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Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Hobbit franchise, only the OC's.
An Uncomfortable Start
Melliel had seen the great Mûmakil of Harad, had felt the ground tremble beneath their large, stomping feet and heard the loud symphony of their trumpets. She had spent countless times camping out in the open while the world was rocked by monstrous storms, the booming thunder and cracks of lightning loud enough to leave her ears ringing in their wake. She knew very well the sound of the Rohirrim riding across the planes of Rohan, the beats of thousands of horse hooves able to be heard for miles, sounding like a rumbling beast from deep in the earth coming to life.
But as Melliel stood in the entryway of Bilbo Baggins home, she was fairly certain that the symphony of raucous snores that greeted her might very well have been one of the loudest things she'd ever heard.
She could only stand there in stunned silence, her brows raised as she stared at the many sleeping dwarves scattered around the hobbit home. Several slept with their mouths wide open, with little bits of drool sliding down their chins, a few making unappealing choking noises when they breathed in their own saliva. Their snores were so loud, she thought it might be enough to shake the very foundation of the home. The volume was almost concerning, actually. Melliel had to wonder if some of the dwarves might have been ill – certainly it could not be normal, nor healthy, to snore so loudly in one's sleep.
Melliel shook her head, then set her pack and her weapons down by the door. She was already dressed in her travelling gear and was ready to depart, even though it was not quite time to leave yet. It was barely daybreak, the world beyond Bag End still a blueish hue as the sun only just started to make its ascent into the sky. With the dwarves still asleep and time to spare, Melliel began to silently tiptoe around the sleeping dwarves as she made her way to the kitchen, trying not to disturb them. Not that she thought she actually would. There was no possible way they could have heard her over the racket they were making – at this rate, a mountain troll could have come to knock down the door and she still doubted they would have been able to hear it.
Melliel paused when she passed by the chair Gandalf had slept in. He looked horribly uncomfortable, barely fitting in the too small chair, with his head lolling backwards and his legs stretched so far out in front of him that he had become a tripping hazard. How he had managed to sleep in the chair – and around the obscenely loud dwarves – was a mystery to her.
Melliel left Gandalf to his sleep and continued on, but paused again when her eyes landed on Thorin. He too had claimed an arm chair for himself, though he fit much better than Gandalf did. He did not look very relaxed, however. His brows were furrowed in his sleep and his sword was resting on his lap, as if he was ready to jump up and fight at a moment's notice. Even his expression was stern – he obviously did not ever drop his guard, not even in sleep.
She gave him as wide a berth as possible, not wanting to get too close and potentially startle him. When she stepped into the kitchen, she began searching around to see if there was anything to make for breakfast. The barren shelves and empty cabinets told her that the dwarves had demolished everything Bilbo had had, though, so Melliel left the kitchen empty handed and made her way back toward the front door. She picked up her pack and her weapons, cast one last look at the dwarves, then stepped outside.
It was a relief on her ears to get away from the snoring, which was far less intense now that she wasn't in the confines of the house. She set her things down by the fence and then climbed atop Bag End, settling comfortably on the grass that covered Bilbo's home to watch the sun rise and wait for the dwarves to wake.
The sunrise was beautiful. Sunshine slowly brightened the dewy, green landscape around her and woke the morning birds, prompting them to sing their sweet songs. Melliel closed her eyes contentedly as the warm rays caressed her face and inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of grass and the flowers Bilbo had planted in his garden down below. She reveled in the peaceful moment, feeling fairly confident that there wouldn't be many peaceful moments on the road ahead.
Finally, the dwarves began to rouse within Bag End, their loud snores petering off and giving way to casual conversation as they began to gather their things and prepare to leave. Melliel stayed where she was and listened to them move about inside the house.
"Let us take our leave," she heard Thorin command once everyone seemed to be awake. "We will break our fast at the Green Dragon, and then we take to the road."
"Will Master Baggins be joining us?" one of the dwarves asked. It sounded a bit like the one name Bofur.
Thorin had made it clear that anyone who was not packed and ready to leave before the company departed the Shire would be left behind, a warning that Melliel knew had really only been directed toward her and Bilbo. Since she could not hear Bilbo's voice amongst the dwarves, she could only assume he was still asleep – or, perhaps, he had decided not to come after all and was simply hiding in his room until the company left. Given his reaction to how dangerous the quest truly was, Melliel would not be surprised if his absence was due to the latter of the two options.
"Unlikely," replied a different, gruffer voice.
"I bet five gold pieces he doesn't show!" a dwarf said confidently.
"On the contrary, I think he will show," another dwarf countered.
Several voices spoke at once and she heard bets being placed about whether or not Bilbo Baggins would join their quest. A few thought he would, but most thought he wouldn't.
"What about the elf?" someone asked after all the bets had been placed.
"Yes, where is Melliel?" That question was asked by a curious Gandalf.
"I do not know and I do not care," Thorin answered bluntly, his tone biting. "If we are lucky, she has realized her presence is as unnecessary as it is unwanted, and she returned to wherever she came from."
Melliel sighed at the unkind words, only barely listening as Gandalf immediately came to her defense. With no interest to hear the rest of the conversation, Melliel climbed down from the roof, collected her belongings, and slipped away from Bag End unnoticed, heading in the direction of the Green Dragon. The rest of the company would catch up soon enough – she wanted to at least get a decent breakfast in before any dwarves started hurling insults at her.
The Green Dragon was empty when she arrived, save for two hobbits who worked there. Melliel greeted a friendly faced hobbit lass at the counter and ordered her breakfast, as well as some tea, then claimed a table in the middle of the tavern, making no attempt to hide her presence.
Her breakfast arrived promptly, and she was able to get through about half of it before the first dwarves began filtering in. The fat one name Bombur appeared first, looking more than a little eager to get food in his belly. He was followed closely by Nori, Dori, and Glóin. The dwarves had been talking excitedly amongst themselves, but froze upon seeing her sitting there enjoying her breakfast. Melliel merely took another bite of her food and waved at them with her fork, unaffected by the way they openly gawked at her.
The surprised dwarves cluttered up the doorway, which drew annoyed sounds from the rest of the company as they struggled to get through the door.
"Get a move on!" grumbled Dwalin as he pushed at Glóin's back. "What's the hold up?" He shoved his way through, saw her, and immediately scowled. "Should'a known it'd be too good to be true," he commented, having obviously been hoping that she had changed her mind about the quest.
He went to the counter to order after shooting a glare at her, followed quickly by the other four who'd been gawking at her. The rest of the dwarves filtered in after they moved, but not all of them were unhappy to see her. Kíli waved and flashed a bright smile, Fíli inclined his head politely, and Bofur tipped his floppy hat to her, while the young one named Ori simply blushed and hurried by without meeting her eyes. The rest looked displeased with her presence, which didn't surprise her, though none looked more unhappy than Thorin. He paused in the doorway and narrowed his eyes when he saw her, giving her a look that was very easy to decipher – he did not like her, and her presence amongst them was clearly a great inconvenience, like a pebble finding its way into one's boot.
Finally, a familiar face came into view.
"Ah, there you are, mellon," Gandalf said happily as he moved past the glaring Dwarf King and came to join her at her table. He plopped down across from her, raising his brows. "We thought perhaps you had changed your mind."
Melliel held Thorin's gaze for a moment, wanting him to see that she was unintimidated by him, before looking to Gandalf as the dwarf took a seat and paid no more attention to her. "And I am sure the dwarves were positively heartbroken at the thought," she replied with a teasing smirk, which made Gandalf chuckle.
Dwalin and Glóin passed by at that precise moment, pulling faces of disgust and shaking their heads disapprovingly. "Speakin' that ruddy, filthy language…" Melliel heard Glóin mutter under his breath as they claimed a table with Nori and Dori, both of whom were eyeing her and Gandalf suspiciously, as if they thought the two of them were up to something.
Melliel told herself to ignore them and took a sip of her tea. "Where to first?" she asked, switching back to the common tongue.
"Back to Bree, to restock on supplies," Gandalf answered as he gestured to the hobbit working the tavern to bring another plate of breakfast to the table. "Many of the dwarves traveled far and wide to get here. They will need to load up on the necessities before we take to the road."
Melliel nodded in understanding. She glanced around, noting the fact that there was no hobbit present amongst the company, and gave Gandalf a questioning look. "We seem to be missing our burglar," she said, which made Gandalf hum. "Do you think Bilbo will be joining us?"
Gandalf pursed his lips and shrugged a shoulder. "It is hard to say. I imagine we shall know soon enough."
Melliel nodded slowly, even as she began to suspect that they had seen the last of Bilbo Baggins. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed about that. He had been one of the few who had been kind to her, and she had rather hoped to have someone other than Gandalf as an ally on this quest.
She and Gandalf ate their breakfast, talking quietly together about the journey to come and discussing different routes that could be taken. The dwarves kept their distance, even the friendlier ones, and made quick work of scarfing down the overwhelming amount of food they had ordered. As rowdy as they had been at Bag End, they seemed to have slightly better manners whilst eating out in public. That being said, more than one belch was heard and a few of them still threw food at each other now and again, much to the horror of the hobbits, who loved food too much to see it used as projectile weapons.
Thorin ordered everyone to finish their plates and get to the ponies barely half an hour later. Everyone did as they were told, taking the last bites of food and then collecting their things. Melliel and Gandalf followed the dwarves back outside, and she found herself wondering if Thorin's hastiness was simply due to his eagerness to get going, or if he was trying to get out of the Shire before Bilbo could turn up. She wouldn't have been surprised if that was part of the motivation. From what she had overheard in the meeting, he didn't seem particularly impressed with Bilbo. He was already burdened with her presence on the quest – she didn't think he wanted an inexperienced hobbit around as well.
Tallagor canted happily when Melliel and the company returned to the field where they had left their horses. He stood much taller than all the ponies the dwarves had arrived on, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the bunch. She patted his nose and said a few affectionate words, then secured her things to the saddle. Once she had settled upon his back, she looked around and noticed a few of the dwarves giving her unpleasant looks. Though not much taller than them on foot, she positively towered over them while on her tall horse, and the height difference seemed to bother some of them – Ori, who was closest to her, was sitting as straight as possible, as if attempting to make himself taller. Melliel resisted the urge to smirk with amusement.
Being the guide of the group, Melliel thought perhaps she should ride in front and lead them out of the Shire. One look at Thorin, however, made her rethink the decision. He gave her a hard look the instant he thought she was going to take the helm of the company, silently telling her with his eyes that he was in charge, and therefor he would lead the way. Melliel wisely hung back, letting Thorin and the rest of the dwarves go in front of her, bringing up the rear with Gandalf.
The company headed south down the main road through Hobbiton. Many of the hobbits seemed a little taken aback to see such a large company of dwarves – after all, the dwarves had arrived at night, so many of the local hobbits had been unaware of their presence. To see that an elf and a wizard accompanied them only resulted in further awed gaping.
"Thank you again, my dear," Gandalf said quite out of nowhere, his eyes gazing straight ahead as the farms and fields of Hobbiton gave way to a long stretch of forest filled with twittering birds and chirping insects.
Melliel gave him a curious look. "For what?"
"For agreeing to join us on what will most assuredly be quite a challenging journey," he clarified.
Melliel smirked. "A dangerous voyage to a dragon infested mountain with a bunch of dwarves who loathe my very existence? How could I possibly refuse?" she said teasingly.
Gandalf chuckled at that, his blue eyes twinkling as he gave her a fond look. "Hold tightly to your sense of humor. If not for your own sanity, then at least for mine."
Melliel grinned and looked forward again, noticing how their Elvish conversation had, once again, drawn some unfriendly looks. She started to tell Gandalf that perhaps they should speak in the common tongue for the foreseeable future, so as not to constantly annoy the dwarves – she didn't want to give them anymore reason to dislike her, otherwise it was going to be a very long journey. Before she could get the words out, however, her keen ears detected the sound of someone approaching from behind them.
While the rest of the company was none the wiser to the new arrival, Melliel turned her head and looked behind them, her sharp eyes scanning the distance for the source of the noise. Finally, much further down the road they were currently traveling on, a figure popped into view, running very quickly, his hand holding a long piece of parchment that whipped around haphazardly like a streamer behind him.
"What is it?" Gandalf asked, drawing her attention back to him. Having traveled with her quite a lot, he was very good at being able to tell when she had detected something that others could not yet see or hear.
Melliel, quite pleased with this turn of events, gave him a big smile. "Some of these dwarves are about to have much lighter coin purses," she said simply.
Gandalf knew what was going on in an instant and smiled almost proudly. "I knew he was the right choice," he said with a nod.
Melliel turned her horse around, thinking Bilbo might appreciate her coming to collect him. The poor man was huffing and puffing, having obviously run very fast in an attempt to catch up to them. "I shall fetch him then."
She heard Gandalf call out to Thorin as she galloped away, followed by a few confused questions from the others about where she was going. Melliel rode to meet Bilbo, offering a smile when Bilbo finally spotted her and let out an enormous sound of relief.
"Thank goodness! I feared I would never catch up!" he said around hard pants for air.
"Good morning to you, too," she greeted with a smile. Melliel steered her horse closer and then reached a hand down to him. "The company is just up ahead. Shall I give you a ride?"
Bilbo nodded, and Melliel effortlessly hoisted him up onto her horse after he took her hand. With Bilbo settled behind her, his hard breaths stirring her golden hair as he tried to catch his breath, Melliel directed them back toward the company. Gandalf and the dwarves were waiting for them. Thorin, she noticed, was looking a little impatient.
"By my beard. Bilbo really has come after all," Bofur commented as they trotted past.
Melliel finally pulled Tallagor to a stop next to Thorin's pony. Bilbo, ignoring the chatter and stares of the dwarves, leaned around Melliel to show him the contract. "I signed it," Bilbo announced proudly.
Thorin stared at Bilbo for a moment, took the contract, then reached behind him to hand it to Balin. The older dwarf gave Bilbo a brief look, then pulled out a magnifying glass to give the contract a quick inspection, searching for any irregularities. There were a few terse, silent moments, where Balin read the contract and where Bilbo fidgeted behind her anxiously. Finally, Balin put his reading instrument away and nodded.
"Everything appears to be in order," Balin announced, rolling up the contract to stow it with all the others, including the one Melliel had signed herself the day before. "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
There was slight cheering from some of the company as Bilbo grinned, looking pleased.
Thorin, however, looked neither pleased nor impressed. "Give him a pony," he ordered, not even sparing the hobbit another look before turning his own pony to continue going forward, signaling to the others that it was time to keep moving.
"Oh, no, no, no," Bilbo protested, looking a little frightened at the prospect of having to be in charge of his own pony. "Can I not just ride with Lady Melliel?"
"It's a long way to Erebor, Master Baggins, and I doubt the she-elf will want to chauffer you the entire way," Fíli said as he came trotting up to them. "Now, up you go."
Melliel started to inform Fíli that she really had no issue sharing a horse with Bilbo, but the dwarf had already grabbed the hobbit by the pack he had on his back and hoisted him off of Melliel's horse with impressive strength. Kíli was suddenly there with another pony, which Fíli promptly deposited Bilbo on. The hobbit, startled, had no choice but to take the reins.
Melliel shook her head and sent Tallagor into a trot again as the company moved on, finding herself riding alongside Kíli. "Good morning," he greeted with a wide, friendly smile.
"And good morning to you," she said in return.
"Were you really able to hear Bilbo coming from all this way?" Kíli asked, raising his brows at her.
"Of course she was able to," Fíli answered before she could. "She's an elf."
Kíli looked at her with an awed expression. "I have heard that elves have superior hearing and sight, but I have never witnessed it. It is quite impressive," he complimented.
Melliel never thought much of her keen sight and hearing, simply because it was such a common thing amongst her kind, but Kíli's amazement made her smile. "It certainly has its uses," she said with a nod.
"I imagine it will come in quite handy for the quest ahead of us," Kíli commented. He then gave her another curious look. "Have you ever been on a quest such as this, milady?"
As much as she had traversed Middle Earth, she had certainly never done so amongst a band of dwarves intent on dispelling a dragon from an abandoned dwarf kingdom. "Not quite, Master Kíli," she answered truthfully.
"Kíli," he corrected. "Just Kíli. I rather think formalities are useless at this point. After all, you have seen me with my trousers down," he reminded her with a smirk. His statement drew a hearty laugh from Fíli and a positively scandalized look from Bilbo. Kíli's cheeks flushed bright red when he realized how bad that must have sounded to the hobbit. "Nothing inappropriate happened, I swear!" he insisted hurriedly, which only made his brother laugh harder.
"Kíli was urinating on the side of the road and I happened to witness it," Melliel explained when Bilbo looked to her for answers. "Luckily for him, I have seen far worse things than a dwarf's hind end," she said with a smirk.
Fíli snorted and cocked an eyebrow at her. "On the contrary. I have seen Kíli's hind end more times than I care to admit to, and it is a ghastly sight to behold. Count yourself lucky that you were not blinded by the grotesqueness!"
Melliel laughed at that, while Kíli flushed and tried to reach around Bilbo to punch his brother in the shoulder. Bilbo just sputtered in surprise and tried to keep out of the way as a brief, awkward scuffle ensued. Some of the older dwarves glanced back at the commotion, only to roll their eyes when they saw what the brothers were doing and turn forward again, clearly used to this sort of behavior from them.
"Absolutely ridiculous, you are," Kíli huffed as he gave up and ceased his attack. "Why must you embarrass me in front of the lady?"
Fíli snorted. "You do that just fine all on your own, dear brother."
Kíli called Fíli something that sounded unpleasant in Khuzdul, then looked at Melliel again. "Apologies, Lady Melliel, for my imbecile of a brother."
Melliel smiled and shook her head. "No apologies are necessary…though, I have a request to make," she added, which made Kíli give her a questioning look. "If I am to call you Kíli, then it is only fair that you call me Melliel. Not Lady Melliel or milady. Just Melliel. And that goes for each of you," she said, looking pointedly to Bilbo and Fíli.
Her request was met with three smiles. "With pleasure, Melliel," Kíli quickly agreed.
"Kíli, Fíli," a deep voice suddenly barked, drawing their attention. Melliel's eyes met Thorin's, who was watching her interact with the young dwarves with blatant disapproval. "Come," he ordered sharply, leaving no room for argument on the matter.
Kíli and Fíli went serious at once. Fíli nodded to her once as he quickened the pace of his pony to catch up with Thorin, while Kíli gave her a small smirk and a quick wink before trotting after his brother. Melliel watched as they caught up to Thorin, who seemed to give them some kind of order, then the two fell into line right behind him. Thorin turned to give her one last withering look, before he faced forward again and proceeded to ignore her.
"I do not really know how to ride a horse," Bilbo said to draw her attention, looking uneasy. Now that Kíli and Fíli had gone to ride with Thorin, Melliel and Bilbo were alone at the back of the company.
"It is not too difficult. You will learn quickly enough," Melliel assured him. She then smiled at him. "Fíli was wrong, by the way. I would not have minded sharing a horse with you," she said, wanting him to know.
Bilbo smiled, looking almost bashful. "That is kind of you, Melliel," he said. "I trust, then, that you would not mind riding next to me for a time?"
Melliel smiled a little bigger. "Not in the slightest."
Gandalf chose that moment to reappear, having dropped back to ride with them after sharing a few words with Thorin up in the front. "I am most pleased to see you, Master Baggins," he said, smiling at the hobbit.
"Thank you. I am most pleased to be here," Bilbo said back, before giving his pony a wary look when it tossed its mane.
"May I ask what made you decide to come?" Gandalf questioned.
Melliel looked to Bilbo, also curious to hear the answer.
Bilbo seemed to think on it for a moment. "As much as I love my life here in the Shire, perhaps there is a small part of me that has always yearned for something…more. I have never gone on an adventure such as this, and likely will never encounter such an offer again," he told them. "I did not want to let the opportunity slip past."
Gandalf nodded approvingly. "Very good."
There was suddenly a call of Pay up, Nori!, and then bags of coins were being tossed around the company as those who had bet correctly earned their wages. Bilbo immediately looked confused, his eyes watching the dwarves as they jeered and laughed at those who had lost money. "What is that all about?" he questioned.
"Oh, they took wages about whether or not you would turn up," Gandalf informed him. "Most of them bet that you wouldn't."
Bilbo quirked an eyebrow, looking as though he couldn't decide whether or not he should be offended. He looked from Gandalf to Melliel. "And what did you two think?"
"I made no bets with anyone," Melliel informed him. "Though I hoped you would show," she added with a smile.
Bilbo smiled briefly, then turned a questioning look on Gandalf. "And you?"
Before Gandalf could answer, a large pouch of coins was tossed his way. He caught it easily, then smiled at Bilbo as he pocketed it. "My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second."
Bilbo relaxed, looking relieved. As for Melliel, she quirked a brow at the old wizard. "Gambling, Mithrandir? I thought you above things such as that," she scolded teasingly.
"All in good fun, my dear," the wizard insisted.
Melliel just hummed in response.
Bilbo suddenly sneezed, then shot a look at his horse as it tossed its mane yet again. "All this horse hair. I must be having a reaction," the hobbit complained between sniffles, before beginning to search his pockets. When he could not seem to find whatever he was looking for, a distinctly panicked look overtook his features. "Wait, wait, stop!" he called. "We have to turn around!"
The company had come to a halt, all the dwarves looking at Bilbo with varying expressions of uncertainty or annoyance. "What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked with a frown.
"I've forgotten my handkerchief !" Bilbo announced, as if this was a very serious problem indeed.
There were a few scoffs and eye rolls from some of the dwarves as they realized the emergency wasn't really an emergency at all. "Here!" Bofur called, ripping off a piece of fabric from his shirt. "Use this!"
He tossed the scrap of fabric to Bilbo, who caught it and stared at it with mild disgust. The dwarves laughed at his reaction, then continued on as Thorin called for the company to begin moving again. Bilbo, resigned, folded up the fabric and shoved it into his pocket. Mere moments after they resumed their trek, Melliel heard his stomach growl very loudly. She looked over at him with raised brows, which made his pointed ears turn red with embarrassment.
"I forgot breakfast, as well," he admitted, rubbing his grumbling stomach.
Melliel wordlessly reached into the pack hanging from her saddle and retrieved a portion of lembas bread. With a kind smile, she extended it to him in offering.
Bilbo took it with a grateful nod and then happily dug in.
They did not make it out of the Shire come nightfall, but Melliel hadn't expected they would, especially not with how large a group they were traveling in. The company stopped to make camp on the side of the Great East Road just before sundown, not bothering to find a more secluded place since there was little chance of any dangers finding them while still within the borders of the Shire.
Melliel dismounted her horse, her eyes turning to Thorin as he began barking out orders.
"Nori, Dori – see that the ponies are secured for the night. Kíli, Fíli – get a fire going. Bombur – start on supper once the fire has been built," he said with authority.
After a few more orders from Thorin, the dwarves dispersed to do as they had been told. Melliel watched as the dwarves moved about, then left Tallagor and walked up to Thorin, who was now staking his claim on his sleep spot for the night. When he saw her approaching, he stiffened and stood straighter, somehow managing to look down his nose at her despite the fact that she was taller.
"What can I do to help?" she asked, wanting to contribute somehow instead of sitting around doing nothing.
Thorin merely gave her a critical once over. "Stay out of the way," he ordered. Then he turned his back on her in dismissal.
Melliel pressed her lips together, displeased with his response, but thought better than to say so aloud. She turned to wordlessly walk back to her horse, ignoring the stares she could feel on her back.
She grabbed Tallagor by the reins and then pulled him over to where the other ponies were to get him settled for the night. Nori and Dori stopped what they were doing as she brought Tallagor over, the both of them eyeing the horse with apprehension.
"You best not expect us to be taking care of him," Nori said bluntly.
"I do not," Melliel said, making quick work of securing him alongside the other ponies. "I intend to care for him myself."
"Good. I'd need a ladder just to reach his blasted reins!" Nori said with a huff.
Melliel smirked a little and started to say something else, thinking that maybe because he was joking with her that maybe he'd be willing to converse with her. She stopped herself short, however, when Dori nudged Nori with his elbow and said something in Khuzdul that had both of them promptly turning away and proceeding to ignore her presence. Melliel sighed, patted Tallagor's nose, gave him an apple, then left Nori and Dori to their business.
Camp was assembled faster than she had expected, which she couldn't help but be impressed by. The dwarves were certainly efficient. By the time night had fallen, everyone had set out their bedrolls, the ponies were secure, and Bombur was nearly finished cooking supper.
Now that it was her first night officially camping with the company, Melliel found herself feeling, more than ever, like an outsider. Out in the open, there was nowhere to go, no spare rooms to tuck herself away in. In the confines of their camp, there was really no way for Melliel and the dwarves to avoid each other…though, thus far, the dwarves were doing a very fine job of keeping their distance. All of the dwarves had set up their sleep spaces on the opposite side of the fire, as far away from her as the camp boundaries would allow. It was a move on their part that came as no surprise to her.
As Melliel walked across camp after taking some time to converse with Gandalf, she was acutely aware of several eyes following her movements. She ignored the stares and walked toward the campfire, where Bombur's stew was giving off a very inviting aroma.
"That smells very good," Melliel complimented.
Bombur looked torn on how to respond – her being an elf seemed to irk him, but her compliment seemed to please him all the same. "Er…my thanks, Lady Melliel," he finally said in a tone that was too formal to be friendly. "It shall be finished soon enough, if you'd like some," he then offered, likely feeling obligated to do so.
Melliel eyed the contents of the stew, noticing the chunks of meat floating amongst the vegetables and potatoes. Having spent the majority of her life around her Elven kin, she did not typically eat meat unless there was no other option. With plenty of rations from Lothlórien in her bag waiting for her, she almost declined. When she realized that might offend the dwarf, though, she changed her mind, thinking it might earn her a spot, even if it was only a temporary one, in his good graces if she accepted.
"I would indeed. Thank you."
Bombur nodded. "Right." Then he went back to stirring the stew.
She continued on to where she had left her pack. Unsurprisingly, Bilbo had claimed the spot next to her. He had been sticking close by her side thus far, undoubtedly feeling just as out of place amongst the dwarves as she did. Melliel offered a friendly smile as she eased down next to him.
Currently, the hobbit was looking to be in a great deal of discomfort. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes, yes, well enough. Only…" He shifted uneasily where he sat, clearly in pain after being on a horse for so long. "I'm not entirely certain I still have a bottom." Bilbo shifted uneasily again. "How do you do it?"
Melliel smiled sympathetically. "You get used to it after a while," she said.
Bilbo huffed, then turned his eyes up to the stars, as if trying to distract himself from his discomfort. "At least it's a lovely night," he commented. "Just look at those stars."
As lovely as they had looked in Hobbiton, they shone even brighter out in the open, where there were no lights from the hobbit houses to hinder their beauty. "Lovely indeed," she agreed, casting a look upwards. Her eyes were automatically drawn to the constellations she had grown up learning about, which always brought her a sense of comfort when she was travelling. "The stars have always been some of my favorite companions," she told him.
"Why is that?" Bilbo asked.
"They bring me comfort," she said, giving Bilbo a small smile. "They are something familiar to look upon when I find myself in unfamiliar places."
"You travel much, do you?" Bilbo asked with interest. Melliel nodded once. "Is that common for elf maidens?" he asked unsurely.
"Not very, no," she said with a smile.
Bilbo made a thoughtful noise. "Why do you do it?"
Melliel shrugged a shoulder and decided to give him the simple answer. "I will likely live for many years on this earth. Why not spend the time I have been given seeing as much of it as I can?"
Bilbo thought about it, then shrugged. "Makes sense, I suppose. But do you not have a family back home who worries for you?"
It had been an innocent question on his part, but it immediately made her think of her parents, which made her hesitant to answer. "I have family, yes," she answered evasively.
Bilbo seemed unsure what to make of her response, and Melliel rather hoped he wouldn't ask her to elaborate. She liked Bilbo, but she had also only just met him. It seemed far too soon to be telling him intimate details about her personal history.
Bilbo went quiet for a few moments. The lull in conversation gave Melliel the opportunity to survey the dwarves around them. She frowned a little as she realized they were speaking in Khuzdul to one another, which could only lead her to believe that they were purposefully excluding her and Bilbo from their conversation.
Melliel turned her gaze back to the hobbit as he cleared his throat. "So…how long have you known Gandalf?"
She was happy for the change of subject and felt herself relax a little. "Oh, a very long while now," she answered with a smile. "He is a close friend of my family, so I met him when I was only an elfling. Once I grew older and began travelling Middle Earth, we became frequent traveling companions and quite good friends." She glanced over at Gandalf, who was sitting off to the side by himself, looking deep in thought. "How did you meet him?" she asked, looking back to Bilbo.
Bilbo smiled fondly. "He comes to the Shire now and again to put on grand firework displays. He became friendly with my mother, and with me by association." Bilbo pursed his lips. "I would not say we are good friends, though. Which begs the question of why exactly he picked me to come on this quest."
Melliel raised her brows at the hobbit. "Mithrandir is a wise fellow. If he chose you, it was for a good reason."
"Like what?" Bilbo asked skeptically. "I'm only a hobbit from the Shire. I haven't been on grand adventures like you, and I am not a warrior like them," he said, nodding toward the dwarves. "What do I have to offer?"
Melliel smiled gently. "Perhaps he sees something in you, Bilbo. Something that you have not yet seen in yourself."
Bilbo seemed to mull over that one for a while, his brows pinched together pensively. Melliel looked back up at the stars, enjoying the relative peace, until Bombur finally announced that supper was ready.
She did not immediately get up to get a helping. She watched as Gandalf and the dwarves went to get their food and waited until most of them had settled back down before retrieving a bowl from her pack and walking over to the fire with Bilbo in tow. Dwalin was the last of the dwarves to get his supper and was still at the pot as she approached, ladling stew into his bowl. When he saw her coming, he stopped what he was doing to give her a sour look. He then turned back to the pot and roughly added more stew to his bowl, being so vigorous in his motions that more of it ended up on the ground rather than in his dish. When he was done, he tossed the ladle back into the pot, smiled sarcastically as he motioned for her to get her food, then walked away without a word.
Melliel brushed off his unkind demeanor. He was not behaving any differently than she would have expected the dwarves to – all things considered, the dwarves were actually not treating her half as bad as she had thought they might. This arrangement was still very new, she reminded herself, and they still didn't know her. In time, things would – hopefully – get better.
With that thought in mind, Melliel went to the pot and grabbed the ladle, only to frown when she looked down at the stew. She realized very quickly that Dwalin had not helped himself to more stew simply out of hunger. With how much he had taken, and how much he had spilt on the ground, there was hardly any left. Only enough for one bowl, really.
Melliel looked at Dwalin, who was smirking and had a challenging glint in his eye as he noisily ate his food, as if daring her to say something to him. She sighed, then grabbed Bilbo's bowl and filled it with the remainder of the stew. "For you," she said, handing it back.
Bilbo blinked in confusion as he realized she wasn't getting anything for herself. "What about you?" he asked with a frown.
Melliel gave him a reassuring smile. "I will be fine."
She went back to where she had been sitting, hearing several snickers as the company watched her go. She sat down, her eyes flickering to the dwarves. Dwalin looked smug and at least half the company was laughing at her, while the rest seemed unsure how to feel about her going without a supper. Only Kíli and Fíli were showing open dislike of what Dwalin had done – Kíli was frowning at her with apology, and Fíli was looking at Dwalin with disapproval. Gandalf looked displeased, too, and for a moment it seemed he was going to get up and say something. One look from her, however, kept him right where he was, though he still looked very unhappy.
Suddenly she heard a loud sigh, then heavy, determined footsteps came toward her. Melliel looked up just as Bofur stopped in front of her. Without hesitation, he offered her his bowl of stew.
"Bombur's cookin' is nothin' to miss out on," he said with a firm nod.
Melliel's brows raised in surprise. A hush had fallen over the camp as the rest of the company watched the interaction, but Bofur didn't seem to care. When he indicated again that he wanted her to have the food, she slowly took the bowl from him.
"Thank you," she said, not bothering to hide her surprise.
Bofur nodded, then turned to return to his spot. He froze, however, when he saw all the stares being directed at him. He drew himself taller, his shoulders squaring. "I'll not let a lass go hungry, not even an elven one."
And with that being said, he went back to sit with Bombur and Bifur, taking a large bite of cheese as he went back to what remained of his dinner, acting as though nothing had happened in the first place.
Some of the dwarves grumbled under their breath, but none of them said anything against Bofur or his actions. Melliel merely shared a brief smile with Gandalf, then started in on her stew. When she got a spoonful of meat, she turned and offered it to Bilbo.
"Would you like the meat from my stew?" she asked.
Bilbo, who could have impressed the dwarves with how eagerly he was inhaling his food, looked at her offering, then at her. "You do not want it?"
"My kind do not usually eat meat," she told him with a shake of her head.
Bilbo made a sound of understanding and then grinned widely. "Well, it sure would be a shame to let it go to waste."
Melliel smiled and began transferring her meat to Bilbo's bowl as he offered it to her eagerly, clearly more than happy to have a little extra food in his belly. Then they fell into easy conversation as they finished their dinner.
The next morning, while the rest of the company continued to sleep, Melliel wandered away from camp and found a secluded place to relieve her bladder, then ventured to a nearby stream to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face. When she returned to camp and found everyone still sleeping, Melliel glanced around at everyone with her hands on her hips, quickly coming to the decision that she didn't need orders from Thorin to make herself useful. Since she was the first one up and about, she thought she would treat the dwarves and have breakfast ready for when they woke up. Hopefully it would put them in a good mood to wake up to a hot breakfast, and maybe, if she was lucky, it might get her one step closer to being in their good graces.
She quietly crept around camp, getting the fire going again and then rifling through the same bag she'd seen Bombur fetch food from when he'd cooked dinner the night before. Melliel found a link of sausages, eggs, and cheese, which she thought would do quite nicely for her new companions. With the ingredients in her arms, she went back to the fire and set up a few pans, and before long, the food was cooking away under the morning sunlight.
Glóin was the first to wake, roused by the smell of the sizzling sausages and eggs. He sat up with a wide yawn, wiping drool from his face and still blinking himself awake. "What a nice smell 'ta be greeted with in the mornin'. Bombur, you've really – "
He froze when he saw that it was Melliel by the fire, not Bombur. He gaped at her like a fish out of water, which pulled a small, amused smile from Melliel.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," she told him.
He was still too surprised to say anything back.
One by one, the rest of the company began to wake, looking eager at the prospect of food at first, but then looking shocked to see that she was the one doing the cooking. Melliel was almost starting to feel like she'd won a small victory, thinking that maybe their surprise was a pleasant one, because they likely hadn't expected her to do such a thing for them.
Unfortunately, as Melliel soon learned, that was not the case.
"What do ya think you're doing?" Dwalin demanded as soon as he saw the food she had made.
Melliel's brows pinched together with uncertainty. "I have made breakfast," she stated, unsure why he seemed so angry about that. The dwarves had made their love for food quite apparent thus far – wouldn't they be glad to wake up to a cooked meal?
"That's no' your job, elf," Dwalin snapped.
Melliel blinked, then looked around at the dwarves. Dwalin was not the only one put off by her self-appointed task. Dori was shaking his head disapprovingly, Ori looked uncomfortable, Balin had his lips pressed into a firm line, and Kíli was looking a little fidgety. Her eyes found Thorin's, who merely stared back at her with lowered brows, then she found her gaze drawn to Bifur when she realized that he – as well as several other dwarves – kept looking pointedly at someone to her right. Her gaze followed theirs and she realized everyone kept shooting glances at Bombur, who was standing awkwardly by his bedroll, his hands fiddling with the gigantic ring of braided beard hair that hung on his torso like a necklace, eyes bouncing from the food she had made to her and back again several times.
Melliel came to the quick understanding that Bombur must have been the company's designated cook, and by taking over his duties without speaking to him, or anyone, about it beforehand, she had overstepped some boundaries.
Melliel calmly moved the food off the fire, not wanting it to get burned, then stood up. "Forgive me," she said, directing the apology toward Bombur. "I was unaware that there was someone appointed to the task. I was not trying to encroach on your responsibilities – I was only trying to be helpful."
Dwalin scoffed and shared a condescending look with Glóin, who had recovered from his surprise and taken to glowering at her. "Ya hear that, Glóin? An elf tryin' to help. Ain't that a laugh?"
Melliel immediately cut her eyes back to Dwalin. "I do not see what is so humorous about that," she said stiffly, her patience slipping a little.
"I suppose you wouldn't, now would ya?" Dwalin shot back, before saying something to Glóin in Khuzdul that made the other dwarf practically cackle.
Melliel's eyes narrowed a fraction. Normally she was not one to lose her temper, but Dwalin's behavior was beginning to test her self-restraint. "You have made your dislike of me more than apparent already," she said to draw his attention again. "You are allowed to feel however you wish, Master Dwalin. But whether you like it or not, I am a part of this quest now. I have agreed to guide you to Erebor and that is what I intend to do. If you want to spend your days being childish and making petty remarks about me, that is your choice. You will have to forgive me for not stooping to your level, however, as there are far more productive things to be done with my time."
Her speech seemed to stun everyone into a momentary stupor, even Dwalin. He quickly recovered, however, growling and sneering in a way that let her know her words had greatly offended him. He took a step forward and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say anything, Gandalf stepped into his path.
"I think this conversation should come to an end, before someone says or does something they may come to regret," he said diplomatically, looking pointedly at Dwalin.
Dwalin scowled deeply, looking like he might burst from all the things he wanted to say to Melliel, but finally, at the bidding of his brother, he retreated. Satisfied that Dwalin would not cause anymore trouble, Gandalf nodded to himself.
"I think we can all agree that this was a simple misunderstanding," Gandalf said to the rest of the company. "I see no harm in what Melliel has done. Surely Bombur cannot be expected to handle every meal we consume on this journey. I, for one, am grateful to Melliel for making sure we are well fed."
"As am I!" Bilbo quickly interjected, stepping forward as well as he came to her defense. He lost some of his bravado, however, when his proclamation earned him a few narrow-eyed looks from the dwarves.
"Now," Gandalf continued, "why don't we put this all behind us and eat before the food gets cold?"
"If you think I'm eatin' somethin' a ruddy elf made, you're mad!" Dwalin growled as he found his voice again, pointing an accusing finger at the wizard.
Gandalf bristled in response and straightened to his full height, clearly not appreciating the dwarf's words and forgoing his attempt to be the peacekeeper. He looked ready to unleash quite the verbal lashing on Dwalin, but this time Thorin intervened before anything could be said.
"Enough," the Dwarf King commanded authoritatively, drawing the attention of everyone in the company. Thorin looked from Dwalin, to Gandalf, then to Melliel. After eyeing her for a long, tense moment, he looked around at everyone in the company. "To not eat what has been made would be a waste of resources. Everyone eat, then prepare to move on."
And to set an example, he grabbed a plate and came to get food, holding it out to Melliel expectantly. Melliel held his gaze for a moment, certain his actions were not because he was taking her side, but more so because he was annoyed with the entire situation and just wanted it to be done with. After Melliel finally filled his plate, Thorin merely turned on his heel and went to eat without another word, fully expecting everyone to obey his command.
Though many of the dwarves were still hesitant, finally they began to filter over one by one to retrieve their breakfast. Melliel wordlessly filled each plate, nodding and offering a small smile whenever she received the rare thank you, but otherwise saying nothing. Now that her irritation with Dwalin was fading off, it was hard not to feel disappointed by the less than pleasant reception her breakfast had received. She had tried to do something nice for the dwarves so that they would know she meant well and was not there to cause trouble. Instead, she had only made things worse.
It was certainly not how she had hoped things would go.
When Dwalin finally came to get a plate, he was tense as a drawn bowstring and did not shy away from glaring at her while she gave him his portion. Melliel met his gaze steadily as she gave him his food, determined not to let him get any more of a reaction out of her. After he stomped away, Fíli stepped up next.
"Thank you, Melliel," Fíli said with an easy grin as she filled his plate.
Melliel nodded to him in response.
Fíli started like he was going to walk away, but lingered for a few moments longer, his eyes glancing over his comrades. "Never mind Dwalin," he said, leaning in and lowering his tone. "He has always been a grumpy bugger." Fíli then looked down at his plate, before cocking an eyebrow and sniffing at it suspiciously, his eyes alight with mischief. "Tell me the truth – did you poison it?"
Melliel couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips, recognizing his efforts to ease the tension. "Only Dwalin's," she said back quietly, giving him a conspiratorial smirk.
Fíli chuckled and tapped his nose in a signal that her secret was safe with him, then walked away, already taking a large bite of his sausage. "Eat up, Dwalin! We haven't got all day!" he jeered good-naturedly as he passed the dwarf, who was merely pushing his food around on his plate and had yet to take a bite.
Melliel huffed out a laugh at Fíli's antics, shaking her head slightly to herself, then looked around at the rest of the dwarves. Several of them seemed as skeptical as Dwalin and were inspecting the food untrustingly, as if they thought she might have tampered with it in some way. But in the end, they could not deny their hungry bellies, and after seeing that Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Gandalf, and Bilbo were eating and not suffering any fatal side effects, the rest of them began digging in.
With everyone else taken care of and with all the food dispersed, Melliel grabbed the cookware she had borrowed and went back to the stream she had found earlier to wash everything. When she came back, she took the cookware over to where Bombur, Bifur, and Bofur were eating. All three wore different expressions as she approached – Bifur looked uncertain, Bombur looked awkward, but Bofur offered a big grin.
"This is quite good, lass," he complimented with a mouth full of food. "Who knew elves could cook?"
"I am glad you are enjoying it," Melliel said, before turning her attention to Bombur. She set the cookware down next to his bag, fairly certain he was the one in charge of the items, and offered an apologetic smile. "Again, I am sorry for infringing on your territory," she told him. "It shall not be happening again."
"Ah, don't worry 'bout it, lass," Bofur interjected with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Bombur is just used 'ta bein' the one in charge o' the food. He's a cook back home, ya see, an' takes great pride in makin' sure everyone's bellies are full. I'm sure he was just surprised, weren't ya, Bombur?"
Melliel looked to Bombur, wanting to hear from him that there were no lingering unpleasantries. Bombur seemed unsure what to say at first, but a nudge to the ribs from Bofur made him clear his throat.
"It certainly was a surprise," he finally said in agreement with Bofur's statements. "But it's quite alright, Lady Melliel. I harbor no hard feelin's over it."
Melliel wasn't sure if he meant that, or if he was just saying that so that she'd leave the matter alone. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" she still asked.
"Nothin' to make up for, I assure you," Bombur insisted with a quick nod.
Melliel still wasn't convinced, but she wasn't going to keep pressing the issue, either. She had apologized, he had accepted, and that was that. So she nodded, gave the three dwarves a quick smile, then left them to their food.
After breakfast was finished and all the plates had been cleaned and stowed away, the company made quick work of disassembling camp. Within half an hour everyone was back on their respective horses and the company was on the move again, which was a great relief for Melliel. Being on the road meant she could take her place at the back of the company again, where she wouldn't have to endure any glares or judging looks from the select few dwarves that were adamantly doing their best to make her feel unwelcome.
Bilbo and Gandalf, unsurprisingly, had chosen to ride alongside her.
"Do not trouble yourself over what occurred this morning, my dear," Gandalf told her consolingly. "It was a kind thing you did."
Melliel shrugged. "I do not think much of the company would agree with you on that," she said with a small frown.
Gandalf clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Dwalin was behaving like a child. The matter was blown completely out of proportion," he said with a shake of his head. He then gave her a proud nod. "I am glad that you stood up to him. You handled yourself well, just as I knew you would if a situation like this were to arise."
Melliel gave him a half-hearted smile in return, wishing she hadn't had to stand up for herself in the first place. Not that she was surprised she'd had to, considering the circumstances.
"I still fail to see why it was such a problem to begin with," Bilbo interjected, looking perplexed. "What does it matter, who cooks breakfast? The important thing is that we are fed, right?"
"That is a very rational way of looking at things, Bilbo," Melliel said. "However, I am fairly certain the problem has less to do with the fact that I took over Bombur's responsibility and far more to do with the fact that I am an elf," she stated plainly. "I fear no matter what I do, it will always be wrong."
Bilbo still looked stumped. "This is because of the feud between your kinds, then?"
Melliel nodded in confirmation. "I would wager to guess our companions will seize any reason to be angry with me."
Bilbo thought about that for a moment, then huffed and shook his head. "Well, that seems ridiculous," he stated bluntly. "You went out of your way to cook us a lovely breakfast without being asked to do so, and you have been nothing but kind and patient, which is more than what I can say for some of our esteemed comrades," he said to her matter-of-factly. "If they cannot see past their own prejudice, then that is their problem, not yours."
Melliel was surprised by Bilbo's impassioned speech, so much so that she shared a look with Gandalf, who also had raised his eyebrows in surprise. Melliel turned her gaze back to Bilbo and smirked a bit. "I did not realize you thought so highly of me," she said, her tone only slightly teasing.
Bilbo did flush a little then, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Of course I think highly of you," he said after clearing his throat. "Out of the whole company, you are the one who has been the nicest to me."
"Pardon me," Gandalf said, sounding a little offended. "Have I not been nice?"
Bilbo leaned forward to give Gandalf a bland stare. "You marked up my door, which was freshly painted, and then let thirteen dwarves eat me out of house and home. I can think of plenty of words I would use to describe your role in all this, and nice isn't one of them," he said accusingly.
Melliel turned a look on Gandalf. "He makes a fair point," she admitted with a shrug.
Gandalf looked back and forth between the two of them, then shook his head. "I offer friendship, words of encouragement, and grand adventures, and this is the repayment I get?" he complained. He then sat straighter and jutted his chin. "Very well, then. Since I am so unkind, I will take my company to those who might appreciate it more."
And with that, he trotted forward, leaving them behind. Melliel laughed quietly to herself as he went, knowing that he probably wasn't that mad, but Bilbo frowned, looking slightly concerned.
"Did I offend him?" Bilbo asked.
"It would seem that way," Melliel confirmed, which made him frown deeper. "Worry not. Mithrandir has always been dramatic. He will be back to normal before you know it."
Bilbo just nodded, still looking a little uneasy.
Melliel pulled her gaze away from Gandalf as he went to ride next to Bifur, turning her attention back to Bilbo instead. "Thank you for your kind encouragement," she said, making him blink and look at her. "Thank you for coming to my defense when Dwalin was on his tirade, too. It was very appreciated."
Bilbo shrugged a little. "It was nothing," he said modestly.
"It was not nothing," Melliel insisted, giving him a serious look. "Not to me."
Bilbo finally smiled. "You would have done the same for me, I suspect," he said, which made Melliel nod in confirmation. "Us outcasts just have to stick together."
"Indeed we do," Melliel agreed.
They shared a smile, then both turned their attention forward as the company continued to make its way further and further out of the Shire.
See you at the next chapter!