The Last of the Guardians Part 1 - A Hobbit Fan Fiction

Chapter 2

As Thorin had planned, the dwarves rose early, just as the sun was beginning to peek at them over the distant hills. The sky was a pale pink, signifying rain ahead. Gloin nudged Bilbo awake and together they crept outside to where the other dwarves and Gandalf were already mounted on the ponies. Bilbo faced his own stead with dread. He had never liked ponies and yesterday's hard ride had left his legs sore.  

"I don't think I need a pony. I'm used to walking around on my own feet," he stated. The dwarves grumbled their annoyance and nudged their ponies into a trot. Not wanting to be left behind, Bilbo scrambled into the saddle and allowed himself to be carried after his companions.  

The travellers continued to glance back in the direction of the clearing even after they had left the shadows of the forest, and it was not until the sun had risen above the distant hills that Bombur decided it was safe to broach the subject of breakfast. His stomach had been complaining ever since he'd woken up and Thorin, in his haste to get away, had refused to let him eat anything bigger than a seed cake. When Bombur proposed they stop for food Thorin agreed, having decided that they had put more than enough ground between them and the strange woman for her not to catch up while they rested. The company dismounted at the edge of a wide river and left their ponies to graze beside its still waters. The dwarves all busied themselves with breakfast except for Ori, who had noticed something was wrong with the horses. He approached Gandalf, who was adjusting the saddle straps on his white horse.

"Gandalf, sir, we seem to have one too many horses," said Ori, turning on the spot to count the ponies.  

"Really, Ori? How many horses are there?" asked Gandalf, a sly smile playing on his lips.  

Ori looked again. There was definitely one more than there should be. "There are two horses, but we started off with one which is yours." 

"You are quite right, master Ori. There are two horses and they are both mine."  

Kili now stood up. "Why do you need two?" he asked, looking at Gandalf's second horse.  

"In case mine gets tired. Then I can swap and not hold you all up," replied Gandalf. He was chuckling to himself now, obviously because of some inside joke that the dwarves didn't understand.  

Fili got up and went to stroke the horse. "Where did you get him? He's a real beauty." The stallion's dark brown coat gleamed in the sunlight as it stood patiently before them, swishing it's black tail back and forth.  

"I borrowed him off a friend," Gandalf answered him.  

"THE BIRD-BEAST!" Cried Ori suddenly, jabbing a shaking finger at the sky above them. The dwarves and Bilbo looked up and saw again the bird which had come close to shaving their heads the night before.  

"Blast!" Yelled Thorin, squinting into the sun. The bird was circling above them, barely moving its wings to stay air-born. "What does it want?" 

"Let me deal with it, uncle." Kili aimed an arrow at the underbelly of the bird and let it fly. For a moment it seemed to have hit its target, but then gravity brought the arrow back to the earth whilst the bird flapped its great wings and sped away to the hills. "At least that scared the damn thing off," he grunted and returned to his meal.  

After eating, the dwarves set off again along with Bilbo and the wizard. They rode all day across the planes, stopping only for food and to water the horses when it was needed. They reached the hills well before nightfall but decided to proceed no further for the day. Instead, they set up camp in amongst several boulders that they hoped would keep them away from prying eyes. Before he could relax, Thorin took one more look back at the massive plane. There was no movement. She had obviously decided not to follow.  

By the time the sun had set, their mood had picked up again and they sang cheerful songs about ale and forgetting troubles. The fire warmed their hearts and it was not long before they began to curl up to sleep, wrapped in their thick cloaks. Only three dwarves and Gandalf remained by fire, watching the night for signs of trouble. Fili and Kili sat leaning against each other's backs, talking about their adventures. Gandalf was facing away from the fire, smoking his pipe and staring back at the forest which was now nothing more than a dark line on the horizon. Balin was watching the wizard closely. He knew exactly where the horse had come from. The dwarf looked across at the two brothers before he joined Gandalf at the edge of camp and looked out into the night.  

"It's too late for her to follow us now," he told the wizard.  

"Oh is it?" Balin spun around. Fili and Kili sprung to there feet but Gandalf had not moved, in fact he was smiling to himself again.  

A cloaked figure moved into the firelight and threw back its hood. Fili again saw the braid that had made him jealous the previous night.  

"Nemaiza," he growled.