On the way to the Shire, Calen began to feel anxious. She was almost certain Tatiana and Legolas were serious about the 'ways of hobbits', but she wanted to know more just in case. So she quizzed Gandalf. Fortunately, or unfortunately, everything he said went right along with what the elves had said.
By the time they reached Hobbiton it was around midnight, and Calen was practically asleep on Fe's back. Gandalf led the way up a hill to Bag End, where he helped Calen off her horse. She stumbled through the round door, too exhausted to notice how strange it was to even have a round door.
"What about your friend?" she yawned as Gandalf led her down the hallway to a room.
"He's been expecting me, don't worry," Gandalf explained. "You can meet him in the morning."
"Oh," she said, without really knowing it.
"Good night," the wizard replied.
Calen almost fell into the bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
The next morning she was awakened by severe laughter. Forgetting that she wasn't in Rivendell, she rolled over and sighed.
"Ego, Tatiana," she grumbled. Go away, Tatiana
Waking up a little more, she then realized that the laughter was definitely not Tatiana's. She gasped and sat up.
A hobbit, or at least what Calen assumed was a hobbit, stood in the doorway laughing softly. He was most likely the strangest being she had ever seen, with a mop of disheveled dark hair and large, pointed ears. She guessed he was shorter than her five foot two, and he had rather big, hairy feet. Still, she couldn't help but notice his striking blue eyes that stared so openly at her. They were quite disparate from the rest of him.
'What?" Calen asked defensively as she moved further to the other side of the bed.
"Green tomatoes?" the hobbit chuckled, motioning to the vegetables that surrounded her bed.
Calen suddenly remembered waking up in the middle of the night to set them out after she'd experienced a nightmare involving pointy-toothed hobbits.
"So?" she said, for lack of some other response.
"You believed two elves and a wizard?" he had stopped laughing now and looked at her accusingly.
"Well, yeah. Two elves and a wizard are more likely to be telling the truth than any other race I can think of..." Calen started.
"Not when it's your best friend, her romantic interest, and a wizard who is rather taken with practical jokes," the hobbit retorted kindly.
"So, you're not going to... umm..."
"Kill you? No," he replied.
"Well, that's good," said Calen, getting up. She was feeling a little better about this now.
"I'm Frodo, by the way. Frodo Baggins."
"I'm Calen," she said, gathering up the tomatoes.