Rabbits VS Wargs, Go!
After a rather silly moment with a stick insect, a little farther away from others, the two wizards are talking about something our questers are not privy to. Sage is pretty amused by Radagast for he reminds her of a strange mix between Hagrid and Miss Luna Lovegood. On the other hand, she is also worried. What could have made the Brown Istari seek out Gandalf in such a hurry? Looking around, Minerva notices Nori, the Thief, or what he wants everyone to think. The cat animagus can recognize a Spymaster when she sees one. Now now, before you start pointing fingers at The Snape Case, he was a double spy, not a Spymaster. Yes, there is a difference. We can discuss that later on.
Moving on, Sage has an idea. Unclear, whether it's a good one or not. I am not Fate nor a Seer, you know. She walks over to Nori, suspecting he had a similar thought.
"What is your opinion about eavesdropping on wizards?" Tiny smirks appear on both faces. It seems like the world has to watch out for this alliance made in Shadows.
"I'd say, lass, 'tis very dangerous. Possibility to become a frog is likely. Almost guaranteed exposure... What are we waiting for?" Oh dear, Nori's smile sends shivers even to the bravest, but is accompanied by the same grin on McGonagall's face. Run For Your Lives!
And so begins this ill-thought mission. Is it ill-thought if it mostly succeeds? Anyway, they creep on the talking old men and hide.
"At least nothing good." Sage and Nori arrived in the middle of a conversation. They missed the beginning and now are confused, but still determined. Cute. "The air is foul with decay. But worse are the webs."
"Webs? What do you mean?" Sage moths the same question to Nori, and his only answer is a shrug of his shoulders.
"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard. I followed their trial. They came from Dol Guldur." With these words, both listeners tense. Oh, they heard about that place, albeit from different sources, and they know it is not a place any would wish to enter.
"Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned." The Grey denied it, more out of fear than distrust of his friend and colleague.
"No, Gandalf, 'tis not." It seems as if everything is colder now, as if danger is far nearer than they believed. While Nori's mind leaps to the implications of their quest and home, Sage almost straightaway goes into a war-hardened mindset. Oh, the smell of a looming battle is ever strong. "A dark power dwells in there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a necromancer has come..." Radagast trails off, trapped in memories.
While Gandalf calms down his friend, Sage alongside Nori begins to sneak away. They only manage to see a glimpse of a sword wrapped in a cloth, then howls are carried by the wind.
"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo gets another reminder of that horrifying day. He knows that the company is all warriors and he's seen his sister fight wolves before. He isn't scared, but nonetheless, concerned. "Are there wolves out there?"
"Wolves?" Bofur's voice, on the other hand, trembles a little, his hands again grip his weapon, again he is ready for battle. "No, that is not a wolf."
A warg stalks from the top of a hill attacking one dwarrow, but is soon killed by Thorin's new blade. Other pounces from behind him. Kili shoots it with an arrow while Dwalin finishes it off. While Gandalf and Thorin have their little argument with Grey accusing Oakenshield of telling somebody of this quest, Sage inches closer to her brother.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Don't worry, I remember that hellish training. I will be fine. Don't go to battle's heart, I know you can protect yourself, but I worry."
"Don't. We will all be okay." This was another instance when Sage wished so dearly to tell her brother of her life as The Head of Gryffindor. Alas, she couldn't or thought she couldn't. Nobody forbade her and yet, Sage hasn't told anyone. Perhaps she feared that they would choose not to believe her, perhaps they would hate her for not saying anything sooner. Perhaps after losing their parents, one to winter illness and other to heartache, McGonagall refused to lose anyone else. Only she herself knows and she never did explain it to me.
The siblings were so concentrated on one another, that they missed most of the plan, which hatched in a few seconds.
"These are Rosgobel rabbits." An unholy grin adorns the Brown Wizard's face, it can send running even the bravest of souls. "I would like to see them try."
They run.
Absentmindedly, Minerva decided she'll have to tell Hagrid about Radagast and his sled then she sees the half-giant next. Be it next week or be it after eight lifetimes.
Through a forest and through fields and hills and grass and rocks. They run. Doesn't matter which way they do, orcs always cross their path, just far enough for the Company of Thorin Oakenshield to be unnoticed.
Until two hobbits, thirteen dwarrow and a wizard hid behind a cliff. Onto that cliff rides an orc with its warg. With Thorin's signal, Kili steps forward, whirls around, and shoots warg first and then its rider. Unfortunately, it causes plenty of noise to draw the rest of the pack in.
Just like that, a battle begins.
Dwarves fight with strength and fierceness common to them. Bilbo, surprisingly to those who notice, wields his letter-opener with the ease of someone familiar with it. Sage forgoes her new sword and instead uses her trusted daggers and the sword her mother gave her.
Minerva slashes and swings, cuts and stabs all who cross her path. One unfortunate warg comes at her on Sage's right and immediately loses his head. An orc tries to sneak up on her. The fool!
She survived seven years with the Marauders, another seven with the Weasley Demon Twins, and six with Harry Potter and his lot. Two of these groups had an invisibility cloak. Do you really think she would fall for such a cheap trick? No! The cat animagus turns around and stabs that idiotic fool.
It doesn't matter how well they fight, there are still too many orcs and death to their company is a very real possibility. It is at that moment when Gandalf urges everyone to him. And again they run. One by one, with Kili being almost the last, they tumble down into something like a cave.
The company doesn't even have time to catch their breaths, then an orc tumbles into their hiding place. They rise to fight, but it isn't needed. The orc is already dead, by an arrow in its chest. Thorin comes closer and yanks the arrow out.
"Elves." He spits that word like it's a curse. None notice, how Sage's shoulder sags a bit with relief and how Bilbo looks far too surprised for it only to be about Thorin's tone.
"I do not see where the path leads! Do we follow or not?" Dwalin is always on guard.
"Follow it, of course!" Bofur has no second thoughts on this matter.
The dwarves walk the narrow path and Sage couldn't be more pleased. Her brother notices that, but he doesn't have to ask her why, Bilbo already knows. He can feel the magic in the air and he listened to his sister and mother plenty of times to understand where exactly they are.
It is not a long path, thus soon they see light at the end. However, once they step out of it, Mahal's children's mood drops. It is a widely known fact that dwarrow and elves are not on good terms. Some even consider each other enemies.
Gandalf wanted to say something, he even opened his mouth, but the Baggins siblings beat him to it.
"Rivendell." One only knew that name through his female family member's tales, while the other had visited this place a few times in years past.
The Istari was quite flabbergasted for not being able to do his dramatic reveal. Yet, he didn't have time to dwell on it as Thorin accused him of ...something. Honestly, why I pay attention to him sometimes, I do not know.
"... our enemies!" Oakenshield was saying. Sage is disappointed, I can feel it.
"Why does he have to be so paranoid?" She said under her breath. Not only Bilbo heard her comment, but the two princes and the strange hat-wearing dwarf as well. They all try to hide their grins, so their leader wouldn't see.
"They are not your enemies, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will you can find in this valley is the one you bring to it."
Then, both started arguing about whether elves would let them continue or not. Fed up with their pointless conversation, Bilbo takes Sage's hand and marches down the path.
"Bilbo! Where are you going?" Nori is the first to notice their hobbits walking away.
On one hand, our dwarrow isn’t particularly surprised and Gandalf seems more exasperated than anything, on the other hand, Thorin is getting more and more furious with each passing second.
"Where do you think you are going?" Oakenshield, lad, Nori just asked that.
"To Rivendell, Master Dwarf. Personally, I want a nice bath and bed to spend the night in." Bilbo doesn't even look back. Carry on walking and never stopping.
Even the king of dwarves was no match for the might of a determined hobbit. Thus, they all traveled to Rivendell. Along the way, Sage and Bilbo trap Gandalf between them. It is quite obvious that they want to talk about something.
"Why did you stop visiting us and taking mother on adventures?" Sage's voice is soft, also curious. But Gandalf doesn't seem particularly happy to share this story even if he knows, avoidance is pointless. He has plenty of experience with hobbit stubbornness.
"A few decades ago, after you both were born, I and Bell went on our last adventure together. We didn't have a purpose when, just traveling, wondering if anything interesting would happen. It was not far from Rivendell, when a pack of orcs attacked. We had our fair share of battles, but in that one... Your mother was wounded, deeply. We had to travel to Imladris at full speed, I feared for her life. Luckily, Lord Elrond managed to save her, but I didn't want to take her on any more adventures. I promised your grandfather that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Belladonna had you two! If Elrond hadn't been able to save her, you would've grown up without a mother, and who knows how many more hobbits would have died in the Fell Winter, if your mother hadn't been there! You all lived in peace for so long, so in a sense became peace. And now, I'm taking two of Shire's children into an incredibly dangerous quest!" A great burden lies on greybeard's shoulders. It is called guilt. "Gerontius was my friend for many years. We went on adventures, just like I did with Belladonna. After nearly a century of travelling with hobbits, I forgot that you can be wounded just like any other race." A bitter chuckle escaped The Grey's mouth. "You Shire children never seem to get hurt or killed, I didn't realize that I started thinking you were kind of immortal, only able to die of old age. When Bella almost died... It was a brutal reminder of hobbit mortality." He trailed off, not wanting, or perhaps not being able to talk more.
"If that is so, why did you invite me to this quest?" Unlike Sage, Bilbo was old enough to remember their mother's last adventure's aftermath. Nonetheless, he had to know, why is he the one Gandalf came to.
The Wizard sighed deeply, resignedly.
"I did not know who else to ask for help. As I said, hobbit smell to Smaug is unfamiliar and you are remarkably silent on your feet..."
"Gandalf, you act as if Ma died. Put an end to your worries, we will survive." Sage understood him, but honestly, she was a witch, of course, they will see the end of the crazy stroll across Arda. "But why were you a bit reluctant to let me go with you?"
"Sage, my dear girl. You are a child." Now, Gandalf isn't as melancholic as before, but because of his words, Sage squawked.
"I am not!"
"You are barely past your coming of age, my dear."
Laughter rings in their small group, even if Sage fights the urge to pout at Wizard's words, lifting the mood, which continues until they finally reached the gates to an elven homely house. The Company muttered among themselves and Gandalf greeted an elf. Sage only starts to pay attention, when she hears the name of the ruler of this valley.
"Lord Elrond is not here, Mithrandir." Is Lindir's only response to Istari's inquiry.
"Not here? But where else could he be?" Gandalf, it seems, is quite troubled by this new development. Sage, on the other hand, isn't bothered, more bored than anything. Nothing else does anybody have time to say when horns disturb this silence.
The dwarves form a defense circle, pushing the hobbit siblings into its center. Perhaps it is a good thing they did for right after, a group of elves rides around them, circling, waiting. The company, bar Sage, is tense and worried.
"Gandalf. I should have known it is you." Says one of those elves. Lord Elrond Peredhel. What is it with the firstborn and fair fancy, many "r" having, names?
"Lord Elrond. Mellonnen, mo evinedh?" None of our adventures had ever heard Gandalf speak Sindarin before. Some didn't even know he could speak it. But then again, they are dwarves, they do not like anything to do with elves.
"Hunting an orc pack, which came far too close to the Hidden path. Does that have anything to do with you?"
"Ah yes, perhaps the fault does lie with us." A sheepish smile graces Gandalf's face.
Maybe, this conversation would go on to a point when dwarves would think Elrond is insulting them while offering food in his language. But it wasn't so for one simple reason - Minerva McGonagall stepped out of a dwarven ring and towards the lord of Rivendell.
"And so we meet again, old lord." Interesting moniker. Is it a moniker? Whatever.
"If it isn't the young wanderer." Elrond smiles at Sage, happy to see her again. "What brings you to Imladris?"
"Oh, you know, the usual." It doesn't matter that her tone is nonchalant, the image is ruined by her wide smile.
"So a new adventure, alongside an interesting company," Here, Elrond raises his eyebrows at the dwarves. "A dubious finish line and, of course, a lot of danger. Did I miss something?"
"Only that this adventure has to be to a place she has never been to before." Interjects one of Lord of Imladris' twin sons. "It is good to see you, Mellon."