I do not own this book/movie at all. Now that that is over please enjoy the story.
The rain continued for a time stopping and starting again when it wished and Bilbo found himself cursing the weather even as he drank his tonic under the wizard's watchful eye. Though Bilbo was much less upset by the rains when Dwalin lent him his spare cloak apparently tired of seeing the hobbit look and shake like a drowned rat. His mood was much improved when he was able to warm himself without the constant cold of the rain even though it still dripped in his face and found it's was under the cloak. For nearly four weeks it was constantly raining and when it wasn't the air was thick with the promise of it. They camped in caves and in hollows, anywhere they could find shelter enough for the night. They ate cram on nights when it was too wet to build a fire and their stores fell quickly. Days passed in this manner the formerly merry company's good mood drowned by the rains as much as Bilbo was.
Bilbo did not grow much closer to the dwarves as the rain made them as grumpy and inhospitable as an empty pantry made a hobbit. They kept him at arm's length and some even glared at him as though he was the one causing it to rain on them constantly. In that time boredom and a foul temperament were the biggest foes they'd faced besides the constant rains. Fights were becoming common and though Bilbo tried his best to avoid them there was not much he could do to get away when the shouting began. He'd even managed to be dragged into one a time or two though Thorin put a stop to most fights before the screaming could progress to more dangerous methods of disagreement. Faced with such bleak circumstances it didn't take long for Bilbo to name all of the ponies. The dwarves were at first not fond of the flowery hobbit names but they were soon calling their mounts the names Bilbo had bequeathed them. Even Thorin had taken to calling his mount the ridiculous, in the opinion of the dwarves, name of Minty.
When it finally grew dry again only a few days had passed although to many in the company it felt as though it had been weeks since they'd last seen the sun or a blue sky. They were tired from the days of hard riding and the endless rain that drained on their spirits. The sunny sky and heat were a blessing after so much misery. It was a pleasant surprise for them when in the heat of the day Thorin turned around at the overgrown ruins of a small settlement in a rough area strewn with boulders. "We'll camp here for tonight. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."
Gandalf got down from his horse and walked into the grey skeletal remains of a house. It was half overgrown with vines, the roof had partially collapsed, and a good portion of the house was missing. It looked like part of it had been smashed in and pieces of the building were strewn about. There were more empty patches than shingles on the roof. There were other buildings rising out of the greenery in sickly shades of grey and brown in the same state of dilapidation. Though it looked peaceful in spite of the ruin to the wizard if not the rest of the company there was something very wrong with this place. He ran his hand over one of the supporting beams and remembered what had been there before, not too long ago.
"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf said as he wandered into the empty house and his thoughts turned toward safer lodgings. Rivendale was close and was by far the safest place in the area.
Thorin got down from his horse and continued giving out orders. "Oin, Gloin, get a fire going."
"Right you are." Oin said holding up his ear trumpet so that he could hear Thorin clearly before going with his brother to set up the fire pit.
"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf said.
"I have told you already I will not go near that place." Thorin walked past him standing under the remnants of the roof turning so that he could see his company. He waved his hand as though to draw a line his tone implying that he would not cross it by any means.
"Why not?" Gandalf asked beginning to get exasperated with the stubborn dwarf. "The elves will help us. We could get food, rest, advice things which we are in sore need of."
"I do not need their advice!" Thorin snapped his anger burning for the elves still as red hot as the day the Woodland King Thranduil ignited it with his callousness. "And I will not take it I will not beg like a dog for their scraps!"
"We have a map that we cannot read and we have grown low on food during the rains. Lord Elrond could help us." Gandalf said with a hopeful nod as he pointed with his thumb toward Rivendale.
"Help. A dragon attacks Erebor what help came from the elves? They offered us no food, no shelter, no medicines, no healers! They turned their backs on our suffering. Orcs plunder Moria those vile beasts desecrate our sacred halls. The elves looked on and did nothing and you ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather. Who betrayed my father." Thorin's voice rose and fell with bitterness.
"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past." Gandalf snapped his fraying patience beginning to break.
Thorin's eyes turned dark as he glared up at him. "I did not know that they were yours to keep."
"Whatever happens in this place of death on your head be it." Gandalf said his temper barely under control before he whirled around to take his leave. He stormed past the company needing distance to cool his head, a wizards anger was a terrible thing, and regardless of the stubbornness of the company and their leader Thorin he would see this quest through. However he would do them no good now, if they did not listen to his council he would let them learn from their foolishness on their own.
"Everything alright?" Bilbo asked as he absently petted a pony backing up when Gandalf stormed past him his staff acting as a walking stick. "Gandalf where are you going?"
"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." Gandalf shouted loud enough for every dwarf to hear.
"And who's that?" Bilbo asked concerned and more than a little confused.
"Myself Mr. Baggins." Gandalf yelled and Bilbo winced as it seemed Gandalf had taken his comment to heart. The wizard stormed past him muttering angrily to himself. "I've had enough of dwarves for one day."
"Come on Bombur we're hungry." Thorin said impatiently the sight of the wizard storming off and the thought of Rivendale and elves adding onto his foul mood.
Bilbo watched as Gandalf disappeared into the distance. "Is he coming back?"
Balin shrugged slightly as he looked in the direction the wizard had gone with a frown but he turned to Bilbo and said. "I should think so laddie. I don't think he would abandon us after giving us the map and the key." He patted Bilbo on the shoulder with a kind smile.
"I suppose so." Bilbo said returning his smile though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Gandalf could handle himself he knew but he hated to think that he'd hurt one of his dearest friends with a thoughtless joke.
Bilbo leaned on one of the braces of what used to be a house beside the campfire. Night had fallen and they had not seen even a hint of Gandalf since he'd stormed off. Bilbo was beginning to worry and though he was a Baggins in name and not blood he could certainly worry like a Baggins. He shoved away from the brace to walk the short distance to the campfire. "He's been a long time."
"Who?" Bofur asked as he poured soup into a bowl.
"Gandalf." Bilbo said the question forcing him to stop his pacing before it began.
Bofur shrugged. "He's a wizard he does as he chooses. Here do us a favor." He handed Bilbo the bowl he'd just poured and a second he'd held with his arm. "Take this to the lads or they won't be eating at all tonight."
Bilbo nodded taking the bowls confidant that the chore would give him something to do besides worry. He began the long walk to where Kili and Fili took the ponies.
Bofur watched him leave his eyes peeled for anything that might hurt the lad before he caught his brother trying to sneak more stew. He slapped the hand that was holding the ladle. "Stop it you've had plenty."
It was a testament to the lungs of dwarves that Bilbo heard the dwarves just as clearly as he would standing next to them as he hiked the short distance to the tree line. The short conversation was amusing and kept him from getting too scared as he went off on his own.
"Aye it's not a bad stew, Bombur. I've had worse." Gloin said with obvious enjoyment.
"True Dori could have cooked it and we'd all be starving instead of eating." Nori said stirring up raucous laughter among his fellows.
"Hilarious at least my cooking has never poisoned anyone." Dori replied with sarcasm.
The dwarves burst out laughing again and the noise helped to assure Bilbo that if something went wrong the dwarves were close enough to be able to help him. He walked into the forest keeping to the path of freshly trampled grass until he reached the ruins of a carriage. He turned at the makeshift marker and he spotted the blonde and dark heads of Fili and Kili. He walked up to them and stood between them holding out their bowls. But they didn't even notice him instead they stared blankly at the ponies as though there was something wrong.
The beginnings of worry began to grow in Bilbo's chest as he looked between them. "What's the matter?"
"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili said his eyes not having moved from the small clearing that had the ruins of a pen where the ponies were kept.
Fili winced. "Only we've encountered a slight problem."
"We had sixteen." Kili spoke next and Bilbo turned his head to look at him beginning to fear that he'd get a crick in his neck if the two of them kept this up.
"Now there's fourteen." Fili finished for him.
"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili said as they walked out into the clearing looking for any sign of the missing ponies, Bilbo still holding onto the bowls of soup. There were two uprooted trees that looked like they'd been pushed over by something and a trail of destruction that led out of the clearing.
Bilbo paled as he tried to picture what could have uprooted the trees. "That's not good and that is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"
Twin looks of panic overtook the brother's faces as they each imagined what Thorin would do to them if they lost the ponies. They looked at each other a silent agreement passing between them.
"Uh no let's not worry him. As our official burglar we thought you might like to look into it." Fili said as he looked over the destruction.
Bilbo gestured at the two trees bowls still in hand and walked over to Fili who was looking for any markings where they had been felled. "Well. Uh. Look something big uprooted these trees."
"That was our thinking." Fili replied as he rubbed a bit of the upended root between his fingers.
"It's something very big and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo said his heart beginning to do a peculiar bit of squirming in his chest.
"Hey." Kili said crouching down. "There's a light." He waved for Kili and Bilbo to follow him. "Over here."
"Stay down." Fili whispered as they ran and ducked behind a log. Bilbo rested the bowls on the log and watched the warm orange of a campfire dance in the distance. They could see it glowing between the trees and it didn't take long for them to hear the evidence that they were not alone. There was a grunt followed by laughter that curled the hairs on Bilbo's feat. The hobbit looked between the two dwarves hoping that one of them knew what they might be dealing with.
"What is it?" Bilbo whispered to Fili as he seemed to be the more talkative one at the moment.
"Trolls." Kili said with his teeth bared and Bilbo turned to face him with a scowl.
The two dwarves took off for the light leaving Bilbo behind. He groaned but vaulted over the log to run after them. He stopped to turn back and grab the bowls before taking off after them again. He saw Fili and Kili behind a tree and he ran over to them. He heard stomping and ducked behind the tree next to them his heart thundering in his chest. A troll walked by them a thrashing pony under each arm. they neighed and kicked but the troll held onto them.
Once the troll, a huge lumbering bald headed grey skinned thing with a snub nosed face wearing rags as a loincloth, had passed them Bilbo turned to Fili and Kili. "He's got Myrtle and Minty. I think they're going to eat them. We have to do something."
"Yes you should." Kili said grabbing Bilbo and turning him in the direction the troll had gone. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you. It's perfectly safe we'll be right behind you." Kili said with a tone in his voice that left no doubt in Bilbo that they would not be right behind him.
Kili grabbed both bowls from his hands nodding his head as he spoke. "If you run into trouble hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl." The dwarf shoved him out into the trampled path and Bilbo stumbled trying to regain his balance. The hobbit stood in the middle of the path for a moment watching the troll lumber along as it occurred to him that he didn't know what an owl sounded like brown or barn or any other kind of owl.
"Twice like a barn owl, no, twice like a brown… once like a… like a… like a… are you sure this is a good idea?" Bilbo asked as he turned to see nothing. They were gone vanished like they'd never been there and Bilbo was quite tempted to join them in their flight. Instead he muttered under his breath about dwarves and how his respectability, what little he had to begin with, was certainly gone now. No respectable hobbit would go hunting for trolls especially alone but there he was crouched over sneaking toward the fire.
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey if it don't look like mutton again tomorrow." One of the trolls said angrily his voice as deep and harsh as a rock slide.
Bilbo had crept close enough to see the troll and felt the blood rush from his face when he saw that it wasn't alone. One troll was a bad thing but there was another two sitting around the fire. Bilbo felt like snow had been poured down his shirt as he realized that he had to contend with three trolls. They were cooking something in a pot that was gigantic to the hobbit as the trolls were nearly as tall as the trees and the bubbling slop sent out an odor that made the hobbit wish that his nose would wither up so that he wouldn't have to endure the smell. One of them was stirring the pot and the other was just sitting by the fire waiting as the last one carried the ponies to the back of the camp. Bilbo scowled three trolls against one hobbit was an almost certain death sentence and though he wanted to turn back they had Myrtle. He looked at them anger and determination battling with his fear.
The troll carrying the ponies snapped at him with a voice that was lighter but no less fearsome. "Quit your griping these ain't sheep. These is fresh nags." He set the ponies down in an enclosure on the far side of the fire. Then he took a seat around the fire with the others.
"Oh I don't like horse! Never have, not enough fat on them." The smallest troll said with a high whiny voice.
The one stirring the pot spoke next sounding exasperated with the smaller one's antics. "Well it's better than leathery old farmer. All skin and bone he was I'm still picking bits of him out of my teeth."
Bilbo nearly gagged as the gruesome subject of their conversation turned his stomach. He focused on the sounds of the panicking ponies trying to block out what the trolls were saying with little success. There was little cover for him save for the thick ferns that only reached his shoulders when he crouched and two trees and a few boulders surrounding the clearing. He had to battle not to lose his dinner as he snuck from tree to tree as they spoke of how to season the slop boiling in their pot. He felt exposed as though at any second he would be spotted and every time he bolted from one hiding place to another he felt his heart pound double time. He crouched down hiding without any cover hoping that his abilities as a hobbit to go unnoticed by most when he wished were not dulled by his dwarven blood.
He shuddered as the fire danced on the dull metal of the kettle in the corner of his eye. His thoughts were beginning to take a morbid turn after all he'd thrived on adventure stories and he knew well enough that not all stories ended happily. It didn't take much in this situation to imagine ways in which he might meet his end. At the moment he was torn between the fear of being squished and the fear of being eaten. Neither sounded like a pleasant way to meet his end. They fought like children gigantic huge children who could crush him if their fight escalated to more than just pinching noses. If they rolled too far in his direction he didn't think the trees or boulders would save him. Thankfully the fighting didn't escalate any further than that.
It felt like hours but in reality it took less than a minute for him to reach the pen. With one eye on the trolls he pulled and yanked on the ropes binding the pen. He looked over every few seconds at the trolls to be sure they were still focused on their stew and their backs were turned away from him. The hobbit tried as hard as he could to free them but he quickly found that it was no use. He was too weak to break the ropes and he had no knife to cut through them, he couldn't find a knot that he could untie and every second he stood there he was certain that one of them would turn around and see him. He turned when he heard the smallest one blowing his nose the sound obnoxiously loud and grating on his ears. The troll stood and Bilbo ducked behind the pen his heart in his throat as the troll looked down over the ponies with longing.
"Are we gonna gut the nags or what? I don't like the stinky parts." He said whining.
The troll with the ladle hit him over the head with it. "Shut yer cakehole you'll eat what I give you."
Bilbo gave a few more tugs to the ropes when a glint of metal drew his attention back to the trolls and the knife that the smallest one had on his belt. Bilbo winced but crouched down and crept toward the troll but almost instantly lost his nerve and turned right back to the relative safety of the ponies. He took a couple of deep breaths and made his way closer to his target. He was almost there he almost had his hand around the handle of the crude knife when one of the horses kicked the pen and the noise drew the attention of the trolls. Bilbo fell landing hard on his back the hit knocking the air and sense out of him so much so that he hadn't even noticed he'd been captured until the troll that caught him squeezed him roughly around the middle.
"Lookie 'ere what I got." It said turning the hobbit this way and that until Bilbo's face began to turn an odd shade of green. Bilbo squirmed trying to get free but the hand holding him was too big to escape from and he was too dazed to do much.
"What is it?" The one with the deep voice asked leaning in close to peer at the hobbit who tried to cower away from him.
"Give it over Tom." The cook said reaching for Bilbo who in spite of his dizziness yelped in shock.
Tom said pushing the other troll away. "No it's mine I caughts it Bert find yer own."
"Caughts what you don't even know what it is." Bert said peering down at him.
"You shoulds ask it." The deep voiced one said.
"Good idea William." Tom said before looking down at the halfling. "What are you?"
"Burga…hobbit." Bilbo said still feeling sick from his rough treatment.
"A burgahobbit?" William said his head bobbing somewhat. "Can we cook it?"
"We can try." Tom said giving Bilbo another squeeze around the middle.
"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful not when he's skinned and boned." Bert snapped poking Bilbo with his ladle.
Bilbo was beginning to feel less weak but that sentence nearly sent him back into a daze.
"Well perhaps there's more burgahobbits around these parts?" William said holding his knife to Bilbo's chin. "Might be enough for a pie."
"Well burgahobbit is there any more of you little fellas hiding where yer shouldn't?" Bert said as he plucked Bilbo from Toms hand ignoring the sound of protest from the other troll.
Bilbo had regained enough of his senses to answer. "No."
"He's lying hold his toes over the fire. Make him squeal." Tom said giddily nearly hopping up and down in his excitement.
Only Bilbo wasn't the one who ended up squealing. They'd barely taken a step toward the fire when Tom gave a sharp cry of pain and grabbed at his ankle. Kili jumped out of the underbrush and hit the troll on the leg with his knife drawing a squeal of pain out of the troll. He hit the troll with his blade again and Tom fell screaming in pain.
"Drop him!" Kili shouted his stance making it clear that he had come for a fight.
"You what?" One of the trolls said scowling.
Kili spun his sword with a smirk tat promised pain. "I said drop him."
The troll threw Bilbo at Kili and the dwarf had just enough time to lower his blade so as not to skewer the hobbit when they crashed into each other. they landed together on the ground each letting out a pained groan. The entire company of dwarves shouting a wordless battle cry burst from the trees advancing on the trolls with blades held high. The dwarves swarmed the trolls using their small size and numbers to their advantage. No troll could get a hand on a dwarf for more than a second before another came to their rescue. There was a mad scramble by trolls to catch the company or wound or kill them so that they could not get up, but none of the three trolls was dealing with any less than three dwarves at a time. The company moved from troll to troll giving them no time to recover, each dwarf eager to prove themselves in battle again.
"Get the sacks stick them in the sacks!" One of the trolls cried, but they were unable to grab any of the dwarves long enough to put them into the sacks.
Now that it seemed that the skill of the dwarves would prevail Bilbo seeing that he wouldn't be of much help to them grabbed a knife that belonged to one of the trolls that he found on the ground and went to rescue the ponies. He snuck over to the pen avoiding the fighting with much ducking and more than a little luck. He dragged the knife back and forth across the ropes until the vines split. Then he pried open the gate and huddled behind it as the ponies fled in a miniature stampede. He was so distracted by his success and the belief that his company would prevail that he didn't notice that he was in danger until a hand closed around him again. He yelped and was soon strung out between two of the trolls his arms and legs each held in a hand so that he couldn't escape. Hanging there by his arms and legs Bilbo was beginning to feel less and less the lucky number he was supposed to be. In fact he could say he was feeling more and more like luck had deserted him if he was capable of more than pained whimpers. He almost let out a chocked sob as the thought that his own bad luck had brought the company to their end ran through his head. He could see them frozen in horror and he feared that he'd brought death to them all.
"Bilbo!" Kili shouted only to be stopped when Thorin put out a hand to grab him.
"Don't!" Thorin shouted and Kili stopped and stared up at Bilbo.
William snarled down at the dwarves as he pulled a bit on Bilbo's arm and leg to show he was serious. "Lay down your arms or we'll rip his off."
It wasn't my intention to make the dwarves seem oblivious. The only reason they have yet to take notice of the beads is that they are not visible as the beads are worn under Bilbo's shirt on a chain that reaches about midway down his chest. His shirt and waistcoat cover them so when he shot up clutching his beads it looked like he was clutching his chest and the only dwarf who was awake in the camp to see this was Bofur who knows about Bilbo already. I hope that clears things up a bit. Ferin will not be Bilbo's father as he is not a member of the company. Gandalf is one of the only remaining people who know the identity of Bilbo's father. For his own reasons he's decided that it would be best that both Bilbo and his father remain oblivious to each other. As far as hints to Bilbo's father's identity go I won't be giving out any here but there is a clue or two in the story and a few more might pop up before the reveal. Bilbo does not much look like his father, he takes after his mother in that area. Thank yous to everyone, who read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited
