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The next morning, Valadhiel had woken early, and was the second one up, as Goldberry was already preparing breakfast. Tom and Gandalf were the next two up, and Thorin got up last, though it was still very early when he did get up.

The trio ate their breakfast with Tom and Goldberry, taking their time to talk, as the couple had questions for Thorin. After breakfast, Valadhiel helped clean the kitchen, then she went upstairs to get her belongings. After strapping on her many weapons, putting on her boots, and grabbing her luggage, she walked back down the stairs. After saying goodbye to their hosts, and after thanking them, they followed Gandalf out of the house and turned onto the path that led to the Barrow-Downs.

Valadhiel had ended up shooting a wight with an arrow before it could get to Thorin on the way to Bree, and Thorin had ended up throwing an axe into the skull of another before it could stab her. Gandalf then used his staff to create a barrier around them, and they soon got into Bree safely.

Over the course of many weeks, Valadhiel and Thorin traveled from Bree to the Shire, from the Shire to Duillond, and from Duillond to Gondamon. All they had to do was pass through Noglond and into the Vale Of Thrain, then from there right into Thorin's Halls.

     One particular morning was rather beautiful, so Valadhiel looked around as they walked, as well as kept an ear out for anything that could be dangerous. She was taking no chances, as evil had been growing over the land, especially in the Low Lands. She glanced at Thorin, though pretended to be looking at a tree as they walked. She had to admit, he was rather tall for a dwarf. He was actually an inch taller than she was. He was rather handsome, too.

     After several hours, Thorin stopped walking and looked over at the elf. "We can rest here and take a break for lunch." He said, taking a seat on a fallen tree before he grabbed his satchel.

     Valadhiel nodded in response and grabbed her own satchel, taking out some lembas. After taking only two small bites, she was finished, so she then went and climbed into a tree so she could look out over the area. As she stared into space, she let her mind wander to the last time she had been there.

     Thorin looked at the elf and raised a brow when she'd only taken two bites of the bread she'd pulled out. "Surely you're hungrier than that." He commented, though he wasn't sure why. Her business was her own.

     Valadhiel looked over at him when he spoke, then she jumped off of the branch, landed soundlessly on the ground, then walked over to the dwarf. "It's lembas, elvish way bread. One small bite is typically enough to fill the stomach of a grown man. One can't live by bread alone, though, so it should only be in use when necessary."

     Thorin nodded after she spoke, finishing the small meal he had kept in his satchel before he shouldered it again. "Interesting. I had no idea elves made such things. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. Seems you elves know how to make a lot of things."

     Valadhiel chuckled. "Most elves, don't count me in." She replied as she looked out into the distance again. It was a rather beautiful place, and she had to admit. She also had to admit that she found the things dwarves made to be beautiful, too. Their kingdoms, that was. They were absolutely very impressive.

     "Why not?" Thorin asked her casually, standing up before he began walking in the direction they needed to go. They were very close now and would reach the kingdom by evening. He furrowed his brow slightly to himself- why was he making small talk with the elf? Perhaps he was finally tired of silence and wanted someone to talk to on the way back. Plus, she wasn't very annoying, either. Shortly after he had started to travel with her, he'd found that she actually had a much quieter and calmer voice than the one she had used when they first met, and it was soothing to the ears, though he wouldn't admit that.

     "I wander too much. I never do stay in one place, but rather travel and accept quests." Valadhiel explained as she followed after him, also casually. She didn't know why the dwarf had decided to talk to her today, but she didn't mind too much. "And I never cared to learn much about baking, to be honest... for much of my life, I've been trained for battle, despite being a female. But fighting is one of my passions, as is helping others, as well as all the traveling."

     "Must be the animal in you." Thorin muttered in response, keeping his gaze straight ahead as they walked, thinking about the fact that she was actually shorter than him by an inch. After a moment, he glanced at her, then looked away again. He was still curious about her scars, but he shoved the thought out of his mind after awhile. Why was he so curious about her?

     Valadhiel glanced at Thorin with a glare. "Just because I can shift into the form of an animal doesn't make me one, Master Dwarf." She replied in disdain. Oh, how she hated being called an animal! She was still very much elf. She could think like an elf, and she could do many things any elf, man, dwarf, or hobbit could do. The only way she was an animal was for the fact she could shift into one and make some of the same sounds an animal could.

     Thorin's only response was picking his pace up after a moment and remaining silent. He said not a word the rest of the way to the Veil Of Thrain. The only time he did speak was to let the elf know that they had arrived and would very soon reach his halls. "Stay close to me so the others know you're a guest."

Valadhiel nodded, crossing her arms as she followed the dwarven king. She found that she was nervous about this. Not only was she an elf, but she was a skinchanger. She doubted the dwarves would be thrilled about that.

After Thorin entered, she followed him right in without hesitation. She was still rather ticked with the dwarven king, so she had no room for feeling shy or uncomfortable. She glanced around to see several dwarves there to greet their beloved friend and king. She noticed some of the looks she was given, but she pretended not to notice and simply leaned against a wall, waiting for the reason she came along to begin with.

     "Uncle!" A shout came from Valadhiel's left. A blonde dwarf, along with a darker haired dwarf, came running past her and halted when they reached Thorin, both embracing him. Those two must have been Kili and Fili; Thorin had mentioned them once on the way here. They were his sister, Dis', sons. She'd heard nothing of their father, though.

     "Kili, Fili." Thorin greeted with a smile, hugging the two dwarves for a moment before he hugged a female dwarf that had followed them. "And Dis; how have you all been?"

     "Just fine, Thorin." Dis replied, smiling a little at her brother before she looked over at Valadhiel, then she looked at Thorin and furrowed a brow. "Though I'm wondering why you have brought an elf with you."

     Thorin looked over at Valadhiel and gestured for her to come forward. Once she was a step behind him, he turned to the others. "This is Valadhiel, and she was sent by Gandalf, whom I met while I was away. She, along with the Wandering Wizard, is going to help us on a quest. I'll tell you more about it over dinner." He informed the others, then he glanced at Valadhiel before he decided to introduce the others. "Valadhiel, this is Kili and Fili, my nephews, my sister, Dis, and this is Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur."

     Valadhiel gave a tight lipped smile and a curt nod before she looked at Thorin expectantly. "When would you like for me to give everyone the details of what is to be happening?" She asked him.

     Gloin gave Dwalin a look after seeing the elf's actions. "So much for the courtesy of elves." He muttered to him in Khuzdul. What was this red head's deal? She must have been one of those racist elves. Or perhaps she was tired from a long journey. Then there was the fact that she was a female, and females could be moody. Whatever the case, he didn't like the attitude of this elf.

     "I apologize for my lack of courtesy, Master Gloin." Valadhiel said after Gloin spoke, giving a sigh. She had no excuse; she ought to be courteous even if she wasn't in a good mood because of Thorin's comment. "It is a pleasure to meet the people that I have heard so much about."

     Kili looked at Valadhiel after she replied to Gloin, rather surprised. "You know Khuzdul, Miss Valadhiel?" He asked her. Elves didn't know their language- no one else did, save a small few- and elves had never cared to learn it, for more reasons than one. One reason was that their language was considered to be difficult, and the other reason was that elves didn't like dwarves. This elf had made it clear that she didn't like them, either. Too bad; she was a pretty thing. He loved her red hair and her scars, and he was curious about her dragon-like eyes.

     Valadhiel looked at Kili when he spoke, then she nodded. From what she had gathered, they would discuss the plans at dinner, so she had time for chit chat. "Yes, I know Khuzdul. I learned the language a long, long time ago."

     "Who taught you?" Fili asked her curiously, walking over to his brother and looking up at the red haired elf. However, he didn't have to crane his neck to look at her like other men or elves. She was pretty short for a member of her race.

     "I... would rather not say." Valadhiel replied, glancing away for a moment. "I'd rather keep that information to myself- at least for now."

     Thorin looked at the elf curiously, but he didn't push her for the information they wanted. He was soon informed that it was dinner time, so he led their elven guest to the dining hall. He hoped she wouldn't be disturbed by dwarven behavior, considering very few dwarves had table manners.

Once they were all seated, Thorin at the head of the table and Valadhiel, being a guest, to his left, the dwarf king waited a little while before he stood and got everyone's attention. As soon as he had everyone's attention, he spoke. "There is something that I would like to discuss with you all. As I've mentioned before, I met Gandalf The Grey while I was away, and he said something rather interesting to me. He sent Valadhiel in his place to explain what plans we came up with."

     Valadhiel, after Thorin spoke, sat up straighter and began to speak. "Gandalf and I would like to help you all reclaim The Lonely Mountain." She began, and paused when all the dwarves began murmuring amongst themselves.

     "How to you plan to do that, lass?" Balin asked, fully focused on the elven maid. He was rather interested to hear what was to be said, and he wanted to know what plans they had for taking back Erebor. "A dragon abides there now. Reclaiming the kingdom would not be a simple task."

     "If I remember correctly, Thorin needs the Arkenstone, then he can gather up the seven armies, correct?" Valadhiel asked, then she continued. "To get the Arkenstone, you will need a burglar, and Gandalf has one picked out. There is a particular halfling in Hobbiton, a part of the Shire." She then continued with her explanation in more detail, as well as provided the dwarves with the location of Mister Bagginses house.

     After the plan had been explained, and all the older dwarves were talking amongst themselves, Fili and Kili began whispering to each other. "You like her, don't you?" Fili whispered to his little brother. After all, he'd been staring at Valadhiel off and on for quite awhile.

     Kili quickly looked away from Valadhiel and looked over at his brother. "Like who?"

     "You know exactly who."

     "There are a lot of girls around here. You'll have to be more specific."

     "The only woman in the room besides our mother, dimwit. The certain red haired elf you've been staring at."

     "Alright, fine... but I haven't known her long enough to say I like her. Though I can't deny that I think she's very pretty." Kili admitted, glancing at Valadhiel again before he looked at his brother.

     "Oh in the name of Durin's- you say that about every female, Kili." Fili replied, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

     "Well, yeah, but a lot of females are pretty. Honestly, I like girls without facial hair- with smooth skin, and with silky, straight hair."

     "Kili, I sometimes wonder if you're not part elf." Fili muttered, looking over at Valadhiel for a moment, who was speaking with Thorin and Balin, before he looked at his baby brother again. "For Durin's sake, she's taller than you are!"

     "So?"

     "Oh, forget it." Fili replied with a shake of his head, getting a little frustrated with Kili, before he turned his attention to the other dwarves.

     "She isn't that much taller, Fili. In fact, I think Uncle Thorin is slightly taller than she is." Kili muttered with a roll of his eyes. "And if you mention what I said to the others, about thinking elves are more attractive than female dwarves, I'm going to deny it."

     "When do you suggest we leave, Thorin?" Dwalin asked, glancing at the elf before he focused on the king so he would be sure to hear his answer.

     "I was thinking in three days' time." Thorin replied, looking around the table at each and every dwarf. "If everyone is in agreement."

     A chorus of 'aye's' went around the table, and Valadhiel then nodded. "Then three days' time it is."

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