A/N - thank you Nauze for carrying on annoying me daily so I don't give up working on this. (and beta-reading too, though that goes without saying…)

Thorin Oakenshield could barely contain his own satisfaction when he woke up to find his One hugging his bare chest and using him like a pillow. Her long-wavy hair was no longer neatly braided, and he was the only one to be blamed for that. After all, one thing had led to the other when he comforted her when she had another nightmare in the middle of the night. This time, she had been the one who stopped them before things got out of control.

But it had been quite a close call. Thorin was pleased to find out that her scent still lingered on his fingers. He knew that it was unlikely that they would have the luxury of having private moments like these again until they reached Erebor, or at the very least Lake Town. This was probably for the best, considering Katniss' current reluctance on taking her rightful place as his wife or risk having children. Because he was certain that if their intimate moments were to carry on being as heated as they had been in the past twenty-four hours, it wouldn't be long until she was officially his queen.

After the incredible night they had shared, he didn't feel like getting up for what was bound to be a long eventful day ahead. Still, Thorin knew better than to postpone his duties. He knew his men would be assuming that they had consummated their union last night. He knew that they were likely getting all over themselves to ensure that he and Katniss would have something akin to a royal breakfast as much as possible. He also knew he had a lot of explaining to do and was likely going to face heavy criticisms when everyone realised that they were not even officially courting yet.

Moving as stealthy as possible, Thorin somehow managed to leave the bed without waking her up. He put on his tunic, coat and boots, fixed his hair, and left the room as sneakily as he could, stopping only to remove the horseshoe that still hung on the doorknob of the bedroom they had shared. When he arrived at the kitchen, he found that every company member apart from Bilbo and Gandalf was already up, fussing over their breakfast at Beorn's kitchen, exactly as he had expected.

"Uncle! You are not supposed to be here," Kili said as soon Thorin appeared.

"Where is Lassie's bead? Shaw us!" Dwalin asked.

"It didn't happen," Thorin said at once.

"Pay up, everybody!" Nori demand with a smug. Thorin grunted and glared at him.

"But you are courting now, right, Laddie?" Balin said "At the very least, you should ensure our Lassie signs the courting contract. After spending the night together, this is the very least you both can do."

Balin handed over the rolled parchment but Thorin dismissed it with a hand movement, leaving the old dwarf and the others around them confused.

"She won't sign it."

Balin's and Bofur eyes were wide opened in shock. Dwalin, who was drinking something far too heavy for that time of the day, choked on his beverage. Fili, Kili, Ori and Dori's jaws drop simultaneously. Oin started to slam his hearing aid equipment on the kitchen table, sure that it must still be broken. Glóin and Bombur exchanged a glare of disbelief. Nori started blinking conspicuously and Bifur raised both raised to his head and started to shake it. Thorin sighed and sat down resigned, as he served himself some of the same drink that Dwalin was having. It was Dori, the one who was brave enough to break the mortal silence that had dominated the company.

"Thorin… you are my king. I've followed you to a cursed globin's den, and I will follow you blindly to much more. But with all due respect, I can't see you disgracing the poor lassie and not speak my mind…"

Thorin grunted. He clenched his fists as he tried to control his temper.

"Katniss is my One. There is nothing that would make me happier than having her sign our courting contract."

"But then…" Dori started, but Thorin cut him off before he could say anything.

"She won't sign it not because I don't want her to, but because she is not ready for doing this yet…"

"But if the lassie wants you to spend the night in her bedroom, she surely must feel ready for something."

"Thorin, ye can't dae that tae her!" Dwalin said with a mist of disappointment in his voice.

"I already said! If she wants to marry me, I will be more than happy to oblige!" Thorin scolded, angrily gritting his teeth.

"Is she refusing you?" Kili asked, feeling sad by that mere possibility.

"Why would she decline his court and then invite him to her bedroom?!" Dori said accusingly.

"We all saw the horseshoe. She invited you to her bedroom, did she not?" Oin asked with a frown.

"You cannot be not courting after spending an entire night together like this! You should not allow her to leave that room without your bead on her hair!" Dori said.

"Thorin, I'm sure if you frame how important it is for our people's traditions for her to sign the courting…" Balin started.

"Silence!" Thorin asked as he stood up at once. "You will respect my One's choices. She wasn't raised in our culture. She has been coerced and forced into a marriage engagement she did not want before, or do I need to remind you of her story? I won't make her go through this again."

There was a long uncomfortable moment where many decided to look to the floor in embarrassment. The quiet stillness of the room was only broken a feel minutes later when Katniss herself appeared wearing her full Mockingjay armour. She immediately noticed the tension in the air but chose to ignore it.

She walked to where Thorin was standing and placed a small kiss on the corner of his chin, rubbing on his beard and making all the dwarves present, including Thorin, feel extremely uncomfortable with the tenderness of that private gesture. Katniss also seemed a bit shocked by her own actions, as if she had just realised what she had done.

"Is everything ok, Mizin?" Thorin asked, a bit worried by her sudden behaviour.

"Yes, it's just…" she stayed still for half a second, almost as if she was considering sharing her thoughts with him. The moment soon went away, and she shook off that thought as quickly as it appeared. "It doesn't matter."

Thorin gave her an intense glare that she pretended not to notice. He made a mental note to bring back that subject whenever they were alone again.

Unceremoniously, Katniss climbed to her chair and started helping herself to as much food she could fit on her plate. For a short moment, it felt like all that talk about courting was going to be pushed under the carpet. That was at least until Dori decided to open his mouth once again.

"Lady Katniss," he started as he served her some hot tea. "Is your own volition the decision to not court our king?"

"DORI!" Thorin shouted angrily as he slammed his fists on the table, making many of the dwarrowmen look startled at him in the process.

"Thorin!" It was Katniss' turn to glare at him, who just mumbled words in a language she couldn't really understand. She looked back at Dori, who seemed to be taken back by their leader's rage. "What were you saying, Dori?"

But Dori remained quiet, unwilling to say a thing after Thorin's rage outburst. She frowned from dwarf to dwarf, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Balin?" she gambled asking the old white-haired dwarf, who promptly sighed in resignation. Balin knew exactly what she was asking him to repeat but he also knew all too well that Thorin did not want them to touch on that matter any longer. Especially not in her presence.

"Lassie… maybe it would be better if you ignore that…"

"What is this all about?" she asked Thorin with a frown on her face.

"Mizin, listen to Balin. It is better if you leave it be."

"Dori?" she said crossing her arms, letting them all know that she would not allow things to slide that easily.

"Was… was it of your own will the decision to not court?"

Thorin looked livid but he did not say a thing this time. However, it was Katniss who answered Dori with a frown of her own.

"Why are you asking me this? Why does it matter?"

Thorin grunted as he tried to hide a smirk.

"Lassie… you must understand. Our courting traditions are very important to our people." Balin tried to explain.

"No, I don't understand!" she crossed her arms with great annoyance. Thorin would have probably chuckled from amusement if he wasn't so angry about this whole affair.

"But Katniss," Fili started to everyone's surprise, "you should at least learn to respect our people's traditions. Uncle is our leader. When Erebor is reclaimed, he is going to be our king!"

But Katniss felt like she had enough, so she raised from her seat to everyone's surprise

"I don't care! And I don't see why the way that we decide to take our relationship is anybody else's business."

She grabbed her plate and walked away from the room, leaving lots of dwarves with guilty expression behind her. Thorin scolded and grunted at them but did not say a thing. Instead, he also got hold of his own plate and followed her outside the house.

However, when he arrived outside, he found Katniss standing still as a statue, deep fear on her face. Instinctively, his free hand started to look for his sword at the same time his gaze followed the place where hers had frozen. There were about five warg heads on spikes, and he could see Beorn on his man-ish form, placing another spike in the sixth warg head. Some of the foul creatures seemed to also have been skinned while others were waiting for their turn.

Beorn gave an acknowledgement nod to Thorin, who returned the gesture. Katniss on the other hand, looked pale as a ghost. He wasn't sure what had triggered her uneasiness, as she had surely seen worse things than that throughout her life.

"This scum is still hunting for your lot. They were fiercely angry because of Azog's death. I shall think more kindly of dwarves after this."

"Thank you for keeping my company safe. I am forever in your debt,"

But Beorn quickly waved off his thanks.

"You must ride fast. They won't dare to cross the Great River for a hundred miles north of the Carrock but you must ride fast. They will likely cross the river at the south and scour all the edge of the forest to cut you off, and Wargs run swifter than ponies. That is why you are safer going up north. This way they will have a longer ride to catch you. Be off as quick as you may!"

Thorin nodded, and soon Beorn was back to his task. He knew he should go back to the kitchen and order his men to pack up and tide up as quickly as possible, but a quick glance at Katniss was enough for him to delay that for a little bit longer. She still looked very taken aback by the sight of the beheaded Wargs.

"Mizin…?"

"Thorin." She finally took her eyes away from the beheaded beasts she had been looking at, as if she was in a trance.

"What is in your mind?"

Katniss looked away from him, almost as if she was trying to find an excuse not to answer his question. But there was no one around to go to her rescue.

"Nothing," she lamely tried to escape from his questioning.

"Don't lie to me." he approached her slowly, candid but firmly. "I saw the way you were looking for these wargs. What is on your mind?"

Katniss sighed in defeat.

"I don't like Wargs. When I saw Cato dying…" she started but somehow she was unable to bring into words why Wargs made her think about Cato's death. Thorin vaguely remembered the boy's name, the victor from district two who she killed out of mercy after seeing him being devoured alive by those creatures. "I don't like Wargs, but to watch their heads on spikes like that is so… barbaric?"

Yes. Thorin got what she meant well enough. After all, he had been forced to witness his own Grandfather suffering that very same fate. Thrór had been beheaded by Azog in that very same way.

"These creatures would have eaten you alive if they only had the chance. You do know that, don't you?"

She nodded but still remained silent. He wanted to comfort her more, but as Beorn had reminded him, they were already racing against time. Any more time wasted there would mean less time resting later. He kissed her temple, hoping that she would forgive him for not doing more than this.

"Finish your breakfast. We will be leaving in one hour. Pack up your things and load them in your pony. Then help the others if you can."

He had already turned his back to go back inside when he felt her hands grabbing his own. He turned back around and she gave him a quick peck on the lips. He squeezed her hand and nodded before he went away.

Katniss's stomach was so twisted that did not feel like finishing her breakfast. But years of starvation made her unable to refuse food. Especially when they were about to go back on the road as they tried to outrun a pack of hungry Wargs. So she tried to brush off her dark thoughts and forced some of the remains of the meal on her plate down her throat, and kept some in her hunting bag for later.

Even after having travelled with thirteen dwarves for almost three months, it still amazed Katniss to see how swiftly they worked together when it was needed. They tidied Beorn's kitchen, saddled and loaded the ponies, emptied her bathwater, and even cleaned her room. Needless to say that the one hour Thorin had mentioned flew by, and before she blinked, they were saying their goodbyes to Beorn and soon were back on the road again.

This time she was trying to make an effort to stay with Thorin at the front of their group, even though she wasn't much of a competent rider, especially as they needed to ride fast, as Beorn had urged them to do so. Katniss completely understood the need for them to reach the so-called Mirkwood forest as soon as possible; after all, she had no intention of ending up as Warg's dinner. But that did not change the fact that she was still hopeless when it came to pony-riding, and even though it wasn't her intention, she would end up falling behind.

Thorin did not ease their pace despite her clear struggle to keep up with him. However, during one of their few stops that day, he asked her if she would prefer to ride with him for the rest of the day, instead of being on her own pony. Katniss accepted his invitation without thinking twice. There were inevitably a couple of frowns and disapproving looks given by some members of the company, but the couple did their best to ignore them all.

While some glared at them, others like Bofur started to sing love ballads as they carried on riding, with the dark grey mountains on their left and the mysteriousness of the forest on their right. As they were unable to see any sign of Warg, Orc or Goblin, most of the company was quickly becoming more relaxed. Not Thorin Oakenshield, though. And for the way that Katniss was tensing her body, he knew that she fully shared these feelings of uneasiness with him.

Having decided to follow Beorn's advice for riding with haste to the bone, Thorin was determined to make the most use of the long summer days, making them ride until it was nearly twilight. The downside of that strategy was that they did not have much time for hunting or cooking a filling evening meal before it was time for them to sleep.

He knew that he could end up regretting that strategy if they ended up running out of food as they crossed Mirkwood. After all, Beorn had warned them not to drink or eat anything from the cursed forest, and he did not want to be forced to check if the skin-changer's words of advice were well-founded. As both a precaution to have an extra pair of eyes during the evening patrol, and to make the most of not being inside Mirkwood just yet, Thorin doubled the number of people on patrol. He also ordered them to cook some hot food besides their ordinary patrolling duties.

Fortunately, Katniss and Kili were both quick and competent hunters when they were fully stocked with sharp arrows, and it did not take long for them to get some game that they would all eat at breakfast time.

It was with a heavy heart that Thorin ended up deciding that it was probably for the best if he and Katniss were placed at different patrol shifts from now on, as he was certain they would end up distracting each other. Despite that, he welcomed her when she decided to place her sleeping mat next to his. Balin who was at his other side sighed in resignation, and Thorin gave him a grunt, as he stood up to talk to Gandalf who seemed to be having a lovely chat with Bilbo at the other side of the camp.

Katniss remained there and waited until Thorin was far from their hearing range before she addressed the white-haired dwarf.

"When are you all going to stop to pick on us?"

"Lassie!" Balin's eyes were wide open as he was taken back by how direct she was being about confronting him. "We are not picking on y-"

But she cut him before he had a chance to finish his line of thought.

"Don't mock me, Balin. We can see the whispers, hear the comments. I'm not stupid."

"I have never regarded you as such."

"Then tell me. When is everyone going to drop it?"

Balin gave a long sigh. It had been a long day for everybody, and he was not a young dwarf anymore. But the way the young woman crossed her arms expecting an answer was a clear sign that she was not going to let that slide.

"Thorin is our leader. Our commander. Our uzbad. He already formally declared that you are his One. The only one that might have a chance to be our Queen, if you only chose to return his affection. And return his affection you seem to be doing, but despite all that, you refuse to be his, even though he clearly is already yours,"

"I am not an object to be owned by Thorin or anyone else!" she started raising her voice without realising what she was doing.

That brought the attention of Gloin, Oin and Dwalin who were nearer to where they were sitting.

"Nobody is saying that you or Thorin are objects, Katniss. I believe that our cultural differences are bigger than I previously thought. Forgive me if that was what you understood, but I can guarantee that we mean nothing as such. For us dwarrow, you belong to your One as the fish belong to the water. Thorin has acknowledged that you are his water, whereas you…"

Balin looked at her uncomfortably. She frowned. She did not like the look he was giving her.

"Whereas me…?"

Balin gave another sigh.

"Whereas you... well, you refuse to acknowledge him as your One, even though you act as if he is. This is unheard of. It is a strange notion for us, and I believe it gives us a contradictory message."

"What message?" Katniss looked at him puzzled.

This time, it was Dwalin who answered her.

"We ur unsure of what is yer intentions to heem, Lassie."

"My… intentions?"

"Aye." Dwalin nodded as Katniss intensified her frown. Then it was Oin's turn to drop his own piece of mind to the youngest member of their company.

"Before we thought he was the one who wasn't doing the right thing to you. But now we fear that you might be the one who is not doing the right thing to him."

"I'm not forcing him to…" she started angrily but ended up feeling a bit flushed as she was unable to describe what exactly they had been doing.

"Aye, of course you aren't! It is still to be born a dwarf who will refuse the advances of their One!" Gloin went on the rescue of his brother "The issue here is, if you love him enough to stick around, or if he is nothing but another adventure for you."

That constatation made her entire body freeze. She looked from a dwarf to the other, trying to conceal how anxious Gloin's point was making her feel.

Love was a very heavy word in Katniss' book. Truth be told, her actions and thoughts, when it came to Thorin Oakenshield, were all over the place. She was often doing, thinking, and saying things that she had never imagined seeing herself saying. But again, love? She could say she loved Prim, sure. She had also loved her father. At the same time, Katniss wasn't sure if she was ready to use that word to describe her feelings for Thorin just yet. Still, was she able to understand the turmoil of feelings that came to her heart whenever the heir of Durin was involved? Definitely not.

"I'm not faking if that is what you mean," she said, trying to look more confident than what she felt.

Without saying anything else, she grabbed her bow and quiver set and started walking towards the river. Before she had even left their campsite, the sound of heavy boots marching fast towards her, informing that she was likely to have company at the riverbank. She took a deep breath, emotionally preparing herself to hide away any sign of frustration from her semblance. Instead of turning back to see who was following her, she increased her pace to try to avoid having a conversation with whoever it was. What she wasn't aware of is that the dwarf who quickly caught up with her was as strong-willed as she was.

"Katniss!"

She froze on the spot when Thorin's silvery voice called her name. Her heart was beating up so fast that she was sure it would come out of her chest at any moment. She closed her eyes silently cursing her body and mind which seemed to carry on behaving in a strange way anytime he was around.

"Thorin."

She turned around to see him, and he nodded. They walked in complete silence side by side until they reached the river. It was Thorin who broke the silence as she bent down to refill her waterskin and wash her face and hands.

"You shouldn't have left the camp on your own."

Katniss frowned at his comment, but instead of saying anything to refute his remark, she simply nodded in agreement.

"Why did you leave with such haste?"

She shrugged, not really wanting to answer him. Gloin's words were still hurting her. What did she feel for Thorin after all? Did she love him? Was she using him? Her heart twisted in a painful way when the idea that she could be using him came to her mind.

"Mizin!"

Thorin bent down and got hold of her chin, forcing her to face him. She closed her eyes in a last attempt to escape him. But her easiness was clear, and he tensed when he noticed she was on edge of having a breakdown on his arms.

"Tell me. What did they say?"

She tried to look away but he did not let her go. Silent tears started falling from her closed eyes.

"Mizin..."

"Do- do you think I am using you?" she said with a shaky voice as she finally looked back at him.

"Is that what they said?"

Thorin clenched his fists in anger. He wanted to go back to the camp immediately and make everyone there face his wrath.

"Do you think I am using you?" she asked it firmly this time. She pleaded with her eyes for an answer that her heart desperately needed. One glance at her begging semblance was enough to make him ignore his own anger.

"Of course I don't. Look at me, Katniss. I don't know what they said. But I know you would never jest with my feelings…"

"I've heard people say I used Peeta to win the games..."

"You did not use him. You saved his life. You wanted to survive. What is the crime in that?"

There was a moment of silence. He hugged her, and she returned the gesture. They remained there, getting comfort from each other's warm embrace until Katniss decided to share what was on her mind.

"I don't know if I love you," she blurted out and her sincere words made something inside him twist. "What I know that I can't bear to lose you," When she spoke those words, it was the image of him moments away from being killed by Azog that came to her mind.

Her words were both painful and soothing, like bitter medicine that was hard to swallow, but necessary and yet comforted him all the same. Even though she was still unsure of her own feelings, he could sense that they were there all the same. He felt a sudden urge to let her know that it was okay. He could wait. They had time. Sooner or later, she would come to realise that he was her One. Right now, she needed assurance, and that was something he could provide.

"We will do this your way." he calmly said as he fixed a loose strand of hair that was in front of her eyes, placing it behind her ears "Your time. Your pace."

She began to stroke his hair and play with his ruler braid. He tried to conceal how aroused she was making him with such an intimate gesture, but her smirk informed him that she knew exactly what she was doing. Unable to resist her teasing any longer, he pulled her to a long, heated, passionate kiss, which she was more than happy to return. Unfortunately, it did not last long, as the noise of another person coughing broke them from their embrace.

"Mr Baggins…" Thorin grunted through his teeth as they were forced to turn to face the source of that unexpected noise.

"Er…" Bilbo looked redder than a tomato "this was a very bad idea…"

"Indeed," Thorin grunted again.

"How didn't we notice you arriving? He could have killed us!" Katniss said the last bit looking at Thorin while she mentally cursed herself for not noticing the hobbit's presence before.

"He could have minded his own business!" Thorin frowned at the hobbit, who looked definitely taken back by Thorin's hostile words.

"Why are you here, Bilbo?"

"Well, Dwalin told Fili to come here to check if you two were okay because it has been a while since you left. But then Kili started to try to persuade him to leave you two be, because he had hopes that Thorin could persuade you to join the family…"

Thorin and Katniss shared identically quizzical glances while Bilbo wouldn't stop talking.

"... and then Nori started to put a wager that would only happen one year after Erebor was reclaimed, many others started to make their predictions, until Balin said it was getting darker and that someone should come here and fetch you both because Katniss was supposed to be on the first patrol, and since Thorin was on the second one, he probably needed to go to sleep as soon as possible, then…"

"Okay, Bilbo we get it," she said, silencing the hobbit at once. "Balin is right, Thorin. The sun has set. You should be sleeping."

Thorin grunted but nodded in agreement.

"Let's get back."

Katniss nodded, and they started walking side by side. However, both stopped when they realised that Bilbo wasn't following them.

"Mr Baggins!?"

"Er… wait. I need to fill my waterskin. I used all my water to make my night time tea."

Katniss rolled her eyes, and Thorin shook his head.

"You go ahead, Thorin. I will wait for him."

"No. I will wait with you."

"I can take care of myself, you know?"

"I am well aware. But are you really going to deny me the pleasure of your company?"

Katniss did not give him an answer but she blushed furiously.

Katniss was almost happy when she realised that her monthly visitor had arrived again. At least she would still be able to use the river to wash during the worst days of her cycle. Beorn had warned them that they would be unable to find unpoisoned water in the forest, which meant that using their limited stash of water for cleaning herself, would be definitely out of the cards once they were there.

There was a cheerfulness among the company members as they ate a very substantial breakfast with roasted deer that she had killed the previous day. There was also a false sense of security, with many dwarves complaining and begging for more resting time when Thorin ordered them to break the camp as soon they all finished eating. Katniss was glad that he did not succumb to the company's pressure, as like him, she remained very conscious of the evil creatures that could still reach them.

But she was glad that she was riding with Thorin, especially considering her painful cramps and the headache she was unable to get rid of. Even though she did not complain, he was perceptive enough to realize that she wasn't feeling very well. After a bit of persuasion, he managed to squeeze out where the issue was from her side. Even knowing she was in pain, he did not decrease their pace, but he decided to make more regular stops than they had done during the previous day, and he also excused her from their evening patrols for the time being. She was so exhausted that did not protest.

The ground where they camped the following night was much darker and grim. There were much fewer singing birds to be heard, and not a sign of sheep, deer or even rabbits around. The lack of substantial game to roast that evening was enough to bring the company's mood down. It was on that third morning in the wild that Katniss went to the river to have a good wash, since they knew that, if Beorn's prediction was to be correct, they would soon find the entrance to the elven path to Mirkwood.

And just as the shape-shifter had said, they arrived at their destination a few hours after they started that morning riding.

"Well, here is Mirkwood!" Gandalf announced to the group, as he walked through the edge of the forest with its ancient forgotten archway and statues that guarded a path that clearly had seen better days. "I hope you like the look of it. Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master."

Some of the dwarrowman began to protest this and Katniss totally understood why. She could sense that the journey through Mirkwood would not be an easy one, and it wasn't only due to how gloomy that whole forest looked. They had way too many provisions that would be difficult to carry and were bound to delay them as a group. And considering Beorn's warning about the water and the difficulty of finding safe things to eat in the forest, it wasn't like they had the luxury of travelling light. Would Beorn really mind if they kept their ponies just a little bit longer?

As if he was able to read her thoughts, Gandalf was quick to add.

"Beorn is not as far off as you seem to think, and you better keep your promises, as he is a bad enemy to have. Mr Baggin's eyes are sharper than yours if you have not seen the great bear going along with us, watching our camp…"

Katniss and the others looked behind their shoulders, and they were able to finally see the silhouette of a bear many miles away from where they were. She gasped in disbelief. How could they all be so blind? If Beorn wanted to harm them, it wouldn't be hard. Gandalf however, was still not done with his little speech.

"He was following you to guard you, but also to keep an eye on the ponies. Beorn loves his animals as his children. You do not guess what kindness he showed in letting you ride them so far and so fast, nor what would happen to you if you tried to take them into the forest."

Katniss and Thorin exchanged a glance. There was really one course of action.

"Do as he says."

While Gandalf and Bilbo went ahead exploring the clearance, Katniss gathered her belongings and went to get her own share of provisions for her to carry. However, she was prevented from doing so by Thorin.

"Not you. You will only carry your things. That is more than enough, Mizin."

"This is not fair! I'm perfectly able to pull on my own weight," she protested.

"You are unwell." Thorin tried to reason "Please, don't argue with me."

Katniss grunted to show her annoyance, but she did not say anything to refute him.

"Not my horse! I need it!" Gandalf shouted from further away and started to walk back in their direction in large steps with Bilbo hushing behind on his heels.

"You are leaving us!" Thorin grunted, unable to keep his frustration out of his voice.

"I have some pressing business away south; and I am already late bothering with your people. I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me."

Gandalf looked straight into Thorin's eyes, as he gave that piece of advice. Then he mounted his horse once again.

"This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo asked Katniss and Dwalin.

She did not answer the hobbit but Katniss was beginning to fear that Mirkwood would be just like another Hunger Games arena: full of things that had been designed to kill them.

"You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf gave his last advice before he started to lead his horse away from them.

"Stay on the path!" Gandalf shouted as he galloped from afar before he disappeared.

"Oh, goodbye and go away!" Dwalin grunted angrily, with some of the others nodding in agreement.

"Do we really have to go through here?" Bilbo asked Thorin as the little hobbit examined the grimness of the forest.

"Aye." Thorin nodded, trying to mask his own concerns of venturing inside Mirkwood forest. "Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

And then, they all went to a stream that they had found just before the entrance of the elven path to fully stock their water supplies and have a last good wash. They divided their provisions among them as fairly as they could, though Bilbo wouldn't stop whining about how heavy his own pack was.

"Apparently it is difficult to find food there, Bilbo. I really hope you won't start moaning about how you wish your pack was heavier before we find our way out…" Katniss said as she examined some weird looking mushrooms that she had never seen before.

"Don't touch them" Oin warned her before she did. "It will kill you before you finish swallowing it!"

"I wasn't going to," she answered back with a frown.

Katniss wasn't stupid for going around eating things she had never seen. That wasn't her forest, though she truly hoped that she would be able to spot some things that she could recognize as edible. Their packs might be heavy now, but there was no way to know for how long they would remain that way.

A/N Right, so now is finally the time to explain the existence of

→ discord. gg / qXKUZNvENT (just through it on google and you will find us)

Long story short: It has been a while since I have been longing for a Discord that was centred on Modern Girls in Middle Earth, or at least a general group focused on fanfics inside Tolkien's universe.

I tried to find something like that already existed first. I had no success. So I asked Nauze to have a go at finding a group like the one I wanted for me. He had no success doing that either. So after he heard me wishing for its existence for quite a while, he decided to just go there and create the damn group himself out of the blue. Yeah, just like that!

I want to make it clear that this is not a Discord focused on this particular story. It is supposed to be a gathering for writers and readers of this genre. We already have quite a few popular writers in our group. I'm supposed to start inviting more authors, but I usually only allow myself the pleasure of fanfic reading as a reward after posting a new chapter. Hopefully shall start doing this soon too :)

ANYWAY, if you like this story please consider joining us. If you like reading lotr crossovers, that is a good discord for you. If you like Modern girls in Middle Earth, this is also a good discord for you too. If you like fanfics and Tolkien, please join us and spread the word!