I know, this story is moving awfully slow but I kind of like that better? I almost never enjoy stories that cover so much plot in very little space as much as long drawn out stories where you can get to know the characters and their motivations. I don't know, just a thought. All reviews and criticisms and even stray thoughts are appreciated. Please enjoy.
Ilia soon learned that dwarvish table manners were practically non-exisistant. As soon as she saw food leaving plates and flying towards other members of the table, she filled up her plate with everything she wanted and lifted it to her lap to save it from the same horrible fate. Afterwards, with her share safe and accounted for, she found the group lively and cheerful, even laughing when Bombur, who was sat next to her, caught an egg from all the way across the table. She could just barely see Mister Bilbo, outside the dining room, mourning over his loss of food.
She could see why, it was absolutely delicious. The meat was salty, the vegetables ripe and juicy; she even managed to grab a biscuit that made her mouth water before the plate was pushed farther down the table. Ilia could not help but cheer and laugh with the lively group of dwarves.
Then the table in front of her shuddered and she could hear the thuds as something was slammed against it. When she looked up she saw one of them, Fili, if she remembered correctly, with many tankards in his hands, passing them out, but walking on top of the table to do so. She was suddenly very glad that she had chosen to keep her plate close so early on in the meal. He jumped down to sit with his brother, next to Ori who was next to her, and eyed her with a certain sort of smugness.
"Don't suppose you would like an ale, milady? Or might we find something more suited towards your tastes?" He said it, not in a cruel or even rude tone, but the words annoyed her. She was a lady, yes, but that did not mean she could not handle the same drink as any man could.
Ilia grabbed the full tankard from Fili's hand and brought it to her lips after giving him a quick nod. The drink was bitter and biting and singed a path all the way down into her gut, but she did not stop until the entire thing was empty. As she brought it back down with a gasp of breath, she saw all the eyes at the table on her.
"Gods!" She exclaimed, not able to think of anything else, "That was the worst alcohol I think I've ever tasted." They all burst into laughter, and across the table she could see Dwalin, the largest dwarf, pouring his entire drink into Oin's ear trumpet. Ori laughed with the rest, but next to him Fili was still looking at her, possibly annoyed that she had taken his drink. She leaned forward towards him a bit.
"Perhaps we can find you something suited towards your tastes, master dwarf."
Before he could retort another tankard was in his hand, the whole table bringing there drinks up in unison. Ilia watched in amusement, as they drank so fast that ale slipped past their lips and into their beards. Nori finished first with a loud burp, and the rest followed. Very suddenly, Ori stood up next to her and beat them all with a belch that rattled Ilia in her seat. There was a beat of silence and then she laughed, louder than she had in quite some time.
Nearly an hour later, after Bilbo's food had been finished off to the last scrap, Ilia had moved to the hall, finding it blissfully less crowded. She enjoyed the dwarves, most definitely, but there were twelve of them and that was too many faces to pay attention to all at once.
She had barely managed to catch her breath however, when Gandalf was pushed into the room by Bilbo, who looked and sounded as if he were having a fit. "-they've all but destroyed the plumbing - I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"
Ilia glanced up at Gandalf who seemed reluctant to answer the question that she herself had started to wonder. Why had they come to, and destroyed, this poor hobbit's home in the first place? Everyone seemed dressed for battle apart from her; this Shire seemed to be the least likely place for them to gather for anything of the sort. The wizard was spared from answering when Ori walked up to Bilbo, holding out his empty dish.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"
"Here, Ori," she heard over her shoulder, and turned to find Fili there, "give it to me." He walked past her and took the plate in his hand. It was then that Ilia was pulled back just in time to watch that same plate fly past her face and have Kili catch it with one hand. For a split second she was annoyed, he had just chucked a plate at her head after all, but then it happened again and again with bowls and forks and all sorts of dish wear. She had to admit, although begrudgingly, that it was rather impressive the way he caught every last dish from the dining room.
There was an odd stomping behind her, and just as she turned to look someone began to sing, which could not have been any stranger to her.
Blunt the knives and bend the forks
Smash the bottles and burn the corks
Chip the glasses and crack the plates
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates
Listening to the song, though confused, it was not hard for Ilia to find it amusing. Bilbo did seem to be the kind of person to care a great deal about material things, and it wasn't as if they were actually doing any real harm, so she felt no guilt chuckling over it. It seemed the dwarves agreed with her, for when they had finished and every last plate and bowl was clean, they could not hold in their laughter at the distressed and panicked look on Bilbo's face.
Then it was over; with a loud knock on the door everyone's mood seemed to grow serious. Gandalf glanced down at her, his face somber. "He is here."
Everyone stood crowded around the front door as Gandalf opened it, and yet another figured stood, waiting for entrance. Being so far away, Ilia could not see his face, but his voice was deep as he spoke. "Gandalf." When he entered the room and took off his cloak, Ilia could not help but think he must have been someone quite important. He held himself proudly and seemed to expect others recognize it, which every dwarf in the entry way did. "You said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice." He strode into the hall, past Bilbo and herself, not looking like he even noticed them. "I would not have found it at all if not for the mark on the door."
Bilbo, ruffled angrily and rushed up to the door to inspect it. "There's no mark on that door! I just had it painted a week ago!"
Ilia noticed Gandalf shuffling guiltily in front of the door, not allowing Bilbo to open it and check. "There is a mark, I put it there myself." There was barely a moment for Bilbo to be scandalized, before the wizard gestured down at him. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."
It was not hard to imagine that she and the hobbit had the same expression of shock on their faces. She was simply glad that he was not looking her over with the same look of contempt that he was showing Bilbo. "So," Thorin said, walking around him as if he were inspecting him, "this is the hobbit."
Bilbo was asked many questions, though he didn't seem to understand the importance in any of them. The dwarf shook his head. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." As he turned to leave he caught sight of her. "Who is this?" His voice was curious, but harsh in the same moment.
Ilia had experience at dealing with men; she had two brothers and a mother who wished to see her married as soon as possible. This new world however seemed to be full of men that she did not know how to handle. This one, he was important, that much was obvious. The best she could do was be as polite as possible and hope she did not offend him in any way.
"My name is Ilia," she paused, remembering how all the dwarves had greeted the same, "at your service." Her head nodded towards him slightly as a sign of respect. Before he could respond, negatively or not, Gandalf moved to stand behind her. "My apprentice."
Everyone looked up to him in surprise, though none as much as Ilia herself. Apprentice? Apprentice to what, wizardry? That was preposterous and everyone seemed to know it, Thorin most of all.
"Apprentice, Gandalf?" The skeptical look on his face was only slightly offensive to her pride, if only because she believed it to be ridiculous as well. The wizard merely nodded.
"It would be best to get to other matters first, however. Please, sit." He gestured into the dining room. "We have much to discus."
The dwarf eyed her, as if suspicious, before moving into the room, the others following close behind until only Bilbo and Ilia were left with Gandalf. He gave Bilbo a smile, and placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "I will explain it to you later, my dear."
She watched the wizard seat himself amongst the dwarves again, and wondered if he hadn't just gotten her into a whole lot of trouble.
