An Unexpected Journey

Chapter Eight: Camping Under the Stars

Dinner was quickly served up by Dori and soon the company were all gathered around a fire as the sun disappeared behind the trees leaving them with only the fire that they had made for light.

Thalia was sat next to Bilbo picking at her food, she knew that she had to eat something but she just wasn’t that hungry; she missed her home and she wondered how long she would be gone for.

“Tell us Miss Thalia… are there orcs and such in your world?” Dori asked making Thalia look up from her plate, she swallowed as she noticed that all of the company where now watching her with interest.

Thalia took a deep breath as she glanced over at Gandalf, who was sat on the far side of the fire; she doubted that a little information about her world would do any harm, she had already decided not to tell them about anything that she couldn’t truly explain to them.

“There aren’t many in my world… but evil has many forms,” Thalia said continuing to mess with her food, she could see Gandalf nod his head in agreement while some of the younger dwarves seemed intrigued by her answer; she forced herself to take a bite of her food knowing that she would need the energy.

Thorin eyed Thalia as he consumed his own dinner, he didn’t know what sort of evil that she could have seen in her own world; he suspected her to be innocent in all forms but yet there was something about her.

“How does evil look in your world then?” Kíli asked helping himself to seconds, he looked at Thalia eagerly as she picked at her dinner for another moment in thought of how to describe the evil of her world to them.

“It takes all forms… from the ugliest being that you can imagine to look like one of your own race, some even steal your form to cause trouble,” Thalia said with a smile as she thought about all she had faced since she had come into her powers; she had been alone for a lot of it but she had learnt how to defend herself.

The dwarves looked at her in wonder as she spoke, they had never heard of anything like it and it made them even more curious about the world that she came from.

“Aye I bet they are glad to have people like you then…” Ori said making Thalia pause, she looked at him for a moment with a sad smile and shook her head; she knew that magic was something special in this world and those with it were seen as people of power.

Thalia took a deep breath as she tried to think of how to explain this, she nibbled on her lip in thought for a moment as the dwarves waited for her to speak.

“The mortals of my world, they don’t know that magic exists,” Thalia said making a couple of the dwarfs look at her shocked; she glanced at them all as she tried to gorge their reactions to what she had just told them, she had a feeling that they were surprised at what she had said.

“They don’t know about magic? How can they not know?” Gloin asked trying to work out how people just wouldn’t notice magic in the world; it was impossible to miss and he didn’t know why anyone would want to hide that away.

“The mortals from my world… they don’t have a very good history when it comes to magic, it was decided that it would be better if they just didn’t know,” Thalia said uncomfortably; she was never felt comfortable talking about the witch trails that had led to so many deaths of witches and innocent people.

Thalia looked down at her plate as she tried to turn her mind away from those thoughts; she knew that the dwarves were curious but she really didn’t wish to talk about what had happened in the past.

Thorin watched Thalia for a moment, he was intrigued as much as his company about a world that didn’t know about magic but he could sense that it wasn’t the time to talk to her too much about it.

“Nori and Bofur will have first watch,” Thorin said making Thalia shoot him a look of thanks as he changed the subject, she knew that he had sensed her discomfort about talking.

***

Thalia’s blue eyes snapped open as a chilling howl filled the air, she sat up as she looked around trying to get her bearings as she tried to work out what had made that noise; she swallowed as Bilbo asked if a wolf had made that dreadful noise.

Gandalf sat a little away from the company smoking his pipe as he watched the group discuss the horrible howling that had awoken those who weren’t on watch; he puffed on his pipe in thought as he watched Thalia with interest.

Thalia stretched sitting down by the fire as Bilbo moved away from the ponies where he had been standing and approached the fire to get warm; when Thalia gave a violent shiver making everyone look at her concerned.

“It’s fine… someone just walking over my grave,” Thalia said glancing up at the dwarves that were around her, she had even noticed that Thorin had stepped closer as if it would make things better.

Thalia quickly regretted her words as the dwarves all looked horrified by her choice of words.

“What do ya mean someone’s working over your grave?” Balin asked shocked string at Thalia, while Dori cried out about how immoral it was for someone to do that to her.

Gandalf chuckled as the dwarves quickly showed their outrage at the idea of someone walking over Thalia’s final resting place.

Thalia groaned as she ran a hand through her hair, she opened her mouth to explain what she had meant before Bofur demanded to know who could do such a thing to her.

“It’s just an expression,” Thalia shouted to be heard over the group of talking dwarves, she sighed in relief as they all fell silent and looked at her; she looked at Gandalf wondering if he’d be able to help her explain.

“An expression?” Ori asked tilting his head confused, he wasn’t sure why Thalia could be so calm if someone had walked over her grave; he looked at his brothers to see if they understood what was going on.

Thalia rolled her eyes as she thought for a moment, she’d never had to explain this to anyone before and now that she had to she wasn’t sure why people said it.

“It’s just a saying from back home when you get a chill like that, it’s really nothing,” Thalia said making the dwarves all nod their heads for a moment however Gandalf didn’t look convinced; Thalia ignored the wizard as Fíli and Kíli started to ask her for more strange sayings from her home.

Thalia was happy to tell them more as she looked over at Gandalf, she swallowed nervously as his blue eyes locked with hers for a moment as if in warning that the shiver had been more than what it was.

“Alright everyone… settle back down, we head out a first light,” Thorin said shooting Thalia one more concerned look before he shook his head and moved back to his bed for the night; he felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest as he thought about how she had shook, he didn’t like it and he didn’t know why.

Balin watched his king as he moved back to his bed, he had noticed how Thorin had reacted when Thalia had shivered like that and it worried him that Gandalf had brought the blonde here for more reasons than he had told the company about.