The Valar Child: The Desolation of Smaug

Chapter 6 - Mirkwood Path

The ponies that Beorn had given us were excellent beasts, and I liked mine. Beorn had told me that her name was Snowflower. She was a white pony with a black patch over her one eye. As we rode, I found myself trusting her, and just contented myself with braiding her mane. "You're pretty good at that," Bilbo told me, making me glance up at him.

"Thank you Bilbo. I've had many years to practice," I said to him.

"Yes! We keep telling Hildar she has to open up a braiding shop when we get the mountain back," Kili joked as he rode by. I glared at him, and threw another one of Fili's metal baubles at him (one of many I had stolen). It bounced off of his nose, and Thorin caught it. It looked small in his hand, and he glanced up at me. I blushed, and he smirked. He threw it carelessly over his shoulder and Fili caught it.

"I've been wondering where that one went!" he exclaimed before he put it in one of his bags.

"Oh! Did you name it?" I poked. Fili muttered something in dwarvish, and I responded in the ancient language of Durin.

"Children!" Balin admonished as he rode between us. My brows just wiggled, and Fili shook his fist at me. He and Kili played at being mad at me, but, they had never had the heart to ever shout at me. Thorin was the one who had to discipline me, and even he was limited. As I turned back around, my laugh died on my lips as I saw the forest that was before us. The trees all stood in a thick line before it, like a fence, warning strangers to keep out. I was inclined to listen to the silent omen. The dark and twisted branches looked like spears. I could smell something sour from those leaves, and it made me sick.

"So, we have to go through that?" I asked.

"Not unless you want to go a hundred miles around it north! And twice that south!" Gandalf told me, and I huffed, blowing a short strand of hair out of my face. I dismounted and scratched Snowflower's nose. As I looked back the way we had come, I saw the shape of a bear, disappear into a grove of trees about half a mile behind. Beorn was following us! I went to Gandalf and touched his arm. When he looked back at me, I pointed in Beorn's direction. He smiled, winked at me, and nodded. I was not at all surprised that he had known. He looked back at the elven gate, which was our way into the cursed forest. The stones were overgrown with weeds and vines, making it almost impossible to see the beautiful architecture. I followed Gandalf as he walked around. "Leave the ponies here! They will not enter this wood. Let them return to their master!" he told the dwarves. Some complained at having to walk, but, my attitude was, 'Well, we've walked this far.' When I glanced back at Gandalf, he had pulled some vines from a statue, and we both beheld a red image of a lidless eye painted on the elf maiden. Gandalf recoiled from it, and I felt a wave of fear overcome me. I closed my eyes, and saw a flaming eye looking at me!

A voice in my head said, "I see you!" I sat down hard on the stone, and Gandalf looked down at me. I gazed up at him and I bit my lip. He did not ask me what I had seen. He must have known. He simply walked away from me, back to the dwarves.

"Not my horse!" he shouted, and I quickly got up, dusting myself off.

"Where are you going?" Bilbo asked, a little panic creeping into his voice.

"I have questions! Questions that need to be answered!" Gandalf said. He turned back to Bilbo and they had their own conversation. I did not eavesdrop on that. I returned to Thorin, Fili, and Kili, and they immediately noticed my pale visage.

"What's wrong?" Thorin asked, cupping my cheek in his hand. I shook my head, determined to keep what I had seen to myself. He frowned at my decision to remain silent, but that was when we looked back to Gandalf as he was mounting his horse.