I
An Unexpected Member

I grabbed my lilac woven cloak, and ran over to the table and fumbled after a piece of paper; I just found a old note but that really didn't matter right now, so I just turn the paper and scribble a fast explanation for my mother and my older brother; and just like that I hurry after my uncle who just has left the house, not knowing what might come, or where this journey may lead.
I can see his grey cloak flying swiftly after him as he walks with determined steps towards the setting sun. I really make sure that I keep a little distance so he doesn't see me. But as it is growing dark I know that I am not that visible anymore and my uncle's eyesight isn't the best anymore.
The road is made out of small stones, so I didn't want to take the risk that he might hear me, so my steps lead me on the now wet grass. I look back one last time and look at my house, which is getting smaller and smaller and is at last not in my sight anymore as I turn a corner.
I walk for something that feels like hours. But everything I just focus on is staying away from the road, not being seen by my uncle and not focusing on the cold night air that blows. Just a few meters in front of me I could see his staff glowing in a dim blue light, it was a nice thing to focus on; just to look at it moving every time he took a step.
Just as I forced my eyes open, I could see the top of the sun peak out from over the small hill in front of us, and just like that I also saw that Gandalf had stopped. He turned around and I could hear him mutter, "Alicia, I know that you are there," I could feel my throat getting dry, "I thought you might turn around after the first two hours," I looked at the ground and took a deep breath and stepped out from the hiding spot behind the tree, "but I was wrong, why are you here, or may I correct myself, why didn't you just say that you wanted to come?" "I thought you wouldn't allow it," was the only words that could escape my mouth, "and with that you are quite right, I wouldn't have allowed it," his eyes tried to catch mine, he looked really serious, "and whether I had allowed it, I can see that you would have followed me,- but enough of this, we don't have time to turn around and spill one more turn of the sun, and I can't let you go alone, because who knows that you actually would go home, and wouldn't just follow me again, so come on you fool, you can come with me this time," a smile broke his lips apart and he stretched one arm out to greet me to his side.

We walked for another two suns to rise and to set again. The dark was taken over these grass-covered hills, and if I wasn't mistaken I could see small windows in some of these hills. "What is this place, uncle?" I asked him curiously pointing at the small windows and doors, "this Alicia is a place called The Shire, this is the home of the hobbits?" I wrinkled my nose, "hobbits, what are these creatures?" he let out a small laugh, "that my dear girl is a way I don't think they would be liked to be talked to," he took his pipe up to his mouth and then continued, "hobbits are just people like you and me, just a lot smaller, but I warn you, if you ever talk to a hobbit, don't say that I referred to them as humans, they don't like that at all."
"And are you meeting up with any of these so called hobbits?" I asked again trying to get more information out of him, I actually met with one just about two nights ago," he looked around as he was trying to look for something.
"And this hobbit we are going to meet now?" he nodded, "yes, that I may say is quite true," I looked up at him, "is he a nice fellow?" he held in a small laugh and just smiled merrily. "He is, even if he might not expect our visit, and in that moment wouldn't be so fond of it either," I decided not to comment on this, but it sounded as a typical Gandalf thing to say and do. And just before i was about to ask just another of my many questions I saw a little gathering of people in front of us.
They were about my height or even smaller, but as we walked closer to them i could see that they were a lot older, i may not say how old they were in they age of their race, but they were no men, or not elves, which were the only other kind of people i have met in middle earth. "If I may beg you pardon my sirs, but are you waiting for someone," in this way he got the attention of the wizard standing a few meters in front of them. I hid me a little bit behind my uncle.
"Gandalf," they murmured but the tone was quite merry and happy, "it's nice to see you again," one of the dwarfs said. He had white hair and his beard was braided so it looked quite short, "It's also nice to see you again, Dori" Gandalf looked at the small gathering, "we do miss some dwarves don't we Thorin?"
That did explain a lot, they were dwarves. But before I could think more about it a dark but also calming voice spoke, "Dwalin, Balin, Fili and Kili have already arrived at the hobbits house," Gandalf smiled "that my friend sound quite good, but I will not hope that they have frightened our host to much, because he knows not that there will arrive 9 more dwarves," the dwarves chuckled a but before a second voice said, "and Gandalf, who is she?" and suddenly I could feel all the dwarves look at me, "that Bofur, is my cousin Alicia."
"And what is she doing here," the dwarf who Gandalf talked earlier to and referred to as Thorin, as I now looked at him I could see he was wearing a light sky blue hood, he had long dark hair and a very - and almost - royal attitude, "she is just a rebel as your younger cousins Thorin, this young lady followed me all the way to the Shire, without me even noticing," Thorin was looking directly at me, "and is she coming with us?" I could see my uncle nod, "Yes, she is," Thorin nodded as well, "I can't change your mind about this can I?" he asked in a quite sweeter tone, "no I must admit that you can't" he nodded one more time.
"I don't know if this adventure is the right place for such a young girl," "I don't know either if a adventure is the right place for her, my friend, but she is just the same age as Fili and Kili, so her age isn't the problem," I think Thorin could feel that Gandalf wouldn't change his mind so easily so he just said "and so it will be then."

We stood in front of a round green-painted door, Gandalf knocked at it with his staff, and if dwarves didn't knew how doors worked they already tried to push it open even if it still was locked. From the inside I could hear fast steps and an angry mumble before the door was pulled open, and in fell the eight of the dwarf, one on top of another. Only Thorin - who seemed way to good for the others and didn't wanted to interact with the stuff they were doing, especially not when they were on the ground in front of their host - Gandalf and I.
In front of all the dwarves stood a smaller person, I thought I was done with seeing small people for the day, but he was almost a head smaller than the dwarves, he was wearing no shoes but he had huge feet, which had some hair on them. He was also wearing what looked like a nightgown, also homemade, his hair was a reddish color, and he had a not so pleased look on his face.
He looked up a Gandalf and sighed. "Gandalf," "Carefully! Carefully! It's not like you, Bilbo, to keep friends waiting on the mat, and then open the door like a pop-gun! Let me introduce to you, the last dwarves of the company of Thorin Oakenshield," they all bowed deeply and said "At your service!" Everyone except for Thorin, and then they hung up two yellow hoods; a pale green one; two purple, a grey one, a brown, a white and at last Thorin's sky-blue hood, they hung next to four other hoods; two blue ones, a dark green one and a scarlet one, in all 13 hood were hanging. And to these 13, I also hung mine, but Gandalf kept his one, actually I never had seen him without it on.
"Will there be food," and if I might say just by saying the truth, a really fat dwarf said. And as soon as these words had left the dwarves mouth all the others stormed into Bilbo's little kitchen, and just after 10 minutes we were all seated and the dwarves immediately started eating.
Even though i hadn't had food for about four days I didn't feel very hungry at all, so i just took a apple and bit into it. One of the younger dwarves sat next to me, he turned his head and looked at me, "and you are Gandalf's cousin?" I nodded my head, "are you a wizard too then?" he asked, I looked at him and smiled shyly, "yes, I am," he smiled widely, "did you hear that Thorin, she's a wizard too, with two wizards in our company nothing can go wrong," I could suddenly feel every eye looking at me, "well, I am for from as good as my uncle," I looked down at my empty plate.
"Oh, and sorry, I forgot to tell you my name, which is Ori," I smiled, "I'm Alicia," everybody was talking to each other again, but I could still feel someone looking at me, so I turned my head, and just on the opposite side of the table a very young dwarf, maybe my age, sat and as I caught his eye he shyly smiled and looked away again.
And even without thinking more about it I caught myself at looking at this dwarf many times during the evening, and when I wasn't looking I sometimes could feel his eyes looking at me too.
In the meantime I was talking to Ori and the other dwarf on my other side, who was called Balin, who was the oldest of the company, he was a nice fellow and very kind to speak to.
Suddenly it went all silent; the dwarves had finished eating. And now they were about to clean up, but they did it in a way I could see the hobbit didn't enjoy it so as a happy folk the dwarves were they started to sing.
"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
They ended their song, and the whole room was clean. The dwarves settled down again, and I could feel that the mood had changed completely. Thorin stood up and looked around at the group who was gathered here. "My dear fellows, my kin, my dear hobbit and my two wizards," with the last words he especially liked at me, and I couldn't figure out what he thought.
"As you know we are gathered here so we can speak about our upcoming adventure," he looked around one more time, "we will tomorrow at daybreak start our long journey; in which some of us might not escape, - but as I might expect some of you need more explanation;" He looked at me, Bilbo and the two youngest dwarves which I learned; their names were Fili and Kili. And that is were Thorin started to tell about the journey to reclaim their long lost homeland, and to slay the dragon who had taken it from them.
"But as we all know, or may not know - the front door got sealed and we can't come in that way, which makes this way more complicated," but that was when Gandalf interrupted. "If I may say, you are quite mistaken," he placed a map on the table. And handed Thorin a key, "this was given to me by your father,"
And so the evening continued, by telling story after story, theory after theory; and I noticed that I wasn't really paying attention at the end, but caught myself once again looked at the dwarf prince through the corner of my eye, and to my surprise he was already looking at me. I could feel my cheeks glow red, and quickly looked away trying to concentrate on what Thorin was telling Bilbo; but because there was so much blood pumping trough my head and my ears I only got some of the words "burglar, hidden entrance and dragon,"
Bilbo refused, I sat there looking at him, and I did quite understand him, who would say yes to such a journey, which might cost your life, when you only met these dwarves about four hours ago? Bilbo stood up, "I need some air," he said and left the room.
Thorin and Gandalf exchanged some looks and followed him. Even a minute after they left there was complete silence. But as my ears caught Kili whisper to his older brother, "when I saw her I thought, she has the height of a dwarf, but doesn't look like one, she has the looks of an elf, but isn't one, and now I know, she is a wizard," I smiled to myself, as I know which fair and pretty creatures elves were.

The break of dawn was just in front of the door, as Thorin and Gandalf returned to the company. "Bilbo is sleeping, we said that if he wanted to come, he could meet us at The Green Dragon Inn, Bywater at 11 a.m. - now let's go, we have to make us ready for the upcoming journey," and as that was said they left the hobbit hole.
They walked for an hour or so until they reached a little house with a field where there stood 15 horses. Gandalf pointed at them and said, "chose one, there is one for each of them, if some of you might have lost the ability to count," the dwarves mumbled as they took this as an insult.
I ended up with a pretty dark brown colored horse called Elvira, the only one who didn't took a pony was of course Gandalf, because he was a lot taller than the rest of us. He saddled his horse and just said, "I'll be back before you have left the Shire," and without any further explanation he rode off. I looked after him and just decided to saddle my own pony.
"Is he always this mysterious?" I voice asked. I turned my head and looking into a smiling face with some dark deep brown eyes; they of course belonged to Kili. I nodded, "yes he is, when I was little he often showed up for some hours, and just when I thought I had my uncle back he left again, without even explaining where he was going or when he was coming back," he looked interested at me, "when I grew up I learned to live with it, and two years back I sometimes secretly took with him on his journeys."
"And was it planned?" he asked interested; "planned?" he grinned slowly; whilst jumping on his horse, I followed just after. And a few moments after we were all - except Gandalf of course - on the road, even Bilbo had his own pony, even though he didn't look so comfortable. "Well was it planned that you were coming on this journey?" I shook my head, "no it wasn't," he smiled again and bit his lip, "well, what a dear mess you have gotten in then, miss," he said grinning.
Oh yes, what a mess I had gotten in since, but that wasn't clear to me at that time. At that time I just thought I was on a thrilling short adventure as I was used to when traveling with my uncle.