Hope and Memory[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Seven]

It's the next day. They woke up early to begin their long days journey. It was a cold morning as it began to rain while packing there bags and supplies. The company mounts onto their ponies and leave the cliffs and ride through a muddy forest, as it begins raining harder. Freya pulled her cloak around her tighter; as she shivered from the wetness as she follows behind half the dwarves down the path.

"Here, Mr.Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori complained, feeling miserable in this weather. It was doing them no good. Half their supplies, food and their bags that carried some clothes were drenched.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf stated to Dori, who cursed under his breath wishing the wizard would just help them out, but Gandalf would not wish to interfere with something the came naturally in Middle-Earth.

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked, catching the wizard off guard.

"What?"

"Other wizards?" Bilbo wondered, the wizard turned to address the curious hobbit. Freya had fallen back to ride with her cousin to keep him company.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names." Gandalf stated as he had turned to face back in front of him.

"And who is the fifth?" Freya chimed in, having listening to their entire conversation and noticed he never mentioned the name of the last wizard.

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown." Gandalf answered, feeling pleased the two hobbits had taken an interest in his race.

"Is he a great Wizard or is he....more like you?" Bilbo asked with a straight face. The wizard turned around to look at the Burglar and looked slightly offended by this question, but Gandalf sighed and decided to speak the truth of what he thought of his colleague.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world".

The rain had finally passed on, once the afternoon had arrived and out came the sun. Freya removed her hood from her head and could feel the heat from sun on her skin. It was getting closer to evening when the company arrived at an old, abandon farmhouse that is in ruins.

"We'll camp here for the night." Thorin ordered. The dwarves agreed as they got off their ponies to set up camp for the night. Thorin was off his pony walking towards his nephews. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." The two boys nodded to their uncle that they understood and went to gather up the ponies and take them over to what was left of the barn that was a little ways in the forest.

Freya was scouting the area they were in, and recognized their surrounds from one of her books she read and had a bad feeling about them staying here for the night and went to find Gandalf who was standing under what was left of a home.

" A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf muttered to himself. Freya had approached the wizard and she could hear behind her Thorin giving some of the dwarves tasks to be done.

"Oin, Gloin."

"Aye?" Gloin answered.

"Get a fire going."

"Right you are." Gloin agreed as he and his brother began to gather firewood and Thorin came to join the wizard and Freya. Before the wizard could get a word out Freya spoke first.

"I don't think we should stay here. I think it would be wiser to move on. " she stated, making the leader turn around to face her and question her.

"Why is that?" Thorin asked. The hobbit bit her lip before answering.

"T-trolls have been known to wonder these parts." Freya explained, hoping the leader would take her seriously and move on.

"Don't be ridiculous, trolls haven't been seen down here for an age. " Thorin argued.

"We could make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf suggested to the leader. Freya looked at the wizard confused, wondering why he would want to take the company to Rivendell of all places. She had always wanted to meet the elves, but she had a feeling they would not be of any help to them. She had heard so many stories from Balin of how the alliance between dwarves and elves were broken. Thorin shook his head and walked passed the wizard and turned to face him; completely ignoring the hobbit.

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place." Thorin grumbled.

"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice." Gandalf pushed, but the only look the prince gave was anger at this idea. He rather take his chance here, then deal with the elves.

"I do not need their advice." Thorin snarled at the wizard. Freya felt uncomfortable standing there listening to the two of them argue and she felt she should leave before one of them end up yelling at her.

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us." Gandalf reminded the leader, wishing he would stop being so stubborn.

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the elves looked on and did nothing." Thorin stated in disgust. The hobbit continued to stand there looking at the ground listening; as they exchanged words with each other. Thorin stomped closer to the wizard to look him in the eyes.

"You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father." Thorin said sternly never leaving the wizards gave.

"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past." Gandalf stated, angrily at the prince.

"I did not know that they were yours to keep." Thorin snapped back and the wizard no longer wanted to continue this. Gandalf stomps off angrily, leaving the company. Thorin turned and looked at the hobbit who was still standing there, not saying anything and she finally saw the princes stare. Startled by his sudden intense face she turned around to leave; walking into a wooden beam in the process. She rubbed her head as she walked out of the house, not wanting to know if Thorin say her hitting her head. She walked over to her cousin as the wizard walks passed him and the dwarves.

"Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked worriedly when he saw the wizard leaving them.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." Gandalf shouted passed the dwarves. Balin had turned to look at the leader, wondering what had been said between the two of them.

"Who's that?" Bilbo wondered.

"Myself, Mr.Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." Gandalf muttered to himself as he disappeared into the woods. She looked at the ground and shook her head.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin stated to the biggest dwarf who was also the cook; as he hurried over to start supper for his comrades.

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo ask Balin. Freya was standing beside them and looked towards the forest where the wizard had disappeared through and wondered if the wizard had left them on their own for good. Balin looked at the two hobbits unsure.