A/N: I can't say thank you enough for the views, follows, and favorites. It truly means a lot. :) So here we go into The Desolation of Smaug. The beginning of this chapter is a bit of a bridge between the two movies but I'm so excited to get to Beorn's! I loved the scenes with him and his house. I also really love the way all his animals are described in the book(Really, I'd love to have a house like that! It was beautiful!). I have tried to work the introduction scene with Beorn from the extended edition of the movie with the version in the book. Please let me know if I fudged it up!
Just4Me: Thank you so much for your kind review! It was a hard chapter to write and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I can only dream that I'm as talented as Tolkien and PJ! Credit is always theirs.
"Come. The way down is over here. If I recall there is a place we can camp at the bottom." Gandalf lead them to the side of the Carrock where stairs had been carved into the stone. It was quite a ways down and the steps were rather large making their descent slow. Rhae relinquished her spot by Thorin's side, letting Dwalin help his injured king down. She was strong but his weight, coupled with her own injuries, was a bit more than she felt she could safely handle. She felt like a small child again as she had to sit on each step and then slide down to the one below. The gash on her arm, which she was beginning to suspect was deeper than originally thought, was stinging and it hurt to put much weight on that side. Fíli was by her side to help her when needed.
It took a few hours but they finally made it to the ground, discovering Gandalf had been correct. Not far from where they stood, in a bend in the river, there was a small cave with a large open space in front of it. Fíli and Kíli didn't even have to be told to find firewood and in no time Gloin had a fire started. Dwalin eased Thorin onto a fallen log and Oin immediately set to work tending to his injuries. The rest of the company had collapsed to the ground exhausted. Bombur searched through the few bags they'd managed to save from Goblin Town, trying to find something to prepare for a meal. Rhae watched for a moment and then turned with her bow in hand, heading away from the camp.
"Where are you going?"
"To find dinner."
"Do not go alone. We don't know what's out there." She pressed her lips together and tried not to roll her eyes. Even severely injured Thorin was still ordering her around.
"I'll go with her." Fíli picked up his swords and was standing next to her before his uncle could argue. She would've preferred Kíli as an extra bow would've been more helpful but she simply nodded before turning and disappearing into the trees. Thorin watched as the two left, a flicker of jealousy flaring in his chest. It was ridiculous, of course, but he didn't like imagining Rhae alone with anyone else, even his own nephew. Especially his nephew. He hissed in pain as Oin began trying to remove his layers of clothing, his mind temporarily diverted.
Rhae and Fíli walked in silence for a while before she chose a spot to sit and wait. She was just too tired to go any further. Hopefully something would present itself for dinner. As she nocked one of her few remaining arrows Fíli noticed the rip in her sleeve and the stiff, darkened material.
"Are you alright?"
Glancing down she shrugged. "I'll live. I'm too numb and tired to feel anything right now. I just want to eat and sleep." He took in her bedraggled state, recalling how she face the orcs, risking her life in an effort to save Thorin's. Her actions spoke volumes.
"Rhaella, what you did up there, rushing at the orcs like that, guarding Thorin. I just want to - "
"Don't, Fíli. Its not necessary. I did what had to be done. Any of you would have done the same for me."
"You saved my uncle's life. I will be forever in your debt."
She turned to him with a tired shake of the head. "You don't owe me anything. How could I not do something?" Fíli was quiet for a moment, arguing with himself about whether he should say what was on the tip of his tongue.
"Rhae, you should tell him how you feel."
"Excuse me?" She blinked in confusion.
"You've kept it hidden well enough but I noticed some time ago." He didn't mention the fact that the only reason he'd noticed was because of his own feelings for her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your feelings for Thorin. You love him." It hurt to say it but he knew it was what needed to be done. Rhae's mouth opened in surprise and she was at a complete loss as to how to respond. Discussing this possibility with Gilraen was one thing, discussing it with Fíli was completely different.
"Fíli - " A sound to their right interrupted her and she quickly aimed, bringing down the deer that had ambled into the clearing. He chose to let the subject lie for the moment while they cleaned the animal, however as they headed back to the company he began again.
"Don't deny it, Rhae. I first noticed it the first time you sparred with my uncle."
"This is not something I care to discuss."
"So don't discuss it with me but you need to talk to Thorin." She pressed her lips together in irritation as she walked. He reached out and touched her arm, forcing her to look at him. "He has had so little happiness in his life, Rhae. He deserves some now that he's found his One." He raised an eyebrow, smirking at the shocked look on her face. "He's as good at hiding his feelings as you are but I can read my uncle very well. He loves you, Rhae."
She just stared at him in amazement, her mind reeling. He couldn't be speaking the truth could he? Memories from their journey so far suddenly flashed before her eyes, all the moments where she'd caught him watching her, their conversations, the kisses in Rivendell, that scene a few hours ago on top of the Carrock. Her heart fluttered in her chest and it was difficult to breathe. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it she turned back to camp.
"Everyone is hungry. We need to get this meat to Bombur." Fíli shook his head at her stubbornness - she certainly matched Thorin in that - and followed the Ranger. He'd seen the realization dawn in her eyes even if she wasn't aware of it. Now it was up to Rhae and Thorin to come to an understanding - and he wished they'd hurry up and be done with it.
Rhae kept her head down until they returned to where the company was resting. She halted abruptly as they stepped from the tree line, Fíli almost knocking her over. Thorin sat not far from her in nothing but his trousers and boots, everything else having been removed so Oin could tend to him. He was horribly bruised, especially around one shoulder, and there were several nasty looking puncture wounds from where the warg's teeth had gripped him. All that couldn't hide the taunt, muscled physique of the dwarf king. Shoulders, arms, and abdomen all honed by years of training, battle, and blacksmithing. Why was her mouth suddenly dry? There was dark chest hair that narrowed into a line that disappeared into the waistband of his trousers; Rhae couldn't keep her eyes from following that line down. She took a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart - and flushed red when she looked up and realized he was watching her. Feeling mortified she averted her eyes, hurrying over to Bombur. Having delivered dinner to their cook she grabbed her pack and headed to the river to wash. She had to get away from those piercing blue eyes and what she'd seen in them.
Thorin raised an eyebrow at Fíli who merely shrugged as he went to join his brother, leaving his uncle to ponder what had just happened. He had seen the way Rhae's eyes had darkened as she'd looked at him, her gaze missing nothing. Heat had coiled in his stomach and quickly swept downward to his loins as he recognized that look; he was sure the same had appeared on his face recently. Thorin couldn't help but feel a bit smug. So the Ranger wasn't as indifferent as she tried to act.
Rhae stripped her clothes and rushed into the river, the coolness a welcome feeling against her flushed, hot skin. She waded out until she was deep enough to sit with her head above the water. Once she felt more in control of herself she grabbed her clothes from the riverbank, quickly scrubbing at them and laid them on a rock to dry. Returning to the water she worked to clean the stench of goblin from her body. Her mind wandered - of course - to Thorin and what Fíli had said. She didn't know what to think, her emotions were all jumbled. Everything seemed to be propelling her towards the King but she was clueless as to why. It was impossible to deny, even to herself, that there was something there, some attraction between the two of them. Again her brain sneered at her and called her a coward. Was she afraid to open herself up as Gilraen had said? She'd never been afraid of anything so why was the thought of loving and being loved in return scaring her? There were just so many unanswered questions. How would a relationship even work between them? Or be accepted? She knew how secretive and distrustful dwarves were of outsiders and she couldn't imagine them easily accepting her. Besides the fact that she was human, she wasn't even anything special within her own race. Yes, there was the blood of Isildur in her veins but she was not royal, not an heir. Thorin was a king. She was a Ranger, a Watcher.
"Bloody hell what a mess," she muttered to herself. Satisfied she no longer smelled of goblin she went to grab her clothes from where they'd been drying, eying them for a moment before slipping them on. They weren't in the best condition, ragged and worn after months on the road. There was the rip in one sleeve from the fight with the orcs, a new cut in the side of her leather jerkin, and the bottom of her cloak was torn and scorched in a few places. Her clothes reflected her bruised and battered body. The injuries from that fall weeks back had healed but many new ones had taken their place. Bruises from the goblins, not to mention from that fall from the cave, covered her arms, chest, legs, and if she could see it, her back. Thankfully most of the scrapes and cuts weren't too bad. The one on her forehead stung and the gash on her arm felt like it was on fire. She'd have to get Oin to patch those up once she got back to camp; she couldn't risk an infection.
Instead of heading back to the others she sat down on the grass, pulling her knees to her chest. Taking a deep breath to relax she allowed her thoughts to wander at will. The first time she saw Thorin came to mind. That moment at the Prancing Pony in Bree seemed a lifetime ago. She'd watched the company come in, take their seats at the table and get their meal, and she recalled how even then her eyes had been drawn to the dwarf king. His heavy fur lined coat, the dark blue of his tunic, that mane of dark hair streaked with silver, it all set him apart from his companions. He had such a presence about him that was just magnetic - besides the fact that he was undeniably handsome. The fact she'd thought that even then was perplexing to her. Dwarves didn't have a reputation for being the most attractive beings in Middle Earth but Aulë had apparently blessed these three sons of Durin. The company had sat there, talking and laughing amongst themselves, though Thorin had remained rather quiet. She realized now that he had been keeping an eye on the other patrons in the inn; she could only imagine how infuriating the comments that had been hurled at the dwarfs were to him. Then there was that scene at the bar. She'd seen how he had struggled to keep his temper in the face of blatant bias and the desire to help had been too strong to resist. And he'd turned around, giving her that first glimpse of those mesmerizing blue eyes. His emotions always showed in those icy blue depths. There had been the understandable anger and irritation but there had also been hurt. Rhae only now considered how years of similar treatment would affect someone who had been raised as royalty, how humiliating it would feel. His gruff, aloof exterior made perfect sense when looked at from that perspective; it was a way to protect himself.
She'd been wrong about Thorin. Everything she'd thought about him had only been her way of dealing with her father's death; she'd clutched at the one thing she thought she could blame for that loss. She'd been just as prejudiced as she'd accused the dwarf of being. Rhae sighed. Perhaps she had more in common with Thorin than she thought - she certainly didn't like realizing she'd been wrong about something. Knowing she'd been absent for long enough she made her way back to the company. Bombur had finished their meal and she gratefully accepted the bowl he handed her, taking a seat next to Bifur, who looked at her with a knowing smile. She sat in silence, listening to Gandalf discuss their next move with Thorin and Balin. They'd been given a head start but all knew Azog would not be far behind. They decided it would be best to rest for the night and then continue tomorrow. Everyone was exhausted and Thorin needed more time to recover from his injuries. There was almost an audible sigh of relief from the company. Most of them headed to the river.
"You come over here with me, lassie," Oin said as she picked up her whetstone to begin giving her blades a much needed cleaning. "Those cuts need tending to more than your sword." She complied with a chuckle. With all the company besides the healer and Gandalf washing up she removed her jerkin and tunic without a thought.
"How did you get these?" he asked as he examined the cut on her forehead and the one on her arm.
"I think the one on my head is from something the goblins hit me with. One of the orc axes caught me on the arm."
"You're lucky they don't appear infected. No telling what filth was on that blade. I'm afraid this one is going to need a few stitches, though."
"Great. It'll match the ones you had to put on the gash over my ear."
"You have an odd sense of humor, lass."
The night of rest saw everyone in better spirits the next day. Gandalf had Rhae with him at the front of the line as they headed out of the foothills. It had been several years since she'd last been through this part of Middle Earth so her memory of the pathways wasn't perfect but she knew it would take them some time to reach the flat grasslands below. They also had very few supplies. She and Kíli only had a handful of arrows left between them which would make finding game difficult. There was also the fact that they still had Mirkwood between them and the Lonely Mountain. Towards the end of the day she became aware of a familiar scent on the breeze. The orcs were closer than they'd expected. Thorin agreed that it would be better to keep moving rather than stop that night; they needed to keep distance between them and their pursuers. As dawn approached Gandalf sent Bilbo to scout a bit behind them to see how close the orcs had gotten. Rhae went a ways back up the path with him and then waited. After a while she heard his footfalls scampering back down the rocks and then he raced past her.
"Bilbo?"
"We need to go!" he panted as he hurried back to the company.
Dwalin pounced as soon as the hobbit and Ranger reappeared. "How close is the pack?"
"Too close. A couple leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it."
"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked again.
"Not yet but they will. We have another problem."
Gandalf stepped closer. "Did they see you? They saw you!"
"No, that's not it."
"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material," the wizard said with a somewhat smug smile. Rhae could see the frustration on Bilbo's face as he tried to get the group to listen to him.
"Just let him speak," she said sternly.
Bilbo sent her a grateful smile. "I'm trying to tell you that there's something else out there!" His words silenced the dwarves and Gandalf looked at him thoughtfully.
"What form did it take? Like a bear?"
"Yes, but bigger, much bigger," Bilbo confirmed with a curious glance at Gandalf.
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked the wizard, who turned and walked a few steps away with a worried expression. "I say we double back."
Thorin shook his head. "And be run down by a pack of orcs."
Gandalf turned back to the group. "There is a house, its not far from here, where we might take refuge."
"Who's house? Are they friend or foe?"
"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us," the wizard told Thorin.
"What choice do we have?"
A loud roar echoed behind them.
"None," Rhae said and ran down the path, leaving the company to follow.
She lead them through the forest, dodging rocks and leaping over fallen trees. The sound of warg howls was much closer and Rhae began to think luck had run out on them. There was an ear-splitting roar much closer, causing the dwarves to panic, sending them racing towards the edge of the trees. As they finally broke free of the forest they could see a building surrounded by a large protective hedge in the middle of the plain in front of them.
"To the house! Run!" Gandalf yelled. They sprinted across the open land in front of them, the sound of orcs, wargs, and whatever else was pursuing them crashing closer and closer behind them. Rhae looked up in amused surprise as Bombur suddenly raced past the entire group, barreling through the open gate in the hedge.
"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf urged the rest of the company through the opening, keeping an eye on the tree line. The dwarves threw themselves against the door of the house but it wouldn't budge. They kept piling up, hindering their attempts to get in. There was another loud roar and Gandalf turned to see a massive bear burst through the edge of the trees and charge towards them.
"Open the door!" he yelled. Rhae could see the bolt they needed to lift but she couldn't push her way past the crush of dwarves.
"Quickly!" Thorin hollered, pushing his way through, yanking a few dwarves out of his way. He managed to raise the bolt keeping the door shut and the company tumbled in. They tried to close it behind them but the bear had reached them and shoved his huge snout between the door and the frame, roaring at them.
"Come on, lads!" Dwalin yelled as they strained against the wood. Rhae threw herself against it as well, ignoring the pain that shot through her shoulder, and dug her heels into the ground. Catching the apparent amusement on Gandalf's face she knew now who they were dealing with and had no desire to face him in his present form. With a final shove they were able to slam the door shut and dropped the bolt across it. They all stepped back, sagging with exhaustion and fear. The Ranger turned and faced the wizard with her hands on her hips.
"What is that?" Poor Ori was trembling so hard he could hardly stand.
"That is our host," Gandalf said simply. Bilbo and the dwarves looked at him in astonishment. "His name is Beorn and he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with. However he's not over fond of dwarves." Rhae snorted at the understatement.
"He's leaving!" Ori said as he peered through a crack in the door.
Dori pulled him away. "Come away from there! Its not natural, none of it is. Its obvious he's under some dark spell."
"Don't be a fool. He's under no enchantment but his own," Gandalf said pulling out his pipe. "Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." The dwarves began separating through out the house to find a spot to lay so Rhae was the only one close enough to hear the wizard's whispered 'I hope." She frowned at him but was too exhausted to really worry about it. Grabbing a blanket from her pack she collapsed in relief into a pile of soft hay. A few hours rest would clear her mind.
Thorin observed silently as his company bedded down for the night. The house seemed secure enough and he figured he could trust the wizard but he still decided to sit up for a while. He watched Rhae as she made herself comfortable in the hay, her cloak under her head as a pillow. He hadn't had a chance to speak to her as he wished. When she'd returned from the river the other day she'd sat apart from him while they ate and then when he'd returned from his own wash up Oin had her cornered, cleaning and stitching her wounds. They had been on the move since, the last couple of hours in a race for their lives. If Gandalf was correct and they could reason with their mysterious host, Thorin hoped they'd be able to rest here for at least a few days. That would give them time to heal, obtain more supplies, and he would finally be able to speak to Rhae. He wasn't going to let anything put him off again. Once there was nothing but the sound of snoring filling the hall, he took his own blanket and laid down within arms reach of the Ranger, enjoying the opportunity to just look at her. She seemed so young and peaceful as she lay there, the stress and tension removed from her face in sleep. He ached to reach out and pull her to him, to tuck her head under his chin and wrap his arm around her waist while they slept. He crossed his arms across his own chest to keep from acting on his desires and stared at the ceiling until sleep finally took him.
The morning dawned bright and Rhae opened her eyes to see a sheep staring at her. She sat up and looked at it with an amused smile. It was almost as if the creature was trying to tell her something.
"Oh, Rhae, good. You're awake. It is time for us to make our introductions to our host." She noticed that the dwarves were already up, though a few were still yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes. Gandalf's words caused them all to stop what they were doing and turn to him. He glanced around to make sure he had everyone's attention.
"You must all be very polite when I introduce you. I shall bring you out slowly, two by two I think; and you must be careful not to annoy him, or heaven knows what will happen. He can be appalling when he is angry, though he is kind enough if humored. Still I warn you he gets angry easily." The dwarves grumbled a bit but didn't argue. "I believe, yes, I shall take Bilbo and Rhaella with me first. They are the least likely to give offense. Then the rest of you wait for my signal but remember, only come in pairs. Except you Bombur, you come alone."
The two followed the wizard out the door and around to the back of the house. It wasn't until they were in sight of their host that Rhae realized Gandalf hadn't told the others what signal they were supposed to be looking for. She didn't have time to mention that fact to the wizard as they were then before a huge man with thick hair and beard and great bare arms knotted with muscle. He was chopping wood with the largest axe Rhae had ever seen in her life. It seemed Gandalf was a bit nervous as he attempted to get Beorn's attention. It took a few tries but eventually Beorn turned to them, his eyebrows together in a frown.
"Who are you?" His gruff voice held the accent of the North lands and he towered over even the wizard. Poor Bilbo wanted to hide.
"I am Gandalf."
"Never heard of him." He stooped down to see the hobbit. "And what's this little fellow?"
"That is Mr. Baggins, a hobbit of good family and unimpeachable reputation," Gandalf explained and Bilbo gave a bow. Beorn said nothing and then his eyes turned to Rhae.
"You are familiar."
She bowed her head before speaking. "It has been many years since I last traveled this way but I am Rhaella, a Dunedain and Ranger of the North." He eyed her for a moment and then nodded slightly.
"Yes, it is clear you have the blood of Isildur in your veins. Welcome to my home." She bowed her head again but stayed silent as Gandalf spoke up again.
"I am a wizard and have heard of you, if you have not heard of me; but perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?"
"Yes, not a bad fellow as wizards go, I believe. I used to see him now and again. Well, now I know who you are, or who you say you are. What do you want?"
"First, to thank you for your hospitality. You may have noticed that we took refuge in your lodgings last night. Also, we have lost our luggage and nearly lost our way, and are rather in need of help, or at least of advice. I may say we have had a rather bad time with goblins in the mountains."
"Goblins? So you've been having trouble with them have you? What did you go near them for?"
"We did not mean to. They surprised us at night in a pass which we had to cross; we were coming out of the Lands over West into these countries. It is a long tale."
"Then you had better tell me some of it, if it won't take all day."
"I was coming over the mountains with a friend or two or three..." Gandalf began.
"Or three? I can only see these two."
"Well to tell you the truth, I did not like to bother you with a lot of us until I found out if you were busy. I will give a call, if I may."
"Go on, call away!" Rhae knew Beorn was watching them carefully as he leaned on his axe. Gandalf whistled in the direction of where the dwarves were waiting and Dwalin and Balin appeared, bowing low when they reached the skin-changer.
"Dwarves," Beorn growled suspiciously. "What are you up to?"
"They are on their way to visit the land of their fathers, away east beyond Mirkwood," put in Gandalf, "and it is entirely an accident that we are in your lands at all. We were crossing by the High Pass that should have brought us to the road that lies to the south of your country, when we were attacked by the evil goblins, as I was about to tell you."
"Go on telling then!" The Fundin brothers winced slightly at Beorn's tone.
"There was a terrible storm; the stone-giants were out hurling rocks, and at the head of the pass we took refuge in a cave, the hobbit, ranger, and I and several of our companions..."
"Do you call two several?"
"Well, no. As a matter of fact there were more than two."
"Where are they? Killed, eaten, gone home?"
"Well, no. They don't seem to have come when I signaled. Shy, I expect. You see, we are very much afraid that we are rather a lot for you to entertain."
"Go on, whistle again! I am in for a party, it seems, and one or two more won't make much difference." Nori and Ori were upon them almost before Gandalf was finished whistling. "Hullo! You came pretty quick - where were you hiding? Come on my jack-in-the-boxes."
"Nori at your service, Ori at ..." they began but Beorn interrupted them.
"Thank you. When I want your help I will ask for it. Let's get on with this tale."
"As soon as we were asleep," Gandalf continued, "The hobbit, Ranger, and our troop of dwarves were captured..."
"Troop? Do you always call four a troop?"
"Oh no! There were more of them and here is another one now!" Gandalf hadn't even whistled this time and Dori was making his bow in front of Beorn.
"Troop was right and a fine comic one. Now go on again!"
"Where was I? Oh yes, I was not captured. I slipped in another way, killing a goblin or two with a flash -"
"Good!" Beorn growled happily. "It is some good being a wizard, then."
" - and followed the tunnels until I found where the Great Goblin, surrounded by countless guards, had the whole lot of them trapped. I thought to myself what can a bunch of dwarves, a hobbit, and a Ranger do against so many?"
"A bunch? Have you got some more jacks that haven't yet come out?"
"Well, yes, here are a couple more now - Fíli and Kíli." The two princes bowed.
"That's enough! Now go on, Gandalf!"
So the wizard continued his tale, the race through the goblin tunnels, killing the Great Goblin, their fall on the shattered bridge, their escape and the discovery that Bilbo was missing. "We counted ourselves and found that there was no hobbit. There were only fifteen of us left!"
"Fifteen! That's the first time I've heard one from ten leave fifteen. You mean nine, or else you haven't told me yet all the names of your party."
"Well, of course you haven't seen Oin and Gloin yet. And bless me! Here they are. I hope you will forgive them for bothering you."
"O let 'em all come. Hurry up! Come along you two. But look here, Gandalf, even now we have only got yourself, nine dwarves, a hobbit, and a Ranger that was lost. That only makes a dozen, not fifteen, unless wizards count differently to other people. But now, please get on with the tale." Rhae could tell Beorn was, by now, very interested in the tale Gandalf was telling, though he tried not to show it. He nodded and growled some as he heard how Bilbo reappeared and then they were chased and treed by the wargs and orcs. When Gandalf got to that part of their tale he muttered: "I wish I had been there! I would have given them more than fire!"
"Well, I did the best I could. There we were, wargs underneath, the forest beginning to blaze, and orcs watching the sixteen of us up in the trees with no escape."
"Good heavens! How did a dozen turn into sixteen?"
"Well, Bifur and Bofur were with us as well. I haven't ventured to introduce them before but here they are."
The two came in followed closely by Bombur. "And me!" the rotund dwarf puffed.
"Well now there are fifteen of you but that still doesn't equal sixteen, unless you can't count, Gandalf. Perhaps we can finish this story now." Rhae had to smile as she saw how clever the wizard had been. The continuous interruptions had really made Beorn more interested in the story and kept him from sending them all away. He was not one to invite strangers into his home and now he was conversing with a group of fifteen! Before Gandalf could continue Beorn's attention was caught by something behind them, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully, and she turned to see that Thorin had emerged from the house. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight; would she ever be unaffected by him? He bowed respectfully at the huge man before him and Gandalf hurried to finish his story, relating the fight with the orcs, the eagles' rescue, and their trek down from the Carrock.
"A very good tale!" Beorn said with a chuckle. "The best I have heard for a long while. If all beggars could tell such a good one they might find me kinder. You may be making it all up, and of course I will find out, but you deserve a meal for the story all the same."
Rhae released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. They were safe.
After a lengthy conversation with only Gandalf, Beorn lead them all back inside where they found his animals had prepared breakfast and were setting it out on the large table. They couldn't help but stare as dogs walked upright on their hind legs and sheep carried in platters of food on their backs. There were even a couple animals that added logs to the fire. The company took seats on the benches, looking even smaller than usual on the large furniture, as Beorn began to pour milk from a pitcher into their cups. Rhae wasn't able to quite stifle her chuckle when Fíli raised his to drink and it was bigger than his head. He winked at her over the rim.
"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"
"You know of Azog? How?" Thorin asked, surprised.
"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the orcs came down from the North. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." Rhae noticed that Bilbo was staring at the rusty manacle on Beorn's wrist and poked him in the side to keep him from saying anything. The hobbit rubbed at his ribs, scowling a bit at her. She put a finger to her lips. "Not for work, you understand but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."
"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked quickly, glancing at Rhae to make sure she wasn't going to poke him again.
"Once there were many."
"And now?" the Halfling persisted.
"Now there is only one." The company sat in silence for what was there to say to that? After a moment Beorn continued.
"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?"
"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf answered.
"You are running out of time."
"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."
Beorn looked hard at the wizard. "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need." Rhae's brow creased at the skin-changer's mention of Dol Guldur. The news of a Necromancer and an alliance with orcs boded ill.
"We will take the elven road. That path is still safe."
"Safe?" Beorn almost snorted at the wizard. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."
Thorin straightened from where he'd been leaning against a post. "What do you mean?"
"These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Thorin looked shocked and Beorn stood from his seat and fully faced the dwarf.
"I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." They watched as the huge man gently picked up a mouse and held it carefully, approaching where Thorin was standing with his arms across his chest. Rhae could feel the tension around the table. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"
Revised/Edited April 2016