Rise (Lord of the Rings)

3 - A Hasty Farewell

Whispers and panicked murmurs broke throughout the crowd. Frodo and I looked at each other. Hobbits started calling for search parties to find Bilbo.

How could Bilbo just disappear like that? I kind of wished this was a joke, that Bilbo would reappear, ending the confusion and panic that hovered over the party guests.

Sadly, in the pit of my stomach, I knew this wasn't a joke, and I knew I wasn't dreaming either. This was really happening. Bilbo had actually disappeared. But how did he do it?

I knew he had talked about leaving—Frodo and I had heard him say it occasionally—but never did I think he had it in him. Leaving was like losing a family member, only they weren't leaving because they'd died.

"Frodo," I stammered. "W-what just happened?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Come on, maybe he went back to Bag End."

"Are you sure?" I had to raise my voice over other panicked voices. "He just vanished like a ghost! What makes you think he'd return home?"

"That'd be the last place anybody would expect him to be if he said he was leaving. There's still a chance that we can catch him."

Keeping a firm hold on me so he wouldn't lose me, Frodo and I managed to slip out of the slight mayhem that was the end of Bilbo's party.

Frodo pushed through the gate of Bag End with me right on his heels.

"Bilbo!" Frodo called, bursting through the circular hobbit-sized door. All we did was let the night air in.

I stood by my adoptive brother's side, searching for my adoptive father. I saw Frodo bend down to pick up something.

"What is it?" I whispered.

Peeking at Frodo's hand, I noticed he found a small ring. My head tilted to the side. I vaguely remembered seeing that ring a few times. Those times I was never meant to see it, because I'd always stumble across Bilbo with it. I remembered the one time I asked to see the ring, he had harshly told me to leave him alone. I'd always wondered what the fascination was with that stupid ring anyway. To me, there was nothing special about it. It looked ordinary.

I turned my head to the left to see that someone was in the house besides Frodo and me. However, it wasn't Bilbo. Instead, it was Gandalf. Fire crackled, the fireplace was going.

"He's gone, hasn't he?" Frodo murmured, talking loud enough for Gandalf to hear in the next room. Frodo ambled to Gandalf, me behind him. I felt like I was in a trance, the way I followed my adoptive brother into the room to join the Wizard.

"He talked for so long about leaving," I whispered dazedly. "I didn't think he'd really do it." I felt abandoned. Bilbo was the closest thing I had to a paternal figure for most of my life. "Gandalf?" Frodo whispered, standing beside the Wizard as he sat near the fire, taking a puff from his pipe.

Gandalf finally tore his gaze away from the fire, turning his head slightly to Frodo. His blue eyes focused on the ring that Frodo held in his hand. I snorted down at the little piece of jewelry. Bilbo forgot it, but it shocked me that he did. The way he had been with it, it was like he was obsessed with it or something.

Gandalf smiled at Frodo. "Bilbo's ring," he murmured.

"Gandalf," I said quietly. "Where did Bilbo go? Surely he told you."

"He went to stay with the Elves. He's left you and Frodo Bag End." Gandalf reached over the head of the fireplace to grab an empty envelope. I watched the old Wizard cautiously, suspicious of his actions. The envelope was open. As if he knew what to do, Frodo plopped the ring into the envelope. "Along with all his possessions." It didn't take but less than a minute for Gandalf to seal the envelope. "The ring is yours now." He held the envelope out. He looked right at Frodo, so I assumed Bilbo left the ring to him. Honestly, I wasn't jealous. What would I want to do with a measly ring? "Put it somewhere out of sight."