Here it is folks, the first chapter of LOTR events! I do hope you all enjoy this long chapter. I am using the extended editions of the LOTR movie series. So things might seem a bit different from the theatrical version.
A big thank you to firefoxxe for keeping me on task with getting these chapters written, edited, and put up.
A warm thank you to: firefoxxe; D.P. Taylor; Angel897; Tibblets; and Aranel Mereneth for their support of this story.
A big hug to all you reviewers, readers, and followers.
You all give me the strength that I need to see this through to the end. Every single one of you have become part of my family. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or LOTR.
Shire...
The rolling green hills of the Shire are bright in the mid-morning sunlight. The hobbits who live in these hills are working their fields, selling their fares, and spending time talking with their neighbors. However, in Hobbiton there is a flurry of excitement over a certain hobbits' 111th birthday. And this particular hobbit lives in the most sought after homes in the Shire, Bag End.
Inside of Bag End, Bilbo Baggins is seated at his desk writing away in a large, red journal. The quill scribbles words on the parchment of a certain adventure he had once partook in. He is so lost in his writing that he doesn't hear a knock at his door. It isn't until a set of three, very loud knocks echo from the door that pulls Bilbo out of his fevered writing.
"Frodo! See to the door!" Bilbo shouts from his study. He truly doesn't want to be disturbed from his writing.
Frodo Baggins, cousin of Bilbo, walks out of the kitchen with an apple in his hand. As he takes bite from his apple, Frodo hears another set of three knocks which sound more like pounding at this point.
"Answer the door will you." Bilbo shouts again to Frodo.
Frodo walks towards the door to see who is pounding on the door. He knows that Bilbo doesn't want any more well-wishers or distant relations visiting this morning. So Frodo has found himself being the one to answer the door on Bilbo's behalf. As he opens the door, a mass of bodies falls through the door frame.
"Get off of me."
"Your feet are in my spine."
"I am being squished down here!"
Frodo starts to laugh at the sight of thirteen young dwarves laying on top of each other. He recognizes a few of them, but the others are new to him. However, his attention is pulled away from the dwarf pile when a certain voice calls out his name.
"Frodo Boggins!" Kili shouts as he side steps past the mass of bodies in the door way. "You have grown up! Is your Uncle around?" Kili looks around as he wanders further into Bilbo's home.
"Is that Kili of Erebor I hear?" Bilbo's voice calls out from the study. Making sure not to spill any ink on the half written on parchment, Bilbo stops his writing and places the quill into the ink jar.
"Where are you burglar?" Kili calls out in jest as he moves to where Bilbo's mother's glory box used to sit.
As the young group of dwarves slowly untangle themselves from each other, the sound of fast approaching footsteps causes them all to stand up in a hurry.
"Oh good gracious." Bilbo says as he comes out from around a corner. He looks carefully at each young dwarf and finds his eyes drawn to the two dark haired and blue eyed ones. "What are all these dwarves doing in my house?"
"Did you forget, Master Burglar, that you invited us here?" A baritone voice calls out from behind the group of young dwarves. They make an opening which reveals a dark silver-haired dwarf, with a women in her late 30s on his arm, standing just outside of the door.
"Thorin?" Bilbo says in astonishment. "Thorin Oakenshield." Bilbo scurries towards the old dwarf till he is able to pull the dwarf into a hug. "It has been too long, my friend."
"Happy Birthday, Bilbo." Inara says from beside Thorin with a smile upon her face.
Releasing Thorin, Bilbo then pulls Inara into a hug. "Inara. I didn't know when to be expecting you all to arrive. Come in. Come in." Bilbo lets go of Inara and quickly takes hold of her free hand to pull her into his home. The rest of the traveling group enters Bag End, though Tauriel has to lean forwards a bit so that she can fit inside. Bilbo and Frodo see to the taking care of their guests traveling cloaks before speaking again.
"I apologize for us taking over your home, Bilbo." Inara says as she looks in admiration of Bilbo's home.
"It is no problem at all. Though I think I may need you to remind me who is who. It has been such a long time since I saw you lot in Erebor." Bilbo says to Inara as he hands Frodo the last of the cloaks.
"Introduce yourselves to our host." Thorin says in a commanding voice from next to Inara.
"Frerin." One of the dark haired, blue eyed twins says. His body size and shape look similar to Thorin's. His dark hair is braided on the sides to show him to be a member of the royal family and that he is Fili's heir, which is shown by his third braid. His traveling clothes are a dark blue in color and in a similar style that Thorin wore on the quest for Erebor.
"And Durin." The other of the dark haired, blue eyed twin says. He is slightly slimmer than his twin, and half an inch taller. His hair is also braided on the sides that show that he of the royal family. After that, he doesn't have the third braid that Frerin does. His traveling clothes look similar to Frerin's but are done in a dark gray color instead.
"At your service." Both twins say as they bow at the same time.
Bilbo lets out a laugh before looking over to where Kili is standing. "You and Fili must have taught them that."
Kili doesn't respond verbally to Bilbo's observation, but he does give Bilbo a wink in agreement with the statement. He crosses his arms which makes him look exactly like how he did almost 60 years ago, but with a little more hair on his jawline and chin.
The next one to approach Bilbo is a young female dwarf with deep gray eyes. "Rìka. At your service." Her voice is sounds similar to what Inara's does. Her mid-back length, medium brown hair is pulled back into a half ponytail at the back of her head. Two thin braids, that start just above her ears, flows down to just above her green traveling corset.
Bilbo gives Rìka a smile before taking her hand and placing a kiss against the knuckles. "Princess. I remember when you were just a small toddler seated upon your father's knee. You have grown into a beauty. Like your mother."
"Ahem."
Bilbo looks past Rìka to see a taller, slimmer man who is just taller than Inara's 5ft 5in. His loose hair is dark brown, and his eyes are as dark as his mother's. Underneath his burgundy traveling shirt, you can see every bump of muscle on his thin arms.
"Vân. At your service." The lad says giving Bilbo a bit of a scowl at the attentions that the hobbit was giving his older namad. However, with some of his long bangs sitting at eye length, his scowl looks more like a look one would have during indigestion.
"Maiti." The red haired lass, who is holding onto Vân's arm, says before giving a quick curtsy. "At your service."
Bilbo looks towards Inara and Thorin with an expression that clearly wants to know why the dwarf lass is holding onto her brother. And possibly just how Inara and Thorin had a strawberry red-haired child together.
Inara leans towards Bilbo's ear and whispers, "I will explain later."
"Ah." Bilbo whispers back to her, knowing that she will explain things much clearer than Thorin will. "It is a pleasure to meet the children of Thorin Oakenshield and Inara. You are welcome in my home." Bilbo gives the children a quick bow. "Who are the others?"
"Some of those are mine." Kili says proudly to Bilbo.
"Kili!" Tauriel gives Kili a scowl before a small grin appears on her face. "Go ahead and introduce yourselves."
"Kelda." The taller of the auburn haired females says. Her russet auburn hair is pulled back by many braids, before coming together at the back of her head with the rest of it falling down to her waist. Her brown eyes look down at Bilbo with curiosity. The traveling clothes she is wearing are of a green color with brown pants, which almost make her look like Tauriel's double.
"Toril." The shorter of the red haired females says while coming to stand next to her older sister. She is the shorter of the two girls, and has the body size of a true dwarrowdam. Her dark auburn hair is all pulled into a long, thick braid. She is wearing dark colored traveling clothes.
"Kilian" The brown haired boy says with a grin to match the one that is on Kili's face. He looks like a duplicate of his father all the way. This also includes his traveling clothes as well. The only thing of Tauriel's that Kilian has inherited is her freckles.
"And Elleon." The red-brown haired, taller boy says. Elleon is also having trouble standing upright in Bilbo's home. He has inherited more elf than dwarf; however, he has inherited the blue eyes from his father's line. His traveling clothes, a blue color, goes well with the bright blue eyes.
"At your service." All four of them say with matching smirks and quick bows.
"Of course." Bilbo says as he gives Kili a quick smile before addressing the rest. "And the others?"
"Fili couldn't come, but his children did. The oldest is Balder." Thorin says as he motions for Balder to step forward. "Freya. And then Solen." Both Freya and Solen step forward as Thorin motions them forward when he calls their name. Each of them have on traveling clothes of the same style and shades of brown.
"Tha' would leave our brood next." Bofur says as he and Aliena step towards Bilbo. Both have been waiting for their turn to speak with Bilbo since arriving.
"Hello Bilbo." Aliena says as she pulls the hobbit into a hug. Her light silver-colored hair is pulled back into a low bun at the base of her neck. She is wearing traveling clothes that are, in fact, old clothes that she works in while at Bifur's shop back in Erebor.
"Aliena. You have gotten old my dear." Bilbo says as he places a quick kiss to her cheek. "But you are still as beautiful as ever."
"Yes. Many in the mountain are a bit astounded when they realize that I look older than my mother. But I am only as old as I feel." Aliena says as she releases Bilbo from her hug. "Let me introduce my children. Tanis. Raina. And Bo." As Aliena names each of her children, they step forward.
"It is lovely to meet you all. Again for some of you." Bilbo says with a large smile on his face as he looks at everyone. "I am so pleased you all have come."
"Why don't all of you go explore Hobbiton for a while? I am sure that some of you haven't gotten our host anything for his birthday." Inara says to the group. She doesn't want the restlessness of her children to damage Bilbo's home any more than it will be tomorrow morning.
"A splendid idea." Tauriel says as she too knows why Inara suggested the idea.
With Tauriel, Kili, Bofur, Aliena, and the children leaving Bag End to explore, this gives Inara and Thorin time to discuss a few things with Bilbo. However, they don't want to bring it up with Frodo still around. But luck is on their side when the young hobbit speaks.
"Well I am off to the West Farthing Woods to meet up with Gandalf." Frodo says after the others had left.
"Before you do that," Bilbo says to Frodo before handing the lad a paper sign. "Place that on the gate."
Once Frodo leaves Bag End, Bilbo walks over into a sitting room to retrieve two pouches of pipeweed for himself and Thorin. "Perhaps we should enjoy a nice smoke in my garden, Thorin?"
"Lead the way, Bilbo." Thorin says before walking over to his pack, in search of his pipe. Unlike the rest of the group, Thorin had the sense to remove his saddle bags from his and Inara's ponies. He didn't want any of their things to be taken, though stealing is rarely happens in the Shire.
"A little fresh air couldn't hurt." Inara gives Thorin a scowl before walking out of the circular door. She isn't one for the strong odor that the pipeweed gives off.
"What was that about?" Bilbo asks Thorin as he hands the retired king a packet of Shire pipeweed.
"Inara doesn't approve of smoking." Thorin answers as the two old friends make their way outside. "She thinks that it will cause a black tar to fill my lungs."
"She never seemed bothered by it on the quest." Bilbo says as he leads Thorin over towards a bench in the garden. The two of them sit down, and Bilbo hands a packet of pipeweed to Thorin.
"Outside is one thing. Inside is another." Thorin chuckles to Bilbo while lighting his pipe. "Many times have we argued over my smoking in our chambers."
"And who won?" Bilbo asks as he puffs away on his now lit pipe.
Thorin gives Bilbo a pointed look before answering his friend. "Who do you think?"
Bilbo and Thorin chuckle together as they smoke their pipes. Neither one noticing that Inara is lying in the grass under the large oak tree that sits above Bilbo's hobbit hole. She smiles at their making fun of her. Taking a deep breath, Inara allows the air of the Shire to fill her lungs. The air in the Shire reminds her of her grandparent's farm back in her old world. The scent of freshly tilled earth with a hint of water is what Inara remembers most from the old family farm.
"Do you still plan on leaving, Master Baggins?" Inara hears Thorin ask just before her world goes into the realm of sleep.
"I do. I am not the same hobbit I once was, Thorin. Ever since traveling with you to Erebor, I have found myself seeking out more adventures. This trip to Rivendell will be my last, I think." Bilbo replies. "Tonight will be when I make my getaway from the Shire."
"We will see you safely to Rivendell, Bilbo." Thorin tells his friend. "Young Kelda is still training as a healer under Elrond's guidance. So we will be leaving her there while we will be heading back to Erebor."
The mid-morning passes into early afternoon as Thorin and Bilbo smoke their pipes and discuss the past with each other. Neither male notices that Inara has fallen asleep under the shade of the oak tree. With the pipeweed just about gone, Bilbo decides to head back inside.
"Well I have some business to attend to inside." Bilbo says as he gets up from the bench. Looking up towards the large oak Bilbo gets a smile on his face. "I believe your queen is asleep up on my roof."
Thorin lets out a small chuckle before rising up from the bench to look at where Bilbo is staring. He can see the relaxed pose that Inara is lying in. The ankles of her soft brown boots are crossed. Her wide legged, brown pants blow in the breeze as does the cream colored, buttoned down blouse.
"Looks like your sleeping beauty needs a kiss to awaken." Bilbo tells Thorin with a laugh before heading inside.
Thorin shakes his head lightly and lets out a sigh. Carefully, Thorin climbs up to where Inara is laying. Moving gently, so he doesn't disturb her, Thorin moves to lay down next to her. He watches as her chest rises and falls gently in sleep, along with the necklace that both Thorin and Radagast had newly fashioned for her quartz protection stone almost a year ago. However, a small part of a red mark can be seen along the lace edging of the v-neckline, just below her collarbone. A grin appears on Thorin's face as he remembers putting that mark there in the early hours of the morning.
Thorin is pulled from his memory as the sound of a cart approaching cause him to become alert. Sitting up, he sees that it is none other than the grey wizard. He watches as the wizard climbs down from his cart and enters past the gate.
"Gandalf." Thorin says loud enough to catch his attention.
Looking up towards where the familiar voice came from, Gandalf gives the old king a gentle smile. "Thorin Oakenshield. I wondered if Bilbo had invited you to his party."
"He did. We are to be his escort to Rivendell when he leaves."
"I see." Gandalf says before noticing the sleeping woman next to Thorin. "I am surprised to see that Inara is here. Was Radagast able to make her another protection stone?"
"The brown wizard did almost a year ago. And she only keeps the title of Queen so that the council doesn't try to marry Fili off to any female. He has made it clear that he shall not marry again, and Inara doesn't wish to see Fili being forced to do so against his will."
"She has a very large heart. However, I fear, that in these dark times, it has placed a target upon her." Gandalf says, giving Thorin a knowing look.
"What do you know wizard?" Thorin asks with worry in his voice. He knows that Inara has always been targeted by the growing darkness that has begun to spread. That is one of the reasons why Gandalf, Radagast, Thorin, and Inara agreed to her wearing a stone that has magical protection upon it.
"Only that Mordor has some interest in her, Thorin." Gandalf tosses a rolled up cloth to Thorin. "I was given that by one of the Rohirrim. It is written in black speech and states that the Queen of Erebor is to be captured at any cost. It goes on to say that she is to be brought to Mordor, alive. You and I both know that Inara has knowledge that would give Sauron an edge to anything that the people of Middle Earth could summon. She must be protected, at all costs."
"Agreed." Thorin says as he unrolls the cloth to see for himself what is written upon it.
Seeing that Thorin is looking at the cloth, Gandalf takes this time to use his staff and knocks upon Bilbo's door. There will be time, later, for him to discuss things with the former King Under the Mountain.
"Thorin?" Bilbo's voice comes from behind the door.
"How about another old friend." Gandalf calls out loudly.
A creaking of a door opening pulls Thorin's attention away from the cloth. He hears Bilbo greet Gandalf and is about to get up from the ground when a hand reaches out to take hold of his wrist. Looking towards the owner of the hand, Thorin sees that Inara is awake and looking directly at the piece of cloth that he is holding.
"What is it?" Inara asks as she sits up. Her dark hair is mussed from it laying on the ground.
"Gandalf has arrived." Thorin softly tells her before leaning in to place a kiss to her cheek, then her lips.
"In your hand." Inara whispers against Thorin's lips just before he silences her with a kiss. She allows him to deepen their kiss, and soon finds herself being pressed back down against the grass.
"No doing that up there!" Bilbo calls out to the two. "If you're going to be doing that do it inside. You don't want to become disturbers of the peace. Nor do I want to have to answer for you actions."
Both Thorin and Inara chuckle at Bilbo's ramblings before sitting up. Quickly stashing the cloth into his shirt pocket, Thorin moves to stand up before Inara so that he may help her up. However, what he doesn't count on is one of his knees giving way.
"Thorin." Inara says as she moves to catch him in her kneeling position.
"I am alright." Thorin growls out as he steadies himself upright again. "It is nothing."
"Your knee gave way again. Didn't it?" Inara asks worriedly as she finishes rising up from the ground. "Should I have Bilbo heat up some water for you to soak that knee?"
"No. I have been lax on moving it while riding in the saddle. Perhaps I shall take a stroll through the markets to find our family." Thorin says to Inara. Taking one of her hands in his, he brings it up to his lips and places a kiss upon the knuckles. "Why don't you go ahead and unpack our things? That way we won't be having to do so during the festivities."
Inara smiles and leans in to give Thorin a quick kiss. "Alright. But promise me that you will soak that knee before the party."
"On my honor." Thorin replies.
Both of them carefully climb down from the roof of Bag End. After another stolen kiss, Thorin heads out in search of the others while Inara begins removing the saddle bags from the ponies.
As Inara removes on of Kili's saddle bags, she notices an older female hobbit making her way towards Bilbo's door. Not sure if this is one of Bilbo's relations, Inara decides to make herself seen by stepping away from the pony with the saddle bag in hand.
The female hobbit stops in her tracks when she sees Inara. She looks at the queen of Erebor with a calculated stare before speaking.
"Who are you?" The hobbit asks.
"I am an old friend of Bilbo Baggins'. And who might you be?" Inara asks as she moves to place the saddle bag next to the green door.
"That is none of your business."
"Well," Inara begins to say as she makes her way back towards the ponies. "if you mean no harm to Bilbo then you don't have to tell me who you are. But if you are here to cause him grief, I am going to warn you now that I will protect Bilbo through any means necessary." Inara warns the hobbit while removing her the saddle bags off of each of her children's ponies.
The female hobbit lets out a huff before moving towards the door. She pounds on it and calls out to the occupant inside.
"Bilbo! Bilbo Baggins! I know you're in there."
Inara chuckles as she watches the female hobbit pound away at the door. 'Silly woman doesn't realize that he wants to be left alone.' She thinks to herself as she keeps removing saddle bags from the ponies and placing the bags near the door.
Once the hobbit realizes that no one is going to answer the door, she lets out a dramatic sigh before giving Inara a scowl. Turning her back to Inara, and to the green door, the hobbit leaves in frustration.
Completed with her task of unsaddling the ponies, Inara knocks on the door gently. "She is gone Bilbo. Let me in, please."
The green door opens up to reveal a tired, weary Bilbo. "Would you like some help with the bags, Inara?"
"If you would be so kind." Inara says giving the hobbit a large smile.
"You and Thorin will have the third room. Frodo stays in the second one, so perhaps Frerin, Durin, and Balder won't mind sharing with him. The others can stay in the living room or where ever else they wish to sleep. Will they be needing any bedding for the night?" Bilbo asks as he hurriedly helps Inara bring in all the bags.
"Well, I think Kili and Tauriel were planning on sleeping under the stars tonight. So they will most likely be sleeping on your roof. As for the others, I don't know what they are planning." Inara says as she sorts through the bags to find hers.
"Let me help you with some of those, my dear." Gandalf says as he comes into the entry way to help with the saddle bags.
"Thank you, Gandalf." Inara says as she finds her bag. Lifting it up onto her shoulders, Inara makes her way to pick up Thorin's bag from where he left it before Bilbo shows her the way to the bedroom.
Shire markets...
Kili is leaning up against a tree trunk as he watches the children make their way around the market stalls. At first the hobbits were shy and untrusting of the new comers, but once they mentioned how they knew Bilbo, they were welcomed like honored guests. Letting out a chuckle, Kili watches as his older son makes friends with two blond-haired hobbit lads over a tankard of cider.
"You best watch out for them lads. If your boy isn't careful, he will be causing trouble with them." An older male hobbit with dark blonde hair says as he walks past Kili.
"No. Those two best watch out for him." Kili whispers to himself with a smile on his face.
"Kili." A baritone voice calls out from a short distance.
Knowing whose voice it is, Kili turns to see Thorin coming towards him. Kili notices that his uncle has a slight limp in his stride. 'His old war wound is acting up again.' He thinks to himself.
"Thorin." Kili says in greeting as his uncle comes to stand next to him. "What has brought you here?"
"A serious matter that we need to discuss." Thorin grumbles before pulling out the piece of cloth from his shirt pocket. "Inara is being hunted."
Passing the cloth to Kili, Thorin watches as his nephew opens it to read what is written on it. Thorin isn't sure if Kili understands all of what is written, but he does know that Kili knows a few words in black speech.
"So someone want Inara, alive. But I can't make out the rest of it." Kili says before wadding up the cloth. "What does the rest of it say?"
Thorin lets out a low growl before telling Kili everything that the cloth says.
"It says: 'Find the Queen of Erebor. Bring her to the gates of Mordor alive. Be warned. She has a gift of foresight and knowledge that can be used against you. If she fights back, break her spirit.' You and I both know what they mean by breaking her spirit." Thorin gives Kili a pointed look, which causes the younger dwarf to puff his chest out.
"None of us would ever let that happen to Inara. What will be the plan be for our journey home?" Kili asks in a low voice.
"Inara doesn't know about any of this." Thorin says pointing down to the wad of cloth in Kili's fist. "I plan to keep it that way. Let Tauriel and Bofur know about this plot. Maybe they can see something that you and I don't in this message."
"Of course." Kili says before looking Thorin in the eyes. "Shall we send word to Fili about this as well? Maybe he can send a small band to meet up with us before entering the Misty Mountains."
"That would let any who are hunting her know that we have this information." Thorin replies as he places his hands behind his back. "Besides. Dori, Brea, and the few guards will be waiting just beyond the borders of Hobbiton to escort Bilbo to Bree tonight. We will be meeting up with them late tomorrow morning. They will be more than enough to protect Inara, for now."
Kili gives Thorin a thoughtful look. "So we aren't going to add more protection for Inara, so that you can discover who is behind this? Uncle. You can't be serious about this."
"Kili. Sauron is behind this, but what I want to know is why. Inara hasn't suffered from anymore mental attacks in decades. Nor was she the one that the black rider was asking about. Sauron has many allies to aid him in whatever plan he is concocting. But I need to know why he is so bent on getting his hands on Inara." Thorin replies to his nephews prodding.
"She has some knowledge that no one else has. Both you and Gandalf made that known to us, who were in the company."
"Yes. But even Gandalf stated that it is sporadic, non-coherent knowledge that wouldn't make a difference against the darkness of Sauron. I will admit that she has some foreknowledge about possible futures for the world, but nothing that would be sought after."
"So why risk Inara's safety, Thorin?" Kili pleads with his uncle.
Thorin looks at Kili with interest and wonders what it is that has left Kili so rattled by the idea. Taking a deep breath, Thorin decides to ask Kili about it.
"What is it that bothers you about it, Kili?"
Kili runs a hand down his face in exasperation. 'Can Thorin truly be so blind in his old age?' he wonders to himself.
"You are putting Inara at risk without even consulting her about it. She is the queen of Erebor. You and I both know that Fili would use his title as King to summon all of the dwarf lords and their armies to free her from Mordor is she was captured." As Kili says this, something clicks in his mind that he hadn't thought of before. "That's it. Isn't it? You want it to happen so that Sauron causes a confrontation with us. But it wouldn't just be us fighting Mordor. Brand and his men from Dale would join. As would Thranduil since he respects Inara on an intellectual level. Thorin, it would cause an all-out war."
Thorin gives Kili a slight grin before placing his hand on Kili's shoulder. "Which Sauron will not want if all of Middle Earth were to appear united in one cause. This strategy is how a King must think, instead of jumping in without measuring the full effects of the situation."
Dusk in the Shire...
As night fall began to set on the Shire, Bilbo and Gandalf had settled themselves outside for a smoke before the festivities. Inside of Bag End, several members of the royal family were bustling about to dress for the party.
Thorin is in the third room, which he and Inara were staying in, putting the last of his outfit on. His outfit is one that he wears once-in-a-while. The dark navy blue pants with a silver belt, a dark navy and silver trimmed over-vest sits over-top of a silver tunic, and to finish off the outfit is a white fur coat lined with black fabric. His hair is braided in the same fashion as it was 60 years ago when he first was in Bag End. However, this time, Thorin has a bit more of a well-groomed, short beard instead of a well-groomed stubble.
The door from the adjoining bathroom opens to reveal Inara, who is holding a crisp, deep blue dress to her chest. She already is in the long skirt of the dress since it is hugging her hips and half of her thighs before flowing away from her.
"Could I get a little help, please?" Inara asks as she turns so that her bare back is facing Thorin.
Seeing that Inara isn't wearing a corset has Thorin wondering what else Inara isn't wearing underneath her dress. Receiving a dangerous glare from Inara, Thorin makes his way over to where she is standing. He holds the fabric of the bodice of the dress as Inara slips her arms into the elbow length, skin tight sleeves. Not one to miss an opportunity, Thorin slides his hands into the bodice to gently cup Inara's breasts.
"Thorin." Inara growls out in frustration while Thorin places a heated kiss in the crook of her neck. "We don't have time for this."
"We can be a little late." Thorin replies as he kisses up Inara's neck and gives the mounds of flesh in his hands a soft squeeze.
"I'm serious Thorin." Inara says as he tries to break free from his grasp. "I don't think Bilbo would be pleased know why we are late to his party. Now will you please just tie the stays?"
Thorin lets out a loud sigh before removing his hands from inside of Inara's bodice. As he begins to tie the back of the dress, he can't help but ask a particular question.
"How does this dress fit so well without the use of a corset?"
Inara gives a light chuckle before explaining. "It's called boning. Instead of having boning in the corset, I had the dressmakers put it into the dress itself. That way I wouldn't have to worry about packing a full corset."
"Hhmmm." Thorin replies to hearing about this new idea. However, as he finishes with tying the last tie, he can't help but be pleased with the hourglass curves of his yâsith. Even after giving him five children, though only four are living, he can't help but be pleased with her body. She still has a little bit of pudge in her belly area and large, well-shaped breasts. What surprises Thorin is that he still wants her as much as he did when he first saw her all those years ago. That need to be with her, to become one with her has no diminished, but grown. Almost to an unhealthy level, or so says Inara; but Thorin still can't help that he wants to ravish her whenever the opportunity presents itself.
As Inara turns around she is quick to note that her dwarf husband is looking at her with hooded, bedroom eyes. Another thing to add to her list is that Thorin has a rather large bulge in his pants.
"I suggest you take a moment to calm yourself before leaving the room." Inara laughs as she sees just how much her dress has affected Thorin. "You know, for an older dwarf, you seem to have the sexual appetite of a randy teenager."
"Only when it comes to you." Thorin says as he pulls Inara in for a steamy kiss.
A knock on their door forces the two to break apart, which has Thorin let out a low growl at the interruption. The door opens a crack before a voice is heard.
"Amad. Adad. You better hurry up if you want to be able to eat anything." Frerin's voice says.
"We will be out in a minute." Inara says before placing a quick kiss onto Thorin's lips. "See. I told you."
"Later then." Thorin growls against her lips before placing Inara's hand into the crook of his arm.
The two of them leave their room and head down the hallway to the entry way of Bilbo's home. All of their family are waiting for them before heading out into the early night. Making their way down the road, the royal family makes it to the sea of tents that are in the meadow. Now that they have arrived, some of the children break off from the group in search of food, drink, or to dance.
As the night grows darker, Gandalf begins to set off his fireworks much to the delight of the Shire children and the dwarves. Even Inara, Aliena, and Tauriel delight in seeing them. For Inara, it is something that she remembers from her home. For Aliena, it is something that she barely remembers. For Tauriel, it is like watching starlight moving and shimmering in a way she has never witnessed before.
Among the dancers is many of the dwarves. Young Raina and Bo are dancing with a dark haired hobbit lass, while Bofur is discussing brewing with one of the Shire's finest brewers. Kelda is dancing with Kili, much to the amusement of the rest of Kili's children. Most of Inara and Thorin's brood are dancing, but young Maiti is sitting next to Thorin as he describes the colors of the fireworks to her. Freya and Solen are over by the food, filling their plates for the fourth time. Balder is seated next to a shy, blond hobbit who Frodo had introduced as Samwise Gamgee earlier in the markets.
"Why don't you go talk to her?" Balder asks Sam as he watches the shy hobbit making eyes at the curly haired female.
Sam shakes his head in embarrassment at how forward Balder is. It isn't long before Frodo comes over to join them at the table. Frodo practically tosses himself into the seat on the other side of Sam.
"Go on Sam. Why don't you ask Rosie there for a dance?" Frodo teases much to Sam's dismay.
"I think I'll just have another ale." Sam replies as he moves to get up from the table.
Both Balder and Frodo get smirks on their faces before rising up from their seats together.
"Oh no you don't." Both Balder and Frodo say to Sam as they take hold of him and push him towards a dancing Rosie.
As Sam is caught by Rosie and forced to dance, Balder and Frodo bust out in laughter. Watching Sam dance with Rosie causes Balder to wish that Runila could have come with them to the Shire. 'She would have loved this.' He thinks to himself.
Among the little hobbit children, Bilbo is telling the tale about the troll encounter from the journey to Erebor. Inara overs some of what Bilbo is saying and she can't help but laugh as he gets to the tying up of the dwarves.
However, something interesting was happening over by Gandalf's cart. Two curly blond haired hobbit lads were searching through the gray wizards' fireworks, and this had caught the attention of a particular guest of Bilbo's.
"What are you two doing?" Toril asks as he sneaks up on one of the hobbits. In one of her hands, she is holding the skirt of her crimson dress.
"Nothing, miss." The one outside of the cart says quickly.
Toril glances into the cart to see the other one rummaging through the fireworks. She gets a grin on her face before speaking again.
"Nothing?" Toril asks both of the lads.
"Yeah. Nothing." The hobbit in the cart says quickly.
"If I may give you both some advice." Toril leans closer towards the one standing next to the cart. "Find the biggest one."
Both of the hobbits snicker at her suggestion before they go in search of the largest firework while Toril keeps a lookout. On the dance floor, Kili sees the whole exchange and tries hard not to laugh. It is very rare for Toril to get into mischief, and Kili can't help but swell with pride that she is attempting to cause some. He keeps watching as Toril and the two hobbits run off with a large, red firework.
Inside of a tent, Toril is keeping a lookout as the two hobbit mess around with the firework. However, at the hiss of a fuse being lit, Toril looks over at the two of them in shock.
"You idiots. You were supposed to stick it in the ground before lighting it." She hisses at the now arguing hobbits. "Damn it."
The firework takes off just as Toril hits the dirt in an attempt to keep herself from being hit. She stays there, and doesn't move till she hears screaming. Just as she gets up, she sees the red outlines of a dragon fly overhead before heading out into the distance. Then it bursts into the most exquisite display that she has ever seen. A harsh cough from behind her causing Toril to turn around.
"Toril." Gandalf growls out. "You should know better than this." Then he makes to grab both of the hobbits by the ears. "Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. I might have known. The three of you will be washing all the dishes used tonight."
"Yes sir." Toril replies as she accepts her punishment. But before she can follow Gandalf and the two hobbits, Kili makes his way over to her from the dancing area.
"That is why you are supposed to run." Kili says giving his youngest daughter a wink before walking towards where Tauriel and the rest of the royal family are now gathering.
As the three of them start cleaning the dirty dishes, under the careful eye of Gandalf, one of the blonds speaks to Toril.
"I didn't catch your name during our little escapade, miss."
"My name is Toril. Daughter of Prince Kili and Tauriel of the Woodland Realm." She says as she grabs a towel to dry the dishes. As she brushes a few strands of hair back behind her ear, Toril hears the two hobbits gasp.
"I'm Pippin. So what are you anyways if your father is a dwarf and your mother is an elf?" Pippin asks as he starts washing dishes. He noticed, just as Merry did, that the young lady had the height and build of a dwarf, but her ears were more elven shaped.
"Pippin!" The other hobbit scolds. "Do you not think before speaking? I'm sorry about the comment he made. I'm Merry by the way."
"It is alright, Merry. Pippin didn't mean any insult to me. I got over being insulted a long time ago. My Irak'Amad, my aunt, Inara told me that I am what I am and should be damn well proud of it." Toril tells the two hobbits. However a cough from Gandalf lets Toril know that she shouldn't be swearing in public.
Halfway through their washing of the dishes, Bilbo is called upon to give a speech. This causes the three of them to stop in their chore to listen to what Bilbo has to say.
"My dear Baggins's and Boffins's." Bilbo starts as he is standing upon a few barrels full of ale. "Tooks and Brandybucks. Grubbs, Chubbs, and Hornblowers. Bolgers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots. My honored guests from Erebor. Today is my 111th Birthday."
"Happy Birthday!" The crowds cheer.
"But alas, 111 years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits." Bilbo states.
By this time, Inara starts to feel her head begin to pound as if she has a headache. Squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers, she begins to take deep breaths. A hand places itself against her waist and squeezes gently.
"You alright?" Thorin whispers to Inara as Bilbo keeps talking.
"My head is starting to feel like a hammer is being smashed into it repeatedly." Inara answers softly so that she doesn't alarm any of the others around them. The pain gets even worse to the point where Inara begins to softly hyperventilate.
"Easy, Amrâlimê." Thorin whispers as he moves his hand from her waist to rub her upper back. "Slow and steady breaths."
A commotion starts which has the hobbits all in an uproar, but Thorin is only focusing on Inara during it. Seeing that Inara isn't getting better, Thorin calls out for Tauriel and motions the elleth to come.
"What is it?" Tauriel asks as she hurries to check on Inara.
"She was fine a few moments ago, but then she started to complain about pain in her head." Thorin tells Tauriel as he watches the elleth look Inara over.
"Where is the pain concentrating in your head?" Tauriel asks Inara.
"Behind my eyes and above. Then it's like a wave spreads out from there to all over in short bursts." Inara says as she tries to calm her breathing.
Tauriel looks at Thorin before speaking. "I suggest we get her back to Bilbo's. She has some chamomile tea in her pack that should help ease some of the pain, and I recommend she gets some rest."
Thorin gives Tauriel a nod before helping Inara to her feet. "Lean against me if you need."
As Thorin leads Inara away from the now bustling crowds of hobbits, Durin approaches Tauriel with a thunderous look on his face.
"What happened?" Durin forcefully asks Tauriel.
"Inara isn't feeling well." Tauriel tells Durin. "Thorin is taking her back to Bag End to get her some tea."
Durin gives Tauriel a questioning look before whispering to her. "Don't you find it strange that just before Bilbo disappeared that my amad becomes ill? Something is going on."
"Agreed, but what?" Tauriel responds as she notices that Kili is giving her a questioning stare from where he is with the rest of the family.
Thorin and Inara make their way back to Bag End only discover that Gandalf and Bilbo are inside. Gandalf is kneeling on the floor in front of Bilbo. To Thorin it seemed as if the two were having a deep discussion about something.
"Well, the road is long." Bilbo says softly to Gandalf. Slowly making his way to his bag, Bilbo notices that Thorin and Inara have arrived. Yet it is Inara's pale face that causes Bilbo to become concerned. "Are you not well?"
Inara's eyebrows are furrowed and her eyes blink numerous times. Her head is now in so much pain, that she can't even think straight. Let alone make a coherent sentence. However it is Thorin who speaks for her since he knows that she isn't well.
"A headache." Thorin tells Bilbo with a soft smile, but as he turns to Gandalf, Thorin's expression changes to one of concern. He sees the wizard give a nod of the head at the expression.
"Well, a nice cup of tea should help and perhaps some rest. I will still meet up with you on the edges of the Shire?" Bilbo asks as he continues pulling his pack onto his back.
"Of course. Dori, Brea, and a few guards will be waiting for you along the roadside." Thorin replies as he watches Gandalf come closer to where he and Inara are standing. All three turn to watch the hobbit leave.
"Well then. It is time." Bilbo says as he heads for the door.
"Bilbo." Gandalf says as he too watches Bilbo open the door to leave. "The ring is still in your pocket."
"Yes." Bilbo says as he pulls the ring out of his pocket with a shaking hand. He stands there for a minute, looking at his hand before dropping something to the ground. Then he hurries out the door only to be followed by Gandalf.
Thorin is confused by the exchange between the wizard and the hobbit but doesn't want ask what it is about. So Thorin leads Inara towards their bedroom so that Inara can lay down. As they enter the bedroom, Thorin helps Inara slip into the sheets without taking her dress off. He pulls the sheets and a blanket up to her chest and places a kiss onto her head.
"Close your eyes and rest. I will be back with some tea for you." Thorin whispers to Inara. "Maybe even a cool cloth for your head."
"Thank you, Thorin." Inara whispers to him before turning her head away from the light of the fireplace.
"Be back soon." He says as he walks towards the door. After stepping out of the bedroom, Thorin closes the door till there is only a sliver of a gap. Walking back towards the front door, Thorin notices Gandalf bending down towards something gold on the ground. He stops to watch the wizard with interest till Gandalf pulls his hand away.
"What is it?" Thorin asks while approaching the wizard.
Standing up, Gandalf looks over towards Thorin before answering. "Nothing. How is Inara?"
"She was fine till just before Bilbo disappeared. Her head is in pain, yet she can't explain why. You look startled by something?"
"Not startled, just thinking." Gandalf says as he tries to piece together what happened to Inara with the gold ring that Bilbo had just left behind. Gently using a piece of cloth, produced from his a pocket inside of his robes, Gandalf picks the ring up from the ground. "Let us get Inara some tea to help with her headache."
Thorin heads into the kitchen firsts with Gandalf soon following, after placing the ring and cloth on an end table by the fireplace. As the two work together to make Inara some tea, the rest of the royal family arrives and prepare themselves for bed. With the tea made, Thorin carefully places a full cup, a bowl of cool water, and a clean dish cloth onto a tray. Trying hard not to spill the tea, or water, Thorin makes his way towards the bedroom.
Gandalf watches the old dwarf lord with care. He knows that Thorin overcame the gold-sickness, but if he is right about Bilbo's ring, then Thorin must not know about the ring. He would be easily seduced by the gold trinket if it is what he thinks it is. Moving towards one of the rooms, which is not filled with sleeping dwarves, Gandalf decides to sit and wait for Frodo to come.
As he waits, Gandalf begins smoking his pipe while thinking about things. He doesn't have to wait long, only an hour at the most, before Frodo arrives.
"Bilbo! Bilbo!" Frodo calls out as he enters Bag End in search of his uncle. "He's gone. Hasn't he? He talked for so long about leaving." Frodo walks into the room where Gandalf is seated. Even though he can only see Gandalf's back, Frodo knows that something is afoot.
"I didn't really think he would do it. Gandalf?" Frodo says before looking at the cloth on the end table. Knowing that Bilbo would never leave a dirty cloth sitting around, Frodo picks up the cloth only to have the ring fall out of it. Hearing it land on the ground, Frodo quickly picks it up to look at it.
Gandalf, who heard the ring fall and Frodo picking it up, looks over his shoulder to see the young hobbit holding it in the palm of his hand.
"Bilbo's ring." Gandalf says after removing the pipe from his mouth. "He has gone to stay with the elves. He left you Bag End." Gandalf holds out an envelope for Frodo to place the ring inside of it. "Along with all his possessions." Gandalf quickly seals the envelope by using a wax seal. "The ring is yours now."
Gandalf hands Frodo the envelope with a fake smile on his face. Frodo looks at the envelope with confusion before taking it from Gandalf.
"Put it somewhere out of sight." Gandalf whispers to Frodo before heading towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Frodo calls out as he follows Gandalf to the door.
"I have some things that I must see to."
"What things?"
"Questions. Questions that need answering." Gandalf replies as he grabs his hat and staff from beside the door.
"You've only just arrived." Frodo pleads with Gandalf. "I don't understand."
Unknown to the wizard and the hobbit, a certain dark-haired dwarf and red-haired elleth are still awake up on the roof of Bag End. Hearing movement near the door of Bag End, both crawl to see who is leaving. They listen intently to what is being said.
"Neither do I." Gandalf says as he looks at Frodo. "Keep it secret. Keep it safe."
Ducking their heads down, they watch as Gandalf leaves Bag End in a hurry. They watch as Gandalf moves quickly out the gate and towards his cart.
"I wonder what that was about." Kili says to Tauriel as he keeps watching the shrinking outline of Gandalf.
"Something serious must have happened, Kili. Did you not hear what Gandalf said? 'Keep it secret. Keep it safe.' He was talking as if Frodo's life depended on it." Tauriel says as she looks at Kili. "I wonder if this has something to do with what happened to Inara tonight."
"Possibly." Kili replies before letting out a sigh. "We best get some kind of sleep. Thorin will be expecting us to be up at dawn so that we can meet up with Dori and Bilbo."
Kili crawls back towards his bedroll and lays down on his back. Tauriel joins him on his bedroll. She cuddles into his side and places her head in the crook of his neck. They both are silent as they allow themselves to fall asleep.
Early in the morning Frodo wakes up to see find that Bag End is empty of royal family of Erebor. However, there is a small note left out on the kitchen table. As he reads it, Frodo chuckles a bit before letting out a sigh of relief.
"Well at least Bilbo won't be traveling alone."
On the Great East Road...
The Royal Family of Erebor, their guards, and Bilbo are traveling together. Though most of the children know the story about their parents' journey to reclaim Erebor, most of them are intrigued by Bofur, Kili, Dori, and Bilbo's parts of it. For the older travelers, it is like reminiscing about the old times.
"Around here is where we had to stop because Bilbo forgot his handkerchief." Bofur says in a teasing manner. "He wanted us to turn around and go back for it."
Most of the royal children find this funny and begin to laugh. Though Bilbo just sighs at the mentioning of it.
"Up ahead is where Aliena ran out in front of Thorin's pony." Kili adds with a cheeky grin on his face. "She was all in tears and mumbling about her mama being in danger."
"I was not mumbling." Aliena replies in an attempt to try and correct Kili's story. "I was shouting."
"Mumbling." Kili says again before looking for back up. "Dori. You remember don't you? She was mumbling."
"Not answering." Dori says with his hands up. He knows better than to answer a loaded question.
"Bofur?" Kili asks hoping that the dwarf will side with him.
"I'll be siding with Aliena on this one" Bofur answers in a serious voice. There is no way he will agree with Kili while running the risk of being kicked out of the bed he shares with Aliena.
Thorin and Inara, who are in the front of the group, chuckle at the conversation. Thorin keeps his pony next to Inara's so that it he can keep an eye on her. Though she woke this morning, Inara hasn't said if she still had the headache or not. He glances towards Inara to see her watching the road ahead.
"You're starring again." Inara says with a smile on her face.
"How are you feeling?" Thorin asks, hoping that he doesn't receive an angered response.
"I am fine now that we are on the road. At least during this journey, we can take our time." Inara says with a grin on her face.
"Aye. That we will." Thorin replies.
Phew, this was a long chapter, but I wanted to get some things going while also adding my bits to the movie story line. I do hope that you all enjoyed this first chapter of the LOTR events. I don't have a set number of chapters for these events, but I am currently halfway through the Fellowship movie. I will let you all know that the LOTR events will be longer chapters due to added content with the Hobbit characters and my characters in them.
In the next chapter, Inara and the others will be leaving Rivendell. So we are jumping past the traveling bits to help move the story line forwards. However, a few characters will be returning to Rivendell for Elrond's council. So that chapter will mostly cover Rivendell and the creating of the Fellowship.
Reviews are cherished and well loved. Even the negative ones. But please, no sending me PMs where you attack verbally bash me or my fanfiction stories. It isn't cool. So this is your only warning.
Selene