Chapter 2 : A Room in Khazad-dum

Waking up has never been a favorite activity, but it was certainly worth doing if she didn't want her mother pounding on her door and yelling "Kate Bel Ana!!!" in her most grating, shrill pitch.

Come to think of it, Kate had been tossing under her covers for five minutes now, and there was still no shrilly voice nor pounding on the door. The duvet seemed to be extra thick, too. Considering that it was the height of summer, Kate felt this a bit odd. How could her blanket grow thick overnight anyway?

Finally, her own body clock forced her eyes to open. Kate heaved the covers off her body and sat up to do some lame stretches. As the last vestiges of sleep faded from her mind, she began to realize the oddness of her surroundings.

'This isn't my room…' was the first thing that came to mind. The room was too big and quite dim, and although she felt like it was high noon already, a few candles lit its corners. Spare, metal-looking furnishings replaced her clutter of chests and cabinets and there was no sign at all of her posters and bookshelves.

'Odd…this isn't my bed, either…' Kate thought, and all at once looked down on her covers. They weren't the white and pale yellow sheets she expected to see. Rather, the single blanket was as thick as a bear rug and seemed to be made of fur, too. Kate threw the heavy blanket off her body, and made an even more alarming discovery.

"These aren't my clothes either!" She exclaimed, unable to keep the surprise to herself. She didn't care if anyone heard, and was actually expecting her mom to come barging in any minute now to scold her for shouting. But no one came through the door, the room remained as it was, and Kate was still wearing this brown, cotton, sack-like thing.

To say that panic gripped her would be an understatement. Kate was ready to go wild, and she was about to get off the bed to do some mad screaming when a brief shock of red caught her eye.

"My clothes!" Kate exclaimed, and she said this in a lower tone. The sight of her black shirt and red knickers immediately tamed her, and she at once felt ashamed for acting like some animal.

Her clothes were draped on a chair by the bed, neatly folded and pressed it seemed, and so she didn't need to get off to be able to get a hold of them. She quickly wriggled out of the sack-like thing and entertained a couple of musings while putting on her own clothing.

'This sure beats that funky dream I had,' Kate thought absently. 'Wherever this is, Smee isn't here, so it's still a dream. But when did I ever dream of being stuck in a dreary place?'

Just as she pulled her t-shirt through her arms, the door suddenly burst open.

"Oh! You're awake!" A gruff, nasal voice exclaimed. Kate couldn't make out the gender of the voice, but if it was female, it would probably resemble a Viking woman's rough alto.

Brisk steps clanked toward the bed, and Kate caught the first glimpse of her captor? savior? with the candlelight.

"MERLIN'S BEARD!" Kate exclaimed, before she could clamp her mouth shut. At the quizzical look she received from the…er, woman…she attempted to salvage the situation by saying, "I mean, a woman's beard!"

Urk! That didn't even sound right, and Kate had to wince. But when she finally had the courage to look at the bearded woman, she was surprised to find a shy smile.

"Why, thank you. I shall take that as a complement," then a rosy blush colored her round cheeks, "even if a man-child was the first to mention it."

It took a LOT of effort for Kate not to gag. What did she mean 'a complement'!? Is it even supposed to be normal for women to have BEARDS, for chrissake!?

The…bearded woman seemed to be waiting for her to speak, so Kate frantically searched her brain for the most proper words a guest could say.

"Wh-…Wha-…." A cold wind entered the room and sent a chill down her spine. Kate gulped and tried again. "Why do you have a beard?"

Was biting her tongue enough? If only she could bite back her question, then maybe the woman's face would stop being red as a tomato.

"Why, I'm a dwarf, of course!" The woman proudly exclaimed. This, of course, was a big surprise to Kate, but she bit her tongue and kept quiet out of politeness. The dwarf-woman, however, leaned closer to the bed. "You don't seem to know what a dwarf is, do you man-child?"

"I-I'm…Please don't call me 'man-child'!" Kate replied, and the dwarf-woman seemed taken aback by this. "My name is Kate, Kate Bel Ana. Please, call me Kate."

Kate's request effectively diverted the dwarf-woman's attention, and the pudgy…and hairy…face before her allowed a small, compassionate smile. "Alright then, Kate it is. Come out of the bed, Kate, so I may prepare you."

"P-prepare?" Kate was confused, but she obeyed nonetheless. The she-dwarf didn't wait for her to get up, but went to the nearest drawer-like metal box and pulled out some baggy black cloth trousers and a pair of thick sock-like things. She handed these to Kate, then bustled away as the girl quietly shimmied into them over her own clothes. When the dwarf returned, holding a pair of small, brown leather boots, she shook her head and clucked her tongue at Kate's outfit.

"I suppose that shirt should do. I have never felt such cloth so soft before. I was careful in washing it, too," the she-dwarf uttered before sauntering away. "Th-thank you very much," Kate managed to say, although softly, to the dwarf's back. She had feared the dwarf didn't hear it, but was assured when the she-dwarf returned with another smile.

"May I please know your name, ma'am?" Kate asked shyly, slipping into the camel-brown robe made of coarse velvet. It was lined with soft snow-white fur, but otherwise unadorned.

"Ghilda, at your service" the dwarf-woman replied, helping Kate with the dark brown leather sash that finally completed her ensemble. "My brother, Gridel son of Grimet, brought you here, and I was told to care for you."

Kate hesitated to speak, stunned by this information. After a moment, she managed a soft reply. "Thank you for all that you've done, Miss Ghilda, and please thank your brother Gridel for me, too." Ghilda nodded, softened by the humble words.

"Now, could you please tell me where is 'here'?"

These words alarmed the dwarf, Kate could tell. But, with a heavy sigh, Ghilda uttered a reply. "You are in Moria, but don't tell them I told you!" Then, she squinted with gimlet eyes at her charge. "Now, come with me, Kate. The Council summons you."