Disclaimer: I don't own any familiar characters, and or anything pertaining to the world of the Hobbit. All, but my ocs, are owned by J.R.R Tolkien

Chapter 12

The Night Will Come


The lush rolling hills of the Shire were a welcomed sight to the caravan of elves and dwarves that emerged from the thick woodline. The towering trees that had sheltered them from days against the harsh sun and weather became sparser and smaller. The party remained mostly silent, the elves taking particular solace in the sweet song of the mourning doves that rang in the morning. Haldir had decided it was best if they began their journey to the Shire before Arien laid his claim to the sky. Claudia gowlered at the sun peeking through the boughs of the trees.

Since the last encounter with Thalian, Claudia hadn't slept well. The weeks streamed by her in a colorless picture. That morning she had been so consumed with Thalian's warning she hadn't even responded to Glorfindel's jab as they prepared to move out. Those figures had become a phantom in the words, her paranoia had turned the shadows into their watchful eyes.

"Have you been to the Shire before?" A musical voice broke Claudia's thought.

Beside her rode Enna, who seemed to be glowing under the warmth of the sun. "Our family made the journey once when we were children." Claudia smiled at the distant memory. "It is truly one of the most peaceful places in Adra."

"What was the line of Durin doing so far from their mountain?" She asked with true curiosity.

Claudia glanced at Enna, a Cheshire grin pulling on her lips. "We have family here," she answered simply.

Enna tilted her head in question, but Haldir called her ahead before she could get in any questions.

The handsome Marchwarden sat atop his chestnut stallion lightly whispering orders to his soldiers who had begun to gather their supplies. Theo, Dag, and Alma were taking the supplies the soldiers handed off to the fitting on whatever space was left on their saddles. Glorfindel rode beside Haldir, his eyes set on something in the distance. Haldir greeted Claudia with a warm smile motioning her closer.

"Must you depart from us so soon, Marchwarden?" Claudia asked.

He inclined his head, his golden strays falling over his shoulders. "I'm afraid our Lady of Lorien calls us home."

Claudia nodded, though the idea of his 'Lady' calling him home over such a great distance. She had heard many stories of Lady Galadriel, and the depths of power. The idea of the elven queen whispering into her mind sent shivers down her spine. Theo, Alma, and Dag settled back onto their beasts, watching on as Haldir turned to address them all.

"You are all welcomed in Lothlórien. I wish you luck on your journey."

The departing company bowed to the Marchwarden. Theo and Alma stirred their rams down the path that led toward Hobbiton, Enna placing her hand over her heart and bowing to Haldir before joining them. Haldir leaned into Glorfindel, whispering something that made his eyes flicker to Claudia. A strange heat, panic she could only guess, shot through her. She looked away burying the burning sensation deep inside of her.

"Princess Claudia," Haldir called, opening his palm to her as he rode close. "I just wanted to say what you lack in experience you make up for in heart, little princess. Don't let the discouragement of others get to you." He glared over his shoulder to where the blonde hair lord stood. "The road that lies ahead of you is long and dark, but you must keep your fire going. Eleni sílar antalyannar. Mal si a vanya as márë órelyar!"

She knew little of elvish but understood the sentiment. Claudia placed a fist over her heart, bowing to the Marchwarden.

"Thank you." She muttered in elvish.


Winding dirt roads led them through peaceful farms and by hobbit tradesmen, who stared at the mixed company in both fear and awe. The hobbits were similar to dwarves in many regards. Like the dwarves, hobbits kept mostly to themselves, never wishing to keep company with anyone other than themselves. Though for the line of Durin that had changed in recent years.

"Will the hobbits try to run us out of their Shire?" Dag wondered aloud.

Theo crossed his hands over the horn of his saddle, leaning back into the leather. "Perhaps if they see your ugly mug, Dag. I imagine they will think orcs are descending."

Dag rolled his eyes. "I think those Brandybucks will pick up their pitchforks when they see you, Theo," Claudia called to remind her cousin of their last visit to the Shire.

Theo waved his hand at Claudia, "that was years ago - I only picked a couple of those flowers. I didn't know they were 'award winning'. Surely they won't remember that," he wilted in his saddle slightly.

"Right - " wide eyes flashed at Claudia's chuckling figure.

From atop a green hill that hugged the road they were taking came a small familiar voice.

"CLAUDIA, THEODON!"

Black hair appeared bouncing first, as a small hobbit boy jumped fearlessly from a small cliff into Theo's arms.

"Master Frodo? That can't be you, last time I saw you, you were no higher than my knee." This sent Frodo into a fit of giggles as he wiggled out of Theo's arms jumping toward Claudia.

Squeezing the tiny body close, Claudia pressed her cheek into the beautiful curls. "Did you get my last letter?"

"I did, you khuzdul is getting so good." She pinched his chubby cheeks affectionately.

The moonbeam skin redded as Frodo shied away from the complement. Wide blue eyes slide from Claudia's face to her companions. His head springing up with curiosity at the sight of Enna and Glorfindel atop their mares, jaw slacked at the sight. Not taking his eyes off the elves he leaned in close to Claudia's ear.

"There are elves with you." it was not a question, but an awestruck statement.

Claudia twisted in her saddle looking back at their two elvish companions. "Yes, beware of the blonde one though. He has a terrible temper, and has a taste for naughty little hobbits."

Frodo gasped at the admission hiding his face in Claudia's shoulder. Green eyes narrowed at her in annoyance. She tried to hide her wicked grin, looking forward toward Hobbiton. Frodo's shyness melted away in minutes, and he began firing off questions so fast that Claudia could barely keep up. Theo played along with the sweet boy, gladly answering any questions he had - trivial or not.

Around the bend, the colorful, round doors of the hobbit's homesteads came into view. Claudia had not been lying when she shared about the peaceful nature of the Shire. Wooden fences lined full gardens, flowers of every variety twisted around the bench and stone in reach. Round windows were stained in beautiful colors. Like in the countryside, hobbits stopped in their tracks at the sight of the party. Several parents shepherded their fawnlings inside away from them. Eyes narrowed further at the sight of the young Frodo in their arms as if he answered any questions they had about the strangers in their lands.

They tied their beasts to the post in front of the green door of Bag End. Frodo bounded out of Claudia's arms, shouting for Bilbo as he skipped up the grass-covered steps. The round door flung open. A tiny man appeared dressed in a half apron, his head of curls covered in a white bandana. He seemed to have been cleaning or cooking, with a ragged piece of cloth in his hands which were placed firmly on his hips - a look of irritation resting on his face.

"Frodo, I've told you - you shouldn't be shouting unless it's an emergency." Bilbo Baggins of Bag End scolded the young Frodo. "You nearly made me drop the biscuits.

Frodo was jumping in place waiting for his elder cousin to fish with his tirade. "Bilbo, Bilbo, Bilbo! It's Claudia and Theo! They've come to visit us!"

"You've grown old, dear Mister Bilbo!" Theo bellowed racing up behind the dear Frodo, wrapping his arms around the hobbit.

Bilbo swatted the princeling away.

"And you've finally grown into those ears, my prince." Bilbo reached up pinching at Theo's redding ears.

Bilbo waved the rag in Theo's face, motioning for the rest of the party inside. "Come, come, come the neighbors will have enough gossip as it is. I was just preparing for dinner, I will have to make more now - " He swatted Theo inside the home, before following him in.

"He seems…" Enna couldn't find the right word for Bilbo.

"Insane? You have to be a little insane to be a part of our family," Claudia muttered entering the garden that led up the home, the rest of the party following suit.

Claudia fit through the door, her head just brushing the top of the archway. Enna and Glorfindel, however, squatted. Awkwardly fitting inside. It was almost a spectacle to have such a regarded warrior in such a small home. Glorfindel's arms were held in tight to his sides, afraid one wrong move might break something. Enna wandered through the quaint home, asking Dag about small trinkets around the home - though he knew just as much as she did about the ornate decorations.

Bilbo hurriedly bounded out of his kitchen with a tray of tea, his face pinched in his usual grumpiness. Frodo raced behind him, tripping on the edge of the rug, but picked himself up in a second as he shoved pieces of parchment into Theo's hand. A look of pure pride wearing on his face.

"How is my Thorin?" Bilbo asked, his hand clasping around Claudia's as he guided her to the dining room.

Claudia smiled gently at the aging hobbit, obliging his command as she took her seat. "He said he will make his way to the shire in a few weeks, he had some business to take care of before he could relax."

Bilbo let out a hardy laugh, his wild graying curls bouncing as he did so. "Your Uncle has never relaxed a day in his dwarf life, my dear."

Claudia smiled, leaning down to place a kiss on the hobbit's cheek "It's good to see you too, Bilbo." She patted his shoulder.

The chandelier above them hummed lightly, Claudia squinted her eyes recognizing the glowing orange flames inside the glass.

"Thorin had those pyre things installed during his last visit. I told them I did not need them, but you know how he is." He grumbled through the slightest hint of affection laced in his voice speaking about his husband.

Claudia could still remember the summer they had journeyed to the Shire. She and Theo had been no older than six at the time and had never been so far out of the mountain. They had been so excited to see the world, but we're even more thrilled to see their dearest Thorin finally marry the love of his life. The ceremony had been a quiet and small affair, a mixture of the two cultures. It was clear to anyone with eyes how deeply the dwarven king and hobbit loved each other. Even so, Thorin remained loyal to his work in Erebor's Court, and spent his summers in the beloved mountains and winters tucked away in the quietness of the Shire. Bilbo too spent much time traveling to Erebor, but after Frodo had come into their lives he remained in the Shire.

"Lord Glorfindel, it is good to see you well," Bilbo grumbled, giving the Elven lord a half-hearted bow pushing the warrior toward the tiny seat next to Claudia.

Much to Claudia's surprise Glorfindel reciprocate the gesture giving the hobbit a deep, respected bow. It was almost comical watching the towering broadening elf trying to sit in the seat made for a person half his own size.

Claudia bite the corner of her lip, trying to stifle a laugh. The lord reared his head, his lip turned into a snarl, sneering at the princess before him.

"And what are you laughing at?" He snapped.

Claudia pushed away her smile, pressing her features into a more serious look.

"Nothing, my lord." Her eyes trailed his gangly figure crumpled in the chair.

His boney knee poked into Claudia's thigh. She jumped back out of Glorfindel's reach.

"Here you are, my darling girl." Bilbo placed a cup of tea in front of her.

Soon the table was filled with their party. Frodo sat between Glorfindel, who was surprisingly warm to the boy, and Dag showing them the books Bilbo had given him for his birthday. Alma and Enna were engaging Bilbo in conversation about the sword and shield that hung about his fireplace. And Theo was busy stuffing his face with the sweet treats Bilbo had brought out after their dinner.

"What brings such a strange mix of company to my peaceful Shire? It has been a long time since dwarves and elves have agreed to help one another. I hope it is nothing too serious." Bilbo detached from the conversation of old stories and days that had long since passed.

Eyes shifted to one another, trying to determine who to explain the situation they all found themselves in. It was Glorfindel that spoke. "We are traveling to the Gray Havens, we believe they have some Lord Elrond is seeking." He explained coolly.

It wasn't a lie. They were traveling to the Gray Havens, though their final destination was far beyond the elven city. And they were looking for something Lord Elrond was seeking - they were all seeking.

Bilbo nodded curtly, accepting the answer as is. Though Claudia knew he would discover the truth long after they were gone, Thorin would fill him in with the pieces they were keeping.

"I remember my journey to the Gray Havens seven summers ago. Beautiful city, but the food," his face scrunched, "awful, terrible -"

Claudia had sat at the table long after everyone had begun immigrating toward the parlor, playing some title hobbit game with Frodo. He had tried showing Claudia how the game worked several times, changing the rules each time as Claudia crept closer to a victory. She gladly obliged the boy, letting him crawl in her lap moving her titles with his own. When she finally laid claim to her victory, she realized it had only been because Frodo had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

Lifting the child into her arms, Claudia went to hide Bilbo so that he could point her in the direction of the boy's room. The crack of the fireplace accompanied the sober conversation in the living room. Bilbo appeared in the doorway, "There you are, Claudia. I thought you had turned in for the night. Miss Enna has already taken her leave. I was just going to prepare Frodo's bed. If you will hold him for a moment," he moved just as quickly as the words had fallen from his mouth.

Claudia tried to protest, but Bilbo was gone before she could. She sighed, turning back toward the living room, pushing him further up in her arms.

"Has the princess always had these visions?" Glorfindel's voice carried through the rooms.

Claudia froze at the mention of her. She heard the growl of Dag's voice mutter something she could not hear. Theo spoke before he could say whatever was storming in his mind.

"Claudia has always had a vivid imagination," he put gently, "my uncle and aunt thought she had outgrown this thing as she got older - "

"But she didn't?" Glorfindel cut Theo off.

"No," Theo resigned quietly. "For a while, she did not speak of what she saw. We thought she was fine. Then-"

Claudia stared at the frame of the door, though she could not see it. She looked beyond the dwell of her dear hobbit, beyond the Shire. She looked into the depths of darkness. She knew what memory he was about to unveil to the horrid elf.

"When we were ten, the king and queen were holding court. Some Noble had been arguing with Lady Tauriel about some trade route when Claudia suddenly stood up. She began to scream and shout. She pointed and spoke to people that weren't there. She screamed herself into exhaustion and didn't wake up for three days afterward."

"Claudia," Frodo whispered through the hazy sleep.

Tears blurred her vision as she came back to reality. She gently patted his back.

"Close your eyes Frodo, it's time for bed," swaying the boy back to his dreams.

Not having the will to fight, Frodo thumped his head back onto Claudia's shoulder - his drool seeping through her clothes.

"Come now, Claudia, everything is already!" Bilbo called loudly from the hall behind her.

The voices stopped, and a thick silence beat for only a moment. Claudia turned her back from the living room.

"Follow me, my dear."


Night blankets the sky, the moon full and bright as Claudia stepped outside. The gentle breeze made the tall grass dance to a silent song. She had stared at the ceiling long into the night, not a hint of sleep finding her. Her mind raced as her body was paralyzed. She needed to move, to remind herself that she was in control. Claudia settled on the bench in front of Bag End. She hadn't thought of that day in court in nearly ten years. It had been the last time her parents required her presence there. It wasn't Thalian that visited her that day, it was something darker. The shadowy figure that had haunted her. Its voice called to her.

She pressed the pads of her fingers into the chain of her necklace, playing with the small charm. The disgusted faces of the Nobles as she screamed were seared into her. She thought if they had seen how the shadow, never permanent, begging for a drop of blood, their faces would have been stuck in terror for days. It felt so real when its breath - cold as death- kissed her skin. When its talons tore into her, searching for an ounce of her blood. The pain had been real to her.

Grass shifted behind her. Wordlessly Theo took the seat next to Claudia, looking out on the rolling hills. He shifted in the seat, trying to find a comfortable spot on the small bench. All the years ago they had sat on this exact bench, the younger version of themselves fitting on it much more comfortable then.

"I'm not crazy," Claudia whispered, her eyes tracing the twinkling stars above her.

Theo sighed, pinching his long nose. "I know, Claudia. It's just stress" He tried to explain, "We shouldn't have talked about it with him. He can be very intimidating, you know." He tried to lighten the mood.

"He doesn't need to know anything about me, Theo. I can get a hold of myself." She vowed, mostly to herself.

Theo dug into his pocket, grabbing Claudia's wrist and pressing his palm into hers. When his hand slipped away were three small Nightlock berries. Claudia stared down at them in the light of the pale moon.

"Where did you get this?" She forced the tears down.

"Magdalen gave them to me before we left. She said to give them to you if you have a bad episode. I was going to give them to you that day you got lost but - but you were so out of it I knew you would lose it if I showed them to you. But I think if you start them now, you'll be fine the rest of the time we are out here," he placed a hand on her shoulder.

When he realized she wasn't going to speak, he stood. Leaving her with a quiet "think about it… please," and went inside.

Alone, Claudia stood up and threw the Nightlock as far as she could. She returned to her bed just as the distant glow of the sun began to wake the sky.


I kinda let this story fall by the wayside because ya know life… But a weird homophobe commented on this story recently and made me realize it's important for me to finish this story… Because if I'm one thing, it's spiteful. Now this story will be ten times gayer now. Lots of boys, girls, and theys kissing. This is my villain origin story.

Hope you enjoy!