CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MIRKWOOD FOREST
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My eyes were shining as I adapted to the surrounding light. There were bees and giant hornets. When one of them approached my face, I threw it away. Before I left, I stood up and turned around to make sure they were Dwarves. I turned the corner and saw a man feeding the little men and my Uncle.
Beorn. The owner of this beautiful house made everyone eat breakfast, but I still had no appetite.
"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the defiler hunting you?", Beorn questioned Thorin as he looked up to the large man who had an odd amount of hair on his face.
"You know of Azog", he frowned his eyebrows. "How?", he questioned deeply before I sat into an open seat up at the table.
"My people were the first to live in the Mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved", He paused while I was still looking down at the shackles still stuck on his fat wrists. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport and entertainment. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." I listened closely with sympathy building up inside of me.
"There are others like you?", Bilbo asked, and my eyes slowly fell on Uncle as we exchanged confused glances.
"Once there were many", Beorn whispered deeply as he walked around the high table, carrying a large wooden jug of milk.
"And now?", I questioned as he poured milk into the empty cup that laid in front of me. He stopped pouring before he said, "Now there's only one", he stated towards me, glancing down at my small figure as I reach across the table for my cup of milk, "You need to reach the Mountain before the last days of Autumn"
"Before during day falls, yes", Gandalf stated nodding his head in agreement. "You are running out of time", Beorn stated glancing between the Dwarves at the table as I took another gulp of milk.
"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood.", Gandalf mentioned as Thorin sent him a look, a look that meant no good whatsoever, I really had a bad feeling about going through them woods. I've read about it in one of my books.
"As darkness lies upon that forest, foul things creep beneath those trees", Beorn began as chills went down my spine. "There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there, except in great need.", Beorn stated as I tried to listen very closely to their conversation, wondering what was going to happen if we did go through the woods.
"We will take the Elven road", Gandalf spoke up breaking the tension, between the men, which lingered in the air. "Their path is still safe", Gandalf smiled reassuringly, which faded when he saw me looking at Thorin with great concern.
"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin", I knew that these Elves were different. I have read about many different species and where they come from., "There less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."
"What do you mean?", Thorin questioned as I looked over to Thorin. I was very confused as well.
"The Land of Mirkwood isn't safe", he paused taking in a deep breath, "more dangers grow around the border, full of Orcs and creatures form far lands, " he glanced between the Dwarves. "The numbers of danger grow more and more every year with the passing time. It's not as safe as it used to be", While everyone else nodded, I declared that I was listening intently with Beorn.
"You are on foot", Beorn continued as I drank more of the milk, he gave me only moments before the conversation topic was brought up. "You will never reach the forest alive", he mentioned making my stomach turn, because he was right the Orcs would have seen us if we were out I'm the open for too long.
"I don't like Dwarvess", The large man began changing the subject. "They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem less than their own", he finished, holding a mouse that had been crawling on Dwalin's shoulder. "But Orcs I hate more", he finished off as I smirked slightly at his remark, as I did too. I didn't not like dwarves, but I did hate orcs more than anything I've uncounted, "What do you need?"
*Later that morning*
Beorn gave me a beautiful, strong white horse to use on my journey to Mirkwood. I knew that we had the strength and courage to face everything that came upon us. But even yet with the Dwarves by my side, I knew that whatever was in the forest was not very good.
"Do you think we'll make it alive?", Kili asked as he saddled his own horse, before helping me with my own. Once I was saddled, I rode over to beside Fili as Kili rode on the other side of me.
"There's no telling what will happen", I sighed pulling my horse closer to Kili's as our eyes locked completely. "Let's just hope we don't run into anything cursed", I sighed as he frowned his eyebrows in confusion.
"How do you know?", he exhaled. "What could anything put our lives into danger?", he questioned again as I tilted my head slightly, thinking he was joking when I realised, he wasn't joking I said, "I just know that something, or someone will", I paused, finishing my conversation with Kili looking over to Beorn.
"Are you alright?", Kili asked me before I looked to him forcing a smile to form on my lips. "I'm fine", I inhaled a deep breath before Beorn spoke up.
"Go, now, while you have the light", he paused for a moment. "Your hunters are not far behind", we all reached our destination and Gandalf showed us the way to Mirkwood.
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"The Elven Gate", Gandalf stated as we reached the Mirkwood forest. Dismounting our horses. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood", Gandalf looked to all of us.
"No sign of the Orcs", Dwalin stated as I gazed upon the open lands of grass that we had only just travelled on. "We have luck on our side"
"Set the ponies loose", Gandalf shouted. "Let them return to their master", Gandalf demanded as I patted my horse a farewell.
"This forest feels sick", My Uncle looked to the forest, getting an uneasy feeling. "As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?", he was right. It looked dead, the trees were dark and bent instead of how they were described in the stories, tall and beautifully coloured.
"Not unless we got two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south", Gandalf answered my uncle, as he entered the Dark Forest. Then I took my sword, bow, and arrows from the horse and attached it to my body. Then after I sorted me out I helped Kili take the gear off the horse and handed it over to Kili with a small, shy smile.
"Thank you", He muttered without making eye contact with me but instead he was looking at the floor. There was something in his smile. Something that really captivated me. It's like his smiles controlling all of my body. I smiled at him again as he put his belongings in place before grabbing the water from the side of my saddle.
"Any time", As i approached Gandalf and raised my voice, everyone was completely confused about what was going on.
"Not my horse, I need it", I heard Gandalf shout from a few yards away as I frowned my eyebrows again.
"Why", I raised my voice getting closer to Gandalf, everyone completely confused on what was going on.
"You're not leaving us?", Bilbo stated in uttermost fear of Gandalf leaving.
"I would not do this unless I had to", Gandalf exclaimed to all of us. Gandalf stopped and looked up to my Uncle, Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same hobbit as the one who left the shire"
"I was going to tell you", Bilbo started to say btu he paused for a moment. "I-", he exhaled. "I found something in the Goblins tunnels", Bilbo mumbled as I tilted my head slightly, intrigued.
"Found what?", As I approached Gandalf and raised my voice, everyone was completely confused about what was going on once again.
"My courage", Bilbo finished, but my eye caught Bilbo moving his hand away from his pocket. I frowned my eyebrows, almost swearing he was lying but I didn't want to snoop around in someone else's business, especially my Uncles business.
"Good well, that's good", Gandalf paused, "You'll need it", Gandalf began to mount his horse again. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor", Gandalf told Thorin. "Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that Mountain without me", Gandalf demanded Thorin firmly, "This is not the Greenwood of Old, the very air of the forest is heavy will illusion that will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray.", I looked over to Kili raising an eyebrow, as he exhaled deeply.
"Lead us astray? What does that mean?", Bilbo questioned just as worried as everyone else on this quest.
"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again. No matter what my come, stay on the path!", Gandalf shouted as the horse began to gallop off into the distance. Thorin started to walk towards the entrance of the forest.
"Come on, we must reach the Mountain before the sunsets on during day. Let's go, we've got one chance to find the hidden door", Thorin demanded as we all started following Thorin through the gate.