Chapter Text
The company followed after Gandalf to the troll’s cave. However, two of the youngest dwarves decide to hang back to wait for the hobbit.
“Fili, I feel something may be bothering Master Baggins.” Kili told his brother with a worried voice. Kili had noticed the look Bilbo had been wearing just after the troll incident.
Fili nodded his head in agreement, “I believe you are right Kili, but what do we do?” Fili inquired. Kili put one of his hands to his chin and pondered a moment.
“What do you think of him?” Kili asked.
Fili thought for a moment, “I think him quite brave. He went along to look for the ponies, after we talked him into it of course, and he even stalled the trolls from eating all of us.” Kili nodded his head in agreement.
”Exactly!” Kili exclaimed.
Fili smiled at his brother, his kind and gentle brother.
“Fi, I think we should be friends with Mr. Baggins.” Kili stated.
“I've also been a bit worried about him since we actually met him.” Kili continued.
He hadn’t quite understood why he was so worried about someone he had just met, but something about him made him feel that he needed to. He had felt something like a connection to the hobbit, a familial connection, and well, Kili wasn’t going to just ignore the signs he was being given.
”Then, let’s become friends with him. I can’t say I myself haven’t been worried about him. I felt that I needed to.” Fili answered.
Kili looked to his brother then, “you felt the connection too?” He asked his brother. Fili nodded his head.
“A connection like that of family. Mahal must be telling us something. We wouldn't be feeling this connection for no reason otherwise.”
The brothers had been confused at first, but after what happened with the trolls, they chose to accept it. This hobbit had been chosen by Mahal himself to be connected with them as family.
The boys hear a big thump and turn their attention to where it was from and see Bilbo having a little trouble carrying his things, so they look at each other and give a head nod that only they can interpret and decide to help him.
“Master Boggins!” Kili shouted with a grin on his face. Fili chuckled a little at his brother.
Bilbo rolled his eyes, but smiled at Kili as he approached. “Kili, it is ‘Baggins’ not ‘Boggins’” Bilbo states matter of factly.
The brothers both laugh once they reach him. “Mr. ‘Boggins’,” Kili began, “Fili and I will help you carry your things” he stated.
Bilbo looked at the mischievous brothers and saw no mischief in their eyes, only sincerity. Bilbo gave a sigh and nodded his head. “Okay.”
The brothers smiled. “Great!” Kili said with enthusiasm. The boys grab something of Bilbo’s and the three proceeded to catch up to the rest.
As they got closer, the air began to smell foul. Everyone covered their nose to escape the smell of troll.
“Ugh! This is en awful smell” Gloin said in annoyance. Bifur said something in khuzdul which caused Bofur to laugh.
“Ye right there cousin” he told Bifur.
Once they reached the mouth of the cave, everyone sat their packs down and entered the cave, except for Bilbo who stayed behind with the boys and some of the others.
“Look at all the treasure!” Ori spoke in astonishment.
Bofur walked over to some gold coins laying on the floor of the cave. “Seems a shame ta jus’ leave it lyin’ around” he said as he moved some of the gold coins with his foot. “Anyone could take it”
Gloin opened a treasure box as Bofur said this, then turned to face him, “Agreed. Nori, get a shovel.”
While the others did as they pleased, Thorin walked closer to a bundle of something he noticed in a corner. Moving the covering, he sees that it is a bundle of blades.
He puts his torch in a stand and picks up two of them. “These blades were not made by any troll.” He says more to himself than to anyone in particular. Thorin notices Gandalf as he joins him. Thorin hands over one of the blades to the wizard.
Gandalf looks at the blade in his hands for a moment before saying, “Nor by any smith among men.” Gandalf unsheathes a bit of the blade, seeing the details etched on to it, “These were forged in Gondolin, by the high elves of the first age.”
Upon hearing this, Thorin is ready to dispose of the sword.
“You could not wish for a finer blade.” Gandalf scolds him.
Thorin unsheathes part of the sword he was about to dispose, turning it a bit before sheathing it once again. Thorin brings the blade closer to his torch for better light, as be once again looks at it. He admires the craftsmanship and beauty of it. Even if it was the elves who made it; he wouldn’t admit this though.
Just behind Thorin, Dwalin looked at the three dwarves putting a treasure box in the ground.
“We’re making a long term deposit” Gloin says with a smile.
Dwalin just shakes his head at their antics.
“Let’s get out of this foul place. C’mon, let’s go.” Thorin demands. As he makes his way out of the cave he turns to the three dwarves who were burying the treasure box. “Bofur, Gloin, Nori.”
As Gandalf was taking his leave of the cave, he steps on something. He uses his staff to push aside the dirt and twigs and sees it is another elven blade. A much smaller one in fact. Perfect size for a hobbit.
“Bilbo!” Gandalf yells just loud enough for the hobbit to hear him. Bilbo turns his attention to the wizard who presents him with a blade. “Here, this is about your size.” he tells him.
Bilbo looks from the blade to Gandalf and then takes it from him, looking at it for a moment. “I…I can’t take this.” Bilbo says with an apologetic tone, trying to give it back to the wizard.
“That blade is of elvish make, which means, it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby” The wizard is serious in what he is saying to the hobbit.
Bilbo turns to look briefly at the others, then back to the wizard. “I’ve never used a sword in my life.”
“And I hope you never have to, and if you ever have to, remember this, true courage is not about knowing how to take a life, but how to spare one.” Gandalf says sincerely with a small smile. Bilbo ponders that as Thorin’s voice comes ringing through.
“Something is coming!”
“Gandalf” Bilbo says softly as the wizard runs off.
“Stay together! Hurry now! Arm yourselves!” Gandalf yells to everyone as they gather up everything and start making haste to follow the wizard.
Bilbo unsheathes the sword completely and looks upon it.
*it’s beautiful*
“Bilbo!” He heard Kili yell.
He sheathes the sword once again and follows after the others with the two brothers in front of him.
They all heard a fast moving object going through the woods. All of a sudden, a sled pulled by what looked like big rabbits came bursting from the trees with a man riding in the sled.
“Thieves! Tyrants! Murder!” The man yells as he approaches, coming to a sudden halt.
“Radagast! Radagast The Brown” Gandalf says with a smile. The one known as ‘Radagast’ looked at Gandalf and the others with curiosity.
Gandalf approached Radagast and kindly asked, “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Ah! I was looking for you Gandalf. Something’s wrong, something’s terribly wrong!” Radagast tells him.
“Oh?” Gandalf responds.
Radagast sticks his tongue out in thought. “Oh..it’s…” he starts, “just give me a minute.” The others, including Bilbo look upon him oddly. “Oh. I had a thought, but now I’ve lost it. It’s right there, on the tip of my tongue!” Radagast stops for a moment. “Oh! It’s not a thought at all, it’s a little…stick insect.” He finishes as Gandalf removes the insect from his tongue and places it in the hand of the other wizard.
Everyone chuckles a little. “Let’s find a place to talk” Gandalf tells Radagast.
-a bit later-
“The Green Wood is sick, Gandalf,” Radagast starts, taking a peak behind him, “a darkness has fallen over it.” Gandalf turns to meet the brown wizard’s eyes. “Nothing grows anymore, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay, but the worst are the webs.”
Gandalf who had walked a little ways from the brown wizard, stops in his tracks. “Webs? What do you mean?”
“Spiders Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant. I followed their trail, it came from…Dol Guldur.” The brown wizard says in a serious tone.
“Hmm. Dol Guldur…but the old fortress is abandoned.” Gandalf speaks cautiously.
“No Gandalf…it is not.”