Chapter 3: Rivendale
Radagast helped Bilbo get to one of Rive ndale entrances, there Lord Elrond, a ma n in a dark green cloak, and a few guard s were waiting.
Bilbo help Frodo and Sam off Radagast's sleigh (they had traveled with the wizar d because who doesn't want to ride on a sleigh of rabbits?!)
"Welcome Bilbo Baggins." Lord Elrond sai d with a bow, Bilbo bowed back. "I am so rry to hear of what has happened, we hav e sent a patrol to investigate and remov e any and all orcs from the Shire."
"Thank you," Frodo and Sam were again hi ding behind Bilbo. 'So much for brave ad venturers,' Bilbo thought. "This is my n ephew Frodo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee. " He said gesturing to the little hobbit heads at his side.
The man in the green cloak crouched down so he could be less intimidating to the hobbits.
"Why hello, I am Aragorn. I'm a Ranger. It is a pleasure to meet you." Bilbo kne w he was speaking to the little hobbits, so he did not reply.
"Are you an elf?" Frodo asked, for he an d Sam had only seen a few men.
Aragorn chuckled, "No, I am a man. I was raised here in Rivendale, by Lord Elron d."
"What's a Ranger?"Sam asked, coming out from behind Bilbo a bit.
The elves help Bilbo and the boys inside , putting their stuff in the room Bilbo had stayed in last time he was here.
Frodo and Sam had taken a liking to Arag orn. He showed them around Rivendale whi le Bilbo discussed what he happened in t he Shire with Lord Elrond. It was still a little difficult to tell his story but , he pushed through.
After a quiet dinner with Lord Elrond, A ragorn, and a few other elves (Bilbo bel ieves they were Lord Elrond's actual chi ldren.) he and the boy settled down for the night.
The boys were still a little restless, s o Bilbo decided to tell them the story o f the dwarves in Rivendale.
He had the boys settle in bed, before cl imbing in himself. Frodo was in the midd le, Sam on his left, Bilbo on his right. This was how they usual slept for stori es.
"Now I've told you many times that dwarv es don't really get along with elves, ri ght?" they nodded, "so that said, Thorin and the others where a bit tense when w e arrived. We knew that if Lord Elrond f ound out our true Quest he would try to stop us, but we needed food, shelter, su pplies, and help reading our map. So aft er a very interesting dinner (because dw arves don't eat all of the green food th at elves do) Thorin, Balin, Gandalf, and I went to speak with Lord Elrond about the map."
Bilbo could see that the boys were growi ng tired and would not last much longer.
"Moon runes! And easy thing to miss." He said his voice ever so slightly getting softer, luring the boys into sleep. "Fa te was on our side, it was one night tha t you could… read them." He spoke slowly as the boy's eyelids slipped closed "th ey told of a secret door into the mounta in… good night boys." He said kissing th em both on their foreheads.
He sat under the covers next to them, wa tching them peacefully until he fell asl eep.
He was awoken by a little hand shaking h is shoulder.
"Uncle?" Frodo whispered, "There's someo ne at the door." It was quiet. Frodo mus t have heard them knock before he woke B ilbo. Bilbo sat up and saw why Frodo was whispering. Sam was still asleep, drool ing on his pillow. Bilbo smiled.
"Thank you Frodo." He rustled his nephew 's hair. "Go back to sleep."
Sliding out of bed, Bilbo quietly made h is way to the door. There was another kn ock as Bilbo approached. Bilbo cautiousl y opened the door.
"Bilbo!" he was embraced in a hug by non e other than Gandalf the Grey.
"Gandalf!" he was reviled to see his old friend, Gandalf was holding him tight a s if Bilbo came back from the dead… agai n. Oh. The attack. Gandalf must have tho ught Bilbo had been injured somehow. "I am fine my friend." He said patting the wizard.
Gandalf released him, only to cheek him over for other injuries. Once the wizard was sure the burglar was not injured he stood up from his knees. "Thank goodnes s my friend. Radagast's message had negl ected to inform of your well being." He said regaining his composure.
"Yes, we are all fine."
This seemed to confuse the wizard. "We?" he asked. Before Bilbo could explain, F rodo and Sam's heads peeked around the c orner, interested in who Bilbo was talki ng to. Gandalf looked from the little ho bbits to Bilbo "yours?" He asked.
"What? No, I'm not their father. Come he re boys." He gestured for them to come o ver. Reluctantly came out, holding hands , and moved over to Bilbo. "This is my n ephew Frodo," he said placing a hand on Frodo's curly dark hair, "And this is Sa mwise Gamgee." He ruffled Sam's blonde h air. "Boys, this is Gandalf the Grey."
The change was almost instantaneous. Fro do and Sam went from shy, to excitedly a sking lots of questions.
"Did you really split that big rock?"
"Did you leave that mark on Uncle Bilbo' s door?"
"Hey! What, you don't believe my stories ?" Bilbo said incredulously. Gandalf rai sed his eyebrow at Bilbo. "They've heard a lot about my adventure."
"Mr. Gandalf, can we see some of your ma gic?" Sam asked politely, the wizard chu ckled.
"I don't see why not." He came further i nto the room. Bilbo closed the door, bef ore following the young hobbits and the wizard.
The boys oh'd and ah'd when Gandalf set his fingers on fire to light his pipe.
"You are going to Erebor." Gandalf said to Bilbo as they watched Sam and Frodo c hase around smoke butterflies that were flying through little smoke rings.
"Yes. I feel that they would be safest t here. I also promised everyone that I wo uld visit someday. I just hope Thorin wi ll let me stay there with Frodo and Sam. "
"There is little Thorin would not do for you." Gandalf said with a mischievous s mile.
"I'm sorry, what was that? I wasn't payi ng attention." Bilbo asked, startling ou t of his thoughts of Thorin.
"It was nothing. Do not mind an old man like myself."
Bilbo and Gandalf decided to stay one mo re night before setting out over the Mis ty Mountains to Mirkwood.
Bilbo learned that Frodo had the same th irst for knowledge as himself. He would ask anyone and everyone questions about elves and their culture. Sam was content with just following his friend.
Bilbo also learned that Gandalf had quit e the soft spot for children. He was con stantly showering the boys with magic tr icks, stories, and candies (which he pul ls out of nowhere. Bilbo was beginning t o think the wizard had a candy bowl up h is sleeve. )
Aragorn was going to accompany them over the misty mountains to Mirkwood. He had wanted to visit a friend there. They le ft mid-day, after lord Elrond had said h is goodbyes.
Given his previous experience in the mou ntains, Bilbo had asked if they could wa it a day and cross the mountain in the l ight. Aragorn and Gandalf agreed that it was safe this way, especially with two young ones.
That night Bilbo told everyone the story of how they got over the mountains by g oing under them.
He told them about Gollum, the creature from the caves, with help from Frodo and Sam. He told then about the ring. How h e used it to get out of the tunnels, how he had spared Gollum's life, how he had heard what he dwarves had said, and jus t how wrong he had proven them.
After the little boys had fallen asleep, Gandalf asked if he could see the ring. Bilbo took it out, but he stumbled and it fell into the fire. Both Bilbo and Ar agorn quickly tried to get it out of the fire, but Gandalf stopped them.
"Don't touch it." He said. "Bilbo, could you bear to part with this?" he asked e yeing the ring.
"I was actually planning on getting rid of it." He told Gandalf. "It gives off a bad feeling. Plus I can't disappear now , Sam and Frodo need me." He said, softly petting Frodo's curly black hair, be fore settling for the night, next to his nephew and Sam.