June 19, 2015: This imagine was requested by @EmilyMaurer. Thank you! In this imagine, you will find that I included a name (as it was requested). You will also find that some aspects do not correlate with true fact, but rather for illustrative purposes. But read along anyways!

You, Elenwen, find yourself at The Prancing Pony and meet a stranger that's a lot closer to you than expected.

Stepping over dried leaves, Elenwen heard the individual crunch every single one made. This made her even more tense as she roamed the streets of a foreign city, Bree, to search for The Inn of the Prancing Pony.

Elenwen knew that her short dwarven stature was attracting the attention of shady strangers lurking around corners, in between dark allies, and almost every open place imaginable. Shuddering at the thought that anything should happen to her, Elenwen quickened her stride underneath the dark, starless sky.

Seeing the Prancing Pony sign dancing in the wind, Elenwen stepped toward the scratched, old wooden door and slowly opened it to reveal an innkeeper wiping down the counter in front of him and men laughing with merriment inside.

Elenwen walked inside and shut the door abruptly behind her.

Strolling toward the front counter where the innkeeper was at, the innkeeper noticed her and said, "My name's Barliman Butterbur. What can I do for you, sir?"

Elenwen removed her cloak's hood from her head to reveal her feminine face. Barliman quickly apologized. "Miss, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"It's fine." Elenwen interrupted the friendly innkeeper, who nodded, waiting for her to speak. "I'm here to meet my brother Bofur. Do you know where I might find him?"

Barliman scratched his beard. "I'm afraid I don't know any dwarf by the name of Bofur. I'll check the registry." he said as he left to go find the book of people who had stayed at the inn on the other side of the counter.

While waiting, Elenwen turned to face the people inside of the dining room part of the inn.

Elenwen saw the usual - drunk men, loud friends, and a few quiet individuals who just wanted to get away.

However, in the right-hand corner of the room, Elenwen caught the dark eyes of a hooded stranger gazing at her. They stared at each other for a few mere seconds until Barliman appeared with a frown on his face, his voice causing her to turn her attention to him and rip her eyes away from the stranger. "I don't have any Bofur in the book of registry." Barliman spoke. "But you can stay here or get a room, and I'll let you know when he arrives." Barliman smiled as he told Elenwen with kindness.

Elenwen returned his smile. "I'll just take an ale, if that's alright."

"Certainly." Barliman left to go fill a mug with ale.

Searching for a spot to sit, Elenwen avoided all people - to make herself distinctively known when Bofur would arrive.

The only available spot that didn't have a hoard of people gathered around was the corner. Elenwen made her way over to the isolated corner, stepping over passed out men and squeezing through crowds.

Once she reached the spot, she pulled out a chair, winced at the loud sound it made when it was dragged across the wooden floor, and plopped herself down.

Barliman appeared with her ale moments later and informed her that a dwarf had came to him, saying that he knew another dwarf by the name of Bofur.

Elenwen scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, "I don't know many other dwarves, even though I am one." Bofur had made sure that she grew up isolated from other dwarves, or any other people for that matter. The only person Elenwen could vividly recall from her childhood was her caretaker, an old maiden. All acquaintances from meeting new people she had now was a result of her adulthood, and Bofur not being able to contain her in a small cottage in the woods. "Who is he?" she asked.

"He's over there." Barliman motioned toward the opposite corner of where she was sitting at. Stretching her neck to see who resided over in the corner like herself, Elenwen saw the man who had been staring at her. His hood was still on and shadows were cast upon his face, making it nearly impossible to see him.

Elenwen fidgeted with her own cloak. Surely he wouldn't try to do anything whilst in a crowded tavern?

Casting aside the fear that had been placed upon her as a child about the outside world and wicked people, Elenwen said for Barliman to send him over to her table.

Still looking at the stranger and paying attention to the conversation he was having with the innkeeper, Barliman pointed at Elenwen and nodded, indicating that she would allow him to talk to her.

Elenwen took a deep breath, expecting a silent drunkard to appear before to start some sort of scuffle.

As the man approached her with quick, confident strides, she could tell that he truly was a dwarf, with his height. Letting out a long sigh, the man pulled out the chair and said down.

After a few pauses, Elenwen spoke. "Are you going to remove your hood? I can't see your face at all."

The man still was silent and removed his hood slowly.

Elenwen gasped when she recognized the face.

"Thorin, is it really you?"

Elenwen had remembered Bofur's friend, Thorin from a past time. He had talked about one day being 'king under the mountain' as a child, which stuck out to Elenwen, as she had no idea of his lineage.

Thorin nodded, and Elenwen noticed he had scars that were visible on his lower arms and hands, with a few on his face. This might detest people viewing him as handsome, but Elenwen thought that the scars brought out the masculine features he possessed, making him look rugged and strong.

Brought out of her own thoughts, she heard him speak in a low, gruff voice. "I have reclaimed the Lonely Mountain."

"Is that where your home is?" Elenwen asked, making sure that she had his background correct.

"Yes." Thorin let out an exasperated sigh. "I remember that we used to play together as children, and that your brother, Bofur, has gone on the quest with me. You see, your brother made me promise him that if we defeated Smaug and successfully reclaimed the mountain, you would get to go live with him under the Lonely Mountain. We did succeed, so I would like to invite you to live under the mountain with your brother and more of our kind."

Elenwen was speechless. Her brother had gone on a dangerous quest, defying every rule that Bofur has lain down for her, they had reclaimed the mountain, and Bofur had surely planned for her to meet Thorin in his place; therefore, Elenwen had just been invited by Thorin himself to dwell within the halls of Erebor.

But was that what she wanted, going with Thorin back to the Lonely Mountain - to dwell within the suffocating walls of stone with the possibility of the company being only that of the male population? ((A/N: I'm not trying to offend anyone, but it's awkward for most people in this situation.))

Finally, Elenwen composed herself and asked the only reasonable question a person in her situation would ask. "Do I not have a choice?"

Thorin raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to live in the Lonely Mountain?"

Elenwen awkwardly shuffled in the stiff chair. "I mean, it's not exactly the home I had in mind."

Thorin's face was slowly turning red with rage. "It's not exactly the home I had in mind?!"

Elenwen started to scoot her chair back, to avoid an angry Thorin.

"Thorin," Elenwen started. "I didn't mean to upset you. But you know how I lived my childhood - confined within a house in the woods. I'm not sure I want to go back to living within within constricting walls just yet."

Thorin crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll wait until you accept my offer."

"You're really stubborn, aren't you?" Elenwen chuckled, even though she was still slightly mad that Thorin had thought she would jump into his arms and go to live in the Lonely Mountain.

Thorin nodded.

***

Three ales and one loaf of bread later, Elenwen had grown increasingly frustrated with Thorin, who wasn't allowing her to let her refuse his offer.

"Why can't I simply go on my way and wander from place to place like I have been?" Elenwen raised her voice.

Thorin responded in a calm manner, saying, "You're not thinking in your right mind. You have had too many ales to drink."

Elenwen scoffed. "I've had more ales than this before. Why do you want to force me to go with you?"

"You are insulting my home. If you only saw how beautiful it is, you would love it." replied Thorin.

"Fine." Elenwen crossed her arms. "Take me to your house."

"Home," Thorin corrected her.

***

As the ponies came to a stop, Elenwen's mouth was agape when she saw the enormous mountain in front of her.

"Elenwen, let's keep on moving." Thorin said, bringing his pony to a medium-speed trot. "We're almost to the front gate."

Still staring at the Lonely Mountain, Elenwen took her pony and brought it up beside Thorin's.

After going around a hundred more yards, the front entrance was coming into sight. Elenwen heard the rush of the river by the cobblestone path they were taking that had emerged into her view; she smelt the fresh water and felt at peace, for she remembered her familiarity with nature from her childhood.

Elenwen turned her attention to the iron gate in of front her. The walls were fortified and secure, surely being able to withstand an attack if need be.

When Thorin called out to the guards to open the gate, she heard the gate mechanisms cranking and turning. The gate opened from the middle, dividing itself into two and opening outward from there on.

The gate was now fully opened and Thorin and Elenwen maneuvered through it. Behind the gate, there was a similar path to the one in front, except it led into the main chamber of the mountain.

The main chamber was elaborate, with marble pillars reaching up to the full height of the mountain. The floors looked like they had been dipped into a pot of gold; they were shiny and gold-tinted, allowing you to see a distorted image of yourself.

Elenwen dismounted off of her pony, and Thorin had stable boys take away the ponies.

She spun around a few times to see the ceiling and to get the full view of the mountain.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Elenwen stated in awe.

Thorin laughed heartily. "No, this is my kingdom and, if you want, it shall be yours as well."

Elenwen, having her decision made, ran to Thorin and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd love to live here." she said quietly, realizing the close distance between her and Thorin.

Thorin's lips crept into a smile as he leaned forward to kiss the beautiful dwarf.

Their lips locked and it seemed as if nothing was there, except for them.

As the pulled away, they both instantaneously started laughing with happiness.

***

Present

"Mom, was that really what happened to make you fall in love with Dad?" asked Elenwen's son.

She smiled. "Yes, it was."

"Do you have any other stories about you and Dad?" he said while Elenwen picked him up and sat him on her lap.

"Where do I begin?"