Chapter 10
"Bilbo? Bilbo?!" Issa called frantically as she searched through the rubble that was strewn across the village. Most of the buildings had been knocked down, in whole or in part, from the blast. Of the building where they were on the roof, nothing was left standing. Although a little bruised, Issa had survived the explosion almost unscathed; whether the ring had provided protection she did not know, but she had removed it after.
She saw a glint of color and ran over to find an arm. She panicked, then saw that the arm was the length of a man's and wasn't clad in Bilbo's clothing. She continued to search fruitlessly, and didn't even notice when King Peter ran up.
"Issa!"
She looked up, only slightly relieved to see the leader. "Bilbo's here somewhere, we jumped off the building when it exploded." Peter was about to join the search when Craig the dog ran up.
"Sorry, the cave collapsed and I had to get out another way to run back here." He looked around, and bowed at the sight of what must be the High King of Narnia. "Your majesty."
"Rise, there is no time for formalities. Bilbo's around here, but we can't find him" Peter said, not worried about protocols and decorum at such a moment.
"Oh, oh, I can find him! Let me smell him out!" Craig spun around and started sniffing, running around, under and over stones and slabs. In a short time he barked. "Here! He's here!"
Peter and Issa dashed to the spot, but saw no sign of Bilbo. "No, he's here, I can smell him" Craig assured them.
"Help me lift" Peter said, and together with Issa they managed to move a few stones to uncover the body of Bilbo. Issa turned him over, and while no obvious wounds showed, the trickle of blood from his mouth and nose was a bad sign. He moaned softly.
"Bilbo?" Issa asked gently. Bilbo opened his eyes and focused on his rescuers.
"Issa. Craig. Your majesty. We stopped him, he was...going to burn down your army."
"You're all heroes of Narnia. Now I command you to rest while we get help" Peter said as he bent over the hobbit.
"It won't help" he weezed. "I'm afraid I've taken the worst of it. I can't even feel my legs or arms."
"Bilbo" Issa whispered. She bent close to him after Peter stood up and took the ring and snuck it in his vest pocket. "Your secret is safe, no one else knows about the ring."
"You were supposed to use it to escape" he muttered.
"I did. I just brought you with me." Memories of her father's death from a slide in the mines were freshly laid open again. But she made up her mind and withdrew her vial.
Bilbo gave a weak "No" at the sight.
"I'm sorry my friend" she said as she jabbed her finger into his eye. He opened his mouth to yell in pain and she dumped the contents down into his throat. Bilbo opened his eyes wide and immediately passed out.
Fireworks that would have made Gandalf proud were going off in Bilbo's head as his body felt like it was burning up. After a short time the sensation faded, as did the fireworks, until all was black again.
"You must go back to your home" a deep voice spoke.
"But how? I don't know how I got here in the first place" Bilbo replied. "Besides, I think I could get to like Narnia. There has to be room for one hobbit, even if it is in a grave somewhere."
"It's not a question of room for you or a grave, and Narnia would do well to have more of your spirit. No, you have to go back because there is work left to be done in your world. You must raise your nephew; he has a destiny that must be fulfilled and you shall set him upon that path. He will be the most famous of all Baggins, and many shall owe him their lives."
"At least I won't live alone any longer; I've come to appreciate a bit of company."
"Bilbo Baggins, you shall not live alone for the rest of your existence, which I assure you will be a very long time indeed."
Bilbo awoke from his dream to find himself lying on the ground amid rubble. That much was the same as before. And Issa, Peter and Craig were nearby like before too. What was different was that he felt healthy again...and hungry. "Have you got any food with you?" he asked.
"Oh Bilbo!' Issa laughed, tears of relief pouring down her face. Peter laughed too, and even Craig yipped.
...
After a fitting meal back at the Narnian camp, Bilbo settled back against a tree. "So I've caught you up on what we did up to me being tied up on the roof, but after that things get a little blurry. I can confirm that the person helping the giants was an elf from my world, although one I've never met before. I'm afraid something turned his mind so that he had delusions of ruling with this light weapon. He was going to try and lure your army close to the giant village so he could destroy you. Then a raven came and told me you were going to attack."
"That would be Herald. I sent him to search you out to give you the news. My counsel pointed out it would be best to attack before the enemy was ready, since we knew they were working on some new weapon. I only decided after you had already left, and I guess Herald didn't see you until you were out on the roof" Peter offered.
"Up to that point we were either in the caves or in the building; he couldn't have seen us" Issa explained.
"The next part happened really fast. Fell went and got the Arkenstone he brought from my world, and used it to start up the weapon when the horns sounded. Then Issa showed up and knocked over the stone and we jumped off the building before it exploded."
"It was like a bomb going off; we could feel the blast even on the field" Peter noted. They looked at him questionably after using the word. "Oh. A bomb is a thing they have from my world that makes a big explosion."
"I'll say" Issa observed. "I managed to land clear without much trouble, but it looks like the wall just about fell on top of Bilbo. We couldn't find you until Craig sniffed you out."
Craig wiggled his tail. "Friends smell good, they're easy to find."
"And you know you were in pretty bad shape. So I gave you my vial and it fixed you up; we knew you'd be fine when you asked for food."
"Stopping wars is hungry work" Bilbo admitted. "I think the stuff in that vial made my body work harder to heal itself too." Bilbo's third slice of sweet bread had helped restore some of his strength, no doubt.
"I think he eats more than me" Stately joked. The bear had been part of the Narnian army during the attack, but now had rejoined the heroes. "Good thing all the giants ran off after the explosion. They really are rather superstitious. I bet they don't cause any trouble for a long time to come."
"Which means I can head back" Peter laughed. "I can't wait to introduce you to my brother and sisters back at Cair Paravel; I don't think they'll believe your appetite."
"I'm not going with you, sadly" Bilbo confessed.
"Certainly you must! We are in your debt, and you must receive proper honor in the court."
"I can't...I've been told I have to go home. Please understand, Narnia is wonderful and I'd love to stay and explore but it's not to be."
"Who would say such a thing?" Peter asked, very disappointed indeed.
"I told him, Peter" a deep voice spoke behind them. They turned as one, and standing among the trees was a huge, magnificent lion.
"Aslan" Peter said and he stood and walked over to the beast.
"Aslan?" Bilbo and Issa said together as they stood.
"Aslan!" Craig yipped as he ran in circles. "Aslan, Aslan, Aslan be praised!"
"Must he go?" Peter asked.
"He must, for there are others that will depend upon him."
"Well, he's not going without something to remember us by" Peter said as he ran into his tent.
"As if I'd forget this" Bilbo murmured, still in awe of the lion.
Peter returned with rolled paper in his hand. "Issa said you were fond of maps, so I give you my own copy of a Narnia map. If you can't explore it in person, explore it in spirit." He handed the map to Bilbo, who bowed sincerely. "With all the gratitude we could possibly ever extend" Peter finished, bowing to Bilbo in turn. Bilbo tried to say something but choked on the words as he put the map inside his coat pocket.
"I don't have any maps or anything" Craig whined "but lean close and I'll give you something." Bilbo leaned down and Craig reached up and licked his face. Bilbo stood up and wiped his cheek, but smiled in a good-natured way.
"We bears are known for our hugs" Stately said as he started toward Bilbo. Bilbo tried to jump out of the way, but Stately grabbed him too quickly. The hug was surprisingly gentle, however. "You're too fragile for me to give you a real hug."
Bilbo broke free of the hug, only to see that Issa was talking with Aslan quietly. She didn't look happy, but the lion's eyes showed that he was sympathetic. After the lion spoke a bit, Issa brightened somewhat and they returned. Issa walked up to Bilbo and gave him a long hug that made Stately's pale in comparison for strength. Without speaking she released and walked back to Peter and the rest of the group.
"It's time, Bilbo" Aslan stated simply.
Bilbo plodded over to the lion, and together they walked slowly away.
"You do understand, don't you" Aslan said, more as a statement than a question.
"Yes, but I don't have to like it much" Bilbo added.
"No, that is true enough, but true heroes know when the doing of a thing is better than doing what they want. What one thing would you have before you leave?" Aslan asked.
Bilbo thought for some time of all that happened. "For Issa's vial to be refilled. She used it on me instead of saving it for herself."
"It was her choice, but that is within my power to restore. It is done."
Bilbo blinked, and in front of the two stood a door out in the middle of the trees. It was a proper hobbit door, round with a knob in the center. Bilbo touched the knob, then turned to look one more time upon Narnia. The group was some distance away, watching. He waved and they waved back. "Thank you for all that you've done, Bilbo."
"Thank you, Aslan. Please tell Issa she's the best ever. I never got around to it."
Bilbo opened the door and saw that it led into an actual room only visible through the doorway. As he passed through he heard Aslan say "You can tell her yourself next time you see her" just as the door closed. Bilbo opened the door again to ask what he meant. but when he did he looked upon his front porch and the Shire beyond. Turning around, he checked the interior of his own house. In the front room his tea sat, still hot with a wisp of steam rising from it, and his pipe burning. He ran outside and saw Ronto Brandybuck passing.
"Looking for someone?" Ronto asked.
"Your cousin Sandy" Bilbo blurted out. "I thought...er...I heard her out here."
"Not likely, Bilbo. She's been gone to Bree the last two days visiting. I'll let her know you want to see her when she returns. Good day!" he said as he continued on down the path.
Bilbo returned to his front room and sat down. It was as if Sandy had never been here and he hadn't been gone. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a rolled up parchment. Unrolling it, he found the map of Narnia. Much of it he didn't know at all, but Peter had mentioned Cair Paravel, and there were other spots that had been on Issa's map of the northern country too.
Bilbo's immediate thought was to display the map proudly on a wall in his home, but then thought better of it; on the odd chance that a visitor might start asking too many questions he felt it best to keep the map to himself.
There was also a smaller rolled up map that Bilbo knew wasn't there when Peter handed the Narnia map to him. He unrolled it, and studied the design. It was very simply drawn, with only the odd title 'Undying Lands' written in fancy script across the top. Precisely one spot was marked on the map, and it was indicated with an 'X'. Under the mark was written 'Bilbo and Issa's house'. An unnamed sea spread out to the east, and a lion and a lamb were drawn together at each corner.
"How peculiar," thought Bilbo "I wonder where that came from. As if lands could actually die elsewhere." He rolled up both maps and put them away for safe keeping, opening a cupboard to stash them far in the back, and closed the door afterward.
The End
A/N: Since my whole adventure of writing and posting stories on this site began with a collaboration with a friend, I felt that a second such effort would commemorate the 100th story quite nicely. My friend came up with an idea, we rolled some story cubes for seeding objects, and I sat down to write. Of course I put us in the story, but as before with minor characters. I didn't use his werewolf idea because I really don't know enough about them, but his mad elf managed to make it in. We hope you enjoyed it.
Walt and Craig