-General-
Entertainment was scarce in this world, especially at night. At best, it involved getting drunk in taverns and carousing until the early hours. Therefore, the impending competition between Aldril and Kili ignited a spark of excitement among the dwarves, who eagerly cheered for Kili to humble the "pretentious human." Aldril's arrogance, in claiming to be the best archer in all of Middle-earth and asserting Kili couldn't compare, had certainly ruffled some feathers.
Yet, dwarves, though short-tempered, were also refreshingly simple. These traits meant that, as long as you didn't deeply offend them, they remained open to reason. Their simplicity was evident in how quickly they set aside their anger, swept up in the thrill of the competition, and their reasonableness in acknowledging that Aldril hadn't truly insulted them.
As the group moved toward the forest, the dwarves began placing their bets on who would win. Given their familiarity with Kili, most wagers leaned heavily in his favor.
"You haven't bet yet, Balin. Don't you trust Kili?" asked Fíli, puzzled by Balin's silence. He'd assumed Balin would back Kili, but Balin's response surprised him.
"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said? The boy is an adventurer, and to be one, you need to be very strong, Fíli. Over the years, very few have called themselves adventurers, and every one of them was an extraordinary person. The most famous adventurer is a woman named Tindómiel, daughter of Elros, the first King of Númenor. In Erebor, we had several books that recounted her capabilities, and seeing his confident attitude, his claim to be an adventurer, the boy left a good impression on me. That's why my bet goes for Aldril."
"Come on, Balin, there was no need for all that tale," Fíli grumbled, dizzy from Balin's lengthy explanation. For him, reading held little importance; he preferred combat practice, and conversations with Balin, which often stretched unnecessarily, invariably bored him.
Despite most dwarves finding reading tedious, they still appreciated knowledge. Listening to Balin's discourse, some dwarves, including Glóin, Bifur, and Bofur, decided to bet on Aldril. Disgusted that they weren't backing Kili, Fíli turned to Gandalf and Bilbo.
"So, you two, who will you bet on?"
At Fíli's question, Gandalf pulled out a bag of coins. "My money's on Aldril," Gandalf declared, handing over the bag. Fíli then looked at Bilbo.
"I won't bet on anyone. I don't have any money at the moment," Bilbo stated.
Shrugging, Fíli rejoined the other dwarves as they pooled their bets. Almost everyone participated, with the exception of Thorin. It wasn't that he disliked gambling; he simply took this confrontation very seriously and didn't want it to appear as a mere game of chance.
As the dwarves gathered the money bags, Aldril looked at Balin, his eyes gleaming. "Mr. Balin, if you don't mind, after the competition, I would love to hear about Tindómiel's adventures."
Listening to Aldril's request, Balin nodded with a smile; he always enjoyed sharing his vast knowledge. Seeing Balin's affirmation, Aldril turned to Kili. "So, how do you want to compete?"
Kili looked up at Aldril. "We could shoot arrows at the trees and see who can hit the same spot the most times."
Just then, the sound of birds suddenly filled the forest. Aldril's eyes lit up. He turned to Kili and immediately suggested, "What if we compete by hunting birds instead? The night adds more difficulty."
After hearing this, Kili immediately looked toward the dark forest, then confidently nodded. "I agree! Then whoever kills the most birds is the one who will win!"
Hearing the new rules of the competition, all the dwarves cheered with laughter and shouts of support for the two archers.
"Come on, Kili, you can do it!" "Come on, Aldril, I bet on you, don't let me down!" "Come on, Kili, make Glóin regret not betting on you!"
Aldril and Kili couldn't agree on who would go first. They each took their bows and arrows from their backs and aimed at the birds that, even in the darkness, were still flying through the forest. Because the tail feathers of their arrows were distinct, it would be very easy to differentiate whose arrow belonged to whom.
The sky was dark, the moonlight briefly illuminated the night, and stars shone brightly. At this moment, Aldril and Kili calmly drew their bows. The group of dwarves behind them remained silent, fearful that any noise would break their focus.
So close were they that they could hear each other's breathing. Since it was a competition, both tried to be as precise as possible. Suddenly, a bird song was heard, and at that moment, an arrow shot out.
"Shhhhwish! Thwack!"
The first bird fell. Kili was shocked; he had barely drawn his bow when Aldril had already fired. Most impressively, Aldril had calculated the trajectory perfectly. Before Kili could react, Aldril fired three more shots in rapid succession.
"Shhhhwish! Shhhhwish! Shhhhwish! Thwack!"
The sound of three more birds falling echoed in the silent night. Behind them, the dwarves looked at Aldril with newfound awe. They couldn't even see the birds, and Aldril had already taken down four. This display left them thoroughly impressed. Aldril's skill was a testament to his innate ability; his bow skill was already at level two. This showed how capable the original Aldril was. The fact that he could shoot so easily in the dark was because he possessed clear night vision. At first, he'd thought it was a mutation, but upon discovering he was in Middle-earth, he attributed it to an inherited ability. He didn't know who his parents were, but he was grateful for inheriting his skill with the bow and his clarity of sight at night.
The crisp sound of arrows being shot continued for a while. Kili, a little nervously, began to shoot. He was anxious, aware that his "uncle," the dwarf king Thorin, was present, and he could feel his gaze.
After a while, seeing that they had run out of arrows, Thorin concluded the contest.
"Dwalin, Nori, Óri, go count the bird carcasses." At Thorin's command, the aforementioned dwarves hurried into the forest. Aldril had no doubt that the dwarves would be honorable. Gandalf had already informed him that dwarves were generally fair in competition and gambling, so cheating was unlikely.
It wasn't long before the dwarves returned, carrying the arrows and the fallen birds. Seeing them approach, Thorin spoke.
"So, how did it go?"
With a somewhat frustrated look on his face, Dwalin reported, "All in all, 20 dead birds on Aldril's side, and only 6 on Kili's side."
Hearing Dwalin's count, Kili lowered his head. He approached Thorin and said in a low voice, "I lost. Sorry, Thorin, Aldril's archery skills are better than mine."
Patting him on the shoulder, Thorin spoke with a smile, "Don't worry, Kili. I'm not upset."
After comforting Kili, Thorin approached Aldril and, in a calm but expectant voice, spoke, "A bet is a bet. Welcome to the team, Mr. Aldril."
Noticing that Thorin was looking at him differently, Aldril gave a cordial bow. "It will be a pleasure to assist you on your journey, Your Highness."
Satisfied with Aldril's demeanor, Thorin extended his hand, and the two shook.
"Let's go back. I haven't had supper yet, and I'm starving," said Thorin, turning around. All the others followed him back to Bilbo's house, dividing the winnings from their bets as they walked.
As they walked back, Aldril approached Kili, who still seemed a little downcast from his loss.
"You're not bad with a bow; you're much better than anyone else I've come across."
"You don't need to console me, Aldril. I'm not sad. You just beat me because it's nighttime, so we have to compete again."
Faced with Aldril's friendly behavior, Kili realized that he was indeed a nice person, one of those with a very good vibe with whom it's easy to form a friendship.
Giving him a pat on the shoulder, Aldril smiled. "Rest assured, we will compete again."
Watching out of the corner of his eye as Aldril and Kili began to get along, Thorin nodded to himself. Someone who could connect with dwarves so quickly spoke volumes about their character.
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