"Wizard, I ask of you this."

Gandalf had not been hiding but he still smiled that the Elven queen had so easily sensed his presence. She turned sharp blue, almost white, eyes to his general direction. Her companion stood silently by, fingers curled around her bow.

"Do you think me a fool? That I do not sense you?"

"Nothing of the sort."

Gandalf revealed himself, his hands in a gesture meant to assure the two She-Elves he meant them no harm or ill will.

"Queen Amarth, I am sure you have heard of the king under the mountain."

"But of course," she replied. "Atiana and I both. But what does that have to do with us?"

"I have a company," Gandalf explained, lowering his hands. "I should like the two of you to take part."

Amarth looked to Atiana, her so far silent companion, a small grin on her face.

"You know too well that both Thranduil and my son would find no amusement in our actions," she said, mischief clear in her voice.

Atiana returned her grin.

"Then we must take great care not to get caught."

It wasn't possible. Thorin had agreed to the wizard's plan. Had really considered it too. To reclaim his birthright, his home, he'd do anything. Anything except work with that bastard's wife. A title she was obviously proud of because she'd introduced herself with her title, her voice a whispered hush, given that they were outside a very unsavory tavern. Meanwhile, her companion had literally dropped from the ceiling, bow in hand as if she'd been scouting. Amarth, the queen, had fixed her companion's hood over hair so deeply brown it was almost black. As for Amarth, her hair was a full black, hidden beneath the hood of her own hooded cloak with only a few wisps escaping. The wizard was watching the exchange between him and the two Elven wenches.

"No," Thorin said flat out.

"Beggars cannot afford to be choosers, your Highness," Amarth had said before Gandalf could get a word in.

Her blue, almost white, eyes fell upon him, freezing his soul with the intensity. Her tone may have been playful and light but she was dangerous.

"You intend to mock me?" Thorin demanded.

Her lips quirked and she cast a glance at her companion. With a smile, she motioned at her.

"This is Atiana," she said. "A good friend of mine. Almost family."

Brown eyes flashed to Amarth, speckled with gold and green. Thorin drew in a deep breath of surprise as those eyes went to him, the brown in them literally lightening to an almost mahogany color. Briefly, she nodded, a low bow her only response before she straightened.

"I, unlike my husband, who can be rather thick skulled, have no quarrel with dwarves. In fact, it was dwarves that once saved my life," Amarth explained.

She recaptured his eyes.

"I was unable to help that family. Orcs killed them. A very… pale orc, to be precise."

She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. VERY carefully. Thorin looked at Gandalf.

"Very well," he finally relented.

The two elves watched the dwarves stuff their faces, sitting in the shadows.

"Such...excellent table manners," Atiana remarked, making a face at the fish lying on her plate, placed by one of the dwarves.

Her response was typical of any elf who'd never wandered past the confines of home. Amarth grinned at her companion, her face sly.

"They're a cheerful lot, are they not?"

Atiana opened her mouth to retort but found the queen distracted by the hobbit who scrambled about, trying to keep his things from being broken. She bit back a loud laugh, shocked when Amarth let out a joyful chirp beside her.

"Poor hobbit!" she laughed, true sympathy in her voice despite her laughter.

Looking at the mess, Atiana shook her head.

"Indeed."

"It seems the man of the hour has yet to arrive though. Pity, he'll miss out on the food," Amarth said.

"Are you serious about helping these dwarves?"

Atiana could not help ask as a chorus of burps echoed from the hall. Amarth seemed amused and distracted by the sound.

"Duck!" she ordered, yanking her friend down to the floor as dishes began flying.

"What?" Atiana cried.

Amarth was on her feet, throwing her own dish and laughing as a dwarf was suddenly there to catch it. Atiana looked up at her queen as if the woman was crazy.

"Atiana! Come!" Amarth urged, yanking at Atiana's arm.

Atiana was yanked up, a mug flying past her head.

"Toss it to him!" Amarth instructed, pointing at a dirty blonde dwarf and indicating Atiana's plate.

Timidly, Atiana did so, pleasure in her as the dwarf grinned and then he turned away, throwing at another dwarf out of sight. Amarth was grinning at her.

"Dwarves are much, much more fun then elves," her queen said. "No matter what they are doing."

The fun drained away though, with the sound of a hard knock on the hobbit's door. Amarth's smile vanished as she turned toward the sound, her eyes flashing.

"He's here," was all she said.