"What beast?" Bilbo had turned from his position near Thorin and Gandalf and pottered over to what remained of his stocked up shelves. Upon hearing the mention of a beast, he couldn't help but turn and curiously look over at his visitors.
Moving his pipe away, Bofur looked up and over at him. "That'd be a reference to Smaug the Terrible." Gandalf's eyes flitted over to look at the dwarf as he spoke. "One of the greatest calamities of our age." By now the surrounding dwarves had also flitted their eyes to look at him. Even Náriel in her corner slowly opened her eyes and looked up. "Fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely vulnerable to precious metals." Bofur continued sounding all very casual on the matter.
"Yes," Bilbo said putting his hands together. "I know what a dragon is." He said simply and plainly, he had read about such creatures.
Ori shot up at this and put his hands on the table in front of him. "I am not afraid," the nearest dwarves to him looked at him like he'd just spoken another language. "I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of dwarfish iron straight up his jacksie." There were hushed murmurs from the group which just ended up in slight encouraging, and agreeing cheers.
"It would be hard with an army behind us. But we're just fifteen. Nor are we fifteen of the best," Balin spoke frankly while glancing around at everyone. "Nor brightest," he finished quietly and got quiet exclaims from the other end of the table.
"We may be few in number, but we are fighters." Fíli said above the sudden ruckus of voices. Kíli who was sitting beside him, looked to his brother.
"And you forget we have a wizard in our company," Kíli furthered on from his brother's words. "Gandalf would have killed many, perhaps hundreds of dragons in his time."
"Oh, well," Gandalf started to say, now having everyone's eyes cast up at him. "No, no, I wouldn't say that many."
"How many then?" Dori questioned simply. Someone had to ask the obvious question.
Gandalf coughed quietly on his pipe and ignored the curious look which was being sent his way by Thorin. Avoiding answering just caused an upstart. Each and every dwarf started exclaiming different things to each other, some even stood up from the table and pointed fingers.
Shouting above it all, Thorin shot up from his seat, the loud noise stopped immediately. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others have?" He received silence from his question. "Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing up the risk, perhaps the vast wealth of our people lay unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours?" He glanced at Balin who looked deep in thought over his words. "Or do we seize this moment and take back Erebor?!" This seemed to rile everyone up to exclaim in agreement. Thorin couldn't help but let his gaze drift around his comrades, eventually he ended up looking at Náriel.
She still remained in the corner, though listening intently with her eyes shut. She looked different, he quickly noted. As if she had grown into who she really was meant to always be. She looked tired, as if she had suffered a great pain which she never fully recovered from. Over the exclaiming, he looked to Balin. "You forget that the front gate is sealed." He paused. "There is no way into the Mountain." This seemed to darken the mood slightly. The stern expressions from earlier on returned.
"That my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf spoke while twiddling a key on a piece of dark string.
Thorin straightened in his chair and looked to it. "How did you get that?" Behind him Bilbo looked at the key curiously.
"Your father gave it to me." Gandalf explained easily answering the question which was posed to him. "For safe keeping," Gandalf said lightly. "It is now yours." He extended his hand towards Thorin.
"If there's a key, there's a door." Fíli stated thoughtfully yet slightly obviously.
Using the end of his pipe, Gandalf tapped the parchment in front of him. Returning to the map he looked to the runes. "These speak of a hidden passage which lead to the inner halls."
A bright smile appeared on Kíli's face as he patted his brother on the back. "There's another way in."
"That's if we can find it," Gandalf said, though this didn't discourage Kíli's smile much, it still remained, though a serious look flitted into his eyes. "Dwarf doors are invisible, unless you know where to look. The answer though, lies within this map." Gandalf waved a hand down at the parchment. "And I do not have the skill to find it." Though everyone looked a little disheartened at his admittance, he said encouragingly. "But there are others in Middle-earth who can." Thorin looked up and the two looked at each other seriously. "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and courage," at this he glanced at Bilbo, who just nodded and then looked a little wide eyed. "If we are all careful, and clever, I believe it can be done."
Ori waved a thoughtful hand. "That's why we need a burglar." He stated.
Bilbo moved forwards and nodded. "You'd need a good burglar." He paused. "An expert, no doubt."
"And are you?" Was the simple question asked. Bilbo looked up, everyone was looking at him, he looked over his shoulders while running his hands up and down his braces.
"Am I what?" He asked simply.
"He said he's an expert!" Óin said while holding the ear-horn to his head and looked around at his friends. He laughed happily over Bilbo's words, few others joined in with the quiet laughter too.
"Me? No." Bilbo said while taking a step back and frowning lightly. "No, no, no, I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen anything in my life." He said defensively.
Balin sighed. "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with, Mister Baggins." He tilted his head and gave a small nod. "He's not really burglar materiel."
"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can't fight or fend for themselves." Dwalin said, Bilbo nodded agreeing with his words completely. Dwalin's words caused more ruckus to appear.
Darkness erupted around Gandalf, and engulfed the light coloured wall behind him. He was becoming impatient. "Enough!" He exclaimed. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" His voice echoed around the small space, it seemed to bounce and resonate off of the walls. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet." His voice calmed slowly. "They can sneak past without anyone knowing. Whereas the smell of dwarf is well known. A hobbit's smell is completely unknown." Upon hearing this Bilbo just stared up at him in utter belief. "This gives us all a distinct advantage." Bilbo went to comment otherwise only to shut his mouth and lower his hand. "You appointed me the task of finding the fourteenth member of your company, and I did so."
"And what of her?" Thorin commented just loud enough for Náriel to hear.
"Me?" Náriel turned in her seat and looked at him. "Me?" She questioned again. "I'm here for my own reasons, and they do not concern you right now, I fear."
"I merely meant I asked for a fourteenth member, not a fifteenth." Thorin said blankly.
Náriel leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms loosely. "No, you didn't." She said quietly while leaning her head against the wall. It was partially true. He didn't. But Thorin didn't need to openly admit to this. Though the answer alone caused him to narrow his eyes in her direction.
"I believe there is a lot more to him than anyone knows, or even he knows himself." Gandalf continued like Thorin and Náriel's exchange never happened. Thorin looked to the table in front of him. "You must trust me on this." Gandalf said lowly.
Thorin slowly looked up to him. "Very well, we'll do it your way. Give him the contract." Behind Thorin, Bilbo stood trying to tell them otherwise, while he was uselessly trying so, Balin had stood up with a cream white parchment in his hand.
"It's just the usual," Balin said simply. "Summary about pocket expense, time required, funeral arrangements, so forth." Balin extended his arm forwards, Bilbo looked lost while the contract was waved in his direction. When Bilbo didn't take it, Thorin did and then shoved it against his chest firmly.
Bilbo took a step back from the impact. "Funeral arrangements?" Was all he commented with wide eyes. Gandalf slowly looked over at the poor bewildered hobbit. Turning slowly out of the room, Bilbo unfurled the contract and watched as it almost hit the floor. "Incineration?" Bilbo looked back at the dwarf group.
"Oh, aye!" Bofur said casually. "Melt the flesh right from your bones."
Bilbo suddenly didn't feel too good, nor did he particularly look it. He looked up at the ceiling in thought and lowered the contract in his hands. "Oh."
"You all right, laddie?" Balin asked while leaning forwards in his seat.
Bilbo let out a heavy breath, putting his hands against his knees he gave a nod. "I feel...I feel a bit faint," he stood back up and looked to the floor.
"Think furnace with wings," Bofur said while standing up.
"I, I...I need air," Bilbo stuttered distantly.
"Flashing light, searing pain, then poof!" Bofur waved his hand. "You're nothing but a pile of ash." He said still sounding rather casual on the matter. By now, Thorin and Gandalf had turned to look at him.
Shuffling from foot to foot, Bilbo sighed a few times and blinked slowly. "No," he said and that was all as he fell sidewards and landed with a thud on the floor.
"That's so helpful, Bofur," Gandalf said while standing up.
Before he reached Bilbo's side, he looked from the corner of his eyes as Náriel simply walked along the table, avoiding the cups which remained, she jumped down past Bofur and Thorin, and walked to the fainted hobbit. Frowning, she knelt putting a hand to his forehead she looked up at them. "That was cruel." She said while looking to Bofur, he merely nodded slowly, yet still smiled lightly.
"Help me get him up," Gandalf said while reaching her side.
"Where do we put him?" Náriel asked as she stood and heaved Bilbo up by his arms, from there Gandalf picked his unconscious form up.
"Leave it to me," with this said he turned away and disappeared down the corridor and turned into a room. Blinking slowly, it occurred to Náriel that this was the first time in so long that she had been surrounded by a group of dwarves. It also occurred to her that half of them she didn't even know.
"Bofur," she pointed to the hat wearing dwarf, he looked up and removed his pipe from his mouth and smiled. Narrowing her eyes she looked around, "Balin, Dwalin, Glóin...Oin, Thorin..." Náriel pointed a finger slowly to each dwarf she quietly named. "The rest of you I do not know, I apologise." She tried to smile, it was hard to do really, she felt oddly nervous. "I am Náriel, and you that I do not know are...?"
"Bifur," a dark haired dwarf stood, it seemed he was to start the late introductions. His hair was flecked with grey, the majority of his beard was of a light grey too, with three braids within it.
"Bombur," said an orange haired dwarf, who seemed to had to tear himself away from the scraps that remained on his plate.
"Fíli," said one with dirty blonde hair, his words were quickly followed by: "And Kíli." The one that spoke had dark hair.
"Dori," waved a short grey reclining dwarf.
"Ori," the one beside him said a little nervously and quietly.
"Nori," the one beside him spoke while smiling lightly.
Náriel clapped and smiled, "Now we're introduced."
"Are you really an elf?" Ori piped up.
"I am, I'm just short." Náriel smiled, Ori seemed content with this answer, it seemed it was niggling away at him, and wouldn't stop until he had got an answer. She looked down the corridor, she could hear quiet speaking, it seemed Bilbo had regained some consciousness, or at least enough to speak to Gandalf. Being enveloped in awkward silence, she took a step back and put her hands in her pockets, "I shall leave you to discuss your business."
"It seems as though our business is also yours considering Gandalf has seen fit to bring you along." Thorin said while looking at her with a sidewards glance.
She quietly repeated his words under her breath, just to process them. "You make me sound like a piece of luggage." She said while frowning at him, Thorin just raised an eyebrow at her. Náriel frowned even more. "Perhaps space is a good idea, yes?" She turned on her heels and took to exploring the small place she had found herself in.
It was nice, cosy even, and warm. Lightly painted and simply furnished with deep coloured wood. She liked it, she liked it a lot. Blinking slowly, she peeked around a corridor corner and saw Bilbo potter off, looking up the other end, she frowned lightly at the sight of Thorin and Balin conversing and sending unregistered looks in Bilbo's direction. Darting around the corner she ran off after him, "Bilbo! Master Baggins, wait please!"
—
"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. The pines were roaring on the height. The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread. The trees like torches blazed with light." The lone voice which was Thorin's singing in the beginning grew in number as he went on. Soon all the dwarves gathered were standing in front of the fire singing.
Gandalf sat with his back to them, looking straight ahead absentmindedly smoking his pipe. He looked up when Náriel appeared by his side and sat slowly down. He had seen her try and find Bilbo, or at least catch up to him. Sitting down, she put her hands in her lap and looked to the singing group. "And he declined singing, so long ago." She whispered while looking up to Gandalf. "He's got quite a nice singing voice really," she tried to lighten the moment up, her words caused the wizard to sigh and relent in a small smile.
"Yes," he said thoughtfully. "Asking a dwarf to do something when they don't want to doesn't end well. Just need to give it time and they'll do it on their own accord."
"I didn't so much as ask," Náriel smiled and shut her eyes slowly. Opening them she looked up when they had finished and all seemed to find somewhere to settle for the night. "Is Bilbo all right?"
"You worry for him?"
"He did hit his head rather hard." Náriel smiled. "He did also have quite a shock." Looking over Gandalf's shoulder, she frowned with minor confusion.
"Take the leap of faith. Start off small, and work your way up. What's the worst that can happen?" Gandalf spoke quietly while inhaling slowly and breathing out a smoke ring.
Náriel watched is it floated upwards to the ceiling. "I tried earlier on, I think, and it didn't end well." Fidgeting she stood up, with a determined expression she walked forwards and into the room most of the dwarves still remained in, she received looks cast up at her, Thorin who was still leaning his hands against the mantle of the fireplace looked at her with a sidewards look.
Smiling she turned and walked over to Balin. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest in the chair, slowly she wrapped her arms around her legs and leaned her chin against her knees. "I cannot think of any simple way to ask," she opened her eyes slowly and looked at Balin. "But where have you all been staying?"
"Ered Luin." Balin answered while trying to recline in the chair he was sitting in. It wasn't wholly a comfortable chair, so he struggled to get even a least bit settled. The rest of the group were having near enough the same troubles. Ori had actually taken to curling up on the floor on one of the rugs. It was a poorly made bed, but at least it was something.
"The Blue Mountains." Náriel perked up and slowly stretched her legs out.
"You?" Balin thought he'd return the question, though really he knew that there were other ears present which wished to know too.
"Rhosgobel." Náriel replied simply with a nod, Balin looked confused. "It's in southern Mirkwood."
"Not the palace?" Dwalin had piped up into the conversation now, Náriel looked towards him, with a light frown, she shook her head slowly. "Why?"
Looking to the side, Náriel frowned, opening her mouth she shut it again and fidgeted uncomfortably. "I left." She answered distantly while staring at the fire. The warm glow of it flooded through the room. Even from the distance she was at she could still feel its warmth and benefit from it.
"Why?" Balin asked quietly, she jumped from the sound of his voice, she was clearly lost in her thoughts. His expression softened, "You know of our downfall, Princess. What brings you all the way out of Mirkwood?"
"I want to help." Came her honest answer, she looked up as Thorin turned from the fire and looked at her sharply. "You think I'm lying?"
"I do not know what to think when it comes to your kin."
"I'm not on about my whole family or my kin, just me...do you think I'm lying?" Náriel asked, he didn't reply. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and looked to Balin. "When Smaug came to Erebor, we left you all behind, I tried to get my uncle to turn, honestly I did! It was no use, he didn't listen." She looked to her hands and twiddled her thumbs.
"You want to help out of a long lasting feeling of guilt?" Thorin asked while narrowing his eyes at her.
"No, you stubborn dwarf-King! I want to help you because you were all so close to me! You were my friends, and I should have tried to help even if it was me and me alone, yet I couldn't. I do not feel guilt when I know there was nothing I could have done at the time." Náriel said while fisting her hands and speaking lowly and seriously. "I still do not wholly know what I can do now...but I am going to try, is that not enough?" She asked sadly while running a hand through her hair, though most of it was tied up and over her shoulder. A few stray locks still escaped and managed to flit into her face.
Looking down when a hand clasped lightly onto one of her own, she looked to Balin. He smiled lightly, and kindly. "It is enough." He patted her hand one more time before retracting his own. "Now, that doesn't answer how you came to be here."
"Oh," Náriel's eyes widened slowly. "That," pausing she hummed quietly and bit her lip in thought. "When we returned to Mirkwood, all was seemingly fine, returned to active service, settled back in. The usual," she nodded, it was all such boring details really. "I kept running into trouble." Frowning she sheepishly smiled. "I may have on more than one occasion tried either running away, or going off on my own when out on duty. This caused my uncle to restrict my movements. This meant no more going out, guards following me around, you name it." She sighed and pulled her knees to her chest again. "I became a prisoner in my own home." Making a thoughtful popping noise, she leaned her cheek against her knees and shut her eyes. "There was nothing I was doing which my uncle didn't find out about." She said after a few moments of silence. "I managed to get out of the palace one day, though I ended up being tracked down and locked away in my room. Now I officially became a prisoner," Náriel moved to lean her chin against her knees instead and looked to the fire. "I got let out by a friend, that friend also aided me to escape."
"Yet you stayed in Mirkwood?" Balin questioned curiously.
"The outside world is a frightening place. I wasn't too confident that I'd know what to do once I was out there. So I stayed within Mirkwood. I stayed in Rhosgobel, with Radagast, and I was there for quite some time...until Gandalf visited."
"They never found you?" Thorin asked interested.
"Mirkwood is a very large place," Náriel replied. "And I do not know many who'd stray so close to Dol Guldur, it is an eerie place," she shuddered. "Puts the fear in any brave beings." She said, in the other room Gandalf lightly turned to listen to her words yet didn't voice anything.
—
"So, hold on," Náriel said while looking from one to the other. "You two are brothers?"
"Correct," Fíli and Kíli said at the same time.
"And your mother is Dís?"
"Correct again."
"Oh..." Náriel trailed off thoughtfully. Her eyes looked up at the bright sunlight. They had all set off travelling without Bilbo. He was still, for all she knew, in his hobbit-hole fast asleep. Right now she was riding a dapple grey horse, it was a beautiful creature, Fíli and Kíli rode either side of her. "I knew your mother when she was younger." Náriel continued from her earlier sentence. "Is she still a little...quirky?" That made the brothers laugh. "I distinctly remember that of Dís. She was so endearing, and honest, and thoughtful." Náriel said quietly, she looked up when the brothers were looking at her oddly. "What?"
"Are you on about our mother?"
"Listen, parents act differently to their children than they do to their friends." Náriel said with a sure nod.
"Say," Kíli leaned across and looked at her with narrowed playful eyes. "What embarrassing stories can you tell us?"
"Kíli!" Náriel laughed, "I'm not...no, forget that, no, I don't have any."
"Oh, she does! She so does, she's avoiding answering your question," Fíli said while leaning on the other side and looking to his brother. Both looked forwards and then smirked up at her. "What about uncle?" Fíli asked quietly after a few seconds of silence had passed between the three.
At this Náriel shook her head. "No!" She laughed. "I am not saying, or telling you any embarrassing details of your relatives past." She said firmly but with a wide smile.
"That's no fun," Kíli said while letting out a heavy sigh and looking at her with a bored expression.
Náriel just returned the look. "Don't look at me like that, it won't work. I've had the same look shot at me by your mother when she was young, it won't work."
Kíli still looked at her with a bored expression but with pleading eyes. Trying to look almost saddened at one point he even playfully sniffled to pretend being upset. Blinking slowly, he looked to the ground and then up at her. "Please," he said quietly and rather feebly.
"No!" Náriel exclaimed and looked away, only she had the same look being shot at her by Fíli. "Oh seriously! What is with you boys?" She rolled her eyes, eventually they both laughed and grinned at her. Shaking her head slowly, she readjusted her grip on the reins and looked back to the sky. It was so blue, she realised she hadn't seen the sky fully for so long. She'd been hidden away under thick foliage for so long. Lazy white clouds rolled past, and across these flitted the forms of birds.
"Say," Fíli said quietly, "What was Erebor like from a visitors perspective?" He asked curiously.
Náriel raised an eyebrow and thought over the question. "When I first got told I was going to visit, I was apprehensive. I mean no offence, but I didn't know I'd get along with your kin. Though, you were all very welcoming, but I digress, this isn't answering your question." She smiled. "It is, or was, beautiful. Full of wonders, and there was always something to notice and distract yourself with. I don't think I ever fully explored it. It is a vast place." Náriel explained. "But I'm sure my words are pathetic compared to the stories you two grew up on, surely." Tilting her head to the side suddenly she looked over her shoulder. Fíli and Kíli exchanged a look and looked at her oddly before looking over their shoulders too.
"Wait!" Came a quietly exclaimed voice. The owner of the voice suddenly appeared. Bilbo came running up to them, breathless and waving the contract about in the air. Pulling to a stop near Balin's horse, Bilbo let out a heavy breath and almost keeled over onto the floor. Once his breathing was back under control, he looked up at Balin. Most members of the group by now had turned to look at Bilbo with a look of disbelief, none more so than Thorin, who looked like he thought Bilbo really was a lost cause.
"I've signed it." Bilbo waved the contract up at the silver haired dwarf. Balin looked at him with mild amusement. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his glasses. Holding them to the paper he squinted slightly at the writing while Bilbo took to apprehensively looking at the four legged animal beside him. The horse regarded him coolly while snorting quietly.
Seeing Bilbo's name written in clear neat handwriting by the word Burglar, Balin put his glasses down and looked to Bilbo. With a content expression, Balin tucked the contract away, giving Bilbo a smile he nodded. "Welcome, Mister Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
Bilbo smiled and patted his sides, his smile quickly vanished when he heard simply spoken words coming from the leader. "Give him a pony."
"What? No, no, really I'm fine..." Bilbo defended himself only to fail and end up getting scooped up and plonked into the saddle of a pony. He sat straight backed and rigid in the seat which he now found himself in.
Seeing as how everyone was dividing up their payments, Náriel urged her steed forwards. Bilbo seemed most disheartened that even Gandalf had participated in this bet. "I didn't," she whispered while appearing on his other side, Bilbo gave a jolt upon hearing her. "Mainly because I have no money." She smiled, trying to perk the hobbit up a little, he did look so disheartened.
Bilbo's grateful expression dwindled, and here he hoped she hadn't bet because she believed in him. "If you had money, would you have bet too?"
"No." Náriel smiled again. "I'm usually quite good with character, and the sensing of ones character." She looked up at the sky again. She had honestly forgotten how simply mesmerising the sky could be. Her eyes slowly slid down to look at him. "You're afraid. Understandable considering what we're all undertaking. But that doesn't mean you're not willing." She ran a hand through her horse's mane. "Come on, being in one place all the time is boring, no? You, deep down, wish to know what else is out in the world."
"Just didn't know that to see the outside world I'd have to contend with a dragon." Bilbo replied with an awkward smile.
"Oh," Gandalf said from his other side. "That won't be yet, Bilbo Baggins." With this he rode off ahead of them.
Watching as he went the two of them eventually exchanged a look. "I'm glad you came, Master Baggins." Náriel said, sounding honest and looking at him earnestly. In truth, perhaps she would feel better around someone who was also clearly treated like an outsider; not that she was intending to use Bilbo purely as security from some roughness of certain dwarves in their company, but they were in the same boat, in a way. A friend could build from the most awkward of situations.
"Bilbo will do, please," he said quietly.
"I'm glad you're coming along, Bilbo."
"Hm, yes, well," Bilbo stuttered off onto a tangent of mumbling quietly before coughing lightly and looking to her. "I get the feeling not all are feeling the same as you." At this he looked forwards to where Thorin was riding at the front of the group.
Náriel smiled, "It's fine." She said while tilting her head to the side and looking at him thoughtfully. "You can join me, I'm also on the not sure if wholly needed list." Bilbo frowned lightly, he wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or not, but considering Náriel was smiling at him, he decided it should be taken as one.
—
(Reedited: 25/Oct/2023)