A/N: Hi! I'm Angel Baggins (yeah, I'm named after a hobbit in this fanfic), and this is the first story I'm posting, so I'm kind of scared because I don't know if I had it quite right yet. That's why I didn't post a whole lot. But basically this fic is answering the question to: What if there were four hobbit lasses that went on the Quest with the hobbit lads and all the others? I'm trying hard to make this original, and I've incorporated stuff from the books and movies to try to please everyone. But please post helpful reviews (yeah it's horrible I'm a little sensitive and I might cry:( . No heehee it's o.k., but really try to help me not hurt me if there's something you don't like about the story. This first little chapter is just introducing the adult hobbits right now and providing a little backstory, so enjoy. I'll see you later!
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It was a bright, sunny, cool day in the Shire. Of course, most days in the Shire are like that—but it always seemed a little more beautiful on September the 22nd. For today was Bilbo Baggins's birthday—ninety-ninth birthday, to be exact. In the Main Hall of Brandy Hall, ten gentlehobbits were sitting and consequently discussing Bilbo Baggins himself. It was rather early for hobbits to be up that morning, but they had a ride from Buckland to Hobbiton. The hobbits were waiting for their children to finish getting ready—and then all would be ready to go.
Since it might be helpful to introduce each hobbit and describe him or her, since people do tend to want to know how everyone looks and what their history is, I shall do it now. The first hobbit, sitting solitarily alone in a chair, smiling and chuckling quietly at his friends, was Ponto Baggins. He was raven haired and dark eyed, with a pale complexion. Though a Baggins from Hobbiton, he had resided at Brandy Hall part of the time since he was married to Amadel Brandybuck. After Amadel had drowned because of the horrible boating accident with Drogo and Primula Baggins, Ponto had finally sold his hobbit hole on Bagshot Row and had settled down in Brandy Hall with his young daughter, Angelica, for good. He had also felt a need to look after the young Frodo Baggins—Angel's first cousin once removed on her mother Amadel's side, since Primula was Amadel's cousin, and a distant cousin on Ponto's side, he and Drogo being second cousins twice removed or something along those lines (I do not profess to be gifted in hobbit genealogical lore). Therefore, Ponto had always been a decent, respectable Baggins from Hobbiton—or at least he was most of the time. The exceptions were when he and his close friend Drogo had taken Primula and Amadel Brandybuck, the famous cousins of Buckland, as wives, and when his poor wife and their family had died in the accident. But as Ponto stirred up no more trouble—indirectly or directly—he had come to be the pitied, quiet gentlehobbit of Brandy Hall—portly and kind.
The hobbit sitting nearest him was older than the others. Rorimac "Old Rory" Brandybuck—Primula Baggins's older brother by more than twenty years—had formerly been the Master of Brandy Hall. When his wife, Menegilda, had died younger than expected, he had passed the title down to his eldest son—Saradoc "Scattergold" Brandybuck. Saradoc had taken a wife, Esmeralada Took, and now had a son named Meriadoc (that was usually not remembered; since Meriadoc was almost named after his uncle Merimac, he was usually just called Merry to keep things straight). Saradoc and Esmeralda sat next to Old Rory now. Saradoc and Esmeralda looked quite cheerful that morning—his sandy hair shining and her dark golden hair, a bit tinted by "strawberry" as The Gaffer would say, shining brighter.
Sitting at the head of everyone was the Thain Paladin the Second and his wife, Eglantine. Eglantine was chatting gaily with Esmeralda, and Paladin with Saradoc. Paladin had taken Eglantine Banks for his wife, and together they had had three daughers—Pearl, Pimpernel, and Pervinca—and a son, Peregrin (called Pippin when people weren't exasperated with him, as usually happened).
Sitting beside them were the North-Tooks, who resided in the Northfarthing, near the rocky cliffs over the small valley in Hobbiton. Brandogrim and Madata had arrived late that night, and consequently looked a bit groggy, but still put on smiles of pleasure for their friends. Their young daughter Diamond of Long Cleeve had awoken early that morning and had woken them up too.
And last to be named is Odovacar Bolger, married to Rosamunda Took and father to Fredegar (the nickname Fatty suited him better) and Estella.
Their conversation I shall relate in this next chapter—for now, I will let you ponder what kind of comments they could make about the famous, odd Bilbo Baggins.