Book # begins

ACT ONE - HOBBITON

Scene i: Hobbits and Wizards

In the eyes of Ryoku Dragontalen we are in
HOBBITON, in the world of THE SHIRE
It is mid afternoon on the 4th day
In the eleventh month of NOVEMBER
In the counted passing year 2017

I landed with a thump in a bed of straw on wood. Three thumps around me told me I wasn't the only one. I glanced at Will, who looked just as stunned as I did. Then I noticed something else; he was clothed very differently all of the sudden. Instead of wearing his usual green tunic and pieces of armor, he now wore a light brown overcoat over a button-up white shirt with careful cuffs at the ends of the sleeves. On his head, replacing the old steel cap he'd given to Alex back in Harohto, was a light brown cap made of some soft material, maybe cotton. He wore dark brown pants that reached just before his ankles, and his feet were bare; to my shock, a light layer of fuzzy brown hair had formed on the tops of his feet. I was sure I hadn't seen that before.

Sira, on my other side and just as startled, was garbed in the same fashion. She had a white button-up shirt with short sleeves that were puffed out, and that only reached above her belly. Next to that, she wore a dark green ankle-length skirt. Her feet were also bare, but thankfully, no hair. Next, I noticed that, for some reason, her hair had tamed to a very light brown color. What kind of world were we in?

Lusari, across from me in the straw bed, was dressed almost exactly the same, except that her shirt was a dark green like her skirt, and the shirt had long sleeves. Also, her hair had tamed to a light blonde.

Fearing for the worst, I looked down at myself.

Sure enough, I was garbed in a light green vest over a brown long-sleeved button-up shirt, with cuffed sleeves that cut off just before my wrists. I wore brown pants that cut mid-calf, and to my shock, my feet were covered with a very light-blonde hair.

The next thing I realized was that whatever we were in was moving, bumping to and fro. I tumbled onto my side. I pushed myself up to sit on my knees, and then I was staring up into an old and bearded face.

Before I really focused on the old man, I noticed that we were in a cart led by two stout brown horses. We were in a bed of straw in the back of the shabby cart, while this old man garbed in grey robes was at the front, holding the reins and staring at us with amusement twinkling in his light blue eyes; they reminded me of aqua. On his head was positioned a shabby and ridiculously large hat with a wide brim and an enormous pointed cap.

"Who might you lot be?" the old man asked curiously. Will launched to the bait.

"This is Ryoku Dragontalen," Will announced, nudging me. "I'm Will Ramun, and these are Sira Jessura and Lusari Atella."

The old man nodded, smiling warmly. Then his eyes slightly narrowed. "You look like hobbits, but you are not. Those are out-of-the-ordinary names even for hobbits."

I raised my eyebrows. "What are hobbits?"

The old man raised his eyebrow in response. "You're an odd one. What manner of creature are you?"

I tilted my head to the side. He hadn't answered my question.

"He's a Defender," Will explained quickly. When the man only looked more puzzled, Will added, "He protects the Spirit World, and we're his Guardians."

He only looked more puzzled for a moment, and then a lightbulb seemed to click on in his mind. "Ah!" the old man exclaimed, now looking frazzled. "I've read of your kind in the tales of old! All this rabble about the physical and spirit world...I never believed a word of it!" he scoffed. "But I suppose," he added, staring at me. "You don't seem like you could be much else."

I wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult.

He freed a hand of the reins, and held it out for me to shake. I complied. He had a surprisingly strong grip for such an old man. "Gandalf the Grey," he introduced. I smiled at him, and, for a moment, he seemed dazzled. Then he broke into a grin, and laughed heartily. "My, you boy!" he exclaimed. "You have one unique smile!"

Again, I wasn't sure what to make of the statement, so I simply smiled. I caught Will glancing at me pointedly.

"What are hobbits?" I asked finally, and surely enough, Will looked satisfied.

"Oh, of course," Gandalf said absently, and he flickered his gaze from us to the road for a moment. "Hobbits are small folk, like Men, but more reclusive, more satisfied, shorter of stature, and warm-footed."

"Warm-footed?" Will asked. We both stared at our feet. Gandalf laughed once more.

"I see your world travel has equipped you some," Gandalf said. "But that is not enough. Your names make you outsiders."

Sira, Will, Lusari, and I exchanged glances.

"Let's see here," Gandalf said thoughtfully, scratching his bead. He pointed at Will. "Your name is simple enough to make it sound normal. Simply call yourself William, and make your last name...Took."

Will blinked rapidly. "Took?"

Gandalf chuckled. "You can't be a hobbit if you don't play every available role," he mused. He pointed at Lusari next. "Call yourself Lucy," he said. "Make your last name Brandybuck."

She blinked in surprise, but she didn't reply. Sira flinched when he pointed at her next.

"Call yourself Sarah Gamgee," he said absently. He was already staring at me.

"Now just wait a moment," Sira said angrily. I gulped. "Why the hell do I have to use some stupid name like Gamgee?"

Gandalf chuckled. "If I thought up anything else for you, it might make your plans fall through." His eyes were on me before Sira opened her mouth. "I'm not sure how to shorten your name, or make it sound normal at all."

I smiled dully. Gandalf scratched his beard. "Can you use magic?" I shook my head. He scratched his beard some more.

"He's supposed to learn magic," Will imputed. Gandalf snapped his fingers.

"Of course!" Gandalf exclaimed. He pointed at me. "Excellent opportunity. You are now known as Ryoku the White, trainee wizard under Gandalf the Grey!" He snapped his fingers once more, and suddenly I was dressed differently. I stared down at myself in shock. The first thing I noticed was that I now wore boots. I was also dressed in a thin white jacket with red stripes along the sleeves and sides, adorned with silver buttons. I also had white pants, and where my oak staff normally was - now hung a gnarled whitewood staff. I quietly noticed that my old oak staff and knife were nowhere to be seen.

I stared back at him, stunned. "Alright," I said dully.

Gandalf clapped his hands together. "Excellent," he said enthusiastically. He turned and looked ahead. "Just in time," he said under his breath. "Hobbit at ten o'clock. Act like hobbits."

"We still don't really know what hobbits are," Sira hissed, but she fell silent. I wondered if she planned on being a silent hobbit. For a moment, there was only the sound of the cart rolling not-so-smoothly over some rock road. Then, a small, but confident voice came from the side of the road.

"You're late."

I followed the source of the voice. A boy appeared at the side of the road, standing on a grassy hill with daisies at his bare, hairy feet. His hair was chocolate brown and extremely curly, those curls tumbling to his shoulders at the back, but at the front still didn't touch his slight eyebrows. His eyes were a sapphire-blue, bright and curious, filled with life. He was dressed in a white button-up shirt beneath a brown overcoat, and pants that reached past his knees. His face bore a fake pout.

"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf replied. "Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Sira muttered something that sounded pretty vulgar.

The young hobbit, Frodo, looked almost convincingly pouting for a moment or two. Finally, a smile began creeping across his soft face. Gandalf chuckled, and Frodo laughed heartily. He dove the stretch between the hill and the cart, landing beside Gandalf with a broad grin.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Gandalf," Frodo said, grinning.

"You don't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday?" Gandalf asked incredulously. Frodo grinned broadly, and then he looked at me for apparently the first time. His eyes shone with a youthful curiosity. Gandalf noticed, and hastily introduced us.

"Some hitchhiking hobbits who are with my young apprentice," Gandalf said. He pointed at me first. "That's Ryoku the White, wizard in training. These are his friends; William Took, Lucy Brandybuck, and Sarah Gamgee. I trust you know their Hobbiton family."

Frodo's eyes seemed to brighten at each one. "Do I ever!" he exclaimed. He didn't notice Sira roll her eyes. "You're cousins of Pippin, Merry, and Sam, aren't you?"

Will was the first to pick up the act. "Yep," he replied, a little hesitantly. He held out a hand for Frodo to shake, which he accepted joyously. I offered mine next. Then he gave a slight bow to Sira and Lusari, who smiled in reply.

"I could get used to this," Sira whispered to me. "Little hairy people bowing to me. Sounds like fun."

I chuckled, but evidently Gandalf had a better ear than he seemed to and gave Sira - or rather Sarah - a stern glare. She stuck out her tongue.

"Are you in town for Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday and my thirty-third?" Frodo asked curiously.

Sira blinked. "You're thirty-three?" she asked incredulously. "And your...uncle, he's...what is that, a hundred and eleven?"

Gandalf's eyes were sparking daggers. "He is certainly young for a hobbit," he hinted subtly. "As you know, hobbits normally live up to a hundred and fifty years at a standard rate."

Sira's eyes widened, but Will covered her with quick thought.

"I'm a little younger," Will fake-confessed. "Thirty years old as of past spring." I realized his birthday was actually in the springtime, he'd only covered it with the hobbit age.

"I'm twenty-nine," Lusari followed up. "Thirty this December."

Sira caught on. "Thirty-three." She appeared disgruntled that she was the same age, even if it was only hobbit years.

I tackled the math quickly, but Gandalf beat me to it.

"Ryoku here is nearly as old as I," he announced. My eyes widened. How could he pull that off?

I half-expected Frodo to ask how old Gandalf was, but he instead stared at me curiously. "You don't look a thousand years old," he accused.

My eyes widened higher.

Gandalf pulled a rounded corner in the cart. I glanced up, and was stunned when I finally could focus on the surroundings - I'd adjusted somewhat to the fact that we'd landed in a strange world consisting of hobbits and wizards. The sky was bright blue, the grass thick and green. We were entering what appeared to be a town of some sort. It was surrounded by lush meadows with bright-colored flowers, fertile farmland, and enormous trees that overlooked hills like they were placed. On the down side of the hill, embedded in the tree roots - and perhaps the tree itself - were grass mounds with a grassy door adorning the center of the trees. Did people live there?

"Ryoku is only an apprentice," Gandalf explained, a little belated. "The apprentices don't look old."

My brow furrowed. I hoped that being here and learning magic wouldn't turn me into another Gandalf. Frodo stared at me curiously as we drove into the town.

...End of Scene i.