Author's Note: Since I am already late with updating, and since Part VI isn't entirely finished yet; I decided to split it in two so all of you could already enjoy some sibling shenanigans. I'm hoping to upload the other part in a day or two, so we can finally start the actual adventure. In this segment you will find out some more about our dear Audrey that might or might not intrigue you...
An enormous thank you to my reviewers from last time: 'Phantomessangel', 'Immer wenn es dunkel wird', 'ZabuzasGirl', 'Belabsouza', 'LarienSurion', 'Siamsa' and 'Anna'. You guys are the best and the reason for me to keep on writing! To all the not-members of Fanfiction that left a review: I really wish I could give you all a separate 'Thank You' for your kind words, but seeing as that is impossible, this shout-out shall have to do. ;)

[EDIT: For those who have already passed through here, I pasted segment a. and segment b. together so it would form the entire Part VI. I find it looks better like this; otherwise there might have been a bit too many subdivisions.]


. . .

~ Part VI ~

. . .


To Protect And Prepare


Mr. Bilbo was set up in his armchair before the fire in the parlour, his feet lifted in the air by the aid of a flowery pouf, his back comfortably cushioned and a blanket draped over his upper legs. Audrey had been so thoughtful to search the cupboards in the kitchen for any sign of a kettle and an assortment of tea-leaves, which was why Mr. Bilbo's hand were at present enveloped around a steaming mug of camomile tea. This in order to calm down his heavily assaulted nerves and his thumping headache.

The dwarves had scattered throughout Bilbo's cosy little Hobbit hole. Some of them where in the kitchen, enjoying delights that Dwalin had -finely- managed to snoop out of the cookie jar. Some were seated along the heavy wooden table in the dining room, smoking their pipes to ease their stomachs after a satisfying dinner. Some were still huddled around the beer barrel, filling their tankards every few minutes with the golden beverage. And some were in Mr. Bilbo's study, browsing through his lovely collection of leather-bound books and maps.

Audrey, Gandalf and myself had decided to stay with Bilbo in the parlour, waiting for him to regain consciousness, which had not taken too long when my sister had walked in with the cup of tea, it's sweet smell filling the Hobbit's nostrils and pulling him back into the world of the living.

Gandalf was standing in the middle of the room as it was the highest point in the ceiling, where he was able to stand fully upright and his tall figure casted a long dark shadow across the floor. Audrey had sat herself cross-legged on the colourful carpet diagonally in front of Bilbo's armchair and she was studying his face and demeanour with keen interest, ready to jump back on her feet when the Hobbit would be in need of aid once more. I was seated on the elbow-rest of the chaise-longue, kept upright by the support of my own arms and in direct view of the master of the house.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him, a tad concerned about his ashen-coloured face.

"I'll be alright." Bilbo said, his eyes not leaving the cup of tea in his slightly shaking hands. "Just let me sit quietly for a moment."

"You've been sitting quietly for far too long!" Gandalf's booming voice ricocheted through the room. "Tell me, when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you?" He reprimanded poor Bilbo, his eyes piercing into the Hobbit's as he loomed over him with his towering height. "I remember a young hobbit who was always running off in search of Elves in the woods. He'd stay out late, come home after dark trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young hobbit who would've liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire!"

The mental image that that revelation brought to me made my lips curl into a smile. I locked eyes with my sister and saw that she was sporting a smile even more vibrant than my own, as she was probably imagining the same thing. Both our amused faces did not go unnoticed by Bilbo and he wiggled uncomfortably in his armchair, a blush spreading from his cheeks right to the pointy ends of his ears, making him look a lot more healthy already.

"The world is not in your books or maps." Gandalf continued much more gently and he inclined his head towards one of the many circular windows in the room. "It's out there."

"I can't just go running off into the blue!" Bilbo spluttered indignantly. "I'm a Baggins of Bag-End!" He declared and he pointed his finger in the air to emphasize his declaration.

"You are also a Took." Gandalf said with raised eyebrows and that revelation made Bilbo roll his eyes in annoyance, as if he was tired of hearing that fact mentioned. "Did you know that your great-great-great-great-uncle, Bullroarer Took, was so large he could ride a real horse?"

"Yes." Bilbo said with a sigh and another roll of his eyes. From the looks of it, it seemed like he had heard this story many times before and did very much question its believability.

"Well, he could!" Gandalf continued a little louder, starting to get fed up with the Hobbit's reactions. "At the Battle of Greenfields he charged the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard it knocked the goblin king's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won..." The wizard said and something in the story had made Bilbo scrunch up his features in question, something he had probably not heard before.

"...and the game of golf invented at the same time." Gandalf ended the story.

Audrey giggled at that and I couldn't suppress a smile either. It just sounded rather ridiculous and unbelievable, and I wasn't the only one who thought that as Bilbo spoke up once more, though I could see him raising one of the corners of his mouth, amused at the image as well.

"I do believe you made that up." He said and lifted his eyes up to look at the wizard.

"Well, all good stories deserve embellishment." Gandalf admitted with a shrug and he walked through the room to seat himself on the wooden coffee table in front of Bilbo's armchair, his blue eyes trying to find the Hobbit's brown ones. "You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back."

Bilbo managed a smile at that and as his eyes met Gandalf's once more that evening, a glimmer of hope and aspiration was visible in them. "Can you promise that I will come back?" He asked.

But at that question Gandalf's face fell and he resided reluctantly to tell the truth. "No." He said gravely. "And if you do, you will not be the same."

"That's what I thought." Bilbo all but whispered and to my ears he sounded somewhat disappointed, maybe even sad. "Sorry, Gandalf. I can't sign this." He gestured to the contract that laid in front of him and stepped up from his armchair. "You've got the wrong Hobbit."

At his last words Bilbo gingerly stepped through the door of the parlour and into the adjacent hallway, scuttling away to a place of momentary refuge and peace. Gandalf furrowed his bushy eyebrows and grumbled something under his breath before he stood up as well, making his way in the opposite direction. He sat himself in the dining room amongst the small group of Dwarves who enjoyed a good smoke from their long pipes in silence, and silence, along with the opportunity to ponder over recent events, is what the wizard seemed to crave most of all at the moment.

In the parlour, my sister and I were left to ourselves for the first time that evening. I had been craving a moment of well-deserved solitude ever since Bilbo got the contract shoved in his sweaty palms, and savoured this rare moment of peace and quiet. I leaned back against the chaise-longue and closed my eyes contently, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me as I realised what a weary day it had been. I could feel my eyelids droop ever lower and a heavenly sensation of blissful ignorance filled my brain when I was abruptly shaken out of my slumber by my sister's trembling voice.

"No, this isn't right." I could hear her whisper to herself and I reluctantly opened my eyes to see she was staring at the folded hands in her lap, an expression of pure confusion and alarm plastered on her face.

I arched in eyebrow, not used to my sister's current posture. "What's the matter with you?" I asked her.

Audrey shot to her feet and flung herself into the seat next to me, grabbing a hold of my upper arm, her eyes growing disturbingly wide. "Mister Bilbo, he..." She spluttered. "he- he has to come with us!"

If I hadn't known my sister, I would've presumed she had gone mad. I could feel that her hands were shaking violently, her posture betrayed that she was strung up by nerves, completely wind up like a spring and she was swallowing one too many times for me to consider normal. But predominantly it were her eyes that disturbed me the most; they had grown even wider than before, the blue of her irises blindingly bright and positively piercing everything in its direct line of sight. It made her look mildly deranged.

I tried to ignore all of this as I knew it was not entirely unusual behaviour. I vaguely remembered my sister had the same look in her eyes when a nightmare had once chased her out of her bed and into my own as she vigorously tried to explain there was an actual monster hiding in her closet. And no matter how many times I tried to soothe her and tell her that monsters didn't exist, she stubbornly refused to believe me, her belief in fantastical creatures overpowering any sign of common sense.

That little flashback made me scowl at her choice of words, convinced that my sister was once again swept away in the mere magical sensation of it all. "He doesn't have to do anything. Audrey, if we had a choice than I would have rather stayed here in the safety of the Shire as well." I chided. "I can understand Bilbo's reasons."

As I had suspected, Audrey was not convinced. "But- but he needs to come along on this quest! He- he needs to be the Dwarves' burglar!"

I merely raised an eyebrow at her exclamation, too sceptical and worn-out at the moment to recognize the desperate tone in her voice. Above that, my attention was momentarily drawn towards the vice-like grip on my arm as it was getting -admittedly- quite painful. "Can I please have my arm back?" I gestured towards the assaulted limb. "I can hardly feel my fingers."

Audrey looked once at me, than at her own hand, and immediately let go. "Sorry." She said weakly and my show of disinterest had tempered her former exclamations of wound-up ebullience, making her slump back into the soft cushions of the sofa, her voice now a mere tremor of what it sounded like before. "It's just... he... he has to come. He just has to."

She sounded so utterly confused and defeated that I had the sudden urge to throw my arm around her shoulders and soothe her like I had done when we were children, trying to calm and comfort her with my reasoned and thought-through assertions.
Instead I tilted my head in question, intrigued to know the reason behind my sister's perseverance and belief in Mr. Bilbo's compulsory attendance to this quest.

"Why?" I asked simply and when there was no response I made a reluctant attempt in cheering Audrey up. I really hated seeing her so upset. She was supposed to be the happy one. Being quiet, stubborn and sullen was my job.

"Are you already that fond of him?" I nudged her playfully in the side, hoping my effort of pleasantry would make my sister smile again.

Unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect as Audrey kept looking thoroughly troubled. Her lack of response made me hesitatingly admit that there must actually be something of genuine substance worrying my sister, a rare occurrence that made me lower my brow back into a serious frown, my bad habit started to play up again as I sucked on my bottom lip, a clear indication that my nerves were on edge.

"Or are you keeping something from me?" I said lowly, my voice barely above a whisper as I couldn't fathom the idea of Audrey keeping anything that was remotely important and reality-stricken to herself.

She looked up into my eyes so quickly, I was sure she had strained her neck, her expression clearly saying something along the lines of -'Are you mental?'- and I indeed felt rather idiotic, thinking even for a second that Audrey would purposely keep any sort of important information from me. Though my insinuation -which sounded even more ridiculous resounding in my head for a second time- had been able to magically conjure a radiant smile back onto my sister's face and she airily waved my questions away with a laugh. "It was just a feeling that I had."

Her smiles were infectious and I could feel my own lips curl up as well. "A feeling, huh?" I inquired and I was intrigued to know if what my sister had felt was anything remotely similar to the 'feelings' I had had; the strange sensations of remembrance that had seemed to fill some of the holes in my memory. I wondered if she had -just now- remembered something as well, as minute as it may have seemed to her, and that sudden thought peaked my interest. "Do you also get a major headache when you're having one of those?" I questioned and the eager interest on my face did not go unnoticed by my sister.

"A headache?" Audrey shook her head. "No." She quirked an eyebrow in confusion as she countered my inquiry with a question of her own. "Do you?"

I was slightly disappointed at hearing that. I had hoped that Audrey had gone through the same experience. We could have been able to talk about it, give each other a heads-up whenever we felt another memory reach the surface of our conscience, help one another get through the difficult parts and just genuinely be there for each other.

And vomit rainbows while we're busy bonding. I nearly face-palmed myself at the sentimental thoughts running rampant in my brain.

I did not show what I was thinking though and just answered her question truthfully, hoping to keep this conversation as auspicious as possible. "Bloody hell, yes." I answered flatly, the corners of my lips still pulled upward. "Splitting ones."

I could see this revelation made my sister's interest peak. "And what feeling did you have then?" She asked eagerly.

Her question made me relive the deep and crude voice from before, chills running up my spine as I remembered how it felt like I was drowning when those three words echoed through my head: 'Only failures cry.' I could feel the colour leave my face and I saw how Audrey's eager expression rapidly contorted into an expression of concern. I knew that if I told Audrey the truth she would be upset beyond believe. She would worry about me endlessly, something that was really not necessary to begin with, let alone appreciated. I could take care of this on my own, there was no need for my sister to vex herself about my mental state of mind.

I quickly quirked the corners of my lips back into a smile. " Just a memory that came back to me." I decided to at least be sincere about that.

Audrey's worrisome expression melted away as her face lit up in excitement. "Really? You remembered something?" I could practically hear the radars in her head working in overdrive as she tried to figure out what that meant. "What was it?" She asked.

Ah, right. Of course, I reprimanded myself that I should have realised sooner my sister would've wanted to know more. I racked my brain for any other memories that had showed themselves to me during the day. "It was nothing important." I tried to stall for time, even if it was just for a few seconds. I was sure something would come back to me and -indeed- something did resurface. A memory that had stuck with me since the moment I had seen it flashing in front of me like a film. "I used to wear glasses." I finally told Audrey as I remembered this early morning when Gandalf had found me and made me relive the few moments before I woke up here. "Which is sort of strange, actually, seeing as I could see as sharply as an eagle from the moment I woke up here."

"That's fantastic!" Audrey exclaimed, completely satisfied with this Lilliputian detail of my earlier life. "Maybe this place has some kind of healing powers for people like us."

I inelegantly snorted out a laugh at that. "Uhu, sure, healing powers." I said drily, one pedantic eyebrow cocked. "Nothing else?" I mock-questioned haughtily and continued by summing up a list of absurd thoughts, one corner of my mouth raised in sarcastic playfulness. "Houses made out of candy? Fluffy pillow-like clouds you can actually sit on? Talking animals?"

"Lil, don't mock me!" Audrey exclaimed with a toothy laugh and half-heartedly slapped me on the arm for good measure. "We do not know the ways of this world. It could be possible." A giggle slipped past her lips every now and then which annulled the serious tone she wanted to give her voice.

My eyebrow still in place, I gave her an incredulous and pointed look. "Right."

Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Well if you don't believe me, we can ask Gandalf." She huffed in mock indignation and sprang to her feet, making her way back towards the dining room.

Now, that was a prospect I did not fancy at all; another doleful conversation with nothing but un-aiding answers from the wandering wizard, while he looked at you with such knowledge that it made you believe he actually knew a lot more of your previous life than you did at the moment. So, I quickly dashed after my sister and grabbed her arm to turn her away from the dining room and into one of the many hallways of the Hobbit hole, mumbling "Oh, no, no, no, no." as I made us come to a halt.

"We're not asking that wizard anything." I grumbled and scowled in the direction of the dining room where Gandalf was winning what appeared to be a 'Who can make the biggest smoke circle' -contest.

"Why ever not?" Audrey asked innocently, her sing-song voice making it quite clear she knew exactly the reason why I was still unwilling to talk to Gandalf.

"Because he's unable to give you straight answers and I'm really not in the mood to have another evasive conversation filled with half-truths." I said evenly and turned my scowl towards my sister, who didn't seem faced by my expression for a second.

She even had the audacity to smirk at me. "Are you sure you're not just cross with him because of earlier?" She asked, a teasing edge to her voice, knowing I would be too stubborn to admit anything of the sort.

I looked my sister square in the eyes. "Positive." I answered evenly, trying to convey no emotions at all in that single word.

Audrey's eyes shone with a mischievous light. "Right." She concluded with a grin.

A deep voice coming from the far end of the hallway made us both aware of the fact that we were not the only ones having a private conversation in the dimly-lit corridors of Mr. Bilbo's cosy Hobbit hole. "Old warriors," I heard it say with a deep sigh and I thought I recognized Balin as the owner of the voice.

My curiosity got the better of me and I silently waved my sister along, tripling lightly on the toes of my feet towards the sound. I was just about to round a corner when another voice accompanied Balin's and I skittered to a halt, my sister colliding with my back with an "Oomph" as she had not anticipated my sudden halt.

"I will take each and every one of these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills." I heard Thorin's baritone vibrate along the curved walls. "For when I called upon them, they answered; loyalty, honour, a willing heart," he said, and I peeked around the corner to see his usual stoic expression had made way for a far more softer look. "I can ask for no more than that."

Balin -who had been seated earlier- stood up with a heavy sigh, his voice strained with worry as he addressed Thorin. "You don't have to do this. You have a choice. You've done honourably by our people." I vaguely understood that Balin was trying to convince Thorin in choosing a safer path, attempting his leader to see common sense where it was due, as if he knew their quest could only end in blood and tears. "You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains. A life of peace, and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor." He reasoned and for a moment it seemed as if Thorin was considering the words of his loyal adviser.

That was until the Dwarf-leader's hands disappeared into his pocket. "From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me," he said as he revealed the key Gandalf had bestowed on him. "They dreamt of the day when the Dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin," Thorin said heavily, his posture betraying how the memory of his ancestors weighed upon him. "Not for me."

Balin nodded, even if he would have liked to hear a different answer, but he knew as well that there was none. "Then we are with you, laddie," he breathed out and placed the palm of his hand on Thorin's upper arm in comfort and reassurance. "We will see it done."

I saw how the two of them made their way towards either the sitting room or the parlour and even as they were already long gone, neither me nor my sister moved around or said anything, their words still heavy in the air, weighing our earlier carefree mood down. I realised at that moment how important this quest seemed to be for Thorin and it suddenly felt like I understood his dark eyes, brooding expressions and harsh words a little better. Though I was sure, that no matter how much understanding there would ever be between us, we would still butt heads. That much was certain.

I moved away from the corridor and directed my pondering gaze at the wall in front of me, my inner thoughts disturbed by Audrey's sigh. "Poor mister Thorin..."

Even though I would have loved to scoff at that remark -the verbal battle between the Dwarf-leader and myself from before still fresh in my mind- I did not have the heart to disagree with her out loud.

Audrey tilted her head slightly to the side and looked at me strangely, her eyes distant. "It must have been so hard for him, and for the other Dwarves too." She cast her eyes downward, the far-away look still present, and scrunched up her features in sorrow. "I mean, can you imagine? Your home taken away from you by a Dragon. A Dragon, Lil!" She exclaimed and her eyes fleetingly met mine, wide with appalling realisation. "Such a horrific beast... it probably killed a lot of the Dwarves' friends and family."

Those last words took me by surprise as a sudden feeling of realisation held my heart in its clutches; and I was ashamed to admit that I had not even considered that possibility. In a flash, Bofur's words came back to me: "He'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye". He had said it so airily, so full of teasing humour, that it had never occurred to me how accurate and full of reality that revelation actually was. In extension, I tried to imagine a real-life Dragon, taller than any building back home, with scales of steel, claws like meat hooks and teeth like razors, able to breathe fire so scalding that it destroys everything in its path; wood, rock, flesh...

"And then you're homeless and you have no choice but to travel, to start a new settlement somewhere, to try and built a new life." Audrey babbled on, her face contorted into an expression of pure misery and her voice strained with pity. "But you never really feel like you belong. Always remembering what you lost, and who you lost. And though it pains your heart, you can feel the hope of ever seeing your homeland again slowly fading with every passing day."

Audrey's eyes filled with tears as she tried desperately to keep from crying. Her gaze was still distant and it looked like she could actually see the despair of the Dwarves of Erebor rolling like a film in front of her eyes.

Now, I knew my sister was a caring person who would take every story of misfortune to heart, but I hadn't expected her to be this upset about these Dwarves' past. Either she was still not entirely over the shock of it all and prone to burst out into tears at any given moment, or she had somehow heard one of the Dwarves retell a tale of wandering when I wasn't around.
But seeing as I had been with her the entire time, I did not think that that was the case, so I stuck with my first thought.

At any rate, Audrey was right and her words had struck a chord within me and I knew I had to admit that fact out loud for her to know I shared her opinion. So I let out a sigh and placed a hand atop her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "I suppose you're right." I told her sincerely. "It must have been very hard for them."

Audrey wiped away a single tear that had escaped the barrier of her eyelids and looked up at me with a small smile, visibly pleased with my genuine reaction. A comfortable silence settled between us, which I reluctantly broke as my ever-rational brain clawed at a more realistic problem at hand.

"Come on, let's go and find Bilbo." I said and let my hand fall from my sister's shoulder as I explained my notions. "We still need to get you a dress and some spare clothing for the journey would probably be necessary as well." I said as I turned on my heel and headed towards -where I presumed where- the sleeping quarters, Audrey following close behind. "Maybe our host will be so kind as to lend us some."

Audrey's ever-present spirits were lifted almost immediately as we began our search for the master of the house. I was baffled -again- at how swiftly my sister was able to dismiss the sorrow-filled thoughts from her mind. It seemed to me that her focus had once more drifted towards the land of the fairies as she practically skipped around in the various corridors and passageways of Bilbo's home, occasionally grazing every attentive ear with a pleasant hum of her sing-song voice.

Trying to find the right room in the Hobbit hole turned out to be far more difficult than we had anticipated. Though it looked like a small hole from the outside, the interior was far more extravagant with corridors curving endlessly below the hill, a maze of passageways in every direction and circular doorways in every possible nick and corner; I acknowledged fleetingly that Bag-End would have been a very good place to play hide and seek in.

"Oh!" Audrey piped up suddenly as I was in the process of closing a door that had lead me to one of the many bathrooms in the Hobbit hole, and I quirked an eyebrow as I faced her lively expression, her mouth shaped in a perfect 'o'. "I didn't had the chance to tell you yet, but I thought you were brilliant when you faced down Thorin." She said, her baby blues shining brightly in awe. "He looked very intimidating."

Again, how she could switch from one thought to the other amazed me to no end. "Just a moment ago you felt sorry for him." I sighed out in exasperation, a frown making its way back onto my brow.

"Well, yes. But that doesn't mean he didn't look completely scary earlier." She said, her eyes wide as she remembered his imposing, dark and scrutinizing posture. "I think I would've pissed myself with fright if I had been standing in your place." She shuddered at the thought.

Even though her words made me smile -Audrey squeaking in apprehension as Thorin's broad frame loomed over her, his arms crossed and his eyes burning a hole in her tiny form as she seemed to steadily shrink under his intimidating gaze was the first image that rolled in front of my eyes- I did not believe that my unwavering attitude was considered even remotely 'brilliant', as Audrey had put it.

So I waved her compliment away. "It was nothing, really."

"It was not nothing!" Audrey exclaimed indignantly and she put her hands on her hips for good measure. "You managed to keep what you were truly thinking to yourself, you had a sense of calm over you throughout the whole ordeal -even when they started to make fun of your hair colour!- and in the end you actually convinced him!"

She sounded so in awe that it was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I really did not deserve such praise. "I think it were Gandalf's words that persuaded him the most." I mumbled stubbornly in response.

"Weeeeeell, that might have helped a little," Audrey admitted, "but I still think you did a great job. You showed all the Dwarves that you've got..." She hesitated, "Balls!" She blurted out without thinking and flushed bright red immediately after, clasping a hand over her mouth in reflex.

I tried to refrain from snorting out a laugh but failed miserably as my sister's crimson face was a highly amusing sight. "Balls?" I questioned as my uncharacteristic giggles had subsided, a teasing grin finding its way around my lips.

Audrey shook her head fervently, her eyes wide. "I actually wanted to say 'guts'." She stuttered, her blushing face clearly indicating that she had wished she had stopped to think before she had spoken.

I pinched the bridge of my nose good-humouredly. "You know that 'balls' is not a dirty word, right?"

"I know, but I just find it sounds dirty." Audrey entwined and twisted her fingers round and round in embarrassment and she scrunched up her nose in such a way that it made her look like an adorable little toddler who had just been told that 'no, that's not food, put it back'.

I benevolently rolled my eyes and chuckled silently at my sister's innocent behaviour, before I motioned her along to continue our search. For a few minutes we explored the Hobbit hole in comfortable silence. Audrey's cheeks had somewhat reduced in colour as she could now occupy herself with peeking her head around corners and through cracks of doors -sometimes silently calling out our host's name- instead of worrying about her momentary discomfited outburst.

After I had examined the book-filled room we now found ourselves in -unsuccessful in tracking down Mr. Bilbo once again- I spoke up in a momentary feeling of appreciation towards my sister. "Thanks." I said simply.

"Hmm?" Audrey hummed distractedly as she stroked a delicate finger across a row of leather-bound books. "For what?"

My grin was lopsided as I eyed her ministrations. "For saying I've got balls."

My sister's head snapped up in surprise at my recollection of her earlier -rather uncouth- compliment and she flushed scarlet once more at the choice of words. She sheepishly lowered her eyes onto the ground as she started to twiddle her fingers again, stammering "You're welcome" in a very timid version of her voice.

When Audrey looked up again and locked eyes with me, my lopsided grin still in place and my eyebrows raised, she burst out in a fit of high-pitched giggles -either at my expression or at her own shy reaction- and followed me back out the door and into the adjacent hallway as I waved her along with an amused tilt of the head. We turned -what appeared to be- the final corner in the Hobbit hole and came across a corridor we had not yet examined. A large round door was situated right in the centre of the curved passageway and I was willing to bet every hair on my head, knowing that that was Bilbo's master bedroom.

I nudged my sister in the side and her silent display of giggles ceased abruptly as she saw what I was looking at, an expression of realisation crossing her face. I didn't hesitate a moment longer and made my way towards the door, Audrey walking right next to me, excitement evident in the spring of her step. But before we even reached the door, I was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of two figures turning the corner from the hallway on the right and I collided head on with one of them, yelping at the rough contact, and I could hear by the "oomph" of my sister that she had collided with the other one, knocking the breath right out of her in the process.

"Ah, there you are!" Kili exclaimed happily from somewhere on my left.

"We've been searching for you." Fili's voice came drifting down from a spot right above my head.

Oh, bloody hell. I cursed inwardly. Not these two.

I grumbled lowly in annoyance as I lifted one of my hands to rub at the spot just above my brow, trying to reduce the ache I now felt there due to the fact it had hit some part of the Dwarf in front of me. Probably his bearded chin, if the feel of coarse hair had been any indication. Said Dwarf chuckled lightly at my ministrations -probably finding some humour in the situation, a sentiment I did not share in the slightest- and to my astonishment, the sound seemed to vibrate through my own chest. My brow lifted slightly at that sensation as I followed the tremor down my arm and towards my hand.

It appeared that in a natural reflex my fingers had curled themselves into the soft fabric that was Fili's fur collar, the only support that had been close by when I had nearly lost my balance due to our collision. Now, a more demure person would have immediately broken the contact between themselves and the other -blushing ever so mildly and a shyly mumbled apology thrown in for good predictability- but I was not nearly as demure as I had most likely been raised to be. My eyes narrowed in clear vexation as I grabbed the fur more firmly in my hand, tugging the Dwarf even closer before I lifted my glare up and stared right into his eyes, and for the first genuine time that evening, honey brown met sky blue.

"Getting better acquainted, are we?" Fili's words were barely acknowledged as my posture betrayed how much his sly smile irked me.

I made a 'tsk' sound at his bold remark. "If only you were that lucky." I scoffed lowly, an irritated tremble finding its way into my voice.

Our faces were mere inches apart and I gritted my teeth in an increase of temper as I saw how the blonde Dwarf had the audacity to be amused by the state we found ourselves in, his eyes bright and his grin mischievous. My earlier exhaustion made way for my fiery temper as I was unable to control the increasing vexation this situation brought me. I opened my mouth to verbally smack that grin from his face, a throng of insults burning on the tip of my tongue, ready to be flung around in every possible direction.

"Oh, sorry." My upcoming rant was cut off by the sound of Kili's -did he sound bashful?- voice. "Are you alright?"

I snapped my head to the side abruptly and Fili mimicked my motion, causing one of his moustache-braids to hit me upside the head. Albeit it being not that painful, it certainly wasn't helping my incensed mood and I would've started making that point clear right then and there if the sight in front of me hadn't left me so utterly speechless.

"I- I'm fine." Audrey's stutter was barely above a whisper.

If I hadn't known any better, I would have suggested that the dark-haired Dwarf and the flustered girl in his arms had just had a very exhausting round of snogging. Audrey was practically leaning her whole weight on Kili, the palms of her hands plastered flat on his chest for support and her knees slightly bent, as if she was about to lose her footing. On the other side, Kili kept my sister locked to his chest in an awkward embrace, his hands keeping her upright by the steady grip on her upper arms, in so carrying her whole weight -which seemed to match the mere weight of a feather, according to Kili's unchallenged posture- by the strong flex of the muscles in his arms.

Now, seeing as they had both bumped into each other simultaneously with myself and Fili, their entangled figures on their own did not quite bother me. It were the close proximity of their faces, the flush on their cheeks and the comparable looks of unexplored territory and evident youthful naivety that were unmistakably present in their eyes, however, that aggravated me profoundly.

How different we were when it came to beings of the opposite sex. I compared my defensive stand -my unoccupied hand curled up in a fist as if I was about to physically assault the Dwarf in front of me- to my sister's obvious show of flustered submission and fleetingly wondered where our diversity found its roots; unsure if the memory attached to that answer was something to anticipate with either repose or apprehension.

I didn't know why exactly, but the sight in front of me made my blood boil in imminent rage and combined terror. It was like someone had enveloped a hand around my heart, perforating the fragile tissue with blunt nails and squeezing the muscle together until it felt almost impossible to breathe anymore.

If someone had told me then that the stifling sensation taking my heart in its clutches was a feeling of foreboding combined with a mild dash of healthy jealousy, I would have laughed out loud at the absolute ridicule of that statement. (Most ardently at the last part.) No, I was merely looking out for my baby sister -something every older sibling was prone to do- and I was determined to keep Audrey as far away as possible from this young pair of troublemakers; for that was what they obviously were, no matter how many times my sister would refer to them as her 'Knights in Shining Armour'.

I cleared my throat loudly which successfully evaporated the sickeningly sweet atmosphere that had established itself between Kili and Audrey. They started out of their mutual reverie and practically jumped apart at the sound, leaving a more respectable gap between them.

When Audrey met my judging stare, my eyes narrowed into barely visible slits and my brow pulled low over them in obvious distaste, she had the decency to look sheepish, twiddling her fingers around each other in embarrassment, her face a right shade of crimson.
Kili, on the other hand, had his ever-present impish grin plastered on his face, looking immensely smug about the whole situation -even though his own roguish posture could not entirely hide the flush of red colouring the tips of his ears. He directed the -positively devilish- glint in his dark eyes towards his older brother, and I was sure that if I hadn't shot the blonde Dwarf -who I was still holding in a firm grip by his collar- an almost murderous look at that point, he would have giving his younger brother the thumbs up. The spark of fire in my eyes promising him a world of hurt if he so much as dared to encourage his younger brother's behaviour.

"Err... Lil?" Came the timid voice of my sister. "What are you doing?" She wondered out loud as she eyed my curled up fist wearily and trailed her stare over my arm towards my other hand disappearing in Fili's collar.

When Audrey and Kili had jumped apart, I had allowed myself to breathe normally once again and the heated feelings twisting and twirling around in my stomach had subsided gradually, which was the only reason why I was able to hold it together at my sister's question. But that did not mean my temper had already entirely disappeared, which was why I couldn't stop myself from drawling out the sarcastic comment I saw fit to grace her with as an answer.

"Well, unlike some of us, I don't immediately succumb to the title-role of 'Damsel in Distress' when I get knocked over by some random guy." My tone was dry and devoid from any regard for the receiver's feelings.

"Ah..." Audrey visibly flinched at my callous remark as she had not yet sensed the mood which I found myself in. "But... do you really think that what you're about to do is that much better?" She questioned as she tilted her head to indicate I was still holding my hand in a fist, the knuckles white from the strain and positioned exactly so, to punch Fili square in the face.

I roughly let go of the blonde Dwarf's fur collar, a spark of anger running up my spine as I did not appreciate the fact that my sister had a valid point there. Still, seeing as her own reaction had been the completely brain-damaged approach of falling right into the open arms of this random guy, I felt strengthened in my own -what I believed was a- more sensible reaction to the situation and found that my sister had absolutely no room to talk.

I took a step towards her, the expression 'not amused' clearly written on my face, and even though she was merely two or three inches shorter than myself, it was enough of a height difference for me to stare her down.

"If he turns out to be a rancid rape-happy git, then yes." I said to her pointedly, gazing at her in such a way that it looked like I was speaking from experience. The absolute certainty in my own voice made me absentmindedly wonder, with a stab of dread puncturing my heart, if that was actually the case.

I subsequently tore my eyes away from Audrey's -now very timid- facial expression to give each Dwarf brother a look-over and I wasn't so single-minded to think that Fili and Kili looked anything like the rape-happy sort. Still, I was trying to make a point and I thought fleetingly that it served them right. Turning up like that and scaring the hell out of me; such an act was not something I would let go unpunished.

"Oi!" Kili exclaimed loudly as he understood what I was trying to say and his determined expression told me he was not just going to let my comment slip over his head. "My brother would never-" he spluttered indignantly. "And neither would I, for that matter. It was just an accid-"

His aghast attempts to defend himself and his brother amused me somewhat, but I found he needed to be taught not to but-in on other people's conversations.

"I'm sorry, but at what point in this conversation did you believe I was in need of your opinion?" I cut the dark-haired Dwarf off with an unimpressed tilt of the head and one cocked pedantic eyebrow. He just gaped at me in response, unable to come up with a suitable reply.

Kili's completely dumbfounded expression made me think of a dark-eyed guppy-fish at feeding time and the mental image was so satisfying that I could feel the few remnants of my temper fading away slowly. It occurred to me that I missed telling people to shut up, if my current contented feeling was anything to go by. And, even so, rendering them utterly speechless with my stinging words of sarcasm was an even more enjoyable sensation.
Audrey had kept quiet ever since I had snapped at her, but as she seemed to think Kili's expression was hilarious, she had clapped her hands in front of her mouth and was failing miserably to keep her giggles from escaping through the cracks in her fingers. Her laughter made the dark-haired Dwarf's ears flush bright red in embarrassment.

"Kili, behave." His brother chided playfully, a small smile playing on his lips, making his moustache-braids lift up ever so mildly, as he was clever enough to notice that I had lost the previous tension in my shoulders. He inclined his head in my general direction as a show of his exculpation. "We apologize for the inconvenience of our greeting." He said and his blue eyes locked themselves onto my own, never leaving my ever-measuring gaze, as he continued to speak. "We only wanted to talk to you about-"

"It's late." I stated drily, cutting the blonde Dwarf's sentence in half. "Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?"

Even though my mood was lifted back into its neutral state of guarded emotions, I still had my attention onto the round door in the centre of the corridor, reminding myself of the urgent reason that guided us in our search for the master of the house. Whatever it was the two Dwarf brothers wanted to talk about needed to wait. There really wasn't much time left before Bilbo would lay himself down for the night, and I was reluctant to wake the nice Hobbit up.

"I'm afraid not." Fili said and an exasperated sigh left me at his words as my attention was grudgingly moved back to his braided golden head. "We needed to inform you that-"

"You know what?" I said abruptly, successfully cutting him off once again as I was unwilling to waist any more time. "No."

Two blonde eyebrows were raised high in question at my odd remark. "No?" Fili repeated.

"No." I stated again, my features unwavering while I made to grab a hold of my sister's wrist. "We were on our way to see Mr. Bilbo about a matter of actual importance." I told them hurriedly, not really in the mood to give them an explanation, but aware of the fact that they would not just let us go without one. My hand connected with Audrey's arm and I started to guide her along towards our destination, dragging her unceremoniously behind me as she hadn't anticipated my sudden need for a quick getaway. "And seeing as it's already past midnight, we don't have any time for an idle chat."

I saw how Fili's brow shot back over his eyes and it was clear that he was somewhat annoyed at my lack of interest. He probably didn't care much for being ignored, and he stubbornly tried to hold on to my attention, his voice now matching his mildly irritated expression. "But we just needed to tell you-"

I was not about to give him the pleasure of saying what he so desperately wanted to say and I shot him a glare. "What part of 'no' do you not understand." My voice was getting strained again. I really just wanted to get this day over with and find a nice warm bed to sleep in as a new wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"Come on, Lil." Audrey tried to soothe me as she grounded me gently to a standstill. "Just let them say their bit. I'm sure it won't take long." She reasoned as she pried my fingers from her wrist.

I sighed loudly and met her eyes with renewed annoyance, the brown of my irises resembling sparkling gold in the dimly lit corridor. Innocent baby blues stared right back at me and the corners of Audrey's lips were turned up in an encouraging smile. I pursed my lips in silent agreement, too weary to deny my sister this simple proposal. "You have precisely one minute." I put up my index finger for emphasize as I redirected my gaze once more towards Fili.

My momentary show of defeat seemed to suit the golden-haired brother just fine. "We were asked to inform you that we leave at daybreak."

"Noted." I responded drily, a burning heat settling itself back into the pit of my stomach as I made a mental note to myself to show this overconfident Dwarf my unyielding nature when the time called for it. "Anything else?"

"Well,..." He hesitated as his smile grew bold and he locked eyes with his brother who nodded at him enthusiastically, encouraging him to say the real reason that had made them pursuit us. Because I really couldn't believe that they had been looking for us in this maze that was Mr. Bilbo's home with the single reason to tell us the time of our departure. They could have easily looked for us in the morning to tell us it was time to leave. Fili cleared his throat and directed his gaze back at me, an expression of both mischief and honesty evident in the bright glint of his eyes; a strange combination that made me be on my guard. "After we heard about miss Audrey's dreadful situation, we thought we'd offer you our protection."

"Your protection?" I repeated sceptically, barely able to retain my absolute lack of interest.

"Yes." Fili breathed, his voice too light-hearted for me to believe the complete sincerity of his statement. "We could keep an eye on you and keep you from harm."

"Aye!" Kili piped up, his dark eyes bright with enthusiasm, which was once again a clear indication for me to believe they had something other in mind aside from the noble gesture of keeping us safe. "My brother and I have trained for this for ages! You'd have nothing to worry about, we're very skilled fighters."

How modest. I thought and rolled my eyes.

Fili gave his brother a broad smile and clapped him on the back, a spark of affection flitting across the blue in his eyes before addressing me again. "We could try teaching you how to wield a sword, if you'd like."

He scrutinized both myself and my sister's appearance with such an intense expression on his face that there was no doubt in my mind anymore that before me stood the nephew of Thorin Oakenshield, as the Dwarf-leader had given Bilbo a similar look-over when he had stepped over the threshold of the Hobbit's home. Their faces were so alike, so identical in bone structure; I wondered why I hadn't noticed it sooner. Maybe Fili's unusual fair hair distracted the onlooker from the obvious family resemblance.

"Or a bow!" Kili exclaimed, excitement evident in his eyes as he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet to demonstrate his skill to the both of us.

Audrey giggled and clapped her hands together in mirroring elation, eyes shining like little stars. "Oh, that would be wonderful!" The ebullience barely concealed in her voice as she shot Kili a broad toothy smile, her cheeks flushing a faint pink when he returned her gesture with a beaming grin of his own.

"You're very kind, but we don't need anyone's protection." I chose to use the diplomatic approach, but my words broke the happy and carefree bubble that had come over this conversation nonetheless. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Are you certain of that?" Fili retorted, his impudent smile still present and there was something in his all-knowing tone of voice that made my stomach knot together in vexation. "There are a lot of horrible things out there, you know, beyond the borders of the Shire." One of his eyebrows was raised in a perfectly golden arch and he enunciated every word so clearly that I had the distinct impression he was trying to sound like an adult explaining something very difficult to a child.

I furrowed my brow at his confident demeanour. "We're not completely ignorant of the dangers that involve this quest." I snapped, my eyes narrowing once more to show the fair-haired Dwarf that he was moving onto thin ice with his assertive attitude.

Kili lowered his voice and looked from me to my sister with wide eyes. "But there are Orcs." He whispered with such an ill talent in acting that I wondered if he seriously believed I was going to be fooled by his act of feigned fright.

"Oh!" Came the shocked gasp of my sister and I mentally face-palmed, reprimanding myself at my forgetfulness, seeing as it had momentarily slipped my mind that I was standing next to the most naive and gullible girl on the entire planet.

Audrey's reaction made the brothers smirk at one another -thinking I would not notice- and Fili continued their list of horrible creatures. "Goblins," he said in an eerie sort of voice.

"Trolls," Kili pitched in.

"Wargs," Fili started counting on his fingers.

I could hear Audrey's pitiful whimpers next to me and as I looked sideways, I saw that her face had lost its colour and was now comparable with the white of her frail under dress. Once more that evening, her eyes were glazed over and it seemed as if she could practically see each and every foul creature the brothers called by name moving past her eyelids.
Her reactions made me arch my eyebrows in combined wonder and aggravation. Was Audrey's imagination really this vivid? Or was there actually something going on with her that I did not know about? Whatever the case, I had decided that we had come to the end of our discussion and opened my mouth to say as much, in so successfully ceasing the mental assaults my sister seemed to suffer at the brother's taunting voices.

"Elves," Kili ended their long list as he spat out the name of the last 'creature' with an absolutely disgusted expression on his face.

"Now, look here- I... What?" At that last word Audrey and I shared a look and it seemed like we were having a rather silly contest, entitled: 'Who Can Look The Most Dumbfounded'. I shook my head back to the task at hand and waved my arm in the air to try and get the brothers' attention. "Look, you've had your minute, you've said what you wanted to say, you've made your point." I snapped. "Now we really have to go and talk to Mr. Bilbo." I grabbed my sister's wrist again and prepared to turn around in the direction of the designated door.

"So,..." Fili's voice made me look back with a snap and narrowed eyes. "We are in agreement about our proposition then?"

Their words and their attitudes could have probably been better chosen, but that did not mean I did not saw the reasoning in their proposal. It would probably benefit me and my sister if there were two Dwarves in the company who kept an extra eye on us. Personally, I did not believe I needed any form of protection. I was cautious enough to stay out of immediate danger. Audrey, on the other hand, was a whole other story and having someone else to help keep her from harm would probably ease my own mental suffering quite a bit.
This did not mean I trusted Fili and Kili. I still believed they had other motives for offering us their protection. Nevertheless, I decided to take the diplomatic approach and not immediately decline their offer.

"I'll think about it." I said with a hint of a smirk covering my lips.

I nodded my head in a silent goodbye and was happy to finally turn around and make my way towards Bilbo's bedroom. There was no need any more to guide Audrey along as she fell into step next to me. But not before she had given the brothers a final bright smile and a barely audible whispered, "Goodnight."

" 'night." I could hear Kili's mumbled response and peeked my head around just enough to see him smile a small smile while he eyed our retreating backs. Or, more precisely: my sister's retreating back.
His brother nudged him playfully in the side and I could hear the jaunty banter that sprung alive between them subside gradually as they made their way in the opposite direction, back towards the parlour I reckoned, if my sense of direction hadn't failed me yet.

"I'm so happy you did not tell them 'no'." Audrey told me, the bright smile on her face conveying a deep feeling of appreciation. "They're so nice for wanting to help us." She mused in afterthought.

I hummed in response. "I believe there is another reason for their... generosity." I weighed my words carefully, as I did not desire my sister's contented mood to dissolve. "They want to keep us close, that's for certain... Maybe to have a laugh at our expense." I tried to make my accusation come across as a mere suggestion, a simple hint of the mind.

"Oh, Lil!" Audrey smiled her toothy smile, her laugh ringing around the corridor like an array of little silver bells. "Why do you always think people have a hidden agenda?"

I smiled along with her light-hearted pleasantry, but made a promise to myself as well. I had seen the way my sister looked at Kili, and it had been rather impossible to ignore how said Dwarf had looked at her. I was going to keep an extra eye on the two young Dwarves, that fact I had already established, but more importantly, I would be ever watchful when it was the dark-haired brother who would seek out the company of my sister. And even though I already knew the lot of them -Fili, Kili and Audrey- were going to give me grey hairs, a little flair of amusement stroked along my spine at the thought of having to chaperone the two youngest members of the company.

We finally stood in front of the last door in the Hobbit hole we had not yet tried to open, and I locked eyes with my sister for a brief moment, making sure she was once again aware of the task at hand. When I was assured of her determined expression, I lifted my hand and knocked on the door three times.

"Mr. Bilbo? Can we come in?" I asked loudly through the closed door, hoping the Hobbit would let us in.

"Coming!" We heard a muffled voice from the other side of the door and I recognized it is Bilbo's. The door opened to reveal the master of the house peeking cautiously around it. "Ah! Miss Lillian. Miss Audrey." He sounded relieved that it was us. "Come in, come in."

He opened his door a little wider to let us pass into what seemed to be the master bedroom. A grand mahogany bed stood against the wall, covered with bright yellow sheets, several flower-patterns imprinted onto the rich fabric and about half a dozen fluffy pillows, filled with goose-feathers, placed along the head of the mattress. A large trunk, carved from the same mahogany wood, was placed at the foot of the bed and an identical-looking wardrobe from the one in the spare-bedroom stood sturdily against the other wall. Several small candles burned brightly in brass girandoles, massively lighting up the room as I could see the night sky through the circular windows had turned pitch-black.

"You're erm... not send here by Gandalf, are you?" Bilbo asked fearfully, teetering on his hairy toes.

My sleep-deprived mind shot him an annoyed look -seriously, why would I be willing to carry around Gandalf's messages?- and I managed just in time to stop the first thing I was about to say from escaping the borders of my lips. ("Do I look like an errand boy to you?") Instead, I managed to snap my mouth back shut and settle for the more diplomatic answer of, "No, we're here on our own account."

Bilbo's face relaxed. "Ah, okay, splendid." He said, relieved. "So, what can I help you with?"

The Hobbit in front of me had shown me so much kindness since Gandalf had pushed me through his door -something I felt I hadn't had a lot of experience with before- that I couldn't get it over my heart asking him for more. I recalled my challenging conversation with Thorin and how Mr. Bilbo had stayed by my side, even when I had made him lie to a very intimidating Dwarf. I decided that I still needed to thank Bilbo for that amazing feat of trust, thus that is what I started with.

"First I want to apologise." I said truthfully.

Bilbo looked at me with raised eyebrows, confusion written on his face. "What ever for?"

"For putting you in a quite uncomfortable position earlier," I said and elaborated further as Bilbo still did not seem to know what I was talking about, "When I made you lie and tell Thorin Oakenshield that we were related."

Bilbo's chuckle caught me by surprise. "You did not make me do anything." He told me, his eyes wrinkling in the corners as he smiled broadly at me. "As I recall, I chose to agree with your little mistruth."

The corners of my lips were tugged up in a smile as well, very much relieved that Bilbo did not seem troubled with our momentary mutual lack of sincerity. "Still, I hope you do not mind that these Dwarves now think we're related."

"Not at all." Bilbo said and his smile faltered ever so slightly as he seemed lost in a sudden mood of melancholy. "I would have loved to have cousins like the both of you." He shook out whatever sad reverie he was having and cocked an eyebrow in thought. "I just have one question," he asked and nervously rubbed his hands together, eyeing me with uncertainty, "Why did you tell Thorin we were related?"

I knew he was going to ask me that question sooner or later and I decided that the truth would not be a wrong thing to answer with this time around. "At the time I found it the only acceptable reason for me and my sister to be at your house so late in the evening. I did not want to ruin your respectful reputation."

Bilbo's ears turned a little red at that. "That was most thoughtful of you." He said and looked down at his hairy feet, probably afraid that he might start blushing more feverishly if he would meet my eyes. "But, I wonder..." He murmured and his questioning tone made my stomach knot together anxiously. "Why didn't you just say that you were lead here by Gandalf? That would have been the truth, wouldn't it?"

I met my sister's gaze and saw she had also been fearing further interrogation by our host, even though his intentions were purely lead by simple curiosity. I had thought about saying we had been summoned here by the wizard, but I knew that would have only lead to the question of where we actually hailed from and why we had been brought here. Seeing as the answers to those questions would have been impossible for me to formulate, let alone comprehend myself, I had dismissed that option.

Bilbo noticed the inner struggle I was having and quickly piped up again, hoping to erase the worried frown off of my face. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry!" He exclaimed. "It's really none of my business."

"No, no, that's okay." I tried to reassure him, but I couldn't stop a sigh from escaping my lips as I tried to appease the Hobbit, even if it was just a little. "Let's just say, Mr. Bilbo, that the truth -the whole truth- would have been very difficult to explain..."

Bilbo' embarrassed facade got replaced by worry. "I can see you are burdened with something. Is- Is there anything I can do to help you?" He asked, anxious to see the gloomy look disappear from our faces.

I smiled sadly at him. "You cannot help us, Mr. Bilbo. Not with this." And as I said that, the gravity of the situation shot right back through my heart, my rational mind still in doubt about all of this. I shrugged those concerns away for the moment and addressed the Hobbit once more, keeping my voice light as to not give away my darkened thoughts. "However, you could help us with a more pressing matter at hand." I faltered. "Though you have already been so kind and generous to us, I feel a bit guilty asking for more."

"Aiding you has been my pleasure." Bilbo said happily. "What is it you need?"

"We were wondering if we could lend some more clothes from you?" I asked as I inclined my head to my sister, still wearing Bilbo's nightgown, to show what I meant. "And maybe a knapsack to keep our belongings in? I'm guessing this journey will be long and tedious. So, we should probably prepare and ready ourselves."

My talk about the quest wiped to broad smile from earlier off of the Hobbit's face. "You are really going then?" He said in a small voice and I was not sure if I imagined it, but it sounded as if he was envying us.

"Yes." I said matter-of-factly.

Bilbo stayed quiet for a moment longer, opening his mouth once every few minutes as if he was trying to convey something to us, but the words did not seem to pass the barrier of his vocal cords. He furrowed his brow and exhaled slowly, probably trying to get his wits about him.

"Alright then!" He suddenly exclaimed. "I think I have a few travelling-things right here," he said as he started rummaging through his closet, "and you can take as many clothes as you want from the wardrobe in the spare bedroom." He rambled on as he pulled two beautiful leather knapsacks out of the wooden depths of the wardrobe and gave one to each of us. "You should also pack a bedroll each; I think I still have some over here." He said more to himself than to any of us and ran towards the mahogany chest at the end of his bed, where he pulled two sausage-like packages, wrapped in rain-resistant cloth. "Aha! Here they are! And some blankets as well..." He pulled a few woollen blankets out of the chest and stuffed both items in our open arms. "...here you go!"

"This is too much!" I was staring open-mouthed at the materialised generosity in my arms. "We cannot take all of this!"

"Nonsense!" Bilbo waved away my protests. "You'll be needing it more than I do."

"So," Audrey piped up. "Does that mean you are really not coming with us, Mr. Bilbo sir?"

Bilbo's voice sounded sad when he answered my sister, "I'm afraid not, I- I do not think I am cut out for adventures." He fumbled nervously with his braces. "And please, it's just Bilbo." He breathed as he tried to look a lot more happy about his decision than what I assumed he actually felt. "We are family after all." He winked conspiringly.

Audrey giggled at that. "Okay than, Bilbo."

"Oh! I almost forgot." Bilbo exclaimed suddenly and he reached into one of his pockets to reveal a bread-bun wrapped in a napkin. I recognized it as the bun he had stowed away carefully behind his back as he had offered Dwalin the whole tray many hours ago, when he was still blissfully unaware of the twelve other unwanted visitors that were still to come. "I saved this from the beastly appetite of the Dwarves." He scrunched up his nose at the thought of his pillaged pantry. "You still haven't eaten, have you? Here." He gave the bun to my sister.

Audrey beamed at him and her stomach rumbled as if she remembered only now that she was practically starving. "Thank you. That's so sweet." She said and took a bite, chewing with her eyes closed. "Mmm, it's delicious!"

Bilbo's cheeks now matched the red colour of his ears and I smiled at the sight, a feeling of affection raising towards the surface of my conscience as I saw the interaction between the Hobbit and my sister. "We're going to miss you, Bilbo." I told him truthfully.

"And I'm going to miss you." Bilbo answered and there was genuine sadness in his voice. It was quiet for a few moments until the master of the house seemed to pull himself back together and he breathed out a laugh. "Now, look at us!" He exclaimed, trying to smile despite himself. "Such sentimental sods we are! I'm positive that we will see each other again." He nodded his head at his own declaration as if he wanted to assure himself as well and continued by gently ushering us out of his room. "Now, off you go to the spare bedroom. You can fill your sacks with everything you need. No buts!" He shouted the last part with a smile as he had anticipated my protest. "Hmm, maybe there are some bread-buns or biscuits left in the kitchen." The hobbit mused to himself. "I will go see to that and bring them to you."

As Bilbo made his way towards the kitchen I sighed out loudly. "I never thought I'd be sad to leave this cosy Hobbit hole."

"I know." Audrey mimicked my sigh and watched as Bilbo's back disappeared around a corner. "And Bilbo is just such a nice Hobbit. I do hope he will still change his mind..." She mused.

I shook my head good-humouredly. "You really want him to come along, don't you?"

"Hmm, I don't know, but I feel like we are going to see each other again sooner than we think." Audrey hummed, wiggling back and forth on the balls of her feet and even though I noticed the glimmer of certainty in her eyes, I was too fatigued to think twice on the matter and just shrugged her declaration away.

We made our way back towards the spare bedroom and did as Bilbo had told us to do; stuffing our backpacks full with clothes; some spare underclothing, socks, trousers, blouses, dresses, scarves,... Anything we thought would be useful on the journey.

And as both me and my sister settled ourselves onto the large bed, covering ourselves with the warm blankets to finally get some well-earned sleep, we could hear the deep voices of the Dwarves ghosting along the curved walls of the Hobbit hole; tickling our ears with a rich and sorrowful hymn.

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep
And caverns old
We must away
'ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold

The pines were roaring on the height
The winds were moaning in the night
The fire was red
It flaming spread
The trees like torches blazed with light"

The song was oddly lethargic and as my mind fogged over with the blissful sensation of sleep, a fleeting, faraway thought found its way towards the sensible part of my conscience, whispering that tomorrow I would wake up in my own flat and this odd day would have all just been a very silly dream.

Yes, that would certainly do.


. . .

~ Will be continued ~

. . .


Author's Note: There you have it! The end of Chapter One! I would love some REVIEWS from all of you. It makes me curious to know what you think of the twists in my fairy-dusted brain! ;) Oh! And what do you guys think of the new image? It's a wallpaper I made myself with the aid of stubborn dedication and Photoshop. *w*
I just realized, I actually have no idea what colour Bilbo's eyes are... So I made them brown... If any of you know, you can always tell me. :)