breaking of branches and thumping of small feet were the only thing Arethusa could make out above the shouts of the company. They closed ranks, trapping Bilbo and the fairy in the center of the circle. The raucous shouts and breaking branches grew louder, then there was the voice. "Thieves! Fire! Murder!" At the appearance of the first rabbit, Arethusa pushed her way between Bofur and Nori. The brown wizard had ridden far and hard from his dwellings.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?" For the moment, he ignored Gandalf and stooped to his knees at the sight of Arethusa. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and embraced the old wizard. Many of her tricks of healing had been learned from living with Radagast for many years near the Greenwood.

The brown wizard stood and almost shyly the fairy returned to the group, already sensing that the two wizards would prefer to speak alone. "I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." Arethusa furrowed her brows, she knew from her travels that dark things had long been brewing but nothing had come to the surface over the many years.

"Yes?" The grey wizard asked.

Radagast grew flustered with himself, "Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." He huffed and snapped his fingers once. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old..." he poked out his tongue and Gandalf lifted a phasmid, dropping the bug back into Radagast's hands, "­stick insect!" The dwarves had not been pleased with the wizard's show, each looked disconcerted and mildly disgusted. Gandalf and Radagast each trailed off a few paces to speak in private.

Arethusa looked on curiously, trying to hear what the two wizards were discussing but yet she heard nothing. Bilbo looked over at her with a slight smile, his blade now strapped to his hip, like a true little warrior. She opened her mouth to speak but the resounding howl ended all conversation in the group. "Was that a wolf? Are there ­­-are there wolves out there?" The fear in the hobbit's voice was palpable, he had been raised with stories of wolves from the Long Winter, hobbits were told to fear the creatures but Arethusa knew that those howls did not belong to wolves, but to something much worse.

"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Bofur looked frightened himself, the fairy withdrew her new blade and it gleamed in the light. She turned, giving all the dwarves a sidelong glance when a warg appeared from behind a nearby crag in the rock and barreled down the embankment, knocking her to the ground with its teeth bared in her face. Arethusa thrust her blade upwards into the beast's belly and from above she saw Thorin bring his sword down on its neck. Bofur and Fili pushed the warg off of the fairy and helped her to her feet.

A second appeared, Kili had released an arrow hitting it between the eyes yet it got back up only for Dwalin to deliver a fatal blow. "Warg-­Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind." Thorin's voice was tight, the fairy snatched her blade from the animal's stomach and sheathed it once more at her side. Her ankle was throbbing in pain after being crushed under the warg.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf had become angry, his voice louder and tone firmer. He looked down at Thorin with annoyance.

"No one." Arethusa knew he spoke the truth, she could see it in his eyes. "Who did you tell?" The wizard demanded again.

"No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" Howls from more wargs came through the trees, the shouting of Orcs was not far behind.

Gandalf strode off back towards Radagast before turning back to Thorin, "You are being hunted."

Dwalin clutched his axe tightly, "We have to get out of here." He was right, they were essentially trapped. To stand a chance they had to leave and make towards the deep woods or open plains. Ori had come running back to the company, "We can't! We have no ponies; they bolted." Arethusa's heart clenched as she thought of Mazey but if they did not move fast they would never outrun their pursuers.

Radagast strode over to his sled, his rabbits thumping their feet on the leaf covered floor excitedly. "I'll draw them off." She wanted to protest, to tell him that he did not stand a chance though the hand that landed on her shoulder and spun her around prevented her from doing so. She was looking at Thorin.

"Are you injured?" The concern in his eyes was off-putting but she realized why it was there, he did not want her to slow the company down and risk the lives of his kin.

"I'll manage." He nodded and before she could speak to Radagast again he had gone and Gandalf was leading them from the trees and into the open plains. Arethusa gritted her teeth together and pushed through the pain. To her right, she saw the wargs and orcs chasing the brown wizard and as they were close Gandalf had led them to stand behind on the boulders that jutted up from the ground. The company was running again, stopping at the next rock large enough to provide cover but the fairy was growing slower, Bilbo looked to her worried.

"Ori, no! Come back." The young dwarf nearly broke cover too soon, Thorin had reached out grabbing him by the collar of his tunic and hauled him back to the group. Before she could catch her breath they were running again and Gandalf was admonishing them about making haste. "Where are you leading us?" Thorin questions but the wizard offered no response, Arethusa frowns at the realization of where he was leading the company.

The snarls from a warg are too close for their liking, the shadow is cast on the grass, and Thorin looks at Kili and nods; readying an arrow, Kili then steps out and shoots the warg. The warg and rider fell near the dwarves, howling in pain until several of the dwarves kill them both. "Move. Run!" Gandalf motions for them all to move away from the outcrop.

Thorin looked back at the company, ensuring that everyone is present, the sight of the fairy struggling to run properly on her ankle only caused him to frown, he stopped running completely when she fell. Fili caught sight of her struggle and ran back, quick as a fox, slinging her small figure over his shoulder before catching back up to the company. Her hands clutched at the fabric beneath them and her ankle rejoiced from the relief but the jarring was unnerving and before they can come to a halt Arethusa felt sick. When she looked around Gandalf had disappeared and wargs had surrounded them. Fili held the fairy tighter with one arm and withdrew his sword. "Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted.

Seconds later Gandalf popped out between two rocks, motioning for the company, "This way, you fools." Thorin nodded for Fili to go and the dwarf ran towards the opening, pulling Arethusa from his shoulder and letting her slip down the smooth slope of the cave floor before sliding down as well and pulling her up again. This time, her arms wrapped around his neck and each of his hands held her legs to his sides. The wizards counted as each dwarf slid down into the opening, the last to come were Thorin and Kili. The company stood in place, listening to the screeches and howls. An orc had fallen into the opening, an arrow embedded in its neck but the craftsmanship was far more delicate than the arrows of men. It belonged to an elf.

Thorin snatched the arrow away and examined it, "Elves." He spat out, throwing the arrow back to the side before the other's came to see that there was a path leading away. Gandalf led and Bilbo followed him, constantly checking over his shoulder to see that his friend was still there. Thorin trailed behind the company, Kili and Arethusa were in front of him. It had felt like they walked for hours, occasionally the fairy would look back over her shoulder at Thorin, he never looked back into her violet eyes and she felt like her injury had disappointed him.

The conversation that carried out between Gandalf and Thorin was too low for Arethusa to understand with the throbbing pain in her ankle and head. Kili stepped back to his brother while they descended the narrow path down into the valley where Rivendell lies. Arethusa jerked away at the feeling of something cool coming in contact with her temple when she realized it was only Kili wiping away blood from a cut she relaxed and loosened her grip on Fili's shoulders. Before they crossed the bridge into the city Thorin had taken Arethusa into his arms.

An elf had strode down a set of stairs, "Mithrandir." He greeted, dark eyes looking over the dwarves uneasily.

"Ah, Lindir!" Arethusa stirred at the mention of the name, she knew the name and she knew the face, Thorin stepped forward and Gandalf looked on curiously. Lindir looked down on the dwarf that held the fairy his people had known since the Second Age.

"She needs attention from your healers." An elf maiden came wearing a gown of blue and apron of white, Thorin was almost reluctant to hand her over to the elf but with a heavy sigh he did and watched as the elf stole away with his fairy. The leader returned back to the company, looking apprehensive as ever about the surroundings.

⌘⌘⌘

Preparations were underway for their welcome, Elrond had been more receptive than Thorin thought but one elf's hospitality did not make up for the ill will another had wished upon his kin. A young elf with long brown hair and wide blue eyes had led Thorin and his nephews to the healing room. The entire company wished to follow but only three were permitted. "When will she be ready for travel?" Thorin looked across the room where Elrohir prepared a draught from a combination of herbs and flowers.

"A week perhaps less, her ankle is badly bruised as are her ribs. She needs rest before embarking again." Fili looked over his uncle's expression with a piqued curiosity of his sudden interest in her well-being. Kili stepped forward, taking the talisman his mother had given him before the quest from his pocket, he placed the stone in her small hand and left from the room.

Bilbo entered as the young dwarf left and behind him another elf came into the room that looked identical to Elrohir, the only difference was the metal the circlet on their head was made from. One was bronze the other pewter. "Go, Master Dwarf, celebrate the evening with your kin." Elladan spoke to the leader and joined his brother.

Fili had gone before Thorin would leave, "Send word to me when she wakes," the elves nodded and the dwarf left leaving only Bilbo standing at her bedside but the young elf that had led them to the healing bay came rushing in. "Will fael be alright?" She was nearly as tall as the brothers, not even a full head shorter.

"With rest, she will be. Shouldn't you be practicing the harp Arwen?" The hobbit gave a slight twitch of the nose and rested his hand on Arethusa's forehead before parting. He remembered her tales of elvish healing and knew that she was in capable hands.

The evening had passed the moon was high in the night sky, the company sang merry tales by a stone fire-pit, even Thorin tapped his foot to the rhythm of the songs. It was Bofur who was singing when Lindir had approached the group, instantly the gay raucous came to a halt. "Elrohir and Elladan have bid me tell you that the Lady Arethusa has awakened." The company stood, even Dwalin rose to his feet, at the news though it was only Thorin who left to go to her room.

White sheets had been crumpled and when he entered the room it was empty, he opened his mouth to call out to her but was struck dumb at the sweet sound of an angelic voice singing. It was singing the song of his people.

On silver necklaces

They strung the flowering stars,

On crowns, they hung

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day,

To claim our long-forgotten gold.

He mouthed the words along with her and before he could decide to seek her out he had gone, absconding from the room. "Thorin?" He froze at the soft call of his name. Arethusa stood in the arched doorframe, a silk robe that swallowed her small form was tied about her waist. A cut that once bled was scabbed over on her temple. She took a hesitant stride forward but there was a limp in her step.

Thorin came to stand in front of her so she would not have to hobble any further. "They told me you had awakened, the company all sends their regards for a fast recovery." He lowered his head, Arethusa only then noted the beads of silver that hung from braids hidden in his hair and were etched with runes. Her own hair was ashen brown and damp, there were not adornments or braids only loose waves.

"Is that it?" She wagered he was not saying what he had initially come to speak. Thorin looked up at her, with her violet eyes that were equally enchanting and unnerving.

The words were coming out of his mouth before he could stop and speak them slowly. "You sing very prettily," the fairy looked away for a moment, a smile coming to grow on her lips. "I am indebted to you and the Halfling as well, your clever thinking saved us from the trolls." Arethusa could see that Thorin was flustered, she found it amusing and when he turned in haste to leave she placed her hand on his arm.

"Would you like to walk with me?" asked she, smile gentle and eyes bright. The fairy favored the outdoors to being inside, especially in Rivendell. She loved watching the falls, looking to the east for the sun in the morning.

Thorin shook his head slightly, his hand brushing over hers for only a second. "You are supposed to be resting, Arethusa." His voice was soft but also firm.

"Then stay and talk." Arethusa limped over to the cabriole bench and Thorin followed, far from pleased with her stubbornness. Her hand pressed against her torso as she lowered herself to sit with a wince. The dwarf followed after her and with a moment of hesitance sat at her side.

The silence was oddly comforting like they had always known each other. She pulled her robe around her even tighter, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Númenórë," Arethusa turned to him at the mention of her home, he nearly struggled with the pronunciation, "tell me how you can hail from the lost island when it was sent to the depths millennia ago?" She couldn't help but smile, she had aged but not to the point where it was evident on her features. It was evident in her soul.

"Fairies are immortal, I came to Middle Earth during the final days of Númenórë. My kin had a long history of guarding the citadel, I too was destined to follow their path but as I had not yet taken the vow and my brother told me to flee." Thorin watched her curiously, she looked so young in comparison to many of his kin.

"The people that were able to leave settled in Gondor and Arnor, but they were men and have long passed. I stayed with the elves for many years that is how I learned of healing. In Osgiliath, I perfected my swordsmanship and skill of the bow under Elendil and his sons. With Radagast I learned to connect with nature, the Ents showed me that it is best to think through decisions and not be rash and impulsive. The many hobbits I have come to know never fail to remind me that the comforts of home are far more valuable than anything material in this life or the next." Arethusa gasped at a sharp bolt of pain that ran up her leg and into her ribs. Thorin reached out, hardly thinking about his action, his hand came to rest atop hers. Her hand was cool, his was warm and while she was soft as silk she wore he was iron next to her. His hands were calloused, made for forging and wielding swords. When her fit settled Thorin withdrew his hand.

"I will say that this company are the first dwarves I have come across in all my journeys and years." She smiled, dwarves were known for the secrecy so it really came as no shock. "Tell me, Thorin Oakenshield, what in Erebor is worth risking the lives of your kin over? From what I have learned, you made a life for them, a prosperous life. Do not chance innocent lives to hope that the dragon is dead and that you will not risk Smaug's wrath." He knew it was the Ent in her speaking, the contemplative side that begged for thought.

The dwarf king frowned, "I must," he was resolute on the subject, she knew he was. On a thick leather string, he fished a key from under his layers of clothing. "This has been passed along from my grandfather to my father, and now to me. Arethusa, I must do this." There was no reason to press the matter further, she had taken her oath and now she would fulfill it.

"What of you? What is there to know about Thorin Oakenshield?" She listened to the tales he had to tell, of his days as a young prince. The day that Smaug came and took the mountain. What she admired the most was the leader that was dedicated to his people, the home he had created in the Blue Mountains and how he had helped his sister raise Fili and Kili. He would be a good king. After Thorin had spoken his piece silence was all that remained between them, he looked over and saw that she had fallen asleep. Sighing, he stood and slipped his arms around her shoulders and under her knees, she was light as a feather.

Fael is Sindarin for fair, it's my thought that Arwen and her brothers have called Arethusa fael since they were little and not able to pronounce her name properly and over the years it stuck.