Authors note: I do not own anything to do with The Hobbit or LOTR franchises, everything belongs to Tolkien! I'm just a poor college student having fun! Comment and review but please no flames! If you don't like it don't read it- easy enough right? This will eventually be a Bilbo/Thorin with a side of Bilbo!wump, this is rated M for safety therefore there may be lemons. There my also be mental trauma to characters in the future; i haven't decided yet but there's the warning anyways. And away we go!
Introduction: A Knock at the Door
Bilbo stared out the window of Bag End, his heart filled with sadness and loss as he contemplated his life and mortality. He thought of his adventures and his time spent with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. Even after all this time, the loss of his friends remained in his heart with the hurt and regret as fresh as the first day he had returned to the shire. It had been sixty years since his grand adventure, where he had made friends with the high-spirited group of dwarves and even fallen in love with one of them.
But here he was, alone. He had returned here after seeing Frodo in his visit to Rivendell, shaken to the core over the sway the ring still held over him. He knew he had probably frightened the boy as much as Thorin had frightened him with his gold sickness those many years ago. With that in mind, he had set out to return to the shire in order to avoid temptations.
And if he was being honest with himself, to die.
At one hundred and thirty years old, he felt it was time to let go of the earthly realm. He even still held out hope he might see is friends again, though very unlikely. The Dwarven halls of the afterlife were where the courageous dwarves end up with their families, and Bilbo was neither dwarrow nor courageous. He had no doubt the great god Mahal would take one look at him and turn him away to spend eternity wandering alone, unable to fulfill his desire to meet with his friends again.
Moving away from the window, he took a seat close to the fire. Staring into the flames calmed him, showing him images that he knew weren't really there; singing dwarves, flying plates, elven food fights, and celebrations. While dwarves couldn't hold a candle to hobbits when it came to parties and drinking, they had brought a flare of adventure to everything they participated in that no hobbit ever could.
A loud knock at his door drew him from his reminiscing. Very unusual, he thought, no one should know of my return yet. Drawing himself up, he shuffled to the door slowly, in part due to caution and the other due to age. His body rarely wanted to cooperate, and he often had difficulty with simple tasks now that he no longer had the ring. Pulling at the latch, he peered out into the morning twilight, finding himself confronted by two large beings in blue robes.
"Good evening," they spoke simultaneously, their gruff voices reminding him of Gandelf's, as did their appearance. Besides their robes, the each had a long beard, staff, and hat. The one on the right appeared the cleaner short, with his salt and pepper beard braided intricately in a way that reminded him much of the dwarven braids he had seen. His staff was carved with intricate patterns and polished to a shine, while his hat sat on his head as if mimicking a crown. In comparison, the one on the left was much messier. His light brown beard was wiry and disheveled with parts appearing singed off. His staff had several large knots and sprouts growing from it, and his hat was crooked and slightly flattened as if he had slept with it on.
"Good evening, is there something I can help you with?"
"Indeed, we are the Ithryn Luin, is this the residents of a Master Baggins?" The clean one calmly asked, peering down at the hobbit.
"Yes, I am Bilbo Baggins"
"Finally! That is great, we have been looking everywhere for you! May we come inside?" The messy one leaned in as if already preparing to do so.
"What is this about?" Bilbo grasped the door as if he in his weakened frame could prevent these large beings from entering his home.
"We have a proposition for you, and possibly…" they shared a look,"… an adventure?"
Bilbo was intrigued. After allowing the two into his home, they hadn't said one word about adventuring, instead making polite conversation about the weather and the changing of the seasons. While he had made some tea, they had complimented his home and belongings, and mirrored what any hobbit would consider respectable company. He wasn't buying it.
"So, you mentioned an adventure?" Bilbo addressed the clean one, setting down the tea cups and pot in the center of the table on one of his mother's doilies.
"Indeed!" The messy one boisterously interrupted, preventing his companion from replying. "We have a need to change some things, and believe you are the best sort to assist us."
"My apologies, but who are you again?"
"We are known as Ithryn Luin, or in common, the Blue Wizards. You know of our fellows; Gandelf, Radigast, and Soramon."
This information gave Bilbo a jolt. It had been quite some time since he and Gandelf had discussed the other wizards, and even Gandelf had not recalled their names. To have them both here, in his home, was definitely an interesting turn of events.
"We require your help Master Baggins." They spoke in unison again, making a shiver run down Bilbo's spine.
"Of what help can I be to you?"
"Well first, we need to kill you!" Messy grinned.
"WHAT?!" Bilbo squeaked out, shuffling quickly from his chair to the wall behind him. He surveyed the room for a possible weapon.
"Isn't that why you have returned to the Shire?" Clean intoned in a deep voice, eyeing the hobbit as one might a child.
This gave Bilbo pause; how had they known that? Even Gandelf, the most powerful being he had met, could not read his thoughts. Slowly, he made his way back to the table.
"Good, now we may commence with the specifics. I am Isveld, and this is my brother Malvar." Clean pointed to Messy. "We know of all you have been through in your life, as well as others, and their lives. Even what will happen to your nephew, and the fate of the ring."
"How?" Such power, if it was to be believed, could change middle-earth. Knowing the future of others, to be able to prevent wars and save lives...
"It was what we were sent here for. But knowledge of others fates is a deep burden to bare. For years we have secluded ourselves away in the mountains to the east, spending our time honing our magic and studying instead."
"Then why is it you wish to kill me?"
"Your fate is that you will live in this house until reunited with your nephew, and then travel with him to the undying lands with the last of the elves, where you will pass on. We see an opportunity to offer you a gift instead. What if we told you we could send you back in time to change the fates of your friends?"
Bilbo's world turned upside down. These two wizards were offering up his heart's desire on a silver platter. He had spent years of his life cursing the gods, weeping and wailing and wishing for just an hour with those he missed. He almost agreed right then and there, except..."What's the catch?"
"Well at some point, we will need you to come find us and tell us of your story," Malvar shrugged. "It is important that we know of your existence, as we have sort of lost track of time so to speak. Would you do this for us?"
Bilbo looked out the window as the sun turned the early morning into a pink hew. Was he willing to change the fate of the world to possibly save those dearest to him?
"When do I leave?"
They spent the rest of the morning preparing for Bilbo's demise. Isveld rearranged furniture while Malvar carved glowing runes into the floor that reminded Bilbo of the mark still etched into his door. With the end in mind, Bilbo finished his writing his will, leaving everything in Bag End to Frodo, with the exception of some gold for Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took. He also wrote a letter to each of the remaining Dwarves, sharing his well wishes for their health and families. He doubted Dwalen or Gloin would grieve for him when they learned of his passing, but he still held them in high regard none the less.
Slowly the day came to a close, and Bilbo began to feel tired. He wasn't sure if he truly believed he would wake up sixty years younger, but either way he would be moving on to a new adventure. He had no regrets in leaving, knowing this was the right thing to do. Pulling himself from his thought, he made his way to where the wizards had set up their ritual. Around him candles were lit, illuminating a large circle in his dining room. The room itself was oddly chilly, with the smell of lavender, leather, and metal in the air.
"Won't this circle be suspicious when someone walks in to find my body?" He inquired, leaning down to better look at the etchings.
"No, we will remove them before we leave." Malvar adjusted one of the candles he had positioned on the floor. Bilbo didn't question how they would be removing them, just pleased it wouldn't be a lasting mark on his families home.
"If I do go back, will nothing come to pass? I mean, if I meet you two in the past there will be no reason for you to come here on this day, so I will never go back in the first place?" He had been running laps in his mind most of the afternoon with the lives he would technically be messing with.
"No, we are just sending you on a different path so to speak, we will continue on here as will this nephew of yours and the people in this time. The simple presence of you in the past will carve out a new path for you to do with what you wish." Bilbo nodded, though he wasn't so sure he understood. Maybe Lord Elrond would have a book on the subject the next time he visited Rivendell.
"Please, come stand here Master Baggins." Isveld motioned to the center, taking his place opposite his brother outside the circle. Taking a deep breath, the hobbit stepped into the ring. A slight charge of electricity ran up through his large feet, causing the hair on his body to stand up in response. The room seemed to drop to near freezing in temperature, with the candles flickering around them.
The two wizards raised their arms in unison, each of their staffs in their right hands, before a hum rose in the air. Their lips began to move, but no sound could be heard as the hum grew louder in Bilbo's ears. The wind picked up, throwing open the door and windows in the other rooms, and he heard thunder in the back ground.
As if in a rush, the floor seemed to give out from under him as he began falling into the inky black abyss.