Hello again. Another chapter of Fairy Dust :)
First, I would like to thank everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed my story.
Out of my reviewers: Arianna Nevaz Roo, asked
Will you go through (nearly) the whole book/movie?
I most likely will. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I've only planned up to Rivendell.
I hope you enjoy it!
Fairy Dust
Chapter 2
The next thing we was aware of, he was lying on his stomach on a soft bed. He groaned as his entire back felt like it was on fire. He hurt everywhere. He tried blearily to open his eyes only to quickly shut them as light pierced his eyes. He whimpered in agony from the burning sensation the brightness caused.
"Bilbo! You're awake!" He heard his mother exclaim. He winced internally as the grating sound of her voice caused the ache in his head to worsen.
"Donna. By the Valar, lower your voice. Can't you see he is in pain?" Bungo whispered to his wife. "Bilbo, son. You must be thirsty. Open your mouth a bit."
He felt his head gently being lifted as a mug of cool water was pressed to mouth. He obediently drank as much as he could. He felt relief as the water slipped down his parched throat. He groaned softly in relief.
"Dad…" Bilbo managed.
"Shh, son. Sleep now." His father replied as he softly laid his head back on the pillow. He felt gentle hands stroke his hair as he drifted off.
Waking up once more, this time as he opened his eyes, they adjusted without any problem. The headache that had been previously plaguing him was gone. However, his back was still throbbing dully. The last thing he could remember was the Elder fairy offering him a goblet. After that, all of his memories were a blur.
Lifting his upper body of the bed, he groggily looked around the room. It was not his room at Bag End but he recognized the décor. He was in a guest room at the Tuckborough. As he started to get out of the bed, he realized in shock that he was wearing no clothes.
Blushing furiously, he grabbed the blanket off the bed and quickly wrapped himself with it. His stomach started to grumble very loudly. When was the last time he ate anything? He was absolutely starving but first he needed to cover himself up with something better than bedspread. He was relieved to find that his clothes were folded neatly on a chair on the other side of the bed.
As he made his way around the bed, something strange caught his eye. There in a full body mirror, he saw something that was not there before. Through the sheet covering him, he noticed the glimpse of a mark on his upper arm. He immediately knew what it was. The marking with which the Elder must have gifted him.
Smiling, he lowered the sheet so that his torso was uncovered. He noted that both his upper arms had strange mirroring tattoos of clouds. As he looked closer, he observed that they seemed to be formed with strange runes. He did not recognize any of them. The tiny symbols etched into his skin seemed to extend further. As he turned slowly to follow them through the mirror, he froze in shock at the sight of his backside.
His back was covered with the most intricate tattoo he had ever seen. It seemed to extend all the way down the back of his thighs. It displayed a lone mountain overshadowed by fierce dark clouds. A gem the size of his fist seemed to protrude from a crown that was located at the foot of mountain. Below it strangely enough a thick branch made of oak was displayed. The oak branch seemed to have runes carved into it. His lower back all the way up to his thighs was completely covered with trees forming a large forest.
He let out a piercing shriek once he found his voice. As soon as he emitted the sound, he distantly heard the sound feet pounding on the ground as they drew nearer. It was only the sound of the door slamming open that drew his frightened gaze away from the mirror. The sight of his mother at the doorway startled him. He had never seen her look so dishevelled. There were strands of hair falling out of her usually neat bun and her clothes looked wrinkled as if she slept in them.
His father looked no better as appeared from behind her. His hair was tousled as though he had run his hands through it continuously. There was even a large stain on the front of his waist coat. Before he could react, his parents rushed forward and gathered him between them.
"You're finally awake! Are you well?" Bungo asked as he pulled back to give him a quick onceover.
"What are doing out of bed!?" His mother exclaimed as she pulled him towards it. "You need rest."
"Why did you scream?" His father suddenly asked.
Belladonna suddenly stopped tugging and looked at her husband in disbelief.
"Is it not obvious? He must have seen it." She said as Bungo's eyes widened in realization. There an awkward moment of silence before she continued. "Bilbo, get dressed while we go outside for a moment, alright?"
"Ok…" Bilbo replied hesitantly. He noticed the look his parents had shared. They looked almost furious with each other. The tween had never seen either one stare at the other in such a manner. As soon as the door was closed behind them, he heard the muffled sound of his father's voice. Although he could not make out what they were saying, Bungo sounded positively livid.
As he got dressed, the noise continued as they yelled back and forth. He never thought he'd see the day that his father, Bungo Baggins, would raise his voice so high. Once he was done, he turned the door knob slowly and their voices suddenly quieted. The sight of his parents' smiles astonished him. If he had not heard them earlier, he would never have believed they had just argued. Within moments he found himself sitting awkwardly on the bed with his parents sitting in chairs right across him.
"What's going on?" He asked as he looked between him. "How come it's so… so big? And why are the symbols so strange?"
They exchanged a look and seemed to have a silent argument before Belladonna spoke.
"When they found you by the pond, you were unconscious as expected. So you were brought back to the Tuckborough, where as you know we were waiting for your arrival. The moment you regained consciousness, you were delirious. You even started screaming so loud that you woke the whole household. We only noticed that mark after you practically tore off your shirt. It seemed to be very sensitive and any contact with your back increased you pain. We had to settle you on your stomach. None of the remedies we applied seem to help much. None of us knew why it is so big or what the symbols mean."
"Not even Old Took, the oldest Hobbit in the Shire?!"
"He said that he had never seen anything like it and that the only ones who could give us any answers are the fairies. I will go see them tomorrow since your body cannot take another crossing to the Fairy Realm so soon after the marking."
"You gave us quite a fright." Bungo said. "I still do not understand it. You said that it would not harm him!"
"Oh, don't you dare start that again, Bungo Baggins! It was not supposed to! This has never happened before! In fact, Old Took even looked through the library and found no record of it ever hurting someone."
"I knew those unnatural creatures could not be trusted! They-"
"So they are unnatural are they? They are my kin! Does that make me unnatural? What about our son, Bilbo?"
"T-that is not what I meant! They are creatures of mischief and positively malicious when they want to be! My experiences with them speak for themselves!"
"Your experiences!? You have only met ONE fairy! How does that give you any indication of their nature!? And can you blame him for what he did after your behaviour!?"
"PLEASE! Stop it! Stop arguing!" Bilbo interrupted before his father could reply. He had never seen them argue this way and he never wanted to see it again. "I'm fine. I barely remember the pain, so please do not worry about me. Can we just go home?"
They both looked at him as if they had forgotten he was there. Bungo cleared his throat with a blush at being caught squabbling at his age.
"Yes, quite… We're all very tired." He said slowly. "And I need to change my shirt."
To both their surprise, Belladonna burst out laughing and kept it up until she was red in the face.
"What is so funny?" His father said bewildered by the sudden change in her mood.
"Ah ha ha ha! Your hair… You spilled you tea… ha ha ha…" She explained as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.
The rest was too incoherent for them to understand but it was enough to make his father turn beet red. The situation was so absurd that soon enough Bilbo and Bungo were laughing along with her.
They left Tuckborough after they fixed their appearance up as best they could. One thing Bungo would never allow was for them to be seen by the whole Shire in their current state.
The next month, Bilbo spent most of it locked in his room as he looked through books for references to the runes or the image tattooed on his back. The visit to the fairies had proved to be useless. When his mother had gone to see them, all they said about the mark's design mirrored the soulmate's personality and sometimes it reflected something about their life.
Bilbo had gone to see them himself yesterday but, to no avail; the fairies that he met remained silent on the subject of the symbols integrated into the pattern on his back. All they had wanted to do was play with him. He threw the book he was reading in frustration. It did not make any sense. There was no way that any hobbit in the Shire could be represented by the mark he was given. He had thought that it might have been depicting a place however there were no lone mountains like it in all the maps of the Shire he had found.
He had been leaning his head into his hands when he felt a hand suddenly rest on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise and found himself facing a very concerned and determined mother.
"Bilbo, come have second breakfast with your father and I. You have lost weight."
"I am fine, mum. I can afford to lose a little bit of weight."
"You should not skip meals lest it becomes a habit. I have not intervened because I thought that you were old enough to take care of yourself but no more." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him all the way to the dining table where Bungo was already sitting.
After shoving into his chair, she leaned over him threateningly and said: "You WILL eat. If I come back and you have not finished every single crumb. I will force feed you if I have to."
"You should have known that she would eventually do this." Bungo said after his wife left. "I understand that this is important but you still have to take care of yourself."
"I know." He said feeling a little guilty for making them worry. "I won't skip anymore meals. I promise."
"That's good to know." His father replied with a smile. "So, how are you progressing in finding out more about the mountain and the symbols?"
"Nowhere… It's hopeless."
"Bilbo, always remember. While there is life, there is always hope. You are still a tween and you have a long time to find him or her. Tell me what you have done so far. Perhaps I can be of assistance."
"I've looked at all the maps of the Shire and I've found absolutely nothing." Bilbo answered with a sullen look.
"Why only the Shire?"
"What do you mean?" Bilbo responded in confusion as he continued to eat.
"Well… What if this mountain was somewhere else in Middle Earth? Perhaps your soulmate is the child of an adventurer who settled elsewhere."
"Oh, I had not thought of that. I should look into it!" He exclaimed. Bilbo was about to get up when his father raised his brow at him. "I'll do it after second breakfast."
"I should hope so. If your mother came back to find you gone…" Bungo said shuddering. Bilbo grimaced at the thought. She was already very irritated and he had no doubt that she would tan his hide if he did not eat everything in his plate.
As he continued eating in silence with his father, he felt peace wash over him for the first time since he had seen the Elder fairy. He devoured his meal with great gusto as he decided that his search could continue tomorrow. His future no longer seemed so bleak.
End of Chapter 2
So that's it for today :)
Please read and review.
No matter how long, your reviews always seem to bring a smile to my face.
Chapter 3 is almost finished. I still have to edit it.
