The long trail

The Road from the Green Dragon was damp and muddy, quite shoddily made, if I'm honest, I would believe that this was simply a forest, if it were not for the horse tracks indented in the mud.

I had gotten a horse whilst waiting for Bilbo to follow us, and he finally came, right as we were to leave. The good thing was the food I had on me. I had enough gauze to treat wounds, and forty Lembas (all courtesy of the ASB!). Of course, not that I would tell the Dwarves this, I would rather keep it for later on the journey, when we run out of food.

We took camp in a cranny of the hills, room for us and the horses, and a pleasant campfire, but not much else, sadly. I couldn't sleep for much, finding myself looking at the stars. "Cannot sleep?" Gandalf asked. "Not much, I feel we are being watched" I said, looking out into the dark forest. I knew from the movies that the scenery we were in, Orcs were watching. They could slit our throats at any moment, and although they hadn't in the movie, I had few idea's on what butterfly affects I could have cause.

"I am afraid that we will always be watched. The Shire is a land of many creatures...man, hobbit... orc. we will not be free of watchful eyes until we pass the mountains, I am afraid." Gandalf said, rubbing his beard. "but I do understand, I see the Orcs you mention, and understand the fear of them. HE said. I would not lie and say that Orcs do not scare me. They're damn well frightening.

We were interrupted by Thorin having an outburst, and listened to Balin's tale of Thorin, and his legendary battle with Azog. "...there is one who I could follow. There is one, who I Could call King!" He said, as all the Dwarves, from Dwalin to Balin, Kili to Fili all the way down to Oin and Gloin, all stood up in respect.

"And the Pale Orc, What happened to him?" Bilbo asked. Thorin turned with Hatred, practically boiling off him. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came!!! That Filth died from his wounds long ago!" He said, going back to brooding. I decided now would be a good time as any to crash that bit of Info off before it could kill any of us.

"And how do you know that?" I asked, looking at Thorin. "How do you know that he has died?" Thorin glared at me, as if he was wishing I would die. "His wounds were too horrid for any one creature to survive, none could live to tell the tale of it!" He said, angered that I would doubt him. "Ahh... so the Orcs that I met before joining with your posse here were lying when they said Azog wants your head delivered to him?" I remarked, in a sarcastic way.

"You did not kill him, and because he still breaths, he will not stop until you are dead." I said, before pointing to the Orcs that were watching us. "Even now he sends his agents to watch us, Orcs stare at us now, and do not attack, and why? Because he want's to kill you himself!"

"I will Kill him if he dares attack us! I will kill him, and tear him piece by piece!" Thorin said, angered, yet not doubting my information. "And how will you do that? Bore him to death? He killed your grandfather, perhaps even your father, and you wish to defeat him? When you defeated him in battle, you did attempt to retreat, you did not try to preserve what loyal men you had. You merely kept fighting. Down to the last few men. And did you get anything of it? A new home? No! It was left in Orc hands!" I said, as I stood up, looking at Thorin.

"You are many things, Thorin, son of Thror, but King, is not one that I would say fits. For all that Thrainduil has done, he saved many of his men and women through the one thing you do not understand." I said, as Thorin looked Aghast at me, before anger took hold of his face. "You dare say that worm was justified in abandoning us as our home was ripped from us!!!??" He said, as I put my hand up. "No, merely that he knows the one thing you do not." I said, as I looked over the ridge, the deep dark expanse.

"And what is that?!" Thorin said, his anger still there, but lesser. "The value of life. It sometimes must be spent, but when you know that It must be spent... that is when you will truly become a King."

We continued on the road, though many times we had to stop, or go off road to avoid packs of orcs. I was starting to wonder when the next 'activity' would begin until finally one of the horses drowned, and we were forced to take shelter in a nearby abandoned home. Gandalf had disappeared earlier yesterday, leaving me with the Dwarves and the Hobbit.

"So then, Bilbo. This Adventure isn't shaping up like you were expecting, I presume?" I asked Bilbo, sitting down on a rock. "No, it's going rather as I'd expect. Dirty and unhomely, why, I think my mother was wrong about what she told me of her 'adventures'!" he said, shaking his head. "We don't have a second breakfast, or even one at all! I wish I were back at my hole, in the chair facing the mantle place!" He said, homesick.

"Why Bilbo, this Adventure is starting off quite shoddily, it does not mean that there will not be excitement. You may yet find yourself enjoying this reclamation! Think of what all the other Hobbit ladies would think, seeing you return with trunks of gold- enough to start a farm the size of the shire!" I said, patting him on the back. "Why that doesn't sound so bad... But I'd rather not have to death with this moldy, dreary weather!" He said, as Fili began to point off into the distance... towards the fire the Trolls started.

" Look! O'er there! A light! I wonder what it could be!" He said, rubbing his beard. Finally a bit of fun.