The Adventure of Andrea Baggins

Tales of Moria

Within the next few days, Andy had managed to get Bombur to fall off his pony twice, Dwalin, Thorin, Oin and Dori were out for her blood, got Fili and Kili to eat a poisonous berry and have a reaction, and Gandalf to be at the end with his nerves. Andy herself was having the time of her life. But as soon as it got dark that evening, she suddenly went quiet. There was no sound of her. They only knew she was still there, thanks to her big horse. When they finally stopped for the night, Andy didn't move. She sat with her legs crossed on the horse's back and stargazed.

The dwarves decided to enjoy the peace while it lasted. Thorin had decided to ignore her since two days, after they got into a fight again and was still pretending she wasn't there. The other dwarves came to the conclusion that they wanted to leave it at that, not that Thorin and Andrea would start a fight all over again.

But after Bombur and Gloin wer finished with cooking, they began to worry a little. After a round of rock, paper, scissors, Bifur and Bofur were burdened with the task to talk to her. Well, Bofur, actually. Because Bifur couldn't talk, could he.

"Hello? Miss Baggins? Are you all right up there?", Bofur called up to her. She only nodded. Not knowing what to do now, Bofur looked at Bifur. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Um... Supper is ready. Would you come down and eat? Please?"

"Be there in a sec", was all they got as an answer.

"Alright. However, I'd hurry up if I were you. Otherwise Bombur will eat the rest." That did the trick. Andy was down faster as they could have said "Durin".

"Oh no, he won't," Andy said, walking over to the fireplace. "Bombur! Hands off my potion!" she shouted ahead, making a few lips twitch. As she sat down by the fire, the dwarves didn't know what to say at first. Andy didn't bother until she had finished eating. Suddenly she noticed the silence around her and she looked up in confusion.

"Guys? Did some orks get your tongue? You're so quiet I can hear the dragon snore under Erebor."

"It's nothing, but..."Fili started, looking for the right words.

"We don't know you at all. All we know is that you are a mean Hobbit. ", Kili helped his brother.

Andy laughed. "Well, don't just sit there. Fire away!"

"How old are you, Miss Baggins?" Kili asked immediately.Fili looked at his brother in disbelieve, giving him a smack around his head.

"Kili! You don't ask a woman, how old she is!", he hissed. Andrea had to laugh.

"I'll hold you right there, princeling. Stop calling me Miss Baggins. It makes me feel like a grandma."

"What shall we call you then?" Bofur asked.

"Andrea. Until I say else." The Hobbit didn't trust them enough, to offer them the Andy.

"Alright, Andrea", Kili highlighted her name and gave her a smile, as she rolled her eyes. "The question is still the same. "

"Twenty-five", Andy answered after a second. That was a lie. But they did not have to know that. They would lose their beards, if they knew her real age. Well, those who had a beard.

"You look younger", Fili looked at her suspicious.  She gave him an arrogant look.

"And you look like at the most, twenty-two. And yet, you're about seventy."

For a moment Fili looked at her in shock. Then they all had to laugh. Except Thorin, who still pretended she wasn't there, Dwalin, who still wanted to ram his axe into her skull, Oin, because he was deaf, and a few of the others, because they still didn't like nor trust her. So, "all" was a bit exaggerated. Let's go with a few.