430A BEAR IN THE WOODS
"Michael! You're back!" Bilbo shouted with glee, with many similar calls coming from the rest of the company once everyone had overcome their surprise.
The 'finally' went unsaid of course, though clearly not unheard as the former god-king chuckled at their outburst, pinning Thorin with an amused glance.
"Indeed I am and none too soon it would seem: the shadowed boughs of Mirkwood are best challenged with the Light at your side, of course."
"Of course, of course." Thorin wisely nodded in agreement, while at his side Balin hid an embarrassed cough in his snow-white beard.
"Is it true, what Beorn said? His tale, while shorter, seemed no less fantastical and unbelievable than my own and I was there for it! Have you truly tamed the wargs and gifted them to the woodsmen as companions?" Gandalf asked with an intent look.
"Tamed is a strong word and a living creature does not a 'gift' make. But yes, in a sense. I brought the Light to them, freeing them from the malignant spirits that gave rise to their line as well as their savagery. From there however, it was their own free will that made these new Doggos choose to ally with the humans from here on out." Michael said, though his glowing eyes were fixed on the bee still resting on his fingertip.
A shimmer went through the tiny insect (though in Bilbo's little hands the stinging creature would be more than a handful), springing from band to band, golden to pitch to golden again before it fluttered up its transparent wings in a prismatic wave of rainbow colours.
The bee itself trembled for a moment, before it leapt off the Titan's fingers and zoomed its way outside with a speed that took even Beorn off-guard. It could've been the constant buzzing that had been assaulting Bilbo's ears every moment these past few days, but the Hobbit could've sworn he heard the little bee hiccup.
"I have always thought it a shame that when ruin comes to pass in these lands, their traces always linger, forever marring the world. Evil is defeated, but its mark never cleansed, its works never fully undone. I do not intend to bend this world to my thought and will. Nor do I have any desire to rule once again. But this, this is something that I will contest, as long as I remain here: redemption isn't merely possible, it is necessary." Michael stated strongly, and despite his clothes being of a casual make and despite their surroundings being a simple wooden hall, at that moment Bilbo felt as if he were truly gazing upon a Lord of Light, power and purpose overcoming them.
And then Michael stood just a little less tall and the magic was gone, leaving just the alabaster-skinned Man where the god had just stood.
"A fine goal! As one who stands against the forces of evil in this world, you know that you can count on my aid, whenever you ask and whenever I can give it. That being said, there is a more immediate evil this company must first face and I fear I shan't be with you to accompany you all, at least not through the depths of Mirkwood. Your tales have given me much to think on, Hyperion, and there are important matters that I must attend to." Gandalf spoke and to the company's shock, the Titan nodded, not all looking surprised at the wizard's sudden departure.
"Very well. Be on your way then, with my blessing and with a stout heart, for I promise you that I will see the Dwarves and dear Mr. Baggins safely through the realm of Thranduil in your stead." Michael agreed easily.
Seeing that the Titan would not try to persuade Gandalf and knowing that they had already failed in doing the same, the company grumblingly accepted their fate, though their hearts were lightened by Hyperion's promise. Whatever lurked in those fearsome woods, be they nightmarish monsters or paranoid elves, the dwarves were confident they could overcome such foes with the power of a god-king at their side.
Their spirits were further lifted when Beorn promised his aid as well. While any goblin and warg could attest that the shape-changer made a fearsome foe, the company now found that he was a great friend to have as well. While he would not venture into Mirkwood alongside them, he did promise to provide what he could to ease their journey through the dark woodland realm.
This is what he promised to do for them. While the company still had their own mounts and their own provisions, Beorn offered to add to their stores with food to last them for weeks with care, and packed so as to be as easy as possible to carry-nuts, flour, sealed jars of dried fruits, and red earthenware pots of honey, and twice-baked cakes that would keep good a long time, and on a little of which they could travel far. The making of these was one of his secrets; but honey was in them, as in most of his foods, and they were good to eat, though they made one thirsty. Water, he said, they would not need to carry this side of the forest, for there were streams and springs along the road.
"Else I can simply make one spring from a rock, though that might cause me to wonder the deserts of the Burnt Land of the Sun for the next forty years." Michael joked, though none there could really undeerstand what was funny about it.
Shooting the Titan a strange glance, Beorn shrugged, before warning the company.
"The journey to the edge of the woods is not the issue. But your way through the Mirkwood itself is dark, dangerous and difficult," he said.
"Water is not easy to find there, nor food. The time is not yet come for nuts (though it may be past and gone indeed before you get to the other side), and nuts are about all that grows there fit for food; in there the wild things are dark, queer, and savage. I will provide you with skins for carrying water, and I will give you some bows and arrows. But I doubt very much whether anything you find in Mirkwood will be wholesome to eat or to drink, so best stick to what food I give you that'll last that long and whatever magic is on those bottomless bags with provisions of yours."
"I could probably persuade some of the more amicable trees to grow their fruits a little early." Michael mused and again Beorn just shot him an odd glance.
"You can convince a warg to lie on its back so a Man can rub it on its belly. You can convince even me to stay my hand- or claw- while in my bear form. Somehow, I doubt convincing trees of all things will be much of a challenge after that."
"You'd be surprised. They can be surprisingly… sappy." Michael defended himself, though the grin on his face was wide.
"… I'll take your word for it. Talking birds and bees and animals I know and I have heard that some of the ancient trees in the oldest forest can move and think, but I've never talked with one myself. As for the trees of Mirkwood, I don't think they'd have many nice things to say." Beorn grumbled, before tearing his gaze away from the grinning god-king and focused upon the Dwarves (and one Hobbit) instead.
"If you feel thirsty in there, take heed. There is one stream there, I know, black and strong which crosses the path. That you should neither drink of, nor bathe in; for I have heard that it carries enchantment and a great drowsiness and forgetfulness. And in the dim shadows of that place I don't think you will shoot anything, wholesome or unwholesome, without straying from the path. That you MUST NOT do, for any reason. That is all the advice I can give you. Beyond the edge of the forest I cannot help you much; you must depend on your luck and your courage and the great strength of your strange friend here. At the gate of the forest I must ask you to send back your horses and ponies; they told me they have been through much already on your journey and they are harrowed. Besides, flight will not help you amidst the trees and flying above it would leave you going in circles without the old path to guide you. From here until you pass through the Mirkwood, it is best if you go on foot. But I wish you all speed, and my house is open to you, if ever you come back this way again, should you not end up being eaten by troll or goblin or dragon."
'Why does every monster we've faced so far want to eat us? Even Gollum wanted to eat me! Well, I suppose the giants didn't want to, but I'm fairly sure that's because they didn't spot us. Even if they did, we would barely make a mouthful. What do giants eat then? I should ask Michael, he'll know.' Poor Bilbo's brain rattled around his skull as he tried to distract himself from the thought of passing through a haunted, monster-infested wood on foot.
Many of the dwarves were having similar thoughts if their furtive glances were anything to go by. Still, they said their proper thanks to Beorn of course, with many bows and sweepings of their hoods and with many an "at your service, O master of the wide wooden halls!" But their spirits sank at his grave words, and they all felt that the adventure was far more dangerous than they had thought, while all the time, even if they passed all the perils of the road, the dragon was waiting at the end. All that morning they were busy with preparations. Soon after midday they ate with Beorn for the last time, and after the meal they mounted their steeds (who, apparently according to Beorn, were quite done with the whole affair and Bilbo found he could not fault them for it) and bade the bear-man many farewells as they rode off through his gate at a good pace.
As soon as they left his high hedges at the east of his fenced lands they turned north and then bore to the north-west. By the advice of Beorn and the caution of Gandalf, they were no longer making for the main forest-road to the south of his land. Had they followed the pass, their path would have led them down the stream from the mountains that joined the great river miles south of the Carrock. At that point there was a deep ford which they could've passed thanks to still possessing their horses and ponies (even if many of them were eager to retire on Beorn's pasture by now) and beyond that a track led to the skirts of the wood and to the entrance of the old forest road. But Beorn had warned them that that way was now often used by the goblins, which wasn't such a problem now that they had Hyperion at their side once more.
Still, it wasn't the goblin infestation which caused Beorn to council against that route (had that been his only concern, he likely would've offered for him and his kin to range out before the company in their bear forms for a spot of goblin-hunting), but rather the state of the road itself. Last the shape-changer had heard, it had become overgrown and disused at the eastern end and led to impassable marshes where the paths had long been lost. Its eastern opening had also always been far to the south of the Lonely Mountain, and would have left them still with a long and difficult northward march when they got to the other side, even with Michael's aid.
Instead, Beorn advised them to take a closer, faster route, stating that the increased danger of it paled in comparison to the increased security they enjoyed in the company of a god-king on holiday.
This short-cut began north of the Carrock, where the edge of Mirkwood drew closer to the borders of the Great River, and though here the Mountains too drew down nearer to them. More importantly, at a place a few days' ride due north of the Carrock, was the gate of a little-known pathway through Mirkwood that led almost straight towards the Lonely Mountain.
"The goblins," Beorn had said, "will not dare to cross the Great River for a hundred miles north of the Carrock nor to come near my house - it is well protected at night! Following the vales on the other side of the mountain slopes will do them no good either, not with the woodsmen now allied with the Doggos, meaning they cannot come from the south to cut you off before you are on your way. Still you are safer going north, even though you seem to be going back nearer to their strongholds; for that is what they will least expect, and they will have the longer ride to catch you. Be off now as quick as you may!"
That is why they were now riding in silence, galloping wherever the ground was grassy and smooth, with the mountains dark on their left, and in the distance the line of the river with its trees drawing ever closer. Well, riding in almost silence as Michael had seemingly become determined to have the company acknowledge his tree-puns, which of course had made the dwarves only more determined not to grant him the satisfaction.
To their ire, Bilbo saw no issue with humoring his friend, just glad that, for a short while at least, the company was protected by both his friend and their wizard.
"You know, I never really had much with forests. Tried gardening once, but I had to give it up. I just knew I was no good at it."
"Why is that Michael?"
"Because even my trees weren't rooting for me!"
Several of the dwarves couldn't hide their anguish, letting out muffled, quiet groans, which greatly annoyed their fellows, because it seemed as if the Titan simply saw this as a challenge to make his next jokes even worse than before.
And so on they went. The sun had only just turned west when they started, and till evening it lay golden on the land about them. Between their tranquil surroundings and Michael's lighthearted (if atrocious) jokes to settle their nerves, the company slowly began to forget their worries. It was difficult to think of pursuing goblins behind when they were trying to refuse the words Hyperion was saying entry into their brain, and when they had put many miles between them and Beorn's house they began to talk and to sing again and to forget the dark forest-path that lay in front.
But in the evening when the dusk came on and the peaks of the mountains glowered against the sunset they made a camp and set a guard, and most of them slept uneasily with dreams in which there came the howl of hunting wolves and the cries of goblins. Still the next morning dawned bright and fair again. There was an autumn-like mist white upon the ground and the air was chill, but soon the sun rose red in the East and the mists vanished, and while the shadows were still long they were off again. So they rode now for two more days, and all the while they saw nothing save grass and flowers and birds and scattered trees, and occasionally small herds of red deer browsing or sitting at noon in the shade.
Sometimes Bilbo saw the horns of the harts sticking up out of the long grass, and at first he thought they were the dead branches of trees. That third evening they were so eager to press on, for Beorn had said that they should reach the forest-gate early on the fourth day, that they rode still forward after dusk and into the night beneath the moon. As the light faded Bilbo thought he saw away to the right, or to the left, the shadowy form of a great bear prowling along in the same direction. But if he dared to mention it to Gandalf, the wizard only said: "Hush! Take no notice!"
But Bilbo knew his suspicions were correct when Michael let out a large grin and in a smooth motion leapt off his horse, who trotted along as if it hadn't even noticed its driver disembarking. It did notice when said driver shifted in mid-air in a blur of colors and instead of feet, thick clawed paws slammed into the ground and there stood in their midst a bear with a golden-white fur the size of a small barn.
The horses were spooked of course, but Gandalf had learned a trick or two from the Titan and a soothing light swiftly extended from his staff. "Ho!" he called in a soft voice and despite the size of the ferocious predator standing beside them, the ponies returned to their places in the line without much trouble. Seeing this, the gigantic bear chuffed towards the wizard and then he was off as well, his coat letting out a pleasant soft glow as he shifted and ran underneath the pale moonlight.
With their powerful escort (for there was no goblin force alive at that time that would challenge such might without reservation, not even the foul legions of Gundabad, which shall make their appearance later in this story), the company set off again and made good time, not coming to a halt until morning was nearly upon them. Next day they started before dawn, though their night had been short. As soon as it was light they could see the forest coming as it were to meet them, or waiting for them like a black and frowning wall before them. The land began to slope up and up, and it seemed to the hobbit that a silence began to draw in upon them. Birds began to sing less. There were no more deer; not even rabbits were to be seen. By the afternoon they had reached the eaves of Mirkwood, and were resting almost beneath the great overhanging boughs of its outer trees. Their trunks were huge and gnarled, their branches twisted, their leaves were dark and long. Ivy grew on them and trailed along the ground.
"You know, I'm always saddened when fall comes, and the trees lose their green. Though I know I shall not be sad for long."
"How so, Michael?"
"Because they always return in spring. What a re-leaf!"
"Well, here is Mirkwood!" said Gandalf, talking loudly so that he could make himself heard over the pained groans of the assembled dwarves, shooting Michael a somewhat exasperated look, though the Titan merely smiled back innocently.
"The greatest of the forests of the Northern world. I hope you like the look of it. Now you must send back these excellent ponies who have seen us through swamp, up hills, over mountains and even the very air itself! Beorn is right; these woods are no place for ponies and they have gone through enough, it is time they receive their well-earned rest."
The dwarves were inclined to grumble at this, but the wizard told them they were fools.
"Beorn is not as far off as you seem to think, and you had better keep your promises anyway, for he is a bad enemy. Mr. Baggins' eyes are sharper than yours, if you have not seen each night after dark that Hyperion here was not the only bear going along with us. Oft I saw him sitting far of in the moon watching our camps. Not only to guard you and guide you, but to keep an eye on the ponies too. Beorn may be your friend, but he loves animals as his children. You do not guess what kindness he has shown you in letting dwarves ride these mounts so far and so fast, nor what would happen to you, if you tried to take them into the forest."
"What about the horse, then?" said Thorin. "You don't mention sending that back."
"I don't, because I am not sending it."
"What about your promise then?"
"I will look after that. I am not sending the horse back, I am riding it!"
Then they knew that Gandalf was going to leave them at the very edge of Mirkwood, and they were in despair.
"Now we had this all out before, when we landed on the Carrock," he said. "It is no use arguing. I have, as I told you, some pressing business away south; and I am already late through bothering with you people. We may meet again before all is over, and then again of course we may not. That depends on your luck and on your courage and sense; and you have Hyperion with you! A finer and stronger companion you could not want, I would even say you will find more use for him than I in these woods! So cheer up Bilbo and don't look so glum. Cheer up Thorin and Company! This is your expedition after all. Think of the treasure at the end, and forget the forest and the dragon, at any rate until tomorrow morning!"
"Oh Michael, can you not say something?" Bilbo asked in quiet desperation, but his Titan friend looked unusually serious, glowing eyes fixed on Gandalf, who was patting an inconsolable Nori gently on his shoulder, needing to stoop quite low in order to do so.
"I have said many things to Gandalf, my dear Bilbo. Why do you think such a haste has come over him? This is but one adventure; Gandalf here features in very many of them, and quite of few of those are of the much darker sort than we are currently embarked on."
"Michael, we're standing on the edge of a haunted forest filled with dangerous monsters, dangerous streams and even more dangerous wood elves with the whole reason we're even trying to get past them is so that we can face a dragon waiting for us on the other end. And Gandalf is rushing off to something worse?" Bilbo asked with a somewhat incredulous lough, though his movements stilled and his heart plummeted when he saw that Michael remained absolutely serious.
'The world seems like such a darker place than I thought it was, when 'the world' to me still meant little more than just the Shire.' Bilbo thought to himself a little despondently.
"Take heart, Bilbo. This is Gandalf's task, it is why he wanders the lands of Middle-Earth. That is his purpose; to step into the dark tales of this world and there oppose evil where he can find it. Without him there, such stories would end up darker still, which is why they deserve his presence. And why you'll have me, until your own tale is done." Michael said with a warm smile, clasping a strong hand on Bilbo's narrow shoulder and the young Hobbit felt all doubt and fear fall away from him.
When tomorrow morning came the dwarves again tried to convince Gandalf and again he refused them. So now there was nothing left to do but to fill their water-skins at a clear spring they found close to the forest-gate, and unpack the ponies. They distributed the packages as fairly as they could, though Bilbo thought his lot was wearisomely heavy, and did not at all like the idea of trudging for miles and miles with all that on his back.
Seeing this, and seeing some of the younger dwarves struggling somewhat as well (poor Nori even toppled over when Gloin and Dwalin heaped a pack taller than he upon his short back), Michael reached into his shirt and from within its depths pulled out a bindle, otherwise known as a blanket stick or knapsack. At first, it laid folded up in his hand, but then Michael began to unfold it, and unfold it again and then unfold it again and so on, until he held a cloth large enough that Beorn could've used it as a blanket even in his bear form.
Looking around, Michael walked off towards one of the smallest trees he could find, gnarled and thin and almost sickly looking, with branches that looked like spindly claws. Undeterred, the Titan took hold of its trunk and in a single movement tore the tree out right by the roots. The sudden felling caused a great ruckus, as one might expect, but just for a moment Bilbo thought he could see the rest of the forest ripple and shudder, as if the surrounding trees would've run away if only they weren't rooted to their spots.
Placing one of his hands around the felled trees trunk so that his fingers encircled it completely, Michael tore his palm down its length, stripping it off branches in a single smooth motion. Giving it a satisfied nod, he returned to the baffled company and began placing their packs and bags and rucksacks onto his large cloth. He bundled them all up nice and tight and then fastened it to his tree and swung it over his shoulder as if it was simply a bit of fabric fluttering on a twig.
"Right! Shall we be off then?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
With no further preparations to make and haven gotten (slightly) used to the Titan's antics by now, the rest were quick to agree. Partly because they didn't want to give their protector any time to come up with more tree-related puns.
So at last they said good-bye to their ponies who turned their heads for their new home. Off they trotted gaily, seeming very glad to put their tails towards the shadow of Mirkwood. As they went away Bilbo could have sworn that a thing like a bear left the shadow of the trees and shambled off quickly after them. Now Gandalf too said farewell. Bilbo sat on the ground feeling very unhappy and wishing he was beside the wizard on his tall horse. He had gone just inside the forest after breakfast (a very poor one), and it had seemed as dark in there in the morning as at night, and very secret: "a sort of watching and waiting feeling," he said to himself.
"Good-bye!" said Gandalf to Thorin. "And good-bye to you all, good-bye! Straight through the forest is your way now. Don't stray off the track!-if you do, it is a thousand to one you will never find it again and never get out of Mirkwood; and then I don't suppose I, or any one else, will ever see you again."
"Unless of course I mow the entire thing down." Michael pointed out and Gandalf could do naught but sigh.
"Yes, of course, unless Hyperion decides to once again utterly alter the very face of Middle Earth itself. Which I would kindly ask you not to do unless absolutely necessary: though frightful it may now seem, these woods were once beautiful and they are still held in great esteem, not just by the woodland elves."
"Considering I know what awaits us, I can make no promises." Hyperion said and for once Bilbo thought the god-king wasn't joking, which made him all the more fearful for what exactly it was that did await them amongst those ancient trees.
"Must we, really?" the Hobbit tried desperately one final time, wide eyes fixed upon the wicked-looking trees and the deep shadows falling underneath their reaching boughs.
"Yes, you do!" said the wizard, "if you want to get to the other side. You must either go through or give up your quest. And I am not going to allow you to back out now, Mr. Baggins. I am ashamed of you for thinking of it. You have got to look after all these dwarves for me," he laughed.
"Oi, what am I, chopped liver?" Michael said in a faux-offended tone.
"Oi, what are we then, less than chopped liver?" the dwarves said in an entirely genuine offended tone.
"Keep your wits about you! Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives, though I hope he is not expecting you. Good-bye!" Gandalf continued on as if he hadn't heard them at all.
"Very comforting you are to be sure," growled Thorin. "Good-bye! If you won't come with us, you had better get off without any more talk!"
"Good-bye then, and really good-bye!" said Gandalf, and he turned his horse and rode down into the West.
But he could not resist the temptation to have the last word. Before he had passed quite out of hearing he turned and put his hands to his mouth and called to them. They heard his voice come faintly: "Good-bye! Be good, take care of yourselves-and DON'T LEAVE THE PATH!"
Then he galloped away and was soon lost to sight. "O good-bye and go away!" grunted the dwarves, all the more angry because they were really filled with dismay at losing him. Now began the most dangerous part of all the journey.
Though of course Hyperion remained undaunted, glancing towards them with an easy smile on his chiselled face.
"Oh, come now, take heart! While Gandalf may be leaf-ing us, we are not so lost as to be stumped on our journey. Ax yourselves: wood you really abandon the quest, now that we are nearer to the root of your troubles than ever before? You'd be nuts! We simply need to branch out our options as much as possible and we'll fig-ure out a way through. I'm certainly rooting for us, as long as we make enough stops along the way for rest."
By the time he had finished, no Dwarf still stood on the edge of the forest. All of them had turned away from the setting light in the glade outside and instead turned towards the mossy barks and deep shadows and plunged straight in.
"Whatever monsters live here: Eat him first!" the call of Bifur came faintly from beyond the crooked trunks out of the shadows and Bilbo glanced up at the grinning Titan at his side.
Michael merely shrugged the felled and stripped tree onto his shoulder, the massive sack at the end of it swaying and bungling heavily as the god-king turned to glance down at the diminutive friend at his side.
"Well then, Bilbo. Ready for the next leg of my holiday?"
"No."
"That's the spirit!"
And so on they went, stepping underneath the grasping branches on the outer edge of Mirkwood forest…
Fun Fact: There has been much debate about whether or not Balrogs have wings or not (the bullshit that Rings of Power tried to push with Balrogs isn't canon because Rings of Power does not exist). Which is a bit ironic, considering arguably the most notable deaths of Balrogs in the Legendarium all involve falling to their deaths at the hands of Ecthelion, Glorfindel and Gandalf.
AN: A bit of a shorter chapter after the mammoth update of chapter 9. How did you like the puns? I want to make more next chapter (and want to depart pretty heavily from the book at that point) but I've pretty much exhausted my list of tree puns right about now. Also, side note, but going through the book and remembering the movie, I realize I've been too hard on the first one. The second and third one are still shite save for Smaug's performance, but the first one actually sticks closely to the books and where it does depart from it, it does so to set up pretty interesting plot hooks. For instance, the scene where Gandalf and Radagast come upon the tomb of the Nazguls isn't in the book, but it's a much more satisfying explanation for why Gandalf suddenly decides to leave the company right before they enter one of its most dangerous parts (that is, the book doesn't really give one at all).
Keep an eye on my Pa Treon as I'll be uploading the third chapter of By Tooth and Claw on there sometime soon! (I hope) Those updates are exclusive, meaning you won't find them anywhere else. Merry X-mas! (which is actually the medieval way of spelling it, I recently learned)