The Road to Middle-earth
A fan fiction by MushrooomsPTook
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!
A/N - Warning for hobbit fluffiness, and also a Hobbit spoiler alert nearing the end of the document. The section is enclosed with asterisks (***). If you have not read The Hobbit, then read at your own risk, or you can pass this section altogether and not miss out on anything overly important.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Gift of Family
After our first breakfast had been sabotaged by the events of that morning, Eglantine and Esmeralda made a second batch of pancakes, but not before pulling out some fresh fruit from the pantry for the hobbits (or humans) that hadn't yet eaten anything. This meant Meriadoc and Peregrin were sent away in order to keep their grubby hands off the food.
I learned later that Merry had once met the old wizard, but he was too young to remember such a meeting. At any rate, it took quite a while for both lads to get used to his enormous presence, but Gandalf spoke kindly to them and offered them stories to keep their minds off their stomachs. One could tell the wizard wasn't used to being around so many children at one time. Alice was exceedingly talkative around him and while he did his best to entertain her questions, any sudden movements from the wizard caused Pippin to become alarmed and seek refuge from his mother. So he found that the hobbitlings were more calm when he was sitting. After all, a great and powerful wizard can't get into too much trouble if he is half his height.
Having seen how relaxed Frodo was around Gandalf also put Merry and Pippin's minds at ease, and gradually, they took a liking to the mysterious stranger. He would make funny faces and tell stories about real dragons and brave warriors that rode gallantly into battle. Alice became very possessive of the wizard and if his attention strayed too long on Merry or Pippin, or anyone else for that matter, she would somehow revert the conversation according to her interests. After a while, I had to talk to the child in private and reproach her for her behavior.
"Do you have kids?" Merry asked the wizard at one point.
"Uh, no—I wouldn't say—"
"What about a pet wabbit? I had one wast summuh but it wan away."
"I can't say I've ever had one, Peregrin, but I am sorry for your loss."
"What makes you so tall?"
"Why do you have lots of hair?"
"How old are you?" asked Merry. "You look older than Cousin Bilbo and he's real old!"
A wooden spoon was heard dropping in the kitchen. "Meriadoc Brandybuck!" cried Esmeralda. "That is not polite. Now you apologize to Mr. Gandalf this instant!"
Merry ducked his head. "Sorry, Mr. Gandalf." When his mother withdrew her stern gaze, the little lad beckoned the wizard to bend his head and I heard him whisper, "I'm not really sorry, but don't tell anyone."
"Well, at least you're honest," chuckled Gandalf.
"Lads," said Paladin. "Why don't you give Mr. Gandalf a rest? Why not you entertain him for once? Show him something interesting that he might like."
Gandalf lifted his hand to protest, but Pippin's green eyes danced mischievously and a grin spread across his face. He hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a carrot from Bilbo's pantry, eliciting a curious look from the old hobbit. When he came back, he proudly held the beautiful vegetable up in front of Gandalf and said, "Look what I can do!" He then bore his little teeth into the defenseless carrot, emitting a series of growls, and shaking his head from side to side. Frodo, Alice, and I laughed in unison, but Paladin and Eglantine were mortified.
Bilbo was heard muttering, "Okaaaay... What in Elbereth's name do you feed your son?"
"It's what he feeds himself when they're not around," Pearl replied.
If Gandalf was amused, he did not show it in his face, but rather in his response. "Very clever, young Peregrin! That's enough to scare away a hundred trolls. Wherever did you learn such an art?" Pippin pointed to Merry, who blushed when Saradoc gave him a reproving look. "And where did you pick up those manners, might I ask?" inquired the Master of Buckland. "Certainly not from your mother or I."
"Him," said Merry shyly, pointing a small finger to the hobbit sitting next to Gandalf.
"Good gracious, Frodo-lad, is that true?" said Bilbo, but his eyes shone of amusement. The tweenager chuckled and shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly.
"Living up to the Tookish name, I see," Gandalf muttered.
A little later on, after both first and second breakfasts had passed, and Elevensies had gone by without any mishaps, Bilbo called everyone to the Parlor. Since present-opening had obviously been put on hold, due to the incident after the snowball fight, Bilbo announced that this was the perfect time to pass out presents. Little Pippin bounced joyfully up and down and together, he and Merry began sorting out all the presents while everyone found a seat. Of course, there were quite a few people who had to take their seats on the floor of Bag End, but it was particularly comfortable and I found that the floor was also nice and warm.
Presently, a knock came at the door. "Why don't you answer that, Frodo-lad?" Bilbo asked the tween. He got up and swept across the floor briskly to open it. Standing in the doorway was none other than Samwise Gamgee. He had his cloak on and a green scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Why, Mr. Samwise, so you've come. Won't you come in?"
"Thank 'ee, sir," said the shy hobbit, accepting Frodo's invitation. "I'm sorry if I'm late. I had some last minute gifts to wrap."
"As a matter of fact, you're right on time. Here, let me take your cloak and you can make yourself at home."
As Sam entered the parlor, it was clear that he had not been present for Gandalf's arrival, for he gave a little start when he saw the big person seated on the floor between Alice and I. The wizard stood up awkwardly, being careful not to bump his head on the way up, and gave a little bow to the young hobbit.
"Well, if my memory serves me right, you must be Samwise Gamgee," said Gandalf.
"Y-Yes, sir...Mr. Gandalf, sir. How do ye do?"
"Very well, thank you. I think the last time we met, you had just become acquainted with Master Frodo. It seems you two have got on quite well, I should think."
Sam blushed and shook his head. "Mr. Frodo's just too nice is all. I'm not deservin' of his friendship."
Frodo strode up behind the two and clasped a hand on his younger friend's shoulder. "Nonsense, Sam. Really, it's I who doesn't deserve your friendship. Now, why don't you let Merry and Pippin hand out your gifts and you make yourself comfortable?"
Sam did as he was told and took Frodo's recently emptied seat across from Bilbo before he could claim it again. But Frodo seated himself on the floor next to me, although this caused Sam to realize his error and pull himself up quickly.
"M-Mr. Frodo, sir! Did I take yer seat?"
"No, Sam, you sit yourself down," said Bilbo. "You must be tired from the cold. Frodo will do just fine on the floor."
"Oh, but I couldn't—"
"Please, Sam," said Frodo, offering a smile for assurance. "Take the seat."
Merry and Pippin were now just about finished passing out the presents, but their energy was still fresh as they handed out the last few. "This is for...Mum and Da," said Merry, handing the small box to Esmeralda and Saradoc.
"Well, thank you, sweetie," said Esmeralda, and then looked at her husband. "Why don't you open it, love? I've got three here and you only have one." Saradoc complied, but not before stealing a kiss from his wife.
Merry stopped in the middle of the floor and looked down at the two poorly wrapped presents that he held in his hands. "This is for..." He flipped the top one over. "It doesn't say."
Pippin, meanwhile, paused his delivery service and ran over to his cousin, studying the presents for himself. "It's for, for 'Layna and Alice!" he said, pointing to us.
"Us?" I asked in surprise.
Merry looked at his friend. "Well, which one goes to who?"
"This one goes to...um...this goes to 'Layna, and this one...Alice." Pippin sniffed and went back to handing out the last couple of presents with great care.
"Pippin, love," called Eglantine softly. "I think when we get home, we'll show you how to wrap presents. How does that sound?"
"Okay," he muttered, as if he hadn't heard her, and handed the last present to Sam, who looked rather surprised. I didn't think he expected to receive any presents, but now he had two in his small pile.
No child was happier than little Peregrin when his parents gave him permission to start opening his presents. He began ripping them like there was no tomorrow, causing Bilbo to cringe slightly when he came to his. The old hobbit had given Pippin three out of the five that he was given, and among them was a book about the various trolls of Middle-earth, a new stuffed toy, and a silky blue scarf. The toddler, not fully interested in the last item tossed it aside while he marveled at the book, but Eglantine knelt down to her son's level and picked it up wrapping it around the child. He squirmed and protested, not wanting anything to do with it, but she said, "You'll be thankful for it one day, Pip, when you go out on a real adventure."
"It's a bit long for him now," said Bilbo. "But he'll grow into it."
"I think it's wonderful, Bilbo," she replied. "One day he'll thank you for it."
Next to open their gifts was Pervinca, followed by Merry, who was given a new booklet of parchment paper by Frodo. "I know you've run out, Mer," said the tween. "I haven't received any letters from you for half an age, but this way you can write to both Pip and me as often as you'd like."
With some encouragement, Sam bashfully began opening the first of his two presents. He was very careful to not rip any of the paper, and I could see Pippin shift impatiently in his seat, then sighed and looked at his book again. This caused poor Sam to pause and blush, and he looked at Frodo for assurance.
"Take your time, Sam," Frodo said smiling.
When he had finished opening it, he looked at it in deep interest. It was a slender book that looked as though it had been knitted together with great care. The child opened it and looked at Frodo questioningly. "What is it, sir?"
"Bilbo told me I should try to write some stories since I love reading so much, so I thought who would be a better critic than you yourself, Samwise."
The child's face fell apologetically. "But sir, ye...ye know I can't read."
Frodo nodded and smiled. "I know."
Sam knitted his brow together. "Then why—"
"Go on, Sam. Open your other present, or I shall die from old age before I get to mine." Frodo winked at his friend playfully, and I noticed that he exchanged knowing glances with Bilbo.
"You're already old, Frodo!" Merry exclaimed, but the tween shot him a warning look in jest.
Like the last present, Sam took his time, being very careful not to be overly excited and tear the delicate paper accidentally. I recognized this paper as Bilbo's and like all his other presents he'd given, I knew this one would be special. Sam pulled out a piece of parchment and stared at the squiggly writing.
He looked at Bilbo questioningly, who wore an anticipated smile, and then looked at Frodo. The tween scooted over to him and pulled himself onto his knees and pointed to each word. "Here, Sam. It says... 'Lessons...begin...next...week'."
"Lessons?" asked Sam, turning to look at Bilbo. "What lessons?"
"Well, you want to be able to read Frodo's stories now, don't you Sam-lad?" Bilbo asked.
Finally, understanding knocked itself over Sam's head like a mallet and his mouth dropped open, as he looked from Bilbo to Frodo. "Oh! Oh, you mean...ye'll learn me my letters, sir?"
"Indeed I will, Sam."
"But...well, o' course I want ta, but I don't think my Gaffer—"
"It's already taken care of, Samwise. I explained it to him last week and he has given his consent, reluctantly of course, but nevertheless, as long as you're willing, we will have them regularly."
"Oh! Oh, Mr. Bilbo, sir! How can I thank ye!" The child removed himself from his seat and flung his arms around the old hobbit.
"There now, Sam," Bilbo chuckled. "There's no need for all that. A thank you would have been enough."
After Sam had finally seated himself again, with Frodo's stories clung to his chest with a new affection, Pimpernel and Pearl opened their presents together. Among them was a brand new quilting set for each of them and two lovely dresses, a blue one for Pearl, and a red one for Pimpernel.
Frodo was the next to go, and it was then that I wish I'd had something to give to the hobbits, for all we really had given them was an unexpected visit, and that wasn't a decent present for such kind and warm hospitality. I would have to come up with something, I thought to myself, even if it's just making breakfast in the morning. If I had had any money on me, I would restock Bilbo's pantry for him, but I had no idea what kind of currency Middle-earth accepted at any rate.
Frodo did not have too many presents, but I could tell he was a simple hobbit, who was grateful for simple treasures rather than an abundant and meaningless supply of gifts. Sam, who had been revealed to have just started working with his father, presented his friend with a seed, saying that when spring came again, he would plant it for Frodo, but until then it was his to hang onto.
"My dear Sam," Frodo said, looking at the little seed with a deep admiration, "what have I done to deserve your kindness?"
Next he opened a gift from Bilbo, and out of the box he pulled out a brown, wooden pipe. He looked at Bilbo with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "That belonged to your father," said Bilbo. "I was going to save it for next year, but I thought this year would be better."
Frodo caressed the pipe affectionately in stilled silence. "It's wonderful, Bilbo. I couldn't ask for anything better."
When Frodo had finished opening his gifts and passing out hugs from all those who gave, Bilbo gestured for him to stay put, long enough to whisper something into his ear. Frodo turned his grinning face on first Alice and then me, before running off toward the kitchen. Bilbo reached out a hand to Pippin, who was flipping through his new book in quiet satisfaction, and touched his back slightly. The little hobbit gave quite the start.
"Pippin-lad," said Bilbo. "Why don't you have Alayna and Alice open their presents from you now."
The little child nodded enthusiastically, getting to his feet and plopping himself in front of Alice and me. But Alice seemed to have lost interest in all the activity a while ago and was napping, so Gandalf shook her shoulder gently to wake her.
"You...you can open your pwesents now," said Pippin. "I'll help you."
Pippin picked up my gift and began unwrapping it, but Paladin clapped his hands quickly. "Ah-ah-ah, Peregrin. No. They can do it without your help."
"It's okay, Mr. Took," I said. "Pippin can open it for me. Here, Pip." I handed the little gift to the toddler and he ripped it for me while Alice did the same. Once it was unwrapped, he opened the box and with a yelp of glee, presented me with the prize.
"Oh!" I said. "Pip, wow. A cookie. That's very sweet of you!" The child laughed at my pun, clapping his hands together. Alice pulled out her gift, which looked strangely similar to mine. Unfortunately, her face did not show the same enthusiasm as mine, however, she did manage to squeeze out a forced smile. "You know, Pip," I said, "I think this has to be one of the best presents I've ever received, but...I can't help but notice that there appears to be a bite missing."
Pippin blushed. "I had to test them first."
"Ah," I exclaimed. "That makes sense now. Well, thank you!"
Frodo returned from the kitchen with two very small baskets, wrapped in green ribbons and handed one each to Alice and I. Both of us took the baskets very graciously, although Alice was the first to say, "Mushrooms?"
"Frodo-lad and I thought a cookie may not be enough to fill your stomachs, so we divided up the last of our mushrooms for you."
Merry, having been consumed in Pippin's troll book, lifted his head immediately, and pulled himself up. "What!" He ran over to us, eyes drooling longingly over the baskets and gave Frodo a devastated pout.
The tween chuckled under his breath and tousled his hair, saying, "We can always get more, sprout."
"Bilbo," I said softly, "we can't accept this."
"Gracious, why ever not?" Bilbo asked, lifting his hands with a chuckle. "Do you honestly think we would leave you out of such an important holiday?"
"But you haven't. You've accepted us into your home, and we have nothing to return."
"We never asked for anything, Alayna," Frodo replied.
"You can give them to me if you don't want them," Merry interrupted.
"Merry, sit down," snapped Saradoc. "Don't be rude."
The child turned sadly on his heels and went back to his seat with a glum and defeated face. He sighed and picked up Pippin's book again, only with a lot less interest.
"You are the kindest hobbits I know," I said. "I promise I will pay you back for this."
"Stop that!" Bilbo said, and I could tell he meant it. "Don't you dare think of that. But if you really insist on giving something in return, you can tell your father I said hullo."
I blushed. That would be quite a challenge, but I silently swore to myself that by hook or by crook, I would do him that much. Suddenly, I remembered something of extreme importance and I jabbed an elbow in Alice's ribs. "Alice," I whispered, "you have a gift to give yourself, don't you?"
She gave me a puzzled look. "I do?"
I leaned down close beside her ear. "Gandalf's staff, remember? Give it to him now."
Her eyes lit up as if she couldn't believe she had forgotten about it this whole time, but the comfort of Bag End had clouded both of our minds. She instantly bolted up, nearly tripping as she ran over to the front door and retrieve the long stick that stood in the corner. Then with a blush in her cheeks, she walked meekly up to the wizard.
"Gandoff," she said softly.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, Alice?"
"This is for you. I found it and knew you would be missing it."
Gandalf's brows knitted together and he looked over at me, trying to understand what she was talking about. "Your staff," I mouthed.
"Oh! Good gracious me! So I did lose it after all. Why, my dear Alice, how can I ever thank you for such a kind gift? I shall have to remember you when I go on my next adventure."
"Really!" Alice shrieked, and she leaned in to give him a hug. "That would be wonderful, Gandoff."
Now it was coming upon the time for afternoon tea and the hobbits decided it was appropriate to break in order to get something in their stomachs. I noticed that, despite having two breakfasts, along with several pieces of fruit, I was feeling my stomach grumble. It was rather difficult getting everyone seated around the table, for with Gandalf and Sam, the party made up a total of sixteen members, and I wondered how the old hobbit managed to find room for all of us. But he had many chairs hidden away and Gandalf would have been more than happy to stand and eat, except Bilbo would not allow it.
Alice must have also been quite hungry for she ate two seed cakes along with her tea. She would have had a third, but she graciously shared most of it with Merry, and I guessed this was because he was still upset over losing his mushrooms. After I had finished with my cakes and my second cup of tea, I felt a tug on my arm and saw that Pippin was looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"What is it, Pip?" I asked.
"Will you wead to me after tea?"
"Of course I will."
After everyone had finished and the table had been cleared away, the girls, now full of fresh energy, dashed off down the halls of Bag End to play dress-up in their new dresses and begin gossiping over how boring it would be to watch the adults open their presents. I would have liked to have stayed, but I promised Pippin I would read to him. Merry followed us as Pippin and I started after the girls, only going to my room, but Alice stayed next to Gandalf. Unfortunately, Sam announced that he had to go home, and so Frodo grabbed both his friend's cloak and his own, and together they both left Bag End.
It was late when supper had been eaten and although the children were visibly tired, they were quite eager to stay up with the adults. Alice had naturally been informed of our early departure, and I was rather sad that she had remained quiet for most of the evening, and didn't show much of a smile either. Since I had broken the news to her, she had parted from Gandalf's side, only to cling to Frodo or Bilbo, whoever was closer. I didn't like it any more than her, but the fact that she was visibly upset made the reality harder for me to deal with. I had particularly grown close to not only Bilbo and Frodo, but Merry and Pippin as well. They were at an age of innocence that made me want to kidnap both of them and take them back with me to Chicago. But they would not enjoy it at all, and aside from that, they had a specific reason for living in the Shire, and I had already sworn to both Alice and myself that we were not to meddle in the events leading up to the Quest. The fake ring from my Monopoly game had been close, too close.
Bilbo must have noticed Alice's melancholy behavior, for he glanced at her briefly before pulling away from the dining room table. "Dear me, is it already so late?" He got up from the table and plopped down in his favorite armchair. "I hope it isn't too late for a story." Alice glanced up, a hopeful smile hinted on her face.
"Bilbo," called Eglantine, "what about the dishes?"
"Drat the dishes. We can worry about that later. But I think I should like someone to talk to over here. It's quite lonely for an old hobbit."
Gandalf glanced between Bilbo and Alice, and I could tell she was very eager to get a story out of one of her greatest heroes, but she was also looking unusually shy too. However, before she could even get up out of her seat, I felt several little breezes rush past me and I turned my head to see Merry and Pippin and the Took sisters fighting each other to get up on Bilbo's lap.
This initiated everyone else to rise from the table and try to break up the children from squabbling over who would get the best seat in the house. It was Frodo who actually succeeded, for with a childlike energy, he brushed past all of them ("Frodo? What are you—no, no, NO!") and leapt up onto his terrified uncle, causing an earthquake in the whole of Bag End, and nearly squashing the old hobbit, cradling himself in Bilbo's arms like a child.
"My hero," Frodo giggled and gave him a very noisy smooch on the cheek.
"Frodo-lad," Bilbo coughed under his young cousin's weight. "You and I are both too old for this!"
But this outlandish behavior from Frodo was more than just a rarely seen childish act. It was an attempt to get Alice to smile, and it did. Not only that, but she had somehow been infected by Frodo's energy and pounced on top of the two. Unfortunately for Bilbo, all but his furry feet had disappeared, but he let out an "oof", indicating that somewhere beneath Frodo and Alice, the hobbit was still alive and...mostly well.
After some untangling and hushes made to the rowdy children, all had been gathered around Bilbo as he lit a lantern in preparation for the story he was about to tell. While Alice had been too big for Bilbo's lap, she was just the right size for Gandalf's, leaving Bilbo's open for little Peregrin and Pervinca. Meanwhile, Merry had made himself comfortable in my lap, which made the temptation of stealing him away even more prominent.
***"Now let's see," said Bilbo, shifting comfortably in his seat. "Who here besides me is not particularly fond of spiders?" The adults chuckled when all the children raised their hands, including Alice. I also raised my hand, for in all honesty, I myself thought spiders were spawned from a world of other evil critters and I squirmed at the very mention of the eight-legged brutes. "Well," continued the hobbit, "have I got a tale for you. You see, when I went away all those years ago, I had many adventures happen, but there was one adventure in which I had to fight for my life, and all by myself!"
There were several gasps. "What happened?" asked Pervinca.
"Well, it happened one particular day when the dwarves and I went into Mirkwood forest, and old Bombur woke up after a very long nap. He had dreamt of elves and feasts full of delicious food, like carrots, and mushrooms and potatoes! And that would have been well enough, except we hadn't eaten for days! Well, after we grumbled at him for telling us about a dream that we couldn't share, we saw a light!"
"How bright was the light?" interrupted Pimpernel.
"Oh my! It was as bright as day, and when we neared to investigate, do you know what we saw?" The children shook their heads, and in the dim light I could see Gandalf smirking at Bilbo's tale. "We saw wood elves feasting, and they were singing and—"
"What are wood elves?" Pippin asked innocently.
"You don't know what wood elves are?" scoffed Merry. "They're elves made out of wood!"
"No, silly," laughed Bilbo. "They're elves that live in forests, like the one we were in. Now as I was saying, these elves were having such a good time, eating carrots and mushrooms and tomatoes, that...well, we just couldn't stand it any longer. We ran towards them and begged for food, but the light went out. After a bit, we saw the light for the second time. Like the first time, there were elves, feasting, drinking, telling tales, and like the first time, the light vanished when we got near.
"Now we were really hungry and so desperate that when we saw the elves appear for the third time, we made such an awful noise, running towards the light, that we never saw them again. But the worst part of it is when we ran out to meet them, we got separated! I don't think I have to tell you how long I called for my friends and how worried I was at being alone. But it was late and very dark, and I knew I couldn't do anything until daybreak.
"Well, the next morning, I woke up only to find that I couldn't move my legs at all!"
"Why?" asked Pervinca.
"Because there was a giant spider right in front of me, and it was wrapping me up in his silk."
"Did you die?" asked Pippin.
"Of course not! But do you know what I did?" The children shook their heads. "I pulled out my sword and I jabbed at the ugly thing once and then twice!" Bilbo emphasized this by first poking Pippin's belly, who squealed, and then Pervinca's.
"What happened next?" asked Alice. Of course, she was all too familiar with the story, but I found myself asking the same thing.
"Well, after I rid myself of the wretched thing, I pulled my wits together and began searching for my friends, for I had a horrible feeling that they had been caught by the spiders. After I walked a while, I came to a dense part of the forest. It was there that I found some more spiders, just as big as the one I had killed."
"How big were they?" asked Merry.
"Oh, HUGE! They had to have been bigger than Bag End, Merry-lad!" Merry let out a squeak and huddled himself close to my chest. "And it was then that I saw about a dozen bundles hanging from the trees, all wrapped in the spiders' web. To my horror, I realized it was my friends."
"What did you do?" asked Pearl.
"Do? Why, I picked up a stone and threw it at one of those nasty creatures, and it dropped dead. So I figured out a plan. I would draw them away from the dwarves and kill off as many as I could. I threw as many stones at them as I could find, and this made them very angry. They hurried down the trees and started chasing me—"
"Did you die?" Pippin asked a second time.
"No, Pippin-lad. How could I be dead and tell you the story?" This caused the hobbitling to pause, as he tried to figure this one out. "And besides, I had an advantage. They couldn't see me."
"Why?" asked Merry.
"Well, because I—" At this point, I saw Bilbo stick a hand in his pocket. "Because I was too quick, my lad." I looked over at Gandalf and saw him watching Bilbo suspiciously. "Anyway, after I'd drawn them away from the dwarves, I began a delightful song, which drove them mad. I sang:
Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
Old fat spider can't see me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Won't you stop,
Stop your spinning and look for me?
"Now I said some other nasty things, but it did the job, and I would hide behind trees to wait for a spider to approach, and then sting 'im, just like that! I did this so many times and in so many places, that I had all those ugly spiders scattered and running about. Now it was time to rescue the dwarves. When I got back to the trees, however, I saw that there was a particularly huge spider that had been left as a guard, but I took care of him all right."
"Did you eated him?" asked Pippin.
"No, lad! I gave him a good jab that sent him spiraling down."***
And so, this is how it went on for the rest of the story. I felt as though I was a child again, sitting at the feet of my grandfather, while he shared stories of the war, and how he managed to escape certain death, time and time again.
By and by, the interruptions were slowly, but surely dying and it seemed that Bilbo would lose a hobbit child every few minutes. His voice was so hypnotic that I, too, felt myself nodding off. A soft snore made me aware that Merry had been lost several minutes ago, and the weight of his curly head rested against my arm. His even breaths made my head feel heavy, but I refused to close my eyes, for if I did, it would be morning when I awoke. That was not a pleasant thought. I smiled softly at the sight of Gandalf leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, and Alice clearly passed out.
Bilbo paused his story to yawn. His hand was still hidden away in his pocket, clearly fondling what I knew to be the Ring.
"I think," Saradoc said also yawning, "it might be past bedtime." He got up stiffly and roused Merry from my lap. The child muttered something incoherent and allowed his father to guide him down the hallway.
"See you in the morning, dear," said Esmeralda. "Sleep well."
Paladin and Eglantine also herded their children together, Paladin throwing Peregrin over his shoulder like a sack of wheat. But on the way out, Pippin opened his eyes and said, "Uncle Bilbo?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you die?"
Bilbo opened his mouth, but closed it again. "Yes, Pippin-lad. I died."
The child sighed. "I knew it."
A/N – Oh my...this was a long chapter. Unfortunately, I didn't get everything in there that I wanted to, but there's always the next chapter, right? FYI, I'm planning on there being just 2-3 chapters left of the story, so get your hankies ready.
Diana Fay – No need to apologize. Hmm, who indeed could be this mysterious person? ;)
seafarer – It was very fun to write. I too enjoyed picturing Gandalf dodging hobbits.