Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 2 of Seven Wonders. Thank you to all who left reviews, it really does mean a lot to me. I actually had to split this chapter up due to the fact that it is so long. Hopefully, I won't ruin the length of these two chapters. I hope that you guys like this next installment. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
"My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked the hobbit. He was standing next to Artemis who was busy watching what was going on around her.
"What's the matter? I am surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here?" Bilbo demanded the old wizard.
"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them," Gandalf said offhandedly.
"I don't want to get used to them. The state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet, they've p-pillaged the pantry. I am not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they are doing in my house. The only one that hasn't pillaged the pantry is this young woman right here. She at least shows some respect towards me and does not eat me out of house and home." He said as his voice showed his agitation of the dwarves being here in his home.
Artemis felt bad for the hobbit. That was why she had not drunk or eaten anything in his home. She wanted him to have that respect.
Gandalf hummed at the thought. He already knew that she was polite. More polite than what he thought she would have been.
Ori came up to Bilbow with a plate in his hands. "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" He asked politely.
Artemis had to admit at least one of the dwarves that was here had manners. Polite in some kind of way which she was glad to know, but she was not sure if Bilbo liked it.
"Here you go, Ori, give it to me," Fili said, taking the plate from the third youngest dwarf and throwing it to Kili, who then threw the plate behind his back to Bifur who was standing at the sink. Bifur caught it without looking.
Dishes were flying around the room all going towards the kitchen. Gandalf had to duck to avoid getting hit. "Oh!"
Bilbo once again was trying to get them to stop. "Excuse me, that's my mother's West Farthing crockery, it's over a hundred years old!"
The dwarves at the table began to use the utensils on the table.
"Can… can you not do that? You'll blunt them." Bilbo said trying his best to get them to stop, but he hadn't gotten far with it. Oh no not at all. They were not listening to him.
"Oh, d'hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives." Bofur said, making a smart remark to what the hobbit said.
Artemis could not help but groan. She had felt a headache coming on after seeing the dishes flying through the air and they still were.
Blunt the knives, 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 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 into a boiling bowl
Pound them up with a thumping pole
When you've finished, if any are whole
Send them down the hall to roll
…
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Bilbo huffed into the kitchen in anger only to see that the dishes were neat and clean.
The dwarves and Gandalf laugh at Bilbo.
There were suddenly three loud knocks on the door causing Artemis to wince. Her headache was slowly growing worse and the loud knocks didn't do much good for her poor head.
"He's here." Gandalf told them.
They go to the door and Gandalf opens it.
Thorin enters the hobbit-hole. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." He said gruffly.
Artemis shivered a little. His voice was powerful indeed. Something that she was not expecting since coming to this world.
"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago." Bilbo clearly was not happy with what was said by Thorin.
"There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf said, introducing Bilbo to Thorin.
Thorin had removed his cloak and handed it to Kili. He turned his attention to the hobbit that stood before him. "So, this is the hobbit. Tell me, Mister Baggins, have you done much fighting?"
"Pardon me?"
Thorin walked around the hobbit looking at him to see if Gandalf had truly done and lost his mind. "Ax or sword. What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked again. So far he was not pleased with what Gandalf had chosen for their fourteenth member.
"Well, I do have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant."
Thorin crossed his arms. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin said, looking at Gandalf. He then noticed a woman standing next to him with long brown hair in loose curls and brown eyes. "And this? Why is there a woman here and you have yet to introduce her."
"Thorin, this is Artemis Houston. She shall be our fifteenth member." Gandalf told him smoothly. If he was going to have to prove it to Thorin that Artemis could handle herself then he would.
Artemis stiffened when she felt his eyes on her.
"Tell me Miss Houston, have you done much fighting?" He asked his first question that he had asked Bilbo.
"Yes." She said softly. "Though I am a bit rusty."
"Sword or ax?"
"Dual swords." She stated, as she looked at him.
"I don't see how much help she is going to be if she is rusty with sword play, Gandalf."
"I brought her for more than one reason. She is from another world and her gifts are something to behold." Gandalf said, telling Thorin the truth. The only thing he kept hidden was she knew what happened at the end of this trip to reclaim their homeland.
He turned his attention fully to Gandalf. "And her gift. What might that be?"
"She is also a wonderful healer."
"We have one healer already. We won't need another." He said in anger.
Artemis shivered when she saw his aura was a muddy red. Her gifts were becoming more and more stronger. She was afraid that Thorin's aura would soon enough turn black.
"Trust me on this Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. You will need her gifts on this journey." Gandalf told him.
Thorin looked at Artemis. "She doesn't look like much, but I suppose I will have to trust you, Gandalf."
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This is the end of Chapter 2. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really did try my best to write this chapter out to make it better. Even splitting it up hopefully turned out well. I added a little more to this chapter to try and make it good. Hopefully it turned out. I even edited it even more to make sure that it made sense. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope to have the next chapter out soon. Until next time.