Anastasia | Thranduil

Travelling

Calamity's hooves pounded against the earth as we raced across the hills. I recognized this place. We were close to the Shire and would arrive either later today or early tomorrow, depending on how much we rest in between. The mare was quick and well suited for endurance, which was perfect for this kind of ride. Her gaits were floaty and comfortable as well as fast. Surprisingly, I did not regret my lack of a saddle or bridle, as she was listening perfectly.

"Good girl," I stated, stroking her neck as she ran. 

She she snorted as if saying, 'Tell me something I don't know.' And sped up her pace. I could feel every movement she made, but all were light and graceful while still ground-covering. I was quite happy that she had only recently turned five, as that made her back very comfortable without a saddle, despite the tedious ride. I could feel her breathing heavily with every stride she took. Eclipse was a few strides behind, I could tell she was weary as well. We had been running half of yesterday, through the night, and until now which is about noon. It was not my choice. Every time I tried getting her to slow down she would just snort as though she was telling me that this was nothing for her. We had run into a small orc pack but outran them, seeing as there were very few and they had no mounts. The hills flew by at a somewhat slower pace as my horse grew weary.

"Calamity, we should rest." I tried convincing her.

She merely tossed her head in protest and sped up again, only to stumble slightly and slow her pace

"Calamity, only for an hour or so. We both need water and you need to eat. Eclipse needs rest as well! I promise we'll be heading to the Shire shortly after that," I pleaded.

Yes, I was pleading with a horse. She slowed down slightly but shook her head and tried speeding up again. She stumbled once more, nearly falling this time.

"C'mon girl, let's rest," I murmered, just loud enough for her to hear.

The mare snorted but slowed down to a trot, then to a walk, before finally standing still. Eclipse plopped down in the grass, exhausted. Calamity was shaking slightly as she stood, grazing on the grass around us. I hand fed Eclipse some meat before staring at the meager amount of food I had packed for myself. I truly wasn't hungry, but I knew I had to eat. I was not going to let Thranduil's betrayal get me killed. I just wish it would not hurt so much. Sighing, I grabbed an apple and munched on it slowly. Calamity stared at me longingly as I finished the apple. I laughed and pulled the other one out of the bag and fed it to her. 

"Eclipse, Calamity, there's a stream over this next hill or so. We all need water so let's go there and rest a bit more."

Eclipse stood up shakily and they both followed me. My legs were sore and ached with every step I took. I was correct, we were exactly where I thought we were. Eclipse and Calamity gulped down as much water as they could while I refilled my small canteen over and over again, drinking more than I ever knew I could. I walked a bit away from the stream that was running quickly and surprisingly deep before laying down on the top of the hill.

'You're very close, it's not much farther to the Shire.' Phantom informed.

'Great!!! Thank you Phantom. We're just resting for a bit. Talk to you later.' I replied.

Eclipse laid down in the stream and got herself soaking wet. Luckily, Calamity did not roll in the water, only soaked herself up to her chest which meant I would not have the luxury of sitting on wet fur the entire way home. They both then laid on either side of me. Eclipse fell asleep while Calamity ate the grass she could reach without having to stand up. I leaned into Calamity's side, happy that I wasn't completely alone. After a few hours, Calamity got up and shook herself off. The mare then proceeded to whinny at Eclipse until the wolf was on her feet as well before using her nose to force me to stand.

" It isn't much farther. We'll reach the Shire before dark easily."

And so we did. When we arrived I brought both of them to my cabin and let Calamity graze. I made sure to keep the door open in case Eclipse wanted to go inside throughout the night. Most of the hobbits were already in their holes even though it was not dark yet. I heard noise coming from the bar and suspected that it was crowded. A few hobbits waved at me as I walked towards Bilbo's home. Eclipse was walking beside me and Calamity was still grazing, checking her surroundings warily every so often. I chuckled slightly and climbed the steps that led to Bilbo's house, my legs aching. Eclipse was growling slightly with every step, which informed me that she was sore as well. The bottoms of her feet were quite worn and cracked. I knocked on the door to the hobbit hole, happy to finally be up those blasted steps. 

"Who is it?" a familiar grouchy voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Take a guess Bilbo," I replied.

I saw him peek through the peephole and gasp before slamming the door open and tackling me in a hug that nearly sent me to the ground.

"Anastasia!!! You're alive! How?!" he stuttered in shock.

"Long story short, my soul panicked when I was dying and I got stuck in Phantom's body with him for a while. Elrond helped repair my body and Phantom managed to help me return to my natural body. I've been in Mirkwood since then and left a couple days ago," I stated.

"Everyone thought... No.. They THINK you're dead!! I've missed you!" he exclaimed happily, still hugging the life out of me.

"It's been too long Bilbo. I've missed you as well. I'll be staying in my cabin and I wanted to say hello to you and inform you that I am in fact, very much alive."

His eyes widened at the sight of Eclipse beside me.

"Oh, right. This is Eclipse. I found her injured in the forest of Mirkwood upon my return and helped her return to good health. Now she follows me around and helps fight off whatever she finds dangerous. I also brought a mare here. Her name is Calamity. She's quite fast but is also an extremely nervous horse. You two would get along quite well actually."

"Hey-"

"As long as you bring her sugar cubes at least," I laughed.

I heard Calamity neigh in excitement from somewhere next to my cabin at the mention of sugar cubes. Yep, that's Calamity for you. Always wants some kind of food. Not that I blame her, after that trip she's probably starving. I would not be surprised if there is no grass left around my cabin in a few days.





A/n: filler but it was fun to write, thanks for reading!