It was not long before morning came and Halien sat up. Thorin woke with her, stretching before he stood and helped her up. Beorn had made them breakfast and was pouring milk into the giant mugs before each dwarf.

"Did you sleep well, Halien?" Bofur asked.

Halien nodded. "Aye."

Thorin smiled and kissed her head. "Good."

Halien smiled in return and sat down. She listened as the dwarves began arguing amongst themselves again, trying to figure out what to do before Beorn returned.

"Well, I say we leg it. Slip out the back way." Nori said.

"I'm not running from anyone, beast or no," Dwalin said.

"There is no point in arguing," Gandalf said, stopping them from going any further. "We cannot pass through the Wilderland without Beorn's help. We'll be hunted down before we even get to the forest."

Bilbo joined them and Gandalf noted his presence.

"Now, this will require some delicate handling," Gandalf said, heading towards the door. "We must tread very carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds."

The dwarves gaped at him but saw that he was completely serious.

"I will go first and—uh, Bilbo? You come with me."

Bilbo looked between the dwarves and then at the wizard. "Is this a good idea?"

"Yes," Gandalf said. "Now the rest of you, you just wait here and don't come out until I give the signal."

"Right," Bofur said from his perch by the window. "Wait for the signal."

"And no sudden moves or loud noises, and don't overcrowd him. Only come out in pairs." Gandalf instructed. "No, actually, Bombur, you count as two, so you come out alone."

Bombur bit off a chunk of carrot and nodded at the wizard. "Mm," he uttered.

"Good," Gandalf said. "Remember, wait for the signal."

"And what signal would that be?" Bofur asked, but Gandalf disappeared.

Halien sat there and waited with the others. They listened as Gandalf greeted Beorn and tried as politely to explain the situation. Bofur saw something that he thought was the signal and started to send out the dwarves. Dwalin and Balin went first, then Oin and Gloin, Ori and Dori, then Fili and Kili, then the rest followed behind them.

"Is there any more?" Beorn asked.

Thorin stepped out of the house.

"Ah," Beorn said, then looked around. "Where is the elf?"

Thorin looked behind him and outstretched a hand to her. "Come, love. He wishes to see you."

Halien took his hand and Thorin led her outside and down the stairs. Halien looked at Beorn and walked slowly to stand by Gandalf. She bowed deeply and said, "It is good to finally meet you, great Beorn. I have heard much of your people and I wish to extend my deepest condolences to you for your loss. We wish to also thank you for allowing us to take refuge in your home." She stood back up and smiled at the skin-changer. "I also wish to thank you for agreeing to give my companions a chance before you turn us away. It means a great deal to us that you have been as gracious as a host as you have. We are in your debt, great Beorn."

Beorn looked at her. "We spoke briefly, in the night. You have not yet told me your name, elf."

Halien smiled. "I am Halien, daughter of Thranduil, second heir to the throne of the Woodland Realm behind my brother, Legolas. I was the ambassador for the elves of Greenwood and the dwarves of Erebor years ago. I am the wife of Thorin Oakenshield. Now, I am your humble guest."

Beorn nodded in approval. "Now that is how you greet someone. Wizard, perhaps you can learn from this one." He said, then set his ax aside. "Come, you must be hungry. I will get you something to eat."

Beorn led them back into the house and started to set out food and mugs for them.

Beorn put a plate of food before her. "You must eat well, elf." He said aloud, then thought to her, 'I can see that you are with child. You must care for yourself, lest the child will grow weak and you may lose it.'

'I will, and again, I must thank you for allowing us to stay here.'

"If I had no displeasure of dwarves, I would say that you are welcome here whenever you need." He replied, then he turned and looked at Thorin. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield."

Thorin nodded.

"Tell me," Beorn continued. "Why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog?" Thorin asked. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains. Before the Orcs came down from the North." Beorn began to explain. "The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, for sport." He paced around the table, refilling some of the mugs. "Caging skin changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once, there were many," Beorn said.

"And now?" Bilbo asked.

"Now, there is only one," Beorn replied, a sadness in his eyes.

"Beorn is the last of his kind, Bilbo," Halien said. "Azog killed most of them, then those he forced to fight each other were forced to kill each other as well. Every other skin-changer was tortured and many died at the Pale Orc's hands. What he did to Beorn's people is unforgivable even to this day."

"You need to reach the mountain, before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked, looking to Gandalf.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." The wizard replied.

Halien looked over at her husband and put a hand to his arm when she saw a look of worry and fear upon his face. 'We will make it in time, my love.'

He smiled at that and kissed her hand.

"You are running out of time." Beorn pointed out.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf said, then looked at Halien when an icy chill ran through the room.

"Halien, will you be alright with going through Mirkwood?" Bilbo asked.

"My father exiled me and I swore never to return there without great need." She replied, then looked to Gandalf. "Is there no other way, Mithrandir? I do not wish to face my father and with the Greenwood growing sicker every day, I may not be able to help us through the forest safely. This dark sickness upon the forest may have warped the trees and I may not be able to recognize anything."

"A darkness lays over that forest," Beorn said. "Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer of Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

"We will take the elven road. That path is still safe." Gandalf said.

"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They are less wise and more dangerous." Beorn pointed out.

"Aye, and it is a wonder that I am not more like them. I only lived in Mirkwood for one hundred and fifty-six years before I came to Erebor." Halien said, knowing full well how ruthless her kin could be.

'You're so young for an elf.' Thorin said. 'You would be nearly two hundred years old now.'

'Actually, I'm two hundred and sixteen, only a couple decades older than you, little king.' She replied with a smirk.

"But it matters not," Beorn said.

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked, the mood in the room changing as he turned to look at the skin-changer.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs," Beorn explained. "Their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive. And your companion may not be well enough to travel hard."

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked, looking from Beorn to Halien.

'You have not told him?' Beorn asked Halien. 'Is he not the father of your child?'

"I have something to tell you all," Halien said, standing. She removed her cloak and the extra tunic she had thrown on with the weather getting colder.