A/N: Hello again!
Ch. 2. The Birthday Party
Bilbo was mingling with guests and Frodo was bored! What was he supposed to do at this party, anyway? Sure it was his birthday too but everyone seemed to be more interested in Bilbo.
'I'm coming of age for crying out loud!' he thought to himself. 'Surely I would at least get a 'How are you Frodo?' or 'How's 33 Frodo?' or something!' He sat down on one of the benches lining the dance floor and scanned the crows for faces he knew. There was Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend talking to some other friends of his. It looked like they were trying to convince him to ask Rose Cotton to dance.
'Good luck!' he thought smiling. Sam had been in love with Rosie since before he was even a tween but he was so shy he wouldn't tell her so.
As Frodo continued to search for familiar faces he saw Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, otherwise known as Merry and Pippin, sneaking behind a tent. They looked as if they were headed toward Gandalf's cart of fireworks. Oh well, if they wanted to get in trouble that was their problem.
Suddenly, hands reached out from behind him and covered his eyes. He yelped in surprise and tried to wrench free but the hands wouldn't let go. There was a small giggle behind him and one word.
"Guess!" He knew that voice. There was only one person that would pull something like this on him.
"Hello Zilda." He said calmly. The hands were removed and Frodo turned around to face his friend. She wore a simple dress of light blue and her hair was tied back in a blue ribbon that matched. For once she wore no shoes and her delicate, very nonhobbitish feet wriggled nervously.
"Well, well! Don't you clean up nicely!" he said smiling.
"I dress like this every year for your birthday!" she said indignantly as she sat on the bench next to him.
"Do you? I forget from year to year." He replied jokingly. She looked as if she was about to reply with something extremely sarcastic when a large explosion thundered through the cool September air followed by a rather loud squeal. Everyone liked up to see a tent flying high into the air. Suddenly it burst and a red flaming dragon emerged.
'One of Gandalf's better fireworks no doubt.' Thought Zilda as the dragon continued to ascend. The dragon turned in the air to head back toward the party. Suddenly, Zilda realized with fright that the dragon was going to fly too low! Everyone was running and screaming and falling over tables trying to get away. Frodo and Zilda took one look at each other and started to run. As they ran they caught up with Bilbo who looked slightly confused.
"Bilbo, watch out for the dragon!" exclaimed Frodo.
"Dragon? Nonsense there hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand…" Bilbo never got to finish his sentence because Zilda and Frodo just managed to throw him to the ground before the dragon flew just inches over their heads. They liked up to see the dragon fly out over a lake and turn into a pinwheel of flashing red lights. When the wheel had gotten about as small as a melon it burst with a loud bang into a billion colored lights. As the hobbits cheered and applauded, Zilda stood up and looked around to see if any people had been hurt. She saw one hobbit by a table clutching his ankle and she ran over at once. It was Milo Burrows, an elderly hobbit and one that Zilda knew well. He looked up at her and managed a small smile.
"Looks like I've got myself into another bind Miss Took." He said with a voice that was meant to be cheerful, but was obviously in pain. Zilda smiled kindly at him.
"Let's have a look, hmm?" She knelt beside him and gently took his ankle in her hands. It was already twice its normal size and still swelling. Zilda ran her hands up and down the ankle feeling for any breaking. Much to her relief it wasn't broken only very badly sprained. She concentrated all her strength of mind on the sprain and as Milo watched the pendant around her neck began to glow brighter and brighter. He felt a coolness flow through his ankle and the pain began to subside. He liked down and was astonished to see his ankle shrink to its normal size before his very eyes. The necklace faded and Zilda whispered,
"Teleyes na." Then she opened her eyes and smiled at Milo. "That ought to do it! Let's get you up." She took his hand and helped him to his feet. As he moved the ankle and slowly tested his weight on it Zilda watched intently for any sign of soreness or more swelling. When she saw none she smiled at Milo.
"Yes I think that will do nicely. Just take it easy for a few days. I wouldn't suggest anymore dancing either."
My missus will be sorely disappointed to hear that."
"Just tell that I said if she wants a husband who can walk she would be wise to take my advice."
"Will do! Say by the way that is some little trinket you got there. Where did you get it from and who?" Zilda took the delicate charm in her hand. It was a silver box with a lace of silver leaves and vines that hung around her neck on a small silver chain. The box enclosed a single shining pearl.
"I don't know." She whispered. This necklace had always been a small piece of the puzzle of her past. She didn't know her father and her mother had rarely spoken of him before she died. All Zilda knew was that he was an elf and that this necklace somehow bound her to him. It also gave her rare qualities such as the ability to heal and learn languages and weapons quickly. It was magical. She shook her head and smiled at Milo.
"Now you remember what I said. I like you Milo but I don't want to makin' too many house calls."
"I'll remember." He said as he gave her a firm handshake. "Thank you kindly Zilda-lass."
"It's my pleasure Milo." With that she turned and walked to a bench where Bilbo and Frodo had been watching her. It was near a great oak that everyone called 'the party tree' because the Bagginses held their birthday party under it every year.
"That was amazing!" Frodo exclaimed as Zilda sat on the other side of him. She blushed a little and turned away to try and hide it.
"Oh, it wasn't that big of a deal." She replied shyly.
"Well I thought it was." Frodo whispered in her ear. His breath tickled her sensitive ear and she giggled and looked into his green eyes. He was smiling as he moved a strand of her golden hair from in front of her face a placed it behind her ear. Unbeknownst to both of them Bilbo was watching out of the corner of his eye and he smiled to himself.
Right then, a huge cake with many lighted candles was brought out from the back. It was frosted white and on the top in blue lettering it said 'Happy 111th Birthday Bilbo!' and under that in red lettering it said 'Happy 33rd Birthday Frodo!' The carriers set the monstrous cake on a round table. Suddenly, from the back, came a loud call.
"Speech!" Many of the other hobbits heard and joined in.
"Speech! Speech!" Bilbo and Frodo looked at each other.
"Go on Bilbo. You're the oldest." Bilbo nodded and placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder and smiled. Then, with a wink at Zilda, he got up and stood on an upturned bucket at the front of the tables. His audience cheered and clapped almost too enthusiastically. When it got quiet enough for him to be heard, Bilbo began.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bracegirdles, Bolgers and Proudfoots!" he ended with a flourish.
"Proudfeet!" exclaimed an older hobbit from the back who obviously was one. His were very large and very hairy and both were on the table.
"Proudfoots!" Bilbo repeated stubbornly. Zilda and a few others chuckled.
"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!" he exclaimed. Everyone applauded and there were many cries of 'Happy Birthday!' and 'Many happy returns!' Bilbo put a hand up for silence.
"Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits." More cheers and clapping and whistling. This time Bilbo put up both his hands.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like and I like half of you half as well as you deserve." At this there was a moment of confused silence. Zilda giggled a little under her breath. 'Let um try and figure that one out!' she thought. Then, Bilbo started to get very serious.
"I have things to do…" Zilda started to get concerned. This wasn't like Bilbo. He never got serious during his birthday speeches.
"I've put this off for far too long." 'Put what off?' Zilda thought. She noticed that he was holding something behind his back.
"I regret to announce that this is the end! I'm going now. I wish you all a very fond farewell." He looked down at the faces of Frodo and Zilda and smiled lovingly. "Good-bye." And he was gone! Not a gesture, a word, nothing just vanished! Zilda turned to Frodo hoping he would know what was happening but he looked just as lost as she was. Everyone else was running around searching for Bilbo in utter chaos, but they couldn't move. It was like they were glued to their chairs by some magic spell.
"Where could he have gone?" Zilda whispered helplessly. She stood and looked around for Gandalf thinking that surely he would be able to explain but to her dismay he had gone too! She sat back down and looked Frodo in the eye again. Realization had begun to dawn in his face.
"Wherever he's gone, we won't find him here."
"What are you talking about?" Zilda was really confused. Everyone seemed to know something she didn't and it was starting to frustrate her.
"Where did he go then?" she asked.
"It's not where he's gone. It's where he's going."
"I really wish you people wouldn't talk in riddles!" Suddenly, Frodo stood up.
"Where are you going?" Zilda asked.
"Home. It's too complicated; I'll explain it to you later. There's just something I have to do." With that he began to walk then jog, then run back to Bag End. Zilda was so confused she couldn't even add 2+2 without getting a headache! And on top of that she was worried. About Bilbo and Frodo and Pippin for that matter! Where had he gotten? She stood again and began to search the crowd for her brother. There he was, just where she had expected him to be in a crisis, the food table. Zilda shook her head and began to make her way through the crowd toward him. It was time to go home.
A/N: Well I hope you liked that chapter. By the way, 'Teleyes na' is Quenya for 'it is finished' for anyone who wants to know. See ya and remember…REVIEW!!!