'Do you love me, Sindarin?' Antu inquired, smiling brightly, her eyes big and happy. She leaned back against the bar, both elbows resting behind her. Sindarin, without missing a beat, responded dryly, 'No. He pointed at a bottle of Fayberry wine, which Serenia, who had taken over at the bar, retrieved for him. Chapter 7: When Life Gives You Lemons Morning found me putting my hair up into a messy plait after a lovely long soak in my new bath which, along with everything else a good bathroom needed, had been hidden behind the door I'd seen last night.

Author’s Note – I’ve no idea where the wombat kennel even thought of this, but it spawned this rabid plot wombat that keeps gnawing on me. So I’m having to work on this one on top of everything else. Call of duty cold war error codes. You’d think my kennel would keep it down but no, it likes to torture me!

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This is AU and has gender bending. Yup, I’m flexing my writing muscles again to ensure I don’t get myself stuck on slash and yaoi all the time.One major detail here, I am completely spinning the story on its head. The hobbits of the Shire are backwards and treat their females poorly. You will NOT like the society; I’m warning you now. Just please keep reading because I think you might like it.Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit.” I don’t make money from this. Right now, I’m just trying to appease the wombats before they try to go at my ankles again!Chapter One – Choosing the BurglarThorin Oakenshield frowned as the wizard looked over the piece of paper he’d been given. The group had met in Bree to see what should be done about finding the fourteenth member of their company. The last thing he’d expected was for something to distract the wizard, and he was not liking it at all.“He doesn’t look pleased,” a voice near his elbow spoke as the dwarf set a tankard of ale in front of the displaced king.“No, Bofur, he doesn’t,” Thorin replied. “I hope this does not mean ill for our journey.”Before the hat wearing dwarf could respond, Gandalf approached the table and eyed the band of travelers. “I must speak quickly because I will need to retrieve the fourteenth member of your company,” he said, working a bit of magic to ensure their privacy. Once that was done, the elderly wizard took a seat and gestured for all of them to pay attention.“I spoke of adding a hobbit to the party because the dragon will not know the scent of one. Dwarves, men, and elves will be familiar to him, and a hobbit will be able to use that unfamiliarity to help you in this quest.“Hobbits are typically an uncomplicated people, but they tend to be rather backwards in regards to different things. They rarely leave their home and when they do, the journeys are short ones to see what lies beyond the borders of their green home. There are even fewer that will go beyond those limits.”“How few,” Thorin asked, a sense of dread curling in his stomach.“I knew of one, and she was a dear friend of mine. Women are treated as possessions in the Shire, which made Belladonna an outcast because she refused to accept the traditions of her society. It took a singular hobbit many years to convince her that he would never see or treat her like a possession. Eventually, they became rather happy in their marriage.”Gandalf ran a hand over his face, looking older than usual.“They had one child, a daughter. Belladonna passed during the Fell Winter, but Bungo survived to raise their child. He refused to remarry as his family urged as they wanted him to sire a male child to inherit his holdings.”“Daughters aren’t allowed to inherit there,” Balin asked, looking sickened.“No, if a father passes on, his female offspring are sent to live with family members until they are sent to their marriage bed or wind up living as caretakers for their guardians’ children. A lot of the women wither, spirits broken or worse. Being an orphaned female is not a good thing,” he told them. “I just received word that Bungo is dying, and he wishes to see me. If I know him as well as I think I do, then he will be pressing me to take his only child with me. I also promised her mother that I would ensure a better future for her daughter.”“How old is his child,” Thorin asked, a thought rising in his mind.“She came of age this spring,” he answered. “I saw her during her coming of age party, and she is full of spirit and intelligence. Her father managed to help her education along as much as he could, and he takes pride in her. Truly, I believe he is the only male hobbit that views his womenfolk as a person and not a possession.”“Given what you know, will she fight to survive in the wild?”Blue eyes met the darker blue of the king and held. The grave sincerity in the Istar’s voice told the son of Durin that he was speaking the truth.“She is a fighter and is willing to learn when given a teacher who is willing to teach. My last conversation with them, I did find she had a few wilderness skills taught her by her mother and father during various rambles they took when she was younger,” Gandalf answered. “Regardless of what you decide, Thorin Oakenshield, I cannot allow her to stay there, even if it means taking her to a safe haven and joining you afterwards.”“I would speak with her father first,” he said to the wizard. “I shall accompany you to the Shire.”“One important detail I must speak of before we depart,” the Istari said. “I know of the dwarven custom to share bedrolls for comfort. No one must ever approach Miss Baggins to seek physical intimacy. Am I understood? This is a taboo for their society.”“She will be left alone,” Dwalin agreed as Thorin rose. “We shall wait for you here.”The dwarf nodded and was accompanied by Gandalf out to the stables to get their mounts. It would be a long, hard ride to the Shire, and Thorin could feel the wizard’s anxiety.It was nightfall and raining when they reached the smial called Bag End, and both males quickly tied their mounts to the fence. Thorin followed Gandalf to the round door, waiting after the taller man knocked on the door.Moments later, the door opened and the king could see the small figure of a hobbit female standing in the entryway.“Gandalf! Oh thank goodness you’re here! Papa was worried you would not make it in time.”“I’m here, my dear,” he said, entering the home and ducking out of the way of a chandelier. “The message reached me before it was too late.”“Please, hang your cloaks here and follow me. I’ll make you some tea while you see Papa,” the lass told them, gesturing to the hooks by the door.Thorin hung his cloak, then followed the pair as the lass led them through a hallway before stopping at a door. She knocked once before opening it, voice soft as she called out to the hobbit within.“Papa, Gandalf is here,” she said to him.“Thank the Valar,” a weak voice replied. “Come in, please.”Gandalf entered the room with Thorin behind him. As the wizard moved to his friend’s side, the monarch took a seat and examined the scene.The hobbit in the bed was suffering from what looked to be a long term illness, and the man did not look as if he had long. Somehow, he had the impression that the master of the smial had been holding off death until the wizard’s arrival. Thorin said nothing, watching and listening to the conversation.“I’m here, Bungo,” Gandalf said, sitting at the stool beside the bed. “You sent for me?”“I did,” the dying hobbit answered his friend in a frail voice. “I want you to hold to the promise you made to Belladonna, Gandalf. You must take her with you; she cannot remain here.”“Belladonna said it would be bad if something happened to you, my friend, but has it truly come to this?”“There’s talk of marrying her to the son of one of my cousins, who would break my daughter’s spirit, or she would be forced to become a servant in the home she grew up in. I would not have that for my only child, Gandalf. The Baggins family will hold her guardianship once I am gone, and they have never forgiven me for marrying Belladonna nor for not remarrying after I lost her. They will not have her happiness and well-being in mind.”“Surely they would need her consent before marrying her off,” Thorin asked, feeling rather disgusted by what he was hearing.“I’m afraid not, master dwarf,” Bungo answered, sounding both tired and angry by what he had to do to ensure his only child’s happiness. “In this land, a woman’s consent is not asked for. She is sent to her marriage bed as soon as her father and future husband work out the terms for a dowry. My daughter will face that fate if she not taken from here.”A cup of tea was handed to the monarch by the lass, and he watched her for a moment.“Your tea and some biscuits, master dwarf,” she said politely. “I apologize for not having something heartier prepared.”“I thank you for your kindness, young mistress,” he answered, watching her. “Will you answer a question for me, Miss Baggins?”“If I can,” she replied, handing Gandalf a larger mug of tea.“If a way is found for you to leave, would you take it,” Thorin asked, sipping the tea and allowing the hot liquid to warm him. It was a soothing blend that held just the right amount of sweetness, and he eagerly took another sip.“I would,” she admitted. “I want to see what’s out there, master dwarf. I want to walk the roads my mother walked, see what lies in the far corners of Arda. I’m not ready for a husband or family and when I do become ready, I want to be able to choose who it is I go to my marriage bed with.”“If you do this, you will not be able to return to the Shire,” Gandalf reminded her. “Can you accept that and be able to live with the consequences?”“A life outside the Shire means freedom,” she said to him. “When Papa is gone, I have no reason to want to return.”The wizard looked at Thorin, who nodded and rose from his seat. He walked to the bedside, looking down at the dying hobbit.“I cannot promise she will have an easy journey, Master Baggins,” he began. “Normally, I would ask for a member of my company to be able to defend themselves for the destination we are making for is one full of danger. However, I know she will be safer with us than if she remains here once your protection is gone.”“Who are you, master dwarf,” the elderly hobbit asked.“I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain,” he informed him, meeting hazel colored eyes. “Will you promise to watch over her, keep her as safe as you can, Master Thorin?”“I will, Master Baggins, though I cannot promise that she will not be in danger at times until we reach our destination.”“I understand,” he said, coughing for several long moments. “Then I place my daughter into the guardianship of both yourself and Gandalf the Gray. Tomorrow morning, a letter to her mother’s brothers as well as a letter to my own family will be sent per my instructions. In it, I assured them that I have found a guardian for my only daughter and they need not concern themselves about her. She must be out of the Shire before those letters reach their destination, gentlemen.”He gestured towards his daughter, who sat at the edge of the bed. Her eyes shone with tears she was holding back, and Thorin admired the effort she was making. This could not be easy for her.“I want you to go and pack, my little bunny,” he said to his child. “Make sure what you choose is warm and sturdy. Remember your mother’s lessons and make us both proud. I love you, child. Now go. Pack and leave this place, never look back.”She kissed his cheek, whispering in his ear before hurrying out of the room to obey her father’s last command. Once she was gone, the hobbit sighed and looked towards the other two in the chamber.“Adamanta Baggins is now in your hands; treat her well and kindly, protect her as you can. All I ask is that she has the freedom she so richly deserves.”“She will, my friend,” Gandalf said, watching as the hobbit closed his eyes. Bungo’s spirit slipped away, going into the Halls of Mandos, and the wizard rubbed at his face for a moment to collect himself.“I’ll pack what food is in the pantry that can survive a journey. No need to let it go to waste with those who do not deserve it,” he said, sounding angry.“I’ll check and see if the girl needs help packing,” Thorin replied, covering the body with a sheet before exiting the room. This was another burden of responsibility that he really didn’t need right now, but he kept picturing his sister in this position and knew he had to do the right thing here.The dwarf just hoped he wouldn’t regret this decision.End Note – I hope everyone likes this. It’s a bit out of the norm for me, even for gender bending so we’ll see how this goes. I read what I have written to my mom, and she was hounding me to find out what happens next. Let me know what you think please! See you next chapter, Laran.