First chapter arrived! it isn't long, nor short, but quite alright, I think. The dwarves'll appear here in this part, but almost none of them actualy meet Táraëil. She is kind of a loner and she had this promise made to Gandalf. Actually I have no idea what can I write here. Oh, I know. I wanted to tell you that soon I'll have the most important exams in my high school, so my chapters will be publish sporadic, but I hope you won't discourage with that. And now I am going with the movie, but I am going to use book too.
Thanks for all the follows and few kind reviews. I really apreciate it.
So here is the chapter one.
Next day, shortly after the dusk my small horse Ineár and I reached the Shire. We rode for a long time on long paths in this tiny Halfling's town, searching for a round door with the Gandalf's mark on them. It was evening before we found them.
Quickly, I got off the horse and walk with him through the wicket, mildly caressing his crest. We stood for a couple of seconds in a little garden, where I tied my pet with a rope to the fence. Then I took my bags from his back and hid most of them in bush, which rose all around us. My bow made of white oak, a leather quiver full of arrows, two small knives and elven sword were hidden too, but much deeper than other stuff. I wanted to take them with me, but I didn't know if I could come into the house with weapon – our host could get hold of the wrong end of the stick, when he would see me with it. I slung my bag over shoulder and searched for an apple in it. Pulling it, I patted my friend's back and gave him a fruit. Watching him eating, made me kind of happy. Ineár shed my arm with his nose and it was the way of him saying thank you. I smiled brightly, waving to him. Without even noticing, my feet took me to the door of hobbit-hole. Standing there let me hearing loud conversation and laugh people, who were inside. I take a deep breath, knocked and in this moment, every talking person stayed silent.
After a few long seconds, door was opened by someone and I saw wizard, who smiled, when he saw me. Next to him, there was crowd of... dwarves. They were as much astonish as myself. "It is not him" said one of them and sighed.
"Go back to dining room, my friends. I will be there in second!" Gandalf assured, without even glancing at them. Then he spoke to me, "I knew you would come, sweetheart. You couldn't resist, right?" I nodded and stepped inside to hug the man. I saw that no one left corridor, even after my friend asked them to. They all stared at me with an interest in their eyes. "My lovely dwarves" he said to them when my hands let him go. "I would like you to meet my dearest friend, Táraëil Anárion."
I went to the hobbit and bowed to him, before they could say something. "Thank you for the invitation, sir" I smirked and put strand of my long curly ginger hair behind my ear.
He smiled lightly and answered."It was my pleasure, Miss Táraëil." He was intimidated as much as shocked by my behaviour.
"Please, call me Tára." I replied, giggling quietly and I heard sigh in room.
My head shook with some kind of embarrassment, because I knew how men like my voice and laugh. Someone told me it turns them on. I turned to face them and bow, then I hugged my friend again. "My dear Gandalf, I am here... and I think you owe me explanation, so why don't you tell me something about that adventure?" I gazed at him, waiting for a story, but he responded that we had to wait for one more dwarf and then I'd know everything. I nodded to show him that I agree.
Our host proposed me to sat in dining room with them and eat something. He whispered that he apologize for his guests, because their manners are simply speaking – awful. I laughed at this and responded "Don't worry, mister..." Honestly, I was dismayed by that I didn't know his name.
"Bilbo Baggins, miss."
"I am sorry, mister Baggins" I repeated after hearing his name. "I met few dwarves before, so I am aware their behaviour... But please, Tára is enough." He nodded and he moved chair for me. I thanked him with a big smile on my face. Everyone came back to table as well and started to eat again. One of them walked closer to me, introduced himself as Dori and offered me a cup of Camomille, which I gladly accepted. Then he ran to wizard and suggested the same thing to him, but Gandalf did the opposite – he refused drinking tea and asked for red wine instead. I found some vegetables, fruits and single bun on the table, so I took them and laid them down on my plate.
Everyone was loud and happy and after few minutes with them I was as well. I laughed quietly, but sometimes I couldn't resist and laughed out loud with accompany of their noisy voices. Finally, I started eating, but not like my colleagues with bare hands. I ate using fork and knife... instead of them. While I was doing that, I was peering on every one of the company. Closest to me sat Gandalf, but I already knew him, so I turned my sight a little bit on the right. There was twelve dwarves sitting beside the table, but only two of them attracted my attention.
Those two, who while ago carried hug barrel of ale. Shorter one had long, blond hair, full of braids. But mostly, I liked that he had two braids ended with silver beads on this moustache. It looked stunning and I couldn't stop smiling after seeing that. Besides that, he was quite different eyes – they were light and bright... I think it was combination of blue and grey. I smirked. It felt kind of... great that he was busy talking to one of his friends, because he didn't notice that I gazed at him.
Then I turned my head to see the other dwarf. He was taller next to precursor, but his face looked younger. I really liked his dark, brown hair and eyes in the same colour, but I was confused, because he was actually... beardless. His kind had long, lush beards, which let them praised in front of women. But I don't think that would suit him – he was really handsome even without it. I looked straight into his eyes. After few seconds he noticed that and started staring at me. He grinned like a little child and bit slice of bread, taken from the fattest dwarf. Then he looked at the blond guy to ask him question.
Mithrandir got his glass full of red wine and drank it with smile on his face. He told us how delicious was that drink and he asked for more. I frowned while looked at him and when wizard caught my sight, he shrugged his shoulders and smirked. He was so childish sometimes, really. Everyone who thought that he is mature and solemn made the mistake.
Anyway, dwarves started to throw food to themselves, eating with open mouths. It didn't bother me, because I met few of their kin, so I was prepared for that. Finally, one of them - guy with really cute hat, who sat on my right yelled "Bombur, catch!" to the fattest and threw something to him... it could be an egg or a bun. Everyone stayed silent for second, but when Bombur caught it into his mouth every single person (without Bilbo of course) started laughing so loud that I couldn't help myself and I laughed with them. Then I thought for a moment how I missed such nice, noisy, interesting and funny fellowship like them in my few latest journeys.
I wanted to eat my last tomato, which I left on my plate 'for later', but it was nowhere to find. I frown, moaning, mildly close my eyes and put my head down, sighing. They stole my tomato! "Miss Táraëil" I heard over the noise, made by other dwarves.
I turned my head to face guy who called me and I saw this handsome one. He looked straight into my eyes and in the next second there was vegetable thrown to me by him. Catching it in my hand, I nodded and mouthed 'thank you'. I glanced at him for a second. He had something, what attracted me in him. Frankly speaking, it happens seldom, so I felt weird with this feeling that I can't take my eyes off him. He smiled, showing his teeth, bowed his head and I needed to cover my mouth by my hand, when I started giggling... and I blushed. 'Wait... what? Did I just blush, because he smiled to me?' I wondered, frowning.
When we all finished meal, Gandalf stood up, going to our host to talk to him. After a while few dwarves (my personal favourites too) also stood up. The one who looked the youngest of them all went to the hobbit. "E'cuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" he asked both politely and shyly. It confused me, because maybe ten minutes earlier he praised that he won the 'who burp the loudest' competition.
"There you go Ori, give it to me" replied blond guy and pull vessel from his hands and I noted in my head name of that dwarf. The one with braids in moustache waved and throw item to the cute one.
Bilbo was frightened. He didn't know what to do. "Excuse me!" he yelled. "This is my mother's crockery. It is more than hundred years old". In next second there were plates and bowls flying all over the rooms. Lads, who stayed with me in dining room started to hit their feet on the floor and forks on knives. "Can you not do that? You'd blunt the..." Baggins requested, but he was interrupted.
"Ooo, did you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" hatted chuckled.
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks!" I heard voice of the brunette, who smiled to me earlier and I was really intimidated – his voice was beautiful. Blonde one tossed him another plate and he threw it to some other dwarf, smirking playfully.
"Smash the bottles and burn the corks" Blonde joined the singing and bounced a bowl with his elbows.
And then all of them started to sing with those two and I started humming the melody with them. Few of them took their instruments and started to play music I instantly loved.
"Chip the glass and crack the plates,
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates"
Vessels flew in air, bounced off by heads, arms, legs, elbows of dwarves and even other vessels. One of the forks flew few millimetres from my face and was caught by dark-haired one. He showed me his tongue, after seeing my terrified face.
"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 they are whole
Send them down the hall to roll!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
They sang all of it and we all started to laugh loudly and no one could stop... Especially, when Halfling entered the kitchen with his frightened face, because he was so scared that they would break all of his vessels and he saw them standing on the table.
I walk over to him and let my hand rested on his shoulders, when I still giggled. "Don't worry, Bilbo. They are dwarves and that means they like doing sometimes stupid and funny things, but they are very responsible, so you can trust them... just look at them, they are like children. And they didn't destroy anything." I stood by them, defending my new friends. I saw anger building in his body, but when he glanced at my face, his rage flew away.
He sighed loudly and left the kitchen, going straight to the living room, but then someone knocked to the door. In one second they all stopped laughing and silence reigned all over the hobbit-hole. I glimpsed at every one of them searching for an answer on their faces, but I couldn't figure it out.
"He is here" Gandalf whispered and we all came over to corridor.
I stood in a corner to watch everything and not be seen, before wizard allows me to come closer. He opened the round, green door and I saw black-haired dwarf standing there. Bilbo was devastated when he saw another of this kind.
I thought for a second that I am looking at brother of the handsome one, but this dwarf seemed to be older than dark-haired. He had one white or grey strand of hair on his forehead, but it looked really amazing on him.
"Gandalf" he said and I couldn't take my eyes from him. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all. Had it not been that mark on the door" he stated, entering hobbit-hole.
"Mark? There is no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago" our host interjected, coming closely to unknown guest.
"There is a marker. i put it there myself" wizard remarked, gazing at the hobbit. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company..." he started, turning his head and looking at the guest. "Thorin Oakenshield."
And then it hit me. in that moment, I understood why all of them went silent when he showed himself up and why his appearance was so... majestic. Right here, in this hobbit-hole, in front of me there was king under the mountains... King of Erebor. For a while it was too hard for me to stand straight and not to fell down right there. My legs were like made from paper and my body was failing me more in every next second. I thought I'd faint, but somehow I pursed my lips not to moan with the excitation and pain in my chest. I didn't know what was going on and it was awful. I started to breathe deeply, trying to pull myself together and stay silent. In that moment I hated I promised Gandalf that I wouldn't talk, unless he'd allow me to. But honestly, I knew why he made me promise that.
"So this is the Hobbit" I heard king's voice, but I couldn't think normally. It was a bad idea, Gandalf, to put me in the same journey with him. I'd end badly for all of us. "Tell me, Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?"
Halfling was looking at him with both curiosity and confusion, like he didn't know what the king said to him and what is going on. He hesitated but quickly muttered "Pardon me?"
Dwarf inquired "Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" He glared at Bilbo, but the smaller one took it bravely and didn't turn his sight. I was really impressed, because I didn't think I could stand there if Thorin knew who I was.
"Well, I do have skills at conkers if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant" Baggins replied with a cocky face and straight back.
"I thought that much" Oakenshield sighed. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar" He added with a small grin on his face, making his kin felt in laugh. When he turned away all of them came closer to greet their king. Blonde and brunette were first and each of them hugged Thorin as he was their best friend. Then, all of them went back to the dining room and started to sit on their chairs. Bowl with a soup and mug of ale were given to him by Gloin (he introduced himself to me when they finished their song about things that Bilbo hates). He was eating, when conversation started.
I stood outside the room, listening to them carefully. As the first, the oldest spoke. "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?"
Thorin nodded, responding slowly "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms". Twelve of them started to mutter in approval, but then the bald one (and as I thought the biggest one) asked about iron Hills dwarves and if they were with them... with us. 'You are with them, silly, so it's us now, you need to remember it. They will count on you and you will count on them. You all are on the same journey, so us not them.' I thought. "They will not come" he lowered his head while he said those wards. I understood that this was hard for him, so for a second there was a pity building in my body. "They say this quest is ours and ours alone." Bilbo heard what the king said and immediately asked if we were going on a quest. Gandalf requested more light from him, so hobbit gave him another candle. Wizard showed us something what was hidden in his robe earlier. Baggins lighted the candle and looked at the paper. I couldn't move from my spot to see what they were looking at, so I just stood there, listening their words.
"Far to the East, over ridges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands... lies a single solitary peak." Mithrandir pointed it on a map. I still stood few meters behind them... but I wanted to see that too!
"The Lonely Mountain" read Halfling.
"Aye. Oin has read the portents and the portents say, it is time." Stated dwarf with a thick, ginger beard and the other one, who sat next to blonde, added "Ravens has been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold. When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end."
Oh my... I covered my mouth with my hand, frowning. 'They want to take Bilbo to kill the Smaug? To kill the dragon? Are they out of their minds?! Pardon me, but I can't see how they want to do it.' I shivered at the thought, groaning quietly. It couldn't end well, obviously. 'Me and Bilbo on this journey... it is going to be a disaster.'