Chapter 4

As the dawn approached, Lexi grumbled as she felt a hand shaking her shoulder softly. It was continuing, annoying and pointless. Lexi growled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes in the poorly light room. She was face to face with a dwarf. "

Kili? Ever heard of sleeping in?" Lexi asked the dwarf. Kili smiled at her question as he responded, "Yes, but we need to be going." With that Lexi was fully awake. She grabbed her little satchel with her supplies. She smiled to the dwarf before going into the dinning room where the dwarves were cleaning up their mess. She smirked slightly helping them.

Lexi cleaned up everyone's bedspace, rolled up their beds and blankets and giving them to the owner. She received some thanks as she went on cleaning and handing out breakfast. Lexi sat down beside Fili and Kili as she ate her breakfast.

"This one likes to sleep in" Kili said laughing. Lexi glared at him slapping his arm and smiled as he winced.

"And a feisty one too" Fili added making Lexi, Fili and Kili laughed. Lexi soon finished collecting the bowls and washed them up before putting them away.

"Come on Lassie!" Lexi heard Dwalin yell as she just fried her hands.

"Coming!" she said running out to be picked up by Fili and Kili as they carried her to her horse, sitting her on the horse. She new how to ride a horse and she was going to enjoy a horse ride she hadn't taken in years since she quit competing in competitions back home in her old world. Lexi let her hair run freely down her back, stoping at her waist. She turned her head to see the dwarf princes watching her. She raised an eyebrow, then they started talking not facing her. She pushed it aside as she focused on her riding.


As the day turned to Midday, Lexi heard yelling. She turned around to see Bilbo trying to catch up.

"Wait! Wait!" Bilbo cried as he was nearing the end of the group. Lexi stops her horse and turns around as others did the same. He was waving his contract in the air.

"I signed it." Bilbo said giving the contract to Balin who sees if everything is in order.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Balin says after checking it. He gave a smile to Bilbo and Lexi gave Bilbo one as well.

"Give him a pony." Thorin said turning back around and starts to ride off.

"No, no, no, no. That...that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. Yeah, I...I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frog Morton once."

Bilbo intervened as he was picked up by Fili and Kili and they placed him on a pony.


As the time passed slowly, entering some woods, Bilbo rides his pony looking very uncomfortable.

"Its really fun riding horses Bilbo" Lexi said as she tried to cheer him up as best to her abilites.

"Come on, Nori! Pay up!" Oin said as Nori throws a bag of money at him. Lexi and Bilbo looked around seeing the dwarves collecting the winnings.

"What's that about?" Bilbo asked Gandalf with Lexi riding beside them. Kili rode behind her horse smiling at the beautiful maiden not noticing his brother trying to talk to him. "Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn't." Gandalf replied to Bilbo's question.

"And what did you think?" Bilbo asked him as they rode along.

"Well..." Gandalf said catching a bag of money that was thrown at him with Lexi catching one beside him smiling.

"My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second." Gandalf said smiling. Bilbo then sneezes catching Lexi off guard as she jumps slightly.

"Oh, it's horse hair. Having a reaction." Bilbo said looking for his handkerchief. He looks up in alarm and says, "Uh...wait, wait. Stop! Stop! We have to turn around."

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked as everyone stopped turning to face him.

"I forgot my handkerchief!" Bilbo cried looking frantic.

"Here! Use this." Bofur said as he ripps a bit of cloth from his robe and throws it to Bilbo. Bilbo looks at it looking disgusted.

"Move on!" Thorin yelled as everyone started to move forward again.


As the time went by, Lexi noticed that Gandalf leaned closer to Bilbo saying, "You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. But home is now behind you. The world is ahead."


Later that night, as everyone is asleep around the campfire, Bilbo gets awakened by the loud snoring of the dwarves, not being able to sleep he goes and feeds his pony with apples. Lexi notices and smiles slightly as she sat next to Kili and Fili.

"Good girl! Here's a good girl. It's our little secret, Myrtle. Just tell no one. Shh-shh..." He said when he hears a wild, ear piercing shirk. Then he turnes to Kili, Fili and Lexi and asked, "What was that?"

"Orcs" Kili says as Bilbo repeats the word. Thorin is soon awakened by the noise but no one notices.

"Throat cutters. There'd be dozens of them out there. The low lands are crawling with them." Fili started and Kili finishes, "They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Lexi suddenly tightens her grip on her bag. Kili and Fili started laughing at the two for they were teasing them. Lexi glared at them and went to say something, but Thorin beat her to it saying, "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili said looking down, not wanting to look into his uncles eyes.

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin said harsley as he walked off to the edge. Lexi put her hand on Kili's giving him a soft smile, trying to cheer him up. "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." Balin said to the group.

Balin begins to tell the story, "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got' there first. Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the king. "Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief, he went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Thorin rallies his army of dwarves and they continue their battle with the rest of the orcs, Our forces rallied, and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated, but there was no feast, nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few, had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one I could call king." Balin finishes as Lexi sees Thorin turning around, seeing all darves, Lexi and Bilbo looking at him with respect.

"And the Pale Orc? What happened to him?" Blibo asks

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin answers. Gandalf looks at Balin after what Thorin said.