Chapter 9

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."- The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

Bilbo Baggins awoke the next day to the early morning sun striving to illuminate every crevice, every detail of his chamber. It should have been a normal morning for all intents and purposes. The sun was shining just as brightly, as every other day and the air outside smelled of maturity, with the aging leaves and the receading warmth signalizing the approach of autumn. He would perceive the homely smell of fresh bread and the herbal scent of recently brewed tea. If he strained his pointy ears he would be able to detect the sound of soft and sweet humming, coming from the kitchen. A sound, which he had grown used to hearing routinely during the years. A melancholic tune, which he would be able to discern and recognize anywhere.

Yet he did not. Bilbo Baggins awoke and he did behold the warm scent of first breakfast. The air around him did not include the smell of his cousin's cooking, but simply encompassed the smell of the not-yet vacated dew and the warm, mellow scent of the end of summer. His ear perceived nothing, but ambient and prevailing silence. No matter how severly he would have strained his ears, his search for the haunting tume his cousin sang, as a past-time during her chores, would prove unbountiful. And this was the first anomaly of this morning.

Another anomaly was the oscillations, which had seized Bilbo Baggins, when he awoke. Now Bilbo Baggins prided himself on being a comfortable and serene Hobbit. Long forgotten were the days of his youth, where he would awake each morning and even before he had ingested first breakfast, he would run into the woods, surrounding Bag End, Laurel in tow, searching for fantastical creatures and adventures.

Now Bilbo Baggins would usually awake in the morning and a feeling of lethargy and muzziness would pack him and he would lay on his feathered bed for a few seconds, slowly awakening and becoming discerning to his surroundings, before standing up and with all the time in the world, going to join his cousin in the kitchen for first breakfast. But today it was different, because the first second after Bilbo Baggins awoke a sense of urgency and anticipation and the need to do something, to be efficacious annexed him. So strong was this urge, that at first Bilbo did not perceive the lack of the things, that had always accompanied him and his routine in the early mornings. For a creature of habit, he was most surprisingly unalarmed about today's lack of the entities, which constituted his morning routine. No, this compulsion caused him to be oblivious to the vacancy of first breakfast smell and of the sound of Laurel's tune.

It was only after he had quickly risen, propelled by this queer sensation that urged him to do something, that was most unbearable to endure lying still; it was only after that, and while he was wandering Bag End's halls, which were still not completely lit and partially in shadow, due to the early hour it yet was, that he perceived the eery, almost deathly silence that reigned in his halls and which was at odds with the tumulteous turbulence, which domineered Bilbo's interior. It was most disconcerting for the little Hobbit, yet it shouldn't have been, because this was routine. Bag End was normally reticent and tranquil in the early morning hours, as every respectable Hobbit hole should be. Who had ever heard of a Hobbit home, that was filled with clamor and agitation? No, Hobbits were quiet, peaceful folk, which made them most respectable and their homes had to reflect this facet of Hobbit existence. Especially the home of a Baggins, a family of Hobbits, which were most reputed. Yet it seemed to Bilbo, as he moved through his halls to not find a soul within them, that his halls were barren, barren of everything, barren of life. Especially after the hullaballoo of last night, created by the dwarves.

Bilbo had been so chagrined with the unannounced arrival of Thorin Oakenshield's Company. He had been incensed with the dwarven lack of courtesy and the fact, that they had most inconveniently disrupted their evening and the order, which reigned within Bag End. Not a second had passed last night, that Bilbo had not resented the presence of his uninvited visitors and, after Gandalf and the leader of the dwarves had revealed that both he and Laurel were to go on the quest, to outsmart a chiefest calamity, that was the Dragon in Erebor's halls, Bilbo had vehemently wished for the dwarves to leave.

As he walked through Bag End and perceived that the rooms, where he would have expected his visitors to be, were empty, barren, he would have expected to feel relief, relief that this most disconcerting episode of his life had passed and that the natural order within Bag End was once more restored and both he and his dear cousin could go back to their comfortable routine. Yet the only thing he felt, as he stared into the barren rooms was an outlandish sense of disappointment that shouldn't have been there. He had been so annoyed with the presence of the dwarves last night, honestly he had been frightened at the proposition the company had made. Yet as he stood almost desolately in the middle of the main hallway of Bag End, his resentment toward the dwarves shifted and metamorphised into resentment for the infecundity of Bag End. Without Gandalf, the dwarves and Laurel by his side, Bilbo felt... alone. And this cold feeling of abandonment and desolation he did not like.

Behind him he heard the sound of a door opening and at the welcome disturbance to the reticence of his halls, he turned around to be met with his cousin's familiar face, as she exited her chamber. So large was his relief at seeing her, at seeing another soul in his halls, that it was only seconds later that he perceived her occult manner of dress this morning. His cousin always appeared very composed and dressed in a decent manner, usual for the Hobbit lasses of the shire. In the last few years, she had become accustomed to putting up her wild, red curls in a neat bun and wearing respectable skirts and petticoats. He often prided himself on seeing his cousin's impecable manner of dress, and would often find amusement in remembering how often during their childhood, Laurel had returned to Bag End with her clothes completely caked in mud and her appearance almost indecently disheveled. Yet it had not only been her, had it? He had also been most uncombed, but back then he had not cared. He had not cared for convention, he had been a young Hobbit lass, whose only worry was having fun with his best friend.

The image that greeted Bilbo now, as his Cousin came out of her room, was completely different to what he had gotten used to in the past years. Laurel's curls were scooped together and fastened in a long braid, which went down to her mid-back and she was not wearing her usual skirt and golden waistcoat, but tan trousers, that ended mid-calf and a red long coat, that skimmed her mid-thigh over a green waistcoat. She carried two backpacks in her Hand and had a look of determination setting her brow. She looked up and instead of greeting him with the smile, she always graced him with when they first saw each other in the morning, she looked at him with solemnity and said: "I was about to wake you." "Why are you wearing that?", he questioned, while pointing at her attire and completely disregarding her comment. She smiled at him teasingly and said: "Well, I could not wear my usual skirt and petticoat. I believe they are a most inconvenient hindrance, when going on an adventure." With that she moved past him and toward the kitchen. His shock at her words was so great, that he did not feel dread, due to the fact that his cousin seemed to determined and obstinate to go on Thorin Oakenshield's quest and putting herself in danger. "Quest?" he exclaimed and went after her. "Quest? Thorin Oakenshield's quest? I thought we had agreed that we would not go? I thought you did not want to?" "Well, I changed my opinion.", she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world and proceeded to fill the kettle to cook some tea. Without looking back at him, she stated: "Go dress yourself, while I brew us some tea. I have already made your pack for you." He looked incredulously at her back and said: "I... I'm not going, Laurel. I told you last night, that it would not do to abandon Bag End for those dwarves and I have not changed my opinion, differently from you. I... I thought that you preferred remaining here with me and not going off with those ill-mannered dwarves. I thought that we would stand at each other's side, look out for each other.", the last he said with a tinge of hurt colouring his tone. He was hurt, that his cousin was completely disregarding his wishes and now seemed obstinate to go, even without him he feared, because he had been able recognize her facial expression and he remembered that when she got that expression on her face, nothing would bring her off her goal.

She whirled around to face him and with her hands on her hips and a slighty repremanding tone, she said: "Bilbo, I promised to Aunt Bella, that I would look out for you. Until yesterday, I thought that I was doing exactly that, but now... I see that I have failed most greatly. Looking out for you also means ensuring your happiness. Perhaps we were... content until yesterday with our lives, but we... you can not go on like that. Life is passing us by, Bilbo. I have spent thirty-three summers in Middle Earth, you have spent ten more than that and we have not done anything. We live in Bag End and go about our routine, we are corteous to individuals, who only think ill of us. We dream about adventures and fantastical quests, but when one comes literally knocking on our door, we are willing to let it pass us by. The world is not in our books or maps, Bilbo. It is outside, outside of the Shire. I will be honest with you, I do not simply want to live my life... I want to be happy, as well. And I want the same happiness for you. And I believe that you shall never forgive yourself if you let this opportunity pass you by." She had moved closer to him during the speech and out of one of the packs, she had taken out the contract, that the elderly dwarf had given him. He saw the three signatures, Thorin Oakenshield's, Balin's and Laurel's and for a few seconds, he simply looked contemplatively at the parchment. He felt torn. He remembered the conversation he had with Gandalf last night:

"I'll be alright, just let me sit quietly for a moment.", Bilbo said, while Laurel handed him a mug of tea and came to sit down beside him, mustering him with a worried facial expression. "You have been sitting quietly for far too Long." Gandalf said with a chagrined and slightly disappointed expression on his face and moved closer to where both, Laurel and Bilbo were sitting. He looked at both of them and asked, almost disillusioned: "Tell me, when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you?" Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Laurel lower her head and look at the floor contemplatively. Gandalf's features and tone softened, when he reminisced: "I remember two young Hobbits, always going off into the woods in search of elves, dwarves and adventures. They would stay up late, come home only after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. Completely uncaring for convention and appearances. Two young Hobbits, who would have liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is out there, not in your books and maps." "We have grown up, we are not nonsensical children. We can't just go running off into the blue. We are Bagginses of Bag End.", Bilbo stated most self-assuredly. He felt Laurel give his hand a squeeze, after him having raised his voice. His cousin did not want their guests to overhear their discussion with the wizard. "You are also a Took. Especially you, Laurel. What would Benji and Elauriel think, if they could see their daughter, who would spend the duration of her days, out chasing fireflies, looking for dwarves and dreaming of exactly the quests I now offer you, so complacent?" His Cousin looked up at the mention of her deceased parents and with a bitter smile, she said: "Well, I would not know. They left me at a very young age, did they not? I was brought up in a Baggins household. I am more Baggins, than Took." "Did you know that your great- great- uncle was so large, that he could ride a real horse? In the battle of the green fields, he chanced the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard, it knocked the goblin king's head clear off and it went flying a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won and the game of golf invented at the same time." At Gandalf's tale, he saw his cousin's features soften and a small, amused smile twisted her lips. Bilbo looked up at the elderly wizard disbelievingly, yet with amusement and said: "I do believe you made that up." Gandalf sat down in front of both him and Laurel and said: "Well, all good stories deserve embelishment. You will have a few tales of your own to tell, when you come back." Laurel and Bilbo both looked at each other and then Bilbo spoke what was on both their minds: "Can you guarantee us, that we will come back?" "No, and if you do, you will not be the same."

He heard Laurel scoff wearily beside him and say: "How do you expect us to make such a decision, in so short a time?" "I believed that in your case, no decision would be involved, my dear girl." Gandalf looked at the red-haired Hobbit lass, who had risen, again with slight disappointment and at seeing his gaze, Laurel lowered her head and shook it slightly. "Good night, Gandalf. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call on me." She then left both him and Bilbo alone. He could feel the confusion radiating off his cousin, yet he was most assured. He could not go on this adventure, he had responsibilities and also he was not prepared for the hazards that awaited him. He stood and made to leave like Laurel and he said to Gandalf: "Sorry Gandalf, I can't sign this." Yet before he strode off, Gandalf's raspy voice said ominously: "She may be confused now, Bilbo Baggins, but she won't remain so for very much longer. Despite what she says, she is a Took and will not sit quietly for very much longer." While he had heard Gandalf's words, he chose to ignore them. He was certain that he and Laurel would not be going on this adventure.

Yet, he had been wrong and Gandalf had been right. Laurel had not remained confused for too long and looking at her determined face, Bilbo knew that his cousin would not sit still for much longer and that no matter what he said, she was determined to go on this adventure, despite his unwillingness. Yet unwillingness is not what he felt, he felt torn. He felt torn between his childhood dreams, something that a part of him, the Tookish part still longed for, despite what he would most vehemently state. He felt torn between his longing for adventure and his routine, his comfortable life, his reputation in the Shire, his home, that had appeared so empty and desolate to him this morning. Laurel would be going on this adventure, he knew he would not be able to stop her and he was not sure if he even wanted to, because his cousin had stated that this would be her source of happiness and Bilbo did not have the heart to deprive his cousin of something she so vehemently wanted, especially after all the sacrifices she had made for him. He did not want the same sensation of loneliness, that had smothered him in his hallways a few minutes prior, to be perpetual. A few seconds of that feeling had been more than enough. He thought about the tales of adventure and glory and he felt an immense longing. This is what he had wanted before he had become almost painfully responsible and sensible. Adventures, to know the world outside of the Shire, he hadn't wanted the life Hobbits, such as Lobelia Sackville-Baggins had envisioned for him.

Out of his longing sprung an intense determination, that he thought even rivalled his cousin's and he picked up the quill and before he could ponder further on the implications of his Actions, he signed the contract and looked up at his cousin's incredulous, yet overjoyed face.

They were off. The familiar landscape of Hobbiton was a blur to them, as both him and Laurel ran gaily through the village, that had been their home for the majority of their life, but which now seemed so unimportant to them. No, they did not run. To Bilbo it seemed as if they were flying, he had never felt such elation, such liberation, before, as he did now, while he had his cousin's delicate hand grasped in his own and he could practically feel the joy radiating off her delicate form and he could hear the fluttering of the parchment of the contract in the wind, which he held tightly grasped in his hands. They were passing by the Bolger's house, but he did not mind that the old matriarch of the Bolgers was stood at her fence and was looking at the elated Bilbo and Laurel in confusion and asking them: "Bilbo, Laurel dear, where are you going?" "We are going on an adventure." His voice was filled with anticipation and he heard Laurel's chuckle beside him and saw her beaming smile, as they ran toward Thorin Oakenshield's Company.

Soon, they spied the sturdy form of the thirteen dwarves, as well as the tall silhouette of the wizard Gandalf and both he and his cousin began to call out for the company to come to a stop. Bilbo's joy dissipated slightly, as they came closer and saw how the members of the company were eyeing them with caution and slight distrust, as well as disgruntlement, especially on their leader's part. The welcome was anything, but warm and for a moment Bilbo wondered if the dwarves would even allow them to accompany, especially after his declaration of imcompetence. "We..." Bilbo began warily and then he looked up at Balin and said, handing him the parchment: "We signed the contract." For a short moment, while the dwarf scribe scrutinized the paper, the forest clearing, which they were located in was bathed in complete, tense silence and he felt that his cousin's grip on his hand had tightened in nervousness.

Balin looked up and then slowly his lips formed into a small, warm smile, and Bilbo exhaled deeply, releasing the breath he did not even know he was holding. "Everything seems to be in order. Welcome Laurel Took and Bilbo Baggins to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield." He continued to gaze upon the warmer face of the scribe, when he suddenly heard the deep, throaty voice of the leader: "Get them a pony." Bilbo's alarm grew, he had never ridden a pony before and he believed that he was most allergic to any type of animal hair. "No, no, that won't be necessary. I am quite comfortable with walking, I have taken several walking holidays, even as far as..." He was interrupted in his rambling, when he felt a pair of hands, easily lifting him and depositing him on the warm back of a pony. He immediately grasped the reins in alarm, fearful to fall off.

It was only a few minutes later, that he questioned Laurel's absence, for he was riding alone. He looked around until he spied the form of his cousin, who seemed intensely uncomfortable judging by the glowing redness of her cheeks, sitting in front of a triumphant and smug-looking Kili, who had appearantly coerced her to ride with him. He saw that Kili was smirking triumphantly, while his brother was riding beside both him and Laurel looking slightly chagrined and his poor cousin was simply keeping her head down to conceal her embarrassment.

Before he could come to Laurel's rescue, he heard approaching horse hooves before he saw Thorin Oakenshield come to a stop before his nephews. He looked annoyed, as well as irritated and he exclaimed something in that guttural and hoarse language of theirs. Something, which caused Kili to look down properly admonished. "I am sure Mistress Baggins would prefer to ride with her husband." Thorin added impassively, while looking at the red-haired girl, whose head snapped up when hearing what he had just said. She looked at him wide-eyed and confused for a moment, before she looked to her side at Bilbo. He was sure that he looked just as shocked as her at the assumption that the dwarven leader had reached. Slowly, Laurel's features went from shocked to amused and he felt that same feeling seize him and he felt his lips widen into a smile. Laurel snorted softly and lowered her head once more, but this time it was to hide her amusement. Yet, Thorin had glimpsed it and with an irritated expression he asked her: "Does something amuse you, Mistress Baggins?" She looked up at him and continued to smile, before she shook her head and said: "Of course not." She then turned to Bilbo once more and in a loud voice, she announced, appearantly intent to dispell the company's misassumption: "You hear that, cousin. It appears we are married." He answered cockily: "Well, you could do worse." Her smile widened at that and she shook her head, before addressing the surprised leader of the company: "We are not married, Bilbo is my Cousin. I fear you have an old maid accompanying you on your quest." Bilbo chuckled softly at his cousin's description of herself, while Thorin turned his pony around and without another word returned to the front of the procision.

He should have felt alarm, when he saw the elated and encouraged expression that had taken residence of Fili and Kili's faces, when Laurel had dispelled the misassumption about her marital status. Yet he only felt anticipation, as he rode alongside his cousin into the world ahead.