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Y/n followed the group all night, never gaining but never loosing sight of them. Her arms shook violently and threatened to give out with every push. Dark circles pooled under her eyes and she gripped her poll with a vengeance, in fear it might slip through her fingers.

The sun burst from the horizon just as the company reached the other side of the great lake. They abandoned their boat on the rocky beach and entered the sparse, bolder ridden, forest. Y/n’s boat shored long after the company was out of sight. She hopped out of her dinghy into the shallows. She grabbed her weapon and walked up onto dry land. Y/n dug into her pockets, pulled out her shoes, and slipped them on. She looked down to the ground and spotted the very distinctive tracks of thirteen dwarves and a hobbit. The girl smirked and forced herself into a light jog, carefully tracing their tracks.

Y/n was no tracker; she’d never even tried. In all honesty, Y/n wouldn’t have been able to follow the company if they had made any attempt to cover their tracks. But they didn’t, and Y/n easily followed the trail of flattened grass, muddy footprints and fresh indents in the soft earth.

Wind blew through her hair as she jogged through the forest. The adrenaline from last night had worn off and she was exhausted. Y/n’s arms felt like lead at her sides and it was a struggle to keep a grip on her sword. Her legs were shaky and she would have liked nothing more than to collapse on the ground. But Y/n couldn’t risk it. If she lost them…she didn’t know what she would do. She would be truly lost, in a world she did not belong in. Y/n kept alert, watching the forest around her. If this was anything like Mirkwood there could be giant spiders waiting around every turn.

In front of her the land rose up then dropped off into a rocky cliff. The dwarves had been here recently, judging by the still drying mud on the rocks. Y/n climbed up to the jagged top and looked down at the land below. A solitary mountain loomed in front of her. It looked bigger than it had from the rooftop in Lake Town, more intimidating. At the base of the mountain were ruins of a once grand city. Toppled stone buildings and streets blackened by fire met her eye. Y/n could see thirteen dwarves and one hobbit shuffling towards it. Y/n could have called out to them but she was worried they wouldn’t recognize her from such a distance. She didn’t want Kili getting an itchy trigger finger with that bow of his. Y/n chewed at her lip. What if they sent her back? What if they pushed her away again? The girl shook her head and tried to drag her exhausted mind back into focus. One step at a time

Y/n slid down the steep embankment and ran after them, slower now. She tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Bard’s warning about a dragon echoed around her head and she stepped a little lighter because of it.

Kili walked through the wreckage of Dale with his bow at the ready and his brethren at his side. The smell of smoke and fire had soaked into the land. It stung his nose and made his eyes water. Ash was smeared on what little road remained to guide them. Once tall buildings surrounded them. They were in various stages of decay but still promised cover from attack. Dwalin stopped suddenly in his tracks and the rest of the dwarves halted.

“What is it?” Thorin grunted.

“Something’s behind us,” He answered. He turned his head to the crumbling building behind them. It had only one wall still standing, the rest was rubble. It would be the perfect place for an ambush.

The company readied their weapons as Dwalin turned, axe in hand, and crept towards the ruins. Labored breathing met his searching ear. He turned the corner of the building, grabbed the enemy, and pinned them to the wall. He raised his axe high, prepared to strike.

“What in Durin’s name?” He swore.

“Dwalin!” Y/n squeaked. She quickly covered her surprise with a cool resentment. She nodded at him in greeting. The girl glanced up at the shining blade.

“What are you doin’ lass?” He said, exasperated. The dwarf lowered his axe and released his grip on her.

“What is it?” Thorin asked as he and the rest of his group rushed to Dwalin’s aid. Thorin put a hand to his head as soon as he saw. He could feel a migraine coming on. “This girl…” He muttered

“Y/n!?!” Kili and Fili spoke in unison.

“Keep your voices down lads!” Dwalin hissed.

“What are you doing here?” Biblo asked.

“You can‘t just leave me.” Her voice was bitter and determined. “You guys are assholes but I’m here to stay, whether you like it or not.”

“What are we going to do with her?” Gloin muttered to Thorin.

“Hey! I don’t like your tone,” Y/n pointed at Gloin angrily. A condescending attitude could transcend language barriers.

“We send her back to Lake Town,” Dwalin said, as if he had the authority to decide.

“And are you going to escort her back?” Bofur asked. “She’s come this far I doubt she’d go back just because we said so.”

Thorin nodded. “It’s her neck she’s hanging.”

Kili shot his uncle a look.

“Alright,” Thorin said after a moment of deliberation. “She’ll stay. But no one shall go out of their way to aid her. I will not lose any of my men over this human.”

They group agreed. They all made little ‘come on then’ gestures to Y/n and started back on the path up the mountain.

Y/n let out a breath of relief. She rejoined their group as they traveled through the scorched city. Now that she was no longer running, climbing, pushing, poling, shouting, or arguing, full fatigue struck her. She hadn’t slept since the night she’d drank elven wine with Legolas. A smile touched her lips as she remembered that night. But it faded from her face when she thought of the kiss on the rooftop. Conflicted feelings fought inside her. It felt like she was being pulled in two different directions at once.

Kili walked up beside her. “Hi,” He said with a hopeful smile on his face. He was ecstatic to see her. Y/n raised an eyebrow and glared at him. “What?”

Kili’s smile fell. She brushed him aside and trotted up to Balin. ‘How dare he just leave me? He didn’t even try to take me with them,’ The girl thought. ‘He can’t just kiss me, ditch me, and then act like nothing happened!’