The Elf, the Hobbit and the Dwarf - Book 1 NEW VERSION

A Night to Remember

"No need to be rude," said Dori, a grey-haired Dwarf who seemed a little kinder than Dwalin. "The lass seems alright." It seemed as though some Dwarves were more hesitant toward Elves that others and Dwalin was a perfect example of that.

"I didn't mean to talk about things I shouldn't," Míriel said and shook her head. "I was only asking because they might be hungry too, you should save some food for them. I cannot lie, though, and say that it does not interest me why thirteen Dwarves, a Hobbit and an old friend of mine has come to an Elven realm of all places. I am curious about that."

"We won't tell you," Dwalin said and shrugged as he took a large bite out of his sausage.

"I knew that," Míriel said and took a little sip of the wine she had poured for herself in a glass. She was not stupid enough to think that the Dwarves would tell her everything without her even using some of her tricks to make them talk. Míriel was a charming Elf, and she knew how to get what she wanted if she used the right methods.

"But could you at least tell me how you got here? Gandalf has always said that the best storytellers in Middle-earth are Dwarves."

And that was enough to charm the Dwarves to tell her almost everything about their journey, except what it really was about. They had been very pleased to hear that an Elf regarded Dwarves as the superior storytellers.

The Dwarves told her how they first met up in the Shire, where Bilbo Baggins lived. Míriel had never been there but when they told her about it, she got the desire to visit. It seemed beautiful even though the Dwarves had expressed it as quite 'boring and lifeless'. Bofur was the main storyteller while the others dropped comments here and there when they disagreed or wanted to tell their point of view. He said that they all met up in Bilbo's little house and that they ate almost everything he had to offer them; which was not much according to Bombur.

Bofur said that Bilbo did not want to come with them at first, but that he changed his mind at last minute. The Dwarves told Míriel about the Trolls that they encountered and that they wanted to cook them all for dinner. Oín said that it was all thanks to Bilbo that they survived since he distracted the Trolls while they tried to prepare the Dwarves for food until Gandalf came and the sunlight hit them which turned the Trolls to stone.

"We're here to find another clue, for our quest," Fíli said to Míriel, who had just told her that Bilbo had tricked the Trolls into thinking that they had worms in their bodies and for that, they were not eatable. Míriel had laughed for a good few moments at this.

"I expect that's why Thorin is talking to Elrond now," Kíli, Fíli's younger brother, said.

"What an adventure," Míriel said with a sigh. Their stories were truly amazing to listen to, and it would have made anyone anxious to go somewhere too. "Seems like such fun even though you must have been scared to death at some point. I have been stuck either here or in my birthplace Lórien for my entire life, I feel quite restricted in my own life."

"Why?" Ori asked curiously.

"I..." Míriel hesitated before deciding to tell the Dwarves about her gift. "I suppose you know that some Elves are born with certain powerful gifts and I am one of them. I can make things levitate, I can make fires and sometimes even greater things..." Míriel glanced at one of the sausages left untouched by Nori and soon it levitated high up into the air. The Dwarves looked at it in awe.

"What greater things can you do?" Kíli asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Míriel said sadly. "I've been forbidden to try and use them for things such as defence and fighting. I did something once when I was young which made me swear to be careful in the future."

"What happened?" Dwalin asked, actually sounding a little curious.

"When I was very young, I played in the forest with my friend," Míriel began. "We were attacked by a pack of Orcs, and my friend was badly injured by an arrow. I attacked the Orcs using my powers, I don't even know how but it suddenly fell dead in front of my feet. I helped my friend, healed her, but afterwards, I fainted, and I did not wake for days. I was banned from using them since, but I used them once more when my father was killed... It did not work at that time; he was already dead... I have never learnt to control them I suppose. I do not understand them fully yet..."

"Wow," Ori said, his chin gaping open. He was one of the youngest Dwarves, he barely had enough hair on his chin to call it a beard. Míriel wondered if they had been frightened or impressed by her story, for most people she told did the former. It was a story she only ever shared with her closest of friends and relatives, but somehow she felt as though she could trust the Dwarves. There was something very special about them, but she could not quite put her finger on it.

"I don't know about you, but I say we take her with us," Kíli said suddenly.

"What?" Míriel said and frowned; she had been completely taken by what the young Dwarf had just said. He could not possibly suggest that she, would ever go with a company of Dwarves to a destination that she did not even know?

"Yeah," said Dwalin with a nod. "I say so too. Just think of what she could do for us. Based on what she's told us, she's brave and reliable."

Míriel did not understand what was going on. Only a second ago, she had told the Dwarves the stories of her past and now they suddenly wanted to take her on their quest? No, she could never do that, Galadriel and Elrond would never let her go. She was bound to stay within close borders, never to leave somewhere dangerous where she could be forced to use her powers.

"Thorin won't be happy about it," Glóin said and chuckled as if it was funny. The look on his face told Míriel that Glóin could barely wait to see Oakenshield's expression when they told him that they were bringing an Elf with them on whatever quest they had. "But if we all agree and then tell him what she'd just told us, then maybe he'll just have to agree."

"Hang on, you haven't even asked me if I want to go with you," Míriel said and stood up so they would all listen. But the more she thought about it, the more tempted she became.

Why not go with them? They were right, she was a valuable weapon with or without her powers. She could fight just as well as all the other Elves around her, and she would not even need to use much of her gift since there were so many of the Dwarves. Companions looked out for each other, and she could feel that the Dwarves would do that for her.

"And I don't even know what we are going to do or where we are going..."

"We're reclaiming our homeland," Dwalin said and stood up too, even though he could never reach to her height.

"We're taking back Erebor."