A Better Place - The Hobbit Fanfiction

Alternate Entry Two - New People

>I will shortly be editing this section and the next to reflect the movie's portrayal of Dain, since I believe he will add more color to the story, and because I was having a hard time characterizing my version of Dain anyway. Since Dain has thus far played such a small part in Mabyn's story I won't be leaving up the original version of the parts in which he intereacted with her.<

I dove back into the mountain and opened my mouth. “Bilbo! Bombur! Where’s the food? I’m hungry.” Those boys kept a close eye on our food sources, so they were guaranteed to know where to get me something to eat. That and they were the ones most likely to be concerned about my lack of food intake. I was glad to reward their friendship with some excess intake, if we had the supplies for it.

“Over here, lass!” called Bombur from a lower stair that crossed underneath mine. I searched, and he raised and arm and waved.

I waved back. “How do I get over there?”

“Go back the way you came and down the next staircase to your right, you’ll come down this way.” I did as he suggested and came out running on the lower staircase.

“Bombur, you promised food, where’s the food?”

He chortled. “I haven’t promised you anything yet lass! Come along, we’ll get you sorted out.” He led me onward and I skipped at his side.

“How are your new quarters?” I asked him as we bustled along. “What do they look like? Someone was talking to me when I was unconscious about how you were all being organized into actual homes within the mountain so you wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. But they must be covered in dust, right?”

Bombur shook his head under the weight and speed of my questions. “Lass, you astound me. Was your tongue always this swift?”

“My whole being is swift, when I’m healthy and happy,” I said with a grin. “The happier I am the faster I talk.”

“Well, if you are so fascinated by the goings-on of the new Erebor that you missed, you shall be pleased to know that even if you haven’t seen them yet there has been constant cleaning going on.” We passed through a heavy wall—one which must be connected to the outside on some length, on account of the cold that radiated off of it—and Bombur threw out a heavy hand.

As we passed the wall’s threshold the sound of the workers beyond it in one of the vast, main halls reached us, and I went to the railing and stared, astounded. The hall was wide enough and tall enough that I imagined there would be barely any room in the mountain to fit anything else. It was filled, to my opinion. With dwarf men and women sweeping, mopping, moving debris, and picking dirt that Smaug had tracked in out of the grooves in the stone floor. I tugged Bombur’s sleeve. “I want to help. I’m strong now. I’m not afraid of heights either. There’s dust been shaken all over the walls from the mountain’s quaking, I can get up there.”

Bombur nodded. “I’ll mention it.”

I yanked his sleeve again as we continued walking, more urgently this time. “Who is in charge now? Now that….” Both of us dampened.

Bombur took in a deep breath. “That’ll be Dain of the Iron Hills. Many of the people of the Iron Hills and the Blue Mountains and elsewhere are already making the pilgrimage to refill Erebor. Gloin will be going soon to retrieve his own family.”

I nodded. “I should like to meet them. Do the rest of you have families?”

“Half of us came in particular because we didn’t.”

“And the other half?”

“For love of the mountain,” he answered simply. “For love of Thorin. Love of a quest. There’s little dwarves like better than gold but a quest comes close.”