She dreams of Golden Hope

Caught between the weight of all unsaid

Guilt, a feeling that was not prominent within Gandalf, but which he knew all dwarves felt. Guilt at not having gone back for her. Guilt at having abandoned one of their company. Guilt at their harsh behaviour toward the girl, who had surprised them all at first with her compassionate nature and her gentle way which Gandalf thought contrasted so completely from the gruff and suspicious behaviour known of dwarves. Guilt at having left the girl, who they had all shunned after discovering her true heritage, something which Gandalf had been so determined to keep a secret, to prevent the pain and mistreatment Laurel had experienced during those last days. Even without seeing their slumped shoulders and hearing the grating silence that blanketed them, Gandalf could feel the guilt radiating off every dwarf.

He looked ahead and his lips twisted up into a small smile as the low wooden house of the skin-changer came into view. The wooden, long cabin had a white exterior with a dark wooden beams periodically shooting throughout the length of it and a light straw roof with two chimneys near the centre of it from which white smoke rose like a warm curtain, like the smoke that rose from the tip of his pipe when he would indulge in smoking some late afternoon pipe weed. As soon as they came to a wooden gate, high and broad, beyond it they could see gardens the likes of which he had only seen in the Shire with its thick hedges that were green with occasional splutters of vibrant red and yellow and orange. On the southward side of the great hedge were rows and rows of hives with bell-shaped tops made of straw. There was cluster of low wooden buildings, which were thatched and made of unshapely logs. The barns, stables shed and the central house were surrounded by a circular gate of pine trees which shoot high into the warm orange, late afternoon sky, the same trees threw large, static shadows on the ground causing the grass to turn from light green to a darker hue of the colour. The serene silence weighed heavily on him and made the noise of giant bees flying to and fro and crawling in and out more pronounced and the buzzing sound filled the air around him.

As soon as they had reached the gate, Gandalf stopped and turned around to face the company of Thorin Oakenshield. He broke the silence and addressed them: "This will be enough distance for all of us together. The master of these halls, Beorn, is not overly fond of visitors and dwarves. To save us from his temper, I believe it would be wise to present him with you in twos. I will go on then, with Master Baggins and when it is safe, I will give a whistle. Come on, then each of you in pairs, every five minutes." He turned toward the only gap in the hedge and as he was beginning to walk down the narrow cobblestone path with Bilbo at his side, he felt the need to look over his shoulder to once more address the company of dwarves warningly: "It would be good if you were on your best behaviour."

Bilbo and him rounded a bent in the hedge and the company disappeared from sight. As they walked along the green pastures, they had drawn the attention of several animals. Tall mares with sleek coats and flowing manes, young goats with healthy thighs and glistening fur. Animals with intelligent and curious eyes that mustered them for a few seconds before they trotted off in the direction of the house, no doubt to tell their master of their imminent arrival. Him and Bilbo approached the house in reticent, contemplative silence. The house of the man Beorn, who could change his skin at will, who was sometimes a man who lived in an oak wooden house, other times he roamed the landscapes of Middle Earth far and wide in the form of a huge black bear. No one knew for sure in which form he had been born. Some people said that he was a bear descended from the ancient great bears that lived in the mountains before the giants came there. Others said he was a man who's forefather were among the first men and lived in this part of the world even before dragons flew in the sky and the goblins came down from the north. He worried how he would address the skin changer: He was a king enough soul for most part, but possessed a quick temper that you did not want to bring out. They would have to watch themselves.