Raven's POV

Afternoon brought the humid heat of late spring to early summer. News of my arrival had spread throughout the camp like wild fire. I did my best to ignore the gawking and constant stares. But when my eyes were focused on my task of repairing my parents hut-like-house, my ears had caught the spreading whispers behind my back.

"Did you hear? Raven has returned to Ered Luin."

"No way? I thought she had been given up for adoption."

"Apparently she came back to Ered Luin searching for answers."

"Wait, what answers?"

"Answers revolving around her past."

"Wait, Raven as in King Thorin's best friend Raven?"

"The one and only."

"I heard she had scared the daylights out of him."

"Apparently she did. King Thorin's face was really pale earlier this morning when he went to check on his nephews."

"I wonder if our esteemed king is beginning to see her as something other than a friend."

"No way. Why would King Thorin take an interest in a woman who isn't a Dwarf?"

"You don't know that."

"I don't need to. It's common sense, as Dwarrodams hair can't change color and she has no facial hair."

"Whatever she is or isn't, the decision rests with Mahal, so we don't have the right to question the choice. We don't have to like it, but we have no right to question our Maker's choice."

"Just who is Raven anyway?"

"Besides Ester and Elmador's daughter? She is also the daughter of a Hobbit wife and husband."

"No, I meant what is she? No ones hair changes color according to their moods."

I felt irritation bubble in my blood but decided to keep silent. Honestly, I couldn't help but feel amused by all of the gossip. Though there were some parts I did agree with. Firstly, I had no idea what I was despite the note I had found under the stubbed stemmed rose in the sterling silver jewelry box that also happened to have an image of a beautiful rose etched into the lid.

'For our beautiful chameleon. Magic binds the curse, but true love breaks the curse.' The short neatly scrawled note kept running through my mind while I made pitch to use as a filler for the open holes in the walls of my parents house so no more water and debris would get inside the house. The next thought that really confused me while making my blood chill, was the rumored curiosity if Thorin now saw me as more than a friend. I couldn't help but snort at that. Thorin was a king and I was on an entirely different level than him - practically being a nobody, while he was a somebody because of being an heir to The Throne of Durin. Though I also did agree with the choice being up to Mahal - to an extent anyways. If the Dwarven Maker did decide to make Thorin and I each other's half, I would most likely put up a fight just because of the situation that had happened between us earlier this morning. However a smirk did cross my face at the mention of Thorin's face being very pale due to me scaring him; deservingly, too, since he had decided to be a brat.

Pushing the rest of the swirling rumors and whispers from my mind, I finished making the pitch and made my way back towards my parents house. However, when I crested the hill, I found, waiting outside my door, a female Dwarf: long chestnut brown hair, her ivory skin covered by a green skirt and matching frock trimmed in a beautiful yellow. Her face was round with very feminine facial features. Her long chestnut brown hair had been pulled back into a fishtail braid with two smaller braids forming two loops behind her head; weaved slightly into the fishtail braid to blend in with the rest of her hair. Matching eyebrows framed her seductive green eyes with a cute button nose set between her eyes and thin mouth; pale pin lips twisting into a wry smile that had a hidden vile mask to it. When her eyes locked on me, however, I noticed they were a very seductive green matching the green of her outfit.

There was only one Dwarrodam that made me feel sick and angry at the same time while mentally punching her in the fracking face! I kept a poker face while I approached wench of a Dwarrodam.

"Raven." The other female greeted me with a sing song voice that made me feel sicker to my stomach from the faked sweetness in her voice.

"Zara." I gave a genuine smile while coming to a stop near the Dwarf. "What brings you here?" By the Valar I wanted to punch her in the face. I kept my face blank of any emotion. My friendship with Thorin had always sparked jealousy in Zara's black heart! Though Thorin was always kind to her - despite the kindness being forced at times, he had always showered me with a lot of attention when we were children.

I had no doubt Zara would use my long absence from Ered Luin to do everything in her power to sink her claws into Thorin so she could sway him her way and shut me out in the cold. The initial thought would normally anger me, but that would be giving the wench satisfaction of seeing me hurt. Instead, I mentally shrugged while walking around to the back of the house and set down the bucket of pitch. "What brings you here?" If there was one thing I learned from Thorin during my time in Ered Luin before having to leave all those years ago, it was how to mask any emotions I felt.

Zara's POV

"Oh, I heard you came back home last night so I wanted to come by and say hi." I sweetly smiled at Raven while she began patching up the wood rotted holes spotting along the wall of her parents house. "I figured you would like some company - feeling like an outcast and all since you're not a Dwarf." I forced the sweetness in my tone, but mentally I was pulling my hair out. The Valar couldn't pick someone else to be Thorin's One? 'Thorin's One? Where did that come from?' I mentally thought, knowing my darling king was giving Raven space so she could get settled in and have time to adjust. He hadn't even asked her - no evidence braided into her hair.

"Oh you shouldn't have." The casualty in Raven's tone made me mentally bristle! 'What is it about this outsider that deserves all of the attention from my darling king? Why does he favor her so much?' If there was one thing she learned well from Thorin, it was how to mask her emotions. Although, his teachings were now useless, as I found out from the swirling gossip: Raven's hair, eyes and skin change according to her moods! So the woman who had once been able to keep herself from being predictable was now in fact predictable!

While I watched Raven fill in the many wood rotted holes in the wall of the house, I took the time to study her. Long pink hair with matching eyes reflecting her pink skin covered by an earth-tone-green-tunic, earth-tone-brown- trousers that ended just below her knees with matching boots that cuffed her legs shy above her ankles. Like my nose, Raven also sported a cute button nose set above her full-ish pale pink lips; strong chin and jawline defining her 'girl-next-door' facial features with a light pink dusting her high cheekbones; metal earrings cuffing different sections of her ears with different small, colored Jen's set in the metal. Different parts of the undercarriage of her hair had been pulled into braids so her hair would be a bit more breathable against her face and neck due to the hot heat; Ester's necklace hung around her neck with the pendant resting against the fabric of her tunic; Elmador's name engraved in khuzdul runes across the glossy metal. Her body was still toned with muscle ribbing her torso and arms. 'Seriously, what is it about this woman that makes my darling king favor her so much?! She's not even a Dwarf! Was it pity my king felt towards her all of those years ago? That could be the only explanation as to why he has his eyes closed whenever he was around her.'

"Oh, but I did. I'm sad for you because after all of these years of being away, you feel like an outcast all because of not being a Dwarf - despite being raised by Ester and Elmador." 'Yeah, my darling king wasn't the only one spending his time studying you and your tells while growing up, dear Raven,' I thought when I noticed a twitch in her back shoulder just slightly above the blade; indication I had hit a nerve.

"So, what's this I hear about you being King Thorin's One?"

"I don't know." Ravens tone was still casual which irked me even further. "I don't pay attention to gossip." She moved closer to me just a tad and painted the thick black goo around in another wood rotted hole.

"I was only curious - our dear king has always showered you with his attention and now it seems he has lost interest in you." I watched with a vile smile as Raven's shoulder gave another twitch. Yes, that was the right button to push, it would seem. "I find it hard to believe our esteemed king has all but just quit caring about you altogether; not even bothering to give the time of day to make up for his actions by just even making sure you're okay."

"Balin told him t give me space so I can just adjust to being back home." I smiled vilely when I heard the faintest hint of irritation in Raven's voice when she informed me of what my dearest king's advisor had told him to do.

"Since when does our esteemed king listen to Balin? We all know that when Thorin makes up his mind to do something, he will follow through with it. So despite Balin telling him to give you some space, my dear Raven, our dearest king has just decided to quit caring about you altogether." I mentally bounced up and down with excitement. Raven was beginning to lose her control and soon, she would be on her way back to The Shire and I could focus on hooking my class into my dearest king. My smile mentally broadened when I saw cracks beginning to spiderweb across the hard mask Raven set in place; hair and skin in the process of turning from pink to that of black! There was only one emotion that would cause that sort of black to appear: fear. "Don't fret though, my dear Raven, there are plenty of other handsome men in the vast sea of big fish. Who knows, you might find one that surpasses even Thorin - if not being on the same level." 'Undoubtedly,' I thought while watching the black spread throughout her pink hair.

Thorin's POV

Sitting in the chair behind the desk, I looked over the accounts of how much food and coin was left before I would have to go back out again to work in order to earn more coin and buy more food. I was struggling to keep myself from storming up to Ester and Elmador's house so I could check up on my best friend to see how she was doing. Maybe I would take her with me next time I left to go earn coin to buy food. I missed my best friend terribly and her absence was tearing me apart inside. Throwing the papers down on the desk, I stood up and was about to walk to the door, when my eyes caught Zara standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here Zara?"

"Oh, I just came to say hi to my darling king." Her voice was sickly sweet and my stomach twisted from the sickening tone in her voice. "Plus I figured you could use a little company due to the news."

"What news?"

Zara forced the surprise on her face. "You don't know? Raven was just telling me that she wants nothing to do with you anymore because of what happened between you two this morning."

I narrowed his eyes at Zara. "You're lying."

"Am I?" She reached a hand out and ran her fingers along my jaw. Normally that feeling would cause goosebumps to pepper my skin and arrouse something deeper inside, but the way Zara stroked my chin and cheeks, the burning sensation wasn't from pleasure; one of something that sent warning signs to the receptors located throughout my body so red flags would go up if there was something dangerous - being proven right when I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably. There was something about Zara I couldn't place - a masked threat of some sort. "I just got done talking with Raven, my sweet king. She told me the news herself." Her words snapped me from my thoughts.

Lifting my arm, I clasped my hand down on Zara's wrist. "Raven wouldn't say something like that, Zara."

"No?" Zara's face turned to a grimace. "Oh honey, Raven told me that you quit caring for her altogether so she said she doesn't care for you anymore." She kept up the forced grimace. "To think Raven had spent so much time loving you before she had to leave, and now she told me that you don't care about her anymore - not even taking the time to spend the precious time you have with her, but instead, are keeping yourself from her because of not wanting anything to do with her. The poor girl is suffering enough from losing her parents, and now she has lost her best friend and in turn, has decided to cut you off completely because of being hurt way too much."

I recalled the fight Raven and I had earlier this morning - and how I had apologized to her while holding her after she had dressed herself again. While my heart pounded with hurt from the words uttered through Zara's mouth, I - as clear as crystal, recalled how she had clung so tightly to me while I held her during my apology. If my best friend did indeed tell Zara the news I am now hearing, then she wouldn't have clung to me the way she had: in fear and pain. She had all but tried curling herself up in a fetal position while I held her in my arms. Without a doubt, Raven would have backed away from me if she didn't want anything to do with me. 'I needed you, Thorin.' Raven's silent message to me kept running through my head while I listened to her yell at me while venting and express the deep brokenness she felt inside despite having a family in The Shire. Those eyes of her had revealed the deepest seeded turmoil I myself knew all too well.

"I will talk to Raven myself, Zara. You may go now." I turned my back to the Dwarrowdam, not needing to see her face to know that shock and anger had filled her eyes.

"If you say so, my darling king. But don't say I didn't warn you."

I kept my back turned while listening to Zara's retreating footsteps. Deciding to wait an hour before leaving my office, I sat back down in the chair to pour my gaze over the parchment accounts. I mentally made plans of my next trip to Bree to find work so I could earn coin to buy food and to take Raven with. Mahal and Yavannah only know what she is feeling deep inside she won't tell anyone.