Remember We'll Be History

Fourteen: Riddles, Father's & Orcs Part 1

The Shire

Bungo was smoking a pipe out in the garden for the day, he sneaked a pipe when Bella was gone as his daughter did not care for him to be smoking. Mentioned that it wasn't 'good for the Shire'.

He looked out the Shire and wondered if Bella was safe and if he would get any news from his daughter.

"Uncle Bungo! Uncle Bungo!' he turned around and saw that Drogo was running toward him, he grabbed his can and stood up slowly.

"My boy, what is the matter?" Bungo asked. Drogo opened the gate to Bag End and ran up to meet the older hobbit. He waited to catch his breath before he could say anything.

"A Ranger was sighted coming this way, I think it's Hunter," Drogo told him.

"A Ranger in the Shire," Bungo put the Pipe down his mind going through the worst scenario. "What if he has news of Bella?"

"Prim and I saw him coming and she sent me running to let you know." Drogo said. Bungo looked at his nephew and saw the man that he knew very well.

"Hunter is good to see you," he mentioned with a worried smile. "-Any news I should be aware of."

"Bungo, my friend Bella sent me with a message for you." Bungo smiled at that and hurried with his cane and Drogo was with him.

"That is great to hear, but first let's get you some tea."

"I would appreciate that, Drogo I brought Primula with me so you two can hear the news as well," Arathorn said with a smile. "We don't want tongues wagging the wrong way."

"Thank you, Hunter." Drogo said and stood next to Primula. The four of them walked into Bag End to have their tea. None the wiser that Bella was no longer safe…

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The floor dropped them down into what appeared to be caverns, Bella felt the air leave her lungs.

"Ah!" she dropped to the ground and knew that she was surprised when something or she would mention someone broke her fall.

'I was trying to let you know.' Sherlock told her.

'Sorry." Bella mentioned, trying to get up and saw the swarms.

"Goblins!" the group of Dwarves moved and tried to fight Bella as well, but she was still shaky about that fall.

'Bella!' the warning came to late a two Goblins came at her and she fell once more.

"No!" Bella gasped all she felt was darkness. On the other side, the Dwarves were fighting and getting caught by the Goblins and only a few had noticed that their Burglar was missing.

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Bella opened her saw only darkness. She didn't know that in the top the company had been captured and were currently meeting with the Goblin King.

'Thorin?' her voice called out it was all but a whisper. She felt with her hand and it was mushrooms. She tried to sit up, but something stopped her, she could see Sherlock's silhouette and she turned to where his head was currently seeing. She opened her eyes and saw something crawling toward them. She tried to move again, but Sherlock wouldn't budge.

She saw the creature come close and she was disgusted, it was a good word for the feelings, but also terrified.

"Gollum! Gollum!" he screeches out and he began to pull the Goblin that had fallen with her and was drawing him in the ground. The Goblin woke up and began to trash but the being grabbed a rock and began to smash it. Bella noticed something fall from the being before dragging the Goblin away and she didn't need to be a genius to know where the goblin was not going to end up anywhere nice. She felt the weight off and she stood up slowly not making any notice and walked over when she saw the thing that fell, she picked up the ring which part of her was saying it was stupid and put it in her pocket.

She had her sword out ready to attack the being if he came out, but she was trying to get out as well.

'Sherlock?' she said knowing he would have gone forward to find a way out. She was feeling the hair on her neck standing up and knew something was coming.

"Splashes and gashes that is a mouthful," The being stood in front of her and she pointed her sword at his neck. "Gollum! Gollum!"

"Stay back I'm warning you," Bella stood with the sword still at his neck. The being moved out of her way.

"It's got an Elvish blade but, it's not an elf, what is it precious?" it asked her.

"I am Doctor Watson." She knew not to give her real name her instincts were telling her to keep that a secret.

"Doctor Watson? What is Doctor Watson, precious?" he asked.

"I'm a Healer of the Hill." She said and was cursing herself on the inside.

"Oh, we tried Goblins, bastes and fishes but we have not tried a Healer before." The being said. "Is it soft is it juicy?" he inquired getting closer which got her sword up higher.

"You lead me out here and leave me before one of us is hurt," Bella told it.

"Why is it lost?'

"Yes, and I want to get unlost." Bella snapped.

"We know the safe paths for the Healers, safe paths in the dark." He said and then he spoke to the side "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"I wasn't talking to you." He said and his gaze was lost which shocked Bella and her Doctor side was telling her that she was dealing with a person with a personality disorder.

'Sherlock!' she was screaming.

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing." She said and it seemed to get him all hyped up.

"Games! Does it play games, does it, does it like to play?'

"Maybe," She said walking a bit away from him.

"What has roots that nobody sees, taller than trees up, up, up it goes but it never grows?"

"A Mountain." Bella said.

"Yes! Go on ask us another one ask us." He said and Bella had to keep an eye on him. "No…no more riddles finish her off."

"Wait, I want to play," Bella began to crouch a bit. "I can see that your very good at this, we can have a game of riddles."

"Just us?"

"Yes, and if I win you show me the way out."

"Yes," Bella heard it whisper about eating her. "If Healer loses, we eat's it whole."

"Fair enough," Bella said.

"Well, the Healer first." It said looking at her, the eyes were getting her, and she kept picturing Magnusson with the too innocent look but a mix with something more dangerous.

"Thirty white horses in a red hill, first they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still." Bella said. It began thinking.

"Teeth!" he said triumphantly at Bella's face. "Teeth precious, but we only have nine, our turn."

'Sherlock get your arse here.' She thought she didn't want to kill the being something told her in her gut that he was a puppet.

"Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters." With each word he kept moving causing her to take a hold of one of her knives. Bella looked at it her mind going a bit blank. She looked around ignoring the being.

"It's Wind."

"Very clever, Healer, very clever." He said coming closer and Bella took out the knife.

"Ah-ah…a box with no hitches, key or lid, yet golden treasure inside it's hid." She said stumbling him. He went to think, and it was calling her names.

"Do you give up."

"Gives us a chance, precious give us a chance." It said.

"Eggess!" it exclaimed, and Bella tried not to groan a that.

"We have one for you." It told her. "All things it devours, bird, beast tress, flowers, moor, iron, steel grinds hard stones to kneel." It said.

"Answer us?"

"Give me a moment, I gave you a long while." She told it trying to guess where it was, she had a feeling it was not going to play fair.

"Answer us!"

"I don't know this one." She said.

"Is it tasty."

'Time.' The voice in her head was a blessing before she was moved out of the way and the being had a rock.

"Time, it's time." She said. It was annoyed and she knew playtime was over.

'I leave you alone for a minute and you are in a battle of riddles with an old hobbit.' Sherlock told her annoyed.

"Last question."

'What?' Bella screamed looking at the being. 'That is not a Hobbit.'

'It is under a curse; I would estimate he might be the oldest Hobbit in history though their continued existence is not normal.' Sherlock told her; Bella put her hand in her pocket touched the ring.

"Asks us!" the being said.

"Alright, what have I got in my pocket?" Bella said, but her mind was somewhere else.

"That's not fair, that's not fair it's going to lose." It told her. "Ask us another one?'

"No," she said pointing her knife. "You said ask us a question and that's it what have I got in my pocket?"

"Three Guesses Precious it must give up three."

"Three Guesses, guess away"

'Just knock him out Bella I saw the way out the Dwarves are fighting the Goblins as we speak.' Sherlock told her.

"Handses?'

"Wrong, guess again." She said, it was going insane. "Knife, no shut up."

"Wrong again. Last chance."

"String, or nothing."

"Two guesses at once wrong both times." It fell and was crying.

"I win, you promised to show us the way out."

"Did we precious, did we…what does it have in its pockets."

"That is none of your concern, you lost." Bella said and saw his face fall as he noticed something.

"Lost, lost!" he began moving around. He was going around the cave splashing the waster and moving the bones.

'What did he loose?' Sherlock asked.

"What have you lost." She asked.

"Mustn't ask us, not it's business." It told her.

'Did you take it Joan?' Sherlock said and Bella grabbed the ring in her hand.

'We need to go now.' Bella said and they began to back away with her front to toward the being.

"What has it got in its nasty little pocketses?' it asked itself. "It stole it, BAAHH!"

Bella went for a run she could hear it behind her, Sherlock was moving in front trying to show her the way out. She ran and could hear it coming.

"It's ours!" it screamed, and she could almost feel him closer to her to trip and fall on her back.

The ring flew and for some reason, she reached for it. It fell on her middle finger and suddenly everything was grey, and she stood up and saw the being their in-front, but it seemed to not see her. She raised her knife and she could kill it, but something caused her pity on the being.

'Joan?' she turned to look at Sherlock and she had to cover her mouth because he looked gray and solid a solid being with hollowed eyes.

'Come on.' Sherlock told her and grabbed her hand. She dropped her knife and saw the other dwarves in the light. She wants to take the ring off it felt wrong. Before she hit the sun, she took it off and ignored the screams and tears from the back.

'Joan?' Sherlock asked.

'That thing, I saw you it was wrong Sherlock it was wrong.' She said. She put the ring back in her pocket and something told her not to put it on.

The dwarves were trying to come together.

'Where is the Hobbit?" Dwalin asked.

"Where is Bella?'

"I'm right behind you." Bell said surprising them.

"I have never been happier to see anyone in my life, where were you?" Gandalf asked her.

"I fell on the tunnels and have been trying to find my way out." Bella said, there was no reason to lie just not tell them the entire truth.

"Why did you come back?" Thorin asked and Bella looked at him in the face. There was something in his eyes that seemed to tell her whatever her answer it was going to make a difference.

"I gave you my word, I'm going to help you get your home back," Bella told him. "I have my home, I leave it a lot, but I have one to return to something you do not have if there something I can do to change that I will."

They all smile and Thorin looked at Bella and the light that was near her was different he could see a shape. Bella looked at Thorin and smiled at him, there was something about him that called him to her. They heard a noise and knew something else was coming.

"Out of the frying pan…" Thorin said.

"And into the Fire…" Gandalf said, and they began to run once more.

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Note: I know, I'm worst leaving you guys with so many cliffhangers.