Chapter 20
Bilbo and Kelly come slipping and sliding down the rocks, trying to be as quiet as possible. When they met back up with the Company, they were immediately approached by Thorin. "How close is the pack?" Bilbo takes a deep breath and responds with "Too close, couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." This continued on, Bilbo being interrupted by the Dwarves asking ridiculous questions about the pack. "Enough! Shut your mouths and listen!" Kelly yelled, interrupting whatever Thorin was going to say. They all looked at Bilbo who looked harried and on edge. "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there!"
"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf stepped closer to Bilbo. Looking up at the wizard, Bilbo looked slightly surprised. "Ye...Yes, but bigger. Much bigger." "You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked, sounding horrified. Remaining silent, Gandalf turned away to think. "I say we double back." Kelly looked at Bofur and shook her head. "We'll be run down by a pack of Orcs. Gandalf, what should we do?" They all looked toward the wizard. "There is a house, not far from here, where we might take refuge." Thorin stepped forward, needing to know everything of course. "Whose house? Are they friend or foe?"
"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us." Kelly laughed softly; she suddenly knew where they were going. "What choice do we have?" Thorin looked at the woman, curious as to why she thought this was funny. Suddenly, the beast could be heard roaring; sounding much closer than anyone liked. "None." Kelly grabbed Bilbo and pushed him ahead of her as she took off running. "Move Bilbo, don't slow down and don't look back." Waiting until the entire company had gone past her, Kelly took up the rear to make sure that none of the Dwarves fell behind. They ran out of the hills and into a small wooded area. Moving through the trees, the Company could hear the beast tearing through the brush behind them.
They break through the tree line and see a house in the distance, causing all the Dwarves to run faster. To Kelly's immense surprise, Bombur began outrunning all of them. "Into the house! Run!" As the dwarves and Bilbo all rush towards the house, Gandalf sees the creature coming through the woods after them, the dwarves try to open the door of the house, but it's locked. "Open the door!" Kelly screams, turning and looking at the giant bear running towards them. "Quickly!" In the moment, Thorin rushed ahead and managed to open the door. They all rush inside and just as they were about to close the door the creature lunged its head through it. The Dwarves pushed against the door, trying to get it closed but unable to, due to the strength of the beast on the other side. Suddenly, Kelly runs at the door and slams her entire body against it; this gives just enough leverage for the door to close.
"What is that?" Ori asked, turning to look at Gandalf. "That is our host." Kelly had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the look of confusion on everyone's faces. "His name is Beorn; he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overly fond of dwarves." Gandalf gave Kelly a look that she didn't understand before he turned and looked around the house. The Dwarves made nervous chatter with each other about their host. Turning back around, Gandalf ran his eyes over the Company. "Now, get some sleep all of you. You'll be safe here tonight."
Kelly spent a while wandering around the house, exploring and admiring, before Gandalf pulled her outside to speak to her. They stood in the middle of a group of bee houses, surrounded by large bees. "Are all his animals bigger than normal?" The wizard smiled and nodded slowly, watching as Kelly didn't even flinch when a few bees landed on her head and shoulders. "Yes, they are allowed to grow as big as their bodies will allow them to compensate for Beorn's bear form. Now, I must talk to you about something rather important." Kelly stopped snuggling her cheek against one of the fluffy bees to look up at Gandalf. Though often cryptic, Gandalf never sounded worried like he did now. "He is not fond of Dwarves; in fact he almost hates them. I fear he will not allow us to stay here and he may even try to kill us. I am asking you to wait up for our host to come home in his human form. When he does, do your best to persuade him to let us stay; whatever is necessary. He has a soft spot for women and especially beautiful ones." Kelly looked down and blushed softly then put her hand to her chest where her necklace was. "Should I tug at his heart? Tell him of my troubles with my love? Do you think that would help?" Gandalf blinked quickly then laughed loudly, leaning onto his staff as support. "Oh my dear Kelly! You are a devilish young thing! I think that will work wonderfully." Kelly smiled and nodded before sitting down in the grass and letting more bees surround her. Gandalf proceeded to walk back to the house, still chuckling.
Later that night, after the sun had set, Bilbo walked outside to find Kelly. He was worried that something might happen to her or that she would do something ridiculous. Bilbo found her, and what he saw completely shocked him and stopped him immediately. Kelly was sprawled out in a field of flowers, completely surrounded by large bees; they were flying around her lazily and would occasionally stop and rub against the woman. "Kelly! Aren't you going to come inside?" She looked up at Bilbo and smiled, shaking her head slowly. "No I think I'll stay out here a bit! Go inside and go to sleep alright? Don't let Fili and Kili touch my things!" He nodded and walked back inside, pulling her bag next to his bedroll to keep it safe.
A few hours later, Kelly crept back inside and found almost everyone asleep. Dwalin was sitting by the fireplace, smoking his pipe and watching the fire burn. He looked up as she entered the room then turned away again without saying a word. "Dwalin? Will you not talk to me?" She reached forward and touched his arm. He jerked away from her touch and a small hiss came from his mouth. This reaction was enough for Kelly; she stood to her full height and walked away, sitting at the large dining table at the other end of the house. She hadn't been sitting there long when she heard the front door open. Turning to look, she found a man standing in the doorway. A very, very large man who was staring at her through his dark eyes. He had black hair and a black beard covered his face; this made him look quite intimidating but also a tad bit attractive.
Standing up and smiling, Kelly bowed quickly before saying "You must be Beorn. We have heard much about you and I must say, your bees are quite lovely."