Ch. 2

Bilbo sat staring at his hands… his young tweenaged hands…

Had it all been a dream…? But no, it couldn't be! How could he have dreamed a whole lifetime; a life much longer than any other hobbits, in just one night…? How could he have dreamed of friends and foes, of love and loss, of the only one he would ever name his King… his heart? And even if so; he knew that he could never dream of such pain for, not only him but all of the hobbits. Dream of his mother's death in the mouth of a wolf… his father's fading…

No matter if what he had seen, had felt on his own body, had truly happened, or if he had only experienced a warning for the future (seldom as it was; there were stories of hobbits who got warnings of the future through their sleep, all of them Tooks, and even if he didn't bare the name, he did bare the blood); he knew with the very essence of his being that the winter, which had started so worryingly early this year, would end in pain, tears and blood of hobbits at the claws and teeth of wolves and orcs.

Unless… unless he proved himself to be a true Baggins.

Contraire to what most believed (even that meddling wizard, who had congratulated him on showing his Took blood, when in truth; his actions proved that he was a true Baggins) being a Baggins didn't just mean that you were proper, polite to a fault and always kept your appointments. No being a true Baggins meant; that you were always prepared; always had at least a dozen solutions to every problem that could come. That way you wouldn't be stressed and had the ability to show even those you detested a polite smile, wouldn't be surprised so you always made it to your appointments in time, and had no unknown to fear so you would always be able to be proper, whether in clothing or words.

He had gotten a warning (whether he had had a prophetic dream or had been sent back in time, he did not know nor care) and he would save; not only his beloved mother, but all of Hobbiton.

The winter, which would in later years be known as the Fell Winter, had only just started, while the frost had come; the first, and lasting, snow hadn't. There was still time to gather the last food from the woods, hunt as many animals as possible and gather a much greater surplus of wood than what they would all have had without this warning.

But doing so for only Bag Ends wouldn't be enough… even advising his neighbors to do so wouldn't be enough. What he needed was a decree from the Thain; to get ready for the hardest winter in hobbit memory!

Because no matter what they did; they would have too little food, too little wood, and get hunted by the wolves when they crossed the river.

As Bilbo got out of his bed; he prepared what he would have to say to his parents to be allowed to go for a trip to Tookbrok; to visit his grandfather, the Thain.

…o0O0o..

The trip to his grandfather's home had been neither longer nor harder than usual, yet Bilbo felt absolutely exhausted. He had spent the whole trip looking out for wolves, even knowing that they wouldn't be here for yet another month (if he remembered right).

He was welcomed by his family with cheer and smiles, which turned to worried frowns when he, with some urgency, told them that he needed to speak with the Thain.

"Bilbo, my dearest grandson, what brings you here? And alone? Why are your parents not with you dear child; you are much too young to travel for days on your own!"

Bilbo took a deep breath, he really hoped that his grandfather would hear him out… and would believe him. After all; his story was a little farfetched. But no… he would do his best. He might be young; but he was a Baggins, and you could always trust a Baggins word.

"Grandfather, I come to inform you of two things… first of all; the legends are true, and Took blood had once again produced a dream seer… I have lived my life, from start to end… I did not like it. It does not end well for neither me nor my parents, nor for Hobbiton, or even middle earth itself… please hear my warning, and we might yet be able to save lives."

The Thain looked worried at his grandson, but upon meeting his eyes he could not hold back a gasp. Those were the eyes of an old and world weary hobbit. Eyes he had been told, through what he had believed to be fairytales, would be in the young face of a just awoken dream seer. His young grandson, the only child of his favorite daughter, the oldest surviving female of his 12 children, told the truth.

Time must be dire indeed; as a dream seer, at least according to legends, would only ever awaken in time of great need. It was said to be a gift from Yavanna (first awoken to instigate their escape from their enemy in the east, and bringing a vision of safety in the form of what was now known as Hobbiton) and something that should always be honored. That his grandson had been given this gift both brought him great happiness (to be blessed by Yavanna was a great thing) and great fear; for all of theirs, and especially his grandsons, future.

He took in his grandsons determined visage with great trepidation, then he nodded; he knew better than to ignore a warning from their mother.

As Bilbo laid down how the winter would go, should nothing be changed from his vision, horror overtook The Old Took. They would have to prepare right away… even if they were given a whole month before disaster struck, he believed in the old Baggins proverb 'to be prepared', and if that was what they had to prepare for; not only an agonizing long winter, followed by flooding in the spring, but also attacks from wolves and orcs, he better be quick and throughout.

True; his grandson told him of the help that would come from the rangers and Gandalf himself, but he also told him about the death of his beloved daughter… of how the rangers had been spread too thin by the many attacks, and had been unable to protect his family when they had come toward Tookbrok searching for food.

While they had food enough in his own smial to withstand the coming winter, even without rationing, most of the hobbits under his care did not. And to force his beloved people to choose between death by hunger or wolves; it was not something he was willing to let happen.

As his grandson advised him on what would be needed to prepare for the coming winter; Gerontius wrote decree after decree.

Everyone was to fill their smials with as much food as possible; animals were to be hunted and preserved for an uncommonly long winter. Everyone was to prepare as much wood as their smials could possibly hold and one from every smial would be trained in how to use a bow from the bounders. Everyone willing would be taught how to use weapons; be they a frying pan or sword. Those who had livestock would be protected extra carefully by the bounders, so that they need not lose their way of life to the hunger of wolves and orcs. And a curfew would be adapted as soon as the river froze over… no fauntling would be lost due to their parents not knowing about the coming enemy.

They would be prepared; even if he would go down in the history of the Shire as a mad man.

Finally; after many decrees, with a short break for tea taken, still working, in the study, Bilbo, who had been tense like a spring, relaxed. They were as prepared as they could be.

Gerontius called in the head of the bounders, his nephew Isengard, and told him to get the bounders to spread the word of the new decrees. Every hobbit above 21 years of age was to hear, and obey, what had been decided.

…o0O0o…

When Bilbo returned home the decrees had already been delivered. And while both his parents and neighbors did indeed think the Thain mad, but still; no hobbit, in all of their history (both in Hobbiton and from the days of wandering), had ever not obeyed a direct order from the Thain.

His parents sent him strange looks while they were working to prepare for the winter, according to the Thain's orders; they clearly thought him somehow involved in the sudden decisions from his grandfather, but did not dare to ask (it was the Thain's business after all, and even if their son were possibly involved; it did not concern them).

When the river froze over, and the first howls from wolves were heard, everyone relaxed in their warm, food-filled smials. They kept the children inside after dark (and under sharp supervision when they were outside in the light of day), so as not to lose a single fauntling to their new enemy; the wolves.

But while they had been prepared for the lasting cold, and following flood, and the hunting wolves, the orcs were a greater danger than they had been able to prepare for.

Soon everyone, down to the youngest tween, was able to defend themselves (and the fauntlings) from attacks from the orcs, and while many a life was lost; it was very, very few compared to what could have happened.

…o0O0o…

When the winter had passed; Gerontius 'the Old' Took was celebrated as the greatest Thain since their wandering days. The Thain, being a proper hobbit, couldn't accept the praise he felt should rightfully lay at his grandsons feet, but after much begging from his grandson; he reluctantly agreed to do as asked, and kept his grandsons involvement with their early warning, and the resulting commandeered actions, a secret.

And while Bilbo continued training with his knifes and bow (finding a sword among hobbits was as close to impossible as finding honor among goblins), he was never called queer or un-hobbish, like he had been after his journey to Erebor and change in personality in his last life. Instead he was seen as lightly damaged by the Fell winter's constant fear. But as he was not alone in his insistence of being ready to defend himself and his fellow hobbits (as those fellow hobbits believed to be the reason) from any danger that would come, he was just accepted, and normally just got a nod in recognition for his hard work (not a word, neither behind his back or to his face, were spoken in a demeaning way) when he was seen training.