Chapter 1: Prologue
'Twas a cold, dreary night in the hills of Buckland. The passing of Autumn also marked the passing of Harim Brandybuck, a highly respected member of the Brandybuck family. Now, Harim had fallen ill several weeks ago, yes, but it had only gotten worse since Durin's Day. The reception was tasteful, just as he would've wanted it. All the hobbits from across The Shire arrived to pay their respects to the Great Brandybuck. The only hobbits not in attendance had been the bitter Sackville-Baggins, angry that Harim had left them nothing in death, and Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End (who's journey is coming to ahead, though this was not common knowledge at the time). Everyone was mourning, but none more than young Priscilla Baggins, widow to Harim Brandybuck.
Priscilla has suffered more than most this fall. The hasty departure of her brother, Bilbo, had most respectable hobbits thinking he was dead. Priscilla could care less about the respectability of the Baggins name, she wouldn't mind going on an adventure herself, but she hadn't heard even the slightest word on his safety. To add insult to injury, after Bilbo left, Harim came down with a terrible case of pneumonia, due to falling asleep on the riverbank after a night at the Prancing Pony. His death was more than she could handle at this point. Now, she faced losing Bag-End to the Sackville-Baggins. The Sackville-Baggins! Those pigs would desecrate the splendor of her family's hole. The day she was about to lose the only thing she had left, she heard an all too familiar voice and was overjoyed!
"Wait! Wait! Wa-what exactly... do you think... you're doing?", Bilbo exclaimed, out of breath, with a terrified look on his face. right behind him was a tall man in a grey robe and blue pointed hat. The man had a tall staff, crowned with what Priscilla thought was a diamond. After a few hours of bickering, Bilbo, Priscilla, and the man all entered Bag-End to enjoy a nice pot of tea and a pipe. Bilbo almost fell to the floor in tears, it looked, after being away for months.
"Are you relived to finally be back to comforts of home, Master Burglar?", The man, whom was revealed to be called Gandalf the Grey, asked Bilbo, almost sarcastically.
"As much as I have missed sweet Bag-End, I feel as though, inside, I shall always crave another adventure", Said Bilbo with a sad, longing smile. Gandalf chuckled to himself upon hearing his answer.
"Well in that case, if you're ever interested, I shall be journeying to Isengard to meet with the leader of my order in two months time. I'm sure he'd love to see you and thank you." At this, the hobbit gave the wizard a great hug and a fond farewell. With the wizard gone, he was able to listen to all the stories Priscilla was able to think of while he was gone. After story time, Bilbo unpacked his bag, revealing a treasure chest of gold and silver coins, necklaces, and jewels, a rather large sword(to a hobbit), and a silky shirt of a substance Priscilla had not known. Bilbo then sat down with a nice piece of chicken and helping of carrots a told Priscilla evrything about his quest, from Orcs to Trolls, Rivendell to Mirkwood, Goblins to Eagles and Dwarves to Dragons. Unbeknownst to her, Bilbo left out the game of riddles he played with a most unsavory character underneath The Misty Mountains, in which he won a prize that would one day seal the fate for Middle-Earth as we know it. At the soothing sound of her brother's voice, Priscilla drifted off to sleep, seeing nothing but Harim and Dwarves.