The Lonely Mountain [1]

The Prancing Pony

12 Months Ago

Amara sat in the corner of the inn of The Prancing Pony in Bree, half hidden in the shadows. Gandalf had told her to meet him here, but as usual the old wizard was late. Her eyes were trained on the door and her attention was peaked as a dwarf walked in.

"I'm dying of thirst over here! Come on! Come on!" A man sat at the bar yelled to the bartender as the dwarf walked past.

Amara recognised the dwarf; he was Thorin Oakenshield, she had met him twice prior to this. He was also the reason Gandalf had asked her here.

"Here you are." The bartender said setting the man's drink down. A man walked past one of the bar maids and nearly knocked the drink from her grasp.

"Watch it!" She called out to the drunk.

"Sorry, darling." The man slurred.

Amara stood from her seat as Gandalf appeared in the doorway.

"Here you are." The barmaid said, setting the drink down in front of Thorin who sat at a table by himself.

"Ah, thank you." Thorin said politely.

He began to eat his meal, but noticed a man in the corner watching him; he looked around and noticed another man on the opposite side watching him As the men began to walk towards him, Thorin started to draw his sword but Amara and Gandalf sat in front of him.

"Mind if we join you?" Gandalf asked with a small smile.

"I'll have the same and half a pint for the lady." Gandalf said as he stopped a nearby barmaid.

Amara watched as the two men went back to their seats, both glaring at her.

"I should introduce myself. My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey. This is Amara, but I think you two are already acquainted." Gandalf told Thorin who was also watching the two men.

"I know who you are." Thorin said, glancing at the elf who was friends with his nephew.

"Well, now, this is a fine chance. What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?" Gandalf asked.

"I received word that my Father had been seen wondering wild near Dunland. I went looking, found no sign of him." Thorin told the wizard with a hard look in his eyes.

"Ahh Thrain." Gandalf murmured.

"You're like the others. You think he's dead." Thorin accused.

"I was not at the battle of Moria." Gandalf said.

"No, but I was." Thorin said with a vacant look in his eyes as he remembered what happened. "My grandfather, Thror, was slain."

Thorin recalled seeing Azog stood holding his grandfather's head up for all to see.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Thorin had yelled and tried to make his way towards Azog. But as he tried to reach the pale orc, Thrain had stepped in front of him and stopped him.

"Father?!" Thorin exclaimed as Thrain cut him off.

"Stay back!" Thrain snapped.

"No! I will fight with you!" Thorin retaliated.

"Azog means to kill us all." Thrain said putting his hand on Thorin's chest. "One by One, he will destroy the line of Durin. But by my life he will not take my son. You will stay here." Thrain said before turning away from his son and pushing through the battle towards Azog the defiler.

"My father led a charge towards the Dimholt gate. He never returned."

Thorin recalled the rest of the battle, engaging Azog and slicing his arm clean off.

"Thrain is gone, they told me, he is one of the fallen. But at the end of that battle I searched amongst the slain, to the last body. My father was not among the dead." Thorin finished speaking.

"Thorin, it's been a long time since anything but rumour was heard of Thrain." Gandalf told him sadly.

"He still lives, I am sure of it." Thorin said as a barmaid came over with Gandalf's food and drink and Amara's drink and placed it on the table.

"My father came to see you before he went missing. What did you say to him?" Thorin asked as Amara sipped her drink, her dark eyes never leaving the men who were watching them.

"I urged him to march upon Erebor, to run the second army of the dwarves. To destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain and I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland." Gandalf said, beginning to eat his food.

"This is no chance meeting is it?" Thorin asked.

Amara shook her head before dragging her gaze away from the men and looking at the dwarf; she could see uncertainty in his eyes.

"No, it is not. The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. That dragon has had long enough, sooner or later darker minds will turn towards Erebor." Gandalf told him, before turning to Amara.

"I ran into some unsavoury characters whilst traveling along the Greenway. They mistook me for normal maiden." Amara told Thorin as her eyes drifted back to the dark figures.

"I imagine they regretted that." Thorin was well aware of Amara's fighting skill.

"One of them was carrying a message." She told him. She pulled the parchment out of her cloak, unrolled it and handed it to Thorin.

"It is Black Speech." Gandalf said.

Thorin looked at them both with unease.

"A promise of payment." Amara said.

"For what?" Thorin asked, even more uneasy now.

"Your head. Someone wants you dead." Amara told him.

"Thorin, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to the throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the dwarves, together you have the right and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families, demand they stand by their oath." Gandalf said.

"The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's jewel, the Arkenstone. It is the only thing that will unite them, and in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug." Thorin said with an edge of bitterness in his voice.

Amara watched as the two men who had been watching them got up and walked out of the bar.

"What if we were to help you reclaim it?" Amara asked.

"How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire breathing dragon." Thorin exclaimed.

"Yes, it does. This is why we're going to need a burglar." Gandalf told him.