Hello everyone! Sorry for another slight delay there. I'm doing my best :) Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter, they help so much, they really do :D
The winning nickname has been voted for, and I'm so excited to announce that Pervinca's new nickname will be… VINCA! Hurray! That means that our winners are as follows:
, theLord'ssparrow, SakuraDragomir and one unnamed Guest! Congratulations, each of you have one yourselves a oneshot on any topic of your choice! I will message you within the next couple of days to work out details, apart from the Guest – it would be great if you could send a message or let me know how to contact you further. Thank you all so much!
On a related note, thank you to reviewers Hermione Granger (of course I'm not angry, thank you so much for such a lovely review – and that's a really interesting idea actually!) the unnamed guest and I Just Won A Free Toaster Oven (I'm glad you're still enjoying it, and that you liked the chapter)
Apart from that, all I can think of to say is forgive my mistakes and enjoy the chapter!
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Seventy Four # A Fond Farewell #
A soft breeze made its way through the Shire on the first morning of April, carrying with it the array of fragrances that made it smell like home. The slight chill it lent to the dawning morning was forgivable when the scents it brought were smelled; scents of grass and earth and flowers. There were faint traces of food there too, bread and goods from the bakeries that opened ever so earlier, and a couple of sweet hints of early fruit to ripen.
The sun was peeking over the horizon, basking the land in rich reds and pinks and golds. The light sparkled in the dew clinging to the long grass and danced across the little lakes, turning their softly rippling surfaces into crystal mirrors. It was the sort of sunrise one would want to wake up for, the sort of dawn that folk crave to see their entire lives.
And, for once, the entire population of Hobbiton was awake to see it.
It began when the first traces of light cracked over the horizon and lightened the navy blue sky. Doors began to open and folk began to shuffle out. Many were fully dressed, though many more were in nightclothes – or indeed a mixture of both. Sleepy children clung to their parents as their excitable siblings led the sombre dawn parade up the hill towards Bag End.
It was not only the Hobbits of Hobbiton, either. Folk had come from all over – from each and every corner of each and every farthing of the Shire, to bid Bilbo and Kíli Baggins a very fond farewell. To see the crowds, one could only assume that Buckland and Tuckborough were all but empty. The previous night had seen the greatest party that the Shire had ever seen, but its traces and debris had been left beneath the party tree and even the most hung-over of hobbits had dragged themselves from their warm beds this day. The celebratory mood had died along with the night, and instead a solemn, sorrowful anticipation hung over the steadily growing crowd.
As the full orb of the sun became visible, a strange hush fell. There was birdsong in the air, but the wind whistling through the leaves of the trees provided the only whispers. It was not silence, not quite. A small face appeared in the window of Bag End, and a couple of the children nearest to the house itself fidgeted in place. There was a pause the length of a heartbeat, and then the door opened.
Dís was the first one to leave the house. A small smile slipped across her lips at the sight of the crowd and she bowed her head deeply as she gave a small curtsey. As one, the hobbits performed a fumbled mess of curtsies and bows they had never had much use for before. Her smile grew and tears sprang to her eyes as though they had given her the moon. Her dark hair shone like obsidian as it caught the sun when she turned slightly to offer her hand.
Little Pervinca Took emerged next, blinking in the sunlight as she took the hand of the princess and yawned. Her fingers were tightened around Dís' hand when her wide eyes noticed just how many people there were, and she looked up in surprise. Dís merely smiled, so Pervinca took a deep breath and painted a smile onto her own face, giving a shy little wave to the crowd. Some returned the gesture with a wave of their own and some merely smiled, but many were distracted by Nori's emergence.
No one had expected such a character to ever seem to belong in such a place as Hobbiton, but he gazed upon their faces with a look akin to nostalgia as he took a deep breath and adjusted the pack on his back. A small, smile like expression flickered onto his face as he nodded at the crowd, but when they nodded back the smile spread away and his face hardened. He swallowed, hard, and glanced over his shoulder, before taking a deep breath.
Nelly ran outside next, her own pack strapped to her back. She gasped at the sight of the crowd, but a huge smile spread across her face and she tugged on Nori's arm to whisper something in his ear. When she finished speaking a smile returned to the dwarf's face and he ruffled her hair fondly.
Children wove their way through the crowd of their parent's legs to reach the front when Bofur appeared, and when he winked at the little front row, each child could have sworn that he was looking solely at them. Unlike his fellows, Bofur did not even try to hide the fact that there were tears trailing leaking from his eyes, but his smile was a little wider too. It was his honesty, kindness and gentleness that had led the hobbits of the Shire to love Bofur, and it was his honesty, kindness and gentleness that shone from his face as he beamed at them in farewell.
Saradoc and Esme followed the toymaker up, and both paused in shock at the sight of so many people gathered. The husband recovered before his wife, smiling wryly and dipping his head at his friends and family as he slipped his arm through his Esme's. Her lips flickered up quickly after that, and those that knew her were well amused by the coy blushing of her cheeks.
They were immediately followed by Paladin and Pearl. The morning sun shone on the identical brown curls of the father and daughter as their faces lit up with identical smiles. Pearl's hand was wrapped around her father's arm and she looked back to her mother as Ellie walked outside. The woman's dark copper curls were gathered into a loose ponytail on the back of her head, and the grin she sent to the watching crowd sent waves of loss through many among the crowd.
It was beginning to become true now. As their toes curled into the dewy grass and the wind played gently with their long curls, the hobbits of the Shire began to accept the fact that their friends (and for many their family, too) were leaving for good. The quiet was broken slightly by the sniffles of those unable to hold back the tide of sorrow.
Then Merry and Frodo exited the house, both fitted in travelling outfits that many in the crowd deemed utterly adorable. They stood close together, as if about to begin whispering to each other, but the silence still muffling the crowd seemed to have affected them, too, and they held their tongues. Their wide eyes scanned the crowd more sorrowfully than Pervinca's or Nelly's, but nevertheless they bounced up and down on the balls of their feet. That is, they did until Frodo's eyes fell upon a particular friend of his.
No one within a hundred yards could miss the forlorn look little Frodo Baggins gave Samwise Gamgee. Those closest noticed Hamfast slip his hand into that of his youngest son, but they quickly looked away. It was hard to watch a child's heart break.
A little sneeze came as a welcome distraction to the increase in sniffs and hastily hidden tears as Fíli and Pippin came out of the house. The littlest hobbit of the travellers was seated on Fíli's shoulders, his fists entwined in the prince's braids as though they were reigns on a pony. Fíli grinned at the crowd outside, giving a short, respectful bow, but Pippin just looked confused. His mouth opened and then closed again, as if he too felt the strange pressure not to speak. Instead, the toddler ducked his face down to rest his chin on Fíli's head and watched the crowd with wide, intent eyes.
Kíli and Bilbo Baggins appeared in the doorway.
As Bilbo gave a sad little smile Kíli's lips parted, and they shared a long glance. Bilbo stepped out into the sunshine, sending a last look of love and longing into his home. Kíli took a little longer. His fingers brushed against the doorframe as he slowly stepped outside. Then the door was closed and the key turned in the lock.
Silence fell once more.
It was broken when Kíli walked forward and crouched down near Frodo, passing him a small bundle and murmuring in his ear. Frodo's eyes widened and he ran forward. He pressed the bundle into Sam's arms and whispered into his frantically. Sam nodded tearfully, his arms full with two squirming kittens, as Frodo hugged him tightly.
Then Frodo backed away, keeping his chin up though his lip trembled. Kíli took his hand and winked at Sam, though his smile shook a little. The little Gamgee raised his chin up higher and nodded again.
Bilbo took a deep breath and walked across to Hamfast, passing him the key to Bag End. It had become common knowledge that the Gaffer would be the official caretaker of the house while the Bagginses were away. Many had wondered why Bilbo had not simply sold the place (the Sackville-Bagginses were particularly enraged) but those closest to them understood the bond between the Bagginses and their family home. Besides, if they were expected to return regularly they would need a place to stay.
Hamfast smiled tearfully at Bilbo as he gave a short little bow, but Bilbo was having none of it. He hugged his friend tightly and smiled as he pulled away.
Taking a deep breath, Bilbo looked over his family and nodded. Dís nodded back and began to walk down the Hill. It was surprisingly quiet as they made their way down the road, what with several hundred pairs of feet walking together, especially as they began to pick up more and more waiting hobbits along the way. Folk had lined the streets and the meadows and doorways, and all joined the silent procession to see their neighbours off.
As arranged, there were sixteen ponies waiting in the stables down in Hobbiton, along with two wagons that were filled with possessions that the travellers refused to leave without. Milo and Peony Burrows, Hugo Boffin, Rosa Goodchild, Tolman and Lily Cotton, Farmer Maggot, Andy Gamgee and Dudo Baggins led the first nine out, fondly embracing their friends as they passed handed the animals over. Then out came Odo Proudfoot with a huge grin and tear-filled eyes. He passed the pony he led straight to Kíli, who hugged him tightly for a long moment. The words exchanged between them were unheard by everyone else, but they drew sad laughs from the pair and Kíli's hands remained on Odo's shoulders for a long moment.
The final six ponies were led from the stables by Adalgrim and Daisy Took, Harding and Hanna Banks and Rorimac and Menegilda Brandybuck. They embraced their grandchildren and little cousins first, and then the dwarves, Bilbo and Kíli. Then, finally, Paladin, Esmeralda, Ellie and Saradoc bid farewell to their parents.
Rumours had sparked around the Shire that Menegilda had become positively hysterical at the thought of her son and grandson traipsing all about the world to go and live hundreds of miles away in a mountain full of dwarves, and most believed them wholeheartedly. It was no secret that Saradoc's mother was not the calmest of folk. However, on that beautiful morning none would have accused her of hysteria. She was crying, yes, but she was smiling too as she rocked her grown son in her arms and implored him to come back as soon as he possibly could.
Saradoc was smiling through tears, too, as he returned the hug tightly.
Adalgrim and Daisy took a little longer with their two children – and they took a little longer to bid farewell to Kíli, too. For the Tooks, all words had been exchanged the night before in the privacy of their own home, but it was still difficult for each of them to let go of their loved ones when they knew it would be half a decade before they would meet again.
Finally they broke apart, and the travellers mounted their ponies. Though technically there was a pony for each of them, the children were all placed on the front of an adult's pony for the time being. Several of the others were hitched to the wagons and folk began to step backwards as the travellers turned to gaze upon their friends and home one last time.
After a long moment of silence, Paladin began to hum quietly, and Esme looked at him sharply. After a few moments, she began to sing beneath her breath.
"The road is now calling
And I must away…"
Paladin looked at her and began to add lyrics to his hummed tune, meeting the eyes of those in the crowd as he sung to them.
"Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea."
Kíli swallowed and joined in, strengthening his voice as much as he could.
"To these memories I will hold
With your blessing I will go
To turn at last to paths that lead home."
The young dwarf's voice cracked on the last word and Bilbo closed his eyes and added his own voice to the song.
"And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell."
Silence fell once more as countless tears were wiped from countless faces.
Kíli gave a small, sad smile as he raised his hand to say goodbye.
"I bid you all a very fond farewell."
Slowly, oh so slowly, the ponies turned and began to walk away. The hobbits left behind raised their hands and waved at the travellers who continued to turn and wave back until they were finally out of sight.
There we have it – they've left the Shire.
I'm guessing that many of you have realised that the title of this chapter and the song lyrics used at the end come from Billy Boyd's amazing, incredible, heart-breaking (insert other positive adjective of your choice here) song 'The Last Goodbye' that will be accompanying the final movie. If you haven't heard it yet you HAVE to! It is amazing, I love it so much!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, please do let me know :) I will update as soon as I can :D
