Chapter two: The party
Several colourful earths toned tents and pavilions littered the field where the great party tree stood. Three large banquet tables in the centre, and a medium sized one for bilbo and close family inside a private pavilion facing the three said tables.
Beautiful handmade bunting and decorations were strewn across the garden, and torches and candles lit the party with an earthly glow.
It was a merry gathering, many hobbits wishing Dahlia and bilbo well, leaving gifts of food, clothes, and jars of goods. Which they thanked each person gratefully for.
As a running joke, the hobbits called Dahlia princess for the night and jokingly ended all sentences with your highness or ladyship, which made her extremely flushed.
The gathering was going swimmingly, Lilly was dancing with Tom cotton, it was rumoured he was ought to propose to her soon, it was all so very romantic Dahlia thought dreamily.
Tired of dancing and talking to guests, she sat in her private pavilion watching the party unfold from the side-lines. Everyone had a smile and a laugh, it was a joyous night.
Then she heard an unusual noise, it sounded like a large pony or a horse from behind her tent. Curious she went behind the tent and saw two beautiful large ponies, one a shaggy white, the other a glorious ginger.
They had rather big heavy satchels attached to them, but no owners were to be seen. She grabbed two apples from her pavilion to go back and feed them. But as she went back, she saw two burly shadows hovering over the ponies. She did not recognise their silhouettes, they seemed very large for hobbits. Maybe they was from Bree she thought.
"Hello, are you here for the party?" She asked with a smile, which soon turned to shock as they turned around.
Two dwarf men, one with a short, combed beard with a moustache braided between his mouth. The other seemed rather tall and beardless for a dwarf but handsome non the less.
"Aye you could say that" The brown haired beardless one chirped
"Fili" The blonde one stated "And Kili" the other chirped in
"At your service" They said in unison before bowing deeply to her.
Flustered from being called Princess all night, Dahlia mistakenly said "Princess Dahlia at yours" and curtsied in response.
"Oh Is that right?" Fili smiled
"We are something of princes ourselves you know" Kili laughed before taking her hand and kissing it gently.
Dahlia too flustered to correct herself went bright red and ran off behind her pavilion to find Bilbo.
As she turned into the pavilion, she noticed the party had gone strangely silent, she panned her vision across the tables and noticed several dwarfs confronting Bilbo and Hamfast. Then from behind her the two dwarven princes slightly pushed past her to get to the others who were having a bit of a tiff with Bilbo.
Dahlia creeped forward into earshot.
"Who invited you?" Hamfast grumbled to a large muscular slightly bald dwarf.
"Av' told you before, Ther' WIZARD" Dwalin grumbled gruffly.
Then Kili and Fili looked at her, "The princess has already greeted and welcomed us" Kili said pouting. Making the other dwarves look past Bilbo and Hamfast towards her, she fiddled with the front of her skirt embarrassed. Meanwhile the other guests were already past the point of drunk, many asleep, the others still awake were whispering amongst themselves.
"We do have plenty of food left Uncle" She said tentatively to an exasperated Bilbo, whom in response.
"Fine" he said raising his hands in the air "Enjoy yourselves"
Then he saw Gandalf coming up the hill towards the party, fireworks in a small cart he was dragging behind him.
"Gandalf!" Dahlia squealed happily running slightly to him.
"Humph at least one of the Baggins remembers me!" he said cheekily giving her a wink.
"Oh master Gandalf, please may we have your fireworks now? The party has gone awfully awkward and silent!" She pleaded looking through his small cart of goods.
"Oh has it now" he said eyeing the dwarves up and counting them.
"We seem to be missing one" He said addressing the dwarves.
"He will be here for supper" Kili said to the wizard.
Apart from the constant mutterings and queer looks from fellow hobbits, the party went quite well. The dwarves sat in the private pavilion with Dahlia, Bilbo, and Gandalf.
Earlier on Gandalf had made a fantastic firework display, but now it was getting late, almost twilight and many hobbits had retired home. That is when Bilbo stated that the gathering was ending, and many hobbits retreated home or to the green dragon.
Gandalf was muttering to Bilbo who seemed very flustered until he finally said, "Okay then they can sleep here but they must bunk in my living room."
Dahlia cocked her head at the conversation before the two princes shuffled over to her. "Looks like we are having supper with you" Fili laughed.
"And a wee sleep over" Kili said on the other side of her.
