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italics - elvish

italics - singing

Alenia scooped the unconscious hobbit up, and carried him into the living room, before leaving Gandalf to speak with him. The half elf returned to the kitchen, and stood by the brothers.

"So... why are you guys here?" she asked.

"Thorin's our uncle," Kili replied.

"Oh! I had no idea I was in the presence of royalty!" Alenia said, bowing jokingly.

"Eh, shove off, would ya?" Fili said, pulling her up.

The trio laughed, before Alenia looked around at the other dwarves talking. "Who is everyone?"

"That's Oin and Gloin over there," Kili said, pointing to the red-haired and gray-haired dwarf talking. "They're brothers and Oin's a healer."

"Ori, Nori and Dori are over there with Dwalin and Balin,"  Fili said, pointing to the other two sets of brothers. "Ori's the young one, the youngest in our group actually. Dori has the gray hair and Nori has the weird haircut. Dwalin is the fierce-looking one, and Balin has the white hair."

"Then there's Bofur, with the hat, Bombur's the fat one. Those two are brothers. Bifur's the dwarf with the axe in his head. He's their cousin." Kili finished.

"Let's hope I can remember all that." Alenia said, smiling at the princes.

The trio turned and went with the rest of the company into the living room. Alenia sat on a bench near the doorway, and the brothers sat next to her.

Thorin started singing in a low voice, as he stared at the fireplace. The other dwarves joined in, their deep, baritone voices blending together.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To find our long-forgotten gold.

The pines were roaring on the height

The winds were moaning in the night

The fire was red, it flaming spread

The trees like torches blazed with light.

With that, the dwarves unrolled their blankets, and settled in for the night. Kili and Fili gave Alenia the bench, and went to lie down on the floor near it.

Alenia closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

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Her house was on fire.

Her father had just been slaughtered, as she, Hanna and their mother were fleeing into the woods.

Tears streamed down her face, as she gripped her sword's hilt.

They paused for a breath, when the Pale Orc strode into view, a group of about twenty orcs behind him.

"RUN!" Their mother screamed, turning to face the Defiler. She charged and got a few strikes in, just as Hanna and Alenia took off, running away from their mother.

Alenia glanced back, and saw her mother's body fall as she was overrun by the Pale Orc's lackeys.

"Come on, Ally!" Hanna cried, pulling her younger sister away.

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Alenia sat up, gasping for breath, sweat rolling down her face. She glanced around at the sleeping dwarves, before standing, grabbing her pack and walking towards the front door. She grabbed her cloak and exited the hobbit hole.

"Morning, Livvy," Alenia said, stroking her horse's nose.

She moved around to the side of her horse, fastening her pack to the saddle. She fastened her sword around her waist, strapped her dagger next to it, and stuck her two knives into her boots. She threw her cloak over her shoulders, and threw her bow and quiver onto her back. Then she sat on the bench in the garden, watching as the sun rose up over the horizon.

The door behind her opened and closed.

"What're you doing out here?" Kili asked, coming to sit next to her.

"Couldn't sleep," the half-elf responded.

She saw Kili looking at her, out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, everyone's moving and we should be leaving before the sun is fully up."

Alenia nodded. "I'm all ready anyway."

They stood, Kili going back inside and Alenia mounting her horse.

In about ten minutes, the dwarves were out in the early morning, walking along the path leading out of the Shire. Alenia was at the front of the group on Livvy.

The company stopped, acquiring a horse for Gandalf and ponies for the dwarves. Gandalf paid for an extra pony for Bilbo in the hope that their burglar would soon join us.

"That was in vain," Fili commented. "There's no way that hobbit is going to show up."

"Aye," Kili agreed. "He likes his feather bed and warm hearth too much."

"Ten coins from each of you, if he shows up," Alenia said.

"Deal," they replied, grinning.

About an hour after they had left the green hills of the Shire, Alenia heard pitter-pattering of a halfling's feet, and the shouts to "Wait! Wait!"

"Hold on, everyone," Alenia shouted, alerting the company of Bilbo's arrival. "Our burglar has caught up."

"I signed it," Bilbo puffed, holding the contract out to Balin.

"Everything appears to be in order," Balin declared, after examining the contract. "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

All the dwarves cheered, except for Thorin who said, "Give him a pony."

"No, no, no, no, that--that won't be necessary, thank you, but I--I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-- I--I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once--WAGH!"

Bilbo was cut off, as Fili and Kili rode up on either side of him and lifted him up by his armpits, plopping him on the extra pony Gandalf had purchased.

Alenia laughed, before pulling up next to the hobbit, who looked as if he had no idea what to do with the reins.

"Hold the reins, at ten o'clock and two, down by your waist. It's much more comfortable than sitting as stiff as a board and clutching them for dear life." The half elf advised. "Trust Myrtle. She's a good pony. Aren't you, sweet girl? Yes you are."

"You speak elvish," Bilbo stated.

Alenia merely gestured to her pointed ears as an answer.

"Ah, yes," Bilbo muttered. "I had forgotten. My apologies."

Alenia smiled. "No harm done, love." She pulled back to ride next to the brothers, as Gandalf moved next to the hobbit.

Up and down the line of ponies, the other dwarves start demanding their earnings from the various bets against each other.

"Pay up," Alenia called back to Kili and Fili.

They grumbled, but reached into their coat pockets, and tossed her a sack of coins each.

"Much obliged." Alenia remarked, winking at them.

They grinned back at her.

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a/n: 

new chapter. yay? idk.

vote/comment if you want.

i'll see y'all on friday. :))

- ash xx