The Commoner and the King

Chapter Sixteen

Late March,2941

Village of Bree

It had been several years since Annetta had left Ered Luin, her heart broken from Thorin's actions. And when those years had passed by, she had tried to forget about the dwarf, as she remained busy working as a barmaid at the Prancing Pony Inn(she also lived there as well). Barliman Butturbur felt delighted on having Annetta back with them again, and even Annetta ran into some of her regular patrons whom remembered her from years ago. And it was her new life she had started there, and keeping busy, she tried her best to forget about Thorin. Unfortunately, every time she went to bed at night, she always ended up seeing his face in her dreams, speaking to her, words of love. The fourth night she went to bed, Thorin appeared in her dreams, this time singing and playing the harp. This dreams tortured her so much, she woke up in the middle of the night weeping heavily, now regretting the fact she had left Ered Luin.

The next evening, Annetta had been working her shift, when she saw a short, cloaked figure entering the pub. Annetta knew he was a new comer, and Barliman's rule was to always serve newcomer's first. Annetta stood and waited as the figure took his seat at a table. But she wasn't prepared on what happened next once the figure removed his cloak. And when he did, she recognized the newcomer--it was THORIN! Annetta felt her heart beat racing, and she knew she had to serve him, and she cannot back on this now. Closing her eyes, she mustered up the courage on approaching Thorin's table. "Are you ready for your meal and drinks, Thorin?" spoke up Annetta casually. Thorin looked up, and he saw Annetta standing there. "Yes--two ales, please--wait make that three! And you know what I eat! Make it quick!" said Thorin, in a unkindly tune. Annetta felt angry---she didn't understand why Thorin is being rude to her. 

"I will bring your stuff momentarily." said Annetta,icily and she walked away. By the time she entered the kitchen, she broke down into tears. "I can't do this! I just can't!" Annetta screamed, slamming her fist on the counter. Suddenly, Barliman quickly entered the kitchen, as he noticed Annetta in distress."Miss Ann, are you alright?" asked Barliman. "Barley, can you have someone else serve that newcomer? I'm not feeling all to well!" said Annetta softly. "Why of course! I can get Charlotte to do it! You just go and get some rest, my dear!" said the Inn Keeper. "Thank you, Barley, that means a whole lot!" said Annetta, as she left the kitchen. Instead of going to her room, she decided to step outside to get some fresh air, when suddenly she saw another familiar face approaching her. It was her old friend, Gandalf the Grey. 

"Miss Ann! I thought you still would be in Ered Luin!" exclaimed Gandalf, as he approached her. "Thorin and I had a bad fight, and I left, Gandalf. I do not wish to discuss it anymore." said Annetta firmly. "I was hoping I would find you in Ered Luin,so we can talk, but since you are here now, we can go ahead and have our chat!" said Gandalf, whom had ignored Annetta's sentence. "Gandalf, I'm in no mood to talk right now. I'm going through a very difficult time." said Annetta. "Which is the reason why we should talk, Annetta." said Gandalf, firmly. Annetta sighed. "Very well, lets talk." said Annetta. Gandalf sat beside her on the bench and looked at her.

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"Annetta, I have a big favor to ask of you. You see I'm about to arrange a quest with Thorin and the Dwarves, and I already have found a fourteeth member--but I'm also in need for a fifteenth,and I have decided to ask you to be the fifteenth member of the Company." said Gandalf. "I'm sorry Gandalf, but the answer is no! Like I told you before, it's over between me and Thorin, and I don't care if I ever want to see that blockhead of a dwarf again!" said Annetta, grumpily. "Annetta, its time you need to put your past grievances against Thorin aside--in fact, the two of you need to make amends--I had a talk with Thorin's sister, and she's terribly upset when she found out you left Ered Luin--so did the rest of them." said Gandalf. Annetta remained silent, as she thought over Gandalf's words. Suddenly,she remembered the occurring dreams she had been having with Thorin, and she put two and two together.

This is odd--is Mahal trying to tell me something? Gandalf is right, I should try and make amends with Thorin, if doesn't get rude with me again, thought Annetta. "Come on inside, I'm meeting with Thorin, who's is already here, and the three of us can discuss it." said Gandalf. And so Gandalf and Annetta entered the pub, as they approached Thorin's table. "What is SHE doing with you?" snarled Thorin. "We will discuss that in a minute, Thorin--but lets discuss some things first--about your father, and how I found the map!" began Gandalf. Annetta sat patiently, as she listened to Gandalf and Thorin's conversation. When the conversation ended,  Gandalf returned to the topic about Annetta. "Now to answer your first question, Thorin! I've asked Annetta to join us as the fifteenth member of the Company, and she hadn't yet give me her answer, but I have faith in her she will accept the offer. This is up to you too, if you wish for her to come along." said Gandalf.

Thorin snarled. "No! The answer is no! This woman will not be joining us! She walked away from me, when I needed her! She left me very broken, without saying goodbye to me! No! She's not going, and that's final!!" barked Thorin. "Well that's fine with me, because I didn't want to go anyway!!!" screamed Annetta, as she bolted away from the table. "ANNETTA!" Gandalf called out to her, but it was too late, she was already gone. Gandalf shook his head, as he rubbed his fingers on his forehead in frustration. This is going to be a long night! thought the Wizard. Gandalf realized he had to fix this problem and fast-- and the best way to do it,to find the rest of the members of Thorin's company to talk to both Annetta and Thorin. "Thorin, where is the rest of your kin?" asked Gandalf. "They've just arrived, they are outside getting their ponies in the tables! Why?" said Thorin. "There is something I'm going to have to do!" grumbled Gandalf, as he walked away from Thorin, and stepped outside of the Inn.

The first two dwarves Gandalf had seen is Balin and Dwalin. Good, Balin is here, I will talk to him see if he would talk to Ann, thought Gandalf. Gandalf approaches the white bearded dwarf, and told him of Annetta staying in the Inn, and of the situation. "I can try what I can do, Tharkun--I cannot guarantee you anything--poor Thorin is crushed when she had left, but it was Thorin's own actions that had caused the whole thing anyway." said Balin. "Try and talk to Thorin first, and once you do, then talk to Ann." said Gandalf. Balin nodded, as he watched Gandalf walked away. Meanwhile, Annetta laid down in her bed feeling restless--as images of Thorin kept running in her mind. It was too the point where Annetta could not lay there any much longer, and she climbed out of bed and she walked down into the common room of the Inn, as she sat down by the fire place alone. In her hand, she held a necklace Thorin had made for her, so many years ago,long before Erebor attacked.

I have to admit it, I miss him terribly--why did I leave? I should have stayed--now I feel awful for leaving without saying a word, thought Annetta. "I thought you would be in bed by now? Can't sleep?" spoke up a deep voice from behind her. Annetta looked up and she saw Thorin looking at her.