Chapter 2

Dewni's eyes burned with fury as the young man slowly took a step back. She opened her mouth, hesitated, closed it and took a few deep breaths. She gave him one last glare before storming off.

Lara burst into laughter once again before pursuing after Dewni. 'So much for a sweet, caring sister,' Dewni thought but she really wouldn't expect Lara to react any differently.

When they came back (Dewni with a new, similar shirt), there were 14 strange men seated around the dining table. Their eyes immediately went to the man on the head of the table.

He had a majestic, serious and powerful aura to him. It was quite clear he had suffered much or he's just naturally like that. To his right sat a wizened, old man dressed in grey with a pointy hat. Bilbo stood awkwardly between them, holding out a candle.

Dewni's eyes wandered around, noticing the strange looking men. There was something about them, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After a minute, thunder struck her brain. Her eyes bulged and she drew in a sharp breath.

"Dwarves," came a soft whisper from her lips.

She glanced at Lara who was giving her a 'you-took-that-long-to-figure-it-out' look.

"What gave it away?," the dwarf who had bumped into her retorted.

"The beards, though I suppose that you can't count as a dwarf since you don't have a beard."

"Like how you can hardly count as a woman since you're so hideous."

They produced daggers from their eyes at each other and it was obvious that they would kill each other the first chance they got. Lara smirked and the blonde dwarf next to the beardless one smiled slightly.

The old man coughed slightly to capture their attention.

"My name is Gandalf the Grey," he smiled gently.

"His name is Gandalf the Grey? Unfortunate guy, I bet he hates his mother," Lara whispered as Dewni choked on her laughter. Gandalf apparently heard this comment as his smile faded and gave Lara a stern look. She smiled sweetly in return. However he continued as if he didn't hear anything offending his name.

"I am a wizard. This is Thorin Oakenshield, the king of Erebor," he gestured to the dwarf at the head of the table. Thorin tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. "This is Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nori, Ori, Dori, Fili and Kili," he waved his hand at each dwarf when he spoke their names. "A dragon named Smaug The Terrible has taken over their city. We are going to take it back."

"What are you doing here, though? I'm pretty sure Shire is nowhere near Erebor," Lara suspiciously questioned.

"We need a burglar," at this he gave Bilbo a meaningful stare. Lara and Dewni understood the stare and exchanged incredulous looks.

"Bilbo a BURGLAR? That is utterly ridiculous! He's never stolen a thing in his life," Dewni laughed.

"Hobbits are light on their feet and their scent is something Smaug has never experienced, giving us a distinct advantage," the old wizard explained.

Balin, the wise dwarf handed Bilbo a very complicated contract. Bilbo anxiously paced as he read it aloud, occasionally pausing to voice his opinion.

"What about us? What are we meant to do without Bilbo?" Dewni worried.

"Can't you survive without him? So much for independency," Kili couldn't miss a chance to lower her self-esteem and anger her.

"They could come with us. Bilbo told me about you two. I know that these young women can fight, heal and cook," Gandalf informed them.

Dewni was about to say something back when Bilbo fainted. The girls rushed to his side to make sure he was okay. After a hot chocolate and a talk from Gandalf, Bilbo decided he needed to rest. Lara and Dewni changed into their night clothes and lay on their beds. Deep, melodic voices reached their bedroom.

"Lara, do you think we should go?"

"I would like to, I miss traveling. Remember the times when it was just us two, running wild everywhere we went? Despite the danger, I would like to see a dragon."

"I know what you mean. I miss it too. The only problem I have is HIM."

"Well, you could ACCIDENTALLY kill him or have the pleasure of seeing him dying a horrible death."

Laughter rang in their bedroom.

"Now I definitely wanna go. Goodnight Lara."

"Night Dewni. Don't expect me to me as nice to you in the morning," she yawned.

Dewni softly chuckled before her eyes closed and darkness overtook her brain, faintly echoing of a tale about a misty mountain.