The Shire, Hobbiton
In this quiet corner of the world, a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins was now forced to accommodate two unexpected guests. His Ideal evening had gone not quite to plan.
Much to his displeasure, another three guests were making their way to Bag-End.
"I am telling you, we have passed it!" The young dark-haired prince said atop his pony.
"We have not passed it, Kili!" Said his older brother in response to his silly claim.
"Well, I saw the mark!"
"Kili, I am sure that a mark made by a Wizard would be much more obvious than that which was clearly a patch of mould." Anaynah finally butted in the conversation, "We can always ask for directions?" she suggested as she folded away the map back into her saddlebag.
"We are not asking for directions!" The brothers exclaimed in unionism as they shot her a look, as if offended by the suggestion.
"Alright, alright!" What is it with men and asking for directions?
The trio continued on their ponies and horses along the narrow streets of the town. Anaynah could only imagine how beautiful this place would be in the daytime, the rolling hills and grass would be a vibrant green with garden beds filled with all manner of flowers and plants.
"Over there!" Fili exclaimed as he pointed to a hole.
A Hobbit-hole.
The door was perfectly round with a coat of fresh green paint. In the middle of the door, there was a shiny yellow doorknob.
Under the doorknob to the side, there was the mark that Gandalf had said to look out for.
"Now that is a Wizard's mark!" Fili said in triumph to his brother, to which he responded by rolling his eyes. The Ranger smiled at their banter. She was glad to have been able to reunite with them. Many weeks they had spent travelling from the Blue Mountains to The Shire to make it for tonights gathering.
After their reunion, Gandalf had given Anaynah all the details of the company's gathering. In around a month they would meet at their host's home, who Anaynah learnt their name was Bilbo Baggins,
Or was it Boggins? Toggins?
Gandalf had given her strict instructions.
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"Do not, under any circumstances find out your true identity, for I cannot guarantee your safety if they do." He said sternly, "Your purpose on this quest is simply to be extra protection for Bilbo as Thorin will not be responsible for his safety. You are but a Ranger with extraordinary skills in the wild, who I have hired to help Bilbo find his feet. That is all"
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She remembered their conversation as she dismounted her horse. She wasn't lying, merely withholding some truths. Gandalf's true mission for her was far more extraordinary. Yet, in a way, she had been concealing her true identity all along.
The brothers tethered their ponies to a fence, joining others already present. Anaynah bid her horse, Haldor, goodnight before joining the brothers at the door.
Anaynah did wonder though, would the Company still accept her if they were to find pit the truth? She shook herself out of her thoughts as she and the brothers stepped forward to the door.
"Ah!" Fili raised his hand to pull down the rope which caused the doorbell to chime.
Kili in the middle, with Fili and Anaynah on either side of him they waited.
The door swung open to reveal their host, Bilbo Baggins, his light, curly hair and gentle face showing a hint of irritation. Clad in night robes, he seemed prepared for sleep rather than guests.
What odd attire to wear when expecting company, Anaynah thought as she took in his appearance.
The Hobbit let out a small whimper as he saw the trio outside
"Fili."
"And Kili."
"And Anaynah."
"At your service." They all said in unison, then all giving the Hobbit a courteous bow, almost as if it were rehearsed.
"You must be Mister Boggins!" Kili said confidently with a wide smile. Anaynah cleared her throat as she nudged him in the shoulder with her elbow.
"I do believe it was Toggins," she whispered trying to correct him. Before they could enter the hole, the Hobbit interfered.
"Nope, you can't come in, you've come to the wrong house!" He exclaimed with frustration that could not be hidden. He then went to slam the door shut, unfortunately for him, Kili had managed to get his foot in the door before it closed, forcing it open.
Anaynah winced as the force sent the poor Hobbit stumbling back slightly.
"What? Has it been cancelled?" Kill asked as he stepped forward with a tone of disappointment.
"No one told us!" Fili too stepped forward, leaving Anaynah behind the two watching over their shoulders, which was not a challenge given their height.
Bilbo gave them a puzzled look.
"Cancelled? No, nothing been cancelled!" Bilbo said with confusion. Before he could go on, Kili grinned and shoved through.
"That's a relief!" The pair pushed passed him and marched into the house as if they owned the place. Anaynah too stepped in, having to place her hand over the wood and duck her head to not bump into the doorway.
The Ranger smiled at the half-ling, him now finally getting a good look at her. She was not at all like his other uninvited guests. No Dwarf she was, tall and slender. As she removed her coat he noticed the muscle mass of her shoulders, a testament of all the years of wielding heavy weaponry.
Elf? No, her ears had no point, nor was her hair sleek, but rather dark, wild, curly and unruly mane it was. However, the elegance she held herself with was enough to fool the Hobbit.
Bilbo returned her warm smile with one that was rather awkward, as he was soon interrupted by Fili, who practically threw his swords wrapped in cloth into Bilbo's arms who was quite taken back.
"Careful with these. I just had them sharpened."
Anaynah chuckled as she too disarmoured her weapons but found a corner to place them herself.
"It's nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?"
Kili asked as he admired the foyer. He too had dumped his bow and quiver onto Bilbo's shoulders.
Undoing her cloak, Anaynah too finally had a chance to look around. Though of course small for her, she could see the appeal for a Hobbit. The cozy atmosphere was inviting to anyone. The warm hues came from candles and a hearty fire. It reminded her of her own house with Jahan.
"Uh, no. It has been in the family for generations." Spoke the Hobbit as Fili continued to remove an array of what seemed to be unlimited weapons, handing them over to Bilbo, "That's my mother's glory box! Could you please not do that!" he exclaimed loudly.
Anaynah turned to see Kili scraping the mud off his boots against a chest, well, Bilbo's mother's glory box.
"Fili, Kili, Anaynah!" Anaynahs attention was drawn to Dwalin calling put their names, she smiled at the Dwarf as he dragged away Kili into another part of the house, "Come on, give us a hand!"
"Mr. Dwalin!" Kill laughed as he hurried along with the older Dwarf. Fili and Anaynah looked at each other and smiled before following after them. They entered the dining room where Balin was waiting. Bilbo too followed behind.
"Let's shove this in the hall or we'll never get everyone in." Balin instructed, the men getting to work straight away.
"Everyone?" Bilbo asked in a panic. Anaynah gave him a worried look, she was getting the feeling that he was not expecting guests, "How many more are there?"
"Well..." The Ranger trailed off as she drew a breath. The doorbell sounded again, causing Bilbo and her to glance in its direction.
"Oh, no." Bilbo's eyes widened.
Poor Mr Boggins, or was it Toggins?
"No, n- there's nobody home!" Enraged, Bilbo trodded off. He shook his head and dumped all the weapons onto the floor as he stomped angrily to the door. Anaynah followed behind the halfling. It was certain, it appeared Gandalf indeed had not informed him of this party,
"Go away and bother somebody else! There's far too many Dwarves in my dining room, as it is! Ha Ha! If this is some clottheads idea of a joke, I can only say that it is in very poor taste!" Bilbo angrily opened his front door. Bilbo was not sure what he was expecting, but it certainly was not another nine Dwarves falling into his doorway, each one toppling on top of the other getting out grunts and groans.
Anaynah had caught this sight and covered her lips to stifle a laugh.
As the Hobbit stepped back, he looked past the doorframe to see the familiar face of Gandalf peeking through.
"Gandalf." Bilbo sighed in defeat.
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The pantry of Bilbo Baggins was now being raided by not one, not two, but 12 Dwarves. Meat, cheese, fruit, wine, beer. It was being demolished by the second. He scampered around in desperation, attempting to place back the goods being taken.
"Excuse me!"
However, no one paid any heed to his protests, almost ignoring him altogether. Astounded, he was being treated as if he were in the way in his own home!
"Put that back.
Put that back.
Put! That! Back!"
Anaynah helped to plate the table, watching the Hobbit's failed attempt to offer Bombur a cheese knife.
"Take that back, please! It's an antique! It's not for sitting on!"
"Not a coaster!"
"Put that map down!"
Though Anaynah was amused at the sight, she couldn't help but pity the poor thing. Walking around the other side of the table she approached the Wizard.
"I think you may gave exaggerated our host's hospitality. I think you also may have failed to mention to him that we would indeed be our host." Anayah said to Gandalf as she smirked knowingly at him. He chuckled and returned her smirk.
"Mr Gandalf, may I tempt you with a cup of camomile?" Dori offered the Wizard as he began to pour the liquid.
"Oh, no thank you, Dori. A little red wine for me and Anaynah, I think." He replies to which Anaynah eagerly nodded.
Gandalf then did a head count of the Dwarves, not before his own head collided with the chandelier.
Anaynah was nearly knocked over by Fili and Kili who offered a quick apology as they trudged on, struggling to carry what appeared to be a wine barrel over to the other room. She rolled her eyes at the comedic pair.
"Mr Gandalf! As you requested," Dori approached them again, the smallest glass of red wine held in each hand, "Two glasses of red wine, it's got a fruity bouquet."
"Why thank you, Dori!"
The pair gratefully took the wine, Anaynah bewildered at the minuscule size. They both gulped the wine in one sip.
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Everyone had now gathered at the dining table, an array of food spread out across. All the Dwarves as well as Anaynah and Gandalf dug into the feast.
As if it were a buffet, everyone reached out to grab their share and pile their plates high.
Anaynah sat between Fili and Kili, she too indulging in the meal before her as her journey had left her quite famished.
Fili stood up and left to grab the pints of ale, which Anaynah was quite looking forward to.
"Bombur! Catch!" Bofur called out from the opposite end of the table, throwing an egg which to everyone's delight, Bombur caught in his mouth!
Cheers and laughter erupted across the room, filling the atmosphere with light-hearted merriment! Anaynah too laughed out loud, but her face turned to one of disgust and she saw the dark-haired price laughing out loud with his half-chewed food up for display. She smacked him upside the head.
"Ouch!"
"That was a sight I did not need to see!"
Bilbo could merely watch in horror as his food was being devoured in seconds by these visitors.
Fili had returned with his pints of ale, climbing up onto the table trudging through, handing them out to everyone.
Anaynah too grabbed one, knowing full well what was about to happen.
The Dwarves cheered as they brought their pints to clink together,
"Ale on the count of 3!"
"One! Two!"
And on three they downed their ale. It was no shock for Anaynah to see the speed at which they chugged their alcohol, the Ranger could barely get through half without having to stop and take a breath.
An eruption of burps sounded, causing her to laugh in disgust as the biggest and loudest burp came from the youngest Dwarf.
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"Excuse me, that is a doily, not a dishcloth!"
Bilbo had still not given up. The Hobbit still scampered around in frustration, running after the Dwarves.
A doily? Anaynah scoffed in disbeliefment as she rested against the wall where she had been conversing with Bofur.
"But it's full of holes!" Bofur said.
"It's supposed to look like that, it's crochet!" Bilbo protested.
"Oh and a wonderful game it is too, if you've got the balls for it."
Anaynah laughed at Bofurs jest as she slapped his arm. The Hobbit though was far from amused.
"Bebother and confusticate these Dwarves!" Bilbo grumbled. Gandalf too noticed his frustrations.
"My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"The Wizard inquired, Anaynah too watching.
"What's the matter? I'm surrounded by Dwarves! What are they doing here?"
"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering! Once you get used to them."
Bofur soon jumped into a tug-of-war with Nori over some sausages. Anaynah took a few steps back to not get caught in the crossfire, Bilbo now listing off all the issues the Dwarves had caused him.
Anaynah smiled at the halfling's love for his belongings. She couldn't blame him. She too would have been frustrated in his shoes. She would not have been half as accommodating as the halfling has been towards them.
Had a stranger walked into her house, she would not have hesitated to have her weapon at the ready. But then again, in this part of the world, there wasn't as much need for precaution.
In a blink of an eye, Anaynah was taken back as a plate whizzed past her ear. She snapped her head around to see it had been thrown by Fili and caught Kili who then threw it behind to Bifur.
Another followed, by another, and another, also followed by the familiar sound of protests from the Hobbit.
At the table, the Dwarves clicked, tapped and scraped the cutlery against each other and on the table, the sound of metal against the table soon synced into a rhythmic tune.
"Could you please not do that, you'll blunt them!" Bilbo pleaded once more.
"Oooh! Did you hear that, lads? He says well blunt the knives!" Bofur responded with mockery, the Dwarves continuing their beat as they began stomping their feet to the rhythm.
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks"
Kili began to sing, continuing to toss the dishes to Fili to continued on.
"Smash the bottles and burn the corks!"
"Chip the glasses and crack the plates!"
Everyone had now joined into the merry tune.
"Thats what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
"Cut the cloth, thread on the fat!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor, splash the wine on every door!"
"Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, pound them up with a thumping pole!
When you're finished, if they're whole, send them down the hall to roll!"
The lively music brought a smile to the faces of everyone except the Hobbit, Anaynah tapping her feat to the catchy rhythm.
"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
As the song ended, Bilbo sprinted into the kitchen, bracing himself for what could only be a disastrous sight before him. But much to his surprise, he saw all the Dwarves gathered around the table with all the dishes stacked neatly stop each other, and the cutlery sparkling, all of them proud of their efforts. The Hobbit finally relaxed.
Not a single plate cracked! Well, except for the one that was thrown towards Anaynah which she failed to catch miserably.
The aura of the room shifted as a final loud knock sounded from the front door. The room fell silent. Gandalf broke the quiet.
"He is here."
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And the story begins!
- I <3