As they sat together, Thorin took a moment to speak with her.

"I wanted to let you know, Halien, that I am glad for your aid in this quest. You are a valuable part of our company."

Halien looked at him with surprise. "I must say that it comes to me as a surprise that you call me by my name, instead of calling me 'elf' as you usually do. You haven't done that in a long time. I am glad to know that I have proven my worth, though, thank you," Halien said.

Thorin could see her hesitate and asked what was wrong.

"If I seem to be slower in some regards of late, I must apologize. My gift of hearing the thoughts of those around me can occasionally make me dizzy."

"Are you alright?"

Halien nodded. "Torwen suggested that I train myself to block the thoughts, allowing myself to gain enough control over what I hear," she explained. "For the last month or so, I have been able to control the flow of the thoughts I hear, allowing me to choose when I want to hear them and when I don't."

"Will this continue for long? We do not need you to become ill; we need our healer at her best." Thorin said, worried, but presenting it nonchalantly.

"No, it should pass within a day or two." She smiled. "Thank you for worrying, though."

Thorin smiled a little, then looked at her. "You have proven yourself, and I value your company. I need all of my warriors to be at their best."

Halien smiled. "It gladdens me to hear such praise." She noticed him smirk. "What?"

Thorin held her gaze. "It is just a relief that you seem to understand us better than your father ever did. Whatever you have endured up to this point, I appreciate the effort you have put forth."

They sat in silence for a few moments as those words sunk in, but after a while, Halien decided to reveal something that she had kept to herself for decades.

"Thorin, there's something I have been meaning to tell you," Halien said, looking down at the ground. "It's about the day Erebor fell."

Thorin looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say. When she looked up at him, he could see fear, hurt, and worry clouding her eyes a bit.

"When I turned away from my father and my kin, I rode as hard and fast as Torwen could carry me. I helped as many people as I could, but I was trying to find you."

Thorin looked at her with surprise.

"After spending so much time with you and your family, I was willing to sacrifice everything I had to stay with you and your people, to learn your ways, but my father forced his will upon me. He told spun tales of how you stole from our people and would not let me return as an ambassador. I know the stories your people have of my father: that he refused to pay you your dues. Whatever the case may have been, I gave up everything I had to come and try to seek you out, hoping and praying to the ancestors that you were safe. I searched all through the plains before Erebor, through the burning buildings and passageways of Dale, but found no trace or sign of you. I grew so worried that I could barely think. You had shown me a kindness that no one, not even my own family, had shown me and I had to find a way to repay you for that."

Thorin watched Halien look up at the moon as it came out from behind the clouds as she continued. "After I helped the Grotsnev clan get to safety, I tried to go back to continue my search, but Baldrick insisted that I stay with them, that you would be fine. I went with them, but I always listened for word of your safety and that of your family. When I heard that a young dwarf was moving from place to place, seeking work, I hoped that it was you, but I knew that after Erebor had fallen, you would not have been the only one to be seeking work. Then word came of the Battle of Azanulbizar that earned you the name "Oakenshield" and my heart sank when I heard that your grandfather, the king, had been beheaded and that your father disappeared after having gone mad with grief. It reminded me of how Baldrick came to meet his end, driven by the grief of losing his family. I feared for your safety, that you had fallen at the hands of the pale Orc, but when I heard that you had led the final charge against the Orcs and drove them back into Moria, I was so relieved. At last, I knew that the only man who had looked past my appearance and tried to see me as a person was safe and out of harm's way."

She looked back at the dwarf king. "Thorin, you gave me hope every day that I spent with you in Erebor. I had never been treated so kindly before, having always been shunned or coddled and trussed up like a hearth on Durin's Day. It made me believe that maybe, someday, my father would give me that same kindness. But, then when I saw you in your village in the Blue Mountains, I began to fear that perhaps any hope of rekindling a friendship and trying to rebuild the alliance my father had broken was lost forever. Now I see that it may yet be possible, but I will not push and ruin what little chance there may be hidden behind all of this awkwardness."

Thorin laughed at her metaphor and listened to the young elf maiden, having taken in everything she said. She trusted him enough to confide in him, telling him something she had been holding bottled inside for sixty years. He watched her face the entire time she spoke, reading the signs she gave off, knowing that she spoke only the truth to him. "Did your father ever give you what you hoped for?"

Halien shook her head. "No, but it no longer matters. I am an outcast of my people, banished from my homeland. I have lost my home, family, people, my mentor, and everything that I ever held dear the day I disobeyed my father. I thought perhaps I had found a new home in your village, where I could stay and fully teach my skills to those who wanted to learn, but after the conversation we had that day, I felt it best that I left without a word. I felt as if I had overstayed my welcome and I did not want to be a burden to you or your people. Now, all I have left is my mare, Torwen." Halien looked back towards her mare, then continued. "She was a gift from my brother, Legolas when I was younger. While I have a gift with animals, the elk my people ride did not seem to like me, so when it was time for me to be paired with one, they refused to come near me. As a result, I became shunned until the day that Legolas brought Torwen to me. She was just a filly at the time. She has been there for me through everything and she has lived nearly as long as I have thanks to the elves' immortality."

Thorin smiled at her softly, putting a hand to hers. "I must confess something to you as well, Halien. Your father was not someone I could see holding an alliance with, but the day we met when you came to Erebor for the first time, I could see us, though far into the future, as the King under the Mountain and the Elven Queen of Greenwood. I could see us forming a friendship that would uphold our two people's alliance. But everything changed when your father took you from the halls of Erebor. I did not understand what had happened, nor do I to this day. The day you and your people returned to Erebor, I called out for you to help us. But, your father turned away and I felt a hatred begin to brew within me. No help came from elves that day, nor any day since then. However, you are the exception. When we met again in my village, I was very surprised to see you there and after we spoke, I did feel pity for you, but I also saw the same loneliness in you that I felt. When you vanished that night and I did not see you again, I thought perhaps I had dreamed the whole thing, but Balin assured me I did not. I had hoped that it was a dream after all the things I had said to you. I let my anger and hatred for your father get the better of me and I took it out on you, undeservedly so. You have proven to dwarves everywhere that not all elves are like your father and you have proven your worth countless times. Elves live a long time, perhaps longer than dwarves ever will, but I can see us as allies once again. One day when you become queen of your people, I would ally with you because you have become kin and a valuable part of this company. We could not ask for a better healer and warrior."

With that, he excused himself. He had indeed grown very fond of her and did worry about her. Her smile and her actions, her protectiveness and fondness of the other dwarves, it was all reassuring.

Halien had smiled at his words, but it quickly faded when she felt a chill like they were being watched. She stood with a start, placing a hand on her sword. She scanned the area in front of her, as she had chosen another spot near the edge of the cliff. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She called Thorin back, who sensing the urgency of her voice, quickly rejoined her.

"What is it?"

"There is something nearby. It feels as though we are being watched." Halien said, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed.

Thorin looked down when he heard the clink of metal and saw how tightly she was grasping her sword's hilt. For her to jump straight to her sword and not bother with her bow… that had him worried and Thorin sensed her anxiety, worry, and fear. He could see her shaking a little- a subtle but noticeable tremble to a skilled warrior- and he glanced around the area, but saw nothing. "Are you certain?"

Halien looked at him and nodded. "Never before have the hairs on my neck stood on end. Whatever is out there is dark and very dangerous; we have to be careful."

Thorin believed her. One thing he knew for sure of elves is that they had some of the best instincts of any in Middle Earth, always sensitive to the world around them. "Very well, we will double the watch tonight, and keep our guards up."

Halien nodded. "Would you like me to scout around the area?"

"We need everyone together and I want you to be safe, with the rest of us. We will need all of our most capable warriors here if something happens, but we do need to know if there is anything out there," he replied. "I will put Dwalin and Nori on first watch tonight. Scout around the surrounding forests, see if you can find a source for this feeling, then I invite you to join us at the fire so that we minimize any potential targets."

Halien nodded and went to the trees. The dwarves were clearly and visibly concerned when they saw her leave in such haste, seeing her hand at her sword and dagger as she left. Never before had they seen her reach for any weapon but her bow.

"Dwalin, Nori, you two are on the first watch. We are going to have double watches for tonight." Thorin instructed.

"Why, what's going on?" Fili asked.

"Nothing for now. Halien sensed something out there and I trust her instinct. We double the guard, just to be safe." Thorin explained, not going into too much detail.

The dwarves nodded, not wanting to question him.