Nellas pov

We set up a camp rather quickly as all of us were tired and hungry after the long journey. Bofur, who was the appointed cook of the expedition, prepared a delicious meal; much better that lunch as this time Bilbo "helped", although I must say that it was Bilbo who did most of the work.

I noticed that there were ruins on top of a small hill but I didn't recognize the culture, they seemed ancient but were not of Sindarin or Noldorin origin.

Olorin must have noticed me staring

"The ancient watch Tower of amun sul" he explained "The dunedain of the Northern kingdom built it long ago…it was destroyed by the armies of the witchking of angmar"

The explanation of Gandalf only reminded me how much the world had changed since we left middle earth. When I died, men were a young race that lived in small primitive communities. Now they had a history of their own, with great kingdoms that had risen and fallen.

Bilbo, Kili and Fili came as well to listen to Gandalf as he spoke of the new King of both Arnor and Gondor. Bilbo and the two dwarves asked many question, I suppose news of the outside world rarely entered the Shire or the Blue Mountains.

Bilbo, who was a well educated Hobbit, looked at Gandalf with astonishment

"So the one ring, that had been lost for thousands of years, has finally been destroyed?"

Gandalf, who respected Frodo's decision and omitted his participation on the quest, only giving general information, answered

"Yes, and after thousands of years the two realm of the dunedain have been reunited under a king"

Time passed and most dwarves were already on the ground trying to sleep. I noticed as Bilbo, who couldn't sleep due to the noisy snores of a dwarf, stood up and made his way to the ponies. I smiled as I saw him pulling an apple from his pocket and giving it to his pony

"Good girl! Here's a good girl. It's our little secret, Myrtle. Just tell no one. Shh-shh."

I listened to him. I was about to stand up and approach him when I heard a wild shrieking in the distance.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked mostly to himself. The answer that Kili gave filled me with dread

"Orcs"

I repeated "Orcs.". In doriath I never saw those creatures as we were protected by the Girdle of melian, but I remember quite well the stories Beleg and mablung told me

"Throat cutters" Fili added "There'd be dozens of them out there. The low lands are crawling with them"

I stood up and approached Bilbo to stand behind him when I noticed his face had gone really pale. Then I put my hands on his shoulders to drag him close to me. He looked up at me and smiled, and I could feel him relaxing a little

Kili continued his explanation "They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood."

Our discomfort seemed to amuse them because they exchanged a glance and laughed at our expense

"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" an angry voice said

We were all surprised by Thorin, who hadn't spoken a word to anyone for hours, as he came in our direction
Kili, genuinely regretful, said with a low voice

"We didn't mean anything by it."

As Thorin walked off to be by himself, he said

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world"

I sat at their side, but my eyes were on Thorin, his back on us as he stared in the distance

"Don't mind him, lads. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs"

I turned to see Balin, who smiled sadly at us, and then he turned his gaze towards Thorin, his eyes filled with pity. Bilbo came to sit at my side to listen to 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.

He took a deep sigh, as if those memories were painful to him

"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler."

I felt a shiver as Balin described that creature

"The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin… He began by beheading the king."

I gave Thorin a quick glance and Balin continued

"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"

He stopped and looked up at Thorin with a proud expression

"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."

Balin closed his eyes and continued

"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."

He opened his eyes again and looked at Thorin with a smile

"And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one I could call king"
At that moment I noticed that everyone present had been listening to Balin, we all rose up and watched Thorin with respect.

Thorin turned and said nothing as he made his way back to the camp

The silence was broken by Bilbo

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

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago" He answered and went to the spot where he planned to spent the night