I helped Thorin to his feet and let him use me as a crutch. He wrapped his arms around me and just pulled me into another tight hug, instead.

I clung to his jacket and just let out a shaky breath. Blood was still spattered on the fur collar and I just closed my eyes so I wouldn't see it and stuffed my face into his chest.

"Abigail." He whispered, hands rubbing up and down my back soothingly. "Abigail, look at me, please." He says and I do and he lifts his hands to wipe my tears away and then kissed my forehead. He then grinned a little and asked,

"Did you call Azog the Defiler a bitch?"

The others laughed and so did I. "Yeah. I guess I did." I said with a chuckle.

He smiled at me and tucked some hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek softly and I felt my face go red.

"Uncle, look." Aidan said and he reluctantly pulled his gaze from me to where his nephew pointed and his face took on a look of wonder.

I walked with him to the edge of the outcropping of rock we were placed on and looked in wonder at the landscape before us. A single mountain stood in the distance, past numerous forests and a few scattered lakes. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"This...this looks nothing like the United States..." I whispered hoarsely.

"That's because it isn't." Thorin said, arm tightening around me but kept his eyes focused on the mountain- his home.

I wondered how on earth we had gotten here so fast. Had we reached New Zealand already? Did we somehow reach a portal while in those mountains?

I watched as the sun began to rise and I rested my head on Thorin's shoulder, exhaustion suddenly dragging on me. We had been running all day and night and for who knew how much longer under that mountain.

"Let's find a spot to make camp." Thorin said. "No fires. We leave at noon. Six hours. We are still being hunted. The Eagles served in carrying us at least a day and a half ahead of the orcs who still have to regroup and reorganize."

The others all began to nod their heads.

We turned and found a path and began to make our way down the steps and I kept my arm around Thorin in support, no matter how many times he said he was fine. I lost my mother and sister in a similar way. Held them as they died in my arms...

I clenched my jaw and didn't say anything when he protested.

A few hours later, we found a cave and we went about cushioning the floor with pine needles and leaves and Thorin sat down, sitting up against the wall. I sat down next to him and he pulled me into his side.

"Abigail?" He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm ok, now. Gandalf healed me. I'm ok." He rubbed my back and pulled some hair from my face but I couldn't look at him still.

"I know." I mumbled and just took his hand. He squeezed my fingers and kissed the top of my head.

"What's wrong?"

I was quiet for a moment, then said softly, "My mother and sister died. They were murdered. I held them in my arms like that when they died and...you got hurt like that and there was...there was all that blood..."

The others stopped in their moving around to listen to my story.

"I think I was sixteen or seventeen, so it was about eight years ago. It was a normal day and we were just sitting in the dining room. My father had left years ago before I was born. My sister remembered him, though. I will never forget this day. There was a knock at the door and I opened it and a man was standing there. He was really tall. He had hit me across the face with something- must have been a knife handle- and it knocked me out. By the time I came to, I managed to crawl to my mother and sister who were bleeding out on the floor." I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. "I realize you're fine and ok, Thorin, but I am not. I am not ok. Seeing you like that..." A tear slid down my cheek.

His hand came up to wipe it away and he just pulled me into a tight hug.

"Lass, everyone here knows how you feel." Ken said gently. "We've all lost people, loved ones and friends, but the important thing to remember is that you aren't alone and never will be."

Thorin's arms tightened around me. I moved my head a little to look at them and smiled a little.

"Thanks, Ken."

He chuckled. "I think it's time we just told you our names, right? You figured out one."

I smiled and reached for Thorin's hand and he laced his fingers through mine.

"My name is Balin, and my brother Dwalin." He pointed to Graham, who's arms were crossed over his chest and he merely nodded to us.

"And I'm Kili, and that's my brother Fili." Aidan said and clapped Dean on the shoulder.

One by one, they began to introduce themselves. Dori, Ori, and Nori were Mark, Adam, and, Jed respectively. William, James, and Stephen announces their true names were Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. And finally, Peter and John were Gloin and Oin.

I pulled out a notebook from within the opposite pocket of the book and that peculiar ring I found and  jotted down notes to help me remember. They looked almost nothing like their human biker gang disguises.

I then pulled out the little book and flipped to the section on dwarves. The picture stapled there was Thorin. I pointed it and showed it to him and laid my head on his shoulder.

"There's you." I mumbled. "And here's your story basically." I flipped through the next few pages that were about dwarves and turned the book to show the others. "Fili and Kili are mentioned in this section."

"Really?" Aidan- no, Kili- asked excitedly.

"Yeah. You're in the royal line of Durin. Fili is the heir, and Kili after him." I say with a nod.

I closed the book and my eyes drifted up to my feet and I clenched my jaw. "I'm going to go for a walk. I won't go too far. But I'd like to be alone for a little while." I say softly.

Thorin looked like he wanted to argue with me for a moment, then said, "Alright. Please be back soon."

I nodded and stood then leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead, then stepped around everyone and went outside.

A cool wind blew past and I pulled my jacket around me a little tighter. I found a rock that looked out over a river and I sat in front of it and tucked my knees to my chest. My feet, surprisingly, were not cold.

I didn't understand this. Why was I a hobbit of all things? Why didn't I appear as a dwarf? Or even an elf? Despite their pompous ways and my desire to kill them, I would like to be an elf.

As if on command to my desires, my body began to change, and I stood up quickly I looked down at myself. I wore my human clothes, but they looked tighter than usual.

My fingers were long and slender and I held them to my face. Smooth skin, long silk hair...pointed ears.

I paused.

What did they say my father was? A Skin Changer? I clenched my jaw and made my way slowly down the slope to that river. The sun was rising and I assumed it was about eight o'clock.

I stopped down by the river and I imagined a face.

And Thorin appeared in that reflection, my green eyes staring back at me in place of his blue ones.

I pulled back from the water instantly and willed myself to change back into a hobbit, and I did.

Hands shaking a little, I headed back to that cave and without a word and curled up on my side facing away from them and hid my shaking hands in my jacket and fell asleep.