Chapter 1: The Midnight Ride
Faster.
Faster.
Ever onward,
never back.
Merida pressed her face into Angus's mane, the pony letting out a disgruntled whinny as the hobbit grabbed fistful's of his hair. But he kept his gallop, fleeing as fast as his little legs could go. She sobbed into his neck, not caring the direction he was headed nor the distance he had covered. All she wanted was to run, to keep running and never stop.
And so she did.
It wasn't until Angus slowed to a trembling trot did she remove her face from his mane. She sniffed, hastily rubbed the tears from her eyes, and gazed about her surroundings. She hadn't realized how dark the sky had become; it must have been past midnight by now.
"Angus... How... How far have we gone?" She murmured as she crested a hill. He only huffed a weary snort, showing his displeasure at being forced to gallop so fast and so long. She chuckled and patted the pony's thick neck, grateful for the steed. He had always endured the rides of the night, when Merida's patience for her mother finally ran out and the only choice she had left was to flee. She gave the pony a rub between the ears before pushing aside her own red mane and returning her attention to her surroundings.
"Why... we've made to the Shire." She muttered with disbelief. Sure enough, the little community of hobbit holes and rolling pastures laid out before her, looking absolutely breathtaking in its simple way as the moonlight caressed the bends and dips of each knoll. Some of the small, round windows twinkled in the night, showing a few of the hobbits were still up, probably enjoying their tea before turning in for the night. Oh how she wished she could dwell in this little town, that she could be accepted by its people...
She pushed the solemn thoughts away and straitened in her saddle. She had had enough self pity for one night. She needed to spill her rage and frustration to someone, and she knew just the hobbit to speak to.
It didn't take long for her to maneuver Angus through the winding dirt paths and up to the hobbit hole perched slightly above the others. She slid off her steed, tied it to the front gate, strode up to the porch, and pounded on the round, green door. After the pitter patter of little feet and a soft grumbling beneath the breath, the door was opened.
There stood a hobbit, his rusty hair almost as disheveled as the plaid robe he wore. Merida didn't notice the disgruntled, almost frazzled look on his face, nor the rune glowing a soft blue etched in the door's wood.
"Bilbo Baggins, I've had enough." She declared, and barged right into the hobbit hole.
AN: Hello, and thank you for reading! It took a lot of guts for me to post this... I'm one of those writers who hates to show anyone her work, and will spend months working on a story that will never be read. So if you are angelic enough to post a review, please be gentle!
I just loved Brave so much, and The Hobbit just as more, and since there hasn't been a crossover for them yet, I decided to make my own. :) Plus there just isn't enough Kili/Fili/OC love triangles, and that had to be remedied. I hope I do an adequate job!
This chapter is short, but the next will be longer, I promise.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, or themes from J.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, The Hobbit Film, or Brave.