Chapter seven
The party
I walked towards the field where party would be. Shiom was resting in a tree situated in a field and I was currently clouded-blending in with my surroundings. There were tables for miles and it seemed as if he had invited the whole town.
Then the fireworks started. They were made by Gandalf. There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke; their leaves opened like a whole spring unfolding in a moment, and their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the hobbits. The hobbits were all dancing with each other and the music was playing gaily. I stood by a table, which thankfully no hobbit was occupying at the moment and watched Frodo and his gardener. Bilbo had subtlety introduced him to me earlier, by walking past where he knew I was, he shouted his nephew's name loud, then glanced over at me. Frodo was now discussing something with his gardener, whose name he revealed to be Sam. The gardener had his eyes fixated on a beautiful young female hobbit, who had captured most of the male hobbits' attention. I sidestepped a few hobbits headed my way holding the large birthday cake meant for Bilbo. Frodo pushed Sam towards the golden-haired female hobbit. She caught Sam and started a dance in which Frodo laughed at his love-struck friend. I walked past Bilbo, who was telling the tale of the stone trolls to a group of children, who were transfixed by his story and past Gandalf, whom was dancing along in a crowd of hobbits. I stopped by the back of a large tent, to get away from all the noise. Gandalf walked to where I was standing invisible and took a number of fireworks from a wagon that was situated there.
Then, a mischievous hobbit face peeked out from behind the wagon, with a curly brown mop and a grin on his face. He hit a neighbouring tent, and out popped a hobbit, looking similar to the first. The first hobbit gave his friend a hand up on the wagon, where he stole a large firework, in the shape of a dragon. I chuckled to myself as I walked away and sat on my previous spot. A few moments later, a large red dragon, Shiom informed me later was an imitation of his brother, Smaug and that Gandalf assured me was an inside joke between him, the thirteen dwarves and Bilbo. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault and burst over Bywater with a deafening explosion.
"That's the signal for supper!" said Bilbo. The pain and alarm vanished at once, and the prostate hobbits leaped to their feet. There was a splendid supper for the family dinner. Twelve dozen sat at that table and I was comfortably seated on a branch of a large oak tree that informed me it was over two thousand years old, with Shiom resting a few paces away. I watched the party below with an air of boredom.
The hobbits finished their supper, and started to chant: Speech, Bilbo, speech! Bilbo arose from his seat and walked over to stand on a chair by the tree that I was occupying at the moment. One hand was waving about in the air and the other was in his trouser-pocket. I suspect he was a bit tipsy that night.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirldles and Proudfeets!" the large crowd of hobbits cheer after each name is spoken.
"Today is my one hundred-and-eleventy birthday." He slurred a bit, and then carried on.
"But alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve! Shiom and I trade looks of confusion and the hobbits below start to whisper amongst themselves. Bilbo wrings his hands, then sticks one back into his pocket.
"I have things to do." He pauses in his words and fishes something that neither my drake nor I can identify out and hides it behind his back. The air grows dark and I feel my chest tightening.
"I regret to announce that this is the end! I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye." Gandalf shoots me a fleeting look, and I knew instantly what to do. My right hand shot up and curled. Bilbo disappeared in a flash of white light and a chunk of the ground shot up.
The crowd immediately became a frenzy of hobbits. Gandalf stood up and calmed the crowd down. He then turned to me and begged me silently to carry on further. I sighed, but jumped down and made myself visible. I walked to Frodo and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Tell the hobbits to go home, get a good night's sleep. Clean-up will start tomorrow." I turn to walk away, but he stops me.
"Wait, who are you? Where's Gandalf?" I sigh, not wanting to elaborate.
"Gandalf has gone to talk to your uncle. I am a friend of Gandalf's. Please, do as I say." I have to half push away a few hobbits and then pick up a child and place him on the table, for he was crying for his parents. I duck behind a handful of hobbits and take upon the background. I jump over a few rocks and walk up to the hole. I stop outside the door. Gandalf's voice is a harsh reprimand, quite different to the kind-hearted tone that I have familiarized myself with.
"Bilbo Baggins! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks! I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you." His voice grew wearier and I frowned then I could not hear more, for it seemed as if they had become silent. Then, as I was about to knock on the door, it suddenly opened and Bilbo stepped out, turning back to the door, facing something I could not make out.
"And he lived happily ever after to the end of his days." He whispers. Gandalf's voice carries on over to me,
"And I'm sure you will, my dear friend." Bilbo whispers something back and starts walking my way, singing a song that he had most likely penned.
The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began
It was then I chose to reveal myself. Stepping out of the shadows, I speak:
"Why did you have the ring, Bilbo?" he jumps up in the air and placed a worn hand upon his chest.
"Lady Azrael! Why, you startled me!" he berates me and I stare at him.
"Answer my question." He looks away and then back at me.
"I took it from Sméagol, who was once a hobbit, but we do not know now what he is. It was in the Lonely Mountains. It's mine, all right, it was mine. I suppose it is not really anybody's ring; but it is Frodo's duty to bear the ring now. Will you see to it that he is safe?" he turns his gaze to me and I bow my head my head respectfully.
"Be assured that I shall." I lay a rough, sun-weathered hand upon his shoulder.
"Be you off to Rivendell?" he nods.
"May the earth be kind to you the rest of your days. May the earth protect you in times when you need protection. May the earth provide you with gifts, if that is her will. You will come across Shiom if you continue in this path. It is safe to say that he shall also bless you. Farewell, Bilbo Baggins, son of Drogo" I take my hand off and enter the hobbit hole.
"Míthrandir?" I call softly. My chest tightens up once more and I look down. On the floor, is the One Ring. I bend slowly and stretch my hand out. I touch the rim of the ring gingerly and jump back; my mind reeling from the images running through my mind now. Homes that are burnt; corpses of young children litter the ground. Shiom, with multiple arrows in his neck. A man, who could be my twin, falls to the ground, a sword in his chest. A dwarf, beheaded by his own axe. And an elf, the fairest that I have ever seen, carries on fighting, even though he already has two arrows in his chest.
A cold hand touches my shoulder. I let out a small shriek and whip around, dragging my dagger out at the same time. It is Gandalf, I shudder with relief.
"Míthrandir." Unwanted tears fill up my eyes and I brush them away, on the pretext of brushing my hair away.
"What did you see, child?" his voice soothes me.
"War, Gandalf. I saw war if we let the ring reach him." He nods and I carry on.
"Gandalf, he knows I am wanting to destroy the ring. He will come for me and torture me." Gandalf's eyes tear up and he crouches down to my level.
"My dear Kama, he will have to go through me first." I nod and am about to embrace him when a voice calls for Bilbo and the hole opens.
Quick as a shadow, I blend and rush to the other side of the room. Gandalf's hand falls to his side, Frodo Baggins stands in the doorway. He stoops to pick the ring up and I hear a shadowy voice laugh low and mockingly in my mind, as if the Dark Lord was informing me he had a new person to torture. Gandalf looks at Frodo, expecting the hobbit to speak first. Frodo gazes at the ring and then glances over at the wizard.
"He's gone, hasn't he?" he asks, his voice soft, disappointment clouds his words.
"He talked so long about leaving...I didn't think he'd really do it." He walks over to Gandalf. The wizard stares at him, but his eyes are leagues away. He pulls himself back at the sound of his name and glances down at Frodo's hand which had the ring.
"Bilbo's ring." He proclaimed. He stands up and reaches for an envelope on the mantelpiece, opens it and motions to Frodo to place the ring inside.
"He's gone to stay with the elves. He's left you Bag End." He stamps the back with a seal.
"The ring is yours now." He hands Frodo the envelope and the hobbit takes it warily.
"Put it somewhere out of sight." Gandalf tells him.
"Gandalf, why did I hear voices?" Frodo inquires.
"Merely muses of an old wizard." Gandalf waves his hand.
"Where are you going?" Frodo asks him, Gandalf makes his way over to the door.
"There are some things that I must see to." He answers.
"What things?" Frodo inquires.
"Questions. Questions that need answering." The wizard says, pulling his cloak on and strapping on his sword.
"You've only just arrived." Frodo states. Gandalf stands up as straight as possible in the small hobbit hole and sighs.
"Lady Kama, would you show yourself, please?" he glances over in my direction. I walk over to the hobbit, now visible. Frodo starts as he recognises me.
"Hay, I saw you at the party!" I nod, and then turn to Gandalf, awaiting my order. Frodo looks at Gandalf, then back at me.
"I don't understand." He says softly.
"Neither do I. Lady Kama here will help you. She is well-educated in basically everything. She will keep you company and wait with you until I get back." He bends to Frodo.
"Keep it secret. Keep it safe."
"Gandalf!" I shout softly. He turns in my direction.
Where are you going? I ask in the Elvish tongue. He sighs and replies with:
I have to figure things out. Please, help the hobbit and try not to do anything rash, such as that time we were in Dale- I stop him before he could remind me. I nod and he is gone, as swift as a raven.
Frodo stares at the envelope in his hand and then turns to me. I try not to flinch, for the ring is beckoning me to open the envelope, take the ring and fly to Mordor quicker than the wind.
"So I suppose you were the one talking to Gandalf." He states, I nod.
"So, you have to look after me now." Frodo states. My mouth quirks up in a smile.
"If I want to. Shiom!" I tell him and then turn to the door. Not a moment has passed and Shiom is in front of the door. I scratch his head and turn back to Frodo. His eyes have grown larger than anything. I laugh softly and ask him:
"Would you like to touch him, Frodo?"
