Shocking Gandalf
The western bridge of Rivendell finally came into sight, letting both Gandalf and Bilbo breathe a sigh of relief. A smile broke through the dust covering Gandalf's face at the sight of two familiar elves.
"Elladan. Elrohir." Gandalf greets the two dark-haired elves.
"Mithrandir." Responds one.
"Master Baggins." Says the other.
"Welcome back to Rivendell."
"We've been expecting-"
"-you for days."
The Twins, as always, spoke in sequence, one after the other. No matter how long Gandalf had been visiting Elrond in Rivendell, he had never been able to tell the Twins apart and to his knowledge, neither had anyone else, including their father or sister. They were halves of a whole. There was never one without the other. They were always together. They were the Twins.
"Rooms have been readied for you both."
"We have a pony-"
"-for you, Master Baggins."
"A fine grey from Rohan."
"Adar mer na ped na cin." *
"Nec i perian." *
"Ta nia i norn aran, Mithrandir."*
"Your rooms are this way."
"Come. Rest."
Gandalf nodded in response the Twins' comments in Sindarin, knowing that Bilbo would not know what had been said. Why would Elrond want to speak to him about the dwarf king? What had Daín done?
Bilbo found it more than a little difficult to follow the conversation, he was so tired. Of course, that wasn't anything new. Sleep, restful sleep was a rarity for him these days. He dreamt each night that he was back on Ravenshill waking just in time to hold Thorin's hand and bid him farewell from this life. Every single night he relived that moment. Gandalf assured him that in time it would get easier and the dreams would come less often. He was wrong.
Bilbo stumbled through the door of the room assigned to him, the furniture the right size for a hobbit, finally.
After the Twins statement that there was plenty of time before the evening meal would be ready, Bilbo decided that he could take advantage of the bathing room attached to his room. He could wash himself and his few remaining clothes, wearing the robe provided until his clothes dried. While he waited there was a kettle and teapot on the hearth and fruit and biscuits on a drawing table just waiting for him to nibble on.
Gandalf on the other had, barely had time to brush the dust from his robes before the Twins were back to escort him to Elrond's study. The wizard was pleased to see Elrond and slightly startled to see that Legolas was sitting patiently with him.
"Mithrandir. Ta man na cen cin."*
"Indeed, my lord, indeed. The Twins said you wanted to talk to me without Bilbo knowing. Something about the dwarf king. What's Daín done?"
"Why do you assume I mean Daín?"
"Why? Because Daín is King Under the Mountain now, he rules Erebor and the Iron Hills. There are no kings in Ered Luin and Princess Dís rules the Blue Mountains. Daín is the only king left in the dwarven nations. To wish it otherwise is folly."
"Folly is not such a bad thing, sometimes." Elrond smirked.
Gandalf glanced quickly at Legolas when he made an amused sound.
"What am I missing? Something has happened and I have not been told. What has happened?" Gandalf drew himself to his full height, becoming stern and hard.
"Legolas. You were the last to speak to him." Elrond waved at Legolas in permission. Legolas and Elrond continued to smile.
"First let me say that just recently I was informed that 'dwarrow' is the correct word when discussing more than one dwarf, in any type reference." Said Legolas.
"Dwarrow? Are you certain?"
"Yes, Mithrandir. But to continue. Daín may be King Under the Mountain, but it is only at the concession of his cousin." Legolas was enjoying teasing Gandalf, giving him information in small pieces.
"Yes, yes, I suppose Dís could claim the throne for herself, the dwarves of the Blue Hills would support her."
"Not Dís. Her brother."
"Both Frerin and Thorin are dead."
"No Gandalf. Thorin Oakenshield is very much alive. And by now is probably making himself quite at home in Bag End." Elrond couldn't wait any longer.
"He is dead, Elrond. I saw him."
"And I was there when he opened his eyes to Galadriel."
"And I spoke to him in these halls, Gandalf." Legolas added.
"Galadriel? What? Elrond?! I do NOT understand!"
"It was Dwalin that first suspected…" over the next hour Elrond and Legolas brought Gandalf up to date with all he had missed. To say the wizard was shocked would be an understatement. For one of the first time in the nearly 1500 years that Elrond has known him, the wizard of the Istari was rendered completely and utterly speechless. It took a large dose of apple brandy and two pipes before it could be said that Gandalf was almost himself again, so great was the shock.
He agreed with Elrond and Thranduil that Bilbo should not be told yet. But what excuse was there for his failure? None. Thorin lived and Gandalf had thought him dead. What did that say about him? About his competence? He had cast himself in a very poor light and had only himself to blame. The guilt that he felt for failing Thorin was almost overwhelming. At the recommendation of Elrond, Gandalf wrote a letter to Bilbo, detailing his failure and stating that he would be going to Isengard to talk to the head of his Order about his failure and hoped that Bilbo would one day forgive him. Legolas offered to take it to Bag End so that Thorin could be the one to give it to Bilbo and he left the room to pack.
Elrond instructed Elladan and Elrohir to pack travel rations for Gandalf as he would be leaving immediately, as he had a long journey south. The Twins would be accompanying Bilbo past Bree to Frogmorton. They discussed escorting him all the way to Bag End, but finally decided that unless it was near dark when they reached the village and Bilbo wished to continue on that night, they would leave at Frogmorton. It was only a morning's walk from Frogmorton to Bag End after all and Bilbo had walked it many times.
Yes, there was the issue of a dwarf infestation in Bag End, but according to the last raven Elrond had received from Thorin, the rest of the Company had already made a camp for themselves in a clearing between the Bindbole Woods and the caves, so it would be only Thorin, Fíli, Kíli and Tauriel. The younger dwarf had discovered the hard way that he was not nearly as healed as he had hoped, which resulted in a minor setback. Tauriel had insisted that he move back to Bag End as he found it impossible to stay out of the caves.
For now the elves would let Bilbo rest. His journey wasn't over yet.
That evening the meal was subdued. Bilbo's face had been resigned when told that Gandalf had left and would not be travelling any further with him.
"He blames himself, Elrond. For Thorin's death. For Fíli's. For Kíli's. For the deaths of all those who fell at Erebor and at Dale. He blames himself for not being there early enough to have been inside the mountain, if he had Thorin wouldn't have fallen to the gold sickness, is what he thinks. He's wrong. There was nothing he could have done. Nothing anyone could have done. But he must make amends with himself. Must forgive himself. It is not an easy thing to do. I know. But before he can forgive himself, he must see that he could not have changed their fates. Vairë wove their destinies and we must live ours. No matter the pain and regret."
To hear the Halfling – hobbit, hobbit, hobbit, Elrond constantly reminded himself that the being in front of him was not half of anything – say such things with such pain in his voice, almost convinced Elrond tell him the truth, only the fact that Bilbo would never believe him made him hold his tongue. He sincerely prayed to Yavanna that the pain Bilbo felt now would be relieved by having his loved ones again.
Bilbo slept surprisingly well overnight and was well rested for a change. No tossing or turning, just deep healing sleep. Rivendell was a place of safety and for the first time since Erebor, Bilbo let down his guard and trusted others to protect him. Not that he didn't trust Gandalf, but…. There was a part of him that was still angry at the wizard for not being there in time to stop the gold sickness. Not his fault, Bilbo knew but anger was never a rational emotion.
He looked very little like a hobbit the next morning as he tool his leave of Elrond and Rivendell. He wore a dwarf-styled tunic and travel cloak with a warg-pelt shoulder pelmet, the large triangular cloak-pin proclaiming its dwarrow heritage loudly. As he and Gandalf had travelled the Old Forest Road, Beorn met them at the foot of the mountains, where he had presented Bilbo with the pelt of the White Warg that had been the mount of Azog. When the Company had left his House and headed into the forest known as Mirkwood, Beorn had made his way to the outcropping where the Eagles had told him the White Warg had been killed by the little bunny of the dwarf king. It didn't take very long for the hobbit to discover that warg-pelts are very good at insulating, over the first week of their journey he carefully cut the pelt and lined his cloak with it, using the left overs to make a shoulder pelmet that would double as a hood.
Knitted half-gloves from Ori kept his hands warm, but the hilt of Sting poking out of the folds of his cloak and the great square metal shield strapped to shoulder said this was a being accustomed to bearing weapons. His travel pack and a bulky but now covered piece of timber were slung from the saddle of his pony.
Not Myrtle, poor Myrtle was long gone. Bilbo didn't know it but Myrtle had been sent with the Company when they had left Rivendell some weeks earlier. Being the gentlest of the ponies, she had the dubious honour of carrying Fíli to Bag End.
As Elrond knew what future was in front of Bilbo, he had provided the hobbit with another pony, a pony of the finest endurance stock that Rohan had to offer. The grey pony was taller than poor Myrtle with a dished face and a sweet nature. Long legs and the same proportions as a full sized horse, gave Bilbo the first sense of security he'd ever felt on a pony. This pony was meant for someone his size to ride for long lengths of time. He decided to name his little mare Dove for she was the same soft grey as the downy feathers of a dove's breast.
Elladan and Elrohir are mounted on tall white elven horses and lightly burdened by their travel gear, the three riders make good time heading west. The Twins plead with Bilbo to show them the trolls and to hear the story of their escape, so Bilbo spins the tale out to take most of the morning, glossing over some of the more painful sections. They reach the destroyed homestead by midmorning on the third day of travel, while Bilbo remembers it taking the Company four full days of hard running to get from the troll-hoard to Rivendell.
They stop for long enough for the Twins to rummage through the remains of the hoard and neither of them are quite sure how but they manage to find the small chest of gold and jewels that Gloín, Nori and Bofur buried as a 'Long Term Deposit'. In addition to this the elves found another cache of elven weapons, bows and swords, even further back in the cave. How they tolerated the stench Bilbo could not understand.
The small chest was tied to the back of Dove's saddle so that it rested on Bilbo's travel roll and could cause no hurt to the mare's delicate loin area. She wasn't keen on the smell of the chest and fidgeted for the rest of the day.
That evening the trio camped near a small spring-fed pool, Bilbo taking advantage of the fresh water. He went to where the water left the pool and in the trickling overflow washed the chest. He laid out a ground cloth used to protect someone from wet surfaces and as he washed each coin or jewel he laid it on the cloth, when all the contents were clean, he dug a larger hole and once it was full of clean fresh water he dropped the small chest into it. It took a half dozen dunking's and a couple of scrubs with wild mint and soap-root before the trunk no longer reeked of Troll stench. Dove still wrinkled her nose when Bilbo tied it to her saddle the next morning and continued to snort and shuffle her feet whenever the wind brought the smell to her head, but she remained calm and responsive to her rider from that point on.
Adar mer na ped na cin.
Father wants to speack to you.
Nec i perian.
Without the Halfling.
Ta nia i norn aran, Mithrandir.
It's about the dwarf king. Mithrandir.
Mithrandir. Ta man na cen cin.
Mithrandir. Its good to see you.