And So Died All Warriors

by Miss Always Wrong

Meri and Aleksi were in some serious trouble. They were the only ones who knew why they were brought there and what was expected of them. All the odds were against them, the dwarves didn't trust them and Thorin wanted them permanently gone from his sight. Danger was ahead and people were going mad. And Meri-, Meri seriously was in need of a drink. M-RATED. First chapters edited

3. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 - Of Old Magic and a Smith

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"So. How long do you suppose a man can go on without eating?" Aleksi asked frustrated, massaging his rumbling belly with a pained look on his face, "Don't need to sound too alarmed here or anything, but this is getting a little bit too painful already. I think I'm starting to decompose over here. My stomach is eating itself. Let me tell you, this isn't going to be a pretty sight in the end."

Meri focused her tired legs to go onward. Her mind went back to her school days and the health education lessons. "Without food? Can't say for sure… It's surprisingly long time though. We're talking about several weeks here. I've once heard of this one crazy man who claimed he'd survived 62 days without eating a thing. But I think that's only if you're healthy enough from the begin with. Depends on how much fat you've got to spent, what sort of a physical strain your body goes through-."

Aleksi stopped walking and stared at the mess of a girl next to him, interrupting her. "Several weeks?!" he exclaimed unbelieving, "No way. I don't think so. I think I'll just die today and get it done with, thank you very much."

Meri sighed out miserably, feeling her own stomach twisting in hunger too. After the freezing cold night she and Aleksi had spent clutching tightly onto each other there had been nothing but endless forest and wild-life surrounding them. It had been two days since they had submerged from the depths into the middle of nowhere. No society, no buildings, no humans, not even the simplest path for them to follow. Not a thing that was helpful or familiar anywhere in their sights. Two days of walking through the woods. Nothing but walking and, shamefully, crying on Meri's part. Two days without eating or drinking much, picking only random berries and greenery that they happened to come across with. Two days of not bathing and wearing the same clothes they had when first getting in there. Two days of walking... and Meri didn't even have any goddamn shoes on. The girl was physically falling apart. Her stomach was starving, feet were covered in blisters, lips chapped with dehydration and body smelling more foul she ever remembered smelling before in her whole entire life. Not talking about the situation that was going on with her hair. Yep. She didn't even want to begin to think about the condition her hair was in.

Still, this all meant nothing compared to the state of her mental health. Ever since she had found herself in the middle of that cursed lake, there had been this awful constant doubt that she had lost whatever bit of sanity she had in her. She was sure she was wrecked for good. Unbalanced inside her head. A fucking goner. Just like the man she had been dumped into this hell with.

"It's not the hunger that'll kill you, you know," the girl muttered out, and winced when accidentally stepping onto another sharp stone, cursing for the hundred time her bruised feet, "It's the lack of water that'll do the trick. Without any sufficient amount of water, I don't think you'll even last a whole week."

Aleksi massaged his dirt-smudged face. "A week! A week…! Well, fuck me! That's like, five days to go still…!" he groaned out mostly to himself, "Aaah shit, should've known this. If water doesn't manage to drown me, the lack of it will goddamn dehydrate me to death. And that doesn't sound like a quick and painless way to go either…" he muttered grumpily, running his hands through his greasy blond hair.

Meri felt a wave of dizziness washing through her and she had to grab a hold of Aleksi's arm to keep herself from stumbling onto her butt. The man immediately took a grip of her and gave her the support she needed to stay on her feet.

"Oh man-! Meri, all good there? Getting dizzy again?" Aleksi asked worriedly and guided the small girl to sit on the grassy ground for a while.

"Yeah," Meri muttered with an embarrassed tone, hating the fact that she was feeling weak when Aleksi was still all good and standing, "Yeah. I just-. Need a moment, that's all. It'll go past. Give me a sec and I'll be good to go again."

Aleksi nodded warily and let his gaze drop down to her bruised feet which the girl had covered with Aleksi's socks two days ago.

"Lemme see now. How bad are they..." Aleksi muttered and took her dirty feet to his hands, taking off the torn socks to inspect the skin under them with a sympathetic look, "Ai, that doesn't look too good… Not good at all. Meri, for real, you should just take my shoes like I told you before. I don't think you should walk like this anymore. You're going to seriously damage your feet otherwise. Wreck your nerve-system of some shit like that, you know, get some fancy medical problem with them and all…"

Meri shut her eyes, waiting for the dizziness to go away. She was already in a bad mood enough and the man was irritating her even more with his stupid statements. It had been like that for the past two days and right now she really felt like she couldn't handle another minute alone with him. She just knew her temper would explode straight at his face in a rather ugly way if he didn't shut up, right at that moment. And she didn't want to do that to him. He had done nothing seriously wrong to her and like she, he too was a helpless victim in this god-awful situation. But that didn't change the fact that he was maddening as fuck, currently annoying the living daylight out of her.

'But then again, mama always did say I was too temperamental for my own good. That I was just a nightmare to deal with as a kid when I was being hungry and tired. A horrible brat with an unbelievable appetite, she said. And little have I changed since those days.' Her throat suddenly tightened with the thought of her mother and her anger was gone like that. 'I'm sorry mama. I'm sorry for being a difficult brat. I was always such a brat to you. I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry for dying this way-. For-, for you never getting to find out what happened to me. Oh god, what would I give to be at home with you again…!'

"Hey," Aleksi nudged the girl gently and grasped her hand into his, immediately giving her the needed comfort much like the way when they had first met, "Hey… Don't. Now. Don't do that," he muttered dejected and squeezed her hand, "I hate to see you cry. You've been doing that kind of a lot lately and to be honest, it doesn't really suit you. I don't want to be rude or anything but you look-. Ah man, you look just awful. With puffy red eyes and all… Snot running down... It's bad. Really. You're an ugly crier and I wish you'd just stop giving me these creeps."

Meri snorted at his bad attempt at cheering her up and slapped the man's hand away from her. The wetness in her eyes still remained but she looked more determined than before. "Oh yeah? Well. I don't mean to sound rude either but fuck you and shut up. You're really shit at this, you know that right?"

Aleksi shrugged half-heartily and gave her a slight smirk, one that looked more sad than playful on his exhausted face. "Girl, you wound me with your words. And here I was, ready to give you a piggyback ride to spare you from any further-," but the man never finished with his talking when all of the sudden something else in the forest caught his attention.

He held out his hand for the girl as a sign to stay quiet as he listened carefully.

"Do you hear that…?" Aleksi whispered to Meri, his eyes searching the woods.

Meri's heartbeat picked up speed and she perked her ears in hopes of catching whatever it was that Aleksi was onto. And indeed, she did hear.

"It sounds like…" she muttered, eyes squinting and looking all over the forest, "Hooves…?"

"Ah shit…" Aleksi breathed out once finally making out whatever it was that made the sound.

The man stood up slowly and watched ahead of them, unbelieving what was coming right at their way. "Jesus Christ. No way. Just-. No, fucking, way…"

"Dumbledore… Man… Aren't you supposed to be dead?!"

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"Now we're finally getting to the important means," Gandalf spoke up, keeping everyone's attention to himself, "First, however, I think this tale needs to be told from the very beginning of all. When I, quite unexpectedly too, first met these two wandering in the middle of Chetwood lost and exhausted and without any proper supplies on them."

Meri and Aleksi exchanged looks. A wave of nostalgia passed through them. That day two years ago was an important fate-changing occasion, one that would be stuck forever in their heads. They had been so clueless back then. So, so very clueless of the meaning of all. Then. Out of nowhere came Gandalf the Gray. To save their lost sorry-asses.

"You can only imagine my surprise once I came across them – there they stood, two completely oblivious men, muddy from head to toe and tired beyond belief, wearing the most peculiar choice of clothing I have ever witnessed those of man-kind wearing! And with no awareness of where they were or any memory of how they had ended up in there…! Curious, I told myself. Most curious, indeed."

Thorin pursed his lips together and listened the story with an impatient look on his face. He was not up for tales at that moment, not when he only wanted to hear of was Erebor. The only thing that mattered was the future of Lonely Mountain and Thorin had the strongest feeling that Gandalf was only trying to pass that subject with his foolish prattles. And besides-, Thorin glanced with a distaste at Meri's more than over-sized clothing for the fourth time that night, -besides, it seemed that the girl was used to wearing those so called 'peculiar choice of clothing' with an everyday basis anyway.

"Oh, yes…" Gandalf mused out dramatically while slowly stroking his beard and looking thoughtfully at Meri and Aleksi, "It was a rather fortunate coincidence how our paths decided to cross each other. For certainly I had no way of knowing in advance about that little encounter. I did have a small hunch in me, call it an inkling or need of some sort, that made me travel that specific path on that day," the wizard's tone turned more distant, wondering, and then he all but whispered out the words; "Funny how it all played out... I knew not who they were. Nor what they were."

That caught Thorin's attention. His narrowed sapphire orbs jumped immediately to take second looks of the two humans.

"What mean you?" Thorin asked quietly while trying to locate something off in the appearances of Meri and Aleksi, "Are they not men after all?"

Aleksi let out a loud offended sound and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well, I'll say! This is news to us too! How come you've never mentioned this before, Gandalf my pal? Just what did you think we were then? Orcs? Leprechauns? Jeez, I know Meri is one short little goblin-girl but now you're just being a big bully and insulting her! She cannot help her height, man! You know that!"

"Ai!" Meri blurted out surprised to be dragged into the conversation in such a rude way and slapped the man next to her on his arm, "What the-?! Leave my height out of this and let Gandalf talk, you big idiot! Why'd you go say something like that in the first place!? Huh? It's not like you're a skyscraper yourself!"

"Now there!" Gandalf barged in before the bickering got any bigger, "I must ask you to let me speak without interruptions! I'm an old man already and my mind is easy to wander if given the chance. Right now I do think it would be wise to stay on the subject in hand rather than talk about other unrelated matters. And that goes especially for you, Mister Ek." At this, Aleksi was raising his arms up as a way of saying 'What did I do?' but Gandalf just gave him one pointed look that immediately made him shut up, "Oh, don't fool yourself thinking I have forgotten all about you and your very charming manners. Not at all! Let me tell you my boy, if you cannot control your constantly on-going mouth, it will be no trouble for me to lend a helping hand and use one of my tricks to silence you. With very much the same way I've done in the past, should you still remember yourself."

Meri smiled in a little bit too smug way as Aleksi was frozen to look at the strict-faced wizard. He remembered very well the way Gandalf had once or twice lost his patience with him and then straight out - and without any words of warning - chanted quick spells under his breath, flicked his fingers and bam! left Aleksi completely mute and gagging with the sudden loss of words. The feeling of one's tongue going dead and heavy in their mouth was truthfully more than an unpleasant experience, one that the man would very much like to never have to go through with again.

"O-of course," Aleksi cleared his throat while moving his tongue inside his mouth as if scared of suddenly losing the control of it, "Please, Gandalf, do continue, would you now?"

Gandalf gave him a pleased nod and turned over to Thorin's side again.

"As I was saying-," he continued, pausing to recall the point where had been stopped, "I was not certain what they were," he repeated and once seeing the alerted look in Thorin's eyes jumped to explain further, "Of course I knew they were men in most part, my eyes rarely lie to me even at my age, but outer appearances can be deceitful and what our eyes see can be very misleading from the truth that lies beneath."

Aleksi jerked funnily, wanting to say exactly what he though of that, but one quick slap on his arm from the short girl next to him was enough to keep him quiet.

"My eyes saw men but my other senses begged different," Gandalf mused out, watching the humans with a curious glint in his eyes, "I could smell something off in them, something else than that of a man. The smell, it was foreign. Very curious one too. And clearly something that was not born in them - instead it had been added later on. This something, it lingered on these men and refused to leave though its former owner already had. Like a parasite it held onto them and forced a place for itself in their natural scent, crawled under it and made a nest there."

Aleksi looked at Gandalf with a gaping mouth and wide horrified eyes, not liking at all what he was hearing. "Oh my god! I know I promised to be shush and all, but could you not talk about it like that? That just sounds fucking disgusting, man! People will think we're diseased or something! Horribly abused or some shit like that…!".

Even Meri had to agree with him. She nodded her head with a troubled frown on her face. "I do feel rather violated now…" she muttered, making the man beside her snort and bite in the dirty side comment he automatically thought of.

Gandalf gave the human duo a narrow-eyed look and then went on with his tale like he hadn't been interrupted at all.

"A touch of magic that was…" the wizard explained to the dwarves, "The smell that was on these two. And I'm talking of old magic here. Much older than that anyone I know of is capable of doing. Much, much older… and more powerful."

Thorin's frown got deeper and not only because of Gandalf's words but also because he could sense the growing uneasiness in his dwarves around him. The company had remained strangely silent for now and that was more than unusual for such a brawling bunch. It made Thorin all too aware of the coming explosion. The wizard had better make his explanation quick if he wanted to save himself from the loud questioning of twelve relentless dwarves in his table.

"It still lingers on them," Gandalf carried on with his tale while taking that sort of an annoyingly mysterious tone he was known of using when it came to certain exceptional matters, "Yes, perhaps slightly weaker now than before, but still as stubborn in refusing to disappear. This magic... I strongly suspect it's the cause of the whole situation we have in our hands. The very reason why they are here. Why they see glimpses of events in the past and future." His face turned more serious and cautious. "Someone has brought these men here by magic, that much is certain. Someone has broken several laws of nature and played with the old sacred balance of life by bringing them here. This someone…" he wondered to himself, stroking his beard again, "It's curious. You see, there is no one in Middle Earth powerful enough to touch such sacred things as the balance of life itself…"

Thorin couldn't help but to arch a brow to that. He didn't need any closer explanation, he knew just what Gandalf meant.

"What you're implying is…" the leader dwarf muttered out, suddenly not finding the will to finish his sentence. With the side of his eye, he noticed the other dwarves restlessly fidgeting and shuffling around in their places all while whispering to each other in Khuzdul. Thorin had the strongest feeling that they wouldn't be able to control their nature for much longer.

Gandalf nodded to him with grim face and eyes holding a glint of worry in them. "I am certain. One of the Valar has had their hands in this."

Thorin was quick to reject that thought. "Impossible," the dwarf commented and held out a silencing hand for his dwarves when hearing them start more than a hushed debate over the matter. "Gandalf, don't take us for fools. This is-. Mahal, this is impossible!"

"It's not," Gandalf opposed with a frustrated tone, "As I have already told you. It's an enormous risk and a gamble, perhaps inhuman in several ways and very foolish... But certainly not impossible."

Thorin felt his mouth go dry. Strange thoughts were passing through his mind - thoughts that were getting more and more surreal by every passing second. "Why?" he questioned while slowly shaking his head, "Why would the Valar do such a thing?" he swallowed with a dry throat and looked at Gandalf, "And why Erebor of all things? What has our quest has to do with any of this?"

Gandalf gave the dwarf a sympathetic look, sensing the great amount of unease in him. "Oh Thorin… It has everything to do with this. I suspect it was the very reason of all this trouble."

Noticing the clear pity in the wizard's eyes, Thorin automatically straightened his back on his seat and held his chin up higher, answering that look with a challenging one of his own. There were lot of things in Middle Earth he strongly disliked, betrayal and elves being the guaranteed top contestants for obvious natural reasons. Having someone show him pity or mercy definitely belonged to the tip bunch of that Mahal-forsaken iceberg as well. He had long ago learned not to lay his trust on anyone's compassion. He wanted no sympathy, no condolence, no nothing from anyone anymore. Not from strange man-dreamers, not from Gandalf, not even from the Valar themselves. 'Why would they remember us now, when long ago we were in dire need of their help and they all but chose to turn their backs on us? Why, when they all but let the dragon come and bathe the whole Lonely Mountain in fire, and then watched aside as my people suffered for years after that?'

"If what you're saying is true... Then…" Thorin began hesitantly as if fearing for the answer, "Is this all supposed to aid us with our goal, or… to make sure we are to fail?"

"I doubt this was made with ill intentions… Not at all. There's only one Vala I can think of who would go to such lengths to give you help, Thorin. Only one whose love for dwarves is fierce enough to cross the other Valar in a way like this."

Thorin closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. Yes. There was only one who it could be and only one who he dared to lay his hope on.

"Mahal…" he muttered out, a flicker of warmness rousing in his chest. The mere thought brought comfort to him. Lightness. Hope. It was so deceitful.

Had Mahal finally taken notice of their misery? Had he answered their prayers and given this quest his blessing?

"Yes," Gandalf nodded, pleased of Thorin's reaction, "I can smell the magic of Aulë on these children - hot, strong, and unyielding. It seems he's been-, how should I put this... Molding them in a way I cannot put my finger on… No doubt he has used his skills of a smith on these men. But in what way, I cannot tell."

Aleksi let out a sudden strangled gasp, stealing the attention to himself again. His earlier horrified face turned into an even more ghastly one as he held his hand on his heart, spluttering to the wizard;

"Whoa, whoa, whoa now…! Now, wait a moment there Gandalf, my man! I know we've gone through all this crap talk about being thrown into this hellhole by one of those ancient godly dudes, but-! 'Molding', you say? As in modifying my body? As in-! As in cutting open… and removing… and replacing random body parts!? My random body parts?! What the hell?! What's that about!? And with whose permission!? Isn't there laws out there that goes against these sort of sick, twisted crimes? Laws to protect us innocent people from these awful perversions? What the bloody hell is this all the sudden - the human centipede? Fuck me!" He took in a deep dramatic breath, dismissing the horrified expressions on the dwarves' faces when witnessing him cursing so boldly. "I've got no memories of any of this! Of anyone smithing me or wielding their hammers at me, man! Trust me, I would fucking know! Ain't no one wielding their hammers at me! No one, you hear me!"

The table fell silent, all eyes looking at Aleksi like they had never seen a man before. More than few had forgotten their mouths open.

"Oh, my, god, no," Meri muttered under her breath and covered her eyes with her hand in a mortified manner. She knew exactly how foolishly blunt and straight-forward Aleksi was by his nature but still she had hoped - and god how she had hoped - for him to behave like a normal person just for that one night. Then again, Aleksi had already arrived late trying to seduce a lady for himself, so perhaps it was Meri's own stupid fault for putting her expectations so high. Perhaps, in all honesty, she should have just prepared herself for shit to start happening. 'But why Aleksi? Why'd you have to do this to me?'

The dwarves clearly thought the same. The man's vulgar outburst was the last straw for their self-control.

"Did he just ask someone to-?"

"IN FRONT OF THE MISS! Who brought this brute in here again? This is no way to talk when there's a miss in presence!"

"Durin's balls, this must be a grand jest! The Thârkun's pullin' a prank on us!"

"Ye think so? I'm getting more and more certain this's no joke 'n this lad is in fact being serious."

"Aye. I fear so too."

"Could someone tell me what's this 'human centipede'?"

"Outrageous! I don't see any signs of Maker in this man! And I think it's a disgrace to attach his name to this freak show going on in here!"

"Don't care of that, but would you just stop spilling your ale on me already!"

"Oh bugger. Oh dear. These dwarves. This is getting out of hands again…"

BAM!

The whole table went silent again as Thorin banged his fist onto the table. Empty dishes clattered around the table and ale spilled from pints, plenty of it ending up all over the dwarves but the look that Thorin was giving to the company was enough for them to shut their mouths. The icy gaze traveled around to make sure they all obeyed before it settled back to Gandalf, unhappy as ever.

"Well-," Thorin said with a heavily sarcastic undertone in his voice, "-then Mahal certainly owns a sense of humor, doesn't he now…? Sending us these... Individuals. To aid us."

Aleksi crossed his arms in front of him and huffed out in an offended way. He wasn't going to stay put and silent while people around him were being pricks to him.

"Well excuse-fucking-me. You're making this sound awfully a lot like we actually asked to be here to begin with! That's a damn wrong impression you've got there buddy, a goddamn wrong. Let me get things straight for once and for-."

Meri stopped Aleksi by quickly grabbing a tight hold of his collar and bringing the taller man down to her level. The man let out a surprised gasp at the sudden jerk.

"Shut up Aleksi! This is getting way out of the line. And I'm currently this close doing something awful to you, you hear me? This close,-" the girl held her index finger and thumb close to the man's face, "We stay quiet for now on and let Gandalf handle this. Do you understand me? You don't get to say another word or, god help me, I swear before the dawn breaks I'll be digging a hole to dump your butchered body into. Do you understand me, you little piece of-?"

Gandalf cleared his throat, ignored the bickering humans and talked to Thorin who kept on staring at the couple with an unreadable expression on his face.

"There must have been a reason why Aulë picked these two. Why he meddles with their dreams and inflicts events concerning Erebor into them. There must have been something he saw in them… Something special indeed," the wizard mused while looking at Aleksi with disappointed, criticizing eyes as if trying to spot something extraordinary hidden somewhere deep inside his being.

Aleksi answered the judging stare with a narrow-eyed look of his own, still hunching because of Meri's iron grip on him. "And what's this now? You're starting to sound awfully lot like you're not that impressed of us either Gandalf…! How could you? I thought we were buddies!" he accused while struggling to get rid of Meri's grip, "And for fucks sake, let go of me already, you tiny woman!"

Meri's face was turning red from anger. "Seriously, your trap needs to be shut and-!"

Thorin frowned at the pair as the girl continued to discipline the man. He willed himself to move on with the conversation with Gandalf. "Alright then," he cleared his throat and sat straighter, "Now, about the dreams then. I've already told you, there's only one thing I'm interested in knowing, and that's Erebor. What have they seen?"

Gandalf nodded, getting back to the business. "And now we are back to the matter I wanted to make clear with you. These dreams Meri and Aleksi see, well, as it happens, I have strictly forbid them letting anyone else know about them."

He told this like it was the simplest thing to say, but after these news, the whole company exploded again.

"You've-, you've-!? What! Forbid them!? By my beard, why'd you do such a thing?!"

"Aye, what's the use of them then?! Someone enlighten me!"

"I'll tell ye, these men-folk have nothin' to tell us! All this talk about seein' the future, about bein' sent here by the Maker, that's all just a huge load of orc dun'!"

"Agreed! This is just too unbelievable to be true! I said it once, and I'll say it again; it's a disgrace to involve Mahal into this mad humbug!"

"Aye, but woo boy, what a tale it is! 'tis getting better 'n better all the time!"

"More like getting closer to a hoax, that is! I say, if they're seers, let them prove it!"

"So, let 'em prove themselves then!"

"Aye! Give us a proof!"

"We demand a proof!"

"And more ale!"

Meri finally let go of Aleksi's shirt and closed her eyes while massaging her temples, muttering out; "I demand a drink for myself too if this shouting goes on much longer… We're not making any progress here!"

Aleksi on the other hand laughed gleefully like he was having the time of his life. "Ha! Well fuck me, what an uproar! This is even better than what I imagined! What a show! Gandalf, I told you they'd flip out once you let out the big secret!"

Gandalf gave him a small frown, a flicker of warning in his eyes. "Dear boy, I'm beginning to think you have no respect for me at all…"

Aleksi raised his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Oh no, no… I'm respectful, really respectful towards you, my man."

Thorin once more managed to silence his dwarves and then bluntly said to Gandalf; "You surely are jesting."

"I would not jest with such matters," Gandalf shrugged lightly, maddening Thorin even further with his carefree attitude.

"This is madness!" the dwarf King growled, "Are you trying to tell me, that here I have two seers in my presence for the next coming months all the way to the Lonely Mountain, two who know exactly what is to happen and what to expect, two who has already seen the outcome of the very purpose why my company is gathered today-! And I'm not allowed to use this ability they have for my advantage? This is absurd! What tricks are you playing, wizard?!"

And surprisingly the company backed him up right away.

"Aye! Explain us, wizard!"

"Hear, hear! No more beating around the bush, we want a clear, straight answer for once!"

"By me beard… With the wit of this bunch, he could squeeze up the whole tale into three wee words 'n ye still wouldn't understand!"

"I beg your pardon!"

"Are you calling us witless?!"

"Oi! Who's witless here?!"

"Watch your mouth!"

Gandalf sighed in a sad way and exchanged a tired look with Balin. They were both very much in the same level when it came to trying to hold down this bunch of loudmouths. This certainly wasn't the first time they had made silent eye contacts over the matter. It was always the same thing – once someone started the aimless shouting contest there was no end to it, not without the help of Thorin. And right at that moment, Thorin sure looked like he was anything but willing to calm down the dwarves, not when his own eyes were glaring daggers at the wizard too. Gandalf and Balin both had a horrible suspicion that the night was far from over, and that long and exhausting hours were still ahead of them.

"The explanation is a rather simple one, if only you were calm enough to consider everything you have just heard tonight," Gandalf began with a tone of a parent speaking to a child, "I understand your frustration over the matter Thorin, but right now, you're only viewing this with the perspective of yourself - with only one single individual in a world where there's considerable number of others too. I'm talking of the greater good right now. The very future of the whole Middle Earth and not just your Lonely Mountain."

Thorin gritted his teeth not appreciating getting spoken to in such a way as if he was still some clueless dwarfling. "So you keep on saying. But any knowledge concerning Erebor belongs to the dwarves, does it not?!" he heatedly argued against him, earning a bunch of agreeing grunts from the company, "You have no right to keep it from us!"

Aleksi's eyebrows rose high on his forehead. Gandalf certainly would have kicked his ass was he to speak so rudely back at him. Unlike him, Thorin sure seemed to be safe from sudden spells aimed at him and that somewhat annoyed the man. Things didn't seem to be rolling around very equally here. 'Guess it's one of those perks of being a King. You can go around shouting at wizards without getting your tongue hexed. Just try to stand in my shoes and do the same. You'll get muted in a second, man. Like a goddamn television, I'll tell you.'

"No right?" Gandalf huffed out first but then granted; "Alright, that's fair enough. Perhaps I don't have the right to withhold anything from you, after all who really does have the right to do so? Originally none of this had anything to do with me. I wasn't involved in the slightest. I got no part in anything. I could've just left it all on its own. Just step aside and look safely from the distance how things ought to go," the wizard shrugged easily at that, "But you see, these two came to me and sought for my counseling. Sought for my wisdom and advice. Could I have declined stepping in and getting myself meddled into all of this? Why, of course I could have. It would have been very easy to refuse taking any part, to not to share my own opinion of any matters concerning them. Very easy, indeed…"

Gandalf had a small pause there, purely for dramatic measures. He took his sweet time swiping off some non-existing dust from his robes before lifting up his eyes to see the expecting looks of the company who waited for him to continue. The wizard smirked inwardly and did just that.

"I did not refuse, as you see. And not for a second have I regretted that decision. They trusted on me from the very beginning, as if they had known me for all their lives, and sought for my wisdom as if it was the most valuable thing to have. And I gave it to them. Of course I did."

Meri and Aleksi looked at each other with peculiar faces. The wizard spoke the truth - they had trusted Gandalf right from the very beginning, of course they had. They would have been fools not to. Right after they gotten rid of the shock of realizing what was going on and finally understanding where exactly they had ended up in. Right after those painfully emotional weeks after first meeting him. Right after all the stubborn denying, and the hot-boiling anger, and the inexplicable sorrow that had come once they had realized there was no way back to home. Things had been one huge-ass rollercoaster with their feelings, but not once had they questioned their trust on Gandalf. Actually, trusting on Gandalf the Grey was funnily the only thing they trusted themselves to do. He had saved them after all. That was something they could never repay to him.

"Now. I have counseled these two into not revealing any significant details, not to you or to anyone else, even myself included," Gandalf continued with a more serious tone, speaking directly to Thorin once again, "Why? Simply because meddling with destined future is a dangerous thing to do, and these two just happen to know much more than is safe for anyone in Middle Earth to know. I really cannot tell what Aulë was thinking, sending these two here with such destructive tools in their hands, but I'm beginning to consider the possibility that perhaps even he himself wasn't completely aware of just how wide their knowledge and memory truly was... Thorin, we're talking about matters that will take place much further in the future than just the events regarding Erebor… We're talking about several decades after. Of things that, I fear, are shadowed by great evil – something I dare not to speak out loud until the time is right."

Thorin frowned, having calmed down from his previous anger and considered things with a new view of mind. He licked his lips, deep in thought. "By a great evil…? What makes you so wary, Gandalf?"

Gandalf merely shook his head, closing his eyes. "This will not be discussed any further. Not with me. Not with these men. Hear my warning Thorin; ask no more. You don't need to know."

Thorin felt like huffing out in frustration. The wizard kept on dancing around important subjects, teasing him with bits of juicy information and then refusing to share the secret. It was maddening. Something big was occurring, something big and dangerous, and as far as Thorin knew, his Mountain was somehow related to this. Though how and why, he didn't know and apparently wasn't even allowed to ask. But... Gandalf seemed almost afraid and that wasn't right. A wizard should never be afraid.

Gandalf sighed a little at the displeased expression on Thorin's face and tried to explain; "I am only thinking of the common good for all of us, Master Dwarf. Some things, some events, are safer to be left unfold on their own in the way they are meant to, don't you think so too? Everything is connected to everything. If you should know your future, all that comes in your way, both the good and the bad, would you not decide to change your path and avoid facing the less pleasant situations? As it just happens, some things are not to be prevented, cannot be prevented… for all we know it could lead into a big disaster later on," he said with a haughty tone, eyes unfocused and seemingly lost in troubling thoughts.

Thorin took in the well-masked fear in Gandalf's pale eyes and felt himself immediately burdened of the future too. He too had sensed these small peculiar warning signs of a big change in the air. Thorin wasn't dim nor was he blind, he had lived quite the time already and of course he had noted things being different during his travels nowadays – heard the hushed whispers of the rising numbers of orcs and goblins, and seen dead grounds in areas that used to be well and alive just decades before… Something wasn't right in Middle Earth, Thorin felt it in his bones. It felt like something infectious was growing and secretly spreading all around.

A lung-twisting anxiety came with these dark thoughts and along with it grew the burning need to get his dwarves quickly into safety – inside the sturdy walls of Erebor where danger couldn't reach them so easily. His people – Thorin let his eyes travel through the company, feeling a strange panic grow in his heart – his people needed to be protected against the growing evil in Middle Earth. And now that his father was still missing with the strongest assumption of being dead, it fell on Thorin's shoulders to take care of the folk of Durin. It was his responsibility and duty to keep them all safe.

"Durin's folk needs to get back inside the Lonely Mountain," Thorin whispered more to himself than to anyone else and then abruptly turned to look back at the wizard, "Getting Erebor back is all that matters to me Gandalf. Too long has my kin been exposed in the open ground like an easy prey. Too long have they been forced to be separated from the safety of the Lonely Mountain's stone walls. Too long, Gandalf… And if this is what it takes for us to reach our home…" the dwarf King swallowed and felt a jab of guilt in him. Then he turned to look at the human duo with eyes like steel and continued; "I'll allow you to come and ride with us. Not because I want or wish so, but because of the current circumstances along with Gandalf's will are forcing me to do so. However-," the dwarf suddenly growled in a tone of a warning, "-don't you even for a second fool yourself with the thought of actually belonging as a part of my company. I do not know you, do not trust you, nor shall I ever feel the need to do so. You two are mere strangers who just happen to know too much and that is the only reason why I let you come."

Aleksi narrowed his eyes at the leader dwarf. Meri had her grip on his arm to remind him to remain politely silent for now, trying to keep him in his place and not to take another step closer to the table, as Thorin was clearly not done talking to them yet. All the dwarves around the table looked intensely back and forth from Thorin to the humans, waiting what was to happen next. Some were exchanging glances and making nonverbal bets of the outcome.

Thorin licked his lips and pinched the bridge of his nose still trying to smother the growing headache, wondering just how the night had turned out to be such a disaster. But what was even worse than the pain in his head was the ache on his right side, the old wounds there were awakening again, flaring up with the familiar burning pain just like they always did when he was in distress for too long.

"I don't know yet whether to believe Gandalf with this-, mad tale, of you being brought here by Mahal. If you truly are seers and have seen the outcome of this journey, or, if you are just sent by someone with evil intentions in order to stop us from reaching the Lonely Mountain… I have much more important matters to think of than figuring out what you two really are seeking after," he tensed and clenched his jaw.

"However, if the latter is the case, know that we will find out sooner or later, and you'll pay deeply for trying to deceive us." Thorin's face turned grim and eyes grew heavy-lidded as he remembered all the times he had had to feel the bitter taste of someone's betrayal. "You'd be fools to think you could be successful with your plans, and even bigger fools if you truly try to seize this chance to go against me. If either one of you shows a sign of treacherous intentions, should you mislead us or put my company in a form of danger, or if I ever find out you've been leaking information to a third party… It's widely known that the wrath of dwarves' is legendary. That stands for a reason." Thorin gave the humans a look of warning.

"Do not come into my way, children. Do not try to come in between me and my Mountain. Do not even play with the very idea. Reaching Erebor is all I'm after. And coming into my way would make me very, very angry. And if the dwarves' wrath is that of a legendary, that of mine knows no limits. It will be your last mistake to make me angry."

Aleksi crossed his arms in front of him, his jaw clenching and face so grim it was as if he was hearing a death sentence coming from Thorin. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was like Thorin was treating them like some criminals, ready at any time to unsheathe his sword and behead them should he be given the slightest reason to. Aleksi breathed in heavy, angry breaths. He was no criminal! He had done nothing to deserve such hatred and-, and discrimination showed at him. And most of all, he was no child! He was there only because it was where he belonged and that was a fact he knew in his heart and in his bones. He belonged beside the company, so why could not Thorin see it too?

Meri eyed at Aleksi with the corner of her eye and moved an inch closer to the taller man to remind him she was still there by his side, knowing very well he sometimes had the tendency to forget about her existence and the support she always gave to him in situations like this. The girl nudged slightly at Aleksi's arm and then made sure to catch Thorin's gaze, her own face serious and as hard as his when she answered in one short, challenging word that made the dwarf King frown twice as bad at her.

"Agreed."

Thorin noticed easily the tenseness in the humans and a small part of him had hoped to get them fired up with him. The stubbornness and defiance in the two was so clear it almost reeked out of them and that was something that got under Thorin's skin. They would be trouble for him, he just knew it. Though, admittedly, for some odd reason they seemed to look at him with respect in their eyes, but Thorin just knew that respect wouldn't be enough and at some point the humans would refuse to follow his command and therefore cause him problems. They would be a nuisance for him, two irritating louses he couldn't get rid of no matter how he wanted to. 'Mahal, what have you done to me? Why have you sent me these men misfits? Just what am I to do with them?' Durin… Thorin could only hope there was no more of these freaks crawling through Middle Earth heading his way.

The dwarf leader clenched his jaw, still gazing at Meri with a deep displeasure. 'And a woman of all-! A tiny, woman-child, buried underneath a pile of massive clothing! Oh Mahal, why do you do this to me?'

"Also, Mister Ekk," Thorin added with a quick afterthought as he was looking at the short girl, a frown once more creeping on his face at the odd surname, "Just to make matters clear, taking care of your Lady companion falls entirely onto your shoulders. I will not have a feeble little woman in the back, whining about the roughness of the road, slowing us down for whatever reasons. She will be your responsibility and will not burden my company in any way."

Meri flinched at his words and then hardened her gaze on Thorin. She admitted it stung to hear him speaking of them like they were just some nasty, no-good child spies of the enemy with the sole intention of leading the whole company to a rotten death. Still, even if it stung, she could take it because that was how her mama had raised her to be - to stand silent and strong, while the men-folk talked - and then later prove herself to those doubting little fuckers. But this-. This truly was something she didn't want to take. Not when she had put so much effort into making herself to be the complete opposite of a burden to him! Before Meri knew it, she felt blood starting to boil inside her veins and her right eye beginning to twitch like it always did whenever she was close to a total explosion of a pure raving hot anger. 'A burden?!'

Aleksi blinked at Thorin words, his own displeasure dissolving right away. He felt a slight grimace making its way on his face, sensing the growing darkness right next to him. He dared not to look at Meri, but knew exactly how badly she was insulted by Thorin at that moment. The dwarf King had been brutal with his words. 'Easy there Meri, hold yourself for a while.' The man was about to retort a sarcastic come-back right at Thorin's face but something made him swallow down his rude words. That something was the piercing look from Gandalf right next to Thorin, giving Aleksi a clear last warning. The man was given no choice.

"Why of course," he answered Thorin, though that was far from what he truly wanted to say, "I got Meri's sweet, feeble little back, and she has mine. Just like it's always been," the man emphasized with a notch of biting tone that got a narrow-eyed look at his way from Gandalf, "This has never been a problem before, nor will it be one in the future either, that I can promise."

Thorin barely held in an ugly snort. The night was still young but he had heard enough talk of these humans and their silly little tales. He was mentally exhausted by them already and somehow he could anticipate that this would only be the beginning of very difficult times ahead. The journey to his Lonely Mountain would be exhausting.

"Balin-," Thorin said through gritted teeth, something inside him fighting hard against the words coming out, "-write them a contract." He felt physically ill.

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EDITED 2019

"I don't mean to sound rude, but fuck you and shut up." -Every customer server ever

Dumbledore, is that you, man?

Love it how the dwarves are shouting random comments over each other and causing a small chaos around the table every time they do so. I can also imagine Balin giving his famous dead-exhausted sigh once they're at it again. Everyone's got something to say and they will not be silenced.

If you were wondering why Thorin's being so damn difficult and mean towards Aleksi and Meri, that's because he's a sour jackass who doesn't give a flying cracker about the feelings of anyone.

Appreciated thanks to MissCallaLilly and dragonegyptianblue for their nice reviews! Praises are always welcome here!

As always, stay strong, stay save people. And use protection.

With plenty of 'new year new me' wishes giving to you,

Miss Always Wrong.