Eruanna POV
I laugh with the others at the look Bilbo gives when seeing his entire collection of pots and cups and culinary clean and stacked on his clean table.
Suddenly I hear knocks on the door, all of us hearing it from seeing everyone around looking to the door as well as myself,
"He is here" Gandalf says, I smile at this, the dwarves making their way to the doorway, I smirk thinking of how to surprise the prince.
"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice, would not have found it at all if it weren't for that mark on the door" Thorin says, I smile as I lean against the wall slightly out of sight,
"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!" Bilbo says,
"There is a mark; I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of
our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf says, I remember seeing it when we arrived outside the hobbit hole.
"So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asks,
"Pardon me?" Bilbo asks, I shake my head slightly at this, Thorin and his antics, wanting to know someone's fighting preference when they meet them, a strategy his grandfather taught him.
"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asks,
"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." Bilbo says.
"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Says Thorin, the dwarves laughing at his comment,
"What was it you said I looked like when you first met me Thorin? A hand-maiden? A servant?" I ask, slowly stepping around the corner I was hid behind, my eyes finding his who is looking at me with surprise, a smile growing on his face,
"A princess whom had never seen battle" he says, taking a step forward to me, I smile widely at this,
"But by the time I met you, I had been in four battles, one of those in the darkest battles Middle Earth had seen. Looks are not everything Prince Thorin" I say, he looks down for a second and looks back to me and nods, we bow to one another in respect, then laugh and share a hug,
"It is a blessing to find you here Eruanna" he says, I nod in agreement, we lead him to the table where we saved him some food.
"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asks, I lean against the wall to allow Gandalf the chair so that Thorin can sit, after his long journey he needs the rest.
"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms." Thorin says, I nod at this, knowing that after Thorin told us that he had been to a meeting with the dwarven clans to ask to recruit them for the journey.
"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Thorin asks, I look to Thorin from this, surely Dain will join us,
"They will not come" Thorin says, I frown at him for this, why would Dain refuse?
"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone." Thorin says, I look down at this, hearing the others murmurs of disappointment from the news.
"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asks, I look to him to see he's stood by the archway between the dining room and the corridor,
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Gandalf says, Bilbo nodding in agreement and going to I assume get more candle light.
He brings a candle to the table where I see Gandalf spreading a small map out on the table that he brought out from his pocket.
"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single
solitary peak." Gandalf says, I stand up a bit straighter to look down at the map, it showing Erebor, the lonely mountain with the drawing of a dragon flying over it, Smaug.
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo says, reading from the maps title,
"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Gloin says,
""Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Oin says, I narrow my eyes at this, that could mean either Smaug would already be dead or when this time happens then he will die around that time of events.
"Uh, What beast?" Bilbo asks, who I look to see has a look of fear on him,
"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our
age. Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals " Bofur says before Bilbo interrupts him
"Yes, I know what a dragon is."
"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie." Says Ori, I smile widely at him for this, the others cheering in agreement, Dori having him sit back down after he rose and said this, clearly not impressed by Dori outburst.
"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just fourteen, and not fourteen of the best, nor brightest." Balin says, I narrow my eyes at him playfully he smirks at me for this after catching my eye, the others objecting to his words,
"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" Fili says, I smile a this, the others cheering in agreement,
"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time" Kili says, I smirk at this, turning my head slightly in trying to hide it,
"Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn't say that, I-" but he's interrupted by Dori,
"How many then?" he asks, the dwarves all looking to him,
"Uh what?" Gandalf asks,
"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Go on, give us a number!" Dori shouts, the others arguing over the number of dragons he's killed, but Gandalf only coughs slightly after smoking his pipe probably trying to use it to find time to think of a way to get out of the question, the answer is he hasn't defeated any dragons ever, even I know this.
Guardians of the Valar done necessarily go out fighting dragons a lot, kings and knights mostly do that.
I look to Thorin who meets my eyes, both of us growing annoyed with the dwarves arguing, he jumps to his feet looking at them all,
"Shazara! If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen 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? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!" he shouts, I smile at this, seeing the dwarves cheering
"You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." Balin says,
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf says, who I see twiddling his fingers and producing a key, dwarvish make I believe,
"How came you by this?" Thorin asks, looking at the key as if it is a priceless treasure, I myself have never seen it before so do not know where it came from or to what door it opens.
"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf says, handing Thorin the key,
"If there is a key, there must be a door." Fili says, I look to him at this and then back to Thorin, my eyes catching at the map where Gandalf is pointing at the ruins with his pipe,
"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf says, ah so the key opens a door into the mountain, now I understand, Thorin would then have known about the key, he made it a point to know every nuck and cranny of the mountain, any secret passages or room he knew of them.
"There's another way in!" Kili says, looking excited, making me smile,
"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. 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. 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 says, when he says this I know of whom he speaks of, well one of many but I have a feeling I know who he is talking of.
"That's why we need a burglar." Ori says,
"Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine." Bilbo says,
"And are you?" Gloin asks, all eyes now on the hobbit who knows no idea of the plans Gandalf and the company have in store for him, that's if he agrees to come.
"Am I what?" Bilbo asks, looking confused, like he got left out of a conversation, which I know that he has been.
"He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" says Ori, everyone laughing along with him,
"M Me? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life." Bilbo says, well its good to know that he isn't one,
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin says, I smirk at this, no he is not, Bilbo nodding in agreement,
"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin says, the dwarves already beginning to argue, a big debate on whether Bilbo is burglar material or not.
However, drawing my attention, Gandalf rises to his full height, and looking at the dwarves with anger, darkness beginning to cover the room from him using his power, I straighten at this,
"Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." Gandalf says in a deep voice, he's only used this a few times before me but those were for very good reasons, and this time used to quieten them all,
"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 hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fifthteenth 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." Gandalf says, looking to Thorin who I look to see is taking in what Gandalf has said,
"Very well. We will do it your way." says Thorin, but I catch the anxious look on Bilbo's face, perhaps we should have asked Bilbo first before presuming he is coming,
"Give him the contract" Thorin says, Bofur, but Bilbo I see shaking his head trying to protest to all this,
"Alright, we're off!" Bofur says, Balin now standing up producing a contract from within his coat and hands it to Bilbo
"It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Balin says, standing beside me, both of us watching as Bilbo slowly starts to look at the contract and begins to read
"Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fifthteenth of total profit, if
any. Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations ... evisceration … incineration?" he asks looking to us surprised,
"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur says, I look to Bilbo concerned, he looks a little breathless,
"You all right, laddie?" Balin asks, himself also seeing Bilbo looking a state of nauseous, he looks a little pained,
"Uh, yeah...Feel a bit faint." He says, I frown keeping an eye on him just in case,
"Think furnace with wings." Bofur says, I look to him with narrowed eyes,
""Air, I I I need air." Bilbo says gasping,
"Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! you're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bofur says, I glare at him for this, him finally seeing this and catching on to me trying to silently tell him to be quiet. I look back to Bilbo to see him trying to compose himself looking to us all, straightening up and breathing heavily,
"Hmmm. Nope." He mutters and begins to fall, my eyes widen at this, I extend my hand out to him and with some magic I stop him from hitting the floor, levitating him up slightly,
"Bofur you were not being helpful in the slightest" I say, looking to him, feeling like I am scolding a child,
"Thank you my dear, let us take him to his chair" Gandalf says, I nod at this, letting him get up first and walk in front before I have Bilbo follow behind him, me behind him,
"Just in this chair if you will my dear" he says, I nod at this, resting Bilbo down in a chair in front of the fireplace.