She waited patiently in the Green Dragon, sipping on half a pint of mead. She kept her green hood from her elven cloak up and covering her face. The cloak was given to her by Lady Galadriel herself. The light jade Leaf of Lorien surrounded by a gold lining held both sides of the cloak together and laid just below her collar bones. She sat alone at a wooden table in the corner of the emptying pub, just staring at her drink. Nobody really suspected her since she was short enough to pass off as a rather tall hobbit. Her facial feature would give it away, however. Her grey blue eyes looked as if it was a storm in the middle of the ocean and her dirty blonde hair fell down her back like a water fall. Her lips were pink and plump and her face held very soft features, making her enemies underestimate her. Her body was slim and her chest and bum was just the right size, giving her an hourglass figure. Her father was apart of the Dunedain, giving her the life of three men and her mother was the granddaughter of Beren, the very first skin changer who has mastered his skills. Most people aren't familiar with him, they are more familiar of the other skin changer who had settled in the forest of Greenwood. Beorn is his name, but she isn't sure if he is still alive. This basically makes her a long living skin changer. She's not very popular, seeing as she likes to keep it on the down low, and not many people have heard of a woman skin changer. Though most call them Beornings now. Her mother wasn't even that popular. She doesnt even think people knew about her, besides her friends of course.
"Acacia." She looked up from her drink and met the eyes of her old friend.
"Mithrandir." She smiled lightly at him as he made his way towards the table. With difficulty, no doubt, especially since he had to crouch the whole way. His back finally straightened as he sat down on the tiny wooden stool. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked the wizard.
"No thank you, we'll be eating soon anyways." He replied.
"So tell me, Gandalf, why did you want me to meet you here? Why not just go to Mr. Baggins house where we were supposed to?"
"Well Acacia, I figured we should wait for a few of the other dwarves and walk with them to the hobbit hole. They would be coming here to stable their ponies just outside. I can tell that four of them have already reached Bilbo's house since there are five ponies outside, one being yours, of course."
"Ah, I see," she responded. "So that would leave... How many dwarves?"
"Nine. Though I'm not sure which ones. And Thorin might be running late, he came from the Iron Hills. So maybe eight."
"So all in all, that would make thirteen?" She asked.
"Yes," he said. "Thirteen dwarves that is. It would be fifteen altogether, including the halfling if Thorin allows him to go."
"Thorin knows that I'm coming right?"
"Yes he's aware of it and he's perfectly fine with it. I don't think you know the other dwarves though." Gandalf told her. "Well onto another subject. How are you holding up?"
"Pretty good actually, I've just came here from the Gulf of Lune. Made a wager with the Teleri. I won, of course. It was a random bet, though. I won out of pure luck."
"And what exactly was the bet now?" Gandalf said, amusement crossing his face.
"The Barbarian Invasions. We made this bet just over a year ago, I finally had the time to meet them and claim my prize."
"Prize?"
"Well as you know that the Teleri are most famous for their music. They gave me a shell, if you put it near your ear then you can hear the Blessing of the Sea. They said it's good luck to have, especially near water. They also squeezed in a few pouches of gold and jewels."
"Alas, those Sea-Elves. Of course it would have something to do with music and the sea." Gandalf said and chuckled.
"Well you know how they are. Water folk." She said to him. They turned their heads to the door of the pub where they could hear the sound of hooves.
"That'll be them." Gandalf said as he stood up and went towards the door. Acacia followed after, giving the empty cup to the landlord. They stepped outside the door to meet the merry faces of eight dwarves.
"Gandalf!" A stout dwarf with auburn colored hair exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the hobbit's house. And who's this lassie?" The dwarf had three braids on each side of his beard and the middle of it was tied together. His mustache curled out past his ears.
"Well Master Gloin, I figured that we would walk there together. And this here is Acacia Berening, I'm sure Thorin has told you about her coming."
"Ah yes, the skin changer." The dwarf said. He walked up to the little lady.
"Gloin." He said bowing to her. he was cut off by another dwarf with greyish blackish hair and two braids on his mustache.
"Bifur." He said. Then a grey haired one came up to her.
"Oin. This laddie here is my brother." The dwarf said, referring to Gloin. Three more came up to her, shoulder to shoulder. The one carrying a slingshot with brown hair looked the youngest. His face carried a very curious look. The one in the middle also had brown hair, but looked a bit older. The last one had grey hair that seemed to be tied in a bun. Acacia noted that they all had braids.
"Ori." "Nori." "And Dori." They said as they bowed.
The last two was a ginger who looked much like a blueberry and a black haired dwarf with a funny looking hat. Once again, she noticed that they both had braids. She wondered what it meant. "Bombur." "Bofur." And altogether the dwarves bowed and said "At your service."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said smiling warmly. "I'm Acacia." She said, noticing that her hood had fallen off.
"Well, lets hit the road. I want some food." Bombur said, causing everybody to laugh. Within about twenty minutes or so, they were lead to a small, round, green door with a brass knob in the middle of it. Oin was the one to knock.
"Don't you think this is a bit overwhelming for the hobbit?" She asked Gandalf who stood behind the dwarves. She walked over and stood right next to him.
"Yes, yes it is." Gandalf said casually. Acacia simply shrugged. They heard noises from the other side of the door so the dwarves leaned on it to hear. As they were leaning, the round door opened and cause them to fall on the ground. The curly haired hobbit looked past the dwarves.
"Gandalf." He said with an exasperated sigh. Acacia hopped over the dwarves and looked at Bilbo.
"Acacia," she said bowing. "At your service."
"Bilbo Baggins." He said hesitantly, giving her a curt nod. She walked past him and looked around the small hole.
"What a lovely home. Did you do it yourself?"
"Thank you." Bilbo said to her. "And most of it are family heirlooms like my mothers glory box which now has mudstains on it by that one bloody dwarf." She was about to say something until four other dwarves from the kitchen walked past her. They greeted the rest of the dwarves with smiles as they helped them up. The white haired one was the first to notice Acacia standing there awkwardly.
"Gandalf who's this?" He said, making the three other unknown dwarves turn and look at her.
"Acacia Berening, at your service." She said as she bowed to the dwarves. She took the time to study them. The one with the white hair was the shortest and obviously the oldest. The one with a bald head was big and muscular and looked like a warrior at heart. The blonde one seemed kind enough and was good looking, no doubt. And the black haired one... Well she didn't really know what to think of him. He was the same height as tje blondie and had a shaven beard and no braids. Yet she couldn't deny that he was very handsome.
"Balin." Said the oldest. The turned to the others and pointed at them while stating their names. "This here is Dwalin, Fili, and Kili." Dwalin bowed to her as Fili went and shook her hand. Kili just stared at her for a few moments, hesitant, and shook her hand.
"You're a woman." He said to her. She raised her eyebrows.
"And you're a dwarf." She retorted. She felt awkward in his presence. They let go of eachothers hands but Kili just stared at her, trying to figure out who she was. He was not told about the woman, he skipped out on most of the meetings.
"Awkward." Fili said as he patted his brother on his back. "Well anyway, lets eat!"
Everything went into chaos. Gandalf hit his head on the hanging chandelier and almost ran into Fili and Kili who was carrying a Barrel into the dining room. Acacia squeezed past Bombur and Bifur and made her way to Fili and Kili with a cup in her hands. They were still walking with the barrel of ale as she poured herself a cup.
"Really?" Kili asked slightly amused.
"Really really." She said as she gulped the drink down and let out a large belch. Everyone around her laughed.
"We should call you Gassie Lassie." Bombur said as he sat down and laughed. Acacia blushed and playfully threw the empty cup at him. After the laughing fest, the table was soon loaded with food and Acacia was pulled into a seat between Kili and an empty chair by Bofur. Fili walked across the table carrying plenty of jugs in his hands.
"Who wants an ale? Anyone want an ale! Here you go." He said, giving drinks to almost everybody in the table then sat down in the empty seat next to Acacia. They all chugged it down when Acacia let out another loud burp.
"That's Gassie Lassie for you!" Oin said. But soon Ori beat her by letting out a long and large burp. Everybody burst out laughing and filled their plates with a variety of food. Soon the plates and table were empty and everyone was up and about. Acacia over heard Gandalf and Bilbo's 'talk' get interrupted by young Ori.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said rather sheepishly, "But what do i do with my plate?"
"Give it here, Ori." Fili said as he took the plate and threw it to Kili who was on the other side of the hall. Kili caught it and threw it into the kitchen. More plates flew past her head and a few of the dwarves started making a beat with the knives and forks.
"Could you please not do that you'll blunt them!" Bilbo said squeezing past.
"You hear that lads, he says we'll blunt the knives." Bofur said. Kili started singing.
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks." Fili then started off another line.
"Smash the bottles and burn the corks." Everyone soon joined in.
"Chip the glasses and crack the plates. Cut the cloth, tread the fat.
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat.
Poor the milk on the pantry floor,
Splash the wine on every door!
Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
Pound them with a thumping pole
And when you're finished if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!
Bilbo squeezed past the laughing dwarves, wizard, and beorning to come face to face with a stack of clean plates. He had a bewildered expression on his face but heard the laughter quiet down as there was a loud knock on the door.
"He's here." One of them said.
"Wh-Who's here?" Bilbo asked as Gandalf opened the door.
"Bilbo, may I introduce you to the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Bilbo nodded at him, unsure what to do.
"I thought you said this place would be easy to find." Thorin said. "I lost my way... Twice. If it hadn't been for that mark on the door I never would have gotten here."
"There's no mark on the door I painted it a week ago!" Bilbo exclaimed.
"Actually there is a mark, I put it there myself." Gandalf said.
"So this is the hobbit." Thorin said as he examined Bilbo. "Tell me, what kind of weapons do you use?"
"Well I do have some skill with conkers but I fail to see why that is relevant." Bilbo replied, stumbling over his words.
"Figures." Thorin replied. "Seems more like a grocer than a burglar."
Everyone laughed at that besides Gandalf and Acacia. Thorin had just noticed her standing between Dori and Dwalin.
"Ah, Acacia. I see you were able to make it." Thorin said to her and she nodded back. Kili still was confused because he wasn't informed of her coming but he shrugged it off. "Now where's the food?"
Soon enough everyone was seated around Thorin who was eating and drinking. The room was dim but seemed to set the mood. The seating arrangements were all the same as when they were eatibg but Gandalf sat next to Thorin.
"Now," Thorin started, "About that quest-"
"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked, his curiosity seeping in.
"Bilbo!" Gandalf said, "Let us have a little more light." The hobbit scurried off to get a candle and placed it down in front of Thorin. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, lies a single solitary peak." Gandalf said whilst pulling out a piece of parchment and flattening it down on the table. Everybody recognized it as the map of Erebor. Besided the hobbit of course.
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo said to himself while reading the paper.
"Ravens have been seen flying to the mountains, as it has been foretold." Dori reminded the company.
"When we return to Erebor the reign of the beast will end." Dwalin added in encouragingly.
"W-what beast?" Bilbo asked nervously.
"Breath like fire, teeth sharper than blades, Smaug the Terrible did fly over heads. With skin like iron and claws like meathooks, he has a habit for rendering you dead." Bofur said in a matter-of-fact tone while Bilbo looked bemused.
"Yes I know what a dragon is!" Bilbo said, slightly annoyed. Ori shot up from his seat.
"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron right up his jacksie-"
"Sit down!" Dori and Nori said as they pulled him back into his seat.
"The task will be difficult," Acacia spoke, "Even with an army behind us. We are but fourteen. And not fourteen of the brightest." She said the last part to herself but it seemed to reach every other dwarfs ear.
"Ay!" Bofur said.
"Who you callin' dim!?" Nori exclaimed.
"We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters." Fili said aloud, "To the last dwarf!"
"And did we forget we have a wizard in our company Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" Kili said, emphasizing the word hundreds.
"Well i wouldn't say that-"
"How many then?"
"What?"
"How many dragons have you killed?" Acacia snorted at Gandalf who was choking on his own words.
"Come on! Give us a number!" After thatt outburst, everybody broke into an argument.
"Enough!" Thorin bellowed as he rose from his seat. Everybody shut their mouths and sat down. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them, too? Rumours have began to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Now do we just sit here, or do we sieze this chance to take back Erebor!" Everybody cheered at that besides Balin.
"Did you forget that the front gate is sealed? There is no way into the mountain."
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf said cheekily while pulling out a metal key.
"Who gave this to you?" Thorin asked.
"It was given to me by your father; for safekeeping, and now i am giving it to you." He said as he handed the key to Thorin.
"If there is a key then there must be a door." Fili pointed out. Gandalf nodded as he let his fingers run over the parchment.
"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf said.
"There's another way in." Kili concluded with a small smile placed upon his lips.
'Well obviously.' Acacia thought sarcastically to herself and rolled her eyes.
"And that's when we'll need our burglar" She added.
"Yes," Bilbo agreed while playing with the hem of his suspenders, obviolusly oblivious to the idea of him being a burglar. "And an expert I suppose."
"Yolu hear that?" Oin exclaimed, "He says he's an expert!"
"Wha-No. No, I'm not a burglar I've never stolen a thing in my life."
"I guess he's telling the truth," Balin said. "Hardly burglar material." Everybody started talking anoout what would happan to Bilbo and Bifur made hand gestures of a person walking, falling, screaming in agony, then exploding.
"If i say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar than a burglar he is." Gandalf said while standing up. Everything behind him seemed to grow darker as he said this but soon turned back to normal. Bilbo was about to protest but from what he just saw what Gandalf did, he decided better on it. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet, in fact they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon Smaug is accustomed to the scent of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him." He said before sitting down. Thorin huffed.
"Give him the contract."
Balin removed a folded piece of paper from the inside lining of his jacket and gave it to Bilbo who took it in his hands. The hobbit stalked off into the hallway while reading portions of the contract aloud. "...Shall not be held responsible for any injuries sustain, leading up to and including lacerations..." He turned it over, "eviscerations?" He said unsure before flipping open a page. "Incineration?" He said with wide eyes.
"Oh yeah, he'll melt the skin off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur said too casually for Bilbo's liking. He swallowed heavily and put his hands on his knees.
"You alright, laddie?" Acacia asked colncerningly.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just feeling a bit faint." He replied.
"Think furnace with wings." Bofur said casually once again.
"Not helping." Acacia said to him.
Bilbo just stood there for a second.
"Nope." He said before collapsing on the ground.
Dori, Nori, and Ori went to pick Bilbo up and place him on an armchair, by Gandalfs request. Acacia got up to place a wet rag on the hobbits forehead while the rest of the company got up to wander around the house. Gandalf and Thorin were talking silently at the table but Acacia was out of earshot to hear anything, she got up and looked at the little trinkets that were placed on tables and read through the titles of dusty books that sat on a shelf.
"Middle Earth: First Age," she said skimming over the spines of each book. "Middle Earth: Second Age." She felt something shift beside her. "Quest for the three Silmarils-"
"Looking for something?" Said a voice to her right. She turned her head to the source.
"Oh, no just browsing." She said as she grabbed the book about the Silmarillion.
"The Silmarils." Kili said. "What in that story interests you?"
"Beren, my great grandfather, was in it. As you know, stories are usually told differently by different scribes. I like to look at what they wrote about him."
"So you're a skin changer eh?" He asked, she looked at him and nodded. "That's probably why you're here, I didn't know."
"What are you talking about?" She looked up from the book and her grey eyes met his dark brown ones.
"I mean no offense, Milady, it's just that I wasn't informed of you're coming or what you are so I was partially confused earlier."
"And why exactly weren't you informed? I was sure that Thorin told everyone. According to Gandalf, of course."
"Well you see that's the thing Milady," Kili started sheepishly, "I kept forgetting to attend most of the meetings." Acacia laughed lightly at him. They both walked over and sat on the empty sofa next to the fireplace.
"Then in that case, I'll let you know that I am only half a Beorning."
"What do you mean?" Kili asked slightly confused.
"My mother was the granddaughter of Beren but my father was apart of the Dunedain Rangers, which makes me half human with the life of three men. I'm also considered as a ranger, I've basically been everywhere."
"Everywhere?" Kili said with an amusing tone in his voice.
"Well not everywhere, I'm only 65, not much time to travel everywhere."
"YES!" Kili shouted, starling Acacia and causing her to drop the book.
"What the bloody hell was that for?!"
"Oh, sorry it's just that I'm a bit, well overly, happy that I am no longer the babe of the group. Besides Bilbo of course, but for now you're the youngest." Kili said to her with a smile. Acacia chuckled.
"And how old are you exactly?" She asked.
"67." Kili answered with a smug smile.
"Oh wow! 67! That's only two years older than me you dimwit!" Acacia exclaimed while playfully pushing his shoulder. Kili laughed aloud before making his face full of fake hurt.
"Oh Acacia," He said while gripping on his arm, "I think you really hurt my shoulder."
"Aw, I'm sorry," she said, faking her concern, "I have just the thing for that. Here, take off your jacket and pull up your sleeve so I could check it out. Meanwhile, I will be right back." She said before standing up to leave. Kili was a bit confused but did as she told anyways. When she came back, she was holding something in her hand but Kili couldn't see it. "Okay now stick your arm out so I can do this." Acacia told him, Kili stuck it out but acting as if it was painful to do. She moved her hands towards his arms before dropping a load of earth worms in his shirt. He jolted up from his seat.
"BLOODY HELL!" He started jumping and wiggling around while Acacia was laughing hysterically in the corner. At this point, all the dwarves gathered into the room along with Gandalf and Bilbo was awake. "ACACIA YOU ARE A DEAD WOMAN."
"What's wrong brother?" Fili asked, torn between helping him or laughing at him. Instead he judst watched with amusement at his brother, who looked like a lunatic.
"ACACIA." Kili said as he swatted at his chest. "WORMS EVERYWHERE." Kili finally decided to rip his shirt off and throw it on the ground, along with the worms in it. Everybody broke out into fits of laughter, even Thorin, besides Bilbo and Acacia. Bilbo started freaking when he saw the worms on his carpet and passed out on the ground once again.
Acacia, on the other hand, just had the air knocked out of her lungs.
She studied Kili's upper body with great desire and lust. He had hair on his chest but just enough for people to like. His torso was perfectly toned and his pants hung low, exposing an amazing v-line. Acacia thought she was going to end up like Bilbo in that moment-knocked out and on the ground-her eyes never left his body. But fortunately, she didn't.
Kili looked flush and when Acacia met his eyes, he grinned evily.
"W-what are you thinking of," Acacia said slowly and sternly. "Whatever you're going to do to me-"
Kili lunged at her to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder.
"Kili Durincest you put me down right now!" She screamed while smacking his bare back, which looked rather sexy. "See your shoulder is perfectly fine thanks to me amd my worms!" She shouted sarcastically. Kili just laughed and shook his head. "Alright alright. Alas! I give up. What do you plan on doing to me you evil dwarf?"
"Evil? You're the one who stuck worms down my shirt! And i actually have no idea. What should I do with her, lads?"
"Stick her in the bush!"
"Make her eat a worm!"
"Have her massage my feet."
"Kiss her, mate!" Fili shouted.
"Well those are ALL terrible and cruel ideas." Acacia said, especially towards the comment Fili made.
"Kissing me would be that bad?" Kili looked up at her and faked a hurt expression.
"Yes, now I highly suggest you let me down."
"Alright everybody," Gandalf said, "I think you've tortured her enough. She's already blushing like mad about the kissing comment." Acacia gave out a low growl at the wizard. Everybody laughed as Kili literally dropped her on the ground. She got up and glared at everybody before planting herself on the chair across the one that Bilbo was now placed upon.
~
Bilbo was quite fed up with the dwarves and their carelessness so he figured it was a nice time to head to bed and maybe, just maybe, had it all been a bad dream. The dwarves started talking to him about what they wanted him to cook for breakfast tomorrow morning.
"I like six eggs with my ham, when starting on a journey: fried not poached, mind you don't break 'em." They said.
Bilbo stomped to his room and stoked at the fire that was burning at the small fireplace. The Tookishness was wearing off, and he was not now quite so sure that he was going on any journey in the mourning. As he lay in bed, he could hear Thorin still singing along with the other dwarves outside:
Far over the misty mountains cold The pines were roaring on the height
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must aw loay, ere break of day
To find our long-forgotten gold.
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flamed and spread
The trees like torches, blazed with light.
Bilbo went to sleep with that in his ears, and, mind you, it gave him very uncomfortable dreams. It was long after the break of day, when he woke.
Author's Note:
Hey lovelies(: Well I've already posted this story on here before but I just deleted it and re-uploaded because I made alot of changes. This story was originally uploaded on my Quotev account but I won't tell you what my account is because I'm already way ahead of chapter 1 on there. I'm uploaded chappy one and two and would really appreciate favorites and reviews(:
keana
xx