Chapter 1

I had entered the noisy tavern seeking shelter from the rain. I had just arrived in Bree only this afternoon. Although it was far from luxury it was large enough to live comfortably for a while. This was my first stop in a while since I had started my travels only two summers ago. I found a small alcove by the fireplace. It had one chair at a small square table and seemed quieter than the rest of the tavern.

I sat down and ordered an ale. Unsurprisingly I had gotten a few odd stares from the people, but nothing that would cause a scene. I suppose I can't really blame them. I'm not exactly the most normal looking person in the world, what with my sideburns and short stature, though not short enough to be considered a dwarf nor tall enough to be considered human. However, I am a halfbreed so this makes sense, but that doesn't mean I'm going to share that with all of Middle Earth.

The barmaid brought my ale and then hurried off to the table next to me. All I could see was the back of what appeared a dwarf. He seemed a little along in his years probably slightly younger than middle age by dwarf standards. There was nothing odd about him, but I could tell that this was no ordinary dwarf.

He was given his drink and meal and then he was left alone, or so I thought. It didn't take a genius to know that he was being watched seeing as the two men were not subtle in the least. For a moment I thought that there might be brawl about to happen, but that thought was dashed immediately by the appearance of an old bearded man wearing gray robes.

The two men sat down at his arrival. He started speaking to the dwarf saying his name was Gandalf. Ah, now it made sense. No man with any sense would ever go up against a wizard. This was Gandalf the Grey. I didn't know much about wizards, but from what I do know they are both powerful and mysterious. I suppose the best way to describe them is enigmatic.

Now my attention was fully on the two. This was definitely no ordinary dwarf if a wizard was speaking with him. My suspicions were proven once I heard the dwarf's name; Thorin Oakenshield.

I almost dropped my tankard from my surprise. Of all the dwarves that could end up in this tavern the same night as I was, Thorin son Thrain son of Thror, was not one of them I would expect. My ale was completely forgotten as listened more closely to their conversation.

"I know my father came to see you before the Battle of Moria. What did you say to him?" I heard Thorin ask Gandalf anxiously.

Gandalf leaned in slightly, no longer eating his food that he was given at some point, before answering. "I urged him to march upon Erebor. To gather the Seven Armies of the dwarves. To destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. And I would say the same to you." He then said more emphatically, "Take back your homeland."

My eyes widened at his statement. What was this wizard thinking!? I thought wizards were supposed to be wise, but this the stupidest idea I had ever heard. A dragon was not something to play around with what with their hard hide that is almost completely impossible to puncture much less kill. I noticed Thorin straighten his back, then push away his plate and picked up his drink while continuing after a moment's thought.

"This is no chance meeting is it Gandalf." It was statement not a question. Gandalf was here for a purpose and purpose was Erebor. "No. It is Lonely Mountain has troubled me, Thorin. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later, darker minds will turn towards Erebor."

I narrowed my eyes at his statement. What did he mean by that? I didn't have to wait long for my answer. "I ran into some unsavory characters whilst traveling along the Greenway. They mistook me for a vagabond." Thorin replied with slight humor, "I imagine they regretted that." he looked over his shoulder slightly. I made sure to keep my head to avoid suspicion, but I still kept my eyes on the two.

Gandalf slowly pulled out a piece of parchment sliding it across the table, but I was too far to see what was on it. "One of them was carrying a message." He said showing Thorin the message."It is black speech." He stated to the dwarf prince.

What would a foul man be doing with something in such a dark language? Thorin leaned back while Gandalf read the message in a calm voice. "A promise of payment." Thorin's head was down slightly as he asked, "For what?" He didn't seem to eager to know, though I wouldn't blame him. Gandalf looked directly at Thorin and said quite bluntly, "Your Head."

I gasped quietly and had to put a hand over my mouth to smother my load breathing after hearing his answer. I wasn't the only one shocked as Thorin immediately looked up at Gandalf and I think I heard him take in a breath as well. "Someone wants you dead. Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves. Together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families. Demand That they stand by their oath."

Thorin quickly leaned over and said with a bit of steel in his tone, "The seven armies swore that oath on the King's Jewel, The Arkenstone. It is the only thing that will unite them and in case you have forgotten that jewel was stolen by Smaug!" All three of us watched the two men leave before Gandalf turned back around to answer.

"What if I were to help you reclaim it." He said this with a slight smile. "How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away. Buried beneath the feet of a fire breathing dragon." I nodded my head even though they couldn't see me, but Gandalf was quick to answer. "Yes it does. Which is why we are going to need a burglar." he smiled after saying this.

I somewhat tuned them out as thought on what I heard. My father had been a dwarf of Erebor. All my life he had told me and my siblings stories of the Lonely Mountain and the beauty it once held. He used to say hat although he had a great life in Forodwaith, Erebor would always be his home. I know more than anything he would want to go on this quest to help reclaim it, but he wouldn't leave my brother and sister and he certainly wouldn't allow us to come. This was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I've beenwandering for the past two years and yet I still felt like there was somewhere, something I needed to do and I believe this is it.

With my decision made I looked back at the duo to see what else I could find out. Gandalf stood up, but spoke to Thorin, "Meet me in Hobbiton in the Shire on April 29th. Look for a door with the burglar's rune. There we shall start our journey." Thorin nodded his head and then Gandalf left without another word. I waited until Thorin left to pay for my drink and approach the owner of the Prancing Pony about a room.

"Excuse me sir I'd like a room. I'm going to be staying here for a while."

Author's Note

Wow that took forever to write. So the next chapter Inari will be meeting the company which will be so much fun to write as it's one my favorite scenes in both the movie and the book. By the way I forgot to mention this in the Prologue, I'm doing the movie version as you can tell from this chapter, but i just wanted to clarify. If you're one of those people who loves the books more feel free to leave some suggestions on how i could merge the two a bit. However, it is mainly going to be the movie. Anyways let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews. Until next time, bye!