Disclaimers: See Prologue for more info.

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Hello. Okay, so this chapter was a bit tricky to figure out where to go with it. It's kind of like we're starting fresh with the story again, so that explains the difficulties. I think I've got it figured out now. I think. Well, let's see what happens. :)

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Decades Later…

Frodo Baggins darted up the stone steps to Bag End's green, front door. His blue eyes were as bright as ever and his thick, curly brown hair tussled in the wind. He was worn out and exhausted, but somehow, he couldn't help feeling that today was the day: the day when he would be free of his worries. Five days from now would be his twenty-eighth birthday. But then, it was for the elderly hobbit Bilbo Baggins as well, whose grey hair and pristine eyes did not fade away as soon as Frodo re-entered the hobbit house and entered the parlor.

"Frodo, sit down," Bilbo said, gesturing him forward.

"What is it, uncle? Uh… oh." Frodo's eyes did not mistake him. There was the golden-haired Pearl Took come to greet him. She wasn't too much older than Frodo, but the surprise of it all. No. "Haven't we met before?"

Pearl laughed. Oh, how he forgot her laugh. "Oh Frodo, don't make me laugh!"

"Heh," he grunted. He didn't like where this was going.

"Frodo," Bilbo called him to attention, "Pearl is asking for your hand in marriage."

"Isn't that our job?" Frodo asked, concerned.

"It is, but I beat you to it!" Pearl smirked uncontrollably. "And I know it's been a while since we've courted, but have you thought of me in the least, Frodo? I've thought about you oftentimes when we…."

"I'm sorry," he asked, not understanding further, "but I thought this was settled."

"Oh Frodo," this is what surprised Frodo the most: as Pearl spoke, her dress quickly changed to a wedding dress, "don't you see we're already married?" And her dress changed again as she kissed him. It was lilac this time, but closer to a grayish color. She released him promptly. "I'm already yours…."

"NOOOOO!" He screamed, finding himself at the same time waking up. He was waking up in the middle of a….

….of a dream. More likely a nightmare. Frodo's head snapped up a little. The feather pillow was so soft, as was his mattress. He wanted to go back to sleep, but not before checking to see if Pearl's hands were wrapped around his shoulders. They weren't there. He sighed in relief. Good. At least one peaceful part of the evening was done.

He needed to get up anyway. He moved out of bed and clambered towards the bathroom, finishing up there in due time. He was done washing his hands when a speck of golden light caught his attention. And the tail of a large cat with a mane. Quickly, he followed the cat down the hallway. Bag End was so silent at this hour, as was his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. Did he know he was awake? Had he thought on it. Frodo clung a little to his blue night robe before following the cat into one of the empty rooms at the end of the hallway.

Just one peek….

One small peek past the door… and… there was a wardrobe standing at the end of the room. It was polished and had many symbols wrapped around the frame and the door itself, including a tree and two rings. Frodo stared at the wardrobe for a few seconds. The cat had slipped inside, past the ajar door. Should he follow it? This was one decision that might change his life, change everything about himself.

Frodo breathed in and out. This was it, wasn't it? His first opportunity to have an adventure. Slowly but surely he opened the wardrobe door more and stepped inside. He felt around the warm wintry coats but couldn't see anything. He checked and yes, the door was wide open or at least ajar enough for him to pass back through. But a golden light caught his eyes. He looked forward. No. There was a bunch of trees on the other side. It looked to be spring there with the flowers and warm fragrance. And it was daylight. How odd! What was a forest doing inside a wardrobe? He had to find this part out.

He looked back once to see if anyone followed him. There was no one in sight. It was just him and the wardrobe. He looked up, glad to see the moonlight reflecting into the room. Had he noticed this before? Well, he was certainly noticing it now. He reached out with his hand at the knob, turned it and opened the door. All was still, and yet there was this chill in the air. Not a wintry chill, but one of summer. He looked around again, but no one was there with him. Quietly, he slipped inside the wardrobe, making sure to leave the door open as he walked through the warm winter coats.

There was nothing but coats in this wardrobe. He reached for the wood at the back of the wardrobe, but couldn't find any. Surely, there must have been a mistake. He moved through the wardrobe now, well aware that something was off. And at last, he stepped on blades of grass. Wait. Grass?! Surely, this must be a mistake. He was just… he moved out of the pine needle branches and into a clear, green forest. It was daylight and wooded.

"How did I get here?" he asked, beside him with wonder in his eyes. "Where am I? How?" He turned his gaze back at the open door, past the trees. "The wardrobe. I must have slipped through into another world. But how?" He scratched his head. No. Surely, he didn't just cross realms. And yet, here he was in a wood within Bag End. Or maybe… no. He needed to keep walking.

The sunlight was so bright here and mixed in with the blue sky and the bountiful rich colors. Frodo felt almost alive here, almost like all his pain was leaving him. And yet, the loss of his parents resurfaced with a vengeance. He didn't want to think about them like this…. or maybe he should think about them. A tear trickled down his face that he wiped away with a clean sleeve. Where was he? And how?

"Oomph!" he crashed into a furry beast, landing on the ground hard. His head hit the back of a smooth rocky surface, making his ears ring and his head throb. Was this the end? His breath was heavy. And there in front of him was a golden mane cat, breathing on him. His mind sunk into the darkness, leaving himself to close his eyes ever so steadily. His head lulled to one side. He was asleep, the pain leaving him there, untouched and unwanted.

Who was that cat? He didn't know. All he knew was he dreamed of a grassy field and being picked up by an even stranger, furry beast with an ox face. Where was he? He had yet to find out.

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Thanks for reading. :)