Behind the Veil

Chapter 3

"My name is Ecthelion the Second, son of Turgon, Steward of Gondor."

Thorin had been thrust into unknown territory before, and those situations had taught him that it always pays to be suspicious. As soon as he had entered the Shire, his gut instincts had been screaming danger. The quiet was too quiet; and the drastic contrast between buildings had put him on high alert. So when the supposed "Governor" of this strange place mentioned Gondor, he knew some part of Gandalf's plan had gone wrong. However, he kept his demeanor calm as he introduced himself and some of his companions.

"Gondor?" He heard Gloin whisper to Balin, "Gondor's six months journey from here. What are Gondorian Men doing in this place?"

Thorin wondered the same, but decided to wait to ask Gandalf's burglar rather than to seem too suspicious.

"We are only passing through to see a friend," He told the Governor, "We won't be long."

The Governor nodded and gestured to Baradaur to see them out. Once they were outside, Balin spoke, "Thorin, I don't like how this feels. Something's wrong here, Gondor shouldn't be this far out."

"I know," Thorin replied, "Let's get to Gandalf's burglar, maybe he'll have an explanation."

Balin agreed and the company of dwarves followed Thorin up the path to the biggest hill where Gandalf had said his mark would be.

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Ever since the old wizard appeared at his doorstep Bilbo had been weirdly uneasy. He jumped at every knock on his door and was extra careful whenever he received someone looking for help. It just so happened that the night he had decided to relax on was the night that everything went down. He had just sat down to a nice dinner of trout and mashed potatoes that Hamfast had fixed up when he heard a loud knock that sounded like someone was trying to break down his wonderful green door. Sighing, he put down his silver knife and fork and got up to answer it. Of course he never could have predicted the sight of twelve burly dwarves standing on his doorstep so as soon as he opened the door he put his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Oh dear Lord," to himself.

The dwarf in the front, the most majestic one with a full dark beard and stunning blue eyes, stepped inside without waiting for an invitation and said, "Master Burglar, I should say we have several questions for you."

"Burglar? No, I think you have the wrong house," Bilbo sputtered, trying to think of a way to get these intruders out, "You see, I am not..."

The dwarf cut him off, "My name is Thorin, Son of Thrain. We are here to discuss the particulars of your contract. Now, we have traveled long and my company is hungry. We were told there would be food?"

Bilbo couldn't help but nod, after all he was a perfect host, and show them to the kitchen where the other dwarves, too many to describe, delved into the larder while Thorin stood off to the side.

Bilbo spent the next hour trying to keep the dwarves from completely ruining his lovely hobbit hole. At the end, when all the dwarves had had their fill, there was food splattered across the floor and walls, beer spilled in the now-empty larder, and mud from their shoes tracked all around the house. He was exhausted and utterly done with dwarves for the rest of his life. He became a little cheerier after they cleaned up mostly after themselves but he still had many questions unanswered. He had just opened his mouth to address Thorin, who seemed to be the leader, when another booming knock echoed around the room.

Thorin turned towards the door and said ominously, "He is here," and nodded at Bilbo to go open the door. Behind it was Gandalf, looking particularly grave. He swept in leaving his pointed hat and staff at the stand near the door.

"Thorin, we must shorten this meeting," the wizard said grimly, "Things in the Shire are worse than I thought they were."

Thorin huffed, "You mean you knew what was going on and neglected to tell us?"

"I knew Gondorian men had taken control, but I did not know the darker things they were doing. Trust me when I say I would have told you if I thought things were this dangerous." Gandalf replied solemnly, "We must get Bilbo to sign the contract and leave before morning."

"Wait what contract?" Bilbo asked, fitting himself between the wizard and dwarf, "Gandalf what is all this? You come to visit and then all of a sudden I have dwarves flowing out my ears!"

Gandalf smiled at the indignant Hobbit, "My dear Bilbo, all will be explained. But first, would you mind telling Thorin and I what all has happened in the Shire?"

Thorin nodded, "Yes that would be much appreciated. But first, where are my nephews?"