I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC). Those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

To those in the USA- in light of the holiday tomorrow, here ya go :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Please review, favorite and follow- I love them, especially constructive ones!

Cirashala blinked as she rounded the corner of the house, the bright sun nearly blinding her. As dark spots clouded her vision, her sharp ears picked up the sound of heavy dwarf boots behind her.

"Cira?" Bombur asked as she turned around. The toymaker's face was red from exertion as the burlap bags of oats tilted precariously on his shoulder. "Did you get the things you needed lass? Thorin said we'll be leaving at first light." The young woman nodded.

"A-aye," she stammered, still flustered from her unexpected interrogation by the wizard moments before. "I have what I need, I think." The rotund dwarf nodded, before looking closely at her face.

"Are you all right, lass?" he asked, setting what she guessed was around one hundred fifty pounds of oats on the ground beside him. "You seem...out of sorts." She nodded quickly.

"I'm fine," she said, hoping her voice didn't waver too much. "The sun nearly blinded me, that's all." Bombur chuckled.

"A settin' sun will do that to you," he said. The young woman frowned, before turning back around and shielding her eyes from the bright light. The sun was indeed sinking behind the mountains to the west.

How long did I talk to Gandalf?

A loud neigh sounded from the meadow below, and her eyes caught sight of Deloth and the surrounding ponies. The beautiful black and white beasts grazed on the bright green grass, and she caught sight of many different kinds of colorful wildflowers interspersed throughout the meadow. Their pure white manes and tails seemed to flow in the breeze, and she suddenly had the urge to sink her fingers deep within them, if only to see if they were as soft as they appeared to be.

They are the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen in my life.

Bombur hefted his load back onto his shoulder quite easily and headed toward the piles of food being packed by the others into the many packs and baskets the company had gathered from around Beorn's farm. It did not take the young woman long to realize his exertion had not come from simply carrying what she herself deemed heavy sacks, but rather having gone back and forth many times gathering the food for their journey.

With their strength far surpassing my own, it's no wonder they thought me weak at first. I would be fortunate to manage with two sacks for one trip!

Gandalf's words suddenly came back into her mind, and the young woman sobered at the realization that at least one person in Middle-earth now knew the entirety of her story even when she had tried so hard to keep it secret out of her fear. At the same time, a sense of relief flooded her that she was finally able to get it out, and the burden of her secret was a bit lessened on her shoulders.

At least one person believes me.

Her blue eyes scanned the beautiful farm- the bees buzzing about the meadow, the horses grazing within, the sheep off to the side in another small meadow, the enormous garden plot, and finally back to the horses. Unable to resist the urge any longer, the young woman slowly began to make her way down toward the herd, careful to not move too quickly or suddenly lest she irritate her healing wounds or spook the animals.

At least she can enjoy the beauty and safety of this land one last time before their journey takes them down a more dangerous road.

XXX

The wizard lit his pipe on a large chair situated in the corner by the porch, his worried eyes following the young woman as she tentatively approached the large ponies.

So she is not from Middle-earth at all- that explains a great deal, he thought to himself grimly. Especially how she knew my many names and knew that Thorin was their king.

He still had a few questions, namely what upset her so much about the outcome of the quest in the book that she couldn't even speak it without tearing up, and why she feared the dwarves would go to great lengths to avoid said outcome and end up making things worse in the end.

What could be so terrible about the end of the quest that she would fear the dwarves' reaction to the news? Thorin already knows it's possible the quest could end in failure and the mountain remain unreclaimed, and that they may pay with their lives in the end, but something tells me there is more to it than that.

She certainly knew a great deal more about Middle-earth and the events that were supposed to take place in the future than she had been willing to tell him. While deeply unsettling, the wizard was relieved to know that she had such a tight hold on her tongue because that reassured him that she understood the possible disastrous consequences of divulging the knowledge she held. Though a part of him greatly longed for her to tell him every single thing she knew, he saw the wisdom in not telling others what their futures held.

And if she was right, and things have changed, then that may be a very good thing. It is dangerous for her to know and reveal such things, even to those who are trustworthy.

He knew that she would need to be closely guarded, because if she fell into the hands of those whom serve evil and they realized that she knew more than she was willing to tell, things could go very ill for all in Middle-earth whom bear secrets that she was privy to. The wizard knew that he could not possibly guard her himself- he had duties of his own to attend, and the possible threat growing in his mind about Dol Guldur troubled him deeply. If what Radagast said was true, he would need to investigate what or whom resided in the old fortress, and she could not come with him- it would be too dangerous for all if she did.

The wizard sent a smoke circle swirling up to the clouds as he sighed in frustration. Looking around at the company of dwarves, his eye suddenly landed on Kili. The young dwarf was busy shoving corked clay waterskins in the many packs of the company, but that wasn't what caught the wizard's eye. The young dwarf had quickly glanced around at each of the others, before discreetly looking toward the young woman with a very concerned expression. The wizard's keen gaze read far more than most could in the very guarded look, and quickly guessed that there was more than mere concern in the dark orbs. A slight smile crept upon his lips as the young dwarf's gaze quickly darted back toward his task, looking for all the world as though nothing had happened the moment before.

Perhaps he wouldn't need to guard the young woman himself after all. It appeared as though she already had someone more than willing to take on such a task.

XXX

Kili looked up as a shadow fell upon his work. Dwalin stood in front of the young dwarf, his gaze showing the fondness he felt for Thorin's nephews even as the younger knew from many years of experience that another task was about to be given to him.

"Kili, when you're done with those, I need you to head inside and count the blankets in the stack Beorn said we could have for bedrolls," the elder instructed him. "It is summertime now, but it will be nearly winter when we arrive on the other side of the forest, and one blanket each may not be enough for all of us." The burly dwarf's gaze pointedly fell on Bilbo, then the young woman before returning back to the young prince, and Kili nodded in understanding.

Dwarves are hardier than most and may only get a bit cold, but those two at least will definitely need more than one blanket or they will freeze.

"I'm finished here," he said as he placed the last clay waterskin in the pack in his lap. "How many do you think we will need, Mr. Dwalin?" The burly dwarf's eyes roamed about the group, and the younger knew he was counting in his head.

"I think two for each of us, and perhaps three for Cira and Bilbo," he said, and the young dwarf nodded. Rising to his feet, a slight pain shot through one of his healing ribs. The young prince hissed despite himself, and the elder frowned.

"You all right, laddie?" he asked quietly as he leaned in, mindful of the other dwarves working around them. The younger nodded, quickly removing his hand from the offending spot.

"Aye," he whispered back, glancing worriedly toward Thorin. "I'm fine, just a little sore, that's all."

"Take it easy, laddie," he said with both the concern of a dear friend and cousin and the sternness of a warrior used to training stubborn lads who hid injuries. "Your bones are doing well, but they won't heal overnight. Now go and count those blankets and make sure we have enough. We'll roll them up in the morning."

Dwalin's expression showed that he clearly didn't believe him when he said he was fine, but the elder did not press further and the young dwarf was very grateful for it. He had been following Oin's orders as best he could, not doing any heavy lifting nor any fighting and drinking as much milk as he felt his stomach could hold throughout the day, but his broken ribs still ached badly and would shoot pain through his torso every so often. He wished they would heal quickly and not pain him anymore, but he recognized the sense in Dwalin's words and knew that the burly dwarf was right. His ribs wouldn't mend overnight, and he must remember that.

Reaching the stall that the company was using for their bedrolls, he began to count the blankets already in use. The total numbered sixteen, with the young woman having been given two to ward off the chill while she battled her fever. His eyes landed on the stack that Dwalin said Beorn left in the far corner of the stall, and he crouched to count them as well.

Satisfied that they had more than enough blankets for their journey, even with the winter chill, the young dwarf rose to his feet. Nature was calling, likely due to drinking so much milk, and he was so focused on his errand that he didn't notice the young woman until he ran smack into her.

"Ow!" Kili quickly reached out to gently but firmly grasp her arm to steady her as his heart leapt into his throat, the young prince having been quite startled as well. Their eyes met, and his heart began to race with panic as he realized how close she was to him.

"Sorry Kili!" she said quickly. "I didn't real-"

"Sorry," he murmured quickly, cutting her off as he released her arm. Averting his gaze, the young dwarf moved past her without another word, trying to guard his expression as much as possible so she couldn't read his emotions.

As he turned the corner at the end stall to head to the great door, the young dwarf risked a quick glance backward. Guilt pooled in his stomach as he saw her staring at the floor with her arms wrapped around herself. Her expression was one of shock and hurt, and he swallowed heavily as his eyes misted. Relieved that she hadn't seen his quick glance, the young prince hurried out the door and toward the outhouse, feeling terrible at the abrupt way he had left the house.

How am I supposed to be friends with her and hide my feelings from her at the same time?

The young dwarf couldn't seem to find an answer. But one thing he knew for certain-he could never have her love in return, but he also didn't want to lose the one and only thing he could ever have with the young woman.

Her friendship.

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A response to guest reviewer Kaia: Thanks :)

A response to guest reviewer SMCB: Thanks :) I tried to make sure his responses sounded like he'd taken a minute to think about what he said before he did (with exception to the stunned moments). I'm glad it turned out :) And yes, she most definitely felt like she was being interrogated! I'm glad her vulnerability came through :)

A response to guest reviewer Sindri: Wow- I'm so glad you've enjoyed it! :) Lol- no worries! My goal is to make the reader "feel" the emotions the characters are feeling, so if you did, that's a very good thing :) Thank you :) It took a couple of chapters at first to get back into the swing of writing, as I hadn't done much for about eight years when I started this, but it didn't take too long :) You are very welcome :)

Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are so wonderful! :D :D :D