Note - Of course the Elvish will possibly be off or incorrect, however I have done my best to translate. Even if not right, I wanted to incorporate it into my story for authenticity to my character and the Elves. Easily overlooked, just read the translation beside it.
Kelwtim2spar - Thank you for your review. I'm pleased you like the story so far. I do hope you enjoy the rest.
In the dining room, Thorin sat at the table eating as his kin were seated around him.
"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" One of the older Dwarves spoke. I listened on from the side.
"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms."
"And what did the Dwarves of the Iron Hill say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin asked his leader.
Thorin rested his hands on the table, almost defeated before he began. "They will not come.
I looked around the room; all of them were visibly upset at this news, looking low as they listened on.
"They say this quest is ours and ours alone."
"You're doing a quest?" a small, but worried voice asked from beside Gandalf.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Gandalf asked of him.
He left the room just as Gandalf pulled out a map; I took a few steps closer to the table so that I could see well. Thorin looked up to me from his seat, I couldn't tell what he was thinking but he never said anything and returned his gaze to the map.
"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." The map was placed on the table as Gandalf points to the mountain. Bilbo returned to the table with a candle in hand as he peered at the map.
"The Lonely Mountain." He read from the map.
"Aye, Oin had read the portents, and the portents say: it is time." One Dwarf speaks.
"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold. When the birds of the old return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Oin spoke.
I could see the hope in each and every one of their faces. It was comforting.
A voice broke the silence, "Uh… what beast?"
"Well that would be reference to Smaug the terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals." Bofur, another of the Dwarves spoke almost sarcastically to the hobbit.
"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Bilbo frowned.
Standing to his feet, Ori yelled to the rest of the Dwarves, "I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the dwarfish iron right up his jacksy!"
The rest of the Dwarves, with the exception of Thorin and one or two others broke into cheer.
"Sit down!" Dori ordered Ori and pulled him down into his seat.
"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." Balin said with sorrow.
"Hey! Who are you calling dim?" Ori yelled once more and the rest of the Dwarves started to talk all at once.
"We may be few in number. But we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!" Fili, one of the youngest among the dwarves called out to the rest.
"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company, Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili, the brother of Fili smiled.
I smirked as I looked at Gandalf; I don't know if it's true or not but by the look on his face, it was one hundred percent the latter.
"Oh, well. No, uh, I…I wouldn't say…" Gandalf stuttered.
"How many then?" Dori asked.
"What?"
"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Go on, give us a number!"
In a split second, all the dwarves erupted into loud talk, getting angrier as they continued to speculate against one another.
"Uh…Please, please." Bilbo tried to calm the situation, but it fell upon deaf ears.
Thorin rose from his seat, "Enough!" he cried out. His voice dominating all others in the room as they all fell silent. I look to him as he spoke, "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, and 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?"
The all cheered as I smiled, Thorin's gaze fell once again upon my own as he took his seat at the top of the table.
"You forget the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." Balin spoke.
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, iron key.
Thorin's eyes fixated on the key, "How'd you come by this?" he wondered.
Gandalf sighed, "It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping." Gandalf handed the key to Thorin, "It is yours now."
"If there is a key, there must be a door!" Fili exclaimed excitedly.
"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf pointed to the map.
"There's another way in." Kili smiled.
"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. 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." He twisted his head side-to-side, "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we're careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."
"That's why we need a burglar." Ori said.
Bilbo looked down at the map and sighed, "Hmm. And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine."
I frowned as I looked at him; he was the burglar… wasn't he?
"And are you?" Gloin asked.
All eyes fall upon the hobbit that looked confused, "Am I what?" he asked.
"He said he's an expert!" Oin yelled.
"Me? No! No, No, No! I…I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen anything in my life." Bilbo clarified abruptly.
"Meld hir, mín are marad." (Dear lord, we are doomed.) I muttered quietly to myself.
"And I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin spoke.
"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves. Nor is it a place for the she-elf!" The bald-headed dwarf moaned.
I bit my tongue once again, not wanting to start a fight, but just like before, the dwarves began to bicker among themselves loudly at the table.
Rising to his feet, Gandalf yelled, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" His tine that started out dominating and loud, became softer as he continued, "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet, other than Elves. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose, and while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself."
"And the she-elf?" Thorin eyed me. "What does she bring to the table?"
Gandalf looked at me with a warm smile, "Gaylia is an old friend. She's a very skilled fighter and an excellent bowman." I could feel Thorin's heated gaze on me as Gandalf spoke, "She's quick and elegant, which could very much come to our advantage, and not to forget loyal and trustworthy."
He turned to face Thorin, "You must trust me on this."
Thorin thought it over for a few seconds before speaking, "Very well. We'll do it your way."
"No. No…" Bilbo protested.
"Give them the contracts." Thorin ordered.
"Orin. We're off!" Bofur grinned.
Balin stood from the table, the contracts in hand. "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, and funeral arrangements, so forth." Balin passed the contracts to Thorin who then passed one to Bilbo and then me.
We opened them at the same time and began to read over them, I stopped when my ears picked up Thorin's voice talking to Gandalf quietly, but not quiet enough.
"I cannot guarantee their safety." Thorin whispered.
"Understood." Gandalf agreed.
"Nor, will I be responsible for their fate." My back was facing them as they whispered in hush tones; I could however feel Thorin's eyes on the back of my head.
"Agreed."
I continued reading over the contract in my hand. I knew the possible risks that may befall me on this quest, but I was hoping that maybe it might go smoother than any of us hoped.
Once i had signed the contract, I approached Thorin. I held my hand out to him with the contract; he eyed me for a few seconds before taking it from me and passing it back to Balin. I was about to speak but was distracted when Bilbo spoke to himself in the hallway.
"Incineration?" he looked shocked as he gripped the contract tighter as his knuckles turned white.
"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off you bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur smiled.
"You alright, laddie?" Balin asked a sheepish looking Bilbo.
"Huh? Yeah, I fe…" he took a sharp inhale, "I feel a bit faint."
Bofur sat forward in his seat, "Think furnace, with wings."
"I…I…I need air." Bilbo gasped. He was clearly going into shock, but the dwarf continued.
"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"
"No." was all the hobbit said before collapsing to the ground, completely passed out in a cold sweat. I walked over to him to make sure he was still breathing, which he was.
"Oh, very helpful, Bofur." Gandalf huffed as he looked at him disappointingly before making his way to the hallway where I was crouched beside Bilbo, we then moved him to the armchair in the living room.
Maybe this was going to turn out harder than I'd hoped.