A/N: Chapter 2. I am trying not to develop it too quickly, but I don't really know how else to go about it... again, I am really open to tips and suggestions to improve my writing. Thanks! I own nothing but my few necessary OCs. Also, sorry it took so long to come out with this. Finals happened, you know. Well, school is over now, so i can write a lot more~ No promises, though.
"Erm, and who might you be?" asked the person, after a few moments of simply taking each other in had passed.
"Ah, pardon my rudeness," said Eragon, "I am Eragon Bromsson. I was wondering, well... where exactly this is?"
"Where? You don't even know where you are?" the person asked, shocked. "This be the outskirts of Far Downs! Even a Big Person such as yourself ought to know something so simple!"
"Oh, well, I appear to be lost. If, you don't mind, um..." Eragon realized he had never asked the person's name.
"Alfie Boffin. Pleasure to meet you, Eragon Bromsson. Well, I must say, you are lucky you came here. You see, us Boffins are more used to Big Folk like yourself than most of the hobbits in Far Downs. We have a fairly good relation with that Bilbo Baggins, you see. Boffins, Bagginses, and Tooks have always gotten along well. Ah, that's it! You must be here for that grand party those Bagginses are throwing! All sorts of strange folk have been coming in, I hear! It really is a wondrous thing, isn't it? An eleventy-first birthday isn't something you get to celebrate every day, you know. And that Frodo Baggins, too. Thirty-three! He really has grown into quite the respectable gentlehobbit! Thirty-three... I remember my thirty-third birthday. Nigh on ten years ago, that was. It wasn't a large affair or anything, no, but us Boffins are the modest sort, see? Not to imply that large parties are wrong in any way, as we love the Bagginses dearly. No, no, none of those nasty rumors have spread by the mouth of a Boffin. It's all the doing of those Sackville-Bagginses, I say. Had their eyes on the place for years, Bag End, I mean. Now that Mister Frodo has the claim to it, and rightfully so, who knows what those Sackville-Bagginses will do. Anyway-"
"Sorry, Mr. Boffin, but would you mind if we had this conversation inside?" Eragon had to interrupt the, erm, hobbit, here. If not, he feared the little person would go on for another hour easily.
"Of course, of course! What am I doing? Come in and I shall give you the directions to Hobbiton," replied Alfie. With that, he stepped back to allow Eragon room to enter. Ducking beneath the low doorframe, Eragon saw the full extent of the home. It was simple, yet comfortable. The walls were decorated with several paintings of grassy hills, presumably completed by a family member. The furniture was sparse, save for wooden tables, chairs, and the occasional overstuffed armchair. Seated at the kitchen table was a female hobbit around the same age as Alfie. She smiled warmly at Eragon, and he was glad he had indeed encountered such kind people. From the hospitality, size, and chosen location, Eragon would not be surprised to learn of relation to dwarves. He even speculated that these hobbits might be the ancestors of the dwarves of Alagaësia. Perhaps he was wrong, though, and he did not speculate any further. The next of his thoughts were of guilt. Eragon did not want to deceive the hobbits, but his hosts were already convinced he was here to attend this party they spoke of. It was actually the perfect cover, but what was he to do about Saphira? His thoughts were interrupted by the female hobbit.
"Why don't you have a seat, sir?" she said. Her voice had a familiar ring to it, which put Eragon at ease.
"Yes, yes, of course. This is my lovely wife, Lobelia, by the way. Lobelia is a Brandybuck," began Alfie. Eragon smiled, and sat on the floor. The chairs were much too small for him. Perhaps his old self might have been able to sit in them, but he had grown taller since the Blood Oath Celebration. Eragon listened to the family history for quite a while, and grew drowsy after accepting a pint of ale. It was significantly stronger than most of the drinks back home. By the time Alfie pulled out some sort of pipe, it was well into the night. Eragon decided to interrupt at this time, reminding the hobbits about his "purpose".
"Well, it is getting late, and it would be much appreciated if I could get directions to the party," Eragon asked, attempting to sound like he knew what he was talking about.
"Right! It is late, isn't it? Stay the night, Eragon. We are in fact heading into Hobbiton for the party ourselves tomorrow, and would be more than happy to take you," said Lobelia. Eragon wanted desperately to see Saphira at that point, but also desired to know more about this culture. Alfie had mentioned other "Big Folk" coming in to town, and Eragon couldn't pass up this chance. He took them up on the offer, and awkwardly positioned himself on the cushions and blankets they put out for him. Deeming it safe, he reached out to Saphira with his mind.
Finally! I have waited far too long, Eragon!
I know. I'm sorry, let me explain. With that, he shared his memories of the past few hours with her.
This is incredible! she exclaimed. This new land is just as civilized as Alagaësia, if what I have seen is to be trusted. How are you going to attend this party, though? Will not the host recognize you as a stranger?
This seems to be a rather large party, very large, and I think I can blend in alright. Worst case scenario I escape or use magic. Speaking of which, I should contact Blödhgarm. Eragon got up, and quietly crept out of the house. The Boffins had gone to bed, and no one would be the wiser. Chanting a word in the ancient language, drops of water rose from the soil and formed a clear, still pool. The moon reflected in the water, making it almost glow. Whispering more still, it was not long before the elf's face appeared. Eragon greeted Blödhgarm in the traditional greeting, and the blue elf returned the courtesy. It did not take long for Eragon to inform him of the day's proceedings, and the shock was evident in his expression. Eyes shining, Blödhgarm took a moment to ponder the turn of events.
"It was wise of you to blend in as such, for such an opportunity may not present itself again. These hobbits are indeed too close to these mountains for comfort, and we will make haste to your location. Worry not, for we shall stay in the shadows until a moment arrives where we may make ourselves known. If one does not arrive, so be it. Try to acquire a map of at least the immediate surroundings from your hosts, so that we may continue our journey inland, Shadeslayer," Blödhgarm said.
"Yes, I shall. I am eager to learn of the other races here, as well as their customs. May this land be peaceful," Eragon added, saying goodbye to the elf. The pool was soaked back into the earth, and he got up to return to the house.
The next morning, the Hobbits rose early to prepare a wagon pulled by a small sandy-colored pony. Eragon helped load it with various supplies, though the two did not bring much. Alfie explained that it was customary for the host of a party to provide for their guests, and spent the beginning of the journey wondering what sort of presents the Bagginses would hand out. He then went on to give more of a history on The Shire, the region of Middle Earth that Eragon now found himself in, and he came to the conclusion that hobbits were very lovely people to know. The journey took them through more rolling, grassy hills which eventually began to level out into flat farmland. Eragon had to make up a lame excuse as to why he kept scanning the sky, for he was concerned that Saphira would follow them. It had taken a lot of effort to convince her to stay behind and wait for the elves, and he didn't entirely trust her on this matter.
Their travels came to a conclusion around noon, when Eragon saw a few hills in the distance with front gates attached to them. Lobelia acknowledged that this was indeed Hobbiton, and she wanted to pay her respects to the Bagginses first thing. Bag End was right past Sandyman's Mill on the way into town, so it wasn't a detour at all. They were struck with a large sigh declaring "No Entry Except On Party Business," though, and were forced to head straight to the home of the Hobbiton Boffin family, where Alfie and Lobelia were to stay. They dropped Eragon off at the Party Field, where he bid them farewell. Eragon received many strange looks from the other hobbits, but it was very interesting to observe them. Some children were who were hiding behind a distant tree eventually approached him and asked if he had any fireworks. Eragon replied that he didn't know what fireworks were, and that he was sorry to disappoint them. He hung around for the rest of the day, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. It wasn't that difficult, with all sorts of people coming and going around the Party Field, finishing setting up stalls and tents. Eragon did in fact manage to catch a glimpse of a red-bearded dwarf, which very much shocked him. The peoples of Alagaësia must have come from Middle Earth after all.
As the hour of the party drew closer, crowds of people began arriving at the field. Eragon went in with them, and decided that this was his golden chance to make acquaintances in this new world. Taking a deep breath, he approached a tall, elderly man managing a cart of colorful, candle-like objects.
A/N: Hooray for the completion of another chapter! Hope it wasn't too awful or OOC. Well, whether it was or not, please review and tell me how I can improve
