Kili was in the main dining hall teaching a large group of dwarves how to play cards when I walked in to grab a late dinner. A smile pulled at my lips as I listed to the raucous players lighting the room with their exuberance.

I noticed Legolas sitting on his own, which wasn't too strange, but the look on his face was. I grabbed my meal and sat in front of him.

"What is it?" I asked before taking my first bite. The stew was extra delicious today which made my choking on his reply all the more unpleasant.

"My father is here." I sputtered trying to rescue my wind pipe from destruction. I wiped my mouth when I'd recovered and pushed the stew aside.

"Already?" I whispered back, nerves pricking everywhere. He gave me a short nod in reply, "And, this is not good," I surmised from is body language. He didn't move an inch. I paused, then scooted closer and leaned in, "Should we go somewhere else to discuss it?" I glanced at all the dwarves surrounding us that still didn't treat Legolas with an ounce of fondness. He sighed.

"I don't know how helpful it will be to discuss it. My father is on his own war path and there isn't much to be done about what he's sent here for." I gave him a curious look then stood gesturing for him to follow me. We made our way to one of the rooms delegated for conferencing. I closed the large door behind us.

"What does your father want?" I prodded. Legolas sighed.

"He wants us back and says if we return now we will be only minimally punished." My jaw dropped in horror, "And if we bring back the white gems of Lasgalen we will be fully pardoned for abandoning our post." I blinked a few times. I had forgotten how ruthless Legoas' father had been. Punishing his son for going out on his own, I understood as a King, but as a father I was a little baffled by the harshness. And I'd completely forgotten that he had wanted the gems. That had been a big part of the rift between him and Thorin. I rubbed my eyes, trying to understand how my brain could throw out details like this when this was all I had to focus on anymore. I'd sat in silence too long and Legolas again sighed.

"I won't be going back. I have things outside the realm of Mirkwood I need to accomplish. My father will only re-teather me." I looked up to him.

"Maybe I can talk to him?" Legolas' face immediately creased at his disagreement to the thought, "I need to speak with him anyhow, so I can speak for you while I am there." Legolas' eyes shot to mine.

"What do you mean that you need to speak to him?" I grimaced at the reminder of this part of the plan. I knew many feathers were going to be ruffled for a while. I groaned.

"Ugh," I dragged my hand down my face, "I need to talk to Thorin".

Thorin had now replaced Legolas in the room and I was pacing as he was finding a seat. Fili and Kili were outside the doors ready to give me support if I needed it.

I was still pacing after Thorin has sat down. Thorin cleared his throat and I stopped pacing to look at him. He gestured for me to sit by him.

"I don't know what has got you in such a state but sit and talk with me. I'll try to keep and even head," I eyed him suspiciously. He knew he didn't control his emotions very well and he knew I knew it too. Maybe he'd actually try to be level headed about this. I didn't get my hopes up though.

I pulled up the chair and sat, unhappily. I took a good breath in.

"You know how I've hidden away the Arkenstone to keep you sane?" His eyes hardened only slightly. I continued, my nerves raising more at the emotion he couldn't keep from his expression. I continued, looking around the room to ease the intensity of his stare, "In order to get the elves to help us fight the armies I'm… uh… going to need to…" My eyes went back to him, "… hand it to them to show we want an alliance." I breathed out quickly and shot my hands over my eyes at the actual horror it was to say these words to him. I didn't uncover my face as I waited for an inevitable blow up.

Warm hands wrapped around mine and brought them to my lap. I knew my face was red at the embarrassment of my statement and I kept my gaze down.

That same hand reached out and brought my face back up gently. I still couldn't meet his gaze. Thorin sighed deeply.

"I must have reacted terribly for you to be this distraught over speaking to me about it." My gaze finally flashed to his. His eyes were tense but they weren't angry. I blinked back the slight dampness in my eyes. He was so calm… How. How was he so calm right now? I knew we'd taken steps to prevent the madness he was prone to here but Thorin was still a proud and stubborn dwarf. This should have been, at the very least, a long conversation and struggle.

I looked at him with curiosity blatant on my face. Thorin gave me a small smile.

"I thought so, Sharae. You have gotten us this far. I think my current state is thanks to you as well, at this point. And maybe some of my own meditations I've been working on." He feigned thinking. My eyes widened. Thorin Oakenshield had been meditating?

His eyes grazed my face and his smile widened.

"I trust you." His smile was blinding now and I was having to hold in tears. As I choked back my emotions Thorin brought me into a hug, his arms fully around me, crating a warming embrace that melted my stresses away. I relaxed into his arms, hugging him back gently.

"Thank you," I whispered into the furs tickling my face. When the embrace met its time, Thorin held me out at arms distance, now smiling joyfully.

"Thorin, I am really impressed by you. I know none of this is easy and I know listening to a silly girl like me through these decisions has to be maddening in and of itself so… good job, I guess?" And I laughed through the leftover emotions I was holding. He chuckled softly.

"You're a strange woman." It was said through a smile. He turned and shouted toward the door, "You can come in now." Fili and Kili nearly stumbled into the meeting room, worry on their faces seeing my watery eyes, they immediately went to me and pulled me from my seat.

"No, it's ok, it's ok," I assured them, trying to settle their protective spirits. They glanced at Thorin, small threats in their eyes despite my assurances, then pulled up seats around us.

"It's time to make a plan."

Our plan was very simple and had the go-ahead from Legolas so we just needed to prepare for a meeting in the morning. Fili had tasked Goin, Ori, and Bofur to find the Silver Jewels and Bilbo was prepared to fetch the Arkentsone first thing before we left.

A messenger had been sent out to alert the Elven King about the meeting and Legolas had made plans to outfit Grandpa in some protective gear that the rest of the company were all too eager to start forging for me. And, though I had jitters about the meeting, I felt comforted by everyone who had my back. It was still decided that no dwarf would directly accompany Bilbo, Bard, and I due to their inability to remain civil at any insult given by the wrong person. And we all knew the Elvenking would be all too willing to throw them their way… and we really needed this to work out.

So just Bilbo, Bard, and I in the morning, with the dwarves close enough to ease their nerves.

I'd been shown the way out of the mountain to check that Grandpa was still in good enough shape to go in the morning and, surprisingly, he was. I worried at the gas gauge that hovered on the E. It would still last us a while. The engine started up just fine and dwarves were too and from measuring here and there for their projects.

Feeling more confident about the morning, I headed to bed early to try and get a decent amount of sleep.

My dreams were black and fitful. I didn't know what was irritating me but, the further into sleep I fell, the more my body protested.

My heart nearly stopped when the blackness dissolved for only millisecond and an eye of fire filled it.

No.

I pushed at the blackness around me, trying to wake and free myself.

Azog's voice filled the blank space. Laughing. My body shuddered involuntarily. The scar at the base of my neck seemed to ache suddenly.

"Thorin," Azog's voice laughed. My vision shifted from the darkness. I could see outside the gates. Thorin was there, sword in hand, looking tired already. Azog was circling.

My heart shuddered.

Thorin was in trouble. I called out to him, Agog's eyes went to me, his smile widening. He lunged for Thorin.

I was out of my bed in seconds, darting from my room, only pausing to grab my bow off the wall. I dashed through the halls, my bare feet stinging on the cold stone floors.

I swung open the exit I'd used earlier in the day, the guard barely having time to register my exit, and I was onto the front walk.

They'd been off the path, to the left a ways, and I couldn't see in the dark but my mind conjured the general area I'd seen. I nearly tripped over a shrub that brushed my ankles. My feet could barely handle the stones I was running across and I fought tears from filling my eyes. I had to see to shoot.

My bow was already poised in my grip, ready for anything. But as I approached the area where I knew they should be, even in the darkness, no one was in sight.

I wouldn't be able to tell if blood was on the ground, it was too dark.

"Thorin!" I shouted to the midnight air. Not even a cricket replied. I stiffened where I stood, my already frozen heart shuttered in my chest.

I looked to the moon, waiting for it to morph into a fiery eye, but it remained, and the wind blew at me in just a way where I knew I wasn't in the dream world.

I scanned the surrounding area as carefully as I could with my terrible night vision.

I didn't see or hear any…

My vision went completely black.

Azog was right in front of me, his jagged teeth grinning triumphantly. He snagged me by my neck before I'd even realized what was happening. He chuckled as I struggled in his grip.

"He was right… How easy." He held fast but his grip wasn't constrictive like the first time. He was just… tethering me for some reason.

I fought his grip, but, of course, I was no physical match in any way. My eyes shot wide.

No… no match physically. But…

I had power here. I'd been told multiple times. I didn't know how that compared to Azog, he sure seemed to be able to easily use this dream world to his advantage. And maybe that was all because of Sauron's influence. It didn't matter, I had to try

I put my hand onto his arm and, rather than struggle against his grip, I focused on melting the bastards hand off.

Azog's face twisted into pure rage as he yanked his hand from me, skin smoking. I stumbled away, hand at my throat breathing heavily with shock. It had worked.

Hissing through his terrible teeth he growled, "I don't think this little piece of bait is worth it." He lunged for me with his metal claw and I knew it was being wielded as a weapon now. Flames burst from behind him and the eye towered over us, burning both of us with an intense heat. Agog cried out and vanished from in front of me. I tried to back away from the heat that threatened to boil me alive if I didn't find shelter.

I reached out my hand toward the burning eye. I could do it. I could stop him, I could wake up. My test with Azog had worked. But I couldn't touch they eye, it was looming above me and on fire. I'd have to project my power out if I had any chance. I knew I didn't have to be touching for magic to work.

Just.

Push.

I don't need hands, just push him away. My arms went up anyways and I imagined the Force, like literal Star Wars Force pushing the eye back into the darkness. The eye blazed brighter but seemed to squint back at me.

Ha! he felt it… Good.

I shoved as hard as my mind could imagine and the flames fluttered and shot into the abyss. Then winked out.

The blackness around me faded as the moon shone above me. I stared up at it in confusion unable to brake my gaze from it.

I was back on the stony earth. I gasped as the strength seeped from my limbs. My legs buckled but I didn't crash to the ground. An arm wrapped around me to brace my back and neck. My moon trance shattered and I looked toward the person supporting my dead weight. And I didn't at all expect who I saw in front of me. His blonde hair shifted as he lifted me up.

"You must be the Dream Walker." Thranduil deadpanned.

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