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     "Bilbo, can I ask you something?"

Bilbo looked over when he was asked that. "Sure, Thorin. What is it?"

Thorin looked around before he got up, walked over to him, then pulled something round and shiny out of his pocket. "Do you think this is something that Vala would like?"

Bilbo looked at it a moment before he smiled. "I think that is something she would like very much. It's definitely her style— plus we know she does love shiny gems."

"Must be the dragon in her." Thorin joked, slipping the ring back into his pocket. He then blinked and looked at the Hobbit. "Please don't tell her I made a dragon joke, she'll kill me."

     "My lips are sealed, I promise." Bilbo said with a chuckle as he looked at Thorin. He smiled after a moment. "I've known you two liked each other before you two seemed to realize you did, and I've gotta say that I am very happy for the two of you."

     "Thank you, though I haven't proposed to her yet."

     "I know, but I also know that she's going to say yes." Bilbo replied. "She loves you dearly. It's obvious that she does. You're about to make her the happiest girl in the world."

     Thorin smiled. "If she does say yes, she'll make me the happiest man in the world." He said softly, a hand in his pocket where the ring was. "Until I do propose, would you mind keeping the ring with you? Knowing me, I would lose it, and you seem to be very good at keeping track of things."

     "Oh, are you sure, Thorin?" Bilbo asked, eyes widening some in surprise. He hadn't expected to be asked to keep track of the Dwarven King's ring for the future Dwarven... Elven... Skinchanger... Dragon... Queen? Whatever she would be known as.

     "I'm sure." Thorin replied, pulling the ring back out of his pocket and placing it in Bilbo's palm. "Consider it practice for when I have you as my best man."

Bilbo blinked and looked at him, at a loss for words for a moment. "Thorin, I'm honored."

"We wouldn't be at this point if it hadn't been for you." Thorin said. He would have continued talking with the halfling, but Bofur came over and let him know that his presence was requested. So, with that, he gave a nod of his head to Bilbo before he turned and walked away.

     Bilbo smiled and gave a nod in return, then he looked at the ring. "Where would be a safe place to keep this..." he murmured to himself. He already had a ring in his pocket... he could keep it in his other pocket, but he wasn't sure that was such a good idea. He looked around the room, then he turned to the nightstand. "Maybe here would be a good place."

"What's a good place for what?"

Bilbo flinched and looked behind him, nearly dropping the ring. He managed to slip it into his pocket quickly and turned around. "Vala! I was just... trying to figure out where to put... my sword." He hoped that she would buy that. "After all, children will end up here not long from now, I'm sure. Since Thorin's people will be on their way back here."

"Well, yes, but that is a ways from now." Valadhiel replied, furrowing her brow. Something was going on, but maybe she shouldn't address it. He had been weird ever since Goblin Town, after all. "Besides, I didn't think you were planning on staying much longer."

"I'm still debating, honestly." Bilbo replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed in the room. "What do you plan on doing?" He added curiously, looking at her.

"Well... originally, I was going to go back to Bree. Travel and help those in need like I always did." Valadhiel replied as she looked at the Hobbit, forgetting about his suspicious behavior for now. "But now... home is where Thorin is, honestly. He's stolen my heart." She smiled softly, her heart skipping at just the thought of the Dwarven King.

Bilbo couldn't help but smile when Valadhiel spoke of Thorin. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was madly in love with him. It was honestly pretty cute. "You two are meant to be. Just as Beren and Luthien were meant to be."

     "Only this one won't end in tragedy." Valadhiel said with a chuckle. She shifted a wing, taking the end of it into her hand and playing around with the claw-like structure on the edge of it.

     Bilbo looked at her curiously. "When we first met, you kept your wings hidden."

     Valadhiel looked at the Hobbit, paused a moment, then nodded softly. "Yes, I did. Why make that statement?"

"Well I... I was just curious as to why you always have them revealed now." Bilbo replied.

Valadhiel smiled. "I am no longer ashamed of what I am, or of who I am. And this is my way of displaying the pride I have in my race." She replied softly. "Smaug did some terrible things. But in the end... he was redeemed. A bit late, but better late than never."

"Aye, true!" Kili called out as he walked over to the two, Fili following after him. "Speaking of such things, which form is your natural form?"

"The elf, the dragon, or the leopard?" Fili asked.

"And can you take on any other animal forms?" Kili added.

"Slow down, or I won't be able to answer any questions!" Valadhiel said with a laugh. "All of these are my natural forms, technically. The form I was "born" in, however, was the dragon form. As for other animal forms, well, you have already witnessed me change into a wolf before. I am capable of taking on certain other animal forms, but the amount of forms I can take is limited."

     "What about your fire? What all can you do with that?" Fili asked.

     "The typical red, orange, and yellow fires burn. Black fire incinerates instantly. Green fire heals, blue fire is warm and cannot burn anyone or anything, it is great for drying off or warming up." Valadhiel replied, forming small balls of fire in her hands. "Pink fire produces a noxious fume that can suffocate those who breathe it in."

     "That... is strange." Kili said with a chuckle. He began walking down the hall, Fili and Valadhiel both following after her.

     Bilbo, after making sure Valadhiel's ring was in a safe spot, followed after the three and listened with interest. They hadn't talked a whole lot about Valadhiel's many interesting abilities.

     "I can only use normal fire in my dragon form for some reason. Other fires I must use in my elvish form... which is what made me think it is some power of the ancient elves or of the Valar." Valadhiel explained. "Especially since I am able to wield water and ice as well. And, in some cases, the air and the earth. But I am still unpracticed in it."

     "You sound undefeatable." Fili commented.

     "Everyone has their weaknesses, however." Valadhiel replied. "When I am in an emtotionally unstable state, I cannot use the full extent of my abilities. I also cannot use the full extent of them when I am injured, and for whatever reason, I am immune to my own healing abilities."

     "Not everyone can be all powerful." Bilbo commented with a shrug, stopping by a small running fountain.

     Valadhiel stopped as well and looked at the water, smiling as she listened to it. Her mind wandered back to Rivendell, when she started a water fight with all of the dwarves. She gave a startled yelp when she felt something shove her from behind, and next thing she knew, she was cold and soaked! She got up and looked behind her. "Fili!"

     "Remember back in Rivendell, when you threw a ball of water at Kili, but it hit me instead?" Fili smirked. "I told you I would get you back when you least expected it."

     Valadhiel crossed her arms and "pouted". "You're so mean." She said, but she was unable to keep from smiling and laughing. She climbed out of the water, wrung her dress, then used the blue fire to dry herself off. "Man, that's some freezing cold water!"

"It would be, considering it's in the mountain." Kili commented with a chuckle. "I wouldn't expect it to be warm, would you?"

"Of course not; it doesn't see sunlight." Valadhiel replied as she finished drying herself with the blue flames. "Well, speaking of sunlight, I would like to go fly around for a little while." She smiled at them and gave a polite yet casual bow to Kili and Fili. "I will see you later, most likely at dinner." She said, then she gave a nod to Bilbo before she walked away, heading towards the exit.

"See you then!" Fili replied.

"Have a nice flight!" Kili added, then he and Fili turned to Bilbo. "Are you alright, Bilbo?"

"What?" Bilbo looked up, then he nodded. "Yes, I'm just fine. I was just thinking, is all."

"About?" Fili inquired.

"Just something Thorin had mentioned to me earlier, before Valadhiel came and chatted with me." Bilbo replied. He was hoping they wouldn't push for more information, but he knew that they would. They were Kili and Fili, after all.

"What would that be?" Kili asked, looking at Bilbo impatiently. "Just tell us! You're acting so weird!"

Bilbo sighed before he gestured them to follow him, and once in his room, he pulled the ring out of a box he had under his bed. "Thorin asked me to keep a hold of this for him for the time being." He explained as he showed it to them. "I'm sure you can imagine what it's for and who it's for."

Both Kili and Fili's eyes widened. "Uncle's gonna ask Vala to marry him!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Shh!" Bilbo shushed them, putting a finger to his lips. "I don't know how many are supposed to know this yet. He hasn't asked her yet, so he seemed to want me to keep it hush for the time being." He put the ring back in the box before putting the box back under the bed. He looked up when he heard Balin speak.

     "Bilbo, there's someplace I would like to show you." Balin said after stopping in the doorway to his room. "It will take a bit of a walk to get there, but I think you would like it. Would you care to join me?"

     "Of course." Bilbo replied, walking after the older dwarf. "I'll see you later, Kili and Fili."

     "See you later, Bilbo!" Fili replied.

     After Bilbo was out of earshot, Kili pulled the box out from under the bed. "We should show Ori and Bofur!"

     Fili blinked and looked at his brother. "Kili, that isn't our decision to make, and Uncle entrusted it to Bilbo for safekeeping. We should just leave it right where Bilbo had it."

     "Aw come on, there will be no harm in it!" Kili said. "Come on, Fili, please? We'll just show it to them real quick, then we'll put it right back. No one has to know about it, and no one will know about it, because he'll never know it was missing."

     Fili hesitated a moment, then he sighed. "All right, Kili, fine. Let's be quick about it, though, yeah?" He walked out of the room with a feeling of unease. Something was going to go wrong, wasn't it? He sure hoped not. Kili couldn't be so careless as to lose something so important, surely. And surely as long as he was there with him, nothing bad would happen to it.

     Kili quickly found Ori and Bofur, grinning as he went over to them. "Hey! Guess what Bilbo showed us?"

     "Umm... a recipe from his hometown?" Ori asked.

     "Not even close, and the question was meant to be answered with "what", but that was a nice guess." Kili said, then he held the ring up. "Look!"

     "Nice ring... if you're a woman." Bofur said. "Is he planning on proposing to a girl back home?"

     "Thorin actually entrusted Bilbo with this ring." Fili replied. "He's planning on proposing to Valadhiel."

     "Really?!" Ori exclaimed. "That's so exciting! Let's go tell—"

     "Hold on, we can't tell anyone else just yet." Kili said. "We wouldn't want Valadhiel to end up hearing about it, right?"

     "Well, that is true, and news travels fast." Ori agreed after a moment.

     "How come you two know, and why are you telling us, then?" Bofur asked.

     "We pushed Bilbo to tell us." Fili chuckled. "And he told us to keep it hush for now since Thorin didn't say whether or not he wanted anyone else to know about it yet. Okay, Kili, we showed them. Let's put it back."

     "Right! Before Bilbo notices it's gone and freaks out." Kili said.

     "You aren't even supposed to have it?" Bofur chuckled. "Best be putting that back before you lose it."

     "Yeah... you're right. I'll go put it back now." Kili said, turning and walking back to Bilbo's room, Fili following after him. They reached the bedroom, put the ring in the box, and put the box back under the bed, completely unaware that they were being closely watched the entire time.

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