Legolas smiled as the sun slowly rose. The night had been cloudless and starry. The elf, unlike the dwarf he was accompanying, did not need sleep. The only sound that the elf could hear was the wind, the popping and crackling of small fire and the snores of Gimli.
The sun slowly rose in the East. Bird song started to echo around the area that they were in. There were only a few small, leafless trees where they were. Legolas had searched for a few hours before he had a good pile of wood.
Gimli shivered as Legolas took out some firestones. He had gathered dry lichen from the few trees that stood around them.
Gimli had his fair share of Lembas bread. His stomach was now full, but he still wished to have a good pint of ale, but, due to the fact that they were miles from the nearest pint of ale, Gimli had to settle for Miruvor.
"Time to get up" said a voice.
Gimli gave a small grunt, but did not wake up. Legolas gave a small smile.
"Gimli?" asked the elf again.
Gimli grumbled again, turned over and tried to fall asleep again.
"Could you not let an old dwarf sleep?" Gimli asked.
Legolas smiled as he opened up his pack. The Lembas bread was wrapped in green Mallorn leaves. Legolas took one of the many stacks of Lembas he had and unwrapped it. The leaves gave a crisp crackle as he unwrapped it.
"Here" he said, holding out a large, but thin and light, slab of bread.
Gimli huffed and sat up. His fingers were numb and his eyes heavy.
"You know better to wake a sleeping dwarf" he said as he took the bread.
Hunger was the one thing that Gimli hated the most and hunger was what Gimli was feeling the most. But the Lembas bread would soon sort that out.
Legolas snapped a bit of Lembas bread off from himself and the two ate in silence. Gimli finished his Lembas faster then the elf did.
"I have to say" said a very full dwarf.
"That was very fitting for this dwarf" he said, giving a small laugh.
Legolas smiled as he retrieved a flask from his back. He past it to the dwarf. Gimli unscrewed it and took a large gulp. His tiredness seemed to just slip away from him. Legolas did not did not feel the same effects that Gimli did. Though it did quench his thirst.
Gimli smiled. His energy had been restored and, unusually for him, he was raring to get going.
"Come on then, we're wasting time just sitting around lollygagging!" he said.
His eyes were now open. The coldness of the first light of day seemed not to be as harsh as just a few minutes before. The dwarf picked his pack and slipped it off.
Legolas did the same and the two set off. The wilderness of Enedwaith was cold and bare. It was mostly made up of grassy land. A few bogs dotted the path towards the Pass of Rohan. The empty shell of Isengard guarded the pass.
A large black tower stood menacingly in the thin fog that lay across the land. The top could not be seen, making it all the more intimidating.
A few years ago, a bloodthirsty army of Uruk-hai had led an attack on the people of Rohan. But these were not untrained, unmotivated worriers. They were trained to hate any being that lived, be it elf, dwarf, wizard, man and most of all other orcs. For, as much as they worked together, they hated each others existence.
Saruman the white stood on his high baloney. Below him stood an army of ten thousand orcs stood there, ready for battle.
"A new power is rising!" Saruman shouted, he voice echoed around the treeless fortress.
"Its victory is at hand!"
The Uruk-hai yelled and bashed their shields and metal plates on their chests. Saruman had been wise with his army. For he had left their backs unprotected and bare. For, if they were to flee, then they would be killed in the process.
"This night the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan!" Saruman said.
He hated men, he had no use for them. They were weak and simple minded. They fought between themselves more then others. They hunted bore and deer, but left more then half of the beasts to the dogs.
"March to Helm's Deep!" Saruman said, raising his arms.
His black staff and the black tower looked the same.
"Leave none alive!"
A few seconds of silence came from both parties.
"To war!" Saruman shouted.
This sent the Uruk-hai into a frenzy. They needed no more encouragement. Grima, who had been Saruman's spy, started to realise that he had made a grave mistake. A mistake that could not be undone.
The ten thousand orcs started to march south towards Helms deep. It would be nightfall before they reached the walls of the deep.
Now days, trees had reclaimed the once black land around Isengard. Only a small bit of the wall was left. The tower, Orthanc, was untouched. Not even an army of Ents could bring it to ruin.
Some of the trees that stood in the shadow of Orthanc were not what they seemed. Usually, trees would stand still. But some of them did not.
A large tree, by the name of Treebeard, walk standing near a lake. The lake was deep and murky. Below the surface was the remains of Saruman's efforts to take over Middle-earth.
Some of the machinery that had survived the flooding had been knocked down. The waters had drained away, a large river or stream was now trickling through the vast circular forest.
Treebeard stood at the bank of one of the lakes. He closed his eyes as his were closed and he was standing as still as any other tree. In fact, if one was to walk by him, their eyes would not have known that he could move.
A small bird, a robin, fluttered through the forest. His song echoed around for all to hear.
"Never seen that tree before" he told himself as he perched on a different tree.
The little robin carefully made his way towards this strange tree. He had never seen a tree like this. The small bird perched on a nearby tree. He was just about to flutter over to it, it gave off a strange noise.
The robin watched as the tree started to move.
"Now that was a drink" Treebeard said, his large wooden legs slammed into the grassy floor.
The little robin watched, and felt, the tree walk past.
"Now, that was a strange sight if ever I saw one"
The robin fluttered on after it. Treebeard started to laugh a deep laugh which grew as the robin hopped about of his twiggy head.
"You again?" asked Treebeard as the robin hopped onto his nose.
Treebeard was looking forward to a good long talk. But, before he could say a word, the bird had vanished.
"Hmm" Treebeard said a few minutes later.
Origo yawned as he felt a wave of coldness come over him. Noises started to fill his little ears as he felt his Diamond get up. His little eyes opened on a black world.
"Mummy's here, darling" said a voice.
The duvet had been lifted off of the small pup, making him lose what warmth he had. Diamond had to attend to Faramir. She hoped that Origo would sleep through, but her wishes had not been granted.
"Go back to sleep, puppy" she said, holding a whimpering Faramir.
Origo yawned and shook his head. He wanted more cuddles from his Diamond, but he had to wait. For the door to her room clicked open. Origo looked around. A bright green light zoomed towards him. Ori gave a small whimper, Ivy's light was hurting his eyes. A fluffy paw covered his eyes.
"Puppy?" Ivy asked.
Origo gave her a little whimper.
"Ah" she said, fluttering backwards a bit.
The light dulled a bit, just enough to have Origo see and not to hurt his eyes.
"You should be asleep, puppy" Ivy told him.
Origo gave a little whimper and looked around at the door.
"She's just giving Faramir his drink, she'll be back soon" Ivy told him, trying to calm him.
But it would not work.
"She doesn't love me any more" he whimpered, looking downwards.
Origo could still not understand that Faramir and Origo were equally loved. Origo had been told many times, by both Diamond and Ivy, that they loved him.
The next second, before Ivy could stop him, Origo stood up on his fluffy paws, turned and bounded down towards the opposite end of the bed.
Ivy fluttered on after him. Origo hopped onto the box, then jumped onto the floor. He scurried out of the room, to the kitchen. But his little journey had not being a quiet one.
As Diamond sat in her seat, a bottle of warm milk in one hand and her son resting on her free arm. She looked down as the little pitter-patter of Origo paws grew louder.
"Ori, what are you doing up?" she asked.
Faramir was drinking his milk. A small bit was trickling down his chin. A few minutes later, Faramir had finished his milk.
"Good boy" his mother said.
Faramir yawned, showing his toothless gums.
"Time to get back to bed" Diamond said.
She smiled as she stood up.
"Ori, come on" she said.
The little puppy was still exhausted, but he came along anyway. He walked much slower then his Diamond, but that did not matter. For, when Diamond had put little Faramir back to bed, Origo came trotting in.
He was gently picked up and cuddled.
"Good boy" she said, kissing up on his warm, fluffy head.
The two of them had cuddled up together. Both quickly fell back to sleep. Origo's soft head poked out of the duvet. His eyes were closed as he snoozed.
The daylight slowly started to seep through the wind. There was a cold mist laying over Hobbiton. The snow that had fallen a week or two before had now all gone. But everyone knew another large snow storm was on the way.
It would just be a matter of time before it arrived.
The mist slowly started to thin as the sun crept up in the sky. Chimneys all around the small settlement bellow into the sky.
Mothers all over the small village started to rise. Their husbands and children, some had more then others, were still asleep.
Rosie Gamgee was no exception. She had a lot of mouths to feed which meant a lot of food to prepare. She, unlike Diamond, who was puppyless, had had a wonderful night of sleep.
Her Samwise continued on snoozing as she walked out of the room. She smiled as she walked into the kitchen. The first she did, like every morning before, was to stock up the fire.
The kettle was taken off of the hook. Its handle was warm to the touch, but would soon be too hot to handle. Water filled it, nearly to the top.
Rosie heaved it out of the sink and to the heath. She heaved it onto the hook, where it swung for a moment. The flickering flames started to heat up the metal which, in turn, would heat up the water inside.
Fifteen minutes later, Samwise had risen. He could hear his wife making his usual morning tea as he walked down the hall way.
Both of them looked and felt as tired as each other. Rosie smiled as she placed his mug on the table just as he crossed the threshold.
"Morning" Samwise said, walking in.
The two parents had a rare few minutes of silence. But both missed the hectic goings on when the children were awake.
"Well" Sam said, placing his empty mug down.
"I best get the littluns up"
He took to his feet, walk around the table and kissed Rosie. Rosie blushed a small bit, she loved it when Samwise kissed her, she became all tingly again, just like the first time she met him.
Samwise took a deep sigh as he walked out. Rosie finished her mug of tea a few minutes later and rose from her seat as well. She picked up the two empty mugs and placed then by the sink to be cleaned.
Samwise slowly and quietly opened the first door. The room was comfortably warm as he entered. Two of his children share this room. The two beds were facing each other.
Sleeping in each bed was a young boy and a young girl. The little boy, who Sam woke first, was called Merry. He had been named after a very dear friend of his father's, a fitting tribute if ever there was one.
The little girl's name was very pretty, it was Rose. Rose had inherited her mother's looks, having golden hair and a round face. Her nose was little and button-like, making her even more cuter.
"Merry, my lad?" Samwise asked, giving him a small shake.
Merry, like his father, was a very deep sleeper and needed more encouragement to wake up. The little boy, who was now four years of age, gave a small grunt, but did not seem to wake.
"Get up now" Samwise told him before moving off.
Rose was smaller, but older then her brother that she shared a room with. Rose was much easier to wake then her younger brother was. She had even drawn the duvet back and was getting ready to put her dressing gown on.
She had a flowing night dress on, it had a hint of pink laced within.
Her dressing gown also had a hint of pink in it as well. She smiled as she put her arms through the sleeves and did up the small cord around her waist.
Merry still had his eyes closed, but he could hear everything that was going on. His father had moved onto the next room. This was his eldest son and most adventurous child, Frodo.
Frodo Gamgee could be heard from down the hall way. His snores grew louder as the door opened. Samwise peered around the door to a strange sight.
Young Frodo was almost slipping out of his bed, his left arm and left leg were dangling out of the duvet. Samwise took a few seconds to take in what he was seeing before waking his son up.
"Frodo, my lad?" Samwise asked, giving him a small nudge.
Frodo was inches away from falling out of bed.
"Time to get up for breakfast now"
Frodo gave a small grunt. The next second, Frodo started to slip. Samwise was not fast enough to catch him and he fell to the floor with a thump.
Frodo was still half asleep as he opened his eyes. Samwise gave a small chuckle and helped his son up.
"Are you alright?" his father asked.
Frodo sat on the bed, looking a bit dazed, but a little nod showed his father that he was alright.
"What happened?" Frodo asked, rubbing his tired eyes.
Samwise smiled.
"You fell off of the bed" he answered.
The young boy took a deep breath.
"Come on, get ready for breakfast" Samwise told him.
Frodo watched his father walk out before putting on his green dressing gown. As he did, a waft of bacon hit his nose. It was then his stomach started to talk.
Breakfast couldn't have come any sooner as, a few minutes later, he walked into the kitchen. A lot was happening. Elanor, Merry and Rose were already seated. Merry and Rose were chatting away.
"No!" Rose said, looking a bit annoyed.
"Daddy love me more!" she said.
But Merry saw it differently.
"He loves me more, he told me so" he said.
Rose was not at all happy. She would chase her father up this matter when she saw him. It would not take long before this matter was resolved.
"I love you both the same" Samwise told her as he sat down.
Rose looked over at Merry. Merry gave a small giggle as he held his hands over his mouth.
"Not funny" Rose told him.
Rosie smiled as she started to dish up the food. A rack of golden toast had been placed in the middle of the table. A stick of creamy butter along with a silver knife sticking out of it.
Rosie walked around the table, dishing out the sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and, most of all, mushrooms. Elanor was sitting at her seat. Opposite her was an empty chair. Frodo had yet to come out of his room.
Samwise noticed this as well.
"I best see if Frodo's up" he told his wife as she dished out his meal.
Samwise had the most dished to him, for he was the head of the house. Rosie smiled, she would get the last little bit off food that had not been dished out.
Samwise walked out of the kitchen, leaving his meal to go cold. A minute later, Frodo's door opened again. Frodo was still laying in her bed, but he wasn't asleep.
"Breakfast is ready" Samwise told him.
Frodo seemed not to be himself at all. He was curled up on top of his duvet.
"Don't feel well" he whimpered, looking very sorry from himself.
Samwise took a deep breath and placed his hand on Frodo's forehead.
"Hmmm" Samwise said, feeling that his son's forehead was hotter then normal.
"Well, you might as well stay here, I'll tell your mother to keep your meal 'til later"
Frodo gave a small sigh. He was looking forward to going out with his friends. But his stomach hurt and, unusually, he was not hungry.
The clouds outside gathered high above the land. There was a deferent sense that bad weather was on the way. The first of many snow flakes fluttered it way down from the cloud.
In the distance, a small village could be seen. Patches of forest could be seen as the ground got closer. The wind propelled the little snowflake as it fluttered closer and closer to the ground.
A lake could be seen reflecting in the dull sunlight. A building could be seen next to the silver pool. It had black smoke bellowing out from a few chimneys. To the south lay a winding road, heading the same way that the wind was.
The little snowflake lost a lot of height, but gained it back when the next bitter wave of wind hit it. The silver lake grew larger and larger. The township of Hobbiton became more distinctive.
Small ribbon-like paths started to become more visible. There were small dots moving along those paths. They were hobbits who were on their way towards their local pub, the Green Dragon.
The snow flake twirled in the air, changing direction. A few more minutes and the snowflake was seconds from impacting on the path. But its direction changed again. It swooped down and headed towards a little misted window.
Behind, inside the house, was a young girl. Elanor smiled as she finished her breakfast. She was now very awake as she took hold of her mug of water. Her father had come back and explained that Frodo was not very well.
"Do you think we should go and see Dolly?" she asked.
Dolly was very well known in Hobbiton. For, most of the hobbits that had been born in the past fifty years had dolly present at their birth.
Dolly was the only midwife that Hobbiton had. Sometimes, she would be so busy that she would have to go between three different houses in one day.
Sometimes, she would miss a birth, which scared her. She knew that she needed someone to take over her reigns and be in change.
Rosie and her family finished up their breakfasts. Rosie took a deep breath as she picked Frodo's up and placed it in the hot oven so that he could have it when he was ready.
The children were all getting ready. Merry and rose had already been washed and dress. Elanor smiled as she walked out of the bathroom.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Samwise asked as he walked down to Frodo's room.
Elanor smiled.
"Of course I did, daddy" she answered.
Samwise smiled, knowing that she would never lie to him. Elanor continued on her journey to her room while her father, followed by her mother, walked to Frodo.
Frodo heard the door click open. None of the candles in his room have been lit.
"Frodo?" asked his mother.
Frodo looked around and saw her standing there. She smiled and sat on the edge of his bed. She, like Samwise before her, placed her hand on his forehead.
"It hurts" Frodo whimpered.
Rosie's heart melted. She did not like any of children in discomfort. Frodo looked very pale, his stomach felt very funny.
"Should I go and get a bowl?" Samwise asked.
Rosie looked around and gave a nod. Frodo had some sort of bug. Samwise could have returned soon enough. Frodo suddenly sat up. Rosie knew that he was going to throw up.
Rosie placed her hand over her son's forehead.
"That's it" she said.
Meanwhile, Elanor was getting dressed. She smiled as she looked out of the window. A faint pitter-patter came from the window.
She smiled, knowing that it was snowing. A strange feeling came over her. Her large feet felt tingly. It was excitement.
Elanor smiled as she walked out of her room. She wondered back to the kitchen and looked around.
"Daddy?" she asked.
A door down the corridor shut with a small click. Elanor knew that this could be her father.
"Daddy, I'm ready to go outside" Elanor told him.
Samwise smiled. He still needed to get washed and dressed.
"You be careful out there and be back for lunch" Samwise told her.
A few times, Elanor had either been too busy or arrived late for lunch.
"Yes, daddy" she said.
The young girl hugged her father and scurried off towards the door. She quickly put her coat on and opened the door. The rate of snow had increased. The horizon seemed smoky. Curtains of flakes blew with the wind.
The clouds had gathered above the land. The whiteness stretched on for mile after mile. There was no distinguishable break in the sheet of cloud.
The snow seem to increase as Elanor came to Gloria's home. She smiled as she took her hand out of her pocket. The coldness was getting sharper on the back of her throat as she took a deep breath in.
Three knocks echoed down the hall way. Gloria, who was sitting in the kitchen, knew exactly who this was.
"Elanor's here" she said, smiling.
Her father smiled as well as he and his daughter got up and made their down towards the door. Elanor smiled as the door opened.
"Hello, Elanor" said Gloria.
"Come in" she said.
The warmth in the house quickly escaped out of the opened door. But that was soon stopped as Gloria's father closed it.
"Hello, Elanor" Gloria's father said.
"Have you eaten?" he asked.
Elanor smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I have" she answered.
Gloria was a little bit embarrassed as she stood there.
"Well, we have plenty of cookies and milk if you feel hungry, just don't tell you mother"
A minute later, the two young girls made their way to Gloria's room. Elanor loved the silence that she got when she was around Gloria's house. She had a lot of brothers and sisters and had a hard time talking to both her parents. For they had a lot of children to look after.
Elanor had learnt that she would only have time with her parents a few minutes before she went to bed.
"So" said Gloria as she sat on her bed.
Elanor thought for a moment.
"Oh no" she said, a little disappointment could be heard on her voice.
"I forgot to bring horsey again" she said, hanging her head.
Back home, in her room, the horse was standing on her bedside table.
"Well, maybe we could go and get him and bring him back here" Gloria told her.
This sounded like a good plan.
"And its snowing outside" Elanor told her.
This made both girls very happy. Gloria walked over to her bed side table and picked up her favourite horsey. She smiled and followed Elanor out of the room.
"Daddy?" Gloria asked, looking in the kitchen.
Both of her parents were sitting at the table. They had a mug of tea each.
"Yes, sweetie?" he asked.
"Could I go out please?" she asked.
Her father smiled.
"Of course you can, just be back for your lunch" he told her.
Gloria kissed and cuddled her parents and made her way towards the door. A few minutes later, after the two girls had put their coats on.
The world on the other side of the door had changed since Elanor had knocked for her friend. The snow was now very heavy. The flakes that were coming down were the size of feathers. The ground now had a thin crush of snow on it.
Elanor smiled as she gathered up a small bit of snow. She smiled feeling the coldness tingle in her hand. She dropped the small ball of snow and stuck her hands in her pockets again.
As she got to her home, she saw some footprints coming out from her home. She knew her mother would be in, Rosie did not like the cold much.
Three knocks echoed down the hall way as she fed Pippin.
"Now, who could this be?" Rosie asked herself.
Little Pippin was having a tantrum as Rosie left his meal on the table. She walked down the hall way, her feet slapping on the tiled floor.
A few moments later, she opened the door on two familiar faces.
"Oh, what are you doing back so quickly?" she asked, spotting her oldest child.
"I need my horsey" Elanor told her mother.
Rosie smiled and let the two girls in.
"Be quiet now, Frodo's sleeping, he isn't the well"
Elanor and Gloria walked down the hallway and to a door. Elanor opened it and walked inside. Her room was warm and light. The heath had been stocked, the flames flickered, sending smoking up the chimney.
"Got him" Elanor said, looking around.
Bilbo woke up sometime later. He opened his eyes but could see nothing. In fact, if was like he had not opened his eyes at all.
Bilbo was confused. He could not remember how he had come to a stop. The last thing he saw was Dori. But Dori was not around any more. Only the noise that he could hear was his own heart beat.
The hobbit felt the ground as he tried to stand up. Finally, after what felt like a minute, he found the stony wall.
"Careful now, Bilbo" he told himself as he took to his feet.
His hands never left the rocky wall as he stood there. The hobbit simply stood there for what seemed like an age before he figured out what to do.
A few minutes past before he started to slowly walk.
"Or maybe crawling is better, that way I can feel where I am going a lot better"
Bilbo slowly sank to his hands and knees again and continued his journey. As he did so, one of his fingers brushed past something cold and metallic.
"What is this?" he asked himself, picking it up.
He almost dropped it, but save it just in time.
"A ring" he said.
Even though it was pitch black, he knew it by feel. Without thinking about it, he placed it in his pocket and went on without a problem.
After a while of crawling, something sharp hit his thigh. This gave Bilbo a bit of hope as he took out his pipe. It was unharmed.
"Now, I wonder if I have some…" he thought to himself, taking to his feet again.
"Ah" he said, finding his tobacco.
But his hopes of a smoke were dashed as he remembered that he could not light his tobacco. So, disheartened, he put his pouch and pipe back.
As he did this, he knocked the handle of his sword. He saw a strange glow coming from it.
"So, this one must be Elvish too" he thought.
"It's a good thing that the goblins are not too close" he told himself, looking at the faded blueness of the sword.
Bilbo was comforted by this. For he did not like the fact he was on his own. The blue light of his sword showed him the way, but it was nothing like Gandalf's staff.
"Now" Bilbo said, his eyes darting around.
"Should I go back?" he asked himself.
This was not an option.
"I can not go sideways, all I have is going straight on the way I'm facing"
This was the direction that Bilbo settled on. Carefully, he walked on. The light coming from his sword was enough to let him know what was coming up a few meters ahead.
Bilbo followed this path. It steadily descended more. Only his feet slapping on the cold, wet rocks as he walked along for what seemed like hours. The occasional bat flew close to his ears.
His senses seemed to become sharper the more he was down in the depths of the mountain. But his journey came to an abrupt stop.
He had walked right into some freezing water. His breath had been taken away almost instantly. Bilbo was unsure what he had stepped into.
"Is it a lake?" he asked himself, his sword hardly lit up the surrounding area.
There was no knowing what he had stepped in. it could have been a lake, then again, it could have been a stream or a puddle.
Bilbo did not dare wade out, for he could not swim. There was more sound here, it echoed around as he stood there. The sound of dripping came from a far off place where his sword could not light.
"Well, I guess the others did not come this way" he told himself.
It seemed that there was no way out of this bit of the mountain. Bilbo seemed to, unknowingly, got himself into deeper trouble then he had been. For he was not alone in this part of the Misty Mountains. An old creature was just a few meters away from him. He was slimy and small. His body was bent and his eyes unusual large.
His name was Gollum.
Gollum had given up a comfortable life in the sun's light for a life of raw fish and dirt. Bones of meals past lay around. The light from Bilbo's unnamed sword shone on them.
Gollum knew these mountains like the back of his grey hand. He could rival the goblins in his knowledge of the passages.
He had lived there for five hundred years, longer then any goblin alive to date. He lived peacefully, unhindered, in the middle of the lake that Bilbo was now stood at. Bilbo did not know it, but Gollum was coming to investigate what had caused ripples in his lake.
Bilbo realised that he was being watched too late.
"Splashed us it did, my precious!" said a voice out of the darkness.
Bilbo jumped as the hissing voice echoed around.
"Would make a tasty treat for us"
Bilbo's heart rate rose dramatically. This was no goblin, in fact, he did not know what it was. Gollum coughed like a cat trying to bring up a fur ball.
Bilbo had been through a lot that day. Though he was scared, his courage had not faulted.
"Who are you?" asked Bilbo.
Gollum had the same question, which he expressed in his own manner.
"I am Bilbo Baggins" said the hobbit, not realising that it would come back to haunt him.