Chapter 2: The Quest

"There's another way in," said Kili with a smirk.

The dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo had been discussing the quest to take back Erebor all night. So far the main quest points had been established and now Gandalf had revealed to the company that he was in possession of a map and key that lead to a secret entrance built into the side of the mountain.

"Well if you want to steal from a dragon, you'll need a damn good burglar. An expert I would say," said Bilbo, who was pouring over the map, obviously fascinated.

"And are you?" asked Bofur.

Bilbo hesitated for a moment, waiting for someone else to reply as he had not realised that Bofur's question was directed at him. He fiddled with his breeches and then looked up at the dwarf who had an expectant look on his face.

"Am I what?"

"An expert..."

"What? Me? No no no... I've never stolen anything in my life."

Gandalf sighed at the hobbit's lack of adventure and then stopped the dwarf's chatting which mainly consisted of abuse aimed at Bilbo. Gandalf looked at Thorin, who sighed and said to Balin, " Give him the contract."

At this, Balin reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of parchment that, when Bilbo held it, nearly reached the floor.

"Up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of the total profit. That seems... fair. Urm.. Laceration? Evisceration? Incineration!" said Bilbo, reading aloud.

"Oh yeah, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," said Bofur, mistaking Bilbo's nervousness for a question.

Bilbo stared at him in disbelief and started to breathe heavily.

"Bilbo... Are you okay?" asked Fria, who was beginning to move towards him to try to calm him down but since there was no way around the table, she was climbing on it. Thorin looked at her disgustedly when she reached his end of the table but she avoided his gaze, knowing that the prince was too stubborn and proud to change his opinion of her.

"I feel... I feel a bit faint," said Bilbo.

Fria rubbed his back comfortingly hoping to prevent him from passing out. She didn't even consider the hobbit when she turned up at Bag End but now she saw that Bilbo was not exactly the adventurous type and having 13 dwarves and a wizard turn up at your doorstep, expecting you to join a quest in which you have to sneak past a dragon was not what Bilbo had wanted to get from his Wednesday supper. She began to feel truly sorry for him.

"Think furnace with wings!" joined Bofur again and Fria shot him a warning glance but he didn't seem to notice that his words were not helping the hobbit but making him even more anxious.

"I think I need air," said Bilbo, his breath becoming heavier and heavier.

"Flash of light! Searing pain! Then poof! You are nothing more than a pile of ash!"

Fria was about ready to kill Bofur but Bilbo straightened up and his breathing went back to normal. The dwarves looked relieved and waited for Bilbo to say something. He paused for a moment. He managed to say "nope" before he passed out.

.o0o.

Fria sat on the floor next to Bilbo holding a wet cloth to his forehead. After the hobbit had fainted, the dwarves had carried him into his study and placed him in his chair opposite Gandalf.

"Well, Miss Fria. I do not know you but you seem to be compassionate and obviously have a knack for healing. I'm glad that you are joining the company," Gandalf spoke up, ended the silence that seemed to have enveloped the house.

"Thank you sir but I don't believe I will be joining you."

She sighed and looked at the hobbit. Thorin's prejudice meant that the hobbit, feeble and small, would be joining the company, but her, strong in body and mind, was not allowed on the journey.

"Do call me Gandalf and why ever not? You seem to be a vital part of the company, why would you not come with us"

"I would come with you... If I was allowed. Thorin will not have a woman joining the quest."

Gandalf appeared to ponder her words and, after a moment, rose from his seat.

"Well then, we will have to convince him otherwise..."

She smiled at his attempt to comfort her and she followed him into the hallway, anticipating Thorin's words already and the rejection she would face yet again.

.o0o.

"Thorin!"

Gandalf's loud interruption startled Thorin, who had been in deep conversation with Balin. Fria saw him jump slightly and she smirked. He saw this and gave her the same look he had when he first laid eyes on her in the hallway earlier in the evening and the smirk was instantly wiped away. Thorin turned to Gandalf to see what had angered the wizard.

"Why is this young woman not allowed to join the company?!"

Thorin hesitated and stared at Fria, disdain clear in his face.

"She is unworthy. I've known her for a long while and she causes trouble wherever she goes and often gets the others around her into it. When she was younger, she was always causing havoc and my nephew followed her like a lost puppy. I do not lie when I say the people of the Blue Mountains were happy to see the back of her."

"But I have changed! I can handle myself better now and know that I cannot cause trouble and get away with it. If I did, I would have been killed by orcs a long time ago," Fria pleaded, hoping that Thorin would sympathise if orcs were mentioned.

He hesitated for a moment and she thought she had won but the hesitation allowed him to find more excuses.

"She is a woman an-"
"My gender does not affect my abilities!"

"I never said it did!" shouted Thorin, frustrated because Fria had interrupted him.

Fria stopped in her tracks. What did he mean by that? What else could being a woman effect? She waited for him to continue.

"She is a woman and therefore she will be a distraction to my men. As much as I dislike her, she is very beautiful and I know that men follow her wherever she goes. I cannot have my men following her around and becoming distracted."

He stared at Fria and waited for a response. She was gob-smacked. Never had his suggestion ever occurred to her as a reason for not allowing her to go. She wanted to respond but she couldn't deny that men followed her or that it didn't cause trouble. She thought back on all the times in taverns or in town at night when men had seen her as an innocent woman that they could take advantage of. If it weren't for her fighting skills they would have taken advantage. But had Thorin really called her beautiful? She stared at the dwarf-prince and saw that he was very handsome and she remembered how in Ered Luin, how he could have had any woman he chose but he denied himself any until he regained Erebor. She respected him for that.

Tears began to swell in her eyes at the thought that her kin would go to regain the mountain and she would be unable to help them. What if something happened to them? She didn't think she could live with herself if Kili died whilst fighting. She could hold back her tears no longer. They streamed down her face and she could just make out the shock on Gandalf's and Thorin's face. She looked at the floor in embarrassment, furiously wiping away the tears. Thorin would never let her go with them now.

"Fria, why do you cry?" asked Gandalf, his voice full of worry as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

When she had calmed herself down she explained to the both of them how she could not bear for her kin to die whilst she just waited for some news of their return. When the tears stopped flowing, she looked up at Thorin who appeared to be sizing her up. After a long while, he sighed.

"You will come with us to The Lonely Mountain," he stated.

She stared at him, wondering what had caused him to change his mind. She didn't understand. Surely her crying made him even less eager for her to come. She opened her mouth to question him but he stopped her.

"Don't ask me anything or I may have to change my mind. I expect to see you at dawn, Miss Azdar."

And with that, he walked away. She looked up at Gandalf and he down at her and they both began to grin profoundly. She was going on the quest!

She ran into the living room and found Kili. She hugged him tightly and told him all that had happened and how she was going with them. When she finished, he was grinning just as much as she was. They continued to sit together and talk excitedly as they had earlier on and stayed that way until Bilbo stirred. She went to attend to the hobbit and couldn't get over the events of the evening.