Book 1: Come Home [Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter 5

A shuffling noise caused Poppy to stir. Moaning quietly, her eyes fluttered open trying to adjust to the early morning rays that streamed through the windows. Hushed whispers could be heard elsewhere in the home, which caused her eyes to roam. How rude. She had fallen asleep without showing the Dwarves to bed. Even though this wasn't really her home, Poppy's own further down the way. She wasn't much of a host, but hoped the company managed to find their way around. Glancing down and noticing the blanket she wondered who gave it to her.

The front door quietly opened, looking over to find the company trying to shuffle out without making too much noise. But they had to be honest; stealth was something Dwarves were not. Though they had come into the Baggin's home unannounced, Poppy would miss their company. They really were quite an extraordinary group. One by one they disappeared out the door and the young woman had to guess that Bilbo still wasn't joining them. Otherwise he would have woken her to say farewell.

Thorin was the last to leave, glancing around the home under the hill to be sure everything was in order and nothing had been forgotten. He found Poppy's gaze. They hadn't meant to wake her.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

Nodding in thanks, the Dwarf left, closing the door behind him. Poppy didn't like the silence, sitting up and looking around the room. Surprisingly it didn't look like a company of Dwarves had even been here. They cleaned the place up, even folding all of their blankets and setting them back in place. Though their table manners weren't the best they knew how to treat another's home and show their gratitude.

Sighing, the young woman set to work, taking the stacked up clean dishes on the table she put them away in the cabinets before moving through the halls and collecting the sheets used by the guests. Most likely Bilbo would want them to be cleaned right away to remove the smell. She couldn't blame them though. Traveling on the road one did not have the luxury of a real bath anytime they wished.

Finally, Poppy could hear some movement elsewhere in the home, the Hobbit's light foot fall tiptoeing through the halls. Eyes rolling, the young woman knew exactly what he was looking for. To the Hobbit, the Dwarves could very easily be somewhere, hiding. And if they were still present Bilbo didn't want to draw any attention to himself.

After searching through half of the home, Bilbo finally dared to call out, "Hello?"

When no answer came, the Hobbit began to grow excited.

Poppy quietly made her way into the doorway, leaning against the trim while watching her cousin continue to check for any signs of life. He did a mini cheer from the fact that the troublesome Dwarves were gone, nodding his head in approval.

"Are you happy now, Bilbo?"

The Hobbit jumped, unaware of her presence. He whirled around on her with wide eyes.

"Is this what you wanted?"

The young woman watched him think this over before his eyes landed on something sitting on the chair. The contract. Bilbo picked it up, glancing over it once more. A look of confusion passed over his features, not sure of what to do.

"You know, Bilbo, not everyone is given the chance of a lifetime to go on an adventure. There are two options: you could stay here in your home and go about your normal, mundane life, or explore what's beyond the Shire where you don't know what will happen next. Something you've always craved to explore for yourself. I know deep down that an adventurous young Hobbit is still there. It's only the disappointment of not finding anything that made you stop."

Their eyes met.

"But you won't find anything here in the Shire if you stay."

"I could get hurt," Bilbo reasoned.