The Adventures Begin

Chapter IV~ A Merry Gathering of Dwarves

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Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings any lyrics in this chapter. They belong to their respective owners. I only own the four Jameson sisters and their family. Extra long chapter today! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner.

Riku and Ricky: Just think of the first two chapters like their commentary. That's the best way I can describe it. Sorry for any confusion. : )

Thank you as well to Pergjithshme, Mossystar, and RoseyPosey for your reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

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"Quickly now, Miss Jameson, I would rather you not fall behind." Gandalf called, as they walked through the fields and the forests of the Shire. "You must keep up if we are to make it to Bree before nightfall. We are meeting a small group of Dwarves from the Blue Mountains there."

Claire groaned as she jogged up, finally catching up to Emma and Gandalf.

"So how much farther is it, Mr. Gandalf sir?" Emma inquired.

"Roughly twenty more miles or so," Gandalf responded. "It would go quite faster with horseback but I'm afraid there shan't be a kind farmer for miles to lend us his horses anymore."

"I've never walked twenty miles in my life!" Claire complained, earning a giggle from Emma.

"Well, Miss Jameson, you'd best get used to walking. Most of our journey will be on foot. Perhaps horseback if we manage to find some ponies for our dwarf company." Gandalf exclaimed.

The rest of the day was spent walking, climbing and trudging through the wilderness. Gandalf was right. Just as the sun was barely dangling over the horizon, they arrived at the gatehouse of Bree. The watchman let them in and Gandalf led the way to the Prancing Pony where they would meet the other dwarves. Both girls were glad to be resting their feet for a while. Gandalf ordered for them a decent meal of salted pork, thick cheese and warm bread that had just come out of the oven. Emma and Claire immediately dove into the food, cutting the bread and smothering it in the homemade butter. It was rather like sourdough bread, Emma had noted and the best she had had in a long time.

Gandalf chuckled at the girls' eagerness to eat. He pulled out his pipe and began smoking some Old Toby while keeping a look out for the dwarves that had agreed to meet at Bree first.

"Do you think we could get a drink? Do they offer anything except ale, Gandalf?" Emma asked, getting up.

"I should imagine so, Miss Jameson. Ale, mead and wine are the more favored drinks of Men."

"Right, of course they are," Emma muttered before going to the bar to ask for two pints of mead.

Once the girls had downed a few gulps of mead, Gandalf spotted the few dwarves that would be meeting them at the Prancing Pony. They all made their way towards them, pushing and shoving and grumbling at one another as they found Gandalf, Emma and Claire.

"Ah, here they are. Miss Jamesons, allow me to introduce Ori, Nori, Dori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Óin and Gloin. Where are the others?"

"Balin and Dwalin we saw the previous night," said Dori. "I should imagine Thorin was on his way. His nephews Fili and Kili trailed after him."

"Ah well, we should rest here tonight and head for the Shire in the morning. Perhaps we will have ponies for the way back. I fear the ladies are quite weary of walking a great distance."

"Oh, we've got lasses joining us?" Bofur asked, with a smile.

"Miss Emma Jameson is the fifteenth and Miss Claire Jameson is the sixteenth member of the Company. Thorin asked me to find him a burglar or two."

"But why would we need three burglars?" Ori asked.

"Wait, I haven't stolen a thing in my life. I don't know about my sister however." said Emma.

"I used to steal cookies from the cookie jar and my other sister's Halloween candy. Remember that one year Nerys thought Aislinn stole all her mini Hershey bars but it was actually me?" Claire giggled as she thought of it.

"You devious, mischievous child," Emma shook her head, with a smile. "That was you? Oh Nerys threw a fit that day."

"No one ever blames the youngest sibling."

"She is right about that." Ori said, with a shy smile.

"And what have you stolen from me then, Ori?" Dori asked sharply, turning to his brother.

"Nothing!" Ori yelped. "I promise!"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Emma, Miss Claire." The dwarf with the hat looked at them and smiled kindly.

"Pleasure to meet you as well…sorry, I didn't quite catch your name." Emma added.

"Bofur, at your service,"

"Right, Bofur…got it. Wait! Don't tell me. I'm going to guess now who you all are. Just to make sure I've got it down." Emma exclaimed.

Claire sighed beside her and sat down, cutting herself another slice of bread and butter. Emma looked to one dwarf who had an axe embedded in his forehead.

"Bifur?" Emma asked.

The dwarf gave her two thumbs up and said something in a language she'd never heard before.

"Bifur says he's impressed you remembered his name." Gandalf told her. "And he adds he's never seen a lady finer than you or your sister."

"Tell him I said thanks." Emma said and smiled. "You are Bombur."

The fat, red-headed dwarf gave a nod and bowed at the mention of his name.

"You are Ori because I heard your brother call you by that name." Emma said.

The youngest dwarf nodded.

"Yes, I am, Lady Emma."

The rest of the dwarves were as well impressed by her memory of their names. After the rather long introductions, the dwarves sat down and joined Gandalf, Emma and Claire for their suppers. The exhausted travelers were offered rooms to sleep in after their suppers and almost immediately after falling on the bed, Emma and Claire fell into a good night's sleep.

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Before the sun even rose that morning, Emma and Claire had been aroused from their heavy sleep. Claire groaned and pulled her covers over her head while Emma got up and slipped on her boots. She had slept in her clothes last night, too unsure about the company below and around her and Claire. She wished she would have packed an extra set of pajamas or clothes in her messenger bag. All she had were books, a notebook, pens, her wallet, cell phone and loose leaf papers. When she had her boots on and brushed out her braid, she cracked the door open to see Dori standing at the door.

"Mr. Gandalf has asked you and Miss Claire to meet us down below. We got ponies to ride to Mr. Baggins' house today." Dori told her.

"Okay, we'll be down in a moment. I just have to get my sister out of bed."

Dori gave her a nod and left. Emma closed the door and threw a pillow at her sister.

"Claire, wake up. We're going to the Shire again today. We have to meet the others downstairs. We get to meet Bilbo today!"

"Ugh…fine, fine, fine. I'm up. I just wish I could have had five more minutes, Ems." Claire said, tiredly as she pushed off the covers. She too had slept in her jeans and tee shirt last night so Claire only needed to put her socks and black pair of Converse on.

"Don't be a grouch. We get to see the Shire again! And…Gandalf mentioned last night before we went to bed that there would be a feast at Mr. Baggins' house."

"And we get to meet the other dwarves."

"Yeah, that too…I really hope Thorin won't treat us too harshly." Emma said, quietly as they left the bedroom with their things.

"Well, he was awfully bad-tempered most of the first movie."

"And the book…I still can't believe you chose not to read The Hobbit first."

"I tried reading it! But I never got into it like you did." Claire recalled.

Emma rolled her eyes with a smile as they met the eight dwarves and Gandalf outside. It appeared that Ori and Dori had saved them some breakfast which they took gladly. After they ate a portion of their breakfast, Gandalf handed them a grey pony and a brownish white pony.

After several hours of riding through forests and small fields, they stopped at a little opening in a different forest to have a little lunch. There was little talk between the girls and the dwarves. The dwarves mostly kept to themselves and Emma scribbled away in her diary, jotting down the past couple of days' events. Claire was listening to her music and reading one of her books.

"Well then, since you all seem quite rested and fed," said Gandalf, while standing up, "I do believe we'd best be on our way."

Basically skipping the long boring pony ride to Hobbiton, the group of Dwarves, Claire, Emma and Gandalf made it to Bag-end by nightfall. They hopped off their ponies and shoved through the front gate to the round green door with a little golden door knob on it.

"…if this is some clothead's idea of a joke…ha-ha, you are sorely mistaken! I will NOT have these dwarves in my house!" a voice from inside shouted as someone came to the door after Gandalf rang the bell. The group of dwarves fell through the doorway and almost on top of the poor Hobbit's feet. Emma could see the distressed look on the Hobbit's face.

"Gandalf," he sighed, with a frown. "I might have known."

Then the Hobbit caught sight of the two young ladies beside Gandalf and straightened himself up.

"Hello, sorry to barge in on you like this," said Emma. "But we've been traveling since yesterday. I'm Emma Jameson, at your service."

"And I'm Claire Jameson,"

"Bilbo Baggins, at yours," said the Hobbit. "It's a bit over crowded in the kitchen but I'm certain there's still some food left."

"Thank you," the girls said before stepping over the Dwarves. Claire remained to help some of them onto their feet.

"Thank you, Lass," Bofur said.

She nodded and they walked into the kitchen. Once the dwarves had greeted each other, there was an entire table spread of food and the dwarves sat around, laughing and devouring the food.

"Nobody told us two lovely ladies would be joining us on the quest!"

Emma and Claire looked over at one of the younger looking dwarves. He had blonde hair and two braids on his beards and thick fur and leather armor on. He immediately managed to get Claire's attention with a handsome smile.

"You're not elves are ye, lasses?" one of the dwarves they hadn't met asked.

"Quite human, the last time I checked," answered Emma.

She lifted up her flaming red hair to reveal normal curved ears and the dwarves smiled.

"Me too!" Claire exclaimed, showing her ears.

"There are some of you I haven't met yet. I know Ori, Nori, Dori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Óin and Gloin. What of the rest of you?"

There was a white haired dwarf that stood first and he was, in Claire's opinion, much like the girls' grandfather.

"Balin, at your service,"

"Dwalin," said the brawny looking one with tattoos all over him. Both girls never admitted it aloud, but they were intimidated by him. Then there had been Thorin's nephews, Fili and Kili. Thorin had not yet arrived. Emma had overheard Dwalin telling Gandalf that he had been coming from a meeting somewhere called Ered Luin. Once Gandalf was by himself, Emma pulled him aside.

"I do not think that Thorin Oakenshield would approve of having female members added to his Company." Emma said, quietly. "I think you might have made a minor mistake in your plans, Mr. Gandalf sir."

"I am never mistaken, Miss Jameson. Thorin will just have to become accustomed to having you and your sister amongst the Company." Gandalf responded, with a smile. "In the end, he will need every member of his company."

"Gandalf, a word! Begging your pardon, Miss Jameson," Bilbo exclaimed, a little frustrated.

"No worries, we were just finished."

Emma sighed and looked around the gathering of Dwarves. She smiled as she saw Claire talking to Fili and Kili.

"Who are all these dwarves, Gandalf? I don't understand what they're doing in my house!" poor Bilbo cried.

"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering! I don't suppose you drive both Miss Jamesons out of your merry-gathering."

"Well, no…but I — I would not have these dwarves! Look at what they've done! There's mud trailing the carpets! They pillaged my pantry and I won't even tell you what they've done to the plumbing."

Gandalf was about to respond when they were interrupted by a banging in the kitchen Bilbo rushed in to see the dwarves banging the knives on the table.

"Can — can you not do that! You'll blunt them!"

"Oh! You hear that lads?" Bofur exclaimed. "He said we'll blunt the knives!"

All of a sudden, the dwarves burst into song.

"Blunt the knives and 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 and trail 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;
And when you've finished, if they are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"

Bilbo pushed his way into the kitchen to see all the dishes cleaned and he turned red with embarrassment as the dwarves laughed at him. Emma and Claire giggled a little and were about to sit down just as someone pounded heavily on the front door.

"He is here." Gandalf said.

Emma held her breath. She was actually going to meet Thorin Oakenshield tonight. She looked over at Claire who was hidden behind Fili and Kili. Dwalin went to the door and opened it. Thorin was peering over the hedge and then looked at over at Gandalf and the others.

"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I've lost my way three times. I wouldn't have found this hobbit hole were it not for that mark on the door."

"What? What mark? There's no—,"

"There is a mark, I put it there myself."

"But it was painted a week ago! How can there be a mark?"

Thorin noticed Emma as she stood beside Dwalin and his nephews. For a moment, he was taken by her beauty and then shook those thoughts out of his head.

"Why is there a woman amongst us, Gandalf? I never asked for a woman — two women," he exclaimed, as Claire stepped out from behind his nephews. "They will be nothing but distractions."

"It appears that Miss Emma Jameson is a useful cook. Her sister is a trained archer and quite a clever burglar."

Thorin raised a brow before glancing back at Emma.

"What weapons do you prefer to use, Miss Jameson?" Thorin asked.

"I do get a like unsettled at the sight of blood. But if I had to choose, archery, like my sister. And I haven't stolen anything before. So I would make a poor thief."

"What about you, Master Baggins? Axe or sword?" Thorin continued

"Sorry, what?"

"What is your weapon of choice, axe or sword?"

"I don't understand why that is relevant."

"Figured as much, he looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

"Are you always so ill-tempered?" Emma asked, annoyed at his Thorin's behavior.

The dwarf turned to the young red-headed woman.

"Do you always judge ones character so severely?" Thorin growled at her.

Immediately, she closed her mouth and muttered an apology. This would be one long night. Emma vowed she would not let Thorin Oakenshield and his nasty temper get under her skin. She would just have to put up with it like she often did with her sisters.