Small note, it's been 4 years since I touched this fic and I fear that my 'voice' may have changes slightly; I'm very sorry for the inconsistency.*
Chapter 4
Bilbo felt the magic wash over them as they came closer to the elven city. The evening air was warm and smelled of honeysuckle. The constant roar of the waterfalls in the background set Bilbo at ease as he and the others were led into Lord Elrond's estate. Just as it always had, the hidden valley made him feel right at home. The others, however, were not as content to be among the elves. They grumbled and complained all the way up until dinner and were only halted as they began singing and throwing food. As dwarves do.
He declined Balin's invitation to join them in trying to decipher the map; he already knew what it said and instead wished to visit one of the other libraries in search of pen and paper. It didn't take him long to find, and he spent the next few hours secluded away in the trove of knowledge. The library was calm and still, the smell of books permeating the air. He knew many of these books were older than even the city itself, having read several on the occasions he had visited after his return to the shire. One of his favorites was a story from the first age, when Morgoth dwelt in Middle-earth and the Elves made war upon him to recover the Silmarils. He still couldn't understand how simple stones could hold such sway over the hearts of the living, even having seen it firsthand.
He came awake with a start, with no memory of having fallen asleep. Neatly folding his papers and slipping them into his vest, he crept to the door to investigate what had awoken him. There wasn't anyone in the hallway, nor in any of the rooms; this wasn't weird for the part of the manor he was in, but it did make him feel a little anxious. Being constantly around thirteen others every day for several weeks leaves one wanting to be by themself a lot, but also miss the constant noise when its' gone.
Two left turns and one long hallway away, Bilbo stood in front of the large oak double doors of Lord Elrond's private quarters. With no invitation to be in this part of the house, he would likely get into trouble if he was caught. Luckily, the guards for this area hadn't made it to this part of their route yet and there were no lights coming from under the door. Making a silent prayer to any god who would listen, he slid the papers under underneath before making his way back to his companions. It didn't take him long before he found Bofur hastening towards him.
"Where have you been lad? We've been lookin' everywhere for you." The dwarf huffed.
"I fell asleep in a library, why are you looking for me?"
"Oh we'ere afraid these leaf eaters had kidnapped our burglar," Bofur grinned and slapped Bilbo on the back. They soon entered their quarters, finding everyone except Thorin and Gandalf.
"Gandalf didn't come back with Thorin and Balin, and Thorin and Gloin got into an argument shortly after. So he went for a walk as well." Bofur answered before he could inquire as to where they had gone. "Balin says we're leaving at first light, so you might want to catch some shut eye."
Nodding, Bilbo made his way to one of the lavish beds where his things had been placed. There, on top of his pillow, lay an elvish short sword. Shock ran through him as he examined the weapon. While having been called a letter opener by some, there was no mistaking this blade for any other. His Sting had somehow made its way back to him.
"Where did this come from?" he inquired, unable to take his eyes from the familiar blade. He hadn't realized how disappointed he had been when he hadn't found it in the cave, but now it was as if a piece of himself had been safely returned.
"Oh, the sowing needle? Thorin left it, saying something about you not having a weapon. Not that I think it will do much good for you…" Dori trailed off, shaking his head from his seat on Nori's bed.
"Well, he couldn't very well lift one of our blades, he'd probably stab himself with even a small dagger." Gloin chimed in, leaving Kili and Fili coughing in the background.
"I can handle myself, thank you." Bilbo huffed, putting the blade away and crawling into bed to ignore the good-natured jabs that followed. Soon though, everyone had found their bdeds and a choir of snoring began to shake the whole of Rivendell. This, paired with his short nap, left Bilbo unable to sleep despite the comfortable bed. After about an hour of staring at the ceiling, he tiptoed his way through the room to the door, and out into the hall.
After a brisk walk down the corridors, he soon found himself in a secluded courtyard where he had gathered flowers from on his last trip to Rivendell. The outer walls were lined with large oaks, blocking any entrance other than the main doors and preventing anyone from looking in. Paving stones led the way to a bench beside a large fountain which gurgled quietly in the moonlight. Standing above the fountain, a lifelike statue of Lady Celebrian, Lord Eldron's wife, looks down at the bench with a sad half smile.
Bilbo spotted Thorin, sitting with his head in his hand on the bench. Beginning to back track in an attempt to give the king his space, he is stopped by Thorin's muffled voice.
"I know you're there."
"I didn't mean to disturb you…"
"You've not." The dwarve's head remained down as Bilbo sat beside him, staring up at the silver moon above. The silence held between them, each lost in their own thoughts. As the moon began its decent, Thorin shifted, drawing Bilbo's attention. "I have a task for you, burglar."
Bilbo turned to give the king his full attention as he explained the need for a distraction, that lord Elron would not be supporting the troop in their endeavors to retake the Lonely Mountain. A chill ran down Bilbo's spine as he recognized this as the first consequence of his changing the past, as Gandelf had no reason to meet with the council since he never encountered Radagast.
"Are you up to the task?"
"Yes, I can do that." His mind whirled with ideas on how to distract the whole of Rivendell as the company made their escape. Worse, his thoughts soon carried him to how he would get caught distracting the whole of Rivendell and ending his mission this night.
"I intend to leave Nori to hide with your pony at the edge of the town," Thorin's voice broke through his worries, grounding his back to the task at hand. "It will give the rest of the company the time to get a head start; he knows the route we will take through the Misty Mountains and the two of you will be harder to track. He will leave you here if you are unable to meet him by noon, so plan carefully." Bilbo gave a small nod, and Thorin stood, casting a skeptical look at the hobbit before leaving to wake the others.
After about an hour alone in the garden flipping through plans, he finally settled on the idea of setting several small fires throughout the western end of Rivendell. It would take little effort other than sneaking through the keep with a lit torch or some matches and should distract the guards enough that the dwarves would be able to slip away through the eastern gates. Motivated, he swiftly stood and made his way back to the room where the Dwarves were preparing for their departure. Gandelf sat on a bed smoking with a small frown puckered between his brow.
"Is all well?" Bilbo inquired of the wizard.
"Mmm? Well? Yes, my friend, everything is well." His eyes remained far away in thought, and Bilbo shrugged off the feeling of foreboding as he gathered his things. With only an hour or so before dawn they were ready to depart.
"I'll take that for you Mr. Baggins," Nori lifted Bilbo's pack from his back to leave his with just his cloak and sting.
"Thank you. I'll be headed out now."
"We'll see you soon Bilbo," Bofur waved from where the group was huddled in a whispered conversation, likely discussing back up plans if Bilbo failed. He sighed as he made his way through the quiet corridors. Most of the residents would still be sleeping at this hour, which left him an easy path through Lord Elron's home out to the streets. Bilbo knew the layout of the city from his previous visits; while it was smaller in area than the Shire, it made up for it in grand multilevel buildings that housed the few elven families that resided here. It didn't take much effort to reach the western bridge that acted as the main entrance, and he was pleased to see that the guard house was at the other end of the bridge.
Shuffling around the edges of the street he began piling leaves in a way that wouldn't cause the fire to spread to any of the buildings or the bridge itself. Standing back to eye his handywork, he nearly jumped from his skin when a small voice whispered, "What are you doing?"
A young boy stood next to him and was prodding the leaf pile with a stick, having gone completely unnoticed by the hobbit. Already several inches taller than Bilbo, the child was lanky with thin long limbs and a mess of wavey brown locks shorn just below his ears. He still had a round youthful face, with a set of ageless blue eyes imbedded behind dark lashes. Unlike the mystical paleness of the elves, this boy was a deep tan likely from spending his days under the sun. He was well dressed in a way that spoke of wealth, so it was unlikely that he was a child of a servant. Bilbo shook himself as the adrenalin pulsed through his veins.
"Who are you?" He eyed the shadows around him fearing that the boy wasn't alone, that his mission was coming to an end then and there.
"Estel. You were with the dwarves, but you don't look like one. Who are you? Why are you making a pile of leaves?" Estel whispered, squatting down to grab a hand full of leaves. Bilbo couldn't remember having ever met anyone by the name, elf or man. Nor did he remember a child at dinner.
"Why are you out here?"
"I snuck out to go fishing," He waved his stick above his head and Bilbo could see a thin string coiled around the length of it. "Now I've answered two of your questions, and you have yet to answer any of mine." The boy's face remained neutral as he pushed several of the leaves back into the pile. Already caught, Bilbo knew it would only take a shout from the lad to alert the guards at the tower. He also knew he couldn't bring himself to harm the boy, despite the urgency he faced. Kneeling beside the boy, he made a snap decision.
"My name is Bilbo." He confided," I must make a diversion so that my friends can leave the keep without being seen. I'm going to catch this pile of leaves on fire, and then a few more so that the guards will all come to this side of the town." He held his breath, waiting for the boy to yell for help.
Instead, a grin spread across Estel's face as mischief lit his eyes. "Might I help? I'm quiet, and it would be better to make each leaf pile and then light them as close to the same time as you can." It sounded like reasonable advise, and while Bilbo was still unsure he knew he needed to act before he missed his chance.
"Very well, but we must be quick," They set to work making small piles leading from the first around the eastern edge of the city. After about five minutes the two of them had put together six decently sized piles of leaves.
"Here take these," Bilbo pulled several matches from his pocket to pass to the lad.
"I'll start from here; you start from the bridge. We can meet in the middle and I'll help you get back without being seen." He gave a nod as Estel disappeared into the night. Bilbo moved quickly past several houses before the sound of shifting armor alerted him to a pair of guards. He shifted into a darkened corner, stilling as the elves walked past before rushing on to his first pile. Striking a match, he waved it lightly among the litter which took light within seconds. The flames ate their way through the leaves as small columns of smoke began to rise. Once he felt confident that the pile wasn't going to put itself out Bilbo moved on to the next.
Some distance behind him he could hear shouts coming from his first pile, while ahead he could see Estel's first two locations already lit. Lighting his second pile, he was soon sprinting to his third as shouts increased from all directions calling for water. By the time he reached his final location, the boy had already lit it and was waving him into a gap between two buildings.
"Come, this way!" The loud whisper was full of urgency, and Bilbo sprinted to keep up as they slipped through a darkened door and into a long unlit hallway. Several turns later they entered a second door which Estel slammed shut behind them, sliding down the wood to the ground as he burst out laughing.
Bilbo was not as amused as he panted heavily for breath. The room around him held a wardrobe and child sized (or adult hobbit sized) bed, un-made. Wooden horses and solders lay scattered on the floor, a small bow leaned against the wall near the lit fireplace. The painting of an elegant woman in a vibrant blue dress holding a dark-haired babe hung above it the mantle. The window on the far wall looked out to a waterfall, the blue light of the moon reflecting brightly in the rushing waters rapidly pinkening with the dawn.
"Lord Elrond isn't going to be happy about that," The boy chuckled, picking himself up from the floor.
"I'd think not," Bilbo straightened his cloak. "Thank you for your help, Estel. I don't know that I would have been able to do it without you."
"Probably not, you don't seem like much of an arsonist." He quipped, flopping back on his bed.
Bilbo chuckled, "I've been called many things, but arsonist is new to the list."
The boy hummed to himself, swinging his feet back and forth as he gazed up at the ceiling of his room.
"If I may ask, how did a human child end up among the elves?"
Estel sat up, his gaze turning to the toys on the floor. "My father and Lord Elrond were friends, my mother brought me here to live when he died. I'm considered his 'ward', which isn't as exciting as it is in the story books. It mostly involves lessons, but my tutor is a bore…" He trailed off before giving Bilbo an odd look, "Might I join you? You're on a journey with a dwarven king, I'm sure that would be more exciting than my lessons!"
A small smile peaked on Bilbo's face as he remembered how much Frodo had also detested lessons at that age; This boy reminded him of his nephew, the dark hair and metaphorical fire in his eyes. Even the literal fire from when Frodo had 'accidentally' lit one of the lace curtains ablaze in Bag End. Still he shook his head, "No, I'm afraid this trip is only for those who were picked by the King. But I'll bring you along on my next adventure, how about that?" he added at the crestfallen look he received.
"I guess that will have to do. Do you promise?"
"I promise-"
A thunderous knock sounded at the door. Estel waved franticly, beckoning Bilbo out onto the balcony, his finger going to his lips for silence then pointing over to a latus of winding vines that stretched up to the roof.
"Estel! Open the door!" The banging continued as Bilbo gave him a nod, hurrying to the latus.
"I'm coming, one second." Estel rushed out of view, leaving Bilbo to climb up onto the tiled roof. The morning sun was already warming the air making its way to the center of the sky. While he still had several hours before the deadline, he wasn't inclined to dilly-dally. Instead, he walked across the roof to where it nearly met another, jumping across to make his way back to Lord Elrond's home.
That was the plan anyway. A plan soon interrupted, however, by a slippery tile and unsteady footing. Bilbo found the ground rushing to meet him as he slipped from the roof, the impact knocking the wind from him as he landed on his side. His already bruised body shot with pain as he attempted to suck in a breath, pulling himself to his feet. Relief flooded him as nothing felt broken and he slowly began weaving his way through Rivendell back the way he came while sticking to the shadows and alleys. He could still hear the shouts from the east, the smell of smoke was thick in the air. He hoped that they were able to get the flames under control before two long, but it was working out well that he hadn't run across any guards. After about thirty minutes of walking, he finally reached the outskirts of the town; another bridge similar to the one on the eastern end, the only difference being the unconscious elf in the guard house at the other end. After a quick examination he deduced that the damage was not permanent, the elf's pale face sporting a bruise to the cheek likely from a dwarven fist.
Satisfied, he walked out into the forest, hastening in the general direction of the Misty Mountains on the familiar path. The trees were tall with vibrant greens canopies above. The light trickling to the forest floor in sparkling columns, each moving over the leaflitter and grass gently with the breeze. Bilbo knelt on several occasions to pluck mushrooms or berries from around him, placing each morsal into his pockets for later. After a few minutes the trees began to thin, tall grass and large stones taking their place as the elven magic began to fade. Soon he was a good distance up the rise, looking down on a slightly smoking Rivendell. Guilt ate at him, but he knew he'd be willing to do far worse for the sake of his companions. Resolving to pay for the damages on his next visit, he continued forward to where Nori waved at him from the crest, the two ponies grazing a few meters away.