The letter caused chaos to rise in the Thranduil's halls but Vesper didn't know that. She had no idea what was happening even now.
Two and half month after running away from the Milkwood Vesper stood in her spare tent. It was smaller than her main tent, only big enough to accommodate her nest bed, chest, fireplace and table, which function as a potion lab. She had copies of most of her books in the chest along with some clothes and necessities. Good enough for someone on the run.
But that wasn't important right now.
Vesper felt sick for last month or so, and had weird cravings. To find out what the heck was happening she brewed a potion and put in seven drops of her blood. Now she has to wait for ten minutes before checking what colour it turns from which she can read the result.
She sat down on her bed and lit up her pipe. Calming herself she took the map of the Middle Earth planing her next move.
Ten minutes later she checked the potion. She anxiously watch the colours flashing in the cauldron until it settled on peach pink. She glanced at the book then at the cauldron again. Slowly she took the pipe out of her mouth.
"Well, at least I got reason to quit." She put out her pipe with a frown.
Five months later Vesper wanted to kick Legolas between his legs, repeatedly. Her stomach was getting in the way and changing her form was difficult.
She stood on the edge of the shore of Harlindon waiting for the Ring Wraiths to arrive.
She really carved a good smoke.
The sound of hoof creeped into her mind. The Ring Wraiths were here.
With a beep breath Vesper turned into her phoenix form. Before the Ring Wraiths reached her she took off. The evil beings stopped just inches away from the Sea. They were angry they couldn't capture the fiery Istari. Now the Istari was on her way to the Undying Lands. They stood on the shore until the bird disappeared beyond the horizon then they turned their horses to return to their master with bad news.
Vesper flew over the Great Sea in the direction of Undying Lands. The Ring Wraiths were somehow able to chase her all over the Middle Earth but they could be tricked into thinking she left the Middle Earth. When Vesper couldn't see the shore she fire travelled to the shores of Farlindon.
'That should be far enough for them not to find me,' she thought as she changed back to her human form.
Immediately she grabbed her stomach. The baby didn't like the shifting nor transportation.
"Calm down little one. I won't do that anymore. Shush, little one, shush."
She was soothing her unborn baby with magic and soft words. When the baby settled she broke a camp for the rest of the day and night.
Vesper was in pain. If anyone ever tells you giving birth is beautiful experience they are fucking lying or never give birth the natural way.
Vesper bit down on the stick between her teeth holding her legs apart. Her screams and curses were muffled by the stick. She was cursing out Legolas and herself for the past hour. The birth was taking longer than expected.
Another hour later Vesper was laying on the bed breathing heavily. The birth was finally over, but something was wrong. Wasn't there a second phase or something. Her tired mind couldn't comprehend what was wrong.
It was quite. No screaming of the newborn. Her eyes widen and cold claws of fear closed around her heart.
She raised her upper body to see her baby and froze. The fear was replaced by confusion, astonishment and the general feeling of 'what the fuck'. Between her legs was water and blood, which was normal, what wasn't normal was the lack of placenta and the egg of a size of a baby.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" she fell on her back again deciding to take nap before dealing with this shit.
Vesper adjusted the carrier she made for her baby? Egg? Whatever, it was her child. And it was a beautiful egg; red and gold, like the fire of life.
She was on her way to Rivendell where she is planning to stay until her egg hatch or she is rested enough for another journey, whatever comes first.
However, the East Road was deserted, which unsettled her greatly. Normally merchants were using this road frequently this time of year and new villages were growing here and there, but now they were mostly empty. Despite this she walked the path, honestly she should listen to her logical mind more.
She saw an abandoned farm. That wasn't good. Searching the house and surrounding areas she found imprint of an troll's foot.
"Damnit," she cursed.
Trolls were outside their territory. Something must've pushed them out. Middle Earth was changing faster than anticipated, the greatest turn in history will come soon.
Vesper sighed and resumed walking. Unconsciously she supported the egg the same way she used to support her belly.
After few minutes of walking she heard voices in the distance. There were many and all belonged to men. She hid her presence and crept closer. If she learned anything in her time on Middle Earth it was that not everyone you meet on the road has good intentions.
She peaked through the bushes. There were dwarves and they were going in and out of a cave hiding... treasures? Well they certainly love their gold. There were two more, an hobbit and an Istari, Gandalf the Grey.
He was the first Istari she's seen this close. He is one she can trust. Taking deep breath she left her hiding spot.
"Good day, travelers!" Vesper called.
The response was immediate. Gandalf spun around and hold his staff threateningly. The hobbit jumped behind the wizard. The dwarves let go of the treasures in favour of their weapons.
"Do not worry, I mean you no harm." Vesper raised her hands in sign of nonaggression.
After a while there was a whisper of that can't be from an elder dwarf.
The tallest dwarf stepped forward. "It was a long time since we last saw each other. Well met, Witch."
Vesper smiled as she recognised the dwarf. "Well met, princ Thorin, no, King Thorin Oakenshield. It was a long time. Good to see you in good health."
"You too." He eyed the egg which in his perspective looked like a pregnant stomach. "I must congratulate you on the little one."
"Thank you."
"Please come sit with us, it must have been a strenuous journey for you in this state."
"Thank you again." She decided not to say her baby is actually born already but not in normal sense.
The dwarves put away their weapons but were watching her cautiously. The hobbit kept close to the wizard.
"Kili, Fili, let me introduce you to the Witch thanks to which we were able to save so many lives when Smaug attack us."
The two brothers blinked looking at the woman.
"I am called Kili, at your service."
"And I am Fili, at your service."
Vesper smiled. "Vesper the Witch at yours."
"I believe you still remember Balin."
"Of course. He was the one who approached me in Erebor. Greetings Master Balin."
"Greetings Witch." Balin smiles warmly. "May I ask who is the father?"
"Yes you may. The father is one amazing elf from the Woodland realm."
The faces of the dwarves darken but they don't hold it against the unborn baby. Thought some give her the stinky eye for sleeping with their enemy.
She grinned unapologetically. "We can't choose who we fell in love with."
Gandalf was watching the interaction with interest. "I haven't met a female Istari before. How long have you been here?"
"Couple of centuries," Vesper shrugged. "I can't compare to you nor other Istari."
"Truly? How come you never approached us?"
"The Valar told me not to, to keep my head down as long as possible."
Gandalf had a thoughtful look but were interrupted by a sudden noise in the bushes. To everyone's bemusement a sled pulled by rabbits burst out with deranged wizard riding them. He stopped infront of Gandalf screaming bloody murder.
"Radagast the Brown," Gandalf greeted when the man shut up.
As their interaction continued Vesper watched them, especially Radagast. The wizard was reminding her of someone, not sure who.
"Are you alright lass?" Asked Balin.
"Hm? Yeah. I'm fine." Vesper smiled.
"You've been staring at the new wizard."
"He reminds me of someone, just can't remember who. Probably one of my relatives from my previous life."
"Your family?" The incredulity was clearly in his voice.
She turned to him with a long-suffering expression. "Old noble wizarding family that dabbled in the Dark Arts, known for being completely insane."
The poor dwarf was more than slightly unnerved. "Are you sure it didn't carry on to you and your child is safe?"
"I'm a bastard. Officially I was child of the Lord and Lady of the family, who were blood cousins, but in reality I was daughter of the Lord and one of his mistresses from different family. Thanks to this I was only barmy nothing serious and after the re-embodiment the madness was mostly cleaned. Besides the baby's father's blood will make it impossible for any insanity to arise. If it was someone other than elf I would be really worried."
Balin nodded relieved. "Glad to hear that lass. I hope it'll be healthy."
Vesper smiled softly. "Thank you. That is the two of us."
"Something's coming!" Dvalin shouted.
Vesper jumped up alarmed.
"Don't move so suddenly, lass. It's bad for your health." Balin admonished her.
"Master dwarf, I'm with a child not disabled. I can fight." Vesper was unimpressed, like seriously why is everyone treating her like glass ever since she started to show. Unbelievable.
Thorin strucked down a warg that was about to pounced on them.
"The whole pack isn't far behind."
Vesper frowned placing a hand on her egg.
"Don't worry, Witch. We will keep you and the little one safe." Thorin assured her.
She shook her head. "I have a means to escape that is safe for the baby, but you will be unprotected."
"Go, we will keep them long enough!" the King ordered.
Vesper met eyes with all the dwarves and pursed her lips. She raised her staff muttering a pray for the spirits to protect them on their way to Rivendell. When the staff connected with the earth again a shimmering golden hue enveloped the company.
"It's not strong but it will protect you." She smiled at them before raising and slamming her staff once more, this time branches of all kinds bursed from the ground under her feet making a cocoon around her and retrieving back the the ground leaving nothing behind.
Some time later in the Healing Halls of Rivendell Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían were staring in disbelief at the egg cradled it their young friends lap.
"How?" The Lord asked. "How did you laid an egg?"
"I thought you know were the babies come from. You got three of them after all." Vesper retorted.
Celebrían turned away from her husband suppressing her giggles and Elrond pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's not what I mean and you know it." He said exasperatedly.
"I got pregnant, I carried the babe for nine months and when I was giving birth instead of a baby an egg came out." She looked down and frowned. "Now that I look at it it's really big. Did it got bigger or did it really came out this size." She compared the size of the egg with the width of her hips, it was roughly the half of the width.
Elrond resisted a face palm as his wife started to laugh outright.
Thorin's company entered the Hall of Fire because they were invited to listen to old tales and songs. Despite their hatred for the elves they weren't completely out of manners and they can sing here to their hearts contents. But they weren't prepared to see the Witch sitting there with flat stomach and bundle in her arms. Naturally they gone over to her to congratulate her on the birth of the little one.
"Witch," Thorin greeted. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." She said bemusedly.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Asked Kili.
"I don't know. I gave birth two months ago but I actually laid an egg." She moved the blankets revealing a golden-red egg.
"Do elves hatch from eggs?" asked Fili making Vesper laugh and some elves to send him a stinky eyes.
"No. No. No. I'm something like a skin-changer but my other firm is a bird not a bear. Hence the egg."
The dwarves made various sounds of understanding. After that they settled to their seats. The bards took their instruments and begun to play and sing.
Halfway through the night a loud crack echoed through the Hall. All eyes turned to Vesper who carefully unwrapped the egg from the blanket. There was a hole and something was trying to get out. A hand of the size of a newborn poke out. The Witch started to help her child out. When the hole was big enough she took out her child and wrapped it in the blanket.
"It's a boy!" The new mother announced.
The hall which was silent erupted into loud cheers but was silenced again by the new set of lungs that started to work on top of their capacity and a glare from Vesper.
Bilbo was sitting in a garden contemplating if he should continue the journey or not. Here in Rivendell everything was so peaceful yet full of life he could imagine staying here for the rest of his life. Lord Elrond give him offer to send him home with some of his guards. Bilbo was tempted to take it but he promised the company to help them take back their home. He didn't know what to do.
Someone sat down next to him. Soft babbling of a baby filled the air. Bilbo turn and greeted the Witch and she smiled at him.
"What's on your mind, dear Master Baggins?"
Bilbo looked down, his fists clutching the fabric of his pants. "I... I don't know if I'm suitable for this journey. I'm only a simple Hobbit. This is the farthest I've been from home. Everything about travelling is uncomfortable and scary. I'm only a hindrance to my companions."
"You don't know wether you're suitable or unsuitable for something, not until you do your best while trying. What I understand it that you are a burglar for your company and no one is more suitable that Hobbit for this kind of job. And about the travel," she shrugged. "To be scared of unknown is normally and traveling is uncomfortable nothing you can do about that for sure."
Bilbo looked disappointed. Vesper felt bad for him.
"But I heard you like to smoke. You can always remind yourself of home when you lit your pipe."
Bilbo shook his head sadly. "I don't have my pipe with me."
Vesper pulled out her old pipe and offered it to Bilbo. "You can have mine. I stopped smoking when I found out I was pregnant. I have no use for it now."
He looked at her incredulously. "Are you sure?"
"Would I offered it if I wasn't sure?" she deadpanned.
Bilbo blushed with embarrassment and took the pipe muttering 'thank you'.
Satisfied Vesper left him alone.
Few days later both mother and child were ready to leave the Last Homely House . Vesper got a basket which she charmed with all kinds of things like water resistance, fire resistance, heat and cold resistance etc most importantly she ensured her child will not fall out even in blizzard. Packed her things and some rations.
Elrond and his family decided to give her proper good bye which translates as most of the Imladris seeing her off. When she deranged from all the hugs and rescued from overly doting elves she could finally leave.
"Let's return to your father, shall we Sirideán, my little searcher?" Asked Vesper her son.
Her son giggled secured in his basket with all charms working. Vesper changed into her phoenix form, grasped the handles of the basket with her talons and took off. She raised higher and higher baby's giggles her only company.