The Sky and The Mountain
"Birds don't live underground"
"Let's hope it doesn't start to rain again." You say aloud to yourself as the morning grew a brighter gray. You continue walking south, your pack heavy as it soaked up the rain from the past night. Wrapping your gray cloak tighter around yourself you head into the slowly waking Shire. It wasn't hard to find Bag-End after walking through the Green Fields and coming to Over the Hill. You smiled from under your faded purple head scarf and said good morning to the hobbits as they started their day. You are quite a bit taller than most of them, a good foot taller. You had never visited The Shire during your time here in Middle Earth. You knew the hobbits mostly kept to themselves. But they were kind and gentle folk, they smiled and waved good morning back as you made your way to Bag-end.
Bilbo was outside sitting in his garden smoking his morning pipe. You walked up to his fence to better see his garden, "Pardon me Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, but have you seen a wizard in these parts recently? Very tall fellow with a big pointy hat and goes by the name Gandalf." He looked up from his pipe at the wizard's name, "Why yes he was here, in fact not two nights ago. Where you traveling with him? If you are searching for him, I wish you all the best of luck." He says, "And just Mr. Baggins is fine thank you."
You sigh and adjust your pack, "I was traveling with him yes, he said had matters to attend to and told me to go ahead meet him here near Over the Hill, but it seems I am too late. You wouldn't of happen to know where he went would you, Mr. Baggins?"
"I'm afraid not, Mr….?"
"Icarus, just Icarus is fine. I don't have any formal title"
"Icarus, I'm sorry but I haven't the foggiest clue where he ran off to, but if you would like you can stay for afternoon tea and see if he returns?"
"That is very kind of you Mr. Baggins."
"Bilbo is fine since we are having tea, come inside and we can talk more." He says cleaning out his pipe and opening the gate to lead me in. Bag-End is a cozy hobbit hole, everything clean and neatly organized. You have to bend down only a little while walking around. As Bilbo prepares some tea you explore his collection of books in the living room. You both talk well into the evening, sharing tales of adventures and you two grew to be very good friends by supper time. As Bilbo started to prepare dinner you pick a book from his collection and started to read The History of Hobbiton. Just as Bilbo sat his supper on the table there came an unexpected bell ring from his door. Bilbo is greeted at the door by a dwarf who calls himself Dwalin. You feel a warm weight on your chest and a feeling the back of your head saying you should go and introduce yourself. The feeling is not a welcome one. You shake your white hair out of your eyes, you don't like people and you've never gone out of your way to introduce yourself to random strangers. You ignore it and burry your nose deeper into the book so you won't see him. He invites himself in and glances your way. You feel his eyes on your huddled from in the arm chair next to the fire, you don't look up instead you pull the book closer to you and continue reading. He continues on into the kitchen and helps himself to Bilbo's supper. A frustrated Bilbo follows him trying to understand what's going on when there is another ring at the door. Bilbo reopens the door to find another dwarf standing there. "Balin, at y'er service Mister Baggins." He enters past Bilbo who is taken aback at Balin's politeness. You can hear Dwalin and Balin happily greet each other outside the kitchen. You stay in your chair and keep reading, not wanting to cause any more trouble for Bilbo, whose house is slowly invaded by dwarves. Fili and Kili are the next two to ring the doorbell at the door, "Fili and Kili at y'er service!" they say together and enter without invitation. You shift in your arm chair, uneasily as the warm chest crushing feeling come again as Fili and Kili enter the hobbit hole. Before they can bother you Dwalin calls them off to help with rearranging the dining room. They pile their swords and weapons in Bilbo's arms are rush off to help. The doorbell rings again Bilbo throws down the things on his arms and angrily says that no one's home and to go away as he pulls open the door to find a pile of dwarves fall into his threshold with Gandalf standing behind them. You breathe a sigh of relief that he is finial here, maybe he can explain what's going on.
Supper with dwarves is extremely noisy and messy. They chatter loudly, they sing and throw food at one another. They have almost zero table manners to speak off. You feel bad for Bilbo, having dwarves invade his house and storage pantry. When they all sit down you can hear Bilbo talking angrily with Gandalf in the kitchen, you get up quietly and sneak into the pantry to see what's left. There is some dried fruit and a pear hidden on the shelf nearest the door. You take a cup full of the dried fruit and the pear back into the living room and eat quietly. You up your cup in the sink and throw out your pear core. You slip back into your chair with your book as the dwarves begin to sing.
Blunt the knives, bend the forks,
Smash the bottles and burn the corks
Chip the glasses and crack the plates
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates
Cut the cloth, trail the fat,
Leave the bones on the bedroom matt
Pour the milk on the pantry floor
Splash the wine on every door
Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl
Pound them up with a thumping pole
And when you've finished if they are whole
Send them down the hall to roll!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
The dwarves clapped and sang along happily. When the song was done all the dishes were done and cleaned. Even the floor and table were cleaned off. You pick back up your almost finished book when a knock comes from the door. "He is here." Gandalf says grimly. He gets up and opens the door before Bilbo gets there. A tall dwarf stands there, dressed in deep royal blue and silver mill. "Gandalf, you said this place was easy to find. I lost my way twice. I would have not found it if that mark hadn't been on the door." The other dwarves gather close in the mudroom and take his things from him putting them aside respectfully. "There is no mark on that door, I had it panted past week!" says Bilbo matter of factually. "There is a mark, I put it there myself." Says Gandalf, "Bilbo Baggins allow me to introduce the leader of this company, Thorin Oakenshield."
"So this is the hobbit. Tell me Baggins, what is your experience with fighting, what is your weapon of choice?" questions Thorin as he circles Bilbo.
"Fighting? Well if you must know I'm rather good at Conquers if I say so myself, but I fail to see the relevance of this?" replies Bilbo confused.
"Just as I thought, he seems more of a grouchier then a burglar." States Thorin as he turns away and walks into the dining room. The rest of the company follows him as does Bilbo and Gandalf. You feel a great pressure on your chest as the pass the living room. Your cheeks blush and you hide yourself in your book. Thorin and the others who make you feel this way glance over at your white hair that appears from behind the book as they pass but don't stop or bother you. You can hear them discuss it in the other room.
"So that's our One then?"
"Yes Me, Fili, and Dwalin feel it as well. But no one has been able to talk to them." Say Kili.
"Been nose buried in that book all night." Says Bofur.
"Their hair is so white and bright like yours Balin." Teases Kili to Balin.
"Do they even know? They must have felt it as we came in." inquires Fili.
"Leave them for now, we can talk about it later." Say Thorin as he eats the saved meal and drink that were given to him when he sat down. "His name is Icarus, and he is the 15th member of the company I have chosen. He will act as magical adviser and magical navigator in my steed. Or to put it simply he is my assistant with useful knowledge that we will need. Along with the 14th member Bilbo Baggins as our Burglar." Says Gandalf to the surprised faces of the dwarves. The conversation turns to more dwarven matters and Gandalf explains the purpose of the company's mission. To reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon and return the throne to its rightful ruler Thorin. You tune out the rest of the conversation and try to focus on the last chapter of this book. 'So that's why Gandalf wanted me to wait here for him, so he could gather the company all in one place. And because I know more about dragons then most do in Middle Earth.' You think to yourself. While that may be true, you do know a lot about dragons. You've studied them in the far north, their ruins, their bones, and every manuscript I could get my hands on. You might even know more than Gandalf about the subject. Bilbo's voice brings you out of your thoughts, he is standing right next to you trying to get your attention. "Icarus, Gandalf wants to introduce you, come to the dining room down the hall when you're ready." You nod in response and rise slowly as Bilbo returns ahead of you. You walk into the dining room, nose still in the book your reading. You mark your spot and look at Gandalf, "Yes Gandalf, you wanted to see me?"
"I've noticed you've been busy reading, and I thought it was time to formally introduce you to the rest of the company. Everyone this is Icarus he is not from Middle Earth and has traveled from north of the Forodwaith by the sea." Says Gandalf gesturing to me and then to the dwarves, "Icarus this is the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, and the Dwarves Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Golin, Bifur, Bofur, and BomBur respectively. And you have already met our hobbit Bilbo." You look around the room seeing all the Dwarves for the first time making eye contact with each, and as you do so the warm weight on our chest and heart grows heavier and heavier until you can hardly breath. Your light purple eyes meet Thorin's last and you blush deeply and gasp for air trying to breath. He moves to stand, "Icarus breath." He says calmly. But you are scared and trembling trying to breath under all this weight. "I can't breathe..." you gasp almost silent. When he moves you take a step back, drop your book and bolt for the front door. "Icarus!" you hear Gandalf call after you. But you are gone, out the door and down the path running trying to breathe. You feel rain pelt your face and soak your clothing as you run through the mud and into the forest. You lean against a tree and catch your breath, finial being able to breath.
You walk alone in the darkness in the wood till your nerves calm down. You look around making sure you're alone, you breathe deeply and unfurl your wings. You are not Elven, not Dwarven, not Halfling and not completely human, in this world your kind are called Skin-Changers. Humans with ancient magic that run through their veins from the time they are born till the die. But you aren't from Middle Earth, you are from normal Earth. From a place where you grew up in a lab with doctors everywhere, always running tests trying to understand your body. You escaped eventually but not without life threatening injuries, that scare your back and arms presently always reminding you of what happened. When Gandalf found you he said that this world better understood this magic and that you would be safer. He was right you are safer, you're free to fly here and explain it as magic. But not everyone is kind here, some have tried to lock me away in cages as a prize song bird. Just some treasure to collect and keep under lock and key. You are free now and free is how you want to stay. You ruffle yourself and fold away your wings back into your body and start walking back to Bag-End. 'You must never let them see your true self' you think as you walk up the path. The rain stops and the clouds part reveling a bright half-moon.
You knock on Bilbo's door hopping he or Gandalf answers. Bilbo pulls the door open. "Icarus, you gave us quite a fright and you're soaking wet. Come back in and let's get you warmed up." You shake your head, "I need to talk to Gandalf first, it's stopped raining please have him come out here." Bilbo walks off to get Gandalf. You go sit on the bench in the garden waiting. "You should go apologize, Icarus. They are very worried about you." Gandalf says coming up behind me. "Gandalf what is a One?" you ask him.
His eyes widen at the question and then soften. "So that's why. A One is like a soulmate, but more physical. Like the weight on your chest and heart. You are connected to your One or Ones fully for the first time when eye contact is made. For dwarves, they aren't a lot of female dwarves so one person can have multiple Ones. Now that the connection is made fully they will never harm you, never abandon you, and treat you to their fullest. I did not know this would happen, my apologize." He puts a hand on your shoulder and guides you back inside, "Let us go in it is still cold out." We return inside and Bilbo hands you a warm fluffy towel. Wrapping yourself in it thanking him silently. I walk back into the dining room where the dwarves are still discussing the adventure ahead. When I enter they grow silent and all look at me, I can feel the awkwardness and concern. "My apologies everyone, please forgive my outburst. I am Icarus and it is a pleasure to meet all of you." You bow your head a little, "I am here at Gandalf's request to help you best I can on your quest." You blush lightly, "And my Ones, please forgive me but this is all very new to me. Please give me time to understand…this. Please excuse me." You do not give them time to respond before you head back to the mudroom. You grab your bag and ask Bilbo if there is a spear bedroom you could use to change.
You change out of your wet clothes and into dry ones. You hang you stuff up to dry in the washroom and head back out to the living room. The dwarves are calmly roaming around the hobbit hole now, some still talking and catching up with each other. You over head Thorin and Balin talking about Bilbo not wanting to come along. You aren't surprised, hobbits aren't the most adventurist of Middle Earth. You grab a blanket from the couch and curl back up in your arm chair and try to sleep. Thorin stands opposite you gazing into the fire deep in thought. He starts to sing deeply and the others join in,
Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold
The pines were roaring on the heights
The wind were moaning in the night
The fire was red, it flaming spread
The trees like torches blazed with light
Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold
The pines were roaring on the heights
The wind were moaning in the night
The fire was red, it flaming spread
The trees like torches blazed with light
You can feel the sadness and aching hearts of your Ones and the others. Knowing how they lost their home and many brothers, friends, and family during the fight. You didn't know you were crying through closed eyes until you felt a soft hand on your cheek wiping away your tears thinking you're asleep. Kili's hands are soft as they wipe away tears and Fili pets your soft white hair gently sending you into dream land. Surrounded by humming dwarves and a warm fire.