Breathing seemed to be a very complex task at the moment. Thalia felt her heart burning with a fierce inferno that had seized her breathing. Each breath she did manage to intake was unbearable and the fiery flames scorching her heart also scorched her lungs! Bending over the counter, Thalia planted her clenched fists against the linoleum surface, her knuckles turning a very pale white!
Lately, Thalia anxiously searched for another competitor to beat in a fight for cash to put in the joined banking account she and her older brother, Simon, had decided to share together. They were running low on cash. Simon was constantly scouring for jobs that would pay a descent amount for hard manual labor, while Thalia anxiously searched for another sponsor sponsoring a decent competitor she hoped to at least beat for a decent amount of coin.
Reaching the end of her rope, Thalia thought for sure her own sponsor was going to drop her because she also wasn't bringing in enough coin to help him survive, too. Whenever she got paid, her sponsor got paid because the coin was split right down the middle. Of course her sponsor was actively searching too, but Thalia was growing anxious and nerve wracked. When she was sure her sponsor was about to drop her, Thalia ended up coming across a competitor who seemed promising at first; sponsored by a man who seemed to share in the same adjective. Little did Thalia know at the time, the "promising" sponsor and apprentice would end up biting her in the butt.
And oh did Thalia get her butt bit so hard! During her last match with her competitor, she had been put in a position where she had to break the fighting rules in order to get out of the cornered position she shouldn't have been put in by the sleezeball. So in order to get out of her corner, Thalia pulled a fighting move that not only went against the rules, but could also cost her fighting career. In her defense, however, Thalia pulled the move strictly to get out of the position she shouldn't have been put in; not to win the fight that was lost the second her sleezeball competitor put her in.
About half an hour ago now, Thalia had gotten the unpleasant call from her sponsor telling her she was going to be dropped from the fighting. And she was livid! Thalia had practically yelled into the phone when she told her sponsor the situation she had been put in by her competitor. She had told him if he was going to drop her, then to drop her over a fighting move that went against the rules, instead of a move that got her out of a pinned down position she shouldn't have been put in the first place all because her competitor was a lying cheat on top of being a sneaky sleezeball.
Thalia had all but thrown the phone down against the counter top after her sponsor told her he will see what he could do. Which was a nice way of saying he most likely wouldn't be able to help her get off of the slippery slope she currently stood on.
Now Thalia just stood there, hunched over the counter in order to try and at least get airflow to surge to her lungs currently being scorched from the fiery inferno swelling up inside her immune system. There was only one other person she could vent to about her situation without criticism and harsh judgement. Picking up her phone, Thalia dialed Simon's phone number in the phone panel on her cellphone and waited for him to pick up and answer so she wouldn't have to listen to the infuriating ringing that grated her nerves with the constant ringing.
"Simon, please pick up." Thalia pleaded while listening to the ringing on the other end while waiting for her brother to pick up her call on the other end. To her disappointment, her call went directly to voicemail. "Simon, it's me." She said after her phone told her to leave a message after the beep. "Please call me back. I need my brother."
Hanging up the call in utter despair, Thalia went to go sit by the front window of the living room, hoping to see Simon walk up the paved walkway as if he knew she needed him. Her brother always seemed to show up when she needed him; as if he instinctively knew she needed him. But as the hours ticked by while she sat by the front window, staring out at the setting sun, Thalia knew that was just wishful thinking. Simon wasn't going to return home anytime soon.
Thalia just sat by the front window, drank whatever drink she currently held in hand, and just think. That's the only thing she could do now. Just think. She would think about what would have happened if she hadn't accepted the fight from her sleezeball competitor, mentored by his sleezeball sponsor. Would her sponsor still keep her despite not winning coin for nearly two weeks before? Would her sponsor help her with figuring out how to earn coin outside of fighting?
For as long as Thalia could remember, her sponsor and his wife were the closest relatives she had to a mother and father; other than Simon, of course. She had been just five years old when she and Simon lost their parents during another war. Simon had somehow managed to come up with the money to get them both out of their homeland to come to America where they could start new lives. Simon had been at the age where he understood how the world worked in and outside of their homeland and the situation regarding their parents.
One night, Thalia had asked Simon about their parents, since she had just turned five before losing them. But Simon clamped up and only gave her a vague answer to keep from going into harrowing detail about the events that happened between before leaving their beloved homeland and coming to America. His face, Thalia remembered as clear as crystal, had always turned ashen at the mention of their parents and the harrowing events that had taken place before their departure; harrowing events Simon refused to talk about.
After coming to America, Thalia remembered Simon carrying her through the streets and shielding her from any passerby he thought to be shady. They lived on the streets for a few months; Simon always going dumpster diving for any fresh food thrown out due to people wasting the morsels. He had always stayed out until finding food he deemed edible enough to eat before bringing the reward back to the "cave hole" she and Simon had currently dwelt in.
Then Thalia had come down with a horrible fever so bad, Simon carried her to the nearest hospital and practically begged for the nurses' help in treating her. That was the night she and Simon met their "parents" — the wife of the man who had become her personal trainer at the age of six, and later, her sponsor when she was old enough to begin making coin from the one thing she had learned to do at a young age: fighting. While Simon took work wherever he could find it.
Thalia didn't fight just to earn coin. No. She fought because that was what she learned to do because of the harrowing events back home that had all but caused her and Simon to flee in order to build lives from scratch. When she fought, her blood always sang from adrenaline coursing through her veins from whatever thoughts of her parents and people popping into her head from the information Simon did willingly give her about their homeland and family. She didn't just fight for coin. She didn't fight with fire in her heart stemmed not only just from the thoughts of home and her family; no, she fought in order to keep her family and heritage alive in her heart, because one day, Simon would pass away, and she would be by herself; alone, with no one. And that scared her. Sure, she and Simon had their "parents," but they were both nearing ages where they would eventually end up in nursing homes under the care of nurses. What would be left for her when Simon passed away and their "parents" ended up in a nursing home?
Her thoughts suddenly took a turn for the lovely night she stumbled across a very familiar man she ended up having a lovely conversation with after inviting him into her and Simon's shared home. The man was clad in grey with a long grey beard and hair. When he smiled, it was a signature smile Thalia knew all too well from watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure. She had given the man a glass of water and they both ended up watching a few scenes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure, when the show had popped onto the tv screen she had flicked on moments before the man's unexpected arrival.
Thalia smiled when the cherished memory came flooding back to her memory:
Ding Dong! The doorbell echoed throughout the entire house, causing Thalia to turn her head in that direction. "What on earth?" She said aloud. She wasn't expecting no one. And she was the sort of person who liked to know the person before they came to visit.
Standing from her recliner, Thalia crossed the living room to saunter down the narrow hallway into the small entryway. Grabbing hold the door handle, she pulled open the door and stared agape at the old man clad in grey with a long grey beard, matching hair in color and length, a pointy hat atop his head, steel grey eyes twinkling with mischief, and a staff in one hand. "Good evening." She politely greeted.
"What do you mean?" Asked the old man. "Do you mean to wish me a good evening, or mean that it is a good evening whether I want it or not?" The question left Thalia dumbfounded and confused, her face reflecting the confusion she felt. But the man kept talking. "Or are you saying you feel good the particular evening?"
Now Thalia was really confused, but didn't get the chance to say anything because the old man kept talking. "Or are you saying this is a evening to be good on, hm?"
"A-All of them at once, I suppose." Thalia replied, still feeling confused. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Thalia said, "would you like to at least come in and rest while we continue this…chat?"
"That would be lovely, my dear." The old man smiled down at her. "Thank you." He sauntered in and Thalia closed the door behind her before moving to the kitchen to swipe an empty glass from the dry rack and fill it with fresh, cool water. She noticed the old man perched on the couch and was staring curiously at the tv as she entered the living room.
"Here you are." Thalia passed the glass of water to the old man, who kindly smiled up at her while reaching to take the glass from her. "Thank you, my dear." He took a swig of water but ended up tuning his steel grey eyes to the tv when something on the screen drew his attention in that direction and on the tv, the one movie Thalia was all too familiar with: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure, played on the screen. She sifted her eyes to the tv in time to see the scene where Gandalf opens Bilbo's front door to reveal Thorin Oakenshield looking either at the stars or at the Shire surrounding him. Chills washed over her body at the sound of Thorin's deep baritone when the Dwarf spoke to the Wizard. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find." His tone was a bit accusing as he stepped inside while Gandalf gave him an apologetic smile reflecting in his twinkling grey eyes. "I lost my way, twice. I would not have found it at all if it weren't for the mark on the door."
"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago." Bilbo defended when he heard Thorin inform the Wizard of how he was able to find Bilbo's home.
"There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf introduced Bilbo to Thorin.
Thorin turned his attention to Bilbo after handing his cloak to Kili and looked at the Hobbit standing before him. "So, this is the Hobbit." He began circling Bilbo like a predator circling its prey. "Tell me, Master Baggins, have you done much fighting?" His questions was quizzical while assessing the Hobbit with a critical eye.
Thalia bristled at the way Thorin asked his question after greeting Bilbo with observation. The nerve of the infuriating Dwarf! She kept her eyes glued to the tv and kept watching the show.
"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked. But Thorin paid no mind to the Hobbit's question. He was busy assessing the Hobbit as if Gandalf had truly lost his mind. "Ax or sword. What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked again instead of listening to Bilbo's question. From the way he assessed the Hobbit and asked his second question, Thalia knew Thorin was not pleased with Gandalf's choice. Her stomach knotted up with a growing fury when her memory recounted the scene that would come after Bilbo's response to the Dwarf King's second question.
"Well, I do have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant."
Her eyes watched Thorin cross his arms when he stopped in front of Bilbo. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a Burglar." Thorin informed, looking at Bilbo then to Gandalf with a smile that made Thalia want to smack him while the gathered Dwarves laughed. "I wonder if Conkers involves using a wooden stick to beat mean people with." She hissed before tearing her eyes from the screen.
She found the old man looking at her when her eyes shifted in his direction. "I gather you're not particularly fond of that scene?"
"Not particularly. I don't like seeing people get treated the way Thorin treated Bilbo."
Those grey eyes, Thalia noticed, twinkled with a strong familiarity she had just witnessed in the scenes on the tv just a moment ago. There was something oddly familiar about the man sitting before her. "If you could, what would you do if you were part of that situation?"
"I would tell Thorin to not be so quick to judge others outside of his own people until he gets to know them first."
"Thorin Oakenshield is a very stubborn-distrusting-hard-headed, prideful Dwarf who puts up a fight with others outside of his people."
"So am I; stubborn and hard-headed, I mean." Thalia gave the old man a pointed look. "Which would actually make the situation all the more fun when it comes to challenging the infuriating Dwarf. A fifteenth member in the company would help by protecting Bilbo and standing up to Thorin on top of helping smooth out the jagged edges."
An all too familiar smile pulled at the old man's mouth. "You seem to have a good reason for wanting to protect others, it would seem." The man's eyes twinkled with a knowing look. "But if a woman were on an adventure…"
"I would protect Bilbo against Thorin and be able to protect myself if I went on such an adventure."
Shifting her eyes back to the tv screen, Thalia took in the scene where Gandalf defends Bilbo against the Dwarves before addressing Thorin with reason; the old man glanced at the tv along with her.
"ENOUGH!" He roared, causing all of the Dwarves to rear back in their seats — including Thorin. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a Burglar then a Burglar he is. Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass by unseen by most if they choose. And while the Dragon is accustomed to the smell of Dwarf, the scent of Hobbit will all but be unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of 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. You must trust me on this."
"Very well. We will do it your way." Thorin said.
Thalia averted her eyes from the tv to find the old man looking at her again. That look he gave her with the twinkle in his steel grey eye was so familiar Thalia couldn't ignore the neon green flags showing themselves right in front of her face. "Would you trust me just as Thorin has if you were apart of the Company?"
Thalia could all but see the neon green flags flapping in her face now. No one had asked her that question before.
Standing up from where he sat, the old man stood to his full height and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. The sincerity in his steel grey eyes with the twinkle was Gandalfs signature trade mark.
"Gandalf." Thalia said with a sigh.
"Hello, my dear. I was beginning to wonder when you were going to put the puzzle together."
"I figured out the puzzle when the scene of you standing up for Bilbo played on the screen." She watched a smile of appraisal pull at the man's mouth. "The answer is yes, by the way."
"'Yes' as in you would trust me with your deepest secrets?" Gandalf asked. He watched Thalia give a curt nod. "Then tell me, Thalia, is there another reason for you wanting to add to the movie?"
"My older brother and I were robbed of our homeland just like the Dwarves. The only contrast is the Dwarves are robbed of their homeland once by a fire breathing dragon, whereas my brother and I were robbed of our homeland by man; we aren't able to return to our homeland. Before leaving, my brother and I underwent persecution that tore us apart on the inside from the way the persecution was carried out. The Dwarves — especially The Line of Durin: Thorin, Fili and Kili, have been my biggest inspiration when it comes to facing persecution and mistreatment because the Dwarves know what it's like to be treated differently and persecuted and judged because of it. They aren't afraid to face the flames of persecution and mistreatment."
"Is that why you have taken up fighting for a living?"
Thalia nodded. "If I were part of the Company, Gandalf, I would protect Bilbo against Thorin and be able to protect myself if I went on such an adventure, but I would also do everything I could to help the Dwarves reclaim their homeland for good, because in contrast — in the books and movies, the Dwarves are the only ones to return once to their homeland and reclaim it for good. Like me, the Dwarves don't have a home. Sure, I may dwell in this building, but it's not my homeland. Not really. I want to know what that feels like; to finally reclaim a beloved homeland for good and to finally relax and not have to worry about being persecuted and hunted anymore — even if it's not my homeland."
Gandalf thoughtfully looked down at the woman who had kindly invited him into her home and showed him such kind hospitality. He watched her eyes light up as if she had remembered something. "I almost forgot. Gandalf, is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, my dear Thalia." Gandalf's eyes twinkled as he spoke. "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."
"An adventure?" Thalia asked. She pointed at the tv screen with The Hobbit still playing on the screen. "An adventure as in…?" Her eyes lit up when Gandalf nodded.
"Yes, my dear Thalia." Gandalf sat back down on the couch so his eyes were somewhat eye level with Thalia's. "How would you like to go on an adventure just like the one playing on the screen?"
Thalia smiled as the cherished memory faded away. That evening had been the best evening to her whole week. What she didn't know, was, she was about to begin the adventure just the same as the adventure had begun in the movie playing on her tv screen, and she didn't know that she was Gandalf's chosen Burglar about ready to meet the Company of Thorin Oakenshield; coming face-to-face with the very Dwarf she drew her inspiration from in order to navigate through regular life while dealing with persecution.
That treasured memory brought brightness to the gloomy events that happened after that night. And deep down, Thalia hoped beyond hope that she would eventually cross paths with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield as well as the Dwarf King himself. Now that would be another treasurable memory Thalia would never forget. And she couldn't wait to tell Simon all about the events that happened while he was away; good and bad.