Greetings, lovely readers!
I've really been excited to continue with this story! I just have so many fun things in mind for it!
For those of you who are interested, I made a "trailer" for this story that you can find on my profile, in case you want a better idea or a better look as to how this story is going to go :)
This chapter is also long like the last one, but I guarantee that it's worth it ;)
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"I can't…believe…I'm doing this!"
Aelin had just left Kharubel at the Green Dragon Inn stables and was trudging her way from there up the paths of Hobbiton. She figured that she had been about an hour behind the Ri brothers, after changing her clothes and packing, and it was now dark out, so surely they had to have made it to Bag-End about then. After getting directions there, she was begrudgingly making her way to where she was going to meet them, muttering and grumbling to herself along the way about what she was getting herself to.
"Seriously, Aelin…what were you thinking?" she chastised herself, pounding a fist into her forehead. "You are going on a quest you refused to be a part of because of some wizard? Why did he have to be so persuasive?" She groaned, irritated. "Curse that wizard for getting me into this! Of course, he had to be helping in Oakenshield's quest, of all things!"
Then her thought process switched as she groaned again even louder, kicking a loose rock across the dirt path as she did so. "And curse that Dwarf!" she exclaimed angrily. "First, he damages my pride and shatters whatever shred of respect I ever had for him…and now he's blindly leading the only people I've ever been able to call family into Mahal knows what! I swear that rich, greedy, gold-mongering hoarder will pay exceedingly if something happens to them!"
She then ran her hands through her hair. "Why am I even doing this…? I'm certainly not doing it for Oakenshield; I owe him nothing! Yes, Gandalf asked me to come—and if a wizard requires your services, there really is no way you can refuse—but why did he ask me of all people? If he knew of my history with Thorin Oakenshield, why would he still insist I join this venture? Does he even realize what sort of disaster he's creating in doing so? And what do I even owe Gandalf? If anything, he owes me because I saved his life! Why am I suddenly doing him another favor?"
For about a minute, Aelin was silent, letting the storm of thoughts in her head roam about. Then she spoke again, "This whole thing is suicide…why am I involving myself?" That was one question she could not seem to answer herself. She had thought that it was the fact Gandalf had asked her to come that compelled her to join, but now she was starting to wonder if there was more to it. Was there? At least, she'd be there with the Ri brothers.
Then it dawned on her. "Maybe that's why I'm going: to save my friends from ultimate destruction before Oakenshield leads them to it." That seemed like a pretty logical explanation to her. Then she thought about it a little more. "And I'll also save whoever else is involved. They don't deserve to lose their lives over something that will never succeed." Then she rolled her eyes. "And Oakenshield? I suppose I'll have to save him, too. He may be naïve in thinking he can take back a mountain from a dragon…but he doesn't deserve to die for such foolishness. I hate him, yes, but not enough to want him dead…unless I end up killing him myself. Which, I can imagine will most likely happen, anyway."
Just then, she heard footsteps nearby that sounded too heavy to be a Hobbit. Aelin, wondering who or what it was, cautiously jumped over and crouched behind a bush and then scanned the area to find the source of the sound. Soon enough, a short, cloaked figure came from around the bend behind her. At first, his face was shadowed in the late-hour darkness, but as he passed by the lantern of a Hobbit hole, Aelin was able to see his face. He had long black hair that fell past his shoulders down to his chest. She could tell there were also streaks of silver, having seen them glint and reflect in the lantern light. He had a dark beard, trimmed up to the chin, and from what she could see, he was wearing furs and armor underneath his cloak.
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear…," Aelin muttered deviously to herself.
Before her was walking Thorin Oakenshield himself.
There he was, all alone in this possibly unfamiliar place in the dark. It had been a long time; over a hundred and forty years since she had last seen him. The lanterns did not give enough light for her to see just how much he had changed and it did not help that he kept his face either to the side or towards the ground as he walked. But there he was, all by himself…and vulnerable.
Aelin smirked, a sneaky little plot now brewing in her mind. "All right, Oakenshield…," she said to herself, "before this journey begins…let's have a little fun with you."
She had noticed a small money pouch hanging on his belt and decided she was going to take it from him, just for fun. With a smirk still etched on her face and with a chuckle, she carefully stood up when he wasn't looking and pulled the hood of her cloak up. She pulled it up as far as she could so that it would hide her face. She wasn't sure if he would recognize her, but she didn't want to risk that just yet. Then, while keeping her head tilted forward a bit, she started walking the opposite direction on the path, with Thorin coming towards her. As he got close, she pretended to stumble to the side and bumped right into him. Just when their bodies made contact, she quickly and carefully reached over and yanked the money pouch from off his belt and then hid it at her side.
"Oh, dear, I am so sorry, sir!" she said in a higher-pitched voice.
"It's quite all right," Thorin responded, just waving the situation off like it was nothing, and he kept walking.
Aelin started going slower in pace, clutching the pouch in her hand. She then reached up and pulled a wide strip of cloth that was attached to her hood that she could drape across the lower half of her face like a mask. She pulled it over to the other side and tucked it securely. The next part of her little trick would require a touch if disguise in case she was caught.
Then she whispered, "Three…two…one…."
Right on cue, she heard Thorin yell angrily behind her, "You there, stop!"
She looked back at him, making sure he was coming for her. Once she saw him take the first step, Aelin took off running back down the path, hearing Thorin's stomping footsteps behind her. She knew this was going to irritate him immensely and that was exactly what she was going for. She wanted to hint to him, in a way—even though he didn't know it was her specifically—that if she was going to go on this quest, she was not going to go easy on him. She would subtly get her revenge on him by messing with him and having a little fun. Now she was leading him on a chase down the path, going the opposite direction of where the Hobbit home they were meant to go to supposedly was.
Thorin was still yelling for her to stop behind her and she sped up. Then Aelin decided to take an abrupt turn to the edge of the path and slid down the grass on the roof of another Hobbit hole. Once it sloped upward above the door, she jumped off, rolled to the ground and got right back up. However, when she turned around, she found herself facing the tip of a sword pointed at the space between her eyes, and Thorin was at the other end of it, looking quite annoyed, at least from what she could see. There wasn't enough light to fully see his face.
"You're tall for a Halfling," he observed. He shifted his sword closer to her face. "Return what you have taken from me now and I will let you walk away."
Aelin stood her ground and was silent, staring Thorin in the eye. She was testing him to see how long his resolve would last. It was only a few seconds before he shifted towards her threateningly and bringing his sword even closer. She stepped back into an offensive stance, raising her hand that clutched the pouch, and held it up by her face. His eyes shifted to the money bag, noticing it. She gave it a little shake, taunting him. Thorin's eyes flashed with irritation at her provocation. Aelin took that as a sign to make one final move.
Before Thorin could even process what was happening, Aelin tossed the bag high up into the air, thrust her left hand across her chest down towards his hand that held the sword, knocking it to the ground, and then, using that momentum, twisted to the side and kicked the Dwarf King square in the chest with her right foot, sending him sprawling flat on his back into the dirt. Just after he landed, she held her hand out in front of her and, in a very timely fashion, caught the falling money bag. With a triumphant laugh, she spun on her heels and took off, feeling pleased with Thorin's aching groans sounding behind her. She climbed back up the hill to the upper path, peeked back down and saw that he was slowly getting back up, looking a bit disoriented.
"This is just the beginning…!" she thought to herself, smirking. It would probably take him a little while to regain his senses from being knocked down so hard and then to try and find his way again. She was feeling so satisfied with her trick, she now couldn't wait for the next time they'd meet and she could have more fun getting her long-deserved revenge. With that, she removed her hood and mask and set back off up the path.
It didn't take long before Aelin reached the top of the hill and, sure enough, she spotted a green door with a glowing Dwarven rune on it. The lights were lit inside, she could hear faint voices and she saw movement through the small windows. This was certainly the place. So she went ahead and knocked on the door. Shortly, the door was opened and she looked upon a short little fellow with dark blonde curly hair wearing a white shirt with suspenders and brown trousers. He was a rather cute little thing who looked a bit perplexed upon seeing her at his door. She guessed this was the Hobbit who lived there.
"You—you're a…lady Dwarf…!" he pointed out, clearly surprised to see a female Dwarf for probably the first time in his life.
She simply chuckled and replied, "Yes, I am. Aelin, at your service." Then she gave her customary bow towards the Hobbit.
"Bilbo Baggins, at yours," he said, giving a rather twitchy, hesitant bow in return. He was about to say something to her when he spotted out of the corner of his eye a rather over-sized Dwarf with a red-orange, braided beard carrying a whole turkey from another room. Bilbo rolled his eyes. "No, no, no, no!" he cried out, stomping after him. "You are not eating that whole turkey by yourself!"
Just as Bilbo left the room, Gandalf appeared and caught sight of Aelin as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Ah, there you are, my dear!" he exclaimed. "I was rather hoping you would make it."
Aelin smirked, amused. "I didn't think I would've had much of a choice even if I refused," she told him as she removed her cloak and set it down.
"What do you mean?" asked Gandalf.
"Oh come now, I know your reputation, wizard. I know that when you feel strongly about something, you will do whatever it takes to get who or what you want," Aelin replied.
Gandalf gave her an innocent look and replied, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
She rolled her eyes and grinned. "Right…! Besides, why am I even doing you another favor? A year ago, I saved your life. Shouldn't you owe me a favor now?"
"Indeed, I do, yes, but I really do need your help right now. One of these days, however, I will return the favor. You have my word."
"How about I take you up on that offer right now and request that you not ask of my help for this quest and let me go back to Ered Luin?"
"I do not think that can be helped by this point."
"Oh, all right…!" Aelin groaned. "But I'm only doing this for you and my friends; that is where my loyalties lie, not to Thorin Oakenshield."
"My dear, for this quest, you're going to have to put your anger towards Thorin aside."
"Gandalf, that's like asking a Dwarf to cut their beard off! It's just never going to happen!"
Gandalf opened his mouth to reply, but could not find the right words, so he simply sighed and said nothing.
"I'll still go on this precious little quest," Aelin continued, "but Oakenshield wronged me a long time ago and I'm going to make it worth my while to make him pay for that."
"Oi, Aelin!"
She looked past Gandalf's arm and spotted Nori, who had been passing through to the next room, holding a small blue cup in one hand and a small white cloth in the other. He looked surprised to see her, yet he was smiling like he was happy to see her nonetheless. She noticed there were other Dwarves she didn't quite recognize moving back and forth between other rooms behind him, carrying either mugs or pipes with them.
"You started the party without me!" she proclaimed to Nori in reply with a grin as she walked towards him.
"Durin's beard! What are you doing here?" he cried.
"Sometime after you lot left, I got a letter from Gandalf requesting my assistance on this journey. I figured it would not be wise to refuse a wizard."
"I suppose you've got a point there. Well, I'm glad you're here anyway! You missed a good supper, though."
"That's all right." She turned back to Gandalf who was still by the door and called for him. "Toss me an apple there, would you please?" she asked, gesturing to a small bucket of apples sitting by the door. He nodded in response and did as she asked, tossing her a shiny red apple which she caught with one hand.
There was the sound of scuffling and furniture being moved followed by a nasally, older-sounding voice calling, "Lads, do be careful!" The youthful-sounding laughter of two others came after that and then Aelin discovered the source of the laughter as two Dwarves, who appeared to be young adults, came running in doing all sorts of tricks. One of them, with dark brown hair and dressed in leathers of the same shade, rolled into the room doing a cartwheel.
"Excellent, brother!" cried the other one, who had blonde hair and was clad in tan leather and furs. "Now watch this!" He then followed up by jumping into the air and touching his toes.
"Oh, now you're just showing off!" the first one exclaimed as he lunged for his brother, jumping on his back and laughing triumphantly. Aelin couldn't help but chuckle at them as they started grunting and laughing at each other.
They heard her chuckle and suddenly stopped, looking in her direction with amazement in their eyes. The dark-haired one jumped off his brother's back and they both stepped up towards her.
"No one said there'd be a lady Dwarf coming with us!" the blonde one exclaimed, looking curiously at Aelin.
She grinned. "I'm sort of a last minute surprise," she said with a grin. "And just who might you two be?"
They both straightened up. "Fili," said the blonde one.
"And Kili," followed the dark-haired one.
Then in unison they bowed and finished with, "At your service!"
"Charming!" Aelin commented to them, making them grin with satisfaction. Then she bowed back and replied, "Aelin, at your service."
"Aelin…what a lovely name," said Fili.
"A lovely name fitting for a lovely woman," Kili added with a sweet smile.
She blushed slightly. "Oh, you flatter me, lads…however, I think I am a bit too old for you," she replied, winking at them, thinking they were trying to flirt with her.
The two brothers looked taken aback at her comment.
"Nonsense!" cried Fili.
"Besides, can't two young lads compliment a lovely lady simply because they want to and not just for flirting?" asked Kili, still smiling cheekily.
"I suppose you are right," said Aelin.
"You!" a deep, rough voice suddenly exclaimed. She looked to the side and there was a taller Dwarf, also wearing furs, who had a scruffy black beard, was bald and had tattoos on his head. The last time she had seen this Dwarf, he had had more hair, but she still recognized him. She certainly couldn't forget this Dwarf.
"What are you doing here?" he asked gruffly.
"How lovely to see you, too, Dwalin," Aelin replied sarcastically.
"You two know each other?" asked Fili.
Neither of them seemed to hear Fili's question and Aelin's comment to Dwalin didn't seem to amuse him. "How did you find out about this?" the irate Dwarf demanded.
"Find out about what?" she asked, acting innocent.
Her subtle sarcasm was not sitting well with Dwalin. It never did. Irritated, he growled and began to stride towards her, clenching his fists. Aelin began to take a defensive stance, as did Nori beside her while Fili and Kili looked surprised at Dwalin's sudden angry approach.
"Calm yourself, Quick-Fists," she said to make him stop, seeing how ready he was to take a swing at her, "the wizard was the one who told me; he's the one who wanted me here. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him."
"Do you really think Thorin is going to allow this?" he sneered at her.
She straightened up. "Considering how adamant Gandalf was about needing my help on this quest in the letter he sent me, I don't think Oakenshield is going to have much of a choice," she snapped back. Then she stepped closer to the big Dwarf. "And you know what, Dwalin? I'm not going to let you bully me," she stated boldly. "I'm not going to let you or Oakenshield or anyone else here bully me just because I am a woman or I have a bit of a reputation. Whether you or I like or not, I am here and I am a part of this…and you're just going to have to live with it."
Both Fili and Kili went "Ooh…!" at Aelin's bold statement to Dwalin. There weren't very many who would have the guts to stand up to him the way that she did, for normally they would get a good and hard headbutt or punch to the face. They could tell that Dwalin was contemplating doing just that, but they knew he wouldn't.
After glaring at Aelin for a moment, he snapped back, "You're right…I don't like it." With that, he just stomped off.
Aelin straightened up, feeling proud of herself for having pretty much silenced the big bully of a Dwarf. Now she could only imagine what it would be like once Thorin finally showed up.
Both Fili and Kili started laughing. "By Mahal, you are a bold one!" cried Kili.
"No one would ever stand up to Dwalin like that," added Fili.
"Well, perhaps it's time that someone did for a change," replied Aelin.
Nori patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get you a drink," he suggested. After she waved goodbye to the young brothers, Aelin followed Nori into the kitchen where he poured her a little goblet of wine. Then the two of them began to walk into the next room.
As Nori started dabbing at the corners of his lips with the cloth in his hand, Bilbo suddenly appeared behind him and snatched it out of his hand. "Excuse me, that is a doily! Not a dishcloth!" he spat, irritated.
"But it's full of holes," said a Dwarf wearing a funny, floppy hat who was standing nearby, holding a mug of his own.
"It's supposed to look like that. It's crochet," Bilbo explained.
"Oh and a wonderful game it is, too, if you've got the balls for it," said the other Dwarf.
Aelin giggled at his funny remark. Then she started to laugh even more as the Dwarf spotted a rope of sausage that Nori had just found and slung over his shoulder. The other Dwarf tried to grab it from him and now the two of them were playing tug of war with it like children. She meant to go after them, but then she spotted Dori and Ori coming. Dori was carrying a goblet and Ori had an empty plate in his hand. Aelin decided to make her presence known to them.
She jumped out into the hallway in front of them. "Hello, lads!" she said.
They stopped, startled and wide-eyed, but then large grins broke out on their faces.
"Aelin! You did come!" exclaimed Ori, giving her a hug.
"I just can't seem to stay away from you Ri brothers," Aelin replied, ruffling his hair.
"We're glad you're with us," said Dori, patting her on the shoulder.
Ori then excused himself and started walking up to Bilbo, who had appeared in the hallway looking very perturbed. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt," Ori said politely, "but what should I do with my plate?"
Aelin couldn't help but grin. Ori was always such a polite little fellow.
Fili then appeared and took the plate from him. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me," he said just before tossing it through the air. Aelin moved out into the next hallway by Ori to see what was going on and saw that Fili was tossing more plates to Kili, who was throwing them behind his back into the kitchen.
"Excuse me! That's my mother's Westfarthing pottery; it's over a hundred years old!" Bilbo cried out, getting more and more anxious at seeing his cutlery being tossed about so nonchalantly. Then he heard the sound of clinking in the kitchen. Some of the Dwarves were playing a little game with his silverware. "And can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"
"Ooh, do you hear that, lads?" said the Dwarf with the funny hat. "He says we'll blunt the knives!"
Aelin chuckled. She could feel a song coming on!
And right on cue, Kili began to sing:
Blunt the knives, bend the forks.
Then Fili joined in with him,
Smash the bottles and burn the corks.
After that, Aelin and the rest of the Dwarves there jumped into the singing, all the while tossing, throwing and knocking all of Bilbo's dishes about in the kitchen,
Chip the glasses and crack the plates.
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Cut the cloth, tread on the fat.
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat.
Pour the milk on the pantry floor, splash the wine on every door.
Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, pound them up with a thumping pole.
When you're finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
As the song ended, Bilbo came barreling into the kitchen, looking irate, but then the angry look on his face dropped as he found that all of his dishes were neatly stacked on the table. All of the Dwarves were standing around the table, with their pipes, mugs and goblets all in hand, and they began to laugh merrily.
Aelin had ended up between Fili and Dori by the end of the song and she found that to be more fun that she thought it would be. She just adored the confused look on Bilbo's face. As the laughing continued, Fili slung his arm over her shoulders and gave her a good nudge, smiling at her. Still chuckling, she returned his smile and nudged him back. The young, blonde lad seemed quite friendly. In her mind, she was beginning to like him.
Just then, the merriment silenced as three loud knocks sounded on the front door.
"He is here," Gandalf announced in a low voice.
"I wonder what took him so long…," Aelin thought, grinning slyly to herself. She knew exactly who Gandalf was talking about.
Everyone gathered into the front foyer to greet Thorin when he came in. Aelin decided she would stay near the back so he wouldn't immediately see her. She would wait briefly before making it known that she was there. This was going to be interesting.
"Gandalf," she heard him say. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way twice."
Aelin scoffed and had to fight hard to keep from laughing out loud. She knew that was a lie. "That was the best he could come up with?" she thought. "Oh, Oakenshield, I expected better from you."
He kept going, "I never would've found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."
"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!" Bilbo countered.
Gandalf then said to him, "There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Thorin Oakenshield."
Aelin listened carefully as Thorin began to question the Hobbit about his experience in fighting and his choice in weapons. However, Bilbo had next to no experience with either.
"Thought as much," Thorin then said in conclusion. Then he said to the other Dwarves, trying to be funny, "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."
While the rest of the Dwarves chuckled at that, Aelin did not find it as funny.
She spoke up, "Still judging others before you even know them? You haven't changed at all, Thorin Oakenshield."
Thorin heard her voice and froze in place, scanning the room for the source. The other Dwarves parted to the sides to reveal her leaning against the wall with her arms folded. It had been many; almost hundreds of years, to his knowledge, since he had last seen this woman and he could feel his blood boiling inside upon seeing her face.
However, as Aelin caught sight of him, she was surprised at what she began to think in her mind. Now that she could fully see him in better light, she realized just how handsome he was. His eyes were a deep blue; so deep she thought it was possible to drown in them. Somehow, she had never taken notice of his eyes before. Yet she could see an inner flame raging within them and she knew that was because of her. She shook off the thoughts in her head, not knowing why they even came to her in the first place.
"You!" he exclaimed darkly.
"Me," she simply replied.
"What in Durin's name are you doing here?" he demanded.
She casually shrugged. "Well, I was just passing through…heard about a quest that was happening here and…just thought I'd stop by."
Thorin scoffed at her. "Not just a thief, but a liar, as well," he spat. "You may dispense with your pathetic sarcasm."
Aelin put her hands over her heart and exclaimed playfully. "Oh, your words wound me, Oakenshield!" Then her face hardened. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Now Thorin was really starting to get irritated with her. "I demand the truth! Why are you really here?"
"I asked her to come," Gandalf finally answered, stepping forward.
Thorin gave him a concerned look. "Have you any idea who this woman is?"
"The woman who got the jump on you?" Aelin asked, pulling the money pouch she stole from him off her belt and holding it up in the air and smirking at him.
Thorin's eyes narrowed, wondering what she was talking about, but then realization hit him very quickly as he made the connection that she was the one he had come across on the path. His eyes grew wide with anger and he growled as he lunged for her, furious. Luckily, Dori and Dwalin jumped forward and grabbed him while Fili and Kili moved in front of Aelin to protect her.
"Not here, Thorin," Dwalin whispered loudly to Thorin, who was still fighting. While Dwalin would've gladly let Thorin at the woman, he knew this was neither the time nor the place.
"She stole that from me on the road here!" he exclaimed.
Aelin snickered, satisfied at the reaction she had elicited from him. She lightly pushed her way between Fili and Kili. "Relax…!" she told Thorin as he was released. "I have no need for this." She then tossed the pouch over to him and he caught it, softly growling at her again.
"What does it matter who she is?" Gandalf asked, seeming to take no notice of what had just taken place. "I feel she could be very useful to us."
"It matters," replied Thorin sharply. "I will not have her causing trouble and being a constant thorn in my side." He cast her a dark look. "She has no right to be here."
She cocked her head to the side. "I have free will, I have just as much right to be here as anyone else."
"Not if I have any say in this," he stated, taking a step closer to her.
"Depriving me of my rights again, are you?" she snapped, stepping closer to him now. Then she scoffed again. "My point still stands: you have not changed at all."
"The same could be said of you, thief!" Thorin declared, leaning in towards her.
Both their faces were just inches apart by this point before Gandalf finally said, "Enough, you two! Enough of this nonsense. We have business that needs to be done. If any of this is to work then you need to put your petty differences aside. Now, let us adjourn to the dining room and get things started."
Thorin and Aelin glared at each other for a moment before Thorin stepped back and, without a word, trudged off into the other room behind some of the other Dwarves.
"I really hate that Dwarf…!" Aelin muttered to herself.
The meeting in Bilbo's dining room was more interesting than Aelin thought. Thorin informed them that the other seven armies of the Dwarves would not aid them on their quest and they were on their own. Then Gandalf proceeded to bring out a map to Erebor as well as a key to a hidden door that belonged to Thorin's father, Thrain. Bilbo also found out about his role as the company's burglar and the others weren't too sure about it. Aelin personally thought she or Nori would've been perfectly suited for that position but Gandalf was quite resolute in his choice of Bilbo and would not be persuaded otherwise. They gave Bilbo a contract, Bofur—the Dwarf with the funny hat that Aelin had met earlier—unsuccessfully tried to make the Hobbit feel better about going against a dragon, but that ended up with Bilbo fainting of fright.
Aelin honestly felt bad for the poor fellow. Why would Gandalf be so adamant about making him leave his comfortable home to go on a quest that would most likely be dangerous and full of perils that this Halfling had never experienced? She could understand that the wizard had faith in him…but did he have faith in himself to be able to do such a thing? It was not going to be easy to get Bilbo to agree.
She was sitting down against the wall in the front foyer, smoking her pipe and she could vaguely overhear Bilbo and Gandalf and talking in a nearby room. Then she could hear Bilbo's footsteps and his voice saying, "You've got the wrong Hobbit." Then he walked right past her down the hall. Just as she suspected, he had refused to sign the contract and was going to come with them.
Then she heard a voice speak in the hallway behind her, "It appears we have lost our burglar." The voice belonged to Balin, an older Dwarf whom she figured out was Dwalin's brother and a close advisor to Thorin. When she heard him talk, she could only assume that one of the other two was with him.
She listened as he went on, "Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners…tinkers, toymakers. Hardly the stuff of legend."
"There are a few warriors amongst us," spoke a deep, resonant voice that she knew could only belong to Thorin.
"Old warriors," Balin replied.
Thorin then declared to him, "I would take each and every one of these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills…for when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart…I can ask no more than that."
There was something in his voice that struck Aelin inside. The conviction she could hear as he spoke those words seemed to surprise her and she couldn't help but listen even more intently.
Then Balin asked him, "Even the woman?"
She heard Thorin sigh. "Yes…even the woman," he begrudgingly replied. "Although, I do not think I have a choice when it comes to her. The wizard insists that she comes with us…and I cannot risk refusing him and losing our guide. So I must accept this price I have to pay for that."
Aelin rolled her eyes. So now she was a price he had to pay in order to keep Gandalf around…that made her feel so much better about being there!
"You don't have to do this," Balin then said. "You have a choice. You have done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains…a life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."
"From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me," replied Thorin. Aelin assumed that he was showing him the key Gandalf had given him. "They dreamt of the day when the Dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin…not for me."
"Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done."
She heard one of set of footsteps leave the hallway and then a few seconds later, the other pair was coming the other way. Aelin quickly put her pipe back in its pouch and got back up to her feet. Just as she did, she found herself looking at Thorin as he came to the corner where the hallway met the foyer. As he spotted her, he stared at her wordlessly for a moment, examining her. Neither of them said a word. Then Thorin decided to keep walking.
Before he left, Aelin spoke up, "Balin is right. You really don't have to do this."
Thorin stopped and turned back around to face her.
"There are too many risks involved with this quest. Why are you throwing your life away for it?" she asked.
"Since when do you care about what I do with my life?" he said back a little harshly.
Aelin knew he was going to try and fight her, so she said back, "I care about the lives of everyone who came here tonight. I care about the lives of my friends. They all have things worth living for…just because you don't doesn't mean you have to take all of that away from them."
"Hold your tongue, woman!" Thorin hissed.
"Or what?" Aelin immediately replied.
There was a pause as Thorin tried to think of something to say back. Finally, he sighed and said, "I do have things worth living for…and Erebor is one of them. It is my home…and I will not sit idly by any longer. That is why I must go on this quest."
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"Yes, I do." He took a step towards her. "Mind you, your friends freely chose to answer my call, I did not force them."
"But you are blindly leading them and everyone else to their own demise."
He paused again, simply staring at her skeptically. Then he straightened up and stated, "I am going to Erebor…and every one of these Dwarves will follow me there, whether you like it or not. The only question is…will you?"
Now it was her turn to pause while she stared back at him. Her insides were twisting at the thought of following him anywhere; of pledging her service to him for the sake of a quest she didn't even want to go on. But she knew there was not much a choice left and once again she found herself thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this!"
She withdrew her mithril battle knives, which made Thorin flinch cautiously, and held them at her sides briefly before bringing them up into an "X" formation in front of her chest. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "My knives and my service are yours."
He gave her a look that was still skeptical but showed that he was content with her response.
"But know this, Oakenshield:" she then added as she sheathed her blades, "I am only doing this because Gandalf asked me and because the only family I have is here…and they believe this to be a good cause. Erebor is not my home and I feel no obligation to it, but they do, so for that, I will stay." Then she took one step towards him and stared him down. "I am not doing this for you."
"So be it," Thorin replied. "Then your services will only be required until we reach the mountain and find a way inside."
Aelin was glad to oblige to that. "I wouldn't have it any other way." With that being said, she started to walk away.
After only two steps, Thorin suddenly grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. Then he whispered in a dark tone, "A warning, woman: do not presume to know me…because you don't."
Two could play at that game, she thought, so she instantly replied, "Then don't you presume to know me either…because you know nothing about me!" She brushed his arm away and turned to walk away again. However, she stopped once more and then twisted back around to look at him. She said to him, "I am not the kind of the person you think I am."
He glanced at her distrustfully. "Then I hope, for your sake, you prove it."
"I hope for your sake…you learn to open your eyes," she declared.
Thorin was left without any words of reply to her statement, so she took that opportunity to end the conversation. She was feeling tired and just wanted to get back down to the Green Dragon Inn to get a good rest before the journey began in the morning. She grabbed her cloak from next to the door, opened it and then walked out.
After getting her cloak on, Aelin stood in front of the door and leaned back against it, taking in the fresh Shire air and contemplating everything that had happened during the night. The Dwarf woman knew that she was in way over her head, but there was no turning back now. She was a part of this company; she was going on this quest.
Was she going to last travelling with Thorin? After the heated words that had been exchanged between them earlier in the evening, she could already feel the urge to just strangle him. Yet there were other feelings inside her, too, regarding him…like pity, sympathy…and even a feeling of remorse; to try and actually get along with him. The whole situation was suddenly so complex, it made her head ache. There was no way she was going to feel sorry for that stubborn and bitter Dwarf! Not after what he had done to her. In her mind, that was never going to happen.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she could hear low singing inside. She moved closer to the window and listened, realizing it was Thorin's voice she heard,
Far over the Misty Mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold…
Aelin couldn't bring herself to listen to the rest of it. She turned back towards the path and began to walk away, brushing the tears she felt sliding down her cheeks.
That was a song she had heard sung before back in the Blue Mountains by some of the Dwarves that once lived in Erebor. That was their song of home.
It testified of something that Thorin strongly knew in his heart: a place where he knew he truly belonged.
Something Aelin feared she herself would never know.
.
Well, now you have an idea as to the bad blood between Thorin and Aelin xD What was the cause? You will find out soon, I can assure you! ;)
Originally, I was going to include the meeting about the quest, but the chapter was already getting long and I wanted to do all of Bag-End in one chapter, so I just cut it out :P Sorry if that disappointed anyone.
Thoughts, comments or questions? Leave them in a review or send them my way in a PM! :D Your guys' reviews and messages are what keep me going! Hope you liked this chapter and stay tuned for the next one! ^^