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In the time that he had roamed the strange halls of the inn, Fili could still see no sense in it. It was luxurious and nothing like a dwarf had ever constructed. It did not even match the tale of elves, which made it the halls of men. This was even more evidenced by the number of them walking through the halls, but none of them seemed to understand the sheer magic lying in their doors.

He had been through many of them into strange and wonderful worlds, but most importantly was that he had found a door leading to the garden that brought him back to Middle Earth. The only strange thing, Fili believed, was that he lingered upon the edge of it.

He stayed one foot into Middle Earth and one foot in the inn, unsure that he wished to step forward and continue back on the journey yet. Thorin was likely to have his head and he hated to abandon Kili, but there was a strange pull about the odd land behind him that he had not been able to relinquish, just yet. After all, how could he ignore that the inn had more magic in it than even Gandalf!

Surely, if such a place could be so powerful, there might be something or someone within its' halls to lend him the strength to overpower a dragon.

And so, Fili sat between two worlds in an open doorway, lighting his pipe as he peered out as the fog began to swim over Esgaroth in the distance, where his kin had gone on their journey. And in the distance, above that fog, Fili kept his gaze affixed on the Lonely Mountain's peak. Even here, from so far, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever set his eyes upon and nothing could convince him otherwise.

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"I'm sorry," he offered, drawing out one of his knives in order to cut through the trees on the outliers of the forest, bringing them closer to the river. "My family has experienced something similar, though there was no band of thieves and there is no war. Merely a thief, singular."

"A singular thief? What did he do to your family, Fili?"

Perhaps this was a personal question but Zelda felt like if they were sharing secrets, she was more than happy to share her fair amount in exchange. Fili was someone she felt was noble and trustworthy and it had been a long time since she had been that comfortable with anyone.

"My great-grandfather's greed brought a dragon upon our home," Fili said, keeping his voice even so as not to accuse his family of anything too untoward. "We have been without a place to call ours ever since, but I was on a quest to retake Erebor with my kin. They are here, somewhere, and I must rejoin them."

"A dragon," Zelda breathed. That was a very grave thing to bring upon one's head and she remembered all too well the havoc Volvagia wreaked upon Death Mountain.

"I have some experience with dragons. Enough to know that it is wise to stay as far away from them as possible."

"Smaug, the great and terrible," Fili spoke his name, glancing to the skies as though merely saying those words would summon him from his rest, especially this close with the Lonely Mountain looming near them. He took hold of her hand, long enough to point it in the direction of the mountain. "There," he said. "Erebor, and the beast that has laid claim to the treasure, it all lies under that mountain."

"A dangerous proposition, then, attempting to reclaim it," Zelda said. It was not one she would relish but then again, if a dragon had taken up residence in her castle, she would be just as determined to oust it as she was determined to oust Ganondorf.

"Not for the faint of heart."

"Certainly not. However, when you have the stalwart heart of a company of thirteen..." Fili's smile was daring and brave. Perhaps misguided and short-sighted, but still, his heart had been born in the fire of wanting to win one's home back. "I imagine you did not simply let your thieves take your home, either."

"Oh no," Zelda assured him. "We have been fighting a losing battle for a while now but I think the tide may just have turned. I hope so, anyway. There is a champion to our cause who has had some recent success against the enemy and I hope he can continue on without me as it seems I cannot return to Hyrule at the moment. I am a marked woman."

"It is lucky you have worlds of your own to explore, then," Fili said, given that the strange manour had been good to him in that respect. While he did not wish to live his life there, it offered good rest, good food, and a brief respite from the battle. "If we go further, now, we will be in Esgaroth, a town of men. Do you wish to try and sneak in with me?"

The idea of sneaking into a place brought a smile to Zelda's lips, a broader one than she had worn of late. It reminded her of the stealth missions she took on under the guise of Sheik on behalf of her country and the Hero of Time and it seemed she had missed the danger; she had played the princess for too long.

"I would enjoy the challenge, Fili. I will follow your lead."

"Come along, then. They will look at me with more wariness than you, for they are not used to seeing dwarves," he said, knowing this to be true. "And also for your beauty." He spoke this in a matter-of-fact fashion, as she was a beautiful woman and the people of Esgaroth were weary with poverty. "Perhaps we will call more attention to ourselves than intended, but it will only require extra care."

"Should I hide my ears?" Fili had mentioned that she looked like an elf and she didn't know if these people would be as against it as he had been at first.

"I do not wish to reveal us to someone who means us harm."

"They might give us a wider berth if they see your ears," Fili confessed, for what would men and women think of an elf and a dwarf roaming their city together? Surely they would leave them be, for fear of what might happen if they did not. "They may be a help to us."

"Then I will leave them uncovered and perhaps none will guess at our errand," Zelda said, pushing her hair back to expose her ears. It was strange, thinking to hide them, if only because she never would have even asked in Hyrule.

"I hope we do not run into trouble."

Fili had been running into trouble ever since he had set off on this quest and he feared that would not end. "I do not suppose you would wish to continue with us," he said, though he would not take her from her work. Once they arrived in the city, Fili tugged upon her sleeve to take her into the shadows, not wanting them to be caught. "Here," he whispered in a hiss. "I believe I last saw Thorin in a house in this area."

Zelda slipped into the shadows alongside him, trying to make herself seem as unobtrusive and invisible as possible. "I could use magic, if you think it would help. It could help make us seem less visible than we already are."

She was wary about using magic on someone who might not welcome it and wanted to be sure before she tried anything.

"Can your magic slay a dragon?" It was the most important question he had, now. He wished for Thorin to never be challenged with gold sickness as their relatives had been, but he did not know how to do that. Perhaps magic was the answer to such problems.

"Provided I had the advantage of surprise, it could," Zelda said. There was no point in false modesty when she thought she could help him. "I am able to move things with merely a thought. It is why my aim is so true with an arrow - if I had the element of surprise, I could do magic to aid you."

Could she help him get his home back? It seemed too big to hope for but as someone who had long been without her place in the world, Zelda wanted to help Fili regain his if she possibly could.

"I do not wish to lose any of my kin to this quest and as we grow closer to our goal, I fear it will happen," Fili said, hoping that no one would hear these words and repeat them, for they were tantamount to treason amidst his family. "Were you born with such talents?"

Zelda nodded. "All the women in my line are possessed of magic. It is said that our line descends from that of the goddess Nayru, who gave knowledge and wisdom to the world. Without her, the world would be lawless and power would be unchecked. I have never known life without it."

"We do not have many dwarf women, but they possess only a magic which allows them to cope with their husbands and sons," Fili said wryly, an echo of what Dis had often said about them. He lurked in the shadows, pulling her along with him until they arrived at one of the small homes. There were many dwarven crafts here, but no dwarves, which meant they had made for the mountain and Fili was likely a day behind. "We've missed them," he said, frustration thick in his words.

Zelda laughed lightly at the mention of dwarf women only to frown a bit that they'd missed Fili's kin.

"I am so sorry. Is there any way that we might catch them? We're only two, we'll travel quickly if we have a horse."

"It would have to be a pony, for me," Fili said, for even if he were riding as passenger on horse, it would take a great deal of control that he did not know if he possessed. He had never tried such a thing. "And if we make for the mountain, I do not know if there will be a door to help us reach your home again. I would never take you from that."

"We could try," Zelda said, not wanting to give up hope just yet. "I would hate to give up on it entirely." The idea of not having a door back to Hyrule was a bit disconcerting but Zelda wondered if going back was the right choice. Her country...the war was lost, for the most part, and there was little she could do to change it.

"If you're willing to risk it, so am I."

He could not ask it of her, when she would lose contact with her own home. While Fili wished to be reunited with his kin and his quest, he could not in any good conscience ask so much of her. "I would not take you from your world or your tasks," he said, as kindly as he could. "I would not carry a burden upon my shoulders, especially if you were to be harmed in any way."

"I understand," Zelda said softly, giving him the smallest of smiles. "You are a man of great honor, Fili, and compassion. I only wish I could do more to help you find your home again."

To be without a home was devastating and she hated that this was the thing that Fili had in common with her.

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