In a flashback set in the town of Bree on the border of the Shire, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) arrives at the Prancing Pony, orders a meal, and notices that he's being watched. The watchers withdraw when Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) joins Thorin. Gandalf urges Thorin to begin a quest to obtain the Arkenstone. The stone will enable Thorin to reclaim the dwarves' lost kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug and claim the throne of King under the Mountain. Gandalf suggests recruiting a burglar to steal the Arkenstone from the dragon-guarded mountain.