This is an interlude that should never have happened at the end of the Third Age. At this time, the treacherous Dark Lord Sauron is recovering his strength and building his forces in Dol Guldur; the great burglar, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, is enjoying a comfortable life at Bag End, eating six or seven meals a day; the sorrowful King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield, is leading his people through the Blue Mountains in search of a better life; the Elvenking Thranduil is growing more and more of a homebody beneath his crown of flowers that changes with the seasons; and the wise Grey Wizard Gandalf has sensed the danger threatening Middle-earth and the return of the forces of darkness. He is warning everyone everywhere, and soon his "protection" will descend upon the House of Durin. Meanwhile, our protagonist begins his story amid a shooting star.
