Hey guys I am so sorry about the unexpected hiatus... Grad school kind of took over my life there for a bit, and I just had a really hard time keeping up with extracurriculars. Here's a small tidbit I can give to you now, and I'm going to do my best to keep going. I've gotten so much awesome feedback from all you guys, and this project feels really worth the effort. Thanks all :) 3

"Keep quiet!" Dwalin whispered fiercely to the troop of dwarves trailing behind him. The muffled whispers and laughter behind him fell to a low hum as the group continued forward through the darkened trees. Thankfully, the midnight departure from Rivendell had gone according to plan, which was nothing less than a small miracle in Elle's eyes. There had been more than one incident where she was sure they would get caught, but fortunately they had all made it out undiscovered. Elle was disappointed that she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her old friends, and it certainly did not sit well with her that they were leaving Gandalf behind. However, the wizard had been in on this plan all along, and it seemed that if any of the company knew what they were doing, it was him.

"That went better than I'd hoped." A low voice murmured close behind Elle's right shoulder. She turned slightly to see Thorin's dark silhouette outlined against the moonlit sky. Her stomach did a small tumble, still not quite believing the events from the night before had not been a dream.

"Indeed." Elle acknowledged in reply, "It was a good plan."

Thorin nodded and touched her arm lightly in appreciation before moving ahead to resume his post as leader of the group.

OOOOO

The next few days dragged by with little excitement to speak of. The caravan was on foot now, so progress was slow going. Several of the wiser members began to sense a rising frustration within the ranks, and hoped it would not lead to rash action. The company was lucky to have gotten this far; they would need to stick together if they were going to see this through. Thorin, for his part, seemed to be taking the setback in stride. He encouraged the group onwards with unfading confidence, and the majority of his followers couldn't help but think that this quest would be lost if it weren't for him. Unfortunately, there was not much opportunity for private conversation in such a large group, so Elle and Thorin did not converse much during their time together after Rivendell. However, at the end of each day Thorin made an effort to set up his post near to Elle as often as he could. If he could not be near her, he made sure she knew he would be with her as she slept. Not everyone in the group was wise to this new relationship in their midst, but the ones who were smiled. The elderly Balin in particular was delighted to see the light rekindled in his young King's eye; a light he knew would see them all through this impossible quest.