Bring On The Wonder[Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter One: Am I Late?

It was a beautiful warm night as she walked up the path, searching for the door with a glowing mark. Bella saw the shadows illuminating from the hearth's inside each home as she passed. The hobbit's were settling down for the night, putting their young children in their beds. The Shire was a peaceful place compared to most of Middle Earth. Hobbit's were unaware the evil that lurked in the darkest corners of the world. 

Bella let out a breath of relief when she saw the glowing lit mark on the tiny round wooden green door. She opened the tiny gate and shut it behind her, climbing up the steps she raised her hand and knocked on the door. She waited for a few minutes and heard a shuffling sound on the other side of the door and swung open and revealed a short fellow starring at her confused.

" Am I late?" Bella asked. The hobbit looked at her oddly. The wizard had never mentioned their would be a woman coming to his home.

" Who's here laddie?" A few voices echoed from the far room. 

" Let em in!" A gruffer voice shouted and the hobbit kindly stepped out of the way and allowed her through. 

" Thank you Mr. Baggins." Bella stated sweetly and she walked into the home. Her hood was still over her head and she continued down the hall and came to a stop when she saw the table was full of dwarves squished together with the wizard. 

" Gandalf. Who is this?" The dwarf with black hair questioned, looking at the stranger in front of him. 

" This is the fifteenth member of the company." The wizard announced. The dwarves looked at the old man addled, none had been informed of this. The stranger removed her hood to address them all.

" I'm Bella." She introduced, looking at them all. The dwarves all murmured their surprise and gasps, wondering what the wizard was thinking bringing a woman to join a dangerous journey. The dark haired dwarf hadn't turned away from her looking her up and down before asking his first question. She assumed he had to be the one in charge of this quest. 

" Bella my dear. Allow me to introduce the leader of this company: Thorin Oakenshield." The wizard announced. Bella's eyes widen slightly, she had heard that name before in stories of when he faced the Pale Orc. 

" And are you capable of fighting?" He asked her. The young woman had barely even twitched her eye at his question and answered with a calm voice.

" I know my way around a sword and a bow." She informed. not even showing an ounce of hesitation. Thorin continued to stare at her. It made no sense to him how someone with her beauty would be out here in the wild alone. He was sure she belonged to someone and he suddenly felt the need to convince her that it would be too dangerous for her to come.

" You do realize, we will be traveling long hours each day" He began wondering if it was working, but her expression hadn't changed. "On dangerous roads." he added.

" If your trying to scar me, off this journey. It's not going to work. I don't scare that easily."Bella stated firmly. 

" I'm just telling you, what to expect on this quest. Just because your a woman, doesn't mean we'll be going at your pace." 

" I can keep up. It wont be a problem." She assured him. 

" What made you agree to come on this quest?" Thorin wondered. 

" I owed a promise to a friend and I keep my promises." He nodded to her that, that was a fair enough answer and he sat back down in his seat and she took one between two of the dwarves. The dwarves had introduced themselves to her and welcomed her to the company. They began discussing the quest. Oin was telling everyone of the prophecy and about an ancient dragon and the woman swallowed when Bofur had dared to speak of that terrible beast's name.

The hobbit was growing frightened, regretting that he had asked. He was growing paler as the dwarf continued. It then came to the contract. Bella signed hers, knowing what she was signing up for. The hobbit needed to do more extensive reading just what this quest all implied. The wizard had informed them that the hobbit was the burglar to steal what, the woman had no idea. Bilbo had begun to panic as he read the contract out loud and he fainted and hit the ground. 

The wizard walked the hobbit, when he finally woken up over to his chair near the hearth and tried to convince him to come with them. The dwarves had mingled around the home, some raiding the hobbit's ale, others were discussing the quest. The woman was curled up in a chair with a blanket reading a book. Thorin and Balin were down the hall, looking at her curiously, especially the leader he had never met a woman that was so strong willed and he even noticed she could be a bit stubborn as well. 

Bella turned to see the hobbit storming down the hall towards the room. She didn't have to guess to realize the hobbit would not be joining them. The dwarves had begun to gather in the room with the hearth. Thorin was the last to go in, glancing at the woman briefly before entering. They soon were beginning to sing. Bella heard Thorin's voice the clearest. His voice sounded beautiful to her ears, it was deep and gentle and she swear she could hear a hint of pain in certain parts of the song and eventually she fell asleep, knowing they had an early start tomorrow if they wanted to make it to their destination in time before Durin's Day to open the door into the mountain and the dwarves soon passed out not long after the woman.