A Meeting in Bree

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(Location: Bree-on the borders of the Shire)

A small hooded figure made his way through the rainy streets of Bree. Unlike many of the townsfolk he passed on the street, he was in no hurry to get out of the rain. Suddenly, he came to a halt when he noticed a squeaking sign that read, 'Prancing Pony.' After taking a moment to make certain he was not being followed, he went inside.

Making his way past all the drunkards and harlots, he managed to find himself a table farthest away from everyone else. After taking a seat the small figure took off his hood, revealing the face of a dwarf. A few minutes went by and the quiet dwarf took notice of two figures staring at him from both east and west sides of the room. The two men stared at him with such intensity that he felt as if their stares would burn holes through both sides of his skull. Suddenly, the two men got up from where they sat and made there way over to him in a slow but threatening manner. Noticing the situation unfolding before him, the dwarf slowly moved his hand towards his sword that leaned against the table. The two men moved in closer….and closer…and closer…until they were close enough. The dwarf was about to take his sword and behead them both, but the action was interrupted when a tall old man in grey took a seat in the chair in front of him.

"Mind if I join you?" The old man asked.

Surprised by the bearded figures sudden appearance, the dwarf retracted his hand from the sword and noticed the two men return to their seats. After ordering his own food, the elderly man greeted the dwarf with a friendly smile.

"I suppose I should introduce myself, my name is Gandalf…Gandalf the Grey."

"I know who you are." The dwarf replied coldly

"Well now, this is a fine chance." The wizard said joyfully. "What brings Thorin Oaken shield to Bree?"

Thorin looked down in disappointment. "I received word that my father had been seen wandering the wilds near Dunland…I went looking and found no sign of him."

Gandalf gave a forlorn look towards the dwarf. "Thorin, it has been a long time since anything but rumor was heard of Thrain."

"He still lives…I am sure of it." He replied in hope.

Their conversation came to a halt when Gandalf's food arrived.

"Thank you." The wizard said as the waiter walked away.

"My father came to see you before he went missing…what did you say to him?"

"I urged him to march upon Erebor; to rally the seven armies of the dwarves, to destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. And I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland."

Thorin picked up the drink next to him and began to drink it in a contemplative manner.

"This is no chance meeting, is it, Gandalf?"

"No, it is not. The Lonely mountain troubles me, Thorin. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later, darker minds will turn toward Erebor. I ran into some unsavory characters while traveling along the Greenway. They mistook me for a vagabond."

"I imagine they regretted that." Thorin replied.

"One of them was carrying a message." Gandalf continued as he put a dirty piece of cloth on the table and pushed it towards Thorin.

The dwarf king noticed that the cloth had writing on it which he had never seen.

"It is Black Speech." The wizard answered. He then looked down and began to read the message to Thorin. "Promise of payment."

The king under the mountain looked at the wizard in confusion. "For what?"

The old man paused for a moment and looked at Oakenshield. "Your head."

The king's eyes widened in shock.

"Someone wants you dead," the wizard continued. "Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves. Together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families. Demand they stand by their oaths."

The dwarf looked at Gandalf as if he were a fool. "The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's Jewel, the Arkenstone! It is the only thing that will unite them, and in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug."

Thorin and Gandalf looked up as the two suspicious men from before got up and left together.

After seeing the two men disappear from his sight completely, Gandalf turned his attention back to Thorin. "What if I were to help you reclaim it?"

"How?" He asked. "The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."

"Yes, it does," Gandalf answered with a smile. "Which is why we are going to need a burglar."

"What creature in all of middle earth would be stealthy enough to avoid dragon's fire?"

"A hobbit," Gandalf answered simply. "They are the stealthiest of creatures, are they not?"

Thorin clasped his hands together and rested them in a position where they covered his mouth. The dwarf was beginning to think that the wizard's plan could actually work, but he was thinking of any way that this mission could go wrong. He had to make sure that this plan was foolproof before completely investing in it. "Even if the Arkenstone is retrieved, we still have the dragon to deal with…And I'm not so sure that a wizard, a hobbit, and a couple of dwarves are going to be enough to bring the beast down."

"I agree, if we were to confront Smaug with the party you just mentioned it is likely that the odds will not be in our favor. However, I have not made mention of the final member to our party."

Thorin looked at Gandalf in curiosity.

"His name is Madara Uchiha, but you and the rest of Middle Earth know him as 'The Red Demon of the North.' I have met him once before, and unlike the cruel title given to him he is by no means an evil entity."

The dwarf king looked annoyed and angry with that answer. "The Red Demon comes and goes; no one has ever been able to willingly find him."

Gandalf gave a slight chuckle. "Well... let's just say I am an exception. You see, I did him a favor long ago, and in return, he revealed to me how to find him should I ever need him."

Thorin had finished his food. "Do you really think he can put an end to that Dragon? Stories say that he alone has killed many dragons, but none of them I fear were as terrible as Smaug."

"It seems to me that you have forgotten the most prominent of stories regarding Madara Uchiha. If I recall correctly it was Madara who single handedly brought an end to the great Dragon Beorg; a serpent that was said to rival Smaug himself. If he is able to bring down a beast such as that, then I am fairly certain he would be capable of destroying Smaug as well. That is why I need you to go and find him, Thorin, he must join our ranks if we are to succeed in taking back the mountain."

The dwarf was confused by this request. "You clearly are more knowledgeable about the man than I am, so why do you send me in your stead?"

By this time both Gandalf and Thorin had finished their food and stood up from their seats. "Because I am heading to the shire to find the burglar."

Both Gandalf and Thorin made their way out of the prancing pony and into a secluded alley next to the inn. The two looked around to make certain that there was no one else in the alley but themselves. Once the wizard realized they were alone, he handed Thorin a map.

Thorin looked at the map and noticed that it led to the northern mountains of Bale."What lies in the mountains of Bale?" The dwarf asked over the rain.

"The map in your hands was given to me by Madara himself. It is the only means by which he can be found. Once you have gathered the dwarves you must find him and tell him that Gandalf the Grey requires his assistance. You must mention my name or he will not join… do not forget."

"Where shall we meet when all is said and done then?" He asked the wizard

"Once Madara and the dwarves have joined you, make your way to the shire and look for a door with the dwarvish word for burglar written on it… we shall rendezvous there."

After hearing this, the king under the mountain carefully folded the map and put it in his pocket. Suddenly, he felt Gandalf's hand on his shoulder. "One last thing." The wizard said. "Stay off the main road until Madara can accompany you. There are still many greedy characters on that path that are collecting bounties."

And with that, both wizard and dwarf temporarily went their separate ways.

A/N Yes, Beorg is a dragon that I made up. Like I said before, this story is a prequel to Shinobi of Middle Earth which was written by Deus swift blade. His story of Sasuke in Middle Earth was epic to say the least and I wanted him to write the prequels about Madara as well. However, I realized that it probably was not going to happen, so I started it for him. I would really like to get his review and everyone else's on what the think of this chapter.