"To fight evil; you must first understand the dark."
From the blood of dragons, a child shall rise,
Born of fire and fear, her fate sealed with lies.
For she is the chosen, the one who will bring
A reign of darkness, a world with its dark king.
...
"What could have possibly happened that was so horrendous?"
Anaynah did not reply but simply stared into the night. She could not tell Bofur. She would not, for she knew that if she did, everything would change. What she did not realise, was that more than one pair of ears were listening. Thor listened with intent, absolutely intrigued by this apparently horrendous set of events that had taken place by Anaynah's hand.
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Out of the corner of her eye, Anaynah noticed a small figure moving quietly in the shadows. Snapping her head around, she noticed their burglar was packed and ready, quietly making for the entrance of the cave.
"Bilbo?"
Bofur too noticed, his expression etched with confusion. A feeling of relief washed over Anaynah as finally Bofur was distracted from their intense conversation.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Back to Rivendell," Bilbo replied sternly. Anaynah's brows furrowed in annoyance.
"No, no, you can't turn back now!" Bofur pleaded, quickly standing up to face Bilbo, "You're part of the company. You're one of us."
"I'm not though am I? Thorin said I never should have come, and he was right. I am not a Took, I am a Baggins, I don't know what I was thinking. I should have never ran out my door."
The way Bilbo spoke broke Anaynah's heart. She knew that he had felt out of place in this expedition but for him to turn back so far into the journey, he must have felt incredibly lonely, and Anaynah hated herself for not picking up on it sooner.
"You're homesick, I understand." Bofur tried to comfort him, however, Bilbo grew enraged.
"No, you don't! You don't understand, none of you do! You're Dwarves! You're used to this life, living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"
Silence filled the air after Bilbo's harsh words as both Anaynah and Bofur were taken back by surprise at his response. Bilbo realised the gravity of what he had just said upon their hurt expressions.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No, you're right," Bofur spoke sadly, his face sombre, "we don't belong anywhere."
Anaynah could see the guilt on the Hobbit's face, clear as daylight. His words struck a nerve for her as well. It was true. She did not have a home, rather, nowhere truly felt home to her. She did not want to be constantly reminded either.
"I wish you all the luck in the world," Bofur spoke with kindness still in his eyes as he smiled sadly at Bilbo.
The Hobbit turned to face Anaynah, wondering if she would too say something. But she remained silent. He could tell she was disappointed in him, and that saddened him even more so. He looked up to her and admired her. From day one, she had inspired him and helped inspire the bravery in his heart, and now he was letting her down... letting them all down. Nonetheless, Bilbo remained true to his decision and resumed to exit. He however did not get far, for a blue hue emmiting from his swords sheath caught the eyes of his companions.
