- - 17 YEARS LATER - -
- - CALINA - -
Fresh sunlight bore down on her eyelids. From her perch in a large maple, Calina yawned and shot her arms up to stretch, the coarseness of the bark jostling her senses. Her fingers rustled the dew from the leaves above. A 'squeak' flew out of her as the crisp droplets sprinkled down, one particularly cruel drip having snuck down the back of her neck.
Goosebumps exploded across her skin, 'I'm definitely awake now.' She swung her legs over the side of the branch and leapt out of the tree. The dew jumped where her boots made contact with the ground. She dusted off her pants and straightened, grabbing the hilt of her sword out of reflex. 'It's going to be a great day! Although, I should get going. I need to keep Strider off my trail.' Her happy expression dimmed as her gaze shot to the east, 'I know he's out there somewhere.' Off in the distance, a flock of crows scattered above the trees. Their 'caws' were rigid and scratched against the pristine morning sky. 'Time to go!' She then turned around and began to jog due west.
.
Over the lolling hills and through the whimsical forests she went. Although summer was fading, flowers still bloomed and the weather was delightful. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs. "What a day! I am getting hungry though," Calina murmured. Glancing ahead, she saw an oak tree a ways off. 'A perfect place for lunch.' She then walked the distance and was soon beneath the thick shade of the leaves.
Running a hand over the course bark, she smiled. She leapt into the tree, her prowess allowing her to easily jump to the nearest branch despite the fact that it was 15 feet off the ground. Calina landed gracefully, though a few strands of her inky hair got caught in the leaves. She untangled herself, being sure to not rip the leaves off the tree.
The branch was a comfortable width and low enough in the tree that not a single ray of light managed to sneak through. She swung her pack around to her chest before sitting down. Once seated, she began to dig through the contents of her pack. She pulled out half a loaf of bread and salted pork, and began munching on her lunch.
As she finished eating, she sighed in contentment. She leaned back, crossing her ankles in front of her. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the bark. A soft breeze caressed her cheek. Birds twittered in the branches above. The shade was perfectly warm.
.
She was pulled from her catnap at the sound of someone whistling. Despite the fact that it was far away, her sensitive ears picked up the pleasant tune. She blinked hard, her sharp eyes quickly locating the source of the sound.
The road was nearby, perhaps 300 paces east. She could hear the sound of a cart and horse hooves plodding against the dirt as it rolled along. The whistling came from the driver. Soon enough, his whistle turned to a song.
"Down from the door where it began. And I must follow if I can. The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can…"
She remained silent as the one-party caravan continued to approach. Her brow then wrinkled, 'What's this…' Her powers instinctively assessed him from afar, catching the sense that there was a particular energy about this man. Her eyes widened as she tensed, 'A wizard!' Without hesitation she vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of her presence save for a few strands of black hair that had got caught in the leaves.
- - GANDALF - -
Pop.
The wizard halted his tune and pulled the horse to a stop. His gray robes twisted as he turned around in his seat, looking back into the woods. His gaze wandered to the top of a mighty oak that was situated deeper in the forest.
'What was the burst of magic just now?' He thought. The wide brim of his pointed hat shielded the afternoon sun from his eyes as he continued to stare off into the woods. He 'hmm'-ed in preponderance, 'If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was the Sha—'
"Gandalf!" A voice suddenly called out exuberantly.
He turned back around to see a curly haired Hobbit bounding towards the cart. He smiled, "Frodo my boy!"
The young Hobbit crossed his arms, grinning coyly, blue eyes shining vibrantly, "You're late."
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he—"
Pop.
'There it is again.' His stare flicked back into the woods.
"Is everything alright?" Frodo asked.
"Perceptive as always, Frodo. But yes, everything is fine. A funny feeling is all." The wizard then forced his gaze back around.
The Hobbit's bright eyes narrowed in suspect, but he pressed the issue no further. Instead, he leapt from the embankment onto the seat of the cart and threw his arms around the wizard. "It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!"
The wizard chortled as he returned the gesture. "Oh, you didn't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday party? And I came fully prepared." He gestured to the back of the cart. It was full of fireworks and other similar effects. Gandalf then urged the horse forward, and they continued down the road toward Hobbiton.
"So how is the old rascal? I hear it's going to be a party of special magnificence." Gandalf inquired.
"You know Bilbo. He's got the whole place in an uproar." Frodo admitted.
"Well that must please him!" Gandalf said, chuckling.
"Half of the Shire's been invited and the rest are showing up anyway." The pair both laughed as they continued to chat as they traveled through a golden field of crops, over the bridge by the old mill, and straight into the market of Hobbiton. Eventually, Frodo confided his concerns about his Uncle's recent strange behavior to the wizard.
'It would seem that Bilbo's odd behavior isn't the only peculiar thing going on.' The wizard mused.
- - CALINA - -
She reappeared a few leagues away beneath the shade of a tree she had passed that morning. Her heart throbbed against her ribs, 'What would a wizard be doing here of all places? I'm half tempted to leave the Shire but if I turn back I might run into Strider. UGH! What should I do?'
She bit her lip, looking to the east, 'Strider could be anywhere, so I can't stay here. But I know what direction the wizard was headed. If I go back, at least I'll know I'm somewhere between the two of them. Hopefully the wizard won't come after me.' She then took a deep breath and vanished again, returning to the place she had just departed.
.
Melting out of the shadow of her luncheon oak, she kneeled down on the branch, letting her powers search for the presence of the wizard. 'It's there, but it's fading.' Her edginess began to calm knowing the wizard was headed away from her. She jumped out of the tree but stuck close to the trunk.
'I'll have to be extra careful. However near or far Strider is, I'm not taking any chances.' She then turned in the opposite direction of the road and began to run, always sticking beneath the shadow of the woods as she went.
.
Calina continued to wander the Shire, zigzagging around in hopes of confusing her potential pursuers. She traveled all day long and by now the sun had begun to set. She finally stopped and found another large tree to perch in. As she did so, she ate the rest of the bread and dried meat, catching glimpses of the sunset through the leaves.
'Hopefully Strider will lose my trail.' She mused. She coughed, a piece of bread getting lodged in her throat. She coughed again, smacking her chest. The bread cleared and she sighed once again. 'What a day. Huh?'
The scent of roasted meat bombarded her nose. Her mouth watered immediately. Despite having just eaten, her stomach grumbled, "That smells delicious." She was suddenly struck with another idea, 'Where there's food there's sure to be folk enjoying it, and Strider would never think I'd go headfirst into Hobbiton.'
As she leapt out of the tree, the wind continuing to torture her with the luscious scent of roasting meat. With the sun now set, she could see a bright luminous glow rising from the west. 'Perhaps there's a party going on?' Calina then left the shade of the tree and headed towards the light, her stomach grumbling all the way.
.
From atop a hill, she looked down at the spectacle before her. She had never seen a Hobbit before, and she had certainly never imagined she'd see so many of them at once.
A bright yellow banner enlightened her as to the reason for the grandiose celebration. 'Whoever this Bilbo is, he sure is famous around here. And he's 111! Who knew Hobbits could live so long.' From her vantage point, she watched the Half-lings drink, dance, and dine, all the while being blissfully unaware of her presence. Fireworks were going off, and she saw a massive cake being brought out, already glowing with candles. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw that it took a small crowd of Hobbits to carry out the huge dessert.
While she was still ravenous, she was not about to steal. Calina sighed once more, hand on her stomach as it rumbled. However, she was enjoying watching the party, so she continued to observe the jovial community.
She practically fell out of the tree at a sudden, and colossal, explosion. She clutched at the tree bark, panting in surprise. Her gaze shot in the direction the sound had come from. One of the large party tents had a massive hole singed in its top and was drastically askew. It had clearly been a firework, for the festival ornament was still shooting high into the night sky. It was clear that this one had packed much more of a punch than the others.
Far above the partygoers the firework erupted into the shape of a flaming dragon. Calina's eyes widened, both somewhat alarmed and awed. The dragon turned and swooped slowly over the crowd. The Hobbits, clearly not expecting such a spectacle, had to duck out of the way as it passed them over. It then flew off, and burst into a magnificent finale over the lake. At the fireworks conclusion, the Hobbits clapped and cheered, and Calina couldn't help but smile at the ruckus. 'Strider won't come within leagues of here.'
The rest of the party passed without event. After some time, the Hobbit of the hour stood under a great tree, beginning a speech. "My dear Bagginses and Boffins," each group cheered at being addressed, "Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proudfoots."
"Proudfeet!" An old Proudfeet Hobbit exclaimed pointedly. The crowd laughed as Bilbo waved a hand in dismissal.
"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday." The crowd cheered and shouted well wishes. "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." The crowd quieted to silence. They all looked at each other, trying to work out if they had just been insulted or complimented.
Calina's lips puckered, 'What a sharp tongue!' Though Bilbo's voice then became hushed, her keen ears could still follow along, "I, uh, I h-have things to do." There was a pause, thumbing something between his fingers before addressing the crowd, "I regret to announce – this is The End. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye."
With that, he vanished into thin air.
She gasped, her vision suddenly giving her sight into an entirely different realm. The liveliness of the Seen world had been smeared with a damp and gloomy presence, its inherent darkness somehow deeper than that of the night. Amidst all the commotion, she found Bilbo again. Though he was hard to miss, for he was practically glowing.
A pleasant warmth had begun to wash over her as her gaze followed after him. While she could not see it, her eyes were now completely black save for a thin band of gray-blue around her irises.
'Follow him. Take it from him.' This thought had not been her own. Yet she found herself unable to resist its command.
She jumped out of the tree after the Half-ling. Though the distance between them was promptly narrowed, she trailed behind him still out of sight. The sounds of the party died as they passed through the Shire. Before long, she followed Bilbo straight up to his home, which was situated within a large hill. The metal clasp of the front gate clicked shut, which was shortly followed by the latching of the round front door.
She lurked beneath the black walnut tree that stood opposite the front gate. She wasn't entirely sure why she was waiting. The closer she came to Bilbo, the more prominent the warmth became. And it was a lovely feeling.
Yet now there was another sensation. She'd describe this one as cool and it was pushing back against the warmth. The two energies briefly swirled within her for a moment until the warmth overcame the briskness. She then followed the warmth's command and stepped out from under the tree. Silently, she passed through the gate and up to the front door. She reached for the knob—
The intoxicating warmth suddenly vanished and with it, her view into the shadow realm. She was so startled at the abrupt change that she jumped. Calina squeezed her eyes shut hard, half expecting the world to change again. But it didn't. Instead, the familiar light of the moon poured down on her, and the grumbling of frogs and melody of crickets echoed around her.
Despite the return to normalcy, she was deeply disturbed at her behavior. 'What came over me just now? Why did I follow Bilbo? And why did I want to steal from him?' Her thoughts had so ensnared her that she did not have time to react when the front door swung open and bathed her in light. Bilbo stood in the doorway, with her placed in the center of his gaze.
To her even greater dismay, the wizard was standing right behind him.
Bilbo yelped and knocked her from her stupor. She scrambled back over the fence, ducking down on the other side just as the wizard's staff exploded with a piercing white light. Blood began to rush to her ears as she sat with her back flat against the fence. 'He masked his presence. Dammit, how could I have been so stupid!' She dug her hands into the soft earth. Light was still pouring between the pickets.
"I mean you no harm, Shadow Walker." Based on how his voice carried, she could tell he was still standing by the door. However, his light persisted, so she remained where she was. "Why have you come here?" He inquired, his voice calm, but clear.
Her mouth had run dry, "I've been trying to shake a pesky ranger. He's been following me for weeks, and he drove me westward to the Shire."
"And what brought you to the front door of Bag End?"
The pause that followed was long enough that a barn owl was allowed to make its presence known. "I know you won't believe me, but I'm not entirely sure myself, sir." She answered honestly.
"Sir!" She heard Bilbo laugh, "She's quite polite, wouldn't you say Gandalf?"
"Indeed."
"Shadow Walker. What a curious name." She heard footsteps plod her way. Bilbo peaked over the fence, "Is there some other name you go by? Shadow Walker is a bit of a mouthful."
She gaped at his uncouth comment. "Calina," she answered, looking up at him.
"Alright then Calina." His head vanished before he reappeared in full on the other side of the fence. He turned to her donned in a large traveling pack and walking stick. "I'm not quite sure how you managed to follow me all this way, but I will admit I am impressed. I know I'm quite sought after, and your admiration flatters me. But now I must be off. I've got quite a ways to travel. Goodbye."
She stared after him as he left, entirely dumbstruck, 'Does he assume I followed him because I'm some admirer?!' She couldn't stop her next statement before it flew off her tongue, "What a brazen old codger."
"The matters of the world outside the Shire have been foreign to him for quite some time. Many of these things he is ignorant of. One of them, being you." The wizard replied, swinging the topic back around.
Her tension returned in full force, 'With Bilbo gone, there's nothing stopping him from attacking me.'
But it was as if he had read her mind, "I have no intention of harming you. In fact, I would like to talk to you. Now, I'm going to lower the light. I only ask that you not flee. I would like to avoid making any more of a spectacle of this evening than has already occurred." To his word, the light dimmed to no more than that of a hand torch. She also noticed his aura had dimmed along with it.
Her teeth ground into her bottom lip, 'I guess I don't have much of a choice. Here goes nothing.'
She rose from her crouch expecting to be blasted with light, but it never came. Instead, she saw him in full for the first time. He looked like a typical wizard: unsuspecting robes, long gray beard with matching wiry eyebrows, and a magical staff. She could only assume his pointed hat was somewhere in the Hobbit hole.
"Good," he said with a smile. To her surprise, he turned his back to her. "Let us go inside to talk. You are an admirer after all. I'm sure Bilbo wouldn't mind."
While it was not directed at the wizard, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance. She then stomped forward and followed after the wizard, who chuckled at her antics.
The Hobbit hole was quaint and had corners filled with books and papers piled in a way that made sense only to the person who had arranged them. It was not, however, messy by any means. Clearly just organized chaos.
He had led through various round archways to the hearth of the home. "I am Gandalf. I'm glad to finally meet you. Each time I visited the White City you happened to be away." He began.
"I wasn't aware a wizard was looking for me."
He sat down in one chair and gestured to her to sit in another. "Those of magical prowess prefer to be acquainted with one another." He said.
She took a seat, still a bit rigid, "I've heard that one before."
"I can imagine. But not everyone is out to harm you."
"Be that as it may, that doesn't change the fact that I'm currently being chased across the whole of Middle Earth by a vengeful ranger."
"That sparks my first question: you are safe so long as you stay within the borders of Gondor. Why did you leave?"
She began to fidget, "There's so much of Middle Earth I wanted to see, and I was tired of hiding. I figured if I kept a low enough profile that I could travel without incident." She huffed, rubbing her temples, "But that clearly didn't work out."
He chuckled, "You are quite famous."
"Infamous, depending on who you talk to." She grumbled, staring into the fire.
Without warning, another Hobbit burst through the front door. "Bilbo!" He yelled, bright blue eyes snapping across the halls, searching.
"He has gone, Frodo." Gandalf supplied plainly.
The Half-ling deflated. His brown curls dipped with sadness, "He talked about it for so long. I didn't think he'd really do it." The Half-ling admitted. Frodo then cocked his head and reached down, picking something up from the floor. He thumbed the object, earning a look from the wizard.
"Bilbo's ring." Gandalf proclaimed, "He's gone to stay with the Elves. He's left you Bag End, along with all of his possessions." The wizard rose, grabbed something from the nearby desk, and walked to Frodo. He presented the Half-ling with an envelope and held it open. The Half-ling dropped the ring inside. Gandalf swiftly sealed the envelope and handed it back to him.
"The ring is yours. Keep it somewhere out of sight." Gandalf then gestured to Calina. "This is Calina. She is a friend of mine and is in need of a place to stay. I humbly ask, Frodo, if she could be allowed to stay with you in Bag End."
Calina couldn't stop her eyebrows from shooting skywards, 'Hold on now, friend? What's going on? Where's he going with this?'
Frodo looked at her, eyes widening as their gaze connected, "You're the Shadow Walker, aren't you?"
She gulped, awaiting judgment, "Yes."
"Gandalf told me stories about you. I'd love to hear some of them from you during your stay."
The smile he graced her with along with the casualty of his words caught her entirely off guard. "T-thank you." She said, gracious but befuddled.
"Excellent. Now, Frodo, would you be so kind as to fetch my hat and staff? I left them in the kitchen." The wizard asked. The Hobbit nodded before scurrying off through the halls.
Gandalf turned to Calina once they were alone, "You have questions. I promise to explain everything when I return. I'll take care of your ranger problem. For now, I only ask that you keep watch over Frodo and the Shire in my absence. Can you do that for me?"
She stammered at the suddenness of it all, "Y-yes."
Frodo reappeared with the hat and staff in his arms. He gave them over to Gandalf who turned and began to make his leave. "Where are you going?" The Half-ling asked, tailing after him.
"There are some things that I must see to." The wizard answered, already out the door.
"What things?" The Hobbit persisted as both he and Calina followed after him.
"Questions. Questions that need answering."
"But you've only just arrived! I don't understand." Frodo finished, dismayed.
Gandalf paused, his hand already on the front gate. "Neither do I." He strode back and placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder, "Keep it secret. Keep it safe." The Half-ling gazed down at the envelope in his hand. Gandalf then looked directly at Calina, "I would be best if you stay out of sight." She nodded. The wizard looked between the two of them, "I will return soon."
With this final decree, the wizard departed. They watched him walk briskly down the path until he was out of sight. For a moment, they stood and stared at the space he had disappeared. The crickets chirped. An owl hooted. The moon shone down on them from high in the sky.
They sighed in unplanned unison. Frodo turned and looked up to Calina, "I suppose we should go inside."
"Yes, of course," she said, following after him into Bag End.
As the door closed behind them, he politely offered her his hand, "A more formal introduction:" He said with another smile, "I'm Frodo Baggins. Would you care for some tea?"
"I'm Calina. And yes, tea sounds wonderful." She said, returning his handshake. She ducked under another archway. "Thank you again for letting me stay."
"Of course. A friend of Gandalf's is a friend of mine."
'I still don't have any idea why Gandalf called me his friend, but he must've had a good reason. I'll guess I'll just have to wait until he gets back.' She shook her head to try and shake the whirl of questions that were spinning through her head. "So Frodo. You said Gandalf told you stories of me. What have you heard?"
They arrived in the kitchen. He bent and prodded at the wood in the stove, "That you can walk through shadows, have Elf-like powers, and are immortal."
"Correct on all accounts." She took off her cloak and draped it over one of the chairs while Frodo placed the kettle on the stove.
As she took a seat at the little table, Frodo's expression was overcome with vibrant awe, "So how do you do it exactly? The shadow walking?"
"Once I've been somewhere that's heavily shadowed I can teleport back to it. But I need to be in another shadow in order to do it in the first place, and wherever I'm going still needs to be shadowed as well. And I can only do it so many times before I exhaust myself."
"What's the farthest you can jump in a single go?"
"About 15 leagues."
"That's amazing!" Frodo then came over with the tea on a small tray. "After all the excitement, I figured this would help calm us down." Frodo proclaimed as he sat down.
"Agreed," she lifted the cup and began to blow off the steam. As she did, her stomach let out an outrageous growl. Her cheeks turned a vibrant red. "I'm sorry!" She said, nearly spilling her tea in embarrassment.
"Have you not eaten today?!" He asked incredulously.
"I have, but not much." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"Let's have some supper then." Frodo strode over to the cupboards and began to fix their meal. As he cooked they chatted, this time Calina posing most of the questions as she inquired about any and all things relating to Hobbit folk.
As Frodo was explaining all of his relations to the other Hobbits in the Shire, he brought over two plates filled with beef, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and cauliflower. Calina couldn't refrain from letting her tongue roll across her lips in anticipation. Frodo handed her utensils and he sat down to enjoy supper with her. They dined, enjoyed their tea, and continued to talk all the while. Before long, they were laughing as Calina regaled Frodo with a story of her brothers and some mischief they got into when they were younger.
"Yes, we were all perhaps in our twenties at the time during that particular incident." She reminisced gaily.
Frodo eyed her curiously, "Twenties? Please don't take offense, but how old are you?"
"Probably 40." She said without missing a beat, poking at the last vegetable on her plate before popping it into her mouth.
"You look no more than 25!"
"I haven't aged a day since the day I woke up in Minas Tirith."
"Are you sure you're not some type of Elf?"
She let out a tart laugh, "I'm sure." Without a word, she took the serrated knife she'd used for her meal and tore it across her palm.
"What are you doing?!" Frodo yelled as he snatched the knife away.
A line of blood pooled in her palm. But to his unabashed astonishment, the wound began to stitch itself back together. Within a matter of seconds, the slice healed the only trace of the wound being the fresh line of crimson in her palm.
She stared almost mournfully at the streak of blood. "Elves are susceptible to wounds of the flesh. I am not. And even if I am hurt, my wounds heal too fast for me to die." Calina stood and walked over to the sink, swiftly cleaning her palm, speaking distastefully.
"You speak as if this is a bad thing."
"When you combine dark magical powers with that kind of immortality, you inherently end up instilling fear in others."
He set the knife down with a quiet 'clack'. "Well, that's unfortunate because I happen to think you are wonderful company."
Her heart swelled, and she smiled, "Thanks Frodo."
He cleared their plates and she rose to help him tidy up. Once the kitchen was in order, Frodo yawned and stretched, rubbing an eye, "Let me show you to the spare room." He led her through a few more archways before opening a door to a quaint bedroom. It had two Hobbit-sized beds on opposite walls. A little window was nestled between them with a single nightstand below it.
He picked up the nightstand and moved it beside the door. He then began to drag one bed towards the other. Upon noticing what he was doing, Calina hurried over to help him. A minute later, the room had been arranged to accommodate her larger stature.
"I hope this is alright." He lit the room's little candle and placed it on the knight stand, which was now in the corner where the other bed had been.
"This is more than alright, it's wonderful. It's quaint, cozy, and not a tree branch." Without hesitation, she flopped down on the bed and let out a gloriously contented sigh.
He laughed at her reaction as she clutched one of the pillows. "I'm glad to hear. I'll see you in the morning, Calina. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. And Frodo, thank you for letting me stay." She said earnestly.
He smiled back at her. "Anything for a friend."