Holy cannoli. Remember me?

So I never meant for it to be this long before updating again, but it's been quite a busy year for me. I had a baby since I updated last, and I spent most of my pregnancy either very tired, very stressed, or very brain dead, which made writing very difficult. Now that I'm parenting a three year old and a four month old, life is…busy, to say the least. Finding time to write is next to impossible – I think the only solid writing time I've gotten in the past four months was when I got a cold and had to isolate myself for a few days so as not to get the kids sick!

Anywho, things are sort of starting to normalize again, so I'm able to squeeze in a bit more writing these days, hence this chapter! I'm grateful to all of you who have stuck around, who have left kind reviews and messages, and honestly I'm just grateful to anyone who gives this story a chance. I've got the chapters leading up to Rivendell planned out – now I just have to find the time to write them!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Hobbit, only the OC's.


You Win Some, You Lose Some

By noon the following day they had finally reached Bree, but they would not be staying there for long. Thorin announced upon arrival that the company had the rest of the day and the night to purchase whatever supplies they needed and to handle any last personal errands, then they would be back on the road come dawn.

The company stopped by the stables first, where everyone began to dismount their horses. Melliel climbed down from her saddle and started to retrieve her pack, but quickly found herself having to practically catch Bilbo instead when he all but fell off his pony next to her. The poor hobbit, still adjusting to being in a saddle for such long periods of time, gave her an embarrassed smile when she steadied him.

"Steady now," she said, keeping a hand on his shoulder to make sure he wouldn't topple over. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, quite," he answered quickly, his cheeks already tinged pink with embarrassment. "Thank you."

She nodded and released him, watching as he wobbled on his feet and rubbed at his sore rear. A couple of nearby dwarves noticed the state he was in and jumped at the opportunity to tease him as he passed by, making the blush in the hobbit's cheeks reach all the way to his ears now. Melliel didn't think there was any real malice behind the teasing, but Bilbo seemed displeased nonetheless and jutted his chin into the air, walking away with as much dignity as he could muster.

Once their horses and ponies were secure for the night, the company followed Gandalf to the inn to see what rooms were available. They were able to get only four, and deciding who would go where did not take very long – the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo would divide themselves out amongst two of them, Thorin would take a room for himself, and Melliel, being the sole female in the company, would have a room by herself as well.

"For you, my dear," Gandalf said, passing her a key with a large 3 engraved on it.

"Thank you, Mithrandir," Melliel said as she plucked the key from his fingers.

"Why does the elf get her own room?" Glóin complained with disgruntlement, eyeing her key with something akin to jealousy.

"I am happy to share the space," Melliel answered before Gandalf could. "Shall I prepare you a bed next to mine, Master Glóin?" she asked, raising her brows at him.

Glóin's eyes widened so much, she thought they might pop out of his head. "Why I never – !"

He spluttered out the rest of his protest in Khuzdul, but his tone and outraged expression left little doubt as to how indecent he found such a proposal to be. Melliel smirked at the reaction, then watched as he went stomping up the stairs in indignation. The others dwarves trailed after him, some shaking their heads at her in disapproval, others snickering to themselves at the whole thing. As for Gandalf, he gave Melliel a pointed look.

"Was that necessary?" he asked, his tone only slightly admonishing.

Melliel shrugged a shoulder. "He ceased his complaining, did he not?" she countered.

Gandalf merely sighed wearily and shook his head in response, then made way for the stairs. Melliel smirked again and followed him.

While the rest of the company loudly debated who would sleep where down the hall, Melliel found room number three and let herself in. It was small, with only a bed, a small nightstand, and two armchairs situated in front of a fireplace, but it came with the very precious commodity known as privacy, so she saw nothing to complain about. The room could do with a bit of a fresh air, though, so she went the window to open it. It had been raining when she and Gandalf had been in Bree a few days ago, which had more or less turned the small town into one big mud slop. It wasn't much nicer to look at now that everything had dried up, but at least the spring weather made it slightly more pleasant.

With a fresh breeze blowing through the room now, Melliel set her pack down on the bed and took off her weapons, placing them on the table. That was when she noticed a door next to the fireplace. Curious to find out if it was a built in wardrobe or not, she went to the door and tried the handle, finding it unlocked. Melliel opened it without any preamble…then immediately froze when she saw the sight that awaited her on the other side.

The door most certainly did not open to a wardrobe. It opened to another room, which was currently occupied. And as soon as the said occupant saw her, his expression immediately flattened.

Thorin had already settled his things and had just taken off his thick, fur lined coat, which he had been about to drape over a chair. He had stopped to stare at her, though, his coat momentarily forgotten in his hands as his eyes narrowed at her.

"Perhaps things are done differently where you come from, but in most parts of the world it is customary to knock before barging into one's room," he said slowly, his deep voice ripe with annoyance.

Melliel stood a little straighter, not wanting to show the slight awkwardness she felt all while wishing she had thought to knock first. "I did not realize where this door led to. It was my mistake."

"See that such a mistake does not happen again," Thorin told her.

There was an unmistakable dismissal in his tone, which Melliel heard loud and clear. She nodded once and immediately shut the door again.

No sooner had she closed the door than she very clearly heard the sound of Thorin moving one of the chairs at his table and lodging it against the doorknob. The fact that he had physically barred the door to keep her out actually made her roll her eyes. What did he think she was going to do, come into his room in the middle of the night and kill him?

Shaking her head, she forced herself to stop thinking about the paranoid Dwarf King next door and went to her pack, taking out a few things she thought she might want quicker access to while they were in Bree. After a short while she could hear dwarves out in the hallway again, their loud feet and loud voices easy to identify as they finished stowing their belongings and headed out for the afternoon. There wasn't much she needed to buy herself, having already stocked up on supplies with Gandalf when they had been in the town a few days previous, but she didn't think it would hurt to obtain a few extra provisions, just in case.

Melliel stepped back out of her room just as Balin, Óin, and Glóin walked past. Balin and Óin spared her the briefest of glances as they passed, but Glóin, likely still offended from her comment downstairs, pointedly ignored her as they continued on. Melliel watched them disappear down a flight of stairs, then looked back down the hallway when another door opened. This time it was Kíli and Fíli who appeared, and unlike their companions, they actually smiled at her in greeting as they approached.

"Off to the market, Melliel?" Kíli asked.

Melliel nodded. "Indeed, I am."

"Well, that is where we are heading, as well," Fíli said, indicating between him and his brother. "Would you care to join us? A lady should never venture out without a chaperone. Tis not safe," he added with a shake of his head.

Melliel lifted a brow. "Do you think me incapable of taking care of myself?" she asked without malice or offence.

The blonde dwarf smirked. "I am sure you can handle yourself just fine. But where we come from, we make sure that our women are protected," he explained. "You are part of our company, which means we're responsible for you now."

"Plus, our amad would have our hides if she knew we let a lady walk around a foreign place by herself," Kíli interjected with a nod. Melliel could only assume that the amad he was referring to was their mother.

"So," Fíli concluded, "may we escort you?"

Melliel smiled at the dwarf brothers. Being chaperoned was unfamiliar – and unnecessary – but if it meant she would be able to spend some time with them and get to know them better, then she wasn't going to say no. "How could I refuse such a chivalrous offer?"

The brothers seemed genuinely pleased she accepted.

"So what do you think of the company so far?" Kíli asked with interest once they were out of the inn and making their way down the main road.

Melliel shrugged a shoulder. "They seem quite friendly…with each other," she added with a pointed look.

Kíli and Fíli both had the decency to look a little guilty. "I know there are some who have not exactly been welcoming," Fíli said. Melliel resisted the urge to correct him and point out that actually most of the company had been unwelcoming, not just some. "Tis nothing personal against you, Melliel," he insisted.

"Just my race and all of my kin?" she countered drily.

Fíli sighed. "Dwarves do not generally trust outsiders to begin with. But trusting an outsider whom also so happens to be an elf? That is a very tall order for a dwarf," he told her. "After all, there is much bad history between us, which I am sure you are well aware of."

Oh, she certainly was. Thorin Oakenshield's company were not the first dwarves she had encountered in her time, and any interactions she'd had with dwarves in the past had been less than pleasant. She would also admit to having heard her elven kin speak badly about the mountain dwelling peoples before, and knew that some elves harbored just as strong of a dislike as the dwarves did. Personally, she had never understood why either side wasted their time and energy loathing each other so fiercely.

"I am aware," Melliel confirmed. "In my opinion, the feud between our people is useless and has gone on for far too long."

The brothers didn't look like they agreed. "If you knew what elves had done to our people, you might not think it so nonsensical," Fíli countered, his expression going grim.

Melliel frowned at that, thinking back to what Thorin had said about being double crossed by elves in the past. "Tell me what happened, then," she urged, wanting to know more.

"Our people lost everything when Smaug came for Erebor. Their homes, their families, their lives – everything they had ever known was gone in the blink of an eye. They needed help, desperately so," Fíli began to explain. He paused and turned his eyes forward, a dark look crossing his features. The expression reminded her eerily of Thorin. "King Thranduil of Mirkwood saw what was happening, yet did nothing to aid our people. The elves turned their backs on us, left us to fend for ourselves. It is a betrayal that can never be forgiven, and it will certainly never be forgotten."

Melliel took a moment to consider what Fíli had said. She knew King Thranduil, and she could not say that she was overly surprised to hear what he had done. She would not consider him to be inherently bad, but he could be arrogant and selfish, and he was certainly not one who would be willing to risk elvish lives to help any dwarves, no matter how dire the situation. His betrayal certainly explained why these particular dwarves were so hesitant to trust her, so reluctant to even give her a chance. This wasn't because of some old feud between distant relations that had long since left this world – their hatred of elves was personal.

"Well, that explains a few things. I would be hesitant to trust anyone who betrayed me in such a way as well," Melliel admitted. But she still shook her head and frowned. "Fair as it is for your people to hold a grudge, however, I do wish that animosity was not being directed at me. I had no involvement in any of that."

Both brothers gave her looks of sympathy. "And we are sorry for how you have been received by the others in the company," Kíli said, before he gave her an encouraging smile. "But you seem a very decent lady to us. Give it time. I am sure the company will come to think so too."

"Even Thorin?" she asked doubtfully.

Fíli snorted. "Thorin is as stubborn as they come," he admitted. "But he is not completely unreasonable. I think, in time, you will be able to gain his trust. And if you do, know that you will have a very staunch ally indeed."

Melliel quirked a brow at the young dwarf. "You seem as though you know him very well," she commented, recognizing the familiarity with which he spoke of the company's leader.

Fíli smirked. "He is our uncle."

Melliel raised her brows in surprise. Over the past few days, it had seemed as though Thorin had been going out of his way to keep her from interacting with the young dwarf brothers, only she hadn't been sure as to why. Knowing what she knew now, she understood perfectly well why he'd been trying to keep her away.

"I see. And would your uncle be displeased to know you are acting as my escorts after he worked so hard to keep you away from me?" she questioned.

"Probably," Kíli answered nonchalantly.

"Can't avoid you forever, though, can we?" Fíli added with a wink.

Melliel just smiled at the dwarf brothers in response, feeling encouraged.

The three of them reached the marketplace and started perusing the various stands. Kíli and Fíli seemed focused on buying mostly food, a commodity which Melliel was beginning to suspect was just as precious to dwarves as it was to hobbits. Several of the other dwarves in the company were doing the same, she noticed, their lack of height and eccentric styles making them easy to spot amongst the crowd. Several of them had noticed the fact that Kíli and Fíli were with her, which earned them a few looks of disapproval, but either the brothers didn't notice or they just simply didn't care.

After they were finished at the market Melliel followed Kíli and Fíli to a feed store, where she lingered by the window while the brothers went about purchasing some grains for their ponies. While she stood there, she spotted Gandalf and Bilbo emerging from the crowd and walking past the feed store. From the snippets of conversation she could just barely hear over all the general racket of Bree, it seemed like Gandalf was lecturing Bilbo about the journey to come and how to survive outside the comforts of the Shire. The hobbit listened on earnestly, all but jogging to keep up with Gandalf's long strides, looking a little overwhelmed as he tried to take in everything the wizard was saying.

Just before they disappeared from sight again, Bilbo let out a large sneeze, his hand instinctually going to his pocket to look for the handkerchief he always kept there. But there was no handkerchief, because he had left it at Bag End, and when he remembered this, she saw a morose look pass over his features. He resigned himself to wiping his nose on his sleeve, then quickly scurried after Gandalf and disappeared from view.

Melliel smiled sympathetically. Poor Bilbo. He really was having a hard time acclimating to this new life on the road. She might not have known him very well just yet, but she had thought he had seemed down the past few days. Between being away from home for the first time in his life and adventuring along with a company of dwarves that hadn't exactly gone out of their way to be friendly, she could understand why his spirits were a little low. It would have been a hard transition for anyone.

Suddenly, she was struck with an idea, something that she thought might brighten his spirits, even if it was only a minor gesture.

Smiling to herself, she glanced back to see how much longer Kíli and Fíli were going to be and saw that they had finished up their purchase and were coming her way. As they stepped back outside, Melliel immediately began scanning the surrounding shops, looking around for the one that would provide the item she now wanted to find.

"Where to next?" Fíli asked, looking unbothered by the heavy bad of feed he was carrying.

Her eyes finally landed on the shop she needed, which made her smile and point in that direction. "There," Melliel said.

Kíli frowned with confusion. "A fabrics shop? What do you need from there?"

Melliel smiled broadly. "A handkerchief."

"What for?" Fíli asked. "Do elves even sneeze?"

Melliel gave him a look, unsure if his question was a serious one or not, then shook her head. "It is not for me. It is for Bilbo," she explained.

The brothers glanced at one another, but followed her to the store nonetheless. Melliel reached the door first, but the dwarves did not immediately move to follow her inside, their attention caught momentarily by something displayed in the window of the next shop over. After they waved her away and told her they would be along momentarily, Melliel walked inside.

It was very clean and organized in the store, so much so that it almost looked fancy in comparison to the rest of Bree. The woman working the counter glanced over as a bell jingled to signal her arrival, smiling widely when she spotted Melliel.

"Good afternoon. How can I help you?" the woman asked, her expression a friendly one.

"I am in need of a handkerchief," Melliel said. "Preferably a durable one."

"Yes, of course," the woman said, motioning her further into the store.

Melliel had just reached where the woman stood when the bell on the door jingled again. They both turned to see that Fíli and Kíli had come inside, still toting their things and tracking in dirt with their heavy boots. The woman's expression soured immediately at the sight of the dwarf brothers and she turned her nose up, which Melliel couldn't help but notice. It immediately didn't sit right with her, seeing the way the woman was regarding Kíli and Fíli, but she tried to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was just annoyed because her pristine floors had gotten dirty.

"I shall be with you shortly," the woman said to the dwarves, her tone far less warm and inviting than it had been with Melliel. The woman then turned back to her, fixed her with a smile that no longer seemed genuine, then led her toward a shelf of handkerchiefs.

There were numerous handkerchiefs available, made of various different fabrics, though most of them looked a little too fancy and a little too feminine for the hobbit in question. While the lady tried to sell her on a lacy one that Melliel already knew she wouldn't be getting, Kíli and Fíli started looking around the store, flicking through racks of fabrics and pointing out particularly fancy looking ones to each other.

It was then that Melliel realized that leaving the dwarf brothers to their own devices was perhaps not the best idea. While the store owner's back was turned, Kíli's expression turned mischievous and he set down the things he had bought, picking up a gauzy, delicate looking yard of pink fabric off a display shelf and draping it over his head. He started prancing around, putting on a high-pitched voice and acting like a lady, complete with swooning and battling eyelashes. Fíli laughed at his brother's antics and shoved Kíli away when the other dwarf puckered his lips as if trying to kiss him. Kíli only laughed and tried again, which resulted in him getting shoved again, which then quickly escalated to the two beginning to wrestle right in the middle of the shop, all whilst the fabric was still draped over Kíli's head.

Melliel watched over the woman's shoulder, barely suppressing the urge to laugh as Fíli managed to get his brother in a headlock, making the other dwarf flail about as he tried to break free. The sounds of the scuffle had drawn the attention of the owner, however, whose expression darkened considerably as soon as she saw what was going on. Without a word to Melliel, she went and stomping over to the brothers to rescue her fabric.

"That is not a toy!" she snapped. "And I will not tolerate such behavior in my store!"

Melliel frowned at her tone, as did the brothers. "We were only having a laugh," Kíli defended. "The material is not even ruined!"

Indeed, from what Melliel could see, the fabric seemed perfectly fine, if not a tiny bit wrinkled from being roughly handled. "This is worth probably more than everything you own, dwarf," the woman argued, practically spitting the word out as though it were a curse. "I'll not have you putting your filthy, brutish hands on it!"

Melliel stiffened, very much disliking the woman's tone and choice of words. Judging by the looks on Kíli and Fíli's faces, they felt the same as she did.

"That's not a very courteous thing to say," Fíli interjected, quirking an eyebrow. "And certainly not a good way to do business."

"I have no need, nor desire, to do business with the likes of dwarves," the woman retorted haughtily, looking down her nose at them.

Melliel decided she had heard quite enough. "Then you shall have no need to do business with me, either," she said, leaving the handkerchiefs behind and moving to join the two dwarf brothers. The woman seemed surprised, realizing only then that Melliel knew the dwarves she was being so rude to. At the hard look Melliel gave her, she took a slight step backwards. "They meant no harm, and certainly do not deserve to be subjected to your prejudice." She shook her head at the woman. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Melliel walked out without another glance back. Kíli and Fíli picked up their things and followed her, neither bothering to say anything more to the owner as they left. Once they were all outside, Melliel started looking around again, certain there would be another place to purchase a handkerchief from. As she did so, Kíli and Fíli appeared on either side of her.

"Why did you do that?" Fíli asked curiously.

Melliel looked down at him with confusion. "Do what?"

"Stand up for us," Kíli said, making her look to him next. He looked equally as bemused as his brother. "You defended us. Why?"

Melliel shrugged. "I am no stranger to being discriminated against, and I have little tolerance for it," she explained simply, which had the brothers sharing a guilty look – likely because some of that discrimination had recently been coming from their own friends and family. "Besides, we are all part of the company. We should look out for one another, yes?"

The dwarves seemed sufficiently stumped, as if they have not expected to hear her say that. Finally, they shared a look, before they both cast big smiles up at her.

"Yes, I believe we should," Fíli agreed, the braids in his mustache swaying as he nodded his head. He then clapped her on the back, the strength of his hit making her lurch forward. "I think we are going to get along just fine, Melliel."


By the time she returned to the inn with Kíli and Fíli, Melliel felt she could confidently say that she had won the dwarf brothers over. Any lingering awkwardness or hesitancy that the two might have been feeling in regards to her had all but evaporated after the incident at the fabric store. They had since turned into completely different dwarves – they had been chatting her ears off nonstop and joking around with her as if they were all old friends. As if she was actually a real member of the company, and not just some strange, foreign outsider.

The sun was going down as they dropped their purchases off in their rooms. Melliel hardly had time to put her things away before Kíli and Fíli were knocking at her door and all but demanding that she have supper with them. Melliel happily went back downstairs to the tavern, snagging a table by the fire while the brothers went to order food and ale. They returned soon, thrusting a drink into her hand without even asking her if she wanted it.

"So," Kíli said after noisily knocking back half his ale. "What is your story, Melliel?"

"My story?" Melliel echoed.

"Where do you come from? Who is your family? What grand events have occurred in your life that have led you to gracing us with your presence now?" Fíli offered for clarification.

Melliel tapped a finger against her pint glass, trying to decide what she should tell them. She did not particularly want to talk about her family – she had been having a good time with the brothers, and she did not wish to ruin the mood by bringing up things that would only make her sad. So, she decided to carefully avoid that subject. "I cannot say there have been many grand events," she told them.

"Why do I not believe you?" Fíli countered with a knowing smirk.

Melliel smiled gently. "Honestly. I may have travelled much of this world, but I cannot say my life has been particularly eventful. I have not fought in great battles, or done any deeds that will put my name in the history books. I suppose I am just…restless. Never one to settle anywhere for too long a time."

"And may I ask why that is?" Kíli inquired curiously.

Melliel frowned pensively as she considered her answer. The truth was that she did not ever commit herself to any one place because she was always too afraid to become attached. The only sense of home she had ever really known was in Rohan, with her mother and father. Lothlorien, she supposed, came close, thanks solely to the fact that her grandparents were there. But even the Golden Wood didn't feel like the right fit for her, partly because she felt so very different from the elves that lived there, but mostly because that place always reminded her of her mother and brought forth too many bad memories.

Regardless, losing her mother and father, losing that sense of home, had made her reluctant to try to find it once more out of fear that it too would be ripped away from her. To safeguard her heart, she had decided long ago never to become too attached to anything if she could avoid it, hoping she could save herself the heartache down the road.

"I had a home, long ago," she finally told the brothers. "But I lost it, and no place has ever felt like home since. I dare say no place ever will, so I no longer try to make it so."

"It seems we have a few things in common then," Fíli commented, which made Melliel look to him curiously. "Our people have lived in Ered Luin for some time. For some of us, it is all we have ever known," he said, glancing at Kíli. "But there was a long while where we did not have any sort of home. Even now, Ered Luin does not always feel like it, especially to those who were in Erebor."

"That is why Thorin wishes so badly to reclaim the mountain?" Melliel asked curiously.

Fíli nodded. "Thorin worked himself nearly into the ground to provide our people with as comfortable a life as possible. It is because of him that we still live and thrive today. But his desire to return to Erebor has never waned, and now I should think he would stop at nothing to reclaim it."

Melliel nodded slowly, understanding the reason behind the dwarves' quest a little better. What wouldn't she do, just to have a chance at being home again? It was impossible for her, but the chance remained for the company. "Well, allow me to say now that I hope this quest is a successful one, and that someday you and the company may enjoy the halls of Erebor once more," she said, lifting her ale to them.

The two brothers lifted their own drinks. "We will," Kíli said confidently. "Mahal himself could not stop Thorin from taking back Erebor, just you wait and see."

"Hear, hear," Fíli contributed, then they all took a drink.

As their food arrived and talk of the quest ceased, the brothers started to pepper her with questions once more. They did not bring up her family again, which made her wonder if they had picked up on the fact that she had purposefully avoided talking about them. Whatever the reason, she was glad they didn't pry further and instead asked her about other things, like: How did she know Gandalf? Which place in Middle Earth had been her favorite to visit? Had she met dwarves before? How good was she with a bow anyway? Melliel answered their questions without complaint, happy to do so because she was just happy they were even interested enough to ask them.

"How old are you?" Kíli finally asked curiously.

"How old do you think I am?" Melliel countered around a bite of bread.

Both the brothers narrowed their eyes and tilted their heads, giving her a scrutinizing look as they tried to guess. "I will say…eighty," Fíli guessed.

"Eighty? Surely not!" Kíli said, looking at his brother like he had gone mad. "I say you aren't a day over fifty-five."

Melliel smirked at their guesses. "You are both very far off," she told them. "I am three hundred and ninety six."

The brothers both went wide eyed. "Wow. You're even older than Balin, and he's practically ancient," Kíli said with surprise. "Yet, you look so young!"

"I am young, by elven standards," Melliel informed him. "Elves stop physically aging once they reach maturity, which means most elves you will see will look youthful, even if they are centuries old."

The dwarves made sounds of interest. "So this is how you shall look for the rest of your time then?" Kíli asked.

Melliel thought of her grandparents, who still looked youthful despite being thousands of years old, and nodded. "I believe so, yes."

"Well, good thing you're pretty then," Kíli said with a cheeky grin.

"Are you flirtin' with the she-elf?" a new voice suddenly interjected.

The three of them looked over to see that Bofur had just arrived. Behind him stood Bifur and Bombur, who were eyeing her quietly. All three were holding plates of food and mugs of ale, having obviously just come from the bar.

"You know Kíli. He flirts with anything that moves," Fíli huffed.

"I do not," Kíli denied, whacking his brother's chest with the back of his hand. "I was only paying Melliel a compliment."

"Oh, aye, sure," Bofur said, before claiming the empty seat next to Melliel. "Don't read into it too much, lass," he said with a smile. "Kíli doesn't know how to behave around women folk."

Kíli immediately threw a hunk of cheese at Bofur' head, which the dwarf caught and promptly ate. Melliel smiled at the exchange, though she couldn't help but glance interestedly at Bofur, who seemed completely at ease sitting next to her and talking to her, as if they were actual friends.

Bifur and Bombur, however, were a little more hesitant, looking unsure if they should actually sit down or not. Finally, Bofur gave them a look.

"You two going to sit down, or are you just goin' to stand there like great big bloody statues?" he asked, raising his brows at them.

The two finally sat down, pushing a small table up against theirs to join them together, one taking a seat next to Fíli, and the other next to Bofur. Not even a minute after the two got settled, two more people appeared – this time it was Gandalf and Bilbo, the latter of which was looking a little weary on his feet. Melliel immediately thought to the handkerchief she had finally found and purchased and now lay folded up in her room. She found herself hoping the small gift would bring a pep back into the hobbit's step.

"Well, hello," Melliel greeted as Gandalf moved another small table over to join theirs from the opposite side, he and Bilbo claiming seats next to her and Kíli. "Where have you two been all day?"

"Shopping," Bilbo answered next to her, his eyes closing as he took a long drink of the ale he had brought with him. He smacked his lips appreciatively, then looked at her again. "Gandalf made sure I was well prepared for the journey to come," he told her, shooting a look toward the wizard. "I am fairly certain we went to every single shop in town."

"Best to be overprepared when it comes to journeys such as these," Gandalf said with a firm nod, already in the process of packing his pipe to have a smoke.

"So you have mentioned," Bilbo said drily, leading Melliel to believe that was not the first time – or even second time, for that matter – that Gandalf had said those words to Bilbo that day.

"Well, we had quite a day ourselves!" Kíli interjected with a smile. "In fact, we have quite a story to tell about Melliel!"

The brothers proceeded to launch into the story of what had happened in the fabrics shop, embellishing a little and making her good deed sound far grander than it had really been. The way they sung her praises pulled a bashful smile from her, though, and the story earned her some approving looks from the other dwarves, so she let them have their fun telling the tale.

After that, the table fell into easy conversation. Several pints of ale were drunk and there was a lot of laughter as the dwarves told embarrassing stories about each other, much to Melliel's delight. Kíli and Fíli could be troublemakers, she now knew with complete certainty, and Bofur was a very jolly fellow who really didn't seem to be bothered by much. Bombur was a little bit more reserved, more interested in his food than in participating in the conversation, but he did not come off as unfriendly. As for Bifur, he rarely spoke at all, and when he did, it was only in Khuzdul or through hand gestures.

Curious, Melliel leaned over to Bofur and dropped her voice. "Does Bifur speak the common tongue?" she asked quietly.

Bofur looked at her in surprise, then shrugged. "He understands ya if you speak to him," he said. "But his injury did somethin' to him, made it so he cannot speak anything but Khuzdul these days," he added with a slightly grim look.

By injury, he undoubtedly was referring to the axe blade imbedded in the other dwarf's skull. It was a shocking sight to behold, which had garnered more than a few stares from the general public. "Can it not be removed?" she inquired.

Bofur shook his head. "We fear it might kill him to do so, lass, so we have let it be all this time."

Melliel nodded in understanding, her eyes catching Bifur's as he suddenly looked their way. She offered a friendly smile and inclined her head to him, which seem to catch him off guard. His eyes widened momentarily, then he quickly looked away, becoming very intent on his meal as he shoveled food into his mouth.

She turned her gaze elsewhere and took a drink of ale, her eyes scanning the tavern. It was a habit she had fallen into long ago, since she more often than not traveled alone and knew it wise to always be aware of her surroundings, always on the lookout for anything, or anyone, that might mean trouble. Her eyes trailed over the many tables filled most with men drinking to their hearts content, none of which was paying their table any mind. Melliel started to return her attention to her dinner companions, but then froze when something caught her attention.

The rest of the dwarves in the company were present in the tavern as well and had claimed a large table on the other side of the room. As a group of men moved out of the way, her eyes suddenly met Thorin's. He was sitting at the end of his table, and the way he was watching her led her to believe that he had spotted her long before she had seen him and had been keeping tabs on her. There was a look on his face that clearly said he was not pleased to see that she was making friendly conversation with half his company, his nephews included.

Melliel held his gaze until another group of people ambled by and broke their staring contest, then she looked to Kíli when she realized he had been trying to catch her attention. "Something wrong?" he asked unsurely.

Melliel nodded in the direction of Thorin's table. "I think your uncle may be displeased with our dinner arrangements," she commented, taking a small sip of her ale.

Kíli, curious, cast a look in the direction of the other table. He saw Thorin, saw the look he was giving her, then shrugged. "Ah, don't worry yourself about it," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That's just his face."

Melliel nodded, unconvinced, but didn't press the issue any further.

They remained in the tavern for a while longer, having another round of ale while the dwarves told more stories. Eventually, however, Melliel grew tired of drinking and got up to leave, knowing that they would be leaving early and that a good night of rest was in order. Kíli, Fíli, and Bofur actually protested a little, which made her feel glad that they wanted her to stay, but she gently refused their attempts to get her to drink another ale and politely excused herself, bidding goodnight to her companions.

She was glad to get out of the noise of the tavern and into the quiet of her room. The air smelt better now that she'd had the window open for several hours, and a fire had been started at some point, likely by the innkeeper. Melliel took off her jerkin and her boots to get more comfortable, then went into her pack to search for a small pouch of sewing supplies that she always brought with her, just in case she needed to repair rips or tears in her clothes while she was abroad. Melliel then fetched the handkerchief she had bought for Bilbo and took a seat by the window.

She got to work embroidering the handkerchief with Bilbo's initials, wanting to make his gift a little more personal. A very long time ago, when her mother had still been insistent on shaping her into a prim and proper lady, Melliel had been forced to learn things such as cooking and needlework. At the time, she had hated it, having preferred to spend her days training horses or practicing archery. Over time, however, she had grown to learn that being able to sew was a very handy skill to have, and she had perfected it to the point of being able to sew and embroider fairly quickly.

Melliel fell into a rhythm as she worked, humming songs quietly to herself as she concentrated on the task at hand. Eventually she heard the tell-tale sound of dwarves trudging past her room, their loud voices filling the hallway outside as they left the tavern behind and turned in for the night. She did not even look up from her embroidering, hardly paying any attention to the familiar voices of her travelling companions.

Until, that is, she heard her name brought up in conversation.

"Have you spoken to Melliel about the road ahead?" asked the familiar voice of Gandalf. "Have you even spoken to Melliel at all?" the wizard asked next in a distinctly accusing tone.

"I have no need to speak to the she-elf about anything, least of all about the path ahead," replied a stern voice that she knew belonged to Thorin. "I know the way to Erebor perfectly fine."

They were next door, in Thorin's room. Curious, Melliel paused in her embroidering and sat straighter, shamelessly eavesdropping as the conversation continued.

"As I have already stated, Melliel has a wealth of knowledge concerning the lands of Middle Earth," Gandalf said after letting out an exasperated sigh. "If this quest is to be kept secret, we will need to consider taking alternate paths. That is where Melliel comes into play."

"Alternate paths mean additional days of travel, and it is a long enough road already," Thorin argued back stubbornly.

"The company needs to be discreet. I do not think I need remind you as to why," Gandalf countered ominously.

Melliel frowned slightly with uncertainty. What exactly did Gandalf mean by that? Were they worried treasure hunters might follow them and try to claim the riches of Erebor for themselves? Or was there something more sinister at play?

Judging by Gandalf's tone and the heavy silence that had settled over the room, she would have to guess it was the latter of the two options.

"Your feelings about elves are no secret," Gandalf finally spoke up. "But you agreed to bring Melliel on this quest. You agreed to let her be our guide."

"Only so I could keep an eye on her and ensure that she does not go telling all of Middle Earth about our plans," Thorin said gruffly.

Gandalf sighed with weariness. "You give her far too little credit, Thorin Oakenshield. If she is so untrustworthy, if she is so utterly despicable, then why were your own nephews singing her praises at supper tonight?" he questioned.

"Because they are young and naïve and far too trusting," Thorin growled, sounding annoyed with Kíli and Fíli for spending so much time with her.

"Or perhaps they are beginning to see her for who she really is," Gandalf offered. "Something which you should try to do so as well."

Thorin didn't have an answer to that.

"I will take my leave now. But before I go, I will say this one last thing. If you find any value in my advice, then heed my words and council with Melliel," Gandalf urged. He paused, then she heard him walk to the door. "Goodnight, Thorin."

Thorin did not reply, and soon Melliel heard Gandalf leave and return to his own room. She watched the door separating her room for Thorin's for a few moments, listening as the dwarf on the other side sighed heavily. There was a long silence, where Melliel wondered just what Thorin was actually doing.

But then she heard the trudge of footsteps slowly approaching the door, which made her sit even straighter. Thorin stopped just on the other side, and for a moment, Melliel thought he might actually listen to Gandalf's advice and speak to her. But if he had been considering it, he decided against it in the end. Because in the next moment, he was swiftly walking away again, muttering something about daft old wizards under his breath as he went.

Melliel simply quirked a brow at the door, shook her head, then picked up the handkerchief she had gotten for Bilbo and quietly resumed her embroidery


Melliel was packed and ready to leave before the sun rose.

With her weapons strapped on and her bag in hand, she stepped out of her room, quietly closing the door behind her. The rest of the dwarves were still sleeping – she knew that because she could hear the familiar symphony of their snoring emitting from the rooms down the hall. Unsurprised that she was, yet again, the first one ready to leave, Melliel went downstairs to the tavern to get breakfast, knowing it likely wouldn't be long before Thorin ordered everyone else awake and shepherded them out the door.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs, her honey colored eyes sweeping the much quieter tavern. Only a few people were present – a couple of workers were moving about, and a few sleepy looking fellows were having breakfast at a table by the door. Melliel's gaze then landed on a lone figure sitting by the fire, and she blinked in surprise as she realized she recognized him.

Turns out, she wasn't the first one awake after all. Thorin was already there.

He was munching slowly on a half eaten plate of bacon, eggs, and toast, looking preoccupied as he stared at his map of the Wilderness. He was so intent on the map that he hadn't noticed that she had arrived. Melliel watched the dwarf, unable to help thinking back to the conversation she had overheard the night before, and how Thorin had been so completely against asking her advice about the road, or even interacting with her at all.

After a moment of contemplation, Melliel lifted her chin and went to his table, dropping her pack next to his. The thump of her bag hitting the floor made Thorin jump a little because he had not heard the approach of her silent footsteps, his brows raised in surprise as his eyes swung up to meet hers. When he realized who was standing before him, his brows immediately lowered and a frown pulled at his lips.

"Is there something you want, she-elf?" he asked brusquely.

Melliel merely gave him a pleasant smile. "Good morning to you, too," she said in return.

Thorin frowned deeper as she pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. "What are you doing?" he demanded impatiently.

Melliel raised her brows at him. "I am sitting down to have breakfast," she said obviously.

"And why are you doing so here?" Thorin countered.

Melliel looked pointedly around the tavern, then back to Thorin. "You are the only one present that I am acquainted with," she said, smiling again. "It would be odd to pretend as though we are strangers, would it not?"

Thorin opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a word out, a barmaid suddenly appeared by their table.

"Good mornin', miss," she greeted with a friendly smile. "Anything I can get you?"

"She will not be – " Thorin started to interject, clearly trying to thwart Melliel's attempts to have breakfast with him.

"A tea would be appreciated, as would a bowl of porridge," Melliel interrupted, speaking right over him. "Thank you very much," she added with a smile.

The barmaid nodded and went off to get Melliel's breakfast. Once she was gone, Melliel looked back to Thorin, who did nothing to hide his annoyance.

She had sat with him purely to attempt to break the ice between them. He hadn't spoken two words to her since they had left Bag End, but she knew he had been watching her from a distance. The feeling of his eyes following her had become one that she was growing very familiar with. After her conversation with Kíli and Fíli, she had decided that she wanted to at least try to get into Thorin's good graces – if not to form a friendship, then at least to make him stop looking at her as though she carried some kind of contagious disease.

An uncomfortable silence passed between them, where Thorin stared at her with stony eyes, and where Melliel tried to think of something to talk with him about. Finally, she glanced at the map on the table and nodded toward it.

"Planning for the road ahead?" she asked conversationally.

Thorin did not answer at first. He looked as though he was struggling to decide whether he should engage in conversation with her, or whether he should just get up and leave. Finally, he exhaled loudly through his nose as if in resignation.

"Preparing alternate routes, should the Great East Road give us any trouble," he answered reluctantly.

Melliel nodded. "Good to be prepared," she commented. "I could lend you my assistance. That is, after all, my duty for this quest."

"I know my way through Middle Earth quite well," Thorin replied stiffly. "I do not need your help."

"Mithrandir seems to disagree," she countered. "Otherwise, why would he have urged you to talk with me about routes that may be more discreet?" she asked knowingly.

Thorin frowned with confusion. "How did you…?" he asked, trailing off as she smiled and turned her head, putting her pointed ears on display.

"Elves have superb hearing, as I am sure you have heard. Hearing a conversation next door is hardly a challenge," Melliel said simply.

"Which means you also listened in on the company's meeting at Bag End, even though I told you not to," Thorin surmised, looking annoyed again when she gave him an innocent smile. "So your superior hearing gives you the right to eavesdrop, then?"

"When the conversation is about me? Yes, I believe so." Melliel then gave him a questioning look. "When Mithrandir approached me about this quest, I got the distinct impression he was withholding information from me," she said. "Now I hear the two of you speaking about the importance of discretion, and it has me wondering…why?"

Thorin pressed his lips together tightly, looking hesitant to answer. Luckily for him, the barmaid returned in the next moment with Melliel's tea and breakfast, which saved him from having to say anything right away. After her food had been delivered and the barmaid had gone, Melliel gave Thorin an expectant look, waiting to hear his answer.

"I should think the need for discretion would be obvious," Thorin finally answered. "If you need it explained to you, then perhaps Gandalf was too generous when he praised your intelligence."

Melliel narrowed her eyes a little at the insult, but otherwise did not react to it. Her gaze held Thorin's defiant one, and even though she knew that there was still more to this than the Dwarf King was letting on, she also recognized the fact that he was not going to discuss the matter with her. She decided to let it go for the time being.

Melliel took a sip of tea and then grabbed her spoon, using the utensil to gesture to his plate. "You should eat before it goes cold," she suggested to change the subject.

Thorin made no move to touch the food as she started eating. "You spent most of yesterday with Kíli and Fíli," he stated bluntly.

Melliel nodded as she took a bite. "I did," she confirmed. "They are very entertaining fellows. I enjoy their company."

"You will not enjoy their company any longer," Thorin ordered, sounding very much like the king he was. "My nephews are very important to me, as well as to the line of Durin. I will not have them compromised because they foolishly put their trust in an elf," he said with a glare.

Melliel lifted a brow. "Compromised?" she echoed. "What exactly do you think I intend to do to them, Thorin Oakenshield?"

"There is not much I would put past your kind, she-elf," he glowered.

Melliel sighed and calmly set her eating utensil down. "I have no ill intentions for your nephews, Thorin. I have no ill intentions for any of you," she explained to him, wondering how many times she would have to do so before he finally realized she was telling the truth.

"And why should I believe you?" Thorin asked doubtfully.

"Because despite what you so firmly believe, not all elves are evil, selfish creatures who will turn their backs and leave you to suffer during your greatest time of need," she said firmly. As Thorin's expression took on a hint of surprise, Melliel gave him a knowing look. "Fíli and Kíli told me what King Thranduil did after Erebor fell. It was cold and callous, and I do not agree with his actions that day."

Thorin didn't seem to know how to respond to that, so he didn't say anything at all. He merely crossed his arms and looked elsewhere, his expression stony and closed off.

After a few beats of silence, Melliel sighed quietly and tried a different approach. "This journey we are on is going to be a difficult one," she said gently. "Perhaps it would be a little easier if we learned how to cooperate with one another. If we learned to trust one another."

Thorin's eyes cut back to hers. "You have given me no reason to trust you."

"And what reason have I given you not to trust me?" Melliel countered.

Thorin did not have a response to that either.

"I only want to help," Melliel reiterated with a nod. "I hope, in time, I can prove to you that I am a worthy member of this company."

Melliel had hoped the words would be enough to extinguish some of the flame of hatred Thorin seemed to have for her. Unfortunately, as his expression darkened and his eyes narrowed, they seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Perhaps I did not make myself clear in Bag End. You are not a member of this company. You are only here because Gandalf would not have joined us otherwise, and because the wizard, for reasons unknown, seems to think you have some sort of value. A value which, mind you, I have seen little evidence of thus far. So do not presume to think that you are one of us, because I assure you that you are not," Thorin said coldly.

He then stood abruptly, rolling up his map and shoving it into his bag, which he then slung onto his shoulder. Without another word, he left the table and disappeared upstairs, his voice booming loudly as he began calling for the rest of the company to wake.

Alone now, Melliel sighed and shook her head, thinking her talk with Thorin couldn't have possibly gone worse. She had set out to bridge the gap between them, but had only succeeded in widening that gap even more.

She picked up her spoon to eat more porridge, but stopped with the bite halfway to her mouth, finding that her disastrous talk with Thorin had left her without an appetite. Sighing again, she put down her spoon and threw a few coins onto the table. Then she picked up her pack and headed outside, leaving both her and Thorin's abandoned breakfast to turn cold.


Melliel retrieved Tallagor from the stables and then sat down on a bench to await the company, passing the time by finishing up the last bits of her embroidery on Bilbo's handkerchief. Though the task was meant to distract her, she couldn't help but continue to mull over her less than pleasant chat with Thorin.

Gandalf had warned her that the dwarf was very stubborn, but Melliel was coming to the realization that she had underestimated exactly how stubborn he truly was. Thorin seemed absolutely determined to refuse any and all help from her, and he seemed to have already decided that she was someone who neither to be trusted nor useful on their quest. He was treating her as if she were the enemy, as if she sought to destroy his company from the inside out of some evil, sinister intention…and well, after learning of his past trouble with elves, she supposed she could understand why.

His issues with King Thranduil and the Mirkwood elves, however, had nothing to do with her, and she couldn't help but feel that he was being unfair in his harsh judgment of her. Melliel did not know what to do to make him at least give her a chance to prove that she was somebody he could trust. Perhaps Fíli had been too optimistic when he said she might be able to earn Thorin's trust. By the looks of things, it seemed like an impossible feat.

The company finally turned up not long after she put on the finishing touches of her embroidery, bringing her musings about Thorin to a halt.

"Good mornin', lass!" Bofur greeted with a friendly grin as the dwarves approached. A few of the other dwarves gave him disapproving looks for greeting her so enthusiastically, but he didn't seem to care.

Melliel tried to push past the slightly foul mood her encounter with Thorin had left her in and smiled at the dwarf. "Good morning, Bofur."

"I didn't see you at breakfast. Did ye eat?" Bofur inquired.

Melliel's eyes slid briefly over to Thorin, who was striding toward them with the usual, stoic expression he always wore. He surely knew she was there, but he didn't so much as glance in her direction as he strode past and went into the stables. "I ate," she fibbed, looking back to Bofur. Probably better not to tell him that her breakfast had been abandoned after her less-than-pleasant interaction with Thorn.

"Good. Tis bad luck to travel on an empty stomach," he said with a wag of his finger.

With that, he continued on into the stables. She spotted Kíli and Fíli next. The brothers were walking together, but they were doing so in silence and appeared to be lacking their usual cheeriness. Fíli had a grim, stern look that reminded her very much of Thorin, and Kíli was almost pouting, his lip curled and his eyes glaring straight ahead. Perhaps grumpiness was a family trait, she mused to herself.

"Good morning," Melliel said, stepping out to meet them as they approached.

The call caught their attention and resulted in both giving her overly diplomatic smiles. "Good morning," they said almost in perfect unison, Fíli sounding formal, Kíli sounding gloomy.

She expected them to stop and chat, just as Bofur had, but they didn't. The two merely continued on into the stables, hardly giving her another glance as they went to get their ponies. It was far less friendly of a greeting than she had anticipated, especially so considering they had been singing her praises and practically begging her to drink with them just the night before, which made her watch their retreating backs with confused eyes.

"Outta the way, elf," a gruff voice commanded from behind her.

Melliel moved out of the way to allow Dwalin and Balin to pass by. Balin, at least, nodded to her acknowledgement, but Dwalin only gave her his customary sneer of dislike. As the two walked away, Melliel shook her head to herself, thinking it was going to be a very long day if half the company was in a sour mood aleady.

Finally, Gandalf and Bilbo arrived, and outside of Bofur they were the only two who were actually happy to see her. Gandalf gave her a hearty good morning and a fond pat on the shoulder, before going to collect his horse. As for Bilbo, he stopped next to her and offered her a tired smile.

"Did you not sleep well?" Melliel inquired after they had exchanged good mornings.

Bilbo shook his head. "I swear they snore loud enough to wake the dead. It is bad enough to hear it in camp, but confined in a small room? I am genuinely surprised I am not deaf." Bilbo sighed and rubbed his face. "Truth be told, I haven't had a good night's sleep since my last night in the Shire," he admitted. "I find myself longing for my bed a great deal…and my kitchen, and my garden, and a number of other comforts of home," he listed off, his frown growing deeper by the moment.

Melliel smiled with sympathy. "I understand how hard it can be, adjusting to life on the road. But you will acclimate in time."

"I hope you are right," Bilbo said with obvious doubt.

Melliel thought there was no better time than now to give him his present. "While we are speaking of comforts of home, I have something that may cheer you up," she said, before reaching into her pocket to retrieve the neatly folded handkerchief she had only just finished working on. She offered it to Bilbo, who took it with a very surprised expression.

"You…got me a handkerchief?" Bilbo asked, almost sounding stunned.

"You seemed sad to have left yours behind. I thought perhaps this would make you feel a little more prepared to take on the wild," Melliel explained. "It is also much better than using Bofur's shirt," she added with a smirk.

Bilbo ran a gentle thumb over the BB she had embroidered onto the handkerchief, still seemingly in awe. Finally, clutching the handkerchief tightly in his hand and holding it against his chest, he looked up at her with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Melliel. This is very kind of you," he said earnestly.

Melliel was pleased to see how much he appreciated the gesture. "You are very welcome, Bilbo."

The snort of a nearby pony interrupted the moment, and they both glanced over to see that the dwarves had all retrieved their ponies and were mounting them. Thorin was already on his pony, looking regal as he sat tall and straight, the sun illuminating the grey streaks in his long, dark hair. He had been watching their interaction very closely, and when he noticed he had their attention, he gave Bilbo a pointed look.

"Fetch your pony, Master Baggins. I'll not have this company lagging behind on your account," he ordered, his voice cutting.

Looking sufficiently chastised, Bilbo pocketed his new handkerchief and scurried into the stables to get his pony. Melliel watched him go, then looked back to Thorin. He merely gave her a blank look in return, then turned his pony around and trotted away. Melliel merely sighed, then went to get Tallagor.

They departed Bree shortly after, and as the company took to the road and left the town behind, it would be some time before they reached civilization again.


Thoughts?