Predator or Prey | The Hobbit

THIRTY-ONE

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Predator or Prey

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.

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Bilbo.

When he escaped from the kingdom of Erebor, the hobbit quickly ran off to join the Elves and the Men. He caught sight of Gandalf and Bard talking together as he crept silently behind two guards taking watch, but clearly slacking at their jobs.

"Would you buy it with the blood of the dwarves?" Gandalf asked the bowman.

Bard shook his head, "It will not come to that. This is a fight they cannot win."

"That won't stop them." Bilbo spoke out loud, announcing his presence. He managed to sneak around a few guards and finally reached the two. "You think the dwarves will surrender? They won't. They will fight to the death to defend their own."

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf said in surprise. He hadn't seen the hobbit in so long. In fact, he had not seen the Company together in so long. So, this was a big surprise to him.

Bilbo greeted the grey wizard with a short, big smile.

"Come." Gandalf waved him over. "We must speak of this with Thranduil."

"If I'm not mistaken. This is the halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards." Thranduil paced back and forth with his hands folded behind his back, before sitting on his throne. He eyed the hobbit suspiciously.

Bilbo pursed his lips, avoiding eye contact. "Yes... Maybe you should get new guards..?" He suggested awkwardly. Selene was rubbing off on him, and he was catching onto the snarky remarks she always made. "...Sorry about that." He apologized when Thranduil's hard eyes stared him down.

Thranduil, Gandalf and Bard watched the hobbit as he stepped forward, unfolding the item he had wrapped up on the Elf King's table. "I came to give you this." In the cloth, was the Arkenstone. The very one Thorin had been searching for.

"The heart of the mountain." Thranduil rose to his feet, astonished at what laid in front of him. "The king's jewel."

"And worth a king's ransom." Bard chimed in, moving closer to the jewel. "How is this yours to give?"

"I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure." Bilbo responded.

Bard shook his head, confused. "Why would you do this? You owe us no loyalty."

"I'm not doing it for you." The hobbit replied with a shake of his head. "I know that dwarves can be obstinate and pigheaded and difficult. They're suspicious and secretive with the worst manners you can possibly imagine. But they are also brave and kind... and loyal to a fault. I've grown very fond of 'em, and I would save them if I can."

Gandalf smiled at the hobbit, but the latter continued.

"Now, Thorin values this stone above all else. In exchange, for its return, I believe he will give you what you are owed. There will be no need for war." Bilbo finished, earning nods from the three men.

After the meeting, Bilbo and Gandalf took off to walk around the ruined city. They watched the men run back and forth, preparing items and weapons, should war come the next morning.

"Rest up tonight. You must leave on the morrow." Gandalf spoke.

"What?"

"Get as far away from here as possible."

Bilbo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand why Gandalf wanted him to leave. "I-I'm not leaving. You picked me as the fourteenth man. I'm not about to leave the Company now."

"There is no Company. Not anymore. And I don't like to think what Thorin will do when he finds out what you've done." Gandalf told the hobbit sternly.

"I'm not afraid of Thorin." retorted the hobbit.

Gandalf turned to him, "Well, you should be. Don't underestimate the evil of gold. Gold over which a serpent has long brooded. Dragon-sickness seeps into the hearts of all who come near this mountain. Almost all."

"I know, Gandalf." Bilbo muttered. The memory of what Thorin did to Selene played in his mind and he winced. He and the other dwarves witnessed it all. It took five of the dwarves to hold back the dwarf king, before he could do anything worse to her. The rest helped Selene and tried to keep her away in case she would shift, but she never did. Instead, she stormed off without looking back.

The wizard noticed his sullen expression. "What is it?"

Bilbo swallowed nervously, "It's about Selene."

"Selene? Is she in the mountain? I thought she knew better than this-"

"No! No, she's not in there." Bilbo looked up at the wizard who waited for him to continue. "Thorin... He banished her from the mountain. He used his sword on her and he just-" Bilbo sighed, rubbing his head. "He treated her like a monster, Gandalf. Selene isn't a monster."

Gandalf frowned at Bilbo's story. "The dragon-sickness is really affecting Thorin. I hope Selene understands he is not in the right mind."

Bilbo nodded, "Selene is not a monster. If she was, she would have killed us all by now. If she's a monster, she would not be the caring, courageous woman she is."

Gandalf agreed silently, "Where is she now?"

Bilbo shrugged sadly, "I don't know. She ran off." He looked down, only to look back up when he felt the wizard put his hand on his shoulder.

"Bilbo Baggins, you have changed." The wizard smiled softly at him. "Do not worry about Selene, she will be back soon..." Gandalf shifted his gaze to the sky and whispered just under his breath, "Hopefully."

the battle scene will be coming up soon! do you think Selene will come to their aid? or will she stay away?

as always, thank you for the support. see you on the next update ;)