Hello, all my loyal readers. Back with another chapter. Time to finally get this adventure started!

Let's get to it. (This may be a very long chapter)


Chapter 5- The Quest Begins

The sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon as Steve opens his eyes. He looks around, a little confused, then remembers the events of the previous day.

A shuffling catches Steve's attention. He turns and sees Gandalf walking into the room.

"Good morning, Gandalf," Steve says.

"Good morning, Steve. Perhaps you could help me wake your companions?" Gandalf asks.

Steve nods. He then steps up to Bucky and T'Challa and says loudly, "Bucky. T'Challa. It's time to go."

In a few moments, Bucky and T'Challa are awake and on their feet. T'Challa looks around and asks, "Where are the dwarves? Are we to meet them somewhere?"

"Yes. They left to secure mounts for us, and supplies for the trip. We will be meeting them at the Green Dragon, the most famous inn here in the Shire," Gandalf explains.

T'Challa nods in response. Then, Steve asks, "Is it just us four leaving now? Is Bilbo coming with us?"

Gandalf sighs and says, "Not yet. The choice is yet before him to come. I pray he does, but one cannot be certain."

Steve and the others nod. Gandalf straightens up a bit and says, "Well. Let us be off."

Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa all nod. They gather up a few things, then together set off with Gandalf.

As the four are walking down the hill, heading in the direction of the Green Dragon, Steve turns back to look back at Bag End. He stands there for a moment, thinking to himself, Come on, Bilbo. You have the courage. All you need is to take that first step.

Gandalf and the three Avengers arrive at the Green Dragon as the sky is really starting to get brighter. The dwarves are all waiting for them beside the inn. They have over a dozen ponies, and two horses.

"Gandalf. You're late," Thorin says.

"A wizard is never late, Thorin Oakenshield. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to," Gandalf says. Thorin rolls his eyes a bit, but Steve chuckles to himself.

"We only have two horses. Will you and your friends mind sharing Steve?" Fili asks.

"I'm sure Gandalf will ride. Bucky can take the other. Me and T'Challa can keep up on foot," Steve replies, glancing at T'Challa to make sure he's not speaking against T'Challa's opinion. T'Challa nods to show he's okay with that.

Fili looks concerned. "Are you sure?" he asks.

"Of course, Fili. Don't worry. We'll be alright," Steve says. Fili takes a moment before he nods.

"What about the Hobbit?" asks Dwalin.

"Bilbo did not come with us. He may catch up with us later," Gandalf explains.

Many of the dwarves express doubt at this possibility. A few, including Oin and Kili, stood up for Bilbo. A number of bets were quickly placed as to whether or not Bilbo would come. Gandalf himself ended up placing a bet in favor of Bilbo coming. Bucky was joined in, betting with Dwalin that Bilbo would come.

Finally, Thorin, thinking it was high time they get underway, called out, "Alright. Let's move out!" The dwarves mount ponies, Gandalf and Bucky swing up onto the horses, and the Company sets off.

Steve and T'Challa are able to easily keep up with the Company. Given, it's not too hard, as the ponies aren't going too fast. It gives them plenty of time to admire the beauty of the Shire. As they move into a set of woods, they recognize them as the same woods where they ended up when they were brought to the Shire.

As they walk through a sparse area of trees on the border of a meadow, Steve and T'Challa are talking with Balin, just to pass the time. All of a sudden, a loud voice calls out from behind them, "WAIT! WAIT!"

Steve smiles broadly, recognizing that voice. He and T'Challa, and the rest of the Company, turn to see Bilbo running as fast as he can to catch up to the Company. Everyone stops as he runs up. Bilbo keeps running until he reaches Steve and T'Challa. Even though he's surely been running for a long time, he's not even breathing that hard, and he's smiling as he triumphantly holds the contract up.

"I signed it!" he calls out loud enough for everyone to hear before handing the contract to Balin. Balin smiles at him knowingly as he tooks out a looking glass and takes a closer look at the signature.

"Everything appears to be in order," Balin proclaims. He then folds up the contract and slides it into his bag as he says, "Welcome, Master Baggins…to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

Several of the dwarves chuckle. Thorin, eager to get back underway, turns away and orders the Company, "Give him a pony."

The Company starts moving again. Bilbo, looking very nervous, starts rambling, "No, no, no. That won't be necessary. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays. I even got as far as Frogmorton once…WAAHH!"

Bilbo is cut off when he's grabbed and lifted from behind before being set down on a pony. He looks a little uncomfortable, but doesn't attempt to get off the pony.

The company reshuffles positons a bit. And it's not long before Oin calls out, "Come on, Nori. Pay up." Nori tosses a coin pouch to Oin, and more pouches soon start getting tossed around.

"What's that about?" Bilbo asks Gandalf.

"Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn't," Gandalf explains.

"And what did you think?" Bilbo asks.

"Well…" Gandalf says in a hesitant tone, before catching a money pouch tossed to him. He chuckles, then pockets the money as he says, "My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second."

Bilbo smiles a bit. He's about to ask Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa what they thought. But, before he can, Bucky calls out, "Come on, Dwalin. Pay up."

Dwalin groans as he fishes out a small pouch of money and tosses it to Bucky, who catches it with a big grin. Steve laughs and says, "Dang. I should've joined in. Could've made some money." T'Challa chuckles at that.

Bilbo looks pleased that the three Avengers had faith in him. Then, he sneezes. After a moment, he says, "Ugh. Horse hair. I'm having a reaction." Bilbo searches his pockets for a moment, then says, "Oh, no. Wait, wait." He then calls out to the whole company, "Stop. Stop! We have to turn around!"

The Company stops, and Gandalf asks, "What on Earth is the matter?"

"I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo explains.

"Here. Use this," Bofur calls out as he tears a square of fabric out of his jacket and tosses it to Bilbo. Bilbo looks slightly confused, and the Company chuckles as Thorin calls, "Move on."

The Company resumes their journey. Gandalf chuckles a bit and says, "You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before our journey's end."

Steve chuckles a bit. He knows Gandalf's understating it a bit to not alarm Bilbo. He knows that Bilbo is in for a serious shock when he realizes just what it's like to be on this kind of journey out in the wild.


(Some days later)

Steve and T'Challa trudge along through the mud as the rain pours down on them. This rainstorm has been going on for some time. If it weren't for the fact that they were given cloaks to help keep them dry, the mud would've caused them to ask to ride with Bucky and Gandalf a long time ago.

The dwarves are all also feeling a little fed up with rain. Dori speaks up and asks Gandalf, "Mr. Gandalf. Can't you do something about this deluge?"

"It is raining, Master Dwarf. And it will continue to rain until the rain is done," Gandalf says in slight exasperation, as if he can't believe that Dori asked that of him, before adding, "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

After a moment, Bilbo pipes up and asks, "Are they any?"

"Hmm?" Gandalf responds.

"Other wizards," Bilbo clarifies his question.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards, Morinehtar and Romestamo." Gandalf pauses for a moment, lost in thought, before continuing, "You know, I haven't heard from them in centuries."

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo asks curiously.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown," Gandalf replies.

"Is he a great wizard, or is he…more like you?" Bilbo asks.

Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa all have to suppress chuckles at that. Gandalf looks somewhat insulted before he responds, "I think he's a very great wizard. In his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watch over the vast forest lands to the East. And a good thing too. For always evil will seek to find a foothold in this world."

"On every world," Steve says. A grim silence falls for a brief while over the Company.


(A few more days later)

Steve sits next to the fire alongside Fili, Kili, and Bucky. T'Challa is sitting away from the fire with Gandalf.

It's late at night, and the Company has stopped to camp. Steve pokes the fire with a stick, staring into its depths, his thoughts preoccupied. Across the camp, most of the dwarves are asleep.

All of a sudden, a series of inhuman screeches draws Steve's attention. His head snaps towards the ravine the Company is camped beside, scanning for the source of the screeches. Something about them sets him on edge.

Bilbo, who had secretly been feeding an apple to his pony, Myrtle, turns and points in the direction of the screeches, asking in a worried tone, "What was that?"

"Orcs," Kili replies in a low voice.

Bilbo hurries over to the fire and asks, "Orcs?" The louder mention of Orcs causes Thorin to wake up. Steve clenches his fist, ready for a fight.

Fili, almost looking like he's grinning a bit, explains to Bilbo, "Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there."

Kili jumps in and adds, "They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. No screams. Just lots of blood."

Biblo looks back towards the ravine, looking a little panicked. Fili and Kili look at each other and smirk and chuckle a bit.

Steve is about to talk to them and tell them to take this a bit more seriously, and not to tease Bilbo like this. But Thorin beats him to it.

"You think this is funny? You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?" Thorin demands harshly.\

Kili looks ashamed, and says in a low voice, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world," Thorin says harshly as he walks over to the edge of the ravine.

Bilbo, who has taken a seat on a rock, stares after Thorin. T'Challa walks over, wanting to know if Steve wants them to do anything. Before he can say anything, Balin walks up to the group and says to Bilbo, "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

Everyone glances at him. Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa sense a story coming on. Their hunch is right.

Balin begins the story of the birth of Thorin's hatred of Orcs. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler."

Steve looks intently at Balin. The way he says that name makes Steve think that this Azog is far more than a normal Orc.

Balin continues. "The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began…by beheading the king."

Balin pauses, emotion of the memory returning to him. Steve glances over at Thorin, imagining what that must have been like for him.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed…we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us."

Balin pauses, then smiles as he says, "That is when I saw him," before glancing towards Thorin.

"A young Dwarf Prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent. Wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. But he did not give in."

Balin pauses, then continues, "Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, nor song that night. For our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived….And I thought to myself then…there is one who I could follow. There is one…I could call king."

Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa all look towards Thorin, who now turns back to the Company, all of whom are awake and looking at Thorin now.

After a moment, Bilbo turns to Balin and asks, "And the Pale Orc. What happened to him?"

Thorin, walking slowly towards the fire, answers, "He slunk back into the hole from whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Steve notices Balin and Gandalf glance towards each other. He doesn't have to be as good at Natasha at reading people to know that they aren't so sure.


And, I'll end there. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

I'm really hoping you're enjoying this story, and that all of you who started following it when I first started it are excited it's finally resumed. I really appreciate your support. And I hope that you will keep reviewing and letting me know what you think, and advice and things you'd like to see in this story.

In this, I decided to have Gandalf remember the Blue Wizards' names because I feel like it's something he wouldn't forget. Also, I did it because I wanted to leave it open to a possible future appearance by the Blue Wizards. I have a role in mind for them, but I'm open to suggestions from readers.

Until next time, stay tuned and please review!