Hi! Me again!
I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the romance bit comes later, way after she reaches Rivendell, so you'll just have to wait. I also have a bad case of laughing at stuff that no one else happens to laugh at. If you don't like my humour and complain then I'll smile at you and subtly tell you to get a life.;)
I also apologize with most of me (the part that's not black and evil) if I get times and distances wrong. I'm not too good with them, especially the time thing. I'm always late for everything except chapters! Aren't you readers lucky?
And for those of you who've read so far:
R.K. Binx: My first reviewer! Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I'm waiting with bated breath for your next chapter. Keep reading:)
ArwenEvenstar83: Yay! Another reviewer! And all within two days! Wow. Anyways, you like it already? I do hope so. If you didn't, you wouldn't have said that…Thankyou soooooooooooooo much! I will update the chapters as seen below. And guess what? You get the Grand Smiley:)
I'll be updating at least once a week from now on, and if anyone wishes I'll post stuff quicker. It all depends on the reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tolkien's stuff or other people's work. I don't even own me…no, wait. I DO own me.
To Be A Girl In Middle-Earth
Chapter 2: In which I black out again
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Before I opened my eyes again, I noticed three things.
One, I was wet.
Two, I wasn't cold. That's strange. People usually get cold when they're wet.
Three, I was hungry, and…when I did open my eyes…
Four, I was lying on my back in a cart that was trundling along a very bumpy road, surrounded by lots of pointy objects. Damn! I thought. I'm definitely not in Rivendell. I don't even think I'm in Middle-Earth. I tried to move and cursed loudly when most of the objects stuck into me. The cart suddenly stopped, and a figure cloaked in grey appeared in my line of sight.
"Let me help you, lass," a gruff voice said. A large hand grasped mine, pulled me to my feet and helped me down, away from the pointy things.
"You were found lying near the bridge, dead to the world. You must've been asleep for hours! I took it upon myself to carry you." The man was old – the fact was obvious since he had a long grey beard. He led me to the front of the cart and set me up in the seat before climbing up himself.
"You should know better than to be wandering around alone, even if you are this far from Mordor," he said as the cart began to move again. I looked up at his face and knew who my captor/rescuer was. I should've recognized him from his pointy hat – it went well with the pointy objects that I realized to be fireworks.
"Gandalf!" I exclaimed. So I had come to Middle-Earth.
"Aye, lass, that'd be my name," the wizard said. "And what would be yours?"
I had to think for a moment before I remembered Galadriel's words. "Víralairë."
"A pretty name."
I knuckled myself in the forehead. Stupid, I thought. He'll know that it's Elvish! I'm glad my hair is covering my ears! I wonder where he's going? Fireworks, cart, bumpy road…of course!
"When's Bilbo's party?" I asked, to change the subject.
"How do you know about it?" he asked suspiciously, then checked himself. "It's this evening."
"How far are we from Hobbiton?"
Gandalf pointed over the rise in the road.
"Over that hill and around that bend."
"Can I come?"
"Maybe."
"Please?"
"I said maybe!"
"Please?"
"We'll have to ask Bilbo. And please halt your questions."
We sat in silence until Gandalf started singing. It wasn't very loud, and it was more than muffled in his beard. A figure suddenly jumped out onto the rise beside the road.
"You're late," it said in mock grumpiness. Gandalf stopped the cart (and his singing), and I watched with interest as he made himself frown, his white eyebrows covering his eyes. He looked up.
"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins," he said.
Frodo continued to frown.
"Nor is he early," Gandalf continued. "He arrives precisely when he means to."
There was a pause during which each tried to out stare the other. It didn't last long.
Frodo grinned. "It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!"
He flung himself at the wizard, nearly knocking me off my seat.
"Hey!" I shouted.
"My apologies my Lady," the Hobbit apologized.
"Apology accepted, but I'm not a lady, I'm just sixteen," I said.
"You're bigger than me."
That was true.
"Let him call you a lady if he wishes, Víralairë," Gandalf advised, and leaned over to whisper, "Later I wish to be enlightened on how you know so much about the halflings."
Great. He didn't trust me. It was probably something to do with my clothes. I'd bet my left arm that not one inhabitant of Middle-Earth had ever heard of jeans before.
"Víralairë…isn't that in Elvish name?" Frodo asked. I said nothing. Presently, he turned to Gandalf and asked him to tell of news from 'Outside'.
"Tell me everything!" the Hobbit insisted.
"Everything's a lot to know, Frodo," I said, breaking out of my silence. I was still a bit upset that I hadn't arrived when everyone was at Rivendell and things started to get interesting. "Just be thankful that the Shire is not widely known amongst the Outsiders," otherwise you would be dead, I added silently.
I could hear faint cries of the wizard's name after we passed the place where the party was to be held. A short while after that half a dozen Hobbit-children ran up behind the cart. Frodo and I looked at Gandalf who seemed to take no notice until – with thousands of loud bangs and whistles – dozens of the wizard's fireworks shot off up into the air. A cheer followed this from all the watchers.
-----
Gandalf pulled the cart up outside the gate of Bag End. Frodo had left us a few minutes before. I'd had a few weird stares from Hobbits we passed, but so far, my appearance had not been thoroughly objected to. Thankfully.
"Come, lass," said Gandalf. I happily followed him, glad to be off his bumpy cart. The wizard strode up the path and tapped on the tiny, round front door with his staff.
"No thank you!" Bilbo's muffled voice called from inside. "I don't want anymore visitors, well-wishers or distant relations."
"And what about very old friends?" Gandalf called.
The door opened to Bilbo's puzzled face that cleared as soon as he saw the wizard.
"Gandalf!" Bilbo said and ran to hug him.
"Who are you, fair maiden?" he asked me when he was released. Fair? I wondered. I'm not beautiful enough to be considered fair.
"This," Gandalf answered for me, "is Lady Víralairë."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Lady," Bilbo bowed, which was kind of nice.
"Pleased to meet you too, Bilbo," I said, "Although I can introduce myself, Gandalf," and without the title of 'Lady', too, I added to myself.
A cool breeze blew on my face as the Hobbit studied me and I began to shiver. I don't know what had been keeping me warm before, but it was gone now. I was suddenly fully aware of my wet hair clinging to my clothes and my soggy clothes clinging to my skin.
"M-Master Bilbo, c-could you p-please lend m-me a towel? Or a b-blanket?" I asked.
"Of course! Where are my manners? Come in, come in!" he ushered us inside, looked around quickly and closed the door. I had to duck to fit, which I realized after I hit my head once or twice, but that was nothing compared to poor Gandalf. He had to be bent over in half; everywhere he turned he hit something and cursed under his breath. I laughed at him until he grinned himself.
Corridors spread in all directions and Bilbo hurried every which way through them. Asking questions all the time. I was handed a blanket and asked if I would like some wine.
"No, she's too young Bilbo," said Gandalf.
"Oh. Tea?"
"Yes please," I replied. It'd warm me up.
"Sugar?"
"No thanks."
It was really quite frustrating, sitting there quietly while Gandalf and the Hobbit exchanged news. It was equally upsetting that Bilbo kept fingering something in his pocket, something I knew to be the Ring.
-----
Nevertheless, the time passed quickly and the time for the party arrived. Bilbo had let me come so Gandalf had asked him for a hooded cape for me to wear over my clothes so no one would notice them.
"I'd like you to keep an eye on my supplies," the wizard told me. "Just in case they start disappearing faster than I'm using them."
Good, I thought. He's beginning to trust me.
-----
Before the guests were allowed onto the grounds, Bilbo shouted out:
"This, my friends, shall be a night to remember!"
Then the gates were opened and the party began.
And, by God, was it noisy.
Gandalf let off his fireworks every few minutes and I stayed very close to him because I didn't want to be trampled by some half-drunk Hobbit. Being near Gandalf soon made me smell like gunpowder and smoke, so I went searching for Frodo. I found him sitting with another Hobbit whispering quietly and throwing quick glances at the dancers behind them.
"Master Frodo!" I called; he looked up and quickly waved me over.
"Lady Víralairë can help us, Sam," I heard him whisper as I reached them.
"I'm not a lady, Frodo," I said forcefully. After both Hobbits gave me a puzzled look, I decided to retract my efforts for the time being.
"My Lady, this is Samwise Gamgee – everyone calls him Sam," Frodo explained. "And since you're a lady, I was wondering if –"
"Don't tell her, Mr. Frodo," Sam whispered.
"Don't tell me what?" I asked as I sat down. Sam's face went red and he mumbled something. Frodo sighed.
"He said he wants to ask Rosie Cotton to dance, but doesn't rightly know the way to go about it," he translated. Sam's face went a deeper shade of crimson than before.
I grinned. This would be fun.
"Asking girls to dance is easy, Sam, you just open your mouth and say the words. Or…there is an another way. Stand up," I asked.
"Go on Sam," urged Frodo, "ask Rosie for a dance."
Sam quickly got up from his seat. "I think I'll just have another ale."
"Oh, no you don't," Frodo and I chorused, grabbed him by the arms and pushed him towards Rosie, who up until then had been solo. Sam collided with her and she swept him into her dance. Frodo and I burst out laughing at the absurdly happy look on his face.
I left him and went over to where Bilbo was telling a fairly embellished version of his adventures sixty years before. That got boring after a while, so I went to check on Gandalf's cart of fireworks. From the movie, I gathered that Merry and Pippin would be looking through it sometime soon. I walked up to the opened store of pointy things and looked for the large red one that was shaped like a dragon's head.
It was gone.
"Oh, crap. Gandalf!" I screamed. What if this wasn't like the movie? What if the two Hobbits got hurt? What if…? Stupid what if's! Anyway, I'd never forgive myself.
I was too late. The tent nearby exploded and a huge light shot into the air. It transformed itself into the shape of a dragon and I tried to watch calmly while over a hundred Hobbits ran screaming from it's path.
I did have to duck as it swept over my head though. I liked my hair the way it was, which included not having it half singed.
The light-dragon disappeared into the distance and exploded with the most fantastic firework display yet. The Hobbits' screams turned to cheers. It was amazing how quickly their moods could change.
Just then, Gandalf found me.
"What's wrong, lass?" he asked in a concerned way. "Why did you call me? It was only a display of lights, there's not need to be –"
"I wasn't scared Gandalf. But I do know who took that firework."
"Who?" he asked quietly. I pointed to the now tent-less and grass-less patch of ground. Two blackened Hobbits stood there, still in awe of the confusion they had made.
"That was good," said one.
The other nodded. "Let's get another one!"
"Right," Gandalf said huffily. In two short strides he had reached them and grabbed their ears.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck. And Peregrin Took. I might've known. Víralairë?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you know if there is any room for extra workers in the kitchens?"
I smiled. "I do. The kitchens are in desperate need of people to clean the dirty dishes."
"How could you do this to us, my lady?" Pippin cried as the wizard propelled them towards the correct tent just as cries of 'speech! speech!' started to emerge from the rest of the crowd's noise. Bilbo was going to disappear.
I immediately forgot about Merry and Pippin. All those Hobbits were about to get very surprised. This I had to see.
I went to find Frodo, but he saw me before I saw him and pulled me down beside him. Bilbo had just stepped up on a chair to face his audience. Some of them had drunk so much it was a wonder that they could stand.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins," Bilbo began, "Tooks and Brandybucks! Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers and Proudfoots!"
"Proudfeet!" a hobbit with exceptionally large and hairy feet called out.
"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!" Bilbo continued.
A deafening roar of cheers went up. This speech was short and to the point, but he was doing well. Much better than I would be anyway.
"Alas! Eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live amongst such excellent and admirable Hobbits."
Another cheer.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." There was no applause here. Everyone was trying to figure out if what he said was a compliment or not.
"I…um…"
I watched as Bilbo's hand went to his pocket. Taking something out of it he held it behind his back.
"I have things to do…"
God! Even I could've made up a better excuse than that.
"I regret to announce this is the end. I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell," he looked at Frodo.
"Goodbye," he whispered, and vanished.
And then my mind went blank.
Heh, heh, sorry, cliffhanger. There. Second chapter done. Review and then I'll post up what happens to my character (By the way, I'll be referring to Rosalie as Víralairë if I ever have to write about her here. Hope you've enjoyed it so far). :)