Cousin of Bilbo Baggins: The Hobbit

We're Going on an Adventure

Astrid's POV

The dwarves had left at dawn I sent Fly with them knowing Bilbo and I would be joining them. I'd packed our bags and signed the contract Balin had left. All Bilbo has to do is sign it and we can go. Bilbo wakes up and walks all around our house expecting to run into the dwarves; however, there is no one there. The house has been cleaned up completely from the mess of the party last night, almost as if it had never happened.

"They've left Bilbo" I tell him as I eat breakfast. Bilbo looks a bit lonesome and I feel the same way. He sees the Contract sitting on a table; he looks at it, then looks up with a determined face. He quickly signs it and I toss him a traveling bag. "Knew you'd change your mind, let's go all we'll miss them" I state. We run out of the house together and down the path. We run through Shire, jumping over fences and pumpkins in our haste. Our neighbors shake their heads at us.

"Hey! Mr. Bilbo! Ms Astrid! Where are you off to?" one of our neighbours call.

"Can't stop, I'm already late!" I tell him.

"Late for what?" he asks.

"We're going on an adventure!" Bilbo shouts. We soon spot the dwarves and Gandalf. "Wait! Wait!" Bilbo shouts as we run over to them. They all stop and look at us.

"We signed it" I declare as Bilbo gives Balin the contract.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins and Miss Took, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield" Balin declares. I smile mount Fly as Fili and Kili place Bilbo on a spare pony. The pony neighs and tosses its head, making Bilbo quite uncomfortable.

"Come on, Nori, pay up. Go on" Oin says. Nori tosses a sack of money to Oin; sacks of money begin passing between the dwarves. Other dwarves begin to throw sacks of money around laughing. As Bilbo and I ride along side Gandalf.

"What's that about?" Bilbo asks.

"Bets on whether or not you'd come with Astrid, then another one if either of you would come at all" Gandalf explains.

"What did you bet?" I ask him. Gandalf catches a sack of money tossed to him and puts it in his bag. Saying he never doubted either of us for a second. Bilbo suddenly sneezes. He begins to search his pockets for a handkerchief saying it was the horse hair. He looks up in shock, guess he couldn't find it.

"No, no, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around" he states and I roll my eyes. The entire company comes to a halt, and the dwarves start objecting and asking what the problem is. Gandalf asked what the matter was. "I forgot my handkerchief" Bilbo answers and I giggle.

Bofur tears a strip of cloth from his clothing and tosses it to Bilbo. "Here us this" he states. Bilbo catches the rag and looks at it in disgust. The dwarves laugh and begin to continue their journey

"Move on" Thorin calls and we do so. Me staying with Bilbo and Gandalf.

"You'll have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead" Gandalf tells him. the Company traveling through many beautiful areas of Middle-earth, including forest, hills, and plains.

(That night)

The company has camped for the night near the edge of a cliff. As Gloin sleeps, tiny flying insects get sucked into his mouth every time he inhales, and they are expelled when he exhales. Bilbo watches in disgust, then finally gets up and walks around. Most of the dwarves are asleep; Gandalf, Fili, and Kili are awake. Bilbo & I walk over to our two ponies. We give both girls an apple, after Bilbo checked to see that no one is looking. We hear a scream in the night air and Bilbo becomes worried. We run over to Fili and Kili by the fire.

"What was that?" Bilbo and I ask them.

"Orcs" Kili replies as another scream is heard. Thorin, who was dozing, jerks awake upon hearing the word 'Orcs'.

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them" Fili explains.

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood" Kili finishes. Bilbo looks away in fright; Fili and Kili look at each other and begin laughing as I glare at them.

"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" Thorin demands as he walks over to us.

"We didn't mean anything by it" Kili assures him.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world" Thorin states. He walks off to the edge of the cliff and looks out over the valley; Balin walks up to Fili and Kili.

"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" Balin starts. "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" he states. I remember now this was the fight where my grandpa got his axe and I walk away. But still listen as Balin continues his story.

"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. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent...wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. A hobbit beside him wielding a battle axe" he tells.

"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. And to never underestimate a hobbit" Balin states. "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 along with the Hobbit" he states. "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King" he finishes.

"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asks.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago" Thorin answers.

"And the hobbit?" Fili asks.

"He returned to the Shire with the battle axe as an award. Become the Shire's protector" I state and everyone looks at me. "The Hobbit was our grandfather Bilbo, Alexander Took" I tell him.

"I knew that axe was familiar" I hear Thorin mumble. But I ignore it and go over to my bed roll. I lay down wrapping my warm cloak around me and fall asleep.