Our Song Lives On

Paths Unwinding

Up jumped Bilbo, stepping into the beginning of his destiny. The little, hair footed hobbit put on his dressing gown and went into the dining room. There he saw nobody, but all the signs of a large and hurried breakfast. There was a fearful mess in the room, and the washing-up was so dismally real that Bilbo was forced to believe that the rather unexpected party of the night before had indeed, occurred. Indeed he was really relieved after all to think that they had all gone without him, and without bothering to wake him up; and yet in a way he could not help feeling just a trifle disappointed.

The feeling surprised him.

"Don't be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!" he said to himself, "thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!"

So the hobbit shook his thoughts clear of any mountains and treasures and basked in the comfort of his hole. He put on an apron, lit fires, boiled water, and washed up. Then he had a nice little breakfast in the kitchen before turning out the dining room.

By that time the sun was shining and the front door was open, letting in a warm spring breeze. Bilbo began to whistle loudly and almost forget about the night before... till he watched as the contract spilled over the mantle and playing a dangerous dance with the fire.

It wasn't long after that that Bilbo Baggins ran out his front door, overhill and underhill and across the river, not stopping till he met up with the company that had crashed his home for dinner yesternight.

Down jumped Ellie, off her midnight horse as she sought a place to settle for the day. She'd no map for her journey, no destination, no mountain to claim, or reclaim for that matter. She'd no rest either; the night wasn't a safe haven outside of Arendale.

She would dare not stop in the forest at night; evil things lurked there. She'd heard the roar of orcs, which made in her mind haunting visions of fire and death. She could've sworn she understood their language, but that was not something to proclaim out loud she knew.

Now in the safety of the daylight, Ellie dare stop for a long minute, feasting on her bread and fruit. Azula lay down next to her, and with a heavy heart Ellie lay on the beast, despaired by the death of the forest she laid in. As an elf, she was bound to nature. Fate allowed her no more than an hour long of shut eye before her elven ears were awoken by the skitters and patters. Spiders, she acknowledged as she sat up. But loud enough to wake her, that was odd.

There was a rumbling in the ground; the trees felt it, and the land felt it. Ellie felt it. She quickly swung on her nervous horse and galloped Azula out from under the canopy of the dead trees and into the open. Just in time, too, as the log where she had sat not minutes ago was crushed under spiders. Usually she would have said the fallen tree was swarming, or overcome, but these creatures were almost the size of Azula!

Ellie ran her horse along the forest, in the direction the spiders went. There wasn't much in the near sight, but far off she spotted a cottage, farmer and his family and stock. She hit the horse's behind, making her neigh and run ahead of the spiders to warn the farmer. And if giant spiders aren't a trifle for you, then go ahead and add in a deluge why don't you.

Not for the first time or the last, Bilbo Baggins missed his hole. And to think, a handkerchief was what he regretted leaving home with. He could trade his silver spoons to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins for an umbrella right about now.

"Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Piped a dwarf; he was tinier than the rest, but no less determined and courageous.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."