Gandalf exhaled another puff of smoke and said to Arthur, "Do you remember the Trolls we encountered not long ago? Those three Trolls must have come south from the Ettenmoors in the north. When did these mountain Trolls dare to travel so far south? It hasn't happened in many years, not since the last time the dark forces were rampant."
Arthur, who had taken off his Blaidd, the Half-Wolf helmet, replied with a "How would I know?" expression: "I don't know as much about these things as you do, Gandalf. But I believe what you say, something bad is definitely happening. Just like David, if we hadn't stayed overnight, I'm afraid after the Trolls finished eating the sheep in his sheepfold and the chickens in his coop, it would have been his turn in a few days."
Gandalf took another puff of smoke and said, "So I must take this group of dwarves to Rivendell, and I also have things to discuss with Lord Elrond. I feel very uneasy, Arthur. Thorin has a bounty on his head in 'Black Speech,' Trolls are moving south, and now we've even found an entire army of orc warg riders here. I have a premonition; I fear that what I'm worried about is falling further and further in the direction of my anxieties, just like a dwarf mining cart derailing."
"dwarf mining carts never derail! If we can reclaim the Lonely Mountain, I'll show you what dwarf mining technology is like." Thorin's voice came from behind Arthur, clearly having heard Gandalf's words.
Gandalf saw Thorin and, thinking of their quarrel during the day, couldn't help but get a headache. He took another deep puff of smoke and said, "It's just a metaphor, Thorin. If you're unhappy with me using a dwarf mining cart as a metaphor, then I can change it to Elves' fallen trees. In short, I just want to express that something very serious is happening in a place we don't know about."
Thorin showed a faint smile on his face after hearing Gandalf change the metaphor: "Oh, Elves' fallen trees, that's a truly good metaphor, wizard."
Gandalf shook his head: "It would be even better if you didn't have hostility towards Elves, or if your dwarf compatriots, when chasing those orcs just now, could have left one alive for us to interrogate, to find out who brought this orc army here, coveting your head."
Thorin's expression changed slightly: "Army? Weren't these orcs here to attack the village?"
Gandalf gave Thorin an annoyed look and pointed his staff at the orc corpses: "You, who experienced the Battle of Moria, can you really not recognize the clothing on these orcs?"
Thorin took a few steps forward, clearly saw the armor on the orcs, and his face turned grim.
And Balin, a dwarf who had also experienced the Battle of Moria, seeing Thorin's grim face, quickly walked over.
He was worried that Thorin would argue with Gandalf again, as this expedition still needed the wizard's help.
However, when Balin saw the orc corpses, he also fell silent.
He and Thorin seemed to be transported back to that uncelebrated war, where countless comrades lay exposed in the wilderness, and the flames that burned their bodies after collection blazed for seven days and seven nights.
"The style of these Orcs' armor is only found on Azog's Orcs; I haven't seen it in many years," Balin said in a somber tone, returning from his memories to reality.
Thorin nodded silently.
After hearing Balin's words, Gandalf said, "Yes, Azog, the Pale orc. Thorin, tell me, who else did you tell about this expedition?"
Thorin looked up, his eyes fixed on Gandalf, and replied seriously, "I assure you, I only told Arthur about this and invited him to join the expedition."
Arthur spoke up then, "No, there were also the dwarf representatives from the Seven Kingdoms."
Thorin, somewhat agitated, loudly said to Arthur, "Are you trying to say someone betrayed me? Even if it's you, if you dare to question the loyalty of my kin, I will be unhappy, Arthur."
Arthur raised his hand, signaling Thorin not to get agitated, and said in a gentle tone, "I'm not saying someone betrayed you, but we can't guarantee that those dwarves, if they got drunk, might not have blurted out your plan and been overheard by someone with ill intentions. After all, not everyone living in the Blue Mountains is a dwarf, right?"
Balin also soothed Thorin at this moment, whispering in his ear, "Thorin, calm down, Arthur would never question the dwarves' loyalty."
The agitation in Thorin's eyes gradually faded, and he seemed to realize what he had just done.
His gray-blue eyes trembled slightly, and he showed a look of guilt, saying to Arthur in a dry voice, "I'm sorry, Arthur, I didn't mean that. It's because I thought of Azog… I'm sorry…"
Thorin's voice deepened, and then he faced Gandalf and said, "And Gandalf, I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you during the day. You didn't have to keep the key and map for my father, but you still did."
Gandalf looked at Thorin and sighed, asking, "So, will you obediently come with me to Rivendell now?"
Then Thorin closed his mouth, turned his back to Gandalf, leaving Gandalf sitting on the warg's corpse, huffing and puffing.
"Damn dwarf stubbornness!"
Gandalf muttered.
Arthur walked over, gently patted Thorin's shoulder, and gave him a reassuring smile.
Then Arthur said to Balin, who looked worried beside him, "Balin, take Thorin back to rest first. It's getting late, otherwise it will affect our journey tomorrow."
Balin nodded quickly and, pulling Thorin's arm, left.
Gandalf watched Thorin and Balin leave, took another puff of smoke and exhaled it, then asked Arthur, "You've seen Thorin's stubbornness, it's simply incurable. Even at this point, he's still sulking with the Elves in his imagination. How can you convince him, Arthur?"
Arthur also showed a pained expression: "Actually, tonight I saw Thorin go out alone during dinner, and I followed him, wanting to talk to him about this. I felt like I almost knew why Thorin was hostile towards Elves, and was just about to convince him. But the sudden appearance of the warg scouts interrupted my conversation with Thorin, and it will probably be difficult to find such a good opportunity next time."
Gandalf also stood up at this moment and walked back, leaning on his staff.
Arthur asked, "Gandalf, where are you going?"
Gandalf said without looking back, "Of course I'm going to sleep! If I don't sleep soon, I'm afraid the dwarves will make me unable to sleep from anger!"
Early the next morning, the hazy morning light pierced through the thin mist, shining on Arthur, Thorin, and the others who were already awake.
Because of last night, Thorin realized that his journey to the Lonely Mountain was not safe, so he set off early in the morning.
For this, he even refused the village chief's warm invitation to host them for a few days.
Bilbo yawned, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
He hadn't slept well yesterday, worrying all night whether the orcs would return, even though Arthur had very confidently told him that the orcs would not come back to the village, it didn't alleviate Bilbo's anxiety.
The dwarves, however, had no such psychological burden. Except for Oin and Gloin, the two brothers responsible for night watch, the other dwarves slept soundly, their snores rising and falling, as if they were not the ones who had chased orcs last night.
Well, the dwarves' snoring was also one of the reasons Bilbo couldn't sleep peacefully.
After all, even when he was in the wild before, Bilbo always slept in his own tent.
"Hey, wake up, we're leaving."
Bofur reached out and waved his hand in front of Bilbo's almost-closed eyes, then pressed on the hobbit's shoulder and shook him, only then did Bilbo manage to open his eyes.
"Hahahaha."
The dwarves laughed at the hobbit's appearance, except for Thorin.
Thorin's expression was very calm at this moment, as if nothing had happened last night.
He first glanced at Bilbo, then his peripheral vision caught Arthur and Gandalf, before he loudly said, "Let's go."
Bilbo yawned and asked, "Shouldn't we say goodbye to David?"
Bofur said, "No need, they're still sleeping. Thorin means to leave while everyone in the village is still asleep."
Bilbo could only nod. As he rode his pony, he asked, "Alright, but it's also thanks to you all for being able to get up so early after drinking so much ale last night. I thought you'd sleep until noon."
Bombur burped and said, "That much liquor isn't even enough for me alone. Don't underestimate the dwarves' tolerance for alcohol. Last night's drinks were just an appetizer at most."
Bilbo looked at Bombur with disbelief, then Bofur smiled and said, "Don't listen to Bombur's nonsense. His drinking capacity is rare even among us dwarves. But last night's drinks were indeed not enough to give us dwarves a hangover. What's with that expression, Bilbo?"
Bofur asked curiously when he saw Bilbo's look of lingering fear.
Bilbo patted his chest: "Because I thought about how, when you were at Bag End, you ate a lot of food but didn't drink too much of my wine. In a way, shouldn't I thank you?"
Bofur shrugged: "Oh, if you insist on thanking us, we're not unwilling to accept. I hope next time we come to your house, you'll have enough liquor ready so you can know what a dwarf's drinking capacity is."
Arthur heard Bilbo and Bofur's mutual teasing and jesting, and he grinned, letting out a silent laugh.
However, upon seeing Gandalf's troubled expression, he immediately returned to normal.
Gandalf looked at Arthur and said, "It's alright, you don't need to mind me."
Arthur pouted and said, "But your expression is really hard not to mind."
Gandalf sighed: "Because I'm racking my brains trying to persuade Thorin, Arthur. If you were in my position and clearly understood the stubbornness of dwarves, your expression would be the same as mine."
Millison's voice came, and she softly comforted the seemingly old wizard: "Master Gandalf, please trust Arthur. He will definitely be able to convince Thorin to go to Rivendell."
Arthur and Thorin's company continued their journey to the Lonely Mountain. Over the next few days, they were fortunate not to encounter the rainy weather again.
But as the end of the year drew closer, the climate grew colder and colder. The bitter cold, like a ruthless monarch, quietly descended.
When they left David's village, they could still see some green along the way.
Now, however, the cold wind of winter, like a sharp blade, swept across every inch of land, eroding the last vestiges of green into a withered yellow.
The dwarves had also changed into their winter cold-weather clothes, bundling themselves up in thick cotton padded jackets.
But Bilbo could only wrap himself tightly in his three layers of autumn clothing. Although he was already dressed very bulky, the chill of winter still seeped in through his collar and cuffs.
"Achoo!"
Bilbo sneezed, rubbing his hands, trying to get some warmth.
Arthur saw Bilbo's appearance and said with concern, "You need a winter coat, Bilbo. No matter how many layers of autumn clothes you wear, they won't keep you warm."
Bilbo looked embarrassed. He rubbed his nose, which was red from the cold, and said, "I know, but I didn't expect winter outside to be so cold, so I only brought clothes without fleece. I should have brought my gloves too; that would have made it even warmer."
After all, the books he read didn't tell him that winter temperatures in other places were much lower than in Hobbiton, which caught the hobbit off guard.
Then he asked somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, Master Arthur, I mean, can you use that sorcery you used in the rain on me again?"
Arthur nodded, and the next moment a holy mark appeared in his hand: "I can, but the Prayers will only last for a while. You'll still need a winter coat to solve this problem."
"Wait, Master Arthur, hold on! The winter coat is here!" Bofur's voice came from ahead.
He rode his pony, wearing a felt cap, and holding a clean, dark green fleece-lined winter coat in his arms, he reached Arthur and Bilbo.
Bilbo eagerly reached out to take the winter coat, then with the help of Arthur and Bofur, he put on the winter coat while on horseback, letting out a long sigh: "This is much better now, thank you, Bofur."
Bofur, however, smiled and shook his head, raising his hand and pointing his thumb behind him, saying, "This isn't my winter coat, and I didn't bring a second one. If you want to thank someone, thank Thorin. He saw that you didn't bring a winter coat and gave you one of his spares. His exact words were: 'We can't have our master burglar collapsing from the cold.'"
Bilbo was stunned, then he looked down carefully and realized that the dark green winter coat had the Durin royal crest on its sleeve cuffs.
He looked up and saw Thorin's calm gaze fixed on him. After a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand and waved it as a gesture of thanks.
Arthur smiled: "It seems our dwarf leader cares a great deal about the burglar he hired, wouldn't you say, Gandalf?"
Gandalf said, "I've never doubted Thorin's kindness, but it would be even better if he would listen to my advice and go to Rivendell."
At this moment, a commotion arose at the front of the party. Thorin shouted loudly, "Someone is approaching quickly!"
Arthur frowned and looked over, seeing a somewhat hunched old man sitting on a sled, pulled by a group of huge wild rabbits.
When the old man saw Arthur and Thorin's company, he seemed to have found his target and immediately changed direction, rushing over on his sled-like contraption.
Just as Arthur instinctively reached for his weapon, Gandalf's voice echoed throughout the entire company.
He said, "Don't get excited, that's my old friend, Radagast the Brown."
Thorin and the others in front then quieted down again.
Gandalf glanced at Arthur and said, "Come on, come with me to meet my old friend, let me introduce you to him. Although I'm not sure why he's not staying in his forest and instead came all this way to find us."