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Chapter Two
Bilbo
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore made mightily spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.
For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sward.
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.
Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.
The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.
The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.
Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.
The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.
The dwarves sang-more of lamented.
My heart broke at the sad lives of these people, but, my selfishness got the better of me. It was their problem and they cannot ask me to risk my life for them!
"We have a home, Uncle, they don't…" Brielle said from behind me, "I want to go."
I didn't answer her.
She huffed and stalked out the door and slammed it on her way out.
The singing stopped and Gandalf cleared his throat, "I think it's time that we retire for the night. I assume you are leaving before dawn, Thorin?"
Thorin nodded and stood and left the room, the other dwarves trailing behind; I too got up, but I stepped outside.
"Brielle?" I called softly, "I know you're around here somewhere, please come out."
"What do you want?"
I looked up to the roof, "I am sorry."
She snorted-which was very unladylike-and leaned back and stared into the sky.
"You can't keep me here forever, you know. I'll leave before you break out the shackles and gags."
I closed my eyes, "I've given you everything and you'd leave like that?"
She stayed quiet.
"You're right; I can't keep you here forever. But where will you go?"
"I have friends."
"Rangers? They are dangerous! Elves? You've only befriended one and he tried to kill you when he first met you. Hobbits? You don't even like Hobbits!"
"Dwarves."
Sighing, my patience level dropping, "They are asking for us to go on a journey doomed to fail! They aren't our friends!"
She sat up and glared at me, "Doomed to fail? You're horrible! At least they are brave! They're courageous! I admire them; they are willing to risk their lives for not only themselves but their people. In fact, I would rather be in the company of people of nerve and determination rather than weak, spineless, scared beings who coward away at the thought of leaving their houses for anything but food!"
I gasped.
Quickly getting up, I walked towards the door, "One of those cowards opened his home to you and cared for you."
As I stepped into the house, I heard Brielle say, "I'm tired of living like a nobody, Bilbo! I want to be remembered! This is it! Brielle the Adventurer!"
Brielle the Adventurer? I scoffed and walked to my room. Teenagers…
Kili
I knew I shouldn't have been listening, but the temptation was too much.
Walking to the door as quietly as I could, I slowly pushed it open and breathed in the night's cool air.
"Lady Brielle?" I whispered, glancing around, "Lady Brielle?"
"Here!" she whispered yelled from above me, "Why are you out here? And don't call me a lady!"
"I needed to talk to you!"
She hopped down and landed a few feet in front of me.
"I'm listening." She was short; shorter than me by an inch of two…or three. Was she a Hobbit?
"My uncle doesn't like you." I blurted out, my face immediately flushing.
"What? Why? He doesn't know me."
"I'm sorry, I do not know the reason. But I wanted to tell you that there is a very likely chance he will forbid you joining the Company." I started, "And that I can tell you where we will be at what time…so you can follow. This can be our secret, if you desire it. I will make sure you are fed and if there is any danger, I will alert you immediately."
Her eyes brightened and she beamed at me. Just seeing that made every horribly wrong decision I was making worth it.
"Really?! You're serious, right? This isn't some joke?" she was giddy with joy and it made me laugh.
"Of course! I understand your need to be recognized…" this wasn't supposed to turn into a sob story, but she seemed trustworthy, "While I know that the situations are different, I came on this quest to prove myself as well."
Brielle's brown eyes looked me up and down and then locked with mine, "Your uncle loves you."
"I don't doubt it, but-,"
"But he makes it seem like he favors your brother over you-I know…" she smiled at me and nudged my arm.
"He thinks he needs to spend more time with Fili in order to "prepare him" because Fili is his heir."
The girl cocked her head and asked, "Does he treat you well?"
I nodded.
"Has he ever said that he doesn't love you?"
I shook my head.
"But he doesn't treat you like Fili, does he?"
Again I shook my head.
She straightened and began walking towards the door, "It's his loss."
And with that she disappeared into the house.
The next morning
Kili
I sealed the letter and slipped it under Brielle's door before I quickly left the Hobbit hole.
Brielle
I woke up rather slowly and literally rolled out of bed, the pain not even registering my mind as I hit the wooden floor face first.
"Ow…"
A piece of paper laying in front of my door caught my attention. I crawled over and tore it open, it messy print it read:
Brielle
The Green Dragon. Eleven O'clock sharp. Hurry, don't be late.
Kili
My eyes widened. So that wasn't a dream. He was serious last night!
I leapt up and threw on traveling pants, an undershirt, and my belt. Packing necessities such as an extra pair of clothes, a handful of hair ties, a small amount of bandages (I don't think I'd survive an hour without injuring myself in some way or another)and medicinal herbs, and, of course, my bow and arrow and dagger.
Before running out of my room, I skidded to a stop and grabbed my favorite cap. It was green, matching my leather doeskin pants and my dark green undershirt, and it was long. I mean, the tip flowed down a little above my tailbone and it pulled some of my hair back, leaving just my bangs visible from the front.
I raced out of my room, down the hall, and out of the house before Bilbo or my guilty conscious could stop me.
Quickly glancing at the sky I groaned and picked up the pace. Late! I was late!
It was past noon by now! They would be long gone.
Um genius! Get a horse and catch up!
Steal a horse, more like it.
I crept along the paddock in the market place where people usually leave their horses when going into the blacksmith or into the fabric store. Quickly hopping in, I glanced around.
There was one horse, yes a horse, not a pony, which belonged to a Hobbit who had a run in with a man when he traveled to Bree. He most likely gambled for the gelding, but that was his most prized possession. He boasted about it constantly, and now his claim to fame would be taken.
I led the horse to the wooden gate and used that to help me get on the horse.
It was an odd feeling, but I steeled myself for the ride and gripped the rope that acted like reins.
Nudging the horse forward, it began to walk, nudging again, it trotted.
"Hey! Hey you! Get off my horse!" the owner of the beast screeched, shaking his finger at me, and began opening the gate.
Uh oh…
"Come on, horse, let's see what you can do," I whispered, "Please don't hurt me, though."
I kicked its side and it shot off towards the back of the paddock at neck breaking speed.
"No! Heel! Stay! Wrong way, you crazy horse! Turn, turn, turn!" I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact, but instead, I found myself in the air.
The horse landed and took off running once more.
"Slow down!" I tugged on the rope, but the beast swerved at a lady carrying a basket of eggs, and then a group of Roosters, and then a child walking with a dog at his heels, and then run straight through the tent that had all the cows eating their feed.
This morning got slightly better when I realized we were racing up the hill towards the Green Dragon, but what good would that be? They were long gone!
"Excuse me! Have you seen a group of dwarves, by any chance?" I asked two Hobbits who smoked pipes outside the tavern.
Before they could answer, I had passed them.
"Turn around!" I shouted, pulling the reins back.
The horse reared and turned back, this time at a fast paced trot.
"Slow down a little more…" I tugged the reins gently, and we slowed down to a walk.
The horse was panting and its nostrils were flared, but he neighed happily and stomped its giant hooves.
Probably the most exercise it's gotten since it was sold…
"Why, we saw them about three hours ago, going that direction. It seemed they were leaving the Shire. Why, your ole uncle Bilbo Baggins was with them!" the fatter of the two chuckled.
"Yes I know who my uncle is. Thank you, sirs!" I tipped my head and muttered, "Why would he be with them?"
I kicked the horse into gear and we raced down the hill and in the direction the Hobbit pointed. We didn't stop riding until I saw the first signs of the dwarves.
It was a piece of torn cloth…
"Come on, horsey, let's go! I think I know what direction they're going in."
We rode for hours! My legs ached, my stomach grumbled, my throat was dry, and my backside was probably bruised. Not to mention the fact that Horsey couldn't run anymore. He was exhausted!
"Come on. I know these parts; there's a creek coming up and we can drink from it. Just another mile or two." The horse stomped its hooves and folded his ears back as if say 'another mile or two? That's a LOT!'
"Yeah, I know, I know. Let's get a move on." I let the gelding walk because he was tired…and also because I doubt he'd run under any circumstances.
So we walked another ten minutes, but stopped when we heard voices. Quietly bringing my horse to the trees that paralleled the group of travelers, I watched and listened.
"I should have at least left her a note! She is probably alone and scared!" that was definitely Bilbo.
I snorted, alone and scared? No, try again, Bilbo…
"I think she'll be fine." Gandalf chuckled and turned to look into the trees, his eyes falling directly on me. He winked and went back to talking to Thorin.
"Gandalf…do you think she'll be upset?" Bilbo continued, not minding that he was interrupting a conversation.
"She'll be livid." The old wizard said, "But she'll get over her anger towards you, Mr. Baggins. Do not worry."
"We need to hurry," Thorin growled, "We are already behind schedule; you can thank Kili for that."
"I'm sorry, Uncle!" the young dwarf cried, "I thought I left something at Bilbo's house!" then he looked down and mumbled, "And it never showed up."
"Look for it again when we stop, Kili, I'm sure it'll show up!" Gandalf send Kili a look and then look back at me.
I looked down at Horsey's mane and rode in listened, mildly interested, to the Company's bickering.
We rode for what seemed like hours, and in reality, it had been. In those long hours, I decided on a name for Horsey, which turned out to be Bandit. It seemed fitting even if I was the bandit. The horse was a dusty gray color with black around one eye and white around the other; very peculiar, but hey, peculiar horse for peculiar girl, right? Also, in that hour, I managed to fall asleep a number of times for no more than five minutes tops, get off Bandit to relieve myself only once seeing how I hadn't had a liquid in my system for almost an entire day, brush my hair, braid my hair, take the braid out and re-braid it, then take it out again. I braided Bandit's mane, then I repeated my actions with my own hair by taking the braid out a number of times before settling on leaving it braided. All in all, it was uneventful.
"We're stopping here!" Thorin shouted, "Make camp."
I leapt off Bandit, wincing as my muscles screamed in protest, and then patted the velvety nose.
"I'll try to find water for us, horsey, don't worry."
The bushes to my left rustled, and before I could hide myself, Gandalf stepped out with Kili in tow. Kili ran and hugged me, "I thought you changed your mind!"
"Never!" I hugged back, my cheeks heating up.
Gandalf cleared his throat.
"Brielle, I'm warning you not to get caught. And Kili…if she is, prepare yourself for Thorin's wrath; and a lonesome trip back to your mother. I'll do my best to help you two out." he turned to leave.
"Wait, Gandalf, sir…thank you." I whispered.
He left without acknowledging me.
"Here, you must be starved." Kili took out bread and a flask with water in it, "It isn't much, but it's all I can spare. Bombur is tight with the food. If you follow me back a ways, you'll see a boulder. Sit on the other side of that-with caution!-and I'll give you food when Bombur has supper ready." He spoke in a quiet, rushed voice, "I must go."
"Kili! Thank you, for everything. You've done so much for me…I don't know how I'll ever repay you." I hugged him again and kissed his stubbly cheek.
He flushed and stuttered before looking at me and then running away.
Strange…
-Kili-
I sat down next to Fili and let out a sigh of relief.
"Why is your face so red, brother?" he gave me a funny look.
This captured everyone's attention.
"Nothing! Aule, Fili, mind your own business!" I glared at him then stalked to the edge of camp and turned my back to everyone.
"Don't mind him, laddie," Dwalin started, "He's just discovering his body." Everyone else chuckled.
What?!
"I most certainly am not!" I shouted, my face burning even more.
"Denial," Balin started, "Now we know we're right."
Oh, Brielle, the things I'm doing for you!
XXX
This chapter was hard to write for some reason! Gosh, I finished, finally! Later than I was supposed to, too.
Please review! Thank you!