Sheesh, I told myself I was going to get this chapter up a loooong time ago and yet somehow it didn't happen! Gosh, I hate being busy and having writer's block! Forgive me, my esteemed readers! xD

First of all, I'm glad that this new story has had some good first reviews and that people like it :) I really hope you all will stick with me as it continues!

Enjoy this new and long chapter! :)

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"Well, it's about time you got back! I was beginning to think you'd skipped out on us!"

Aelin had just walked through the gates outside of the house she stayed in when she heard a higher-pitched voice from up in a tree nearby. She wasn't surprised to see a grinning Dwarf man she knew quite well standing up on a branch, leaning against the trunk with his arms folded suavely. He was dressed in brown and grey leather and felt clothing and dark boots. His brown beard was separated into three large braids and his eyebrows were somehow braided at the outer corners up into his hair, which was styled in perhaps the oddest yet most interesting and unique style possible: in three hump-like forms that made his head look almost star-shaped.

"Oh, trust me, Nori," Aelin replied, "there is nothing that would make me change my mind about staying with you. You're the closest thing I've had to a family in years."

Nori jumped down from the branch and landed a few feet in front of her. "Me more than my brothers?" he asked as he straightened out his shirt.

She smirked at him. "Your brothers are included in that," she responded.

He then let out a mock-frustrated grunt which made her chuckle. She knew that, deep down, he really cared about his brothers, Dori and Ori, even though they had their differences. When it came to him and Aelin, they were a team; it had been just the two of them for quite a while before he went back to live with his brothers and they took her in, as well.

The two of them were a team of thieves. A few years back, Nori had found Aelin, a young woman on the streets who was trying to steal things such as food or riches to get by, and took her under his wing, teaching her how to be a better thief, having been well-versed in that art himself. She became like his "apprentice" for a time; he taught her how to be better in terms of stealth, the best ways to pickpocket someone without being noticed or caught, what to do and what not to do when trying to steal food or anything of value, etc. They spent a lot of time together and grew to be the best of friends. Nori had been the only person to really show Aelin any genuine care in a long time. She had led a rough life before she met him and after that, he became the one person she felt comfortable around and the two of them had been practically inseparable ever since.

As Aelin moved over and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, Nori placed a hand up by her head, leaning his weight on that arm, and asked her, "So did you get the ten gold?"

Over a week past, Aelin had been commissioned to a job by a Dwarf man named Garek that she ran into in the market, who knew she was a thief. He was from the White Mountains and was returning there because a collection of jewels that belonged to his family had been wrongfully taken from him by a con-man and he wanted them back. He had promised her ten gold coins as a reward if she could retrieve the jewels. That was where she had been before her encounter with Gandalf on the Greenway; upon returning to the Blue Mountains.

She smirked deviously and responded to Nori's question, "And then some!"

"What?" he asked, now curious.

"I went to that con-man's place to retrieve the jewels," she explained, "and found they were hidden in a locked room…guarded by a group of thugs. Do you know how many thugs I had to deal with to get those jewels? Twenty of them! Which was twenty more than what Garek assured me there would be!" She rolled her eyes. "So, upon returning the jewels, I managed to get a little extra out of him to compensate for all the trouble I went through to get them. I collected the original reward of ten gold coins plus one coin for every thug I had to deal with."

Nori's eyes widened in amazement. "You got thirty gold coins?" he asked enthusiastically, excited to hear this news.

Aelin nodded. "I'm very persuasive," she stated, raising her eyebrows. She started digging in a pouch on her belt. "I got thirty coins…and this." From the pouch, she pulled out a glittering diamond the size of a small stone. Then she grinned. "This, however, I snatched myself…as interest."

"You stole that from Garek's jewel collection?" Nori inquired, pointing at the diamond.

She just shrugged. "There were plenty of diamonds in his stash; he would never notice one was missing."

He surveyed her and the diamond for a moment and then gave her a pat on the shoulder, smirking at her. "I have taught you well!" he declared proudly.

"Indeed, you have. You're the master thief!"

Nori snickered and ruffled Aelin's hair, a gesture he always made to tease her.

"Although…," Aelin added as she put the diamond back, "I am thinking that I shouldn't take any more jobs like that for the time being."

"Why do you think that?"

"After the money I got from Garek and the money I'll get for the diamond, I'll have plenty to last me a while. I don't really need any more large-reward commissions."

"But, Aelin, we're both trying to get rich! That's why we steal things. Don't you want to be rich; have all the money you could ever dream of and more? Isn't that what you want?"

"Nori, I've never said I wanted to be rich. I want to save up enough gold for myself to where I don't need to steal as much, but I don't want to be rich. It's the rich, wealthy people that we steal from because they have more than enough and they do not always share with those less fortunate. If our goal is to become rich, then we will turn ourselves into the people that we resent and steal from in the first place."

She moved away from the tree and started slowly going up the large, stone staircase that led up to the house. "Believe me, I have seen, met and known enough rich people to know how they are. They are arrogant, rude, self-centered and they only care about themselves along with their wealth and riches."

Still standing by the tree, Nori snickered again behind her. "And when you say you know 'enough rich people', you really mean just one," he said.

Aelin stopped, her hands clenching tightly into her fists. She knew who he was talking about. He had said things like this before, but she neither denied nor confirmed it, mainly because he already knew the truth and didn't need confirmation anyway.

"You know, you've only encountered him once. He really is not as bad as you think," he continued.

She turned around and faced her friend, irritated. "Well, that one encounter was enough for me to know the kind of person that Thorin Oakenshield is," she stated, her distaste evident as she spoke his name aloud.

Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror; the King of Durin's Folk and heir to the Dwarven kingdom of Erebor was the one wealthy person she resented and despised more than anyone. The only encounter she had ever had with him had been far less than pleasant. Certain things had been done and said that had wounded her pride greatly and now she knew nothing but hatred for him.

"I've met him and been around him more times than you," Nori said back. "Thorin is not always like that."

"Oh, you're defending him now?" asked Aelin, her tone rising in volume. "Do you not remember what he did and all the things he said to me?"

"Of course, I remember!" replied Nori, now getting irritated himself. "The whole thing was how I met you in the first place!"

"How do you even know him anyway?"

"I've been to the Halls before."

"You've been to Thorin's Halls? When have you ever gone there?"

"I've gone there now and again to do a bit of trading. I've come across Thorin there on occasion. He isn't that bad of a person, at least not anymore."

Aelin tried to find something to say back, but couldn't after almost a minute of contemplation, so she ended up rolling her eyes and groaning in frustration. She was aware Nori did not think as badly of Thorin as she did and was trying to change her mind about him whenever he was somehow brought up, which Aelin tried to avoid as much as possible, but she was not so easily persuaded.

"Can we stop talking about him? Please?" she asked, annoyed, as she turned back to go up the stairs.

Nori then lightly jogged up the steps to catch up with her. He laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her, moving himself in front of her.

"Here, allow me," he said, turning his back to her and crouching down a bit. "You must be tired after your return journey."

Aelin just shook her head, grinning at him. He was offering to carry her on his back up the stairs to the front door.

"I'm not that tired…," she replied, "…but I don't see how I can refuse."

With that, Aelin placed her hands on Nori's shoulders, jumped up and hoisted herself onto his back. She felt Nori carefully place his hands underneath her knees, holding her up, and then he started walking up the stairs, which were twenty steps high.

The house they lived in was actually Dori's house, but he was allowing them to live with him and Ori. It was a large estate, overall, and the house was large and made of stone. The outer edges of the roof were supported by stone and marble pillars and there were only a couple of windows in the front.

"So, take a guess as to who I ran into on the Greenway?" Aelin said in Nori's ear.

"Hmm…I don't know. Who?" he replied.

"Gandalf the Grey!"

"Gandalf, the wizard? How did you manage that?"

"He was being attacked by a small band of Orcs and I helped him overcome them."

"Oh, I'm sure you did!" Nori exclaimed as they got the top of the stairs and he set Aelin back down to the ground in front of the doorway.

He opened the door and, as they stepped inside, Aelin went on to tell him, "He was on his way to Bree to meet up with someone there. One of the Orcs we killed had something with Black Speech written on it. Gandalf was able to read it and it seemed to worry him."

"Did he say what was written on it?" asked Nori, closing the door.

Aelin shook her head, remembering how fast the wizard had left upon reading the parchment. "He never said. I only know it must have been something bad or troubling because he left urgently."

There was a sound that came from a nearby room—which was the kitchen—and a slightly nasally voice called out, "Is that Aelin I hear?"

Just seconds, an older, white-haired Dwarf stepped out and grinned upon seeing her. This was Dori, Nori's older brother. His white hair was braided and pulled up into a bun-like hairdo and his beard was braided tightly in a silver casing. He was wearing a dark maroon tunic and vest and dark trousers; his usual everyday attire. Even though the older Dwarf didn't approve of the activities Nori and Aelin got themselves into frequently, he still had mercy on them and allowed them to stay in his house, mainly for Aelin's sake since she had had no home for quite some time beforehand. He had grown to care for the young woman just as much as his brother and he enjoyed having her around.

"Aelin! It is you!" he cried, his arms outspread as he walked toward her and embraced her happily. "How wonderful to see you! It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Aelin replied as she pulled back.

"Fancy a cup of chamomile, dear?" Dori asked, gesturing back towards the kitchen. "I've just taken the kettle off the fire."

Aelin chuckled. "When do you ever not have the kettle going?" she asked teasingly. Dori was always one for a nice, soothing cup of tea or chamomile at any time of the day. Then she answered gladly, "I would love a cup of your chamomile, Dori."

With a happy nod, Dori retreated back into the kitchen and Aelin sat herself down casually on one of the sofas in the room. Nori placed himself next to her on the arm of the sofa.

"So what do you plan to do with that diamond you snatched?" he asked her, folding his arms.

Aelin puckered her lips and bobbled her head from side to side in thought for a second. Then she answered, "Most likely, I'll go the Halls, like I normally do, and sell it to someone there for a good sum of money."

"And you're sure Garek doesn't know you stole it?"

"I told you, there were lots of diamonds in that assortment of jewels; I doubt he'll notice that one of them was taken."

"You know I don't like it when you two talk about stealing things when I'm around," Dori then butted in as he entered the room carrying Aelin's steaming cup of chamomile.

Nori rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed. "Oh, untwist your knickers, you old sod…!" he grumbled.

After giving Aelin her tea and receiving her thanks in return, Dori turned back to face Nori, pointed at him and said irritably, "Oi, I'm still on a very short rope with you, after all the thieving you've done. The only reason I still allow you to stay here is because of her!" He gestured back to Aelin. "She has nowhere else to go and needs a place to stay. Now, I like her; she's a good lass and she just happens to be your closest friend, so I let your actions go, for her sake. But this is still my house and all I ask is that you keep your thieving talk to yourselves and preferably behind closed doors, please."

Nori then extended his arms out to the sides and bowed his head low. "Yes, your Highness," he sarcastically responded, hoping to get his older brother off his back about his usual "thieving lecture".

Taking a sip of her nice, warm chamomile tea, Aelin shook her head at the two brothers. She was used to their petty bickering, since they did it practically daily. She knew that they tried to see and remember the good things about each other and deep down, they loved each other as brothers should, but they had a hard time since the two of them were so different. Dori was neat, proper, sophisticated, but also rather pessimistic about a lot of things. Nori was rugged, carefree, spontaneous and lived more on the wild and extreme side of life. Sometimes, Aelin wondered just how exactly they were brothers when they were almost nothing alike.

However, despite their vast differences, they did share one thing in common:

Their youngest brother, Ori.

Both Dori and Nori cared about their younger brother very much, in their own ways. Dori was a bit more overprotective of him and coddled him a lot, mothering him more than most older brothers would, while Nori was more laid back, giving Ori more freedom while still watching out for him.

Which then made her realize…

"Where is Ori?" Aelin inquired.

"He's out on the back terrace practicing his sketching, as usual," Dori answered.

"I'm going to see him," said Aelin, standing up from the sofa. After setting her teacup down, she started walking out of the room, calling out to the brothers as she left, "Try not to throttle each other while I'm gone!"

Nori replied, "No promises!" followed by a "shut up!" from Dori.

Aelin shook her head and made her way through to the back terrace. Surely enough, she spotted Ori sitting with his back to her at the top of the stairway against a side pillar, a large sketchbook on his lap, a quill in his hand a bottle of ink set right next to him. He seemed to be admiring the trees and the boulders of the rocky landscape behind their house and drawing them in his book.

Since the day she first met him, Aelin had always adored Ori. While he was a bit sensitive and shy, he had a good heart and was rather sweet. He was innocent of some of the ways of the world, but still quite intelligent. He enjoyed knitting cardigans and mittens for himself and others and also drawing and sketching different things in his book. He had quite the talent for that and Aelin often marveled at his skill, which far surpassed hers.

Like Dori and Nori, Aelin was protective of Ori, but not as extremely as his older brothers. She tried to keep her protectiveness on a more subtle level. That and she didn't want to appear overbearing considering that she was not his sister or mother and that he got enough of that from his brothers. The two of them had grown fond of each other in an almost brotherly-sisterly way, which was why Aelin was anxious to see Ori upon her return after seeing Nori and Dori.

She spoke up behind him playfully, "Sometimes I wonder if you ever stop drawing, Ori."

Ori turned around, surprised, at the sound of her voice and his face lit up. "Aelin! You're back!" he cried out as he set his book and quill down and stood up to hug her. "When did you get back?"

"Just a few moments ago. I was catching up with your brothers and then wanted to see you," Aelin said in response. "How have you been, lad?"

He gave a small shrug of the shoulders. "I can't complain, I suppose."

"Dori hasn't been babying you too much, has he?"

He shrugged again and his lips tightened a little. "No more than usual, really."

Aelin rolled her eyes. "Mahal, he's got to learn that you're not a child anymore," she stated, "and you don't need constant pampering and attention."

"He's just trying to be a good brother. He's looking out for me."

"I know he is…but he still should leave you alone every once in a while and give you some room to breathe."

"I've learned to tolerate it," said Ori with yet another shrug as he sat back down.

Aelin sat down next to him, admiring his current sketch with its delicate efficiency and detailed quill strokes. "This is looking wonderful, Ori!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you," he replied. He went on drawing for a few more minutes while Aelin watched. After offering him a couple suggestions to help improve his drawing, he gratefully took her advice, then smiled at her and said, "I'm glad you're home, Aelin. We've missed you."

Aelin smiled back at him. It felt good to actually be missed by someone.

It felt good to be home.

One year later

Aelin sat on her bed, having just washed her hair, and was styling her thick, black locks in a single braid when there was a knock on her door. After calling for whoever was on the other side to come in, the door opened and Ori stepped in, his eyes pretty wide.

"Aelin, have you heard the news?" he asked.

Curious, Aelin responded while continuing with her hair, "What news?"

"King Thorin is going on a journey to take back the Lonely Mountain."

"Oh…." She wasn't sure why Ori thought she would want to know that, but she wouldn't say anything about that. But once again, the name "Thorin" was brought up and her stomach turned.

She sighed loudly, fastened a clasp at the end of her hair and said back flatly, "That's suicide…but good for him, I suppose."

"He sent out a call for every willing and able-bodied Dwarf to join him in his quest. My brothers and I are going with him."

Aelin's head snapped to the side to look at Ori, aghast. "Wait, what?" she exclaimed.

Ori then explained, "Well, actually, just Dori was going to go and he didn't want me to join, but then I convinced him to let me and he's—"

"You cannot be serious?!"

"We are, Aelin. The King needs help and not very many have stepped forward. Dori feels that we should."

"This is insane! And what about Nori?"

"Dori is talking to him about it right now."

In a second, Aelin jumped to her feet and stormed out of her room. She couldn't believe what she had heard. The brothers were going to go on a journey with Thorin? To Erebor? What could have possibly possessed them to think that was a good idea? No, she was not going to have that! With Ori close behind her, she marched into the large front room of the house where Dori and Nori were discussing something together.

"Are you out of your minds?!" she demanded, silencing the brothers' conversation and getting startled glances from them. They could tell she was frustrated about something and then found out exactly what it was a second later.

"You're going on a quest to the Lonely Mountain with Thorin Oakenshield? Why would you do such a thing?"

Dori rolled his eyes a little, knowing she was going to start ranting and raving. "Aelin, Thorin needs our help."

"He does not need your help! Why do you three have to go? Let someone else go instead!"

"Lass, he needs as many Dwarves as possible and not very many have answered his call. I see no reason why we shouldn't."

"Why do you even want to go there, anyway? Erebor was never your home!"

"But it can be. Ered Luin has always been our home, yes, but once Erebor is restored, it will be prosperous again and we could have a better life there."

Aelin scoffed and rolled her eyes, still not believing they were even having this conversation. "This is madness! Have you forgotten that there is still a bloody dragon living in that mountain?!" she yelled.

"Aelin, calm down…!" said Nori, gesturing to her with his hands to emphasize his statement.

But that only irritated her even more. "Don't tell me to calm down, Nori!" she spat. "How can I be calm when you three are marching yourselves off on a suicide mission?" She cursed in Khuzdul under her breath and ran her hands through her hair.

"You could come with us," Dori suggested.

Aelin let out a sardonic "Ha!" at that. "Me, joining a company where Thorin Oakenshield is the leader? Absolutely not!"

Dori sighed, getting a little miffed with Aelin about then. "Aelin, I may never understand whatever grudge you have against him, but you needn't be so hateful."

She scoffed again. "He was plenty hateful to me, last I looked, so I don't see any reason why I shouldn't return the favor," she stated, her voice riddled with frustration.

When they all shrugged in response, not knowing what else to say, she threw her hands in the air in defeat. "You know what? Fine…go," she said, "Who am I to try and stop you? I'm only someone who cares about all of you and doesn't wish to send you off on a quest that's ultimately doomed to fail!" With that being said, she turned and left, aggravated, and marched down all the way to where her room was, closing the door a little roughly behind her.

Once the door was shut, Aelin exhaled sharply, trying to calm her frustration with the brothers, mainly Nori and Dori. Ori, she noticed, had been silent the whole time. She moved over to the other side of the room and sat on the large windowsill. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared out the window, almost brooding.

Why were the brothers doing this? The entire situation was utter madness! Why would they want to embark on a quest to reclaim a kingdom that they were never even a part of? They were not of Durin's Folk; they were Dwarves of Ered Luin! Why did they even care? More importantly, Thorin was not their King, so why was Dori acting so loyal to him? She didn't like any of it one bit.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there thinking about that when she heard her door open. Turning her head, she saw Nori coming into her room and shutting the door behind him. Neither of them said a word as he made his way to the window and Aelin went back to looking outside.

As he sat himself down across from her, Nori said calmly, "Aelin, I'm sorry. I know you're not happy with us or our choice, but Dori, for once, is right. This is something we need to do."

Aelin looked back at him with a look of both irritation and confusion. Then she asked, "Why are you even going, Nori? I can understand Dori going out of blind loyalty to Oakenshield and Ori doesn't want to be left behind…but why you?"

Nori gave a small shrug. "Dori can't always be around to watch out for Ori…so someone has to when he can't." Then he shifted a little closer to her. "Besides…there is a massive hoard of gold in Erebor and Thorin has said that those who join him will receive a small portion of the treasure as reward for their help once the mountain is reclaimed. Imagine just how much gold that would be!"

She then smirked at him. "So you're not going out of loyalty…you're in it for the money," she pointed out. That was typical of him, so she wasn't altogether surprised.

"Basically…," he answered, "…although I did mean what I said about looking after Ori, too."

Believing that, Aelin simply nodded and then looked back out the window.

After a short moment of silence, Nori reached forward and laid a hand on top of hers. "Aelin…you know we don't want to leave you behind," he told her. "We would love it if you came with us; it's not the same going anywhere without you anymore."

She nodded again and slightly tilted her head. "I know," she replied somberly, "and you know I would go anywhere with you in a heartbeat…but since Oakenshield is involved, I really don't think it would be a good idea for me to come. I can't even fathom going anywhere with him…it would just be a recipe for disaster."

Nori nodded, figuring she was probably right. "You could try making amends with him," he suggested.

But Aelin shook her head. "No," she replied. "Thorin was the one who wronged me, so if any amends are going to be made, he is going to have make the first move."

Nori had had a feeling that she wasn't going to accept that choice and her statement had proved him right, so he said nothing else about it.

Another brief moment passed and then she asked him, "When will you leave?"

"In two days," he answered. "Dori said that Thorin has called a meeting with all the Dwarves who are accompanying him around that time. He is currently on leave but will return then and we are all to meet him in the Shire."

"The Shire? Why there?"

"I don't know. I suppose we'll find out when we get there."

Aelin mumbled in response and hung her head. She didn't want to think about Nori leaving and going off on some dangerous quest that she believed he really had no business going on. What if something happened to him? Or his other two brothers? What would she do? They were the only ones in her life that were basically her family. If she lost them, she would be alone again and she couldn't even fathom the thought. She wished that there was something she could do or say that would change their minds. But, knowing them, she knew they would not be so easily persuaded once their minds were made up.

She then declared firmly to Nori, "I swear, if anything happens to you or your brothers on that quest, I will kill Oakenshield myself!"

Nori just chuckled, gave her a pat on the knee and said back, "Of that, I have no doubt."

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" asked Ori.

The day of the brothers' departure had arrived, it was about mid-afternoon and they were strapping the last of their packs and belongings to their ponies' saddles. Aelin had come out to the stables to say her goodbyes to them.

Standing there with her arms folded, she answered Ori's question by shaking her head and saying, "I'm sorry, lad, but it's going to take a lot to change my mind."

There was no hiding the disappointment in Ori's face at her response. She was like his sister and he didn't always like leaving her behind and going places without her. He knew why she didn't want to come on the quest but still had the slight hope that she would reconsider. He would've been lying if he said he wasn't still saddened by the fact that she hadn't.

Nori, too, was a bit disappointed, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised. He knew Aelin was stubborn and easily held grudges sometimes. Her grudge against Thorin Oakenshield was the worst. There was no talking her out of that one.

"Just promise me you three will be careful…," Aelin said to them with a partially nervous voice, her eyes reflecting that same emotion.

"We'll be fine, Aelin, don't you worry," answered Dori as he pulled her into a hug.

She then hugged Ori and said her goodbye to him. Then she came to Nori last and hugged him the tightest.

"We're tough Dwarves, don't forget that," he said as he embraced her. "It'll take quite a lot to stop us." They pulled apart and he ruffled her hair playfully. "You take care of yourself, all right?"

"I will," she answered.

With that, the three brothers mounted their ponies and were ready to leave. They said their final goodbyes to Aelin and then rode off away from the house towards the nearby road. With her arms hugging her chest, Aelin watched them ride off until they became tiny dots in the distance and then she could no longer see them, all the while trying to hold onto the hope that she would see them again.

After standing in place for about another minute, she then retreated back inside the house. Feeling too dull to do anything else, Aelin just flopped down onto the sofa in the front room and decided to sleep for a while.

She hadn't been asleep very long when she heard a knock on the front door. She got up from the sofa, opened the door and saw something that had been wedged between the door and the frame fall to the floor. There was, however, no one standing outside the door, which was perplexing. Aelin looked out from side to side to see if she could spot anyone, but there was no sign of anyone. Then she crouched down to see what had fallen from the door.

It was a folded piece of parchment. She carefully picked it up, unfolded it and found a neatly-written note on the inside that said:

Dear Miss Aelin,

Do you recall that I told you I would perhaps be in need of your skills in the future? Well, it has been almost twelve months since that time and I now find myself in need of those said skills once more. Do forgive me for this short notice.

I am guiding a company of Dwarves on a quest to the Lonely Mountain, led by Thorin Oakenshield. If I understand correctly, I believe you are already familiar with him. I understand that is due to some unfortunate circumstances of the past, but I am afraid I must ask you to put whatever bad blood is between you aside. I believe your help and your skills would be very beneficial on this quest and implore you to consider joining us. There is much riding on this journey; the fate of many will depend on its success and we will need all the aid we can muster.

Come to the Shire tonight. The company is meeting in Hobbiton at a house called Bag-End. It is a Hobbit home with a green door at the top of a hill. Look for a Dwarven rune carved into the door and you will know you are at the right place.

Please, Aelin. It is time for our paths to cross again. I need your help.

Gandalf

Aelin couldn't believe what she just read. For one, it had been a year since her encounter with Gandalf on the Greenway, and she had almost forgotten he had said he would "be in need of her skills again". But now that he was bringing it up again, she simply had to groan.

"Of all the things he could've asked for my help for, he chose this!" she groaned inwardly.

She did not want to go on that quest at all…but Gandalf, the Grey wizard was now asking for her help and she just knew it would be hard to refuse that.

She didn't know what to think. She had spent the last two days absolutely refusing to go whenever Nori or Ori tried to convince her to go and now she was rethinking it so suddenly after receiving one note from Gandalf.

"Well, he is a wise wizard…," she thought, "…and he does know all the happenings of Middle-Earth…so if he thinks this journey is so important and will affect the fate of many others…who am I to question him?"

Then her first words to him from their encounter came to her mind:

"I can't bypass anyone who's in trouble."

Realizing what she was now thinking, Aelin groaned to herself, frustrated.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret helping that wizard…?" she muttered out loud. Despite all the negative thoughts she had been harboring the last couple days, she knew what she had to do.

She then set the letter down and proceeded down to her room, telling herself she had some packing to do and her friends to catch up with.

It seemed she would be going on the quest to Erebor after all.

.

The journey will soon begin! :D

I know this chapter had a lot in it so I do apologize if it overworked anyone's brain xD But I just wanted to introduce Aelin's relationship with Nori, Dori and Ori and also shed a tiny light on her grudge with Thorin. What do you think is the reason behind their bad blood? I'm kinda curious to hear what your guesses are! I also apologize if the ending seemed a little rushed xP

As always, please review or send a PM with your thoughts! :) Love you all!