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Surrounded

Gandalf walked into the edge of the forest, passing underneath an ancient archway.

"The Elven Gate", said the Grey, "Here lays our path through Mirkwood!"

"No sign of the orcs. We have luck on our side", however, you could see the uneasiness in they way Dwalin stood.

"On your side, indeed...", thought the elven princess. The pain she had been feeling came back much stronger than before. Sleeping in Beorn's home made her feel refreshed, but being so near the forest brought the feeling of distress back.

"Set the ponies lose", said Gandalf as he gazed inside the forest, "Let them return to their master."

Mäetharanel quickly attended to her own horse, but not before gently running her fingers through it's wonderful black mane and patting it's torso twice. Turning to the nearest pony, her hands met another's and when she turned to look into the dwarfs eyes, her deep blue eys met Fili's own.

"This forest feels...", she stiffened and Erebor's golden prince didn't turn away from her.

"Sick. It's as if a disease lays upon it", finished their Hobbit and she looked down.

"I cannot do this", whispered Mäetharanel as soon as her eyes gazed at the forest once again. She both wanted to go inside it and to flee far away. How ironic it was! Her favorite place, now the reason of her saddness.

"Is there no way around it?", she had been about to answer Bilbo, she had been about to tell him that yes, there is a better way to go through, but Gandalf interrupted her.

"Not unless we travel 320 miles north or twice that distance south."

While they were all getting ready, the princess couldn't stop looking at the tall dark trees or at the dead plants and vines that were in the ground. Her mouth opened and closed several times but nothing came out, so she simply decided to arrange her weapons and smile at Bombur whom was right in front of her, it had been either that or comfront Thorin's penetrating gaze.

On his part, Bilbo reached inside his pocket where he kept the ring he had stolen, and played with it. A million thoughts went through his head then and he stared ahead, into nothing, just thinking, until an eye appeared in his mind and it was as if the air was completely taken out of his lungs and all thoughts stopped... Inside the forest, Lady Galadriel's words went through the wizard's head, and he came to a conclusion: he'd attend his lady's wishes, he would go to-

"The High Fells", nodded the old man, "So be it", and he went back to the Company.

Outside of the forest, everyone was getting ready to enter it until Gandalf claimed he needed his horse which had been about to be set free by Nori.

"You're not leaving us?" asked Bilbo, incredulous.

"I would not do this unless I really had to", answered the obviously perturbed wizard, "you've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit who's left the Shire", and Bilbo stared at him.

"I must tell you", he stopped, hesitated and smiled, "I... found something in the goblin tunnels", he kept on touching the ring.

"You found what?", he glanced at him expectantly and leaned towards him, "What did you find?" Bilbo faced him head on and came to a conclusion.

"My courage", he let the ring settle inside his pocket, safely.

"Good. That's good", Gandalf arranged his slouched figure and smiled brightly at the hobbit, "You'll need it", and he went for his horse, "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and the key safe",  he went to his horse's side and faced the King Under the Mountain, "Do not enter that mountain without me", Thorin faced Balin and simply accepted fate, once more. They all stood in front of Gandalf, waiting for his last words before his departure.