I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC). Those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.
Please review- I love them! They keep me encouraged! :D
Cirashala slowly approached her companions, her pack held tightly to her chest as butterflies swarmed in her stomach. Most of the company had already stowed their gear onto their ponies, though some still had a bit to go.
Her eyes landed on Kili, who stood on their pony's left side tying his waterskin to the makeshift saddle. He still looked upset as he avoided the gazes of those around him, and the butterflies in her stomach increased in intensity. She knew he still hadn't forgiven her for the biting retort about her hand, and dearly wished she were permitted to ride with someone else today.
Or better yet, that I hadn't said it in the first place.
The last of the supplies were loaded onto ponies, and she realized that her pack needed to be tied down as well before they continued on their journey. Taking a deep breath, she timidly approached the young prince, stopping just within reach of him. Kili immediately stilled, his hands resting on the ties he'd just knotted, and she knew he knew she was there. He continued to avoid her gaze, and her heart sank.
"Hand me your pack," he said quietly, though his voice was very tense. She glanced down at the bundle in her arms, before hesitantly reaching her pack out to him. He jerked it out of her hands so quickly that she jumped in startle, eyes wide. Tying it to the animal, he turned and brushed past her without another word.
Her heart sank as she watched him enter the crack in the rock she had come out of moments earlier, no doubt taking one last visit to the bushes before they hit the road. Her throat tightened as her eyes misted, but she fought it as hard as she could. Turning toward her pony, she took a deep breath and quickly mounted the beast, the task far easier due to her newly mended hand.
Kili reappeared moments later, and she avoided his gaze as well. Her hands tightened on the reins in her lap as he approached, but she knew there was no way around it. Thorin had ordered them to share the pony due to weight, and she would have to ride with him until they reached the edge of the forest. As he mounted up behind her, the young woman felt her whole body tense. Tension also radiated off him, and her grip on the reins tightened even further as he reached around her. He moved to take the reins, and she released them without hesitation, though it grated on her that he still seemingly believed her to be an inexperienced horsewoman.
Bilbo's words again ran through her mind.
Give him time.
Loneliness surged through her, and she swallowed thickly as her heart seemed to sink even lower. It was going to be a very long ride.
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Bilbo glanced up at Gandalf, before eyeing the large horse. The black fur and long legs seemed to go on forever, and he swallowed a bit nervously.
"Gandalf?" he asked, looking back up at the wizard. "Would...would you mind if I rode with you today? I'm sure my weight wouldn't make much of a difference." Gandalf looked down at him in surprise, before his expression turned to one of curiosity.
"Why would you want to ride with me?" he asked curiously. "Hobbits aren't overfond of horses, from what I've heard." Bilbo glanced at the horse with some trepidation, then back at the wizard.
"Well," he began, squaring his shoulders to hide his nervousness. "I-I admit I'm not overfond of them, but I suppose they aren't all that bad." The wizard smirked as he raised one eyebrow, and Bilbo had a feeling he wasn't fooled for a minute.
"Besides, I do think it would make it easier to have a conversation with you if I am riding with you rather than alongside, that's all," he finished quickly. The wizard eyed him for a moment as he leaned on his staff.
"And what sort of conversation do you wish to have, my dear hobbit?" he asked, and Bilbo shrugged.
"I'm just curious," he said honestly. "I've never been this far away from home. I thought perhaps maybe you could tell me more about wizards, and-" he quickly glanced at the others, before leaning in to whisper, "Elves." Gandalf looked at him for a good moment with a twinkle in his eye, before chuckling.
"Of course," he replied, nodding his assent. "I would quite appreciate your company myself." Bilbo smiled, before glancing again at the large horse.
"Oi, Bilbo," a voice suddenly sounded beside him. Bilbo jumped a bit, before looking into the eyes of Bofur. The miner looked inexplicably hurt. "What's the matter? You don't want to ride with me anymore?" Bilbo's eyes widened.
"No, that's not it," he replied, glancing briefly toward the wizard, who seemed highly amused at the situation. "It's just...I was curious about wizards and thought it might be easier if I rode with Gandalf, rather than trying to shout at him all day." Bofur's eyes suddenly began to twinkle with mischief as he glanced at the tall black beast, then back at Bilbo.
"Well, if ya want to ride that thing today, by all means," he gestured toward Deloth, before turning to tie the last bit of his supplies on his pony. "Horses are only one of the most dangerous beasts in all of Middle-earth." Bilbo's eyes widened as he looked at the horse, before looking back at Bofur.
"Of course, that's after wargs, dragons," the miner continued nonchalantly as he counted off on his fingers while looking skyward. "orcs, goblins..."
The hobbit rolled his eyes, before moving to mount the tall horse. Gandalf reached under his arm, aiding him until he was perched atop the makeshift saddle. Bofur glanced at him, amusement clear in his features as he continued.
"Elves, trolls, oliphaunts..." Bilbo sighed, rolling his eyes once more. Gandalf suddenly started the horse forward, causing the hobbit's eyes to widen considerably. A slight squeak emanated from his mouth as he frantically grasped the horse's mane, causing both the wizard and the miner to chuckle. The hobbit glared at Bofur, who simply shook his head and chuckled again as he mounted his pony.
"Move out!" Thorin's voice boomed from the head of the line, and the whole group began to ride. Bilbo watched as each pony stepped through the giant rocks ahead of them, before looking up at their road ahead.
The morning was cooler than it had been the last few weeks, and an autumnal mist hung in the air. The sun was not quite up yet, though it was close, and the hobbit knew that the mist would disappear the moment the bright orb crested the eastern horizon. He watched ahead of them as the ponies seemed to glide through the low-lying mist, the scene hauntingly beautiful. For a moment, he could forget that they were on a dangerous quest.
The same seemed to ring true with most of the others as well. After two days on the road with no sign of orcs or wargs, the company finally began to relax. Soon, the hobbit's ears detected the sound of Bofur's newest flute wafting toward him from up ahead. Bombur and Nori soon began to sing along, with the latter slightly off-key. Though the lyrics were unfamiliar to the hobbit, the tune was quite refreshing, and the merry words reminded him of songs sung in the Green Dragon after some hobbit lad had a few too many ales.
The mist soon dissipated with the rising of the sun, just as the hobbit had known it would. The haze cleared to reveal beautiful meadows full of sweet grasses and wildflowers, with small copses of trees and sparkling streams scattered throughout. Every so often, the company would see a herd of red deer grazing peacefully in the distance. They were unafraid of the intruders, and not a single one of the company members dared to risk Beorn's wrath and shoot them.
As they rode, the hobbit began to notice the ears of rabbits sticking up out of the grasses. The sightings were very brief, however, for as soon as the sound of hooves upon the earth reached them, the rabbits would dash away into the distance as quickly as their paws could carry them.
After galloping for a few miles, the group slowed, allowing the animals to rest for a while. The hobbit continued to drink in the beautiful scenery for a moment, before remembering why he was on a horse.
"Gandalf?" he asked. "How many wizards are there?"
"There are five of us," Gandalf replied. "The greatest of our order is Saruman the white. Then there's Radagast the Brown, whom you've already met, and the two blue wizards, though the names they now call themselves elude me." Bilbo's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean 'the names they now call themselves'?" he asked, bewildered. "Don't they just have one name?" The wizard behind him chuckled.
"Wizards often go by many names," he replied. "To you I am Gandalf. To the elves I am Mithrandir. To Rohan I am Grayhame, and to the dwarves I am Tharkûn." Bilbo frowned as he tried to sort it all out.
"Why so many?" he asked. "Wouldn't just one or two suffice?" Gandalf chuckled.
"I simply go by what others choose to call me," he replied. "There are many languages in this world. I am "gray" in all of them though." The hobbit nodded, before remembering the realization he'd had earlier this morning.
"Are you leaving us?" he asked. The wizard was quiet for a moment, before he answered.
"Yes," he finally answered. "I have business to the south, and will temporarily part ways with you all at the elven gate. I would delay my business and see you safely through the forest, but I'm afraid what I have to do is something that cannot wait any longer. However, I do plan to return once my business is settled and help you finish the quest." Bilbo nodded.
They sped back up then, and continued to ride through the day, stopping only for the midday meal. Bilbo wasn't certain, but he almost felt like eyes were upon them. The others continued to talk merrily amongst themselves and didn't give any indication that they felt it too. Suddenly he saw movement far to the west out of the corner of his eye. Looking westward, his eyes widened considerably.
"Gandalf," he whispered, glancing once more to the west to make sure that he wasn't imagining things. "There's a bear running alongside us!" The wizard immediately grabbed his arm, quieting the hobbit.
"Hush!" he whispered back. "Take no notice! It is Beorn." The hobbit's eyes widened.
"Beorn?" he asked. So he IS following us.
"Yes," Gandalf replied, his voice still low. "He is watching over his ponies. And us as well, I would think. Still, pay him no mind. If he wished to reveal himself, he would do so." Bilbo nodded.
Well, that explains why the orcs have left us alone.
They continued to ride until sunset, and he was careful not to look westward again.
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A response to guest reviewer Guest: You're welcome :) And don't worry- it was calm in the book too during these couple of days, and next chapter you'll figure out why ;) It won't stay calm for long. As to your question- yes, there will be a bit of a twist but overall eventually it will happen (I won't elaborate more simply because I don't want to accidentally spoil someone else who doesn't want to be who might be reading this- I know I have at least two blind readers). It's not going to be cliché- I can safely say that. I am basing it off book, movie, appendices, and interviews with cast and crew (basically, everything I could find out about dwarves- and what I didn't, I extrapolated from what I did know). Kili's portrayal in the film was very inconsistent due to Tauriel. When he was around his family and his kin, he was more consistent and accurate, but he had a personality transplant every time he was around Tauriel that is explained by the fact that she's a complete Mary Sue (this is not due to gender at all- she fails the Mary Sue Litmus Test horribly- a score of over 29 is a dangerous one to be in and she scored 58). I am keeping the characterization of him I saw with the dwarves sans Tauriel because I think that's a better representation of him as a whole (note- none of the dwarves save for Thorin and a bit of Balin were really fleshed out in the book unfortunately).
He's not a child (far from it- the movie's portrayal or insinuation that he's a teenager is very false- he's actually 29 in dwarf years) but he's sheltered and experiencing a whole new thing from what he's used to. This is his first time being in love (dwarves only love once, and if they cannot have the one they want they will have no other), and it's very new to him. Dwarves also hold grudges and have long memories of hurts and benefits- and any harm comes to their family and they won't rest until it's avenged (Thror was, due to being the heir of Durin himself and thus the eldest of his race (there were 7 dwarf fathers, and 7 clans one from each, and Durin was the first to awaken), was killed cruelly by Azog. Thus, his death and the perception of him as the current father of the dwarves, was enough to start a 7 year long very bloody war of dwarves and orcs to avenge his death, culminating in the Battle of Azanulbizar (the films didn't get this part right at all- it's in the appendices of LOTR under Appendix A, subset Durin's Folk). Dwarves that can feel that deeply that a grudge can be held for over an age, that the entire race would voluntarily muster to avenge Thror's death, etc tells me that dwarves, while often stoic, feel emotions very deeply.
That's where his emotional reactions are coming from (however, you notice that he's only this vulnerable with Fili and occasionally Thorin- the ones who are direct kin (brother and uncle/father figure) so he's not as vulnerable with the rest of them at all- he keeps things close to the chest around the others). I have him, and the others, most vulnerable and open with those whom they are closest to- not in general, and that was deliberate. I feel that dwarves are very stoic around others, but with those whom they are closest to, I think they would let their guard down and be more real to each other.
And with Fili and Kili, things have gotten REAL. When they left Bag End, they WERE cocky and enthusiastic. This was an adventure to them, and real danger was far from their minds. But they've been through hell and back, to be honest- and are finally getting more of a reality check that this isn't just a "walk in the park" adventure, but a very dangerous quest. It's going to be a maturing process for them from sheltered, cocky dwarf princes (and young, but not overly-apprenticeship kind of acts to delay many things a little bit) to warriors who know what real life is like outside of Ered Luin. Fili is 30, Kili is 29, but they haven't experienced the real world much yet, and it's a bit of a shock for them both. This is their process of working through it.
But rest assured- they are NOT, nor will ever be at this point, teenagers. That is one aspect of the reaction to the films that grate on my nerves something fierce. Dwarves are of age (physically) at 40. The aging process slows after that- it's a 2:1 ratio (meaning you multiply childhood age by two and get dwarf age) up to 40, then after that it slows considerably, and you do Dwarf age= (human age x 4.2) -44 to get it (found this on a website using Tolkien's age references and it's accurate for every "human age" a dwarf accomplished something in Tolkien's works, so I go by it- and dwarves don't complete apprenticeship til (human age) 30 (there are many parallels of dwarves being similar to the Jewish people, who end apprenticeship at 30 years old, and a line speaking of apprenticeship in The Hobbit book backs this up as a practice amongst dwarves), so until they are done with that, they're still considered quite young by other dwarves (especially as five of the others-Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, and Gloin-all kin) have known the lads since they were born.
Feel fortunate- this is by far the LONGEST guest response yet ;) And you're very welcome- I prefer long chapters, so I try not to stop until I've got at least 2,000 words in the actual chapter :) But they often go longer :) But I do hope that I adequately explained why I characterized Kili the way I did, and his real age and so on, as well as the book background. If you want more info, feel free to send me a pm and I can elaborate further :)
A response to guest reviewer Kaia: Thanks! Improvement- do you mean in their friendship or with regards to writing? I suppose yes it's true either way, but I hope that my writing isn't bothersome
:( If it is, please let me know what I need to improve upon so I can fix it.
Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you're all amazing! :D :D :D