Unexpected

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

They had finally arrived. It was a small village where hobbits dwelt; The Shire it was called. The green hills went on and on, each filled with round doors. Kili was eager to get to Mr. Baggins' house. The only way Mr. Baggins' house could be found amongst the other doors was a rune mark the wandering wizard had left. "Don't bother listening to Uncle. His sense of direction is dreadful." Kili laughed at the comment, for they all knew it was true. Fili turned to his sister. "You must be excited to finally see The Shire. You're all starry-eyed." He chuckled.

Her hair was very similar to Kili's, tied back and held with a metal clip. In colour, it was a light brown, almost a mix of her brothers' hair, and her eyes matched Kili's. For this particular adventure, she wore her favourite mid sleeve maroon tunic. It reached her knees and had a criss-cross stitch pattern where it met in the middle, much like Kili's. Her coat, which was a tan colour, stopped at her waist. Her tunic reached further than the coat and therefore was visible. Her dark brown trousers were tucked into her boots.

They continued on the dirt road for what seemed like forever and had knocked on the wrong door three times. The hobbits all pointed further, so that's where they went. Finally, the three came across a green door with a gold handle, the rune mark near the bottom corner. The siblings opened the gate and walked up to the door. The clinking of glasses and shouting could already be heard. The poor hobbit, she thought. They knocked on the door and a frazzled hobbit answered.

"Fili,"

"Kili,"

"And Eili."

"At your service." They bowed.

"You must be Mr. Boggins." Kili said cheerfully.

"Baggins." Eili corrected.

The hobbit shook his head and looked up from the floor. "Nope-- you, uh." He paused for a moment and his face became warm. Kili nudged his sister and whispered into her ear. "I think he's got a bit of a crush on you already." He teased.

Mr. Baggins turned red. Because of Kili's comment or the sudden arrival, she knew not. "You can't come in, you've come to the wrong house." He was about to shut the door when Fili placed his foot in the doorway. "What? Has it been cancelled?" Kili asked. Fili raised an eyebrow. "No one told us."

By now, Mr. Baggins was very much confused. After he explained how nothing was cancelled, Fili and Kili pushed their way into his house. They unloaded their belongings onto the hobbit and handed him their weapons. "Careful with these, we just had them sharpened."

Kili looked around the hobbit hole. "It's nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?" The dwarf said as he scraped the mud off his boots using the edge of a chest. The hobbit was horrified. "No, it's been in the family for years. That's my mother's glory box, can you please not do that!" He exclaimed. By then, Balin and Dwalin had come to see who arrived. Kili and Fili began helping the other dwarves move furniture into the hall so everyone would fit in the dining area.

Eili turned to the hobbit. "I am deeply sorry Master Baggins. I assume Gandalf didn't explain anything." He looked shocked, even worried. It could have been from the fact that she knew of Gandalf or that something did in fact need explaining. Or it could have simply been that they knew the hobbit's name. She took her brothers belongings from Bilbo and placed them on the nearby bench. She then put her bow, quiver, and blades down. Eili went into the dining hall and sat down, where she awaited everyones arrival.

•

Gandalf didn't come far behind the siblings with everyone except Thorin. "Fili, Kili, Eili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori. We appear to be one dwarf short." the wizard counted. Bilbo, as Gandalf had finally told the dwarves Mr. Baggins' first name, sighed deeply. The dwarves raided his pantry and steam could be seen pouring from the hobbit's ears.

Eili walked over to Gandalf, only to see him and Bilbo chatting. Well... Bilbo was chatting more so than Gandalf.

"I don't want to get used to them. The state of my kitchen - there's mud trod into the carpet, they've pillaged the pantry; I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

"Did you not tell Master Baggins about any of this?" She asked. Bilbo pointed at Eili and looked at Gandalf. "It would be much appreciated." He huffed. Gandalf was about to say something until Ori walked over with his plate. "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"

Fili grabbed the plate and tossed it to Kili, who threw it behind his back. Bifur, who was standing at the sink, caught it without looking. Suddenly, all the dwarves started to throw their plates, bowls, and utensils. Bilbo watched in horror as his fine china soared through the air. Some of the company started to bang their knives on the table. "Can-Can you not do that?" Bilbo shouted, "You'll blunt them!"
Bofur was quite amused. "Ooh, you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives." Kili started singing and soon after, everyone chimed in.

"Blunt the knives, bend the forks
Smash the bottles and burn the corks
Chip the glasses and crack the plates
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Cut the cloth and tread 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
And when you've finished, if they are whole
Send them down the hall to roll
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates"

Just then, there were three loud knocks at the door. Everyone fell silent. "He's here."

Gandalf opened the door and the dwarf king emerged into the house. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Eili nudged Kili. "What did I say about his sense of direction, eh?" They all settled into the dining hall.

•

After explaining most of the quest and eating most of the hobbit's food, Balin handed Bilbo a very long paper. His eyes widened as he scanned the contract. "Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fifteenth of total profit, if any.' Hmm. Seems fair. 'The present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations ... evisceration ... incineration?" The hobbit started to fan himself. "I feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace with wings." Bofur continued. "Flash of light, searing pain, then 'poof!', you're nothing more than a pile of ash."

His breathing became heavy. "Are you alright Master Baggins?" Eili asked.

"No." Bilbo's body went limp and he collapsed on the floor. She ran to get some water and a wet cloth.

"You're very helpful, Bofur."