Chapter One: All who wonder are not lost
Disclaimer: The characters belong to their respective owners.
Notes: Any questions will be answered in the next chapter notes. If you want to make requests or want to ask something directly please fill free to send me a message. Information or special comments will be posted in notes at the end of the chapter. Some characters might be out of character.
Bilbo rode quietly in the line of Darrow and one wizard. He chewed slightly on his lower lip wondering if he should have left a note for his sister if she came back from her own adventure to find him gone. Bilbo shook his head, she would be back for a while. That had been the last ranger that had come by looking to give Bilbo news on his younger sister. She was in Skyrim a total different country far up north where the dragons roamed. Bilbo hoped to Yovanna that she makes it home safely. So lost in his thoughts that Bilbo didn't realize that the train of ponies had stopped to allow a large black horse with red eyes and a black cloaked rider to pass. Yet, the rider paused in pushing the horse forward, the horse gnashed its teeth and side stepped as the rider pulled the reins to heel.
"What is going on that you would steal my brother from me Gandalf?" The faceless rider exclaimed. Black ebony gauntlets tighten on the reins and the horse side steps again.
"Sarra Baggins, I thought you had gone to join the rest of your brethren in Skyrim?" Gandalf stated, leaning over his horse to peer into the hood. The rider brought the guatlet covered hands up to push the hood of the cloak down revealing a felinoid face. Long locks of curly snow white and black hair fell in ringlets around the muzzle and glowing green eyes.
"I found what I wanted in Skyrim and much more. I was heading home. My people are with the Shire. Where I was raised." Sarra answered Gandalf. The grey wizard smiled and motioned around him.
"We might have needs of your skills, Sarra. Join us and keep an eye on your big brother." Gandalf stated. Thorin and the others turned in the saddles to stare at Gandalf.
"We do not have time to encourage a nomad Khajiit to come with us. She would just rob us blind and leave us in the wilderness alone." Thorin argued.
"Met a lot of my kind have you dwarf." Sarra asked lifted her head up high and starring down at Thorin. Thorin glared back at her.
"I was raised by hobbits, and I am capable of fighting and defending myself. I will come Gandalf, but only to keep my big brother safe." Sarra stated back. She, herself was glaring at the Dwarf King.
"Wonderful, the more the merrier." Gandalf stated as he urged his mount forward again. Sarra waited until all the ponies and horses had passed her then she turned her mount around and caught up with Bilbo and the others. Bilbo turned in his saddle and stared at his sister.
"You've changed so much Sarra." Bilbo commented looking over her attire.
"Yes, well I needed to in order to survive Skyrim." She responded looking around her surroundings. "I have gained so much and at the same time I have lost so much." Sarra stated. "Come brother we must not be left behind. I will tell you what happened on my journey once we have stopped for the night." Bilbo nodded and urged his pony to speed up to catch up with the others, the black horse easily kept pace.
When night started to set in Thorin called a halt to their movement and ordered them to start making up camp. Bilbo watched as his sister easily dismounted and how easily she started to unpack her mount. Bilbo tried to copy her and ended up on his butt in the dirt looking up at Myrtle. The Darrow burst into laughter at the scene but Sarra and Bofur stepped forward to help him up. Bilbo dusted himself off as his sister swiftly moved on to show him how to settle his mount in for the night. Bofur whispered to his brother and cousin that Sarra was a strange looking being, but otherwise seemed harmless. Bilbo knew that Khajiits didn't do a lot of traveling in this area anymore, not with the increase in orcs and wargs and other dangerous things. He knew that Khajiits were powerful and strong in their own way even when they traveled in groups as nomads from the desserts far away. Yet, his sister was more secure in her knowledge of the wilderness, more so than she had been when she had left just after the fell winter hoping to find out more about her actual birth parents. Bilbo had understood the grief that his sister had taken with her all those years ago when she left during the first signs of spring. Bilbo had almost begged her to take him with her but he knew that he had a job and duty at home. So with a heavy heart they parted from each other with a promise that she would return once she found out about her parents and what happened to them.
After they had settled in for the night, Bilbo heard the howl that echoed across the night. He shivered and moved closer to his armored sister. Whose tail curled around his waist in the long forgotten habit that Sarra had when she was younger. "Was that a wolf?" Bilbo hissed at his sister.
"No, it's a warg." Kili stated sharing a look with his brother. Bilbo shuddered knowing what was about to come next would be even scarier, but Sarra cut it off before it began causing Fili and Kili to pout at her.
"Warg, orc, or troll it doesn't matter. They wouldn't dare attack this group. One we have Gandalf, and two almost all of us are armed." Sarra pointed out, "Stay within the sight of the fire big brother and you should be just fine." She promised. Bilbo nodded and Thorin turned sharply to her.
"You think they would lay off because we have a wizard with us and are armed. You know nothing of orcs or wargs." Thorin thundered at her. Sarra stood to her feet, tail starting to lash around her in aggravation.
"You should be the one to talk Thorin Oakenshield. Yea, that's right, I know who you are." Sarra stepped forward being only slightly taller than the dwarf. "I can assure you that they won't be attacking us tonight. The howl was farther off and on another ridge. You can trust my hearing it's really good." She turned back around and started to push around the saddle and blanket she had laid down before she settled in for the night. Gandalf snorted quickly understanding that the Khajiit wasn't going to tell them that she was a magi as well, and a very powerful one according to the news traveling around. Gandalf had heard quit a lot of news about Sarra Baggins. Ever since the first time that Bungo and Belladonna Baggins had brought the baby Khajiit home after finding her half buried in the snow and surrounded by blood and paw prints. Gandalf and Elrond had figured the nomadic Khajiits had been passing through the area when they were attacked by wargs or wolfs the result ended with the babe being abandoned, search parties turned up nothing. So Bungo and Belladonna adopted the child, Bilbo was twelve winters at the time and was startled and excited at the prospect of being an older brother.
In the time between Gandalf's wondering thoughts and Sarra's apparent need to fake sleep, Bilbo was informed on the bravery of Thorin against Azog and the loss of his Grandfather in battle. Bilbo sighed as he watched the way Thorin seemed to ignore everyone around him to gaze out into the darkness. He turned his gaze back to his sister who was curled away from him, tail still slightly puffed up in aggravation. He decided to pester her about her own journey to Skyrim. He wanted to know how she came to be so warrior like in appearance. She was more intimidating than Dwalin with her armor and many weapons which she carried.
Bilbo shifted closer to his sister's armored back and poked her lightly she turned her head to stare at him with glowing green eyes. "You said when we stopped you would tell me what happened with you." Bilbo reminded her. Sarra turned all the way around curling slightly around Bilbo and stretching her boot clad feet.
"I went to Skyrim to see if I could find any others that had known my parents." Sarra started, turning her gaze to look into the fire. Balin and the others quieted down so they could hear what was being said. Thorin looked back at the Khajiit. "As soon as I crossed the border I was arrested for a crime I didn't know of, they accused me of treason and had sent me to a town to be executed with the others that were trying to go against their king." Bilbo opened his mouth to say something but was shushed by Bofur who had leaned forward.
"How'd you escape then?" Bofur asked wide eyed.
"I was on the chop block when a dragon came and attacked the town." The Darrow all inhaled, they understood the significance of a dragon. "I was able to flee the attack along with the leader of the traitors. Yet, we didn't stay together. I didn't approve of his views on Skyrim being that I had none to say about their King. So I went on to travel to another city, Whiterun. It was there that I ran into another dragon."
"What, another one. Impossible" were the comments thrown her way as she pulled back the armor on her shoulder to reveal the scar left behind by the dragon's breath. All the Darrow scramble to get a better look at the scar, exclaiming about the wound before Dwalin shouted over them.
"What happened after that, how did you escape a second time?" She lifted her gaze from the scar to Dwalin's face.
"I killed the dragon and ate its soul." Sarra claimed, the Darrow sat staring at her for a few minutes before laughing out loud.
"Right lass, and I am a human." Dwalin exclaimed, slapping his knees while still laughing. "That one almost had us lassie." Dwalin puffed out. Sarra starred at them and waited until they quieted down.
"After the dragon fell I was summoned to another town farther north where I found some answers to my questions I was seeking but left open an even larger question." Sarra looked around. "Dragons have started to awaken from their slumber and no one knows why."
"That is rubbish, next you will say that there is a person capable of defeating all the dragons." Balin stated as he stood up and placed his bowl into the kettle so it could be washed later.
Sarra starred at him before turning back to Bilbo. "I had a couple of run in with dragons and other beasts on my journey, I also learned how to use a sword and other weapons in order to defend myself, and I found that my clan still lives in Skyrim. However, my parents and a small band of travelers that were coming back from a journey were attacked and three of the travelers were killed. My parents included. The others couldn't tell me anymore about them." Sarra concluded as she turned away from Bilbo once more.
"That is all of it, is it?" Bilbo whispered as he scooted closer to his sister's back.
"No, but I believe that the Darrow and you are not yet ready for the entire tale just yet." Sarra closed her eyes and got comfortable in the blankets. Bilbo curled up around her as best he could sharing the body heat of his sister and watching until sleep took the Darrow as they interacted with one another.
In the morning Bilbo helped his sister comb and braid her hair just as the Darrow were helping to groom each other. Ori was sitting patiently as Dori and Nori groomed him, but he was watching Bilbo groom Sarra. Ori bit his bottom lip as if debating with himself before he straightened his shoulders, "Pardon me, but that is a lot of hair to groom on your own." Ori stated as he rose from his position despite his brothers attempts to keep him seated. He moved closer to Bilbo and Sarra. Bilbo tuned to look at Ori as he seated himself down next to them.
"Yes, mother always told Sarra that she would have to have multiple men just to groom her for the day." Bilbo stated as he brushed out the thick wavy mane of black and white fur that made up his sister's hair, it trialed down in a Mohawk fashion along the spin coming to stop at the shoulders and thinning into the thick fur that covered her body. It thickened again at her tail, where tufts of fur were braided in fancy flower like designs. Bilbo started as Ori picked up a brush and faced them.
"May I help you, the sooner we get her finished I believe the better the rest of the group will handle traveling." Ori stated trying to think of other reasons on why he would offer to help Bilbo and Sarra. Dori and Nori and stepped close to him and were now watching the interactions between the three.
"You may." Bilbo stated scooting over and settling down to allow Ori room to help him. Sarra remained looking forward though her stiffness would belie the point that she was a little uncomfortable with the added hands. It wasn't until Dori had stated telling Ori how to brush out such long hair and the designs of how to braid the flowers that Sarra relaxed and allowed the young dwarf the acceptance of grooming her. She knew that it was a huge deal for dwarf's to groom another's hair. Sarra's own people had something similar to the concept that Darrow did with hair grooming. It was an intimate process for everyone involved.
After the grooming stages were over Thorin demanded that the group saddle up and go, Bilbo needed Bofur and Kili to push him up into the saddle. He felt a little bit unsettled at his lack of riding skills. Sarra leaped upon her own mount and Kili asked, "Why ride such a large horse a pony would have been better suited for you?"
Sarra turned and looked at him, her mount shifting under foot. "Nightmare was a gift from a friend in Skyrim, a human. She died shortly after she bestowed him on me, soldiers stormed the hideout she and her family were staying at, and few survive the attack." She answered. Kili looked away from her and nodded his head in acceptance of the answer. They continued on their way in silence except for the few groans and grumbles as it began to rain on them.
Note: The horse is Shadowmere, I just changed the name a little, a lot of scenes of Skyrim will be played out in story telling by Sarra, some will be believed by the group and others such as her killing a dragon will not be believed. As for Thorin's unquestioning of Sarra's connection with Bilbo, he will start to question it more along the way as the story continues, at least that is what I am hoping to aim for. Don't know for sure where the story will lead me, or how far overlapping the two worlds will be. Thank you for the feed back, it does help.