- Ta da! :) -

Amarantha “Ammie” Took loved food, drink, and merriment as well as any other hobbit. She was slight in stature, with short auburn curls and big feet. It was not her appearance that set her apart. She often tripped on things and injured herself stupidly, but that was not the issue either. It probably had something to do with her aspirations. As far as families were concerned, the Tooks in were considered odd. But she was the oddest of bunch.

Ammie loved rocks. She loved gemstones, minerals, metals... Anything pertaining to the Earth. She longed, with a great and fierce desire, to go someplace where could she see the mountains depicted in her books or any of the various gemstones and metals mined by dwarves. The Shire had nothing interesting whatsoever, as its formations lay hidden under many, many layers of dirt and grass. Apart from her queer interests, she behaved rather boyishly, tromping around in the mud and climbing trees even in her dresses in search of adventure. Her unladylike nature put off potential suitors. Alas, since no hobbit woman could hope for anything beyond marriage and rearing a family, even her Took parents disapproved. Her brother and hordes of cousins thought her a failure.

But not all of her relatives treated her so rudely. She liked her uncle Bilbo (who was actually a Baggins) best, as Ammie wasn't all that much younger than him. Admittedly she enjoyed his company because of the numerous books he lent her. He had mountains of them. Ammie spent a great deal of time at Bag End either reading or discussing them with Bilbo. She intended to visit Bilbo now, but on this particular evening she hesitated in front of his door. Rambunctious laughter could be heard from within, followed by loud verbal protests from her uncle. Did he have company? It sounded like quite a gathering in there, and Bilbo was not the most social of hobbits even if he was generally agreeable. Ammie lifted her hand to knock. She had a book clasped in her other arm that she intended to at least return. But before she could actually do so, the door opened of its own accord. Ammie's hazel eyes bulged with a mixture of alarm and delight. A dwarf! By golly, it was a dwarf!

“Can I help you, lassie?” the dwarf asked. He had black hair and a beard, and a funny fur hat with upturned ends. They resembled wings and gave Ammie the impression that the hat could fly away at any moment. Ammie gawked, preoccupied with the hat before she finally realized that the dwarf had asked a question. “Uhm, yes, my uncle...” she mumbled almost incoherently, indicating Bilbo who was trying to wrestle a wheel of cheese away from another (and especially fat) ginger dwarf down the hall. “Oh, I see,” he said kindly, “Come in.”

Ammie stepped inside, hugging the tome against her chest. “Uncle Bilbo?” she called, trying to get his attention. There must have been six or more dwarves in here already! Just what was going on? What was more, Ammie had never seen a single dwarf in her entire life!

Bilbo disappeared into another room. The hallway connected Bag End in a circle, so if she went in the other direction she could catch him, hand him the book, and be on her way. After all, even if she was curious to know about the dwarves or at least strike up a conversation with one, their presence wasn't really her business. Ammie tried moving to her right, but ran face-first into a very sturdy and decidedly manly chest. “Ooof.” She fell onto her bum, dropping the book and clutching her smarting nose.

“Sorry,” yet another dwarf said, grasping her hand to heave her up to her feet. “Didn't see you there.”
Ammie looked up at him and her breath hitched. Such a regal individual. The stranger had long blonde hair with braids interspersed throughout, and a beard with the moustache braided on both ends. He wore a brown tunic with a fur vest of some kind. Worst of all, he was terribly attractive for a dwarf, with a youthful face and charming smile. A strangled noise came up from her throat. The dwarf picked her book up and handed it to her. “Fili,” he said, continuing to smile. He bowed a little, but his blue eyes never left her. “A-Ammie,” she croaked, and then bolted like a doe.

She ran into Bilbo in the drawing room. “Ammie, what are you doing here?!” he said, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her. He tried to nudge her back in the direction of the door. “You need to leave. I'm sorry, tonight my house is teeming with all manner of rough characters and I don't want to get you involved.”

“I'm here to return your book,” Ammie said, refusing to budge. She shoved the book into Bilbo's hands instead. “What's going on here, Uncle Bilbo? Where did all these dwarves come from? I didn't know you knew dwarves.”

“I don't!” he cried. “I haven't the foggiest idea why they are here!”

“That's strange,” she said.

“Please, you must go. Your parents would be cross with me,” Bilbo said. He guided her into the hall. Just then, loud knocking came from the front door. Bilbo groaned and left her to answer it. Ammie ducked into a corner to watch. A very tall man came into the hobbit hole. He was old and wizened with white long hair and an even longer beard. He wore thick gray robes that fell to his feet, and clasped a pointed hat in his hands. Could it be? Gandalf, the Grey! The wizard! She recognized him from her books! Ammie's heart raced.

“Gandalf, what is the meaning of this?!” Bilbo demanded. “Why are all these dwarves here?!”

“I invited them,” Gandalf said with a half smile, “In regards to our conversation earlier.”

“No adventures!” Bilbo said. “I do not want any adventures here!”

“Adventure?” Ammie repeated eagerly.

Bilbo shot her a look of alarm. “Ammie, no. You go home, I tell you. This instant.” Gandalf, however, merely peered at her with mild interest. A dwarf came up to ask Bilbo what to do with his empty plate. The attractive dwarf from before, Fili, stumbled past, yelling, “Brother! Catch!” With that, he flung a plate across the hallway towards his brother, situated beside the dining room. His brother had tousled rusty brown hair, and was equally handsome and young.

“No, no! Not my china!” Bilbo protested, “Those plates are at least a hundred years old!”

Oh and what a rambunctious group they were!

Buzzing about the house, the Dwarves made themselves quite at home in that little hole in the ground. None of them seemed to pay any mind to Bilbo's complaints, going about their merry ways, feasting, greeting, and more importantly, drinking. Despite their slightly destructive nature, they seemed a good spirited and well intentioned group, if a little deaf to Bilbo's concerns over his home and the furnishings within.

And what was more, or worse in Bilbo's case, was when the dishes began to fly, this way and that, all of the Dwarves roused up together in song! It was an odd sight to see and certainly a rare one. Fine china bouncing off elbows, being whizzed like frisbees, tossed around like play things. Delicate as they were, not a one hit the floor. Working together like a well oiled machine, each dwarf gathered dishes and passed them to the next. Before Bilbo could quite grasp what they were attempting to do, the dishes say, perfectly stacked, clean and sparkling. His knives, no less sharp than when the Dwarves began their merry working tune, lay in the slotted tray they were originally found in.

The Dwarf Fili had labeled as 'Brother' when their work began now stood by him, grinning from ear to ear. His darker hair lay messily over his forehead and spilled down to his broad, leather clad shoulders. His beard was not nearly as impressive as his kin, or even his brother, but the spattering of stubble that dusted his chin suited him. Scruffy, but in a good way. He was as equally handsome as his brother, but in a darker, smoldering way.

At first, Ammie was just as alarmed as Bilbo when the plates began flying this way and that across the hobbit hole. Her uncle ran around wildly, tugging on his fair, curly hair and imploring the dwarves to be careful with his things and not to dull the knives. His begging resulted in an impromptu song, which Ammie found to be quite ingenious. She, unlike her very concerned uncle, came out from her hiding spot and, beaming, watched as the dwarves perfectly stacked up his dishes. How skilled they all were, to toss breakable objects around so violently and not put a single chip in them!

Bilbo's panic lessened when he saw that his china had not been damaged and that the knives were back in their drawer safe and sound. “Thank goodness,” he breathed, and was once more reminded about his niece standing there in the midst of all these...Ruffians! “Ammie, why are you still here? Run along!”

“But I don't want to, Uncle Bilbo,” she whined, “They're so interesting! I want to know why they've come, if Gandalf has invited them!” The female hobbit turned to the wizard and inclined her head to look into his face. She barely came up to his waist. “You are Gandalf the Grey, aren't you? Ohh, I've read about you! I'm so pleased to meet you!” She bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement.

“Ammie, is it? Bilbo was exactly like you when he was young. Always so eager, running into the woods searching for elves and adventures and the like,” Gandalf said kindly. “I can see that you are related, although your uncle seems to have changed a bit since then.” He gave Bilbo a meaningful look.

The hobbit, frightened that the wizard might attempt to rope his niece into adventuring instead, once more tried to usher her to the door. “Really, you must be off.”

“It's all right if she stays,” Fili said, sidling up to Bilbo and prying him off of the girl. He grinned dashingly, flashing perfect teeth. “Come, have a seat with us, lassie. We'll tell you anything you'd like to know about dwarves. She looks like she might enjoy a good story, right, Kili?”

Gandalf started counting the dwarves present in the household. “Twelve,” he muttered. “We're missing... One.”

Another dwarf spoke, one with very white hair and a matching beard parted at the ends. “He'll be late. He sought an audience with the dwarves of the Iron Hills.”

Bilbo, sufficiently distracted by Gandalf's conversation with Balin, did not notice Fili leading Ammie to a chair and sitting her down. “There you go. Now listen well. Kili, shall we tell her about that one time we were scouting and ran into orcs?” Ammie's eyes widened. “Oh, dreadful! Are they really as terrible and ugly as people say?”

Kili, his grin seemingly wider than before, nodded in agreeance with his brother while Fili went off to retrieve the young Hobbit from Bilbo's grasp, "Oh, yes, brother, I quite agree."

When she was seated next to him, Kili looked to Fili as he made mention of the orc patrol they'd spotted while scouting. He opened his mouth to begin, but promptly shut it when the exclamation poured from her lips. Kili gave her a handsome and dashing smile, "Doubly ugly, my lady!! You have no idea! Hideous beasts, orcs are. Aren't they, Fili?"

The other Dwarves seemed to break off into smaller conversations at this point, all discussing what lay ahead of them, but in such small detail that it was hard to catch and grasp a solid point before another whizzed by, muddling the air. Laughter still rang out from time to time. Despite talking about something as serious as their quests, jokes were not in short supply.

“They are immensely ugly,” Fili said with a sage-like nod. “They never bathe, they reek... Dirty, disfigured teeth and twisted aspects. Many of them are hunch-backed or limp—and if there are any females among their kind, you would never know. They all look the same. Hideous.”

Ammie's current situation felt surreal. On the one hand, she was speaking to two very handsome young men. On the other, those young men were also dwarves. She was surrounded by dwarves, and a wizard was seated somewhere close by. Suddenly self-conscious, the female pulled the hood of her coat over her head and giggled nervously. “Well, what happened when you were scouting, then? Please tell me!” She leaned on the edge of her seat eagerly.

Bilbo tried eavesdropping on the other dwarves in an attempt to figure out what it was exactly that Gandalf had planned for him, but none of the conversations gave any real indication of anything except that they intended on going somewhere together and that the leader of their company had not yet arrived.

“Gandalf, really, I insist,” he said to the wizard finally. “Why have you brought the dwarves here? Why did you mark my door? What is this adventure that you are so keen on roping me into?”

Gandalf downed his glass of wine, which was easy considering that the glass was so tiny it could be emptied with one sip. There was another loud rapping at the door in response, which caused all the dwarves to hush simultaneously and glance in its direction. “My dear Bilbo, you are about to find out,” the wizard replied. Bilbo swallowed hard and went to the door, yanking it ajar to reveal the last member of their company.

Kili nodded along with his brother, then shook his head at the mention of females, "I wouldn't even want to meet one. Nasty, ugly things." Kili smiled boyishly when she pulled her cloak hood up. He wriggled in his seat and opened his mouth to start regaling her with the tale, but a sharp pounding on the front door stopped him. His mouth snapped shut and he gave a telling look to Fili.

The last dwarf to arrive was broad and unusually tall for a Dwarf. His black hair was pushed back away from his face and small braids wove through it to keep it in place. His beard was much darker than his companions, but not as large. it was impossible to deny; he was handsome. Not like the brothers, though. They were charming and young. Boyish, in certain light. This Dwarf was regal, majestic. He loomed in the doorway, looking rather sour. His piercing blue eyes swept over Bilbo, but shot behind him. He gave a small huff and a deep frown cut across his face, "Thought you said this place would be easy to find? I lost my way. Twice." He seemed very bitter about arriving there and without another word, nor invitation, he stepped inside the hobbit hole.

Bilbo shivered as the dwarf's cold eyes stabbed into him for a split second and then drifted off towards the others. What an imposing man! He moved out of the way to let him pass into the hobbit hole and then closed the door behind him. Gandalf greeted him immediately.

“I'm sorry, Thorin Oakenshield,” Gandalf apologized, “Perhaps I do not give the best directions. This way.” He led Thorin to the dining room and pulled out a seat at the head of the table. Bilbo followed the pair of them with obvious trepidation and, blast it, there was his naïve niece in the midst of all the dwarves, seated between Fili and Kili.

Bofur had been lying in wait, setting down a bowl of stew and some bread in front of his king. “There you are, sire,” he said kindly and then sat down at his right.

Ammie's already big eyes grew impossibly larger when the final member of the company entered the room. He was, in her opinion, even more handsome than the young men sitting beside her, and it struck her silent and dumb. They were spritely and youthful, but he... He was stately and rugged, with an aura of experience about him. Purpose. He was tall enough to almost be mistaken for a man. Ammie hoped he wouldn't notice her. She tugged her hood further down over her face, sinking into her chair as far as she could go. Fili watched her with open amusement. His uncle tended to have that effect on people.

“What did the dwarves of the Iron Hills say?” a fierce-looking dwarf with tattoos on his head asked. “Are they with us?”

Thorin sat down at the table and looked down at the stew put in front of him. He gave a stiff nod to Bofur and ripped a piece of the bread off. Before he had a chance to soak it and eat it, Dwalin started with the questions. Not one he wanted to answer so soon. He wanted a chance to break it softly. Thorin heaved a sigh, "They aren't coming."

Thorin sat back and sighed again when the commotion started. They were angry, he understood that. They had every right to be upset that their kin would abandon them. His eyes scanned the room and he felt another sigh escape him. He'd been doing that a lot lately. His eyes stopped, though, on a figure he didn't recognize. Between his nephews, Fili and Kili, sat a small, thin creature. Another hobbit? Yes, yes, it must've been a Hobbit. The hood of the cloak she hid in made it hard to make out her features and he found himself overly curious.

Raising a hand to silence his kin, he pointed down the table at her, "You." he said, his voice booming in the small space, "Who are you?"

Kili's heart dropped when Thorin gave them the news. He couldn't stop the angry protests that shot out of his throat. They needed their help and they were abandoning them? What happened to loyalty? Honor? What was the world coming to?

When Thorin raised his hand, Kili clammed up at once. He knew better than to challenge his Uncle. He blinked and glanced to Ammie. Suddenly he felt very guilty about keeping her there. No one outside of the Dwarf company, Gandalf, and now Bilbo were supposed to know about their quest. Heat spread across his face and out of the corner of his eye, he saw red flush over his cheeks.

Like his brother, Fili slammed his hand on the table, letting out all sorts of unabated verbal protests towards the refusal of their cowardly “comrades” in the Iron Hills. How dare their kin abandon them, at this dire moment of need! Had they forgotten their fealty towards the line of Durin, the importance of honor, the feeling of pride?! Similarly, the rest of the dwarves in the party shouted, pounded their fists on the wood, and growled loudly.

Ammie, seated between Kili and Fili, twitched violently at the noise and repressed the urge to fling herself onto the floor and cover her head with her arms. Instead she sat in her chair shaking with alarm. Perhaps the dwarves would have toppled the table over if not for poor Bilbo's fretting and solicitations for them to calm down.

Gandalf opened his mouth to offer reassurances when Thorin's interest shifted to the presence of the other hobbit at the table. He indicated her and demanded to know who she was. Ammie went entirely rigid and sorely wished that she was capable of fading into the shadows.

Fili grimaced, feeling guilty for her discomfort and forgetting his uncle's instructions about their mission. The importance of secrecy had fled his mind. He nudged Ammie gently under the table and discreetly motioned for her to remove her hood. She timidly complied, reaching for her hood and slowly drawing it down from her face. To the majestic dwarf she revealed unruly auburn curls, a light dusting of freckles, and wide hazel eyes. She was youthful; barely of age. Thirty-three at most.

“S-Sorry, sir,” she said, “I am Bilbo's niece, Ammie. I was only visiting with him.”

Bilbo nervously cut in. “Shall I send her away? Ammie, come on.”

The female shot to her feet, wriggling past Fili and running to her uncle. He stood in front of her as protectively as he could, but the new dwarf's piercing gaze made him feel very small indeed.

“I doubt she would tell anyone of this,” Gandalf said, to lighten the tension in the air. “She could wait another room, if it would ease your mind.”

Thorin's eyes studied her when she removed her hood. He kept face, but on the inside, he was quite intrigued. He stood when she scurried from behind the table and over to her Uncle. He turned and looked at Bilbo, then glanced to Gandalf. Something in his gut was telling him to allow her to stay, but he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why. It was a deep and heavy feeling. The kind you can't ignore. he silently weighed the options in his mind, then looked to Balin. "Would our company not have a greater chance at success with two burglars?"

Kili nearly keeled over at Thorin's words. Two burglars?! And what were they supposed to do? Take the girl?! Impossible! Not that he didn't want her around, but a quest to a dragon's lair was no place for a woman! It was far too dangerous! Far, far, far too dangerous! He sputtered unintelligent nonsense and looked to his brother.

“Burglars?” Ammie and Bilbo repeated in unison. Fili was similarly taken aback. Hobbits? For burglars?? Delicate Bilbo would not last a day in the untamed wilderness! And Ammie was more delicate still! Why would his uncle think to recruit and endanger a female?

The gray wizard removed a piece of parchment from the depths of his robe, unrolling it on the table before them. Bilbo saw then that it was a map depicting the Lonely Mountain and its surrounding area. There were runes written along the sides that he could not read. Ammie's expression brightened noticeably and, unable to help herself, she bent over the map and started examining it. A mountain, and the kingdom of Erebor, from the books! The most amazing mining kingdom that the dwarves had ever had! Her eyes glittered with joy. Were these dwarves truly from that legendary place?!

“I will explain,” Gandalf said. “The front doors are sealed, but... There is another way inside, detailed somewhere on this map.” He produced a key, which he gave to Thorin. “Your father gave this to me for safe-keeping. This will get us through the hidden door. A burglar is needed to slip inside, unseen by Smaug.”

“Smaug?” Bilbo said.

“That would be Smaug the Terrible,” Bofur said. “A dragon.”

“A dragon?!” Bilbo cried with horror.

“A dragon?!” Ammie cried with excitement.

“Hobbits are light of foot, and can pass unseen by most if they desire. And, while Smaug is accustomed to the scent of dwarves, he has never smelt a hobbit. Thus granting us an advantage,” Gandalf continued.

“Oh, no,” Bilbo said. “No, no, no, no. No dragons. You have the wrong hobbit.”

“Well, I think it sounds--” Bilbo slapped his hand over Ammie's mouth before she could say anything more. She struggled to wrench herself from her uncle's grasp. “And you are not roping my niece into this! She knows nothing of the world. What's more, she's...She's a girl!”

Ammie broke away from Bilbo and shoved him roughly. “I can handle myself, thank you! Besides, if I dressed as a boy, no one will know the difference!”

“I forbid it!” Bilbo protested. “Think of your parents! If anything happened to you, they would flay me alive!”

Thorin listened to Bilbo sputter with amusement, but none passed over his face. He glanced between the two Hobbits and then to his men to gauge their reactions. Fili and Kili were the most expressive of the lot. A small, almost unnoticeable, ghost of a smirk passed over his lips, but fell when Gandalf produced the key to Erebor. Taking it from him, he grasped it tightly in his hand. His heart swelled with emotion at the thought of his Father and Grandfather, but he stamped it down, as to not show any weakness.

Stiffening his spine, Thorin gave Bilbo a hard look, "Let her make her own decision. Girl or not, she seems capable of handling herself."

Kili, no longer able to keep his trap shut, burst out, "Against another Hobbit! What happens when she comes across an orc?! Or a troll?! A goblin, even! Uncle, this is madness!" Upon realizing that he had spoken out against not only his elder, but his King, Kili clamped a hand over his own mouth and his eyes fell from Thorin to the table in front of him.

Kili spoke words true to Fili's own feelings on the matter. He agreed with his brother. He wanted to support Kili so that Thorin would not become angry. But he worded it so that the King did not feel as though they were defying his judgement without real cause. “It is true, though, what Kili says,” he reasoned gently, “I recognize that we need a burglar, but I am not convinced that even Bilbo could handle the perils we face. It will be a long, hard journey, and... Forgive me for saying so, but I especially shudder to imagine Ammie pitted against orcs or the like.” ((ooc: “i got yo back, bro” )) Most of the dwarves gathered at the table murmured their agreement. Balin did not.

“What other options do we have?” he said. “If Bilbo will not go, the girl is willing. We cannot afford to be picky with so few others willing to help.”

The dwarves immediately began arguing amongst themselves over the situation. Gandalf seemed to be losing his placidity, his face starting to redden and his hands shaking. He was just about to silence the lot of them when a voice rose above the rest.

“All right, all right!” Bilbo shouted. “If I agree, will you let it alone?! She cannot go, and if it's either her or me, I pick me!”

The dwarves ceased their bickering. Ammie's face fell with disappointment. Gandalf appeared to be pleased with this outcome.

“Balin, the contract if you please.”

The white-bearded dwarf handed Bilbo a very long piece of paper containing various clauses about out-of-pocket expenses and horrific deaths. Bilbo grimaced, looking away as he forced himself to sign the contract. It terrified him, the prospect of dying, but he reminded himself that he was doing it for Ammie.

Thorin looked to Fili, then to Kili. His gaze was hard, daring them to challenge him further, but said nothing to either of them. he looked back to the Hobbits, eager to hear her response. Thorin grimaced, looking even a little disappointed when Bilbo signed the contract to keep his niece from endangering herself.

Thorin leaned over to Gandalf while Bilbo signed the contract and whispered to him, "I cannot guarantee his safety. Nor will I be responsible for his fate." His tone was grim and firm. He was quite serious about not being responsible for the Hobbit's fate.

Kili sighed with relief when they weren't scolded. He wriggled awkwardly in his seat and glanced to Fili. His face was still quite red and his eyes still dark with worry and a hint of fear.

Gandalf frowned at Thorin's words, but nodded once to convey that he understood. "All right."

Ammie stood beside her uncle with pouting lips as Balin took the signed contract, looked it over, and then rolled it up. "Everything seems to be in order. Welcome to our company, Mr. Baggins." Bilbo whimpered unhappily in response.

Fili reached over and patted his brothers arm firmly to reassure him. "I am worried, too, brother," he said quietly. "But it will be all right, if only we keep an eye on Bilbo. Uncle will not scold you; he has his burglar now."

One by one the dwarves filed out of Bag End until only Ammie and Gandalf remained. "Come to the woods first thing in the morning. Pack everything you think will be necessary, but also pack lightly." The wizard bowed out of the hobbit hole, returning his pointed hat to his head, and walked off into the night.

After he departed, Ammie glared at her uncle. "Ammie, don't be angry with me," Bilbo said. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you were hurt out there in the world."

"You knew what I wanted, Uncle Bilbo!" Ammie retorted, "You knew I wanted to see mountains! I had the chance to do it and now I can't. I'd rather die than stay here in Shire, when you are gone and I am unwanted by everyone else. I won't be angry with you now, in case I never see you again. But I want you to think about that." She hesitated, quickly hugged her uncle, and then fled from Bag End back to her Took home. She hoped that she'd sufficiently fooled him, because she would find a way to go along and he would have no say in the matter!

The morning sky brought the promise of a beautiful day. The air was cool that morning, but not so much as to bring fog or frost. It was a perfect, breezy summer morning. For some, the morning came too soon. For Thorin, it took far too long to get there. He barely slept that night, too eager to begin their journey.

They set out the next morning, all astride ponies, with the exception of Gandalf, whom rode a regular horse. Most of the dwarves chatted as they went, about this and that. Thorin was silent, focused on the road ahead.

Kili had a little more trouble that usual waking that day. His head felt heavy and ached with movement. He'd had too much to drink the night before. He was used to the beers and ales of his own people, but not the Hobbit's. For little folk, they brewed a strong ale. Groaning in protest, he forced himself up and collected his things. He hoped the pain in his head wasn't an omen of bad luck. Once he was moving about, the pain lessened some and it became easier to go about his morning routine and he felt better still once they were heading out on their ponies.

Bilbo Baggins was late to the woods because he had been so stressed and exhausted from the events of the night before that he'd overslept. He ran through the Shire like a maniac with a large pack strapped to his back and a walking stick in his hand. He jumped over hedges, upsetting chickens as he passed and nearly colliding with other hobbits on the path. Some of the dwarves questioned whether or not he would appear, and they were just about to set off when he arrived.

"S-Sorry," he panted. "I'm here!"

The dwarves set him up with a pony at Thorin's command, despite his protests, and he rode it gingerly behind Gandalf on the road.

Fili's pony pattered alongside his brother's. Kili was clearly hungover from the previous night. "Too much ale?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "Should of drank water before you went to bed, brother." He plucked a sprig of leaves from a tree they passed and tossed it, playfully hitting Kili in the head.

And where was Ammie through all of this? Well, she had been in the woods far earlier than the rest of them...Lying in wait. She'd strapped down her chest and donned a baggy white blouse with vest and trousers. As she had short hair and was physically on the plain side, she passed for a girly hobbit boy. Only her voice would betray her gender, and even that she could alter with some acting. She hid in the bushes until the company of dwarves departed, and she followed at some distance on foot. Her plan was reveal herself once they were out of the Shire. That way it would be too late for Bilbo to insist they take her back.

"If I may ask," Bilbo said to no one in particular. "Why is it that you all are interested in the Lonely Mountain anyway? I know it has something to do with Erebor, but why are you lot facing Smaug alone?" They had all failed to mention that Thorin was the rightful King Under the Mountain.

Thorin didn't bother answering Bilbo's questions. He would let one of the others handle it. His mind was distracted while he rode. He huffed quietly, watching the forest road before him. He was feeling a bit sour that Bilbo had been the one to sign on as burglar. The woman would have been nice. Surrounded by a bunch of men. Stinky, sweaty, loud, obnoxious men. Loyal as they were, they tended to grate on the nerves. Having a woman around would have been refreshing. A soft, clean, quiet woman with adorable curls and pretty hazel eyes. Erf! NO! This mission is about honor and the glory of seeing Erebor returned! Focusing! Focusing now! Gods, what had come over him?

Kili whined like a baby, like he often did when his brother took to teasing him. The sprig caught in his hair and Kili quickly snatched it out and threw it back at Fili. "I didn't need water. I still don't. I am fine, Fili." His pain was obvious through his cranky attitude. He looked toward Bilbo when his questions started. Why were they there? Well, there were many ways to answer that. Kili's mind wasn't working fast enough to register that he needed to speak and remained quiet. He listened instead, to Dori explain, in short, to the point details, about why they were questing to reclaim Erebor. It filled his heart with pride and his stomach flopped with excitement.

Fili laughed as Kili threw back the sprig of leaves, shielding his face from it. It bounced harmlessly off the side of his hand. "You would feel better," he said, not intending to wound his brother's pride. Kili's sour mood conveyed that Fili had guessed correctly about the hangover. Instead of pestering the younger dwarf further, he listened to Dori regale Bilbo with a tale.

Bilbo marveled at the conclusion of Dori's explanation. He gazed past Gandalf, past the others, to the head of their company. He wondered how he hadn't seen it before, what with Thorin's imposing, regal disposition. It was unquestionable. So that was a king looked like. He released the breath that he hadn't noticed he'd been holding. They had been riding for some time now, at a steady pace, and had long since passed the edges of the Shire. Home was, unfortunately, far behind him now.

The group took a short break within a clearing on the side of a rocky hill, with Fili and Kili keeping watch. Just then a rustling came from the brush, and Fili shouted an alert to the others. All the dwarves stood at attention. Gandalf hefted his staff towards the direction of the noise, poised and ready. However, only a small someone popped out from behind the tree. She promptly tripped over a root and tumbled onto the soft grass in front of them.

"Ouch," Ammie moaned, clutching her head with a grimace. After leaving the Shire she was immensely excited to catch up to the group. She was tired of walking and hadn't paid much attention to where she was stepping.

"Ammie!" Bilbo cried, recognizing her at once. He sounded very, very cross with her. "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be back in the Shire!" Fili glanced to Kili with an expression of alarm. He wondered the exact same thing as Bilbo.

The female hobbit slowly stumbled to her feet, picking leaves and twigs out of her hair. Her white blouse was now dusted in dirt. "Yes, but I'm not," she said with an air of smugness. "Mountains, Uncle Bilbo. I'll do anything to see them up close."

Thorin leaned against a rock while they rested, his arms crossed across his broad chest. He had barked a few orders when he got down from his pony, but other than that, hadn't said much. He was lost in his thoughts again, that is until Fili shouted a warning. Thorin armed himself and stood at the ready for whatever may have come out of the bushes. Orc, goblin, disgusting elf, anything could have come and he'd be ready!

Except when the small bodied creature did in fact appear, he found himself dumbfounded and anything but ready for it. The Hobbit girl! Ammie, he recalled her name to be. Before he could stop himself, he charged forward, a bit too fast and heavy, and blurted out, "What, in the name of all that is good, were you thinking?! Your sneaking around could have gotten you killed!"

Kili drew his bow and an arrow, ready to shoot down what lay in wait in the bushes. He stood tight with his kin, his bow aimed at the spot where Fili heard the rustling. His brown eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when Ammie tumbled out of the bushes, looking quite disheveled. Kili immediately stood down and put his weapons away. He glanced to Fili, mirroring his look of alarm.

Ammie Took winced as the regal dwarf charged forward, reprimanding her loudly in front of the others. She shied back a few steps, bumping her back against the tree with a tiny squeak. Yes, she supposed that he--what was his name again, Thorin?--had been right about that. She had forgotten that the lot of them were warriors; experienced warriors who were not to be trifled with. The dwarves could have attacked first and asked questions later. They might have unwittingly harmed her.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, flushing and apologetic. She kept averting her eyes because she found that she could not look at Thorin directly for more than a few seconds at a time. He was too intimidating. "I wasn't thinking, was I? It's just... I really wanted to come, and I didn't know of any other way. Uncle Bilbo would have forced us to turn around if I hadn't waited a while."

Bilbo Baggins cursed under his breath. Clever Ammie. Of course they could not turn back now--they had already come such a long way! She would be forced to remain with the company, to stay safe, and he would have to look after her. He could barely look after himself!

Fili was thinking along the same lines. He and Kili would have to keep an eye on both of the naive hobbits to make sure they stayed out of trouble. He liked Ammie, but this...This was ridiculous. He glanced towards his irate uncle, knowing it was best to hold his tongue. There was nothing that could be done to change the situation now. The company was stuck with Ammie whether or not they approved.

"Well," Gandalf the Grey said rather cheerfully, in comparison to the others. "It seems that we will have two burglars after all."

Thorin felt a sudden pain in his temple. He heaved a great sigh and turned away from her, not wanting to yell at her any more than he already had. He felt a little guilty about being so blunt, but he couldn't help it. This was getting out of hand. It was bad enough that he had an uptight, defenseless Hobbit as his burglar, but now he'd have to wrangle two of them? He was no babysitter and he felt, for a moment, that he was already losing control of his quest. He turned to the others and crossed is arms, "She'll need to ride with someone. Any volunteers?"

Kili glanced at his brother and gave a small, almost unnoticeable shrug. He took a step forward and raised his hand. He gave his Uncle a small smile, "I will volunteer, Uncle." It was the least he could do to ease his Uncle's burden and besides! Riding with a girl would be fun. He could finish telling her of the time he encountered those orcs. Or the time Fili caught his own beard on fire. This trip was getting better and better!

Ammie breathed a sigh of relief as the stately dwarf turned away and relented to her presence. She grinned and bounced with excitement as Kili offered to let her ride with him. "Ohhh, thank you!" she gushed. At least the two attractive brothers had been nice to her so far! Even if they did not believe she could handle herself in the wilderness. She felt a little bad about burdening them, but she really wanted to see mountains! Therefore the guilt did not last long. Maybe someone could teach her how to disarm an enemy so she would not be entirely helpless?

Bilbo threw his hands up in quiet dismay. Now what? As for Fili, he grinned. He was worried about Ammie, true. But she was certain to enjoy his and his brothers antics far more than their serious, brooding uncle did. He watched as Ammie scurried over to the pair of them, continuing to grin and bounce. Admittedly she made a convincing, albeit it pretty, boy. After all, he had heard that hobbit men were unable to grow beards.

"This was a good idea, wasn't it?" she asked the pair of them as she caught Fili noting her male garments. "Only my voice gives me a way, so I will try not to speak if we run into any unsavory characters!"

Gandalf smiled at the fretting Uncle Bilbo and gave him an affectionate pat on the back. "It will be all right, dear boy." He moved to Thorin, then. "We'd best be on our way, if we are to find a good place to camp before nightfall." He glanced towards the horizon. They would be breaking out of the woods within the hour and soon the Misty Mountains would be within sight. They would have to cross a deep valley riddled with hills to get to them.

Thorin, quite at a loss for what to do, just as Bilbo, nodded to Kili. He watched Ammie when she moved closer to his nephews and heaved a great and annoyed sigh. The first enemy they met, she was dead meat. Unless, of course, she had someone to protect her. Sure, he figured, every one of them would launch themselves between a helpless damsel and her attacker, but the point here was that they shouldn't have to. Not on this journey, anyway. He felt the sharp pain again and turned away from his kin. He reached up subtly and irritably rubbed at his temple in a desperate attempt to squash the pain. He turned slightly when Gandalf spoke to him. Yes, they should get going. He nodded in agreeance and barked to the men that they were leaving. He waited for a moment while his comrades packed away their weapons again, then climbed back into the saddle of his pony.

Kili gave Ammie a once over and nodded lightly with approval of her disguise. "Hopefully it works," he commented. He gave her a dashing smile, his eyes sparkling, "You need not worry about unsavory characters, my lady. None will get close to you, I swear it." Kili jumped lightly when his Uncle barked that they were leaving. Grabbing the reins of his horse, he held a hand out to Ammie to help her into the saddle, as only a gentleman should.