Knocking.
Dwarves enter the room.
Bilbo is running around like a mad man fetching food and wine.
Why is one fat?
Why is there… Is that a wizard? Gandalf?
Singing. More singing.
A cranky dwarf. Son of… whom?
Adventure.
Contract.
Ponies.
Trolls.
I jolt up out of bed. "Oh, just another vision." I say quietly to myself.
One thing you should know about me. I see things. I see the future. Sometimes my visions are about me, but recently they've been about my friend, Bilbo and these dwarves. It's always the same dwarves too, not different dwarves. This is weird.
I can't wait to see Bilbo! We've known each other for our whole lives and still remain friends. Today is the day of the reunion we always have each and every year. We usually drink wine and eat the day away, and then at night we dance around his living room. It's always a fun night. One time, I was too drunk and tired to go home so I slept on his couch. Today is different though. Every since I saw him last I've been having these feelings; it's some sort of longing and it pulls at my heart. I plan to tell this to Bilbo tonight in hopes of figuring out what it means. My friends say it's love, but I don't think so.
As I near Bilbo's house, I see someone coming out of his garden. He's definitely not a hobbit, that's for sure. He bows and says 'morning' as we pass. It's odd. Nobody usually comes up who's not a hobbit. I certainly hope Bilbo's all right.
"Hey, Bilbo!" I call to him as I knock on his door.
"Go away!" He replies. "I don't want your kind here!"
"Bilbo, I'm offended. But if you don't want to have that reunion then go on ahead and be grouchy." I turn around to leave when the door opens suddenly.
"Oh, it's you Isabel." Bilbo sighs in relief. "I thought you were that wizard. He's really creeping me out."
"What wizard?" I ask confused.
"Gandalf. You know, the one who created fireworks?"
"That was the man I passed on the way here?"
"You passed Gandalf?"
"Yes. He was very polite."
"Oh. Well, welcome to my home!"
"Thank you Bilbo." I bow slightly earning a bow from him.
"So, how was your journey?" Bilbo asks when we finally sit down to eat dinner.
"Peaceful." I reply.
"That's nice." He says before there's a knock at the door.
"Now, who could that be?" I mumble to myself.
I hear some mumbling from Bilbo and somebody who I believe to be at the door. Then I hear some footsteps and a dwarf steps into the kitchen where I sit.
He is taller than me, but still short. His moustache curves and ends at the base of his neck. His black beard is about the same length. He also has the most interesting tattoo on the top of his head. Fur and tough leather cover his body and axes hand on his back.
"Oi! Who is this?" The dwarf says as he steps into the room.
"I'm…" I start, but Bilbo who seems very angry that someone is in his house soon interrupts me.
"You leave her alone and get out of my house!" Bilbo shouts as calmly as he can.
"I asked the lady a question. Now," He turns to me, "What is your name?"
"I'm Isabel." I say quietly and calmly.
"Pleasure to meet you, Isabel. Dwalin, at your service." He bows. I let out a giggle.
The door knocks again. "Who could this be?" Bilbo says. It's more of a statement than a question.
"Hmm. It's probably Balin." Says Dwalin when Bilbo leaves.
"No! No more!" I hear Bilbo yell. Footsteps follow and another dwarf enters the room. This dwarf is older. His white beard is chest length and he too has fur and metal covering his body.
"Balin!" Dwalin calls.
"Hello, Dwalin." Balin replies. He points to Bilbo. "This must be our host."
"Yes. And this is his wife, Isabel." Dwalin motions to me.
"Oh, I'm not his wife. I'm just a friend. We have a reunion every year." I say.
"So, you aren't married?" Balin says.
"Yes. We're just friends." Bilbo says.
"Ahh." Both dwarves say. There's another knock on the door. "Not again!"
Two dwarves enter the room a minute later. "Oh, I'm Fili." Says the blonde haired one.
"And I'm his brother, Kili." Says the other who is not blonde.
"Isabel." I say to them.
"Fili and Kili at your service." They bow to me then turn to the other dwarves. More knocks at the door.
"No one's home!" Bilbo calls angrily to the door. I walk into the hallway just as Bilbo opens the door and a pile of dwarves collapse on the floor.
"What is going on in here?" I say astonished.
"Dwarves!" Bilbo says. I think he is unable to say anymore than 'dwarves'.
"Well, we made it." Says a tall figure that I think I recognize.
"Gandalf." Bilbo says quietly.
"Hello Mr. Bilbo." Says Gandalf. "Who is this?"
"This is my friend, Isabel Winktaught." Bilbo says. All the dwarves are up and heading to the pantry and the dining room. "Hey! Come back here! You all aren't welcome here."
Bilbo runs and tries to salvage what is in his pantry. I find Gandalf in the middle of the hallway counting the dwarves that pass by. "Hello." I say shyly. "I do believe we haven't met."
"We've met before, Isabel Winktaught." Gandalf says to me.
"We did pass on the road today."
"Yes. Does that not count as meeting?"
"I guess it does, but we haven't been introduced."
"That we have." He replies.
"Uh, can I ask why all the dwarves are here?"
"Yes." He is still counting dwarves. Then mumbles, "We're missing one."
"Missing who?"
"Thorin." He walks away.
I stand there confused for a second or two before someone, I assume is a dwarf, comes up behind me. "Hello, Isabel."
"Ahh!" I say shocked. "You're Kili, right?"
"Yes." He answers.
"Uh, are you just going to stand there?" I ask cautiously. He seems to be staring at me and daydreaming or thinking about something.
"Oh, sorry." He says when he finally surfaces. "I was just thinking…" He stops.
"Thinking what?" I ask.
"You're just so pretty with your strait black hair…" He seems to go under again.
"Uh, thanks." I say.
"Your welcome." He walks away.
"Sorry about my brother." I turn and find its Fili.
"Oh, it's okay." I say, waving it off.
"Yeah, whenever he's around a woman, he goes into this daydream thing. It's annoying after awhile."
"I'll get used to it." I say as I walk to the table with all the dwarves and Gandalf.
Another knock is on the door and Gandalf goes and answers this time. When he returns a dwarf is besides him. This particular dwarf does not look happy and looks ill-tempered.
"Bilbo Baggins, Isabel Winktaught, this is Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf says while motioning to the dwarf next to him.
"So this is our 'burglar'?" says the bad-attitude dwarf motioning to me.
"I'm not a burglar." I say to him.
"No, not her. Bilbo." Gandalf says.
"That makes more sense. We can't have a girl stealing stuff for us." Thorin says. At this I stand and my chair falls backwards.
"Excuse me! I can steal as well as any man can!" I shout. He doesn't move.
"You sure? Last time I saw a woman try to do a man's job she disabled herself." He says calmly.
"Liar! You've never seen a woman do a man's job." I seethe. He smiles slyly.
"Hey now!" Bilbo says getting between us. "Be nice."
"Yes." Gandalf agrees. "Thorin, you asked me to find you a 14th person and I found one."
"But a hobbit, Gandalf?" Thorin questions.
"Yes. Hobbits are light on their feet, perfect for burglary." Gandalf states.
Thorin growls. "Fine! He can join but I'm not responsible for his safety!"
"Agreeable." Gandalf says calmly.
"Can I come?" I ask. The room goes quiet. I don't know why I said it, I just want to go on an adventure. If Bilbo can go on one, then why can't I?
"No." Thorin says firmly. "You're a woman. There is no place for women where we're going."
"So? Just because I'm a woman means nothing." I say defiantly.
"No. No means no, Isabel." Thorin lost his air of calmness.
"I'm going if Bilbo's going."
"No!" Thorin takes a step towards me and reaches for me.
"Stop, Thorin!" Gandalf says before Thorin can get his hands on me.
"She can't come, Gandalf." Thorin shouts.
"You should take a vote." Gandalf says, again, calmly.
"I'm in charge of this mission. My word goes."
"I say she comes. I'll be responsible for her." I see Kili stand.
"No! I will not allow a dwarf to take care of her!"
"I say she comes too." Fili stands next to his brother.
"And I." I don't see who stands, but whoever said it is followed by more voices in agreement. I raise an eyebrow at Thorin.
"Fine!" He gives in. "She's only coming if Bilbo agrees and Kili, you're responsible for her." Thorin stomps out of the room.
Bilbo pulls me into a corner. "I won't go if you're going to be in danger."
"You weren't planning on going anyways." I retort.
"Yeah, but if it harms you, I won't go."
"It'll harm me if you don't. All my life I've been dying for adventure and adventure has finally come knocking!"
"I won't do it." He says firmly.
"Then I'll run away and follow them." I raise my head in defiance.
"No. I'll tie you to the bed."
"Bilbo, I'm old enough to make my own decisions."
He pauses. "I'll think about it. If it'll make you happy to go, then I'll think about it."
"Oh, thank you Bilbo!" I pull him into a tight hug.
"Yeah, yeah. Now could you let go? The dwarves are staring." He was indeed right. When I let go, I found 12 pairs of eyes staring, some very intently.
That night, Thorin and the dwarves sang after they overheard Bilbo disagreeing with Gandalf. He said he'd think about it. I already knew he was going to agree to it though. I have visions when I sleep which allow me to see the future. The one I had last night told me that Bilbo would go on a journey with the dwarves. It would be scary, but exciting. I wanted to go not just because of the excitement, but to protect Bilbo and the others with my gift. For now, though, none of them can know. It could put me in danger along with them, and I won't do that.
I won't let them suffer because I chose not to help them when I could have.