Lionheart (The Hobbit Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 6: Long Lost Friends and Enemies

The cowled rider rode through the forest on a Palomino horse. Its golden coat glinted in the minimal sunlight that shone through the branches and its hooves made a dull thud on the forest floor. The rider's amber eyes were watching his surroundings carefully for any signs of trouble. He had been sent to keep an eye on his friend, who was part of a company of dwarves on there way to the Misty Mountains. He had been following their trail, and was just starting to catch up to them. He had come a long way, and so had Reyna. He would keep his distance from the group, unless he came across any danger that could possibly come their way. He wanted to meet up with them at some point or another, just to make sure everything was going smoothly.

What he didn't expect was to come across a familiar black horse, that was spotted with white, drinking from a stream.

"Halt, Ash." he said to his steed, and the horse did so. The rider dismounted gracefully and walked cautiously over to the horse. His eyes widened in recognition.

"Polaris?" he asked. The mare looked up and snorted, pawing the ground nervously. Polaris's rider was nowhere in sight. That was not a good sign. Reyna would never willingly leave her horse alone anywhere. Especially not in the forest, where there could be predators. The cloaked rider said a few command words to calm the horse.

"Where's Reyna, girl?" he asked. Polaris swung her body around and trotted off. At the edge of the clearing, she stopped and snorted impatiently. She obviously wanted the rider to follow. He walked quickly back to Ash and remounted him. He then followed Polaris through the woods to God knows where. I know what you're thinking: it's not the best idea to follow a horse to an unknown destination. But, Polaris was a very intelligent horse. And she was the only lead the rider had on Reyna's location.

Polaris came to a stop in a clearing not too far away. In the center stood two hulking statues. At a second look, the rider realized that they were trolls that had been turned to stone by the sunlight. Well that wasn't too bright of them, even for trolls. There were obvious signs of struggle there. There was a pile of burlap sacks, and what looked like an oversized spit was on the ground. The rider dismounted to further investigate. There was a stone firepit, and its flames had long died out. The rider spotted several patches of burned grass, and some uneven earth. What really tipped him off was the large pile of ashes that were ten feet away from the fire. Probably the remains of an unlucky troll. It was no doubt courtesy of Reyna.

He walked around for any further clues as the two horses watched him. He encountered a patch of trampled down grass, where he guessed several people had lay. And the most disturbing thing he saw: a fairly large spot of dried blood. He instantly began to piece things together. The company had definitely been here. He knew Reyna well enough to know exactly what she would have done. She would have defended the others, no matter the cost.

"No..." he murmured to himself and ran back to Ash. He remounted and started to ride off, in search of his friend. Polaris followed him. As the two horses trotted through the forest, a sled burst across their path. And it was pulled by... rabbits. Ash came to an abrupt stop. He snorted and stomped his hooves nervously.

"Easy, Ash." the rider said, as he saw the peculiar man on the sled.

"Radigast the Brown?" he asked. The wizard wipped around, having just noticed them. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but he stayed put, for now.

"Yes, that is me." Radigast said nervously. The rider removed his hood to reveal the face of a young man. He had bright amber eyes and short light brown hair.

"Hello, I am a Bender of Ibilissa. I am looking for some people, a group of dwarves. Have you happened to come acrossed them?" the young man asked. Radigast narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the rider.