the Stowaway (Hobbit fan-fic)

Chapter 16

The next morning, I woke up and the house was still quiet. I quickly gathered my things and headed for the door. As I reached for the doorknob, I heard movement behind me.

"Aeareth?"

I sighed and turned around. Tilda was standing there, holding a doll in her hands. Sleep still lingered in her eyes and was fighting to gain control again. I smiled at her.

"Tilda, what are you doing up?" I asked. "The sun has barely risen yet."

"I thought I heard something moving in the house, so I came to look. Are you leaving?"

I walked over to her and knelt before her.

"Yes, Tilda," I said quietly. "I am leaving, but we will see each other again. I promise."

She smiled and wrapped her small arms around my neck.

"Be careful, Aeareth," she said.

"I will. Now, go back to bed, Tilda."

Tilda nodded and walked back to her room, closing the door behind her. I sighed and walked back to the front door. I opened the door and slipped outside into the early morning air. I ran through the streets of Laketown, making my way towards the bridge that led to the shore. I knew the company would most likely take a boat to reach the shoreline closer to the mountain. As I ran over the bridge, I scanned the shoreline, finding the closest spot from the water to the mountain. Once I had a basic idea of where that was, I began to make my way over to that spot.

It was midmorning when I saw a boat coming towards the shore. Looking closely, I could see the company seated in the boat. I smiled to myself. I knew they still had a ways to go before they reached me. I pulled out my bow. I knew they would be hungry when they arrived, so I decided to hunt for some food.

~

I looked up from the fire I had made. I could hear the dwarves getting off their boat. Standing up, I walked to the shoreline. The company was helping one another out of the boat. I felt like something was missing, so I counted them. I froze. There were only ten of them. Bofur, Kili, Fili, and Oin were missing. I knew I would have to ask someone about that later.

"Glad you all could make it," I said, making myself known.

The dwarves turned quickly and saw me. I smiled at them. Some of them gave me smiles in return.

"Aeareth!" Bilbo cried. He ran towards me and gave me a quick hug. "I started to believe you stayed in Laketown."

"I wouldn't leave you, Bilbo," I said. "Not when we still have a hidden door to find and a dragon to get rid of." I paused when I heard some of them chuckle. "I have food, by the way."

The dwarves immediately lightened up. I laughed and led them to the fire where I had some meat roasting. Once I made sure it was done, I served it to the company. Bilbo tried offering me some, but I had already eaten.

When the dwarves and hobbit had finished eating, we started towards the mountain. I could tell Thorin was getting anxious about finding the door, especially because it was Durin's day. I was walking with Bilbo, allowing the dwarves to lead.

"Bilbo," I said, gaining his attention. "Where are Bofur, Oin, Kili, and Fili?"

"They stayed in Laketown," Bilbo replied. "Kili is very wounded from our encounter with the orcs. Fili wanted to stay with him, Oin said his place was with the wounded, and Bofur was late to catch the boat."

I nodded. We soon came upon a hill that looked over a valley. Thorin stopped at the top and gazed into the valley. Everyone else joined him. I stared at the sight before us.