Bilbo sat on the bench outside his parent's smial in the Shire. He furiously puffed on his pipe. To say he was disgruntled was to say water is wet. The very idea that his parents would demand that he live as a hobbit until he found love was utterly ridiculous. He found himself wondering if they had finally gotten to old and senile to rule, maybe his eldest sister, the crown princess would get him out of this…this bad, stupid, joke.
Love...he huffed to himself, did they really think he wanted to …love...one of these silly little creatures or any of the other small races; the dwarves, men or elves for that matter. Really, they were just so far beneath him, it was honestly foolish to even consider.
While Bilbo sat and plotted ways to overthrow his parents or at least get word to his sister that they had obviously lost their minds; said parents watched him through one of the small round windows in the side of the smial.

"He's angry." His mother sighed, Bilbo caused her to sigh quite a lot these days.

"It's nothing to what he will be. It is time to get the real plan in motion and get him out into the real world. The Shire is much too safe and peaceful. He needs to learn what it's like to be a small being in a world where everyone seems stronger and bigger, and more powerful than you. Maybe then he'll appreciate what it means to hold that type of power over others and not abuse it." the king stated firmly, even if he was worried about this part of the plan.

"But will he be safe?"

"We have little control over that dear. In the end Bilbo will determine much of his own fate.""

"That's what I'm afraid of." the queen watched her youngest child puffing on his pipe, while mumbling to himself and prayed that he would come back to them safe one day.

The other hobbits paid little attention to Bilbo as they walked passed going to and from the market or a neighboring smial. As far as they were concerned the Baggines were upstanding, respectable hobbits. Bilbo's parents Bungo and Belladonna were well liked and respected by the Shire's inhabitants. Not one ever questioned the family's sudden appearance or that of their well-furnished smial. Even Old Took, the Thain simply embraced his oldest child Belladonna and her husband and son, never once remembering that his oldest child was actually a male, his son Olly. Everything seemed just fine to the Shirelings, who spent their days and nights under a potent spell of the most delicate and intricate dragon magic. The spell gave them false memories of Bungo, Belladonna, and Bilbo. So loving was the old Thain that Belladonna was considering returning after this whole affair with Bilbo was completed and perhaps vacationing each year in the Shire as the Old Took's daughter and family.

"I hardly see why I should walk all the way to Bree for these supplies. Can't you get them here in the Shire? What does it matter if they are slightly different, all this hobbit food is ridiculously sweet and they eat way too much and why bother...just why bother. Do you actually think I'm going to meet the love of my life in some stinky little market in Bree?!" Bilbo swung a bag with water and a small loaf of bread and some cheese to have for lunch over his arm and stormed out.

"You're sure those traders will be there today", his mother asked after Bilbo had slammed the round green door to the smial and continued grumbling as he walked down the path.

"Yes they'll be there and they'll see him and..." Bilbo's father stopped, a pale look washing over his face.

"Oh my child …maybe we should call him back…there must be another way …a safer way… " his mother grabbed her husband's arm.

He watched as Bilbo walked far in the distance now, " We have started this in motion, one can only tamper with fate so much…we must let events take their course now and trust that in the end Bilbo will return to us…a better son; a better leader. It will be fine my dear, don't worry." But in his heart he the king hoped that he had done the right thing and that he'd get his boy back, whole and well.

The men had been watching the hobbit for some time. Traveling alone, buying supplies. He looked to have money and was a nice looking gentle-hobbit. Honey colored curly hair, young sweet features, big green eyes. Young and strong or strong enough for what they wanted anyway. He'd bring a good bit at an auction, yes indeed.

It was past sundown when Bilbo headed home. He was fuming. Why they couldn't have at least one servant was simply beyond him. Someone had to do the dirty work and it should not be ...darkness flooded his senses. Darkness and pain. Somewhere there was voices but he couldn't make out what they were saying, then the darkness won.

Hands. There were hands on him, rough, hurting him, touching him in places that were private, intimate and there was laughter. Not amused laughter, it was more cold and cruel.

"Leave the hobbit alone. Don't make me tell you again or you'll be on the auction block with him."

"Alright , alright, just a little feel no harm done. So, if he don't sell, can we have him. He'd make for some good entertainin' if you git my drift?

"If he don't sell not only will we have him but I'm going first" Somewhere a voice laughed joining the others. The laugh was cold, hard and dangerous. Bilbo was almost glad for the blindfold over his eyes and the gag in his mouth. At least he didn't have to see them. Then a hand started moving up his leg again and he whimpered.

"I SAID GET OFF THE HOBBIT." I ain't losing no money because you used him before he could be sold. " The voice was followed by the sound of someone being hit and falling onto the ground. There was cursing and then silence. Bilbo shivered grateful that it wasn't him being beaten.

If only I knew the spell they used to transform me into this disgusting, weakling, of a hobbit, I could turn back into my true self and then these creatures whatever they were, would be sorry they dared touch a prince of the royal house of Glacierian.

Sleep finally took him and then there were rough hands standing him up and shoving him into what appeared to be a wagon or cart, he couldn't be sure with the blindfold still in place. They rode for what seemed like two or three days, Twice they gave him water not once did they feed him. By the time they stopped and pushed him through what seemed like a crowd of people, he was weak and had a horrible headache. But mostly the word that had him terrified was ... auction. This could not be happening...not to...him.

"Come on now, look at the cute little fella. He'll bring in a good price from some rich old coot that wants a toy."

"I gotta make a profit too, ya know. I got me overhead, them slaves gotta be fed and watered."

"This will sell quick, look at them curls."

Bilbo wanted go scream but the gag prevented him. All he could do was stare as the two men haggled over the price of his life. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he shivered from fear. His hands were securely tied behind his back and with the blindfold removed he could see that this was indeed a slave market.

Surely his parents had missed him and would come looking. But would they even be able to find him.

"Yes, now that's better. A right fair price. Here take the hobbit." With that one of the men who had kidnapped him, pushed him over to a shorter man...no a dwarf. The dwarf turned him around inspecting every inch of Bilbo, while he mumbled to himself. Finally he took a leather collar out of a bag and placed it around Bilbo's neck. Bilbo tried to run but the dwarf hit him with a thick wooden cane, hard enough to make him fall. Leaning in close he said."Try that again and I'll break this cane over that sweet little skull of yours. Or maybe I'll just cut the tendons in your leg so ya cain't walk. There some places I could sell ya to that want ya in a bed all the time anyway. " The dwarf laughed low and mean.

Bilbo shuttered.

"And keep those pretty, little, green eyes down if ya want to keep both of them in your head."

The dwarf attached a chain to the collar and pulled a terrified Bilbo over to a cart that was really more of a cage on wheels. It had old torn blankets in one corner and hay on the floor. It looked like something you'd put an animal in to display it, not a person. There was another dwarf inside, a male. He worn dirty clothes that has obviously seen better days and an odd looking hat. Bilbo was pushed into the cage and he heard the door slam shut. He slowly looked up at the dwarf in the hat and saw a kind, gentle spirit in the dwarf's eyes.
As he walked away the slaver called to the dwarf in the hat, "Got ya a roommate there Bofur. Teach him how a proper slave behaves or I can just beat it into him, your choice."