Disclaimer: The characters and most of the plot belong to the genius J.R.R. Tolkien. Some of the script belongs to New Line Cinema. However, the character Celandine Brandybuck and all situations involving her belong to me.
Chapter 5
Sparks of green lit the sky and cries of delight filled the night air as Bilbo's birthday party commenced. The Brandybucks had arrived and Merry was trying to follow the large cake that had been carried past his nose, but Ciel grabbed him just in time.
"Look!" she whispered. Merry followed her gaze and started laughing as he saw Pearl Took cornering Frodo into a dance.
"We should help him." Merry said lightly. And with that the twins sprang into a lively dance, half waltzing, half twirling to where Frodo stood helpless. Before Pearl knew what was happening, Merry and Ciel had crashed into her and she was sprawled on the grass. Merry sprung up.
"Well I'm off to find Pip! Later!" Merry cried.
Ciel jumped up faster than Pearl and quickly danced the stunned Frodo away from her.
"Thanks." Frodo said gratefully. They both stopped dancing to observe the party, uncomfortable after having been dancing together. There were hobbits everywhere, eating and drinking and laughing. It was the picture of having a good time. Bilbo was greeting the Bolgers. Frodo noticed Sam glancing over his shoulder at Rosie Cotton. He slowly smiled.
"Come on!" Frodo grabbed Ciel's hand and dragged her through the crowd to where Sam was standing. They both stood on either side of him.
"Go on, Sam! Ask Rosie for a dance!" Frodo said, flushed. Sam looked as if he'd be sick.
"I think I'll just have another ale." He said weakly.
"Oh no you don't!" Frodo grabbed him and pushed him to where Rosie was dancing. "Go on!" Rosie quickly swept Sam up into the crowd of dancers while Frodo and Ciel laughed. Gandalf continued setting off silver bullet fireworks and Bilbo was recounting his tale of the trolls to hobbit children. Everyone was having a wonderful time.
Merry had been hiding behind Gandalf's cart. Gandalf had returned but grabbed an armful of fireworks and ran off, giggling madly to himself. As soon as he left, Merry hit the tent beside him and out rushed Pippin.
"Quickly" Merry whispered giving Pippin a leg up into the cart. Merry could see Gandalf setting off fire butterflies for the children. Pippin grabbed a random firework and held it out for Merry to approve. "No, no! The big one!" Pippin grabbed it and hopped off the cart. Both Merry and Pippin were in awe of this big red firework that could really wreck havoc. Merry walked casually backwards, taking a bite from an apple as Pippin ran.
Merry met Pippin in a tent and held the firework as Pippin let its fuse tail.
"Done!" Pippin said proudly.
"You're supposed to stick it in the ground!" Merry said.
"It is in the ground!"
"Outside!"
"This was your idea!" The hobbits argued as they passed the flaming firework back and forth between them. Suddenly it took off, illuminating their tent.
"Ahhh!" Pippin screamed. The firework caught al the hobbits' attention. All head were turned upward as the huge firework sky rocketed. There was applause and cheering from the crowd. But this quickly stopped as the firework took the shape of a blood-red dragon. Merry and Pippin's dreams came true as panic and chaos roared about them, lying blackened on the ground.
"Bilbo." Frodo said concernedly, touching the old hobbit's shoulder. All the other hobbits ran madly tripping over each other. "Bilbo! Watch out for the dragon!"
"Dragon? Nonsense!" Bilbo said. Ciel stood entranced by the firework. "There hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years!" Bilbo retorted. Nevertheless, Frodo unceremoniously shoved him to the ground a pulled Ciel don as well just as the flaming dragon swept over their heads. All of the hobbits cowered on the ground, fear and amazement on their faces as the dragon flew over the lake and burst into red light. The hobbits' fear turned to delight and there was more cheering. Frodo and Bilbo were laughing and clapping in delight along with the rest of the crowd.
"Ow! Get off, Frodo!" Ciel complained loudly.
"Sorry!" Frodo quickly jumped off the girl lying on the ground and helped her up.
A little farther off, a blackened and smoking Merry and Pippin were standing with satisfaction over their success.
"That was good." Merry said.
"Let's get another one!" Pippin said eagerly.
But before either of them could do anything, Gandalf grabbed them by their ears and twisted upwards, the two hobbits winced in pain.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took." Gandalf nodded grimly. "I might have known." Gandalf made the two hobbits wash the mountainous piles of dishes but they were interrupted when the crowd started calling for a speech. They cheered and clapped Bilbo up to a stand. Ciel sat down beside Frodo and her parents joined her. The hobbits sat expectantly as Bilbo began.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins! Tooks and Brandybucks! Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proud-foots!" cheering followed each name. Ciel began cat-calling at the mention of the Brandybucks and she could hear Merry doing the same somewhere. "Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!" Bilbo continued.
"Happy birthday!" all the hobbits cheered and raised their mugs to Bilbo.
"But alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Bilbo's last remark left the hobbits very disgruntled and confused. Gandalf however, was smiling.
"I-uh-"Bilbo faltered. "I have things to do..."
Frodo was looking at Bilbo oddly. The old hand crept into Bilbo's vest pocket again. Bilbo put his hands behind his back and put a resolute expression on his face.
"I regret to announce this is the end. I'm going now." He stared directly into Frodo's blue eyes and whispered. "Good-bye."
Suddenly, Bilbo vanished. Frodo sat very still while Ciel gasped in shock. Her parents and the rest of the crowd were in a frenzy of confusion and fear. Ciel put a comforting hand on Frodo's stiff shoulder, her eyes wide.
Chapter 5
Sparks of green lit the sky and cries of delight filled the night air as Bilbo's birthday party commenced. The Brandybucks had arrived and Merry was trying to follow the large cake that had been carried past his nose, but Ciel grabbed him just in time.
"Look!" she whispered. Merry followed her gaze and started laughing as he saw Pearl Took cornering Frodo into a dance.
"We should help him." Merry said lightly. And with that the twins sprang into a lively dance, half waltzing, half twirling to where Frodo stood helpless. Before Pearl knew what was happening, Merry and Ciel had crashed into her and she was sprawled on the grass. Merry sprung up.
"Well I'm off to find Pip! Later!" Merry cried.
Ciel jumped up faster than Pearl and quickly danced the stunned Frodo away from her.
"Thanks." Frodo said gratefully. They both stopped dancing to observe the party, uncomfortable after having been dancing together. There were hobbits everywhere, eating and drinking and laughing. It was the picture of having a good time. Bilbo was greeting the Bolgers. Frodo noticed Sam glancing over his shoulder at Rosie Cotton. He slowly smiled.
"Come on!" Frodo grabbed Ciel's hand and dragged her through the crowd to where Sam was standing. They both stood on either side of him.
"Go on, Sam! Ask Rosie for a dance!" Frodo said, flushed. Sam looked as if he'd be sick.
"I think I'll just have another ale." He said weakly.
"Oh no you don't!" Frodo grabbed him and pushed him to where Rosie was dancing. "Go on!" Rosie quickly swept Sam up into the crowd of dancers while Frodo and Ciel laughed. Gandalf continued setting off silver bullet fireworks and Bilbo was recounting his tale of the trolls to hobbit children. Everyone was having a wonderful time.
Merry had been hiding behind Gandalf's cart. Gandalf had returned but grabbed an armful of fireworks and ran off, giggling madly to himself. As soon as he left, Merry hit the tent beside him and out rushed Pippin.
"Quickly" Merry whispered giving Pippin a leg up into the cart. Merry could see Gandalf setting off fire butterflies for the children. Pippin grabbed a random firework and held it out for Merry to approve. "No, no! The big one!" Pippin grabbed it and hopped off the cart. Both Merry and Pippin were in awe of this big red firework that could really wreck havoc. Merry walked casually backwards, taking a bite from an apple as Pippin ran.
Merry met Pippin in a tent and held the firework as Pippin let its fuse tail.
"Done!" Pippin said proudly.
"You're supposed to stick it in the ground!" Merry said.
"It is in the ground!"
"Outside!"
"This was your idea!" The hobbits argued as they passed the flaming firework back and forth between them. Suddenly it took off, illuminating their tent.
"Ahhh!" Pippin screamed. The firework caught al the hobbits' attention. All head were turned upward as the huge firework sky rocketed. There was applause and cheering from the crowd. But this quickly stopped as the firework took the shape of a blood-red dragon. Merry and Pippin's dreams came true as panic and chaos roared about them, lying blackened on the ground.
"Bilbo." Frodo said concernedly, touching the old hobbit's shoulder. All the other hobbits ran madly tripping over each other. "Bilbo! Watch out for the dragon!"
"Dragon? Nonsense!" Bilbo said. Ciel stood entranced by the firework. "There hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years!" Bilbo retorted. Nevertheless, Frodo unceremoniously shoved him to the ground a pulled Ciel don as well just as the flaming dragon swept over their heads. All of the hobbits cowered on the ground, fear and amazement on their faces as the dragon flew over the lake and burst into red light. The hobbits' fear turned to delight and there was more cheering. Frodo and Bilbo were laughing and clapping in delight along with the rest of the crowd.
"Ow! Get off, Frodo!" Ciel complained loudly.
"Sorry!" Frodo quickly jumped off the girl lying on the ground and helped her up.
A little farther off, a blackened and smoking Merry and Pippin were standing with satisfaction over their success.
"That was good." Merry said.
"Let's get another one!" Pippin said eagerly.
But before either of them could do anything, Gandalf grabbed them by their ears and twisted upwards, the two hobbits winced in pain.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took." Gandalf nodded grimly. "I might have known." Gandalf made the two hobbits wash the mountainous piles of dishes but they were interrupted when the crowd started calling for a speech. They cheered and clapped Bilbo up to a stand. Ciel sat down beside Frodo and her parents joined her. The hobbits sat expectantly as Bilbo began.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins! Tooks and Brandybucks! Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proud-foots!" cheering followed each name. Ciel began cat-calling at the mention of the Brandybucks and she could hear Merry doing the same somewhere. "Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!" Bilbo continued.
"Happy birthday!" all the hobbits cheered and raised their mugs to Bilbo.
"But alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Bilbo's last remark left the hobbits very disgruntled and confused. Gandalf however, was smiling.
"I-uh-"Bilbo faltered. "I have things to do..."
Frodo was looking at Bilbo oddly. The old hand crept into Bilbo's vest pocket again. Bilbo put his hands behind his back and put a resolute expression on his face.
"I regret to announce this is the end. I'm going now." He stared directly into Frodo's blue eyes and whispered. "Good-bye."
Suddenly, Bilbo vanished. Frodo sat very still while Ciel gasped in shock. Her parents and the rest of the crowd were in a frenzy of confusion and fear. Ciel put a comforting hand on Frodo's stiff shoulder, her eyes wide.