A/N: Hello, wonderful readers, here we go, reaching Rivendell with no surprises on the road. I said, on the road...
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Namarië!
So it was that some weeks later a party of ten hobbits and a ranger reached Rivendell without any incident, despite the continuous complaining from cross-dressed Beryl and Primula. Another complaint had come from the younger ones, who expected to see the stone trolls and their hoard, but Bilbo kept his word not to go there out of his free will. He knew whatever was to be useful or of any value had been taken or else been made a 'long term deposit' by the dwarves in their journey. Ferumbras, Paladin, Dudo and Drogo complained there were no more inns. Bilbo didn't hear them, with his head already in Erebor and in who awaited for him there, and Estel made fun of every complaint he heard.
"And how fares Elrond, lad? I'm really looking forward to see him again."
Bilbo asked Estel, after they crossed the Ford of Bruinen. They were heading along a different way Bilbo had taken first time, not being chased by orcs.
"I haven't seen him for a while, actually. Some years ago I moved to live with the Dúnedain, to learn their ways, and the ways of the Wilderness. They are my people, it is where I belong."
"Oh, I thought you were Elrond's step-son."
"No, although he fostered me. My father died when I was very young, and my people sent my mother and me to live in Rivendell, for safeness, and for me to learn elven lore."
"This is sad."
They trod a bit more but a flea was pricking behind Bilbo's ear.
"Pardon me for my ignorance and a possible rudeness, but I thought the Rangers were a rough people, not having any liaison to the elves at all."
The young man laughed, throwing his head back.
"We are as rough as needed to do what we have to do, as the wild is no place for gentle folk. But there is a quite distant liaison to the elves, or, at least, I myself have."
Bilbo looked up at him, curious.
"Elrond's brother, Elros, was one of my forefathers. Several generations apart, Elrond is kind of an uncle to me."
"This must be the most amazing story. I would not mind to hear it."
Estel took the bait and Bilbo spent most of the rest of the travelling time hearing the story of the rise and fall of Númenor.
ooo000ooo
It was late in the afternoon when they reached Rivendell, and unlike twenty-eight years before no elf was surprised with their arrival. Actually, the hobbits were surprised with a hobbit-fit dinner, and Bilbo was glad to see many known faces. Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, plus Lindir and Figwit, who had been closer to the Company last time, all they were there. Bilbo noticed Elrond's daughter was missing, and thought to himself that he would ask about her later; he was a bit worried about some of his cousins that were late for the party held in their honour, confusticate them for their lack of timing notion, and wished they would show as soon as possible.
When they finally showed up Bilbo closed his eyes and wished they hadn't shown at all; then he looked up at Elrond with an apologizing look and waved his hands in sign of defeat.
"I have no idea of what is happening here and I have no part in it!"
Elrond suppressed a chuckle.
"I have heard of this kind of... behaviour... before, but never really witnessed it, Master Halfling. Is this... usual... back in your homeland?"
Bilbo buried his face in his hands.
"No. No at all."
Beryl and Primula looked astounding in their dresses after weeks of ridding disguised as males, smelling lavender fresh from bath, their hairs fixed with flowers and ribbons in their locks, and Bilbo still had to find out how women managed to get their lips coloured that way when they wanted to. It was impossible, for a hobbit, not to notice that even their feet-hair had been tended to, wearing delicate locks with small white flowers entwined.
His female cousins were perfect, and Bilbo noticed Drogo's look of awe at them; he didn't know yet what was happening, or about to happen, but something was going on and he didn't miss it. Drogo was a decade older than he was when he met Iris, and had known those hobbit-lasses all their lives, but Bilbo was sure something was developing the last few weeks that didn't develop before, even if he didn't figure out who was Drogo's target, yet. But this was not the issue.
Along with the girls another missing cousin came along, wearing an obviously lent dress that didn't fit him at all, tight at the waist and loose chest-high, despite some attempt of filling; his hair, shorter than the women's, was fixed with a single lilac, its colour disturbingly matching his dress; his feet-hair was not flower-fixed as hers, but the delicate locks where there nonetheless. On behalf of Elrond's deference, Bilbo stood up even if all he wanted was to crawl under the table to hide himself.
"Ferumbras Took, son of Fortinbras, what, in the name of goodness, is this supposed to mean?"
Said Took squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, and opened his arms, helpless.
"Did you ever lose a bet? To these two devils here?"
Primula and Beryl guffawed, unable to hold their hilarity. Bilbo turned to them instead.
"May you girls please explain to this confounded hobbit what on Middle-Earth is happening here?"
Beryl was the first to recover from laughter attack and explained.
"Just what it seems to be, dear cousin! Ferum lost a bet and is paying for it. He teased us so much about our wearing male clothes since Bree that now he is tasting a tea spoon of his own poison."
Elrond shook his head, amused.
"Learn this, Mister Ferumbras: it is safer to enter a dragon's den unarmed than to stir the vengeance of a woman."
"I've learned, Lord Elrond, the hard way, but I've learned..."
Miserable Ferumbras took his seat between the two girls, Elrond blessed the meal and they spent the next couple of hours eating, drinking and exchanging news. Their safeness on the road was an issue Elrond was worried about, and Bilbo was getting anxious because of this. Albeit all his planning, some things could not be controlled, and he began to wonder if it had really been wise to bring his friends in this journey.
"I have no choice but to go, I must make for Erebor to bring Iris back to the Shire, but now I think it may be better to make my cousins go back from here and to go alone. I cannot risk their lives on behalf of a selfish mind to have them along."
"But you should not go alone at all, Bilbo. Your friends may not be warriors, but they are loyal to you, it is plain to see, and sometimes the good will of a friend is more powerful than the mightiest army."
"No, I cannot lead them into the wild knowing it is not as safe as I thought."
Elrond put a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly.
"You will not be alone."
The hobbit understood what was implicit in those words and smiled, thankful.
ooo000ooo
Next day found the hobbit company enthralled by the beauty of Rivendell, and
almost everyone good mooded after a decent night of sleep in comfortable beds, bellies full of delicious meals and heads light with wine and songs. The only grumbling hobbit was Ferumbras, for obvious reasons, like not being allowed to take of his lilac dress and to wear his male clothes as long as they stayed there.
"This is not fair! Our bet wasn't that serious for you to make me stay clothed like this!"
Primula just giggled.
"You were the one who said cross-dressing could not be as unbearable as me and Beryl stated. Now, take care not to rip my dress if you want to keep decently clad."
Ferumbras's complaints were interrupted by Bilbo coming from a meeting with Elrond, making decisions on their next steps.
"How was it?" Asked Drogo. "Yesterday I overheard we would have company on the road, is that right?"
Bilbo sat with them on the lawn, close to where he and Iris took sparring lessons with Fili, and unfolded a map to show them.
"Yes. Estel will be coming, and some elves too. It is not an army, of course, but as good an escort as you could wish upon."
Paladin looked at the map, interested. He was one who enjoyed Bilbo's traveling stories and had spent many an hour in his library trying to understand those maps and imagining what it would be like to travel as far as Bilbo had. He stated, pointing the places in the map in behalf of the ones who were not as curious about maps as himself.
"Well, we are here and want to get there."
"Yes. Last time we crossed a pass and got trapped into the Goblin Town . Even if we are able to avoid the goblins, the Misty Mountains pass is dangerous, you know. I counselled with Lord Elrond and he mentioned that another possible route is to go north until the Coldfells and cross the mountains close to Rhimdath river; the dwarves of Ered Luin use this path when going to Erebor, they have commerce, you know. This will leave us close to the Wood-elves forest path, the same I took with the dwarves last time, or else we can keep north and round the forest, as the dwarven caravans use to do."
Bilbo scratched his head, thinking, and continued.
"This would make us miss Beorn, but we could visit him on the way back. Anyway, it's only four days on pony from the forest gate to Beorn's, and we have plenty of time. I'd take Elrond's advice and take this route, and then through Mirkwood, knowing Thranduil won't imprison us, I mean. But it's up to you: the north route is best fit for ponies, but it is longer; the forest path is shorter, but narrow and darker, even if Legolas and his crew cleansed it from most of the spiders."
They studied the map for a while and Drogo asked, curious.
"If this map is true, here the mountains are not quite as high as this pass close to Rivendell. Why didn't Thorin Oakenshield chose this path instead of the one you took?"
"Because things change. It would leave us closer to the Wood-elves, who were his enemies by then, and he intended to take the Old Forest Road to cross Mirkwood, not the elven path. Besides, this path we are choosing leads close to the Ettenmoors, where at that time trolls used to dwell. Seemingly the dwarves cleansed things up in the years after Erebor's retake, so they could use this path safely for their caravans. They take the Hoarwell river left margin, though, from the Last Bridge to the Coldfells. We will make for the Coldfells on the plains, not getting back to the Hoarwell neither getting too close to the Misty Mountains . I really do not fancy a tour in Goblin Town again."
Primula looked scared at the mention of goblins.
"Who will come with us?"
"Estel offered to come, as well as Figwit and Culuin; Elrond's sons would come anyway to represent Rivendell at the wedding; and you girls don't have to worry about being around a whole bunch of men, as Aredhel and Nellas are to come too."
"Splendid! This means we can finally travel clad as women?"
Bilbo retorted to them with a wicked smile.
"As womanly as they will."
Next week: Back in Erebor, let us see how that meeting ended, but be careful with the spies... Anyone wants a cookie?