Why hello! I have reappeared after falling off the face of the earth. How ya'll doing? I missed you, did you miss me? XD
Next chapter, here we are.
"Failed how?" Alicia asked slowly as she followed him to the kitchen when the meal was ready.
The hobbit looked as if debating what he wanted to share and not share. With another quiet sigh he started again. "It was, at the time, a secret quest. One in which Thorin Oakensheild led a small group of his kin to reclaim their long lost home from the evil Smaug. At first I refused." He started.
"But I joined in as their burglar. I was meant to be their Burglar and steal back something that belonged to the direct line of Durin's Folk."
"I'm sorry." ALicia politely interupted. " Who is Thorin? and what is Durin's line?"
" Thorin Oakenshield is a dwarf who is the current leader and rightful heir to the throne of Erebor, their rightful kingdom. He is a direct decendant of Durin the Deathless. one of the first dwarf lords to have ever been given life by Aule. Or Mahal you could call him." Bilbo explained as he re-adjusted his back against his armchair. "The front gate was sealed long ago however, so we had to find the secret entrance that the 'last light of Durin's day' would reveal." He went on.
"There was a key, and a hidden clue that we needed. Once we found out the clue in a map, our time to get to Erebor was cut shorter. We had much ground to cover and not much time to get there. We had to be there by Durin's Day. Despite many a dangerous trials, we did in fact make it to the lonely mountain, but we were late. Durin's day had already passed. You see Durin's day does not fall on the same exact day every year. It is when the sun and moon are in the sky at the same time and this happens any time between a month's span." Bilbo explained the logic. " We got there as soon as we can. We waited. and waited til the last day." Bilbo shook his head at the sad memory. " No door was found. After everything we'd done and been through. All for nuaght and the dragon, should he still be alive, keeps the mountain for at least another year."
"I'm sorry." was all Alicia could really say, even though it was sincere, she felt as if it really was nothing of real value.
"As am I Miss Alicia." he said remorsefully as she stared out his circular window.
Alicia sat in the silence, listening to the fire crack before breaking it hesitantly. " Is there a possibility of trying again?"
"Yes there is." Bilbo said more resolutely. " We can try again and by Yavanna I will go to Ered Luin myself and convince them to go again. And this time we will have a much better head start to go. In fact that is exactly what I plan to do." he said standing up. " Balin did promise he'd come to visit me every two years at least, but I think I shall go visit him first. It was hard, Miss Alicia, to see my friends in such despair and broken heartedness. If we can try again then we must! I will go there and rally them back together. Gandalf had the same ideas as I before he left, so I'm sure I'll be seeing him again. Wizards."
Alicia noticed how much more livelier the hobbit had become, it was even inspiring she'd say.
"When do you plan to go?" She asked after taking the last sip of her tea.
" My hope is the end of this month. I'll have everything cleaned out of my pantry that could spoil. I've installed locks on my doors and windows to keep from coming home to my house being auctioned off again. My gardner and cousins have even agreed to keep an eye out in my absense. More tea?" Bilbo gestured to her cup.
Alicia held it out for him to take and refill. " That's a smart move. You seem much more knowledgable about the world compared to the previous people I've spoken to. If I may ask for your input?"
"I shall answer as best as I can." Bilbo encouraged as he handed back her tea.
" I don't have a permanent residence myself unless I want to stay at the inn, but honestly I don't." The islander started. "By now I'm sure my face is on the 'missing' board at home too. I've no illusions that it will take me a long time to find the opportunity to get back home. Where would you recommend I'd find the best work? Also what are the worst places for me to go?"
Bilbo pondered on her questions, one hand on his chin the other on his waist. "The safest place for a lady would no doubt be right where you are now. The next would perhaps be Archet. It's not too far from Bree but it still has a better reputation than Bree itself. Rivendell is certainly the second best. Home of the high elves, Lord Elrond welcomes all wo have no ill intent to his homely house. Rohan might be the next place. They are usually fair to their maidens too. Assuming you ever had to leave that far."
The woman's head tilted back, looking at the curved ceiling. A small grimace on her lips as she digested the new information. None of those options really sounded appealling to her. Bu what other choice did she have anyway? "Any of those places happen to be close to the sea?"
"Rivendell is located on a river that leads to the sea. When they feel it's time to leave these lands, they sail along that river and into the sea towards their Undying Lands." Bilbo tilted his head. " Although, I did hear rumor that The Blue mountains has opened up it's doors to more humans to reside. Or rather they have built the human town in front of it to accomodate more refugees. They are right on the Gulf of Lhun and you might find opportunity there too."
The hobbit waved a hand towards a very large map that decorated the far wall, pointing out every place he had mentioned.
The lady got up to take a closer look, some semblence of a plan finally coming to mind. " Hmm, the Blue mountains... We passed by that range upon arriving here. I didn't know people other than the wild men actually lived there. "
Bilbo responded with a tiny smile. "Oh yes. Men and dwarves alike live there. Ered Luin is one of the more accessable dwarven homes to go to for trade or purchase of their craft."
"Are you going all by yourself, or will you travel oth the rangers?" Alicia inuired.
Bilbo answered ith a nonchalant shrug. "Mostly likely by myself."
Alicia rocked her head subtly. " I imagine I'd be traveling myself too."
"It's dangerous you know, but that never stopped my mother either." Bilbo called from the kitchen where he scurried off to clean out his tea pot. " Will you not travel with the rangers?"
" If they're available. If not, I don't have time to wait very long." Alicia asnwered back, staring at the colored beverage in her tea cup.
"Really? What has you in such a hurry? I thought you were not in a big rush to go home." Bilbo inquired as he prepared two plates of the chosen lunch.
The lady made a one shoudler shrug. " Why would I sit around for no good enough reason? Seems a waste of time when I could just go myself."
"It's dangerous."
"It's dangerous for an army too."
The hobbit looked neither convinced nor skeptical. It was hard to tell whether he agreed or not. He and Alicia sat at the table in silence until she broke it with her compliments of the meal. Finally Blbo smiled again. " I cannot fault you for wishing to go. After all am I not doing the same?" He chuckled quietly. "Where ever your road takes you, Yavaana wtch over you."
The islander couldn't help but smile, not so much his words, but the genuine kindness behind his words.
She couldn't really explain it. Maybe she was being too trusting, but for some odd reason she did feel like she could trust this 'mad' hobbit. It seemed like despite different details, they understood each others' plight.
In a way she also admired Bilbo of his deermination and knowledge of where and what exactly he wanted to do, and also how to get there. Alicia was still asking those questions.
The lunch though, proved that Bilbo knew a little more about human serving sizes than most hobbits. He did not pile a mountain of food onto her plate, offering thirds and 'snacks' and rows of sides to have along with the main course. Bilbo merely offerd seconds and dessert with a choice of drink and that was all. Of course that didn't stop him from eating like a 'proper' hobbit, dish after dish.
Bilbo too, was a wonderful host. He entertained her with funny general stories of the happenings around The Shire. When his gardener came for a visit that was also a most entertaining visit too.
" Hamfast I don't want those lilacs growing on my fence, no matter how lovely they make the fence and gate look. They grow so terribly fast and out of control I'll not be able to open my gate without hacking them out of my way." Bilbo reasoned again.
Hamfast's own proud smile hardly faltered. He seemed to rather enjoy giving Bilbo a hard time. " Alright alright. Ivy it is."
Bilbo spluttered. "Ivy?! Are you trying to get my whole home so buried underground I can never find it again? Ivy will swallow my home forever. Is that your idea of keeping an eye on it for me? Covering it up so no one can find it without diggers?"
Hamfast laughed heartily, enjoying Bilbo's slight flustered look. " It's an idea! But I'm only joking with you. I wouldn't do that to something Master Bungo made himself."
"My father." Bilbo clarified to Alicia when catching her sidelong glance of question. Bilbo turned back to Hamfast. " Yes thank you. I'd like to believe you, but I feel a growing skepticism every time I see you passing by and smirking."
Hamfast chortled aloud. " Not to worry about a thing friend. I'll take good care of your home. You'll come back to find it just the way you left it, not a single spoon missing."
Bilbo smiled back at him in good humor. " I thank you for your kindness Hamfast."
The chortling hobbit waved his good bye and carried on about his business as he walke on down the soft dirt road.
Bilbo smiled after him before shaking his head. 'We've been friends since we were fauntlings. He's supposed to be older than me, but sometimes I question if he truly is or he was just a litttle taller than me."
The two enjoyed the beautiful day talking and trading information. The more she listened to him though, the more she had whistful thoughts od wanting to do the same thing he had done. To take the unkniwn plunge of faith into something in which one has no idea the outcome, and yet it just feels right to do so. If only she had a way of telling her friends that she was safe at least. This hobbite here, he willingly left his home and friends to take this plunge and see it all the way through no mater the cost. Even now as the guest was done, he was not done. Even as so many people around him look down on him and his reputation completely 'unrespectable', he didn't allow it to stop him. He was a traveler by heart.
Alicia had a secret admiration for people like that.
Who doesn't love a good tea time with a good hobbit? I do I do I dooo ooo!