Lone Hobbit

Lone Hobbit 02

"One... Two... Three... One... Two... Three," Bilbo whispered counting every three steps it took to get to... Where ever he was going. He was letting instinct lead him. He mentally rolled his eyes at that. "It's not instinct, it's this damn ring." He whispered harshly. He hated this. Every step he took felt like walking to his death. Not that that hadn't happened before, but this time he didn't have Thorin there to protect him.

Thorin, Bilbo wondered what had happened to that stubborn dwarf. He could have gotten himself and his company killed if he went to war. And all over a stone! A fist sized shiny stone! It was stupid in his opinion. Why fight over such a silly thing? Wasn't gold and silver the whole problem? Wasn't that the thing that had drawn the dragon in the first place? Why couldn't they be more like Hobbits? Loving food and a good ale instead of axes and swords?

"Stubborn, unruly, sneaky dwarves...," Bilbo smiled, "But they're my stubborn, unruly, sneaky dwarves." It had been a good eight or so months since Bilbo had last seen them and he missed them dearly. They had probably moved on though. Thorin, if not dead, was probably getting married or expecting his first child. Fili and Kili would be training to become proper princes, lord knows they needed some manners, and who knew what the others were doing.

A loud crack broke Bilbo from his thoughts. He looked to his surroundings. The sky was painted with ash and smoke. Screams echoed all around him, some in pain and some in victory. All the green that should have been covering the ground, was nothing more than trampled blades of grass that were a sickly brown color. The shrubs and trees that were there were bare and black. In the distance, Bilbo could see the silhouette of a mountain, and a large pointy tower. He had heard of this place, Mount Doom, where the dead walk and shadows rome.

This place seemed familiar, but couldn't quite be placed. Though, Bilbo knew one thing. The ring had brought him here for some purpose or another. He also knew that this was the one place the ring could be destroyed. Bilbo silently thanked his great, great, grandfather for knowing stories of the one ring and Mount Doom.

"I've made it this far, guess I better keep going...," Bilbo whispered and kept moving forward. The faster he got this over with, the faster he could see Thro- his Hobbit Hole again.

~~~Thorin~~~

"I am sorry," Balin said sadly, "but if he went the way we think he did... He probably didn't make it. Gandalf and the others still have not found him. We have to assume the worst. Bilbo Baggins, our burglar, has passed on. May he rest in peace." Balin hung his head sorrowfully.

Thorin, dressed in his usual royal blue and silver, shook his head. "No, I won't believe it. Bilbo cannot be dead. He is much too clever and resourceful to die out there, all alone. He must be farther away than we anticipated. We must keep looking." Thorin's voice dropped, "I cannot lose him... We can't give up."

Balin placed a hand on Thorin's shoulder, knowing what the young king was going through. He had lost his mother, father, grandfather, and brother and came out with a stone face, but he could not lose his love. "Alright, we'll send the men farther out. But only for a few more months. We have a mountain to rebuild too, Bilbo will want to see the mountain returned to it's former glory when he gets back." Thorin perked back up at that.

"Yes he will. He always asked about the halls and the people. We have to get this place in top shape for his return." Thorin said, already making plans. Balin nodded and continued on. If this was a way of keeping their king functioning, it would have to work. For now atleast.

Balin went to the carrier room where all the birds were stored. He needed to talk to Ori, who was working there while Bilbo and Dwalin were gone. He wanted to be the first to know if any news of Bilbo would come in. As of yet, there was nothing.