She seemed oblivious to his entry into the room, or maybe unaware. Regardless, there Eryne remained seated, her eyes locked on the fire, as though she was searching for something, words possibly. To Bilbo, she seemed troubled, and Bilbo was not mistaken. Breaking the silence, to his surprise, she questioned him,
"Tis beautiful, is it not, friend? The passion and danger that roars so aggressively before us, gently warms our hearts. This is what the world shows me in those flames, I understand the meaning of that, but do you understand what the world shows you?".
He didn't move, Eryne was not usually one for wise words, nor was she one to hide her true meanings in obscure phrases, so what she followed with surprised him slightly.
"The world reflects what you need to see, not only what you want to see".
It was not until the end of their journey that Bilbo realised what she had said to him on that day, and he could only wish he had known then, for it would have saved him from a great deal of troubles. Ignoring the words, he sat near the fire, watching her, she felt his eyes on her skin, but said nothing. They fell back into silence, Eryne was one of the few Bilbo felt he didn't have to converse with to enjoy their company. They sat like this for what felt like hours before he asked of what brought her to The Shire this time, she was vague, but he prodded her for more, until eventually she promised to tell him the whole tale. A lover of books, maps and tales of adventure, Bilbo was drawn in immediately, but more by admiration of the woman that spoke than the tales she spoke of.
It was the day after his friend arrived that he remembered the offer he had made the day before. Eryne was tending to her horse, Enidei, while Bilbo sat nearby, sunbathing on the hill. They chatted merrily of the times when they travelled together while Eryne remained amused by the Hobbit's incessant sneezing.
"Healers can treat that you know, Hobbit"
"For what need? My travelling days are long behind me, Eryne, everything I need now is in here in the shire, I need no horse anymore".
"Pony more like!" She burst, before she exploded into laughter.
"You are no larger than I, Miss! Only your skills as a rider allow you to ride that stallion".
Her laughing continued, he could not stop her and so he returned back to his daydreaming under the sun. His thoughts drifted over to the dinner he had planned to make for the pair later on, though the biscuits and other fine desserts were already prepared.
"Dinner!" He howled, "Gandalf!"
Without another word he sprung from the hill and sprinted to his hole in the hill. Throwing himself at the door, he ran to the kitchen, whipping up biscuits, cookies and cakes like he'd never done before. Eryne was close behind him and quickly jumped in to help. Satisfied with the amount they'd made he popped them all in the oven and started to clean the mess. Still flustered and worn out, Bilbo explained his earlier outburst.
"A wizard! Well then, Master Baggins, I must change. I have time, do I not?"
"Plenty" He replied, although he was not too sure.
Eryne swept around with one quick movement and left for her bedroom. In her chambers, was a private bathroom and dressing room. Guests quarters were always considered a hugely important area of the house to Hobbits, more so than their own in some cases. Behind her bed, a rather exquisite bed as it happens, was the grandest of windows with soft, velvet curtains hung from them. Beyond the window, however, was Eryne's favourite feature of the room, the view. It was one which she could not grow accustomed to, no matter how many nights she spent sleeping in that dorm. It took her breath away. Rolling hills lay as far as the eye could see, each one cushioned with a new shade of grass as it grew further away. She loved that view, and instantly as she entered the room she became engulfed by it, worry of her appearance was what drew her away from its beauty though, as the sun began to lick at the rolling hill's peaks.
Eryne was never one to ready quickly when she had time to spare, each moment was spent perfecting the look, as Bilbo had come to know over the years. Although the time they had to ready before their guest arrived was limited, it put her in no danger to be ready late, so she did not rush, nor did she ponder. She had never dined with a wizard before, but she had an idea of what was appropriate. Eryne had known Bilbo for long enough to be able to keep her treasures in his home, and so from her wardrobe she pulled a long, soft gown made of the richest of silks there was to find in all of middle-earth.
After washing, Eryne parted her hair and let it rest upon her shoulders, like the dress, her curls came from her mother, though their colour derived from her father, they were a deep chestnut. As a traveller, she had little opportunity to wash, and so her hair was often unruly, but from years of dealing with her mane in the wild, she learnt to manage it. As she usually did, she used a silver hairpiece shaped like a branch to push the curls from her face. Just as she was doing so she heard a knock at the door, "Just in time". She thought, as she smiled, pleased at her success at arriving to dinner on time for once (she had a tendancy for being late). Nearly ready she grabbed a pair of silver pumps from the little selection she had, (it was that, a similar pair of black shoes, which would not do with her dress, or her hunting boots, obviously out of the question, though her feet were covered by the dress), straightened out her dress and her pin and left her chambers, only to be confronted by silence, with the exception of a soft humming.
As she passed down the hall with her dress trailing behind, Eryne noticed the huge pile of plates and dishes in the kitchen, all of which were clean. Slightly confused the maiden continued to make her way to the living room, presuming that was where the Hobbit and the Wizard were residing, she was not wrong of course, as you know, but she had missed a few minor details.
Eryne stepped into the lounge, where the fire she had observed the day before still roared, but she did not see a quiet reunion between a Wizard and a Hobbit. Eyes from all directions turned towards her, the gentle humming she had heard from outside her room had suddenly stopped. Nobody spoke. The ambers from the fire danced over the faces in front of her, she didn't count, but around a dozen men of the same height as she, were stood in that room. All of them, for what she could see, had beards that reached past their chest and were dirty and grim. By this time she had come to the conclusion that these men were dwarves, although what dwarves she did not know. She scanned the room, remarkably uncomfortable, and there, before the fireplace, stood one, one she couldn't help but give her attention to. He stood taller than the others and his energy intrigued her. She inspected his face; his strong jaw lines and his warm glow. He felt her inspection and it angered him, so that when she caught his bright blue eyes she did nothing but drop them again, uncomfortable and frightened.
"Bilbo, a word?".
