"Now tell me all about it."
Samara looked up from her glass with raised eyebrows.
She had taken a nice long bath after which she had found her clothes neatly folded on top of her bed in the guest bedroom and was now having dinner with her host.
"About what?"
"Where you have been, what you have seen on your travels!" Bilbo said.
Samara chuckled. "You make it seem like a vacation."
"Sorry, it's just…well there's not much going on around here."
"What?" Samara squeeled a bit too loud ( how many glasses did she have already? ) "Bilbo Baggins is complaining about a quiet life?"
Bilbo's head grew red as he stuttered.
"I should get that wizard back here, what was his name again?"
"Absolutely not!" He said. "I heard the neighbours complain about him when I went to get the post."
Samara laughed harder than she had done in the past months. Her laughter died and a frown appeared.
"But seriously though, you know I can't talk about where I have been."
Bilbo nodded. "I know…it's just that I worry about you sometimes."
"I promise that you don't have to, I'm fine."
"Alright, but you have to start eating more, you are a walking skeleton!"
He stood up and walked out of the kitchen.
"Luckily I have a fully stocked pantry!" He said.
Samara smiled and drank the rest of her wine. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She frowned as she looked around the corner towards the round green door.
"Expecting someone?" She called.
Bilbo peaked around the corner of the pantry, cheese and grapes in his hands and clearly frustrated by the sudden intrusion.
"No."
He walked towards the door and opened. Samara had walked to the other side of the kitchen. If someone knew who she was and where she was, they might come looking for trouble.
"Dwalin, at your service." She heard a rough voice say.
A dwarf? What on earth does a dwarf do here?
"Uh and Bilbo Baggins at yours…" She heard the hobbit say nervously.
"Is the food down here?"
Samara realized she was about to be discovered and tried to act as naturally as possible.
"Who was it Bilbo?" She asked as she walked towards the voices. Unfortunately she forgot herself and banged her head against the doorpost.
"Oh yes this is Dwalin and he is here because…"
The poor hobbit looked at the dwarf, hoping to get more information.
"To get some food as I was promised, now out of my way lass."
The dwarf called Dwalin entered the kitchen and sat down, helping himself with some of the fish that was left over.
"Who is he?" Samara hissed.
"No idea!" Bilbo said helpless.
"You let in a complete stranger and let him eat your food?"
"Well…it would be rude to send him away on an empty stomach!"
Knock knock knock
"That would be the door!" Dwalin grunted inbetween bites.
"What?" Samara asked looking more and more confused as Bilbo went to open.
A dwarf with a long white beard walked in.
"Balin, at your service."
Without any other word, the dwarf walked up to Dwalin and the two of them shared some words. Then they gave each other a big headbutt and sat down.
"Excuse me." Samara said as there was yet another knock on the door.
The two dwarves looked at her. "
"Yes lass?" Balin asked kindly.
"What are you doing in my friends house?" "He clearly doesn't know you."
"And we do not know him." Dwalin said. "The wizard told us to come to the Shire and look for a door with the mark on it."
"Mark?" Bilbo repeated as he followed five more dwarves into the kitchen. "There is no mark on that door it has been painted a week ago!"
"Ah good!" Balin said as he greeted the others. "Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Gloin and Oin!"
"We saw Nori, Ori and Dori in the distance." Bofur said. "Shouldn't take them too long."
The dwarves all sat down at the kitchen table.
"I was promised a meal!" Bombur said.
Bilbo sputtered but went into the pantry anyways.
"A wizard you say." Samara said looking at Dwalin.
"I a mafraid that would be me."
Gandalf walked into the open front door along with three other dwarves, presumably Ori Dori and Nori.
"You!" Samara said repremanding. "What are all these dwarves doing here?"
"We are here to discuss our journey." Gandalf said. "We only have to wait for three more, the three most important I might add."
"We're here!" A voice sounded from the hall.
"We didn't miss it did we?" A second voice added.
Two young dwarves ran into the kitchen.
"Fili…" The blonde said.
"And Kili." The darker haired said.
"At your service!" both of them said as they bowed.
"Get yourselves usefull and put some food on the table!" Dwalin said.
All the dwarves stood up and started to rampage the pantry, grab all the cutlery and plates and gather it all on the table. Bilbo watched in shock as everything was handled with little care.
"Shouldn't we wait for him?" Ori asked.
"Nah he had to travel from the Iron Hills, it will take a while." Dwalin said.
Samara grabbed Gandalf by the shoulder and walked towards the livingroom.
"What is going on?" She asked.
"I understand that the situation is confusing." Gandalf said. "All will be clear when the last member of our group has arrived."
"If things don't get cleared up soon, I will personaly make sure that every last one of these dwarves are out of my friends house in ten minutes." Samara said.
Gandalf looked at her with an intense gaze.
"Who exactly did you say you were?"
"A friend of Bilbo, someone who is actually invited to be here." Samara said quickly, not breaking the stare.
There was a knock on the door.
"There he is." Gandalf said before turning around and walking towards the kitchen. Samara followed him.
The happy chatter of the dwarves had died down and everyone was staring at the door. Gandalf went to open it. Another dwarf entered and Samara could immediately feel that this was not just any dwarf. She had seen several dwarf royalty in her years and this one just screamed royalty from afar.
"May I introduce, prince Thorin Oakenshield."Gandalf said. "Heir to the throne of Erebor."
"Erebor?" Samara repeated. "Beneath the lonely Mountain?"
"Yes indeed." Gandalf said. He took a piece of parchment from his cloak and walked towards the kitchen table.
"Now Bilbo if you'd please give us some light, there is much to discuss."