Bella stared up at the towering form of their host - Bearo, maybe? She couldn't remember his name - and sighed. Why did all the creatures have to be so much taller than her? Why couldn't they be sensibly sized, like all hobbits?
And why did he insist on calling her "Little Bunny"? It was rude and Bella did not appreciate it.
The elves seemed to be stuck in a state of amusement and terror as he glared at them all except for Bella. When he looked at her, his eyes were kind and knowing.
"Your kind has not been seen in these parts for many generations. What cause has brought you back this direction once more?" He directed his question to Bella, although his gaze was once more focused on her elven companions. Gwaendaer stood tall, and proud, although his hand was hovering over the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice if the giant bear-man decided to do anything untoward against Bella. She appreciated the sentiment, although she seriously doubted he would be able to do much good against the guy. He was huge! Bella shifted on her feet a bit as she focused once more on Bearo. She bowed low to him.
"My lord Bearo-" Gwaendaer coughed, and whispered Beorn and Bella corrected herself. Oops… "-Beorn, I have traveled far from the Shire and over the Misty Mountains, answering the call of the Green Lady to assist a desolate land heal and thrive once more. I am heading towards Erebor, to purge it from evil, and I am hopeful that in doing so it will heal the nearby lands as well."Kneeling, Beorn now focused all his attention on her, and when he spoke, his voice was grave.
"Dear child of the Green Lady, those lands have festered in evil for too long to be healed by one single hobbit, even one so brave and powerful as you. I can feel the power of the Mother flowing through you, and it is strong, but even with that power it is too big a task for you."
"Which is why we are asking for your help." She walked closer to him, and set both her hands on one of his larger ones, gripping them with earnest fervor. "I will need all the energy I can muster to even think to start healing the land, and that is after we take care of the dragon. Please, any help you can give us to do so would be much appreciated." She stared into his eyes, determination and hope warring, and waited for his answer. After a few moments, which felt like an eternity, Beorn sighed and lifted his other hand to place it on her head.
"I will help you all that I can. I cannot help with the dragon, but I will give you shelter to rest and let you restock your supplies here." He patted her head before standing back up, extracting his other hand from her grip as he did so. He looked once more at her elven companions. "Come, you will be shown to a room to place your things while you recover from your journey thus far. I don't usually keep visitors, but your Lady Hobbit is quite convincing so I will help you in this." With that, Beorn turned and led them inside the giant house. Their horses and pony were led off by the horses already living there so they did not worry too much.
They only spent two days in the company of Beorn before they were heading towards Mirkwood. Beorn followed them there from a distance to make sure they made it safely. Once they reached the edge, Bella and her companions stopped their mounts and waited. After a few minutes, a company of Mirkwood elves emerged and greeted the small company waiting there. A blond male and a red-headed female stepped forward from among the ranks.
"Suilad! I am Legolas, son of King Thranduil, and this is the Captain of my father's guard, Tauriel. We are glad to see you made it here safely." Legolas spied Bella among the Rivendell elven ranks and nodded at her. "This is the halfling we are to escort to my father's halls?" Gwaendaer opened his mouth to speak, but Bella shoved her pony forward in a fit of indignation.
"I am half of nothing, Lord Legolas, I am a hobbit, and have been chosen by the Green Mother, Lady Yavanna herself, to come this way to heal these lands. The name is Bella Baggins of the Shire, thank you very much." She finished her scolding with a small huff at the elven prince, even as she was internally berating herself at the impolitenes of scolding a stranger on the first meeting. For a moment he looked taken aback, but composed himself quickly with a hint of a smile on his face as he looked at her.
"I apologize, Lady Bella. If you are ready, my father is awaiting your arrival."
Bella nodded before turning back to her previous companions.
"Navaer, my friends. Nai Anar caluva tielyanna." She gave them the same farewell as Lord Elrond gave her before parting from Rivendell. The response was the same, as well.
"Tenn' omentielva enta, Bella." She nodded, before turning back around to face her new elven guides.
"Well, shall we?" She looked at Legolas and Tauriel before focusing on the woods behind them. They nodded and turned to lead the elvish guard back to the kingdom of Mirkwood. Bella inhaled, held her breath, and let it out slowly as she prepared to enter the diseased wood. Even without touching the ground, she could feel the evil that infected the land.
She knew one thing for certain.
Compared to the evil that lurked in front of her, crossing the Misty Mountains was going to feel like a breeze in her memories.
Thorin was going to kill his nephew. As soon as they could find a spot to hide from the massive, furious bear, Thorin was going to kill his youngest nephew. Kili just had to go spout off a challenge to the Valar, didn't he?
Dwalin was thinking much the same thing, as well.
He could see the fear in Thorin's eyes for the Company as they were all pursued by the bear, and he was sure that once they found some cover he was going to rip into the youngest Durin. Honestly, if they even survived to be able to scold the young prince, Dwalin would count it as a win.
They broke from the treeline into an open field where they spotted a massive house not far away. Dwalin only hoped that whoever lived there would excuse them for barging in unannounced, as they had no time to think about diplomatic niceties while running for their lives.
They managed to get inside before the bear - barely - and bolted the door. All were breathing harshly, as their adrenaline slowly faded.
"What is that?" Ori asked, and they turned to Gandalf for answers.
"That… is our host."
After the revelation of their host being a skinchanger, and the Company settled down to rest for the evening, Dwalin watched as Thorin sat next to his nephews and pulled them close. After the events of the day, he needed the extra reassurance that they were still with him, were still alright. As he did so, his eyes wandered over the members of his Company, silently noting their positions in the room. Dwalin did the same, even as he momentarily gripped Balin's shoulder next to him. Balin did the same back to his brother, and with a smile he gently lowered himself to the hay on the ground. Dwalin made sure he was alright before turning back to his watch over the Company. Gandalf may have insisted they were alright here for the night, but years in exile taught Dwalin to be cautious.
One by one, the dwarves all fell asleep in their strange host's home, hoping for a brief respite to heal before having to continue on their way.
In the morning, they were introduced to the skinchanger, who went by the name of Beorn, by a stuttering Gandalf. None were really surprised that the bear-man hadn't actually heard of the wizard; the wizard tended to do as he pleased. Still, they were nervous that because of their trespassing into his home that they wouldn't be able to stay. Beorn questioned them about their quest, and why the orcs were chasing them in the first place, until he seemed satisfied. The last question he gave, however, threw them off.
"Are you following the Little Bunny, then?" Beorn eyed them all while he asked this, as though the answer they gave was vitally important. The dwarves were only confused by his odd question.
"We haven't been following any bunnies, and even if we were able to find one, we would not hunt them while we are on your lands." Thorin answered with all the dignity his station in his current situation gave him. Gandalf seemed to know what Beorn was asking, though, as his eyes lit up in understanding.
"Ah, I see. Passed through here, did they?" Beorn nodded.
"They did. Little Bunny made quite a convincing argument, and they rested here for a couple days before moving on." Beorn turned his focus back to the dwarves. "You are being hunted by Azog the Defiler himself. I don't like dwarves, but orcs I hate more. What do you need?"
The Company of Thorin Oakenshield stayed for a week at the skinchanger's home to restock their supplies, and to let the injured (read: Thorin) rest a bit more before moving on again. All too soon, it was time to leave again, and the Company was anxious to move on. They saddled the ponies Beorn loaned to them for use, on the promise that they would return them as soon as they reached the Mirkwood gate. Beorn watched them, making sure they treated his animals with all care.
"Go now, while you have the light. The hunters are not far behind." Thorin nodded at his words, and called for his dwarves to start moving. "Oakenshield." The grave tone in Beorn's voice made Thorin pause. "The Little Bunny has already passed through here and into Mirkwood. She plans to continue on to your mountain, and to heal the lands around it. Like I told you before, I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own. But I can't follow Little Bunny to keep her from harm. I am trusting her safety to you, Oakenshield. You must hurry through Mirkwood and keep my Lady's Bunny safe. Do not fail me in this." Thorin nodded solemnly to Beorn.
"I will keep an eye out for your Bunny." He responded, before turning back to his Company, who had all paused to watch for their leader. "Move on!"
As they rode away from the home of the skinchanger, Thorin could only puzzle over the riddle in his last words to him. His Lady's Bunny? What did he mean by that?
If only he'd hired somebody who was secretly good with riddles to his Company, then maybe there wouldn't be as much confusion. As it was, Thorin could only shake his head and push it aside for now.
They had reached Mirkwood.
Suilad - greetings
Nai Anar caluva tielyanna - may the sun shine on your path
Tenn' omentielva enta - until our next meeting.