The Last One

Chapter 24

Balin was the first to speak as Thorin was eating some stew. 

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?"

Thorin swallowed and nodded.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms."

The dwarves whispered amongst each other. Ruive watched leaning with one foot against the wall smoking her pipe. 

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin asked.

Thorin sighed before answering. 

"They will not come."

This caused disappointment to wash over the room. Ruive was somewhat surprised that the other dwarf kingdoms would not help on their quest, but she supposed they were to afraid to face a dragon. 

"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone." Thorin's voice was laced with disappointment. 

Ruive rolled her eyes scoffing internally, 'Cowards.' Ruive thought. The other dwarves murmured in disappointment.

The mention of a quest sparked the interest of a particular hobbit. 

"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked slightly nervous.

Gandalf brightened at Bilbo's interest.

"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." 

Gandalf and Dwalin clear the table in front of Thorin as Bilbo brings over a candle, and Gandalf laid before him a map. 

In his deep, mysterious voice Gandalf explained. 

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

Bilbo leaned over Thorin's shoulder reading the map. 

"The Lonely Mountain."

The dwarf, Gloin spoke up next. 

"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." 

He nodded around at the other dwarves. His bright red hair reminded Ruive of her father. 

"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." His elder brother Oin continued, holding his trumpet to his ear,

"Uh, What beast?" Came Bilbo's concerned and nervous voice.

Bofur took his mouth away from his pipe, speaking as though dragons weren't something to be even the slightest bit concerned about. 

"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals--"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Bilbo cut off rolling his eyes.

Ruive watched in amusement as Ori stood up. 

"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie."

Her amusement only grew as the other dwarves cheered him on. 'Such naive fools.' Ruive thought to herself. 

Dori, his eldest brother whom Ruive noticed mothered him quite a bit, pulled him down by his sleeve. 

"Sit down!"

Balin, the more wiser and sensible of the dwarves interrupted the cheering. 

"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 then nodded at Ruive and said. "Even with the Dragon Slayer."