"I don't even want you to nod, that's how much you annoy me. Just freeze and shut up." Neal Stephenson, Snow Crush
Everyone rushed to the door and Faye dragged me behind her, a nervous look taking over her face. The whole group was huddled around with odd looks on their faces as Gandalf moved to open the door.
What, is Darth Sidious coming over for a visit or something?
Faye's fingers tightened on my arm as the door opened, and through the group I saw the person step into the room.
He was obviously a dwarf, given his height and stature. His hair was long and dark with a gray streak or two, though I didn't look any older than me. There was a braid near his right ear and another by his left, and his beard was trimmed short from his upper lip to his chin. He was dressed in a large- probably expensive- fur coat, and he carried himself… majestically wasn't the right word, but it would do. But that wasn't the thing I had to keep staring at. His eyes. If Faye thought Fili's were blue, then his were the color of the sea after a storm- the most brilliant color I had ever seen in all my life.
"Gandalf," he said in greeting, crossing over the threshold. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way- twice-" he picked at the fastenings of his coat as he spoke. "Wouldn't have found it all if not for that mark on the door."
"Mark? There is no mark on that door; it was painted a week ago!" Bilbo huffed, walking to the door as if to check for himself. I hadn't watched the movies, but I was almost one hundred percent sure there was a mark on the door, judging from the look on the hobbit's face as he straightened. The dwarf removed his coat, handing it to Kili as he gazed out at the dwarves, not appearing to see Faye and I.
"There is a mark; I put it there myself," Gandalf replied matter-of-factly, pushing the door for the hobbit to see even clearer. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Even his name sounded majestic.
I pushed away that train of thought as Thorin walked up to the hobbit, obviously scrutinizing him. "So this is the hobbit," he said, folding his arms as he stared at Bilbo, who looked entirely uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Tell me, Master Baggins, have you done much fighting?" My forehead scrunched and a frown turned down my mouth as confusion rippled through me. Why would the hobbit need to have done fighting? I looked curiously to my sister, who stayed silent, watching the interaction with a small frown.
"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked, surprised and confused.
"Ax or sword, what is your weapon of choice?" Thorin questioned, circling the hobbit.
"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know," he replied, sounding almost... proud. I had no idea what conkers was, but I was pretty sure it wasn't something to be proud of, based on the looks on the dwarves' faces after he spoke. "But I fail to see why that's relevant," he finished, sounding annoyed again.
"Thought as much," Thorin said, obviously having reached some sort of decision, "he looks more like a grocer than a burglar." The dwarves chuckled, but my frown deepened. I had remembered why they needed a burglar.
Then, to even my surprise, my mouth opened and words spilled out. "Well, you didn't hire the hobbit as a soldier, and a burglar with a humongous axe over his shoulder wouldn't work very well, would it?" Every single eye turned to us. Thorin looked surprised and suspicious. I just stared at him with an unreadable expression on my face, but Faye could probably feel my fingernails digging into her arm, betraying me.
"And who are you?" the apparent company leader inquired, his cold eyes not leaving my own. "Wizard, I thought you said we would only number fourteen."
Gandalf nodded. "Yes, and now it is sixteen. Now, Thorin," he announced, as if deciding that we were unable to introduce ourselves, "this is..."
"I'm Rebecca Green," I interrupted, ignoring the wizard's frustrated stare. "And this is my sister, Faye," I added after a painful nudge in the ribs from the other girl.
Thorin frowned. "What are they doing here?"
"I believe that they will be of great use..." Gandalf started.
"No."
"Excuse me?" I didn't even know why I said it, I just felt like it needed to be said. Thorin glared at me, and I returned it wholeheartedly. Two can play at that game...
"You would be a liability. The two of you wouldn't survive out in the wild."
Oh, how wrong he was. "Sure about that?" The corners of my mouth turned up into a small smirk.
He turned to the wizard, who shrugged ever so slightly. "What skills do you have that would change my mind?" he asked, turning back to us, looking sure he would stump me.
I took a step forward, ignoring Faye's constricting grip on my shoulder to keep me from pummeling him. "Faye's strong," I began. "She can sword fight, and she's been taught.. healing." I figured 'nursing' wouldn't have had the same effect. "And I am trained in archery, hand to hand, and sword fighting... among other things." I didn't mention the fact that I was fairly good with a gun, though Faye was much better than me, and the fact we both knew ALS and fair amounts of Sindarin- which Faye had forced me to learn. I had never thought it might become useful, but if we ever met some elves...
"Trained by?"
"People in-" I faltered. "Where we came from."
Another questioning glance at the wizard beside him. "And where would that be?"
"I believe that conversation would be better left until later... after we have laid out the specifics of what we are doing here. Thorin?" the wizard gestured to the dining room, where everyone had begun to move, most with glares in our direction. Faye and I stayed behind, and then Faye turned to me, frowning.
"What was that?" she demanded, her hazel eyes wide.
"Did you hear him?" I retorted, careful to keep my voice low. "Who does he think he is?"
"A king," Faye hissed, sounding as if I was a complete idiot for not knowing. "Well, an exiled king, but still."
My jaw dropped to the floor. "Really?"
"Really," my sister said. "Now come on, you'll want to hear this. "
OoOoOoOoOo
Dwalin asked Thorin something, but I wasn't listening. The 'exiled king,' as Faye had called Thorin, was sipping on some broth salvaged from poor Bilbo's pantry. Exiled king, my butt, I thought as they spoke, broken from my thoughts by Ori jumping on the table and shouting something about dwarvish iron. "Good man, Ori," Fili shouted, but Dori was already pulling the smaller dwarf down to his seat and scolding him.
"The task would be difficult with an army behind us," Balin said. I turned to Faye, sending her an inquiring look. 'Stealing gold from a dragon,' the girl signed in explanation, hands in her lap, using American Sign Language to keep people from eavesdropping, knowing fully well I hadn't been paying attention. "But we number just thirteen-"
"Fifteen," Gandalf interrupted with a head jiggle in our direction. Thorin's eyes narrowed, I noticed, but no one corrected the wizard.
"-fifteen." the older dwarf continued, "and not fifteen of the best, nor brightest... nor most suited to the task," he added with a look at Faye and I across the table from him.
"Got something to say, Balin?" I snapped, standing, but my retort was drowned out in the other angry shouts from the dwarves.
"We may be few in number," Fili shouted over everyone, which quieted them down, "but we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!"
"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company," Kili added, "Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time."
The wizard in question huffed on his pipe as another argument broke out among the dwarves. "How many then?" Dori demanded loudly.
"What?"
"How many dragons have you killed?" The dwarf said again, as if it was an everyday question. Not having an answer, Gandalf began to choke on the smoke from his pipe. "Go on, give us a number!" Dori shouted, which led to another screaming match. I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone looked at Thorin, including me. I sat down, deciding to ignore the fact that we'd both screamed at the same time, and he started to speak. "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 lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du bekar! Du bekar!" The dwarves started cheering.
"You forget," Balin interrupted, dampening everyone's previously happy mood, "the front gate is sealed. There is no way into that mountain."
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf replied, revealing from the folds of his cloak a strangely shaped key.
"How came you by this?" Thorin whispered, looking shocked.
"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping," the wizard replied. "It is yours now," he handed Thorin the key.
"If there is key... there must be a door," Fili concluded.
I snorted. "Figured that out all by yourself, did you?" The dwarf turned to me, frowning, and Faye elbowed me in the side. I smirked.
Gandalf nodded at the three of us and continued. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."
"There's another way in!" Kili exclaimed excitedly. No, really?
"Well, if we can find it. But dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gandalf said with a sigh. "The answer lies somewhere hidden in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage." I swore his eyes flitted to Faye and I for a fleeting second. "But if we are careful and clever I believe it can be done."
"That's why we need a burglar," someone announced excitedly.
"Hmm... a good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine," Bilbo said, adding his two cents.
Faye and I smiled secretively, the former knowing what was about to happen and the latter- as in, me- taking an educated guess. "And are you?" one of the dwarves asked, confusing the hobbit.
"Am I what?"
Oin raised his ear trumpet. "He said he's an expert!" the old dwarf shouted. Bilbo blanched and quickly protested.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins," Balin said loudly. "He's hardly burglar material." Bilbo nodded in his direction.
"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," Dwalin added, throwing a pointed look at Faye and I as he did so. I glared at him, stopped from standing by Faye's hand returning to my shoulder.
"Enough!" Gandalf shouted in a fierce voice. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, than a burglar he is." As he was speaking, an inky black darkness seemed to seep from him, causing everyone to lean back in fear, Faye and I included.
The wizard continued after a moment, without the booming voice and darkness. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet; in fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find a fourteenth member for this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself." I could see the look of complete shock on Bilbo's face, but both Faye and I knew the wizard was right. He was definitely suited to the task, no matter what the others thought. Gandalf turned to Thorin. "You must trust me on this."
Thorin sighed. "Very well, we will do it your way," he grudgingly agreed, gesturing to Balin, who produced the largest and longest contract I had ever seen.
"It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remunerations, funeral arrangements, and so forth."
"Funeral arrangements?!" Bilbo squeaked. I saw Thorin lean over to Gandalf and have a whispered conversation with him, glancing occasionally at the hobbit and even once at Faye and I.
"Incineration?" the hobbit piped up, reading from the contract with a nervous and worried look on his face.
"Oh aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," Bofur told him cheerfully. Bilbo started breathing heavily. "Think furnace with wings." Shut up, I thought. "Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"
Bilbo straightened back up and seemed to be fine, before saying "nope" and fainting, hitting the floor with a thud. I blinked, not entirely prepared for the episode.
"Ah, very helpful Bofur," Gandalf said sarcastically, dragging Bilbo away. I could hear him talking to the hobbit through the walls, but I couldn't make out the words.
When he returned, it became immediately obvious the next heated debate would undoubtedly concern me and my sister. The grey-clad wizard sat down next to Thorin, who looked like he was having a silent conversation with Dwalin using only their eyes. Gandalf cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him, me worrying about what was about to happen. Faye squeezed my hand under the table, knowing perfectly well what I was thinking about- as usual. She had been able to know my mood and/or what I was thinking with just one glance, ever since we were little. It was only slightly annoying.
"Now," Gandalf started, "I understand you are all wondering why Faye and Rebecca are here, though I suppose most ideas will turn out incorrect." At this he gave Dwalin and Balin a look, then turned to Thorin. "These girls possess many gifts and talents unknown to even themselves. I believe they will be valuable assets on your journey." Thorin opened his mouth to say something, undoubtedly to protest, but the wizard cut him off. "You must trust me on this." It was the same thing he had said when talking about Bilbo. I shifted in my seat, drawing the attention of the dwarf, who fixed his icy blue eyes on mine. I held his gaze, certain that if I couldn't scream at him, I could at least burn holes in him with my glare- at least, that's what our mother had said about bullies when we were in school.
Thorin sighed. "Fine." Faye smiled beside me.
Balin piped up. "We don't have contracts written yet..."
"That's quite alright, Master Balin," the wizard said with a smile. "As soon as they are ready."
Dwalin frowned. "Thorin..." The company leader shook his head, looking angry with the whole thing, and the dwarves began to head into the living room area. Faye dragged me behind her, jumping into an armchair before I could, leaving me to sit on the floor at her feet, leaning my head on the seat between her dangling legs.
The dwarves started to hum, gazing at the flickering flames. Thorin started to sing, his deep voice rumbling through the hobbit hole.
"Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old.
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
Everyone else joined in then, and even Faye and I hummed along.
"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.
The bells were ringing in the dale
And men they looked up with faces pale.
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail."
In my mind, I saw the dragon, saw the destruction, and the death.
"Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim."
My eyes closed and I felt extremely tired.
"We must away ere break of day
To win our harps and gold from him."
As the song finished, I fell asleep, not noticing the pair of icy blue eyes staring at me as I did.