Thank you to Anyrandomday for my very first review ever and to RexicanDestler for my second!
Extra thanks to VampWolf92 for your awesome one word review! It made my day!
I had originally planned not to continue this story until after the DVD was released, but then I heard that it wouldn't come out until the end of March (I guess I shouldn't be surprised, that's actually fairly quick) and I couldn't bear to wait that long. So I'll continue this story, but tentatively and slowly.
Also, I own nothing except Elodie Mooncheek, Aidric, Ethel, Shirlyn, their mother, John, and anyone or anything else that I add. All other characters and places and events belong to their respective owners.
Loves to you!
Sarah Smithy :P
"My father wants me to wed, to secure his line."
Elodie stood in her nightgown watching the sunset from her window. A young Thorin, not yet known by the name Oakenshield, stood in her doorway wearing a tunic and breeches. He rubbed at the very short stubble on his jaw.
"He already knows which she-dwarf you will marry then?" she hugged her arms around her slender waist and continued staring out the window at the dwarves of Erebor below, as the sky turned orange and purple.
He moved across the room and turned her around, wanting to look into her evergreen eyes. "I suppose he knows who he wants me to wed, but I already know who I love." He touched a tendril of hair that escaped her braid.
She shook her head as she tried to keep the tears at bay, "Don't be ridiculous Thorin. We're just children. Hardly old enough to know about love; besides, you have a duty to our people and I-I'm just a nobody."
"Don't speak like that!" his fingers pressed into her arms, "You're my closest friend and I don't want to lose what we have."
Pulling away from him, she swiped angrily at the stray tears. "We have nothing Thorin! We've grown up together, that's all. People view us as brother and sister, nothing else."
He grabbed onto her again and pulled her into his embrace. As the tears slid down her face, she vowed to do what was best for their people, "You must follow your father's wishes Thorin. And I will be nothing but the Prince's old friend."
Squeezing her tighter to him, he said, "There are no plans yet. I'm nowhere near the age to marry nor am I prepared for that sort of thing and my father knows this. It's just one of his brainless ideas. Let's not worry about it now."
They laid down together on her bed and fell asleep, like they had done since they were very young. For the last time, Elodie slept peacefully in Thorin's arms. After that night, they were deemed too old for such childish things and people often sought ways to keep them apart, resulting in the lessening of their friendship. Only a few years later, the dragon Smaug stole Erebor from the dwarves…
The trio kept their ponies at the Green Dragon Inn, where two other ponies were already stalled. It was nearly dusk by the time they made it to Hobbiton and they still had to find a hobbit hole with a mark on its door.
As they wandered the dusty paths, Elodie asked, "How many are coming on this quest?"
Kili shrugged, "Whoever answers Uncle's call."
Fili nodded in agreement, "Balin will probably come."
"Aye, most likely Balin, and Dwalin too." Elodie was glad to hear that Balin would be joining them. The old dwarf always had a good word of wisdom and he had assisted her many times. She knew he advised Thorin and helped him make level-headed decisions. Perhaps he could calm Thorin enough into letting her join in their endeavor for she knew Thorin would be angry when he learned of her intentions to come. He would probably be angry as soon as he saw her for the way she had left. She tried not to dwell on how he would react to seeing her.
"Oh yes, Dwalin wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to enjoy a good fight," she grinned at Fili's comment. The last time she had seen Dwalin, he was wearing his hair in a Mohawk and had many ink markings on his body, adding to his tough appearance. She knew he would be a great asset to the company.
They reached the top of a hill and came to a cozy looking hobbit-hole with a round green door. "How can we be sure this is the one," Elodie asked.
"There's supposed to be a mark on the door," Fili explained.
"Aye, that's what we were told," added Kili.
Elodie looked at the freshly painted door and noticed said markings. She laughed in disbelief, "We're here for a Burglar?"
The brothers entered the gate and walked purposefully to the door with Elodie following slowly behind. She worried that Thorin was already there. She had no idea what she would say when she saw him. After more than fifty years of not seeing each other, she didn't know if he would even speak to her.
Fili knocked on the door and it was soon opened by a frazzled hobbit.
"Fili."
"And Kili."
The brothers moved to bow, but stopped when Elodie cleared her throat.
They apologized and she stepped between them. "Elodie Mooncheek." Then the brothers bowed and said, "At your service."
Kili gave a cheeky grin, "You must be Mister Boggins."
The hobbit seemed very upset. "No! You can't come in; you've come to the wrong house!" He tried to shut the door, but Kili put his foot in the way.
"Has it been canceled?" he asked. With Fili echoing, "No one told us."
The halfling was very flustered and Elodie felt sorry for him. "Canceled? No, nothings been canceled."
"Well that's a relief," Kili said, pushing the door open, Fili following him into the house. Elodie stood at the door in shock. It had been a long time since she was last around her people and had forgotten their brash ways, especially these two dwarves. She stepped into the hole and watched Fili deposit his weapons onto the poor hobbit.
"Careful with these, I just had them sharpened."
Kili looked around the room. "It's nice, this place. Do it yourself?"
"No, it's been in the family for years."
Kili then proceeded to place his boot on a wooden box and rub mud off onto it.
"Kili!" Elodie admonished, while Bilbo said, "Can you please not do that? It's my mother's glory box."
At that moment, Dwalin walked into the room. "Fili, Kili, come on, give us a hand."
"Mister Dwalin," Kili acknowledged as the boys followed him into the next room.
Elodie looked at the hobbit who was frowning down at the weapons in his arms. "Mister Boggins is it?"
He sighed loudly. "Mister Baggins, Bilbo Baggins."
She smiled gently, "Mister Baggins, I'm so sorry for their behavior. I'm sure they mean no disrespect to your lovely home."
Bilbo seemed surprised at her polite manner. "Are you a dwarf as well?" His frayed nerves made him bolder, for he normally would not ask such a blunt question when first meeting someone.
Nodding, she opened her mouth to ask if she could assist him in any way when she heard an old friend of hers talking from the other room.
"Let's shove this to the center, otherwise we'll never get everyone in," Balin stated.
Bilbo dropped the weapons onto a bench and rushed to the dining room. "Everyone? How many more are there?" Elodie followed after Bilbo and saw the dwarves rearranging the furniture, very much ignoring their burglar.
"Balin?" The old dwarf looked up at sound of his name being spoken by a feminine voice.
"Lassie," he grinned and pulled her in for a hug, "It's been too long."
"It has been much too long my dear friend." He released her at the sound of a knock on the door.
Moving through the hole, Bilbo grumbled, "No, no! There's no one home! Go away, and bother somebody else! There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If this is some blunt head's idea of a joke, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!" He opened the door and a group of dwarves fell to the floor while Gandalf ducked his head to look in. Seeing the wizard, Bilbo's shoulders sagged, "Gandalf."
The dwarves picked themselves up off the floor and moved toward the pantry, greeting Balin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili on the way. Elodie recognized some of them, but didn't know any of them very well.
As Bilbo fluttered all around the home, trying to keep his belongings and foods in some resemblance of order, Elodie watched in amusement and sympathy.
All the dwarves raided the pantry and set about organizing the table with dishes and cutlery. They moved about in a determined fashion, paying no mind to Bilbo's remarks. Soon they were settled at the table, eating and talking, both of which were done in a loud manner. One of the dwarves, wearing a comical hat, called Elodie over to a seat next to him, "Join us Lady Dwarf. Feast upon this fine food and drink as much ale as one can hold!"
All at the table cheered to that. Elodie gracefully made her way to the table and sat, watching out for flying food as she dished herself. The dwarf that had called her introduced himself as Bofur and she supplied him with her own name. Recognition seemed to pass through his eyes before he turned back to the revel making.
Going to many dwarf celebrations, she had always watched the merrymaking with delight, but had never felt like she could join in. Most of the time she would sit off in the background happily observing until Thorin or Dis tugged her along.
Picking at her food, Elodie couldn't stomach much around the ball of nerves in her stomach. Thorin had yet to arrive and as the minutes grew longer, the more uneasy she felt. Soon she could stand sitting there no longer and stood to go search for their burglar.
From the other end of the table, Fili noticed her movement. "Is all fine Auntie?"
Kili immediately looked to her, hearing the concern in his brother's voice, as did all the other dwarves.
"I'm fine," she looked to both boys and they instantly relaxed. Oh, to be so carefree where it only took one word to make you happy again, "I'm going to look for the poor hobbit and see if he needs any assistance."
Dwalin laughed loudly, "Poor Hobbit!? Poor indeed!"
Elodie did not see what was so amusing. Rolling her eyes at the dwarf's brutish ways, she went in search of Bilbo. She found him in the pantry, gazing in disbelief at the colossal mess and immense lack of food.
"Are you well Mister Baggins?"
He started at her voice and turned to answer, but stopped when they heard loud belching and cheering from the dining room. "Do they ever stop being so…so…" she smiled in encouragement as he searched for the right word.
Suddenly, he darted past her toward Bofur, who was coming from the kitchen.
"Excuse me. That is a doily, not a dish cloth."
Bofur looked at it in contemplation, "But it's full of holes!"
"It's supposed to look like that, it's crochet!"
"Oh, wonderful game that is, if you got the balls for it," Bofur answered then moved on.
"Be bother and confusticate these dwarves!"
Elodie moved toward him to try to fix some of the damage done by her kinfolk, but Gandalf beat her to him. "Dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"
"What's the matter? I am surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here?"
Surprised by that question, Elodie moved closer to the two, joining the conversation. Their burglar didn't even know that he was to be 'their burglar'?
"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them."
"They can be rather entertaining," Elodie added.
"I'm sure they can be," Bilbo said, "but I don't want to get used to them. Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod in the carpet, they've pillaged the pantry! I'm not even going to mention what they've done in the bathroom, all but destroyed the plumbing!" he threw his hands up in exasperation, "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt," an innocent looking and rather polite dwarf approached them, "But what should I do with my plate?"
Fili passed by and grabbed the plate, "Here you go Ori, give it to me." He then proceeded to throw it to Kili, who threw it to a dwarf washing up at the sink.
"Excuse me!" Bilbo exclaimed, "That's my mother's Westfarthing pottery, it's over two hundred years old!" They continued throwing plates with amazing precision and the ones still sitting at the table starting pounding their forks and knives on the wooden table. "And, can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"
"Ooh, do ya hear that lads?" Bofur called, "He says we'll blunt the knives!"
Kili started singing while still tossing dishes, "Blunt the knives, bend the forks."
Fili sang next, "Smash the bottles and burn the corks."
Elodie smiled and dodged out of the way of a flying bowl. She enjoyed being around this playfulness again.
All the dwarves joined in the song, "Chip the glassed and crack the plates. That's what Bilbo Baggins hates! Cut the cloth and 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 with a thumping pole. When you've finished, if any are whole, send them down the hall to roll!"
Gandalf laughed as all the dishes and cutlery were being cleaned during the song. And none had a scratch on them.
"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
They all laughed and cheered as Bilbo looked in awe at the stacked, shiny dishes on his counter.
But all quieted at the sound of a knock on the door.
Elodie's stomach tightened when Gandalf said, "He's here." The wizard moved to the door, the dwarves and Bilbo following. Elodie stayed towards the back, trying to see and hide at the same time.
Gandalf opened the door and Elodie trembled at the sound of a deep, rumbling voice.