"Aye, there you are!" The always-happy voice of Peregrin Took greets you both as you slowly tread over hill. You run to greet him, hugging him tightly when you arrive. As you pull back, you notice both Sam and Merry, and give them too, the same embrace.
"It's been such a while since we've gathered, little lass!" Beams Sam, "Mr Frodo! You never told us (y/n) would be gracin' us with 'er presence!"
"Ha, I did not know myself until quite recently." Frodo smiles a little triumphantly, one which you can't help but mirror.
"The sun will be setting soon." You breathe, "We can all sit and watch over the hills, then the moon under the fireworks." You turn to Frodo as you say this, a faint glimmer glazing over his Brandeis blue eyes as his grin widens even more.
"Yes, I think we'd all rather like that.' Says Merry, slinging an arm over both yours and Pippin's shoulders. "And then later, perhaps...?" Both he and Pippin raise their eyebrows in obvious question.
"What kind of a girl do you take me for?" You giggle, "And besides, Pippin is probably more in question."
"Haha, I was thinking both."
"Perhaps." You wink, only playing along of course. From the corner of your eye, you notice Frodo's jaw set and the shine from his eyes gone. Sam goes to console him, but is just pushed away. "Let's get going, then!" You say in an effort to move on.
After some shuffling, all of you eventually make your way to an enormous dance pavilion put up in the centre of the village. Delicate fairy lights hang from overhead wooden beams and trees, ready to be lit later. Overflowing barrels of flowers stand at different intervals, with every size, shape and colour you could imagine. A sweet-smelling scent fills the air, perhaps cakes or bread, along with pleasant, upbeat music emanating from the band setup on a nearby stage. Hobbits of all kinds are crowded in large groups, some drinking, others laughing and some dancing.
"This is wonderful!" You exclaim, throwing your arms out behind and spinning in place. "Care for a dance, anyone?" You turn to your group, Merry pushing Pippin forward. Teasing him, you grab his hands and begin to skip in a dance, slowly but surely, getting him to join in. You giggle a lot, throwing your head back, as he does his. Eventually, both Sam and Merry join you, all circling each other with perfect intricacy.
"Don't you want to join us, Frodo?" You stop to ask, tugging at his arm playfully.
"Perhaps in a moment," He replies solemnly, "I'm quite alright just watching you for now, (y/n)."
"If you insist. But you must promise me a dance later."
"I promise." He says with a smirk. You catch his eyes once again; iridescent sapphires glistening in the sunlight, a perfect contrast to his gleaming alabaster teeth, just paler than his perfectly smooth skin. You noticed these little things of his, both his traits and flaws. The way the corners if his mouth creased as he laughed, and how his burnt umber curls swiftly fell over the sides of his face, framing it beautifully.
From almost out of nowhere, Gandalf stands behind Frodo, watching you both. He has an omniscient look upon his crinkled face. Both of his withered hands lie to rest on his staff, eyes piercing into both your and Frodo's heads.
"Frodo, my boy," He says, "May I have a moment to talk with you?"
"Yes, of course Gandalf!" Answers Frodo, "As long as you don't mind...?" He turns to you.
"Of course not" You beam, "Anyway, I should probably go and find out where the others have got to." You gesture to the empty gap in the crowd where Sam, Merry and Pippin stood only moments ago. Both of you smile at each other as you part your separate ways, agreeing to meet in the same place once you were both ready.
After pausing to think, you decide to first search near the feasting tables. You push your way through the dense crowds, apologising as you go. The air is pretty thick as it chokes your throat; it's becoming rather claustrophobic and you hope to find your friends soon.
The sun is just starting to set as you reach the food. Breads and meats and fruits of every kind are piled in ornamental piles portraying mountains and animals. It's quieter here, although you can still hear the distant sound of laughter.
"Ah, (y/n)!" A slightly elderly voice calls, "It's so lovely to see you!" You turn to see a hobbit older than most clad in a red waistcoat, waving his hands above his snowy hair.
"Bilbo!" You call with broad smile cracking over your face. You sprint to him, holding your arms out wide for a hearty hug.
"The last time I saw you girl, you were stood at only half a foot!" He laughs.
"I'm three and a half now!" You say, standing on the tips of your toes and lifting your chin. "You haven't seen three hobbits around here, have you?
"It depends on which three you mean."
"Which three do you think?"
"Well Peregrin and Meriadoc slipped off behind that tent there," Bilbo points to a small white and red pinstripe tent near the edge of the festivities, "And as for Samwise, I quite frankly don't know."
"Haha, thank you Bilbo. I shall see you soon!"
"Indeed, (y/n)!" He waves you off as you skip towards his indication. It's even darker now, the once orange skies now turning to a gorgeous deep indigo. Dusk was always your favourite time of day - the sky filled with colour and twinkling stars that clustered around the pearly moon. As you move further away from the festival, the music and chatter die down, and familiar, childish laughter is heard instead.
"No! Put them back!" A deep voice calls.
"It's only a bit of fun, learn to live a little Sam. Now Pippin, pass me that one there."
"You mean this?"
"Yes, yes. Give them to me."
Knowing exactly what was going on, you carefully creep up to the flap that was the tent door and push it upwards with the palm of your hand.
"What are you doing?" You ask Merry accusingly.
"Look, Gandalf has gone off somewhere leaving all these fireworks alone, and it would be rude if we didn't set a few off." He shoots back.
"I don't really think we should be here though." You mumble.
"That's exactly what I've been tryin' teh tell 'em, Miss (y/n)." Croaks Sam.
"On the other hand..."
"What is it?" Pippin questions you.
"Do you need a third set of hands?" You beam, shrugging your shoulders, "There's no point in a party is you can't misbehave a little."
"That's the spirit, (y/n)!" Both Pippin and Merry wink at you.
"Mr Frodo won't be too pleased..." Grumbles Sam, turning to leave. "I'll tell 'im what you're all doin'."
"Pish posh, he won't mind. It's just a few explosives and three little hobbits: what's the worst that could happen?" You giggle as you rummage through the brightly coloured rockets.
"A lot. I can tell you that." Sam walks out, fists clenched. "I promised Mr Frodo, I promised..." He trails off.
"Heh, now he's out of the way, lets get to business!" Cheers Pippin. "Should I put it here?"
"You're supposed to light them outside, you lumock." You laugh.
"Oh. Right."
You all finally decide on a rather large pink one, with a fluorescent orange cap. Although slightly tacky in appearance, the tube is fat and quite heavy. Once outside, Pippin hands the firework to Merry to plunge into the grass outside. You, decidedly the most mature of the three, are given the job of lighting the fuse. Pippin grabs his matchbox from his breech pocket and gives it to you.
"Ready? You might wanna stand back a bit." You say, striking a match against it's box.
"You might wanna stand back a bit too, (y/n)." Blurts Merry. "The flame may catch on yer dress or something."
"I'll be fine!"
As the flame comes into contact with the fuse, it lets off a few tangerine sparks, quickly sizzling. You can feel it's warmth on your face as you pull back, watching it intently. The colours switching from an electric yellow to pumpkin to scarlet. Of course it was Gandalf's - no normal firework could be so beautiful and serene.
"(Y/n)!" Some calls your name and you feel strong arms pull you backwards. You land on top of your capturer with a 'thump' just as the rocket explodes before you.