A.N. Managed to get this one mostly edited during rehearsal last night, which was nice. 😊 Not doing much for this particular concert, so I tend to have more down time. I hope I'm not overwhelming anyone with the sudden onslaught of chapters for this story. Lol. Things will definitely slow down now, as I move on to uncharted territory. (i.e. unwritten content). Reviews and/or comments would be lovely! Thank you all!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

They traveled hard and fast, barely stopping. Thorin had traveled this way before, but it still left him weary to the bone. Danica fared worse, constantly nodding off while they were riding. It got to the point where he had to keep her in front of him at all times so he could keep her from sliding off the horse. One night, Thorin forced Gandalf to stop so they could get a full nights' rest. They were all dragging, and Danica could no longer remain conscious. Eyes drooping, Gandalf reluctantly nodded, and they found a small clearing off the side of the road. Too tired to even eat, they collapsed on their bed rolls and drifted off. Well, Gandalf and Danica did. Despite his fatigue, Thorin's eyes remained stubbornly open.

He had been in the wild enough times to know when danger was near, and his senses were prickling. The night air was warm enough that they didn't need a fire, so his eyes had to adjust to the dim light of the moon, which forced his other senses to heighten. He remained aware and on edge for a couple of hours before the peaceful sounds of night suddenly changed. The nocturnal animals ceased their chattering, and their movement was replaced by something else breaking the twigs on the ground. Moving slowly, Thorin lifted himself up onto an elbow, noticing as Gandalf did the same. They nodded to each other, grabbing their swords.

Danica was still heavily asleep, so it took a few shakes to wake her. Once her eyes were open and aware, Thorin motioned for her to remain quiet, and hide in one of the trees. Since she had no weapon, she nodded and gingerly crawled away in the direction Gandalf pointed. When they knew she was safe, Thorin and Gandalf got up, and listened intently for their attackers. The orcs jumped out at them from two sides, shrieking viscously, breaking the night with sounds of battle. Orcrist clashed against their blades, casting a soft blue light in the darkness. Thorin wasn't sure how many there were, but it seemed like a small hunting party.

A different, more familiar shriek had him jerking away from the fight to look at the tree Danica was hiding in. Horrified, he watched as an orc wrestled her off the branch, and landed hard on the ground.

"Danica!" he yelled at her when she remained stunned.

She barely managed to shake herself off before the orc charged her. Thorin was forced to turn away as his own opponent attacked him again. Fear driving him, he cut down two more orcs, the third turning and running away.

"Stop him!" Gandalf cried.

Growling, Thorin followed a few paces before throwing Orcrist as hard as he could. To his immense surprise, the blade embedded itself in the foul creature's back. Forgetting it for the time being, he ran back to Danica, who was being tended to by Gandalf, the orc who attacked her lying a couple feet away; dead.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, dropping to his knees next to her.

"A small gash on the side of her head, but nothing too serious," Gandalf used the light from his staff to see and tend to her wound.

Thorin could now see the blood dripping down her face, but he knew how badly head wounds could bleed. That didn't stop him from feeling the mix of anger, guilt, and concern. Seeing his tension, Danica looked up and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's not that bad," she said.

"We need to get you a weapon," Gandalf said as he finished bandaging her head.

"The last I remember, I was barely even passable at fighting,"

"Your muscles will remember their previous skill," Thorin guaranteed, then looked at Gandalf. "That did not feel like a random attack,"

"Because it wasn't," the wizard said darkly. He held up a piece of parchment that looked very similar to the one he had shown Thorin upon their first meeting.

"What does it say?" Thorin asked, moving closer.

"It is a bounty on both of you. Payment for Danica's capture, and for your head,"

"How did that get around so fast?" Danica glanced at the parchment through squinted eyes.

"I do not think this is new,"

Sure enough, when Thorin got a closer look, he could see the fading of the ink, and aging on the edges of the note.

"But how did they find us?" rising, Thorin offered a hand to help Danica up.

Gandalf also rose. "His spies are everywhere. Word of your arrival has spread a lot faster than I anticipated. We need to get to Rivendell as quickly as possible,"

After making sure Danica could stand on her own, Thorin retrieved Orcrist, then packed up their horse. For the next few days, they rode harder than before, stopping even less. It felt like he hadn't even had time to accept where they were going before they were suddenly descending into the Hidden Valley. Having been so exhausted, Thorin hadn't kept track of time very well. Unlike last time, though, he was at least willing to stay here. This didn't stop his inner grousing, of course. Seeing the look of joy on Danica's face upon seeing her old home, he kept the negativity to himself. With how on edge they all were, the last thing he wanted was to start an argument.

"It looks different," Danica breathed. "Almost…tired. Like some of the life has been taken from it,"

Looking at it more closely now, Thorin had to agree. Though he had no great love for the place, even he felt a twinge of regret.

"The elves have been leaving middle earth," Gandalf explained somberly. "Their domains are slowly fading into nothing more than memory,"

Danica sighed heavily. "That's so tragic. So much beauty and history lost,"

Gandalf just nodded as they crossed the bridge into the elven city. A few of the elves who saw them smiled in greeting at Gandalf, and looked curiously at his two companions. Once they recognized them, their eyes widened in disbelief. By the time Lord Elrond came to welcome them, a small crowd had gathered, whispering softly to each other.

"Welcome back," a warm, wide smile graced the elf lord's features.

Danica slid off of their horse, and went straight into his arms. "It is so good to see you,"

"You as well," her foster father stroked her hair once. "A weight has been lifted from my heart seeing you alive. It is a relief to see you as well, King Thorin. Apparently, our Dani refused to be parted from you,"

"Thank you. She is a wonder," Thorin responded, causing Danica to blush.

"Come. You look exhausted, but we need to get you some food first,"

Thorin moved next to Danica as Gandalf and Elrond said a few words in elvish. It would never cease to vex him how the elves would constantly speak their own language in front of people who couldn't understand it. Trying to ignore it, he followed them as Elrond led them to some wash basins where they could rinse their hands and faces, then to an informal dining area. Though it wasn't really lunch or dinner time, they were served full portions. Gandalf filled Elrond in on their tale, and his suspicions about the ring. A deep frown had settled in the elf's face as he listened.

"You have to be absolutely sure. If your suspicions are correct, it is grave news for us all,"

"That is why I am going to Gondor. I will leave the day after next so Danica can get some rest,"

There it was again; Gandalf separating them. "Gandalf…" the warning in Thorin's voice was clear, causing the others to look at him.

"I am sorry Thorin, but I believe it would be best for you to head to Erebor from here. You need to be with your people, and it would be safer for the both of you,"

Before he could protest, Elrond cut in. "I agree. Anonymity will be easier for Danica if you are apart,"

Grinding his teeth in irritation, and to keep from shooting his mouth off, Thorin looked at his wife. With a start, he realized that it was the first time he had really thought of her that way since their strange arrival in Hobbiton.

"What about you?" he asked her.

Her eyes, wide and anxious, looked between him and the other two, before settling on her hands. "I'm not completely sure," she confessed. "What they're saying makes sense, but the thought of leaving you scares me. But…perhaps going to Gondor is the best chance I have to fill in some of the blanks,"

His stomach dropped as their fate was sealed. "And I have to go to Erebor. I guess that settles it then,"

She looked up at him, hurt and regret plain on her face. "You can't come with me?"

He gave a curt shake of his head as response, then pushed away from the table. "Excuse me,"

Knowing the betrayal that would be in her eyes, he turned and walked away without looking back. The need to be alone was intense and undeniable. Even as he searched for peace and quiet, there was an elf seemingly behind every corner. He had to go up to where he had stayed before to finally get some peace. Despite the quiet, or maybe because of it, his thoughts and conflicting emotions continued to plague him.

P.S. I really debated how much I wanted to change this last part, but it still ended up feeling right. Where things go from here is anyone's guess right now. Lol.