Author's Note: It looks like this story will end up around 35-36 chapters unless something explodes on me and it goes longer. Here's hoping you guys stay on the ride that long!
Guardian of Yavanna
A couple of hours passed before Thorin called a halt, their leader at last believing them safe enough to pause and catch their breath. The earlier trip down the Carrock would give Bella some sleepless nights in the future, and the entire Company needed more sleep than they managed in the brief rest stop at the bottom. For now she kept track of the Dwarves, watching as Óin tried to get his king to sit down. Their healer wanted to look at his injuries, but Thorin would not cooperate.
"Take a sip of water, Mistress Baggins," Dori urged her, offering her a water skin. "I doubt we shall be stopping for long."
Bella accepted the water with a quick word of thanks. She glanced around, noting all of the others were within easy listening range. "If you please," she started, only to stop and blink in surprise as thirteen Dwarves and one Wizard focused on her with no further prompting. A light color dusted her cheeks, but she continued. "It seems a bit silly to keep up some of these formalities given the circumstances, so if you please, do feel free to call me Bella." Humor sparkled in her eyes. "If nothing else that must be simpler to shout when you need to call me to task over something."
The others chuckled, and Thorin gave her an approving nod, but it was Balin who spoke. "Thank you, lass," he replied as he reached out to pat her arm. "We'll do that – though you must agree to the same. Anyone so willing to take on the Pale Orc on our behalf has every right to use our names."
"Thank you," she murmured, ducking her head as the Dwarves nodded or muttered in agreement.
The Company broke into smaller groups as they tried to ascertain what supplies remained to them. Óin continued to make his way from one member to another in an attempt to catch up with any injuries he might have missed the night before. How he managed to do that while keeping one eye rotating between Thorin and herself, though, she could not quite work out. Balin spoke with Gandalf in voices too low for Bella to catch. For a moment she thought of moving closer to them, but then she noted Thorin and Dwalin moving towards the entrance of the small clearing and her curiosity prompted her to follow them instead. Her light footsteps made no impression on the two Dwarves, the sound hidden underneath the heavier steps of the males.
"We need to get a look around," Dwalin insisted, glaring up the path. "One of us will have to go up and see if they can spot anything."
"I know," Thorin nodded, his eyes moving over the Company. "Someone quiet."
"I'll go," Bella offered. The Dwarves started as she spoke; Dwalin going so far as to half unsheathe a knife. Thorin frowned, but she tilted her head before he could say anything. "I am the quietest person available," she pointed out, lips twitching in amusement. "And since you're expecting me to sneak up on a dragon, I would think this should be a better way to judge my sneaking ability before we reach your mountain."
Thorin's frown grew deeper at the reminder of her main mission in the Company's quest, but Dwalin began nodding before he could speak. "The lass is right," he told his king and friend. "None of us could be half as quiet as she is when she wants to be."
"Agreed," Thorin replied, anxiety and necessity warring in his voice. He focused on Bella. "Go, quiet and quick. We need to know if they have our trail."
"Don't worry," she said, her look steady and firm. "I'll be there and back again before you know it." Turning she moved up the path and into the shadows, glancing back once to see the entire Company watching her with concern. So much for their supposed lack of attention. Her heart lifted, warming at their concern, and that bolstered her courage. A handful of steps found her alone in the shadows, but she let no fear worm its way into her mind. No, this was no time for fear. Her Company, her….friends depended upon her.
She would not let them down.
Bella peered over the rocks, her eyes focusing on a nearby ridgeline. Snow glittered like a field of diamonds under the moonlight, but nothing could distract her from the pack of Wargs running over the top of it. Even against this backdrop, their leader managed to stand out. Azog turned his head as he scanned the landscape and Bella kept her head down, only remaining high enough to peer across the top of the stone. The Orcs continued and she started to turn so she could slide down off the rock. Snarling caused her to freeze.
What was that?!
She crept to the edge of the rock and peeked around it. Another pile of rocks stood there, outlined by the moon. A bear, the largest bear she had ever seen, stood there, growling and grumbling as it watched the Orcs. Time to be moving along, Belladonna! Sneaking seemed to be turning into a habit for her, but better to be sneaky than to be dinner. A great roaring erupted behind her, hurrying her steps.
Moments later she slipped down the small path into the Company's hiding spot.
"How close is the pack?" Dwalin demanded, his eyes scanning the space behind her.
"Too close," she replied, not taking any insult from his directness. Direct and unsubtle – that was Dwalin. "A couple of leagues, no more." Her gaze flew from him to Thorin and Gandalf. "But that's not the worst of it."
"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" the tall Dwarf continued, not giving anyone else any time to question her.
"Not yet, but they will." Bella shook her head. "We have another problem."
"Did they see you?" Gandalf frowned, interrupting her. "They saw you!"
"No, that's not it," she tried again…to no avail.
"What did I tell you?" the Wizard noted in a smug voice. "Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material."
Frustration began to build up in her. "Will you listen-?" Most of the Company murmured and chuckled in agreement with Gandalf, pleased looks on their faces. Bella did her best not to roll her eyes. "Will you just listen?" she insisted. This time her exasperated tone of voice made them all stop and stare. "I'm trying to tell you – there is something else out there!"
Now they looked worried and she began to turn towards Thorin. "What form did it take?" Gandalf asked. "Like a bear?"
"Ye-." She stopped mid-turn to stare at him, sensing rather than seeing most of the Company do the same. "Y-yes, but bigger. Much bigger."
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur challenged, but Gandalf turned and paced the other way. The Dwarf looked at the Company. "I say we double back."
"And be run down by a pack of Orcs," Thorin reminded him.
"There is a house," the Wizard announced. "It's not far from here, where we might find refuge."
"Whose house?" Thorin's question came out almost on a sigh. "Are they friend or foe?"
Bella felt a new trickle of fear begin to gather strength as an indefinable look passed through Gandalf's eyes. "Neither," he replied, though his gazed turned calculating as he rested it on Bella. "He will help us…or he will kill us."
"What choice do we have?"
A roar split the night air.
Gandalf lifted a brow. "None."
Running, Bella thought. More running. A good portion of this adventure circled on running – run after the Dwarves, run from this threat, run from that threat….run into danger. Yes, quite a bit of running in this adventure… Granted, she could honestly say she never expected to be running from a giant bear, but be that as it may, running and life-threatening encounters made up a good portion of her life lately.
Her mother's stories had never been quite like this.
The Company all but collapsed with relief as they managed to shut the unhappy bear outside, but Bella frowned as she heard Gandalf's muttered "I hope" in regards to their safety. Something about this entire situation made the Wizard nervous and that prospect did not feel her will glee.
Then came the next morning…
Bella woke and realized she alone remained wrapped in blankets. It took her a few moments, but she managed to wrestle herself free. She brushed herself off, wishing she could take a good soaking bath, and followed the sound of murmuring voices. One hand attempted to bring her hair into order as she stood at the back of the Company, listening to them mutter and argue over what to do about the as yet unseen figure they could hear working outside. Thorin and his nephews noticed her and made room for her to join them.
"Ah, Bella," Gandalf smiled. "Good, good, come along, Mistress Baggins. You and I shall approach our host first. The rest of you wait for my signal and then come out two at a time. We don't wish to crowd him or upset him. That would end very badly." The Wizard frowned. "The last person to startle him was torn to shreds."
"Oh this plan sounds familiar," Bella murmured even as she made her way towards the door.
Thorin frowned, but Gandalf ignored the comment and began to usher her out of the house. They made their way towards the tall, tall person chopping wood a little ways away from the door. Bella ducked behind the Wizard as he greeted the one he called Beorn. When the great fellow did not seem in any hurry to start tearing people apart, she poked her head around to get a better look. His eyes locked onto her and something flickered deep within them – a recognition, maybe? She could not be quite sure, but his tense frame softened by the tiniest of margins. Though that might have been a trick of her imagination considering how stiff he became as the Dwarves began to appear.
Did nobody like or trust people beyond their own kind?
She repressed a wince. That thought had been unfair, she knew. Many histories existed detailing alliances and friendships between peoples, but she began to wonder how much might be an exaggeration or a romantic notion imposed on the past by people in need of heroes and hope. So far on her adventure, she had seen too much suspicion and the littlest of trust between the supposed free peoples. Yes, even her own people in the Shire looked sideways at outsiders – even of the Rangers who helped patrol the borders.
No wonder Darkness could grow so fast when it surged – it needed so little effort to divide people as they did that all on their own.
"For her," Beorn nodded at Bella, making up his mind in a rather abrupt manner. "For Yavanna's daughter…you may stay."
The Dwarves looked at her, but she could only lift her shoulders in a confused shrug. Beorn appeared to ignore the byplay, leading them back into his home. Breads, fruits, and cheeses began to overflow the table. Unlike their previous such reception, not one of the Dwarves complained about the lack of meat. From her place at one end of the room, they looked like a bunch of younglings gathered around the adult table. She sat in Beorn's chair, and though she tried to protest, he would not move her. Indeed, he seemed to take on an almost paternal protection of the Hobbit, watching the interactions between her and the Dwarves with careful eyes. Hungry or not, Bella gave extra attention to the entire situation for one particular reason.
The Wizard looked quite smug.
Gandalf knew more than he would tell – and that should be of interest to all of them.
Not that he looked to be any mood to share right now, but perhaps that might be due to Beorn's presence and their own exhaustion. The skin-changer agreed to let them remain for a day or two to gather their strength and restock their supplies. He only gave them one warning: they must never leave the house after nightfall. No one argued. One near encounter with the bear had been enough for all of them.
And they needed the rest.
They spent a total of three days at Beorn's, taking the opportunity to rest and restock in safety. The skin-changer scattered the Orcs to give the Company time, though he warned them it would not be long before greater numbers reassembled. No one could determine Beorn's precise interest in the Company's Hobbit, but Balin offered the opinion it was because they both gave honor to Yavanna – Bella to her as the giver of fruits and Beorn as the guardian of animals. That idea worked as well as any other.
Near the end of their third day, Bella sat on the step and leaned back against one of the wooden posts, watching as the Dwarves worked around her. They worked on weapons, supplies, and future plans as they intend to leave in the morning. Her eyes moved to the three Dwarves closest to her. Dori sat on a bench behind her, his hands busy repairing various articles of clothes. The second brother, Nori, sat on the bottom step in front of her. He spent his time going over each length of rope and every piece of leather as he checked for weak points. Ori sat to her right and wrote in his journal, creating quick sketches and making notes on their journey. Conversation flowed between the three brothers, drifting around her much like a warm blanket.
"Bella?" Ori ventured.
"Hmm?" She looked at him, head tilting in question.
"Would you tell me how you escaped from the goblins?"
She blinked and then sighed. "For your chronicles?" He nodded and she sat up. Her mother would find a way to haunt her, even from Yavanna's side, if she did not help make sure Ori's journal held a full and complete record of what happened. "Very well."
"Wait," Dori interrupted. "The others will want to hear this if you don't mind us calling them over, Bella." She gave him a slow nod, not sure anyone would want to hear it but unwilling to argue the point. He called out to the other and, once everyone looked his way, he informed them: "Bella's going to tell of her escape from the mountains."
To her surprise, all of the Dwarves picked up their work and moved closer. They intended to keep working, but it appeared their curiosity ran deeper than she expected. "Right, then," she cleared her throat. "I landed in that odd bowl shaped cage with the rest of you, but for some reason the goblins didn't seem to notice me. They grabbed at you lot, but they pushed past me as if I wasn't there."
Her story developed from that point as she discussed her tumble down the mountain and blacking out before landing. Óin grumbled about stubborn Hobbits and hiding injuries, but his brother hushed him so she could continue. The scratching of Ori's quill provided a strange background music to her tale. Her words wove together to create the story of meeting Gollum, the small mad creature at a hidden pool, and agreeing to a riddle game – and that her life would be forfeit if she lost.
"You what?!"
The collective shout caused her to jump, eyes flaring wide as she stared at the angry faces around her. Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli glared at her while Balin shook his head. Bofur and Bombur gaped, though Bifur smiled – but then his thoughts often wandered down strange paths. Óin nudged his brother as if trying to verify the accuracy of his hearing and Glóin rubbed one hand over his face. Nori looked exasperated and Dori's expression had turned thunderous. Ori even dropped his quill. "Well," she stammered, holding out her hands "what else was I supposed to do?"
"Killing him comes to mind," Dwalin told her, a heavy frown knotting his brow as his eyes went to her sword in a pointed way.
"Which would still have left me lost in a cavern under a mountain full of goblins," she pointed out. Gandalf shook his head, amusement playing around the corners of his mouth despite the somber look in his eyes. Mutters surrounded her, but she ignored the Dwarves and continued with her tale. Ori began taking notes once more as she went through each riddle, including the final question which she admitted did not really qualify as a riddle.
Glóin scoffed. "It doesn't qualify at all, lass, but if the creature accepted it, then he owed you an answer."
Bella smiled as the others nodded. Then she paused – did she mention the ring? Something in her recoiled at the idea, but the truth demanded she tell it. She wrestled with the idea, arguing within her own mind. Silence fell and she looked around to find the company staring at her, waiting for her to tell them about her escape. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists, and used the image of her mother's disappointed face as a motivation to tell the truth.
"Gollum didn't plan to keep his word," she told them. "He went to find something and I knew I had to escape." She continued with an explanation of her fall and how a ring she'd found earlier slipped onto her finger. When Gollum came rushing around, he could not see her. The story concluded with her following him to the exit and sparing his life before she ran after the company who she'd seen pass Gollum's hiding spot.
Her words drew looks of confusion and amazement from most of her listeners, but two faces showed something else. Gandalf and Thorin both stared at her with clear concern.
"Do be careful of that ring, Bella," Gandalf spoke before anyone else could say a word. She frowned at him and he sighed. "There are many magical rings in this world and none of them are to be used lightly."
Bella gave him a long look but then she nodded. "I'll be careful."
"Give me your word," Thorin requested. She opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. "I want your word that you will not use the ring unless you see no other choice."
"Oh, fine," she huffed. "I give you my word I will only use the ring if absolutely necessary." Something in her clicked into place and the discomfort she felt in discussing the ring disappeared. She wondered at that, but unwilling to draw yet more attention to it, she turned to Ori. "Did you get the notes you needed?"
The young Dwarf smiled and nodded with enthusiasm. "Thank you, Bella."
"You're welcome," she patted his shoulder. "And that's enough of a story from me. Someone tell me how you all managed to escape." Groans answered her demand, but Bella ignored them when Balin began to tell their side of the story.