Hey everyone. We continue the story with Gandalf, Hope and Alaric. They are going to meet Bilbo.
Chapter 2: Very Old Friends
The path to reach Hobbiton was distractive for Gandalf. He had just met a man and a girl from another dimension. The two strangers were charming company. And there was something about Hope that the wizard couldn't describe. He had sensed that the girl was more than a witch. She was something more. And he was sure that by bonding with them, he would discover their secret and the way to send them home.
Finally, the three of them reached the charming town of the Hobbits, Hobbiton. Hope and Alaric were stunned by the beauty of the village. There were no fancy machines. Only a variety of wooden and thatched buildings. And so based on this structure, they weren't surprised to see the obsolete clothes of the Hobbits. They had also noticed that none were wearing shoes. But what surprised them was their small sizes. Hobbits were no taller than four feet.
Not wanting to draw attention to themselves, Hope and Alaric stayed close to the magician, who couldn't help noticing their astonishment.
"Hobbits are not very common in your world?" he asked amusedly.
"I've never met people like them," Hope admitted with embarrassment.
"Anyway, their village is beautiful," commented Alaric with interest. "It's peaceful and quiet. The people of our world are almost the same. We have many ordinary people who know nothing about the supernatural and we are careful to protect them."
"It is an honorable charge," agreed Gandalf.
As they drove away from the city, they approached a steep green hill. The hill was dotted with round wooden doors and windows.
"They have houses inside the hill?"Alaric remarked curiously.
"The Hobbits have always lived like this, as far as I can remember," answered the magician. "Some families have lived there for several generations. And our friend that we need to see lives in one of these holes. His house is called Bag End."
"And what's your friend's name?"Hope asked.
"His name is Bilbo Baggins. He comes from a long and distinguished family line in the Shire. And Bilbo will be able to stand out even more from those around him. Now let's get to know him."
Shortly after, they reached Bag End. The front door was round and circular, like a porthole, green in color with a yellow brass knob in the center.
Finally, the visitors from the Shire reached the owner of the hole house in front of his fence.
Bilbo Baggins was sitting on a bench in his front garden. His hair was reddish brown. He was currently wearing breeches and a beautiful golden waistcoat. The Hobbit had not yet noticed visitors. His eyes were closed as he smoked his pipe after finishing his second breakfast not long before.
Bilbo let out a smoke ring with a contented sigh. Hope and Alaric noticed Gandalf's magic for the first time. The magician changed the smoke ring into a moth. The butterfly fluttered briefly before hitting Bilbo's nose.
"I should do that, too," Hope whispered amused to Ric.
Bilbo opened his eyes and then noticed the three visitors at his door.
"Good morning," he said to them, and he meant it.
The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf gazed at him from under long bushy eyebrows that protruded from the edge of his large hat.
"What do you mean?" he replied. "Do you wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"
"All of them at once, I suppose." said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. If you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine! There's no hurry, we have all the day before us! Even your friends are welcome!"
"No thanks," Alaric told him courteously.
"Very pretty," said Gandalf. "But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone."
Hope raised her eyebrows in amazement upon hearing the old man's request and lingered on the Hobbit's reaction. He widened his eyes in amazement.
"An adventure?!" Then he took on a serious, disinterested tone. "No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures."
He got up from his bench holding his pipe in his hand and went to his mailbox.
"Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things." he continued with disinterest, taking his mail. "Make you late for dinner." (He began to contemplate his morning mail while smoking without paying any attention to the wizard and his visitors.) "Good day!"
He concludes his sentence as if that ends the conversation.
"He loves the comfort of his house rather than leaving to brave danger," remarked Alaric in a low voice.
But Gandalf remained where he was without moving, staring the Hobbit sternly.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" he exclaimed. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."
"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir!"retorted Bilbo, wanting to be friendly, but looking for an excuse to send the strangers away from his hearth. "Let me see, I dont think I know your name?"
"Yes, yes, my dear sir… and I know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think that I should have lived to be good morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!"
At the mention of Gandalf's name, Bilbo looked startled, then euphoric.
"Gandalf, Gandalf! Not Gandalf the wandering Wizard who made such excellent fireworks? Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve! Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about dragons and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected luck of widows' sons?"
"Goblins and giants?" wondered Alaric, wondering if he had heard correctly.
"And dragons?" Hope added amazed.
Bilbo continued ignoring the two strangers.
"Bless me, life used to be quite inter… I mean, you used to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time. I beg your pardon, but I had no idea you were still in business."
"Where else should I be?" replied Gandalf. "All the same I am pleased to find you remember something about me. You seem to remember my fireworks kindly, at any rate, and that is not without hope. Indeed for your old grandfather Took's sake, and for the sake of poor Belladonna, I will give you what you asked for."
"I beg your pardon, I haven't asked for anything!"
"Yes, you have! Twice now. My pardon. I give it you. In fact I will go so far as to send you on this adventure. Very amusing for me, very good for you… and profitable too for my new guests you see next to me."(He gestured to Hope and Alaric who were in the background.) "I still remember your mother's generous hospitality. Could you accommodate these two people at your place by the time I return? These two are not from Middle-earth, and know nothing of your customs. Offer them hospitality and I promise to return very soon."
The Hobbits used to never refuse guests at home. It was a strong tradition in the Shire. Although he was reluctant to see strangers disembarking, Bilbo gave a courtesy greeting to the two people accompanying the magician.
"Welcome to Bag End," he told them happily.
"Thank you very much," said Alaric entering the property of the Hobbit. "I am Alaric Saltzman."
Hope eventually followed her headmaster and gave their host a warm look.
"Hope Mikaelson. Thank you for welcoming us to your home. We're sorry to barge in like this. We didn't plan to be here at all and we don't know where to go. We know nothing about this country."
Gandalf turned to her.
"You'll be fine, Lady Hope. I might have an idea to take you home, but it may take time, and I have to inform the others. I'll be back to see you tonight. I am sure that you will find in Mr Baggins a most wonderful host."
"Thank you, Mr Gandalf," answered Alaric with a friendly nod.
Bilbo was uneasy. He had the reputation of living alone in his house. To welcome a non-Hobbit man and maiden into his abode would make a lot of gossip. But Gandalf had known his mother, and he knew that she would have been ashamed of him, if he refused to lodge friends of the mage.
"Please, come in," he told them.
Bilbo greeted Hope and Alaric who walked up the garden path leading to the entrance to Bag End. All three entered. Once his guests were inside, Bilbo hastily closed the door behind him, relieved that he would no longer have Gandalf's insufferable presence for a few hours, at least.
Meanwhile, Gandalf stood in the doorway, shaking with a long quiet laugh. Finally he approached, and with the tip of his stick he carved a strange sign on the Hobbit's beautiful green door. Then he strode away.
Bilbo sighed in frustration. He had never had guests in his home, let alone humans in his own house. Then he remembered.
"Take care of your heads."
Instantly, Hope banged her head against a wooden plank on the ceiling that was close to her.
"Ouch!"
Alaric had the reflex to lower his head narrowly avoiding the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, noting that the house was not designed to accommodate grown-ups.
"Nice of you to let us know." he replied to his host.
"I am not used to having people who are not Hobbits in my house," replied Bilbo, putting away his mail on a table.
"I'm not surprised," Hope replied, rubbing her head where she had bumped.
"Hope," said Alaric wanting to make the Tribrid understand that they had to behave well with their host.
Despite the size of the house, the two strangers couldn't help but notice how pretty the interior of Bag End was.
The vestibule was tunnel-shaped, round, with a flagstone floor and covered with rugs. In the hole that made up the whole house, Hope and Alaric were able to discover many flowerbeds and furniture. As they followed the hallway, which did not go in a straight line, they found many doors, as everything was on the ground floor. In particular, there were many storage rooms. The most comfortable rooms were the only ones on the left as they had windows that overlooked the garden and the surrounding meadows.
Bag End contains many rooms: a few bedrooms, a room that Hope could be sure could accommodate several Hobbits for a party or a birthday.
This place seemed like the perfect home and Hope and Alaric were grateful to Gandalf for leaving them in the best of hosts in the Shire.
"This house is really beautiful," commented Alaric with admiration.
"We're not in Mystic Falls anymore," added Hope in a low voice, also under the beauty of the little house.
"Make yourself at home, please," Bilbo told them.
"Thank you, Mr Baggins," answered Ric smiling. "That's very nice of you."
"Just curious, how long have you been living here?"Hope asked.
"I have always lived here," replied Bilbo. "My father built this place. He and my mother moved in there right after they got married. That was over fifty years ago."
"It's a very nice house you have," remarked Alaric admiring the interior of Bag End.
"Thank you," answered the Hobbit sympathetically. "And you, where are you from, if you don't mind?"
Hope and Alaric looked at each other in embarrassment, not knowing how to explain to a being like Bilbo, the existence of several parallel worlds. But Hope replied simply:
"We are from Mystic Falls, Virginia."
"Mystic Falls? Virginia?" wondered Bilbo in confusion. "I have never heard of these places in Middle-earth. Is that in North Gondor or North Rohan?"
Alaric glared at Hope before replying:
"Actually, we're not from Middle-earth. We come from another world very different from yours. And we came to your county by accident."
"We don't know exactly how it happened," added Hope still uncomfortable. "But we are here… And we met Gandalf who assured us that he wanted to help us. Since we don't know anyone here, well… we might as well trust a magician who makes fireworks and tells all sorts of stories about giants and goblins."
Bilbo looked stunned and in disbelief. If one day someone had told him that there was a world other than Middle-earth, he would have been caught in a fit of laughter.
But judging by the accents of the man and the girl and their strange clothes, it was obvious that these two were not of this world.
"It's incredible! Are you really from another world?"
"Yes," answered Alaric. "And we're stuck here."
Finally, Hope and Alaric have met Bilbo and discovered Bag End. I took passages from the book The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
In the next chapter, the Thorin's Company will arrive. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.