CHAPTER THREE.
As if timed perfectly during our short period of silence, a loud knock resonated throughout the Hobbit hole. Not a word was spoken as Bilbo broke away from the fire to greet the guest. It was as if a light switch had been flipped and the dwarves had sobered out.
"Our uncle." Fili and Kili exchanged glances.
"Aye, Thorin." Dwalin pulled up an extra chair at the table for their last guest.
Who I could only assume was Thorin, came through the door with Bilbo and Gandalf on his heels. He stood a little taller than the other dwarves (with the exception of Dwalin and Bifur) and held an air about him that was almost intimidating. Black hair fell a little past his shoulders and his beard was a little more neatly kept than his other companions'. He certainly seemed less cheery.
"If it weren't for that mark you made on the door I might never have found this place. I already was turned around twice." He took his cloak off roughly before hanging it on a hook beside the door and striding past Bilbo.
"I beg your pardon but I just painted my door last week! There is no mark on that door." Bilbo turned impatiently to Gandalf and shot him a horrified look. Certainly the poor Hobbit worried about the state of his hole as if it were his own child. At this point, I didn't quite understand what exactly Gandalf had seen in Bilbo. It was becoming more and more apparent he certainly wouldn't be fit for any sort of adventure; he wouldn't even last beyond his own front gate. Thorin turned and glanced quickly at Bilbo.
"Is this the burglar?" Thorin looked to Gandalf, and he nodded. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!"
"There's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye. Do sit down, we've much to discuss." Gandalf pointed to the empty chair at the head of the table and followed Thorin into the dining room. Poor Bilbo, in his state of bewilderment that was only common for the evening, resumed his place by the fireside. I turned to him and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and a knowing glance.
"And who's this? You made no mention of a lass." Thorin's eyebrows wrenched together in uncertainty when his blue eyes met mine.
"Elizabeth Woolridge," Gandalf spoke, "And she will be of great use to you when the time comes. But for now she can do small services for you such as cook and sew your clothes. You might also take her advice."
"Her advice? And what land does such a creature come from? What race is she?" What race? I hadn't hardly seen a mirror to look at myself, but last time I checked I thought I was a human. Unless this dream wanted otherwise. Not like I was in control of anything.
"Brighton-" I placed both my hands on the table and stood from my chair then.
"Her race is no concern of yours, it is that of the Valar. If you want me to help you with this quest, you will not ask many questions of this girl about herself until you have grown in their eyes. She is not here to harm you, she is here to help you! Now please. I'd like to see the map." The room shook as Gandalf delivered his speech, an eerie silence falling once again over the company. I could feel many of their stares directed at me and I caught Kili's glance before my eyes went to my scarf.
Thorin grunted before I felt his stare leave my small frame. He fumbled around under the lining of his jacket before he found a rolled up piece of parchment, which he spread on the table before us. There were quite a few landmarks on the map and a few scribblings in a language that I could not read. One thing was clear though- The Lonely Mountain seemed to pop from the edge of the paper.
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo peered over Thorin's shoulder.
"Aye, that is where we'll be headed." Gloin mumbled, leaning on his large axe.
"But you forget the way through the front gate is closed. There is no way to get into Erebor. The quest would be senseless. Smaug would have us before we reached Dale." Balin sighed.
"I-I um, who's Smaug?" I asked; I felt way out of the loop. Bilbo sent a look of relief my way.
"Indeed and why are you traveling to Erebor?" Bilbo quipped.
"Oi lass don't tell me you forgot what I was tellin' you about earlier." Bofur frowned down at me and I felt my cheeks tinge pink. Now they were going to think I was stupid. "The city! Oh- never quite finished my tale... sorry Lizzie."
"Tell it again Bofur, we might as well inform our new companions," Thorin's gaze was cold, "As long as they intend to remember it."
Bofur's face was apologetic before he began the great tale of how Erebor was lost for the second time that day.
Far out past the Misty Mountains, there once was a town called Dale, thriving before the Lonely Mountain. The men of Dale labored and protected their families with ease, speaking to the birds and trading goods with the dwarves at their leisure. It was a beautiful city to behold and many fell in love and did not leave once they reached it. But there was an even greater treasure to behold beyond that haven.
Under that mountain the greatest kingdom in the land, Erebor, stood in might against the world. Dwarves made a fancy living and lived in peace with the rest of Middle Earth. The men of Erebor made their livings by mining into the mountain, and there were many gems and lots of gold to be found.
Thrór was King Under the Mountain at the time and his lust for gold was great. He pushed for the dwarves to delve deeper- to mine more and more gold- and that's when the arkenstone was found. The man who encountered the stone was taken aback by its great beauty and called it the heart of the mountain. Once Thrór got his hands on the stone, his greed for gold became even stronger.
By the time he had amassed a great treasure, his son and grandson had begun to fear his great sickness. They warned him of the trouble his wealth would cause, but he would not listen. He called for more each day, and soon it was known throughout the kingdom what was possessed in Erebor.
That's when Smaug, a great fire drake from the north, was awoken. He came down onto the mountain with great force, scorching the city of Dale in his path, leaving nothing. Dragons are known for their interest in treasure, their desire to guard their claim until their death so great it strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest men. And Smaug was no different than any other dragon. He took what belonged to Thrór and his kin, desolating the mountain, killing, and leaving those left without a home.
Thranduil, elf-king, brought his army to the doorstep of Erebor, but the king would not risk the lives of his own people to help the dwarves reclaim their home.
That day, Erebor was lost, and the remaining dwarves were left nomads to the lands of Middle Earth.
"What a terrible tale." Bilbo's eyes flashed sadly at the table of dwarves. "But how can you get back into the mountain if there is no way in?"
"Is there not another way in?" Gandalf pulled from his robes an intricately made key and handed it to Thorin. "Given to me by your father passed down from your grandfather."
"If there's a key, there must be a door!" Fili's face lit up in pure excitement. No kidding there's a door stupid.
Kili slapped his brother on the shoulder and grinned. "There's another way in!"
"But where?" Thorin mused. There was no indication of another door on the map, and by their reactions I figured they obviously wouldn't know where it was. They would spend half their quest just looking for the door if they didn't have further information.
"I believe there's something more to this map, and we must find someone who can properly read it. There would not be a door if no one knew where it was." Gandalf stated simply. "And this is why we need a burglar."
"An expert at that." Bilbo stared at the map. "It will be quite tricky to just slip in there."
"Oi, he says he's an expert!" Gloin laughed, and the booming laughs of the others fell in shortly afterwards.
"Who- me? I'm no burglar! I've never stolen anything in my life!" Bilbo exclaimed before retreating to Gandalf's side.
"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with the Hobbit on that one." Balin said. "It's a dangerous journey and by the looks of it Bilbo's never seen anything past the Shire."
Gandalf's face grew dark and he rose up against the dwarves again, "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then he is a burglar!" The entire table held themselves in silence as they waited for him to continue. "Now Balin, give him the contract."
Balin stood and pulled what looked like to be a rather long, folded document from his jacket and handed it to Bilbo. Immediately the Hobbit began reading the contents thoroughly.
"Seems fair... In case of laceration...? Inceneration...?" Bilbo nearly dropped the contract as he started sputtering.
"Aye! Burn the flesh right off ye Smaug will! Think furnace, with wings!" Bofur stood up, peering over at Bilbo.
"Bofur you aren't helping!" I concealed a chuckle and hit him in the leg. Bilbo was growing paler by the second.
"You'll be gone in the blink of an' eye!"
And with that, Bilbo fainted on the floor. Nori and Dori rushed to his side, mumbling about Bofur's lack of filter, picking him up and carrying him into his living room. The sudden movement seemed to put everyone out of their seats and about the house, finding places to settle down for the night. Most of us decided on sitting around the fire peacefully in Bilbo's front room, and I found myself inspecting Bilbo's large collection of books.
"Why don't you come sit down with us?" I heard Kili's voice softly from over my shoulder. I turned around and raised my eyebrow, but decided to humor him. There would be another day- or dream, in my case- to rove through bookcases. Fili had saved a chair for me between the two brothers and he welcomed my presence with a great smile.
"You're a very mysterious character Miss Lizzie." Fili kicked his feet up on the side of the table. "But there's something about you..."
"Feels like home." Kili finished for him, supplying me with another one of his curious gazes.
"Home?" I was taken aback by their connection. What did that even mean?
"You've got a very pretty demeanor lass. That's all." Fili smiled and I blushed.
"You're a curious girl. Can't quite make out whether you're a wood-fairy or something." Kili chuckled. "Y'ain't got a beard like a girl dwarf and you're short, but you don't have big feet and you're not stout-"
Fili cut his brother off. "Are you good with any weapons?"
"Well I don't really know much-" Lie. I didn't know anything about weapons.
"We'll have to fix that. I don't suppose we'll finish this journey without running into any danger." He frowned.
"What about riding a pony?" Kili piped up.
"I used to ride horses sometimes when I was little-"
"Someone as small as you?!" Both of them looked at me with wide eyes. "You are different."
They looked at themselves and settled in their chairs contently, listening to Thorin's soft humming from where he stood by the fireplace. Soon, it was the only sound in the entire house, and turned into a full-blown song about the Lonely Mountain. To this day, I would still claim that it was one of the most beautiful songs that I ever had the privilege of hearing.
I blinked heavily and focused on the fire before I yawned and curled up in Bilbo's soft armchair. There was a soft shuffling of boots and someone put their cloak over me, which I mumbled out a thank you for, and I lost touch with the rest of the evening with the comforting veil of sleep.
Thank you guys for following + the favorites + reviewing again! :)
I totally delayed this because I went to go see the Hobbit for like the third time today. I will admit every time I saw Thorin I literally was just... #majestic. And just. All the feels. The love I have for those dwarves. I can't even.
Anyway. Hope you enjoyed as always!