I had become a type of amusement for my captors. Every night I was raped by a different man. This went on for weeks until they made a mistake. One tiny mistake thinking I had just given up. They were sadly mistaken. When night fell I slaughtered every last one of them, taking their swords and horses, and leaving their dead carcasses for the Wargs.

I rode back to where they had found me and found nothing of my father's body. That made me happy and sad all at the same time. I hoped and prayed that the elves had taken him back with them. I rode like the wind toward Amon Lanc. It took me months to reach the capitol city, home to Oropher and Thranduil.

As I stared at the great gates of the woodland realm I felt a smile cross my face. I had lost my father but hopefully I hadn't lost Thranduil. I climbed off the horse I had stolen from my captors and tying it to a nearby tree I pull the hood of my cloak over my head. I wanted to keep my hair a secret until I was able to speak to my friend. When I reach the door I look around to see that the elves were jubilant and celebrating.

I slowly walk over to a nearby elf and say, "What is going on?" The elf raises an eyebrow at my appearance before saying, "The Prince Thranduil is getting married today." I gulp down a breath of air as I feel my heart clench. I give the elf a polite nod as I slowly make my way through the huge crowd celebrating their prince's recent nuptials. I reach a close enough spot and looking forward see my friend Thranduil standing there a smile on his face as he stares at his new wife.

She was beautiful; her long blonde hair cascaded down her back like silk. I felt tears fill my eyes as I realize that even if I had made it sooner I wouldn't have been his wife. I was tainted now, sullied by the desires of mortal men. With one last look at him I silently wish him happiness before I turn around and head out of the front gates not even glancing back toward them. I quickly climb back onto my horses back and without a second glance ride far away from the woodland realm.

I was no longer the beautiful enchanting daughter of one of the last descendants of Fëanor. I was Randír, roughly translated to the Wanderer. I could never be Melethril ever again. For centuries I lived off the land which. I stayed away from people both mortal and non. As the years passed people began to fear me; saying a mysterious hooded being, preyed on bandits, goblins, Trolls, and Orcs; and killing them mercilessly. I avoided people as much as I could until one day a wizard wondered onto my path.

I watch him like a hawk as I hide in my perch like a bird. "Mae Govannen Hiril Vuin Melethril."

I hear him say and I narrow my eyes before jumping down and saying, "That is not my name Mithrandir."

He smiles as he turns to me and says, "But it was once, a long time ago."

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?" I ask as I gently place my hand on the hilt of my elven sword, Ithildin.

The wizard smirks as he says, "I have need of your expertise,"

I raise an eyebrow as I say, "With?"

He reaches into his grey cloak and pulls out a map. Holding it out to me he says, "If you are willing, meet me on the location marked the day after tomorrow."

I eye the map and a smirk fills my face as I say, "The Shire? What sort of adventure is this?"

"An unexpected one." He says before turning and walking away. "Oh and the person you must seek out is Bilbo Baggins." I nod before I turn back to his map. What type of adventure did he have in mind and why did he want my help? Deciding since I had nothing better to do I follow the map and quickly make my way to Hobbiton.

When I arrived in the Shire it was dark and I groan in annoyance as I search for the hobbit Bilbo's home. I was so busy looking around that I didn't notice a dwarf walking in my direction also mot paying attention.

"AH!" I cry out as fall back onto my back. "You should watch where you're going!" I hear the dwarf say and I raise an eyebrow as I say, "You are one to talk, you ran into me as well!" He lets out a sigh as he holds his hand out for me to take. Letting out a sigh I reach up and taking his hand let him pull me to my feet. He was tall for a dwarf and his long raven hair had tints of grey in it.

"You are much taller than any Hobbit I've ever met." He says and I sigh as I say, "That's because I'm not a Hobbit. They call me Randír, what may I ask is your name?"

He pauses for a moment before he says, "Thorin,"

I give him a polite smile as I say, "Are you familiar with this place because I am lost? I am trying to reach the home of Bilbo Baggins."

He stares at me for a moment before he says, "I am also looking for the home of one Bilbo Baggins."

"Shall we look for him together?" I ask as I dust the dirt of my backside. I watch as he stares at me for a moment before nodding. I silently think to myself that he is being a little strange but quickly put it to the back of my mind as we walk along.

"I take it Gandalf sought you out for this quest?" He asks after a few moments and I nod as I reply, "I do not know the details, only that he needs my skills; and I have nothing better to do." I watch as he stares ahead until we come to the last home on the hill. I look at the door and seeing the mark say, "I guess this is it."

"Indeed it is," He says and I watch as he walks forward and knocks on the door. A few minutes later I watch as the small round door slowly opens to reveal a young male hobbit standing in the doorway. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. We wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." Thorin says as the two of us walk through the door.

"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!" Bilbo says and I raise my eyebrow as I stare at all the dwarves sitting in the next room.

"There is a mark; I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield; and our guide, Randír."

"So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asks and I stand back watching them.

"Pardon me?" Biblo asks his face turning confused.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asks as he stares at the young hobbit.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." Bilbo says and I sigh as Thorin says, "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." The dwarves all laugh, and they walk back to the dining table. I keep Gandalf in the main hall as I say, "Burglar? Why do you need a burglar?"

The grey wizard smirks as he says, "You shall see, but first would you like some food?" I raise an eyebrow but sigh as I say, "Sure."

As Thorin and I eat, the rest of the dwarves talk to him. I sit quietly my ears hidden beneath my hair as I survey the room. There was a total thirteen dwarves in all. They sure were a loud bunch. It had been centuries since I had been this close to dwarves. My father had been very close with the dwarven blacksmiths of Khazad-dûm before his death, I was definitely not unused to dwarves but it was definitely a reawakening.

As I look around at all the dwarves I find my attention lingers upon one of the younger dwarves. His hair and beard was a golden color which was strange for a dwarf. They usually had black, red, or brown hair; but I had never seen a blonde one. I couldn't help but stare at him in curiousness. Before he is able to catch me staring I look back down at my plate and suddenly a faint memory of the last time I had eaten a meal with others fills my mind and I find that I am no longer hungry. Sliding my plate away I fight the urge to throw my dinner back up.

As the dwarves talk amongst themselves I stand up and slowly walk out of the small clustered room. I needed air. I look around and suddenly feel like the walls are closing in on me. I am about to walk outside when I hear one of the dwarves say to Bilbo, "And are you?"

Bilbo stares at him confused for a moment before he says, "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Hey, hey!" Another of the dwarves says causing the others to laugh. I take a deep breath as I try to calm my nerves as they continue their conversations.

"M-Me? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life." He says and I nod in agreement. He lived far too nicely to have ever even left his home.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin says as Bilbo nods in agreement.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin says and Bilbo continues nodding in agreement; Causing the dwarves to begin arguing. Gandalf, growing angry, rises to his full height and casts darkness over the group as starts speaking in his "powerful" voice. The others stop in awe. I rub my forehead in annoyance as I contemplate telling Gandalf to find someone else to help him.

"Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." Gandalf says as he goes back to his normal self. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this."

"Very well. We will do it your way." Thorin says and I watch as Bilbo says, "No, no, no."

"Give him the contract." Thorin says as he sits back down at the table.

"Please." Bilbo says clearly not wanting any part of what they were planning.

Balin hands Bilbo a long contract as he says, "It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo says curiously. As Bilbo steps back a few feet to read the contract, Thorin leans toward Gandalf and whispers to him. "I cannot guarantee his safety."

"Understood."

"Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

"Agreed."

Bilbo reads parts of the contract out loud, "Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fourteenth of total profit, if any. Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations ... evisceration ... incineration?"

"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur says and I face palm. Bilbo looks a little breathless, "Huh."

"You all right, laddie?" Balin asks and I watch Bilbo carefully as he bends over, nauseous and pained as he says, "Uh, yeah...Feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace with wings." Bofur says and I roll my eyes as I say, "That's enough,"

"Air, I need air." Bilbo says as he starts fanning his face.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bofur says and I am about to yell at him when Bilbo breathes heavily, trying to compose himself as the others stare at him. "Hmmm. Nope." He says as he falls toward the floor in a faint. Before he reaches the floor I reach out and grab him.

"Ah, very helpful, Bofur." Gandalf says as I carry Bilbo over to his chair. After I set him down I turn back toward the dwarves and Gandalf and say, "So you are going to start a fight with a dragon? That sounds like a great plan." I say the last part as sarcastic as I can.

"Randir, you only need help us navigate the fastest terrain. If you do not wish to go with us to the mountain then you need not follow us past the Greenwood." Gandalf says and I sigh as I say, "I will lead you to the wood, when we reach it I will decide whether or not I continue on this quest with you."

Gandalf nods and then a few moments later we are all standing in Bilbo's living room as he sits in his chair holding a mug, and talking to Gandalf. "I'll be all right, let me just sit quietly for a moment." Bilbo says and I watch as Gandalf gets irritated and says, "You've been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me; when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you? I remember a young Hobbit who always was running off in search of elves and the woods, who'd stay out late, come home after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young Hobbit who would have liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps; it's out there."

"I can't just go running off into the blue. I am a Baggins, of Bag End." Bilbo says and I stare at the dwarves surrounding him. They all had indifferent looks on their faces.

"You are also a Took. Did you know that your great-great-great-great uncle, Bullroarer Took, was so large he could ride a real horse?"

I follow Bilbo's eyes to a photo of Bullroarer Took on Bilbo's wall. "Yes." Bilbo says and I force a smile.

"Well he could. In the Battle of Green Fields, he charged the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard it knocked the Goblin King's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won, and the game of golf invented at the same time."

"I do believe you made that up." Bilbo says and I smile genuinely as Gandalf replies, "Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back."

"Can you promise that I will come back?" Bilbo asks and my heart clenches for the young hobbit.

"No. And if you do, you will not be the same." Gandalf says and I bite my lip to keep from remembering my past. I knew all too well the horrors of the night.

"That's what I thought. Sorry, Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong Hobbit." Bilbo walks away down the hall. Gandalf sighs.

Balin and Thorin see Bilbo walking away and Balin says, "It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toymakers; hardly the stuff of legend."

"There are a few warriors amongst us." Thorin says and Balin sighs as he says, "Old warriors."

"I will take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they came. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that." Thorin says and I smile at his courage.

"You don't have to do this. You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains, a life of peace and plenty; a life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor." Balin says causing Thorin to hold out the key Gandalf gave him.

"From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin. Not for me."

"Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done." The dwarves gather in Bilbo's living room, smoking their pipes by the fire. They all begin humming, and soon Thorin begins to sing, and the others join him. Gandalf and I listen from nearby. Their deep voices start to lull me into a dream.

As the night lurches on I sit on the porch with sudden thoughts of my father and my home. "Do you miss Eregion?" I hear Gandalf say causing me to let out a heavy sigh.

"My father, I miss my father."

"As you would,"

"I try to remember a time when we were happy; but all I seem to remember was him being tied to a banner with arrows piercing his body. I don't sleep for fear I might dream about him."

"He was a great man, his pride was his downfall." I feel my stomach churn as I remember everything else that had happened to me. I subconsciously reach up and tug on a strand of my red hair. "It is a shame that the Lady Melethril decided to forgo her life and become a ranger."

I sigh as I say, "I can never go back to being her. Too much has happened. I am no longer worthy of being an elf."

"Rubbish!" Gandalf says and I smirk as I pull a dagger out of my boot and twirl it in my hand.

"I found this on the battlefield of Dagorlad, It is an Elvish dagger made by my father for the Elven King Oropher. I meant to return it to Thranduil but as the centuries passed on I couldn't force myself to return it to him. Even if it belonged to his father it was made by mine, just like Ithildin." I gently run my finger across the hilt of my father's sword. "I keep these things to remind me of what I lost, what was taken from me."

"Perhaps one day you will find yourself before Thranduil again." Gandalf says and I smirk as I say, "Yeah that's not gonna happen." With one last twirl I slip my dagger back into my boot and let out a heavy sigh.

"You should get some rest, we have a long journey ahead of us." He says and I suddenly feel a cold air blow past me cooling me all the way to my bones. I give him a nod as I stand and walking over to the door use it to climb on top of the little hole in the ground and sprawl out on the grassy roof. "What are you doing? I meant for you to sleep inside."

Rolling over I raise an eyebrow and say, "With all those men? No I think I'll take my chances out here. Good night Mithrandir."

"Good night My Lady," He says before he walks back inside. When I hear the silent creak of the door closing I let out a heavy sigh, "I wish he wouldn't call me that, it just brings back bad memories." That night I didn't get much sleep at all for every time I closed my eyes I saw my father's mangled body.