The Undecided Title Of Sara Miller *Hobbit Fanfiction* (Thorin/OC)

Chapter 17: Not Water

In which Sara had way to much cake.

The next day Sara stood in front of the mirror examining her reflection. There were more freckles dotted across her face then she remembered. Her face had slimed slightly and the color in her cheeks was healthy and pink. The most noticeable change, however, was her hair. Her hair once again matched her eyebrows, a deep rich dark brown. Apparently the small bottle of soap she had found in the small bathroom connected to a new room was stronger than she had expected. Not a single strand of blue remained, but Sara found the change did not matter as much to her. For the past few weeks there had been no mirrors to look in and it was a bit odd now to spend so much time in front of the mirror and it made her feel slightly vain to study her reflection once again. She had pulled the top half of her hair back into an inside out french braid, Fili and Kili having been helping her improve braiding skills, and she had also put two small braids just behind her ears and left the rest of her hair flowing freely over her shoulders. She noted that the length had also increased and her hair now swung almost to her shoulder blades.

Fili and Kili had come to the infirmary that morning to help Sara and Bofur relocate to where the rest of the company was as they followed the elf maid across the villa. Despite the dwarves being offered their own rooms many of the company had chosen to stay together, so Elrond had suggested they be given the eight rooms that resided in a hall near the back of the villa. The four rooms on the right were given to Thorin, second to Fili and KIli, third to Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, and forth on the right to Oin and Gloin. The rooms on the left were filled with Balin and Dwalin across from Thorin, Sara, then Bilbo, and last of all Dori, Nori, and Ori. Gandalf must have taken a room in another part of Elrond's large home, and quite an expansive house it was, for it took ten minutes for them to reach her new room from the infirmary. As Sara saw more and more of the beautiful vila she thought that it resembled a very airy cross between a cathedral and a castle. The other end of their little hall lead to a small veranda that backed right up to the towering rock cliffs that reached high above the back of the villa. Small trickles of water ran down the cracks feeding the clinging flowers that spread over the rock and eventually these small trickles joined the larger flow of water that poured over the great falls that surrounded Elrond's beautiful home.

The maid who had taken Sara to her new accommodations had shown her a small chest at the end of her bed that held several dresses the elf girl had said came from a tailor in Bree. When Sara asked why Elrond had human dresses, the maid had told her that there were several humans who lived in the Hidden Valley, but also that Lord Elrond was always prepared to be the perfect host, including clothing should his guests require it. Sara had rummaged through the small chest and found a dress that she felt comfortable in. The main body of the dress was a deep blue as was the lace up bodice. Loose flowing sleeves came down almost to her elbows and the hem of the dress brushed the backs of her calves. There were small stars or snowflakes, for she could not tell, embroidered across the bodice, near the hems, and along the edge of the square neckline. Sara had tried on the shoes that were meant to go with a dress but they were too large, so she opted to go barefoot rather than galumph around in her boots. Besides one hardly required shoes in Elrond's halls and gardens so well tended were the house and grounds. There was a knock on her door and when she called Fili and Kili entered arguing about something or other.

"Sara," called Kili, when he didn't spot her right away.

"I'm right here," she said coming around the corner and into the main room. Since her conversation with Bofur the day before, Sara had been waiting for a chance to speak to the two about the heart sister situation, but thus far she had not found a quiet moment with them. Kili was sitting on her bed fiddling with the zipper on her pack and Fili was looking out the window. She thought that perhaps now would be a good time to speak to them.