I did as 'Amad had commanded me. I packed a bag of only important items I would need for the journey. I grabbed the adoption papers and the necklace engraved with my family's name on it in Khuzdul to latch around my neck and let the pendant rest against the hem of my shirt.
I found Bilbo and 'Amad waiting for me by the front door when I approached with my bag. 'Amad instantly drew me into a hug.
"I love you, my sweet girl. No matter what you learn, you will always be my daughter."
"I love you too, 'Amad." I squeeze my mother a bit tighter then turn to Bilbo and give him a hug.
I walked down the stone steps for the front gate. The morning was cool and crisp and the birds sang lovely tunes as I walked down the path after closing the gate behind me.
I pulled out my 'Adad's old map to give me a heading for the trip. Bag End lay between the old forest to the north and Hobbiton below. I didn't want the trip to take longer than necessary. I remembered a trail leading through the old forest to the river between The Shire and Ered Luin. Once at the river I could cross the bridge to the outskirts before the gate of north Ered Luin where the Dwarves resided. But to make the trip faster, I would venture up through Hobbiton that would take me to the arch of the old forest, where the trees began to grow thinner from the curve of the landscape. I would skirt the rolling hills until I came to the trail marker marked a quarter way from the bridge. I would walk the half mile and across the bridged river to the outskirts of The Shire that lay before the gate of North Ered Luin.
Rolling up my 'Adad's old map, I began my journey.
Hobbiton was the small town center of The Shire with a lush grassy field ringed around the town. While I walked, I watched the Hobbits carry out their daily tasks of selling various items in exchange for money to exchange for food for their families. The atmosphere buzzed with the lively activity and peaceful life of the Hobbits who had no inkling of the dangers that lay beyond the borders of The Shire. I would give anything to have a peaceful life like them - to have been born and bred a Hobbit instead of being looked at as an outsider, which I basically was to them. Sure, there were Hobbits who treated me decently, but there were others who viewed me as an outsider who had no place among them.
I skirted around Hobbiton so as to not draw attention to me. I followed the very narrow trail through the lush green grassy field up the lush green hill that squelched water around my shoes from the dew that still resided among the grass due to not yet having been dried up as the sun was not high in the sky yet. The quarter mile of the lush green hill was quite a sight. Butterflies fluttered over the green blades' tips, Rabbits hopped to and fro, small deer grazed around, insects hopped and scurried about the ground, birds flew overhead. But while I enjoyed the sight beholding my eyes, I knew someday I would have to choose between living in The Shire and my people.
Looming up ahead, the tree line of the old forest stood with a beckoning call urging me to enter. The old forest was also known as the dark forest as anyone who entered the forest was never seen again.
I snorted. Yeah right. That was more of a made up story spun to keep the Hobbit children out of the forest so their mamas wouldn't worry about anything happening to them. The old forest was just a forest that had been around since The Shire was nothing but green grassy hills with various holes in the earth. Holes that, over the years, had been dug out and built into quaint homes for the half human folk - which was basically what Hobbits were; half human folk.
Adjusting the pack on my shoulders, I closed the rest of the open distance of the lush green hill and an evil idea suddenly popped into my mind when my feet touched the rough uneven forest ground.
Hobbits tend to scare easy. They weren't superstitious by any means, but whenever the old forest was brought up in different conversations, the conversations would be directed away from the topic of the old forest to something different; instilled fear of stories relating to the old forest always coated Hobbits' tongues when drawing the conversation in a different direction. I smirked as I moved behind a tree while listening to the peaceful, buzzing hum of the Hobbits carrying about their daily tasks in Hobbiton that lay half a mile below the lush green rolling hill, and, inhaling a deep breath, I let out the loudest, most terrifying, "haunting,"fear-laced blood curdling scream to ever have sounded in all of The Shire; lasting five - ten minutes tops. I grinned wickedly while taking in the peaceful buzzing hum that now buzzed from fear.
I chuckled while carrying on with my journey. For the Hobbits treating me like an outcast, payback was always best served in a deep dug out pit with a huge stone to fall back on them if tried to have rolled away! And my fear-laced blood curdling scream was that giant stone that had been rolled back on top of them!
The old forest wasn't different from any other forest really. If there was a difference, it was the trees that had become old and ancient with time due to the bark that had defined more in detail. If one were to look at one of the trees as a hole, the barked trunk would look like a giant mass of riveted hair falling down the base of that back from the riveting green mass of green sitting like thick plumage near the top. I walked in between these ancient trees while taking in the ancient smell of petrichor. I didn't have time to gawk though. Though I was in no rush, I wanted to get to the bridge before dusk settled over the earth.
The time was about one in the afternoon when I finally took a break for lunch, which consisted of water, nuts and Elven bread I always cherished whenever I made a visit to Rivendell. A smile broke out across my mouth as I remembered the beautiful Elven City made up of beautiful ornate buildings crested by the valley below and valleys around and above with various waterfalls. All held together by bridges. Many pools and gardens decorated the city with beautiful colors of spring: blues, purples, yellows, oranges, pinks all pulled together by various whites and greens with the main autumn shades: dark grays and blacks with whites and light grays for typically found highlights. Whereas blacks and dark grays usually provide depth, definition, and shading; all pulled together with the pops of colors of foliage: orange, red, yellow and brown, and occasionally plum purple. My heart swelled at the thought of the Elven City. I would have to plan another trip to see my friends. The Elven King, especially. He treated me like a daughter of sorts rather than a guest. His brown eyes always held such warmth and tenderness that always kept my heart melted into a giant puddle. He had spent many nights teaching me the Elven culture and their ways of life so I could apply the knowledge to my own life, though I do tend to mess up. But that was part of life. Making mistakes to learn many valuable lessons to grow mature and wiser.
As I had predicted, early evening began to cast gold rays through the old forest by the time my feet found the trail. I had been so lost in thought between Rivendell and seeing my people again, that I hadn't noticed I had stepped out onto the trail closer to the bridge. But hey, I wasn't one to complain! That just meant less ground for me to walk. And honestly, I was glad, because my feet had become very tired from the well-worth-long journey in order to see my people again. I started thinking of what to say when I reach the gate to Ered Luin.
I couldn't contain my excitement when I stepped onto the ground of The Shire outskirts that lay before the gate of Ered Luin. The scenery was a sight to behold. The horizon was painted by different ranges of blue with various white highlights to indicate The Blue Mountains overlooking the Dwarf village that lay unseen just beyond the closed gate. The sky was of dark blue-ish black with the last remaining spots of gold light that would all but too quickly be snuffed out by the dark blue-ish black hues of dusk. First things first, gaining entry.
Pushing my tired feet forward, I closed the distance between the gate and The Shire's outskirts. I took in the guards posted above the gate as I approached. I smiled when I caught their attention, adjusting my pack once more.
"Hello!" I called. "I'm here to see Balin and Dwalin!"
"Are they expecting you?!" One of the guards called. His voice was very suspicious. I smiled.
"No. But tell them that Ayla, Daughter of Ester and Elmador is here to see them!"
So sorry for the change of direction. This has been bugging me for quite some time. So I decided to go with it. Gandalf and Thorin will still appear in the story just later on since I want Ayla to find her people first and spend a bit of time with them before bringing Gandalf and Thorin into play. Thorin will still be a brat but I wont keep him that way forever. Please comment. I love reading reviews. Unexpected is my second idea for this story just spun differently from this. I will be writing parallels between unexpected and Unexpected: Kiss My Butt when I come to the part with the Trolls and Elves in this story. Please review or Gandalf will smite you!
