Concerning the Hobbits

The Sharing of Tales

P.O.V Kili
I watched Gandalf and Firiel speak from a distance and found I was not the only one, the Halfling stood a few feet away from me. I walked over to him, "What do you suppose they are talking about?" I'd asked him. Bilbo looked quite startled.
"Hmmm...I-I don't know...Gandalf seems to be very serious..." The Halfling was correct. Gandalf had seemed to be overly serious. Firiel looked just as serious and she seemed quite upset. Tears rolled down her face but she seemed to be trying her best to hide them. Gandalf bent down to comfort her. His head turned towards the Hobbit and I, he had inclined his head at us. Bilbo turned around, he had been embarrassed to have been caught staring. I placed my hand on his shoulder and smiled, Bilbo managed to nod and walk over to his pony. I decided to sit by the fire, with my brother. I sat there for a good while lost in my thoughts.

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P.O.V Firiel
Gandalf would have to leave soon. "Not now of course, my dear, But at some points of the journey I will have to leave the company." Gandalf had said earlier that night. I recalled the tears I had felt rolling down my cheeks. "You can't leave... " I'd whispered, "What if something happened to you? I'd have no-one left in the world... I've already lost one father," I'd paused looking at him, "Please, do not make me lose another."
Gandalf had knelt beside me, pulling me into an embrace, "You have no faith in me girl.. besides, you'd never be alone in this world, you touch the hearts of all you meet, you will never be alone...trust me."

I was broken out of my reverie by the familiar voice of Mr Baggins. He had not noticed me...yet.
"Hello, girl. That's a good girl. It's our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one. sh, sh" I giggled and Bilbo turned around startled. I walked over to him and patted his shoulder, "Do not worry Bilbo, Myrtle," I smiled bowing my head at the pony, "I will keep your secret." I laughed softly and Bilbo smiled sheepishly.

"You must think I am a right fool." Bilbo frowned. I smiled and showed him the apple in my pocket.
"If you're a fool, Bilbo, then so am I." I smiled, holding my hand out to Daisy, petting her, "Here you go Daisy," I smiled feeding her the apple.
Bilbo smiled, "I didn't just mean that... I meant--" I put my hand on his shoulder. Our eyes met and I felt that unfamiliar semsation in the pit of my stomach returned. All of a sudden a shrill cry filled the night air. I grabbed Bilbo's arm. "Orcs..." I whispered. Memories of the attack on my villiage froze me there clinging onto Bilbo's arm. I was in shock. Bilbo pulled me over to Kili and Fili.

"What was that?" I heard Bilbo say. I was trying to listen but I couldn't stop hearing the screams of my people, over and over in my mind.
"Orcs." Kili said, I could hear another scream in the distance.
"Orcs?" Bilbo asked, his grip on me tightened.
"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." Fili murmured.
I pictured my mother pushing me into the bushes as the Orcs rode in on their beasts. I remembered seeing my mother fight the orcs off, her blonde hair turning black with their blood. I had turned my head when they became too much, but I still heard her scream.

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." Bilbo had turned sheet white. I glared at the brothers but they didn't notice, they were to busy laughing. I stood up and walked away from the boys. I walked over to a nearby crevice away from the company and sat, stuck in my memories.

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P.O.V Kili
I'd seen the way she held onto the Hobbit. Like he could save her?! Ha! That little thing? Save her from an orc pack. I'd wanted her to realise how silly she was. I didn't expect her to get all upset about it. What reason did she have? At least my uncle had reason to be mad.
"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" Thorin stood over me, he was always intimidating, now more than ever.
"We didn't mean anything by it." I frowned. I looked over at the path that Firiel took... I felt... a little guilty.
"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin walked off towards the cliff.

Balin walked over to me, "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first." I'd heard this tale many times in my child hood, yet it never bored me, "Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead 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." My fists tightened at my sides.

"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," Balin looked over at my uncle, I could tell that Balin would follow him to the very end. As would I. "He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent...wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived." The other dwarves stood up and looked at Thorin. Only a moron would not see how much they--we-- respected him. "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King." Balin finished, Bilbo watched Thorin in awe.
"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked Balin, Thorin had walked up to the fire again.
"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin said as he walked back to where he had been sleeping.

"Where is my daughter?" Gandalf asked us, Fili and I shrugged. Gandalf seemed to grow in size, much like he had done back at the shire and the night seemed to become darker. "Master dwarves! If you do not tell me where my daughter is this instant I--" I cut him off mid-sentence.
"She walked off when we were talking about the orcs... She got upset..." I frowned.
"If she is too easily scared, she should not be here Gandalf, this in no place for scared little girls." Thorin stated, Gandalf turned on him. Gandalf looked mad, "You do not know of what you speak Thorin." he spoke quietly, which was a whole lot more intimidating than just yelling at us.

"Then explain, Gandalf. What is her excuse? Because I do not think there is any apart from the fact that she is a scared little girl who's never seen an ounce of pain in her sheltered little life." Thorin spat.
"She is not scared, Thorin, and she's seen much in her short life, so far. She is still grieving." Gandalf spoke quietly, back to his usual self.
"Grieving? Excuse me but what is she grieving Mr Gandalf?" Ori asked.
Gandalf blew a few puffs of smoke from his pipe before he spoke, "When I found her, she was but a child of ten years old. She was alone in the woods... It took her a while to trust me... but that was to be expected for a young child who had witnessed the entire slaughter of her village. I don't know very much else. She does not speak much of it." Gandalf turned to Thorin, eyes ablaze, "Do you still think she has never seen an ounce of pain in her life Thorin? Do you believe she has had a sheltered life?" Thorin stayed silent. We were all silent.

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P.O.V Third Person
Kili had walked off to find Firiel and to apologise to her, unknown to him Bilbo had followed. Bilbo hid behind a rock and Kili went and sat beside Firiel. "I'm sorry... My behaviour has been terrible, I shouldn't of made jokes about Orcs around you, I am sorry." Kili moved closer to Firiel and she didn't move away. Bilbo felt sick in his stomach. He looked at the dwarf and felt anger build inside him. He had never felt this angry towards anyone before. 'Get away from her!' Bilbo felt like yelling, but he didn't dare make a sound.

"I guess Gandalf told you then?" Firiel had asked, "About my family?" Kili nodded and grabbed Firiels hand.
"I am so, so sorry," Kili said, still holding Firiels hand, making her heart skip a beat and the now familiar but strange feeling in her stomach returned yet again. "I will keep you safe, Firiel, I pledge it." Firiel smiled sadly and Bilbo watched on, paralysed, all he could do was watch, his heart heavy.
"Thank you Kili, for your concern, I appreciate it, really I do." Firiel smiled, "But I can't ask you to do that, focus on your mission. On your self. I will be fine." Firiel smiled and stood up, and waved, leaving Kili and Bilbo in the shadows. Bilbo sat there in shock, confused by all the emotions he had felt so far. Not sure why he felt them.
Kili sat on the rock, consumed by his thoughts, torn in two by his heart and his sense of duty.