Chapter 2

Bilbo's birthday party was one of the liveliest celebrations Annelise had ever attended, which was saying a lot considering she grew up with dwarves. She couldn't help laughing and cheering with the rest of the Hobbits whenever one of Gandalf's fireworks was particularly dazzling.

She spent the majority of the evening close to Gandalf, as Bilbo and Frodo were both occupied by their friends. Although she was known to the Hobbits after so many years, she was still a bit uncomfortable with all the stares and quiet comments about her presence made by the Hobbits when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

At the moment, she was sitting on the ground not far from Gandalf, surrounded by many little Hobbit children who were more curious than concerned by her presence. She had been teaching the little ones how to make flower crowns and the children were eagerly placing their gathered flowers at her feet as she worked. She handed her finished product to a tiny blonde-haired girl who had been cuddled up next to her, watching her hands move. The small girl grinned brightly before throwing her arms around Annelise and running off to show her friends her little treasure.

Annelise then turned as she heard someone laughing loudly as they approached her and saw that it was Frodo coming up to her, his cheeks flushed with mirth from dancing.

"Come on!," he shouted happily, grabbing onto her hands and pulling her from the ground before leading her to the middle of the dancing Hobbits. Annelise joined in the lively dancing, laughing along with Frodo as he swung her around the clearing. The pair stopped suddenly when Frodo noticed one of his friends sitting at a nearby table watching the dancing, and watching one Hobbit in particular. Annelise smirked when she noticed that the Hobbit lass was looking at Frodo's friend just as much.

"Go on, Sam," Frodo said, sitting next to his friend. "Ask Rosie for a dance."

The blond Hobbit seemed to consider it for a moment before answering. "I think I'll just have another ale."

"Oh, Sam! You have to!," Annelise protested as Frodo stood and grabbed his friend.

"Oh, no, you don't," Frodo said as he pushed Sam into the crowd where he was instantly intercepted by Rosie, much to Annelise and Frodo's amusement. The pair sat laughing at Sam's expense for a moment before Frodo turned to Annelise once more.

"Shall we, milady?," he asked, cheekily bowing to her.

"But of course!," she answered with a laugh.

Annelise looked up from where she was sitting next to Bilbo as a bright white firework shot into the air, before exploding into hundreds of glowing arrows that shot across the sky.

"Beautiful," she said to herself quietly as she stared up at the sky.

"Hmm, yes," Bilbo mumbled as his eyes followed hers before looking back at the large group of children that were sitting around the two of them. They had eagerly asked for a story when they learned that Annelise had been with the older Hobbit when he was gone on his infamous adventure.

"So there we were, at the mercy of three monstrous trolls. And they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook us. Whether it be turned on a spit, or whether they should sit on us one by one, and squash us into jelly."

"I personally voted for neither option," Annelise broke in with a chuckle and a wink to the laughing children.

"They spent so much time arguing the withertos and the whyfors…."

"Not to mention our brilliant stalling tactics…."

"...that the sun's first light crept over the top of the trees …Poof!," here the children gasped, "and turned them all to stone!"

"Thank goodness for Gandalf," Annelise said quietly, before standing and herding the children toward the wizard where he set off a firework that released sparkling butterflies for the children to chase after.

"Up they go!," he exclaimed, his voice full of laughter.

Annelise laughed with him before turning to him with a thoughtful look that caused him to raise his eyebrow at her in question.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time," she said simply, answering his silent question.

"It is hard not to be when surrounded by such company," he said with a chuckle, before looking down at her sadly. "And I could say the same about you. It has been many years since I've seen you so lighthearted. I fear that you carry too much."

"It will be sixty years in a few weeks," she said with a sigh after a moment's pause, knowing Gandalf would understand what she meant.

"Ah," he sighed, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder in comfort and understanding.

"I'm forgetting them," she said with a small sob in her voice. "I can't remember their voices anymore, my memories are growing fuzzy. If it wasn't for the drawings that Ori gave me, I don't know if I would remember their faces."

"Oh, my dear," the wizard sighed, pulling the crying woman into his arms. "As someone who has lived far too long, I can tell you that it is normal for your memories to fade over time. But that doesn't ease the pain, nor make the grief any less deep when you realize you're forgetting things. But believe me when I say that although you may forget physical aspects, you will never forget how they made you feel or the lessons that they taught you. You will carry that with you forever. And take heart," he said, gently lifting her chin, "one day you will see them again."

"Thank you, Gandalf."

Before the wizard could say another word, there was a loud boom as a firework went off near the pair, taking a tent into the air with it. They watched in shock as the firework exploded loudly in the air, before taking the form of a giant dragon. The Hobbits around them started running for cover as the fire dragon began sweeping toward the crowd, but Annelise was frozen as her mind went back to the last time she had encountered a dragon.

Instead of Hobbits and tents, Annelise saw herself surrounded by screaming men and burning buildings. She was stuck in the flashback and Gandalf grew alarmed when he saw that his friend seemed to be in a fear-induced trance. He quickly put his hand on her forehead and whispered a few words under his breath, pulling the woman from her memories and into a panic attack. He managed to calm her down just as the dragon exploded in the distance in a grand finale to the cheers and applause of the Hobbits.

"I'm alright," she tried reassuring the wizard as he led her to a seat and gave her a glass of water.

"Wait here," he said with forced calm, before going off in search of the perpetrators.

Annelise saw him grab the ears of two singed Hobbits and could only shake her head in exasperation when she saw who they were.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. I might have known," he spoke, looking down at the two Hobbits before leading them to the table Annelise was at and putting them to work washing dishes.

"Now," he said quietly once he was settled next to Annelise, "what did you see?"

"Lake-town," she answered reluctantly, realizing that he wouldn't let it go. "When the dragon came."

The wizard nodded, having expected that answer. He simply reached over and patted her hands that were clasped together on top of the table, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. Suddenly the Hobbits around them began cheering and clapping.

"Speech!," they cried and Annelise smiled as she watched Bilbo take his place before the crowd.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins…Tooks and Brandybucks…Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers…Bolgers…Bracegirdles…and Proudfoots!"

"Proudfeet!," someone corrected, causing everyone to laugh.

"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!"

"Happy Birthday!," the crowd cheered and clapped.

"Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable Hobbits," cue more cheering and clapping. "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

Annelise chuckled as Gandalf smirked at the confused looks on all of the Hobbits faces at their friend's teasing words. Their smiles dropped though as Bilbo's attitude changed suddenly, and Annelise frowned as she saw his hand stray to the same pocket she had noticed him messing with earlier that day.

"I, uh- I have things to do," he said as he reached his hand into the pocket and grabbed something before putting his hands behind his back. She saw him mumble something to himself under his breath before addressing the crowd again and she sat up straighter at the strange tension she felt cutting through the air.

"I regret to announce this is the end! I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell," he spoke loudly looking over the silent crowd. "Goodbye."

With that last word, Annelise was struck dumb.

He vanished.

All the Hobbits were in an uproar, trying to figure out what had happened. Annelise didn't know what to do anymore than they did, other than that Gandalf had told her to stay with Frodo before he too disappeared. Naturally, the party broke up soon after the guest of honor had disappeared. Annelise and Frodo began making their way slowly up to Bag End, hoping that Gandalf and Bilbo would both be there.

They were just turning up the hill when Annelise felt a chill run down her spine, one she hadn't felt in sixty years, when she was first entering the forest of Mirkwood. She remembered the vision of the fiery eye that she had seen all those years before and urged Frodo to hurry along to the house. They saw some lights in the house and Frodo rushed to open the door.

"Bilbo! Bilbo!," he shouted, stopping as he entered the house. Annelise ducked down and saw Gandalf smoking in front of the fireplace and knew that something had happened. 'He must have finally left,' she thought sadly.

She then watched in confusion as Frodo bent down and picked up a simple gold ring that was laying on the floor in front of the door before walking over to Gandalf with it resting in his palm. She felt the same chill when she looked at the ring and turned concerned eyes to the wizard.

"He's gone, hasn't he?," he asked sadly. "He talked for so long about leaving, but I didn't think he'd really do it."

"Gandalf?," Annelise spoke, when the wizard didn't seem to acknowledge their presence. He seemed to shake himself from his thoughts and looked down at the ring in Frodo's outstretched hand for a moment before meeting the Hobbit's eyes. She could tell that he was trying to put on an unaffected air for Frodo, but she could see the worry and fear in his eyes.

"Bilbo's ring," he said lightly. "He's gone to stay with the Elves. He's left you Bag End," he continued, holding out an envelope for Frodo to drop the ring into before sealing it, "along with all his possessions. The ring is yours now."

With this, he handed the sealed envelope back to Frodo and Annelise couldn't help the tension that settled in her shoulders.

"Put it somewhere out of sight," Gandalf said seriously before standing up and moving to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"There are some things that I must see to."

"What things?," Annelise asked, following the pair to the door.

"Questions," Gandalf answered. "Questions that need answering."

"But you've only just arrived. I don't understand," Frodo said, causing Gandalf to stop as he was nearly out of the door and Annelise quickly moved to the wizard's side.

"Neither do I," Gandalf said sadly before bending down to meet Frodo's eye.

"Keep it secret. Keep it safe."

With those words, Gandalf walked out the door and Annelise followed him telling Frodo she would return.

"Gandalf wait, please," she said, stopping him as he moved to his wagon and began unhitching his horse. "That ring? It can't be-?"

Her question caused him to stop his motion and she saw as his shoulders slumped under the weight of some invisible burden.

"I don't know, Annelise. That is what I must find out."

"And me? What should I do?"

"I need you to stay here and watch over Frodo," he said, turning to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Until you hear from me, stay in the Shire. Alert the Dunedain to up their watch on the borders, but tell them nothing of our suspicions. I will try to contact Aragorn. And if you have any news, contact me as soon as possible, or Lord Elrond."

"As you wish," she said, moving away as he mounted his horse.

"Be careful and watchful," he said in parting before disappearing into the night.