Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. The story and characters officially belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. I do, however own my original character, Saniel. If you wish to use her for some reason, please just ask! ^-^
Woo! This is my first posted Lord of the Rings story! I hope you guys enjoy it! I'm trying to make it an un-standard story, so there's going to be a twist in here somewhere. I hope you enjoy! Please review!
Darkness Calls:
By: Aeden Hale
Book 1:
Chapter 1:
The Third Age was an age of growing darkness. The Dark Lord of Mordor had returned to his land and openly announced his arrival. A Shadow was continually growing in the East and in the South. Gondor had long armed itself for this challenge, but was not fully prepared since its Steward and not its King ruled that land. Sauron's power was growing steadily and he had extended his hand to take Ithilien from Denethor's power.
Not all lands were affected by the power of the darkness that was increasing slowly. All lands to the far West were still unaffected, though the evil was coming closer. Bree, in that day, was still occupied by Men and Halflings. The Rangers of the Dunedain would pass through on occasion. Following the Green Way further West, the Shire was a peaceful widely spread community. The four Farthings, though quite different, all had one rule of thumb in common; don't go looking for trouble and no trouble will come to you. Adventures were only things told in tales and no one was known to actually have been on one.
Old Bilbo Baggins had been the exception. No one could forget that day in the Third Age when Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves arrived at the door of Bag End. Also with the heir of Dain, was Gandalf the Grey, not quite so famous among the hobbits yet. Thorin and Gandalf had persuaded Bilbo to travel with them to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim it from the dragon, Smaug the Golden. Bilbo has been chosen as the company's "burglar." From that day on, the name of Baggins was looked upon as having odd traits.
As Bilbo traveled with the dwarves, he ran into a spot of trouble where he was separated from them. He found himself in a deep cavern that was darker than Sauron's heart. Upon stumbling on the ground, he came across a simple gold Ring. Not long after, he met the creature Gollum. He and this pitiful wretched creature had a duel of riddles until Bilbo's mind had gone blank. Then he asked what he had in his pocket. Gollum had become enraged and refused to help Bilbo find a way out, as he had promised. Bilbo simply slipped on the Ring and followed Gollum to the surface, jumping over him and escaping.
Bilbo finally returned to the Shire after Smaug had been defeated, the War of Five Armies had been fought, and the Lonely Mountain had been restored to Durin's folk. He hadn't been back at Bag End for very long when a tragedy soon reached his ears. Drogo and his wife had drowned in a boating accident. Young Frodo Baggins was brought to him at Bag End the next day. The boy seemed to be unchanged for he was too young to understand what had happened. This young hobbit child had no idea of what was in store for him sixty years later.
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"Frodo! Frodo!" Bilbo called, looking around from his front porch. "Frodo Baggins, where are you? It's time for the midday meal!"
A boy of about five years old with a mess of dark curls fall into his eyes came running up the hill panting and laughing. Two other hobbits, one the same age and one younger, followed after him. They were also laughing.
"Don't be cross, Bilbo. Merry and Pippin were torturing Sam again. I had to help him out." Claimed the hobbit dubbed Frodo.
"Frodo, you tattle tale! You've got to admit it was funny." The one called Merry piped. Pippin nodded his head furiously.
Bilbo smiled at his nephew and cousins. Looking down over the hill, he could see Sam pulling himself up off the ground. Bilbo shook his head and walked off the porch a bit.
"I say, Sam! Would you like to join us for our midday meal?" Bilbo called. The young hobbit nodded his head and ran up the hill to meet the others.
Bilbo ushered the young hobbits into the hole and into the kitchen. They all took seats around the table except the older hobbit, whom was fixing the meal. Sam swung his feet with excitement from the stool.
"Mr. Bilbo? Could you tell us about the elves? I should love to hear about them. Sam asked quietly.
Bilbo chuckled to himself as he pulled a kettle of tea off of the fire. "What do you wish to hear about, Samwise? Rivendell? Or perhaps Mirkwood?"
"Whatever you wish to tell about, sir!" Sam replied, his eyes glowing.
"Well, the elves are a fair folk, Sam. Not many hobbits have been lucky enough to see elves. Rivendell, or Imladris as the elves call it, is one of several havens of the elves. Elrond is ruler there. Elves have a grace that no creature can mimic. They are immortal and become fairer as the ages of Middle Earth pass. Times are becoming dark and many are deciding to leave Middle Earth for the Gray Havens. I should very much like to see Valinor some day."
The children sat around the table staring at Bilbo in awe. He had to be the wisest hobbit in all the Shire. As Bilbo distributed the plates, glasses, and silverware, the children argued which of them could really be an elf with a spell on him.
"There's no chance that Sam could be an elf." Pippin said. "Look at him."
"You're too thick to be an elf, Pippin." Sam resorted.
"There's a chance that we could all be elves and not know it." Frodo said.
"I think Frodo's the elf." Merry said. "I mean, look at his eyes."
Doing as Merry had told them, they looked at Frodo's eyes. They were the bluest eyes that any hobbit could ever have. Dark eyes were more common among the Shire folk. Sam and Pippin nodded in agreement with Merry. This made Frodo uncomfortable and he began to protest.
----
After hearing Bilbo's stories of the elves, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin began searching the small forests for any sign of an elf. This task kept the young hobbits busy for the rest of the day. They searched high and low for any sort of footprint or flower that looked out of place. The four of them gave up as the sun began to set. As they made their way out of the trees, a small sound barely made its way to Frodo's ears. He stopped suddenly.
"I hear something. We have enough time to see what it is and still make it home before dark." He said.
Sam, Merry, and Pippin followed him through the trees to a tree that was so thick and gargantuan that they could have made a hut in the roots. The sound had become clearer as they went further into the trees. A whimpering now reached Frodo's ears. There in the very roots of the tree was a small child, about his size, with long pale hair and the bluest of eyes. A small gasp came from Frodo was he saw the child's ears. They were pointed.
"It's an elf! Look, it's an elf! Sam, Pippin, got get Bilbo!"
Not having to be told twice, the two set off running from the trees toward Bag End. Merry and Frodo knelt to get a better look at the elf. It looked no older than they did. The elf was now crying, repeating the words yrch and nana. Frodo looked at Merry, who shrugged in confusion. There was no way to tell what it was saying. Pippin and Sam soon returned with Bilbo, who was panting and carrying a lantern. Kneeling down, he examined the child. He extended his hand to the child, who cringed away. Bilbo smiled gently and murmured words that the other four didn't understand. The child's eyes brightened as more of the language spilled over its lips. The child stood up with Bilbo and took his hand.
The six of them made their way back to Bag End. Sam made his way down the hill to Bagshot Row. He was rather upset that he wouldn't find out what the elf was doing there. Frodo reassured him that he would find out from them tomorrow. Leading them back into the house, Bilbo lit a fire and brought a blanket for the child. He then began talking in the strange tongue once more. Again, the child answered in a similar fashion. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin began speaking quietly to one another.
"What are they saying?" little Pippin asked.
"How should I know? I don't speak elf." Merry answered.
"Elvish." Frodo corrected.
"Whatever it's called." Merry retorted.
Bilbo stood and turned around to face them after drying the elven child's tears. A grave look crossed his face. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin exchanged worried looks before returning their attention to Bilbo.
"Her home was attacked." He said.
"Her? It's a girl?" Merry asked in slight disgust.
"Yes, Meriadoc, she's a girl. Her name is Saniel."
"Where is she from, Uncle Bilbo?" Frodo asked.
"Saniel is from a place called Lothlorien. Its main city is Caras Galadhon. Her home was attacked by Orcs." Bilbo told them.
Pippin tilted his head to the side for a minute. "Bilbo, what are orcs?"
"They're a type of monster, Pippin my boy. They're not civilized and not very nice. They attacked Saniel's home and her mother sent her away on a horse. The horse didn't stop until it reached the Green Way and Saniel fell off. She walked the rest of the way here."
Bilbo soon ushered the boys off to bed. When he was alone with the little girl, she looked up at him and began to speak in common tongue.
"Thank you, sir. I would have died if I didn't find someone."
Bilbo looked at Saniel. She was already a beautiful child at this age. "There is no need for formalities, my dear. You may call my Bilbo."
"Thank you, Bilbo. Who were those boys?" she asked.
"Frodo is my nephew. The other two, Merry and Pippin, are his cousins. They're visiting for the next week."
Saniel nodded. "I can sleep out in the tree. We did at home. We slept on talans."
Bilbo laughed. "My dear girl, the neighbors might frown upon that. Go crawl in bed with Frodo tonight and I'll figure out something tomorrow."
The small girl slid off the chair and onto the floor. Finding her way down the hall, she saw a door that stood ajar. With her keen sight, she spotted the person she wanted to find. Saniel tiptoed across the floor and stood at the edge of the bed for a little while. The moonlight came through the window and illuminated the floor a bit. Saniel put her hands on the edge of the bed and crawled into the bed slowly.
Frodo felt the mattress move beneath him. Stirring slightly, he opened one eye to see the little elf girl staring at him. He opened his other eye and stared back.
"What are you doing here?" he whispered softly.
Saniel blinked before answering. "Bilbo told me to come sleep with you tonight."
The hobbit boy only nodded and moved over for the elf girl. He watched her slide silently under the blankets and laid her head next to his on the pillow. Her eyelids drooped a little, but they never really closed. This scared Frodo a little. He waved his hand in front of them until eventually she made a noise.
"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.
"Why are you still awake? It's way past our bedtime." Frodo replied.
"I was asleep." Saniel yawned. "Didn't you know that elves don't close their eyes when they sleep?"
"No, I didn't know that. I'm sorry for waking you up."
"It's ok. Goodnight, Frodo." Saniel said.
"Goodnight, Saniel." He replied.
----
The sun shone in through the window as a new day had begun. Frodo was still asleep as the clock slowly crept up on nine. Saniel had been up since dawn, as it was the nature of elves to be up early. Bilbo had told her to go and wake Frodo so he could go and fetch Merry and Pippin. Sneaking slowly back into Frodo's room, Saniel bent down at the side of his bed. In one quick motion, she jumped on the bed, jolting Frodo violently. He gave a surprised cry as he looked into the laughing eyes of the elf. He only glared back.
"Oh Frodo, you shouldn't be so grumpy. Bilbo sent me to get you up. He wants you to wake up the other two."
"You mean Merry and Pippin?" Frodo asked groggily.
"I guess that's who Bilbo means. I only know you by name." Saniel said.
Frodo rose from his bed as he watched Saniel leave his room. He quickly pulled on a shirt and trousers and hurried to wake his cousins. Merry was the easiest to wake while Pippin was somewhat reluctant to rouse from his sleep. When the other two were finally dressed, all three of them headed to the table. The smell of eggs and bacon reached them as they sat down. Pippin caught sight of Saniel and nudged Merry with his elbow. The older hobbit child stared at the elf girl with curiosity. He slowly turned to Frodo.
"Is she going to be staying here with you and Bilbo?" he asked.
"I don't know. I guess." Frodo replied.
Saniel studied the other two hobbits that had joined Frodo. They weren't quite so different from him. "You two must be Merry and Pippin, but which is which?"
Merry and Pippin stared at her as if she had just appeared out of thin air. It was Pippin who collected himself first. "I'm Pippin and he's Merry. I'm the youngest."
"I'm Saniel of Lorien. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Lady Saniel." Said Merry acting suddenly proper.
"There's no need for all that." Saniel giggled. Merry blushed a little as Frodo and Pippin looked at him with uncertainty. Bilbo leaned around the corner and smiled. These children would be fine together.
After breakfast, the four children went outside to meet Sam, who nearly fainted from excitement. He had never before seen an elf in person and asked to touch Saniel's hand to see if she was real. Sure enough, she was a living-breathing elf. The shock eventually wore off of Sam and they played all the games they normally did, like tag, and Saniel taught them some that she had played with the other elf children, like hide and seek. None of them had seen the old Grey Pilgrim wander up the roads of Hobbiton and disappear into the door of Bag End.
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Well, there's the first chapter for you! I just want to note that the way I wrote this story doesn't follow the book series exactly. When I started writing, I thought it would be cute to see Frodo living with Bilbo when he was five or so instead of moving in after he'd been living in Buckland. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Review and I'll update. ^-^
Aeden