Good Morning and Preparations

Hello. If you think that this story is about my brother, Bilbo, you've come for the wrong story. For this is about me, his older brother, Daniel Baggins.

What I'm about to tell you is a story about how a wizard asked me to join a quest to help others take back their home and how it ended with some tragedy but also some love and how I permanently moved from the Shire to the great halls of Erebor.

So, with any good story, let's start at the beginning….

Within the peaceful morning in the Shire, there was a Hobbit sitting on a bench, reading a book while taking in the morning air. This Hobbit is a young man named Daniel Baggins of Bag End, the Hobbit hole that overlooked the Shire and the lake.

He sat there peacefully with his raven black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He wore a simple get up of trousers and a white button up shirt with a blue vest on with white buttons. He was so into his book that he didn't notice someone standing in front of him until this person cleared their throat. Upon hearing the sound, he closed his book and looked up to see who it was and he was confused because it was a rather tall human with grey, unkempt clothing. Same goes for his hair. And he noticed he had a large nose and he held a staff and she then considered that this person is a Wizard.

"Good morning." He kindly said to the Wizard. He then noticed that there was a twinkle in the Wizard's eyes as though he was going to be mischievous.

"What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps that you feel good on this particular morning, or do you mean that it is a morning to be good on?" He said. Daniel sat there for a few seconds and came up with an answer.

"The first and the third." He answered with a smile. The man seemed satisfied with that answer,

"How can I help you?" He asked as he closed her book and leaned forward.

"Well, you see I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure." He explained. This caught his attention instantly. Unlike other Hobbits who were peaceful and not eager to go on adventures, Daniel himself had been on some himself beyond the borders of the Shire, and when he'd do that, he'd have his younger brother, Bilbo look after Bag End. His adventures would range from wandering the woods to actually fighting an odd Orc or Goblin here and there. He was rather skilled with a sword, as well as a bow and arrow that any Elf would be impressed.

"Really? Well, you do realise that folk west of Bree wouldn't come close to be interested in the idea of an adventure. But I'm not like those people. So, what else can you tell me?" He said, eager to know more.

"Well, I will explain later. All I can say now is that this quest will involve a company to be a part of and will travel far distances." The man hinted at.

"Hmm…. Okay. And when can I see this company?" Daniel asked.

"By nightfall. And they are Dwarves, just to let you know ahead of time." He replied. Of course, Daniel knows plenty of Dwarves, and one thing is that they like to eat.

"Alright. Well, my pantry is completely full, so I'll prepare food for them. How many can I expect to come?" He said as he stood up.

"13." The man said.

"Yep. Need to get a lot of food out and make the table longer." He listed off. Then he gasped.

"Oh. I forgot to ask, how rude of me. Who are you?" Daniel asked. The man chuckled.

"I'm Gandalf the Grey." He proudly introduced himself. Daniel gasped again.

"No…. The same Gandalf known as Mithrandir. And the same one who makes truly amazing fireworks." He said, remembering all the things he knew of him. He nodded back.

"Yes. And I know that you're Daniel Baggins, older brother to Bilbo Baggins and Belladonna Took's son." Gandalf said which didn't really surprise him, knowing how he's a wizard.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later today and I'll prepare for the guests. Good morning." Daniel said as he walked to the door to Bag End and waved to Gandalf before he entered his home and closed the door.

He took a deep breath, realising that this is an opportunity to be on a proper adventure far beyond the Shire, something he always wanted to do. Then he heard a sound on the other side of the door. He looked out the window by the door to try and see what it was and all he saw was Gandalf looking back at him. He raised an eyebrow and he just smiled before he walked off to somewhere.

He decided to see what he did and so he opened the door and took a look on the exterior side of the door. When he looked down, he saw a rune, glowing blue. He came to the conclusion that this must be a marker for the Dwarves to know that this is the place to come to.

Either way. He had all day to prepare for his guests. To start the day, he decided to have a nice morning meal of a cooked fish with a little salad and a bread roll with a cup of ale. He's always loved fish, it was his favourite food after all.

And then after he ate his meal, he prepared the table by placing two tables together and placed the chairs at the long table and placed all the cups, plates and knives and forks, and this all took about an hour because he's stronger than other Hobbits he knew. He then looked into his pantry and checked to see if there would be enough food and drink.

After double checking, Daniel went to his little office and opened a wooden chest to see his weapons. His sword was serrated on the edge of the blade for more damage and had a circular cross guard. Then he looked at his beautifully carved bow with patterns up and down it.

Once he was done looking at his weapons, wondering about this adventure, he decided to spend the rest of the day reading the book he read earlier. And so he got to the living room of Bag End and sat in the chair by the fireplace and sat there reading the book.

…. He sat there reading for the rest of the day and when Daniel first noticed the nighttime coming, he lit the fire and sat there, comfortable with the warmth from the fire and the softness of the chair.

And then, shattering the peaceful silence, Daniel heard the doorbell ring, meaning that someone has just visited. The first of the many guests have arrived.

Short, I know, but this is really the prologue. And a short one at that. And there will be a particular change to one of the Dwarves, once you read the next chapter, you'll know what it is if you seen the film trilogy.