A loud gasp startled me awake. I jerked into a sitting position, and grumbled when the bright morning light burned my retinas. Bilbo slept on in the bed beside me. He made a snuffling noise before turning over and burrowing deeper under the covers.

I blinked away the spots in my vision, and searched for the noise that woke me up. Since Bilbo was still asleep I knew it wasn't him, so I looked at the door leading into my room, and there stood Elladan and Elrohir. The twin brothers stared at me in complete shock. Their gaping mouth slowly turned into smirks.

Elrohir raised his eyebrows. "I see you've made more than just friends since you've left, muinthel."

My mind was still clouded from sleep. Elrohir nodded his head at Bilbo, and his statement finally made sense. "No! Bilbo is just a friend, nothing more."

The hobbit chose that moment to wake up. Our talking must've been why, because he pulled the covers over his head while grumbling for us to be quiet.

Elladan and Elrohir both laughed at his actions, and Bilbo jerked into a sitting position. The comforter slid off of his head, revealing golden curls messy with bed-head. He stared at the two elves with horror filled eyes. "Goodness! Oh dear, oh dear. This isn't what it looks like!"

Now I was beginning to laugh at the poor hobbit. His face reddened to the point a tomato would be jealous. "Bilbo, it's alright. They're just teasing us." Bilbo finally stopped rambling, but his face was still flushed with embarrassment.

Elladan looked between us suspiciously. "So, nothing happened between you two? Just a male friend sleeping with his female friend?"

I rolled out of bed with a sigh. "Yes, Elladan. Bilbo is traveling with the dwarves and I."

Elrohir hummed. "So long as he stays a friend. Our muinthel deserves better than a halfling."

Bilbo squawked indignantly. "Excuse you, sir, but I am half of nothing!"

The brothers leaned back. They hadn't been prepared for Bilbo to snap back at them. "The kitten has claws!" Elladan exclaimed. "Maybe you aren't the worst suitor for our muinthel."

I rolled my grey eyes. "Neither of you have any say in my love life. If I wanted to date Bilbo–which I don't–then I would, and neither of you could stop me."

Elrohir squinted his eyes. "This sounds like a challenge. Don't you think so, brother?"

Elladan slowly nodded. "It certainly does, brother. We'll have to watch her closely. Make sure her future partner will deserve her."

Grabbing my pillow off the bed I chucked it at them. Elrohir batted it away while both brothers laughed at me. "Get out, the both of you! I need to change."

The brothers moved towards the door, but when they noticed Bilbo didn't move they paused. Elrohir stared at him suspiciously. "Muinthel, you would change in front of this hobbit?"

I shook my head. "I was going to change in the bathroom. Bilbo stayed with me tonight because he didn't know where his room was."

Elladan held out a hand. "The halfling can come with us. We can show him to his rooms."

Bilbo and I stared at the elf in suspicion. I stared because I knew Elladan would probably try to pull a prank on the poor hobbit. Bilbo stared because he didn't trust the elf no matter how pretty he looked.

"Bilbo," the hobbit looked over at me, "you can go with them, if you wish."

He looked between me and the elven twins. We could tell he was weighting his options by the expression on his face. In the end he climbed out of bed and gathered his clothes. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your rooms, Lady Amber." Bilbo bowed slightly, then spun on his heel to march out of the room.

"Oh, Bilbo!" The hobbit turned to give me an inquisitive look. "I'll find you later this afternoon, and give you that tour we talked about last night."

Bilbo's face lit up. "That would be wonderful, Lady Amber."

Two arms draped over his shoulders. When Bilbo looked up he saw Elladan and Elrohir smiling mischievously. "If it's a tour you want, we'll be more than happy to show you around!"

I watched them lead Bilbo out of my room. The poor hobbit had no idea what the twins were like, and I felt bad for leaving him in their mercy. Hopefully Elladan and Elrohir would be gentle with him. Bilbo truly was a gentle creature and very polite. Those two elves would no doubt get on Bilbo's nerves if he spent too much time with them.

Alone in the privacy of my room I could finally take a much needed bath. I didn't take one the night before because I was too busy catching up with Elladan and Elrohir. Not to mention I was exhausted from traveling.

My room had its own ensuite, and I filled the wood tub with steaming water so I could submerge my body. The warmth relaxed all my muscles, and I could finally undo my braid to wash my hair. Traveling makes it difficult to take care of my hair. I couldn't wash it properly, and dealing with the braid without a mirror was near impossible. It always loosens after I sleep, and I do my best to tighten it, but there wasn't much I could do. Not to mention traveling with a large group of dwarves. Their race is very particular about hair, for whatever reason, so I wasn't sure how it would be taken if I started messing with mine. It wouldn't have mattered to me had I not been wearing Thráin's hair pieces. I also never see the dwarves messing with their hair, so I tried to fiddle with my hair as little as possible.

Now, in the privacy of my rooms, I could take as much time as needed to properly care for my hair. Not just my hair either. Traveling with a group of 15 men left me with little to no privacy. Coming to Rivendell was a true godsend.

I had to empty the bath and refill it because of how dirty the water became. By the second time I climbed out of the water without a speck of dirt on my body. I also got the chance to shave. I couldn't remember the last time I shaved, and I sighed in relief when I felt my silk-smooth legs.

Next to the tub was a washbasin and a toilet. They weren't the industrial objects from Earth, but they definitely worked better than squatting by trees and quick washes in a river with no soap.

I didn't need either of those items since my hairbrush was on the vanity in the main part of my room. It sat just out of reach from the balcony doors. I sat on the cushioned stool and gazed thoughtfully into the mirror.

My red hair looked darker than normal thanks to the bath. The loose tendrils hung all the way passed my waist. A comb sat on the vanity, waiting to be used. During the bath I felt how tangled my hair was, and I didn't look forward to the pain brushing it would cause.

In the end, after a lot of pain, frustrated shouting, and accidentally ripping out a few hairs, I could finally run my fingers through the damp locks without any resistance. My hair was the softest it's been in years.

Braiding came next. All of Thráin's beads and hair pieces sat in wait on the vanity counter. It took a lot of concentration to put the beads in correctly. The amount of hair I had to work with only served to make it harder.

When I tied off the braid I decided to let it hang over my right shoulder. Usually I wrapped it around my shoulders because of how long it was, but with the clothes I was going to wear I decided against it.

Since the Company would be in Rivendell for an indefinite amount of time I could wear comfortable clothes. My standard traveling clothes were pants, boots, and a tunic. They were the clothes I didn't have to worry about if they got torn or stained.

Inside the wardrobe were dozens of dresses Elrond gifted to me when he gave me the room. None of them were truly mine, since I never bought any of them. The dresses were obviously a gift, but I never wore them because I already felt as though I owed the elf Lord. I also never felt comfortable wearing a dress.

Today I decided to try one out. Several of them had intricate laces through the back that would require the help of a second person. A few of them looked so ornate I'd expect someone of high standard to wear them at special events.

The dress I chose was dark grey in color. The long sleeves hung loosely from my arms. I could barely feel the material thanks to its light weight. It had a modest neckline that prevented me from worrying about accidentally flashing somebody. It hugged me tightly around the waist, and thanks to all my traveling and fighting over the years my stomach was fairly flat, so I didn't feel self-conscious about my waistline. Once it reached my hips the material seamlessly flowed to the floor. It was long enough to cover my feet when I stood still, but it didn't get in the way when I walked.

Unfortunately the only shoes I had were my traveling boots. I never asked Elrond for new shoes; especially not after he gifted me an entire wardrobe of fancy dresses. With no money I could never buy shoes. Wearing thick, mud-covered boots with such a pristine dress would look ridiculous, so I decided not to wear them. The stone and marble floors were so smooth and clean I didn't have to worry about stepping on anything that would hurt me.

As I examined myself in the mirror my stomach grumbled. I placed my hand against my abdomen in surprise. Glancing out the open balcony doors I noted the suns position. Elladan and Elrohir woke Bilbo and me up in the early dawn hours. Now it looked like mid-morning.

I glanced in the mirror one more time. The dress made me look completely different, and my hair looked healthier than ever. The braid looked good draped over one shoulder instead of being wrapped around both of them.

Exiting my room, I made sure the door closed behind me before I headed for the kitchen. I couldn't wait to eat a meal that didn't consist of soup and bread. Bombur was a wonderful cook, but weeks of soup, dried meat, and bread only appealed to my appetite for so long.

When I entered the kitchen area it was empty. I perused through the cupboards in search of food. I knew elves didn't eat meat, so my choices were limited. As a result I found myself collecting the ingredients for a salad. Perhaps not the most mouthwatering food, but it was better than soup.

I put all of the food items I managed to find onto a counter. The tomato and cheese I found needed to be chopped, and I had to wash and rip up the lettuce. The tasks were easy, and I allowed myself to daydream while I prepared my meal.

I just finished adding the chopped tomato to my bowl when I heard someone enter the kitchen. Looking up I made a surprised noise when I discovered Nori standing in the doorway. "Good morning, Master Nori! I hope you slept well."

The auburn haired dwarf startled at the sound of my voice. He jerked his eyes away from the silver candelabra he'd been eyeing, and when he spotted me his brown eyes widened. "Lady Amber?"

I hummed in acknowledgment. "I'd recommended against stealing from your host." I knew Nori was a thief. It was hard not knowing everybody's profession after traveling with them for so long. Fíli and Kíli enjoyed telling stories about a few of the dwarves, while Bofur filled me in on the rest. Apparently Dwalin and Nori were at odds many times considering Dwalin's job as a guard.

"Lass, what are you wearing?"

My eyebrows furrowed, and I glanced down at my dress worriedly. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?" From my angle everything looked fine, but Nori might have spotted something I didn't.

He quickly shook his head. "No, no. I've never seen you in a dress, is all. Surprised me."

I made a noise of understanding. "I see." With one last cut I finished chopping the onion. "As I was saying: please don't steal anything from here."

Nori's smile was so innocent I knew it was fake. "Never, Lady Amber. I wouldn't dream of stealing from our hosts."

"Good. I'd be surprised if you did steal something. You'd have to truly admire the elven craftsmanship if you feel the need to steal their silverware." Digging through drawers finally revealed a fork for me to eat with.

Nori spluttered slightly while I started eating my salad. I didn't take the time to make a dressing, so it tasted a little bland, but otherwise it was perfect.

When the spluttering ceased I looked up from the food. Nori managed to disappear from the room without me noticing. With a shrug of my shoulders I went back to finishing my salad. Once I finished I could search for Bilbo, and give him a small tour of the valley.