When morning comes

Going on an adventure

Opal woke to the sound of shuffling feet around her. She was laying in a window covered by a blanket; she didn't remember ever covering up and then realized that it was the same one she gave Thorin.

The girl finally opened her eyes to see the company slipping out the door. She sat up silently.
"I've left the contract for the burglar." Balin whispered to Thorin.
"Very well." He replied.
They both moved to the door. Thorin took one last look at the room and saw the hobbit in the window. She gave him a soft smile.
"Goodbye, I hope to see you all again some day." Opal whispered.
He gave her a curt nod.
"Good luck." She told him.
"Good bye." He replied, looking her directly in the eyes. She hadn't realised that blue could be such hot fire until she saw those eyes. He then left the hobbit hole.

She had wished that her brother would have changed his mind. Deep down he was a Took, but years of being a Baggins clouded his sense of escapade. Opal was in the forest with him many days growing up. She witnessed his dreams of meeting other beings in middle earth, but he never left the shire.

"Hello?" Bilbo calls out. He waltzed into the sitting room, gazing at the tidiness of the room, smiling. slowly, she sees his joy deflate leaving him almost dereated.
"They left this morning, they said that they left the contract for you." She told him, standing. He looked at the table in the room.
"Bilbo, you have to go... I know you, and I know that you'll live with regret... please... go."
He didn't move, just stared at the paper as she walked to her room.

After a moment she heard quick movements and the sound of cabinets opening and closing. When she left her room Bilbo was in the dining room. The contract still laid on the table. The woman began reading the names at the bottom. Each dwarf surprisingly had a beautiful signature. But at the end she saw Bilbo Baggins.

"You're going?" She yelled excitedly.
"Yes and you are too!" He replied.
"They do not want me-"
"Gandalf does and I do that's plenty. Pack!"
She rushed out of the room and began frantically packing a bag. Grabbing only what she needed and sparing room for one book.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked. She nodded eagerly.

They ran as fast as their feet could go. Jumping over fences and gardens.
"Mr. Bilbo, Ms. Opal where are you off to?" Mr. Worrywort asked
"Can't stop, we're already late!" Bilbo replied
"Late for what?"
"We are going on an adventure!" Opal Called out.

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋

"Wait!" Called Bilbo. "Wait?" Gandalf and the dwarves stop their horses and turn to see Bilbo and Opal. He waves the contract above his head, grinning.
"I signed It!" He called out.
He hands the contract over to Balin, who inspects it with a pair of eyeglasses .
"Everything appears to be in order.
Welcome, Master Baggins, and Ms. Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
Thorin seemed thoroughly unimpressed.
"Give them a pony." He grumbled.
"NO, no, that won't be necessary,
I'm sure I can keep up on foot
I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once."
Two dwarves ride alongside Bilbo and hoist him upwards.
Opal mounted her pony rather gracefully.

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋

Opal was holding good conversation with another dwarf names Bofur. She also would talk to Fili and Kili, watching as some threw bags of coins and some caught them.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Wagers. To see if you two would come or not." Kili informed.
"And you? What did you think?" She asked. Kili caught a bag and gave her a cheeky smile.
"oh, all this horse hair. I'm having a reaction." Bilbo complained.
He searched in his pocket for something. Unable to find it,
he looked up in panic.
"What is it Bilbo?" She asked.
"Wait! Wait! Stop! We have to turn around."
The entire company came to a halt.
"My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the
matter" asked Gandalf
"I forgot my handkerchief!"
She cringed In secondhand embarrassment.
Bofur tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and tossed it to Bilbo
"Here, use this!"
Bilbo looked utterly disgusted and Opal let out a laugh but tried to cover it up
"Move on!" Thorin demanded.

She giggled at her brothers reaction to the cloth and rode a bit faster catching up with Bofur, riding alongside him.
"I didn't get to properly introduce myself, Opal, Baggins." She smiled and stuck out her hand.
"Bofur."
"Gloin."
"Nori."
"And you'll learn the rest." Bofur assured her.
"Nice to meet you all." She replied.

They had been on horseback for a while now. Opal was getting bored with her brothers complaining and took a leap of bravery riding a bit faster catching up with the young king.
He tried to ignore the hobbit woman.
"What is its name?" She asked him.
"What?"
"Your horse, it's name?"
He looked at her curiously.
"Balder." He stated. She was quiet for a moment.
"Thank you for letting us come."
"I needed a burglar and if you didn't come neither would he, I didn't have a choice."
She silently laughed to herself.
"Your the leader, you always have a choice.

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋

They rode next to rivers and on the sides of hills, in the woods and in the valleys before they came to a stop at nightfall. They all tried to sleep at the camp they made but it was hard with the loud snoring.
Opal watched as her brother got up and made his way over to his horse giving her an apple. Then there was a screech in the distance.
"What was that?" Bilbo asked in fright.
"Orcs." Kili replied.
"Orcs?"
Thorin woke and Opal sat up, listening.
"Throat cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there, the lowlands are crawling with them." Fili said.
They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet no screams. Just lots of blood." Kili teased. Bilbo looked out into the forest. The two brothers began to laugh

"You think that's funny. You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?" Thorin stood and spoke.
"I didn't mean anything by it." Kili looked down.
"No you didn't, you know nothing of the world." He said, walking to the edge of the cliff.
"Don't mind him laddie, Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs... after the dragon took the lonely mountain king Thoror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdoms of Moria.
But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs. Led by the most vile is all their race: Azog, the defiler. The giant gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began... by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorins father was driven mad by grief, he went missing take prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless, defeat, and death were upon us. That is when I saw him... a round dwarf prince, facing down the pale orc... he stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding noting but a oaken branch as a shield. Azog the defiler learned that day...that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken..."
The king stood at the edge, not once looking back. Opal was shocked. She knew they followed him for a reason. She could feel it.
"Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated.
But there was no feast nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then... there is one who I could follow.. there is one I could call king." Balin ended.
Thorin turned around, the company looking at him. Their king.
"But the pale orc, what happened to him?" Opal asked.
"He sunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin insisted.