Bring On The Wonder[Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter Four: Stubborn Dwarves

Morning came quicker than the woman wanted. After hearing the old dwarf's tail of a tragic battle long ago, it was all she thought about and the pale orc. She had a terrifying feeling that the pale orc, wasn't as dead as the dwarves had believed him to be and she didn't know what she would do if she ever came face to face with this creature. It was beginning to rain and the dwarves moaned and groaned as they quickly packed up. The company mounted onto their ponies and started trudging through the forest on the muddy pathway the wizard was leading them on. 

" Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori complained like a little child. Bella rolled her eyes. She was quite fond of the feeling of rain hitting against her bare skin. The woman was only one of the few that kept her hood off her head.

" It is raining, master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Bella clarified, looking behind to the dwarf in question. Thorin was riding along beside, glaring at her discreetly as he agreed to his impression of her in his head; she was indeed a cheeky young lass and he allowed her to come along? What was he thinking?

"Thank you Bella, for that. " The wizard agreed. Little rain did no harm to anyone. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf barked as Dori let out a defeated huff. The hobbit seemed to perk his interest with wanting to know more about other's of his species. 

"You must be a ray of sunshine among your people." Thorin grumbled as he scanned the area of forest they were going through. 

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen my people in a very long time." She admitted, and he looked back in her direction. He was surprised to say the least. 

"Why not?" 

Bella looked forward remembering the day she left and the reason. She was quiet for the longest time. The dwarf starring at her with intense eyes, waiting for an answer. " Perhaps that conversation is better left for another time." She declared, not wanting to discuss this any further and she nudged her pony to go a little faster, leaving Thorin wondering what she was about to say but failed to let it come out. 

They company traveled for a couple more hours, Bella had avoided any eye contact with the leader, since he asked her "Why?" The weather had finally turned around in their favor and the rain cleared up, but it wasn't enough to dry off their drenched supplies. 

Thorin had taken over leading the way, while the wizard fell behind, chatting with the hobbit and occasionally glancing at the young woman, who seemed oddly quiet since the early morning. Bella looked up to see they were coming into a place that was overgrown with grass and weeds, surrounded in run's and what looked to be left of what was once a home. There clearly wasn't any signs of life in the immediate area, which didn't sit well with Bella, as she looked the area over, hoping they would keep going, at least until they were away from this area. 

"We'll camp here for the night." Thorin informed. Bella let out a sigh, she really hoped he wouldn't say that.

"We should keep going." 

Thorin turned her direction and nudged his pony over to hers. "Why's that?" He questioned.

"This place doesn't look safe." She admitted. Bilbo was hiding his face, so the leader wouldn't noticed he was listening. Thorin looked the area over once more, not seeing what their was to be worried about. They hadn't seen so much as bird in the sky for miles, the other's didn't seem bothered by this location. 

"We are staying here." Thorin declared and then turned to his nephews. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." He ordered, getting off his mount so it could get some food and rest and he walked towards the broken home, where the wizard was standing under. Once the dwarf was out of earshot of her, she huffed. No one ever seemed to listen to her. "Oin, Gloin."

"Aye." Gloin acknowledged. 

"Get a fire going." He pressed. 

"Right ya are." Gloin agreed. He looked to their supplies. The pieces of wood he carried with them were still drenched from the rain. They would have to go into the forest to get dry stuff, if they were to get a fire going right away. 

"I think it would be wiser to move on." Gandalf urged as Thorin joined him.

"You sound like Bella over there." Thorin informed, glancing at the young woman as she chatted with the hobbit and Balin while the others removed the supplies off the backs of the ponies. The wizard snorted at that remark.

"She has good instincts. You should trust her judgement." The wizard stated and the dwarf looked away from the wizard, pacing around. "Just like I know she would agree we make for the Hidden Valley."

"And I have told you already; I will not go near that place." He growled.

"Why not?" The wizard demanded as if he didn't know the answer already. " The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice." 

"I do not need their advice." The dwarf prince hissed and the wizard was slowly losing his patience's with him. 

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us." 

"Help?" Thorin interrupted, not seeing it as that. The only thing he saw when anything came to the elves, was how they left his people to die."A dragon attacks Erebor. What help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls. The elves looked on and did nothing." He snapped at the old man and stepped closer to him. "And you ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather. Who betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them." Gandalf reminded him. "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past." He retorted. 

"I did not know that they were yours to keep." Thorin snarled. The two of them glared at each other for a few seconds and the wizard huffed, feeling angry and disappointed with the dwarf and he stormed towards the others as Thorin watched. 

Bella looked up from her spot beside Balin to see Gandalf's clearly annoyed face. "Everything all right? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked, in a worried tone.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." The wizard snap, not even hiding his frustrations. Bella raised an eyebrow, 'Was the wizard seriously abandoning them already?' The woman wondered as she turned in Thorin's direction. Clearly he was the cause of the wizard's sudden anger. Thorin looked right at her, the wizard's leaving, didn't have any affect to him.

"And who's that?" Bilbo asked, still confused about what had just happen.

"Myself, Mr. Baggins!" Gandalf bellowed as he pushed his walked passed the last dwarf and continued to stomp towards the bushes. " I've had enough of dwarves for one day." The wizard grumbled and he vanished into the thickness of the bushes and Bella began to think they would be on their own from here, all because the dwarf's pride took over and would not listen to a single word the wizard said. 

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin grumbled.

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked, looking at Bella and Balin. Bella looked at the elder dwarf who let out a sigh, even he didn't know if the wizard would be coming back and Bella left to help Bombur get a meal prepared.