego and sent him into a frenzy. Darkness exploded from his body and completely engulfed the room, drowning me in a sea of shadow. It raked at my skin and pulled at my hair, trying its hardest to ensure great discomfort. Thankfully I now knew his secret. Outside of his own domain, he could do little to cause me any real harm…besides the whole sending orcs after me.

I suppose that would do some damage.

Against the darkness I fought. Giving myself the strength mentally to pull out of this.

"It's not real. Just remember it's not real. Not real." I repeated until I was sure that I was getting out of this. I could feel the scraping lighten and the pulling let up. The heaviness of the darkness began to lift with each assurance I spoke.

"This is not real. It's NOT real." I chanted it louder and louder, more determined than ever to be done with this.

"It can't be real. It will never be. It is NOT real! IT'S NOT REAL!"

My eyes shot open…and I was staring into the fire I had been sitting at with the dwarves. I was still in the same position. Before I was sucked into that fake world.

"Lass?" My head turned to a concerned Balin. "Are you alright? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

As I stared at him, I realized that I had only been away for seconds. Closing my eyes I leaned back on the log and smiled.

"Was it another vision?" Bilbo asked curiously.

I let them wallow in a few silent moments before I opened my eyes and answered. "Yes, Bilbo. It was."

"And what did you see?" Bofur scooted closer. He wanted to know what amazing thing was about to come out of my mouth. Which was strange…because most of the things I spewed out only made sense to me.

So this time, in the spirit of my small victory against Sauron, that they had absolutely no idea about, I gave them what they wanted.

"I saw a great and mighty dragon fall from the skies into fire and ash." The word dragon alone had Thorin perking up. He bounded over in a few short strides, Fili following close behind with Dwalin flanking him.

"What more do you see?" Thorin demanded. The news I was bringing them was useful for once. Of course he'd want to know more, but I was giving him nothing else. Nice try though.

"Nothing else. Only the dragon falling I'm afraid."

"Is it past, present, or future?" Thorin asked in frustration. He really needed to know if that dragon was dead.

"There's no way to tell, but I'll see if I can get some more from a few hours of sleep." And with that, I stood up and began to walk away, ignoring the blue eyes from a certain blonde dwarf following after me.

"DO you think you could ever love again, Emma?" Kili's voice had me turning so suddenly I almost lost balance. He was calling me out in front of everyone. That jerk.

"Love is for fools." I answered him the same way I had with Mairon. For me, love only brought grief and suffering…but there were instances where love could prosper. I almost turned away before adding to that. I felt somewhat shameful that I was putting love down like that. "But I will say…as foolish as love can be," My eyes turned to Fili for only a moment, his own orbs piercing into mine. He didn't smile, but the intensity said he was interested in what I was about to say. "It can do many wonderful things to even to the ugliest of people…and do the complete opposite for the most beautiful. That is why I find it foolish. I've gambled enough on my heart to know it only brings out the worst."

Mairon…Oliver…Both had said they loved me and turned that into some abomination. Poisoned it. I had not pulled my eyes from Fili as I spoke. He said he cared for me…but it brought out something terrible in him as well. Perhaps I was cursed…or maybe just bad luck. The blonde dwarf refused to look away. He looked ash stricken. Good. The asshole had been nothing but horrible to me since that whole mercenary business in the forest. His eyes finally turned away…and so did I.

"Stick to loving your gold, Master Dwarf. I suspect it will give you less grief." Even as I walked away, I knew that was far from the truth.