Mountain winds gusted through the camp sending sparks spiraling up from the campfire. I huddled deeper into my coat grateful for its warmth. After sunset, the temperature had dropped several degrees even though it was the height of summer.

We were camped on a hilltop overlooking a distant mountain range to the north. Heavy storm clouds hovered on the horizon, the scent of rain a sharp tang in the air.

A pot of soup bubbled steadily over the fire, the rich scent of vegetable broth and steaming meat causing my stomach to rumble. Prior to leaving Rivendell, the dwarves had raided the kitchens for supplies. Since there were no towns or villages on our path it turned out to be a wise move.

Thorin stood off by himself, smoking his pipe. I yearned to go to him, but a sudden shyness held me back. Our relationship had changed drastically during our stay in Rivendell, and I wasn't sure what it meant. The dwarf king no longer treated me like a burden however I knew he was less than thrilled to have me along.

I glanced around at the others. It felt odd without Gandalf's grumpy presence. The wizard had remained behind to delay the elves. His plan had gone off without a hitch. No one pursued us out of the valley.

Kili and Fili were regaling the company with some escapade of theirs sending the dwarves into gales of laughter. A faint smile tugged my mouth as I settled more comfortably on the ground to listen.

"....And we had to run naked through the dwarrowdams' quarters pursued by Old Barlin. The blacksmith took exception to us using the ladies' hot springs." Kili declared, eyes dancing with laughter.

"T'was not our fault. The dwarrows' spring was being cleaned and we were filthy from an orc battle." Fili said, lips twitching slightly at the memory. "What were we to do? Go around stinking like orc?"

"It's not like they'd be able to tell the difference." I interjected cheekily.

Fili and Kili shot me identical mutinous glares, but the others cheered, breaking into raucous laughter.

"You tell 'em, lass!" Bofur chuckled, slapping me on the back, nearly bowling me over into the fire.

I caught myself at the last second, digging my heels into the soil. These dwarves often forgot how strong they were. They might be able to lift a couple tons of rock without breaking a sweat, but I was a lot more fragile.

"Oops, sorry." Bofur apologized looking guilty.

Thorin peered over his shoulder at the dwarf and arched a brow. He puffed on his pipe and returned to admiring the scenery. I wondered what he was thinking.

"Do you have a better story?" Kili challenged, getting the conversation back on track.

"What?" I asked suddenly feeling nervous.

"Tell us a story about yourself."

Fourteen pairs of eyes, including Thorin's landed on me expectantly. It's true. I'd told the dwarves very little about myself. I guess I had grown so accustomed to being a fish out of water that I had withdrawn from pretty much everyone, a shadow flitting from location to location.

Still, I had to be careful of what I told them. I couldn't risk giving away anything that might affect my quest.

Propping my elbows on my knees I rested my chin in my hands, considering what story to tell them. I'm a pretty boring person. Academics always are. I'm more likely to be found with my nose in a book than surfing in La Joya or climbing Mt. Everest.

Kili fidgeted on the verge of exploding with impatience. "Well?"

In the end, I settled on a childhood story about the time the neighbor boy dared me to saw the legs off my grandmother's garden bench with a handsaw I found in the garden shed. "I got in so much trouble. Grandma made me weed the garden all summer and I had to repair the bench I damaged."

"How old were you?" Kili asked.

"Twelve. I was trying to impress Logan, the one who dared me to do it." I rolled my eyes. "What can I say, kids are stupid."

"What about your parents?" Fili prodded. "You've not spoken of them."

I averted my gaze. "I..." 

"Enough. Its time we turned in for the night." Thorin's deep commanding voice cut through the awkward moment like a sword.

I shot him a grateful look and he smiled faintly. I appreciated the rescue. I wasn't ready to open-up about my life or my world because part of me feared I'd never return to it again. Besides, I wasn't the only one who kept secrets in the company. Why should I have to put all mine on display? 

After that the dwarves bedded down for the night. I was given the spot nearest the fire, protected by a ring of dwarves and a hobbit. I curled up in my bedroll using my pack as a pillow. I thought I would be kept up by my growing anxiety about the quest, but I fell quickly into a dreamless sleep.

The next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by Kili. "Its time for breakfast." The young dwarf's brown eyes glittered warmly as he gazed down at me.

Groggy, I sat up slowly rubbing my eyes.

Kili chuckled.

I frowned, confused. "What?"

He shook his head, choking back laughter. "Do you have a brush?"

Horrified, I reached back to find my braid had come undone, the tie missing. The strands were a tangled rat's nest. I winced. My hair was such a pain sometimes. Shaking out my bedroll I searched my sleeping area for the hair tie and came up empty.

Well...this was fantastic.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, I fished out my comb out of my pack and worked on untangling my hair.

"Need some help?" Kili volunteered when he noticed me struggling with a particular tenacious snarl.

"Uh...sure." I surrendered the comb and settled with my back to the dwarf.

It was a strange sensation, having a man brush my hair. Because of that I expected Kili to be rough, but he brushed my hair gently into smooth waves.

Bilbo trotted over with a small bowl of plain porridge. "Breakfast! It can do with a bit of honey, but we don't have any on hand."

"Thanks, Bilbo." I smiled wearily and cupped the bowl in my hands, the warmth radiating from the bowl welcome in the chilly morning.

Without fresh cream the hot cereal was rather dry. I ate it without complaint, glad to have something fill my belly. Food was scarce on the road and I'd had to learn to make do with what was available. 

Thorin suddenly bellowed out of nowhere. "Kili! Scout ahead with Balin!"

I jumped and spun around to look at the company leader. He had his hands on his hips and scowled in my direction. What had I done now?

"Duty calls, Adelaide the Shaft Killer." Kili winked and hopped up from the ground to obey his uncle.

The nickname didn't annoy me as much as it used to. I guess I was getting used to it.

I watched as he set off with the old dwarf into a nearby copse of trees. The other dwarves were busy breaking down camp. Putting out the dregs of the campfire and gathering possessions.

Thorin surveyed the company with a critical eye, his attention no longer on me.

Shrugging, I tucked my comb away and went to work gathering my own things. Attaching my bedroll from my pack I went over to Fili who stood off by himself, already ready to go.

The blond dwarf nodded as I stopped in front of him. "Good morning."

"Good morning." I replied. "Do you happen to have a spare hair tie I can borrow? I lost mine."

"Here." A strip of leather was pressed into my hand from an unexpected source. I blinked rapidly at Thorin who'd appeared beside me. "Uh...thanks."

The dwarf king wore his weapons, Orcrist hung on his heavy sword belt alongside an ax. Gilded by the fiery dawn Thorin looked especially handsome this morning. "Do you require assistance with your hair?"

Fili's jaw dropped, his blue eyes bulging in shock.

I curled my fingers around the hair tie. "No thanks, I got it." 

"Very well." Thorin paced away from me and went to check on the rest of the company.

Over his surprise, Fili regarded me in a highly speculative way that raised all sorts of alarm bells.

I tensed. "What?"

He shook his head, hair flying around his shoulders. "Tis nothing. We should move out."

"Right." I said, not believing him at all.

I was missing something here. But what was it?

OoO

It took us five days to reach the mountains. I wasn't thrilled about the treacherous narrow path we took as the sky opened above us in a violent thunderstorm. The heavy rain lashed against me as I minced along the slippery stone, heart a lump in my throat. Hiking boots weren't made for mountain climbing. 

Don't fall. Don't fall. I chanted mentally.

Lightning flashed and the wind buffeted the company relentlessly. I clung to the wall, creeping forward inch by inch. This was so dangerous. Probably one of the most dangerous things I'd ever done. When we began our climb the sky had been clear. Modern weather prediction methods weren't available in Middle Earth, forcing the world's inhabitants to often rely upon guesswork.

Unfortunately, the dwarves missed the mark this time. A sudden gust blew hard pellets of rain into my face. I squeezed my eyes shut on instinct and nearly plummeted over the edge.

A strong hand gripped my forearm hauling me back. Gasping, I stared into Thorin's face. Rain rolled down the stern lines of his face. "Be more careful, my lady."

I raised my hand in a mocking salute. "I'll be as graceful as a mountain goat."

Thorin smirked and gave me a gentle nudge forward. I only took a few steps when then ground suddenly rolled under my feet. 

 I jumped back from the edge, slamming into the rockface. "What the hell?"

"This isn't a thunderstorm! It's a thunder battle!" Balin shouted over the wind pointing toward the sky.

I looked up and nearly peed my pants as the cliff across the gorge unfolded into a giant stone statue. The sheer size of the giant was incomprehensible. I felt like a tiny bug about to be smooshed.

"Giants! Stone giants!" One of the dwarves yelled.

Lightning flashed illuminating the fierce battle unfolding. A stone the size of a small mountain was hurled in our direction.

The stone crashed into another giant about five hundred yards away, shattering it into pieces. It tumbled back in slow motion falling into the mist-shrouded ravine.

I whimpered as the ground I stood on shifted. In horror, I realized we were standing on one of the stone giants.

Shit, were we ever in trouble!

The ground split with a terrible moan, the stone parting as the giant stood, dividing the company in half. I had somehow ended up beside Thorin on the giant's right knee.

With his left hand he gripped my sleeve, the other had a firm hold on the handle of a sharp ax embedded in the stone wall. "Hold on!" He commanded.

Bracing against the wall, I prayed with everything I had that we'd somehow survive this.

The giant strode forward across the ravine, roaring in rage as it confronted its enemy. Rain continued to furiously pelt our group.

The other stone giant charged forward and crashed into the one we rode. All we could do is watch helplessly as a wall of stone crashed down on half of the company including Kili and Fili.

"No!" Thorin roared, despair clawing his voice. He loosened his grip and scrambled forward, his pale face drawn with devastation.

No. Tears misted my eyes. I hung my head as Thorin pushed past me to reach the gap that bisected the stone ledge.

The other dwarves followed. I knew the company had survived but it was still horrible to witness the pain on the dwarf king's face.

Trembling I waited until the ecstatic cries pierced the howling wind before inching forward. Bilbo hung off the edge, his stubby fingers barely clinging to the slippery rock.

"Bilbo! Hang on!" Bofur tried to reach him but was unable to.

With a roar of anger, Thorin flung himself over the ledge, swinging over to secure the hobbit by the waist.

Bofur chuckled in relief when they were both safely back on the ledge. "We almost lost our burglar."

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin said, turning away.

Bilbo flinched and I reached for his hand. The hobbit squeezed my fingers gratefully.

"There's a cave up ahead, we'll make camp there." Thorin decided his broad shoulders hunched against the storm.

Soaked to the bone, I was only too happy to enter the mouth of the dark cave. A thick layer of sand coated the floor creating soft ground to lay on.

"No fires." Thorin instructed, his gaze traveling around the cave warily. "Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."

I looked around. It appeared to be unoccupied. At any rate, there was no place to hide in the open space. The storm continued to rage on outdoors. Drenched and shivering I burrowed into my bedroll prepared for a long night.

Soon the sound of snoring dwarves echoed off the cave walls. I listened to the discordant sound, as grating as the clash of symbols. I rolled over to face the cave and saw Bilbo skirt several large sleeping lumps.

I said nothing, tracking his progress until Bofur stopped him at the cave entrance. In the rear of the cave I couldn't hear their conversation clearly but I knew the dwarf was trying to dissuade the hobbit from leaving.

Thorin had made Bilbo feel so worthless the hobbit wanted to leave. Anger burned in my breast for my friend.

Bilbo didn't deserve to be treated so poorly. I wasn't any better at questing than he was, but Thorin had stopped being so rude to me.

I sat up, to do what I didn't know. Beg Bilbo to stay? Wake Thorin up to yell at him? The sand hissed beneath my fingertips. I only had a second to look down before a door swung open dropping me into the abyss.

A/N: I originally discontinued this story but felt guilty for leaving it unfinished. I plan to only update once a month because I'm busy. I hope you enjoyed the new installment of the story. It was a pleasure to write after having such a miserable day today.