little gentleman

Dan was about the same age as Thorin, with a dignified appearance and a personable manner. He was very talkative and well-spoken, and he quickly gained Bilbo's favor.

"Bilbo, Mr. Baggins, I have heard your name a long time," said Dan, "and Thorin has often mentioned you to me."

"I'm afraid that's not a good name, is it?" laughed Bilbo. "Mr. Thorin doesn't like me!"

"Oh no, he spoke of you perfectly, and I've been looking forward to seeing you!" said Dan, "and it seems to me you've lived up to your name."

Bilbo was secretly startled, and he quietly looked in Thorin's direction, and when he found that he was also watching him, Bilbo showed a sly smile in demonstration.Thorin's expression froze for a moment, then his haughty look returned, and he got up and walked towards Bilbo and Dan.

"I hope your family is well." Thorin greeted Bilbo politely.

"Thank you, they're all very well," said Bilbo with mock casualness. "You've just come back from Gondor, Mister Thorin?"

"That's right." Thorin didn't seem to want to talk about this topic.

"My nephew Frodo is in Gondor, haven't you seen him?" Bilbo pressed on.

"No," Thorin said awkwardly, "I have no such honor."

lie!Bilbo cursed inwardly.

"Mr. Baggins, I heard that you are proficient in temperament. Did I have the honor to hear you play the last piece?" Dan asked with a friendly smile, and he pointed to the piano in another room that was the same as the living room.

Bilbo hurriedly explained: "I only know a few tunes roughly, and I can only play the hobbit's harp. I can't control such a complicated instrument as the piano."

"Oh! this is terrible!" cried Dan. "Thorin, why didn't you remind me? I should have brought a hobbit's harp!"

Sorin blamed his brother a bit: "I told you, but you never listened carefully, and you don't understand music."

At this time, King Thranduil said with a majestic and elegant style: "Mr. Baggins can try the traditional musical instrument of the elves, which is similar to the hobbit's harp."

Just as Bilbo was about to refuse, Thranduil had asked someone to fetch a beautiful xylophone without any explanation. The Elf King never tolerated any objections from others.Bilbo had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the xylophone. He was amazed at the lightness and smoothness of the xylophone, and the craftsmanship of the elves was amazing.

Bilbo fiddled with the xylophone in his hand, picked out the strings to test the sound a few times, and after confirming the pitch, he held the xylophone in his hand and smiled slightly at the distinguished audience in the room.For the sake of it, it was impossible not to perform. Bilbo knew that he was not as clever as the elves, but as long as he was careful enough, he could still handle the pieces he was good at.He plucked the strings, and the cheerful notes danced, a typical hobbit dance, used at harvest celebrations.The pieces are moderately difficult and relatively short, so even if they are not played well, they will not bore or make the audience feel sleepy.

At the end of the song, King Thranduil said slowly in his majestic yet melodious voice: "Although Mr. Baggins is not talented enough, he is proficient in fingering. As far as a hobbit from the countryside is concerned, he is outstanding. I want to excuse you, I hope you young people have a good time getting along." After speaking, he stood up elegantly and proudly, and left the living room gracefully.

After King Thranduil left, the atmosphere in the living room relaxed a lot, but Thorin's expression did not reveal the slightest bit of happiness, and this person seemed to be in an eternally unhappy state.

At Dan's request, Bilbo played another tune, this time in a soothing ditty, the song of hobbit youngsters in their courtship.The bright tune made everyone present happy--Bilbo couldn't tell if Thorin was happy, but the stretched eyebrows of the Dwarf King showed that at least he was in no worse mood than before.

After the performance, Dan clapped his hands symbolically a few times and said with a smile on his face: "It's really a pleasure to listen to you playing the piano, Mr. Baggins. I never appreciate music, but I like your style, which is simple, Light, complex things are always overwhelming!"

"You're doing too much, Your Highness." Bilbo laughed and put down his piano.

"Oh! I thought hobbits didn't care what they were called! Didn't you always call Thorin 'Sir'? And he didn't seem to object." Dan pointed out Bilbo's confusion. "Why can't I be called Dan? "

Bilbo suddenly felt that his face was hot, and the hobbit was about to be labeled as impolite again. He had to explain: "My words are indeed out of order, but in fact His Majesty asked me to call him that." He He glanced at Thorin annoyedly. Although Thorin couldn't be completely blamed for this, Bilbo was happy to blame this annoying guy—in fact, Bilbo had already been thinking about it when he heard Gilleen call Thorin that way. used the title behind his back, as did the other hobbits.

But Dan exclaimed in surprise: "Thorin, it seems that I underestimated your friendship with Mr. Baggins!"

"You don't need to make a fuss, I just hate red tape as much as you do." Thorin said impatiently, but did not deny Dan's words.

Bilbo looked from one to the other in bewilderment, wondering what the two dwarf brothers were discussing before him.

Dan explained in a timely manner: "This guy Thorin is always on top, and only his closest friends don't call him 'Your Majesty'. Not many people can call him that, such as Aragorn - he and Aragorn, Lai Golas grew up together..."

"Dan!" Thorin interrupted his brother suddenly, "you have kept Mr. Baggins too long!"

Only then did Bilbo notice that the Rossos and Merry had gone back first, and he didn't notice when they left, as if they hadn't asked him to come with them on purpose.

Dan also realized that he was impolite: "I'm really sorry, Mr. Baggins, why don't you let me take you back."

Bilbo was still pondering what Dan had just said: Legolas had said that he and Thorin had known each other long ago, which was in line with what Dan had said.But Dan also mentioned Aragorn. Legolas never talked about Aragorn. Why did he deliberately conceal it?

Dan was already on his feet, making an inviting gesture.After Bilbo said goodbye to Thorin, he walked happily, not noticing Thorin's unhappy expression.

Rosso's house was not far away, and Bilbo was much happier taking a walk than taking a carriage.Dan walked back with Bilbo, and they walked along the woodland path through the tangled vines.Bilbo found that this vast forest is not all dark and frightening. The place where the elves live is actually warm and pleasant, and the scenery is as wonderful as a fairy tale.Little butterflies, shining silvery blue, circled the two of them, and it was only when Bilbo reached out to flutter that he realized that the beautiful creatures were incorporeal.

"That's wonderful!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"It's all about elves, they're incredible creatures," laughed Dan.

"I've read many stories about elves, but nothing quite as real." Bilbo thought he might write his own book someday, and the Hobbiton children would love it.

"You are such an unusual hobbit, Mr. Baggins," Dan looked at the side face of this curly little guy full of novelty and excitement, "I heard that hobbits don't like the outside world, they always hide On their own turf."

"You may think hobbits are a bunch of cowards, but we just prefer our way of life," said Bilbo, "and there are always exceptions."

"Like you?" Dan looked at Bilbo meaningfully, and now the two of them came to a small river, and the water shimmered, reflecting Bilbo's round face very cutely.

"Like me," said Bilbo, laughing, and he saw the meaning in Dan's eyes, and it didn't offend him.Dan is very handsome, somewhat like Thorin, but without Thorin's repulsive feeling.Subconsciously, Bilbo looked for more resemblance to Thorin in Dan's face.

A neighing startled the two people who were alone. Bilbo looked up, and a white horse came into sight. The rider on the horse in plain clothes was Legolas. The elf reflected in the lake light was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Bilbo!" cried Legolas briskly, but the smile on his face withered before it could form, and was replaced by a forced, courteous smile. "Dan? You're not coming until tomorrow? "

"It's early, sorry for not notifying you in time." Dan bowed his upper body to the beautiful elf prince.

"So Thorin is here too?" Legolas looked a little flustered.

"That's right, we were with Thorin 10 minutes ago." Dan smiled slyly, as if expecting Legolas' reaction.

Legolas looked around in panic and anxiety, as if he didn't know whether to rush back or run away immediately.

He was so pretty even when he was frightened, thought Bilbo.

Legolas hurriedly bid farewell to the two, and galloped in a certain direction.

"That's not the way home!" Dan whispered, with a smile he couldn't hide.

Bilbo looked at Dan, wondering if he should talk too much, but finally he couldn't control his curiosity: "I've heard—only heard, of course—that the relationship between Prince Legolas and Mister Thorin doesn't seem to be going well. .”

"Who told you this? Thorin?" Dan raised his eyebrows and looked down at the shorter hobbit.

"Well . . . the life of a nobleman is bound to go round and round, and occasionally gossip," Bilbo stammered. "I just heard there was some trouble between them."

"Ha! It seems that the rumors missed the point!" Dan laughed loudly. "It seems that you don't know that the elegant and charming Prince Legolas is Thorin's fiancée."

Bilbo was dumbfounded, and it took him a moment to digest the information, and he held it back, blushing, before the first burst of laughter came out of his mouth.

"Well . . . so, they are," Bilbo said, considering his choice of words, "a pretty good couple."

"But they don't think so themselves. Thorin hates this marriage," Dan sounded gloating. "And so does the Prince of Elves, he'd like to crawl into a tree trunk if he could get away from Thorin!"

"Why didn't they break off the engagement, since they were unwilling?" Bilbo couldn't understand.

"Because the dead old dwarf king and King Thranduil hope to conclude a marriage contract, their marriage can effectively resolve the long-standing disputes between dwarves and elves, and can also make the two races stronger." Dan said, "so I I am often glad that I have no inheritance and that I am free to marry myself," he said, winking at Bilbo.

"It's unfortunate not to be able to choose your own life." Bilbo smiled knowingly, but said nothing further.

After returning to Rosso's residence, Dan quickly left.

Merry ran up to Bilbo: "Bilbo, you don't blame us for leaving you alone, do you? Little Mei found that Mr. Dan and you got along well, and wanted to give you some time to be alone together."

Bilbo smiled knowingly. "Of course not! But we were not alone for long, and Mr. Thorin seemed to want to hear me play that out-of-key piece!"

"But I think..." Merry hesitated to speak.

"What?" demanded Bilbo.

"Mr. Thorin seems more willing to be with you than Mr. Dan," Merry whispered.

Bilbo thought he'd heard the funniest joke: "It can't be! I guess he just wants all the hobbits to disappear from his sight!"

In the evening Bilbo wrote a letter to Frodo by the lamp, his poor nephew in need of comfort.Bilbo suddenly felt drowsy and tired after writing some travel news, so he could only finish his writing hastily and seal the letter with wax.He thought maybe he was tired from the activities of the day, so he decided to go to bed early.When the lamp was blown out, Bilbo lay down on the scented-clean sheets, and soon fell asleep.