𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐏||

Chapter 2

"~ Far over the Misty Mountains cold. To dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away ere break of day. To find our long forgotten gold.~"Thorin sang "The pines were roaring on the height, the winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread. The trees like torches blazed with light.~"I sang together with the dwarfs.

...

"Calm down!"I whisper-yelled to my horse as he was rearing and bucking,after a few minutes he calmed down "c'mon we can't get late!"Thorin yelled as he gently kicked his pony for it to start walking.

"Wait! Wait!"We heard someone call after us,we all stopped and turn around "I signed it."Bilbo said as he hands the contract to Balin "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."Balin said after checking it "Give him a pony."Thorin said "No, no, no, no. That...that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. Yeah, I...I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frog Morton once."Bilbo said stuttering,suddenly two dwarfs grab hold of his arms, pick him up and place him on a pony.

"Come on, Nori! Pay up!"Oin yelled as everyone was throwing bags at each other "What's that about?"Bilbo asked confused "Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn't."I explained "And what did you two think?"Bilbo asked "Well..."Gandalf said,he and I catch a bag at the same time and a soft chuckle escaped my lips.

"My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second."Gandalf said,I looked at Bilbo who suddenly sneezed "Oh, it's horse hair. Having a reaction."Bilbo explained,he searches in his pockets but doesn't find anything "Uh...wait, wait. Stop! Stop! We have to turn around."Bilbo yelled "What on earth is the matter?"Gandalf asked "I forgot my handkerchief."Bilbo said I shook my head and sighed as I continued not waiting for the group "Here! Use this."Bofur said I turned around to look and saw that he ripped off a bit of cloth from his robe and threw it to Bilbo, who looked at it with disgust "Move on!"Thorin yelled I looked back forwards and continued riding "You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. But home is now behind you. The world is ahead!"I yelled as he was far away.

...

I was sitting next to Fili and Kili in front of a camp fire when I saw Bilbo get up and giving his pony a apple,that's when shrieking is being heard "What was that?"Bilbo asked "Orcs."Kili said I closed my eyes as sleep was invading my body "Orcs?"Bilbo asked "Throat cutters. There'd be dozens of them out there. The low lands are crawling with them."Fili teased "They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood."Kili teased and then they both laugh "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"Thorin asked as he got up "We didn't mean anything by it."Kili said "No you didn't. You know nothing of the world."Thorin said and walks off to be by himself "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."Balin said leaning on the stonewall "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria."he explained "But our enemy had got' there first."he said and looked at the ground "Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of 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."he said and I looked at Bilbo who seemed very interested "Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief, he went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc."he said said and looked over at the fireplace "He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield."he said "Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."he said and looked over at Thorin "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."he said "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one I could call king."he said "And the Pale Orc? What happened to him?"Bilbo asked "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."Thorin said I looked over at Gandalf who let out a soft sigh.