Allie

~~~

Master Beorn it appears we have matching jewelry," I observe and hold up my cuffed wrist. Instantly a look of sympathy crosses his face.

"So Azog cuffed you too little one," Beorn states.

"Yes and no normal human blacksmith can get it off even the dwarves failed," I report and frown at it. "I've been cuffed before and this feels more permanent."

"It must have traces of black magic like mine. I'm afraid you're stuck with it until you can get an elvish blacksmith to help," Beorn explains.

"Great," I sigh.

I wake up to a fuzzy and blurry world. Slowly I get up and look around. The company is already up and on the move. I quickly rush to keep up.

The day goes on trees are evil they keep whispering to me about trolls and fairies. I also keep seeing hallucinations of Grace and Thorin talking civilly.

"Air...I need air" Bofur whines.

"My head, it's spinning! What's happening?" Oin asks.

"Keep moving," Thorin orders.

"Look a fairy," I mumble and take a few steps off the path. There's a nice fairy beckoning to me just behind that tree.

"Allie no," Thorin chides and grabs my arm. I yawn and nod before walking back on the path only to ram into Bofur who's standing in front of me.

"Nori, why have you stopped?" Thorin barks at Nori who is leading the line. Thorin drags me to the front of the line and shakes Nori's shoulder.

"The path, it's disappeared!" Nori exclaims gesturing to the pathless ground.

"What's going on?" Ori asks.

"Nothing Ori do not worry," Dwalin murmurs to Ori. Dwalin is always looking out for the young dwarf.

"We've lost the path!" Bofur yells.

"Find it. All of you, look!" Thorin orders. I look about curiously at the trees.

"Come here there's a river," one tree whispers. I tilt my head and walk towards it after shaking Thorins arm off.

"Look for the path!" Dwalin shouts and the dwarves rush about in every direction. I just go up and look beyond the tree that whispered to me.

"I don't remember this place, none of it's familiar," Balin observes.

"It's got to be here!" Dori complains.

Seconds turn to minutes and minutes to hours. A mere moment seems like an eternity.

"What hour is it?" Lacy asks aloud.

"I don't know, I don't even know what day it is," Dwalin replies.

"Is there no end to this accursed forest!" Kili screams. I look left when I hear a strumming noise and see Bilbo plucking at a huge spiderweb. I feel like I should be worried but I'm not. I just keep walking past each tree.

"Come closer," another tree beckons. So I do, I walk as if in a haze. That's when I find it, a running river. Across it I see the path continue. But there's no bridge.

"Thorin look!" I say loudly and point. Thorin instantly appears by my side.

"We need to cross it" Thorin whispers. "EVERYONE COME QUICKLY." The company one by one walks up and stares at the river.

"I could fly across," I offer.

"No Allie see those vines your wings would get tangled," Grace points out.

"I'll cross across the vines," Emily offers and grabs one. She slowly uses the vines to make her away across. The dwarves don't bother to wait they climb in and start after Emily.

"No wait. She might fall," I warn. Just then Bombur gets on and jostles the vines. Emily makes a misstep and falls. She screams when a vine curls around her ankle hanging her upside down. Panic floods my system and I want to do something but I can't?

"EMILY!" Sam yells.

"HANG ON!" Fili shouts and tries to reach out and grab her from his spot on the vine bridge. Emily flails and tries to get her footing but the vine snaps and she falls into the flowing river below. Everyone screams and shouts as her body is carried away from us down the river. I jump into action and run down the river. Calling upon my light I let my wings fold out, tearing my dress along with it. I fly low over the river above Emily's floating unconscious body. I reach down to grab her but as soon as my hand touches the water blackness envelopes me.

~~~

Lacy

~~~

Sam is wailing and Fili sobbing so they don't notice Allie fall in.

"ALLIE!" Grace and Thorin do notice and start to dash along the river. Allie's huge wings got tangled in the vines and stop her body from flowing away. Emily doesn't have wings and soon she's out of out sight.

It's distressing watching her companions fall apart over her. I didn't know her well but she seemed like a nice girl. Grace, Alex and Thorin seem to compartmentalize their feelings perfectly though. But this forest seems to have a weird effect dimming major emotions and making a weird haze swirl around your head.

"STAY STILL AND DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER!" I order. "It's probably enchanted." Grace gracefully swings along the vines to Allie's body and starts tugging her across the river. Thorin follows behind trying to not shake the vines. Deciding to help I nudge Fili and Sam towards the vines to start them actors. "We can mourn the loss of your companion once we are safely across." Sam and Fili weakly nod and slowly climb across the vines.

The rest of us all get across without incident and make camp on the other side. Everyone is quiet and moods are drastically worse.

I close my eyes and turn on my bond vision. When I open them I see the swirling bright, dull, and severed bonds protruding from everyone. I look over to Fili and Sam and see a dim orange bond leading down the river. It is dim but still there.

"It's still there," I announce.

"What?" Sam asks sniffling.

"The bond to you two and Emily it's still there. It's dim and weak but not gone," I answer.

"Well what good does that do us she's lost in the river," Fili snaps harshly.

"The river leads to the castle some one may find her," Alex offers. Her and Kili are huddled up quietly mourning the loss.

"We aren't going to that castle," Thorin states blatantly. Grace sits next to him cradling Allie in her arms. The gentle rise and fall of her chest tell us she's not dead only sleeping. Allie's large wings are extended behind her across Thorins lap. He is staring at them perplexed and holds then carefully while he tries to read the runes on them.

"Uncle if there is even the slightest chance of my soulmate being alive then we must," Fili argues.

"I agree," Sam says.

"Well we've lost the path so I can't say where we will end up," Thorin deadpans and ends the concersarion. No one says anything after that.

I decide to examine the bonds between the company.

A bright red one connects Sam and Bilbo.

Kili and Alex are connected with a black bond and a brown one twisted together.

Grace and Allie are connected with a dark dark pink bond. A dark blue bond connects Allie to another.

Ori and Dwalin have a light green bond connecting each other. It's a romantic bond not a platonic. I can tell because a romantic bond comes from the heart while a platonic one comes from the hand.

A platonic grey bond connects with Thorin and Dwalin.

Bifurs romantic bond is severed violently and I feel a stab of pity for him. Dori and Oins are too.

Nori doesn't have a romantic bond but his platonic one is Bofur.

Bofur's romantic one concerns me though. It's black with and odd fiery look.

Bombur and Gloin's romantic ones are bright and large leading in opposite directions. Gloin's platonic is Oin and Bombur's is leading out of the forest.

A light blue romantic one protrudes from my heart and winds through the forest along with a green one from my hand. I smile fondly I'm going in the right direction.

~~~

Bilbo

~~~

After we start moving again I fight a haze around my head. I feel like as if I'm in a dream.

Grace has Allie in her arms and is holding her like a child because Allie's wings prevent bridal style from being done. Thorin takes Allie occasionally but only when Grace is truly exhausted. Alex and Kili have their hands entwined together tightly as they walk. Lacy somehow keeps smiling as we stroll along.

I yawn, exhausted, and sit down on a rock lazily. To keep busy I pluck at the spider webs on the trees and watch as the vibration runs through one and on to another.

"Look, a tobacco pouch. There's Dwarves in these woods," Dori states and holds up a tobacco pouch from off the ground.

"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine," Bofur reports examining it closely.

"Because it is yours, do you understand? We're going around in circles, we are lost!" Alex growls in annoyance. "I've been away for so long I am no longer used to this place."

"We are not lost. We keep heading east," Thorin counters.

"But which way is the east? We've lost the sun," Grace says crossing her arms.

"The sun, Bilbo we have to see the sun!" Sam exclaims proudly all traces of sadness gone. She seems to have forgotten her soul sister is most likely dead.

"Yes yes let's climb that tree," I agree happily and point to a large tree. She nods enthusiastic and we begin climbing.

Beneath us the company starts bickering and shoving each other.

Sam and I climb higher and higher getting closer to the top and closer to clarity. Then we break the tree top, the sun, and blue butterflies encasing us. I take a deep clarifying breaths and sigh in relief. My head seems so much clearer now. Sam's apparently does too and she starts crying. I do too, Emily was a very close friend.

"Sam we are going to find her don't worry. Right now we need to focus and find out where we are," I murmur.

"Alright" Sam sniffles and takes a deep breath. Suddenly I spot the sun shining over a lake, a river, and across it the Lonely Mountain.

"I can...see a lake! And a...river. And the Lonely Mountain! We're almost there!" I call down to the dwarves. I hear no reply. "Can you hear me? I know which way to go!"

"GUYS!" Sam yells and still no response. "Bilbo look," Sam whispers and points. I turn to see tree cracking and shaking closer and a closer to us.

"Hello," I utter and Sam pulls me down roughly. We duck beneath the leaves and look around. I feel stickiness so I look down to see my feet caught in spider web. "Look...come on!" I call off the tree branch and tumble down the tree. Sam screams and soon I hear her falling after me. A giant spider emerges and lunges at me I choke and try to get my sword but fall backwards on to a huge web. The spider wastes no time and wraps me up.