Chapter 30: Flight of the Dwarves

Before she ever opened her eyes Sara could tell that the sun had already risen, for there was warmth on her cheeks and a faint red glow behind her eyelids. The air was still and quiet around her and assuming herself to be alone she pulled the blanket higher over her head, only to have her sense of smell remind her that this was not a blanket. Her toes curled and flexed remembering Thorin's smirk from last night as his scent flooded through her, and all at once she was very much awake. Cold air seeped in under the coat and she pulled the soft fur closer to her face sniffing loudly. Admittedly, not all the smells were exactly attractive but they faded to the background as the sweet notes of Thorin's pipe tobacco mixed with the smell of freshly turned earth and dust; but under it all was a smell that Sara was coming to associate wholy with Thorin. Taking one last breath she sat up, humming appreciatively. The smile slipped from her face when she spotted Thorin sitting a few feet away, lacing up his sturdy boots, looking highly amused.

"Sleep well did you?" he smirked, as he got to his feet. They were alone in the nest though she could occasionally see one of the others bustle by the gap in the wall.

"Well it's definitely not as comfortable as my bed back in Rivendell," she said, throwing his coat at him. He caught it and raised an eyebrow. "But I do have to admit it beats sleeping on hard rocks soaking wet." She reached for her boots.

"Most things are better than sleeping on rocks when wet," conceded Thorin. Her fingers fumbled with the shoelaces and she winced. Her left hand was throbbing particularly painfully and though she could move her right, it still hurt as the tendons worked beneath the surface of her wrist. "Do your burns pain you?" asked Thorin, coming to crouch in front of her.

"Yesss," she hissed as pain lanced up her arm. He took her shoe and unlaced it, holding it out for her foot. Feeling a little embarrassed she slid her foot inside and he pulled the shoe laces tight. "Thanks," she mumbled as he finished tying her second boot. "Sorry to be a bother."

"You are not a bother," he said, gripping her elbow and pulling her to her feet. "Everyone requires assistance from time to time."

"Everyone?" she questioned in disbelief as he tugged on his coat. "Even the almighty Thorin?"

"Clearly," he said gesturing towards his shoulder as he led her from the nest. "We will have Oin tend to your arms." After he had located the healer and situated Sara near the warm fire, he left to find Gandalf to inquire about the day's events. Soon she had a fresh bandage and the soothing balm had been reapplied, the aching in her arms greatly diminished though not altogether dispelled. Oin had looked over her burns once again and while he said there was no sign of infection, much to Sara's relief, he also informed her that she was sure to carry the scars for the rest of her life. She had also showed him the patch behind her ear and he said that there was a chance she would never grow hair there again, only time would tell.

"Other than the scars do you think there will be any permanent damage?" asked Sara as Oin stowed his supplies back in his bag. He stopped and thought for a moment, twirling a bit of his beard between his fingers.

"Hmm... I would not like to say for sure," he said. "But it is a good sign to me that you are able to use your hand the way you do, despite the considerable pain and the lack of strength. It seems to me that Azog was very meticulous when he branded you, though why he should have been so I do not know."

"I guess even psychos can take pride in their handiwork," scowled Sara, picking at her bandaging.

"Whatever the defiler's motives, your burns do not seem to have damaged anything that will affect your ability to use your hands in the long run," he said, reaching out to still her picking fingers. "But I would not be surprised if you suffer from pains in your left hand for quite some time to come. We will have to apply the salve regularly while you heal. It should help ward off much of the pain as well as ensure that the scar tissue that forms is soft and pliant." Once she was reassured, Oin went in search of his brother to inspect his leg. She was enjoying the heat of the fire when Ori came to sit beside her.

"Thanks again for letting me use your clothes Ori," she said holding a stick in the flames.

"My pleasure Ms. Sara," he said, setting his bag down at his feet. "I'm glad I could be of service. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Actually," she said, throwing the stick into the fire and digging in her pocket. "There is something you can do. Would you mind carrying this for me?" She held out her puzzle box.

"Not at all," he said, opening his pack and handing her his sketchbook so he could rearrange the contents of the bag.

"While I very much appreciate the loan of your pants, I'm afraid the fit is a bit off and to be honest with this in the pocket I am constantly having to hike them back up around my hips." He took her puzzle box and carefully tucked it into place amongst his books and clothes while she flipped through his drawings. They sat chatting about the sketches for while and were soon joined by Fili, Kili, Bilbo and Bofur. Ori had just pushed his sketchbook back into his bag when Thorin and Gandalf came back into camp followed by no less than 16 eagles. The company gathered around waiting for someone to speak.

"What are we to do now Gandalf?" asked Bilbo.

"We are being offered a ride Master Baggins, and after that we have a bit of a walk ahead of us before we reach what I hope to be a receptive house."

"Whose house?" asked Thorin, eyeing the eagles with skepticism.

"A very great person," said the wizard. "But I will say no more of him now. We must make haste if we are to reach his house before nightfall, which we must do. The eagles have agreed to take us a fair portion of the way, for which we are forever in their debt." He gave the largest of the eagles a deep bow. The great bird reciprocated and stepped toward Thorin.

"Are you and yours prepared to depart?" asked the eagle lord, bending its neck low so its round golden eyes were level with Thorin. He looked around at the group before nodding.

"We are."

"Very well," said the eagle lord. "For every one of your company, we have a swift and steady flyer." Thorin looked to the group and jerked his head. They began to come forward to find an eagle, Fili and Kili dragging a nervous looking Bilbo behind them. Sara had walked back through most of the great birds when a large wing reached out and drew her into a feathered embrace.

"Hello little hatchling. Are you well today?" Sara looked up to see a familiar face.

"Yes I am doing much better, no longer in distress," she smiled.

"That is well," replied the eagle.

"Indeed it is," said Bofur sauntering over. "Sara, are ya really going to ride with this vicious feathered turkey? Do ya need help up?"

"Bofur," chided Sara, as he dodged out of the way of a snapping beak which narrowly missed his hat.

"What's going on?" came Thorin's voice.

"I merely offered to help Sara up onto her ride," said Bofur with a smile, dodging again.

"I'm not actually sure I can hold on with just one hand," Sara worried, flexing her right hand.

"I could…" began Bofur.

"She will ride with me," said Thorin stepping closer to Sara. "Go tend to your own needs Bofur." The toymaker was not quick enough to escape one last darting nip from the eagle. "Besides, it would seem you are not welcome here." Grumbling and rubbing his head, Bofur went to find another ride.

"I will return shortly," said Thorin. She watched as he went to insure that all the others had found an eagle. There was some kerfuffle of over Dori and Gloin who were both less than happy to be taking to the air once again, and it took a bit of persuasion on Nori and Oin's part to convince their siblings onto an eagle.

"May I know your name?" asked Sara smiling as she turned to the eagle beside her.

"You could not pronounce it with your tongue, little hatchling, but you may call me Soft Wing."

"Do you have other hatchlings?" asked Sara.

"I have reared many young ones," said Soft Wing. "But I am between clutches currently."

Thorin returned looking harassed. Soft Wing sunk low and with Thorin's help Sara clambered onto her back. She scooted back to make room in front of her for Thorin.

"You should be in front as your grip is not yet recovered," he said, gesturing for her to slide forward. "I would not have you fall."

"Even should she fall master dwarf, I am more than able to catch her," said Soft Wing, as Thorin came to sit behind Sara. "I aware this hatchling cannot fly."

"Ah … yes," said Sara uneasily. "And I would prefer not to have to practice."

"Then we won't let you fall," assured Thorin softly over her shoulder as his right arm closed around her middle. Trying to distract herself from the very distracting dwarf behind her, she turned her attention to the others. They were all ready. Sara's right hand shot out and grasped Soft Wing's caramel colored feathers tightly as the birds wings bumped the back of her legs. They beat the air several times before Soft Wing launched out over the cliff behind Gandalf and the lord of the eagles. It was both terrifying and thrilling as Sara's stomach dropped and she could not help the giddy giggle that escaped her lips followed by a whoop of exhilaration. This was better than any rollercoaster and she was finally in a position to enjoy the ride. She turned her head surprised when Thorin's arm tightened around her and he rested his forehead on her shoulder grumbling. His left hand was clenched tightly in the birds feathers and his body was rigid.

"Don't pinch so," called Soft Wing. "You need not be frightened. It is a fair morning with little wind. What is finer than flying?"

"Solid stone beneath my feet and over my head," answered Thorin into Sara's hair.

"How far will we be going," asked Sara leaning forward. Thorin's fingers gripped a hand full of her shirt and makeshift belt tightly but he said nothing.

"A little less than a dozen leagues," said Soft Wing. "Tell your dwarf friend to relax, he is throwing me off."

"Thorin," said Sara, turning her head. "You need to relax or you could cause us both to fall." Gradually his grip loosened around her waist and his knuckles buried in feathers regained their color; his head however remained on her shoulder. "Just try and keep your body perpendicular to the ground. You have to be a little loosey-goosey."

"Loosey-goosey," he asked incredulously, as he finally raised his head.

"Ya, you know like riding the ponies, just thousands of feet up in the air," she teased. She looked back to see him scowling. "Be loose in the hips and you need…" Her words trailed off as she realized just how close their faces were. His hand slid down to rest over her hip to feel the way she moved as Soft Wing made slight adjustments. Sara snapped forward trying to ignore the sensation of his fingers on her skin just below the hem of her shirt. Cautiously he relaxed behind her, and soon he was at ease in the air. Several minutes passed quietly until they were buffeted by a sudden gust of wind and they rose and fell several feet in the air. Both of her hands shot out and she grabbed handfuls of feathers, heedless of the pain in her left hand as she squeezed her eyes shut. She suddenly wished that eagles came with seatbelts. Thorin rode out the turbulence in relative calm.

"Sara," he said, slipping his hand from her hip back around her waist. He pulled her rigid body back against his. "I thought you said we need to relax." She dared to turn her head. The smug expression on his face helped to dispel her fear and she stuck her tongue out at him before turning to face forward. Once she had calmed she allowed herself to look down to the ground below them. It was still early in the morning and the sun had not yet burned off the fog that blanketed the valley floor; the tops of trees and hills peaked up through the eddying mist. The wind rushed past them as they left the mountains behind them, making the skin on Sara's arms and neck pucker with gooseflesh. Thorin moved his hand from her waist to collect her hair, which must have been all about his face, and tucked it down the collar of her shirt before encircling her waist once again.

"Sorry," she said. "I should have pulled it back."

"It is a trivial matter," he said. "What of you? Are you cold? You're trembling." She was indeed shivering, her thin t-shirt doing little to protect her against the winds cold probing fingers.

"A bit," she admitted, trying to keep her teeth from chattering as she spoke. He drew her further back against his chest until there was no space left between them and pulled the sides of his coat around her, though it would not close around them both.

"Better?" he asked, his breath warming her ear. She felt heat surge through her as a shiver crawled up her spine.

"Y...yes," she stuttered, leaning forward slightly. He pulled her back again, tucking his chin over her shoulder.

"Then stay close so you are warm," he instructed. Sara fought to calm her beating heart as warmth leached into her from Thorin. They flew in silence for a long time, the sun dispelling the mist in the valley below them revealing a river winding its way through the expanse of green. There was a tall craggy rock sitting in the midst of the rushing river, but it was not until they began to descend in tight circles above it that Sara realized that this rocky platform must be their destination. They were very high and it took them several minutes to spiral downwards. About halfway down Thorin rested his forehead on her shoulder again.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I don't think Mahal ever intended for dwarves to fly," he groaned.

"Are you feeling sick?" He nodded into her shoulder. "Sit up straighter and try taking deep breaths through your nose. Keep your eyes on a fixed point or shut." Reluctantly he sat up straighter, his forehead resting on the back of her head instead. His chest expanded and contracted as he breathed into her hair and she prayed he didn't get sick. The others were circling in the sky above them, Gandalf below, and soon they had landed and slid down from Soft Wing's back. Thorin found a rock near the edge of the platform and sat with his head in his hands trying to regulate his breathing as Gandalf spoke to the lord of the eagles.

"Thank you for the ride," said Sara, coming to stand in front of Soft Wing.

"You are welcome, little hatchling. You are not unwell are you?"

"No I'm okay," assured Sara. "I'm used to much rougher rides, but I do miss seatbelts." Soft wing cocked her head in confusion.

"What is a seatbelt?" asked the giant bird, but Sara was spared explaining by the hasty arrival of the eagle carrying Kili. He jumped from the birds back, his hands clamped tightly over his lips as he ran past Sara toward the edge of the rock. There was a sickening splat on the rocks below and a pungent smell wafted back over the edge toward Thorin, who groaned and moved to sit on a rock further away.

"I must go to make room for the others," said Soft Wing. "Farewell little hatchling, may your eyrie receive you at your journey's end." As Sara waved goodbye Fili and Bilbo found her.

"Where's Kili," asked Fili. She pointed to where he was hunched over and they went to his side, Bilbo to comfort, and Fili no doubt to torment. There was another rush of wind as Bofur's eagle landed and the hatted dwarf slid from it's back and came to stand beside her.

"Is that guard chicken of yers gone lass?" he asked, craning his head to search.

"Her name is Soft Wing," said Sara punching him in the shoulder. "But yes, she's gone. You're safe," she assured. Hearing Kili moan they made their way to the others.

"If I never see another bird again, it'll be too soon," said Kili from where he lay spread eagled, one hand on his stomach and his other arm flung over his eyes.

"I could certainly do without another journey by air," agreed Bilbo. "I feared I would fall to my death."

"I don't know," said Fili, kicking his brother's foot. "While I much prefer to be on the ground, you can't deny that it's an efficient way to travel. We covered a lot of ground and it's only mid-morning."

"Where do we go next?" asked Bilbo.

"I guess we'll find out soon," said Bofur patting Bilbo's shoulder.

In a matter of minutes the rest of the company had arrived, last of all a very unhappy Dori. Thorin seemed to have recovered with firm ground beneath his feet, and while Kili had certainly had the worst of it, both Dwalin and Gloin looked ill as well. Most of the company commiserated with Dori, agreeing that the whole affair was downright unnatural and not to be repeated. The only exceptions to this line of thought were Bofur, who had rather enjoyed the flight, and Ori. Upon arrival the scribe had dug into his bag and pulled forth pen and paper, and with a wide smile spread across his face his hand moved quickly from left to right, no doubt describing the flight When at last all the eagles had departed, the company gathered near the gray wizard.

"Where will you lead us now Gandalf?" asked Thorin, getting to his feet. "And from whom would you have us seek aid? Who is this great person you spoke of? Friend or foe?"

"Neither. Yet," said Gandalf "But he is certainly an enemy of both orcs and goblins."

"Who is this person?" asked Thorin his impatience growing. "You are avoiding a name, something you do when you feel there is something to hide. I think you had better explain your plan more clearly."

"I was being clear," huffed Gandalf.

"No you weren't," said Sara. "You were about as clear as mud." Gandalf shot her a dirty look. She shrugged. "You were," she defended.

"Very well. If you must know more, I am taking you to a person named Beorn. He is very strong for he's a skin-changer," said the wizard scowling. His words were met with anxious whispers.

"A furrier?" asked Bilbo. "A man who deals in furs?"

"Good gracious heavens no, no, no. No! Don't be a fool if you can help it, Bilbo Baggins, and I advise you all not to mention anything of the sort while we are with him. He would not take kindly to it at all." Here Gandalf stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin, sometimes he is a great strong black haired man, and other times he is a huge black bear. I believe he is, in fact, the same bear who freed Ms. Sara, though I do not know if it was intentional on his part or not. But I will warn you he is not overly fond of dwarves so you must all be very polite."

"Is he quite safe?" asked Dori, nervously pulling Ori and Nori closer. Nori rolled his eyes but did not pull away from his brother.

"Safe?" mused Gandalf. "No, he is not safe, but he is our only option unless you would go far out of your way to the South, and the eagles tell me that the south is more dangerous now than it has been in a long time, over run as it is with orcs."

"Did they say anything of Azog?" asked Thorin, his hand on his sword.

"He disappeared away into the South and they have not seen him since. But I doubt very much that he will stay hidden for long."

"Have we really no other option besides this skin-changer?"

"None," replied Gandalf. "But don't fret, for though I say he is not safe, he can be reasoned with. Radagast says he is kind enough when humored, yet still I warn you to try your best not to anger him. He can be appalling when angered, as is any bear."

They climb down the steps carved in the towering rock which Gandalf said were made by Beorn himself. He told them the rocky pinnacle was called the carrock. They refreshed themselves in the river before they forded across to the east bank and set off following Gandalf. Bilbo, Balin, and Bofur were up near the wizard, still asking questions and talking while the others strung out behind them. Sara had hung her solar battery from Ori's pack after they had left the river, and as the sun beat down on them she had little doubt that it would be fully charged by nightfall. Hopefully she could find some time to herself that evening.

Wiping the sweat that had beaded on her brow with the sleeve of her shirt, Sara spied Thorin behind the others, looking pale and tired. She glanced to Fili and Kili beside her. They had been telling her in great detail of their escape from the goblins, but their story had quickly dissolved into a bragging contest, and then spiraled into an argument over who had killed more goblins. Finding this topic to be less than appealing she let her step slow till she fell in next to Thorin's right.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You don't look so good."

"I find that my strength is flagging," he admitted. His breath sounded labored.

"You look hot," she said scrutinizing him, then realizing what she said she tried to backtrack. "I… I mean we're all hot ... you just look hotter than the others ... I mean ... Oh gosh just shoot me now," she said covering her face with a hand. "I just meant that it might be cooler if you took off your coat."

"Are you sure it is not you who is overheated?" he asked as his steps slowed. "You are the one with a red face spouting nonsense." He pulled Orcrist from his back and handed it to her. "Of course I'm hot, the sun is high, it is summer, and we are no longer in the mountains."

"It's just," but she stopped and shook her head. "It's nothing. Forget it."

"I don't even know what you wish me to forget," he said taking back his sword and draping his coat over his arm. "Are you sure you are well?"

"I'm fine," she said walking forward without him. He caught up to her and after a few minutes of quiet spoke.

"What of you? How are your burns?"

"The numbing is wearing off," she said, wincing slightly as she popped the front of her t-shirt. "But I'll be okay for a while." Thorin called something in dwarvish to the head of the group and Balin exchanged a few words with Gandalf. The procession changed direction slightly, angling for a large ash tree. The shade was cool and inviting as they sat under the trees wide spread limbs, and they passed around the four water skins that Ori and Oin carried. Oin applied the paste to Sara's burns once again and turned to Thorin, pulling aside his collar to inspect his shoulder.

"The wound is fully knit together," said the healer frowning. "And yet you are still pale."

"My strength is also slow in returning," said Thorin.

"Could you be anemic?" asked Sara from beside Fili and Kili who lay prone in the long grass, their heads buried in their arms. Thorin and Oin both looked confused.

"What is this anemic you speak of?" asked Oin.

"It's when you suffer from blood loss," she said, piling the small white flowers that grew under the tree in her hand. "You get tired easily, you're pale, and you may feel as though you can't suck in enough air when you breathe."

"That would explain much," said Thorin, tugging his clothes back into place.

"Is there a cure?" asked Oin. "As I said, normally dwarves do not bleed so profusely and still live."

"Well a blood transfusion is out," said Sara, dropping the white petals furtively into Fili and Kili's hair. "But you don't look quite that bad anyway. You probably just need more iron and vitamin B in your diet, and lots of liquids."

"You suggest I eat iron," said Thorin dubiously. "It's hardly edible."

"No, no," laughed Sara. "You get iron through the foods you eat. Green leafy foods, beans, grains and some meats are good sources of iron and vitamin B."

"How do you know this," asked Oin, pulling shut the tie on his bag.

"Ahh… personal experience," she said. They looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate. "Okay so I may have fallen through a glass cabinet in my grandmother's jewelry shop when I was a teenager. I cut my radial artery and lost a lot of blood. See," she said pointing to a narrow scar near the crook of her right arm just above the bandaging. They leaned forward to look.

"Well we have no food with us," said Oin, getting to his feet. "I suggest we keep going to this Beorn's house and hope he has some he is willing to part with." And so they did.

They walked across the wide plains, up and down hills until late in the afternoon they neared a great field of flowers. There was a loud buzzing and the air was thick with busy insects flying from cluster to cluster of the flowers, beautiful butterflies, shiny beetles and buzzing flies.

"Are those bees," asked Sara, shrinking closer to Fili's side while pointing at the fuzzy drones buzzing over the flowers."

"I think so," he said, looking over at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah sure…" she said unconvincingly, moving to his other side as one flew by. "I'll be fine so long as they don't sting me. I'm kind of allergic to bees, and those things are huge!"

"Agreed," said Bilbo, ducking as a bee longer and certainly fatter than Sara's thumb shot over his head. "I feel as though I should swell up twice my size should I be stung."

"Oh come now Bilbo," said Kili, bending over one of the clumps of purple clover. "They don't look that fierce to me, more like slow, lazy, fuzzy things." He reached out a finger to stroke one of the black and yellow insects. "See they're not…"

"Kili don't!" warned Sara, but too late.

Kili yanked back his arm waving his hand about before popping his thumb into his mouth pouting. The three of them stared at him for a moment before Sara and Fili burst into laughter. "What?" groused Kili from around his thumb.

"Should we get ya a bottle and a nappy little one?" snarked Dwalin, walking past them. Sara and Fili laughed harder as Kili went cross eyed examining the digit in his mouth. Even Bilbo began to laugh.

"It's not funny," said Kili, pulling his thumb from his mouth. "It really hurts, and look it's already swelling." Sara took his hand in hers. It was indeed swelling and it had already moved past his thumb and into his hand.

"What have you done now Master Kili," asked Oin tiredly when he caught up to them.

"He tried to pet a bee," snickered Fili. Thorin only shook his head as he passed by them.

"So I can see," said Oin, pulling the stinger from Kili's thumb. It was longer than Sara's finger nail. Oin sighed. "I can do little for this at the moment. You will simply have to endure." Kili groaned.

"Actually," said Sara, reaching into Oin's bag. "You have the perfect thing." She held up the bottle of Benadryl, shaking it, and the tube of anti-itch cream. "These should help. Here," she said, handing Kili the half full tube of cream. "Rub that on your hand." She looked back at the Benadryl bottle, frowning. "How much do you weigh Kili?"

"About ten stones," he said.

"Stones? Any idea how much in pounds? Kili! What are you doing?"

"Rubbing it on my hands like you said," replied Kili handing her back the now-empty tube.

"Um… maybe you didn't need quite that much," she said. She looked him up and down trying to judge his weight. He was taller than most of the dwarves save Thorin and Dwalin, but he was also built a tad slighter. She saw the swelling in his hand as he rubbed the liberal amount of cream over it, and she made a quick decision and dumped some pills into her hand. Waiting for him to finish she handed him three small pink tablets. "Take these," she said as she tucked the bottle back into Oin's bag and reached for the water skin. She heard a muffled crunching.

"This tastes terrible," said Kili, chewing and swallowing as he stuck out his tongue and shook his head side to side. "Yuck!"

"Ya well normally you swallow them with water," she said wryly, handing him the water.

They made their way after the others. The company passed through more fields full of flowers and Sara was careful to avoid any bees that buzzed near her. As evening was beginning to fall they could see the top of a large building come into view. It was sheltered under the tops of trees that surrounded it, and on all sides there was a thick thorn hedge, too tall to see over. Four black and white horses that had been grazing on the long grass outside the hedge, turned and ran back inside, whinnying. Gandalf stopped them just outside a tall wooden gate and archway set into the hedge, and they could all hear the sound of an ax splitting wood.

"You had all better wait here," said Gandalf, running a nervous hand through his beard. "Mr. Baggins you will come with me. When I whistle to the rest of you, come after me in pairs every few minutes or so. Thorin and Sara first and then the others as you see fit. I should warn you that Beorn is very fond of all his animals and it would be nothing short of a death wish should you harm any of them, so be mindful where you step and how you treat them. Certainly don't expect to see any meat at his table, and not a complaint you will make about it either. Be as polite as you can possibly manage and for goodness sake don't anger him, and perhaps we shall make an ally of him. Master Baggins." With a swish of his robes he was off through the creaky wooden gate, Bilbo trotting after him, attempting to smooth down his tattered green waistcoat.

"How's your hand?" Sara asked Kili.

"My hand?" yawned Kili. "Oh it's doing much better." He thrust out his hand for her to see. It did look as though the swelling had gone down some. Thorin stepped forward to inspect it.

"Whatever did you go and try and pet a bee for?" asked Thorin seriously. "I would think you'd have more common sense." Kili shrugged lazily, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Ah, but remember uncle," said Fili, his eyes flashing. "This is the same Kili who thought a squirrel would enjoy living in his pocket."

"Hey," said Kili, struggling to stand up a bit straighter. "I was only 23, and I still have the scars on my leg from that varmint," he muttered darkly.

"You should have seen our mother's face when she was doing the washing, and all these squirrel droppings floated to the top of the wash water," said Fili, trying but failing to suppress his laughter.

"She was far from happy with you that day," said Thorin cracking a smile of his own.

"I can imagine," laughed Sara.

"She made me replace the water and do the rest of the washing myself," said Kili, stifling another yawn as his shoulders slumped wearily.

"It was well deser…" but Thorin broke off at a shrill whistle coming from the other side of the shrubbery. "Sara," he said, taking a few steps. She nodded coming to walk beside him and together they entered through the gate and into Beorn's yard. Their feet kicked up dust from the wide path leading towards a tall wooden building with enormous doors. Off to the left and right were barns and stables to house the many animals that were wandering to and fro. They approached the house and Sara was a few feet up the steps, headed for the door when Thorin called her.

"Sara," he said gesturing to the path that lead away around the house. "This way." She was about to ask how he knew which way to go, when she heard Gandalf's voice drifting to them from around the corner of the building.

"The truth is we have had a spot of trouble with some goblins..." They paused and listened for a moment. Sara reached up to push the hair out of her face and then froze.

"What is it?" whispered Thorin when he noticed she had gone still. She held up her hand so he could see the mark of the Valar. He studied her hand for a moment and then took it in his, covering the mark with his fingers. She nodded to him and he cautiously led her around the corner.

"Goblins? Whatever did you go near them for? Stupid thing to do," said an unfamiliar gruff voice. Sara tried her best to suppress her gasp as they came into view of the others. Gandalf's description of Beorn as a large man was a massive understatement, for she suspected that he was nearly ten feet tall. The ax that he lent on was at least a foot taller than her.

"You're absolutely right," said Gandalf. "It…" But here the wizards was cut off, for Beorn stepped past him and came to stare down at Sara. Thorin pulled her behind him, not letting go of her hand as they looked up at the giant before them. Her neck ached as she craned it up to meet the turbulent gaze of the heavily bearded man.

"You," he rumbled, bending slightly at the waist and never taking his brown eyes off her. "You are familiar. How did you come to be here at my house?" Sara's heart hammered in her chest as Thorin switched hands pulling her even further behind him and stepping back towards her until she was almost breathing his hair. Beorn's eyes slanted to Thorin and he gave a derisive snort, straightening. "If I meant her harm dwarf," said Beorn, swinging his ax up to rest on his broad shoulder. "She would not be there behind you. I could have ended her two nights ago on the slopes of the Misty Mountains if I had such a desire." He shifted his gaze back to Sara. "Tell me little woman, who are you and how did you cover so much ground in so short a time? And across lands that have recently been crawling with the same foul creatures who held you captive?"

"My name is Sara Miller," she said. "The giant eagles saved us and carried our company to a place you call the carrock." She tried to step out from behind Thorin but he held her fast.

"You said company. Just how many of you are there?"

"16," admitted Sara.

"And this you call a friend or two," accused Beorn, looking at Gandalf.

"Well truthfully we didn't want to bother you with all of us if…" started the wizard only to be ignored once again.

"What are the others?" Beorn asked Sara. "Are they more wizards, hobbits, dwarves, humans, or does your company grow stranger still?" Thorin squeezed her hand but she didn't see how she could not answer, besides the goal was to eventually ask for his help and he would find out sooner or later.

"They are dwarfs," she said.

"If you travel with 13 dwarves how did you come to be in such peril as I found you? I know of a dwarf's greed, but I have also heard they jealously guard a female, as does the dwarf before you."

"I got separated from them through no fault of theirs, if anything it was my fault for wandering too far from the group, but mostly it was just bad luck and timing."

"Orcs?" he questioned.

"And goblins," she added.

"You both look to be in pretty bad shape," he said, gesturing to them.

"You would probably look bad to if you fought your way through hordes of goblins and then went up against Azog and his warg riders."

"If I had run across Azog," he said, swinging his ax down to split a large round section of wood with particular force. "He would be dead. But he is a coward and knows better than to come near me." His eyes flicked over her head and then back to her face. "Who is this dwarf with you little woman? And who are the two that stand behind you?" Sara turned to look.

"They are Fili and Kili, my brothers." Thorin's hand twitched around hers. "And this is Thorin Oakenshield. He is the leader of the company." Beorn looked to Thorin his eyes calculating.

"You are the son of Thror, son of Thrain. What are you doing in these parts? Your home is far away to the west." Thorin opened his mouth to retort, but stopped at a cry from Fili. They turned together to see what was wrong. Kili lay crumpled on the ground at his brother's feet.