After weeks without seeing the sky, and the sun, and the other stars, the company members couldn't help to feel like finally there was some good luck on their side. Being able to swim inside that small pond was a blessing for those who feared, not too long ago, that they would end up dying due to dehydration.

The pink fish inside were bound to provide them with a substantial meal that evening and also for the next few days. They all knew that they wouldn't be able to overstay at that oasis for more than a day, and that thought pained them. However, they were all pretty much aware that the time was moving fast, and they needed to reach Erebor before Durin's day, or that entire quest could be put in jeopardy. Nonetheless, it was undeniable that little safe heaven had been more than a welcoming break from the gloominess of Mirkwood forest.

While they all washed off their sweat and smelly clothes, sang songs of treasures and the halls of their ancestors, Thorin was the only one who seemed to have trouble relaxing and joining the fun. His thoughts had been with his One, who they had left alone with no one to protect her.

Truth be told, he knew that Katniss Everdeen could look after herself, more than many other members of his company combined. She was the most deadly woman he knew, fully stocked with his arrows, and the sword he made was sharp and strapped to her waist. Even so, his heart was heavy, and he couldn't help but worry about her.

"Don't worry, Laddie, I'm sure she is doing just fine," his oldest friend Balin seemed to always know exactly what he needed to hear.

"She should have bathed first…"

"You couldn't send her first, could ye? You needed to ensure the water was safe." Bombur, now fully awake, and who also had a One, tried to rationalise with him.

"Still… I don't like the idea of having her trudging around there on her own," he said with a frown.

And to that, Bombur did not say a thing, because he could fully understand and relate to Thorin's feelings of uneasiness.

Thorin had asked his nephews to remain there with her, but his precious One had been quite insistent that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself. Kili and Fili looked at him with those begging puppy eyes that seemed to always hit the right spot on him. Like the others, they were also exhausted and dying to have a dip in that water. Thorin did not like it, but he felt like Katniss needed to feel assured he trusted her warrior abilities.

They caught some fresh fish and were on their way to make a fire where they had camped for the night. There was some wood for them to start a bonfire neatly placed at the centre of the camp, informing them that their little lassie had been busy while they had been having fun enjoying the pond's refreshing water.

As soon as they were all decently dressed, Thorin immediately ordered Dwalin, Nori, and his nephews to find Katniss and inform her it was her turn to have a dip in the pond.

They all felt a bit guilty when they realised she was probably somewhere else still gathering provisions for them, especially considering that according to their customs, she was the one who should have been granted the pleasure of washing herself first.

The fire was on. The fish was flaky and ready. Still, there was no sign of Katniss.

Thorin, who was already walking from one side of the campsite to the other ever since he dressed, was getting further agitated. Fili and Kili had returned to inform him they had spotted five different snares that someone recently placed, but no sign of her. Few moments later, Dwalin and Nori returned, carrying her hunting bag with heavy pity in their eyes.

Thorin's heart stopped beating as soon as he spotted them. He knew they were bearing bad news before they could open their mouths.

"I'm sorry." Dwalin gave Katniss' hunting bag to Thorin. "We got there too late..."

"We believe the elves kidnapped your Lassie."

Thorin froze. Guilt. Shame beyond the unimaginable. He failed to protect his kingdom from Smaug; he had failed his brother, father, grandfather, and many others during the battle of Azanulbizar; and now, he had committed the worst of crimes: he failed at keeping his One, his young jewel, his mizin, safe. She had been taken away from him under his watch. He felt like he was a poor excuse for a dwarf. He should shave the remains of the little beard he had kept.

He felt the eyes of his men befall on him, and he felt like he was going to either kill someone or be sick. Pity. Sympathy that he hated and did not deserve. He felt the hands of his oldest friend, Balin, pat him on the shoulders.

"Kidnaped. Not dead, Thorin."

Not dead. That was enough to ignite something inside him. He was either going to find her or he was going to die trying. If the Woodland king had taken her prisoner, he was going to burn this makalfumunul forest to the ground if it meant rescuing his One.

"Show me." Thorin ordered Dwalin and Nori, who nodded and led the way to where they found her hunting bag.

It was easy to figure out what had happened. The freshly picked wild garlic laying on the floor next to where they had spotted her hunting bag. The trail made by her muddied boots was purposeful and to the point until she, Mahal only knows, started stumbling aimlessly inside the forest, almost as if she had been drugged. The clear sign of a horse's hoof prints and a second pair of boots. The hoof prints indicated that it had trotted away as quickly as it could. No signs of fighting. No blood. No arrows around to be found.

Thorin brought Katniss' old hunting back near to his chest. If she was alive, he was going to find her. He looked at his men, all patiently waiting for what his next move would be. The image of Erebor came to his mind. He knew from the very beginning that she was going to be a distraction from their quest. And here he was, willing to give up the chance of reclaiming the halls of his ancestors for the chance of seeing her again.

"We'll go with ye!" Dwalin said, almost as if he could read the thoughts that were going through his mind. "We need tae get yer lassie back!"

Some others nodded in approval. It was all the support he needed to inform them of his decision.

"Everyone, pack it up. Ori and Dori, make sure all water-skins are full; Dwalin and Nori, conceal our presence; Fili, Kili, try getting us more game if you can. Bombur and Bifur, get all this garlic she left behind. They are on horse and in a hurry. It'll be hard to catch them up. So we will run throughout the night; if this elf stops to make camp, we will find them. I cannot allow their trail to go cold."

Everybody was immediately on their feet, trying to do all the things he had ordered. Thorin opened her hunting bag and saw some of her belongings in it, including her night-vision glasses, her father's hunting jacket and metallic water bottle. He immediately swapped his own coat for her father's leader jacket. It still had some of her smell lingering on it. There were also some mushrooms and freshly picked strawberries. He got hold of the piece of rope she was always fidgeting with and placed it near to the key to Erebor that had once belonged to his father.

Thorin felt a knot growing inside his chest. He was on the verge of his breaking point. He silently prayed to Mahal to forgive him for putting their quest on hold and to look after his One.

"Your Highnesses," an elleth bowed to her King and Prince as she was allowed to enter at Thranduil's study room. The elleth in question was the Head Healer of the Woodland Realm, and they expected her to visit.

King Thranduil waved for the elleth to rise from the bow.

"What news do you bring us?" Thranduil asked.

"It might take a while for the girl to recover her senses, but she will survive."

"Excellent news. If it is not much trouble, Riniel, please let Tauriel know about this. She will be pleased."

"That is no trouble at all, my Prince."

"Inform me immediately as soon as she wakes up. You may go now." said Thranduil.

And after giving another small bow, the elleth left them as quickly as she arrived. Thranduil waited until they were alone to address his Son.

"Please inform Tauriel? If this girl lives or dies, it is none of the concern of the Captain of the guards."

"Tauriel was the one who found the girl in the forest. You know that."

"And she did her duty, which was bringing this girl here to receive proper medical care. Riniel did her duty in healing her. And now it is our duty to decide this girl's fate."

"Of course, father."

They both turned their attention to the place where Katniss's belongings had been all spread for them to evaluate. Her Mockingjay uniform made by Cinna; her two hidden daggers, and the sword made by Thorin; her bow made by Beete and her arrows made by Thorin, and the last one she had that her old friend had made. Her earpiece communicator; her golden Mockingjay pin and the locket she always wore around her neck. A sack with a few golden coins; some bread that was going mouldy and a tiny bottle containing some medicine from Rivendell.

"Tell me, Son, what can you infer about our newest guest?"

Legolas looked at his father, already knowing that this was some sort of test. So he ran his hands through her daggers and sword, as well as her bow. They were all from very fine making. Her bow, in particular, was of a making that he had never seen before. Legolas wanted to get that bow and see what kind of damage that thing could do.

"This girl is a warrior. Her blades are sharp, her bow is… peculiar, but in a good way."

"What else?"

Legolas met his father's grey eyes before he turned them back to the objects on display. His eyes went to the golden jewellery that was also there, and to her communicator, the latter was even more alien to him than her bow seemed to be. At least he knew what a bow was. He did not know what this other thing was.

"She was wearing gold. This girl is no commoner. The portraits inside it…" he said bringing the locket near to his eyes, to have a better look at the tiny pictures. "I've never seen any drawing looking so alive. There is also… I have never seen anything like that," he said, pointing to her communicator. Thranduil nodded in agreement.

"And she either has been to Rivendell, or taken this from someone who is from there…" Legolas concluded, pointing at the small bottle.

"Not bad." Thranduil said getting closer to his Son and the objects. Thranduil held Katniss' sword and turned it around, and pointed at some small hidden runes on it.

"Even though I am unable to read their language, I know enough to recognise a dwarven rune when I see one."

"Dwarven?" Legolas said with a frown.

"The other two blades and the bow don't bear their marks, but they look much too fine to be man-made."

Legolas got hold of one knife. Indeed, it didn't seem like a man-made object; but who else could have done it? Men, elves, or dwarves clearly were not its creator.

"These arrows... they puzzle me… look closer, Son."

Legolas did as his father asked. Only then he noticed that there was an odd one out when compared to the others. He got one of each kind to compare them and noticed a similar dwarven mark to the sword on the arrow that she had plenty of.

"The same artisan of her bow made this single arrow. The others were dwarven-made," Legolas said, showing the mark on them to his father, who nodded in agreement. "This girl was travelling with dwarves!"

"Precisely. There is no sign from where she hails, which worries me slightly. She could be a spy from the enemy, as far as I know. But considering… her current state, I would say she is harmless right now. Regardless of what she says, it is best if I send a messenger to Rivendell to inquire if they are aware of her origins. We will obviously interrogate her once she is capable of speaking, but I will wait until we hear from Rivendell to decide her fate."

Legolas nodded in agreement.

"And you, my dear Son, you shall lead a search party on the surroundings for capturing her companions. I would be surprised if such a young woman was allowed to travel on her own. It is our duty to figure out what these strangers are doing inside our borders."

"Consider it done."

After bowing slightly, Legolas left the room and went to recruit some of his companions for his father's later mission.

It had been one week since the company of Thorin Oakenshield had left the path as they unsuccessfully tried to hunt down Katniss and her mysterious kidnapper. Apparently, the rider of that horse was in an enormous hurry, as he did not stop for the night. After two days after the beginning of their chase, it rained. That meant that all the hoof-prints they had been following were washed away. To say that Thorin was not pleased was a clear understatement.

They were utterly lost, tired, and their provisions were quickly diminishing. There was no sign of the Woodland realm or the end of that forest. The mind games caused by dark magic of Mirkwood had returned to haunt them. Thorin was certain that they now were walking around in circles, and he did not even protest when Bilbo climbed a tree to see if there was any clue about their whereabouts.

It was then that the spiders happened.

A bright light blinded Katniss as she opened her eyes. 'Is that what it's like to be dead?' That was her very first thought. But almost immediately she knew that couldn't be the case, as an excruciating pain on her left hand soon reminded her of the snakebite. She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the light, and attempted to sit up. Besides the pain, she was also weak, parched, hungry, and had a throbbing headache.

She soon came to realise she was in a bed in a small room. There was a window that allowed light inside, but blocked her vision of the outside. She had no idea of where she was.

That thought was scary enough to trigger her survival instinct. She examined her hand to analyse the damage, and noticed that someone had applied a yellow paste on her swallowed and bruised hand, which had been covered with basil leaves. The bruises seemed to have spread beyond the area where the snake had bitten, as it was possible to see some purple all over her forearm. This informed Katniss that someone tried to heal her. She looked around, trying to find any clue of her whereabouts, but the more she looked, the more confused she seemed to get.

The room she was in was simple and functional, not much different from the room she had stayed at Bree, though it was certainly much more well-kept. The wooden furniture was modest but sturdy, and the only luxurious item present was a ceramic water basin for washing hands and face.

Almost immediately after that realisation, she tried to stand up to get hold of the basin, as she was desperate for a drink. However, standing up seemed to be a much more arduous affair than she had expected it to be. It was then that Katniss realised she was no longer wearing her Mockingjay uniform. She was wearing a long white nightgown instead. She also was suddenly aware that someone had washed her body, as she no longer looked like she had been travelling around Mirkwood for weeks.

She brought her good hand to her neck and noticed that her locket was no longer there. She gasped in panic. Her locket, the one with pictures of her mother, Prim, and Gale, had been taken away from her. In fact, she soon came to realise that none of her belongings seemed to be there. There was no weapon of any sort nearby, either.

That made her feel wholly vulnerable. Who would have placed her in a strange room, completely weak and away from anything that brought her comfort? There was only one person who she knew who wouldn't think twice to make her feel exposed like that. President Snow.

The conclusion came to her like a bucket of cold water. If Snow was behind that, then surely nothing she lived in the past few months could be real. Thorin. Thinking about him made her entire body shake in agony. She couldn't accept him not being real. He felt real; he sounded real; he tasted real. But then… who else if not Snow would be wicked enough to separate her from the memories of her family. He definitely had done similar things in the past with Peeta, and she was sure that someone as troublesome as her was bound to receive a similar or worse treatment.

She scanned the room again. There was no sign of cameras, but again, she knew that it was possible they were using ones that were camouflaged in the room. She would not accept going through whatever mind-manipulation treatment Snow had cooked up for her without a fight.

Her pillow could be used to suffocate, and her bedsheets could be used to strangle. The issue was that these two things demanded her to take the upper hand in a physical combat. And considering that had never been her strong suit, and that she was currently feeling weaker than ever, she knew that would be of no use.

Katniss stumbled to the desk where someone placed the water basin, and she held the ceramic jar with her good, shaking hand. Despite her best judgments, she drank its content directly from the jar, such was her thirst. However, her lack of coordination, along with her weakness, resulted in her dropping the jar, which ended up shattering into a million pieces all over the floor. Some of it grazed her legs, but luckily there was no extensive damage. She almost couldn't hide a smirk when she bent down to pick up a particularly sharp piece, which she could probably use to slit someone's throat if she needed it.

Trying to be as careful as possible to not get her bare feet cut with the rest of the jar remains, she wobbled to the only door in the room, determined to leave that place. However, when she turned the doorknob, it didn't open. All that did was to confirm her suspicions that they indeed locked her inside that room. That boosted her suspicions that, in fact, President Snow was behind it all.

That was why she hid behind the door. Sooner or later, someone was bound to arrive to look after her, and if they were unaware that she was there, she was going to restrain whoever it was and demand them to let her go.

As soon as he was informed that his son Legolas was returning with a company of dwarves as prisoners, Thranduil started getting ready to formally question and confront whoever claimed to be their leader. However, before he made his way to the throne room, he stopped at his office and hovered his hand around Katniss' locket and her Mockingjay pin. In the end, he decided to grab the latter.

Thranduil was certain that the girl who had arrived unconscious no more than a week ago was somehow related to them. What really puzzled him was how and why they were connected.

A few moments after he sat on his throne, Legolas arrived.

"Father," Legolas said with a small bow. Since he was speaking to his father in the throne room and not at their private quarters, some formalities had to be obeyed.

"I'm happy to see you returned home with what I asked you to bring."

"It was not hard to find them. They had been ambushed by another cluster. They keep getting bolder and bolder."

"I thought I had ordered them to be exterminated two weeks ago."

"And I'm sure Tauriel went after them. Please don't be harsh with her, she fought brilliantly yesterday."

"Is that so?" Thranduil frowned at Legolas' request. "What did you find out about our prisoners?"

"They are filthy and disgusting. But what else can you expect of dwarves?"

To that Thranduil raised an eyebrow, but he signaled for Legolas to carry on.

"Not only that. They were thieves and liars as well. Look what I retrieved from their possession," Legolas said, before he presented Orcrist to Thranduil.

"Where did they claim to get this from?" Thranduil asked, raising his eyes in surprise as he tried King Turgon's old sister's sword.

"Their leader said it was a gift from Lord Elrond," Thranduil frowned and returned the sword to Legolas, giving his blessing with a wave from his hands for his Son to keep it.

"Anything else that you discovered about them?"

"They are Durin folk."

"Durin, you said? I wonder if…"

But he never got the chance to conclude his thoughts, as Riniel rushed to the throne room. The elleth was panting, and her clothes looked wrinkled, which was not usual for her. She bowed and waited for her king to address her. Both Thranduil and Legolas exchanged a worried glance.

"What is the matter that brings you here in such a state, Riniel?"

"Sires, I'm very sorry to interrupt. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it is something you would like to know."

"Go on…"