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THE DOOR IS OPENED TO REVEAL THE DWARF PRINCE, Thorin Oakenshield with an unimpressed scowl upon his face; the eldest of the Dwarves within the home of Bilbo Baggins. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door," Thorin spoke roughly as he pulled his cloak from his body passing it off to one of the Dwarves.

"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!" Bilbo exclaimed but Maristela had seen the blue rune herself and knew her father was responsible. "There is a mark; I put it there myself," Gandalf replied to Bilbo before he continued, "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Maristela noticed the slight glint of anxiety in her father's eyes and knew he was worried.

"So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asked Bilbo who looked confused. "Pardon me?" Bilbo questioned but Thorin brushed it aside with another question, "Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Maristela pulled her own blade from her boot and began twisting it in her hands, She watched from the back of the room though she felt eyes on her.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," Bilbo replied to Thorin with furrowed brows, The response was clearly not what Thorin wanted to hear. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar," Thorin said to Gandalf who wasn't happy with Thorin's words, nor was Bilbo who felt insulted by it. The Dwarves had laughed at their King's words before they all sat at the table again.

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin questioned his King with hopeful eyes. "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin answered him, The Dwarves all murmured their joy. "What do the Dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin asked next, his body straightened awaiting the response of his King. "They will not come," Thorin informed him causing the Dwarves to deflate, they weren't expecting that.

"They say the quest is ours, and ours alone," Thorin added causing the Dwarves to murmur in disappointment, Maristela bowing her head knowing the importance of this. "You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked with interest. "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," Gandalf requested. Bilbo brings a candle to the table where Gandalf has spread out a map that had been resting safely in his pocket.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak," Gandalf explained as Maristela let her eyes wander over the map, she recognized all of the places on it had seen her fair share of maps and despite being alive for a very long time, she had yet to see all of Middle Earth; the dangers too great of a risk, especially the Orcs and shadows.

"The Lonely Mountain," Bilbo read out, the Dwarves smiling fondly at the mention of the familiar Mountain that many hadn't been able to see due to being born after its fall to Smuag. "Aye. Óin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time," Glóin spoke up from where he sat. "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," Óin announced.

"Uh, what beast?" Bilbo inquired making Maristela smirk, She had seen a great Firedrake before; Not Smaug but another who was merely a child compared to the dragon that took over the halls of Erebor. "Well, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age," Bofur began explaining to the Hobbit, "Airborn fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals--"

Bilbo cut Bofur off, "Yes, I know what a dragon is." Maristela shook her head before locking eyes with Gandalf, The wizard knew she would be happy to join the company but she knew he needed that Hobbit to come along. "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!" Ori exclaimed as he stood from his seat, Dori demanding him to sit down with an unimpressed expression.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest," Balin expressed with a frown causing an uproar from the company of Dwarves. "We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last Dwarf!" Fíli exclaimed with pride. "And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time," Kíli spoke up next.

Maristela turned to her father with a raised brow, "Well, how many dragons?" The Dwarves began pestering Gandalf who glared at his daughter, the fair lady simply grinning back at him while Thorin finally took notice of the familiar face of Maristela Maladrosa; the two had met briefly in the past. The overlapping questions from the Dwarves began to overwhelm Gandalf who coughed on his pipe.

"Shazara! (Silence!)" Thorin demanded causing the Dwarves to fall silent as he continued, "If we have read the 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." That did not ease Maristela's concerns about a dragon considering that Smaug was most likely sleeping upon his piles of stolen gold and jewels, that would be why he had not been seen rather than the belief that the Firedrake was dead.

"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?" Thorin questions his kin with a strong tone of determination, "Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr! (To arms! To arms!)" The Dwarves all cheer while Maristela notices Bilbo's intrigue.

"You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain," Balin spoke up silencing the Dwarves and gaining Gandalf's attention again. "That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf spoke before he produced a Dwarvish key, ornately wrought. "How came you by this?" Thorin questions as he looks at it in wonder. "It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now," Gandalf answered him before handing the key over to the Prince.

"If there is a key, there must be a door," Fíli exclaimed as Gandalf pointed at the runes on the map with his pipe. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls," Gandalf pointed out, Maristela noticed the runes seemed familiar to her but she couldn't quite place it; many years of learning seemed to blend language and runes together. "There's another way in!" Kíli exclaimed joyfully, the others smiling at the knowledge.

Gandalf nodded, "Well if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. 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." Maristela knew Gandalf spoke of Lord Elrond in Rivendell but to get the company of Dwarves there is the real challenge due to their ongoing feud that truly blinded them from noticing their likeness.

"The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done," Gandalf informed the company. "That's why we need a burglar," Ori said causing Bilbo to nod before speaking, "Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine." Maristela zoned out of the conversation at the distant whispers in the wind, She moved closer to the open window and let the words form.

"Gilgalad, heed mín warning. An fuin will afad-," The Elvish whispers in Sindarin echoed through the wind. Her eyes closed as she took in a steady breath before opening her eyes and noticing her father's stormy words, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins us a burglar, then a burglar he is." Maristela shook her head slightly, she knew this quest would change the Hobbit and she only prayed to the Valar that he'd survive.

( Starlight, heed our warning, for darkness will follow. )

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose," Gandalf expressed, "And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of Dwarf, the scent of Hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." Maristela agreed with her father's words as she moved to stand by Fíli and Kíli's chairs, the concerns of the warning washing away.

Gandalf turned to Thorin, "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this." Thorin stared at Gandalf thoughtfully, he wasn't sure about the Hobbit but he did trust Gandalf's opinion.

"Very well. We will do it your way," Thorin replied before turning to Balin, "Give him the contract." Maristela moved from the room leaving the Dwarves for their entertainment, She moved to clean up the pantry and place everything back neatly. "Lady Maristela," Thorin's voice caught her attention, She turned to him and bowed her head respectfully. "King Thorin," Maristela greeted but Thorin waved it off.

"I'm not a King," Thorin told her but Maristela simply smirked as she moved to put the clean dishware away. "Yet. Thorin Oakenshield, not yet," Maristela corrected him. "You have no faith in the Hobbit?" Maristela questioned him as he passed her a few plates. "You do?" Thorin fired back with intrigued. "Hobbits have a way of... exceeding one's expectations. Something you will see for yourself, Thorin," Maristela told him before he was called away by Balin.

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The Dwarves gather in Bilbo's living room, smoking their pipes by the fire. They all begin humming, Maristela looks up from the braid she was working on in her hair. She had heard Bilbo's refusal but she stood strong on the belief that the young Hobbit would join them on their quest to reclaim Erebor and though he would face many trials, Bilbo would prove himself to be what she knew from the beginning; A true adventurer.

"Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old.
We must away 'ere break of day,
To find our long-forgotten gold.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The trees like torches blazed with light."

The company set up bed rolls throughout the space of Bilbo's home, Maristela slipped outside to feed Attica before laying against his body feeling safe by her companion. She took a moment to truly think about the quest they were about to go on, she knew that this journey would be one to truly remember but a part of her fears what may come.

Maristela was woken in the early morning by Gandalf, She smiled as she took his hand before brushing off the dirt from her dress. "You have a quick moment to change clothes," Gandalf told her with a nod, She smiled before slipping into Bilbo's home with the bag her father had handed her. She stepped into the bathroom and shed off the dress she had worn for some time before slipping into something that would allow her to move with more agility.

Once she had changed into the velvety blue clothes, she adjusted her hair and let the hood of her cloak hang down. She slipped on the Mithril bracelet uniquely shaped like leaves, with small diamonds carefully placed; It had been a gift from a dear friend. Maristela adjusted the ring on her finger, the silver and gold glinted in the light before she tied her belt to her waist as she walked out of the Hobbit home. Her blade sat in its sheath and she could feel her mother's dagger in the sheath on her thigh.

"Are we ready?" Maristela asked the company of Dwarves as she climbed upon Attica's back, the large Wolfhound had startled the Dwarves who hadn't noticed the beast hiding in the shadows of the morning sun. "Is that a Wolfhound?" Bofur asked with wide eyes, the distant kin of Huan; The great Wolfhound of the First Age. "Yes, this is my companion, Attica. He has been with me for many, many years," Maristela replied as she ran her fingers through his fur.

The company made their way out of The Shire upon ponies ─ A horse for Gandalf and Maristela upon Attica. "Ten coins say Bilbo comes," Maristela told Fíli and Kìli as Attica padded in step with the brothers' ponies. "Deal," The brothers replied in unison leaving Maristela to smile before Ori spoke up from in front of her. "Twenty coins says he does within the next few minutes," Ori bravely spoke and Maristela agreed with a fond smile. "Wait! Wait!" Bilbo's frantic calls echoed behind them.

"I signed it!" Bilbo told them once they had stopped, the two brothers sighed realizing they had been wrong to bet against him. "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield," Balin said after taking the contact and inspecting it with a pocket glass. The Dwarves cheer while Maristela notices Thorin's unimpressed scowl.

"Give him a pony," Thorin ordered. "No, no, no, no, that─that won't be necessary, thank you, but I─I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I─I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once─AGH!" Bilbo was lifted from his arms onto a pony by Fíli and Kíli resulting in the Hobbit's tense figure.

Maristela gently led Attica to Bilbo's side and smiled at the Hobbit, "Relax, Bilbo. Ease the reins on your lap, she knows where she is going so there is no need to steer. Don't tense your thighs too much and allow yourself to relax." Maristela's soothing words allowed Bilbo to relax enough to not disturb the pony he was sitting on, she nodded before moving ahead.

"Now, pay up boys," Maristela told Fíli and Kíli who sighed before handing over the coins, She smiled before Attica moved forward to Ori, handing over the two pouches. "Your coins, Master Dwarf," Maristela told him, she smiled at the wide grin upon the youngest Dwarf's face. "No, no, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around," Bilbo called out gaining the attention of the Dwarves and Maristela.

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked the young Hobbit. "I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo replied and Maristela noticed the scowl on Thorin's face. She pulled a clean handkerchief from her bag and turned to Bilbo, "Here you go." The Dwarves continued on their way while Maristela stayed by Bilbo and Gandalf, the latter smiling towards his daughter; her compassion and understanding were something she got from her mother.

"You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead," Gandalf told Bilbo with a far-off look in his eyes. "And trust my words, Bilbo Baggins, the world will surprise you with its many wonders," Maristela told the young Hobbit, Bilbo smiled at the way her eyes lit up; her words instilled an excitement for their journey within his heart.

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Rosemary Speaks

Tell me your honest thoughts about this story so far. When I was writing this, I was listening to Ambience music of Rivendell and it was so peaceful and relaxing.

What do you think of Maristela? Or Attica?

See you in the next chapter!