Heart Of Stone

Chapter One

Night has now fallen and in Bag End Bilbo prepares a dinner of fish and when finished he settles down at his table, tucks a napkin in his collar, and begins sprinkling salt on his fish. Ah, his meal spelt delicious and his mouth watered. Bilbo you've prepared yet another delicious feast for one. He smiled and picked up a half of a lemon.

Unbeknownst to him, the the symbol on the door glows, and the shadow of a person appears on the door.

Bilbo, in the middle of squeezing lemon juice on his fish, looks up in surprise as the doorbell rings. Now who could that be. He slowly stands and walks down the hall toward the door. He opens the door and finds a tall, bald dwarf on his doorstep. Hello... The dwarf greets him, bowing slightly.

"Dwalin, at your service."

Dwalin? Shellshocked, Bilbo lets out a noise like a whimper, completely intimidated by this male but he pushes that aside. Coming to his senses, he quickly ties his robe tighter and stands taller, although he is still confused.

"Bilbo Baggins, at yours." He gives Dwalin a once over.

Dwalin walks inside without an invitation, pushing past a flabbergasted Bilbo whis shuts the door.

"D-do we know each other?"

"No." He stops halfway inside, seeming to be searching for something. "Which way, laddie?" He heads down the hall, still searching. Bilbo catches up to him, his face contorted into a frown.

"Is it down here?"

"I-is what down where?"

Dwalin dumps some of his stuff on the ground and thrusts the rest onto Bilbo who stumbles back slightly.

"Supper. He said there'd be food, and lots of it."

Bilbo's frown deepens as he places the dwarf's stuff down. "H-He said? Who said?"

Dwalin sits at Bilbo's spot on the kitchen table, eating Bilbo's dinner, while Bilbo sits behind him, confused and angrt. Dwalin eats all the flesh from the fish, then eats the head as well, as Bilbo looks on in disgust. Oh that's just gross.

"Mmmm. ... Very good, this. Any more?"

Bilbo, who looked completely daze, snapped back to reality, shaking his head slightly. "What? Uh, oh, yes, yes." His gaze snaggs on a plate of biscuits and he grabs it. "Help yourself." Bilbo brings over the plate of biscuits, hurriedly hiding one behind his back for himself. I'll be damned if I starve tonight.

Dwalin begins stuffing the biacuits in his mouth and Bilbo cringes and leans down slightly, final deciding to confront the rather rude and nasty dwarf. "Mmmm. It's just that, um, I wasn't expecting company." The bell rings again, interrupting Bilbo, who looks up in alarm.

"That'll be the door."

Bilbo scurries down the hall, cursing this night. When he reaches the door he opens it and finds an old, white-haired dwarf waiting and bowing. "Balin, at your service." Bilbo frowns, his confusion evident on his face. Since when did my place begin to draw dwarves. "Good evening."

Balin nodded, his gaze looking up at the sky. "Yes, yes it is, though I think it might rain later. Am I late?" He steps over the threshold, not even bothering for permission to enter. Dwarves apparently have no manners.

Bilbo sighed and cocked his head. "Late for what?"

Balin spots Dwalin, who is struggling to get more biscuits from Bilbo's jar. Balin pushes past Bilbo, who groans and shuts his door. The two dwarves meet halfway, grins plastered on their faces. "Oh, ha ha! Evening, brother."