CHAPTER FIVE - "The Misty Mountains Cold."
"AM I WHAT?" Bilbo responded, still utterly confused with the current situation. Nixie leant further against the wall, hitting her head slightly as they did so. The halls of Bilbo's Hobbit-hole were painted a lovely cream colour, the candles were always lit creating dim lighting; it was perfect. That was the one thing Nixie knew she would be guaranteed to get from a Hobbit-hole: comfort.
Oin, who used a device to hear, piped up - clearly, he had heard the wrong thing. "Hear that lads, he says he is an expert!" the Dwarf cried.
Bilbo stood back, shaking his head violently. "No, no, no," Bilbo firmly said, "I am not a burglar!" he stomped his bare feet on the floor, in utter disbelief. Bilbo furthered his reasoning, "I've never stolen a thing in my life!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
The oldest Dwarf in the room, Balin, spoke, but no before a sighing a long and deep sigh. "Well," he began, "I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr Baggins." Balin looked Bilbo up and down, "He's hardly burglar material."
Bilbo muttered something, agreeing with Balin completely. "Aye, the wild is no place for gentle-folk," Dwalin agreed, Bilbo nodded again; finding the statement truthful. This angered both Gandalf and Nixie; Bilbo Baggins could probably be an excellent burglar if he bloody well wanted to - he just needed a word of encouragement and he needed to try.
All of the Dwarves now needlessly degrading Bilbo. Nixie finally snapped, "How do you all know!" they all turned to Nixie, slightly shocked at her outcry. She inwardly cringed; she didn't want to make a scene, but now - she had. "Bilbo Baggins could be a bloody brilliant burglar if he bloody well wanted to," Bilbo shook his head at this, "So don't you dare think for one second you'll all get away with slandering him."
Rather rudely the Dwarves disregarded Nixie's comments; Nixie looked at the tall Grey-haired Wizard for backup. "Enough!" bellowed Gandalf as the room went dark, now, this, had everyone's attention. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" declared the Wizard, clearly fed up with the Dwarves.
"Hobbits are known for being incredibly light on their feet, they can also pass unseen if they want to - I doubt Smaug knows what a Hobbit smells like," Gandalf expressed why Bilbo was so important to the Company, "You can show a bit of respect to Nixie as well," Gandalf huffed, he looked at Thorin dead in the eye, "You must trust me on this Master Dwarf."
Thorin glowered slightly, looking at Gandalf, "Very well," he shrugged. He threw his arm back to Balin then to Bilbo in a quick gesture, "Give him a contract."
"Make that two, please," Nixie demanded politely, "Mine got a bit damaged in the storm," Balin nodded passing up two contracts to the Nymph and the Hobbit. Thorin didn't even acknowledge Nixie as he practically threw the long piece of parchment at her, Nixie felt her pockets - scowling as she realised she didn't have a pen on her.
But, she knew who did - Thorin Oakenshield did, pointing out of his breast pocket. Nixie didn't even bother asking for the pen, instead, she swiftly snatched it out of his pocket. Thorin shouted curses in Khuzdul at the woman; she didn't care she merely signed her name on the bottom of the piece, not even bothering to read through the long list of terms and conditions. Just as Thorin had done moments before, Nixie threw the contract at Thorin.
As Nixie went to put the pen back in his pocket, the Dwarf Lord turned away. "Don't bother," Thorin muttered, "Keep it," he hissed under his breath, so Nixie did, placing it in her back pocket. Just like that, Thorin had lost all respect for Nixie - there was just something about the woman that dreadfully insufferable.
All the while, Bilbo was looking at Nixie and absolute horror. "How can you just sign that!" Bilbo exclaimed beyond disbelief, "It asks about funeral arrangements for heaven's sake!" everyone, including Nixie, was amused by the Hobbit - though she did not show it.
The Dwarf Lord stood up, though Nixie could barely hear them she did hear what Thorin said to Gandalf. The Wizard was still taller than the Dwarf, even when he was sat down; Thorin spoke to the Grey Wizard quietly. "I hope you realise, I cannot guarantee either of their safety," his voice was deep and grave as he spoke.
"You need not worry about the Water Nymph, Master Dwarf," Gandalf chuckled about it slightly, "You clearly do not know how capable she is," but, Gandalf stared at Thorin in his deep, midnight blue eyes, "I understand."
The Water Nymph decided to not go on listening to their conversation, instead - she listened back into Bilbo. "Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but no exceeding one-fourteenth of total profit. If any," Bilbo read with furrowed eyebrows, he blinked nodding his head, "Seems fair." Nixie couldn't help but chuckle as the Hobbit read; of course, it was only Bilbo Baggins that would read terms and conditions.
"Present Company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence, thereof, including," Bilbo Baggins read like the undead, droning on and on, however, they all found it most amusing. "But not limited to, lacerations, evisceration..." Bilbo flicked on through reading down until he saw something that made his eyes pop out of his skull, "Incineration?"
"Aye," the all-knowing Bofur said, "He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of the eye," he truthfully said. Quite suddenly, Bilbo paled, inhaling deeply through his mouth. "You alright laddie?" Bofur asked, concerned for the Hobbit.
"Yeah," Bilbo breathed, "Just feel a bit faint." At the mention of faint, Nixie moved closer to the Hobbit, getting ready to lunge forward to catch him.
"Think furnace, with wings," Bofur imagined, Nixie sent him a glare.
"Air." Bilbo managed to wince out, "I need air," he continued.
"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof!" Bofur described, standing up and prancing towards Bilbo, whilst Nixie moved forward stealthily. "You're nothing more than a pile of ash," Nixie believed Bofur actually thought his words were helping the poor burglar.
Bilbo breathed intensely, "Nope," the second the word left his lips; Nixie knew there was no chance of her catching him so thinking quickly, she recited an incantation in her head that firmly bound Bilbo in a capsule of Ale; that never actually touched him, but let him float.
The Dwarves looked amazed, Kili spoke up, "How are you doing that!" he sounded absolutely star-struck. Fili cuffed him over the side of the head, "She's a Water Nymph you fool!"
Before taking the capsulated Bilbo into a different room, Nixie made sure to grab an empty mug of ale as well. It happened to be Thorin's mug, which apparently he was too fond about to let go of, but eventually, after a good tug on it - he let go. Nixie quickly transferred Bilbo to an empty, tranquil room, where Gandalf began to look after him, the ale transfered quickly into a mug and she left it on the corner of a table.
Nixie ventured back out into the corridor, colliding into a stone-hard object. She looked up, feeling the heat rise into her cheeks as she realised had crashed into the chest of Thorin Oakenshield. "Watch where you are going, Nymph," the Dwarf Lord snapped harshly, "If you are that clumsy to run into me; what will happen if you run into Smaug?"
Efficiently, the Nymph scurried off in search of Fili and Kili - who she now considered being her friends. She found them, sat in the pantry on the shelves, sipping on mugs of ale. As she had done before in the Dining Room, she slotted herself in between the brothers. Nixie leant her head on her palm, "I hope you boys ate well tonight, we might not eat that well for the next few days," the Nymph admitted.
"Well I for one, am utterly stuffed," Fili admitted, rubbing his stomach. "I can't wait until we make it to Erebor; I'll show you all the treasures of the Dwarven world," Fili promised, with a slight smile on his face.
Kili nodded in agreement, "We'll show you so many treasures, your little head won't believe it," he cheekily grinned, wrapping one arm around the Nymph. "We better get to the living room, before Dwalin has our heads," Kili leapt down from the shelf, so did Fili who dragged Nixie off in the process. They laughed as she landed awkwardly on the floor, clearly not prepared for the impact.
The unusual trio, walked into the living room, where the Dwarves were humming bracing themselves for a song. The living room was decorated like the rest of the Hobbit-hole: antique and homely. The fire was lit, roaring with life and two portraits of a male and female Hobbit were hung above the flames. The skyline of the Shire was blue, Nixie could see that from the windows and suddenly, she missed her people more than she had earlier; more than she ever had in her life.
Nixie knew this song, Old Nan, coincidently who was a Dwarf used to sing it as a lullaby to get the Nymph to sleep as a babe. Hesitantly, Nixie eased herself into the humming as she leant by Kili next to the fire. On the other side was Thorin Oakenshield, whose eyes glimmered with embers as he smoked his pipe. "Far over the misty mountains cold," the Dwarf Lord sung, his voice was a deep noise, but Nixie was attracted by the sound regardless.
"Two dungeons deep and caverns old."
"We must away," Nixie eased herself into joining the song, none of the other Dwarves had yet: at the moment it was just her and the Dwarf Lord singing.
"'Ere break of day."
"To find our long-forgotten gold," more of the Dwarves began to stand and started to sing with the unfriendly duo.
"The pines were roaring on the height."
"The winds were moaning in the night."
"The fire was red," Nixie looked at the fire burning in the fireplace. She realised how destructive it could be about a hundred years ago; when she insulted a Fire Nymph, who in response to it attempted to light the Water Nymph on fire (it didn't end well on either end). "It flaming spread."
"The trees like torches blazed with light."
As soon as the song finished, Kili yawned loudly. This snapped everyone out of their entranced state, the song too had made Nixie feel sleepy. Thorin addressed his Company, "All of you, get a good nights worth of sleep," he continued, "You may not experience one in the following nights."
Each Dwarf was quick to claim a sleeping spot for the night, so much so, that Nixie didn't have a place in the room with the thirteen Dwarves. Feeling partly lonely and evicted, Nixie wondered around the halls until she found a deserted room; a fire was going, so she knew she'd be warm. Carefully, she grabbed some pillows and a single blanket from the couch - she slept on a rug, a red blanket draped over her and had a yellow pillow below her head.
Footsteps startled Nixie, from her descent into sleep - she looked expecting to see Fili or Kili, however, it was Thorin, the Dwarf Lord himself that had come in. He plonked himself in the armchair opposite her, he didn't say a word but Nixie could feel his powerful gaze upon her.
"Goodnight Master Dwarf," the Water Nymph politely said.
No answer was returned, except for a small and simple grunt.
A/N: If you wouldn't mind showing support by giving the story a vote, it'd be much appreciated x