Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sitting outside of the dwarf filled hobbit hole Yrsa took notice of the change of atmosphere around the shire as she picked at the grass around her legs and hummed along to the horrid song the dwarves were singing earlier while tossing things. The once warm shire air had become much cooler as its residents retired for the night and the dwarves inside had become quieter but not completely silent after they moved the fallen hobbit from the floor to a chair.
She was not used to this. Lifting her head she gazed up at the stars above her, trying to memorise some of the constellations in the clear night sky above and for the first time in a long time, an odd sense of peace fell upon her.
Inside, Bilbo sat in his chair, shivering and clutching a mug of tea given to him once he regained consciousness. Beside him sat Gandalf who gazed down at the hobbit with a clear look of disappointment in his eyes.
"I'll be alright, just let me sit quietly for a moment." said the hobbit.
Shooting Bilbo a disappointed look, Gandalf began to speak sternly; "You've been sitting quietly for far too long. When did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you? I remember a young hobbit who was always running off in search of elves in the woods. He'd stay out late, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young hobbit who would have liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there." He finished pointing to the window.
"I can't just go running off into the blue! I am a Baggins of Bag End!" Asserted Bilbo.
"You are also a Took! Did you know that your great-great-great-great uncle, Bullroarer Took was so large he could ride a real horse?" said the wizard.
Unsure if whether or not Gandalf was beginning to make things up on the spot or not he answered with a curt, "Yes."
"Well, he could!" continued Gandalf, "In the Battle of Green Fields, he charged the goblin ranks. He swung his club so hard, it knocked the Goblin King's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus the battle was won, and the game of Golf invented at the same time."
Having enough of what Gandalf had to say Bilbo finally voiced; "I do believe you made that up."
Gandalf took a seat across from Bilbo and spoke "Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back."
Watching the back of Yrsa's head through the window as she stargazed Bilbo decided to be bold and asked about her; "What about that woman you brought here? I don't see how this is safe for her."
Taking a seat across from Bilbo, Gandalf answered his question, "Yrsa can hold her own. I'm more concerned about the safety of whoever decides to cross her than her own safety."
Ignoring the unsettling tightness that rose in his chest as a result of Gandalf's seemingly honest answer Bilbo decided to ask another question, "Can you promise that I will come back?"
