Up jumped Bilbo, stepping into the beginning of his destiny. The little, hair footed hobbit put on his dressing gown and went into the dining room. There he saw nobody, but all the signs of a large and hurried breakfast. There was a fearful mess in the room, and the washing-up was so dismally real that Bilbo was forced to believe that the rather unexpected party of the night before had indeed, occurred. Indeed he was really relieved after all to think that they had all gone without him, and without bothering to wake him up; and yet in a way he could not help feeling just a trifle disappointed.

The feeling surprised him.

"Don't be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!" he said to himself, "thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!"

So the hobbit shook his thoughts clear of any mountains and treasures and basked in the comfort of his hole. He put on an apron, lit fires, boiled water, and washed up. Then he had a nice little breakfast in the kitchen before turning out the dining room.

By that time the sun was shining and the front door was open, letting in a warm spring breeze. Bilbo began to whistle loudly and almost forget about the night before... till he watched as the contract spilled over the mantle and playing a dangerous dance with the fire.

It wasn't long after that that Bilbo Baggins ran out his front door, overhill and underhill and across the river, not stopping till he met up with the company that had crashed his home for dinner yesternight.

Down jumped Ellie, off her midnight horse as she sought a place to settle for the day. She'd no map for her journey, no destination, no mountain to claim, or reclaim for that matter. She'd no rest either; the night wasn't a safe haven outside of Arendale.

She would dare not stop in the forest at night; evil things lurked there. She'd heard the roar of orcs, which made in her mind haunting visions of fire and death. She could've sworn she understood their language, but that was not something to proclaim out loud she knew.

Now in the safety of the daylight, Ellie dare stop for a long minute, feasting on her bread and fruit. Azula lay down next to her, and with a heavy heart Ellie lay on the beast, despaired by the death of the forest she laid in. As an elf, she was bound to nature. Fate allowed her no more than an hour long of shut eye before her elven ears were awoken by the skitters and patters. Spiders, she acknowledged as she sat up. But loud enough to wake her, that was odd.

There was a rumbling in the ground; the trees felt it, and the land felt it. Ellie felt it. She quickly swung on her nervous horse and galloped Azula out from under the canopy of the dead trees and into the open. Just in time, too, as the log where she had sat not minutes ago was crushed under spiders. Usually she would have said the fallen tree was swarming, or overcome, but these creatures were almost the size of Azula!

Ellie ran her horse along the forest, in the direction the spiders went. There wasn't much in the near sight, but far off she spotted a cottage, farmer and his family and stock. She hit the horse's behind, making her neigh and run ahead of the spiders to warn the farmer. And if giant spiders aren't a trifle for you, then go ahead and add in a deluge why don't you.

Not for the first time or the last, Bilbo Baggins missed his hole. And to think, a handkerchief was what he regretted leaving home with. He could trade his silver spoons to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins for an umbrella right about now.

"Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Piped a dwarf; he was tinier than the rest, but no less determined and courageous.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked as he came up next to the wizard.

"What?"

"Other Wizards." Bilbo clarified.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards...Do you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard... Or is he more like you?" Bilbo teased and Gandalf glared at him, not amused.

"I think he's a very great Wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands... to the east. And a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foothold in this world. Not good. Not good at all."

And a quirky fellow he was, Radagast the Brown. He was eccentric, and not very much like how the Istari should be. Saruman the white frowned upon his naive act and self appointed exile from people. He lived in a tree hole, and on him lived a pair of birds. Radagast loved conversing with the animals; they were his eyes and ears to the world. And they were how he discovered activity at the old fortress.

The rain had dispelled by the time the 14 came upon the barn. It was battered and broken and abandoned, and so were they. And this was where Thorin decided they should stay, against the advice of Gandalf.

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor. What help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria... desecrate our sacred halls. The Elves looked on and did nothing. And you ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather. Who betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past." Gandalf implored.

"I did not know that they were yours to keep."

That just about did it. This wizard was quite done with dwarves for the moment. Let it be their funeral.

And they did find themselves at the edge of death without him. Fili and Kili had found trolls, and poor Bilbo, not knowing the difference between a barn owl from a brown, was their unfortunate look out guy.

They found him, of course, the trolls did, blowing out of William's nose. He'd almost been rescued by Kili and the rest, and he'd managed to free the horses as well, but they'd got him again, and used him as bargain chip.

Nearby, Ellie trotted around the woods, looking for any other soul that might get in the way of the spiders. She'd sent the farmer and his wife off on their wagons and horses, saving as many pairs of animals they could. She'd yet to come up on anyone else, that was till an angry grey man stormed past.

"Oyi, you there sir. I would not advise you to go further. Bad things lurk around these parts." Ellie warned as she hopped off Azula

"Thank goodness for someone with a mind." The old man blessed the heavens and walked up to her. "And who might you be?"

"A good question I've asked myself a good number of times. But the name's Ella. Ellie for my friends."

The man eyed her weird, but let go whatever was in his mind and introduced himself.

"Gandalf the Grey, at your service."

"And what's got you in a bunch, storming up in here?"

"Dwarves. Or their king, at least. Stubborn fellow, he is. Not listen to a word of warning."

"Like children. You can't protect them from everything. Let them learn."

"What I just might do, thank you. So how about you? There's something unnatural I sense."

Ellie frowned, and her faithful horse nudged at her. She stopped and stroked Azula's nuzzle as a thank you.

"You wouldn't be wrong. I think I've been granted a second life, but by whom or for what purpose I am not aware."

"That would be terribly concerning," Gandalf mused.

"I cannot find rest. Sleep evades me. I hear them. I see the fire in my nightmares. It's terrifying."

Before Gandalf could get a word in, a horde of ponies ran between them.

"I thought you said there were dwarves!"

"There are! I fear they might've walked into trouble."

"Trolls!" Ellie confirmed, hearing them talk in her elven ears as she climbed her horse.

"I fear your rescue will not be so welcomed as you look how you are."

"'Look how I am'? Well I'm afraid I can't do much about that!"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." Gandalf spoke and offered her a necklace. It was simple, with a dream catcher pendant.

"Thank you." Ellie said as she took it, and the moment it passed her neck, her ears lost their elven form, and her soul found some burning peace.

"Now, you may go rescue them. I'll join you once I've gathered the ponies."

Ellie nodded and galloped off toward the trolls. She came upon them when the halfling was convincing the trolls that the dwarves had parasites. A fun thought traveled her mind and she stabbed her elf sword into the nearest troll, who squealed in pain.

"Ouch! Something stung me!" He cried as Ellie made her way to the next one, doing the same to him.

"Ohoh! It's got me too, Bert!" The other whined as he dropped the dwarf he was about to eat.

"Pesky parasites, I tell you." The hobbit confirmed as the trolls kept hurting from stings.

As the trolls were busy cleaning each other of the parasites, Ellie took the chance to walk up to the fire, trying to put it out before she got the dwarves down.

"Oy, who's it?!" Cried the youngest troll she assumed as he saw her.

Ellie stood up stock still, and sheepishly waved at them.

"I don't know. Can we eat it too?"

"We can try." The one they called Bert sauntered his way hungrily to her.

"The dawn take you all, and be stone to you!" said a voice that was angry and loud.

They turned to the new voice and they all saw Gandalf split the boulder with his staff. For just at that moment the light came over the hill, and as the rays of the sun landed on them, the three trolls turned to stone. For as you probably know, trolls must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again. That is what had happened to Bert and Tom and William.

Gandalf smiled upon them as he came down from the rock, and Ellie got a startle as she turned and found herself face to face...

...with the hobbit.