Chapter 04
The Last of Bag End?
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Bilba was so embarrassed. She had actually fainted, like some silly tween!
After coming to, Dwalin and Ori helped her to her armchair in the parlor, while Dori brought her some tea.
"I'll be alright, just give me a moment," she said, breathing in steam from the tea with slow deep breaths. They nodded and left her there with the wizard.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Bilba burst out, "You never said anything about a dragon, Gandalf!"
"No adventure is without its obstacles, that is all part of what an adventure is, my dear girl!"
"An obstacle! He calls a dragon an 'obstacle'!" she scoffed. "What am I to do against a dragon?"
"Everyone faces dragons of one sort or another. The one that might be at the end of this quest just happens to be a real one. Staying here in the Shire does not mean you will not have to face your own personal dragon. There are many fearsome foes in this world, Bilba Baggins, but one of the most dangerous are the ones that wear the face of a friend, someone to whom we have given our trust, someone with whom we should have been safe," he said as he gently cupped the bruise on her face and traced the ones on her wrist.
"I-I... I have to think about this," she stammered and headed to her room.
As she was changing for bed she heard the dwarves begin singing. It was dark and sad but very beautiful. It made the Took inside her sit up and take a deep breath. It was like this was the last night of winter and tomorrow would be the first sunshine of spring and all she had to do to feel it was step out her door. On that thought she fell into a peaceful rest.
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Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin were the first to wake, something that would be very common in the coming months of travel.
"What is the wizard thinking? Why would he want to drag that tiny, soft creature from her comfortable home? To put her in danger, and possibly even be killed?" he groused to his two oldest and closest confidants.
He saw the sons of Fundin exchange significant looks before turning back to him.
"It is true Miss Baggins will be in danger if she comes with us, but she will still be in danger if she remains here."
"What do you mean?" Thorin asked.
"Ye saw the bruise on her face," Dwalin growled.
Thorin nodded.
"She has matching ones on her wrists, and possibly in other areas," Balin informed him. "When Dwalin arrived a male hobbit was trying to force his attentions on her."
Thorin looked shocked.
"There is more," Balin said looking grave. "Tharkun informed us that her family selected this halfling to become her husband and they could still make her marry him."
Horror crossed the King-in-Exile's face. "That is abominable!"
"Aye! To think the beardless runt still has a chance o' getting everything he wants instead o' being chuck out like the dishonorable dog he is!" Dwalin grumbled.
"Why would they force her to do such a thing?" Thorin wondered. "Surely she has another option besides leaving her home."
"Hobbits do things differently here in the Shire. From what I gathered from Tharkun, it seems the lass would bare the dishonor instead of her attacker, and marrying him would protect her reputation."
"What sort of logic is that? I see why the Halflings are not counted among the very wise," Thorin sneered. "This still does not mean she should travel with us, however. I fear we would only lead her to her death."
"If Miss Baggins has to marry an abusive husband she will be dead too," reasoned Balin. "He has already hurt her once and they are not married, there would be nothing to stop him from doing it again and again should the wedding take place. It would be a very slow death, but death just the same. The lass'll be in danger either way. Let her choose which hardship she wishes to face."
"I donna like it, but I'll no' leave the lass here if she wants ta go," declared Dwalin.
Thorin hesitated then sighed and slowly nodded. "I hope you broke some of his bones," he told his friend.
Dwalin shook his head. "The lass asked me no' ta hurt him. Didna' want me ta get in some sort of trouble. So, I only threw him over the gate. Seems to be a spirited enough little miss, but she still needs a protector. The Halflings are obviously incapable of properly protecting their women-folk."
"Are you volunteering, Dwalin?" Thorin asked.
"Trying to adopt a little sister?" Balin teased.
"Donna' know about the last bit, but I'll defend her as I would any female."
"Maybe she could travel beside Ori," Balin suggested. "Then Dori and Nori would be nearby too. Though I doubt the lass will lack companions. Fili and Kili are fond of a pretty face and the lass certainly is that, even without a beard."
Oh, yes! Thorin had noticed that when he had arrived.
'Those big eyes. That curvaceous body. Those curls! Her skin looked so soft, too. Mahal save him!' He had to mentally shake himself away from those thoughts.
"That is another thing that worries me," Thorin shared. "We do not need that sort of distraction on this quest. One female is bad enough without adding a second that has no skills to offer to the party."
"She can cook. That meal was one o' the best I've ever had," Dwalin objected.
'Durin's beard,' Thorin thought, 'could she cook! Everything he had eaten had been delicious, and those blackberry tarts must have come from the Valar!'
"I will agree with that," he said instead, "but she will not be able to cook like that on the road."
"Tharkun must have his reasons and for now we must be content with that," Balin stated.
"I do not think I can be content, but I will go along with the wizard's mad scheme for now."
"Isn't this whole quest a mad scheme?" Dwalin smiled.
"Shut up, Dwalin," Thorin growled.
The only response was laughter.
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The next sign of life in the hobbit hole was the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen. Upon entering, they found their hostess at work making breakfast. She was dipping slices of bread in a milky egg mixture and frying them. The next pan over had bacon and sausages sizzling in it, the one behind it was frying eggs, and there were several kettles heating water over the fire.
"Good morning, master dwarves. I hope you slept well," she told them.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Baggins. That smells delicious," Balin responded.
She turned a smile at them. "Breakfast will be ready in a little while. Could I enlist your help in setting the table?"
"O' course, lass," Dwalin replied.
"Oh, and Balin," she said pointing to the small table in the middle of the kitchen. On it sat a signed contract.
Picking it up and examining it, he nodded and said, "Everything appears in order. Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield, Miss Baggins."
Bilba beamed. Thorin turned and walked away causing her expression to dim. She thought he had left because he disapproved.
In reality, he had turned away because he refused to let himself be affected by her bright smile. He would not be distracted from his quest. Going outside he lit his pipe and watched the sky lighten.
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As Balin and Dwalin set the table the elder smiled at his brother and said, "Apparently it is not just the two youngest lads of the Line of Durin that are affected by a pretty face."
"'Bout time. Should we do anything 'bout it?"
"Just watch for now, I think. Let us see if it goes anywhere on its own."
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The smell of breakfast soon had all the dwarves carrying platters of food from kitchen to dining room. Bilba and Gandalf joined them last with tea and coffee pots and jugs of milk. The hobbit was pleased to see the dwarves dug as heartily into breakfast as they had supper and soon the party of fifteen had consumed every morsel.
Once again the dwarves did the dishes, then were off to collect their belongings.
Bilba returned to her room to fetch her pack. She added an additional coat to the one she would be wearing along with her heavy winter cloak. They were going to a mountain after all.
"Ye ready to go lass?" Dwalin called.
"Only, everyone else is outside and Thorin is getting impatient," Fili added.
"I'd wager that is a common state for him," she sighed as she stepped out of her bedroom for what could be the last time.
She moved to the back entrance to make sure it was locked when to her surprise it opened.
There, opening her backdoor, was Willoughby Boffin.
Bilba screamed and tripped herself backing up.
Willoughby paled when he saw Dwalin, obviously having expected the intimidating dwarf to be long gone. Dwalin charged at him. Willoughby turned around and ran.
At the same time Bilba looked around for something to defend herself with and spotted the throwing axes in Fili's boot. Leaning over she pulled one out. He gave her a questioning glance.
Fili was confused, but pursued the older dwarf out the door. Bilba picked herself up and followed.
The chubby hobbit didn't get far.
The other dwarves followed the sound of a commotion to the scene near the other end of the smial. They found Dwalin dangling a squealing fat little hobbit by his collar. Fili stood behind him looking confused and behind him, Bilba was gripping one of Fili's throwing axes in her hand.
"What is going on here?" Thorin demanded.
"This is the filth we told you about this morning. He dared to try and enter her home using the back way!" the fierce dwarf snarled shaking the halfling harshly.
"Dwalin, stop! Put him down!" Bilba shouted.
Dwalin stopped shaking him, but he punched the hobbit in the nose before dropping him to the ground.
Clutching his now broken nose with one hand, Willoughby moaned. Looking up at Bilba and spotting the pack on her back he exclaimed "You are leaving with these... these rock-eating dwarves?!"
All the dwarves took a menacing step towards him at that, hands on their weapons. He squawked and scrambled away from all the dwarves then stood and ran down the lane.
"Oh, bother. Now you've done it!" Bilba groaned.
"He shouldna' get away with hurting ye!" Dwalin declared.
"Just because he hurt me, does not mean hurting him is the right thing to do. Violence is not always the answer. Don't get me wrong, if he tried to hurt me again I'd use this on him to defend myself," she said waving Fili's axe then handing it back to him, "but punching people in the face is just not how things are done in the Shire. Now, let me lock up and we can get out of here. Hopefully before he brings back the sheriff."
"Bilba, I put the letter to your grandfather on the mantle in the parlor," Gandalf called.
Bilba nodded and headed back inside. She locked the back door then moved to the parlor. There she found two letters addressed to her grandfather. Picking up both of them and a small tea table she took them into the hall and placed the table in the center of the walkway and put the letters on top. She wanted to make sure it wasn't too long before they were found. Grandfather would worry after all. Then she stepped outside and locked the front door.
"Let us be off then. The ponies are stabled at the Green Dragon," Thorin said and they headed down the lane.
Bilba stopped at her neighbor's on the way. As expected, he was already out working in his garden.
"Mr. Gamgee, would you mind looking after Bag End for me? If there are any problems the Thain will handle it."
"O' course, Mistress Baggins." Accepting the key and eyeing the dwarves he asked, "Who put them bruises there? Are ya in some sort of trouble? Do ya need help?"
"Willoughby Boffin," she freely informed him, "and I'd really rather he and the Sackville-Baggins' didn't have any access to my smial. He might be headed back there with the sheriff with boorish accusations."
"Miss Baggins! Keep up!" Thorin's voice reached her.
"Sorry, Mr. Gamgee. Have to run!"
"Where are ya going?" Mr. Gamgee shouted.
"I'm going on an adventure!" she called back.
Fortunately for the company, Willoughby Boffin hadn't headed to the sheriff there in Hobbiton. If he had, they would have been stopped at the Green Dragon and it would have been days before any kind of understanding could be reached. Instead he had headed to the Great Smials in Tookland to see the Thain, and the company left the Shire unhindered.
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