Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers. I've read each & every one. Double thank yous to shadewatcher, TheaDreams, & Just4Me for being such regular and uplifting reviewers. I can only hope I continue to live up to your expectations. This one gets a little spiritual, but it is necessary to set up something that will happen in the future.
Children of Yavanna
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
The sibilant whisper slipped through the darkness.
Bella stood in a circle of light, a beautiful garden patch surrounded by a protective wall of stone. Beyond the wall she could hear the sounds of chaos, wild laughter interspersed with screams of pain. Here, however, in the garden, she felt only peace – all things living in nature's order, a world of bountiful harvest for the sharing. Though the stone wall held carvings of weapons – swords, spears, axes, and bows, she felt no threat. Those weapons shielded her; they guarded her place against the threat of the chaos outside.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
Again the whisper, that quiet threat alarming her more than the boom of thunder…or even the howls she could distinguish in the cacophony outside. The whisper crept in to her garden, sliding over the wall and edging around the weapons. She could see it – a slender thread of red-brown like dried blood and smelling of rust. It slithered closer. She tried to move away, but her feet refused to move fast enough. The thread looped itself around her wrist, clinging as she tried to pull away. With that accomplished, it began to withdraw and tried to pull her along with it.
"No!" Bella dug in her heels, refusing to go. The pull grew stronger as the whisper deepened.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
"Yavanna, help me!"
Vines shot up from the earth, lit from within by the healthy green of growing things. They wrapped around her waist, offering her support and strength to resist the pull of the thread. A child's game came to her mind – a game where two people pulled on a rope, each attempting to pull the other across some type of boundary. She felt like that rope…but which side would win? As her doubt crept in, the thread pulled her forward a step or two.
"No!" Bella stiffened her resolve and pulled back.
The carved weapons caught her attention. Carved? No…with the light of the vine she could now see them glitter against the stone. Each weapon was inlaid into the stone – in silver, gold, and some other metal she could not name. Metal… Stone…
"Aulë…Mahal, aid me!"
Rich red flames, a vibrant living red that put to shame the dull red in the thread, flared around her, but she did not burn. Nor did the vines. Indeed, the vines seemed to gain power and the warmth of the fire comforted her. The thread grew thinner, still there, but no longer pulling on her. The whisper had disappeared. Colors became brilliant once more and the stone wall appeared as strong as ever – save for one small crack where the thread crossed into this place of light, peace, and order. Bella eyed that spot and saw the crack grow. Just a hair and not all that noticeable, but grow it did. Something about the thread, the power behind it maybe, but something could not be affected by all the power of Yavanna and Mahal. She could feel the regret in the powers trying to protect and strengthen her.
The Hobbit took a deep breath and walked towards the small blemish in the stonework. Flames outlined her hands as she placed them on the wall, one on either side of the crack. The vines tightened around her to hold her steady. Power washed over her and she lifted her chin. "You will not have me," she announced, determination a cord of steel in her voice. The inlaid weapons gleamed. "And you cannot have them," she continued as she realized who the weapons must represent.
The thread pulsed and for a moment she could hear the whisper start up once more.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
"No."
This time the word came out with a calm deliberation. "I am not yours."
The scent of fresh tilled earth circled around her as she heard the sound of a hammer striking an anvil. An eagle's cry brought her eyes up to see the stars glittering in the night's sky, with Gil-Estel gleaming brightest in the west. She could hear water raging nearby as thunder echoed from somewhere behind her. Feelings of deep sorrow welled up in her, but they seemed to fit the place in some strange way. Perhaps because they seemed to be feelings of pity, sorrow over those lost in the chaos beyond. The circle of life wove through her, giving her the strength to face down this thing that sought to impose its will upon her.
"In Eru's name, I defy you."
White light emanated from the heart of the garden…and the thread flinched. It did not disappear, nor did it release her, and she knew she would face this battle again, maybe more than once, but for now she felt strong and at peace. The white light blocked the crack from growing any further while the lesser powers continued to support her. For now, it was enough. A pulse from the white heart in the garden drew her attention and her own heart yearned towards the deep love she could feel pouring from that light.
I am proud of you, my daughter.
She jumped at the deep masculine voice, opening her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling in Beorn's home.
What was that? That last voice… Eru? Could it have been…?
Words failed her, even mental ones. Bella sat up and glanced around. Most of the Company still slumbered, their snores and sleepy grumbling a familiar comfort after the oddest dream she could ever remember having in her entire life. As she continued her scan of the room, she spotted Thorin watching her from near the fireplace, concern and curiosity clear in his expression. She managed to pull herself free of her blankets without too much noise and moved on silent feet towards the dim glow of the embers.
"Nightmare?" Thorin kept his voice low.
Bella opened her mouth to agree, but closed it in consternation. Bewilderment rolled through her and she could only spread her hands to indicate her uncertainty. "Maybe?" Then she shook her head. "More odd than frightening, I think."
He scratched the side of his chin as he examined her. "Would it help to share?"
"Shall we trade?" she offered. "I shall tell you what dreams wake me at this silly hour of the morning and you tell me what keeps you awake?"
"Agreed," he nodded.
So she told him, explaining the dream and her confusion over what it might mean. A quiet hush fell over the room as she finished. Bella could not think of anything further to say and she thought he might be in the same state. His eyes rested on her in contemplation.
"Your turn," she announced, breaking the silence. "What is bothering you?"
"The next leg of our journey," he replied, though his eyes remained thoughtful as he considered her. "Trolls and giants and Goblins aside, we have the greatest dangers and difficulties before us now."
"I confess to being worried about the woods to come," she admitted. "Our host seemed most uneasy at the thought of them – and anything which could unnerve a person of his size and…abilities seems to me to be something that should concern us."
A hint of reluctance entered his face. "You do not need to continue-," he began.
"I should have brought an umbrella," she muttered, interrupting as she fixed a disbelieving stare on him. "Or a good walking stick. I shall need it if you are going to start being thick-headed once more."
"Ah, yes," he nodded. "The promise you made me in Rivendell – to hit me over the head should I start acting out."
Two soft snickers interrupted her thoughts and she lifted an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me a moment?" When he nodded, she turned and made her way over to where Fíli and Kíli lay pretending to sleep. "Oh, no, you two don't," she informed them in a whisper. "If you cannot pretend better than that, then you move yourselves across the room so we can pretend not to know you are eavesdropping on a private conversation." They blinked up at her and she glared back, hands on her hips as if daring them to argue. Their eyes moved beyond her to their uncle, but she did not look back. "Well?"
"Yes, Bella," Fíli nodded, climbing to his feet and pulling his brother up after him.
As they made their way towards the back wall, she would swear she could hear Kíli muttering, "Shouldn't we just call her 'Aunt Bella' now and be done with it?"
Though perhaps she misheard.
"Most of the others are probably listening," Thorin commented, his lips twitching with amusement. A real smile, small but there, curved them as a snore greeted his words. More snores drifted from various corners as if in answer. "Or all of the others?"
"Quite likely," Bella agreed as she lifted a hand to cover her mouth to repress the giggle that wanted to escape. Once she had that under control, she let the hand fall back to her lap and shrugged. "And yet there is something to be said about the manners of not being obvious in one's eavesdropping. They should work on their acting."
"True enough," he allowed. He leaned against the hearth as best he could given its oversized nature. "Though subtlety…" His voice trailed off.
"Not a typical Dwarven characteristic?" She sat on a cushion before the banked fire, soaking in some of its warmth. "I cannot say it is much of Hobbit one either," she admitted with a wry smile. "Though we do try in the way of manners to at least pretend."
"And it is something we shall need when Erebor grows strong once more." His gaze grew distant. "I haven't thought on it much, the time after we finish our quest." A different sort of somberness entered his face as he shook his head. "How very much we have lost in the years between our exile and now…I only considered the loss of our home and many of our skills…not the smaller, but vital parts of living and ruling and-."
"Hope for the future," she advised him, interrupting the words before he could fall deeper into his shadows. "Dream for it, certainly, but don't worry for it yet."
"And planning?"
"If you like." She scrunched up her nose for a moment. "Just do not worry over it like a dog with a single bone. You cannot change yesterday and tomorrow isn't here yet. Besides – today generally has enough worries of its own without borrowing from the future. If you do that, you'll flood yourself and not get anything done." Now she offered him a supportive smile. "Stick with the basics for tomorrow – such as worrying about Mirkwood. Beyond that will have to wait."
"What do you dream of for the future?" he asked, the question a trifle rushed as if he wanted to get it out before he changed his mind about asking.
Her head tilted as she blinked at him. That was not a topic she considered often – life in the Shire drifted like a summer afternoon. Few Hobbits made grander plans than their choice of marriage partner. They tended to live in the moment and not focus too much on grand notions for some future time. Well, most of them did – one could never count the Tooks in 'most' of anything. "My future?" she repeated, a thoughtful consideration in her voice. "To be happy." She ducked her head a bit. "Not the grandest of futures, I suppose, but I don't need grandness really. I've no desire for great wealth or fame or whatever else some might wish for." Bringing her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her shins and then rested her chin atop her knees. "I want to be happy – to be somewhere I consider home and to be surrounded by people I consider family and friends." Her eyes locked to his. "That's all."
Thorin crouched down, putting himself almost on eye level with her. Something warm and approving moved in his gaze. "The world would doubtless be a merrier place if more people thought as you do." His rare smile appeared once more, giving him a much younger appearance and the resemblance to Kíli became almost uncanny. "So you dream of a return to your Bag End home when we finish?"
"I did not say it had to be Bag End." His eyebrows went up and Bella felt a warm flush of colors flood up her neck and into her cheeks. "Well, not necessarily anyway, and it…I didn't…I mean…" She could not come up with a way to save that sentence, so she just forced herself to stop talking.
"You should get some sleep, Mistress Baggins," he chuckled, though he refrained from teasing her any further. "We will be leaving come morning."
"Bella," she corrected even as she rose to make her way back to her sleeping pallet. Her lips twitched as she realized how close the boys now lay to her own space. Her rest would be well guarded it seemed – between Fíli and Kíli on one side and Dori, Nori, and Ori on the other. "King or no king, I plan to keep using your given name now, so you might as well use mine."
Now muffled snorts came from more than one pallet and she rolled her eyes at him, offering a shared camaraderie in acknowledging themselves surrounded by children.
Gratitude filled his countenance, but he restrained himself to a simple, "Sleep well, Bella."
Bella wandered through the garden in the morning sunlight as the Dwarves prepared the ponies. They would be leaving soon and she wanted to get a little more time of peace before they left. Energy from the earth vibrated through her as her feet touched the tilled dirt.
"Why do you go with them?"
She started, opening her eyes to find Beorn standing at the corner of his home where he could watch both her and the Dwarves. "I'm sorry?"
"The Dwarves," he glanced away before focusing those deep eyes on her once more. "I know why they go where they go, but why does a daughter of Yavanna, a child of the fruiting earth, go to a mountain? Under rock and stone is no place for one such as you." His head tilted down. "Why do you go with them?"
"Are mountains not of the earth?" she returned, a tender smile slipping over her face as she brushed a hand over a flowering bush.
"The mountains are but bones," the skin-changer answered. "They are not things which grow."
"And yet life grows on them," she pointed out. "And even within them."
"This I will grant you," he nodded. "But why do you go? Their life is not yours."
"Isn't it?" Bella fixed her gaze on him. This thought bothered her as it had before, the division between peoples. "They have no home. Should I have remained safe in mine knowing they wandered without theirs?"
"Their own greed brought the loss of their home," he noted.
"They should not bear the burdens of their fathers' mistakes." While she understood each generation might have to reap the consequences of that which the previous one sowed, that did not mean they should also shoulder the blame. "They deserve to have a home, a place to belong as the Hobbits belong in the Shire."
He dipped his head in a nod of acceptance. "You are determined to aid them then."
"Yes."
"I must speak with the Gray Wizard," Beorn sighed. He reached out and placed a large hand on her head. "Yavanna's blessing go with you, daughter of the earth."
"And with you, son of the forest."
A pleased smile lit his face before he nodded and turned away, already falling back into his somber mien. She picked her way across the grass to join her Company as they finalized their preparations and began mounting the ponies.
Balin smiled at her in greeting. "Let me help you, my lady," he offered before giving her a hand into the saddle.
"Bella," she corrected, puzzlement knitting her brow.
He gave her a congenial smile. "As you say."
Thorin gave his advisor a sharp glance, which Balin seemed to ignore as he turned to talk to Ori. The Dwarf king lifted a brow in her direction and she returned a small shake of her head. Bella had no idea what might have prompted such a greeting from the elder Dwarf. Confusion flickered in Thorin's eyes, but he nodded at her before turning to look for Gandalf.
"Gandalf!" he called out. "Time is wasting."
Bella glanced back as the Company rode away, raising her hand in both farewell and blessing to the skin-changer as he watched them go. He returned her acknowledgment and a small ember of joy fluttered in her heart. This encounter with another of the Green Lady's people raised her spirits as even the visit in Rivendell had not quite managed. The timing and placement of the meeting reassured her of Yavanna's blessing on this journey. No matter how this story culminated, Bella could feel comforted in knowing she had made the right choice.
