The Elf, the Hobbit and the Dwarf - Book 1 NEW VERSION

The Hobbit

Míriel could scarcely fathom what she was going to do, and even though she still had some time to think about it she could not see a reason not to go. Míriel had been dreaming of an adventure for 2000 years and this was something new, something that no one would expect of an Elf lady. There was an opportunity to grow on this quest and see things that Míriel had only ever read about it books. She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted this and even though her reasons might have seemed selfish she did truly want to help the Dwarves reclaim Erebor as well. It would have been their home if it hadn't been taken so many years ago; some of the Dwarves hadn't even been born yet back when it was claimed.

Erebor had been the Dwarf Kingdom that Thorin's grandfather Thrór had ruled in. It had been destroyed and taken by the dragon Smaug 60 years ago and was now nothing but a ruin and a place no one ventured. As soon as the Dwarves told her about it she opened a book and read all about the story through the night. It made her see why the Dwarves seemed to despise Elves as much as they did, for the stories told that the Elf-king Thranduíl of the Woodland Realm had seen the Dwarves of Durin suffer from the dragon, but did not come to their aid when they were in the greatest need. Míriel assumed that he had reasons for it, but still understood why the Dwarves hated him and his kin since it was a betrayal by a former ally. This could be Míriel's chance to prove that there were good in Elves and that she was willing to help them reclaim their homeland.

The Dwarves had assured Míriel that this was the right time to enter as they had found a way into Erebor. They had to arrive at the entrance before the last light of Durin's day which was when the entrance would show itself to them. Dwarf doors were invisible, so there was no other time they could go. Besides that, the Dwarves had seen signs that now was the time to reclaim Erebor - that the birds had started to return to the mountain and that the dragon had not been seen for years. If they managed to get in, they would be able to summon the rest of their kin who would help them when they had something valuable from inside the mountain to show that Thorin was indeed their new king. The Arkenstone it was called - the heart of the mountain and the stone which would enable Thorin to rule again.

There would be thirteen of them, and one of her, and the journey would not be short. So far, Míriel had properly met and spoken to every one of them except Thorin and Balin. She knew that Balin was the oldest of them all and the one who had known Thorin for the longest. He had fought in the war of Moria where Thrór, Thorin's grandfather, had been killed. His brother was Dwalin and their cousin was Glóin. Bombur and Bofur were brothers and their cousin were Bifur, the strange one with an axe in his head. Ori, Nori and Dori were all brothers, as were the two young Dwarves Fíli and Kíli. Fíli was the oldest of the two, and they were Thorin's sister's sons.

For Míriel, the night had been short, and the sun was soon rising over Rivendell in the early morning. She walked quietly out of her chamber, seeing that it was quite empty everywhere. Her eyes spotted something small, though, a Hobbit wearing a red coat. It was Bilbo, and he was walking around in Rivendell as he seemed quite pleased about being there. A look of awe was on his face as he smiled and let his eyes travel over the city, before stopping at a balcony to look at the beautiful view. Míriel saw how Elrond came up behind Bilbo, and she heard them speak to each other.

"Not with your companions?" Elrond said to Bilbo who looked up at the great Elf with slight admiration. The height difference was large between them, Bilbo barely reached the Elf-lord to the waist but at the same time, he looked as if he could be the same age as Elrond, perhaps ever a little older. Míriel had never met a Hobbit before she met Bilbo Baggins, but Gandalf seemed very fond of them. He often visited the Shire, where Bilbo Baggins lived and he had chosen Bilbo for the quest for a reason - to be a burglar.

"Eh... I shan't be missed," Bilbo said and chuckled slightly. "The truth is that most of them don't think I should be on this journey."

Míriel frowned and wondered why he would say that. From what she had heard from the Dwarves, they quite admired the little Hobbit and they clearly liked him. Fíli and Kíli never stopped talking about how he had saved them from the trolls or that Bilbo wanted to go all the way back to the Shire only because he forgot his handkerchief. Míriel had to remind herself to tell Bilbo how much they liked him when she spoke to him later because she did not want him to feel that way at all.