Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or any associated characters or concepts. Consider it disclaimed. Quotes in this chapter taken from The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
Summary: On the way to the Undying Lands, Billa is eaten by a time-traveling sea monster. The elves on board attack the monster in retaliation, and it escapes by swimming into the past: several decades into the past. Billa wakes up in a sweat, gasping and frightened, only to realize that she is back in her thirty-three-year old body. What on earth is she going to do?
Chapter 4
The next morning, Billa was up early, excited to be going. It was lovely to see Bag End again, but her heart was singing at the thought of a long walk through nature. It had been too long since she could walk without a cane, and even longer since she could walk without any discomfort at all. She was young and strong and hale again, and as she set out from Bag End, locking the door behind her, she walked with swing in her hips, a skip in her step, and a song on her lips.
The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
By caves where never sun has shone
By streams that never reach the sea
She waved to her neighbors as she passed, and they gaped at her. Prior to this, Miss Billa Baggins had been quite respectable, a pretty lass and a worthy catch. Yet here she was, in men's trousers (of all things!) with a pack on her back, trudging away from home all alone! How very odd.
Billa paid them no mind. She had been Mad Miss Baggins for eighty years after the Company came! It was no great trial to be Mad Miss Baggins again. She walked on for hours, settling down for lunch in the shade of a great oak tree. She patted the tree gently, remembering the heavy oaken branch that a tall, blue-eyed dwarrow had wielded and carried for miles on their journey.
"Oakenshield indeed," she murmured softly. "A hard, stubborn tree with hard, stubborn wood, worthy as any shield, but not nearly so hard nor so stubborn as his head." She smiled softly, and petted the tree again before continuing on her journey. When the night came, she gratefully sank down onto her bedroll, which was tucked away behind some bushes away from the road. She had no weapons after all, and it was best to be cautious. She groaned as she as she sat, for despite her eagerness for the journey and her young body, her muscles ached and even her tough-soled feet were weary.
"The spirit is willing!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she rubbed her aching muscles, "but the flesh is weak and long out of practice. Still, better to toughen up now while there are no dwarves around to hear my complaints, and I can go as slow or as quick as I like." And so the journey passed, each day like the last and when she finally stumbled into Bree eight days later, she was footsore and tired, for it was very hard to sleep on the road without being used to it. She promptly took lodgings under the name Bilbo Baggins at the Prancing Pony in one of their perfectly hospitable little hobbit rooms, and after a long bath and a hot steaming meal, she sank down in the cushion of the bed and, despite the afternoon hour, fell right asleep.
The next morning, Billa slept late and was slow to awaken. Her muscles were sore, but they ached in a pleasant sort of way that made her feel strong and capable. She stretched and stretched and then collapsed back into the pillows with a sigh and a smile. When she finally made it out of her room, she was garbed in her most masculine clothes, hair tied up under a hat, and armed with several purses of gold that she secreted all around her person so as to deter any pickpockets. She was rather good at this, as Nori had taken her under his wing and taught her both how to swipe purses, and how to keep them from being swiped.
Her first stop was to find a proper satchel to replace the old sack that held her things. It was oiled on the outside to repel water, and she haggled until she was able to get an oiled rain-tarp, a soft travel blanket, and travel gear like fire-starting equipment and some good sturdy rope included. Feeling exceedingly pleased with herself, Billa went next to a tailor to get strong, durable travel clothes made. She had worn her sturdiest pair of trousers on the journey, but they were not suitable for the road and were already showing signs of wear. Billa found several pairs of trousers that were reinforced with leather, and she added two pairs of quilted under-trousers to keep warm in the winter months. She got more pairs than she would need on this trip, knowing that these could last her for several years and she would store any unused pairs at Bag End until the next adventure. Several long sleeved shirts and tunics were added as well, as well as two quilted coats, two cloaks, two oilskin slickers, and several pairs of gloves. All of this was put into her new satchel, excepting the tunic, shirt and trousers she wore out of the shop.
Finally looking and feeling hardier and more prepared, Billa was ready to begin trawling through the pubs, looking for news of dwarves from the Blue Mountains, whether they be toy carvers, mischief makers, or blacksmiths.
