Chapter Three: A King, A Quest and A Contract
I felt my heart beating as everyone gather at the front door, I turned to Bilbo and took his hand as I could see how nervous he was feeling. In all honesty, I was just as nervous though I was better at hiding it than Bilbo was. I took Bilbo's hand in my own which caused him to look back at me, I smiled and nodded my head at him as I indicated that I would be by his side if he needed me and to remember what I had told him would happen. Bilbo seemed to understand what I was trying to do and smiled back at me in gratitude as Gandalf opened the round door.
Revealing the regal form of Thorin Oakenshield, I was stunned by how much more handsome he was than I had thought, Peter Jackson and Richard Armitage had both barely scratched the surface with their interpretation of Thorin. I pulled out of my trance as the sound of Thorin's deep and rich voice reached my ears.
"Gandalf." Thorin said as he looked up at the elderly wizard, a shiver ran down my spine and throughout my body as he entered through the door. "I thought you said this place was easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."
At the mention of a mark on the door, Bilbo popped his head out from behind Dwalin who was standing in the doorframe to the parlour room and walked over passed Gandalf. "Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago." He stated as a mater-of-fact, I smiled as I was glad that I didn't tell him about the little mark on the door, as I knew very well that Bilbo was very proud of his home much like many other hobbit families in the Shire were.
"There is a mark. I put it there myself." Gandalf said as he closed the door and turned around to face both the dwarven king and Bilbo. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Thorin Oakenshield." I watched as Bilbo turned to gaze upon the dwarf king that I had told him so much about.
"So this is the hobbit." Thorin said as he then began to circle around Bilbo. "Tell me, Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?" He asked as he was looking Bilbo up and down, evaluating him. I could tell that he could easily see that Bilbo had more muscles on him than any other hobbit he had come across in the past.
"Pardon?"
"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked.
Bilbo made a quick glance at me as I nodded and mouthed to him: 'Do it.' And with a quick and sly smile, Bilbo turned back to the dwarf king as he held his head high and answered with confidence but also a small bit of humility.
"Well, I do have some skills with a sword as well as knives, though I'm nothing compared to my teacher."
Thorin then stopped and stood in front of Bilbo before asking: "And who is this teacher of yours, if I may ask?" That was my cue to make my appearance.
"That would be me." I said as I stepped out from behind the dwarves and walked over to stand by Bilbo's side. "Amara Harvelle, at your service." I greeted him as I bowed slightly, as I then stood up straight, I could see the doubt and disapproval in Thorin's eyes.
"I wasn't aware that a woman would be joining us." Thorin said as he stared at me.
In his eyes, I was nothing but a weak and helpless woman with no battle experience or understanding of the world outside of the Shire, in some ways he wasn't wrong. Despite reading about Middle-Earth and watching all the movies and such, I haven't ever been outside of the Shire ever since I was first sent here by Yavanna and her husband.
"She's not just a regular young woman, Master Oakenshield." Bilbo said as he stepped in-between Thorin and myself. "Amara is a powerful magic user, in fact she has protected the Shire from many dangers with her magic." I felt my heart buzz with warmth at the hobbit I have come to see as and call my older brother, the kind of family that I have long since lost and desired for once again.
I turned to see Thorin's gaze meet my own as he muttered. "We shall see about that." And with that he and all the other dwarves began to make their way through the parlour room and kitchen to the dining room once again.
I sighed as Bilbo and Gandalf both looked a little tired just after dealing with Thorin for just a few minutes, I turned to Bilbo and smiled as Gandalf leaned against the upper frame of the door.
"That went well." I said with a slight laugh as Bilbo looked at me with a slight annoyance but shrugged it off as the three of us then made our way to the dining room to join the company.
000
Several minutes later, Thorin was eating his fill of warm soup, bread and ale as members of the company began to talk. I stood in the doorframe to the hallway behind Thorin while Bilbo stood in the corner between Thorin and Gandalf, overlooking everything just as I was.
Then Balin asked of the meeting in Ered Luin that Thorin had attended before making his way here, Thorin confirms that envoys from all seven kingdoms were present at the meeting which seemed to please that other before Dwalin then opened his mouth.
"And what do the dwarves of the Iron Hill say?" Dwalin asked. "Is Dain with us?" the room hung silent as Thorin let out a defeated sigh.
"They will not come." He said as the other dwarves groaned in discouragement. "They say this quest is ours and ours alone."
All were displeased at this news, their own kin were not willing to aid them in reclaiming their home that was taken from them. 'No surprise there.' I thought to myself as I looked over at Bilbo, whom then stepped forward and asked.
"You're going on a quest?"
All eyes turned to Bilbo, as did Gandalf's before the elderly wizard then began to ask. "Biblo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Before Bilbo could act, I snapped my singers and focused my magic into my palm before a small orb of light appeared as I stepped forward and held it over Thorin's head.
"Oh thank you, Amara." Gandalf said as he began to pulled out a parchment that I knew was the map of Erebor on to the table. "Far to the East over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak." He pointed to a spot on the map as Thorin, Bilbo and I as well as Bofur leaned in to look over the map
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo read, 'Erebor.' I thought as I recall the battle scenes from the movies and the mission Yavanna and Aule sent me here to do.
"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Gloin said as many of the other groan in annoyance before Oin took over from his brother.
"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold. When the bird of yore return to Erebor..." He began but then I took over and completed the rest of the quote.
"...the rein of the beast will end." I said as all eyes turned to me in awe before I smirked and said to Oin. "You're not the only one who has read these signs." I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms as Thorin turned to face me.
"So you know of our quest?" He asked in a low tone, as if he was ready to accuse me of spying on him and his people or something.
I nodded. "Yes, I do."
And Bilbo then popped into the conversation. "Uh, what beast?" He asked to no-one in particular, I smiled at him as I knew he was sticking to the storyline even though he didn't know much about it.
"That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." Bofur said, looking as though he was about to go into more detail I jumped in to give Bilbo the short answer even though he already knew what we were going to be facing in the mountain. Before Bofur could continue I covered his mouth with my hand before turning to Bilbo.
"Translation: A fire-breathing dragon, more specifically a fire-drake from the north side of the Grey Mountains." I explained simply, removing my hand from the gobsmacked dwarf I was towering over before Ori then stood up from his seat at the other end of the table between his brother Dori and Bombur.
"I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!" He said while puffing out his chest before his brother Dori grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back down into his seat. 'Admirable, but foolish.' I thought as I felt a tiny smile creep onto my face as Balin then spoke up.
"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just 13. Not 13 of the best, nor brightest." Balin said, his voice and tone filled with doubt. Not that I could blame him, this very company was made up of merchants/miners/tinkers and toy-makers with a few true warriors. But it was their loyalty, honour and willing hearts that earnt them Thorin's respect and will ensure their survival to the end of the quest that will label them as heroes of legends.
The other dwarves began to protest at Balin's words before Fili pounded his hand on the table, catching their attention as he spoke.
"We may be few in number. But we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" He said proudly with one more pound on the table before Kili then spoke up next to him.
"And you forget we now have two magic-users in our company. Gandalf alone will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili said, sounding enthusiastically.
I watched as Gandalf then turned to the young dwarf prince before stuttering over his words, trying to find the right way to speak. "Oh, well, no. I wouldn't say-"
"How many then?" Dori then asked.
"What?" Gandalf as ked as he turned to Dori.
"How many dragons have you killed?" Dori clarified his question; the whole room fell silent as I saw Thorin's head turn to Gandalf who was non-lethally coughing on his smoke pipe to avoid answering. 'Translation: None.' I thought before Dori demanded.
"Go on, give us a number."
And with that the whole room filled with loud voices arguing over each other, some of the members stood from their seat and were making threatening gestures at the others. I turned to see Bilbo was looking a little unhinged at this sort of behaviour as he tried to calm the room down but then Thorin's loud roar as he stood to his feet had everyone else fall back onto their own seats and fall silent.
"If we have read these signs, do you not think others, besides Miss Harvelle, will have read them too?" Thorin asked as he looked over at his kin, I looked at Thorin in surprise as I never expected him to call on me as an example. He then continued to speak to the other dwarves with the passion in his voice that I could hear. "Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been see for 60 years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!" Thorin asked as the rest of the company cheered while Thorin chanted: "Du Bekar! Du Bekar!"
I could feel the strong desire that each of these dwarves held, the desire to reclaim a home that was taken from them and forced them into wandering Middle-Earth, losing a lot of their kin along that way and living off the meagre living they earn by working in every village the pass through.
"You forget, the front gate is sealed." Balin said as Thorin sat back down in his seat. "There is no way into the mountain."
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf said as he held up his hand and was twirling something in his fingers before holding it in the light, it was the key to the secret passage to Erebor.
I watched as Thorin look at the key in awe before asking. "How came you by this?"
"It was given to me by your father. By Thrain. For safe keeping. It is yours now." Gandalf said as he held out the key and handed it to the dwarf king, whom was still in awe to receive something that his father once held on his person.
"If there is a key, there must be a door?" Fili asked from the other end of the room.
Gandalf nodded and pointed to a set of runes on the map that pointed to an 'x' mark. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."
"There's another way in." Kili said as Fili turned to smile at his brother.
"Well, if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf said as a matter of fact, 'And who's bright idea was that in the first place?' I thought with a silent scoff, knowing full well that Gandalf and Gloin's son Gimli would encounter another invisible dwarf door when on their way to Moria in the future.
Gandalf sighed as he looked down at the map. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can." He said as he looked around at the room at all the dwarves as well as Bilbo and myself, I knew what secrets the map held and where it was located but I also knew that if I told the company now what it said then it would throw them off the timeline of their journey. So I decided to keep my silence until the right time.
"The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done." Gandalf said in a sly tone, I looked over to Bilbo as we both knew that this would his moment to shine.
"That's why we need a burglar." Ori stated.
"A good on too. An expert I imagine." Bilbo said as he looked over the map and then stood up as tall as he could.
"And are you?" Gloin asked.
The whole room went quiet as they all looked to Bilbo. "Am I what?" Bilbo asked.
"He said he's an expert." Oin cheered.
Bilbo then stutter. "Me? No. No, no, no. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr Baggins. He's hardly burglar material."
"Aye, the Wilds is no place for gentle folk who can fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin said, looking over at both Bilbo and I, feeling a bit miffed I took this moment to butt in and say my piece.
"Well then, it's a good thing Bilbo and I know how to fight and defend ourselves thanks to all our training, now isn't it?" I said as I crossed my arms and smirked snidely at Dwalin, whom looked back at me with equal annoyance.
Soon enough the rest of the dwarves began to argue amongst themselves before Gandalf stood up and bellowed in a deep, intimidating voice as a flow as shadows filled the room along with his voice. "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." After calming down, the shadows retreated back and Gandalf began to explain to the company what he knew of hobbits.
"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."
As Gandalf said this I turned to look at Bilbo and saw how shaken he was by Gandalf's display, I recall that Bilbo had never seen his old friend like this but he would encounter this again on his 111th birthday before he leaves the Shire one last time.
"You asked me to find the 14th member of this company and I have chosen Mr Baggins, and in turn I have found a 15th member whom is far more powerful in magic than even I am. And given the fact that she herself personally trained Bilbo to fight, only means that she is also well-trained weapons too." Gandalf said as he sat back down in his seat and motioned to Bilbo and myself, I stood against the corner as the company looked at me with curiosity. Not that I blame them, it was considered unusual for a woman in the race of me to be skilled with both magic and weapons.
Gandalf turned to Thorin and leaned in before saying in a low hushed tone. "You must trust me on this."
Looking at Thorin, I was wondering if he would even consider allowing a woman into his company let alone on such a dangerous quest. From what I had read, Dwarven women were rare in the dwarf culture and because of that they were treasured and protected along with their children.
I half-expected him to refuse my accompanying them. "Very well, we'll do it your way." Thorin said before turning to Balin. "Balin, give them both a contract." And with that Balin stood but only had one contract in hand, I waved my hand while focusing my magic. Levitating the contract over to me and then with a snap of my singers the contract split into two contracts.
"Very helpful, lass." Balin said surprised, I smiled and handed Bilbo his contract and took him into the kitchen where we sat down and looked over the contract's term. I did a quick look over the contract but generally knew what I was in for while Bilbo took his time to read it thoroughly, and once done he looked at me with concern as if he thought I would abandon him to a terrible fate alone.
"What do you think about this, Amara?" Bilbo asked, unsure of whether to sign the contract or not.
I smiled and placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulders as I stared deep into his eyes with a warm sister-ly smile on my face as I reached into my item box and pulled out a gel pen before holding it out to Bilbo.
"I'll go wherever you go, brother." I said, I had a mission after all, and I didn't spend the last two years prepping just to chicken out. Besides Aule and Yavanna would have a total cow if I didn't go on this quest and save Thorin and his nephews like I promised, only a fool would break a promise with a god/goddess and I was no fool.
Bilbo smiled as he took the pen and signed his contract, once done he held out the pen to me which I took and signed my own contract without hesitation. Once both contracts were signed with our signatures, we took them both back into the dining room and placed them on the table.
"There. Signed, sealed and delivered by both of us." Bilbo said, all the dwarves (including Thorin) looked at us stunned as they were expecting us to refuse to be a part of their quest. I watched as Balin took both contracts and looked them over thoroughly.
"Everything appears to be in order." He said as he then folded them up. "Welcome Master Baggins and Miss Harvelle, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
Bilbo and I turned to each other and smiled, I then turned to the company and asked:
"Well, now that that's over with, who wants some dessert?"
000
A couple of hours and many full bellies later, I was going around the outside of Bag-End with a large satchel of magical talismans. These talismans would erect a barrier around Bag-End that would keep any and all unwanted/uninvited guest out of Bag-End, i.e. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins and her brood.
I stared from the bathroom window and was making my way to the parlour window, but stopped in my tracks as I could hear the sound of the Dwarves humming. I crouched down by the window to listen as they all began to sing the song I knew as 'Misty Mountains'.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away 'ere break of day
To find our long-forgotten gold
I listened as the dwarves sang deep; it was depressing but somehow soothing at the same time. I closed my eyes and recalled the opening scenes of Erebor in the movies, how magnificent it was in the time before the dragon and how prosperous before the Arkenstone was found which was the beginning of the downfall of the dwarves.
As the song came to an end, I stood up and continued on with my work. As I came to the large parlour windows, I focused my magic to levitate me off the ground and hold me up at the top of the window frame to plant the magic talisman into the frame.
After a solid twenty minutes, I was done and made my way inside and towards my room. Once there I sighed and flopped down on the bed, 'What a day!' I thought as I stared up at the ceiling before opening my status screen.
Looking over my status page, I was still surprised at the stats it showed:
Name: Amara Emily Harvelle
Age: 18 years 3 days
Race: Human (Immortal)
Job: Warrior Mage
Level: 509
Strength: 2859
Magic: 3650
Attack: 2640
Defence: 2635
Agility: 2509
Skill: Appraise, Item Box
Unique Skill: Magic, Martial Arts Master
Flipping through the pages, inspecting the contents of my item box and reviewing my skills, I smiled as I knew that tomorrow morning Bilbo and I would begin our journey with the company. But I was the one with the mission to achieve, handed to me by Aule and Yavanna herself.
I scrolled through my item box until I selected a set of travelling clothes, a pair of knives and a backpack that was filled with magic tomes and a small pouch of gold coins that I knew I would need for when we reach Bree. Once satisfied, I crawled into bed and snuggled into the pillow and sheets before setting a wakeup call alarm in my status file to wake me bright and early enough to cook breakfast for the company and get Bilbo up on time. As the alarm was set, I curled up and closed my eyes as I began to feel myself falling asleep...