"My dear Bilbo, you've grown so much. I can't believe you're already 10 years old. Time flies by so fast," Belladonna looked at her son and kissed his forehead lightly then patted his curly, messy head with a soft hand. The little boy looked back at his mother and smiled brightly, he embraced her in a tight hug before releasing her.
"When do I get to open my presents? I'm so excited mother!" Bilbo exclaimed whilst stomping his hairy feet excitedly at the wooden floor.
"Bilbo my boy, don't be too hot-headed now, you got to eat your cake first!" Bungo Baggins emerged inside Bilbo's tiny room with a food-tray in his hands. On top of the tray there was a big chocolate cake adorned with ten small carrots, each of them was lightened with a candle fire. Bilbo's eyes went big when he saw the lightened carrots and chocolate cake; he licked his lips and flopped down on the bed. Belladonna moved the bedside table and put it in front of Bilbo, Bungo put the tray with the cake down on the table and watched his son blow out the ten carrot candles with complete bliss. Belladonna and Bungo cheered when Bilbo managed to blow out the candles in one go, and then they all started to eat the cake.
"Whoa, I'm stuffed!" Bilbo said when he had eaten the last crumbs of the cake. "This cake was the most delicious cake I've ever eaten. You have to make it again next year mother!"
Belladonna chuckled softly and nodded, "Of course my dear Bilbo. I'd do anything for you my sweet."
Bungo nodded, agreeing with Belladonna before going away to fetch the presents they had bought for their son. Belladonna took the tray to the kitchen before coming back to Bilbo's room and watching him opening his presents. The boy screamed when he opened the first gift, it was a map of Middle-Earth, made of thin but strong parchment. Bilbo couldn't hold back his joy, he had wanted a map of Middle-Earth for so long and now he finally had one! He hugged his parents, some tears of joy dripped down his cheeks while he thanked them over and over again for the map. Belladonna and Bungo put their arms around Bilbo's small body and hugged him tightly.
"Oh! This book! About how Eärendil slayed the mighty dragon Ancalagon the Black! I have always wanted to read it! Thank you so much mother and father!" Bilbo hugged the book to his chest and smiled brightly at his parents. "I love you so much!" he said and received kisses from them both.
Bilbo opened his map for the tenth time that evening. He looked over the great forest Mirkwood and touched The Lonely Mountain with his fingers, imaging how it would be to be among all that gold, though the thought of the dragon in there scared him a bit. He pulled his blanket closer whilst looking at the map, wondering how Mordor looked like.
"What are you saying Bungo? Elves? Here?" Belladonna's voice was loud and a bit shrill; Bilbo heard his father shushing her and she quickly lowered her voice. The map's magic that had held Bilbo in its grip all evening had disappeared, Bilbo tiptoed out of his bed and stood at the door, trying to listen what his parents were whispering about.
"Yes, I was just out with Buffo and I saw an elven archer standing behind a tree. I don't know what he or she wanted, but her or his eyes glowed green in the dark and both me and Buffo got scared we ran back here!" Buffo was the Baggins family dog, a small white and grey dog with a pointed snout and curved tail.
"But what are the elves doing here in Shire? What do they want?" Belladonna asked frightened. She had never seen an elf, just heard scary stories about them when she was a little girl. Her mother had been an excellent storyteller and every time the Eve of Hallows struck The Shire, her mother had told the story about the blood hungry elven king named Yggdrakr that went out every full moon to drink the blood of innocents.
"I don't know my darling. I'm just as scared as you", Bungo said and took her into his arms and held her softly. A sudden knock on the door made them both jerk with fear.
"Go to Bilbo and lock the door to his room, blow out the candle and hide in the wardrobe!" he told her quickly before walking to the door and opening it.
Belladonna hurried to Bilbo's room, he had already gone back to bed and blown out the candle. He looked at his mother with frightened eyes.
"I heard what father said, are the elves here to destroy my birthday?" he asked sadly whilst clutching his hands around the map of Middle-Earth. Belladonna locked the door and sat down beside Bilbo in the bed and put her arm around his shoulders, holding him close.
"Destroy your birthday? No my darling, I don't think so. I don't know what kind of business they have here; we will just have to wait and see. Father wanted us to be safe so he said we had to hide in the wardrobe, let's take your blanket and map with us. Okay my sweet?"
Bilbo nodded, gave the map carefully to Belladonna and collected his blanket into a ball; they went into the wardrobe together and closed the door quietly behind them. The outdoor opened and light steps were heard on the floor.
"Good evening master Elf. What can I do for you at this late hour?" Bungo's voice was firm but still friendly. Bilbo imagined him standing in front of the Elf with a proud demeanor. Buffo was sitting beside him, snarling viciously at the foreign Elf.
"Good evening Halfling", the Elf sneered with a voice made of poison. "The only thing I want from you is gold and good slaves!" the Elf laughed crazily, a scream of pain from Bungo echoed through the halls of Bag-End, Buffo barked insanely and was about to attack the Elf, but instead he was silenced with a stab of a Elven-made dagger. The dog fell down on the floor, bleeding out of a deep gash.
"No!" Bungo's voice screamed when he saw that the Elf lock picked the door to Bilbo's room. The hobbit father rose from the floor but fell down again with another scream as an arrow from another Elf had pierced his leg.
Bilbo clenched his jaw and held his mother's hand tightly, wishing and wishing desperately that the Elf wasn't going to open the wardrobe door. Two green eyes suddenly stared at them in the darkness and a laugh emerged from the Elf's mouth. He dragged out Belladonna, giving her throat a kiss from his dagger. Blood spurted out from her throat; she fell headlong down on the floor, the light of her eyes already burned out.
Bilbo let out a cry in fear and shock, he tried to move farther back in the wardrobe but the wall stopped him. He managed to grab his map and hide it inside his night-gown before the crazy Elf got a hold of his wrists and dragged him out of the wardrobe, tied a rope tightly around Bilbo's wrists and lifted Bilbo over his shoulders like he was some hunting prey. Bilbo tried not to look at Buffo's dead body when the Elf walked towards the door but it was hard, so hard. He let out another sob and started crying when he saw his father's still body lying almost next to Buffo.
"Father… Mother… Buffo…" he whispered sadly between sobs and coughed when the Elf suddenly threw him up on a hard horse back. The stars glinted on the sky and Bilbo had never felt more alone than he did now.