Borders Chapter 1, a hobbit fanfic

Borders

Summary:

As the one race that has been blessed with no major conflicts, hobbits have been subject to many admiring or jealous rumors. One rumor said that the reason hobbits don't travel is because once they leave the Shire, they turn into monsters.

Even though the rumors are totally false, underneath the lies and jealous words, they all do have a bit of truth and a hint of mystery. Why do hobbits never leave the Shire? Are they really that content?

A/N: I don't own the Hobbit, obviously

Created: 8-7-17

Prologue

Throughout Middle Earth, there have always been rumors about hobbits.

As the one race that has been blessed with no major conflicts, they have been subject to many admiring or jealous rumors. One rumor said that the reason hobbits don't travel is because once they leave the Shire, they turn into monsters.

Another rumor stated that the reason hobbits could not swim was because they were made of stone. Yet another rumor said that hobbits were too scared of the outside world. Many thought that that was the reason many hobbits never left the Shire, which is very ridiculous.

It turns out that in this small paradise, most hobbits are stuck. They cannot leave the Shire.

'Why are they stuck? Can't they just cross the borders and leave?', one might ask.

Well they can leave, it just has to be by invitation. Someone must ask them to leave.

Now I know what you are thinking. You must believe that there is a barrier or force keeping them from leaving. But this is where you are wrong. There is nothing keeping them there, just good upbringings and manners.

As you know, hobbits are a very polite race. Everyone must send an invite before showing up at another's dwelling, afternoon tea is a must, and manners are key. (That is part of the reason why there are seven meals in a day. They are the perfect excuse to show off your manners and culinary expertise.)

However, leaving the Shire is considered the worst insult. Especially without an invitation.

Leaving would mean that everything they own would be forfeit. They would lose their rights and citizenship. The family of the unfortunate individual would be forever shamed and whatever prestige they had would be lost. Because, you see, it is very rude to leave the Shire, even when one tells others that one is leaving. What would happen to their estates and fields?

But, how would the hobbits that stayed know if one has left, unless they were all spying on each other?

In order to tell when a hobbit has left, something peculiar happens to them. Nobody in this generation knows what it is (because no one has left), but according to past records, it is very odd.

For example, the first hobbit recorded who left without an invite, lost all of his hair quite suddenly. This created quite a scandal until he finally confessed. Another hobbit went from the best chef in town, to the worst cook who burnt salads. She was never invited to any cooking events after that fact got out.

For many, this punishment was just not worth the hassle. So, they just got used to staying and never leaving.

Now, the invitations.

As most readers are aware, it is considered very impolite and rude to reject an invitation. Especially if the invitation was a plea for help or a business venture.

This is why no hobbit thought it strange when a certain wizard asked young Bilbo to accompany him on an adventure.

Many, in fact, were overjoyed.

You see, before Bilbo was born, his mother, Belladonna, accepted the wizard's invitation too. She was very adventurous and wild (almost too wild), but like the rest of the hobbits, never left until she was asked.

Poor thing though. During what is now called the Fell Winter, she decided to visit her father, the Thain, and the rest of her family one evening with Bilbo and Bungo, her husband. According to Bilbo later, who was the only survivor of this incident, she had seen something moving across the border and decided to investigate.

The problem with this, though, is that no one asked her to cross.

No one really knows what happened to her or Bungo after that. They just vanished and Bilbo came back to Bag End alone.

Because he was a minor at the time, he did not lose his rank, or his respectability, as it was his parents decision to cross the border. But most people were still upset that the only punishment was a small fine.

However, that is not the point of this story.

Young Bilbo has just been asked to go on an adventure and the only polite course of action would be to accept. This is where our story begins.