En'i'Elen
By Eugania Parvani

Summary: AU. Bilbo Baggins is a respectable hobbit leading a normal life, until one day a tall wizard invites him to partake on an adventure. Declining such an invitation makes no difference to the wizard as Bilbo finds his house invaded by dwarves and his garden ruined by a mysterious woman who fell from sky.

A/N: Just in time for a new year! Hello there everyone! I know it's been a very long while! I was incredibly busy the past several months with classwork. As well, the holidays are now over! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! This was my first real moment to continue the story, and I knew right away that I wanted to jump right on it! Here is Chapter 25! As always, I hope you enjoy and I would love if you'd all review! Thank you!

The melody had come to an end and there was nothing neither joyous nor lovely about it. There was but the remainder of the nighttime, a sorrowful stillness laden with silent faces overcome with despondence. The camp grew darker and not even a man with the keenest of eyes could decipher whether it was the result of the moonlight becoming hidden by an overcast sky, or if it occurred as a result of a bewitchment unknowingly put forth by the mourning within each heart.

The only task that remained for them as a group was putting to rest the remainder of the lives that'd been lost. What martisan warriors had been fortuitous enough to survive were entirely aware of the peril that awaited them just beyond morning. There was but this one last chance at earning a fraction of sleep, as this was all it would be: a fraction of what any soul truly needed to adequately function. They knew upon the rising of the morn, they'd all march forth into the ruins, ready to face the ending dangers they'd initially set out for.

Propriety again forced Kattrin and Bilbo to deny themselves their shared desire of staying with one another. Thus, after everyone had returned to each of their tents for the night, both Kattrin and Bilbo parted ways and did the same. Despite this, Kattrin waited a short while, simply sitting on the elevated bedroll staring at the linen walls of her tent. And after this short while, she stood and exited the tent, very careful not to garner any attention from those that may have still been awake.

As she headed around the camp's outskirts, she finally found herself at the back of Bilbo's tent. Once before, she'd entered from the front and unknowingly caught the eye of Jethin. She wasn't going to make the same mistake again, as ridiculous as it was to call such a meeting with Bilbo a 'mistake'. Quietly, she lifted the linen upward and crawled beneath the small opening she'd just made. Though her sudden appearance certainly caught him off guard and frighted him with quite the jump, she had just a second long enough to recognize that he'd been sketching something amidst the pages of his journal before she'd entered.

When he realized it was only her, she couldn't help but grin and covered her mouth to prevent a loud fit of laughter from escaping her lips. In her doing so, he afforded himself but a moment to quickly shield his pencil, journal and creations by clasping the journal tightly shut.

"After all this time, Bilbo Baggins. After everything. And you're still cautious to reveal your pages to me." He frowned guiltily to her, he wanted to argue that it wasn't true, but the words escaped him because he knew if he'd argue anything different than what she'd said, it would have been an outright lie. "I'd nearly forgotten this entire time that you even possessed the thing…"

In his strange anxious sort of urgency, the hobbit stood, placing the journal atop the small table beside him and then placed both of his free hands deep within his pockets. Kattrin stepped towards him and took his spot at the edge of the elevated bedroll. He turned, still standing with his hands in his pockets, to look down at her as she sat. "Can I look at them?" She was sure to speak in hushed tones, as to not give herself away.

Though it took him a moment, Bilbo finally nodded, "Of course." With shaky hands, the hobbit gently passed the portfolio along to her. For a moment, he had the strength to watch her open it; however, the moment his eyes caught first sight of a white parchment page, he turned around nervously, blushing and stammering, "Don't hold me to them," he coughed, "They're nothing spectacular…o…or splendid. J…just silly scribbles and nonsense." He laughed nervously, inwardly swearing up and down to himself that he could sensibly feel her eyes tracing every solitary line and contour on his pages.

As she remained seated on the bedroll's edge, she began to study the sketches. Every image hurled down upon the top of her head with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, for each sketch had her revisiting every major moment they'd all shared together over the course of their journey. The first image that truly caught her eye was one that had to have been of her. She remembered the room vividly, it was Bilbo's table and there she was atop it; frenzied hair and all from when they'd first crossed paths. The hobbit took extra care to illustrate her wild appearance and he even made certain to include the fish he'd been eating atop the plate.

The image was somewhat haunting, almost like looking into a mirror that showed one a depiction of themselves once upon a time ago. She knew it was her, without a doubt; yet, the concept that she was viewing a rendering of herself overwhelmed her with a foreign sensation altogether. As she stared herself in the eyes, she was brought from her daze at Bilbo uttering, "I apologize for the poor likeness. I…I had to draw it from memory."

"Is that what I looked like when you first saw me?" She questioned.

Bilbo couldn't clearly ascertain whether she was offended or happy at the drawing. "Uh…yes…more or less." He smiled meekly, taking a seat next to her to once again peer at the image. "Do you hate it?"

She, with a small smile, shook her head and answered, "Not at all." Her cheeks were pink, that much he could tell; and the hobbit took it as a gracious yet hidden sign that she approved of the depiction.

Silently, Kattrin flipped through some more of his pages, that small smile still curled upward upon her maw. She witnessed several sketches and descriptions of Rivendell, of the falls and the lanterns and balconies. His artistic eye sublimely captured the magnificence and splendor of the city's architecture and detail. The martisan, as well, came across several renderings of their dwarven company. He'd taken the time to accurately capture each one for exactly what each of them was. She couldn't help but smile exceptionally wide at how each dwarf's personality came through with each subtle marking upon the page.

Both Kili and Fili were drawn together, sitting by a fire, smiling wide whilst peering at one another. Their brotherhood and kinship spoke volumes without audibly having to. It was so…them. And Dwalin, Bilbo hadn't missed the ever frequent opportunity to draw the burly dwarf as he so often was: ultra stern and ultra serious.

Finally Kattrin had found herself at a page that displayed a group of martisan men dancing around the bonfire the night she'd given Bilbo the feather. And as Bilbo sat close enough to her to join in on her perusing the journal, Kattrin found a sketch of little Isilwyn. It took no longer than a fraction of a second for a sudden flash to claim her thoughts, visions of the youngling screaming and writhing in pain, burns scarring a good portion of her beautiful innocence. The sound of Bilbo's voice again roused her, saving her from her own thoughts.

"I haven't seen her since that night I sat around foolishly telling them stories…" He smiled a small degree at the thought. "I hope she is fine and well." His eyes finally turned upward from the sketch and back to Kattrin, "Have you heard anything?"

She was silent. Though in the place of words, her eyes were glossy and the seams of them appeared swollen to the point he'd swear tears would flow freely at any given moment. The silence was enough of an answer. The shear lack of words was enough of an indication as to what had happened to young, little Isilwyn. It was at this point, they sat together within the silence, Bilbo both dismayed and disturbed beyond measure.

Death. Something he'd seen in bounteous numbers, surrounding him and surrounding Kattrin and her people…and the company. It was everywhere and each time he might have thought that he was horrible enough to possibly expect or become familiar with it, another terrible tragedy would occur that would ultimately hit even closer to home. She was so very young, he thought. What echoed most within his memories at that given moment was the sound of her voice and how poorly she pronounced his name…and all words for that matter. Here it'd been not too very long ago that he had told her stories that so dearly caught her interest, and now she was gone. Just…gone.

He could see that within every moment they could afford to share amongst each other that Kattrin's resolve was growing weaker and weaker by the minutes, hours and days. And though Bilbo certainly could assume the same for himself, he wanted desperately to stay stronger for her; for there was a time in which he was weak in the very beginning and Kattrin was there for him. Silently on several occasions he'd made promises to himself that he'd be her rock and shining light. To hold true to this promise, he took hold of her hand in his and placed his other empty hand atop them. The hobbit looked her straight in the eyes and uttered simply, "We'll make them pay."

With his affirmation to her, he could tell quite obviously that she was still withholding the urge to weep. He could plainly see that she was mere inches and seconds away from the horrible misfortune of having to release every last morsel of emotion she'd been harboring away like dam walls amidst a flooding ocean.

Kattrin gently squeezed his hand, successfully fighting back the tears he knew were there. Her eyes, still filled with much sorrow, looked to him, "Can I stay with you tonight…?"

Despite everything they'd been through together, the question still took him off guard; still to this moment, his stomach and chest walls became nebulous and fluttery at such a notion. He could not help but still be somewhat surprised at the idea that she'd even desire to spend more time with him or even be with him. There hadn't been a moment that had passed by thus far that he hadn't somewhat felt like less than what he thought she truly needed or deserved. However, the feeling of actually desiring to be so very close to her far surpassed any of his self-esteem issues.

"Yes…yes, of course you can…" He whispered, a wistful look upon his face.

Bilbo moved a small degree and laid his head upon his pillow, Kattrin nearing him to lay right beside him. Both pensively and tenderly, she positioned her arm to wrap around his midsection. He, in turn, allowed her to rest her head in the crook of his arm. It didn't take but a moment for her to softly shut her eyes, perceptibly drained and mentally fatigued. There was just a second of silence before Kattrin murmured, "Tell me about life in the Shire, Bilbo…"

Though she could not see it and though her eyes remained closed, he smiled slightly at her interest in his homeland. Initially having rested his chin atop her muddled black hair, he moved in and placed a soft kiss upon her head, taking in her scent.

Upon having to describe the Shire to his Kattrin, he found himself nearly struggling to fully recall exactly how everything appeared. Had it truly been that long since he'd last seen the comforts of his home? He supposed it actually had been and he'd just never realized it as a fact. As it sunk in, he tried doubly hard to recollect everything he so cherished about his home. And as he did so, when the words escaped his dry parted lips, they escaped in a way that flowed as if his words were a poem or song, fluid and rhythmic.

"It's simple…life there is just…so very simple. Everyone who is anyone will gladly greet you each morning. The market is pleasantly busy, children laughing and people talking to one another with more than a shred of decency. And the festivals…oh the festivals," he smiled in a gasp, becoming a bit choked up. "An abundance of food; marvelous, marvelous food made by the finest hobbits, food for everyone to enjoy and eat. And dancing…so much dancing you could fall right over from how dizzy you'd get."

The martisan smiled at the thought, doing her best to imagine each and every word he spoke. "You'll take me dancing?" She whispered, the sound of her voice waning ready and near sleep.

"Every night until it drives you mad," He snickered.

He could feel her nuzzling in closer to his form, readjusting her head atop his arm, "Mmm…Please…please, tell me more about everything…"

"There's this magnificent tree I used to sit under. I spent a good deal of my time as a boy there, actually. It's rather large…and rather shady. Perfect for sketching under…or reading or writing." He smirked slightly, "Or climbing…"

She sighed contently, once again shifting ever so slightly to get even closer to him, "Promise me you'll take me there…"

He did not yet respond, his heart recalling once again to Larto's predictions of her fate. Despite the counterargument he'd scolded at Larto, the concept of losing her still deeply disturbed him at his core. All the same, he whispered, "I promise."

When a Baggins makes a promise, he has every intention of keeping it.

It wasn't much longer before he realized that she'd fallen asleep; he may have watched her for a moment or two longer before he as well felt his eyelids grow heavy. Eventually he, himself, fell asleep, his arms snuggly wrapped around her.

"Are you ready for it all to end?"

Bilbo's eyes snapped open in a flash, the sound of that familiar yet still ever-horrific, seething whisper ripping away at his psyche. After realizing that he was alert and awake, his eyes darted to his side and he felt a strong sense of relief upon noticing that Kattrin was still right beside him. She was just as he remembered last seeing her the night prior.

Gently, he nudged her awake. Her eyes tiredly looked up at him, within their strange azure hue he could spot a sadness deep inside of her that made him feel as though she knew something terrible was going to happen to her. He swore it was as if she knew of the outcome Larto had predicted for her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The look in her eyes, as heavily intent as it was, stabbed the heart within his chest cavity. He'd prove her wrong, and he'd certainly prove Larto wrong.

Upon the two of them leaving the tent, the demeanor of everyone was no less somber than the day prior. Everyone was, for the most part, completely silent. Not much could be said following the funeral song of yesterday and the deaths of so many countless souls. Some ponies had been gathered at the camp's outskirts; the group of martisan warriors, the dwarves and Gandalf were stoically awaiting the long march back to the mountainous ruins of Thades.

Bilbo one by one trailed his eyes to each of his companions. There were no smiles. There was only sadness. All the hobbit could seem to think about was the latest voice that'd popped in his head just earlier in the morning. The end was near. The final battle was about to begin. So much tragedy had befallen the group already that Bilbo couldn't imagine being involved and a part of a world filled with any more carnage and death than what had already taken place.

He couldn't imagine a victory in a world where so much had already been lost.

From a distance and unknown to Kattrin, Bilbo watched her and began to reflect his time he'd spent with her amidst their journey up to this point. He couldn't help but smile softly, the idea of it all almost being over. It was hard to believe that soon he'd be able to journey back to the Shire, she alongside him. He was finally going to be able to hold her closely, hold her dearly and share with her every small precious moment he never dreamed possible.

To take her dancing.

To sit with her under the tree.

The time would soon come and he was counting the seconds.

As Kattrin continued to gather what little she was going to need for the journey back to the ruins, she was drawn away from her tasks by Gandalf. "Might I have a word with you, my Kattrin?" The wizard's wrinkled hand gently pushed Kattrin along to a more private area so that he may have shared a quieter word with the martisan.

The gray wizard kneeled down before her, his eyes looking right into hers. She could tell there was a great amount that he needed and desired significantly to say, but he struggled beyond all reach. The thoughts were there, that much she could tell, but the words were absent and useless. Finally, he found himself speaking, much to his surprise, "In all my old years, I never thought I'd meet such a fiery spirit, my dear. I imagine if I were perfectly capable of having a daughter, she'd be a great deal like you." He smiled.

Kattrin narrowed her eyes only slightly, confused by the sudden endearments.

"Our time together is quickly coming to an end, I fear. It feels as though it was just yesterday that I lay witness to you about to clobber our dwarven friends with dear Bilbo's fire poker," he couldn't help but chuckle at the recollection. Though, it was shortly thereafter that he returned his focus to a more serious nature, "I'll try to speak plainly. I'm not certain what is going to happen to you upon our return to the ruins. And, I know you've grown very fond of Bilbo." He paused, "All formalities aside, I've come to understand that you've fallen in love." Kattrin didn't reply, however the look in her eyes displayed quite evidently that she was guilty of such feelings.

The wizard continued, "I worry, my dear, that your feelings may become an obstacle. I'm worried that in not knowing what will happen pending the Hesper's destruction, your feelings might persuade you away from the original path. Anything could happen, Kattrin. Anything."

Kattrin, saddened by the very thought of the conversation, solemnly nodded, "I understand."

The wizard continued to make desperate eye contact with her, he eventually placed both of his hands on either one of her shoulders, "Are you willing to sacrifice your love for him to save Middle Earth?"

The silence upon him finishing his query sent chills up through her spine. A lump had formed in her throat and it felt, for the longest time, incredibly hard to swallow. Regardless of it all, she replied flatly, "I understand my duties…"

"Then you must listen to what I am about to tell you, my dear girl. It is Bilbo that will be asked to lure Smaug away from his resting place. It is he that will need to lure the beast from the ruins into an area where the rest of us stand a chance at holding him off whilst you find the Hesper and destroy it. But…because of his feelings for you, he will not be easily convinced to leave from your sight. You will need to convince him at particularly the right moment, do you understand?"

Kattrin's eyes began to dart to and fro, attempting to suitably and accurately process and take heed to the wizard's words. "How…how will I convince him?"

"You must tell him that Kili and Fili will be looking after you. Tell him they will ensure your safety. That they'll be with you the entire time."

"But they won't be." Kattrin nodded, the thought of lying to Bilbo making her ill.

Gandalf frowned, his eyes saddened, "They will not…I am eternally sorry to ask this of you. But I would not ask it of you…I would not ask you to lie…if it were not for the greater good. If it weren't because you must…" The wizard's eyes turned downward at the ground, "I'm so very sorry…"

The gray wizard eventually stood and ventured to walk to his very own horse, leaving Kattrin alone to herself. She'd never felt more sobered or human in all of her memories. It was hard to wholly comprehend the suggestion that she'd practically been given a death sentence; they'd labeled her as near expiration. Soon the hopes and dreams of her future with Bilbo were no more certain than her ability in the future to feel the ground beneath her feet. Gandalf was correct, anything could happen. But she knew very well what was expected of her.

Upon entering this world, she'd been sent here with a higher purpose. She hadn't been sent to this era to fall in love with the company burglar. And as much as it pained her heart and entire existence, she knew she had obligations to uphold. In the beginning, her heart had autonomously carried her along the winding paths of their journey. She knew the probable costs of her function and she was prepared to pay them without faltering. But never did she trust that her heart would one day sing an entirely different tune. Bilbo. How dearly she loved him…

Though, she knew there were some things that not even love could conquer…

A/N: I hope it was to your liking! I will have the next chapter posted as soon as I possibly can! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!