Hello Everyone! Back again with a new story. I don't own anything but Istril! I hope you all enjoy it! There will be some surprises and things in later chapters so be ready for that!

~Read, Review, Be Merry!~

-Firestar

Chapter 1- An Elf out of Place

Eight dwarves walked up along a narrow path, headed straight for the cozy hobbit hole known as Bag-End. A couple of paces behind them, a tall wizard walked with a hooded and cloaked companion who also held a staff...and was quite buzzing and quite loquacious about this meeting and the coming events. "I'm starving!" her voice was quiet but excited. "Do you suppose he'll have enough for us all?" She glanced up at the grey clad wizard. "I mean there are a good many. 13 dwarves plus you and I and Bilbo himself. That's 16! And considering the huge appetites dwarves have-"

"Pardon you, lass!" One of the 8 dwarves, Bofur, said with a joking tone from ahead. The apprentice grinned and shrugged.

"Well you do! And there is nothing wrong with that!" She gave a sharp nod. "I also have quite an appetite myself. And you merry lot eat for almost two people a piece! And now I am getting into calculations which I do not do. I am a mage, not an arithmancer." She snorted a laugh at her own joke. Gandalf only shook his head, a look of slight amusement gracing his features as he glanced down at her.

"I am sure we can all manage. Now Bilbo is a bit..hm…" Gandalf tried to search for the right word but she found it for him.

"High strung?" she asked. "That's alright. I understand. I would be too if I had 13 dwarves, a wizard and an elf coming to disturb the peace." They walked up to the large round door. All of the dwarves stood in front while she leaned on her staff beside Gandalf. The dwarves were arguing quietly amongst themselves. She saw the rune glowing on the bottom of the door and grinned. "Oh but this will be such fun!" She stepped forward and rung the bell.

"There's nobody home!" came the muffled response. The dwarves were too busy with themselves to hear, but her sharp ears picked it up and so did Gandalf. They both exchanged a look. "Go away and bother somebody else! There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is!" came another response from the other side, faint though it was.

"High strung," the apprentice said with a smirk, "and we're not the first ones to arrive! That's good isn't it?" She grinned.

"If this is some...clothead's idea of a joke-!" The annoyed voice was growing closer and she bent down a little to look. The door suddenly swung open and all of the dwarves spilled out into the hobbit hole. The apprentice snorted another laugh, but then put a hand to her mouth as she looked down at all the grumbling, sprawling mess of dwarves and the very much annoyed Mr. Baggins. He just stood there and looked from the pile of dwarves up to the other two. He was startled a bit, seeing another figure but he did begrudgingly acknowledge them both.

"Gandalf…" he sighed, then his eyes shifted to her. "And…?"

"Istril!" She tapped her twisted, grey, birchwood staff on the ground and a little white spark shot from the large quartz shard in the top of it "Mage and Apprentice to Gandalf the Grey." She smiled, pushed her hood back to reveal long dirty blonde hair with an obvious white streak in the left side, unkempt braids, and laughing lightning blue eyes. She bowed down to the hobbit and her hair fell a bit, revealing her delicate pointed ears. "Lovely to meet you Mr Bilbo!" She rose back up and was all smiles. The poor hobbit looked completely in over his head.

The dwarves immediately set into work, bringing out every morsel of food they could find. Half of them began to set the table while the other half were running back and forth fetching food. Istril shed her cloak, considering how warm and cozy it was in the hobbit hole. She also had to stoop over a bit. Sure, she was shorter than Gandalf, but she was still about average size for an elf maid. She stood in the corner and leaned on her staff, grinning as she watched Bilbo try to tell the dwarves to put things back. He got particularly testy, Istril realized, when Bifur passed by with his wine.

"Excuse me that's my wine!" Bilbo grabbed his shoulder. Bifur turned, muttered something, and motioned to his head injury where the remains of an orc axe lay buried in his skull. Bilbo was completely caught off guard. Istril watched as Oin approached the Hobbit.

"He's got...an injury." Oin admitted. Bilbo nodded.

"You mean the axe in his head." He sassed, causing Istril to giggle. Bilbo looked over at her. Oin rose his ear trumpet.

"Dead? No only between his ears. His legs work fine!" He assured as he walked past the hobbit to help lay out food.

"He can only speak Khuzdul. His native tongue." Istril finally spoke up with a cheery tone to her voice. She was leaning against the wall in the corner. "If that helps." she shrugged. Bilbo let out a short laugh.

"Oh yes. Yes. Very helpful indeed!" He suddenly saw Dwalin walk by him with a plate full of sausages. "Put that back!" And he fell back into his fretting.

"Istril!" An excited voice came from beside her. She turned quick but forgot how low the ceiling was and smacked the side of her head right against the low hanging frame.

"Ow!" She shut her right eye and rubbed the side of her head. "Ugh...Valar I will never get used to this." She blinked and looked down and saw two of the younger members laughing at her mistake. "Fili! Kili!" she smiled brightly. "You two are a sight for sore eyes. I didn't know who all had made it!"

"All of us are here, save uncle." Fili said.

"Ah yes. Of course. He has to make a bold entrance you both know that." Istril teased.

"True enough!" Kili said. "Could you help us with the ale?"

"Istril!" Gandalf called from the dining room. "Can you come help set the table?" She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Go on it's alright. Kili and I will get it. No problem." Fili winked at her and she smiled.

"Thanks. Save me a seat will you?"

"Of course!" They answered. She smiled and leaned her staff against the wall, then turned to go into the next room. She bumped into the chandelier and caught it but managed to maneuver past the dwarves and to Gandalf.

"Here I am!" she smiled.

"Good! Help the others set the table whilst I do a head count would you please." Gandalf smiled and looked back at Dori. "Perhaps Istril would like some camomile?" he suggested. Istril laughed softly but shook her head.

"Oh no. No camomile tea for me. It makes me sleepy. Maybe wine if you've got it? Ale if not!" That last statement earned a cheer from Bofur, Bombur and Balin who were laying food on the table. Istril walked past Gandalf but then she remembered something and turned around. "Oh Gandalf watch out for-" but it was too late. He'd bumped the Chandelier.

"Ah. Yes." He caught it and set it right. She shook her head, a bit amused, then went into laying out the tableware. Istril squeaked when she felt something nudge past her and she stood up straight, which caused her to bump her head on the ceiling again. She flinched and rubbed her head. The culprits, Fili and Kili, fell into laughter again as they carried the keg of ale and set it into a good accessible place.

"Oh you two." Istril grumbled. "I'll get you back for that one!" she assured.

"Mr. Gandalf! Miss Istril!" That was Dori's voice. Istril turned but stopped, seeing the round, low hanging frame again. She narrowed her eyes and pointed at it, then ducked down underneath it.

"Yes here I am!"

"Two little glasses of red wine, as requested. It's got a fruity bouquet!" He told them, holding up two very little glasses of red wine.

"Oh look at you! Secret wine connoisseur?" She teased as she took her little glass. Gandalf smiled and took his.

"Cheers!" He looked over at Istril and they tapped their glasses together carefully, then took the drink, which to them was really only a drink.

"Well...That was short lived." Istril sighed longingly. "Ale it is then!" She decided, then nudged Gandalf. "I'm going to go ahead and grab some food before the dwarves have at it." Gandalf looked at her, then nodded.

"Good idea." He winked. Istril smiled and tapped the side of her nose with her finger, then ducked back into the dining room.

The apprentice got very lucky, too. She managed to get a bit of everything she wanted before the dwarves all dove into it. Their large hands grabbed at everything, they were laughing and talking and throwing food everywhere. Istril knew that her kin would be quite discouraged by this, but she wasn't. She found the dwarves quite the exciting bunch.

"Bombur! Catch!" Bofur tossed half of a boiled potato right down to the other end and Bombur caught it right in his mouth. Istril held her plate close but laughed and cheered with the others. She sat beside Gandalf, who'd shoved a cheese biscuit in his mouth to keep it. He handed her the plate of biscuits and Istril did the same thing. Her plate sat in her lap and she shoved the cheese biscuit into her mouth before passing it across the table to Kili who'd waved for it.

"Who wants an ale?" Fili suddenly got up on the table and began walking across.

"Aw Fili come now! You're stepping all over the food!" Istril scolded him. He turned and grinned at her.

"Does the prancing elvish apprentice want an ale?" he challenged. Istril rose a brow and drew back a little bit. All of the dwarves looked at her.

"Just for that, I'll take one and drink your arse under the table." She reached forward and snatched an ale from him. All of the dwarves cheered.

"That's more like it!" Fili turned back to giving the others their drinks. A large slice of carrot flew right in front of Gandalf and bounced off his plate, startling him. It landed onto Istril's plate and she smirked and picked it up and tossed it at Fili once he'd sat down. Once everyone had their ales in hand, they all yelled out a cheer and brought them forward to toast. Istril did the same, then sat back and drank a bit...but she mainly watched the dwarves. She saw the liquid leak out of the sides of their mouths and she scrunched her nose a bit.

"Oh now they're just wasting it." She told Gandalf, who only chuckled. But their attentions were both drawn to the loud belching that came shortly after the consumption of the ale. Istril shook her head and scrunched her nose...and strangely enough, Ori let loose the loudest and longest belch of them all. After that was over, Istril only settled back and began to eat her food.

"Ah did ya see the elf lass make a face?" Dwalin barked. "She's still repulsed by us! Even if she hasn't spent much time around her kin, it's in her blood!" He let out a gruff laugh. Istril chuckled and looked up at Gandalf, but then just put a slice of ham in her mouth to keep quiet.

"Come now brother, you know she's not like the others!" Balin said. "She gets a pass. She's been at Gandalf's side for a long time now. She hardly acts like an elf!"

"And she keeps her ears hidden!" Bofur said.

"She's more wizard than elf!" Kili said with a laugh in his voice.

"I think that's the whole point, brother. And she's a witch! Not a wizard." Fili added.

"Mage." Istril spoke, which made them look at her. "Call me a mage, call me a wizard, call me a prancing elf, but please do not call me a witch...please…" she said softly. Her cheery nature seemed to die down a bit. She glanced over at Gandalf, then stared down into her mug of ale. Fili and Kili looked at each other.

"We didn't mean to offend you, Istril." Kili said apologetically.

"He's right. I'm sorry. We didn't know the word bothered you so." Fili added. Istril smiled softly.

"You're right. You didn't know. It's alright. Think nothing of it." She tilted her mug towards them, then took a long drink of ale.

"See now look at that! Have you ever seen an elf do that?" Balin said, changing the subject to a lighter topic and making all of the other dwarves cheer and laugh. Istril laughed and it made her feel better. She looked up at the wizard, who smiled and pat her back gently.

The feast had ended, and everyone had settled down with pipes or another mug of ale. Istril had both. Her mug was a quarter empty, but she had stuffed some Old Toby into her pipe, which had both been a gift to her from Gandalf. It was long but wasn't quite as long as his. It looked rather graceful and had small carvings on the sides of it of vines and leaves and even a small dragon. The warm aroma circled her, and the smoke curled around as she sat in the nearly empty dining room.

"My dear Bilbo what on earth is the matter?" She heard Gandalf ask in the next room. Istril slowly leaned over and peeked through the doorway.

"What's the matter? I'm surrounded by dwarves." The flabbergasted hobbit stared up at the calm wizard.

"Oh they're quite a merry gathering!" Gandalf said as he watched Nori and Bofur fight over links of sausage. Istril smirked and drank the last of her ale and set it to the side. She stood up, drew her elvish knife and sliced the links in half so the dwarves would stop fighting.

"Once you get used to them." She grinned and sheathed her knife back at her thigh.

"Well I don't want to get used to them!" Bilbo hissed as he grabbed Gandalf and tugged him to the side. Istril only followed, amusement written on her features. She took a slow drag from her pipe as she watched Bilbo rant about the state of his kitchen and the mud the dwarves had tracked through the hallways and the pillaging of his pantry. "I'm not even going to tell you two what they've done in the bathroom they've all but destroyed the plumbing!" he ranted. Istril only walked with Gandalf and watched the hobbit. The old wizard leaned against the round frame of the hallway and Istril stood beside him. "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!" He huffed, finally going quiet and putting his hands on his hips.

"Excuse me…" Ori stepped into the room, seeming a bit lost. "I'm sorry to interrupt but...What should I do with my plate?"

"Here we go Ori." Fili walked in. "Give it to me." He took it and looked over. Gandalf suddenly moved out of the way as Fili threw it.

"Hey!" Istril ducked and pushed against the corner on the other side. She watched as Kili caught it and tossed it back into the other room. It only took a few seconds before plates were flying through rooms and Gandalf and Istril were having to dodge out of the way. Kili and Fili were bouncing dishes off their knees and elbows while the other dwarves in the dining room were banging on the tables with the silverware, making a beat.

"Oh, I feel a song coming on. Is that what's about to happen?" Istril dodged another plate and hurried across, looking into the dining room. She laughed and watched the dwarves.

"No! Don't do that you'll blunt them!" Bilbo said sternly.

"Oooh dya hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" Bofur teased.

"Blunt the knives, bend the forks!" Kili began.

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks!" Fili added.

"Chip the glasses and crack the plaaaates…" All the dwarves joined in that time.

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" Istril chirped in with them.

"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat. Leave the bones on the bedroom mat! Pour the milk on the pantry floooor. Splash the wine on every door! Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, pound them up with a thumping pole. When you're finished if they are whooooole, send them down the hall to roll!" All the dwarves were singing and had started a cleaning line of sorts. Istril was laughing and watching the magic happen. The tableware was flying through the air and everything was getting wiped clean as it went by. Bilbo was practically on the verge of a heart-attack. The elleth took a long drag from her pipe and blew out a smoke ring. Fili and Kili tossed the dishes through the ring as the song continued on.

"Yes!" Istril cheered. Gandalf laughed from where he stood in the corner. The dwarves stomped on the table and continued the beat to end the song.

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" All the dwarves plus Istril sang, and they all roared with laughter. Gandalf held his hands out and gestured to the work the dwarves had done. The look on Bilbo's face was priceless as he saw all of his dishes clean, unharmed, and stacked on the table.

"See?" Istril said from Bilbo's side. He looked up at her in surprise. "They're not so bad." She winked at him. She rather liked Bilbo. She liked them all, to be honest, but all laughter died when they heard the pounding of a fist on the door. Three times it was, and everyone went silent and looked over at the door. Gandalf had a look of realization come over him.

"He is here."