Two things to note:
1) The title comes from Narcissa Harrison's "Lily, a poem"
2) Unfortunately, I don't own The Hobbit. If only I did... mwahaha
Prologue
25 years ago….
Bilbo Baggins was a respectable hobbit. At approximately 25 years of age, Bilbo was well-liked by all, except perhaps his cousin Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. An inquisitive man with a very unhobbitlike curiosity for knowledge of the world, it was not unheard of for Bilbo to be out taking walks around the Shire. Bungo frowned upon his son's curious nature, while dear Belladonna wholeheartedly approved of her son's Tookish streak.
Our story begins in the woods behind the Shire. Bilbo was taking his afternoon stroll when threatening clouds rolled in overhead. Instead of staying on the pathway that would surely lead him back to the Shire, he decided to roll the figurative dice and dash through the woods sans pathway. Mister Baggins was indeed on his way home when about halfway through the forest, a noise brought him to a stop.
"Hello?" he called out into the murky woodland. A moan came as a response. Bilbo, being a respectable hobbit and a man with a conscious, could not leave a person who may be in trouble to their own devices. "I'm coming for you," he shouted. "Keeping making noise!" Sound was the guide for Mister Baggins as he raced westward in pursuit of the possible victim.
It was not long before he saw through the high-reaching grasses and numerous trees a small figure. Slumped against a tree and bleeding profusely was a young girl. Were it not for the silver beads braided into her chestnut hair, Bilbo may have thought her of the race of Man, or perhaps a rather large hobbit. Instead, he quickly realized, this was a dwarven woman - and one close to death at that. With no hesitation, he scooped up the bloody girl and raced toward the Shire.
"How is she?"
Belladonna glanced from the girl on her bed to her worried son. "She is better. Her wounds have been tended to, and the bleeding has stopped. The worst one was to her head, so we shall have to see how she is faring when she wakes."
"What's a dwarf even doing out this far?" he asked, more to himself than to anyone else. "How long do you think it will be until she wakes, Mother?"
"I couldn't tell you, Bilbo. With her wounds, it could be an hour or it would be weeks." Bilbo's face fell. "Perhaps you could read to her? You always seemed to enjoy when I read to you in times of sickness."
Bilbo chuckled. "What could I read her? One of the books on gardening? I'm sure a young dwarven maiden would be bored to tears, asleep or otherwise."
"You never know," smiled Belladonna. "Besides, it isn't so much the material being read as the comfort of knowing that someone is there for you." Bilbo thought on his mother words before retrieving a book from his childhood and settling into a chair beside the resting girl.
"Um… hello there," he stuttered, feeling nervous and awkward. "My name is Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins. I'm… the one who found you. I'm not sure how you got there, but I promise that you're safe now." He paused. "My mother suggested I read to you, but I didn't think you would find gardening manuals interesting, so I picked an actual book. My mother used to read it to me, and I always liked it… Anyway, here we go. Lilly Hartlog and the Great Journey, chapter one. It was a long time ago when young Lilly Hartlog first got the idea to set out on an adventure..."
Present Day….
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lillibelle Baggins raced through the Shire, hair flying unrestrained in the wind and a smile on her face. "Daddy!"
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit now coming up on fifty years of age, sat outside Bag End smoking his pipe. His eyes crinkle at the sight of his daughter running toward him. For the past two decades, Bilbo has considered the young dwarf girl family. When she awoke from a month-long coma with very little memory, Belladonna immediately insisted that the girl stay with them. Of course, Bungo had protested, but in the end he could not refuse his wife. It was originally intended for Bilbo to take on the role of her brother, but as time went on, Bilbo became more and more a father figure.
From the novel he read to her nightly came her new name, Lillibelle. When initially trying to come up with a name for herself, she swore to Bilbo that it began with either an L or a B, but could not remember, hard as she tried, remember what it actually was. Bilbo saw to it that she was enrolled in school, had books to read, and had a good pair of shoes. Being a dwarf, her feet were not as tough as a regular hobbit's, and required a pair of boots. Bilbo saw to it that a pair of the strongest leather were brought in from the Blue Mountains for her.
In her time as a Baggins, Lillibelle wanted for nothing. Even after the deaths of Bungo and Belladonna, Bilbo saw to it that she lived well. Any gossipers or naysayers were immediately shushed or asked to leave. Most applauded him for his kind treatment of the perceived outsider. Other grumbled about his strangeness. In the end, Lillibelle was a welcome member of the community. Saving the life of a young hobbitling only three years after her arrival in the Shire assured her place.
"What is it, Lilli?"
"I shot a bullseye on all my targets!" smiled the proud girl, emerald eyes twinkling.
"That's my archer," grinned Bilbo, affection clear in his eyes. "Go get washed up for lunch, hon'." Bounding up the steps, Lilli stopped to place a kiss on her father's forehead. Standing upright, she is just an inch or two taller than him. "Don't forget the mail, Papa!"
"I'll get it after we eat."
Little did our dear Mister Baggins know that, come this afternoon, he would find himself in a very unexpected situation...
A/N: Any mistakes are my own. I do not currently have a beta.
