Prologue
Curled on the floor was a small, thin creature. Golden curls framed sharp, jutting cheekbones, and despite its pale pallor, a healthy glow seemed to emit from its skin.
Utterly still, the creature was dead to the world. The only sign it lived being the gentle rise and fall of its chest, and the soft breathes that stirred the air around it.
It was a curious little thing.
How had such as slight creature impacted the world so much?
The mere thought of it was befuddling. Mind-blowing even.
Beings such as Sauron, the Istari, Durin's Bane, the men of Númenor, and even elves, had all been blessed with power. Those were the ones meant to rule, to change the world. So how was it that this little creature had made more difference than them all?
It must have been luck.
Yes, that could be the only explanation. But how then, had the nephew done the same? It was impossible.
Or at least, it had seemed that way.
Soon though, this creature would wake. There was little time to decide what to do with it, not to mention what to tell it.
Umm, I kidnapped you from the Undying Lands because I was curious, didn't seem like a good idea. Then it'd probably ask why it hadn't been returned yet.
What a conundrum.
Bilbo's eyelids fluttered open. He blinked blearily, the world coming into focus around him.
It was dark, the only light being faint and from far above. Cragged rocks and stalagmites were all he could see. Sitting up with a groan, because Eru was he stiff, something soft, and mildly wet was crushed beneath his hands.
Mushrooms?
With a gasp the realization hit him. He was in Gollum's cave.
Everything, from the light, to the damp air and bones on the ground; it was the same. This was the place that had haunted his dreams. That sometimes he'd wished bitterly he never came across, but other times thanked his lucky stars. Here, was where he'd found it.
The One Ring.
The object that had saved his life, and the lives of his company, over and over again. But the pain, oh the pain Frodo went through. It should never have come to that.
If he had not found it though, if it had snagged a malevolent bearer, as was its original intent…He shuddered to think of the outcome.
He did not know, if things were to happen again, whether the outcome would be as pleasant. Many had died, yes. But evil had been overcome in the end. Never again would the people of Middle Earth live in fear of Sauron.
Perhaps the way things had happened had been for the best, after all.
Bilbo's limbs ached and his stomach felt hollow. Patting his face he was greeted with bony, sunken cheeks, revealing he'd lost the roundness gained since entering the Undying Lands. He tried to stand, but instantly his weakened muscles started shaking. A wave of dizziness passed over him, and he was resigned to stay sitting on the ground, one hand on the wall.
What on Earth had happened to him?
Last he remembered, he and Frodo had been sitting together and having a picnic. They'd been chatting leisurely. By the coast. In the sunshine. And for the love of all things green, in the Undying Lands where only wonderful beings with goodwill were allowed.
So why in all of Arda was he in Gollum's cave?
Maybe this was all just a hallucination. He was after all, what, 131? Quite an age for a hobbit.
But no. Now that he thought about it, he seemed to remember feeling quite drowsy...
Telling Frodo he could go back without him, because he wanted to admire the horizon...
A flash of light? No, that couldn't be right.
How strange...
With a sigh, he gently lowered himself onto the bed of mushrooms, and lay back down. He was exhausted, and he didn't even know from what. He'd go to sleep now.
Perhaps there'd be more answers when he woke up...
He woke later to the sound of light footsteps.
Opening his eyes just slightly, he peered cautiously through his lashes, eyes widening at the sight before him.
An elf?
No, this was not an elf...
The very air seemed to thrum with power, and the pale being's smooth skin to glow. Obviously female, her form cast a faint light instead of a shadow, illuminating the darkness of the cave. She was tall and fair with high cheekbones, and had feminine features that gave her a regal bearing. Everything about her seemed elven, but to call her one seemed almost...inadequate.
Slowly, he slipped his eyes shut. Relaxing his body he attempted to maintain the illusion of sleep.
"Little hobbit, I know you are awake." Said an amused, musical voice.
Obviously he'd failed. No point in pretending now, he thought.
Carefully, he righted himself to a sitting position, facing her. His eyes locked with stormy grey ones, and their intensity sent a shiver down his spine.
"Where am I?" He asked.
The not-an-elf lady scoffed, and tilted her chin up slightly, looking down at him. "I should think you would know Halfling. Was this not the place you changed history?"
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and a bitter taste came into his mouth. Was she talking about the ring?
"I suppose," he said cautiously. "But however did I get here? And who are you? Last I remembered I was eating luncheon with my nephew!"
She tapped her chin in an absentminded manner.
"I brought you here."
WHAT.
"Um, pardon?"
"To ask you some questions," she answered briskly.
Lifting the hem of her skirt, she sat cross-legged in front of him, and then gestured with one hand. "You see Halfling, I was in a cursed sleep cast by Sauron during your journey, as well as that of your nephew's. I know nothing about what happened, but what I've heard and the evidence I've seen." She chuckled softly. "I must confess, I am quite curious."
Obviously she was someone important if Sauron deemed fit to curse her and all. But still, seriously?
"Alright, so let me get this straight. You kidnapped me, just because you slept through some stuff?"
She didn't even have the good grace to look sheepish. "Indeed." she said. He almost laughed out loud. Questions in Gollum's Cave? He was getting a serious sense of déjà vu here. Might as well play along then, he thought.
"Okay, so you ask me some questions, I answer, you show me the way out?" Bilbo prompted.
"Hmmm, perhaps." Please work please work please work.
"I just don't understand. How is it a weak creature such as yourself brought about the destruction of a dark lord? You had no weapons nor any sorts of powers...Would you say it was luck?"
That was rather insulting. He decided to ignore the fact she had just called him weak.
"Umm, perhaps? But it was mainly because of my friends and Frodo. Their courage was what won over Sauron in the end, and it never would have happened without them." He smiled, albeit rather sadly. He would always remember Thorin as he lay dying on the ice at Ravenhill, and Frodo's haunted look after returning from his journey. They were images that would never fade.
"So do you think if you had the chance, you could do it again?" she asked, leaning forward. There was a strange, almost hungry look in her eyes.
He leaned back away from her, suddenly wary.
"Well, maybe? Why do you ask?"
She tapped her chin again, adopting an innocent expression. "Hmmm, would you be at all opposed to going back?" she asked, in an almost sly tone. After she spoke, a wide smile began to spread across her face. Instead of enhancing her already ethereal beauty, it distorted it, darkening her features and giving her an almost eerie look.
Bilbo could feel dread growing in the pit of his stomach. What was she planning?
"Well, y-yes!" He said hurriedly. "What's done is done, and I don't know if the end would be the same and I wouldn't want to risk it."
She frowned, seeming disappointed. "So it was luck."
"I said it wasn't!"
She shook her head, scowling. "Then why wouldn't you be able to do it again? Especially with the knowledge you now have of the events to come. You could even change things for the better."
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the light surrounding her expanding. He gulped nervously. He had a really, really, bad feeling about where this was going.
He started twitching nervously, and twiddling his thumbs. "W-why do you ask this? It seems almost as though you try to t-tempt me!"
"Perhaps I am trying," she said darkly. Glancing around the cave, an almost serene expression passed across her face. For some reason, it was even more frightening than her previous dark smile. She clapped her hands together. "It is decided then. I will send you back in time, you will do the quest again-"
This could not be happening.
"No! You're making a terrible mistake!"
"-And I will watch." she finished.
He stared, paralyzed in shock, as she rose to her feet in a single fluid motion. She lifted her hands, closing her eyes, and swirls of white light balled on her palms. The ground began to quake, and trails of dust fell from the ceiling. The air was filled with a vibrating hum, which Bilbo knew clear as day, was the sound of magic.
The white light grew from her palms until it encompassed her entire form. It grew brighter and brighter until it was blinding, and Bilbo raised an arm to shield his eyes. Recovering from his initial shock he ran forward and cried, "Wait! Stop! What are you doing? You cannot do this!"
She opened her eyes, and where there should have been irises and pupils, rays of light shone outward. Bilbo recoiled in shock.
"Farewell Master Baggins. Sleep," she said, her single voice deep, and now sounding like that of many at once. "When you wake, it will be on the morning you began your journey. Show me how you changed fate. Prove to me that it was not luck."
She knows my name, he thought rather dazedly.
"May we meet again, in another time," Dipping her head towards him, the ground gave a final heave, and a mighty gust of wind blew through the air. The cavern filled with light, and in the next moment, she was gone.
Once again, the cave was shrouded in darkness.
He stood still, staring numbly ahead. What had just happened?
Exhaustion overcame him, and he staggered backwards, falling to the floor.
Curling in on himself, he was powerless to stop his eyelids as they drooped...
Then slipped shut.
He dreamt of the quest for Erebor.
Memories flashed across his mind.
A group of rowdy dwarves invade his smial. He knows he will not go with them on their journey, but once he hears a deep voice singing of a place far over the Misty Mountains, his heart burns with a longing to see it. The song awakens a yearning deep within him to see the world, and without sparing a second thought, he runs out his door the next day, forgetting to bring even a handkerchief...
He gives Fíli and Kíli their dinner, only to be coerced into retrieving the ponies from a group of trolls. He foolishly forgets to take a knife to cut them loose with, and in an attempt to steal one is captured. A troll uses him as a tissue, and the company is put into sacks. It would be an amusing sight if not for the graveness of the situation. Parasites and seasoning, all are a ploy to stall until morning...
Their supplies are replenished in Rivendell and their map read, but later they are caught in a thunder battle between Stone Giants. Harsh words are spoken, and a near death experience occurs. He knows he doesn't belong with the company, but when he tries to leave it is already too late. The ground opens up and swallows them deep into the depths of the goblin tunnels...
Riddles in the dark and a test of wits with the twisted creature called Gollum. Bilbo finds the ring and escapes, (unwittingly) using it for the first time...
Chased by orcs and wargs, they flee until they reach a clearing of trees. Climbing up onto the branches, they fight with fire, throwing burning pinecones until the clearing is wreathed in flames. Bilbo watches as Thorin is chewed by the warg of his mortal enemy, and as an orc prepares to end his life. He hurls himself forward between them, because in that moment, he knew. That whatever happened, he could not let Thorin Oakenshield die. Even if the price was his life...
Eagles wheeled overhead. He prays desperately that Gandalf can heal Thorin, and only moments later, he is wrapped in a warm embrace. Finally, he belongs, and he cannot help but think he does so more here than he ever had in the Shire...
Days and nights of refuge are spent in the home of the skin-changer. A bear and man equally, he is feared by beings of evil...
They spend months in the dungeons of the Mirkwood. He runs messages and sneaks food, all while formulating a daring escape plan. Afterward, they are bumped, bruised, jostled and cramped in barrels, all the way to Laketown...
Bard the bargemen finds them, and after paying him, he helps them steal into Laketown like thieves in the night. However before long, the Master of the men of the lake greets them to a warm welcome. Early the next day, they are set on their way to the lonely mountain that looms ahead...
Bilbo finds the hidden door, and soon after confronts a monster the like of which he's never seen. Feeling smaller than he ever has before, he doesn't let his fear overcome his duty to the company, and completes his task. A long chase ensues across Erebor, in which Smaug is covered in gold and the dwarves triumph. However, in the end it is not enough to stop him, and he flies in pursuit of Laketown where only fire and death await...
Thorin falls into gold sickness, and Bilbo formulates a desperate plan to break him out of it. The plan is one he knows will ruin their friendship, but all the same, he is willing to take that risk if it means that Thorin can be saved. The incidents with the acorn and the Mithril shirt; both only serve to strengthen his resolve. He gives the Arkenstone to the men of Laketown as well as the Woodland elves, and his plan is a success. When the inevitable comes however, and he is banished from Erebor and proclaimed a traitor, he cannot help but feel he deserves it...
Bilbo sprints to Ravenhill, praying he's not too late. He fells orc after orc with stones, before a brutal knock to the head wipes him out cold. Awakening to the screeching of eagles, he finds Thorin lying mortally wounded on the ice. Upon hearing his whispered amends, a fear greater than any he has ever felt rises within him. After all that has happened, after all they have been through together; he doesn't know how he can live a life again without Thorin Oakenshield...
He feels only pain as Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli are lowered into their coffins. The world becomes a cold place, and everywhere he looks he sees only reminders of his grief. He packs to leave Erebor, saying a hasty goodbye to his friends, unable to bear seeing the place Thorin so coveted any longer...
Gandalf talks with him on the return journey. He helps him realize that a pain so deep, and an ache so fierce, could only have come from love. Knowing what he'd lost, the pain only feels that much more devastating...
He becomes a shell of his former self, finding solace only in the growing acorn in front of his smial, and honoring Thorin's last words. His life becomes meaningless, and the world devoid of color. When Frodo comes along, the color comes back, and his purpose returns. He can see them: Thorin, Fíli, and kíli, all in the little fauntling. Thus he treasures him above all else...
Years pass. When the time is that of the quest's anniversary or his own birthday, he spends it reveling in his memories. Staring into the distance, he remembers the good, the bad, and the fact that he made it back home in the end. Old wounds are healed with time, and over the years he makes peace with Thorin's death. Despite that, when night came on those days, he would look to the stars, and wish upon them that he could go back again and change things. That he could have a chance at the future he knew they'd have had together. The one that had been taken from them.
He never stopped wishing...
Upon waking, Bilbo's vision swam with raven colored locks and piercing dark blue eyes.
It took him more than a few moments to register his surroundings. When he did, he sat upright with a jolt.
He was back in his smial, in Bag-End. He was lying in a familiar bed, in a familiar room. Everything was the same as he'd left it, from the wooden-paneled ceiling to the flowerpot on the windowsill.
He'd changed little in over 80 years.
His mind was drawn back to his current predicament. Who was that lady? She had obviously been powerful, so a deity? He hadn't even gotten her name! He had so many questions, but no way to answer them all.
It was frustrating.
Rubbing a hand along the back of his neck, he sighed. At least he wasn't hungry anymore, and even if he was, he could always just go to the pantry and grab a snack. Unfortunately however, that led to another question. Was he really in Bag-End? Had she been telling the truth? There was only one way to find out.
Craning his neck, he peered at his reflection in the mirror atop his bedside table. He sighed nostalgically. The face that looked back at him wasn't the youthful one he'd regained in the Undying Lands, but the one he'd begun his journey with. One lined with age, but still in its prime.
Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as he realized the significance of this. The simple truth of it all: He was back in time.
This meant he would meet Thorin, Fili, Kili, Balin, and Ori, all over again. It meant that he had the chance to protect them this time, to change their fate. It was dangerous though, and a huge risk, meddling with time. But with a chance like this, however could he not take it?
His tears spilled over, trickling down his face.
What if he accidentally made things worse? What if he made a mistake, and it cost even more lives than last time?
There was no telling what could happen.
"Eru give me strength," he whispered.