Kili had fallen ill (as in too much drink ill) so Legolas had volunteered to tutor me. At first I was extremely nervous and not too happy about the arrangement. Logolas proved my emotions void, though, during the fist lesson. He brought me into the forest saying it was a much better environment to learn in. He was calm and patient with my shortcomings. I was finally able to keep the correct posture but as soon as we added movement to the mix things began to go a bit crazy. I was a tad all over the place as he pointed to targets in different areas.

"You are over-correcting." He told me multiple times.

I tried to calm myself down a bit but the exercise was just to exciting for me to shoot clearly. I kept thinking "What if this happened in real life and the enemy was all around me? There is no way I could get them all!" my thoughts tended to pull me into a panic and my accuracy diminished.

I told Legolas my worries and he seemed to realize why my shooting was off. He grinned and told me some old wise elvish tale his father had once told him about the wisdom of the warrior. I listened intently about how the warrior needed to keep his head. If he assesses the situation and keeps the details in mind he can use the world around him to help himself. The environment and the warrior work together, are warriors together.

Suddenly, my world slowed down. I don't know if he added a little magic to his story but I had no more worries and I knew I wouldn't buckle any more with thoughts that wouldn't help me learn and fight.

I felt safe among the trunks of the trees. Legolas could see the change in my eyes. He smiled, a genuine, lovely smile. My heavens, I knew why the ladies on Earth fell at the sight of him.

"Let me show you something," He grabbed my hand and began running with me in tow. A tree showed up in front of us and with a swift movement of his legs he dashed us behind it, "This is how you use the forest to your advantage," With another quick movement he dodged from the tree, dragging me along and ran to a leafy spot kicking leaves into the air with a mere shuffle of his feat, "Distract the enemy." He ducked us behind a nearby rock, "Then hide. You have the advantage if the enemy does not know where you are. You also have the advantage planning your next move." In a flurry of hair and leaves Legolas stood, letting my hand go and snapping an arrow into a distant tree. It was almost hard to see. I stood in awe.

"Well, no matter how long you teach me I will never be that good!" I laughed.

"Well, we can try." Legolas replied, his face looking darker than it had a moment ago. I knew he was thinking of the countless enemies that were soon to come down on all of us. I wondered if he was worried about me.

"It will all work out, don't worry too much." I tried to console. It felt strange telling an elf not to worry. Especially Legolas. I had a slight moment where I felt caught between two worlds; where one world disintegrated into the next and I couldn't tell if both were real or if everything was in my mind and nothing I'd ever known had been true. I sat down quickly as memories and images of things that weren't here and things that shouldn't be here raced through my mind. I began breathing in and out trying to focus on where I was currently and what was mattering right now.

"Sharae?" Legolas was squatting next to me, "Are you in need of assistance?" He was already reaching a hand toward me. I grasped it tightly and he helped pull me up, "Are you well?" I had to think for a moment before answering.

"Yes, it's nothing to be worried about, just had a freak out moment about being here, and my here I mean Middle Earth. You know, it's just all the crazy stuff catching up to me I guess, it's fine though." I grinned, already forgetting about the strange sensation. Legolas nodded.

"As long as you are well then, we are done for now. You are doing well." The praise warmed my cheeks as he turned his way back to Laketown. I followed him back with my head held high.

The Master of Laketown had finally scrounged up enough spare clothing for the company he was able to send people to wash our very road dirty clothing. I'd honestly stopped noticing the dirt and stink among the rest of the group but the chance to change and bathe was a brilliant thought. I'd been given a dress (of course) and my own tub with fire warmed water. Even without soap the bath was wonderful and cleansing. My other clothes were taken away and I worried they may be seen as rags (or just plain inappropriate) and be thrown away. I prayed they'd get back to me.

When I was all dried off I maneuvered the dress on. It was simple but elegant, at least in my opinion, who knew what kind of dresses were liked or not here. It was brown and tan with lacing in the back, a low neckline and skirts that touched the ground. It felt pretty but uncomfortable. I wasn't used to having my legs out in the open (well, just exposed to the air underneath the fabric I guess). The fabric also wasn't the soft and stretchy stuff I was used to. I had soft leather shoes on while my boots were washed, blood had gotten everywhere on me during our trip. My washed hair felt wonderful. I walked out to meet the rest of the, now well-groomed, men for dinner. Their playful chatter turned to quiet murmuring as I entered the hall.

"Wow," Gloin laughed, "A real dress on her!"

"So Ladylike," Dwalin laughed. Ori rushed over to me

"Let me pleat your hair?" He asked, I nodded and followed him to the corner of the room, "The reason they're teasing you is because you came out with wet, let down hair," I stared forward a little taken aback, I hadn't known they were teasing, I just thought they were relieved I was finally in normal clothes. And what was wrong with wet hair? "You see it's considered a kind of intimacy left to husbands to see." My face went completely red.

"You're joking," Ori shook his head.

"I'm sure it's just the irony that you're usual clothes are fairly indecent and, even though you've changed into something decent, you've come out with your hair wet." He smiled. I rolled my eyes hard.

"You guys ought to know I'm a bit different than everyone here and just go along with it." I sighed.

"They don't mean any harm by it, you've just given them something to badger about." Ori tried to console me. I couldn't help but rolling my eyes again. Men.

Once Ori had given me a nice braid I went to eat at the table with the others. Kili wandered into the hall looking slightly disoriented.

"Kili! You're up! And better? It looks like?" I skipped up and hugged him like he was a puffy bear. He groaned at the action, probably close to throwing up. The hall lit up with laughter.

"Kili's still young for the drink I see! Thorin, you'd better keep a closer eye on your nephew!" Gloin burbled happily, drinking too much himself. Bifur pulled Kili out of the limelight and into a comfy chair. I suppose he understood more that others the nastiness of a mean headache. I couldn't help but smile toward the kindness of the quiet dwarf.

As soon as the meal was finished Ori dragged me into a rambunctious dance with the jovial company. They were singing a song I couldn't follow along with having to do with clashing swords and victory cries. It was sung almost as jovially as blunt the knives had been at Bilbo's. I laughed along with them and danced and kicked when they did. It was all carefree and wonderful. I kept wondering how nice it would have been if, when I was in the human world, people acted the same way these dwarves did. There was such a bond between them and their joy permeated to everyone within sight.

As I looked among the group I could see Tauriel sitting in front of Kili, smiling, and giving him a drink of some sort. Probably to help with this head. Thorin was sitting in a very comfy looking chair in front of the fire with a content smile on his lips.

I was soon tired and was ready to sit down when Fili stole me away from the group twirling me toward him.