A/N: Welcome everyone! I've been working on this story for a while, so here's a short introduction to the long story I have ahead!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original character.
Thorin Oakenshield found himself standing outside the town of Bree, soaked to the bone with Gandalf the Grey by his side, wondering if perhaps this quest was doomed from the start. Two men who were hired to kill him had just fled the bustling town, going to report to Mahal knew who about his own whereabouts, and as much as he wished to reclaim his homeland of long past, he was realistic to the dangers associated with such an endeavor. He sighed, thinking how he had started the journey looking for his father, and here he was now on a doomed quest to take back Erebor.
Gandalf looked at the heir of Erebor quizzically, the tilt of his head causing a slight stream of water to trickle down the side of his large, pointed cap. "Do not think your quest to be over before it has begun, Thorin son of Thrain."
Thorin was startled that Gandalf could read his thoughts so easily. He steeled his emotions and began stalking into the woods, toward the road of Andreth Greenway.
"I will get word to my kin, whoever may answer the call, and we will see this prophecy fulfilled," was his only curt reply.
"Send word to me when you have chosen your company, Thorin, and I will find a secure meeting place for us all. And be careful with whom you share information. I believe your troubles are just beginning." The wizard looked sadly at the silent retreating form of the dwarf and turned away to his own path. He feared for the lonely heir and hoped the future might bring light to those places the darkness festers, especially in the heart of the dwarf who lost everything.
~O~
The forest was quiet, all except the soft roaring of rushing waters and the usual scurrying of the forest creatures in the golden light of sunset. If one were the observant type, they would notice a soft rustling, unlike that of the rustling of squirrels and birds, creeping along the bankside, hidden by the brush. A clearly unobservant pheasant-like animal was too busy preening its feathers by the waters to notice anything out of the ordinary; a fatal mistake. A small sound of rushing air and subsequent tunk, and the large bird was dead. It was silent and lying still on the rocks, an arrow embedded in its flank, piercing its heart.
A hooded figure stepped out of the woods, bow in hand, and pulled out the arrow from the bird with ease, stooping to wash the gory tip in the stream before replacing it in the quiver resting against a faded, dark green cloak. The hood was peeled back to reveal curly, auburn hair, unruly but pulled back into a braid with twine. It was still slightly damp from the woman's wash in the river earlier that day. The woman quickly brushed a stray strand out of her face and bent over the carcass, picking up the kill by its rough textured feet and strolling back into the woods.
Her olive-green eyes scanned the trees, easily finding small notches in some of the bark, a seemingly insignificant trait to the untrained eye. But for her, it meant the way back to her camp. She hurried her steps as the shadows of the trunks grew longer, and soon came upon a small clearing surrounded by ancient woods, nestled in safety. She dropped the bird next to a small circle of stones, her soon-to-be makeshift hearth, and felt around the small sack at her side, soon bringing out her hand clutching a dark red apple. Whistling a short tune, almost like a birdsong, she waited a moment before her trained ears picked up soft, rhythmic footfalls a short distance away. Soon enough, a black Appaloosa came trotting into her camp, its flank white and speckled with dots of the same dark intensity as its front. The horse neighed happily at the gift awaiting it in the woman's hand and nudged the front of her to say so.
The woman laughed and presented the horse with the fruit, caressing its nose lovingly as the animal began eating with fervor. "Not so fast, Alioth. I know how much you love apples that are softer and sweeter, even if they are a little rotten. Kind of like you, in a way." She gave him a quick peck on the nose and he huffed in response, seeming partly offended but still too invested in his dinner to walk away.
She was losing the light quickly, so she set about gathering some sticks and small chunks of wood from the small pile she'd made when she first arrived that afternoon and stacked them expertly in the ring of stones. Using two sharp rocks, she created sparks which built into a suitable-sized flame. Sitting back onto the soft grass, she set about preparing her dinner, plucking the bird (making sure to save its feathers to bind to more arrows, for she was quickly running low), and skinning it, saving the thinly-sliced leftover meat on a wide stone, which would later go into a canvas sack stowed away in her large pack just for the occasion. With the small amount not in the sack, she set about roasting over the fire, using a stick to support the meat. A large stick leaned too far from the rest of the flaming stack and rolled out of the safety of the stone circle, too close to her pack. Without hesitation, she reached forward with her unoccupied hand toward the flaming wood and picked it up, setting it gently in the flames. She glanced at her hand, still glowing faintly from the licks of flame, but completely unharmed. Whistling a short tune, she continued her task, paying her hand no more mind.
She dug in heartily to her quaint supper, occasionally taking a sip of water from her leather pouch she had filled at the riverside. After the meal was done, she took the rest of the meat from the sack, rubbed it down with a salty brine she had brought, and stuck them over the fire, putting out some of the fierceness of the flame to let the smoke wash over the raw meat to cure overnight.
She set up her bedroll and laid down, happy the summer air was warm enough that her light cloak was enough to combat the breezy night air. She checked Alioth and warned him not to wander too far from camp as he had done many a time, to which the horse snorted haughtily but stayed in place, munching the grass beneath it. She also was careful to keep her knives and bow by her side, in case any creature or person decided to make an unwelcome visit. Her eyes softly closed, and she fell into a light slumber, not ever quite deep enough to prevent awareness of danger should it ever creep up on her. Quin's dreams consisted of foggy distant mountains, and for some reason, a solitary dwarf meeting her gaze as he lay dying on ice and stone, the peacefulness and love in his eyes contrasting the bright blood littering his face and chest.
Quin awoke later than she had meant to, for it was well into the afternoon by the time her eyes opened. She blamed her late-night work on the carcass as the cause for her laziness, and she cursed herself and she packed up her things. The strange dream was no doubt caused by her deeper sleep, a sleep she did not receive often. The cured meat went into the sack she had saved for it, then into her pack. Her bedroll was securely attached to the rest of her belongings, and she kicked aside what remained of the fire, scattering any remnants of her being there into nothing but dirt and some small flakes of ash.
Quin stretched and whistled loudly for Alioth, who had apparently wandered off again despite her firm reprimand. Waiting a few minutes, she frowned when he did not appear. Usually if he ran off, her whistle would bring him instantly back to her, even if he was usually rough for wear from his adventures into thistles and thorns. She whistled a second time, louder, but still he did not come. Quin became instantly worried, praying to Eru no wolves had gotten too desperate for food that they attacked her beloved companion despite his much larger size. Fingering the small charm around her neck, a wooden red leaf, she muttered a quick prayer to Eru that Alioth was safe. She threw her pack over her shoulder and made sure her weapons were well within reach before heading off deeper into the forest, occasionally whistling the familiar tune and becoming aware of a sinking feeling growing each time her horse did not answer the call.
~O~
Bilbo Baggins followed the two young dwarves deeper into the shadowy forest, clutching their suppers in each hand, petrified at the thought of what a troll looked like in person. He wished Gandalf hadn't stormed off in a temper earlier, as he could have probably easily taken care of the problem with his magic. As the trio neared the fire in the distance, a great stomping behind them caused them all to quickly find hiding spots among the many large trunks and bushes. As soon as Bilbo rounded a tree, a massive mountain troll strolled by, carrying two ponies, one under each arm. The trio recongregated and Bilbo's eyes widened as he recognized the horses.
"He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something." The thought of his pony, who he had grown very fond of in the short span of the journey so far, getting roasted and eaten was enough to put him off his stew and rile up some courage in his blood. The three trolls looked uglier than he had imagined and were making some sort of mucus broth that made him wrinkle his nose.
Fili and Kili exchanged a look and encouraged him to act alone, taking the bowls from his hands and shooing him towards the fire. Bilbo, in his anxiety and reluctance, took no notice of their obvious manipulation, but instead silently crept behind the trolls, his large hobbit feet providing ample padding for his soft footfalls. The trolls were thankfully too busy arguing about the meal to notice the small creature invading their camp, and Bilbo was able to get to the ponies without trouble. He noticed an extra horse in the makeshift pen he didn't recognize, but supposed it was the steed of the poor farmer the trolls were currently complaining about in terms of their digestion. He continued his attempts at freeing them all, but, as thick as the ropes were, he was unable to untie them with his bare hands. He began to get frustrated, but noticed a gleam from the corner of his eye, which turned out to be a long knife in the middle troll's belt. After a few unsuccessful attempts which required him to be in very uncomfortable proximity to the mountain troll's behind, he was promptly grabbed and sneezed on.
Being mistaken for a booger bought him some time, but they soon were discussing eating him, and whether he was truly alone in the woods, which he promptly but nervously denied. Before they could torture an answer out of him, Fili and Kili were storming from the woods, cutting the trolls' legs and forcing them to release Bilbo. The rest of the company charged as well, Thorin leading them, and they fought valiantly. Bilbo stayed well away from the fight, choosing instead to steal the large knife from earlier and cut the ponies free. Most of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but one in particular, the one he didn't recognize, stopped and nudged Bilbo's front in a manner of thanks. Bilbo was surprised enough that he didn't hear the large troll make a grab for him, and was soon used as a hostage. The third troll took the opportunity to grab the unknown horse before it trotted away and stuck it back in the pen, much to the horse's chagrin, as it whinnied and brayed loudly.
Thorin was more than frustrated when he saw the hobbit in the hands of the two trolls. He'd felt responsible for Bilbo's safety ever since he signed the contract and joined the company, but thought it too difficult a job if the Hobbit was going to be so needlessly reckless. He could have surely stayed out of sight and set the ponies free after the trolls were defeated! But now they were at a stalemate, but not much of one, for it only took one look at Bilbo's terrified face for Thorin to throw down his sword, followed by the rest of the company.
In a few short moments, their weapons were gathered in a pile by the fire, and each of the dwarves, including Bilbo, were trapped in a large sack tied off at the neck. Some were tied securely to a spit roast above the fire, rotating slowly, while the others were laying in a haphazard pile nearby. Things were looking very grim for the company indeed.
A/N: There is the introduction of Quin! As you can probably tell, I'm going to be following the storyline of the trilogy of movies, only straying a bit here and there as it suits the story I'm going for. Feel free to leave a review if you liked it! I'm going to try and post a chapter a week, and I think I've gotten enough of a head start that I won't have to break that uploading streak (knocking on wood). Thanks for reading!