Chapter Six - Missing Hobbits 

It had been over a couple hours since they had turned west upon the East Road. Paladin sat pensively in the back of the cart with his knees drawn up, staring at the eastern horizon as Michel Delving dwindled behind them. Not many hobbits went yonder west; only Elves, Men, and Dwarves ventured much further. The immensity of what they were doing hit the young lad between the eyes.

Every now and then Adelard would glance into the back of the cart from where he was sitting in the passenger’s seat. He noticed his cousin had grown rather quiet the past hour. With a nod to Bilbo, Adelard climbed over the seat and into the back of the cart.

“Addie!” Paladin saw his friend climbing over the neatly arranged food sacks. “Careful you don’t smash the bread.” He watched as his cousin caught his foot onto the rope that crisscrossed, falling headfirst towards the edge of the cart. Paladin caught onto his cousin’s braces and held him fast just before he met the back edge. Keeping a death-grip onto Addie’s braces while he recovered, Paladin closed his eyes and swallowed hard, “Are you all right?”

Adelard breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m fine,” he said, carefully sitting up next to Paladin he added. “How ‘bout you?”

“Same.” Paladin could not forget his apprehension of mere seconds ago. He had never been out of the Shire before in his life, and now he was about to embark on a…adventure! And yes, he was a very frightened tween-ager right now, but he would remain calm and brave for the sake of his dearest uncle.

For his part, Bilbo saw the near miss in the back of the cart. He brought the ponies to the side of the road and stopped. What have I done in bringing these young lads on this journey? Laying aside the reins on the passenger seat, he said more aloud and calmly, “Why don’t we take a bit of a rest, eh?”

“We can’t, Bilbo,” said Adelard. “Not just yet--they’ll be looking for us for sure as soon as they find out Uncle Isengar is missing.”

“He’s right, Bilbo,” Paladin agreed, “We can’t stop until we’re out of the Shire.”

Bilbo turned back round in the driver’s seat, “I only hope the ruse you lads concocted holds them off.”

~ ~ ~

Without so much as a knock, Bart--Isengar’s attendant--opened the door with some difficulty, letting himself into the widower’s quarters. “Hullo, there, Isengar,” he cooed, holding a tray laden with a plateful of food, “Gorbin tells me you haven’t eaten your lunch. Perhaps when you smell the delicious cakes he’s made for your tea…” It was then that Bart become aware that the old hobbit had not addressed him in his usual way. “Isengar?” He turned to the lump in the bed and saw not Isengar, but instead the fuzzy brown mat that Isengar would use to keep his feet warm under the desk. He quickly turned his attention to underneath the desk; no hobbit. He looked again around the room, opening the wardrobe and then walking out to the sitting room looking behind the furniture. He shouted to the top of his lungs, “Isengar!”

~ ~ ~

“Adal,” Flambard found his cousin in the dining room taking tea with Astora and Opal. “I’m sorry to disturb you during tea, but have you seen my son?”

“Why yes,” Adalgrim answered, “my Paladin went off with Addie to go camping with that cousin Bilbo character. Why do you ask?”

“He went off with Bilbo?” Flambard scratched his head. “He couldn’t have--he’s still on punishment for the ‘goose feather’ incident last week. He knows better than to disobey me.”

“Still on punishment?” Adalgrim rubbed his temples; he felt a headache coming on. Paladin had not been implicated in the goose-feather episode, but Adalgrim had little doubt that his son took part in it--and now both lads were nowhere to be found. “I take it that you did not give him permission to go camping then?”

“I did not,” his cousin answered.

“Now Adal,” Astora tried to play advocate for her only boy, “I’m certain there’s been a mistake.”

“Mistake my eye!” Adalgrim got up and threw his napkin down on the chair. “For as much work as that lad puts out, one should think that he would put forth as much effort to stay out of trouble.”

Adalgrim and Flambard were on their way to find Esmeralda. If anyone would know the whereabouts of Paladin and Addie it would be his youngest daughter, Esmeralda--a mere three years younger than her brother. Both hobbits stormed down the hallway towards the guestrooms. Opening the door to his family suite, Adalgrim found it empty. “Esmeralda?…Essie?”

“Adal!” The hobbits peeked out into the hallway to see who was calling out. They spotted Sigismond at the far end of the hallway near the Main Tunnel. “Come quickly! Fortinbras has Saradoc and Esmeralda cornered in the common room asking them questions!”

Thain or not--nobody questioned his children without his leave. Adalgrim headed straightaway for the common room with Flambard on his heels.

~ ~ ~

“Careful now!” Bilbo helped the younger lads carry the bulky sack off of the cart and lower it to the ground. Paladin quickly unraveled the cord that tied up the sack. He and Adelard peeled downward until the sack revealed its contents…Uncle Isengar.

“Hullo, lads!” Isengar took the offered hand of Adelard to stand up and step out of the sack. Both Paladin and Adelard were delighted to see their uncle smiling again. “Do you see them yet?”

“Not yet, Uncle,” Adelard answered up, peering the long distance east-ways down the road. “Perhaps after a bite to eat we can ride a little more; at least until we know for certain that no one is following us.” The small group of hobbits decided to rest here on the border of the Shire; another fifty feet or so they would be in the Outlands.

“I do want you lads to know how much I am grateful for your assistance in getting this far,” said Isengar. He looked around the back of the cart. “Where are your ponies?” he asked. “Why did you not bring them?”

Adelard was bemused, “Why would we bring our ponies, Uncle?”

“So you lads can ride back together to Great Smials.”

“Why would I want to ride back to Great Smials?” Adelard asked.

“So that Flam and Adal won’t worry after their boys,” Isengar replied.

Paladin stepped forward, “They won’t worry, Uncle--I’ve left them all a note with Essie.”

“What did you tell them?” Adelard asked, now growing anxious.

“Not much,” Paladin put his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling like an admonished schoolboy. “Only that we went camping with Bilbo…” Adelard closed his eyes in relief. Then Paladin added further, “then to escort Uncle Isengar on to the Tower Hills to look at the sea again.” He grimaced to see his friend’s facial expression.

“You--you’re mad!” Adelard began to pace the road. “I won’t be allowed out of my room for the next four years! I’m still on punishment for your ingenious goose-feather trick.”

“Well what did you expect me to say? I’ve already deceived my father in our journey here!”

“I’m tired of taking punishments for you, Paladin Took!”

“You’re jealous because I wasn’t the one who got caught!”

The tweens were soon locked in battle. Being that Adelard had five years on his young cousin, he also had the added weight to back him up. Paladin was trapped beneath the elder tween but was rescued when Bilbo and Isengar pulled them apart. Firmly scolded for their childish behavior, Isengar instructed them to sit inside the back of the wagon until he and Bilbo could figure out their next course of action.

While the elder hobbits were talking off to the side in a low volume, Adelard leaned over to his cousin, “Do you think it worked?”

Paladin looked incredulous at Adelard, “What worked? And don’t talk to me, you cow chip!”

“It was a ruse, Paladin! I thought you knew,” his cousin replied, “I thought you saw my ‘look’.”

“The only ‘look’ I saw was one of vengeance before you squished me to the ground.”

“Paladin,” Adelard implored, “I also left a note, but I’m afraid it will only help matters in my staying indoors for the next four years. I only started that argument so that they would think we were too angry to travel back together and wouldn’t send us back.”

“How can they send us back, Addie? We don’t have any ponies--and I, for one, am not willing to walk fifty miles back home.”

“You speak for me, too, Paladin, but I have a feeling they won’t want to take a couple tweens outside of the Shire, either.”

“They have no choice now, Addie--look!”

In the distant fields, a cloud of brown dust rose up behind a rider coming towards them. Paladin’s hair raised on the back of his neck. “Bilbo! Uncle!” he cried, “We must ride--now!”

Never thinking he’d have to use it, Bilbo unsheathed Sting from its scabbard, showing only a trace of blue. Faint or not, Bilbo helped Isengar into the cart. He hoisted himself up and then quickly slapped the reins, “Ha!” The ponies took off west on the road, churning up dry earth behind them. Paladin ventured a peek between the sacks of food to discover the menacing rider was gaining on them--fast. Just as he was about to despair, Paladin saw another, larger cloud of dust trailing the threatening force who was chasing them. Curiosity got the better of him, so he kept his eye focused on all the riders.

There were four riders on horses that were chasing the one. As the one got within his sights, Paladin did not like the looks of that character. He had a sense that this was a malevolent being, as his hairs stood on end again. Just then, the cart hit a rut that sent Paladin helplessly bouncing and sliding towards the back edge of the cart.

“Hold on!” Adelard grabbed for his cousin, catching him just before he went over, then struggled to heave his friend back into the safety of the cart. Thinking quickly, Paladin then untied the top of one sack, pulling out a couple of good-sized apples. Adelard held onto the backside of his cousin’s breeches as Paladin threw an apple at the sinister-looking figure. The tween saw it hit its mark, but still threw the second apple for good measure. Though neither apple took the evil rider out of his saddle, they did manage to slow him down some.

Two of the four riders advanced; one pulled out a bow and shot the dark figure with an arrow. Paladin distinctly heard one of the riders call out for Bilbo to stop, then felt the cart and ponies slow down and gradually come to a complete halt. Paladin and Adelard remained hidden among the sacks of provisions.