Love Takes Flight (Kili Fanfiction - Book 1) - SLOWLY EDITING!!

Chapter 4 - Discussing the Journey

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked Thorin as they all sat around the table.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin replied, eating some of his soup.

"And what did the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" I heard Dwalin ask. Walking into the sitting room, I handed Bilbo a cup of tea before sitting down across from him.

"They will not come," answered Thorin, grimly. "They say this quest is ours and ours alone." I got up, walking towards where they all sat.

"You're going on a quest?" I asked, trying not to intrude too much.

Gandalf turned around to look at me, "Almithara, my dear Lady, let us have a little more light." I nodded and went to retrieve another candle as Gandalf spoke to the Dwarves. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak." Gandalf laid a map down on the table and I looked at it over Thorin's shoulder.

"The Lonely Mountain," I read, setting the candle down.

"Aye, Oin has read the portents and the portents say it is time," Gloin announced. I turned away, listening in on what was being said.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold. 'When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end,'" Oin says, quoting the portents.

"Uh, what beast?" I turned back around to see Bilbo standing in the doorway behind Gandalf.

"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible. Chiefest and greatest calamity of our age," Bofur explained, "airborne fire-breather. Teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes, he knows what a dragon is," I barked.

"I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!" Ori exclaimed, before being dragged down by one of his older siblings, Dori.

Balin spoke up, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last Dwarf," spoke Fili.

"And you forget, we have a Wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time," Kili added to his brother's statement.

The Wizard started to protest, but Dori cut him off, "How many then?"

"What?"

"How many dragons have you killed?" Everyone stared at Gandalf, who choked on the smoke from his pipe. "Go on. Give us a number." The Dwarves started arguing, making it very loud in the small house. I wrapped an arm around Bilbo as he leaned against me for support. Thorin shouted something in Dwarvish and they all became quiet, sitting back down in their seats.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?"

The Dwarves started cheering, but was interrupted by Balin, "You forget, the Front Gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf held up a key.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked, mesmerized by the thing.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now," Gandalf proclaimed, slowly handing the key over.

"If there is a key, there must be a door," implied Fili.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the Lower Halls," Gandalf began to explain.

"There's another way in," Kili reported. Something about the look on his face warmed my heart. I realized I was staring at him and looked away to see if anyone had noticed. Bilbo had a sly grin on his face and was looking at me. He had noticed. A blush slowly made its way onto my face.

"Well, if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gandalf sighed, "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage." He looked up at me briefly before looking away. "But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar," Ori proposed.

"And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine," I piped up, still holding Bilbo up.

Gloin looked at me, "And are you?"

I looked behind me, confused. "Am I what?"

"She says she's an expert!" Oin exclaimed.

"Me? No. No, no. I'm not a burglar. I gave up on that life a long time ago," I emphasized to them.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Almithara. She's hardly burglar material." I silently thanked Balin for agreeing with me.

"Aye, the wild is no place for a Lady, who can neither fight nor fend for herself," Dwalin added. I was about to protest when Gandalf stood up.

"Enough! If I say Almithara is a burglar, then a burglar she is. Elves are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose."

"But the dragon is accustomed to the smell of Elves. What makes her so different?" Kili questioned. I looked over at Gandalf, worried. Usually when I tell people about what I can do, they run away, scared.

"There is more than meets the eye with this She-Elf. She can transform herself into other creatures. Almithara is half Elf, half Shape Shifter. The scent of a Shifter is unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage." I tried to protest, but Gandalf didn't give me a chance to get a word in. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Almithara. I knew her mother. She was a strong woman and a very good fighter. Some of which she has passed on to her daughter. There's a lot more to her than appearances suggest. And she's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including herself." He looked down at me, but I was lost in thought, thinking about my mother. He had known her. But how? "You must trust me on this."

"Very well. Give her the contract," Thorin said to Balin.

Balin stood up, handing me folded up parchment, "It's just the usual. Summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, and so forth." I let go of Bilbo so I could look through it.

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo asked, coming to look over my shoulder at the contract.

"Terms: cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one-fourteenth of total profit, if any. Seems fair. Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof, including, but not limited to lacerations, evisceration," I muttered, so only Bilbo and I could hear. "Incineration?" I asked, incredulously, walking closer to where Gandalf sat.

"Aye. He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," Bofur suggested. I looked over at Bilbo, who looked sickened and like he was about to pass out.

"Are you alright, Bilbo?" I asked him. He nodded slowly.

"Think furnace with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof. You're nothing more than a pile of ash," I prayed Bofur would stop talking, but he kept going on. Bilbo fell to the floor and I quickly rushed over to him.

Author's Note:

Photo is of Almithara. I would've liked it to be colored, but this works. Just picture her with green eyes and white blonde hair.

I OWN NOTHING BUT MY CHARACTERS!!