A.N. Well, here I am, two years later. Haha. Forgive me for the long absence. I'm afraid I just hit a major roadblock on this story. However, I am back, and actively working on finishing it for those few of you who have been so patiently waiting. Thank you so much.

Behind Tala, Kayli pointed her blade at Nathir. The sky above them faded to a dark blue. Dawn was coming.

"Please, let us explain," Danica dropped her sword and raised her hands.

Tala's eyes flashed. "What is there to explain? You poison Lady Danica, then run like cowards. Did you truly believe you could escape justice?"

The ferocity and hatred in his eyes sent cold rushing down Danica's spine.

"It's complicated," she fought hard against the fear that clawed at her throat. "I honestly don't know where to begin,"

"It matters not what you have to say," Tala spat. "All of your excuses will be given to the king and Lord Thorin,"

Danica winced. Lord Thorin. It was his station, but she hadn't heard him addressed as such and it wrong. As if Tala were mistaken. It made her sick.

"We cannot leave," Nathir said. "There is an Easterling army hiding in the Grey Mountains. They have someone with magic who would help them enter Erebor unseen,"

"And why should we believe you?" Kayli snarled. "After what you've done, it is more likely you are here to join the enemy and share what secrets you've learned of the mountain,"

Danica looked hopelessly at Nathir. What could they say to convince the dwarves? There was no reason for them to listen or have mercy. Danica wished she knew how to astral project while awake. Now, all she could give was the truth.

"Kayli, you have a red scarf that was made by your mother, Sigrid, daughter of Bard,"

Kayli's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"It's me, Danica,"

Silence fell, heavy with shock. Then, Tala barked a disdainful laugh.

"You must be mad to think we would fall for such a pathetic trick,"

Danica kept her eyes on Kayli, who wasn't nearly as convinced as Tala.

"Your father is Fili, King Under the Mountain. You were named after your late uncle, Kili. Though you and I have known each other less than a year, you are a beloved member of my family,"

Her words cut off as Tala's blade pressed into her throat. "Maybe we should just kill you here,"

"Wait," keeping Nathir between her and Tala, Kayli focused on Danica. "Who is in the company that left Rivendell, charged by Lord Elrond to defeat Sauron?"

Danica looked between the dwarves and Nathir. If he found out, even she would be concerned with having him live.

"I will tell you, but it must be done away from Nathir. He cannot hear,"

A spark of relief and understanding lit Kayli's eyes. "Watch him," she told Tala.

Tala opened his mouth to protest, but there was no stopping Kayli as she pulled Danica away, until they were sure Nathir couldn't hear them.

"The company consists of nine: Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Their charge was to take the Ring to Mordor to destroy it,"

Kayli's eyes misted, and then her arms were around Danica. "What in the hell is going on? How did this happen?"

"Let's get back to make sure Tala doesn't kill Nathir, and I'll explain,"

Tala stared in disbelief at Kayli's confidence in Danica's story. "How is this possible? Danica has never taken over someone's form,"

"It's not something I had dared to think of," Danica said. "But when I first fell unconscious, Nathir spoke to me, convincing me to try. This body belongs to one of his performers, Gwyn. She had taken a tea to weaken her body, making it easier to do this,"

"But why?" Tala pressed. "Why would you leave Thorin and your new babe?"

"I didn't want to," Danica's voice broke.

"I made her," Nathir said calmly. "News had reached my ear about the Easterlings, their plan, and the woman they have captive, who is being used for her magic. I knew Danica was the only one with the power to rescue the woman and put a stop to the Easterling's sneak attack,"

Tala bared his teeth. "I don't care what your reasoning may be, you attacked the Lady and took her against her will. No matter how this turns out, you should die for what you've done,"

"That may well be true, but I promise you, this threat is too important to ignore. Lady Danica's body will be under the effects of the antidote for a few more days, so even if she returned, she would not be able to wake,"

Kayli and Tala went through many of the questions Danica had asked of Nathir, neither satisfied with his answers.

"No matter how unhappy we are with this situation, it is necessary," Danica told them. "The woman is the key to the Easterling's attack and is innocent. The largest motivator for Nathir is that the woman is his sister. We need to do whatever we can to not just neutralize the threat, but rescue her. And…" she looked at Nathir apologetically, "I've discovered that she is with child,"

Nathir paled.

"I spoke with her," Danica continued. "She wants nothing to do with the Easterlings, but will do whatever is necessary for the life of her unborn child,"

Tala groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Thorin is going to kill me for not putting an immediate end to this. What can we do to help?"

"Keep any scouts off of us," memories of the night before hit her. Her hands went to her throat. "They know I'm working against them,"

"What?" Nathir's eyes widened, his pallor worse than before. "How could that happen?"

"Perhaps your sister tipped them off," Tala glared at Nathir, unflinching as that glare was met with equal sharpness. Danica almost rolled her eyes, but fear kept her neutral.

"There's a man there, most likely their leader. He wears one of the dwarven rings of power, giving him the power to see me when no one else can. It's the ring that was once worn by Thror. He will likely send men out to see if I am nearby, as he somehow knows that I don't have the Arkenstone with me. I'm…I'm afraid of what he may be able to do,"

Shock rippled through the others. Kayli looked at Danica in fear while Tala sent another accusatory look Nathir's way.

"If you had done more research and been more prepared, none of this would have happened,"

"What's done is done," Danica said before Nathir could retort. "All we can do is now is work on outsmarting this man. Instead of reaching out to Tara, Nathir's sister, I will work on the men who won't be as noticed or suspected. Influence them to sabotage the army in small, inconspicuous ways until there is nothing to be done to recover their task,"

What had been a cut and dry recovery mission now felt like an impossible task. Would the man sense Danica every time she entered the camp? Could he sense her now, and locate them all through her? There were far too many unanswered questions, and no way to distinguish what would come other than throwing herself into the fire.

"We should move out of the open," Kayli said. "If the Easterlings do send scouts out, we should do what we can to stay out of sight,"

Though the threat of spiders was still a concern, they retreated into the forest, not stopping until the trees were thick enough to hide behind. Once they secured the area, all animals were tied nearby, and they made camp. Moving closer to Withered Heath was no longer a possibility. However Nathir had discovered this plan, it was done purposefully, which left them in the tough position of altering their goals.

"They will be expecting me to show up at night," Danica said, taking a seat between Tala and Kayli. "So, my plan is to infiltrate during the day,"

"How?" Tala asked. "Are you able to fall asleep this time of day? And in these conditions?"

"Normally, no. But I have to try,"

Nathir reached into the satchel he wore across his chest. "In case of this situation, I made sure to bring this," he held out a small bottle. "I have a few of these saved. A draught to bring upon sleep in almost an instant. Strong enough to put you under, but not so much as to leave you unconscious if an emergency arises,"

Danica took the bottle, eyeing it warily. The liquid within felt thick, her gag reflex already tightening.

"How can we trust that you won't poison her again?" Tala inquired.

"If he wanted me dead, I would be," Danica pointed out. "Besides, if I'm dead, there would be no one to help save his sister,"

"I still don't like it," Tala unsheathed one of his daggers, pretending to clean it. "If you try anything, I'll kill you,"

The half-elf smiled humorlessly. "I would expect nothing less,"

They all turned expectantly to Danica. She uncorked the bottle, stomach squirming with nerves.

"Keep watch over everything," she told them.

"Try to speak with Thorin before doing whatever it is you need to do with the Easterlings. He needs you,"

Guilt and grief tightened her throat. Danica nodded, then tossed back the contents of the bottle. The draught, while thick, slid smoothly down her throat, leaving only a sharp tang in the back of her jaw. Eyes already feeling heavy, she leaned back, barely getting comfortable before the draught pulled her into sleep.