Concerning Hobbits

“I cannot see where this pathway leads” Dwalin called venturing a few steps down the cavern of a tunnel. “Do we follow it?” Oin asked, Pansy shook her head at this point in time she was tired for her adventure, nothing good was coming out of it anymore. “But of course!” Bofur replied, to this Pansy sighed and watched as Bilbo walked past her then Fili, Kili too passed her up signaling her to following him Pansy frowned “Come along, you needn’t worry Little Burglar apprentice” Bwalin laid his hand upon her shoulder and offered a friendly smile “you are under watchful eyes” He added in glancing back towards Gandalf and Thorin. Pansy looked back at them as well before following after Kili. “I think I was right to argue that she had stayed in the Shire” Thorin sighed glancing up at Gandalf who watched Pansy followed the others “Do not be so quick to count Pansy out just yet after all she’s just getting her bearings…as is Bilbo. It takes time” Gandalf spoke calmly “Which is exactly what we having got to spare” Thorin muttered darkly as he walked off following the end of his company’s line.

“I don’t I’ve ever felt quiet so small in my life” Pansy muttered looking up at the open of the cavern far above their heads (Stories tall in fact). “How surprising” Kili said with a smirk, Pansy tore her eyes away from the caverns gap and leered at the young dwarf. “Yes it should be I’ll have you know I’m common height for a hobbit girl my age, who live across the water!” Pansy said “but you aren’t from across the water, Bilbo says that you are from Hobbington” Kili reasoned “no, Bilbo’s from Hobbington…we’re not sure just where I am from, I could be from anywhere in the Shire” Pansy said at this Kili stayed silent. “is this tunnel ever going to end” Pansy called now lagging in the back, her legs felt like they would break off at the knees and run far, far away from their abusive owner. Her pack felt ten times as heavy upon her back. “just a bit farther come on Pansy you can do it” she thought, her foot snagged onto an uprooted rock and Pansy fell to the ground “ok maybe not” she sighed sitting on her knees. She felt someone tugging at her pack “huh” She breathed looking up she looked into the face of Thorin. He looked bothered as he slung her pack onto his back with one hand, with the other hand he took pansy by her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. “I” pansy started but quieted herself as he nodded for her to continue walking. She sighed and did as she was instructed.

As Pansy, Thorin and Gandalf finally reached the end of the tunnel they met up with the others. Who gazed in awe at the site before them. Pansy however was looking at the ground as she had been the whole trek through the tunnel. “Pansy” Bilbo called for her, Pansy walked to his side and looked over at him “hmm?” she hummed, Bilbo nodded to the sight before him, “Rivendell” Bilbo breathed Pansy turned her head to look she gasped and a grin came to her face. “Wow! It’s real!” she called walking closer to the edge to get a closer look. “The Last Homely House East of the Sea” Gandalf said fondly “Be careful” Kili warned drawing Pansy away from the edge “I’m not daft…I am very well balanced, I can’t fall, haven’t yet from anything” Pansy said Proudly “yes but there is always a time for everything, and anything happens at least once” Kili said, Pansy watched him “another serious statement, out of the mouth of the jester of the group” Pansy thought but unfortunately (like most of her day had gone) the thought formed words. “What was that?” Kili asked blinking and shaking his head a bit “I-I don’t believe I heard you from way down there?” He asked bending down a bit to her level. He side glanced at her with a smirk, Pansy went to puff up in her own defense as usual. Then something struck the words soundlessly from her mouth and the most she could do was draw in a breath. As turned to him, Kili’s smirk had faded, one brow arched as if asking a question. She didn’t understand what took her words away, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. The corner of Kili’s mouth turned up slightly as Pansy deflated looking at him slightly dumbfounded. “Speechless? No not the company’s chatter box” Kili said chuckling. Still pansy could find no words, she huffed and turned her back to him with her arms crossed and stuck her nose up in the hair. He only laughed more.

The dwarves walked down the road to Rivendell in awe of its beauty. The city shone like gold under the setting sun, soft under the lingering haze of mist. Somehow soundless by its roaring falls and shimmering having been painted in their dew. And as beautifully haunting as a Mirage of an oasis in the driest desert. Water rushed beneath a stone bridge Pansy ran to the edge and laid down against the cool stone gripping the sides of the floor of the bridge to look down at the water. “Pansy!” Bilbo hissed waving his hand in an upward motion “get up, get up!” He called Pansy smiled and pushed herself back to her feet as she ran to catch up with him and the others, the walked through two statues of elvish soldiers they looked to be stone but were the color of worn brass. Pansy stopped before them to look up at their faces. “Come on!” Bilbo called pulling her along. “But I want to look at them!” “More important things at hand!” Bilbo argued, Pansy looked at the statues sadly but followed. In the center of a circular platform the party gathered. Pansy’s eyes shifted this way and that, looking upon all of the sites, the greenery reminded her a bit of the Shire. And the fact that the whole city seemed to be built alongside, and possibly into, parts of the mountain side, made her think of their own little hobbit hole. But this was far grander.

A tall slender Elf descended from the stair well, through the greenery lined railings. He had thin glossy brown hair and was robed in blue. His robes gave off the feeling of some sort of authority and he looked pleased to see Gandalf. Pansy had never seen an elf before, and in her books they were described as a beautiful kind. Even though she wasn’t sure that the word beautiful was fit for a male of any kind that wasn’t the likes of a horse, dog, cat, or bird this elf was just that. He greeted Gandalf in elvish, Pansy tilted her head left and right, looking something like a confused dog with its ears perched. Maybe she should have dabbled a bit in Bilbo’s mothers old language books back when she had the chance. “Where is Elrond?” Gandalf asked urgently The Elf male turned his head a bit as his eyes wandered over the party of Dwarfs and the two out of place hobbits. His eyes lingered on Pansy for a moment, as if trying to remember something. Eventually his eyes found their way back to Gandalf, who seemed a bit hesitant about the Elf’s notice of Pansy. “My Lord Elrond is not here…he is away” The Elf said simply, Pansy watched him his posture was peculiar, good but odd, he hardly moved, and seemed very rigid. Pansy had read of them to be graceful, and while he looked graceful his movements were all but that.

“When will he return?” Gandalf asked, the ground began the rumble and the few small pebbles that lay astray on the smooth stone ground bounced and shook. Deafening clacking and clomping of hooves drowned out the roar of the rushing falls as a Calvary was coming across the stone bridge. A line of soldiers mounted on powerfully built horses armed in silver and steel. “Quickly back up, Hold ranks!” Thorin called out sword raised. Pansy looked around confused as the dwarfs began to push her and Bilbo back into the center of the circle they were forming. Pansy didn’t understand were the elves not just coming home? They could not have been attacking, had they not been the ones to save them in the first place? Even if it was unknowingly so. “Lord Thorin wait!” Pansy called as she was pushed further into the center she then sighed what would it matter if she voiced her thoughts, He would not listen. His hatred for the race was far too deep. Pansy looked at the soldiers as they rode around them in circles. Most of them looked to be confused, probably wondering why dwarfs were in Rivendell or why they took such a defensive stance. Pansy stood mystified by them even still, each one looking for have been carved right out of an Ivory base, a warm light bouncing off their skin under the setting sun. They soon stopped, their commander rode atop a steed as dark as night his armor slightly more embellished. “Gandalf!” he called with a smile. “Elrond!” Gandalf called happily, he then said something in Elvish leaving Pansy once again confused. She was starting to feel squished between the dwarves as they made the circle tighter. Pansy Frowned “I can’t see” she thought only coming shoulder to chest high to the dwarves. They continued to talk so that neither pansy nor the dwarves could understand. It made them tense, the commander, the King, Elrond dismounted from his horse and embraced Gandalf as a welcome. “it’s strange, Orcs having dared venture so close to the borders of our land” Elrond said releasing Gandalf he took his sword and held it up “which means someone or something” he said handing his weapon over to the Elf male that had greeted them. “Has drawn them here” He turned back to Gandalf. “Well” Gandalf grumbled “that would be us” He added gesturing with his staff to the two hobbits and the dwarves.

Elrond turned and looked down at the company, Thorin pushed slowly to the front of the group, Pansy broke away from Bilbo and quietly followed after him. “Welcome Thorin son for Thrain” Elrond greet Thorin did not look fazed in the least. Thorin watched Elrond coldly “I do not believe we have met” He said in an dull tone, he didn’t want to be there and he did not intend on acting like it, however he was going to be as civil as he could in his father and grandfather’s name. Elrond nodded his head slightly “You have your grandfathers bearing, I knew Thror king under the mountain in earlier days” Elrond said “he hadn’t said much of you” Thorin said tilting his head a bit as his impatience was rising. Pansy reached out her hand and plucked a single strand of his hair out from the root, leering at him. Thorin’s eyes widened a bit at the minor yet shocking bit of pain “Temper” she hissed lowly, she knew she would hear about this the moment Thorin got the chance. However she wanted a rest, she wanted to see and speak with elves and Gandalf had lead them her for a reason. Pansy thought Gandalf was an unusual old man but if there was anything she had learned was that there is always a reason why. Elrond began to speak in elvish, Thorin watched him analyzing his tone but he could not read weather if was of ill or good will. “Ay! What is he say’n, does he offer us insult!” Gloin called pushing through to the front axe tilted in front of him as he used it to point. “No master dwarf he is offering food!” Gandalf said he held a slightly hidden smile on his face, clearly amused or very annoyed. Thorin wasn’t amused in the least however with Gloin’s outburst as he gritted his teeth together. Gloin and the dwarves behind him huddled together, Pansy walked more to Thorin side he leaned over a bit “You try that again…and I’ll offer you as fodder to Smaug” he said quietly Pansy gasped “you wouldn’t neither, Bilbo would quit” she whispered back. “Ah well then in that case, lead on” Gloin said in a friendlier tongue. “And they say we hobbits always have supper on the brain” Pansy muttered watching Thorin, Bwalin, and Dwalin lead the group following behind Gandalf and Elrond.

Elrond lead the party to the Dining Hall, Pansy’s eyes lit up as she took in all that was around her. She found herself blushing profusely under the watch of the elves, both male and female alike were equally as striking. Likewise they each seemed to be intrigued by her as well. Although many thought she was a child of some sort, yet not all of them thought this, a few would lean over a mutter to a fellow elf holding a quiet and hurried conversation never taking their eyes off of her. After a while it made her nervous. The Dwarves had been seated now, Pansy went to sit between Ori and Kili however stopped in her tracks when she heard two of the elves who had brought in the food whispering like some of the others had. Pansy stopped and watched them very confused that they could see her watching them and still carry on with that whispering. “Pansy come have a seat!” Dori called from the other side of Ori, Pansy’s eyes were pulled away from the elves and she took her seat. “Alright…” Pansy sighed to herself “so they are kind of rude” she added reaching for a bowl of raw spinach to make a salad. “What do you mean?” Fili asked leaning over to look at her from Behind Kili. “That whispering…it’s driving me crazy” Pansy huffed. “Maybe they just can’t figure out what you are” Kili said receiving a glare from her. “Then they should ask, that’s not what’s wrong. But whatever it is I do not think I like it at all” she muttered taking some of her food onto her fork. Kili watched her and then looked at the two elves she had been talking about, they were still doing it. Looking at them darkly Kili turned to face the table again and looked to Fili who had noticed another elf watching her as well. Something was not right.

“Now Ori just try it, just a mouthful” Dori said trying to encourage Ori to eat the large piece of roughage that the young dwarf held up in his hand. Pansy giggled as Ori looked at it as if it were something from another world “I don’t like green food” Ori said slowly, carefully setting the piece down on his plate as if it would attack him. “Ori it’s good for you, it’ll help you on the journey! Vegetables have lots of things in them that can make you very powerful” Pansy said looking over at Dori “Oh yes, yes, it’s true they do!” He said quickly. Ori shook his head “I do not care” He said. Pansy and Dori both sighed. Kili looked to Fili “do you think she’s right?” He mouthed to his brother, Fili shrugged and tried to stifle a laugh as Kili began shoveling Vegetables onto his plate and into his face as fast as he could. Pansy gawked at him for a moment before tapping Ori on the shoulder “see” she said pointing “Kili loves it…eh apparently” Pansy added “well come up for a bit of air” Ori commented at this Fili laughed finally.