A/N:-

Hi everybody!

So I got inspired to try my hand at writing about The Hobbit. I've got a bit of writer's block with Return to Shoran so figured a break and other inspiration might help me work through it.

Word of warning - there will eventually be some form of romance but at this stage I haven't decided with whom. I do think it will be awhile before I've decided, for now I just want to kick some major ass! Hence the T rating.

Let's do this! Raaarrr!

Hidden beneath

Chapter 1

Valisilwen stood atop the small hill overlooking the small town of The Shire. This little haven was inhabited by small creatures know as Hobbits, also known as Halflings or Giant-Folk. It was dark and stormy as she continued to walk down the small path towards the house she sought.

'What is it that damned grey wizard would drag me here for at this hour?' she pondered to herself as she looked carefully at each door she passed until at last she found Bag End. A small mark, a rune to be precise, appeared on the top of a tidy looking door, apparently it had not been painted long ago, from the scent of freshly dried paint that lingered, it was mixed with the scent of hobbits, dwarves and the faint scent of Gandalf the Grey.

She walked up to the door cautiously, not sure what to expect, knocking firmly.

"Go away!" she heard a voice shout from inside. She screwed up her nose slightly, that was a little bit rude. She knocked again, but with more force this time.

After a moment, the door was pulled ajar and a Hobbit with shaggy brown hair stuck his head out, a look of irritation written on his face. His brown eyes went wide in surprise when he looked slowly up at her face. She cocked her head to one side and blinked expectantly.

"Oh, you're not a dwarf..." he stammered. She looked at him strangely. He opened the door wider and stood before her.

"No, I am not." She looked past him and saw dwarves running throughout the rooms of the Hobbit's house. "It appears you already have guests?"

The Hobbit looked behind him, before turning back to her and sighing. "Alas, yes, it does. I don't suppose they are friends of yours?"

"No, can't say that I know any dwarves. I am expecting to meet someone here though."

"They say the same. Something about a meeting," the Hobbit replied sadly. Valisilwen couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor Hobbit. She knew they liked to keep everything in an orderly manner. Dwarves on the other hand...

"Might I come in? Mr...?"

"Oh, Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins." He stepped back allowing her room. "I don't see why not, it's not like I appear to have much of a say in the matter of late."

She gave herself a shake to lose any of the rain that had gathered on her clothing, before stepping inside. The Hobbit appeared to look at her with gratitude at the simple gesture of taking care not to create more mess.

"My name is Valisilwen."

"Where do you hail from, Valisilwen ?" he asked curiously, looking her up and down as she pulled back her hood, allowing her long sleek black hair to fall from where they had been confined. The Hobbit stared at her face for a moment before she moved further into Bag End.

"The North," she answered simply. She made her way to the back room where the Dwarves were causing a ruckus, throwing around Bilbo's flatware and crockery. She reached out a hand quick as a flash and caught a stern as it flew past her.

The Dwarves around her stopped what they were doing in surprise as she looked around at their faces. "I'll have you lot treat Mr Baggins' property with a little more respect," she said in a low, threatening voice.

The dwarves looked around at each other, but said nothing back as she turned and moved to another room, finding a seat there and carefully sitting down.

Bilbo raised his eyebrows at the dwarves and gave a small smile before hurrying into the room with her. "Uh, thank you. Valisilwen, wasn't it? Uh, could I perhaps get you a drink?" he asked, offering her a warmer smile than he had provided the dwarves.

She handed him the stern she had caught as she had entered the room of dwarves. "That would be greatly appreciated, Mr Baggins."

oOOo

Bilbo hurried back into the kitchen, he found some of the younger looking dwarves were gathered at the door, craning their neck trying to catch a glimpse of the fair Valisilwen. He looked at them strangely as he continued.

"Psst, Bilbo," one of the dwarves whispered, trying to catch his attention as he worked to get the beautiful stranger a drink. "Who is she? Why is she here?"

"Her?" he asked motioning back to the other room. "Not a clue, she says she is here to meet someone, just like you lot."

"But who is she?" another asked, Bilbo recognised him only as one of the two young brothers.

"Why don't you go and ask, stop pestering the Hobbit and show some courage? It's only a Ranger," said one of the older dwarves, well, Bilbo assumed he was older. His beard was much longer and thicker than that of the dwarves gathered at the entranceway to the living area.

"A Ranger?" Bilbo asked in surprise, suddenly feeling very apprehensive. He had heard of the 'Watchers' as the Hobbits of the Shire called them. They were rumoured to be fearsome and brutal warriors.

"From the pin holding her cloak, aye, she is," one of the other older ones chimed in, Bilbo recognised him as Balin. He appeared to be the wisest of the group so far, and the most respected.

The younger dwarves looked amongst each other before starting to shove each other as if they were trying to force one another to ask the question. Bilbo sighed and shook his head, before exiting the room having filled the stern with ale.

He cautiously approached Valisilwen, she was sat quietly in his favourite chair, although she was clearly too big for it. She looked up when he approached and he handed her the stern of ale. "Thank you, Bilbo."

"You're welcome," he replied, and slowly moved away a smidge. No point keeping too close, she was a Ranger after all, and he had heard plenty of stories about them. He looked over the Ranger, she was a beautiful woman, not that he had seen many females of the world of Men. Only those in pictures really, but still, she far out shone any woman of any kind that he had ever seen.

She had long, sleek, black hair that shone from the littlest of light, her skin was an olive complexion like he had not seen before. What was really entrancing of her though was her eyes, they were not just one colour. One eye was a piercing ice blue, the other a rich brown with a flash of the same blue within it. He found it hard not to stare but did his best to keep his eyes averted, lest he might anger the Ranger.

There was another knock on the door, snapping his attention away from the Lady Ranger. Bilbo groaned but went to answer it, leaving Valisilwen to her own devices, passing the spying dwarves as he went. He opened the door and found a familiar face standing there. "Gandalf!

The dwarves stopped what they were doing and all looked in the direction of the front door.

"Ah, Mr Baggins, I see most of your guests have arrived," Gandalf said, not awaiting an invitation to enter.

"My guests?" Bilbo cried incredulously as the dwarves all started greeting Gandalf loudly. They went quiet again as Valisilwen appeared in the hallway between them and Gandalf.

"Ah, Lady Ranger. Nice to see you decided to take up my invitation," he said greeting her as she approached him, ignoring the hushed whispers behind her from the dwarves.

"I've not taken up anything yet," she replied, stopping before the wizard, "I'm here to appease my curiosity for the moment."

Gandalf frowned for a moment, it was clear to Bilbo that whatever the invitation was that he had given the Ranger, he obviously expected she would have accepted. It made Bilbo very curious, what on earth would Gandalf want to invite a Ranger to, he wondered.

"For what reason have you dragged me here on a ghastly night such as this?" she asked as Gandalf walked towards the hall area where the dwarves had moved his beautiful fine table so as to fit them all comfortably. Without his permission, mind you. "And to drop such a meeting on an unsuspecting Halfling?"

"We await one other, then I shall explain to you, my dear," Gandalf replied, taking a seat and accepting a plate of food that Balin offered.

oOOo

Valisilwen ate a small amount, with care, not wanting to add to the Hobbits already frayed nerves. She kept to herself, leant against a wall with her plate in her hands as she ate, while the dwarves and wizard were noisy and caused such a mess at the table. When she had finished she put her stern atop her plate and moved to put it in the kitchen, but Bilbo hurried to her side from his seat off to the side.

"Allow me," he offered, quickly taking the plate from her. She raised an eyebrow but gave a grateful nod as he hurried back to the kitchen.

"Need a hand?" the blonde dwarf, Ori asked, not leaving the table. Valisilwen raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh well, I certainly wouldn't mind," Bilbo replied gratefully. Ori started moving towards the kitchen while Kili and Fili, two young brothers, began collecting plates and throwing them to Ori. The other young dwarves joined in.

Bilbo's face showed how horrified he was. "Can-Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"

"Oh, did you hear that, lads?" one of the dwarves said. "He says we'll blunt the knives." Valisilwen looked at Gandalf, to see if he would intervene. He was obviously known by this company of dwarves, surely he would see to it that they corrected their behaviour.

She was shocked to see Gandalf smiling as he smoked his weed pipe.

Blunt the knives, bend the forks

Smash the bottles and burn the corks

Chip the glasses and crack the plates

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates

Cut the cloth, tread on the fat

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat

Pour the milk on the pantry floor

Splash the wine on every door

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl

Pound them up with a thumping pole

When your finished if they are whole

Send them down the hall to roll

They sang as they continued to throw around Bilbo's flatware and crockery. It was all chaos to Valisilwen, she narrowed her eyes at Gandalf, causing him to clear his throat but he looked away.

She moved forward from her place against the wall suddenly, although hunched over due to the low ceiling, it was enough to attract the attention of every dwarf in the room.

"Enough!" They stopped what they were doing. "That is quite enough of that."

The dwarves started returning to their seats having completed the cleaning up, much to Valisilwen's surprise, without so much as a dropped knife. There was a sudden and loud knock on the door.

"He is here..." Gandalf said gravely.

The front door was opened to reveal a solemn looking dwarf. He had dark hair with grey eyes, they seemed cold as ice to Valisilwen. He was rugged and his face showed that he had seen much in his time, that much she could tell. She could also tell that he was somewhat arrogant, in the way he stood.

He looked to Gandalf, a smirk on his face. "Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way twice. Wouldn't have found it at all if it had not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?" Bilbo said in concern. "There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark, I put it there myself," Gandalf informed the Halfling. Bilbo looked at the door, thoroughly confused. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin looked at the Hobbit sceptically. "So this is the Hobbit? Tell me, Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" Bilbo replied, looking between Gandalf and Thorin with confusion writ on his face. This did not bode well to Valisilwen.

"Axe or sword? What is your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked.

"Well," Bilbo began thoughtfully. "I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know." Thorin looked from the Hobbit to Gandalf. "But I fail to see why that is relevant at this moment."

Thorin smirked. "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Everyone laughed at Thorin's words, all except Valisilwen who scoffed.

She caught Thorin's attention then. His eyes went wide when he noticed her and took a step towards her. "And who might you be, my lady?" he asked.

She cringed immediately. She hated being addressed so, all her life she had dealt with such a title although she knew it was not something she was entitled to.

"This is Valisilwen, a Ranger of the North. She will be joining you on your journey," Gandalf introduced.

Valisilwen raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her. "I've made no such agreement, Gandalf. I do not just offer my services to anybody." Thorin stared at her.

"Thorin is certainly not just 'anybody'," one of the dwarves spoke up. Valisilwen looked to the dwarf who had spoke, it was the older looking one, his hair of grey and calm brown eyes looked up at her with no malice or judgement. Just facts.

"Is that so, Balin, wasn't it? I'm afraid until further notice, to me, he is."

"We don't need a Ranger on this journey," Thorin sneered, not taking his eyes off Valisilwen. "Especially not the likes of HER."

"I'm inclined to disagree, her skills could prove most useful to your company. She is well trained, well educated and strong."

"For a woman perhaps, but she could not stand to the strength of any dwarf man," sneered Dwalin. Valisilwen looked to the bald dwarf and narrowed her eyes. He showed no regret to what he said. She would remember that for later.

"Now, Thorin, think carefully about this," Gandalf began. "She will prove most useful in the journey ahead, she can speak many tongues as well as having much skill with any weapon you place upon her hands."

Dwalin scoffed, looking to his kinsmen, but no sooner had he looked to Thorin before he found himself pinned to the wall behind him by several throwing knives through his clothes. The dwarves all looked to Valisilwen, whose arms were still poised in the position from throwing the knives, although she still faced Thorin.

"Dear me, however did that happen?" she said straightening herself and finally looking at Dwalin.

"Why you-!"

"ENOUGH!" Thorin shouted. He looked from Dwalin to Gandalf and then to Valisilwen. "Very well, my lady, we would welcome you on this journey if you would wish to join us."

Valisilwen looked skeptically from Thorin, to Dwalin who was struggling to remove the throwing knives, to Gandalf who looked at her expectantly and then to Bilbo. Poor innocent Bilbo. Gandalf had dragged him into this for god knows what reason, but she felt at the very least she should join the journey for his sake alone, her intuition told her he had something very important to do in the world.

She gave a simple nod, before folding her arms across her chest.

How's that? First chapter...woot!

Sorry, I ate a lot of sugar this morning.

xo

Krayzee