Grace

~~~

We rode all day and by the end of it my leg was stinging and my huge side gash was burning real bad. Some of the stitches had torn so I was bleeding again.

~~~

The red hot sun beats down on me and I can't help but sag over my horse. My head is pounding painfully and the loss of blood starts making it really hard to think straight.

"Miss Grace?" Ori asks gently tapping my shoulder.

"Yes?" I reply groggily and gingerly turn my head to face the young dwarf.

"Are you okay? You look a bit pale," Ori questions nicely.

"Me I'm just peachy," I mutter and completely slump over on my horse, barely conscious.

"I don't think that's very true," Ori says.

"It's...uh...it's not," I grumble completely giving up on playing it tough.

"Mister Oin!" Ori calls worriedly.

"Yes Ori?" Oin asks without turning around.

"Miss Grace is passing out I think," Ori announces and I can feel everyone turn to stare at me.

"M'fine," I utter barely audibly. I hear hoofbeats and next thing I know a hand is pulling me upright while another touches my forehead. "Stop touching me," I mutter and steer my horse away.

"You have a fever miss Grace. Your wound must be infected," Oin concludes moving his pony next to my horse again.

"Great," I utter and crack my eyes open slightly. "It'll break I'm fine."

"Grace Grace! Turn the horse around Thorin!" Allie yells at Thorin.

"You're in the front you have the reins!" Thorin snaps back.

"Oh please like you haven't been controlling the pony the entire ride," Allie counters and grabs his hands pulling them to the reins. "And move your Yavanna-dammed sword it's poking me!" Thorin flushes and inches back on the pony and I glare. I don't think that it's the sword poking her.

"You are an insufferable halfling," Thorin hisses and Allie promptly yanks on the reins making the pony rear up causing Thorin to fall off.

"Call me halfling again I will make a body part of yours half of something," Allie threatens and steers her pony to my horse. "Grace are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine," I grumble flopping over.

"Bullshit," Alex snaps.

"Thorin we need to stop and rest for a night!" Emily declares.

"No we don't," I object.

"You can't seriously be asking that it's just past midday!" Thorin exclaims.

"He's right and I'm perfectly fine," I insist.

"No you're not," Allie remarks.

"I'm not asking Thorin. We are stopping," Emily states coolly.

"I suppose since we have sick we can stop but Durins Day is nearing so we can't stop like this again," Thorin relents.

"I'm fine!" I declare exasperated.

~~~

My skin is on fire by the time camp is set up. I admit to moaning in pain and sweating profusely.

Allie has a cold washcloth pressed to my forehead and is whispering prayers in a language I don't understand.

"Grace don't die on me. You can't you're not allowed to. I need you around," Allie pleads.

"I'm not dying I'm j-" I am cut off my the sudden need to puke. I roll over and wretch on the ground while coughing violently. "I'm just sick." Allie tears up and gently moves me anyway from the mess. "Aule this hurts so much."

"Grace," Allie whines and mumbles more prayers.

"Allie calm down I'm gonna be fine. Just need some rest," I assure weakly.

"You'd better be fine I can't live without you. You are so important and tied into my life I couldn't untangle if I tried," Allie mutters.

"Same to you hon," I utter and close my eyes. Exhaustion set in rapidly and I felt very tired.

"Grace just rest," Oin demands and I nod before drifting off.

"Laurel how come our parents don't love us?" I ask as Laurel and I mop the floor in the kitchen.

"Well it's because we look different from them," Laurel responds softly.

"Does that make us bad people?"

"No no it's doesn't little Grace not bad just different," Laurel explains.

"Well how are we different?" I inquire.

"Well we have darker hair and our eyes aren't light," Laural says while brushing sweat off her brow. I don't get it Laurel is very pretty. She has long flowing brown hair and brown eyes along with a beautiful snowflake birthmark on her cheek.

"Thats stupid,"I grumble.

"I know but it's the way it is. We need to make the best of our bad situation."

"Okay Laurel," I murmur as I return to the conscious world. Laurel fades away along with the kitchen and I almost feel sad to leave it. I miss her.

"Who's Laurel?" Allie inquires as I open my eyes. I feel way better but still bad. My wounds complain as I stretch my arms and sit up.

"She was my sister," I reply breathing through my teeth and I carefully touch my wounds.

"You had a sister?" Allie gasps her eyes bugged.

"Yeah I did she was kind of like you actually. Anyways how long was I asleep?" I cannot stand to speak about her for long periods, it hurts too much.

"About three fucking hours a new record for you," Alex answers and I look over to see her. Kili is leaning entirely on her and she looks rather content and pissed off at the same time.

"Didn't have the heart to move him miss Bloodlust?" I tease.

"He's heavier than he looks," Alex retorts.

"Sure," I chuckle.

"I am so glad you're not dead," Allie sighs in relief.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," I say.

"Good we need our not so heartless assassins around to protect us," Sam exclaims happily. She's swinging upside down in a tree quite amused.

"Hey yeah," I mumble.

~~~

Alex

~~~

We set off in the early morning when the dew was till on the ground. We made it to the head of the elven path of Greenwood a few hours later. Rain started to lightly fall so Emily was a bit drowsy. Instead of the bright light and lush plants there was dark vines and no light peeked through the trees. Greenwood used to look so full of life.

~~~

"Unsaddle the horses they will return to my uncle," Grace demands as I stare warily.

"Here Grace," I say offering my arms to help her off her horse. Grace leans over slowly her eyes screwed shut and lets me gently pick her off the horse. "If he sees you like this he isn't gonna fucking like it."

"I know but we might not even run into him," Grace responds letting out a puff of air as I set her down.

"Don't be so sure," I grumble. Sam runs up after unsaddling her horse and takes Grace's arm wrapping it around her shoulders to support her.

"You guys have been here before so what are the chances of us ending up in the castle?" Sam asks in a edgy voice.

"I'd say fifty fifty," Grace answers.

"Great," Sam utters going a little pale.

"Sam hey come over here look at this cool twisty arch," Emily calls to Sam gesturing wildly to the archway at the entrance to the forrest. At each side of the archway there is a statue, one of Thranduil and one of his late wife.

"Here lies our path through Mirkwood," Gandalf explains to Emily.

"Greenwood asshole," I butt in and Gandalf ignores me.

"No sign of orcs. We have luck on our side," Dwalin states happily. Grace glances off in the distance and I follow her gaze to see Beorn in the distance.

"This forest feels sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" Bilbo asks and wrings his hands nervously.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south," Gandalf mumbles and walks into the forest.

"What's he doing?" Bilbo queries rhetorically.

"Wizard junk," I scoff.

Gandalf rejoins us at the edge of the forest minutes later where we are freeing the horses.

"Not my horse, I need it!"

"What are you fucking leaving us?" I snap.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo states hopefully.

"I would not do this unless I had to" Gandalf assures and rushes to his horse stopping to look at Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

"I was going to tell you.." Bilbo trails off before clearing his throat. "I...I found something in the Goblin tunnels."

"Found what?" Gandalf asks and Bilbo hesitates slipping his hand into his pocket. "What did you find?" Gandalf is staring intently as if he knows something we don't.

"My courage," Bilbo finishes proudly.

"I'm so proud of you!" Sam squeals and hugs him making Bilbo blush.

"Good. Well, that's good. You'll need it," Gandalf remarks and Bilbo coughs.

"Hell yeah you fucking will," I cackle.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map," a pointed looks towards Allie specifically at her cleavage. "And key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me."

"I doubt Thorin will listen to that," Allie utters under her breath.

"Stay in the path no matter what. This is not the Greenwood of old, the very air of the forest is heavy with illusion that will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"We will be fine Alex and I have traveled through here before numerous times," Grace insists while Allie crosses her arms over her chest when Thorin looks.

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Emily asks.

"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again," Gandalf instructs after mounting his horse. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" Then he's gone riding off.

"Come on, we must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day. Let's go, we've but one chance to find the hidden door," Thorin announces and we all cautiously start into the forest.