Hobbiton hadn't changed much, Legolas observed. The grass was still green and the hobbits still enjoying their lives of simplicity, despite their past trials with Saruman and his war mongering.
The simple town was in full bloom of spring, the grass was the brightest green he had ever set eyes on, and the people of the shire were glowing. Young lovers walked the path next to the horses of the elves, and little Elanor barely noticing their outlandish appeal. But then again, Legolas thought, the people of the shire had been seeing much more of the elves since the fall of Saruman, and had become as used to the elves as hobbits could be with anything new.
As the horses rode on, the older hobbits still threw a few curious, or hostile, glances their way, but they were prevented from voicing their anger by the presence of Elanor, who was skipping alongside the elves, quite unaware of any potential unpleasant behaviour.
As the elves rounded the bend into Bagshot Row there was a burst of noise coming from bag-end, which was fondly remembered as the home of Legolas' departed friend Bilbo. However, at the moment the noise was as unwelcome as fingernails on slate. The Sackville-Baggins' were having a loud row within the beautiful home they bought off Frodo at the start of his journey and, by the sound of it were smashing some of Bilbo's priceless heirlooms against the walls in fits of rage.
In a few moments the noises subsided and once again peace prevailed on Bagshot row.
"Come on," said Elanor, "Ignore the S-B's, they're always a-yellin' about something."
Legolas glanced at Brethilior, whose first visit it was to the shire, and shrugged. Elanor continued as if nothing had happened, "Come on now, I'm sure pa will want to thank you. I was well and truly losted until you and your two friends," here she paused for a brief moment and glanced at the figure in black that was Hinor, until continuing persuasively, "He would be mighty glad to see you gents."
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The king sighed. It had been a gruelling day, and he hadn't enjoyed receiving the dire news that was waiting for him.
"We fear," Dain had said, "That the elves my have had someone working with them, someone that knows this mountain inside out."
"A dwarf then." Aragorn had commented, "It could only have been a dwarf."
"You insult my kind, Aragorn King" Gimli had added huffily, "No one of us who dwell in the Lonely Mountain would betray ourselves, least of all to an elf."
Gandalf had raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Well, it's true!" said a defensive Gimli, "No dwarf would betray their home and King to anyone, elf or no…"
Aragorn sighed, and counted to ten before continuing.
"Gimli, we cannot prove it was a dwarf, I agree, but we cannot prove it was not a dwarf. Until we discover who did this, we must remain neutral on the subject of betrayal." As Gimli opened his mouth to argue, Dain quickly spoke over the top of him, "The King is right, we cannot prove it was not a dwarf, Gimli." At this, the subject of their conversation had frowned and slumped down in his chair.
"Now, ignoring the business of whether a dwarf could betray his home, I shall tell you what happened." Dain took a breath before continuing, "We are reasonably sure that the thief came here in the night, when the torches were dimmed, and the skylights were dark, then proceeded down through the caverns and hallways to Thorin's grave." Aragorn opened his mouth, about to ask a question, "Before you ask Aragorn, we always keep a guard stationed over the entrance to the graveyard, but the thief somehow slipped past. The thief then must have dug up his grave," here the King paused, struggling to keep his outrage from showing, "They them must have removed the stone from his breast, reburied him, the walked out without being seen by anyone."
There was a rather weighty pause. After several moments, Aragorn, with his head in his hands, spoke, "How is that even possible? The only way that the thief could have slipped past the guards would be if they were asleep or complete halfwits."
Gimli huffed, but said nothing, and Dain nodded his head wearily.
"I know those are the only explanations, but neither of those are true here. The guards are always stationed in pairs, and only the most vigilant are granted the privilege of guarding the deliverer's grave. The thief must have found another way in, a secret way. Either that, or the thief is invisible, completely silent, and has enough magic to conceal their movements in the graveyard."
Aragorn sighed. For all he knew, the thief could have been supernaturally quiet and it could have been invisible. There was no way to tell, and if he spoke to Dain about his concerns, the dwarf would merely laugh, saying that for any being to be that powerful would be impossible. But Dain had not heard of the mages of old, the ones who existed for Gandalf and his brethren in the land across the sea. Dain had not heard the stories of beings so powerful that they could kill with a glance, kill with no more effort then having to turn their eyes in the direction of their intended target. Aragorn knew that those mages were servants of the Valar, but these elves were nothing but pure evil.
As Aragorn was thinking, Gandalf finally spoke. "I think," the wizard said in subdued tones, "That we should see this graveyard, and look for a possible entry point."
Dain looked away for a moment, then nodded. "I will ask the elders for their permission, for no non dwarfs have been allowed in the cemetery for many years. In fact," here the king glanced at Gandalf, "I believe that the last guests allowed were yourself, Gandalf, and the hobbit Bilbo." Gandalf smiled, the memories of his past adventure with his old friend lightening his eyes, then asked, "We will see you in the morning then?"
"Yes," the king replied, "I will see you in the morning."
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Legolas, Brethilior and Hinor paused at the entrance to number 3 Bagshot row, waiting for Elanor to open the round door. She pushed the door handle inwards, and a warm golden light filtered through the doorway, lighting the faces of Legolas and Brethilior, but Hinor's face remained as hidden as always, the light doing little to show the other two why he kept his face covered.
Legolas started as a female voice echoed from within the house.
"Elanor? Is that you? Goodness me, if that is you, you are going to get the whipping of a lifetime for staying out so late. You had your father and I worried sick! And at this moment he's out looking for you!"
The voice had come through the passages of the house, and the woman arrived just after she had finished her last sentence, and as she turned the bend to the entrance, she was beginning a new one.
"Oooh, girl, are you goin' to be sorry for keeping your-" The voice stopped, and Legolas hid a smile at the bewildered expression on the face of Rosie Gamgee.
"Well," Rosie said when she had recovered, "You've brought home some visitors." The little home was awash with light as Sam's wife spoke again, "Well, I suppose you'll be wanting to see Sam. Any elves that I meet usually do. Not," she paused and looked her visitors up and down, "That I've met many." She again looked at the elves, and her expression darkened as she took in Hinor's bizarre appearance. "In fact, I've never met one yet who looks like one of the riders from the dark times when Sharky ruled us here." This allusion to Saruman's alias reminded Legolas that he was dealing with old fashioned, superstitious Hobbits, not the elves that he was used to.
"I'm sorry Rosie ma'am, I forgot my manners. This is our guide and companion, Hinor." As Rosie lifted a sceptical eyebrow, Legolas quickly continued, "He may look strange, but let me assure you that he means you no harm whatsoever. In fact," here he lowered his voice conspiratorially, "He was sent by Galadriel herself."
His words had the desired effect, and Rosie's expression quickly changed from suspicion to wide-eyed awe. "Well, come in, come in! I'm sure Sam will be happy to see you, and he'll thank all three of you for bringing this little rascal of ours home."
Rosie hustled the three of them through the tiny door, and bent double they started down the winding hallway. The warm glow they had seen when Elanor first opened the door increased in brightness until they entered a sitting room lit by a warm wood fire in an open hearth. The elves stood awkwardly in the enclosed space, until Rosie offered them several large seats. Legolas and Brethilior gladly accepted the offer, Hinor, however, remained standing.
She looked a little disconcerted by the black cloaked elf's refusal, she bustled off into the kitchen, saying, "I'll just get some vittles for you while you're waiting until my Sam gets home."
Legolas was just getting settled in the warmth of the hobbit house, when they heard the door open.
"Rosie? Is she back yet?" The voice sounded familiar, and Legolas broke into a broad smile as he recognised the voice of Samwise Gamgee. Rosie winked at the elves, then walked to the hallway entrance and yelled, "Yes, she's back. And it's only thanks to these here foreign visitors that are in the sitting room right now." A grunt of confusion echoed up the hall, and the hobbit that made it arrived just as Legolas had stood up. Sam entered the room with a look that changed swiftly from bewilderment, to surprise, to joy as soon as he saw his visitors.
"It's you!" Legolas grinned, the remark had been addressed to him, and reached out to clasp hands with the hobbit standing in front of him, "Yes, its me, and I brought a few friends with me." Sam stared around at Legolas's two companions and said, "Well, they're all welcome if they're with you, and if they helped rescue my daughter, even more so."
"Yes, they all helped, and if it wasn't for Hinor here," he gestured at the black figure, "Elanor wouldn't have been found by us at all. In fact," he said a little sternly, addressing the young hobbit standing at the feet of her mother, "She may have been found by something much worse then a company of friendly elves."
Elanor gasped, then giggled, and ran off down the hall. Sam shook his head disparagingly, then looked at his wife. "I know, I'll be leaving now so that you gents and my husband can catch up on each others news. Besides, I have to tend to Frodo."
Legolas raised an eyebrow, then remembered that Sam had named their first son after his former master. Sam sat down on a vacant chair by the fire. "Well," Sam said, sounding contented and at ease, "What have I missed out on these past few years?"
"Oh, not as much as you'd think. Just some evil elves, and the theft of the Arkenstone. Just small news"
Sam stared. After blinking several times, he said, in a slightly less contented tone, "The Arkenstone? How in the world did that happen?"
"Well, you missed the first part of my sentence. Evil elves…" Legolas spoke slowly, his good humour disappearing as he continued to tell all that he thought was necessary for Sam to know about their predicament.
Sam looked as though an anvil had been dropped on him. Legolas almost smiled at the shock on Sam's face as he heard more and more about the Ghâshbúrz, and the stolen Arkenstone and the secret of the dwarves.
At the end of the tale, Sam was very quiet, and very still. "Well," he said at last, "This is some news indeed, and bad news at that."
Sam turned from staring into the fire, and faced the elves, two sitting, and one standing in the corner of the room, in what little darkness was available. The light seemed to slide off Hinor, and as Sam looked at him, Hinor nodded, ever so slightly.
Sam gulped, then nodded back at the dark elf. He turned to Legolas, and gave a small smile, then said, "Well, how can I help?"
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Hey all, really sorry about the delay in updating. I got a kick up the rear by a fellow writer, and I decided to start up again. Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and I'll try to update soon!