all shall fade // lotr

A Long Expected Party

Journey's End

Chapter One

A Long Expected Party

Frodo has always said that Bilbo would live to a grand age, but he never told me he would live to 111. But yet, here I was, at the celebration of Bilbo Baggins' eleventy first birthday.

I walked across the field the party was taking place, manoeuvring through the other hobbits dancing and singing at drinking and smoking and watching fireworks erupt in the sky.

Gandalf's fireworks, A legend amongst the children of the Shire. I smiled as I turned back to my path, reaching my destination; the long-standing party tree. I sat underneath the tall branches, pulling out a book I kept in a crack in the roots, wedged between two pieces of wood. I opened it, turning to the page I'd folded over, carefully minding the ripped, well-used pages.

Oh, right. I'm Azaelia Brandybuck, sister to Merry Brandybuck, and good friend of Frodo Baggins. My life wasn't that interesting before he and Bilbo came into my life. Well, except for the fact that my mother is an elf. She was called Larien Sáralondë. She moved to Lothlórien when I was two, other than that my father seldom spoke about her.

"Azaelia?" I looked up from my book to greet a face I knew too well.

"Frodo."

"Are you alright? It's just..." he shuffled his feet awkwardly "...you looked lonely." He finished, staring at his feet.

I laughed.

"You're too kind. I'm fine."

He lifted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Really." I insisted.

He smiled warmly, making my heart melt to the fact that I even knew a hobbit as amazing as Frodo. He bent low in a bow, his hand outstretched.

"May I have this dance, M'lady?" He asked, just as Pippin stepped up on to the stage to play with whatever instrument he could get his hands on. I decided to along with it, realising i'd read the same sentence five times. placing my book down on the beautiful green grass, I accepted his hand, letting him pull me from the ground.

I bowed.

"Of couse, M'lord."

We followed the dancing routine of the other hobbits for a few songs before I saw something that made me collapse on the floor with laughter.

"Frodo!" I whisper-shouted, pulling him to sit next to me. He looked rather startled, to say the least. I leant over to his ear and whispered; "Sam's dancing with Rosie", before bursting into a fit of giggles. Frodo smiled.

"I know. I..."

He was cut off as a womanly shriek erupted from inside a nearby tent, a firework flying into the air from inside it. Many hobbits started clapping and pointing...

... until it formed into the shape of a dragon and flew down to the field.

"Bilbo! Watch out for the dragon!" Frodo was on his feet, trying to pry Bilbo to the ground with the rest of us.

"Dragons? Nonsense, there hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years."

The 'dragon' flew over and sizzled into nothing a few 100 metres away from us... then blew up into one of the most beautiful and biggest fireworks I'd even seen. Apparently many others thought the same as a great whooping cheer erupted from all around me.

I smiled.

Most defenitely Pippin and Merry.

.~*~.

A roaring sound of 'SPEECH!' and 'SPEECH BILBO!' echoed around me as Bilbo walked up to three large barrels at one end of the field. Above re barrels was large sign, with the embellishment "Happy 111th Birthday Bilbo Baggins!". There were hundreds of chairs and tables placed in front on the barrels where everyone was sitting. Bilbo waddled up and took his place a top the shortest barrel. I smirked. Eleventy one years, and still no need for a walking stick.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins!" Cheering. "Tooks and Brandybucks!" Cheering. (I was the loudest of course.) "Grubbs!" Cheering. "Chubbs!" Cheering. "Hornblowers!" Cheering. "Bulgers!" Cheering. "Bracegirdles!" You get the idea. "and Proudfoots." A laugh rang through the field as someone shouted from the back, "Proudfeet!" Bilbo swatted away the reply with laughter.

"Today is my 111th birthday!" Bilbo shouted. I cheered Happy Birthday and raised my ale along with many of the other hobbits.

"Alas, eleventy one years is hardly short a time to live amongst such excellent and admirable hobbits." People cheered and nodded and smiled fake smiles.

"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."

I smirked at the scattered clapping and confused faces. Bilbo carried on without letting the hobbits figure out what he meant.

"I...uh..." Bilbo stumbled along his words as he reached for his pocket.

Please don't let the ring be in there.

I'd (funnily enough) worked out that the ring was keeping Bilbo 'well preserved'. Whatever it was, it was evil. Not hobbit truly lives to 111 and managed to walk around as easily as Bilbo does.

He mumbled something inaudible to me, probably speaking to himself.

"I regret to announce this is the end." He said, returning to his normal pitch. "I'm going now; I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye." He directed the last comment at Frodo, and with that, he vanished.

Damn you Bilbo!

There were gasps and shouts of 'did you see that!?'

"He'll be going back to BagEnd, we have to follow him!" I shouted, grabbing Frodo's sleeve.

He didn't move.

"Frodo!" I shouted.

"Leave him." He mumbled, sitting back on the bench. I groaned, letting his arm drop, stomping angrily back to the party tree.