Before the Ring

Disclaimer: Most characters and places do not belong to me and belong to JRR Tolkien (or Christopher Tolkien now).

This is my first fanfic, so if you like it, please review! And if I get enough reviews, I'll be motivated to write more! So.hope ya like my story! P.S. The first chapter is short, because I'm still experimenting with the story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One: The Birth of Smèagol

Rumor was that the well known Stoor family was going to have an heir. The mother-to-be, Llidaa, was being tending by several midwives, and her own mother, a respectable, grandmother-to-be.

"Not yet, Leog, not yet," whispered one of the women to the father-to- be, who was pacing restlessly in front of the house, "Go relax, take a swim in the river."

Leog knew the woman was right, he would get sick if he did not relax, he had slept even less than Llidaa, who seemed to be taking everything okay. Leog rolled up his pants and dipped hi feet into the cool river. His mind wandered, and he suddenly wondered about other hobbit-types he had heard about who hated water. How could anyone hate water? Leog wondered.

Suddenly, a scream arose from the house, followed by the shrieks of a child. Leog jumped up and ran into the hut, where his young, lovely wife held a tiny child.

"Leog, it's a boy," Llidaa soft voice murmured. "What shall we call him?"

"Name him after your father, Smèagol."

"Then Sméagol it is."

The small Sméagol, commonly known as Smea, was a curious, rather adorably little child, somewhat little small for his age. He had become fast friends with another hobbit, born several days before he, Déagol, known as Dea.

As he grew, he was know for being smart, witty, and quite the charmer, though he himself never was attracted to any of the hobbit girls-to him they were all alike-they fell for looks alone, and cared only for his money. That was until he met Leani.