I'm Staying With You (A Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 27

Beorn puts the mouse down and leads us outside. He whistles, and a large number of horses come trotting towards him. We saddle them and get on. I ride to the side of Fili and Kili and we wait for everyone to get on.

"Go now. While you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind," Beorn calls as we ride away.

We run across a large hill and eventually reach the outskirts of Mirkwood. Gandalf stares at it before dismounting his horse and walking to the entrance of the Elven path.

"Here lies our path through Mirkwood," Gandalf calls.

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side," Dwalin says.

Gandalf looks into the distance and then back to us.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master."

"This forest feels sick," Bilbo says after dismounting his horse. "As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around it?"

"Not unless we go 200 miles north or twice that distance south," Gandalf sighs.

I continue to remove the saddle and reins from my pony, and he looks very happy to be free once again. I stroke his muzzle and urge him to join his companions.

"Be free, bud," I say. My pony whinnies and trots after his friends.

"You are very good with animals," Kili says.

"It's a talent, I guess," I shrug.

"Maybe you should use that against the dragon," Fili chuckles.

"Okay, not that kind of animal," I laugh.

All the ponies begin running back home, and Gandalf emerges from the forest just as Nori is undoing the saddle on the wizard's horse.

"Not my horse!" Gandalf calls. "I need it!"

"You're not leaving us," Bilbo mutters.

"I would not do this unless I had to," Gandalf explains. He looks at Bilbo, who has pain in his eyes.

"You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

"I was going to tell you," Bilbo begins. "I... I found something in the Goblin tunnels."

"Found what?" Gandalf asks. "What did you find?" All of us dwarves watch this curiously.

"My courage," Bilbo finishes. He drops his hand from his pocket and looks into the wizard's eyes.

"Good. Well, that's good," Gandalf says. "You'll need it."

I feel a few wet drops hit my head, and I look up to see a thunderstorm blooming.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter the mountain without me," Gandalf explains. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It'll seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray?" Bilbo mutters. "What does that mean?"

"You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again. No matter what comes, you must stay on the path!" Gandalf warns.  He turns to me.

"Use that necklace of yours.  It will keep you sane longer.  Protect the others."

I nod and he rides away.

"Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day," Thorin says, leading us into the forest. "This is our one chance to find the hidden door."