Warrior's Curse

The Meeting

Bilbo's P.O.V.:

I was sitting on the bench eyes closed as I smoked my pipe. Until a cloud of smoke hit my nose making me inhale it and putting me into a coughing fit. I look up to see a someone in grey robes. "Uh, good morning."

"What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on? Hm?" the stranger asked me.

I stumble over my words as I try to answer his riddled question. "All of them at once, I suppose."

The stranger doesn't talk as I shift my position on the bench before speaking. "Can I help you with something?"

"That remains to be seen. I'm looking for someone to share an adventure," he says nearly making me gag as I inhale the smoke from my pipe.

I just look at him like he's crazy. My mouth hung as I try to compute what he was saying. "An adventure?" I paused shaking my head before going on. "No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures," I tell him as I head over to my mailbox. "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner." I say to him as I open my mailbox and pulled out my mail. I look through it trying to distract myself from this stranger. I look at him once more, "Good morning." with that I turned and began making my way to my door.

"To think that I should have lived to be "good morning" by Belladonna Took's son as if I'm selling buttons at the door." I turned around to face him both confused and slightly annoyed.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked him still confused.

The stranger shifted before speaking. "You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" I asked him pulling my pipe away from my mouth.

"Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf. And Gandalf means...me." he pauses as he says me like he's disappointed or something.

"Gandalf?" I whispered to myself trying to put a face to the name before it hit me. "Not Gandalf the wandering Wizard who made excellent fireworks? Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve." I chuckled shaking my head before coughing slightly. "No idea you were still in business."

Gandalf gave me a bit of offended look. "And where else should I be?"

I stumble for words as I pop my pipe back into my mouth for a bit as I take it out and mumble over my words once more.

"Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me...even if it's only my fireworks." he paused before speaking once more. "Yes. Well, that's decided. It'll be very good for you and most amusing for me." I just give him a look of utter confusion. "I shall inform the others."

Gandalf begins to walk before I stopped him. "Inform who? What? No. No. No...Wait. We do not want any adventures here, thank you. Not today. Not...I suggest you try over the hill or across the water. Good morning." I tell him as I run up the steps as I speak. I watch him shift as I speak and once the words good morning leaves my mouth I open the door and rush into my hobbit hole.

I lean into the door as I quickly lock it behind me. I let out a breath of relief as I push myself off the door as I was about to go to another room when I heard a strange sound emitting from behind the door. I turn slowly, furrowing my eyebrows as I try to figure out what the sound was. I lean closer to the sound only to have it stop; so I make my way over to the window by the door and peeked out of it to meet the eyes of the wizard which made me scamper and hide behind one on the archways. Heart pounding slightly, I make my way over to another window to see if the wizard was leaving. Which to my satisfaction, he is. I let out another sigh as I try to wrap my head around what just happened.