Thank you so much for the favourite and like! As promised, I will continue the story :D


Chapter 2: Departure

Holly couldn't stop thinking about what happened that night. Frodo was all alone now. Bilbo was gone. And that ring. That ring both scared her and intrigued her. It was as if it was calling out to her. She remembered Gandalf's words.

"You mustn't touch it, Holly."

She trusted Gandalf. She knew that he would never wish any harm to befall any of them. And then there was Frodo. She felt heartbroken for him. How lonely must it be to come back home and find no one to welcome you back. She didn't want that to happen. Her mind set, she decided to head to Bagend to keep Frodo company.

"Ma', I'm going to Frodo's."

"Oh that poor child," Fanny responded, "first his parents and now Bilbo leaves him."

"He's still got me," Holly proudly answers on her way out.

She quickly made her way to Bagend and reached the door. Without stopping, she opened it.

"Frodo!" Holly called out.

There was no answer. She deduced that he was still probably at the bar. Just to be sure, she called out his name a few more times. Getting only silence as an answer to her calls, she decided to wait for Frodo to get back. She sat down on a chair close to the door. As she waited, she heard someone's footsteps get closer. Thinking it to be Frodo, she shot up from her seat and opened the door to find none other than…

"Gandalf?!" Holly exclaimed.

He looked agitated. She quickly invited him in.

"What are you doing here, Holly?" He said as he quickly took a seat.

"I was waiting for Frodo to return," Holly simply replied.

Gandalf looked at her with suspicion in his eyes.

"You haven't touched it," he asked with a doubtful tone.

Holly brought her hands up in an act of surrender.

"I swear it on a barrel of pipe-weed! I didn't even try to find it, sir."

Gandalf let out a short sigh of relief.

"What are you doing back so soon? I thought you'd be gone for another while," Holly inquired of the wizard as she sat back down on one of the chairs.

"I'm in no liberty to say right now," Gandalf's voice was low and serious, "I need to speak with Frodo. Let me however warn you. If you stay to listen to this, I will not give you any choice to what happens to you next."

Holly blinked a few times. She wasn't expecting things to sound so grave. The day had started so well that this seemed like an obvious contrast with the earlier events.

Soon after, footsteps could be heard going up the stairs to the door. Gandalf looked at Holly, soliciting her to find out who it was. She got up and reached for the door. She slightly opened it to peer through.

"Frodo!" Her voice made the addressed hobbit jump a little.

"Holly? What are you doing here?" He asked her, confusion apparent on his face.

Even though he did not expect her to be waiting for him at home, he was happy to see her. As soon as he went inside, he noticed Gandalf also there.

"Gandalf…?"

Before he could ask anything, Gandalf cut him off.

"Is it safe? Is it hidden?"

Gandalf almost looked like a madman. The wizard seemed sick with worry and paranoia.

"Y-Yes, it's right here in the envelope," Frodo went to his closet and took out the envelope.

Gandalf snatched the envelope and threw it in the chimney fire.

"What are you…?" Frodo went up to the fire, but Gandalf stopped him.

"I need to confirm something," the wizard mumbled without taking his eyes off of the envelope that was rapidly consumed by the flames.

The ring was now exposed, sitting in a bed of fire. Gandalf reached for it with metal tongs, picking it up and directing it towards Frodo.

"Here," seeing Frodo hesitating, Gandalf reassured him, "don't worry, it's quite cold."

He then dropped it into Frodo's hesitating hands. Holly averted her eyes from the ring, feeling it trying to pull her towards itself. She wanted to resist it. She didn't want to be the pawn of its eerie powers.

"Holly," Gandalf softly said, "are you sure you want to stay for this?"

Holly still didn't understand what Gandalf meant when saying that, but she was sure of one thing.

"Whatever Frodo gets involved in, I want to be there with and for him."

Seeing her determination, Gandalf didn't question her any further. He then addressed Frodo.

"What do you see?"

Frodo started turning the ring between his fingers.

"Nothing…" He replied.

Squinting at the ring, however, he started seeing strange markings form.

"Wait," he said with awe, "I think I see something. It's some sort of… elvish. I can't read it."

Gandalf closed his eyes, his suspicions confirmed.

"That," the wizard said, "is the language of Mordor, which I will not utter here."

"Mordor?!" The two hobbits exclaimed in terror.

Mordor was a place of darkness. It was where Sauron had resided before his defeat. Now it was populated by his dark armies.

"In common tongue," Gandalf informed them, "it says…

"One Ring to Rule Them All

One Ring to find them

One Ring to bring them all

and in the darkness bind them!"

Gandalf slowly turned towards Frodo and Holly.

"That is the one ring. Forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself."

"Bilbo found it," Frodo replied, "in Gollum's cave."

"Yes, for sixty years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping prolonging his life," Gandalf confirmed, "delaying old age. But no longer Frodo. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. It has heard its master's call."

Holly took a step back, realization dawning on her. It was all this ring that had kept Bilbo looking so young, as if he had not aged beyond fifty. The ring had ensnared Bilbo and it was trying to ensnare her as well. She knew of the story of Sauron and the Ring of Power.

"But he was destroyed," Frodo exclaimed, "Sauron was destroyed!"

Whispers suddenly were heard from the ring. Holly gulped, scared of all that was happening.

"No," Gandalf answered, "the spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His orcs have multiplied. His fortress at Barad-Dur is rebuilt in the land of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands of a second darkness. He is seeking it. All his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. He must never find it."

Frodo then looked around his house. Holly stayed close to Gandalf, not daring to get any closer to the Ring.

"Then we must hide it and never speak of it again," Frodo retorted, "no one knows it's here, right?"

He turned towards Gandalf, who averted his gaze.

"There is one," Gandalf mumbled in regret, "there is one who knew that Bilbo had the Ring. The creature Gollum was captured by the enemy. Tortured for hours, he revealed who was in possession of the Ring and where they were."

"But that would lead them here!" Frodo responded, clearly distressed by the sudden revelation.

"Then the Shire is in danger!" Holly declared, finally understanding the urgency of the situation.

Frodo tried to think of a solution. He then held the ring up to Gandalf.

"Take it, Gandalf!"

The wizard, looking terrified, took a step back.

"I dare not take it, Frodo."

"But you must!" Frodo insisted.

"Don't tempt me any further!" Gandalf sounded angry and almost desperate.

"It cannot stay in the Shire!" Frodo pleaded.

"No it can't," Gandalf agreed.

Realization then dawned upon Frodo and Holly.

"No," Holly stepped forward and stood between Frodo and Gandalf, "you cannot ask this of him."

Holly's tone was imploring Gandalf to think of another solution.

"It is the only way, Holly," the wizard looked apologetically to the hobbits, "you must leave the Shire, both of you."

"Why must Holly leave too?" Frodo asked, worried about his friend. "This doesn't concern her."

"It does now that she heard everything," Gandalf answered Frodo.

"Even if it didn't, I would not abandon you to such a dangerous journey, Frodo Baggins," Holly put a reassuring hand on her best friend's shoulder, "or I wouldn't be called Holly Hornblower."

Frodo couldn't help but smiling at Holly's support, even though he was worried about her accompanying him. A rustling was then heard from the window. Gandalf gestured for Holly and Frodo to stay quiet. He then went up to the window and grabbed whoever was hiding there. Pinning him down on the table behind him, Everyone recognized who it was.

"Sam!" Holly and Frodo exclaimed, surprised to see him there.

Gandalf, on the other hand, was much more angry to find him.

"Confound you, Samwise Gamgee! Have you been eavesdropping?" The wizard raised his voice in a menacing manner.

Sam brought his hands up in defending innocence.

"I haven't been dropping no eaves," Sam pleaded with a stuttering voice, "Sir honest! I was just cutting the grass under the window there. If you follow me-"

"A little late for trimming the verge," Gandalf sarcastically retorted, "don't you think?"

Sam looked down in defeat, "I heard raised voices…"

"What did you hear?" Gandalf commanded him to answer. Seeing how the hobbit was hesitating, he insisted further. "Speak!"

"Nothing important That is I heard a good deal about a ring and a dark lord and something about the end of the world, but please Mr Gandalf Sir, please don't hurt me," Sam begged, "don't turn me into anything... unnatural."

Gandalf let out an exasperated sigh and let him go.

"I have a better use for you," Gandalf looked at him with cunning eyes, "you shall accompany Frodo and Holly on their journey."

"Might I ask where we're headed, sir?" Sam asked Gandalf.

"Ah yes," Gandalf answered, realizing he had not told them a destination, "Bree. Go to the Village of Bree. There, I will meet you at the inn of the Prancing Pony."

Frodo then started packing his stuff.

"I should go and pack some stuff as well," Holly said.

"Make haste," Gandalf warned her, "it is not safe for any of you to be here any more."

Heeding his warning, Holly hurried to her home. Thankfully, her family was sound asleep. She packed some stuff, including her trusty kitchen knives.

"Sorry ma', pa'…" She whispered to herself, "I might not be back in some time…"

As she was heading out, she heard the galloping of a horse. She turned towards the noise and was immediately terrified at the sight. Not too far away, a black horse was ridden down the path by a rider covered completely in a black cloak. Everything about the mysterious rider looked terrifying.

"That must be what's after Frodo…" Holly whispered in a shaking voice, "I must hurry."

Making sure to take alleys that diverged from the main road, Holly made her way back to Bagend. There waited for her Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam, right outside the door.

"We must hurry! A black terrifying rider is in the Shire," Holly said with a tone of urgency.

"They didn't waste any time…" Gandalf mumbled.

All four then immediately set out of the Shire, getting as far away from the threat as they could.


From now on, I'll probably try to update weekly. Also, as said in the summary, I might have to change the rating to M for the sake of future chapters. Thank you for reading and review and tell me what you think!