Author's note: Sorry for the super long wait everyone!

Previously:

The return of Mr. Bilbo Baggins created quite a disturbance, both under the Hill and over the Hill, and across the Water; it was a great deal more than nine days' wonder. The legal bother, indeed, lasted for years. It was quite a long time before Mr. Baggins was in fact admitted to be alive again. The people who had got specially good bargains at the Sale took a deal of convincing; and in the end to save time Bilbo had to buy back quite a lot of his own furniture. Many of his silver spoons mysteriously disappeared and were never accounted for. Personally, he suspected the Sackville-Bagginses. On their side they never admitted that the returned Baggins was genuine, and they were not on friendly terms with Bilbo ever after. They really had wanted to live in his nice hobbit-hole so very much.
Indeed Bilbo found he had lost more than spoons—he had lost his reputation. It is true that for ever after he remained an elf-friend, and had the honor of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever passed that way; but he was no longer quite respectable. He was in fact held by all the hobbits of the neighborhood to be 'queer'—except by his nephews and nieces on the Took side, but even they were not encouraged in their friendship by their elders.
I am sorry to say he did not mind. He was quite content; and the sound of the kettle on his hearth was ever more musical than it had been even in the quiet days before the Unexpected Party. His sword he hung over the mantelpiece. His coat of mail was arranged on a stand in the hall (until he lent it to a Museum). His gold and silver was largely spent in presents, both useful and extravagant—which to a certain extent accounts for the affection of his nephews and nieces. His magic ring he kept a great secret, for he chiefly used it when unpleasant callers came.
He took to writing poetry and visiting the elves and Hannah (who would sometimes come to visit him for tea in the Shire); and though many shook their heads and touched their foreheads and said "Poor old Baggins!" and though few believed any of his tales, he remained happy to the end of his days, and those were extraordinarily long.

Chapter 26: Return to Mirkwood

It would be roughly a year since the end of her adventure with Bilbo and the Dwarves before Hannah next saw her friend Legolas and his father, the Elvenking Thranduil, again beneath the shade of Mirkwood. In the meantime she lived much as she had before. One noticeable change, however, was that she appeared to have developed a taste for flying ever since their flight with the eagles, and she had taken to designing flying machines in her spare time. At first Gandalf and the Elves of Rivendell humored her attempts, but after one trial ended with particularly disastrous results and a broken bone, the wizard and Elrond decided it was time to put a stop to Hannah's experiments before the girl broke her neck.
But as Hannah grew older she also grew bolder, and they found convincing her to give up her new pastime more difficult than anticipated. In the end she refused to give it up completely, so they began arranging various tasks and outings to keep her busy whenever they caught her working on those diagrams again as a distraction.

It was on such an occasion in late autumn that Hannah one day found herself accompanying the twin sons of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir, and a boy named Estel on one of their excursions to track a small pack of stray orcs reported to have been spotted in the wild. That her guardians would prefer to send her out hunting for orcs showed just what they thought of her attempts to fly. But she could not have been in better hands. The rogue orcs had been found and disposed of with relative ease. Elladan and Elrohir were skilled warriors with close ties to the rangers, and Estel, though young, was very strong and talented; and he often accompanied the twins on their travels while they taught him how to fight and track and fend for himself in the wild. Although they were both human children under the care of the elf-lord of Rivendell, Hannah and Estel weren't overly familiar with each other, because he was usually away with the twins, and she was often busy conducting research and traveling with Gandalf. In fact, this journey was the first time the boy and girl had ever interacted with each other for an extended period of time. During this time, Hannah learned that Estel was twelve years old, making him four years younger than her since she turned sixteen years old that May. Twelve—the same age her younger brother would be this winter, and the same age Hannah had been when she first came to this world. The last four years seemed to have flown by in the blink of an eye. For the first time in a good while, it hit her very hard just how long she had been away from home, away from her family.
She was startled out of her deep and lonely thoughts by the sound of a clear horn announcing their return to the Valley. Hannah looked up as the gates of Imladris opened before them. She had been so lost in her own musings that she hadn't realized how close they were. Their party of four was welcomed back with smiles, and a couple of elves came forward to stable their horses for them. Hannah was tired from the journey, and she wanted some time to think, so she parted from the others to head for her room when Lindir called out to her.

"Ah, Hannah," he said, stopping her. Hannah turned to see him step out of the main hall to approach them. "I am glad to see you have returned. Unfortunately there was a small mishap with the 'mystery clock' in the library. Could you have a look at it?"

"Of course," Hannah replied politely. "I don't suppose Mr. Gandalf has come back yet?"

"No, he is still away at the moment. Are you all right?" asked Lindir upon noticing her smile seemed a little strained. He glanced at the twins, wondering if they had been teasing her too much, as was their habit of showing their fondness for her.

"Yes, I'm all right. Thank you, Mr. Lindir, but I'm just tired. I'm sure I'll be right as rain once I've had a good soak and long nap," she said increasing the wattage on her smile. "But, first, I think I had better take a look at that clock. It can be a bit temperamental. Is Lord Elrond about?" She was hoping to have a word with him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he should be in the library," said Lindir. That was all Hannah needed to hear. Without another word she was off to visit the main library.

"What kind of mishap?" asked Estel curiously. He and the elf-lord's sons couldn't help but overhear, and it was rare for anything to be broken in Rivendell whether by accident or design.

"I don't know all the details," said Lindir, "but I have heard it was the fault of our latest guest. It is a scholar from Gondor this time."

"Well, I hope Hannah can fix it," said Elladan. "Father was very fond of that clock."

"As was I," Lindir admitted with a sigh. Of the clocks Hannah had made, this one had been the most novel. The mystery of the 'mystery clock' came in how the clock worked; the hands seem to move with no apparent mechanism to drive them. Turn the clock over, examine the back, and you still would not be able to tell what makes it tick and keep accurate time. The secret to these clocks was that the apparently solid crystal had really been expertly cut in half, and two crystal discs with serrated edges inserted. The clock hands, which appeared to float, were really attached to the discs. She had modeled it on a clock designed by her grandfather to compete with the ones produced by Cartier. Unfortunately she was not as skilled as he and her design had a slight imperfection that sometimes came to affect its accuracy.

"Oh, cheer up, Lindir!" said Elrohir. "Better a graceless scholar than a pack of unruly Dwarves, wouldn't you say?" The elf-twins and Estel had knowing smiles as they recalled all the mischief Thorin's Company had caused during their visit to the Last Homely House. The trio had been away at the time, but from the sound of things the Dwarves' stay was a very lively one. It had taken Lindir (and the halls) quite some time to recover, and they heard the elf had given Elrond much grief about it. (Some minor valuables had gone missing; including a small desk clock made by Hannah, who actually seemed flattered to learn someone had thought it worth stealing.) Lindir was tempted to roll his eyes at them but refrained. Perhaps next time he should wait and have them clean up the mess. They would see who was laughing then!

Hannah could hear someone speaking when she entered the Library, but it was not a voice she recognized. Whoever it was sounded very nervous and upset; so upset that its owner kept faltering between using the common tongue and speaking Elvish. She could tell he was male; and he seemed to be the person responsible for the mishap Lindir had mentioned, because he was apologizing very profusely to Lord Elrond, whom she heard mentioned by name once or twice in the hurried and jumbled up mess of words.
Navigating her way through the stacks, she soon caught sight of the speaker. He was a short and stocky man with dark-blond hair and a rather large forehead. He also appeared to have reached middle-age. Judging by his clothing, he wasn't from any of the human settlements she had been to before. His robes reminded her of some costumes she once saw on display in the British Museum for an exhibit on the Byzantine Empire.

"Ah! Hannah," said the elf-lord when he spotted her, looking almost relieved. He had tried to reassure his guest that he understood the damage that had been done was simply the result of an unfortunate accident, but once the anxious little man got started he could not keep himself from rambling on, and the elf-lord had been very patiently waiting for him to calm down enough to stop. Which he finally did upon realizing that they were no longer alone. "I am glad to see you returned so swiftly. I take it your hunt was successful, then. Where are the others?"

"Getting a head start on cleaning themselves up for supper, I expect," replied Hannah with a smile. "And this is…?" she asked looking to his other guest.

"Oh! I-I am Duilin son of Duinhir, a scholar of Gondor," the man introduced himself hastily and bobbed at the waist in a nervous bow that reminded her of a drinking bird toy. "Tell me! Are you the Hannah Hayes that I have heard so much about?" he asked with no small amount of excitement.

"I suppose that depends on what you've heard," said Hannah, wondering what the others had been saying in her absence to get him so excited.

"Is it true that you've been through Mirkwood? And that you are an elf-friend to the Elvenking who resides there?" he asked with great anticipation. That seemed to be the official story, but honestly Hannah did not think she had that much influence over Thranduil, as he seemed to barely tolerate her.

"Well, I am a friend of his son…" she answered with caution and a curious glance at Elrond. Hannah did not wish to be rude, but was this more urgent than fixing the clock? She was tired and hungry and in need of a bath before the evening meal. The elf-lord simply gave her a small smile and a subtle nod to indicate that she should listen to what their odd guest had to say.

"Splendid!" said the scholar, surprising Hannah when he clapped and clasped her hands in his own. "Would you mind taking me to him? I should be forever grateful if you were to guide me through Mirkwood to the Elvenking's realm."

"May I ask why?" said Hannah taken aback. Most people would much prefer to go around. He did not seem to understand the danger involved in such a venture.

"Why, because I wish to study them of course!" said the man. "There is already much information in our archives of the Elves of Imladris and a little on Lothlórien, but virtually none on the wood-elves. I wish to be the first to produce a thorough and comprehensive source of knowledge on them."

"The forest of Mirkwood was full of danger when I last went there. And the Elvenking does not like unexpected visitors," said Hannah. "I'm not sure he would allow you to study his people, let alone publish your findings." The elves may also still be mourning those lost to them in the battle. A year was nothing to Elves.

"Of course, it would not be for nothing—I understand the forest can be dangerous—but I have heard you are collecting information on stories and legends of travel between different worlds? I may be able to help you there," said Duilin. Hannah's eyes widened in astonishment at this.

"Is that true? How?" she asked, urgent to find a way home. She hoped this would not prove to be another dead end.

"While researching the more ancient sections of the archives of Minas Tirith, I came across a little known prophecy dreamt by one of the great kings of old. It mentioned another world and fire and water. I cannot remember any more than that, as it was of little interest to me at the time, but if you take me to the wood-elves, then I will take you to Gondor and you show it to you," said Duilin. Hannah's heart skipped a beat. She wanted desperately to believe this man, but they had only just met. Again she looked to Elrond. The elf-lord placed a hand on her shoulder. He understood her hesitation. Hannah was now a young woman, and this man was a stranger to her. She had already been disappointed many times in her search for a way home.

"Should you decide to go, you will not have to do so alone. I will have Elladan and Elrohir accompany you," said Elrond kindly. Hannah smiled bright with gratitude at the elf-lord, and now faced the scholar with more confidence knowing she would at least have some familiar faces with her.

"Then, Duilin son of Duinhir, you have a deal," she told the scholar.

The small company set out a few days later. The journey east was much the same as it had been before, but thankfully this time there was a significant lack of trolls and goblins and orcs, though there were a couple of unfortunate incidents where Master Duilin proved his lack of grace in the library was not an isolated incident—he was a fine scholar and had indeed proved very knowledgeable in his chosen area of study, but he was completely out of his element in the Wild. It was a wonder he had ever made it to Rivendell in one piece. When Hannah and the elf-twins inquired about this Duilin revealed that he had paid some merchants who were traveling north to Rohan to allow him to accompany them. But once in Rohan he could not find anyone willing to enter Mirkwood until he was fortunate enough to encounter a band of Dwarves who were making their way to the Blue Mountains to visit their kin, and two of these Dwarves had been none other than Bifur and Bofur! Bofur had been only too happy to allow the scholar to travel with them until they neared the entrance to the hidden valley of Rivendell, and it was from them the scholar learned of Hannah's role in their quest to reclaim Erebor and how she had come to be on good terms with the wood-elves. Hannah was glad to hear that the Dwarves were doing very well for themselves—by Duilin's account they were dressed very fine and appeared to be in good health—and wanted to thank them for leading her to a possible clue on how she might return home.
Anyway, their company of four managed to cross the mountain pass with relative ease (especially since no one had been captured by goblins this time) and reached the land in which Beorn dwelled without encountering any significant danger. Hannah was disappointed they had not met the Eagles again, but she was glad to meet Beorn. The great and strong man greeted the girl warmly and welcomed her and the sons of Elrond without hesitation. Beorn was, however, more wary of Duilin and reluctant to invite the scholar into his home. Beorn had taken a liking to the Elves immediately when he heard of their orc-hunting (the three shared a strong hatred of the foul creatures); but he did not seem to care much for the scholar from Gondor, who was so unnerved by their host's grand stature and wild appearance that he found it difficult to speak clearly and was prone to ramble anxiously if no one stopped him, which Beorn often did with a loud and an impatient snap. Beorn treasured his privacy and did not need unwanted attention from those who might not understand him and his ways, but he eventually agreed to let the scholar into his home, provided he swore not to publish any information on him. So Hannah found herself being waited upon by Beorn's wonderful animals once again. The scholar was amazed and wondered at the sight of them.
Beorn laughed loudly at many of the stories Hannah told him while they caught up during supper, especially when it came to her failed attempts at flight. He seemed to find the idea utterly ridiculous and was thoroughly bemused that she would even try.

"If Men were meant to fly they would have been born with wings!" he said.

With this Elladan and Elrohir heartily agreed, and the elven twins and their host exchanged stories of hunting and battling orcs and goblins.

They sat long at the table with their drinking-bowls filled with mead. And all the while, the scholar listened quietly with glittering eyes. The dark night came on outside. The fires in the middle of the hall were built with fresh logs and the torches were put out, and still they sat in the light of the dancing flames with the pillars of the house standing tall behind them, and dark at the top like trees in the forest. And once again, whether it was by magic or not, it seemed to Hannah that she heard a sound like wind in the branches stirring in the rafters, and the hoot of owls. She found the sound comforting and began to nod with sleep and the voices seemed to grow far away, until she woke with a start.
The great door had creaked and slammed. Beorn was gone. Once again, she had missed the moment Beorn chose to leave for his nighttime romp in the woods in his bear form. Hannah noticed the scholar also seemed to have nodded off and been startled awake, because he was blinking and wearing a confused expression. Hannah told him not to worry, but he should not expect their host to return any time soon and cautioned him not to venture outside into the dark, no matter what he heard. This seemed to unnerve the man, so the Elves prompted Hannah for a song. With more than one large tankard of mead in her, she was perhaps not as discrete as she ought to have been; but her singing was soft and sweet, it went something like this:

There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet
Oh the last rays of feeling and life must depart
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart

Yet it was not that nature had shed o'er the scene
Her purest of crystal and brightest of green
'Twas not her soft magic of streamlet or hill
Oh No 'twas something more exquisite still

'Twas that friends, the belov'd of my bosom were near
Who made every scene of enchantment more dear
And who felt how the best charms of nature improve
When we see them reflected from looks that we love

Sweet vale of Avoca! How calm could I rest
In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best
Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease
And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace

Her song was calm and soothing, and the scholar's nerves were soon settled. He began to wonder where this wonderful Vale of Avoca was. But before he could ask, the twins had started a song of their own, and he listened intently as they sang to them an Elvish song of Beren and Lúthien. The poetry and harmony of the verses in the song's original form were so enchanting that Duilin soon forgot all about Hannah's song, as did Hannah. She closed her eyes and smiled as she listened, though it was a little sad to think this could be one of the last times she might enjoy listening to Elvish singing. The thought made her heart ache, but not as much as the thought of never returning home. So she listened while she could with a smile and engraved their song in her memory and upon her heart. Hannah and the Elves sang yet more songs together, until she and the scholar began to nod again. The two humans decided to retire for the evening, and found that the beds had already been laid at the side of the hall, on a sort of raised platform between the pillars and the outer wall. Hannah snuggled into the woolen blankets very gladly, as the air in the hall had begun to grow cold. The fire burned low and she fell asleep to the melodic voices of Elladan and Elrohir still singing their ancient songs.
If there was any growling or scuffling outside that night Hannah did not heart it, for she slept well through the night without waking once.

It was full morning when she awoke and joined the others for breakfast. The twins, who were sitting in the same place at the table as before, almost looked as though they hadn't moved at all. Beorn was breaking fast at the table with them, and already they had begun to discuss preparations for their journey into the forest, and Hannah seemed especially concerned to hear his prediction for the date of the first frost.
Beorn was surprised that they would wish to travel through the forest instead of around after the trouble she and the Dwarves had of it the last time; and he advocated so strongly for taking the southern route around (which he claimed had become much safer) that Duilin began to doubt the safety of his plan. Hearing such a great and imposing figure show so much caution made a much deeper impression on the scholar than the warnings of a young girl. But by this time Hannah had made up her mind that taking the elven path through the forest would be good for him. She reasoned that he could not write about a people without including a description of their land; and thought experiencing some of the hardships of Mirkwood should give him a better context for understanding its inhabitants, though she expected the journey to be smoother after learning from her previous mistakes. Having well-deserved confidence in their own skills Elladan and Elrohir raised no objections. But they thought to themselves how much she had come to resemble a certain Wizard.
Beorn shook his head at the decision but his disapproval of their choice in route did not prevent him from lading them with extra water skins and food to add to their dwindling provisions to last them for weeks with more to spare. As before there were nuts, flour, sealed jars of dried fruits, and red earthenware pots of honey, and his special twice-baked honey cakes. He did not mind at that they wished to send their ponies back to stay with him rather than take them into a place where they would have to carry their weight in hay and water, not to mention cross a dangerous enchanted river with no bridge. Duilin did mind but any arguments he may have had were curbed by his ambition to record any and all knowledge gained of the wood-elves with as much detail as possible.

They thanked him, of course, with many words of gratitude and bows. Hannah thought it was a good time to give Beorn the small gift she had brought for him and presented him with a little pouch containing seeds of a fragrant rose that she thought might add another pleasant note to his already exceptional honey. Beorn was surprised but very pleased with the simple gift, for he was used to giving and rarely received, and it was something that might actually prove useful to him.

While they spent the morning busy with preparations, Hannah explained for the scholar in further detail the rules of the forest. Their way through Mirkwood was dark, dangerous and difficult; water was not easy to find there, nor food. They were fortunate that it had come time for nuts as they were about all that grew there fit for food; in there the wild things were strange, black, and savage. She warned him of the giant spiders but reassured him she and the elves had plenty of arrows for their bows. She told him of the dark and hazardous stream which crossed the path, and of its effects on her after she fell in. And, most importantly, they must not leave the path for any reason. Hannah had no doubt she and Bilbo and the Dwarves would still be lost in there to this day had the wood-elves not captured them.
Not long after midday, they ate with Beorn for the last time; and after the meal they mounted the steeds which had carried them so faithfully from Rivendell, and bidding him many farewells they rode off at a leisurely pace with a reminder that Hannah would always be welcome in his home, as would Elladan and Elrohir. He made no mention of the scholar.
With no orc pack on their tail, Hannah's new party of four could travel the distance at a comfortable and serene pace. Duilin, who was eager to reach the wood-elves as soon as possible, was eager to get a move on; but Hannah's plan required a small delay. Autumn was already upon them and the others were anxious to reach Thranduil's halls before the first snow. They felt a need to learn whether the Elvenking would allow their stay as soon as possible to avoid being trapped in the freezing wilderness. Hannah, however, was confident that Thranduil would not turn them away if they arrived on his doorstep along with winter. Indeed she suspected he would be less likely to turn them away then than if they arrived in milder weather. She did not think the good nature hiding beneath his steely exterior would allow him to abandon them to the cold. And, if nothing else, she thought she could count on her friend Legolas to act as their advocate in such a situation. The twins still held a sliver of skepticism given everything they had heard about the Elvenking's typical reaction to uninvited guests but then the last intruders had been a pack of rude and surly Dwarves.
The sun had only just turned west when they set off, and till evening it lay golden on the land about them, and when they had put many miles between them and Beorn's house they began to talk and sing again despite the dark forest-path that lay in front. But in the evening when dusk came on and the peaks of the mountains glowered against the sunset they made a camp and set a guard. The orcs and goblins may have been diminished in number, but one could never be too careful.

The following morning dawned bright and fair again. A thick autumn mist was white upon the ground and the air was chill, but soon the sun rose pale red in the East and most of the mists vanished, and while the shadows were still long they were off again. So they rode on for four 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. Elladan and Elrohir would often spot and point out the horns of the harts sticking up out of the long grass, though at first peering through the lingering mist Hannah and Duilin thought they were the dead branches of trees but quickly realized their mistake when they moved. That fifth evening Duilin, who had become tense with anticipation of the prize that awaited him at the end of the path, was so eager to press on, for Beorn had said that they should reach the forest-gate early on the sixth day at that pace, and they rode still forward after dusk and into the night beneath the moon. This time no shadow of Beorn's bear form followed them.
At Duilin's behest they started before dawn the next day, though their night had been short. As soon as it was light they could see the forest waiting for them like a black and frowning wall before them. The land began to slope up and up, and even the scholar noticed the silence that began to draw in upon them. The birds sang 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 still just as huge and gnarled as before; their branches still twisted and their leaves were still dark and long. Ivy still grew on them and trailed to the ground. What they could see of the forest still appeared very unwholesome.

"Well, here is Mirkwood!" said Hannah. She paused for a moment with a strong feeling of déjà vu. She did not have clear memories of this part of her quest with Thorin's company, but it seemed to her that she had heard these words spoken here before. "I hope you like the look of it, because there won't be any change until we've reached the wood-elves' domain."

"It seems the Enemy's fell shadow remains on this land even after he fled," remarked Elladan while his brother frowned at the state of the great forest.

"Will it affect you badly?" asked Hannah, suddenly remembering how sensitive Elves could be to this wretched sort of darkness.

"We should be all right," said Elrohir. The Shadow had begun to weaken and they were a hardy pair, used to facing perils and fighting dark forces.

Duilin did not like the look of the forest, and he did not like the turn of this conversation. Hearing about something and seeing it in person are often two very different experiences and now that he was stood before the former Greenwood the Great, he could see that the change in its name was well deserved, and he did not want to test it. The mere sight of it set his heart filled with trepidation. "Is there no way round?" he asked his guides.

"There is, if you would prefer to go two hundred miles or so out of your way north, and twice that south. But even then you may not find a safe path," said Hannah.

"There are few safe paths in this part of the world. There are more than there might have been only a year or two ago, but the danger has not yet lessened enough to turn hostile lands friendly," agreed Elladan.

"Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go," added Elrohir. "Before you could get round Mirkwood in the North you would be right among the slopes of the Grey Mountains, and they house the remnants of hordes of goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs of the worst description; though fewer and scattered, they have only grown meaner in their defeat."

"And before you could get round it in the South, you would get into the land of the Necromancer," said Hannah. "He may have been chased out, but I've heard from a very reliable source that his dark tower still remains, as does the stain it left upon this land, and I was advised not to go anywhere near the places overlooked by it."

"Orcs and goblins hardly seem worse than facing the giant spiders you say dwell in this forest," said Duilin.

"However the spiders don't seem to like areas touched by the Elves," said Hannah. "They shouldn't bother us as long as we stick to the path, but orcs and goblins have no such qualms."

Duilin decided he would prefer the forest path after all.

With that settled, they agreed to wait for the next morning to head in and settled down for the evening.