Unexpected Assistance (A Hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 3 - Words of Advice

"I'll be alright, just let me sit quietly for a moment," Bilbo muttered from his position curled up in an armchair.

Gandalf, standing over him, replied gruffly, "You have been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me, when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you?"

The quiet sound of a person clearing their throat interrupted Gandalf mid-rant, and the pair turned to see Demetria with a steaming mug clutched in her hands. With a small smile, she offered the warm drink to Bilbo, who was mildly startled but took the offering nonetheless.

"Oh, thank you," the hobbit managed to stutter out.

The girl nodded before leaving once more and Gandalf, undeterred, returned to his rant.

Making her way back to where she'd left her brothers and sister in the dining room, Demetria sat in her chair and began to observe the strangers situated around the room. Her eyes were first drawn to Erion and Destan, who were stood out in the long corridor with the dwarf in charge and the white-bearded dwarf. Balin looked up at the two men with a mixture of awe and disbelief, and was probably quizzing them in an attempt to find out more about the truthful and not so truthful aspects of the legends surrounding the so-called Guardians of Middle-earth.

Demetria's pan of the room was soon cut short by the young dwarf, Kili, though. With what was supposed to be a charming smile, he leant on the table with one arm and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Demetria, is it? A beautiful name for a beautiful young woman..."

His attempt at flattery was soon cut short however, as Faenor swiped his arm out from under him and Kili hurriedly made to stand up without it looking like he had just been about to fall face first onto the table.

"That line doesn't work so well when you've used it on another women about three minutes prior, just a quick tip," Faenor laughed from beside her sister, satisfied with the slightly abashed look on Kili's face.

That was when Bilbo stood up from his armchair, and Demetria just managed to catch his sigh as he began to walk away from Gandalf and the dwarves, off no doubt to some place where he could at least sit in an armchair in peace. He left huff, "I'm sorry Gandalf, you've got the wrong hobbit."

Just as Bilbo began to disappear around a corner, Demetria stood as well and, ignoring the curious looks of Faenor and her young dwarf friends, followed behind him.

As she was speeding off in the opposite direction, Demetria managed to catch Kili saying something along the lines of "She doesn't speak much does she?"

To which her sister replied with a smirk that Demetria could almost see through the walls, "Oh, she does, just not to you apparently."

She managed to spot the hobbit just as a door closed behind him, so Demetria paused for a second before giving a gentle knock (the hobbit did deserve some privacy and respect in his own home, and he certainly wasn't going to get it from any of the dwarves).

Through the door, Demetria could vaguely hear Bilbo muttering something about rude dwarves so she spoke softly in an attempt to lessen his irritation, "It's Demetria, Master Baggins, may I come in?"

The muttering went silent for a second, but the door soon opened a crack to reveal the back of Bilbo's curly head of hair. Taking the open door as an invitation, Demetria walked into the room just as the hobbit settled himself into yet another armchair in the corner of the room.

"Oh, where are my manners? Do sit..." Bilbo stuttered, gesturing to a chair across from him. "Is there something you need?"

Demetria settled herself into the rather comfortable chair before looking at Bilbo with a small smile. Softly, she said, "I just wish to give some advice, Master Baggins, if that's alright with you?"

"Bilbo's quite alright thanks," the hobbit smiled slightly in return, relaxing more into his chair, "and um... of course of course."

"It's true, Master Bag- Bilbo; the world is a large and scary place, but it is one that is full of wonders that you will never experience from the safety of an armchair. Forgive me if I am overstepping, but I heard what Gandalf said and I think that an adventure may not be what you want, but what you need. If you pass up this opportunity to instead sit quite comfortably in front of a fire with a pantry full of food, will you not kick yourself in a day, or a decade, when you realise that your life is over before you ever got a chance to live it?"

Bilbo sat in stunned silence as he stared at the young women who spoke of things far beyond her years but looked at him with eyes that had seen centuries more than himself.

"Oh, and if you wouldn't mind, Bilbo, I'd like to take a look around your garden?"

The hobbit managed a small dumbfounded nod and Demetria smiled again. Rising from the chair, Demetria bowed her head at Bilbo and then turned to leave. She had crossed the room and her hand had begun to push the door ajar slightly before Bilbo cleared his throat.

"Demetria," he called out, and she turned as he stood from his chair, "thank you."

Nodding again, that lovely warm smile on her face, she opened the door to leave, throwing behind a quick, "You have a lovely home, Master Baggins."

Quickly finding her sister and whispering a brief explanation of her plan for the evening, Demetria, after receiving a nod of approval from Faenor, threw the green fabric of her hood over her head once more and disappeared out of the round door of Bag End, shutting it gently once she'd stepped into the darkness beyond. The cold night air then took hold of her long cloak and sent it billowing behind her as she made her way down the leaf strewn path, bathed in the soft moonlight of a quiet and peaceful evening.