August 23, 2931 of the Third Era.
On the third day after the attack and defense of Themislond (Grey Harbor), an army of Linton elves, Turin dwarves, and Dúnedain came out of Gray Harbor with weapons and armor, and the neighing sound of war horses and horned sheep. , taking the east route and galloping towards the Shire.
Because they are all powerful races in this world, this well-equipped coalition army moves extremely fast.
As soon as Yaryn of the East showed his round face, the 200 elite elven cavalry in the vanguard arrived at the valley between the northern part of the Shire and the Dusk Hills in the golden light of the morning, preparing to cross the river.
Here, the Baranduin River originating from Lake Nenvio (Dark Lake) divides the Shire, the home of the Hobbits, into two.
Among them, the Hobbiton where the protagonists Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" are known to us is located on the tributary creek on the left side of the Balanduin River. The junction with the North River.
The Grain Bale Wood is directly north of Hobbiton.
Beyond the grain-sheaf forest is the grand road and ferry built by the Númenóreans of the old northern kingdom of Arnor.
Once, Earnur, the last king of Gondor and the elves in the south, used this road to cross the Valanduin River and attack Fornost, the capital of the Kingdom of Arthedain, which was occupied by the evil Witch-King of Angmar.
Now, two thousand years have passed.
The allied forces of elves, humans, and dwarves once again set foot on this majestic road that has gone through wind and rain but still remains glorious, crossing the Baranduin River that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Under the sunlight of the morning, the Baranduin River exudes a beautiful golden brown color. .
(The word Balanduin originally means golden-brown river in Sindarin)
Bilbo Baggins bit his nails and hid behind a big tree in the Grain Forest. He stared dumbfoundedly at the endless stream of noble races wearing exquisite armor that exuded dazzling golden light in the sun, holding sacred flags. came from the west in an orderly manner.
"Oh my God, look what I found! Elf! Not one, not two, not three, not five, six or seven! There are more elves than I can count!"
Poor, the young hobbit, who had only been to the Hobbit's 'capital' - Big Hole Town in the West End, was so surprised that he almost bit his own tongue.
He stamped his feet and wanted to shout, but the excited hobbit sadly found that he could not shout a word.
Because he felt that compared with these races whose looks were so handsome that they seemed to be no longer in the world, and whose noble aura could be felt from miles away, he was as small as a dirty little beast.
special.
He looked at his dirty big feet, and then at the exquisite and luxurious armors and helmets of these elves with white tail feathers raised, and a pitiful feeling of inferiority welled up in his heart.
Maybe I shouldn't disturb them, after all, they looked so hurried, as if they were going to do something important.
Bilbo Baggins from Hobbiton bit his fingernails and rolled his eyes.
or.
The elves seem to be rushing to the battlefield!
Bilbo remembered that the chief of Great Cave Town, Essambrass IV Took, had recently issued an order - the Shire had no king. They were actually an autonomous domain of the Kingdom of Arthedain, and their highest official position was He is the chief of Dadong Town and also serves as the mayor.
It was expressly forbidden for all hobbits to stay outside at night, and a team of town guards were summoned to go out of the city and annihilate a group of orcs running from the west.
To be honest, when the residents of Hobbiton heard this ban, they all thought that Essambras IV was confused. But now Bilbo witnessed with his own eyes groups of elves, fully armed, crossing the ford of the Baranduin River and heading north.
This young halfling, who had a cleverness and courage that no other hobbit had, began to believe that the world had really become dangerous.
"so."
Bilbo thought sadly. "Is this good luck or bad luck now?"
However, in the end, Bilbo Baggins was still unwilling to give up this rare opportunity, and chose to stay behind the original big tree and continue to peek at these noble races that were famous but not many people had seen them again.
The elves naturally noticed this little guy hiding in the woods.
"That's just a halfling."
So said Elf Galdor. He is the vanguard commander of the coalition and is responsible for commanding the vanguard including 300 elven cavalry and 200 dwarf horned sheep cavalry.
He recognized at a glance that the little guy hiding behind the tree, like a snitch, with his eyes always rolling, was a Perian from the Shire.
Sindarin, halfling.
Therefore, the elves did not drive away this bold guy, but quickly crossed the Baranduin River and headed north.
"Lao Bangguo's big feet are down here, look what they are!"
Bilbo, who had been hiding behind the big tree in excitement and peeking, his eyes widened in surprise.
Not long after the elf passed by, a group of dwarves riding horned sheep came running over with the sound of rumbling hooves.
"First there were elves, and now there are dwarves. Will there be large races (humans) in a while? What's happening to this world? Is it the end of the world?"
Bilbo bit his nails in excitement and fear, and kept trembling.
He began to feel that taking risks was no longer a pleasant thing, and that the warm and comfortable life in Bag End might be more suitable for him.
It was because I was out of my mind that I endured mosquito bites, ant bites, and hunger in these August days, and came to the north to be frightened.
"Like the elves, the dwarves are also in a hurry, carrying their helmets and armor! Yes, it's for sure. They definitely don't run out and go on countless outings. There must be a war somewhere. These soldiers are like this Rush to the battlefield in a hurry!"
Thinking that, somewhere, elves and dwarves were launching heroic charges against an evil enemy in waves, and then more elves and dwarves seemed to fall under the boundless mountains of swords and seas of fire, with dead people everywhere. Bilbo Baggins couldn't help but feel terrified. Even breathing stopped.
"this is too scary!"
He screamed, rolling and crawling to escape from here. But in fact, his hands and feet were weak and he collapsed on the ground, his face turned pale, and the so-called scream was just the movement of his Adam's apple.
Bilbo Baggins's heart was so firmly occupied by the terrifying hallucinations he had imagined that he didn't even notice when the dwarves had crossed the river.
time flies.
In a trance, Bilbo was awakened by a strange sound of horse hooves that seemed to have a gentle and healing sound.
He opened his eyes and looked to the west.
A holy white light leaped into view.
Bilbo Baggins swore he had never seen anyone so revered.
With just one glance, he was captivated by Dragonborn's god-like figure, his mouth wide open, trembling and unable to speak.
Dragon Byrne rode on the holy Nahal, without a helmet, but wearing an elven-style forehead crown forged from mithril and decorated with diamonds.
On his waist, tied with a silver chain, was a strange horn made of white shells with gold at both ends.
It was given to him by the master of Gray Harbor before leaving.
There is also an emerald green gem pinned to the armor's cloak. The sun shines on it, reflecting the emerald green light.
All around him were knights with kingly aura.
Among them, on his left are the wise wizard and the sharp-eyed Arathorn.
On the right is the dwarf prince with a gloomy expression and his own majesty.
"If you ask me, it would be right to skip this ghost place of Annuminas and go straight to Karndum. Our troops are limited and cannot be wasted in this insignificant place!"
"Foolish! Annuminas lies between Karndum and Mithlond. If we leave it alone, when our soldiers drive directly to Karndum in the north, the orcs here will counterattack and sneak attack. What about our retreat and how to attack the Gray Harbor where Lord Cirdan is stationed? We must pull out this nail before we can have peace of mind."
"The dwarves have experienced no less wars than you, wizard! Don't treat us like human children! The half-orcs in Annuminas are just defeated soldiers defeated by us. Fear and fear have taken over their hearts. These half-orcs have no Dare to fight again! They are not elves, dwarves, or even humans. They are hiding and shivering with their heads in their hands. This is how they behave at this moment!"
"You can't guarantee that!"
The gray-robed wizard refuted him, his eyes shining with wisdom: "The master behind Azog is not a simple person. We can't guarantee that he has no back tricks! After all, he has used ruthless characters from ancient demons such as the Balrog and the Wolf King. We can’t take any chances!”
These words reminded Thorin of his dereliction of duty. He waved the warhammer in his hand angrily, as if venting his inner annoyance.
However, the stubborn dwarf still said: "In any case, I still say that, wasting troops in that damn ghost place is definitely not a wise decision! Moreover."
The dwarf prince's reasons are also very strong.
"We don't have so much time to waste. We must attack Karndum before the beast of Azog reacts! Otherwise, if the orcs are given a chance to regroup and want to capture that fortress, I don't know. How many elves and dwarves will die!"
Now it was Gandalf's turn to be speechless.
The old wizard held his pipe in his mouth and kept smoking, muttering something in his mouth.
Next to him, Arathorn silently rode his gray horse Pied, a full horse length behind the holy Nahar.
The dwarves parallel him.
The wizard moved forward slightly, but was half a horse behind the dragonborn.
The main leaders of the coalition thus formed a strange, but balanced combination.
The elves sided with the dragonborn.
The dwarves obeyed the dragonborn's orders but disagreed with the wizards, and the Dúnedain remained silent, neither helping the other.
This kind of quarrel had started before the troops were sent out last night. It lasted all night and morning, and no one could convince anyone.
The noise made Dragon Byrne's head spin.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person and did not have the ability to scold Fang Qiu and guide the country, so he has never expressed opinions in this regard.
After all, whether it's a long drive or a step-by-step approach, it sounds like it makes sense.
Commanding the army was really not his specialty, so all he could do was listen quietly and then weigh it silently.
"Let everything be decided by the Silver King!"
The gray-robed wizard muttered for a long time, and finally threw the problem back on the Dragonborn's head.
Upon hearing this, Thorin Oakenshield stopped complaining and turned his attention to the dragonborn at the front, the nominal commander of the coalition forces.
Dragon Byrne rides on the holy Nahal without saying a word.
"A Perien, what are you doing here!"
Just when Bilbo Baggins was so shocked by a scene that he could never forget in his life, his hands and feet were weak, and his mouth was dumbfounded, and he wished he had a piece of paper and pen to draw or write down this scene, a clear and beautiful voice came from behind him. sounded.
Fenner grabbed the collar of Bilbo Baggins who was trying to escape with one hand and lifted him up. There was a hint of curiosity and a hint of dissatisfaction in her gray eyes.
"Halfling, eavesdropping is not the behavior of a good person. Are you still a spy? Or a snitch?"
The young hobbit was frightened. He kept struggling like a small animal being carried in his hands.
"Snitch? No, Bilbo Baggins has never stolen anything in his life, not even a needle!"
"Is that a spy?"
The female ranger put him down funny.
But Bilbo Baggins remained motionless because the bows and arrows of more than a dozen elf rangers were aimed at his heart and forehead.
This little episode at the edge of the woods successfully alleviated the Dragonborn's embarrassing situation.
The leaders of the coalition forces all stopped.
Looking at the 'kid' caught red-handed by the female ranger who was responsible for marching to spy and protect the flanks of the troops and her rangers, Dragon Byrne gave the female chef who chose to join this expedition a strange look. A look like what the hell are you doing.
But immediately, he reacted.
"Hobbit?"
As a result, the Holy Spirit, who had been silent until now, spoke.
"Are these the later children? Hmm, the smell is not very good. This 'Hobbit' looks much weaker than the firstborn children (elves) and secondborn children (humans). They are really the holy Eru A child blessed by Vita, it’s really worrying to see.”
It was obvious that Hal had never seen the hobbits before. He was so surprised that he circled around this little man, who was as tall as a 7 to 8-year-old human child, scaring Bilbo Baggins to death.
The Holy Spirit in front of him is so tall and sacred that a hobbit can't even reach his thighs.
and.
He secretly looked at the tall figure sitting on the Holy Spirit, but was so shocked by his majestic and cold golden vertical pupils that his soul almost left his body.
He was submissive, mumbling, speechless.
These big people are so tall and majestic, each one looks like a king.
But he himself became the prisoner being interrogated.
The young hobbit was scared and wronged, and his tears couldn't stop flowing down.
Behold, Bilbo Baggins, what you have done for adventure! Although you just came to see the elves out of curiosity, you ended up in this situation! Sure enough, adventure novels are all lies, and Bag End is Baggins’ final and only destination! Whoever talks about taking risks in the future will be an idiot, a stupid slug!
Everyone was stunned when they saw that the hobbit in front of them was actually scared to tears.
At this time, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Bilbo Baggins, what are you doing here!"
Bilbo was surprised and happy to hear someone calling his name. He raised his teary little eyes and asked big questions. "Dear Sir, may I ask, do I know you?"
The smoke in Gandalf the Gray's mouth became thicker.
