A couple days pass and I could tell the elves were getting tired of the dwarves. One night the Dwarves are having a late night party in our quarters. They roast sausages over a fire made by burning the Elvish furniture. Bofur, seeing a heavy Bombur sitting on a bench and eating a large bowl of food, looks at his sausage thoughtfully. "Bombur!" Bofur calls to his brother and as Bombur looks up, Bofur throws him the sausage. Bombur catches it; the weight of the sausage is just too much for the bench, and the bench breaks; Bombur, shrieking, falls to the floor, along with all his food. The dwarves laugh uproariously.

I smile as I follow Bilbo up the stairs to look out over Rivendell, when I hear Gandalf say, "Of course I was going to tell you I was waiting for a chance. I think you can trust that I know what I'm doing." I follow his voice and see him and Elrond walk up a flight of stairs toward a pavilion.

"Do you? That dragon has slept for sixty years. What would you happen should your plan fail? If you wake the beast-"

"But if we succeed? If the dwarves take back the mountain, our defenses in the east will be strengthened."

"It is a dangerous move Gandalf,"

"It is also dangerous to do nothing, the throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright; what is he to fear?"

"Have you forgotten a strain of madness runs thick in that family; his grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness? Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall? Gandalf these decisions do not fall to us alone, it is not up to you or me to redraw the map of Middle Earth."

"With or without our help these dwarves will march on the mountain. They're determined to reclaim their homeland. I do not feel that Thorin Oakenshield is answerable to anyone. Nor for that matter am I."

By this time I realize that Thorin has joined Bilbo and me. I open my mouth to offer words of encouragement but find that none come. I watch him turn and walk away and I mentally kick myself. I follow after him and as we reach the rest of our group I hear him tell the rest that we leave in the morning without Gandalf. I walk over to my pallet and throwing myself down stare up into the night sky. I heave a heavy sigh as I slowly turn my head to the side to find Fili glancing over in my direction at the same time. As our eye meet I give him a reassuring smile before I close my eyes and fall asleep.

The next morning I stand at the edge of the path next to Bilbo as we stare back at Rivendell. I had the sudden feeling that leaving without Gandalf was a bad idea but I quickly shake my head and pulling my hood up follow after the dwarves. "Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Randír, you know these paths; lead on." Thorin says and I nod as I quickly make my way to the front of the group.

We hike through the wilderness of Middle Earth, over ranges, mountains, and plains. As we are crossing the Misty Mountains; the trail is narrow and dangerous, with a cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other. There is a fierce storm in the air, with lightning and rain all around. "Hold on!" Thorin calls as we climb along. As Bilbo walks, the stone beneath his feet gives away, and he starts falling into the chasm; Dwalin manages to pull him back in time. "We must find shelter!"

"Watch out!" Dwalin yells out and we all look up to see a massive boulder hurtling through the air; it hits the mountainside above us, causing rocks to fall all around us as we press ourselves against the mountain. "This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!" Balin calls out as a stone giant rears up from a nearby mountain; it rips off a massive boulder from the top of the mountain. "Well bless me, the legends are true. Giants; Stone Giants!" Bofur says and I smile in amazement.

"Take cover: you'll fall!" Thorin calls out causing Kili to say, "What's happening?" The Giant throws the boulder far in the air; suddenly another stone giant, appears from behind us, and is hit in the head. The dwarves yell at each other to brace and hold on, and the rocks beneath our feet begin to give way from all the vibrations and from the impact of the falling rocks. The ground between some of dwarves splits; part of the group is on one side, and part on the other.

"Kili! Grab my hand! Ki..." Fili cries out as he reaches for his brother. As the two stone giants fight with their fists, we hold on tight as we are flung around. One of the groups manages to jump to a different spot. A third stone giant appears, and it throws a boulder at the head of one of the first two. That one falls over; as the first group watches, it appears to us that the other group of dwarves has been smashed to bits. The hurt stone giant loses its footing and falls down the chasm. My heart drops and my eyes widen as I think the worst. "No! No! Kili!" Thorin yells as we rush over to the spot where the others appeared to have been crushed. I feel my heart relax as I see that they are safe.

"We're all right! We're alive!" Balin cries out as they all pull themselves to their feet. "Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?" Bofur cries out and my eyes instantly start look over the edge. "There!" Ori cries out and Dwalin yells, "Get him!" I try to make my way over to him but I can't maneuver my way through the dwarves. Bilbo is hanging onto the edge of the cliff with just his fingertips. Ori dives onto the ground and tries to grab Bilbo's arm, but Bilbo slips and falls another few feet before he catches another handhold.

As the dwarves try to pull him up unsuccessfully, Thorin swings down on the cliff next to Bilbo and boost him up, where the others pull him to safety. Dwalin tries to lift Thorin back up too, but Thorin loses his grip and begins falling too; however, Dwalin, with much effort, is able to pull him back up. "I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin says catching his breath. "He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin!" Thorin says and I instantly feel sorry for Bilbo.

We trudge on until we find a cave. "It looks safe enough." Dwalin says when we reach it. "Search to the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied." Thorin says and Dwalin searches the cave with a lantern. "There's nothing here." He replies as Gloin drops a bundle of wood on the floor, rubs his hands, and says, "Right then! Let's get a fire started." "No, No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light." Thorin replies and I throw my pack onto the floor of the cave. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan." Balin says and I glance out the corner of my eye at him and Thorin as he says, "Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch."

Placing my hands on my hips I turn toward our leader and say, "Can I speak to you in private for a moment?" He stares at me for a moment before he nods and walks to the front of the cave with me close behind. "What did you want to say?" He asks and I take a deep breath before I say, "Why must you be so hard on Bilbo? He's doing this for you so you all can go home, why must you be so mean?" He stares at me for a moment not sure how to react before saying, "What business is it of yours?" I narrow my eyes as I say, "He's my friend, just because he makes one mistake that was an accident does not give you the right to belittle him in front of the whole group."

"You wouldn't understand, you're an Elf." He says the word Elf like it is a word most foul and it hits my heart like a knife. I gulp down a breath of air to keep my anger down as I say, "You're right I am an Elf, but at least I have more compassion for those around me than a selfish Dwarf." I turn from him and walk back to the very back of the cave far away from him. My anger flowed through me and even when I tried to forget it, it would appear again.

I understand he is upset but to just focus his anger on Bilbo was childish. "Randir?" I hear a familiar voice say and turn to see Fili looking at me with concern. "Yes Fili?"

He points to my back and says, "Your shirt ripped." I feel my anger disappear as a feeling of fear and worry replace it. I look behind me trying to see where the rip is but don't find it. "Here," he says as he walks up and gently touches my back making me freeze in place my face blanching. I feel the coarseness of his hand as it gently touches one of the many scars on my back. I intake a sharp breath and he instantly pulls his hand back thinking he had hurt me in some way.

"I have many scars, both visible and not." I say as I pull my hood off my head so that it covers the newly ripped hole. As my hands fall back to my sides I feel his hand gently touch mine and I turn to see him giving me a reassuring smile as he says, "If you want, you can tell me about them." I return his smile as I follow him over to where he had made himself a pallet and as I sit down beside him I tell him about my scars both visible and mental. Before I know it I have fallen asleep next to him, my head resting on his shoulder as he leans against the cave wall.