A Thousand Miles[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Four]

The sun was just beginning to shine through the home of the hobbit. Alyndra was already up and had her stuff ready to go. Dwalin decided to keep his distance from the woman, but still keep a close eye on her encase she tried to slit anyone else's throat in the night when they were sleeping. " Where's the hobbit?" Alyndra asked no one in particular.

" He will not be joining us." Thorin grumbled, walking passed her, not surprised at all the Halfling decided not to come. He had a home.The dwarves didn't. They were used to surviving in the wild. This hobbit probably never even ventured passed his gate.

" Your still coming with us aren't you?" Kili asked, sneaking up behind her and his uncle. She glanced at the young dwarf, surprised any of them were worried if shed still be continuing on with them.

" Of course, I did promise the wizard I would help with this quest." She reminded. Kili smiled and went outside with the others to load their stuff on the ponies that awaited them. Alyndra formed a smile on her face finding herself actually liking a dwarf.

" Help distract us, maybe." Thorin hissed under his breath as he walked in front of her. But with Alyndra's animal hearing, she caught every word and she narrowed her eyes at him, when he had his back to her.

" I heard that." She sneered. He hadn't turned around, but was surprised. He swear that he was only thinking it. How did she hear him barely mumble, when the others around him hadn't heard him. She couldn't be an elf? She was as short as them. He turned around to look at her, acting like he hadn't said anything. It was then he finally noticed her beautiful big brown eyes and he had to blink a few times and look at the ground before she notice his deep stare.

" I don't know what your talking about." Thorin pressed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

" Oh. Didn't you just say, I'm here to distract you all, well don't worry none of you interest me. So you don't have to worry about me, fluttering my eyes at you or your other comrades. I'm only here to help you reclaim your homeland, and after that I'm gone and none of you will have to be distracted by me again." She snapped and brushed past Thorin, and she walked out the gate, with her stuff, cursing in her mind.

" What was that about laddie?" Balin asked, raising an eyebrow up at the prince, with a slight smirk spreading on his face. Thorin glared at the woman that was standing with the others passed the gate, and only thinking what a major pain she was going to be. Alyndra climbed onto a pony. The dwarves were right behind her, already making bets, thinking the hobbit wasn't going to show, except for the wizard and Alyndra. They both bet that he would change his mind and would be coming running behind them.

They made their way out of the Shire, down the road. The hobbit's were just making their way out of there homes, looking at the strange travelers coming through their village, wondering what on earth they were doing here. The wizard was beside the woman, noticing her frustrated face. " Your getting along quite well with these dwarves." Gandalf stated, with a smirk and quickly fell when he saw her expression.

" I would have preferred flying then being on the ground with these rude, arrogant, messy, stubborn dwarves." She hissed under her breath for only him to hear. The wizard had a feeling she was directing this statement at the leader the most.

" Alyndra, in time you'll get used to them." The wizard insisted.

" I don't want to get used to them." She growled, and he left that subject alone. Instead they decided to talk about her scouting the area at night after they set up camp and the others were asleep and she agreed. The sky would be her only escape from these dwarves until this journey was over.

The had entered the forest. The dwarves were complaining as usual about everything. Alyndra shook her head at this nonesense, wishing she could be up in the sky now where it was peaceful and free and not be down on the ground listening to their misery. Their bickering was short lived when they heard a familiar voice shouting not far behind them. " Wait!" The dwarves, the woman and wizard stopped their ponies and looked behind them to see who it was." Wait!" the familiar voice shouted again. The most surprised one out of the company was the leader himself. He was sure the hobbit wouldn't show. His fainting spell he had the other night was proof, it took as much as an old scary story to spook this hobbit, he could only imagine what the hobbit would do if he was faced with the real thing.

Alyndra and the wizard were not surprised, but happy the burglar had indeed, put his fears behind and came after them to be apart of this journey. It would also give the woman someone else to talk to besides the wizard, who was already starting to annoy her with his much unappreciated riddle talk. " Bilbo, you came." Alyndra stated, with a smile on her face. He nodded to her, smiling back at her, feeling relieved that she was at least happy to see him.

" I signed it!" Bilbo exclaimed, as he walked up to Balin, waving his contract in the air and handed it to the older dwarf to look it over to make sure everything was in order.

" Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Balin stated and he received a few cheers from the other dwarves. Thorin was not overly impressed with this, since he had joined in on this bet and lost against the woman.

" Give him a pony." The dwarf grumbled.

" You should be happy he showed up, you have your burglar." Alyndra growled, making him look in her direction. "You dwarf brat." She hissed quietly.

"Oh Alyndra, you worry me sometimes." Gandalf sighed, wondering if these two would ever get along before this journey was over. The hobbit was trying to convince the dwarves that he would prefer to do this long journey on foot, but the two brothers snuck up behind him and pulled him by his clothing up onto a pony. The day grew hot, the wizard had left the woman's side, to let her be and cool down from her frustrations with the dwarf prince and went to keep the hobbit company.

It was getting close to evening and the prince decided they had traveled far enough for the first night and they set up camp near a cliff and he instructed some of the dwarves to get wood for a fire and Bombur to prepare stew for dinner.