An Unexpected Ring
Chapter 1
An Interrupted Nap
I always found Birthdays a curious phenomenon. Why would any mortal race
celebrate aging another year? Why would they be glad about being closer
to the end? It took me many years to find the answer I needed.
It was because mortal creatures, or, at least, those who age far faster than
my kind, view it not as celebrating another year passed, but as
another year conquered. In a sense, it is a celebration of
achievement rather than time.
I like that.
Golden beams of sunshine flitted through the wooden blinds of the small, oval window in the far wall. Their light fell upon a bed that was far too big for the squat, humble space, with posts towering to touch the arched ceiling. Both the headrest and the foot of the bed pressed against opposite ends of what had once been a dedicated study. In some ways, it still was, because the rest of the space was crammed with books piled and stacked without any organization. Quills and empty ink jars littered the floor. The full ink jars kept the corners of a map of Middle Earth pinned to the small desk. It was a warm space, and that made it perfect for a good nap.
Unfortunately for Tiki, her nap was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.
"Bilbo Baggins!"
One of Tiki's emerald eyes cracked open, flicked to the slightly ajar bedroom door, then closed. She didn't have to worry about it. The visitor was not for her. She hummed, rolled over, and buried her nose into her feather pillow, relishing the pumpkin scent that reminded her oh so much of autumn. It was almost enough to lull her right back to-
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Bilbo Baggins, answer the door!"
Tiki's eye snapped open. Just one. Just enough energy expended to turn her content smile into a frown. She glared at the crack in her doorway, eyeing the round, front door to Bag End. No more knocking. Perhaps the visitor had given up? Perhaps Bilbo answered them through a window?
No matter. She smacked her lips, yawned, then curled her knees close to her stomach, feeling the warm quilt hug her tighter. Sleep.
BANG!
"Bilbo Baggins!"
The quilt flew from Tiki's body. Her bare feet stomped against the wooden floors. She moved so fast, she forgot that this wasn't a normal home, or an inn in Eriador or Gondor, and this place was certainly not the sweeping, elegant homes of Rivendell or the other Elven lands. This was a hobbit hole, short and squat.
Her forehead hit the doorpost with a sharp whack! Tiki saw stars as she stumbled forward, falling shoulder-first into the hallway wall. She hissed then staggered to her feet, only to smack the ceiling with her scalp. Instantly, she dropped to a crouch, both hands clasped over the throbbing bump forming on her head. Her eyes screwed shut as she reeled.
Another series of sharp knocks forced her to recover. Instead of rising to her feet though, she remained crouched and crept toward the front door. Once there, she rose to stoop, remaining mindful of the chandelier. She had already almost knocked that off the ceiling several times. She reached for the brass doorknob.
Bang! Bang!
"Bilbo Baggins, if you do not answer this door then I will-"
Tiki snarled and threw the door open. On the other side stood an older hobbit woman. She already knew who it was. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins; Bilbo's detested relative. When Tiki first moved to the Shire, she thought Bilbo had been exaggerating about how awful she was. It had only taken two interactions for her opinion to change, the first being Tiki catching Lobelia attempting to steal Bilbo's silverware when they got back from Erebor.
The second was right now, as Tiki loomed over the suddenly silent Hobbit, angry, sleepy, and a bit chilled.
"What?" Tiki growled.
Lobelia paled. "I- um-" she looked Tiki up and down. "Is Bilbo-"
"Reason?"
"His birthday party invite is-"
"You're not invited."
And Tiki slammed the door. When she did, a door at the far side of Bag End creaked open. Soft footfalls padded against the wooden boards, joined by the quiet humming of a fun diddy often heard at the Green Dragon Inn. Tiki narrowed her eyes, sniffed, then turned around.
Bilbo Baggins stood at the other end of the corridor, his morning paper in hand and his pipe ready for smoking. When he caught sight of Tiki, he averted his eyes.
"What?" Tiki asked.
Bilbo sighed, reached into Tiki's room, and snatched a robe that was easily two times his size. He kept his eyes away from Tiki as he made his way over to her then held it out. That's when Tiki realized what was going on.
"Oh," Tiki chuckled, "right. Sorry."
"Not enough sleep?" Bilbo asked as Tiki wrapped her robe around her, tightening it at the waist.
Tiki gave Bilbo a sour look. Her old friend chuckled.
"I must thank you for scaring off Lobelia. She never leaves when I answer the door." He took a seat in his kitchen, reaching for a framed map of the Lonely Mountain that he had nearby.
"You just don't know how to scare her off," Tiki grumbled in reply. She shuffled around Bilbo's seat then joined him at his little breakfast table. When she sat, the kettle of tea on the fire behind her hissed. Not thinking twice, she reached behind her, snatched it from the flames, then set it on a potholder on the table. "Tea?"
"You first," Bilbo said. "Clearly you need it more than me."
Tiki obliged, pouring herself a generous cup and then taking a long gulp from it. A lovely lemony tea. Good for the morning. She sighed, her mood brightening with the rising sun. Bilbo groaned as he leaned back in his seat. Tiki raised her eyes from her tea.
Sixty years had passed since she and Bilbo Baggins first met on that fateful night with Gandalf the Grey and thirteen hungry dwarves. In those sixty years, Tiki had not aged a day. Bilbo, though, had sprouted some gray hairs and wrinkles. He still appeared youthful and spry, far more so than his age of one hundred and eleven should be, but age was still taking a hold of him.
Don't think about it. Tiki sipped her tea, set her cup down, then folded her hands.
"What did that weed of woman want?" Bilbo asked as he chewed on the end of his pipe. It was a habit he took to when pondering something. He didn't smoke in his house, not often at least, and usually only when he was writing his book, but he did gnaw on his pipe. His eyes were fixated on the map of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain.
Tiki's lips thinned. "Oh, nothing important."
"She wanted an invite, didn't she?"
"Yes."
'And you told her…?"
"I told her to go away," Tiki grumbled, causing Bilbo to give her a withering look. "She woke me from my nap."
"You've been napping for three days."
"And I've been traveling for three years," Tiki replied, folding her arms. "Three days is nothing."
Bilbo snorted at that. "Fair enough, I suppose." He scooted the map of Erebor aside, leaned back in his seat, and furrowed his brow. "She's still going to show up, you know."
"I don't doubt it. You did invite half the Shire," Tiki replied. "Or so Frodo tells me."
A wistful smile cracked Bilbo's lips. "He did huh?" He chuckled. "And I'm sure he told you the other half were showing up anyways?"
"Why wouldn't they? Not many hobbits are as curious as you are, Bilbo Baggins," Tiki smiled. "I'm simply glad I made it back for this one."
"As am I," Bilbo replied. His gaze flicked to the window next to the table. It was a distant look. The kind of an old man reminiscing on the past. Tiki had seen it many times before. She bore that same expression on her face often when thinking alone. "What was the world like this past year?"
Tiki shrugged. "Pretty much the same."
"And where did you go this time?"
There it was; a sparkle in Bilbo's eyes. He wasn't far away anymore. He was present. Excited even. Tiki smiled.
"I went East, toward Rhun."
"Really?" Bilbo leaned forward. "And what did you find?"
Tiki shrugged. "Not much, unfortunately. I did stop by Lothlorien once again though to see if Lady Galadriel had dug up anything during my decade away from there. Sadly, nothing." Her fingers drummed against the table. "Sixty years of searching, and still nothing."
Bilbo reached out. One of his hands, wrinkled, old, almost leathery to the touch, wrapped over Tiki's smooth one.
"One day, my friend," he said, giving her a comforting smile. "You'll get home one day. And, when you do, I'd love to see it."
Tiki returned Bilbo's smile, but her's was sadder. Would Bilbo have another sixty years for her to search? Would she be able to find anything at all? She sighed.
"Today's not about me, Bilbo," Tiki slipped her hand from his. "Today is about you."
"Oh, well, I-"
"Don't act so humble, you old scoundrel. You live for this attention," Tiki interrupted with a laugh. "When's the party?"
"Tonight." Bilbo's lips thinned. "Speaking of, there's some final preparations that need to be made. In particular," he rose from his seat, marched to a cupboard near the door, and pulled out a sign. Tiki quickly read it.
"No admittance, except on party business," Tiki nodded her head. "A warm welcome."
"I thought so. Warm enough to keep that bitter hag Lobelia away, don't you agree? Now then, where's Frodo? I need his help putting this up." Bilbo spun around then frowned. "Well, that boy has already bounded off somewhere, hasn't he? I can't even hear him. Can you-"
"Can't smell him or hear him."
"He got to an early start," Bilbo scoffed and threw his hands up. "What kind of hobbit gets off to an early start in the day?"
"You?" Tiki replied with a snicker.
Bilbo pointed at her, opened his mouth, then closed it. "Fair enough again. Do you mind? I have a lovely hammer you can use for this sign."
Tiki chuckled again, set her half-empty teacup down, then went to her room to dress.
It's good to be home.
Welcome to An Unexpected Companion's sequel, An Unexpected Ring! That's right folks, we are back in Middle Earth, ready to journey through the events of the War of the Ring, with some added elements and twists thanks to the addition of our favorite Manakete from Fire Emblem. For those of you who are joining from the first story in this series, welcome back! I'm happy to see you all again. For those of you haven't read that one, you might one to give a look, as it explains a lot about what Tiki is doing here and what her motivations currently are. Plus, it's a fun little adventure that you might enjoy.
Anyways, like I said for AUC, I am in no way an expert on Tolkein's mythology (although I am getting much better, as I have read through the Silmarillion several times now, and am giving the Lord of the Rings another read through), so please bear with me on that. I definitely cannot write as well as the Master, so I mainly hope to be entertaining. I will of course do my absolute best to honor his work, as that is important to me as well. I will say though that my goal is to have fun with this story, and hopefully for you all to have fun with me as well. So, with those expectations set, thank you for coming along for this journey with me! Let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it. Have a nice day!