The Shire was bustling with its normal energy as Amity made her way down Bagshot Row, yet she couldn't find it in herself to laugh at the antics of the kids running between smials. If it had been her choice she wouldn't have been here, taking the place of her father, who was at home sick, instead of walking to his job. It wasn't that she hated working, or helping her father, it was the fact that her own father was dying and she spent more time working to pay for his medicine and doctors visits than sitting and talking to him. Not that she would complain, she owed her father at least this, when she had been dropped off at his doorstep he hadn't blinked instead he had bought some property and built them a new house.
Opening the wood gate she made her way up the cobble steps, it was unusually dark inside of Bag End - Bilbo had a habit of keeping the lamps on even when it was still light out. Stopping in front of the large green door she gave it a couple of good knocks before she tried the handle.
"Locked," she muttered as she knocked a few more times "Why would Master Baggins lock the door."
Turning around she walked down the steps, out the door and back down the pathway until she reached the plum door that belonged to Old Rufus Gamwich. Three quick knocks and the door was opening and the old hobbit was staring at her, his normal glare intensified as if she had interrupted him from something important, though if she had admitted it to herself she probably had interrupted his afternoon nap.
"I'm sorry to bother you Master Gamwich, but I was wondering if you had seen Master Baggins. He doesn't seem to be home which is odd since he hadn't told me he wouldn't be home."
For a moment his face darkened before he snarled out where her employer had run off to.
"Took off this morning down the lane as if it was Fell Winter once again and wargs were after him, all the while screaming about 'going on an adventure' as if he had ever been on a 'real' adventure. A fool he is if you ask me." Turning around he slammed the circular wooden door in her face.
Shaking her head Amity headed back down the steps and out into Bagshot Row. Master Baggins, on an adventure, she thought as she slowly made her way back to her home, who would have thought that a Baggins would go on an adventure. Not that she was surprised mind you, after all his mother was the Belladonna Baggins nee Took, who was an adventuress the Shire hadn't been ready for.
Ahead of her the sound of screaming caught her attention and looking forward her heart sank to her feet. There at the end of the old Windmyre Lane was a house on fire, her house. All around her hobbits just stood there and watch as the house was slowly consumed. Pushing past them, the cry on her lips died as the front door swung open and between two hobbit lads stood -or leaned- her father. Tears dripped down her face as she ran as fast as she could to his side. The small smial was gone but at least he was still alive. When the boys had placed him under a small tree on the other side of the lane he noticed her. His small sickly body relaxed and with a small wave of his arm Eracle beckoned his daughter to him.
It had always been hard looking at him, and remembering the once lively hobbit he had been. But seeing him now was almost impossible. His once dark brown hair had whitened with age was now covered in soot and embers turning the strands grey or black. His skin once smooth was worn like wet leather left untreated only now there were red marks from where the fire had come to close.
The tears that had been threatening to fall now did so, shaking her head she ran to her father and dropped down to her knees beside him before burying her face in his chest, just as the dam of emotions broke through her. All the while as she cried and wailed her father, despite his weakness, merely rubbed her head, as just as when she had been younger Amity felt her eyes began to close as slowly sleep took over her worn out mind.
When she finally came to the first thing she noticed was the room that she was in wasn't her own the second had been the low hum of voices around her. Turning her head she saw a small groups of hobbits standing with their heads bent over a fire. One of them she recognized as the Thain, Fortinbras II, the others she had never seen before.
Sitting up she noticed that their attention was no longer on the fire, instead they were all staring at her with these looks on their faces. Something's wrong, she thought as Fortinbras made his way to her, Where is father. The hand on her shoulder brought her attention to the present and she looked at the Thain of the Shire.
He was the first one to speak, asking her how she was feeling. Though he already knew the answer, he needed a moment to figure out how to break the news.
"He's dead isn't he?"
Fortinbras looked at the young lass, the tears from earlier were dried on her cheeks but here eyes were still red. Nodding his head, he sat on the bed next to her.
"About an hour ago, we had wanted to wake you, but he had said you would need your rest. That what he had wanted to tell you for so long was written long before he had gotten sick." Nodding towards the envelope on the small table beside them both.
Tears fell from her eyes, and her shoulders shook as she silently cried, as if she was trying to be polite to not disturb them. If anybody had asked them he pitied this young woman. Her mother had abandoned Amity on Eracle's doorstep, she grew up with the laughter of Hobbits directed at her back, the only man in her life had gotten sick while she was so young and she had been forced to work to pay for everything. And now, in one day both her home and father had been taken from her. Though if what some of the hobbits that had been in the house, it didn't look like the fire had been an accident. 'Deliberately set' were the words one of them had used.
Standing up, he pulled the letters that Eracle had given him and handed them to his daughter who had looked up from her feet, the shaking in her shoulders quieting and she took the letters from his hands.
"Whatever his faults were, know this, your father loved you more than you know."
With a quick pat to her head Fortinbras moved to the door and motioned for the other hobbits to leave.
"Take your time, this room is yours until your ready"
Turning he closed the door behind him.
The clothes that were given to her were loose. but at least covered enough of her that it was at least a bit respectable. Grabbing the two opened letters that her father had left for her she moved to the other side of the room to where the door was. With one more glance around the room she opened the door and walked out of the room. Down the hall she found the Thain with the other men from her room. They all sat around a fire, in front of Fortinbras sat a few large packs. They all looked up as she approached and sad smiles crossed their faces when they saw her.
She hated the pity, but her father was a well loved and respected hobbit. Though he hadn't been born from old hobbit family roots and had never married into them -especially after she had arrived on his doorstep- he had worked his way up even though his smial had been more like a shack compared to smials like Bag End. He had worked harder than anyone and had become a well respected crafter, she on the other hand had been accepted merely because she wasn't going away.
Moving to stand beside the gentlemen, she waited until one of the unknown men had risen to pull a chair towards them and then waved her into it. An awkward silence settled into the group as Amity turned her attention to the glowing fire in front of her. The fire burned hot a glowing mesh of what looked like orange and yellow. The embers that burst forward from the little explosions glowed a red that shifted from orange to yellow. Fortinbras was the first to speak and drew her attention from the fire to his face.
"So what are you planning on doing?"
It took a moment for Amity to answer, not because she was lying but because she honestly hadn't quite figured everything out.
"I don't know, seems like my best option is for me to find my mother. But I don't know where she is at or know of anybody who would know."
"Gandalf."
Amity's eyes widened.
"You don't mean the wandering wizard do you? The one with those amazing fireworks?"
Fortinbras chuckled echoed through the room as he nodded.
"The very same one, it was him who dropped you off at your fathers. So it is probably him you should find. I have packed you some bags, they have clothes, food, and anything else you should need for a journey."
Moving the packs towards her Fortinbras continued.
"Erard has chosen to give you his old pony, Blossom, and her buddy, Buttercup, to help you on your journey. Nithard and Vicelin here will accompany you to Bree, from there your bags will be replenished and you will make your way to find Gandalf."
Nodding her head Amity stood up, quickly followed by both Nithard and Vicelin -who each had grabbed two of the four packs- who quickly made their way out the door and into the stables just outside of the smial.
Thanking the new Thain Amity quickly moved to the door only to be stopped once more by a voice.
"Child, you will find Gandalf in Rivendell if you leave now. And Amity, never look back."
Nodding her head Amity opened the door and moved out into the evening air. He was right, as much as she hated to admit it there wasn't anything left here for her anymore.