Chapter Eight
A blue rune marks the spot.
"Well, maybe we should have followed the stars
And we might not be as lost as we are
So, oh, sing a song for the lost."
The ride there was long and hard. In the sense that Bree was so close that we figured we'd go ahead and ride the entire way, with minimal stops. All in all, the trip took about two and a half days.
Gandalf had instructed us to set up at the Prancing Pony, an Inn in Bree. It was early evening by the time we arrived to the Inn. We paid for our rooms, a large bed and bath in each.
I wasn't sure when the next time I'd get to bathe in hot water would be, so I would take every advantage of the tub while I was here.
Blitz was rather upset that I had to leave her in the stables, she wanted to see what the Shire was like. But I told her she'd have a chance another time.
Finn was left with Colton, eagerly munching on hay and grain. He enjoyed trips, like the others, but enjoyed the comforts of food and home much more. However, there was no way we could leave him home. He'd follow us to the ends of the Earth if he had to.
From Bree, we had to walk to the Shire, which wasn't very far at all. Maybe a 40 minute trek - at most.
As we walked, we jested with one another what Hobbits really looked like. Phil hadn't much knowledge on the race other than them being rather small with large, hairy feet. Jake said that they probably looked more like monkeys and I thought they would look more like tiny Bigfoot -Bigfoots? Bigfeet?- like a mini Sasquatch..
And finally, we found the Shire.
We walked through the village and offered friendly waves and smiles to the tiny people who were out and about at this hour. They squinted at us and whispered and rushed inside. Not very friendly.. but then again, who eagerly says 'how d'you do?' to a couple of strangers with assortment of weapons strapped to them?
Their homes were amazing and were built into hills. They were just people that were very small and adorable with large, fuzzy feet. Well, I thought they were adorable.. tell them that and they'd probably tear me apart in rage.
"I'm never calling you short again," Jake chuckled.
"No kidding.. I will never complain about my height ever again." I laughed softly and we found the one we were looking for.
Bag End.
A glowing blue rune marked the circle shaped door, beckoning us to knock and enter.
"You do it.." I muttered.
"What?" Jake laughed, scratching his beard. "You knock."
"You're the youngest," I scowled.
"You're the oldest." He pushed me towards the door with a laugh and I hissed at him.
I grumbled and swallowed back my shyness. I could fight trolls, hunt orcs, and take down goblins. But speaking to a stranger, on rather violent-free terms, was the most frightening thing that could happen to me.
I knocked, quietly, but then a little louder when Jake raised his eyebrows expectantly at me.
The door swung open and an annoyed little man blinked up at us.
"Hullo.." He muttered and stepped back. "Come in, come in," he waved at us through.
I stepped inside, Jake following.
"Thank you," I bowed my head a bit.
I quickly glanced around his home, or of what I could see. "Wow, you have a beautiful home," I flashed him a smile.
The little man perked up at my comment. "Why, thank you," he chuckled dryly. "I'm Bilbo Baggins," a bit of a sarcastic tone came through his words.
"Hiya, Mr. Baggins." Jake shook his hand.
I had to muffle a laugh when I saw Jake was forced to bend a bit.
"This is Jacob and I'm Jenna Redmayne." I smiled softly, shaking his small hand.
Bilbo came up to my shoulder. I didn't have to hunch or duck to stand within his home whereas Jacob had to stoop. Mr. Baggins seemed rather frayed, as if he had been chasing an elusive cat all day. I wondered if he was tall for a hobbit or of average height. He was the first hobbit I had officially met, and so far, he seemed very civilized.
"A pleasure." At a sudden crash coming from the back of the house, he winced, his previous smile vanishing within a blink of an eye.
"Please, make yourselves at home," Bilbo hissed, his voice rising to almost a yell and spun on his heel and stomped down the hallway.
"Perfect size for you, Jenna," Jake snickered.
"I know, isn't it fantastic?" I smiled and laid my swords down next to a coat rack. I tugged off my coat and hung it up.
On this day, I wore a long sleeved, cream peasant top with a dark red halter corset. The top didn't show off any cleavage, but allowed my collar bone to be seen. I always wore a black, hooded vest. It was thick, black leather with pockets and holsters lining the inside. And in those little holsters, were my assortment of daggers. They all were small, hardly more than three inches long, flat, and black.
I also wore black, fitted trousers. My trousers were tucked into my well-worn, knee high, lace up, flat, black boots. I wore fingerless leather gloves, which I took off and stuck into my coat's pocket.
The one thing that was harder to move passed besides television and internet was bras.
Seriously.
Corsets were hard to get used to and I didn't like the way they didn't quite let you breathe. The bras gave support and air. Binding them down as some other women I knew did, wasn't really safe. With all the movement and running I did, the fabric would either loosen or would be far too tight, and I'd not be able to breathe. It was hard to get used to.
I sighed, hanging up the vest with my coat. This was a social gathering, not a fight, I wouldn't need my vest. Right?
The house was alive with music, laughter, and voices. It was very calming, but as I said, I was shy. I was a bundle of nerves and decided to hide and keep to myself rather than go and make friends.
Jake left, opting to wander around and meet and greet than hang around his older little sister. I was glad he didn't have any of the shyness I had, but he certainly had my stubbornness.
My stubbornness certainly was no helping point to prove to people I was not a dwarf. The only way they believed me was my little features: narrow waist, dainty hands, small feet, small ears and nose.
I slunk around the house, peering in one room and lurking into the next, ducking back and dodging whenever someone walked by. I realized the people here, were real dwarves. Beards, fur, leather, and braids.
I felt very awkward and unsure of what to do. So, I did nothing. I sat in a chair tucked into a corner next to a fire. In the room was a desk, a few more chairs, and candles. Obviously, it was some sort of office. Cute, quaint, and fit me oddly well. Maybe it was even a bit too small. I was pleased with this little fact. (Did you see my pun there..? ...okay.)
I hummed softly and snagged a well bound old book. Reading through it, I was glad it was in a language I knew. Jake and I usually spoke what was called the Common Tongue or Westron. In time we learned Black Speech and Sindarin. I knew only one other language that no one else did: Spanish. Jake and I talked in it when we needed the utmost of secrecy.
After a while of reading, I found I enjoyed the book. It was good, well written, and easy to follow. It was about a prince Hobbit, going against a goblin lord.
For some reason, I kept missing a word and I'd have to go back and reread it. And I realized why I kept unfocusing. I looked up and saw a dwarf staring at me.
"You comin' to eat, then?" He smiled suddenly. His smile was highly contagious. He wore a dark hat, the ear flaps sticking out. He had a mustache that curled out, in a similar fashion to the hat, accompanying his bit of beard.
I grinned, "I was unaware there was food."
"There is always good food, m'lady," he laughed softly. "M' name's Bofur," he bowed a bit.
I was a tad startled to find that I was taller than him. I was finally taller than someone! The top of his head came up to my nose. I sat the book on the desk, remembering I was on page 78, and followed him.
"I'm Jenna Redmayne.. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Bofur."
The voices grew close as we walked towards the dining room. "The pleasure's all mine. Gandalf send for ya?"
"He did." I chuckled, "And for you?"
"No, lass. We came with Thorin. We're goin' on a quest." His eyes sparkled, a grin cracking his face.
"Quests are always enjoyable." I laughed softly. He was so happy, his joy was intoxicating.
Wait.
Thorin? The same Thorin that Boran spoke of? Was Thorin the ring leader of this quest?
"Aren't they though? We'll be battlin' a dragon." He grinned.
"A dragon?" My eyes grew.
"Yes, you are familiar with them?" He teased.
"Never met one, but I know of them." I chuckled, feeling a bit worried.
Gandalf certainly did not mention a dragon.. or a Thorin.
Entering the room it got quiet and I took in the sight of the dining table with dwarves ringed around it and Gandalf hunched over on one side and Jake smooshed in a corner.
"Ah, Jenna the Dwarf," the dwarf who said this had a large, bushy red beard and narrowed eyes, much smaller now that he was squinting at me.
I went red, rubbing the back of my neck. I was unsure of where to look so I just stared at the wall.
"Well, sit down, lass! We aren't standing on ceremony here!" Another dwarf smiled in amusement. He had a long, white, forked beard.
I plopped down quickly and struggled to calm down. The merriment continued and I was so glad the attention was no longer on me.
"I wasn't sure if you were alive or not," Gandalf teased, eating at a biscuit.
"I wasn't sure either. I got sucked into a book.." I chuckled quietly.
"Better to be sucked into a book than into another realm," he chuckled.
"That is the truth.." I smiled and jumped a bit when a plate and cup of red wine were sat in front of me with a bit of a thud!
"There you go, can't eat without those," a young, quite handsome dwarf winked. He had a long nose, his hair was long, wavy, and fair. Light eyes that twinkled, and beads in his mustache.
"Thank you." I smiled, blushing, and squashed that stupid fluttering feeling in my gut.
Eager to silence Gandalf, who was giggling at my momentary lapse in composure, -(He was the cutest creature I'd ever seen! I cannot help my romantic heart, nor will I!)-I looked to Gandalf, "I picked something up from a goblin lord." I whispered, trying to keep as silent as possible.
"Oh?" He looked to me, tilting his head a bit to better hear me.
"It's a key. Dwarvish, by the looks of it," I whispered.
He blinked, nodding a bit, "Give it to company's leader later." He then went about passing out silverware.
The conversation turned to goblins and Jake went on and on about how the first time I met a goblin, I was unarmed and killed it with a flute. (It was a piccolo, actually.)
This was quite humorous to them, and they were very impressed. Better to be on the good side of someone, several someones, that you are to be traveling to a far away place rather than their bad side. So, I let Jake tell them of our stories and adventures. We had plenty of stories to tell.
A few of the dwarves (Whom I now know as Ori, Kili, Fili, Bofur, and Gloin), raised their glasses in unison, shouting, "Jenna!"
Though all I could do was chuckle softly, blush, and nod, when all I really wanted to do was flee and hide under a rock.
I jumped again, and it was only Gandalf patting me on my back.
"You are handling this quite well," he teased.
"Am I? Are you sure?" I chuckled. "I think I've stopped breathing."
"You are.. And you'd be a valued member of this little company.."
At the word 'little' I gave him a look, which he chuckled at.
"No pun intended, but you would be highly valued. You are well versed in combat, you know the plants.. You've lived on your own, taking care of your brother for years in those woods.. You've kept him safe, you've kept him alive, on your own," he whispered, knowing my struggle better than even Boran.
I sighed softly, nodding, "You don't need to convince me to go, Gandalf. We live to help, adventure, and roam.."
He grinned, eating at another biscuit, "I'm just assuring that you'd be valued."
"Stop saying value.. I'm no jewel," I chuckled.
"I wouldn't be so sure," the old wizard teased.
After everyone was done dishing up their own food, I helped myself. The chicken smelled wonderful and the mashed potatoes looked delicious.
"Okay, let me get this right..." Jake sat up a bit straighter, "Dwalin, Balin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Fili, Kili, Bofur, Bombur, Bifur."
At the sound of their names, each dwarf raised his fist and hooted.
"Hell yeah. I got it right," Jake grinned and continued to eat, shoveling large bites into his even larger mouth. Jacob ate like a pig.. but it went unnoticed here.
"Jake the Dog," Kili pointed to Jake then to me. "Jenna the Dwarf," the dark haired dwarf then winked to me.
At the sound of my.. title, I choked on my wine a bit which earned a round of laughter as I struggled to breathe.
"How did you come by that name?" Bofur grinned.
"Ah.. A trollop thought I was a dwarf.. and it stuck." I shrugged, offering a smile.
"Suits ya good." Balin nodded, knocking his cup of mead into my glass of red wine.
"I try to do it proud," I laughed softly.
The conversation was steered to ancestors and names.
Gandalf turned to me again, "How is Boran?"
At my red face and silence, he chuckled.
I hated to admit it, but his name still stung a bit, "His village was destroyed by orcs.. and he was taken to a goblin lord. He had a bounty on his head."
The conversation around us fell silent, obviously finding a fight with goblin much more interesting.
"You took on a goblin lord in his own mountain?" Dwalin's face twisted in something I didn't know. Interest? Pride?
"Yes, and we saved Boran," Jake grinned.
"How?" Ori gasped, his light eyes bright, leaning forward.
"Well-" Jake grinned, and delved into the story. He left out no detail and added more. He made my voice high pitched and girly, that itself earned some laughs. "And then they were climbing up the ropes.. the enemy force growing in number! And pow!" -he slapped the table for added effect, (Ori jumped at the sudden sound.) "We were safe and home free!"
"What happened to the goblin lord?" Kili asked, sipping at his drink and listening to story.
Jake pouted, obviously wanting to sound like the hero in this tale. "Jenna killed him," he said rather flippantly.
I choked on my wine again, I really wished people would stop mentioning me.
"Really?" Fili grinned, he glanced to me then back to Jake.
"Oh yes," he shouted at the top of his lungs, "'Stop her! Stop the Dwarf!' And with two swings! SHWING! SHWISH! She lopped off his leg, the next - his head!" Jake grinned wildly.
They cheered, clinking their cups together.
So, all and all. Things went better than I thought they'd go. Filled with hearing the dwarves stories and telling them my own.. Well, Jake telling them ours.
"How is Boran, then?" Gandalf asked, smoking his pipe and smiling at the others' antics.
"He's well.." I said rather bitterly, "And married."
Gandalf laughed, smoke darting from his nose. "You poor girl. So invested into nothing."
"Yep..." I grumbled, sipping at another cup of red wine. It was very good, the only alcohol I liked here.
"How did he take it?"
"What?"
"You did tell him..?" Gandalf urged, raising his brows.
"Of course not.." I muttered, "Seeing him greet his wife with kisses and hugs, why even mention it? There is no point in letting him know the misunderstanding. I was a fool," I rolled my eyes.
"A fool's hope is strongest of all, Jenna, remember that. Fool's never give up and that's what makes them so very needed in this world."
"That's why you need me in this company, huh?" I snickered, "Missing a fool."
Gandalf only laughed smoke and followed Bilbo out of the room.
Poor Bilbo, all of these people suddenly dropping in.
Jake was all over at once, talking with Dwalin, Bofur, Fili and Kili. He was obviously having a blast. He was always good at talking to strangers, but I was content with sitting silently and sipping at my wine. Standing, I grabbed my plate and cup and went to find the kitchen.
I should wash this plate, I mussed it, I should at leas-
"I'll take that." Fili snagged the plate, spinning it and flipping it about, a massive smile on his handsome face.
"Oh, all right.." I blushed, smiling.
We were nearly the same height, I was a hair taller than him. He was handsome as well and I found what Tom said very untrue. He said all dwarves were hideous and rude. They all were not ugly and most were kind. Dwalin scared me.. but he didn't offer any rudeness towards me.
"Thank you, Fili..." I chuckled. My attention was drawn to Ori.
"'Scuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" Ori asked Bilbo.
"Here you go, Ori. Give it to me." Fili took his plate as well. Was it bad that all I wanted to do was to hug Fili? He was jovial, and his eyes twinkled.
The look on Bilbo's face could kill, especially when Fili threw the plate to Kili (he was standing behind me, and I didn't even hear him move), who threw it into another room.
Suddenly it was a tossing chain, from one room into another into another, where it ended, I could only hope into the kitchen.. With the dishes unbroken.
I pressed myself against the wall, not wanting to be apart of it. I was afraid of a plate shattering on my head, or worse, me dropping one!
"Excuse me. That's my mother's! It's over a hundred years old," the hobbit fumed.
At the sound of clanking, Bilbo continued on his rant. "And can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"
"Ooh, do you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives." I heard Bofur cackle.
And that started a song.
A very catchy song... A very, very catchy song..
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks
smash the bottles and burn the corks
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've finished, if any are whole,
send them down the hall to roll
that's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
I had never laughed so hard, in such a long time. My cheeks hurt, my face felt hot, and I even had tears in my eyes. They all had wonderful voices, and I was horrified when Dwalin was bouncing the platter off of his head.
"How was that?" Kili grinned to me, his dark eyes sparkling. Now, Kili was my height. From what I saw, Kili was one of the tallest here, besides Dwalin who was even taller than I.
"That was amazing." I gushed and chuckled. Realizing I was oozing a bit too much and sucked on my front teeth, blushing.
"Thank you," Fili smirked.
A loud knock on the door hushed us all.
"He's here..." Gandalf said.
The way he'd said it.. it.. kind of put me on edge.
And at the door was yet another (handsome) dwarf.
I hung back, not wanting to draw any attention to myself and stood near Bofur.
"Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice," he walked in. "I wouldn't have 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 said, flabbergasted.
"There is a mark, I've put it there myself," the wizard said and paused for a moment. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."
This was Thorin? Our leader? The one the orc and goblin spoke of?
"So, this is the hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin turned to Bilbo.
"Pardon me?" Bilbo furrowed his brows.
"Axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?" The dwarf lord continued, as if he were interrogating him.
"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know. But I fail to see why that's relevant," Bilbo conceded.
"I thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar," Thorin practically scoffed.
The other dwarves laughed and as I heard Jacob chuckle, I sent him a dark glare.
"Hush, it's not funny," I said coolly, my gut full of irritation towards this dwarf lord. I didn't find it at all okay to tease someone in their own home, especially when they've opened up their hearth and pantry to you, albeit reluctantly, but so nonetheless.
Jacob quickly quieted down, nodding in agreement. Thorin turned, his narrowed eyes landing on me. I returned the stare, quickly becoming heated.
"Come, we've prepared dinner," Balin gestured towards the dining room, steering the king away from a confrontation I, eagerly, was awaiting.
No, I was not good in social situations. But arguing and fighting weren't exactly social, were they?
The other dwarves glanced swiftly to me as they disappeared into the dining room, following their king.
Gandalf sent me a sympathetic look, then turned it towards Bilbo with a sigh.
I was surprised to find Thorin was quite taller than me.. Maybe I was a dwarf? I ran my tongue across my teeth in irritation before sucking on my incisors.
I watched as they all sat around the dining table once more, the table had been cleaned and cleared.
They sipped at ale and smoked their pipes.. Everyone smoked here, apparently. Thorin sipped at soup, neatly, I might add.
Jake sat beside Nori, and I sat beside Bombur, who was very quiet but seemed enjoy food. We were definitely very alike.
"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked.
"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin replied.
"And what did the dwarves of the Iron Hill say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin asked.
"They will not come," Thorin conceded.
The other dwarves shared a grumble, visibly upset.
"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone," the dwarf king glanced around the table, meeting the gaze of everyone there.. including Jake and I.
"You're doing a quest?" Bilbo piped up, standing behind Thorin, a curious look writ across his face.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," the wizard glanced to the hobbit and as Bilbo left the room, to get a lantern perhaps, Gandalf took out a map.
"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak," Gandalf placed the map on the table and pointed to the mountain, as Bilbo brought in a candle.
Mr. baggins leaned in and read from the map, "The Lonely Mountain."
"Aye, Oin has read the portents, and the portents say: it is time," Gloin boomed.
"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold. When the birds of the old return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end," Oin affirmed.
"Uh...what beast?" Bilbo furrowed his brows.
Poor man, he didn't know about the dragon.
"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals," Bofur puffed at his pipe and spoke so casually, I had to chuckle.
"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo scoffed.
Ori lept to his feet and shouted,"I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the dwarfish iron right up his jacksy!"
The dwarves cheered him on, obviously seconding his opinion.
"Sit down!" Dori tugged his brother back to his seat.
Balin shook his head, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."
"Hey! Who are you calling dim?" Ori shouted, clearly offended.
I winced as everyone started talking at the same time, created a loud roar.
"We may be few in number. But we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!" Fili said with true belief in his voice.
"And you forget we have a wizard in our company, Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time," Kili's wonder-filled eyes landed on Gandalf.
"Oh, well. No, uh, I...I wouldn't say…" Said wizard began stammering.
"How many then?" Dori asked, his brows high.
"What?" Gandalf stared at him, confused.
"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Go on, give us a number!" Dori clarified.
Again, the dining room was filled with their uproariously angry shouting, I glanced to Jake or shared the same expression: Worry.
When Thorin stood, he yelled in another language and all was silent again.
"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?" Thorin rallied them quite easily, and once more they were cheering with victory.
Trapped in thought, I was able to see that the key Gandalf presented to Thorin was similar to the one I had gotten from goblin lord. I gnawed on my lower lip, what was this key for? It was smaller and paler in color.
The goblin lord was quite proud when he presented it, called it 'Rightfully the King Under the Mountain's'. So.. Thorin's.. But what was it for? Was it really for a secret room filled with priceless jewels as Boran had said? Or was it merely just a Dwarvish key?
Lost in thought, I hadn't realized what was going on until Bilbo fainted, I chuckled softly. Poor man..
Gandalf ushered Bilbo off to another room. The dwarves disbanded, so to speak. Some went to the kitchen, others to the living room. Leaving Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Jacob and I. My breath froze in my throat when Thorin turned his attention directly to me.
"You are Jenna Redmayne," he said without a hint of question. "And you, Jacob Redmayne."
"Yes, sir," I nodded, feeling rather small under his piercing gaze, but refused to back down.
"Yes," Jacob said, his voice much stronger than mine.
"You understand what this quest is? Long travelling, harsh conditions, minimal rest?" The dwarf king said as if we were children, going camping for the first time and to be honest, it offended me.
I had been traveling, destroying packs of orcs, herds of trolls, ogres, goblins! -and here he was, insinuating that I did not know what I was doing!
"We understand, sir," I said with a bit of an edge.
"Good," Thorin leaned back in his chair and gestured to Balin.
Balin pulled out two rolled up parchments, I assumed were our contracts. I sat up as Dwalin sat the contracts in front of us.
I barely met his gaze, he seemed very.. mad at me? Most likely, I did appear rude towards his king.. twice. Way to go, Jen, make enemies with the biggest, scariest dwarf here!
I swiftly unrolled the paper, quickly reading the words there. I found it to be rather fair, except one thing..
"We need no money," I waved the contract to Thorin and Balin, who both were quietly talking to each other.
At my statement, they sent me a shocked looked.
"You cannot be serious, lass?" Balin furrowed his brows, a chuckle at his mouth, as if I were soft in the head.
"Oh, we are," Jake leaned back, draining his ale, clearly reading my mood and was just as offended at their behavior towards us as I was.
"We do these kinds of things for free," I clarified, hoping that would wipe away the surprised looks on their faces.
"For free?" Dwalin narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. It's what we do," I nodded, glancing to Thorin. His face was an unreadable mask of utter blankness and it was driving me nuts.
"We go around and save people, kills the bad things, return land to their proper owners. The Redmaynes and their Golden Moral Compass of Truth, Justice, and all that," Jacob grinned broadly, though his tone had a hint of sarcasm to it. I could barely keep the smirk from my face.
"For free?" Thorin stared at me, confusion danced wilder in his eyes, "How is it you live? Pay for things?"
"Donations," Jake sat up, an annoyance finally made its way into his tone. The same annoyance that had stiffened my gut earlier, and stung in my blood.
"Do.. donations?" Balin shook his head, "Interesting.." He muttered, still confused. "Fine.. well, scratch that part out, then.. and sign," the old dwarf smiled broadly.
"We can do that, sirs," I flashed a strained smile as I leapt up, dragging Jacob along with me.
"God damn, how hard is it to believe we do this shit for free?" He scoffed.
"I know. As if we'd make lost kids, homeless people, stray animals pay for rescuing them or their stuff," I snorted, still peeved.
Now, Bilbo and Gandalf sat in the same room I was in earlier. Jake and I slunk passed them and made our way towards his desk as the two spoke quietly together.
"Excuse me, Mr. Baggins? Could I please use your quill and ink?" I smiled towards him.
"Oh, of course, my dear," he smiled, looking rather distressed.
"Thank you," I turned as Jacob readied the quill. We crossed out the part about being rewarded 1/16 of everything we found. Jacob's signature looked much neater than my chicken-scratch of a scrawl.
As we allowed the ink to dry, I pulled the key from the chain around my neck.
"Give this to Thorin." I whispered.
"Jenna, you do it," he mumbled.
"What?" I grumbled, "We don't get along."
"You just met," Jake sighed, checking the ink.
"So?"
"No."
"Please?"
"He's a dick," he finally spat out. "If I talk to that arrogant jackass one more time tonight, Imma punch him."
I sighed, "Fine." I gathered the contracts, steeled myself, and off I went to locate Thorin...
He stood by the front door with Balin, talking quietly.
"Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done." Balin nodded, smiling.
Then they looked to me, like they expected something. But of course, there I was, pacing and waiting for my chance to interject without interrupting..
I walked towards them, "Mi... Mister Oakenshield.. I don't want to be rude.." I chuckled softly.
Balin smiled widely, "Well go on lass, say your piece.."
"Thank you.. this.. I.." I pull the key off of the chain and held it out to Thorin.
After a moment, he took it gingerly and stared at it. It was silver, alike the other in shape and weight. Similar runes etched into it and a swirl pattern at the handle.
"How did you find this?" He twisted it and studied the runes.
"The goblin lord had it.." I whispered, afraid to get yelled at. Thorin was very intimidating, in height, stature, and demeanor. And so far, we weren't the best of friends.
I handed the contracts to Balin, "Signed and delivered."
He took them, flashing me a smile as he studied the signatures, "Excellent. Thank you, lass."
"Of course," I bowed a bit, stepped back, turned on my heel, and left. The weight around my neck was gone and I sort of missed it.
I found the kitchen and decided to lounge against the wall, one arm wrapped around my middle while I buried my face into my hand.
To be honest, I was seriously questioning why we joined this company. To help, of course. But a dragon? The Lonely Mountain was far away. Most quests would take anywhere between one day to twelve to get there. How long would it take for us to get to Erebor and defeat Smaug?
I didn't know.
Balin stepped in, snapping me out of some kind of second-thought crisis.
"Ah, young Jenna. You didn't give us a chance to thank you," he smiled. He reminded me of my grandfather, right down to the nose.
"It's not a problem at all," I smiled, shoving back my light brown curls.
"Ah, well, again. Thank you," he smiled, his eyes twinkling and left.
I needed air, possibly a nap. But I settled for a full glass of red wine. I sipped at it, listening to them chat softly.
But their talking seized and silence reigned. I strained to hear and peered around the doorway. Thorin stood, staring into the fire, the room filled with dwarves. Gandalf still in the other room and Bilbo tucked away in, what I assumed, his room.
Soon humming took control over the silence, and then words,
"Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, ere bre'ak of day,
To find our long forgotten gold.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light."
Haunting and yet beautiful. And with their voices mingled together, hypnotizing. They all had a far away look and I knew their minds were at that day Smaug came. I stepped back and into the room where Gandalf sat.
"Hello, Jenna." he smiled, smoke lifting from his pipe.
I smiled, "Do you think Bilbo will come?"
"No."
"No?"
"I know he will come." he smiled.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes, "Oh.." I thought of Boran and the key and looked to Gandalf, squinting my eyes.
"Yes?" He raised a brow.
"I lied to Boran." I confessed quietly.
"Yes, you did." Gandalf nodded, his tone matter-of-factly.
"You don't even know what I lied about!"
"Well, you certainly didn't tell him the truth of your feelings for him," he teased, smoking at his pipe.
I grumbled, "Not about that. And drop it, the only feelings I have for him now are irritation." I scoffed and he chuckled, "No, when I snatched the key. I didn't give it to him. It felt wrong to."
"You were right not to. It's not his to keep." Gandalf shifted, looking at me fully, searching my face for something.
"I don't know why though, but you kept popping up in my thoughts when I thought of giving it to him," I furrowed my brows still trying to make sense of it.
"Perhaps you are a bit clairvoyant and knew that I would know of what to do with it," Gandalf smiled that secret smile of his.
"Perhaps," I chuckled, knowing I wouldn't get anymore answers out of him.
I rolled my eyes, chuckling. I continued to sip at my wine as Jacob fluttered about, making friends.
Bilbo had no survival skills - battle-like, anyway. The only reason Jacob and I survived was because I wasn't ever fighting for myself, I was fighting for Jacob. If I died, he would have. I had to live, for him. I lived because of Jacob and Boran..
Maybe all Bilbo needed was a Boran; someone to look after him, protect him, and help him along the way.. I could do that. That's what I was good at. I was a big sister to anyone who needed one. I glanced to Gandalf who sent me a mischievous smile and I knew he knew what I was thinking of.
I stood, walking down the hallway passing a few tired looking dwarves. I located the only shut door and knocked.
"Go away, Gandalf -I said no!"
"It's Jenna, Mr. Baggins," I cleared my throat.
The door was yanked open, revealing a red faced hobbit, "I didn't mean to upset you-"
I held up my hand, silencing him, "Trust me, it takes a lot to upset me." I smiled, "Can we talk?"
"Of course," he stepped back and gestured me through.
"Lovely room," I comment, flashing him a smile.
He muttered something and began to pace, "If Gandalf's sent you to talk me into going -usin' a pretty face like yours- it won't work."
I blushed a bit, shaking my head, "That's.. not why I'm here. But thanks, I guess?"
He flushed again, "Then why are you here?"
"It's your choice to go on this quest. I've been on similar missions, they are rough. But it's utterly fulfilling and wonderful, nothing like it in the world," I smiled. "However, if you choose to go. I promise you, that Jacob and I will look after you -we'll protect you," I swore.
His face went from confused embarrassment to awestruck in a moment, "Wonderful?" Bilbo scoffed, shaking his head. "No.. please, go. I must rest. I've got a lot to clean tomorrow," he began muttering under his breath.
I sighed and left his room, shutting the door behind him and went back to the kitchen, unsure of what to do with myself.
I had downed another cup of wine, draining the last droplets as something danced in the peripheral of my vision. I peeked over the cup, seeing Kili. The dark-haired dwarf flashed a smile.
"Hello," he leaned against the wall, across from me.
"Hello," I replied, feeling my shyness creep back up.
"Do your parents know you and your brother roam the world, saving people freely?" He teased, showing off those magnificent set of chompers.
Ah, freely. He must have spoken with the others. Now on the subject of our parents, it'd always make Jake and I squirm. How could we say that we were lost from them without going into too much detail?
"We got separated during an orc raid nine years ago," I replied quietly.
This was not what he was prepared for, I noted as he downcast his eyes for a brief moment, a frown tugging on his mouth.
"I'm sorry," he furrowed his brows.
"It was a long time ago, Kili," I offered him a weak smile, and walked forward laying my hand on his shoulder. "Don't fret so much, I'm sure they're healthy somewhere -probably in the south, Mother loved the heat," I smiled.
Wait. They're my parents who I'll never see again and I'm comforting him? How does this work?
I pulled away, a little confused at my actions as Jake strolled in.
"Yo, vaquera, we're headin' back to the Pony," he threw a confused glance towards Kili then stared at me, brown brows furrowed.
"Good, I'm exhausted and I've drank enough of poor Mr. Baggins wine as it is," I flashed a smile towards Kili and walked towards the front.
As I pulled on my vest, I felt eyes on me. I glanced up and caught Ori's stare. He blushed and looked away and Dori narrowed his eyes at me. What'd I do?
I swiftly checked my daggers, ensuring they were all in line and still in place before shrugging into my coat and tugging on my gloves and swords.
"Excellent blades," Fili commented as he passed me. A coy look on his face as he exited the house and disappeared into the darkness.
"Excelente cuchillas, Jenna!" Jacob teased, snickering as he shrugged into his own belongings.
"Cállate, cabeza gorda," I grumbled, my face burning.
We followed Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Kili, and Fili with Ori, Dori, Nori, Oin, Gloin, in the back and Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur directly behind us. Jacob shifted away from me and jogged to Ori and they began talking of fables again.
I cracked a smile, I was glad Jacob had found a friend within the Company, considering we were going to be spending quite a lot of time with them -it's best to be friendly.
They all murmured amongst themselves and I was comfortable within my own silence. But I noted that, more often than not, Kili, Fili, or Thorin would glance back to me. I think they were speaking of me, but I couldn't tell. They spoke in another language, one I wasn't familiar with.
I sighed a bit, feeling left out of the loop wasn't a familiar feeling. I was the one creating the loop, leading it, not being left out of it.
The path was dark, led with a few lanterns within the company, pouring yellow candlelight all over the road ahead and around us. Soon, the gates of Bree came into sight and beyond that, the Prancing Pony.
We all piled in, the warm scaring away the chill in my bones.
"Good night, gentlemen," I called out, though it sounded a bit meek, to my embarrassment and fled up the stairs. I was a beast in the battlefield but in typical conversation, I was a child..
I bathed. A long, hot bath, scrubbing away whatever grime I could and even after that, I just sat and soaked. I got out when I was all red and pruny. I quickly dried off with the thin, sheet-like towels and dressed in my sleeping wear.
I knew this would be the last night I slept in such garb, that is, until we spent another night in an Inn or home.
As I crawled into bed, blowing out the candle, I wondered..
..just what exactly had I gotten Jake and I into?
Author's Note:
"vaquera" = "cowgirl"
"Excelentes chucillas, Jenna!" = "Excellent blades, Jenna!"
"Cállate, cabeza gorda." = "Shut up, fathead."
Mind you, I don't speak a lick of Spanish, so my apologies if I have translated anything incorrectly. This chapter was massive and mostly a filler, my apologies, again. And once more, I'm sorry if anyone is out of character and for the lateness. Enjoy!
Adam Agin, "Song for the Lost"