Even Kili did not feel bold enough to ask what she needed to reform from. What mistakes could she have made? Rather than ask, he nodded slowly to show that he accepted her answer. No more needed to be said; what had happened was in the past. Right now, he wished to appreciate the time he had with someone so very special.

As the others came to join them, Kili listened intently to their song, his gaze fixated to the flames in the fireplace. Tomorrow would be the start of a long, perilous journey, but in that moment he felt warm and safe. Eyelids heavy, Kili started to doze right off. The day had been long; he and Fili had barely a moment's rest on their way to Hobbiton, and so he fell asleep, nestled against his godmother.

The song of the Misty Mountain came to an end, and Thorin turned away from the embers. "It is settled, then...we leave at dawn," he informed the company, and it was here he took notice of his nephew sleeping so soundly. To see him this way was a harsh reminder of how terribly young his nephews were. Fili was mature and often very sensible, but Kili? It had been impossible to bring one without the other, and Thorin could not help but feel a nagging doubt within the back of his mind. Kili should have stayed behind with his mother.

Saeril did feel a weight on her side, and she shifted herself a little to allow Kili's head to rest against her at a comfortable angle. Once she has done this, the she-elf, upon instinct, tenderly moved his dark ebony hair from his face, before letting her wing cover him like a blanket.

Unexpectedly, she did doze off, after a long time staring into the hearth of the fire, allowing herself to let the young dwarf lay on her feathered wing. Not that she minded, but she was just happy that they finally had a chance to meet. Otherwise, she won't have anyone else to trust, apart from Gandalf.

The next day, at the first speck of light, Saeril was ready: armed and prepared to get on the road. The dwarves had ponies, and she allowed her straight, ashy-brown hair to flow freely in the warm and sunny outdoors. To everyone's surprise, the she-elf preferred to walk; not that it's wrong, but elves could walk great distances without leaving a trace of a footprint behind. She walked beside Kili's pony, holding onto one of the laces attached to it, along with a few laughs during her time with the brothers. Although, it was sad that Bilbo declined to come.

For Bilbo, the evening had been nothing but constant stress. He must have wished the dwarves gone half a dozen times underneath his breath, and the chaos had only lessened once Thorin arrived. It was apparent that Thorin could keep them in line, at least somewhat. When night had fallen, Bilbo had retreated to his own room to sleep, and when he woke, he was surprised to find that all was quiet.

Cautiously, he rose out of bed. Bilbo practically tiptoed into the hall, but no one was there. Every room was empty, and every room was clean. How had they managed this? It was as if his 'company' had never stayed at all. The only tell-tale sign of their existence was the broken mirror. Considering all that had happened, a mirror was a small price to pay.

"Well, I suppose I will replace you today." Bilbo turned one of the larger portions of glass over in his hand, and for the first time in a long while, he felt lonesome. As deplorable as those dwarves had been, they had filled his home with more life than it had seen in a long time. Bilbo had been isolated and on his own for quite a few years ever since his mother had passed. Somehow, speaking to a broken mirror wasn't quite the same.

As Bilbo entered his dining room, Gandalf's words seemed to echo in his mind, and then the unsigned contract caught his eye. A strange feeling came over him; he felt daring. Without a word, he rolled up the parchment, snatched his backpack, and quickly packed what belongings he could. Today was the start of an adventure.

* * *

Kili couldn't have been more content; the weather was perfect, and everyone seemed in good spirit. Even Thorin. The only downside was that they hadn't a burglar. Bilbo was greatly interesting to him, and he pitied the hobbit for turning down such an opportunity. "We have an extra pony, are you certain you don't mind walking?" The youngest wondered as he looked to their godmother. At least this way, they were somewhat of equal height.

Saeril reassured her youngest godson with a heartful smile. Her wing-cloak wasn't as long at the moment, and her booted-feet wouldn't be able to become tripped as she walked. Holding onto the lace on Kili's horse, the she-elf preferred to walk. "It's alright. I would prefer to use my own two feet. My whole life, I flew. Now would be a good opportunity to feel them again", she lightly joked, which did cause Fili to smile in amusement, nearby.

"My elf ears don't deceive me. Did you make a bet on the young Hobbit?", Saeril asked in curiosity.

Kili grinned guiltily, he had indeed placed a bet with the others. Saeril knew him too well. "Only a small one," he answered, but Dwalin scoffed a bit from where he'd overheard the two.

"Small? You bet more than half your coin, lad. Lost it, too." The burlier dwarf had no faith in the too-skittish hobbit. Bilbo had turned their offer down, he would not come. Most had bet against him, and for a good reason, in his opinion.

"There is still time for him to come." Kili grimaced lightly, but he knew if Bilbo did not arrive, he would be without much of his coin for the remainder of the journey. Why had he been so foolish? Bofur had tried to talk him out of gambling so much, but he would not listen.

As if on cue, Bilbo approached the clearing, clearly out of breath. "Wait! Wait!" The hobbit clutched his side as he fought to regain his breath, and he held the parchment above his head to show his signature to Saeril and the others. "I signed it!"

Saeril listened to the discussion between Kili and Dwalin. It sounded fair, nor was the concept itself greedy, but if she figured that if Kili wagered big, who knows what she might say? It was pure amusement as she listened and watched. "So, if I say that if we make it to the mountain alive, you would owe me?", she butted in, teasing the youngest with a chuckle.

She softly and heartily giggled, in a soft way. She was enjoying her time so far. She was wrong to hide from them. She liked dwarves, but it varied. Those who can make her laugh or smile, are easily those she would see as friends, but others? Only Mahal will tell...

That was until she heard yelling. She looked behind her, only to see Bilbo running towards them, obviously out of breath.

"Whoa!" Several dwarves stopped their ponies, and all eyes were on Bilbo. Kili felt a surge of hope when the parchment was mentioned, and he cast a light, triumphant grin towards Dwalin. "You were saying?" Kili could be a bit cocky, especially when he believed himself winning. The youngest looked towards his godmother now, and he laughed good naturedly as she spoke of another gamble. "I am not sure I want to bet against that," he teased, taking things lightly as he often did. There was no doubt in his mind that they'd make it alive; he was so very inexperienced to the dangers of Middle Earth, and in his mind, they were practically immortal to have such a team.

Balin took the contract from Bilbo, then gave it a careful look over with the help of his pocket ­glass. With a kindly smile and nod of approval, the older dwarf folded the parchment. “Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield.”

Thorin, however, remained unimpressed. "Give him a pony," he instructed his nephews before leading the way once again. Having Bilbo along did not change his low opinion of him. Bilbo was cowardly, he would be nothing more than a burden and nuisance.

Bilbo was mortified. “No, no, no, no, that - ­­that won’t be necessary, thank you, but I-­­I’m sure I can keep up on foot. She is walking, and so shall I." The hobbit referred to Saeril, and then he started ahead on foot. "I’ve done my fair share of walking holidays, you know." As their new burglar stammered out excuses, Kili smirked to Fili in a silent means of communicating with him. Without delay, he reached down from his pony, and grabbed the still-rambling Bilbo by the shoulder. "I even got as far as Frogmorton once--" with a yelp, Bilbo felt himself lifted from the ground, and he was set right atop the only pony without a rider.

The walk was long, but she didn't complain. Saeril's biology was beyond that of humans and dwarves, so moving by foot was no problem. Not a single ache came for her feet, but she was pretty certain that the ponies can't walk forever, which also became one of the reasons they had to stop and camp for the following night. That night, Saeril let her cloak transform into her feathered wings, tucked in behind her as she sat with her godsons near the fire. Only being dressed in her black, tight, catsuit-like outfit with feathers embedded in the fabric, Saeril wasn't cold, and she certainly wasn't tired; not with her godsons still awake; she could stay awake for the longest of periods.

Saeril was enjoying the company of her new family, and she certainly felt herself grow close to the young heir. She hoped that Fili didn't mind, but of course, the she-elf will accept them both, and she would have to. Good laughs they had, good stories to tell. It was purely familial. Saeril was about to reach behind her waist for one of her curved blades to sharpen it, but froze once a loud shriek sounded in the distance. It can't be, can it?

Bilbo should have counted himself fortunate that there had been an extra pony for him. The company had traveled long and far, with little to no breaks in-between. When it was announced by Thorin that they would stop for the night, he breathed a sigh of relief. After they'd eaten, everyone turned in for the night, but he could not sleep. Life on the road was so unlike what he was used to, and he found himself visiting his pony as a result of insomnia. “Hello, girl. That’s a good girl." Bilbo offered her an apple, then pet a hand through her chestnut mane. "It’s our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one.”

Kili was wide awake as well, and he was enjoying the company of both his brother and Saeril. The fire kept them comfortably warm, and he took notice of their burglar in the distance. "Suppose he'll want to keep her, once the journey is done," he remarked with some amusement, but then some terrible, unearthly shrieks could be heard from parts unknown.

Bilbo nearly jumped out of his skin, and he looked back to see if the others had heard it too. "What was that?!" So terrified was he that he abandoned Myrtle to regroup with the others, his eyes wide with fear.

Kili was frightened himself, though seeing Bilbo so pale brought out his mischievous side. This was also an opportunity to bring some amusement to his godmother and Fili; he had the tendency to show off when he could. "Orcs," he answered lowly, and that one word was enough to wake Thorin, who had been dozing on the opposite side of the camp.

Bilbo ran a hand through his curly hair, frazzled as ever. "Orcs?" For the hundredth time that day, he regretted his choice to come. The creatures sounded positively awful; he did not wish to witness what came along with the scream.

“They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep." Kili was fighting to keep a straight face; he knew this was a bit cruel, but Bilbo was such an easy target. "Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." Once Bilbo's back was to them, he lost the mask of graveness and instead laughed with his brother.

Thorin approached the four, his disgust evident. "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Kili looked to his uncle with a bit of surprise; he hadn't known him to be listening. "We didn’t mean anything by it," he protested quietly, his heart sinking. Losing Thorin's approval was a terrible feeling; one he'd felt more and more as of late. Why could he not seem to impress him?

"No, you didn’t." Thorin turned his back on them, then moved to overlook the valley below. "You know nothing of the world."

Kili fell quiet after that, for he had no way to defend himself nor to argue. It was true, after all. He knew nothing, and he'd only succeeded in showing how young and naive he really was. To hear his uncle so obviously disgusted was crushing, and he dropped his gaze, too embarrassed to look at his godmother or Fili right now. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to gain Thorin's approval, and it was a constant source of low self-esteem. Thorin's words were often taken to heart. Perhaps too much.

"Throat cutters", Fili confirmed from next to his baby brother, taking his smoking pipe out of his mouth as he spoke. He knew where his brother was getting at, and it amused him to how much he liked to play around. The eldest was just an accomplice, and he was often prompted by Kili to take part in his ventures within the Blue Mountains. Not that he agreed with them, but he just simply just can't refuse. "They'll be dozens of them out there", he only did this, just to stay on his side of the game.

Admittedly, Saeril wasn't at all impressed, and it was apparent to the dissaproving look coming upon her Elven features. She was looking at the young dwarrows before her, and eyes expressed a piercing gaze that can only summon intimidation to those before her. Her face was still soft, not completely dark.

"If you're thinking on amusing me, it's not working", the she-elf informed the youngest. However, her facials softened when she heard Thorin approach them with spite in his voice towards his nephews. Saeril turned her head towards his direction, her straight, ashy-brown hair following her movements.

She couldn't believe what she saw; it wasn't what she expected either. She knew that teasing Bilbo wasn't funny, but with a family telling you that you know nothing about the world you live in, it was a bit overly harsh. It was true that Kili was both childishly young and naive, but to lower his self-esteem by said-comments weren't acceptable. Especially if you are an heir. Seeing that the youngest was the one being mostly affected, the female gently placed a comforting hand on Kili's arm, soothing him.

Not only had Kili angered Thorin, but he feared that he may have disappointed his godmother as well. The youngest heir hadn't meant to be cruel; he'd only wished to have some fun, and that had proven a mistake. He knew of orcs, yes, but he'd yet to see one. To joke about them hadn't bothered his conscious any, and to make matters worse, he'd gotten Fili in trouble, too. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

Inwardly, he chastised himself. Thorin would never see potential in him if he acted as a child would. If only he had a way to prove himself useful to their group; perhaps then they would see him in a new light. Kili never felt inadequate around Fili, his brother was often very supportive, but their uncle was another story. What he failed to realize was that Thorin did care about them, but he didn't often show it as much as he should have.

Caught up in his own thoughts, Kili stared intently into the fire, determined not to make the same mistake twice. When he felt a hand make contact with his arm, he looked to Saeril with some reluctance, as if he expected her to scold him too. When he saw her expression, he was relieved to find that she did not seem angry.

Balin had overheard the entire exchange, and he knew Thorin's words had been harsh, though they came from a source of pain. "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." The white haired dwarf looked towards their leader, and he could not help but pity him. Thorin had lost much that day -- his grandfather, and his brother, years younger than Kili was now. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."

Bilbo listened intently as Balin told the story regarding the Battle of Azanulbizar; never in his life had he heard a tale of such a war, and it amazed him, yet made him realize how very fortunate he was to have lived his days safe in The Shire.

Kili listened too, and he now understood more from his uncle's point of view. Thorin had fought the orcs; they had lost many dwarves due to them, and for him to joke about such a thing had been insensitive. While Kili felt badly, he was also amazed by Thorin's bravery and skill in combat. Even without a weapon, Thorin had prevailed, just long enough to defeat the pale orc.

"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo found it within himself to speak up, albeit meekly. The rest of the group was awake by now, for they had overheard the story, and it was not one to be missed.

Thorin turned away from the clearing, his mind in a dark place. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." The words were bitter, and he brushed past the hobbit in order to return to his place of sleep. The day had been a long one, and he wished not to speak on past battles any further. "Get some sleep. All of you. There are few hours from now till dawn."

"The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin’s father, was driven mad by grief, he went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc.He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied, and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated, but there was no feast, nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few, had survived."

Saeril has heard the story many times during her time in Gandalf's care, and the more she listened to the past, the more it began to catch up with her, and it was expressed with a twitch on her lips a little bit, just until the tale began to leave her ears. She knew what happened; she was there, and she herself sent the defiling Orc there. What was there to say now? "I was there", she spoke up in a soft voice.

"Azog was fierce. Sadistic and vicious of any creature I have ever seen", the she-elf began. "I witnessed his strike upon the king, and if Thorin hadn't tried, you all would not be here now. His victory gave him greatness, but it left a stone heart inside", she concluded before sheathing out one of her curves daggers from the back of her waist, examining the metal upon the blade with a grim expression.

"You were there?" Kili was astonished -- he could not find it within himself to envision his godmother on the battlefield. She was no doubt capable of handling herself, but the image remained difficult nonetheless. "Were you fighting too?" This was the side of her that he had not yet seen, and he showed great interest in hearing her version of the story.

As Thorin had told everyone to get some sleep, Kili inwardly sighed, though he did move to lie down in order to follow orders. "Thorin never mentioned you being there -- how did you find it? The battle, I mean. Did you come to help?" As best he could, he kept his voice down, but he did not believe it possible to sleep until he heard the story in its entirety.

Saeril complied with the said-order, and she didn't waste time by laying herself down on her side, upon one of her wings, using the other as a blanket of some sort. Hearing Kili ask her about her attendance in battle, she was surprised for him to show full curiousity. Yet again, she didn't want to scare him on her side, and the she-elf most certainly didn't want the future king of Erebor to hear and get suspicious. "You could say that I saw it. All of it. That's all I wish to say", slight hesitation was apparent, but she kept it privately cool. All she felt was unworthiness now when telling the youngest these lies. Saeril felt herself turn into poison, rather than the purity she was raised to have. That was all she was now: poison; it will kill him, sooner or later...

The she-elf looked gave a sad sigh as these memories rose back to her. He already, and courageously, told her that he wasn't afraid of her presence, but what if he was afraid of what she was before? A killer; an entity of pure evil? Saeril looked to the ground to avoid eye contact for a moment, slightly troubled in her own thoughts.

Kili was disappointed to have been denied the details, but he understood, and he realized that he may have been a bit too bold in his asking. The battle must have brought back painful memories for all involved. "I'm sorry," he apologized for any insensitivity he may have shown; it hurt him to see their Delva so very troubled. How could he sleep if he knew he may have upset her? The youngest closed his eyes for a time, but no rest would come to him. "Tomorrow should be nice." This was his attempt to change the subject, and hopefully lift his godmother's spirits somewhat.

"Hm. No. I believe it will rain." Bilbo passed by them, as he had to retrieve his coat from Myrtle's saddle. It was cooler than he was used to. "Smells like rain, at least..." The hobbit mumbled some to himself, then returned to his bedroll, disturbed by the stories told to him.

Leave it to Bilbo. Kili grimaced lightly, then thought again. "Well, at least that way we won't be hot." As much as he could, he tried to be optimistic about their circumstances.

The she-elf's moment of looking at the ground, almost immediately made her miss young Kili's face. All she could do was, once again, make a chuckle of amusement at his attempt to make jokes again to cheer her up. "No matter what the weather may be, I can handle them all", she reassured him, giving him a smile, showing a 'motherly-amused' kind-of smile.

Seeing that he wasn't laying too far away from her, Saeril laid her left between them, using the motion as a single sign for his touch. she stuck by Kili and Fili's side the whole time. So far, they were already friends, and they were slowly bonding. Traveling wasn't a problem, even if she walked on foot. In the rain, through wind, there was no stopping her from getting to know the heirs of Durin.

Just as Bilbo had predicted, the afternoon greeted the company with a downpour. A deluge, as Dori called it. Unfortunately, Gandalf could do nothing to stop such a storm, and by the time it had finished, it left them drenched clean through. There were plenty of grumbled complaints here and there from various members, and Kili had opted to walk part of the way in hopes of drying his layers of clothing sooner.

"Bilbo was right after all," he wrung out the hem of his tunic, and glanced over at the others to see how they were managing. A few must have had the same idea as he did, for they were on foot as well. Up ahead, he could see Thorin speaking with Dwalin. Both were in deep discussion about the orcs they had heard the night earlier. So far, none had been spotted, but that did not mean they were not close by.

Kili couldn't help but feel a little on edge, and for the third time that day he checked that his quiver was full of arrows. "I wonder if we'll see any," he mumbled to his brother, as he did not want their godmother to overhear his saying so.

The next night, as the dwarves set up camp, Saeril volunteered to help Kili and Fili watch the ponies in the woods. Even though she heard Handalf say that the spot they were currently on was dangerous, she figured that if they stayed any longer, there will indeed be some unexpected danger.

Honestly, the she-elf wasn't too sure about their current position, and the spot that they put the ponies looked rather too easy for something to just up and take. Saeril stroked a few of them, and let her wings be stretched out from the rain from earlier. She did hear some key words coming from her dwarven companions, but again she could not express those troubled looks in front of them. Or they could get suspicious.

"Do us a favor, and take these to the lads", Bofur instructed nearby to Bilbo, as he passed him three bowls of stew.

Kili would have preferred a job of more importance, but if Thorin wanted the ponies to be watched, then that is what he would do. Or, that is what he should have been doing. The task was so mundane that he did not treat it with much seriousness. They were in the woods, after all. The ponies could not get far, and they would be sure to make noise if a threat were to approach.

As a result of such carelessness, it wasn't long until he realized that two of the ponies were nowhere to be found. The youngest exchanged alarmed glances with Fili, and he signaled for him to keep quiet. He didn't want to risk telling Saeril. Carefully, he and Fili approached a fallen log, and both brothers stared out into the darkened forest. Somehow it seemed ten times as intimidating right now.
Before Kili could decide their next course of action, he overheard footsteps easily identifiable as Bilbo's.

"Here you are." Bilbo had managed to carry three, and he passed one to Saeril before he took notice of both brothers being more quiet than usual. "What's the matter?"
Kili didn't look away, his eyes remained on the trees ahead. "We were supposed to be watching the ponies." He glanced to Fili nervously, as he was also to confirm the fact. "We had sixteen. Daisy and Bungo are missing."
Bilbo blinked in surprise, bowls still in hand. "Well, that’s not good. That is not good at all. Shouldn’t we tell Thorin?"

Fili was aware of their task, but apparently lost the concentration to watch both the ponies and his baby brother. Kili was truly the source of his distraction, and now, he was just as alarmed as he was, when two of the ponies go missing. The only thing he remembered doing was stare into the deep woods next to his brother, trying to figure out how the four-legged creatures vanished. "We've encountered a small problem", the blonde nervously reported back to Bilbo when he asked about their situation. "We only have fourteen ponies now, instead of sixteen", he added. Immediately, he could already imagine Thorin's disapproval of their task. They had to come with something, and fast. "Don't tell Thorin; we don't need to worry him", he told the Hobbit, before walking ahead, and looking around. "As our burglar, I think you can help us".

Saeril has been sitting upon a log nearby, until she was given the bowl of stew from Bilbo. Thanking him politely, she then noticed the apparent distress between her godsons before she could even take a spoonful. It only created concern, and for them to actually be in such a state, actually left her losing her appetite. Following the brothers and the Hobbit into the woods, only seeing an uprooted tree before her. This only created slight worry for the heirs of Durin to be in this spot. "Something's out here", she spoke up, before looking to them. "We're not alone".