Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted for a while, my computer kept deleting my work before I could post it which added to the fact that I spent a while in Naples, is reason for delay. Just to say that I am going on holiday to Wales soonso the next chapter might be a wee bit late, I am sorry. There will be an important announcement at the end thanks and I would appreciate an answer to the question, one word will do fine. Thank you so much for reading and lets get on with the story. Since I don't have the imagination to create an entire universe with languages, landmarks and species, I am not J.R.R Tolkien and so don't own the Hobbit nor am I Peter Jackson who brought it into reality. Thanks!
Khuzdul
Sindarin
Hobbitish
...
Bilbo rushed back into his house and into the study in order to write some important letters. The first one was a letter to the Thain which explained everything in more detail and included his will. The will basically said that the Archthainship, Bag End and all his possessions were to go to Drogo Baggins, at least until any more viable heirs came of age to take it. His family members would all get some books, and some of his money, the Gamgees would continue to look after the garden, and the Sackville-Bagginses would get absolutely nothing! Bilbo snickered, he could just imagine the looks of triumph on their faces as they receive news that he is dead, only for it to morph into a look of pure horror.
The second letter was for Drogo himself to give him the news that he was as of now the next in line for the Archthainship. As soon as he was done, he went into the kitchen and packed up 3375 sweet rolls into 15 per basket. He then organised them into 15 baskets per wheelbarrow and wheeled the 15 wheelbarrows out into front garden.
After placing down the last wheelbarrow, he lifted his head and called, "Cedar!" A young Hobbit girl jumped out of a bush but tripped over the one in front of her and went sprawling to the ground. She bounced back to her feet as her ears flushed beet red. "Yes Sir." She muttered looking down at her feet. Bilbo smiled fondly at her, "I wish for you to take one of these wheelbarrows and distribute the baskets to every house in Hobbiton. I know there aren't that many but families will know how many to have and you'll find that there will be enough. Winter was harsh this year and no matter how much food we have produced, Azog and his Orcs need lots of it more than we do and our alliance is very beneficial. The unturned Orcs however, are raiding towns, destroying villages, we can hold them off but at the sake of our farms, most of our food and prosperity is in fact glamoured. We need to make sure that everybody is eating enough." Cedar nodded before taking a wheelbarrow and trundling down the lane.
Bilbo then turned and called out some more names, "Milo, Dingo, Bingo, Pingo, Wilo, Polo, Solo, Juniper, Holly, Thorn, Sage, Sorrel, Clove, Calla!"One by one, 14 Rounders leapt from their hiding places, some with more success than others. They lined up in front of him, bowed and chorused, "Yes Archon!" Bilbo gave to them the same orders he gave to Cedar but with variations of towns.
Once they had all left, he took his letters and slowly made his way down the road to the home of his gardener and best friend, Hobson Gamgee. A few seconds after knocking, the door was pulled open by a sticky looking fauntling who yelled loudly, "Mr Bilbee!" before giving him a large hug around the knees. A woman's voice shouted from further inside the house, "Bring him in Hamfast!" A motherly looking Hobbit with flaming red wavy hair and blue eyes rounded the corner wearing a flour covered apron, this was Molly Gamgee, a kind yet formidable woman who made the best bread in West Farthing. "Hello Bilbo dear," she smiled, "Come on into the living room, I've just finished making scones."
"Yaaaaaaay!" squealed Hamfast running into the aforementioned room. Bilbo followed at a more dignified pace but was no less eager to have one or maybe two scones, it was time for Afternoon Tea after all. He told Molly everything about the Dwarves and their lost kingdom and the Dragon until he was feeling ready to jump out of his door and go help them early. "Dwarves!?" Molly exclaimed. "In the Shire?"
"It has happened before Molly," Bilbo replied, "We do have a trade with the Blue Mountain Dwarves, not that they know anything more about us than a blade of grass knows of flying but still! I think that Thorin Oakenshield sounds like an honorable fellow, at least according to what our spies and the Thain have told me." Molly sighed at him and looked resigned,
"I know you're right of course, I just… just... I just don't want to lose you Bilbo." She said quietly. "After your wife, Rosabella, died well… you've been rather lonely. I just don't want you to do something stupidly reckless like you normally do." She paused. "Please don't tease Gandalf constantly!" Bilbo grinned evilly at her, "Not constantly,"he chuckled, "Just most of the time." Molly just sighed and gave him a knowing smile.
...Later…
It was later that evening when Bilbo heard the first ring on the doorbell. He was packed and ready with his sword, his bow, his knives, his travelling cloak and clothes, his sleeping roll, an oilskin, and an extra blanket all safely stowed and hidden away in his pack. He had arranged the main pantry, not the hidden extra ones, differently to make everything easier to find and was now sitting down to a small meal of potatoes, vegetables, a fried fish, and some lemon. Wearing a bathrobe of all things, a bathrobe! (So unarchthainly)
He walked up to the front door and opened it to see a tall burly Dwarf with 2 very sharp axes and a bald tattooed head staring at him. The Dwarf bowed, never taking his eyes of Bilbo, "Dwalin, at your service." Right. Better put on the old, I'm a helpless gentlehobbit act then! "Hm. Uh... Bilbo Baggins, at yours." He quickly tied and knotted his open bathrobe, "Do we know each other?" The Dwarf, Dwalin, looked at him as if he was crazy,
"No." He then took off his cloak and sword, not the axes, and dumped them on the floor, "Which way, laddie? Is it down here?" The poor Dwarf has been told that he already knew about this escapade he supposed. "Is what down where?" Maybe the others will catch on to the fact that had 'had no idea' about this meeting before this morning. If he actually had only known about this this morning and was actually a 'gentlehobbit', this would be going so, so badly. Dwalin briskly answered his question with, "He said there'd be food and lots of it."
Bilbo paused, "He... He said? Who said?" Oh… he was going to MURDER that damned Wizard! But he had other problems... Dwalin was now eating his dinner. At least he's enjoying it, he thought feeling quite disgruntled. The Dwarf was making his opinion known rather loudly as a matter of fact. "Mmm. Mmm. Very good, this. Any more?" Bilbo turned and grabbed a plate of rolls from the windowsill, keeping 2 for himself, slipping them into his pockets before bringing them over. "What? Oh, yes, yes. Ah. Help yourself. Hmm. It's just that, um, I wasn't expecting company." Maybe he'll pick it up? No? Ah, there was another ring. Dwalin looked at him conspiratorially, "That'll be the door." No kidding.
The Dwarf at the door was probably 2 feet shorter than Dwalin with a long white forked beard. He bowed, "Balin, at your service." He looked quite a bit friendlier than the other Dwarf in the dining room. He managed a rather weak reply, "Good evening." Oh that was sad, he didn't introduce himself properly, but then he is meant to be a 'gentlehobbit". The Dwarf took it all in his stride looking up at the sky, "Yes. Yes, it is. Though I think it might rain later." Hmmm, maybe? "Hm?"
Balin leaned in as if he and Bilbo shared some great secret. "Am I late?" He asked. "Late for what?" Bilbo said pasting a confused look on his face. The Dwarf however had just walking into the dining room where Dwalin was struggling… to get a cookie? "Oh! Ha, ha! Evening, brother." So, brothers then. Must be the reason for the matching names then! Dwalin smirked, "By my beard... ...you're shorter and wider than last we met." Balin just winked, Bilbo had a feeling that this was some sort of of inside joke. "Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us." They laughed and grabbed each other's shoulders before slamming their heads together!
Bilbo realised that he was still standing by the door and should probably be making more of a supposed effort to rid them from his home. It was just so fascinating! As Archthain, the Thain would always choose him to come with him to the trade deals with the Dwarves as outlanders thought the Thain was the highest authority in the Shire, even if he didn't have that much authority. (So untrue.) But Bilbo couldn't observe much about the Dwarves from these brief meetings and so this was very interesting for him. Especially as all of their knowledge collectors (spies) in Dwarven settlements had taught him Khuzdul, the sacred Dwarven language. Any Peacekeepers or Hobbits in the spy network must learn Khuzdul, Sindarin, Rohirric, Quenya and dormant black speech with every Hobbit learning Westron, Hobbitish and Black speech along with a few words of Sindarin.
Bilbo went over to the Dwarves and decided to go on a short rant. "Uh, excuse me? Sorry, I hate to interrupt. But the thing is, I'm not entirely sure you're in the right house." Alas, they were ignoring him in favor of eyeing his food. He hoped they didn't use the lemonade! They had moved into the pantry where Balin asked Dwalin, "Have you eaten?" Bilbo decided to just go on talking because really what else could he do? "It's not that I don't like visitors. I like visitors as much as the next Hobbit. But I do like to know them before they come 'visiting'." Dwalin picked up one of his cheeses, Brie that funnily enough, was transported from Bree. "What is this?" He asked.
"I don't know." Balin replied. "I think it's cheese. Gone blue." Dwalin stared at it in disgust before throwing it over his shoulder. "It's riddled with mold." Well that was rude, the cheese could have been offended! Did he mention he was in a sarcastic mood? "The thing is, I don't know either of you. Not in the slightest. I don't mean to be blunt, but I had to speak my mind. I'm sorry." The Dwarves turned and looked at him. Balin smiled, "Apology accepted!" Bilbo forced his mouth not to drop open with shock, if it wasn't happening to him he would be laughing his head off. That was really funny!
Balin was still talking to Dwalin. "Now, fill it up, brother, don't stint." So they've found the ale kegs then, those are going to be bone dry in an hour probably. "You wanna get stuck in?" Dwalin asked.
"I could eat again if you insist, brother." Balin replied. The doorbell rang. Bilbo mentally cursed, why couldn't they all arrive at once!? There were 2 Dwarves this time, and they practically reeked of trouble mixed with 2 innocent faces. Bilbo was going to be in for it wasn't he? "Fili" said the blonde one on the left, "And Kili." finished the brunette one on the right. "At your service." they said together. He hoped they didn't do that a lot, it was already giving him a headache. They even bowed in synchrony! Kili grinned at him, "You must be Mr. Boggins!" That's it! The gentlehobbit is DONE!
"Nope! You can't come in, you've come to the wrong house." Kili looked like christmas had been canceled. "What?! Has it been canceled?" Fili poked his head around, "No one told us." Oh dear, he really is going to have to let them in isn't he. "Can…! No, nothing's been canceled." Kili smiled eagerly, he has regained his hope! "That's a relief!" Fili walked in as if he owned the place and dumped his weapons in Bilbo's arms, "Careful with these, I just had them sharpened."
Kili was apparently sightseeing, "It's nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?"
Hmmf he wasn't that old! "Uh…no, it's been in the family for years." Oh he did NOT just use that as a bootscrape! "That's my mother's glory box, can you please not do that?" Dwalin yelled at the brothers from behind the dining room door. "Fili, Ki li, come on, give us a hand." Kili slung an arm over Dwalin's shoulders, "Mr Dwalin."
Balin's voice came through next. "Let's shove this in the hole, or otherwise we'll never get everyone in." Bilbo realised he needed to pretend he had no idea this was on. He's got to remember that! "Ev…everyone?! How many more are there?" The doorbell rang again. "Oh, no! No, no. There's nobody home! Go away, and bother somebody else! There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If…if this is some clothead's idea of a joke, ha ha, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!" With that, he swung open the door and stepped back just in time to have a pile of Dwarves lamp on the mat. "Get off, you big lump!" someone yelled from the bottom of the pile. Gandalf poked his head through the door. "Gandalf." Bilbo sighed in exasperation.
...
That has got to be one of my longest chapters ever! So I hope you all really liked it, it took AGES to finish. As you can see, I made Bilbo have a wife who has died. My question to you is this… I am planning to possibly introduce an OC later on in another chapter. Would you like them to be…
Bilbo's daughter,
Bilbo's son,
Bilbo's apprentice in, well… everything (Male or Female),
Bilbo's twins,
Or no one at all?
Please answer in a review! Thank you for reading and I'll see you next chapter!
FallohideDragon
