Lord of the Rings: A New Fellowship

Lord of the Rings: A New Fellowship

This is a story I've been working on that's set in the Middle Earth setting of JRR Tolkien and is set in the Fourth Age after the defeat of Sauron. It isn’t yet complete but I thought I'd post up the bits I've written so far though parts of it probably need improvement. To make it easier to read I’ve decided to post each chapter in it’s own post even though most chapters are actually pretty short.

Chapter 1

Kila stood and stared not quite able to believe her good fortune. Crouched on the trail just ahead of her there was a large rabbit. On moment she’d been walking along the path then by pure chance and quite unexpectedly the animal had just popped out in front of her. Well she certainly wasn't going to complain about it. She quickly fitted an arrow to her bowstring then raised the bow up in front of her. She gazed along the shaft of the arrow and carefully took aim before letting loose the shot. Leaving her bow the arrow flew through the air and struck the rabbit square in the middle of its body. As she saw the creature drop to the ground she allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction.

"Nice shot."

Caught off guard she immediately turned to her left where the voice had come from and saw a man dressed in brown leaning against a tree. She immediately recognised him as Garron, one of the human rangers who occasionally came to visit the mountain home of her people. "Thanks" she replied. "I wasn't really expecting to get one this near the hold."

The other chuckled as he walked towards her. "Well they all count."

"Yeah I guess you are right" she replied.

Together they walked up the path to the dead rabbit. She retrieved her arrow from the body and wiped the head on a tuft of grass before picking up the rabbit itself and dropping it into a bag she carried which also contained another one she’d caught earlier. "So are you staying at the hold tonight" she asked. She looked up at him as she spoke, up quite a long way in fact since he was a full-sized human and she herself was just a dwarf.

"Aye recon I might" the other replied with a smile. "See if I can trade a bit of news about the wider world for a free supper."

At the mention of the wider world Kila's mind immediately filled with thought of exploration and dreams that had not yet been fulfilled. She also thought of her father who had left the mountains where they lived to seek his fortune when she was very young but had never returned. All she knew was that he had set out for the distant realm of Erebor in the east. "Uh well it's nearly sunset so I guess I should probably be heading back to the hold myself" she said.

***

As the sun set ahead of them the pair made their way back along the trail toward Kila's hold. The area she lived in was commonly called The Blue Mountains or sometimes The Mountains of Lune. It bordered with the renewed Kingdom of Arnor to the east while to the west lay the elf realm of Lindon which was now largely depopulated save a few havens by the shore of the sea. In ages gone by Kila's people had built great cities beneath the mountains but these had been destroyed long ago and the few holds they lived in nowadays were tiny by comparison.

Before long they had reached the gate of the hold. Like many others in the area it had started out as a series of natural caves which the dwarves and then dug out and shaped to suit their own purposes over the millenia. Kila's hold housed a group of perhaps about fifty dwarves though more dwarves lived in other caves nearby. Below them all were a series of tunnels where the dwarves mined coal and other materials of value such as iron, tin and copper.

Standing by the gate was a single dwarf watchman of elderly years who gave them a nod as they entered. Once inside they passed through an entrance chamber and then on into a great cavern that served as the main hall of the hold. Garron headed off to find the head of the clan and request hospitality while Kila herself headed over toward the hold kitchens where several of the dwarves were busy preparing food for that night's meal. Among them was her aunt who just as Kila entered the chamber was busy carrying a pot of water to the stove. Her own mother had died when she was very young and then after her father had gone away so from that point on her aunt had effectively raised her. "Hey auntie I brought you a couple of fresh rabbits" she said.

The older dwarf-woman turned toward her with a smile. "Excellent that's just what we need to complete the meal" she said. "You can help us out by getting them skinned and ready."

Kila moved to comply. The kitchen was quite cramped and busy but eventually she managed to find a spare area of work-space at a table in the corner. She stowed her bow and quiver safely in the corner then tipped the dead rabbits out of her bag and set to work on them.

***

Outside the kitchens the great hall of the hold was soon filling up with dwarves in preparation for the night's meal. The thane and his immediate family took their seats on a slightly raised table at the end of the hall while other dwarves took seats along two long rows of tables that stood end to end. Kila stayed in the kitchen a while longer to help out her aunt with the final preparations. She could have excused herself and gone to find a seat but the fact was she didn't really have many close friends in the hold to talk to and so preferred to stay in the kitchens til the food was ready. When they were not doing work the other dwarf women her age seemed to spend all the time braiding their beards or talking about males and neither activity particularly appealed to her. She might have gone to look for Garron but she imagined that by now he'd probably be sat somewhere conversing with the more senior dwarves in which case her own presence would only be an intrusion.

Finally the meal was ready. She helped carry some of the bowls and plates out to the tables and then once everything had been served up she took a seat at the table beside her aunt and some of the other cooks. On the table there was an assortment of cooked meats including roast mutton and rabbit stew as well as dressings of herbs and root vegetables with bread and cheese also available. She saw Garron down the other end of the table talking to a couple of clan elders. She reached out for a jug in the middle of the table and poured herself a cup of mead then helped herself to some of the stew. As the meal progressed the dwarves at her end of the table chatted among themselves though Kila herself mostly remained quiet.

After the meal several dwarves brought out their instruments and the hall was filled with the sound of music. Although they played well these were all songs Kila had heard many times before. While everyone else was distracted she rose from her seat and quietly slipped out of the hall. She headed through the outer chambers and then out the gate. She knew that the gates of the hold would eventually be shut for the night though not yet for another hour or so meaning she had a little time to sit outside and take some air.

Once outside she wandered a little way from the gate to a place where it was quiet and then sat herself down on a comfortably sized rock. The valley around her was quiet and she had a clear view of the sky above where the evening stars shone brightly. The earlier meeting with Garron made her think once more about her father and whether he was still alive. It had been over twenty years since he had left and since then he neither returned to the hold nor sent back any word. She wished she knew what had become of him. Ever since she was young she had promised herself that one day when she was older she would leave the hold to go in search of him. She gazed up at the constellations above her and wondered if perhaps right now he was outside somewhere else looking up at the same stars.

***

Over the next few days Kila was increasingly restless as she found that she couldn’t stop from thinking about what might have happened to her father nor get him out of her mind. She was now approaching her fortieth birthday which from the way dwarves aged meant that she was now on the cusp of adulthood. She decided that if she was going to look for him as she’d always wanted then really there was no reason to wait any longer. If she encountered any trouble along the way she was confident that she would know how to handle herself. The main difficulty as she saw it would be telling her aunt she was going, after all ever since she was a babe the older dwarf-woman had practically been her mother.

With her mind made up about going she began discreetly collecting and packing items she thought she might need for the journey. Finally she decided to give her aunt the news. She broke the news as her aunt was washing a bowl of clothes in the small set of rooms they shared. As she anticipated the older dwarf-woman was worried about her going off on her own but Kila assured her that she knew how to look after herself. After that she didn't see a need to unduly postone her departure. She allowed herself three days to properly say her goodbyes to her aunt and the few others she knew then when the sun rose on the fourth day she gave her aunt a final farewell and set out. As well as a knapsack with some supplies she also took with her a small axe for protection incase she ran into any trouble. The sun was shining brightly as she set off from the hold to begin her journey.

Chapter 2.

Leaving the gate of the hold behind her she followed a trail down the mountain valley until she came to a place where the trail joined onto another. She followed the new trail as it wound its way down from the mountains heading east and south toward the distant River Luhn. Though she had never been there herself she knew that across the river lay the land of the hobbits known as The Shire. Technically The Shire was attached to the man-kingdom of Arnor but from what she had heard the king more or less let the hobbits govern themselves. Erebor where her father had set out to go lay far to the east and so reaching and crossing The Shire would be the first phase of her journey.

By luck when she was only a day's walk out from the hold she met some dwarf traders on the road who were themselves heading toward the hobbit-lands and they offered her a ride on their wagons. She travelled with them a couple of days until they came into The Shire and eventually stopped at a hobbit settlement named Waymeet. This was as far as they were going but they told her that a few miles further there was another hobbit village called Bywater that had a decent inn. She thanked them and continued on her way.

It was early evening when she finally arrived at the village of Bywater but luckily she soon spotted the inn. It was a tall white-washed half-timber building and above the front door hung a painted sign depicting what from a distance appeared to be a green dragon. She also noticed that there was a well just outside it and as she approached she saw a red-haired halfling girl carrying a pail of water from the well towards an entrance at the back of the building. The road immediately outside the inn lay empty but from within the building itself there came the faint sound of chatter. She walked up to the entrance at the front below the sign and stepped inside.

Once inside the building she found herself in a sort of common room, almost immediately the smell of halfling pipeweed filled her nose. She looked around and saw the room was about half full with a number halflings sat at tables in small groups. Directly opposite the door there was an elderly and rather matronly-looking hobbit landlady standing behind a counter. Kila walked forward and approached her. "Good-evening madam I'd like a room for the night please" Kila said. She spoke in the common tongue hoping the other would understand it.

The other eyed her with curiosity for a second perhaps a little surprised at the sight of a woman of any kind travelling alone. "Certainly" she replied. "That'll be four king's shillings, two extra for supper and breakfast."

Kila pulled out a couple of silver dwarf coins. "Uh will these be any good?" she asked.

The other woman stared at the unfamiliar coins for a moment and then took one in her hand feeling the weight. "Aye they'll do" she replied. She half-turned and called through a doorway behind her . "Petra!" A second later a young halfling girl appeared, the same girl Kila had seen carrying the water. She looked at Kila with curiosity and Kila began to think that perhaps these Shire-folk were not much accustomed to the sight of dwarf women. "Petra" the elder hobbit-woman said "please show this lady up to one of our spare rooms."

"Yes of course" the younger hobbit replied. She grabbed some keys from a hook behind the counter then gave Kila a friendly smile. "Please follow me miss. I'm Petra by the way, it's nice to meet you."

Kila followed suit as the halfling girl led her through a short passage and then up a set of stairs. She saw that like herself the other was quite young though just about fully grown - or at least about fully grown for the size of hobbits who were even smaller than dwarves. At the top of the stairs they came to a passage that ran lengthways along the first floor with doors to rooms on either side. Petra stopped at one of the doors and opened it with a key to reveal the room inside. "Here you go miss" she said.

Kila glanced at the room inside the door. Inside it she saw a comfy looking bed, a wooden chest with a key and a chair by a window that overlooked the lane below. “Thank you it looks very comfortable” she replied.

"I’m glad you like it” the other girl replied with a cheerful smile. "So uh have you come far” she asked then immediately blushed. “Uh sorry I know I shouldn't ask that it's not really my business, it’s just that you’re the first dwarf woman I’ve ever seen."

"Just from the Blue Mountains" Kila replied. "It's actually my first journey away from home."

"Oh really?" Petra replied. "That sounds quite exciting, I'd love to go travelling. Are you going somewhere interesting?"

"I'm heading to the Realm of Erebor" she said. "I'm going there to try and find my father."

"Ah I see. Well I hope you manage to find him. My own father's around nearby but nowadays I don't really see him much." She paused slightly and Kila noticed her smile had dropped a little. "Anyway you are probably tired from your journey so I shouldn't stand here asking you a lot of questions."

"Really it's fine" she replied. "I think though I probably do need some rest."

"Of course" Petra replied. "Well if you need anything at all just ask at the counter. Supper is served downstairs. If you need to bathe I can bring you a tub of water."

"Thanks" she said. "A bath would actually be very nice."

"Of course" Petra replied. "I'll bring you a tub."

***

After Petra had brought her the tub and filled it she used the water to bathe herself and then afterwards put her clothes back on and headed downstairs for supper. She found herself an empty table in the corner of the room and before long a male serving-hobbit from the kitchen brought her a bowl of warm stew and a cup of ale. She sat in the corner quietly eating while the hobbits at the other tables, mostly males, chatted around her and smoked their pipes. After a while a few of the hobbits in the room pulled out instruments and started to play some music. It seemed the tune was familiar as other hobbits immediately began to sing along. After she finished her stew Kila sat and listened to the singing for a little while. Outside the inn the sky turned dark while inside a couple of hobbits got up and danced about. She liked the way the hobbits all seemed so cheerful.

Finally feeling tired and drowsy she headed upstairs to bed. She soon fell asleep on the comfy bed but found herself having a strange dream. In her dream she was standing on a plain of long yellow grass that stretched out ahead of her as far as the eye could see.

***

The next morning she woke up feeling refreshed. She put on her boots and collected her things before heading downstairs to breakfast. She sat at a table, the same one as the night before, as the landlady brought her out her food. On the plate were some poached eggs, sausages, beans and toasted bread. Beside that there was also a pot of coffee. Tucking into the breakfast she decided to herself that hobbit food was rather good.

After she had finished she thanked the landlady and then picked up her bundle and headed out the door. Outside it was bright and sunny as it had been the last couple of days. To her surprise she saw that Petra was sitting on a stone wall just across the way with a small knapsack on the ground beside her feet. The halfling girl dropped down from the wall and picked up her knapsack before approaching her. Kila noticed that she seemed a little nervous and wondered what she wanted.

"So uh I guess you're off now then" Petra said.

"Yes I thought I'd make an early start" she replied.

"Uhh I was wondering if I could come with you" the other girl said.

Kila was taken by surprise. "Uh why do you want to come with me" she asked.

"Well I've always wanted to travel and see faraway places" Petra replied. "If I went with you then I could keep you company on your journey. I also know how to cook and wash clothes so I won't be useless."

Kila could see that the halfling girl was eager but still she felt a bit uncertain. "Erebor is a long distance away" she said. "The road I'm going on is going to be very long and difficult."

"I promise I can handle it" Petra replied.

"Don't you have family and such" she asked.

"Of course" Petra replied "but I've left them a note so they'll know where I've gone."

Kila frowned. From what she'd seen of the Shire so far the hobbits led a fairly sheltered life, even if one of them had once apparently gone off and killed the evil dark lord Sauron by destroying his magic ring. On the other hand she could see how keen and eager Petra was and so she didn't really want to say no to her. Despite her misgivings she relented. "Alright you can come with me if you wish" she said.

In response Petra immediately beamed with joy. "Thankyou" she said cheerfully. "I promise you'll not regret it. We'll be like Bilbo Baggins and The Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

Kila wondered if she had done right by saying yes to her but it was too late now to change things. She imagined that at some point Petra would probably get homesick and turn back but for now it seemed she was going to be travelling with company. "Well if you're really coming along then I guess we should get going" she said.

Chapter 3

For the rest of the day they travelled east along the road. The road itself was lined with low hedges on both sides beyond which was a hobbit farmland of rolling fields and pastures. For the first hour or so Petra chatted excitedly to her asking her lots of questions about dwarves. In between the many questions she managed to glean from Petra that it was about twenty miles or so from Bywater to the eastern edge of the shire which was bordered on it's eastern side by a river called the Brandywine.

As they travelled along the road they passed through a further two hobbit villages. In her eagerness to come along Petra had neglected to bring any food with her but Kila had a few rations left in her knapsack which she kindly offered to share as a light midday meal by the roadside. Despite her diminutive size the halfling seemed quite fit and Kila was privately impressed by the ease with which she kept up the pace. At one point they were overtaken by a hobbit farmer with a hay cart who kindly let them ride with him for a few miles. Despite her earlier misgivings Kila found herself enjoying the other girl's company. Her cheerful disposition made it hard to not like her. She seemed particularly interested to know the kind of food the dwarves ate in the mountains, whether they often went out on walks and whether all the womenfolk had beards.

After leaving the farmer behind at the second village they carried on until the road came to bridge across a river with a small gatehouse on the near side. "Ah that must be the Brandywine" said Petra.

"You've never seen it before?" asked Kila.

Petra shook her head. "Nope, this is the furthest I'd ever been from home" she replied.

***

It was late afternoon as they crossed over the bridge. The gatekeeper told them that past the bridge it was quite a long distance to the nearest human town so after they had crossed the river they decided to stop and camp beneath some trees that stood just a little way off from the road.

"I'll make the campfire I know how to do this" Petra said cheerfully.

Kila smiled at her enthusiasm. "Okay go ahead" she replied.

She helped the halfling gather up some sticks and then watched as Petra put them together with bits of leaf and kindling underneath. Petra then pulled out some matches, an innovation which Kila had never seen before since her own folk always used flint.

They sat by the fire together eating their supper and then when the sky finally turned dark they settled down to rest. "Hmm it'll be interesting to see the human town tomorrow" Petra said. "I wonder if it's the same one Frodo Baggins stayed in on the way to Rivendell."

"Hmm maybe" Kila replied. She wasn't terribly familiar with the tale of the Fellowship of the Ring and felt that really she ought to know it a bit better.

For a moment they both lay their in silence looking up at the night sky then Petra gave a tired yawn and curled herself up. "Well I guess we ought to get get some sleep" she said.

***

When they awoke the next morning the found that the weather had turned grey and overcast. They ate some breakfast with the last of Kila's provisions and then continued on their way. Initially Petra was in the same upbeat mood as the day before but as the sky above them grey darker she became a little more circumspect. After a couple of hours the clouds opened up and it began to rain.

"Should we stop and find shelter" Petra asked.

Kila shook her head. "It could go on for ages, it's probably better we just keep on going."

They pulled their hoods and cloaks around themselves and carried on. The rain continued to drizzle down for the rest of the day and as the afternoon wore on it became harder. Finally at last they spied a town up ahead of them. From a distance they could see that the town which was named Bree sprawled out from the base of a hill and was surrounded by a wall and gate.

By the time they reached the gate both of them were very wet. Fortunately the gatekeeper took pity on them and let them through without too much fuss. As they walked through the town Kila was surprised to notice rows of hobbit holes in the side of the hill. "Oh yes hobbits live here too" said Petra. A little way further they came to a large inn with the sign of a prancing pony over the door. "Ah" Petra remarked. "I'm pretty sure that's the very inn Frodo Baggins and Samwise Took stayed in when they met Strider the ranger and Bill the pony."

"If you say so” Kila replied not really knowing whether she was right or wrong. “Anyhow I suggest we head inside and find some rooms".

Petra gave a little sneeze. "Good idea" she replied. "I do feel very bedraggled."

***

Inside the building they were greeted by a middle aged landlord behind a counter who initially seemed a bit surprised at the arrival of a dwarf and halfling maiden travelling alone together with no menfolk but nonetheless fixed them up a pair of rooms and offered them some supper in the parlour. They hung out their wet travelling cloaks to dry in the rooms and then headed into the parlour to await the food. When the food came they saw it was two large bowls of warm stew. Kila tucked in hungrily and Petra sat beside her did likewise.

After they had finished eating they decided to head through to the common room for a little while. As they entered it they were greeted by the sound of music and over on the other side of the room they saw that there was a male halfling playing a tune with a small harp. The rest of the room contained a mixture of human and halfling customers, a few were chatting by the bar while others sat around at tables listening to the music. Kila led the way to an empty table near where the halfling musician was playing and the pair of them sat a while listening to his songs. Kila found the music he played slightly different to the songs she'd heard at the inn back in The Shire though also quite enjoyable. "Ooh he's pretty good" remarked Petra beside her.

At that moment a loud unsavory voice bellowed out from another part of the room. "Hoy you I'm tired of your music."

Kila glanced over to see that the interruption had come from a man leaning against the end of the bar.

The halfling paused his playing. "I'm sorry to hear that sir but really I'm almost finished” he said. “If you'll just let me finish this song I'm playing now then I promise I'll be over.”

In response the man rolled his sleeves up and took a couple of steps forward toward the halfling. "If you know what's good for you then you'll be over now dammit" he growled menacingly.

Over at the table Kila could feel herself getting angry. She rose from her seat and stepped out in front of the halfling. "Why don’t you leave him alone" she said.

The man stared down at her and she could tell he was somewhat drunk. "Mind your own business dwarf" he said. With that he aimed a kick toward her but she quickly sidestepped it then punched him hard in the groin. As the man bent double she shoved him hard and sent him sprawling to the ground. In response there was smattering of applause from the other onlookers. The man tried to rise again but at that moment the figure of the inn landlord loomed over him.

"I've warned you before about making trouble in here" the landlord said to the man on the floor in front of him. "Now get up and clear off." The man gazed up at the landlord and for a moment it seemed that he was about to argue but then he apparently thought better of doing so. Instead he got to his feet and gave Kila a final glowering look of resentment then turned and slouched off toward the door.

"Thank you miss for your intervention" said the halfling. "To show my appreciation please let me buy you a drink."

Kila blushed a bit suddenly feeling rather self conscious of the way she’d made herself the centre of attention in the room. "Really it was nothing there's no need" she replied.

The halfling gave a friendly smile. "Please I insist."

"Uh well alright" she said. "I wouldn't mind a pint of ale."

"Certainly" he replied.

***

She returned to the table beside Petra while the male halfling went over to the bar and got her a drink. She’d never had man-made ale before but she assumed it wouldn’t be much different to the dwarfish kind. A moment later he came across to the table carrying it. "Thank you that's very kind" she said. "Uhh if you like you're welcome to join us."

"Thank you that’s very kind" the other replied. He sat himself down in an empty seat on the opposite side of the table. "By the way my name is Cedric" he said.

"I'm Kila" she replied. "And this is my travelling companion Petra."

“Well I’m pleased to meet you both” the halfling replied.

"I’m very pleased to meet you too” Petra said. “I liked your songs.”

"Thank you" Cedric said. "I’ve never seen either you before so it appears that neither of you are local here. What brings you ladies to our humble town?"

"Uh well it’s a bit of a long story” Kila said “but the short of it is that we're on our way to Erebor and we’re going there to try and find my father".

“Ah I see” Cedric replied. “Well it’s certainly very adventurous of you to undertake such a long journey. I can’t say I’ve ever been out of Bree-land myself though I’ve always fancied travelling to Rivendell one day. They say that the elf bards who live there have created literally hundreds of songs as well as being the finest musicians in the world.”

“Well we’re heading in the same direction” said Petra. “Maybe you could come along with us.”

“Oh well that’s very kind but I wouldn’t want to intrude on your journey” he said.

“That’s alright” replied Petra “we’d be happy for you to come.”

Cedric hesitated for a moment weighing the offer. “Uh well I guess I could” he said. “It’s a bit sudden but I don’t see why not,Ttough first I’d have to tell my grandmother that I was going. That is of course if Kila is happy with the arrangement as well.”

“Of course” Kila said. “You are welcome to come with us.”

Opposite her Cedric gave a warm smile. “Well in that case I accept you generous offer” he said.