It was one hundred and seventy-one years since the fire drake, Smaug, had taken Erebor and burned the city of Dale to ash. The year was 2941 of the Third Age- in the early spring- and Thorin Oakenshield had gathered his companions. Their journey would be a long one, but it would be worth it for the quest to reclaim their home. With the aid of the great wizard, Gandalf the Gray, they stood a greater chance of succeeding than without him.
Gandalf walked with the large group of dwarves, who were accompanied as well by the young elf maiden, Halien. She walked in silence, standing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with the wizard.
"Halien, my dear, are you alright?" Gandalf asked as they approached the home of their last prospective companion. He knew that this would be difficult for her, as she had not seen the leader of their company for a very long time.
The elf nodded. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as it slipped out from underneath her shawl- which she had taken to keeping hidden from view as it had proven time and again to be quite troublesome. She smiled as Bofur beckoned to her, asking if she was alright. She nodded and smiled when they reached the door into the hobbit hole and the dwarves knocked, all of them falling upon each other when the door was pulled open.
"Oh, Bombur..." she said and helped pull the dwarf off of his kin, her shawl falling off of her head.
Looking up, the elf saw the hobbit standing there in dismay, completely confused until he saw Gandalf.
"My, have you grown, Bilbo," she said, offering him a smile.
Bilbo looked at her, recognizing her. "Halien! You're the elf that came through the Shire when I was a lad. I would remember that unusual hair of yours anywhere."
Halien chuckled and patted his shoulder. "It has been a long time, Bilbo. You aren't the adventurous tyke you were last we met."
Bilbo smiled and was relieved to see a familiar face- other than Gandalf's. He welcomed them in, albeit begrudgingly, and watched in horror as the dwarves raided his pantries. Halien pulled her shawl back up and stood out of the way. They passed the food around, brought out the dishes, and began to sit at the table to eat and drink.
As the dwarves enjoy themselves, Halien took out a small book from her pack and a charcoal stick- a specially made charcoal that didn't smear. She sat off to the side and began to sketch the scene before her. Bofur looked over and smiled when he saw her concentrating on her drawing.
After some time, the dwarves finished eating and began to clean up. As they did, Kili- one of the brother dwarves- began to sing about Bilbo's dishes. The others joined in and started to toss the dishes back and forth to each other until they were all stacked together and completely clean, undamaged much to Bilbo's surprise. Everyone laughed until a knock came at the door and Gandalf stood to answer it.
Out on Bilbo's front porch stood Thorin Oakenshield and when he entered, he looked up at the wizard.
"Gandalf." He said. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice, and I'd have not found it at all if not for the mark on the door."
"There is no mark on that door, it was painted a week ago!" Bilbo said.
"There is a mark, I put it there myself," Gandalf replied. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."
Thorin handed his cloak to one of the dwarves and crossed his arms. "So this is the Hobbit." Circling him, Thorin took a good look at Bilbo. "Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" he asked. "Axe or sword? What is your weapon of choice?"
Bilbo, bewildered for a moment, replied, "Well, I do have some skill in conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant."
Thorin scoffed. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."
The other dwarves laughed at the joke, but Halien wasn't pleased.
"Is this how the great Thorin Oakenshield treats his hosts?" She said and stood.
"Why is an elf here?" Thorin retorted, turning to look at her- clearly not happy to see her.
"Halien is an ally," Gandalf explained. "She has an incredible talent for healing and she is a very skilled warrior, which will be a great and necessary addition to our company." When Thorin glared at him, he continued, "You would be wise not to toil with her nor send her away."
Thorin looked at Halien as she lowered her shawl and bowed, her eyes to the ground. When she stood up straight, Thorin glared at her and went to the table to eat his portion of the meal made.
As he ate, Thorin and the other dwarves discussed their plans for the quest with Gandalf as he took out an old map. Behind them, Halien had finished her sketch and smiled contently, despite her encounter with the dwarf king. She was pleased with her work and placed her book to the side, standing to stretch before leaving the dwarves to themselves and going to check on their mounts.
"Hello, Torwen," Halien said and walked over to the mare. She put her forehead against the mare's and sighed. "We made it, girl, safe and sound. Now the real journey will begin."
The mare whinnied and Halien rubbed the mare's neck. She glanced up to look at the moon, feeling the peaceful nature of the Shire, breathing in the sweet air.
Through the window, Thorin caught a glimpse of her and watched as she checked the ponies, a warm smile on her lips as the bright moonlight shined down on her from the cloudless sky. She had not yet brought her shawl back up over her hair, so it glistened in the moonlight- truly shining like mithril.
He still found her to be a beautiful elf, even after all those years. He noticed that she wore her hair in a braid that draped down the length of her back and a silver headdress- simple but elegant- upon her brow. Her eyes glowed like emeralds, the reflection of the moon dancing in her eyes. She wore a short-sleeved tunic, loose-fitting, and dyed a forest green that was made of light leather with a long-sleeved and skin-tight shirt underneath, and leggings of the same material, a dark brown and slightly lose fitting for comfort and easy movement. She wore a long, fur-lined cloak, closed together with an elven brooch- the one her mother gave her- and her shawl was a soft sage green that blended well with her cloak.
When she noticed that Thorin was watching her from the window, Halien bowed her head to him and returned her attention to the horses.
He felt a familiar, warm sensation in his stomach, one that he had not felt in some time. He was not sure what it was, as it had quickly been replaced by an immense amount of guilt over the things he had said to her last they spoke, so Thorin returned to the conversation at hand.
