Chapter Twenty

By Greener Paths

Radin looked upon the rolling green hills covered in vibrant coloured flowers and at the wide meadows and fields. This place was beautiful, breath-taking even. His mother and sisters would love it here.

"Beautiful place." He said to his brother on the horse beside him, "Mama would love it here."

"Aye," His younger brother said as he shifted unhappily in his saddle, "she would."

"When you two mongrels are done admiring the view…" Bovin voice snapped at them from where the rest of their party were moving down the brilliant green hill. Radin watched as Ranon face twisted in anger and quickly placed a hand upon his younger brother's arm.

"Calm yourself, little brother. Now is not the time."

"Whenever will it be?" Ranon growled before turning his horse to follow the rest of their party.

"I don't know," Radin sighed to himself, coaxing his own horse to follow after his brother's, "I really don't."

Radin found it very hard not to laugh when he realised the Bovin had gotten them quite utterly lost in this beautiful green land. Not that he minded one bit, this place was truly beautiful and he could happily be lost in this place for days, weeks even.

"We could always ask for direction." Ranon muttered from beside him causing Radin to snort.

"As if Bovin would ever lower himself to that level. Remember dwarves have stubbornness issues."

Ranon sniggered and grinned widely back at him, causing Radin's heart to warm with pleasure at seeing his little brother so carefree and happy. This place seemed to be healing his younger brother of all hurt and anger.

They rode on over the green hills, not seeing or hearing any life besides from the singing of birds and rustling of small furry creatures running through the rich, green grass.

"Where is everyone?" Ranon asked looking around him, his face filled with bewilderment. Both he and Radin had grown up in a bustling town and so were unused to the quiet of the country, even with all the years of travelling the wildness behind them.

"Don't know." Radin said with a shrug, "maybe these Halflings don't exist."

"Hush you two," Bovin snapped back the two brothers. "The Halflings do exist."

"May haps they do," one of the dwarves, one with a thick black beard and missing his right eye commented, "but may haps they live 'ere no more."

"Are you doubting my information, Divil son Diror?" Bolan snarled and the dwarf hunch down into his saddle.

"No sir, of cose not sir. I was jus' saying may haps the Halflings don't live 'ere no more, is all." Divil muttered.

Bovin glared at his company of dwarves and two mongrels.

"Listen to me, all of you. When I say that we're in the right place and that these Halflings exist, then they..."

"Have you ever seen one, Master Bovin." Ranon interrupted Bovin and Radin fought back a sigh.

Bovin scowled at Ranon.

"I have not. But I do not doubt of their existence but you, yourself, are very welcome to return to Lord Bzog and tell him of you doubt of the existence of the creatures that brought about the death of his father, Azog the Defiler and his great warg. Would you like that, mongrel? To meet Lord Bzog in person?"

Ranon opened his mouth to retort but stopped when Radin elbowed him hard in the ribs. His brother glared at him for a moment before ducking his head, muttering under his breath.

"What was that Mongrel?" Bovin growled.

"I said 'no sir', sir." Ranon snapped, his fists turning white as they tighten on the reins of his horse.

"Good mongrel. Now keep that mouth of yours shut or I'll muzzle you." Bovin sneered before kicking his pony onwards down the path.

Ranon's glared at his back while Radin sighed as he watched some of his brother's old fury creep back into his face.

"Come on, little brother. Let it go, enjoy the scenery." Radin begged quietly. His brother grunted under his breath before spurring his horse on.

They rode onwards for another hour before they came across the first sign of intellectual life. A windmill, smaller than any windmill Radin had ever seen before was standing in a field of wheat. It was painted white with a thatch roof, its sails moving slowly around in gentle circles in the breeze.

"Maybe here would be a good place to ask for directions." A dwarf with a heavy yellow beard commented to Bovin who let out an aggravated growl.

"Fine, see if you can't…"

"Who ya then?"

Radin almost fell out of his saddle at the high-pitch voice speaking seemingly out of nowhere, near to the ground. On a second look about, Radin and the rest of his company all saw the speaker, leaning upon a spade and looking up at them with a frown.

"That's – that's a Halfling?" Ranon whispered his eyes wide with shock and confusion as he took in the little creature.

"I guess so." Radin replied as he also stared at the odd little creature in question.

The little creature would barely reach the top of his waist and maybe only up the shoulders of one of his dwarf companions. It had a head of thick curly brown hair with two pointy ears sticking out from the sides of his head. He – and Radin was only guessing that the creature was male, for he lacked any hint of a beard - was stocky and round of middle. But truly the oddest feature about the tiny creature was his feet, which were bare and quite large in comparison to his height, with thick brown curls covering the top of them.

"I asked who ya were? Ya realise ya trespassing, docha?" the little creature snapped up at them in its high-pitch voice, it brown and chubby face crumbled in annoyance.

"We're very sorry for the trespassing upon your land," Bovin replied silkily, "but you see, we are quite lost."

"I'll say," The creature snorted, "we're pretty far off from every which way 'ere. Where ya heading?"

"Hobbiton, my fine sir, to visit an old friend of mine?"

"That old friend of ya's wouldn't be mad ol'Baggins, would it?"

"Ah, yes, I do believe it would be." Bovin said looking maybe a tad taken aback by the bluntness and wily-nilly nature in the way the creature simply gave away crucial information for their mission.

The creature shook his head in disbelief, before giving a sigh.

"Go back the way ya came, back to the fork in tha road ya came to, go left stead of right, that'll take you through to Bywater and from there to Hobbiton. With ya beasts, you should get there by tomorrow eve."

"I thank you kind sir," Bovin replied with a wide grin that quite terrified Radin and for a dreadful moment, as he watch Bovin reach into his jerkin, he feared for the Halflings life, fearing that Bovin was drawing a dagger. But Radin let a small sigh of relief pass his lips as Bovin merely flipped a coin at the Halfling who caught it with a mixed expression of surprise and intrigue.

"Alright men, you heard the good fellow." Bovin barked and his dwarves turned their ponies head's back in the direction they had come.

Just as Radin was about to do the same with his horse he heard the strange little creature, after watching it in amusement as it took a questioning nip of the gold coin Bovin had flipped him, muttered under its breath. "More dwarves invading Bag End. Wait til Master Sackville-Baggins hears about this." before the strange little fellow stomped off back towards his mill, disappearing almost immediately into his wheat field.

"Why do I have a feeling Bovin is going to regret not killing that Halfling?" Ranon whispered causing Radin to smack him hard over the back of his head.

"Watch your tongue, why would you think such a thing?"

"Didn't you hear the Halfling? He said he was going to tell his Master of our meeting and that we're on our way to see this Baggins fellow. First rules of kidnapping, you make sure no one knows it was you who done it. You leave no evidence that will lead back to you. And if you do, you kill whoever has seen you."

"RANON!" Radin snarled, "What would you know about kidnapping? That isn't – that's not, I mean…"

"Yes dear brother? What is this then?" Ranon asked in a sickeningly sweetly tone, a mimic of Bovin's tone moments before.

"Shut it Ranon." Radin snapped as he kicked his horse into a trot.

"I'm just saying…"

"I know what you're saying Ranon and I don't like it, so shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you. I hate this job enough as it is without you saying foul things like murdering innocent people and so on."

His younger brother fell thankfully silent while Radin sat in his saddle quietly fuming.

Terrifyingly he could see the sense in his brother's words, could see how dangerous it could potentially be to leave the Halfling alive to speak to his master or anyone about their visit to his mill but when he had joked with Ranon about asking a Halfling for directions the thought of having to murder them to keep them silent had never crossed his mind and it disturbed him greatly that it had crossed his younger brother's mind.

What was he going to do? What was he going to do?

He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be a part of any of this. He just wanted to have his family's freedom restored to them and be able to live their lives in peace and relative comfort.

Would they never be free? Would they never be safe? Would he and Ranon have to continue on with this kind of work to ensure their families freedom and safety?

Radin didn't know and in truth, his heart didn't want to know.

Clucking his tongue, he allowed for his horse to break into a gallop, allowing the wind to blow in his hair, he felt almost as if he was free, just for a moment, he was free.