The Hobbit: An Unexpected Discovery

Chapter One: The Prancing Pony

It was a dark and stormy night, as Gandalf the grey and his travelling companion of the past century stumbled into The Prancing Pony. Unlike most wizards, who were often accustomed to travelling across middle earth with nothing but their thoughts for company, Gandalf the Grey never went anywhere without the presence of a companion of sort. For the past century, he had chosen none other than Faerydae. Not only was she his closest friend but she was the daughter of the esteemed lady Galadriel, who had placed her under Gandalf's care and Gandalf under hers, after the death of Fae's sister- the lady of Rivendell, Celebrían.

"Is that him?" Faerydae asked, looking up at the esteemed wizard, gazing at a dwarf who sat hunched over a meal of bread and ale. "Indeed. My dear Fae, this will be no easy task. We must approach this with the greatest caution." Fae nodded in agreement at the wizard who was almost three times her size. She was short for an elf. Too short. If not for her ears and spritely nature she could almost be mistaken for a dwarf. Not only was she not an elf when it came to her figure, but her mannerisms were often known throughout middle earth as most un-elf like. She spoke the language yes, she fought with the same skill and agility too, however she had the powers of a wizard, and the dining and social habits of a dwarf. For these reasons, she was considered an outsider by every species. None of them detested her, in fact everyone she met fell under her charms almost instantly- a trick she had learned from her mother- but with the same token no species adopted her as their own.

Fae nudged Gandalf out of his trance, indicating two men who were heading towards Thorin. Gandalf, noticing them for the first time hurriedly plopped himself in the empty seat in front of the Dwarf prince.

"Mind if we join you?"

The prince raised his eyes and glanced at the strangers suspiciously before offering the chair next to him to Faerydae.

"I should introduce myself. My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey. And this is my good friend the Lady Faerydae." At the mention of her name Fae bowed her head in a slight nod towards the prince. "I know who you are." Thorin said before returning to his meal. Gandalf, looking pleased at this statement, smiled at Fae before turning once again to Thorin

"Well now! This is a fine chance. What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?"

"I received word that my father had been seen wandering the Wilds near Dunland. I went looking, and found no sign of him." At this Fae reached out and placed a Hand on the young prince's arm. "Thorin, it's been a long time since anything but rumour was heard of Thrain." She muttered "He still lives; I am sure of it." He said jerking his arm away from her touch and turning his attention back to Gandalf "My father came to see you before he went missing. What did you say to him?"

"We urged him to march upon Erebor; to rally the seven armies of the dwarves, to destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain." Gandalf said.

"And we would say the same to you. Take back your homeland." Fae chipped in, Thorin's attention being once again drawn back to her.

"This is no chance meeting, is it, Gandalf?" Thorin said, his eyes still resting on Fae's face.

"No, it is not. The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later, darker minds will turn toward Erebor."

"I ran into some unsavoury characters whilst traveling along the Greenway. They mistook me for a vagabond." Fae muttered, staring once again at the man situated behind Thorin.

"I imagine they regretted that." The Prince chuckled. Gandalf, also noticing the man, produced what looked to be an old rag. On it lay a message written in a language unbeknown to Thorin. He reached his hand out inquisitively, touching the edge of the cloth

"One of them was carrying a message."

"It is Black Speech." Thorin's hand jerked away from the cloth at her words. "Promise of payment."

"For what?"

"Your head." Gandalf said. "Someone wants you dead. Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves. Together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families. Demand they stand by their oaths." Thorin shook his head and sat further forward in his chair.

"The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's Jewel, the Arkenstone! It is the only thing that will unite them, and in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug."

"What if we were to help you to reclaim it?" Thorin, once again, shook his head in disbelief at her words.

"How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."

"Yes, it does, which is why we are going to need a burglar."