Chapter 2
Meeting Thorin
I follow the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo to the door and Gandalf opened the door to show a dwarf that stood a bit taller than the rest with black hair that was showing streaks of grey in it. This must be Thorin Oakenshield.
"Gandalf." Thorin said. He steps into the Hobbit hole as he talks. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." Thorin hands Kili his cloak.
"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago." Bilbo said, heading to the door to see if there was a mark. I felt a dwarf come and stand next to me. I looked up to meet Nori's gray eyes that seemed to twinkle as he looks at me. Gandalf closes the door before Bilbo has time to look.
"There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins. Allow me to introduce the leader of the company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf said.
"So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asked, circling Bilbo.
"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked.
"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked.
"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." Bilbo said.
"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin said. He turned and his eyes land on me. "Why is an elf doing here?"
"Estella or she prefers to go by Ella is here on my invitation." Gandalf said.
"Ella and Gandalf. A word." Thorin snarled. I rolled my eyes and I follow Gandalf and Thorin to a separate room. "Why should I let her come? I don't trust elves."
"She is here under my invitation and approval of her mother." Gandalf said.
"Mother?" Thorin asked.
"My mother is Lady Galadriel. I got Royal blood in me as well Thorin and I prefer both sword and bow if you must know." I said in his head, making him jump.
"She has skills that could be useful and knows every language of Middle Earth." Gandalf said.
"Fine. She can come, but you have to earn our trust, Ella." Thorin said.
"Yes sir." I said, giving a sarcastic bow and hurried out of the room. Nori stood waiting and he looked up when I came out.
"So?" Nori asked.
"I'm coming on the adventure." I said. Nori smiled and gave me a wink. We all head into the dining room and I sat next to Nori and I think Bofur with the funny hat. Thorin ate the food that Bilbo served him.
"What news from the meeting at Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked.
"Aye. Envoys of all seven kingdoms." Thorin said. I heard murmurs of joy from the dwarves.
"What do the dwarves from the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin asked.
"They will not come. They say this quest is ours and ours alone." Thorin said. The dwarves mumbled disappointed statements
"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked, coming up next to Thorin.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Gandalf said. Bilbo grabs a candle as Gandalf spreads out a map on the table. "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." Bilbo leans over the table with the candle to read the map.
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo read.
"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Gloin said. I raised an eyebrow.
"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of old return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Oin said. Bilbo looks concerned and I defently frowned at his words.
"What beast?" Bilbo asked.
"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals." Bofur said.
"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Bilbo said. Ori stood up and we all look at him.
"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarvish iron right up his jacksy." Ori said.
"That's a boy." Nori mumbled. I grin at the young dwarfs bravery. Dori pulled Ori down to sit again.
"Sit down!" Dori said.
"The task will be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen. Not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." Balin said. I held back a laugh as the dwarves objected.
"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" Fili said.
"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili said. I rolled my eyes, but smirked a bit.
"Oh, well, now, I wouldn't say-" Gandalf began.
"How many, then?" Dori asked.
"I, uh, what?" Gandalf asked.
"How many dragons have you killed?" Dori asked. I shot Gandalf a look with a raised eyebrow. Gandalf started coughing on the smoke he was smoking from his pipe. "Go on, give us a number." The dwarves jump to their feet, arguing about the number of dragons. I sigh and lean against the wall with my arms crossed. Thorin jumps to his feet fast.
"ATKAT! If we have read these signs, do you not think that others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du Bekar! Du Bekar." Thorin said. The dwarves cheer. I saw that he would make a good king in the future with how he influenced these dwarves.
"You forget, the front door is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." Balin said.
"That, my dear Balin is not entirely true." Gandalf said, pulling out a key into his hands. I saw it was a dwarvish key as Thorin looks at it in wonder.
"How came you by this?" Thorin asked.
"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf said, handing the key over to Throin.
"If there is a key, there must be a door." Fili said.
"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf said, pointing at the map with his pipe.
"There's another way in." Kili said.
"If we can find it. Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." I said. Gandalf shoots me a grateful smile.
"The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and cleaver, I believe that it can be done." Gandalf said.
"That's why we need a burglar." Ori said.
"And a good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine." Bilbo said.
"And are you?" Gloin asked.
"Am I what?" Bilbo asked.
"He said he's an expert! Hey, Hey!" Oin said.
"Me? No, no, no. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life." Biblo said.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin said.
"Aye the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves. Including woman." Dwalin said.
"I have centuries of fighting behind me. Dwalin. Not all elvish woman are weak. My niece knows how to use a sword." I said, standing up. I left to calm down as more arguing filled the hole. I sat on a bench and looked up at the night sky. I don't know how long I was outside till I felt a presence coming up to me and joined me on the bench. I saw it was Nori. I recognized his hairdo.
"How old are you if you don't mind me asking?" Nori asked.
"I'm over 5,000 years old." I said. (AN: I'm taking a guess on ages of Galadriel's kids so please no killing me or complaining. She's older than Elrond's children.)
"Were you around for the War of the Ring?" Nori asked.
"Yes, but my mother refused for me to fight with my brother-in-law and other family members or else I would have helped fight. I was training to be part of her guards with my brother Halidir." I said. Nori nodded.
"You really want to go on this quest even if there are risks?" Nori asked.
"Yes. I don't know why but I feel like I belong on this quest." I said. Nori took my hand and I felt a sudden spark. I looked up into his eyes as he pulled away.
"Let's go back inside. The others are done talking about it and Bilbo passed out." Nori said, not meeting my eyes. I nodded and stood up. I followed Nori into the hole. I found a chair near the fireplace as the dwarves stood around smoking their pipes. Nori stood near the window. I curled up with my head laying on the armrest and my feet up beside me with my blanket. I saw Nori watching me as he smoke his pipe, but he looked away when he saw I was looking. I felt my heart drop. I didn't know what I was feeling. I never felt this feeling before as the dwarves started humming. Thorin started to sing.
"Far over the Misty Mountains cold. To dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away ere break of day. To find our long-forgotten gold." Thorin sang. I closed my eyes to sleep as the other dwarves joined in while others hummed.
"The pines were roaring on the height. The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread. The trees like torches blazed with light." I fell asleep at the last verse with dreams of gray eyes haunting me through the night.
Nori's POV. I watched as she drifted off to sleep as the dwarves go fall asleep.
"What is that attraction I see you have with the she-elf?" Dori asked, coming up to me.
"I don't know. I just got this feeling." I said, not taking my eyes off her.
"What feeling?" Dori asked.
"That she is my one, but I don't know. Could a princess really fall for a guy like me?" I ask.
"I don't know, but before anything happens. She has to earn my trust along with Ori's." Dori said, giving me the look. I nod. I go find a place to sleep and soon drifted off to sleep.
AN: There's the next chapter. I hope you liked. Yep. Nori more notices what it is while Ella doesn't. I'm not trying to rush things even if it looks like I am. If you don't like it, fine, not going to force you to read it. I'll update soon. :)
