"There's a passage but I don't see where it goes," called Dwalin.
"Well follow it of course," answered Bofur.
"That sounds like it might be wise," muttered Gandalf. The Dwarf company proceeded down the narrow path between high rock walls.
Kili moved in behind his brother, looking anxiously ahead, wondering what danger this new path would bring. He reflected on the past two days. Although their quest had begun uneventfully, with food and song in a hobbit hole, things were different now. They had fallen into danger when they'd stopped at the old farm house where they had been captured by trolls. With the help of the wizard, and the wit of the hobbit, they'd been able to escape, only to learn they were being hunted by Gundabad orcs. Kili had never been in battle before and had little experience in real fights, aside from skirmishes he and his brother got into on their own. Although he'd been training for combat his entire life, he felt exhausted by the tension and stress of the past days.
They came into a small valley and saw a stone castle built high on the valley wall. Several small waterfalls fell around the castle and burst from the stone beneath it, falling into a deep pool that fed into a river winding along the valley floor.
"What is this place, Gandalf?" Fili asked, eyeing the tall stone towers.
"This, Fili, is the Futurian castle, called Adelaide. Proceed slowly and try not to look threatening. They tend to be a little 'trigger happy' to use their words."
"What does that mean?" Kili asked, looking around for signs of danger.
"I mean that they prefer to shoot first and ask questions later," Gandalf grumbled. "They are not trusting of strangers and tend to prefer to keep to themselves. Although, like Dwarves, I'm sure they would say they have good reason not to trust," he added drily.
They came upon a road that climbed out of the floor of the valley to a long bridge that spanned a deep ravine, leading to a large door on the outside wall of the castle. Gandalf banged his staff on the door three times, the echo booming through the valley. The dwarves all maintained watchful eyes around them.
A small window in the door slid open, and a pleasant female voice greeted them. "How may I help you?" Kili was surprised by the pleasant greeting, considering the warning Gandalf had given them.
"I am Gandalf the Grey, accompanied by Thorin Oakenshield, his company of dwarves, and Master Bilbo Baggins of The Shire. I wish to speak with Lady Michelle. We are in need of refuge." The window slammed shut, and for a second Kili wondered if they were being turned away.
The great door began to swing open. He heard the woman's voice again, "Please do come in." Again Kili was surprised by the courtesy with which they were being treated. He felt as though he was being welcomed in for tea at his neighbour's house. He wondered if Gandalf was going a bit daft, imagining this pleasant woman was soft and sweet, like a hobbit. After they passed through the entrance, the door swung shut behind them, locking with a loud clang. The company stopped short when they saw no less than two dozen female archers with their bows trained on the dwarves.
Kili looked to Thorin for guidance as he began to raise his own bow. He saw Gandalf place a hand on Thorin's shoulder, who spoke sharply in Khuzdul to the company. They all lowered their weapons, looking apprehensive.
Kili could now see the woman who had addressed him. She was short, about thirty years of age, with a pleasant face framed by brown curly hair and dancing blue eyes. She looked to hardly be a threat of any kind, were she not flanked by a hoard of armed archers. She smiled pleasantly and said, "You'll have to forgive us. We are unaccustomed to unannounced visitors and must take precautions. Although we know Gandalf, we do not know you." She looked significantly at Thorin.
Thorin nodded and said, courteously, "We understand. If you would be so good as to inform Lady Michelle that Thorin Oakenshield wishes to speak with her regarding our request for refuge." Kili was surprised. He was used to his uncle's glowering looks and didn't expect him to be courteous when being greeted with much adversity.
The woman smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you for your understanding. She has been informed." She responded politely. "If you would be kind as to wait here, she will join us shortly."
"As though we had a choice," Dwalin muttered as he eyed the archers.
An uneasy silence descended on the group while they waited. Thorin glanced around the castle courtyard. So this was Reese's home. He hadn't seen or thought of her in over a year, having been completely consumed with the quest and meetings with his kin to muster support for retaking the mountain. He hoped that his company would receive a warm reception here. They were tired from the events of the past two days. Many of them were unaccustomed to conflict, and he hoped he could secure a safe place for them to spend the night.
They heard a voice call, "Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your caution. I'll take it from here." A tall stunningly beautiful woman with long blond hair approached the group and was smiling. She stopped to speak in a low voice to the short woman, who looked with with reluctant skepticism at the company, eyeing the weapons they carried. However, she signaled to the archers to fall back. They lowered their bows and murmured to each other uneasily as they dispersed, glancing over their shoulders at the company.
The tall woman held out her hand to Gandalf and warmly shook his. "It's nice to see you Gandalf! This visit is indeed a surprise. It's been a long time since we last saw you, and I've been hoping you would visit again soon."
"Thank you Lady Michelle. It's a pleasure to see you as well. May I present to you the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."
Thorin stepped forward and bowed. "At your service, Lady Michelle."
The woman smiled warmly at Thorin. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, Thorin Oakenshield. Welcome to Adelaide. I've heard a great deal about you from Reese." The company looked confused at the mention of this name and wondered of whom the woman spoke.
Gandalf looked sharply at Thorin, who bowed his head. "I'm hoping that the information she has shared with you will aid me in my request, which is for my company to seek refuge with you. We have been travelling and recently had an altercation with a pack of orcs."
Hearing Thorin speak of orcs, the small woman looked alarmed. "Did you lead them here?" she asked him.
"We don't believe you are in danger," Thorin reassured her. "A company of elves came upon the orcs, preventing them from following us into the valley." The short woman nodded.
Thorin continued to Lady Michelle, "My company is in need of food and rest. Is it possible for us to shelter here for a short while?"
"We would be happy to have you! I only hope that our accommodations can meet your needs sufficiently. " Lady Michelle smiled and turned to lead them through the square of the castle.
Kili was surprised by his uncle's behaviour towards this woman and wondered how he was known to these people. As they walked through the courtyard, he took in their surroundings. He saw stables off to one side, and a small stream ran through the courtyard, bubbling into a small fountain in the centre.
Many women were about the courtyard, and Kili noticed they were dressed unusually. They seemed to wear a lot less clothing than he was accustomed to seeing women wear, garbed in very short trousers and shirts without sleeves. Beside him, he heard Bilbo clear his throat. "Lady Michelle," Bilbo asked. Kili looked at him and saw the hobbit was blushing. "Are we intruding on your people?"
Lady Michelle looked briefly at him confused, before following his gaze to a woman nearby with bare legs and arms. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. When inside our own walls, Futurians dress in ways that we were accustomed to before coming to Middle Earth. In our time, it's not unusual for women to dress in this way during warm weather. I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable, Master Baggins."
Kili raised his eyebrows as he took in a tall redhead wearing a blouse that exposed her abdomen. She was eyeing the company with interest. Kili winked at her as he caught her eye. He was pleased that she smiled back at him before turning away to whisper to another woman. Turning to grin at his brother, Kili smirked at him suggestively. Fili raised his eyebrows at Kili. Kili had a feeling the company would find the Futurian accommodations perfectly suitable.
Lady Michelle address Thorin. "I'll leave you in the hands of my steward," she nodded at a man who was approaching him. "He'll show you to rooms that I hope you'll find suitable and will take you to the dining hall. Please make yourselves comfortable. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish." Lady Michelle smiled at Thorin.
"Thank you Lady Michelle," Thorin bowed. "Before you go, is Reese, or possibly Adam and Borgia, presently at the castle?"
"They're out on a trading mission, but we're expecting them back anytime," she smiled. "As soon as they get here, I'll let them know that you've arrived. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you," she added before turning to take her leave.
Kili wondered who these people were. He caught his uncle's eye and raised his eyebrows in question. Thorin shook his head, dismissing Kili's curiosity.
"Food first," Bombur grunted as the steward stepped forward. The company chorused in agreement. The steward smiled at him and said, "Come this way then." They were taken to the dining hall where they were given their fill of food and ale.