"Do you think he'll come?"

Balin looked up at Rose from where he sat. The two had been waiting at the door frame of the inn for about twenty minutes while the others drank their ale. He studied her worried expression before carefully choosing his words.
"He may," said Balin "There is still time before we must depart."
Rose sighed. "I hope he does." She then shook her head and smiled. "Though I don't know why- I just have this odd feeling that we need him, much more than we realize."

In the years since her arrival at Erebor, Rose and Balin had become very close to one another, almost as if he were a father or grandfather to her and she his daughter. She always sought his advice on many situations, from ailments and other minor injuries to more important matters. He always seemed to know just what to say to lift her spirits. But before he could get another word out, a shrill voice was heard calling through the trees.

"Wait! Wait!"
Rose straightened from the door frame immediately when she saw little Bilbo racing as fast as he could toward the inn, his face red from running and his pack bouncing and bobbing at his back. He clutched a long piece of parchment that blew violently in the wind. When he finally stopped in front of the two, he clutched his knees and panted heavily.

"Bravo!" Balin exclaimed, "Mr. Baggins, you're just in time! We were only just discussing whether you'd turn up."
By now several of the dwarves- Thorin included- gathered at the entrance with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and hope in their faces. Rose gave her husband a victorious smile.

"I signed it," the hobbit announced proudly as he handed off the contract to Balin. While the dwarf inspected the authenticity of the signature, Gandalf rounded the corner on a beautiful white stallion followed by fifteen ponies small enough for the company to ride.
"It appears everything is in order," said Balin as he turned to Thorin.
"Very well." The prince turned and in three strides he stood by the largest pony of the group. He didn't even give Bilbo a passing glance. "We make our leave."

The others quickly began finding the ponies they had previously chosen to be their own. Fili and Kili claimed hold of the fastest pair, Dwalin and Balin the toughest, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur the strongest (especially for Bombur, who weighed about as much as an overweight Man), and the others whose ponies had no particularly special attributes other than the fact that they were reliable for arduous treks across Middle Earth such as this. But there was one pony above the others that seemed far more wild and untamed.

Bilbo's mouth popped open in a wide "O" as he watched Rose expertly take hold of her pony's stirrup and launch herself up onto its back in a fluid, graceful motion. At first the mare seemed reluctant to be led forward, giving a long whinny in protest and trying to toss her off its back, but Rose quickly took control and soon she rode past the marveling spectators and stopped beside Thorin at the front of the line. The prince smirked. He had chosen this pony for Rose because their personalities were so similar- neither seemed to like being told what to do.

Little Bilbo was the last to mount his pony, and not without great effort. Though his was the smallest, Bilbo had never had any sort of experience in riding a horse and therefore took quite awhile to try and get onto its back, even with the others giving him suggestions and tips from atop theirs. Eventually Gandalf came over, lifted the hobbit by his collar, and helped him into his seat. At last the company was ready to venture into the wilderness.


Rose kept a steady pace beside Thorin, happy to start the adventure that would bring them one step closer to being reunited with their son. In her happiness she absent-mindedly allowed her horse to trot forward fast enough to pass Thorin's by a nose. The prince saw her smile and, smiling himself, urged his pony forward to pass hers. They exchanged a look and the silent challenge was made. Both had quickened their pace steadily, one gaining only to be met by the other a short while later, only slowing when two had reached the hill they were making towards. Rose laughed cheerfully and heard the others chuckling a good distance behind. Even Thorin let out a chortle, only to be cut off as soon as he had.

"Wait- stop! Stop! We have to turn around!"
Everyone slowed their ponies and turned in their seats to face Bilbo, who had a half-startled expression as if just remembering something important. Gandalf, who had been riding beside him the whole way, lifted his brows at the sudden outburst. "What on earth is the matter?"

"I have come without a cloak, and my pocket-handkerchief, and bless me! My pipe and tobacco is still on the mantle as well!"
"Dwalin," Rose called with a spark in her eye, "Haven't you got an extra hood in your luggage?"
"Aye, I do My Lady."
"Would you be so kind as to lend it to Bilbo for a little while?"

Dwalin reached into one of the bags tied to his pony and pulled out a long piece of dark green, weather-stained fabric. He launched it through the air right onto Bilbo's head and laughed. Even before he had tried it on, they knew it would be much too big for him.
"And here- use this." Bofur tore a neat square from his travelling shirt and tossed the dirty fabric back to Bilbo, who held it distastefully with his nose wrinkled. Rose suppressed a giggle at seeing how comical the hobbit looked. Beside her Thorin scowled at the delay.

"Move on," he ordered.
For the rest of the day and the one after that, the company kept cheerful by telling stories or singing songs of old much like the one they sang in Bilbo's hobbit hole (which he longed for greatly). They stopped only for meals and rest, with Fili and Kili being rendered unconscious the moment their heads hit the pillows, and their only delay was when poor Ori's hand was burned when he went too close to the flame. Rose mended his wound and wrapped it in bandages, all the while assuring him that it wouldn't fester and fall off like Dori and Nori were saying it would. Oin and Gloin, the expert fire-starters and slight pyromaniacs, scolded the young dwarf for being so foolish and soon they were off again.

One night they stopped to rest along a steep ridge. Fili, Kili, and Rose sat around the fire telling stories and enjoying each other's company while the rest had gone to sleep (save for Gandalf who sat beside a tree smoking his pipe and smiling as he listened). Bilbo, who found it hard to doze off next to Bombur and his terrible snoring, had strolled off to feed his pony, Myrtle, with a large apple. He stopped short as a shrill cry tore through the silence.

"What was that?" he asked, turning to the dwarves sitting close to the fire. Kili's ear perked up as he listened and his face grew dark.
"Orcs."
Rose and Fili ceased their happy conversation and looked toward the source of the howling. Thorin's head jerked sharply as he woke from his sleep. Suddenly Bilbo became very skittish, trotting back to the rest of the group like a child who thought they saw the Boogeyman.
"Orcs?"

"Throat cutters," said Fili, "They'll be dozens of them out there- the lowlands are crawling with them."
Rose squinted her eyes as she looked off into the distance. Hadn't she heard that noise a few nights before? It didn't sounds like an orc at all- maybe a wild beast in search of food, but not an orc. Her nephews didn't stop there- they were on a roll.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep," Kili said with a grave face, "Quick and quiet, no screams."
Poor Bilbo looked frightened out of his mind. His expression was so funny that Fili and Kili almost broke character even before he turned away. They laughed so hard they had to hold their sore stomachs.

"You think a night raid by orcs is funny?"
Thorin towered over them scoldingly. His disapproval in their actions as well as the seriousness of his question caused them to stop immediately. Their smiles faded and were replaced with shame. Bilbo straightened with his hands on his waistcoat trying to look as if he had known of the prank the entire time. Kili looked up at Rose, who sighed and shook her head slowly.
"We didn't mean anything by it," he said apologetically. Before he could say anything else that would get him into trouble, Rose held up a hand warning him to stop.

"No, you didn't," Thorin scolded. "You know nothing of the world."
He stormed away, leaving the others to watch in silence. Fili bowed his head. "We were just having a bit of fun. We didn't mean for it to upset him so."
"Don't worry about it," Rose said softly with a gentle smile, "I will go speak with him."
She pushed herself off the ground and wiped her skirts of any dirt clinging to them before running off to where Thorin had disappeared, leaving Fili and Kili silently grateful.

She found him facing the side of the cliffs, his boot rested on a boulder and his hands clasped behind his back. His thick hair was tossed over his shoulder, outlined in silver from the rays of the moon. Rose silently came forward and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

"If you're expecting me to apologize, you'll be very disappointed."
"I only came to see that you were alright." After a pause she added, "Fili and Kili are still very young. They didn't mean-"
"Their foolishness could end up getting them killed."
"Thorin, they're just boys."
"Then perhaps they should have stayed in the Blue Mountains."

Rose saw the tension in her husband's shoulders. There was so much that depended on their success, and if the company should fail Thorin may lose all the family he had left. She slipped her hand behind his neck and began to massage it gently. "You don't mean that," she whispered as she took a step closer and pressed her lips to his ear. "They only wish to please you, Thorin." She traced the length of his neck with her fingertips until resting her hands on his chest. "As I wish to please you."

His eyes closed as he let out a sigh and allowed her to plant a kiss on the spot just below his ear. He turned to face her and firmly wrapped his muscular arms around her waist. Rose felt a hand grip a good amount of her hair at the back of her skull and tilt her head upwards so that she could look into his blue eyes. Thorin didn't say a word, but still she could read his thoughts: she did please him. Suddenly she felt his lips against hers in an act of need as well as desire. In the next moment her body was pulled against his and their curves molded into one another's. Rose parted her lips, allowing her husband to explore her more freely as his hands roamed further downward. Neither had the slightest intention of breaking the kiss any time soon, but after long birds began chirping to greet the new day.

"We must get back," Rose said finally, still pressed against his chest. Her cheeks were red from where his beard had pricked her smooth skin, but she always loved the sensation. She looked up at him as he stood panting for breath. Had Rose imagined things or did Thorin seem reluctant to go back to their quest? She smiled at him playfully.
"Durin forbid they know we kiss."