"To fight evil; you must first understand the dark."
From the blood of Dragons, a child shall rise,
Born of fire and fear, her fate sealed with lies.
For she is the chosen, the one who will bring
A reign of darkness, a world with its dark king.
...
"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked from behind Gandalf. Anaynahs head perked up at the Hobbit's keen ears.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Gandalf requested, pulling out an old piece of parchment from his robe, unravelling it and spreading it across the table.
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"Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a solitary peak."
Anaynah sat upright in her chair, trying to her a view of the map from her corner of the room to the side of Gandalf.
Bilbo had returned with a candle, holding the small flickering flame on the table whilst leaning over Thorin's shoulder, dimly lighting the paper.
"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo read aloud from the map, unsure of what the map was of as he had never even heard of Erebor in his sheltered life. His eyes wander to the red Dragon looming over the mountain.
"Aye! Oin has read the portents and the portents say it is time!" the red-haired Dwarf, Gloin spoke up, a few of the men rolling their eyes and sighing at his comment.
"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 added to his brother's previous comment.
Anaynah tensed at the world. Beast. Biting her lip she shifted uncomfortably, taking a deep breath in to stay relaxed. Gandalf noticed her worried aura.
"Uh, what beast?" Bilbo asked, clearly oblivious to the circumstances. Anaynah raised her eyebrow. Bilbo truly had no idea what he was about to be thrown into.
"Well, That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and great calamity of our age." Bofur decided to enlighten the hafling, "Airborne firebreather. Teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metals." he went on. Anaynah rolled her eyes at Bofur's comments and looked downwards in fluster.
"Yes, I know what a Dragon is!" Bilbo defended, starting to get anxious, just as Anaynah was too.
The young Dwarf, Ori, pushed his chair back and stood up,
"I'm not afraid, I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of Dwarvish iron right up his jacksies!" He exclaimed, some of his companions grunted while others cheered, Dori forcing him to sit back down. The Ranger chuckled at his courage.
"The task would be difficult with an army behind us. But we number just 14, and not 14 of the best, not brightest." Balin said grimly as he looked around the room, an uproar from the group protesting against his insult.
"We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters. All of us! To the last Dwarf!" Fili exclaimed to lift their spirits as he banged his fist against the table, his brother then adding on.
"And you forget we have a Wizard in our company! Gandalf would have killed hundreds of Dragons in his time!"
Anaynah choked on the water she had been sipping. Gandalf and her exchanged a quick and uncomfortable glance. He knew how awkward this must have been for her.
