The Adventures of Bilbo and Tauriel

Chapter 5

The two Hobbits had hung up their wet clothes to dry, and were now bundled in thick furry robes. Frodo lit the lantern and the stove. Soon they were lying cozily on their bunks in the tiny cabin. Rain pelted at the glass porthole, then, as the ship rocked back the turbulent sea foam was all that could be seen swirling outside.

"Tea Time Uncle?" Frodo pulled two thermoses from a basket. Next came a large packet of finger size cucumber sandwiches, two dozen sausage rolls, a slab of matured Cheshire cheese, crisped potatoes, a variety of fruit tarts, slices of iced cakes, a bowl of sugared strawberries and a jug of cream.

"Goodness! Is that the time already?" asked Bilbo, peering at his pocket-watch. "Excellent lad, I'm famished. All this tossing and turning is making me hungry." Which just goes to show what remarkable creatures Hobbits truly are. Their resilient spirits and low statures made them ideally suited for a life at Sea.

This was of course followed by a thermos each of hot strong cider, potent enough to rival Elf-Wine, and a bowl of Pipe-Weed. After the last smoke ring disintegrated, Bilbo continued his story.

"Hmm…ahem…The first stage of our journey was delightfully uneventful. Tauriel and I traveled for several days along the Old Forest Road before leaving it for a hidden path only she could follow. After two more days it began to get quite hilly and I could see the snow-capped mountains a day and a half's walk in the distance."

"That night, as I lay down next to Tauriel, I felt more unsettled than I had since the Battle of 5 Armies. Something seemed amiss, as if there were another presence close by. Tauriel may have looked asleep, but like most Elves, she was keenly aware of her surroundings, even—or especially—in repose."

"I awoke with start, my heart thudding. Tauriel's hand was across my mouth, and she was crouched silently over me with bow at the ready and swords strapped to her lithe form.

'Shush Bilbo,' she whispered, 'Just stay still and keep a good grip on Sting. If I anything happens, slip on the Ring and stay hidden until I tell you it's safe.'"

"You told her!?" Frodo looked incredulous. "I guess I shouldn't be so surprised though. It's not like you knew at the time what that Ring was."

"Besides which…" Bilbo interjected, "…I actually didn't tell her about the Ring."

"I was stunned—you could have knocked me over with a feather (if I hadn't already been horizontal). I'm still not certain how she knew about the Ring, but Tauriel later told me she had always known that her betrothed would be a Ring-bearer. Though she didn't know how Evil that accursed Ring was, she could sense something Dark about it, and warned me to be careful about wearing it for too long—which, of course, I was already doing."

"Anyway, Tauriel held me down for an interminable length of time, and I didn't think it was quite the right time to ask her how she knew about the Ring. In fact, I was terrified. Then the Night came alive and I slipped on the Ring."

"It all seemed to happen in slow-motion, yet it was over in a trice. Tauriel was a Vision to behold, her petite form clad in skintight black leather and mithril, boldly silhouetted against the Silver Moonlight. She moved like a Forest Cat, her mahogany ponytail whipping around as she killed the Fell Creature with one swift strike of her sword."

"I'd never seen anything like it before. It looked like a cross between a goblin and a bat. I was thankful that one was dead.

'This isn't good,' Tauriel said, 'You never find one Vampyre all alone. Bilbo, put the Ring back on and stay hidden.' The rest of that night still gives me nightmares." Bilbo shuddered.

"They came in waves. But Tauriel was a swath of destruction. Limbs flew and blood sprayed, but none of it was Tauriel's, and I began to hold out hope that we would survive the night. Then to my horror, one of those foul creatures flew at her from the rear as her blade ran one through and more approached from her front. Still invisible, I leapt out from under my bush in panic, Sting in my hand. Lunging forward, I skewered the Brute in the throat and it died gurgling."

"I began invisibly hacking right and left, dozens falling at my invisible (and hairy) feet…"

"Bilbo," interrupted Frodo, rolling his eyes again. "You're doing it again. I want the real story this time."

"Thistles and Whiskers my Boy," sputtered a consternated Bilbo, "I was on a roll. Bother you. Alright then, the unvarnished truth was that I slew 3 more of those beasts that night. But I remained with Tauriel until the few remaining flying goblins fled before dawn broke."

"We left the area post-haste and by late afternoon we had found a defensible position in a shallow cave. Tauriel and I were exhausted and famished, but we made a fire and cooked up a couple of hares, and baked some wild turnips in the embers. After that and a few wild blackberries and a cake of Lembas, the edge was finally taken off my hunger. All we had to drink was water, but I had my Pipe-Weed."

"I was soon feeling much better despite a rather nasty gash, many smaller cuts and nicks, and several painful bruises. We dressed our wounds and Tauriel found a flask of Miruvor in one of her bags. Soon our pains were just memories, albeit very fresh ones. Tauriel hung an Elvish Cloak over the cave entrance, effectively rendering us camouflaged."

"Finally, we could relax. So I was rather distraught to find Tauriel glaring ferociously at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

'Bilbo, I told you to stay down and out of the way. What were you thinking? I need you to trust in me to see you through. I need you to live.' She didn't shout at all, which of course made it much worse. I didn't even point out that I had actually managed to kill a few Monsters myself."

"Then her tears burst their dam and trickled down those beautiful cheeks, my heart felt like it was tearing in two. She caressed my face.

'Dear, Sweet Bilbo, I am so sorry. You fought bravely and well. And there are times when it may be necessary for you to defend yourself if we are facing more than one enemy. But you must never think you need to defend me. I could not bear to lose you because you felt you had to risk yourself for me. Promise me you won't…please…Bilbo, my Beloved.'"

"Foolishly perhaps, I did promise her that I wouldn't risk myself unnecessarily. Though, I did tell myself that I would decide when it might be necessary to join battle to protect Tauriel."

"I fell asleep in Tauriel's embrace, and we had an undisturbed night. The next day dawned brightly and we rode to the South slope of the Mirkwood Mountains by mid-afternoon. They weren't as tall as the Misty Mts. But they were tall enough for Glaciers on the upper North slopes and snow caps. Fortunately there is a pass between the first Mountain approached from the West, and the second one, only just above the tree line. Thank Goodness we would only have a short distance to traverse in snow."