Thorin had a sister before Smaug took Erebor. She was Thror's most trusted guard. She has a curse on her which she qualifed it as a blessing. She died in flame in Dale. But did she really die ?
They open the door, and there stands Thorin. He enters Bag End "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." Bilbo says "Mark ? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago !" Gandalf tells him "There is a mark; I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Thorin walks toward Bilbo "So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting ?" Bilbo asks "Pardon me ?" Thorin asks "Axe or sword ? What's your weapon of choice ?" Bilbo tells him "Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." Thorin tells his company "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." The dwarves all laugh, and they walk back to the dining table. As Thorin eats, the rest of them talk to him. Balin asks "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin ? Did they all come ?" Thorin says "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms." The dwarves murmur their joy. Dwalin asks "What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say ? Is Dain with us ?" Thorin sighs "They will not come." The dwarves murmur in disappointment. Thorin continues "They say this quest is ours, and ours alone." Further disappointed murmurs. Bilbo asks them "You're going on a quest ?" Gandalf tells him "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Bilbo brings a candle to the table, where Gandalf has spread out a map which was in his pocket "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." Bilbo reads the map "The Lonely Mountain." Gloin says "Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Oin tells them "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." Bilbo, hearing "the beast", looks concerned "Uh, What beast ?" Bofur tells him "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--" Bilbo says "Yes, I know what a dragon is." Ori stands up "I'm not afraid ! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie." Several dwarves shout. Dori scolds his younger brother "Sit down !" Balin says "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." The dwarves start objecting, saying things like, "Hey, who are you calling dim ?" "Watch it !", and "No !" Oin asks "What did he say ?" Fili tells them "We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf !" Kili continues "And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Gandalf stutters "Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn't say that, I--" Dori asks "How many, then ?" Gandalf asks him "Uh, what ?" He says "Well, how many dragons have you killed ? Go on, give us a number !" Gandalf, embarrassed, starts coughing on his pipe smoke "Hm." The dwarves jump to their feet, arguing about the number of dragons Gandalf has killed. Thorin jumps up in anger and bellows, silencing the rest "Shazara ! [Silence !] If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too ? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. 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 ? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor ? Du Bekâr ! Du Bekâr ! [To arms ! To arms !]" All the dwarves cheer. Balin tells them "You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." Gandalf tells him "That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Twiddling his fingers, he produces a dwarvish key, ornately wrought. Thorin looks at it in wonder "How came you by this ?" Gandalf tells him "It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." He hands the key to Thorin as everyone looks on in wonder. Fili says "If there is a key, there must be a door." Gandalf points at runes on his map with his pipe "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Kili smiles "There's another way in !" Gandalf explains "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. 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 that it can be done." Ori says "That's why we need a burglar." Bilbo nods "Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine." Gloin asks him "And are you ?" Bilbo asks "Am I what ?" Oin smiles "He said he's an expert ! Hey hey !" Several dwarves laugh. Bilbo tells them "M--Me ? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life." Balin says "I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Bilbo nods in agreement. Dwalin says "Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Bilbo continues nodding in agreement; the dwarves begin arguing. Gandalf, growing angry, rises to his full height and casts darkness over the group as starts speaking in his "powerful" voice "Enough ! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." He goes back to his normal self and explains "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. 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. 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 nods "Very well. We will do it your way." Bilbo shakes his head "No, no, no." Thorin tells Balin "Give him the contract." Bilbo says "Please." Bofur smiles "Alright, we're off !" Balin hands Bilbo a long contract "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Bilbo asks "Funeral arrangements ?" As Bilbo steps back a few feet to read the contract, Thorin leans toward Gandalf and whispers to him "I cannot guarantee his safety." Gandalf says "Understood." Thorin continues "Nor will I be responsible for his fate." Gandalf says "Agreed." Bilbo reads parts of the contract out loud "Terms : Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fourteenth of total profit, if any. Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence there of including but not limited to lacerations... evisceration... incineration ?" Bofur tells him "Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bilbo looks a little breathless "Huh." Balin asks him "You all right, laddie ?" Bilbo bends over, nauseous and pained "Uh, yeah... Feel a bit faint." Bofur stands up "Think furnace with wings." Bilbo stutters "Air, I--I--I need air." Bofur continues "Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof ! you're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bilbo breathes heavily, trying to compose himself as the others stare at him "Hmmm. Nope." Then, he falls on the floor in a faint. Gandalf says "Ah, very helpful, Bofur." Bilbo is sitting on his chair, holding a mug and talking to Gandalf "I'll be all right, let me just sit quietly for a moment." Gandalf tells him "You've been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me; when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you ? I remember a young Hobbit who always was running off in search of elves and the woods, who'd stay out late, come home after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young Hobbit who would have liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps; it's out there." Bilbo says "I can't just go running off into the blue. I am a Baggins, of Bag End." Gandalf tells him "You are also a Took. Did you know that your great-great-great-great-uncle, Bullroarer Took, was so large he could ride a real horse ?" Bilbo nods "Yes." Gandalf continues "Well he could. In the Battle of Green Fields, he charged the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard it knocked the Goblin King's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won, and the game of golf invented at the same time." Bilbo says "I do believe you made that up." Gandalf tells him "Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back." Bilbo asks "Can you promise that I will come back ?" Gandalf shakes his head "No. And if you do, you will not be the same." Bilbo says "That's what I thought. Sorry, Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong Hobbit." He walks away down the hall. Gandalf sighs. Balin and Thorin see Bilbo walking away. Balin says "It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we ? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy-makers; hardly the stuff of legend." Thorin smiles slightly "There are a few warriors amongst us." Balin says "Old warriors." Thorin tells him "I will take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they came. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that." Balin tells him "You don't have to do this. You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains, a life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor." Thorin holds out the key Gandalf gave him "From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin. Not for me. I'm also doing this for her." Balin nods "Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done." The dwarves gather in Bilbo's living room, smoking their pipes by the fire. They all begin humming, and soon Thorin begins to sing, then the others join him with Gandalf listening from nearby; Bilbo listening from his bedroom *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 fire was red, it flaming spread. The trees like torches blazed with light.*
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