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
The day dawned warm and clear. Bilbo yawned as he sat up, still tired from the late night before. Rubbing the sleepy blur from his eyes, he glanced around at their campsite, still somewhat dim in the early blue light.
Bofur was whistling by the fire as he pulled out some oats and a small bag of dried fruit for breakfast, his rotund brother still sound asleep behind him. Gloin sat nearby, yawning as he packed up his bedroll. Dwalin was to the edge of the camp, looking eastward and rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes, before he yawned as well. Bilbo noticed that a few members of their company were absent, and it didn't take him long to realize that they had likely gone to visit the bushes. Several members of the company were still slumbering on, and he realized that he had awakened earlier than he thought.
I could have sworn I overslept.
He glanced to the east, noting that the sun had not yet crested the horizon, and marveled at how warm the air was already. Rising to his feet, he yawned as he stretched. Stumbling a bit as he headed toward the fire, he nodded toward the miner, who smiled in return.
"Mornin', Bilbo," he said cheerfully as he dumped the oats and fruit into the boiling water. "It's going to be a warm one today, don't you think?" The hobbit nodded, looking up at the clear blue sky.
"I think more hot than warm," he replied, and Bofur chuckled.
"That's not hot," he said, placing the pot back over the fire. "Molten iron- now that's hot. Burn the skin right off ya, if you aren't careful. " Bilbo sighed.
"I suppose I cannot argue with you there," he replied good naturedly as he sat down on a large stone. "Seeing as how I've never been in a forge myself." Bofur chuckled, before sipping water out of his waterskin.
"Aye," he agreed. "I don't reckon hobbits are the forging sort." He winked, and Bilbo chuckled.
"No, no they are not," he said, smiling. "We are more the gardening and farming sort. I prefer the smell of earth and the feel of soft plants under my hands than a forge-hammer." Bofur shook his head.
"And yet, you still buy our tools for your farm work," he said, smirking. "I would bet good coin that you hobbits couldn't plow as many fields as you do without our iron shovels, hoes, and plows." Bilbo nodded.
"I won't take that bet, because I know it's true," he said, grinning. Bofur chuckled, before stirring the oats.
"Seems like we all depend on each other, in our own way," he said as he looked out on the meadow, visible through the trees. "You grow our food, and we trade you tools and carts so you can grow more food for yourselves and for us." Bilbo nodded.
"It would seem that way," he asked. Bofur turned toward Bilbo then, his demeanor more serious than before.
"Us dwarves always thought your people to be soft and weak," he admitted, looking somewhat ashamed. "But you've proven us wrong, Bilbo. Hobbits are a lot stronger than I would have ever thought." Bilbo smiled, before placing his hand on Bofur's shoulder.
"And I thought dwarves were stubborn, pig-headed, uncouth and lacking in manners," he said quietly. "And now I know that they are loyal and noble and good people, if still stubborn and pig-headed with atrocious table manners." He smiled as Bofur laughed heartily.
"Aye, that we are," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "There are some things we cannot change about ourselves, I'm afraid. We'll always be stubborn and, as you put it, have atrocious table manners." He winked at the hobbit as Bilbo chuckled.
"But I am glad to call you friend, Bilbo," he said, his gaze showing respect. Bilbo nodded.
"And I, you," he replied, before looking at the oats.
"Breakfast is almost ready," he remarked, and Bofur nodded.
"Aye," he said. "Best get off to the bushes while ye can, because once that little git wakes up-" he gestured over his shoulder at the sleeping Bombur behind him- "There isn't going to be anything left."
Bilbo nodded, hurrying to do his business.
XXX
The stream felt as cold as ice, belying the warm morning air. Cirashala adjusted the water skin in her hands so they were above the water, her fingers numb from the cold.
After the group had eaten their oats, Thorin instructed them to refill all of their waterskins and clay bottles as full as they could with the fresh, cool water, warning them that they would find no more until they reached Laketown on the other side of the forest. Her first waterskin filled quickly, and she plugged it tightly with a cork, before reaching for the next one lying beside her.
Her thoughts drifted toward the forest ahead as her stomach fluttered with trepidation. She hadn't yet seen what Mirkwood looked like, having ended up in Middle-earth before the second film was released, but she easily remembered the descriptions of it from the book. The darkness almost rivaling night even in daytime, the flies buzzing about, the dank, rotted trees, the sticky spider's webs hanging from their branches, their owners perched high in the trees waiting patiently for unsuspecting prey to cross their path-she remembered it quite clearly, and the prospect of entering that very same forest this afternoon terrified her even more than the thought of facing the dragon. Her gaze moved toward the distant horizon, their view of the forest edge blocked by low, rolling hills as she fearfully thought about the spiders lying in wait in the forest ahead.
Spiders...as big as volkswagens...
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even realize her current waterskin was overflowing until a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. The startled young woman nearly fell headlong into the stream in front of her with a shriek, before a strong arm grabbed her shoulders from behind. Her wide blue eyes looked down, and she recognized Bifur's sleeve. He did not release her until she regained her balance, and she nodded her thanks to the toymaker, her heart still pounding with fright.
"Cira?" Bilbo asked beside her, looking both concerned and quite confused. "Are you all right?" She looked up at him, and nodded.
"Y-yes," she gasped, her heart still racing. "I-you...you just startled me, that's all." Bilbo frowned, and she noticed several others looking at her oddly as well.
"I should say so," he replied, his brow furrowing in concern. "I tried to tell you your waterskin was full three times, and you acted as though you didn't hear a word of it." She looked down then, before taking the skin out and corking it.
"I-I guess I was lost in thought," she said quietly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Bilbo hummed to himself, before grabbing another skin from her pile, his already filled.
"What were you thinking about?" he asked, looking back up at her as the vessel filled up. "You had that same look in your eyes last night when you were rolling out your blankets." She swallowed heavily, before looking away.
"Nothing," she said as she corked the next skin. She glanced up at Bilbo, who looked very unconvinced.
"It's not nothing," he said firmly. "You looked frightened to death, and your face was as pale as the moon." Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced toward the wizard standing next to Deloth several feet away, and she fought quickly for an answer that wouldn't give away what she knew.
"I, uh," she began, grabbing the last skin from the pile to fill. "I-I've just...I've heard...rumors...about Mirkwood, that's all." Bilbo frowned, as did Bofur behind him.
"What sort of rumors?" the miner asked, and she thought for a brief moment, before coming up with an answer that she hoped wouldn't give anything away.
"Just that it's a very strange forest, that's all," she said quietly, corking the last skin. A slight chuckle sounded behind the three, and she stood up with her skins, looking at Balin.
"Lass, those are just rumors," he said, smiling. "A forest might be a bit strange, but I'm sure it's no Fangorn. I would not set foot in that forest, but I do not think Mirkwood is as bad as you think it is." Bilbo frowned, looking between the two of them.
"But what about what Beorn said?" he asked, glancing to the east. "He said the forest wasn't the same. That foul things creeped beneath the trees." Balin sighed, glancing at the horizon.
"He also said that these lands are crawling with orcs," Dwalin added, coming up behind them. "But I haven't seen a sign of any orc since we left Beorn's house." Balin nodded. Bilbo frowned as he glanced to the west, but did not say a word, and she had a feeling that he had noticed Beorn following them like he had in the book.
"Dwalin's right," the older dwarf said, patting her shoulder. "I'm sure the forest is fine, aside from the water." He glanced to the east, where the sky was turning red and gold and the stars disappeared.
"Load the waterskins," Thorin said as he came up next to them, also glancing at the horizon. "We need to move out." The young woman took one last look at the horizon, before taking a deep breath and following the others to the ponies. Spiders or no, she would not abandon her friends.
But it did not stop her from hoping that the delay would prevent them from encountering the foul beasts altogether. The young woman had absolutely no desire to meet a spider bigger than she was.
XXX
Bilbo chose to ride with Gandalf again, and by the time the sun crested the horizon they were off. The sun sparkled on the stream in the distance, but it was quickly left behind.
He had been correct that the day would be hot. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck as they rode, the breeze from their speed being the only respite he had. His eyes wandered over the wilderness they passed, and he wondered about the rumors the young woman spoke of.
She said she heard rumors that the forest was strange, but Balin doesn't seem to think that it's that bad.
Balin hadn't seen the look on her face, but Bilbo had. She had looked completely terrified, as though a warg pack were descending on them and they had no weapons to defend themselves. She seemed to dismiss it as nothing, but he couldn't help but feel a sense that things weren't as simple as they appeared to be.
His eyes roamed over the land as they rode, and slowly he began to notice slight differences. The harts were no longer sticking their ears up from the grass. He hadn't seen any deer for quite some time. As they had their midday break, he suddenly realized that there were no birds singing and no bees buzzing. The wildflowers began to be sparse, and the grasses were no longer sweet, but worn. The ponies began to act a little nervous, but obediently continued on.
The company had begun their ride laughing and joking, but slowly quieted, as though they too felt something strange in the air. Clouds began to gather overhead, though some sunlight still made it through, and the air was very heavy and thick. The closer they got to the forest, the stronger the hobbit felt that something was not quite right. He didn't even notice his hand trail toward his waistcoat pocket, and rested it upon the ring he found as they rode, his gaze more alert and worried than before.
About halfway into the afternoon, they crested a large hill, and suddenly the forest lay before them. Tall oaks reached toward the sky, but they looked very strange indeed. The gnarled trunks rose up dark and black, with sticky brown sap oozing from the bark. The leaves were twisted and small, but very, very thick, and many years of fallen foliage rested on the forest floor. The light seemed to almost end at the edge of the dark forest, and the smell seemed very dank, like rotted wood and old mushrooms unfit to eat. Thick moss trailed from the branches above, and there wasn't even the slightest sound of birds or beasts beneath its eaves. At the edge of the forest, two pillars that looked like antlers rose up on either side of a stone path, and he knew that must be the elven gate.
Bilbo swallowed heavily as he beheld the forest edge, his eyes wide as he stared into its depths. The entire company was silent for a moment, before Gandalf spoke behind him.
"The elven gate," he said grimly. "And now, my friends, I am afraid that the time has come for us to part."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A response to guest reviewer Guest: You're welcome :) Yup- they're brothers and best friends and confidantes, and it's really helping him out. Well, you have good instincts lol (as this chapter showed ;). They're in the wilds of Middle-earth- it's not going to remain peaceful for long!
A response to guest reviewer Kaia (to both reviews): Ah, that makes more sense now. Feeling a bit better, but not out of the woods yet. Thanks :) Thank you! I'm really eager to get to Mirkwood in the story too :D
Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you are all amazing! :D :D :D