Well then. Here we go, a new story! I wasn't quite sure whether to post this one so soon after the end of my last story, especially considering that I'm not entirely sure yet where this journey is going to take us in the end, but it's a new year and after having seen BotFA, it's definitely time for a new tale! :D

So, I hope you'll enjoy this story and leave your thoughts on the first chapter! :)

„I'm telling you, it says Baggins."

Kili shook his head as he rode along on his pony beside his brother, looking at the small note in his hands once more. It was already quite worn from where he had been keeping it in one of his pockets. "No," he said, looking at the squiggly writing. "I'm rather sure it's an O. Boggins."

"I'm saying it's an A," Fili answered but his little brother just shrugged nonchalantly in reply as the blond shot him a sideways glance. "Be that as it may, we should probably make camp for the night. I doubt we'll get much further today."

Kili just nodded in return as they led their ponies a little away from the road into the trees until they found a convenient spot to set up camp. They were a little less than a day's journey away from the Shire anymore but both of them knew that travelling by night could be dangerous even in as green and peaceful a land as the one they were currently travelling through and they were both tired from the tireless riding of the day, as were their ponies.

"When do you reckon we'll reach Hobbiton?"

Fili looked up as his brother came walking back from where he had tied up Myrtle and Minty, the two ponies grazing calmly a little distance away. The blond was busy putting up a fire, bringing his attention back to his task as he answered while Kili plopped down on the ground next to him where their bedrolls were set up.

"I'd say sometime after midday tomorrow," Fili answered as the flames sparked and he worked them up until they had a small fire crackling in the middle of their camp. With a small sigh he sat back, joining his brother's side as Kili fished out some food from one of his packs. "It's not too far and since we're not to meet our burglar until nightfall, we have time to stock up on our supplies in the town."

Kili just nodded as they shared dinner and biting a big chunk out of his piece of bread, he replied around the food in his mouth. "I just hope there'll be something to eat."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Fili grinned as they roasted what was left of their sausages. Kili's mind was always occupied with food, fighting or females in Fili's experience, mostly exclusively in that order, as well. Kili just returned his brother's grin and they kept on chatting easily as night fell over them and the only light was provided by the moon and the fire they had started. It wasn't long until they divided the night into two shifts of watch between them and Fili went to sleep while Kili took the first turn.

It hadn't been long when the dark-haired archer became slightly bored of just sitting by the fire and watching the night, which was when he picked up a flat stone from the floor and began turning it in his hand absentmindedly. He didn't particularly like being on watch, though he knew the importance of such a task, of course. But he could imagine many things more interesting than simply sitting around in the dark when nothing ever happened. With a sigh, he tossed up the stone in his hand once and caught it again before he carelessly threw it into the bushes opposite him.

However, he hadn't expected the sudden rustle that followed his action and as he caught slight movement in the trees, he quickly took up his bow and notched an arrow, pointing it in the direction. His eyes couldn't make out anyone in the darkness, but he was sure there had been someone as he narrowed his eyes.

There was a light gust of wind, ruffling the leaves around the camp and Kili could swear he heard something move through the bushes, although as his eyes followed the noise once more he couldn't see anything. With a swift kick to the side he woke his brother, all the while keeping his arrow at the ready.

"Who's there?" he called into the night, receiving no answer apart from the small noises Fili caused as he sat up in alarm, swiftly tugging one of his many knives out of his sleeve as he sent his little brother a questioning gaze. Both of them turned abruptly as a gust of wind ruffled the leaves around them again, though this time Kili frowned deeply for he could not feel the air that was causing the bushes to move anywhere else around him. In fact, it seemed to be completely windless, which made the whole situation a little eerie to the brunet dwarf.

"Come out and show yourself!" Fili now demanded loudly and as Kili looked over at him, he saw that his brother had exchanged his knife with one of his broad swords in the meantime. The brunet flinched slightly as suddenly a wordless whisper seemed to flow through the air around them and he watched in confusion as the leaves moved once more, though this time he could have sworn that he saw a silhouette moving behind the trees. However, it vanished as soon as he had seen it, making him doubt whether it had actually been there.

Kili exchanged a worried look with his brother as they both turned so they were standing back to back, both with their weapons drawn and ready to defend themselves.

"I don't see anyone," Kili muttered to his big brother as he watched the trees closely, feeling Fili suddenly turn slightly behind him.

"I do," the blond uttered and Kili quickly spun around at his words, following his brother's gaze as he pointed his sword at the small figure that was sitting in the grass beside the fire, watching them calmly out of big emerald green eyes.

Fili's eyes were set intently on the strange small female before them and she looked right back at him over the tip of his sword, her eyes boring into him. As her emerald gaze momentarily flicked from him to Kili who was pointing his arrow at her, the blond dwarf took a moment to notice that she didn't seem to be armed at all. There was no weapon in her hands that were folded in her lap as she sat cross-legged on the floor, and neither could he see any attached to her clothing, which also seemed rather strange now that he took a closer look at her. A thin forest green dress was wrapped around her slim form, though in Fili's eyes it wasn't doing a very good job of covering her body properly and if he weren't at the moment threatening her for being an intruder, he would probably have averted his eyes. The green fabric was torn in several places and left her shoulders and arms uncovered as well as a good part of her legs as it stopped more or less at her knees as far as he could see in her sitting position.

"Who are you?" Kili demanded at his side, ripping Fili out of his thoughts after he had only stared at her for a few moments. The small woman tilted her head slightly at his brother, eyes growing curious as her fiery red hair cascaded in soft waves over her right shoulder at her movement. "What are you doing here?"

Fili watched as her eyes bore into Kili for a long moment before she averted her gaze to the fire she was sitting next to, reaching out one hand to the sparks of glimmering embers that rose from it into the air without touching them. With a confused frown, Kili turned to his big brother, exchanging another glance with him to see if Fili found this scenario as strange as he did. Fili just shrugged his shoulders slightly as he raised his sword further towards the woman. Her gaze flew from the fire to his blade instantly and the blond dwarf watched silently as she reached out and curiously touched the tip of it with her fingertips, immediately jerking her hand back as if she had been stung.

"It burns," she mumbled softly to herself, making Fili lower his sword without really intending to do so as he looked down at her while she examined her fingertips closely. The iron of his blade had actually burned her ever so lightly, he realized. Fili's eyes widened as full realization hit him suddenly and while Kili kept pointing his arrow at her – although she didn't seem to pay much mind to it – the blond dwarf held out his hand to calm his little brother down. Kili shot him an incredulous look.

"What are you doing?" the brunet asked, ignoring Fili as he shook his head at him, eyes trained on the small creature that had turned back to watching the embers rise towards the sky, ignoring their hushed conversation. "For all you know, she could be –"

"Kili," Fili finally turned to his brother, giving him an imploring look as he spoke. "She's a fae!"

"She's not a fae," Kili huffed dismissively in return, lowering his bow without thinking as he addressed his brother's seemingly ridiculous statement. "Obviously. Faes don't exist."

"You are a rude dwarf," another voice suddenly cut in quietly and both brothers turned their heads to look at the red-haired woman in front of them. She looked at Kili with a small frown on her delicate features and only now did both of them notice the numerous little flowers that seemed to have been woven into her long hair. Kili opened his mouth in protest.

"Excuse me?" he uttered indignantly, raising his eyebrows at her as she kept sitting on the grassy ground comfortably and seemingly completely unfazed by the situation. "You're the one who attacks us in the middle of the night, sneaking into our camp like a –"

"I did not attack you," the woman interrupted, her voice quiet and soft like the whisper in the wind around them had been before. Kili now lowered his bow completely, obviously feeling confident that she did not pose a real threat to them. Fili watched the two of them interact silently. "It was you who threw a stone at me."

Kili seemed a little flustered at that, frowning at her as he put his hands on his hips, one of them still gripping his bow. "Well, I didn't know you were there!"

"Still rude," she said with another tilt of her head, blinking up at him. "To disturb nature."

Her gaze flicked to Fili as the blond took a careful step closer and she watched as he slowly sheathed his sword before she brought her eyes back up to his. She held his gaze as he crouched down in front of her, bringing himself to the same eyelevel as she was. She really was small, he thought to himself before he addressed her with a soft tone. "Do you have a name?"

"Of course," she answered pleasantly, a small smile tugging on her full lips now as she returned his gaze calmly. Now that they weren't threatening her with their sharp weapons any longer she seemed much more inclined to talk to them. She kept her eyes trained on him as Kili put his arrow back in his quiver before he walked up to them as well, looking down at her as he came to stand next to Fili.

"Well, what is it?" the brunet asked while Fili kept watching the fae closely, seeing her smile widen ever so slightly as her emerald eyes shone with mischief.

"It is sweet as it is bitter," she murmured, bringing her gaze back to look into Fili's eyes as he raised his eyebrows slightly. "It will leave a distinct taste on your tongue."

"She speaks in riddles," Kili muttered as he crouched down as well, shooting the obviously amused fae a dry look. She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling in the firelight.

"She is wondering why she should give her name to strange dwarves who would remain nameless themselves."

The corner of Fili's lips quirked up at her words and he shot a small glance to his little brother who simply returned it with both his eyebrows raised. "Fili," he then said, returning his gaze to the fae.

"And Kili," the brunet added and in unison they ended, as they always did. "At your service!"

She looked at them both for a moment, simply smiling and not saying anything in return. Her gaze flicked to the glimmering embers once more, and her smile softened ever so slightly as she suddenly stood, leaving the two dwarves to stare at her bare feet in the grass before they quickly rose as well.

"Hey!" Kili called as she turned away from them without a word and walked back toward the bushes, and both the dwarves' eyes widened in shock as they saw her body lose its form as it became transparent the further into the leaves she walked. The fae looked back at them over her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

Once again, she tilted her head at the brunet, giving him a dainty little smile as if it was something he ought to know. Her eyes darted to Fili as the blond spoke up, the strange expression in his icy blue eyes halting her in her tracks for just a moment.

"What is your name?" he asked quietly, his voice carried over to her by the breeze in the air. She smiled again, regarding the blond dwarf for a moment. The strange braids in his hair and his moustache, his stocky figure, the weapons that were strapped to him seemingly everywhere, so contradicted in the gentle look in his eyes.

"Cinna," she finally said and her voice was carried through the air as if it were the wind whispering before she stepped into the trees and vanished from their sight.