Chapter 2

As the weeks passed, it became evident that Celebrien was indeed blind. With characteristic optimism, Bilbo and his friends and family began to prepare her for a full life without sight. Frodo and Sam made her little toys that made noise, and she soon learned to recognize the voices of those around her. She was especially attached to Bilbo and Gandalf. The old wizard came to see little Celebrien often, and he became like the grandfather she never would have had, just as Bilbo and Frodo became her loving father and brother.

Frodo was Celebrien's favorite from the very beginning. She was a fussy baby at first, and Bilbo sometimes couldn't quiet her down no matter how hard he tried. When she was placed in Frodo's arms, however, she usually went right to sleep, holding tightly to his finger.

Like all young children, Celebrien liked to explore everything. Her curiosity about the world around her only increased as she grew older. Bilbo soon realized that it was going to be hard work keeping a blind and naturally precocious two-year-old from hurting herself. He learned not to worry so much when she fell and scraped her knees, but he knew when to discipline her too.

"You must listen to Papa!" He said one day as Celebrien attempted to climb onto a chest of drawers by grabbing onto a lit lamp for support. "Mean Papa!" she said sullenly. Bilbo hugged and kissed her. "You'll see some day that I'm only doing what's best for you because I love you." "Love Papa!" Celebrien said happily, resting her head on his shoulder.

As time passed, Frodo began to take Celebrien out with his friends. They taught her how to identify different plants and herbs by using her other senses. By the time she was seven, Celebrien was helping Sam in the garden regularly.

"This little one could make a rose grow out of a rock," Sam said, ruffling Celebrien's hair. She had just given Bilbo some flowers that she had grown herself. As Bilbo put them in some water, Celebrien said, "Someone is coming." "I don't see anyone darling," Bilbo said. But as the words left his mouth, he could make out a distant figure on horseback. "Why you're right little one! It's Gandalf!"

Sure enough, Gandalf tied his horse to a fence post a moment later. Celebrien ran towards him. "Gandalf! Gandalf!" She cried, hugging him around the leg. "How's my favorite little girl?" He boomed, scooping her up and kissing her.

It was awhile before Gandalf was settled comfortably in the study. Celebrien insisted on showing him all of her flowers and new toys. "So where have you been Gandalf?" Bilbo asked as he served him a heaping plate of meat and potatoes. "I've been off fighting Orcs," he said, "and hard work it's been too. Trouble lurks beyond the Shire, and it's taken all of my power plus the bravery of many men to maintain peace."

Celebrien listened in awe as her father and Gandalf talked about their days fighting together. "I want to learn how to fight," she said suddenly. "Oh now sweetheart," Bilbo said indulgently, "you don't need to fight. Frodo and Sam and I will always protect you." "Not always," Celebrien said thoughtfully. She possessed the articulation and intelligence of a much older child. "She is right my old friend," Gandalf said, "perhaps I can teach her some basic self defense tomorrow." "But I want to fight with a sword and bow," Celebrien said stubbornly. "We shall see child," Gandalf said, "now off to bed with you."

The next day, Gandalf began her training by pairing Celebrien with Frodo. It made sense for her to start by fighting someone closer to her own size rather than him. Bilbo would strangle him if anything happened to his beloved daughter. Frodo made to grab Celebrien but she ducked, landing a well-placed blow that sent her brother sprawling. He got up and made to attack her again, but Celebrien was faster. As he bent over to run at her, she jumped into the air and landed on his back. With surprising strength, she wrestled him to the ground. "Her form is flawless," Gandalf noted to Bilbo. "She fights like someone three times her age. Where did she learn it?" "I honestly don't know," Bilbo said.

The afternoon wore on, and Celebrien proved herself to be quite adept at hand to hand combat despite having no training. "How did you learn all of this my dear?" Gandalf asked as they stopped for a snack. "I don't know," Celebrien said, "I just reached out with my mind and felt Frodo coming at me, and I knew what to do to stop him." Gandalf paused and chewed an apple thoughtfully. "But I knew he wouldn't hurt me," Celebrien continued. "How did you know that?" "I just felt it. I can always feel when someone is nice or mean." Celebrien did have an uncanny ability to read others, even when they weren't near. Gandalf began to consider the possibility that this child possessed powers that he had never before thought her capable of. "What if someone bad wanted to hurt you Celebrien?" He asked. "What would you do then?" "I would hurt them back," she said matter-of-factly, "I've done it before in my dreams."

Later that day, Gandalf placed a bow in Celebrien's hands. He had blunted the arrows lest she injure herself. Celebrien stood before the target in rapped concentration. "The target is right…" Gandalf began, but was cut short by the sight of Celebrien taking aim and hitting the center of the target. He was dumbfounded. "I know where it is. Don't worry," she said. Gandalf chuckled. "Now be careful my little one," he warned, "I am going to give you a real arrow now." He shoed her how to fit the arrow onto her bow. She hit the target ten times in a row. Silently Gandalf moved in front of her just as Celebrien was taking aim. She stopped. "I can't shoot. Instead of a target, there's something good in front of me. Is it you Gandalf?" "Yes it is," Gandalf said, astonished."

Just then, Sam screamed behind them. Celebrien whirled around. A large poisonous spider was climbing down one of the rose bushes, heading straight for Sam. He was frozen in terror. Celebrien sensed the threat and took aim. The arrow pierced through the spider's body and it fell dead.

The others stood there, amazed at Celebrien's accuracy. "This child will be a force to be reckoned with some day my old friend," Gandalf told Bilbo later that evening. "Her abilities surpass the normal second sight that the blind often possess. She is a born warrior!" "Do you suppose it's magic?" Bilbo asked. He was still very worried that his little girl might hurt herself. "I'm going to start her with the sword tomorrow," Gandalf said, "I suspect that she possesses some magical abilities. We don't know where she came from. Her mother died so quickly, and we know nothing about her father. One thing is certain. She will never be defenseless."

Celebrien proved to be as adept with the sword as with other forms of combat. As the years passed, she even managed to best Gandalf in combat. As he lay on the ground with her sword pressed against his throat, Gandalf knew that Celebrien was destined to accomplish great things.