A month after the party, I came to the realization that I wouldn't ever wake up. I was stuck here, as a hobbit, in the Shire. The only redeeming thing about the situation was Frodo, but he had left three weeks ago on his quest to destroy the ring. Which left me bored and lost in the Shire life.
Slowly, I was accustoming to making my own food out of raw ingredients, and eating seven meals a day. I even learned how to get into one of those confounded dresses!
I was reading an insanely boring book one evening when a knock on the door caused me to startle. Rushing over to open it, I was surprised to find Rosie Cotton on my doorstep.
"Hi, Elanor!" she greeted. I had assumed Rosie and Elanor were friends prior to my moving in, so to speak.
I ushered her in, then closed the door. "What brings you here so late?" I asked.
"Well…I was hoping you knew something about Frodo and Sam," she hesitantly spoke, as if she were trying to beat around the bush. "I figured you'd know something. You and Frodo were a couple, weren't you?"
"Um…" I shrugged, because honestly, I didn't know.
"How do you not know?" Rosie looked at me oddly.
"I just…don't. Anyways! What did you want to know?" I hoped she'd catch on to the abrupt subject change.
"Well…" she began, "Why did they leave? And to where?"
I decided to be honest with the poor girl. I mean, what harm could come? "They went on a dangerous, dark journey to Mordor to destroy the enduring, evil spirit of Sauron by climbing directly into a volcano and destroying a ring. But they'll be back in six months, don't worry!" Okay, maybe that sounded better in my head, because Rosie's face had gone completely ash white.
"What?" she shrieked. "They'll get themselves killed!" A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I never…I never even…" Now she was just bawling, so I tried to comfort her. But a crying woman is really awkward, especially when she's older than you are.
She finally stopped after about 20 minutes. "Sorry…to bother you," she sniffled. "I can't be late for my shift at the Green Dragon…" She got up and exited my house, leaving me sitting on the ground, baffled.
"Was it something I said?" I called after her.
A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter, there just wasn't much I could do with this one (It's also one of FL93's shorter chapters). Nothing eventful happens in the Shire right now, so this part is mostly filler.