[IC] Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

[kiiblade]

The day began like many before it, though Thorin could not help but feel unsettled. The prince of Erebor could not quite place his finger on what was amiss, nor why he felt so uneasy, but he put those thoughts aside and went about his daily duties as his grandfather's adviser. Something would happen today, he was certain of this...though he was unprepared for the horrors that would soon take place.

What happened that day remained a haunting recollection for many. Lives were lost, Erebor was attacked and engulfed in a dangerous wave of flames. The dwarves had once believed their kingdom impenetrable, but that was far from the truth. Smaug saw to that. The mighty dragon had claimed victory, and the Arkenstone was forever lost...or so many believed.

Thorin, on the other hand, refused to believe this. He had saved his grandfather from being brutally killed, and he remembered the sight of the Arkenstone slipping down the stairway, only to be buried with gold, and covered by Smaug's impressively large form.

The Arkenstone was still there, and he would one day reclaim it.

Many years after they had settled in the Blue Mountains, Thorin's younger sister, Dis had married and had two sons of her own. Fili was the eldest, then Kili, the youngest. Both brothers were close as could be, and both had shown promise. As they grew, they proved themselves, and finally Thorin relented. They were to accompany them on their journey to Erebor, to reclaim what had been stolen.

After the attack on their homeland, Thorin had changed, and not for the better. Haunted by his past, he vowed to put things right. For his kin, and for his people. It was only a matter of time before they set out, a company of thirteen.

[AngelBites15]

As all of the Dwarven people of the Lonely Mountain were driven from the homeland by the deadly Firedrake of the North, a winged feminine figure was elegantly crouched atop the mountain, watching the disaster before her.

The ember of the fire reflected from her luminous yellow-green eyes, giving off a reflective, glowing effect on them, while her sharp, metal finger-cuffs dug into the rock below her. The Raven-black catsuit she wore, with a few feathers being embedded into the material, matched with the horned headdress, made her represent pure evil. She wasn't phased when she watched the destruction before her with a cold-eyed gaze.

Robbed of their homeland, the dwarves of Erebor wandered the wilderness; a once mighty people brought low.

Spreading her huge feathered wings, the feminine being took flight, away from the mountain.

The young dwarf prince took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of men. But always, he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, where he had seen dragon fire in the sky, and a city turn to ash. And he never forgave, and he never forgot.

----------------

Sixty years later, during the Third Age of the Shire, a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, was at peace, living comfortably within the spring-like realm of his surroundings. No threats. No restrictions. Just...living freely. What he didn't expect was an adventure that was, what you could say, unexpected.

[kiiblade]

Bilbo Baggins had started his day similar to many others. The hobbit preferred to keep to himself, and aside from a rather strange run-in with a wizard, his day had been rather mundane. This was perfect, of course. The more isolated he remained, the better. After he'd purchased a fish from the marketplace for dinner, Bilbo had returned home to prepare his meal when he heard a knock at the door. Odd. Visitors were far and few in-between, especially at this hour.

With a sigh, Bilbo rose to his feet, left the table, and got the door. At the very least, the hobbit had expected to face someone of equal height. This was far from the case, however. Dwalin seemed to tower over him, rendering Bilbo very nervous. "Yes?" Flustered, he readjusted his robe and did his best to stand tall (not an easy feat) while keeping eye contact. "May I help you?"

[AngelBites15]

Finding a dwarf standing there, he was certainly towering, in Bilbo's point of view, at least. "Dwalin", he introduced himself with a hint of a Scottish accent before bowing to his new host. "At your service", he added before standing back to his full height and stepping inside.

"Which way, laddie? Is it down here?", Dwalin asked, as if he was expected to be there. "He said there’d be food, and lots of it", he was entering the kitchen now, just before the doorbell rings again.

[kiiblade]

Bilbo was quick to move aside as the burly dwarf made his entrance inside of the home. "Just a moment," he tried his best to protest against his new guest, though it was all in vain. The hobbit shut his circular door, and then he followed after Dwalin, his eyes taking in his numerous tattoos and burly build. This was not a dwarf to cross.

"Food?" Again, he was aghast. "Who told you this?" There was another knock at the door, and Bilbo nearly threw his hands up in frustration. What was going on? Grumbling to himself, the hobbit answered again, and this time he was met with someone more equal to his height.

There stood a dwarf, white hair and beard, with a friendly expression upon his face. "Balin, at your service!" The older dwarf spread his arms out (Bilbo feared he was going for a hug) and then he gave a polite bow before entering the cozy home.

Bilbo shut the door for the second time, and he watched in disbelief as the dwarf entered the kitchen area. "Greetings, brother," the shorter of the two smiled fondly, while Bilbo watched from the back, arms folded with displeasure. "Excuse me," before he might protest, someone knocked for the third time.

Bilbo practically stomped down the hall. Brows furrowed, he jerked open the door, and there before him stood two more dwarves. A blond and brunette, each young, each seemingly relieved to have arrived to the correct home. Once Fili had introduced himself, Kili gave a bow, "and Kili, at your service!"

Once the formalities were over with, Kili resumed his normal posture and offered a large, boyish smile. "You must be Mister Boggins!" And so Bilbo's stressful evening began.

[AngelBites15]

"Fili", one of them says. He was the blonde, with sections of his hair braided in some places, along with a matching facial beard and mustache. By the looks of their physicality, the blonde was possibly the older one of the two. "At your service", Fili kept himself reserved and composed in his posture, right after he bowed in unison with his younger sibling. He kept himself tall and quiet, while his brother (excitedly) did the talking.

"It seems we're not late, little brother", Fili recalled as he observed Dwalin and Balin in the distance, behind the Hobbit before them. And with that, they brushed themselves passed Bilbo, as if they owned the place. "Careful with these, I just had them sharpened", he told the Hobbit before placing their weapons in his hands, including the blades he kept hidden in his person. As the first-born, and an idol, Fili always had a reputation to be weapon-ready, even if it means to protect his little brother at all costs.

[kiiblade]

"It's nice, this place." Kili observed the home, the smile never leaving his features. "Did you do it yourself?" A hobbit home was very different from the homes he was used to. The ceiling was lower, for one thing, and it was really quite comfortable and warm. A welcomed change from the chill of outdoors.

"Uhm, no." Bilbo staggered under the weight of Fili's weaponry, and he was startled by the sight of it. Bilbo was not partial to swords, or anything of that nature. Too dangerous. "It's been in the family for years," he referred to his home, and to his great shock and annoyance, Kili wiped his boots off on the chest in the hallway.

"That's my mother's glory box! Could you please not do that?!" Had his hands been free, and had he been a few inches taller, Bilbo may have liked to strangle him for such carelessness. With an irritable huff, he set Fili's blades to the nearest chair, then stormed past them into the kitchen once again. Who knew what kind of chaos was taking place?

Kili removed his boot from the box, then watched as their host stomped off. Hobbits were really rather strange. "I'd say we made perfect time. Do you think Thorin has arrived yet?" The youngest wondered, as they'd taken separate roads. Thorin had other matters to settle first.

[AngelBites15]

Fili didn't have to make an objection to their weapons being dropped onto the nearest surface, which the Hobbit had randomly thrown from his hands, and huffed away. Hearing his brother's question, he gave a sigh before patting his shoulder lovingly, clearly amused by his curious, boyish nature.

"I wouldn't get our hopes up yet, little brother. Uncle has his reasons; he will come", he reassured him, mainly to sustain his excitement for their journey. Fili let his hand go from his brother's being, before he spotted Dwalin approaching them.

"Fili, Ki­li, come on, give us a hand", the muscular dwarf told them before putting a hand on the younger lad's shoulder, leading him to the dining room. "Let’s shove this in the hole, or otherwise we’ll never get everyone in", Fili willingly followed.

[kiiblade]

Kili longed to prove himself useful on the journey, and so at the mention of helping, he practically jumped at the chance. Dwalin was a dwarf he respected and often admired from afar; he was strong, scarred from previous battles, and very well respected. Everything that a dwarf should be, in the youngest's opinion.

"Mister Dwalin!" Kili smiled up to him, and the burlier of the two clasped a hand to his shoulder. With the other, he clasped Fili's. "Good to see you lads," he told both brothers, and from there he showed them an impressive collection of various brew. The drinks were stored in heavy kegs, ones that Kili was certain he and Fili could move.

In the distance, the prince could overhear Bibo's flustered speech and footsteps as he went from one place to the next. The poor hobbit seemed positively beside himself, for reasons Kili could not understand. "Excuse me, you haven't yet answered my questions!" For what felt the tenth time, Bilbo made an attempt to speak with Balin. The white haired dwarf was busy admiring his pantry of various vegetables and cheeses.

"And what questions might those be?" There was no sarcasm in his tone, Balin truly did wish to know, but right then there was another series of knocks at the doors. Bilbo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and if he hadn't control of himself, he may have said something rather unkind.

Again the hobbit went from the kitchen (he shot Fili and Kili a glower upon his passing) and into the front entry. "What is it now?!" Bilbo pulled open the door, and from there several dwarves fell into a heap at his bare feet.

[AngelBites15]

Right after Bilbo opened the round, circular door, a bunch of dwarves fell through the doorway, and landed flat atop each other upon the floor. Behind them, the strange wizard he spoke to earlier, Gandalf the Grey was there, poking his head through the door, looking at Bilbo with hope, and a light shrug written on his face. That wasn't all...

A feminine face looked through the door at the Hobbit before them, who appeared to be looking at the wizard in exasperation, as if he knew that he was involved with this strange intrusion. Except this female appeared to be an elf...with curled horns being upon her head.

"I told you this was a bad idea", the female told the wizard next to her with a narrow of her apparent yellow-green eyes. She had straight, back-lengthed ashy-brown hair trailing down her back, along with a black cloak draped around her figure, trailing down to her feet.

[kiiblade]

Bilbo could only stare in a mixture of confused dismay. The hobbit did his best to count the number of intruders, but then an all too familiar face peered down upon him. "Gandalf!" This was beginning to make a bit more sense. Were these his guests? Bilbo opened his mouth to give him a piece of his mind, but he clamped it shut when he saw that there was a woman now too. This female was unlike any others he had ever seen, and he could only stare with wide eyes as his mind made feeble attempts to understand just what was going on.

"I do not understand," Bilbo moved aside as the array of dwarves got to their feet, each talking, some joking, others mumbling things that made little sense. For so many to see him in his robe and pajamas was rather embarrassing, and so he mumbled a hasty 'excuse me' as he retreated into his room to change.

Now properly dressed, Bilbo returned, just as Kili was helping Fili move a keg of ale into the dining room. "Put that back!" The scolding seemed to go out one ear and out the other, for Kili was making jokes and laughing with Dwalin about some ale that had been spilled earlier.

Cursing his misfortune, Bilbo fixed his suspenders, and he now faced Gandalf for the third time that day. "Did you invite them?" The dwarf glanced from him to the woman with uncertainty, and then he heard a dish break with a quick call of 'sorry!' from Bofur. This day could not have gone worse, he was sure of it.

[AngelBites15]

Groaning, the strange woman proceeded to walk over the crumpled group of dwarves on the ground with her elegant legs that appeared to be covered with a black bodysuit underneath her cloak. Keeping her head down, she followed the wizard inside the small home with her head down to get through the door, though she didn't get too far inside, just moving herself towards the fireplace.

"Now, now, Bilbo, no need to get so upset!" Gandalf protested with raised eyebrows. "They're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them. All will be explained shortly when the leader of the party arrives."

The she-elf was sure that Gandalf would become concerned about her, ever since he tried to help her with her past. She heard laughter and singing coming from the dining room and the hallway, where the potential inhabitants she has to help take to the mountain. At that moment, she had to keep herself refrained if she ever wanted to redeem herself, and repay for her mistake. It was the only advice that was received.

[kiiblade]

"Their leader?" Bilbo seemed only capable of asking questions. One of the dwarves happened by with his prized tomatoes, and instinctively he snatched them away. "No, no. Put that back," he scolded a dwarf with hair resembling the coloring of a skunk, and instead of a response, he was given complete gibberish in return. The chair he'd been carrying was not put back, rather he carried it along to put into the dining area.

Too much was happening, too much was being said, and no answers had been given to him. Bilbo's patience was wearing very thin, and he clenched his hands into fists as he prepared himself for a heated rant. "They pillaged the pantry. I'm not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom, they all but destroyed the plumbing." The hobbit made his dissatisfaction known, and in vain he tried to put things away that had been misplaced. "I don't understand; what are they doing in my house?"

"Mister Boggins! Where do you keep your tankards?" Kili entered the room as if he'd lived there his entire life; he didn't seem quite shy. "Or do you drink from bowls?" The question was quite serious, though to Bilbo he felt that Kili was poking fun at him.

"They are in the cupboard," the hobbit snapped, though Kili barely heard him, he was too busy looking to Gandalf in wonderment. This was Gandalf the Grey, and he had heard plenty of tales about him. "Kili! Hurry up, lad!" Dwalin bellowed from the adjoining room, and the youngest turned to leave, though he could not help but notice the lone figure near the fire. This was definitely not a hobbit, nor a dwarf. She was too tall for that. Who was this, and why did he feel that he'd known her?

For once, Kili was not quite as bold as he may have been. Normally, he might approach and ask for himself, but he was a touch intimidated, though completely curious.

[AngelBites15]

Gandalf the Grey couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Hobbit. Although he did promise the dwarves a place where they could dine, and meet up. It just wasn't entirely up to him. He had to at least keep their hopes high. But upon noticing the young dwarf take a glance at Saeril in curiousity, Gandalf knew for a fact that sooner or later, he would introduce him and his brother to their "second mother" soon.

"Why don't you go say hello?", he asked Kili, right after he heard the call of Dwalin from the dining room. "Don't worry. I will handle the set-up", the wizard kindly placed a hand to the young dwarf's shoulder before giving a wink, and moving off to help with the rest of his dwarven companions.

Saeril was just staring at the hearth of the fire with a glare of guilt and a hint of sadness. She knew she couldn't get too close to the others; even if she did out of nowhere. Unfortunately, only Fili, Kili, Dwalin, and Balin haven't seen her come in, and would be deep-down terrified of her deformity. But hopefully, Gandalf will get them to understand.

[kiiblade]

Kili smiled his thanks to Gandalf, and he felt quite good about himself. For once, he felt equal to the others, for he was to be one of the company to reclaim the homeland of their people and kin. Thorin would not cower from this mysterious figure -- why should he?

With that thought, Kili decided to get some answers for himself. The dwarf was really very light on his feet, and so he barely made a sound as he approached the woman. Gandalf had encouraged him to say hello, and therefore he knew she could not have been a threat, though he remained cautiously curious all the same.

He'd reached the fireplace, though he kept a few paces away. In order not to startle her, he cleared his throat to make his presence known. What should he say? Mahal only knew that it took him half the journey to Hobbiton to plan out his greeting to their host.

Falling back on Gandalf's advice, he believed a simple hello would be enough. Despite being a touch intimidated, he faced her, and the odd feeling that he knew who this was never seemed to fade away. "Um...hello," he offered a hesitant smile, and he was rather transfixed by her appearance. Was this an elf? A human? Kili had seldom traveled until now, but in his inexperienced opinion, she looked to be neither.

"I'm Kili...I came here with my brother, Fili." The prince introduced himself, then paused. "Did you arrive here with Gandalf?" Out of politeness, Kili did his best not to stare, but he had never seen someone like this, and no one had mentioned her being there.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril sat near the fire, and stared at its hearth. The memories were enough to flash back at her; memories of two young dwarves she grew fond of from within the shadows, while covering the disturbance of an appearance that every race grew to despise. It was fear, not anxiety that drove her away. How could anyone love someone that had the appearance of true evil? Not them, she concluded to herself.

No, that couldn't be it, could it? What if they weren't afraid? What if they already accepted her presence? What if...they already knew what she looked like? Have they heard the stories? What if they saw her commit such evil? Were they already despising her? Did they even care? These repeated questions and constant thoughts inside her head haunted her. For days and nights, almost to the point where she can't sleep, it was a parental paranoia within her that truly scared her.

It was a repetitive wheel within the fire before her...and the last thing she didn't expect to hear, was the voice of said-child. Slowly widening her yellow-green eyes, Saeril cautiously turned her head to the source, which almost made her jump out of her Elven skin. Was it true? Did Gandalf stay true to his word? Getting courage, she kept her ground. "I did come with Gandalf, yes", she answered him, gently, and almost motherly. "I'm Saeril", the she-elf introduced herself, keeping her gaze on him, but not as uptight as before.

It was quiet, and Saeril kept it that way for a hesitating moment when she looked back at the fire before her. She didn't want the tension to turn awkward between them, and she didn't want to frighten him. "Do you know who I am, Kili?", she asked the young dwarf, almost cautiously, making sure that what she was seeing was real.

[kiiblade]

Kili found her response to be just as mysterious as she was. How could he have known her? Did she know him? While he normally may have said no, he did sense something, and so he hesitated. Brows furrowed, he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous habit.

"I feel that I know you, but I have never seen you." This confused the young dwarf; he found this woman to be very gentle, almost in a motherly fashion. Something about her presence was familiar, though her name was not. "That doesn't make much sense, does it?" There was a pause after that, and he found himself wondering if she was well known as Gandalf had been. Was she a user of magic? Perhaps she was royalty. It was now that he wished he had questioned Gandalf beforehand.

Kili turned his attention to the fire as well, though he sideways glanced to her. "Should I know you?" The prince really did wish for more answers, and he was rather frustrated with himself for not knowing. In many ways, he was naive. Some stories had not been told to him, though he had heard rumors here and there...much of the truth regarding their Delva, and her past, he did not know.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril kept her gaze at the fire. "You know, young Kili? I have the same feeling with you", she added as a matter-of-fact. With that, she turned her gaze to him, after a moment of looking down. She had to say it; she had to get close to him again, like how the wizard said, if she were to pay for her past unintentional crimes, and it also seems that Gandalf didn't tell them after all.

With a sigh, she elegantly sat herself upon the comfy lounge nearby, although she kept herself near the warmth of the fire. "I remember a long time ago", she pondered in thought. "There was a woman that I met. Her name was...Dis", she guessed, eventually finding the name of the Dwarven woman, after a second of thinking. "I remember...", the she-elf then began to say. "Two young Dwarven boys with her. Infants", she added, looking at him with a bit of fondness in her eyes.

[kiiblade]

Kili stood a bit straighter when Dis was spoken of; how could she have known her? Slowly, things were starting to connect within his mind. "You knew my mother?" This seemed to surprise him; why had Dis not mentioned this before?

"The infants with her, that must have been Fili and I." The thought was somewhat amusing -- and a bit sad. Already Kili missed their mother, but he did promise to return. This was a promise he intended to keep; the runestone in his pocket reminded him of that.

"When we were young, we used to receive gifts...letters...but no sender was ever revealed, and so we named the sender ourselves. We called her Delva." Kili seemed far away, his gaze was set upon fire before he resumed eye contact. "We believed her to be a spirit, and sometimes...even if Fili couldn't, I could feel her presence...just as I feel that now." Kili watched Saeril carefully for a reaction. Talk like this may make him appear mental, but he could not back down now. It was a risk worth taking, if his suspicions were true.

[AngelBites15]

It was all coming back to her now, and Saeril made a quiet chuckle of amusement when she thought of Dis, Thrain's only daughter. She knew Dis as long as she lived; they were close, and the Dwarven woman trusted and respected her, the same way many Dwarves of Erebor saw the Fangorian Elves: regal, proud, and wise (not to mention beautiful). Saeril didn't have many companions during her long years within Fangorn Forest, until Dis became her first.

So long they have been friends, that was when the she-elf realized that Dis trusted her completely, even to the point when the Dwarven woman announced that she was pregnant. Snapping herself back to the present, Saeril's gaze on Kili softened. "I knew her, yes. A long time ago", she confirmed to his question about his mother. "I remembered the faces of those said-infants with her. I remember how much they liked to play in the woods", her voice sounded distant as she recalled to those memories.

"She also told me...that you were to be my godson, Kili, and your brother", the she-elf added. "Those letters, and Delva?", she paused for a moment, before carefully sitting herself down on the floor, mainly to try to get down to his level. "That was me", she finally said it.