The Elfling || A Frodo Baggins Love Story

Keep Him Safe

We arrived at the party just as the sun had set over the Shire. I messed with my hands nervously, looking around for Frodo. 

  “Eirina,” said Darren Moonstone, my father. I snapped out of it, realizing that we'd reached the front where Mr. Bilbo stood. 

  “What has gotten into you, Eirina?” my mother, Eruraviel, demanded.  

  I blushed. “Sorry,” I quickly apologized before greeting Mr. Bilbo. He was shaking hands with everyone who came by, and he quickly brightened up when he saw me. 

  “Miss Eira!” he said, his voice full of enthusiasm as he shook my hand. “Lovely to see you! I assume that you're looking for my nephew?” he added in a quiet voice. “I could see you looking around for him while you were in line.” I blushed, unsure of what to say. But that seemed to have confirmed Mr. Bilbo’s answer, as he chuckled knowingly. “Alright, Miss Eira. I won't keep you long,” he said with a small smile. “You might find him hanging around in the pavilion.”

  “Okay,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mr. Bilbo!”

  And with that, I hurried into the party, weaving past the people who were milling around, chatting, laughing, and eating. I finally ran into Frodo. Well, running is a bit of an understatement. I bumped into him, and nearly tripped, if he hadn’t grabbed my hand to make sure that I wouldn’t slip. I noticed that an arm went around my waist, and I immediately blushed. 

  “Whoa. Careful there,” he said with a grin. 

  “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I admitted, grinning shyly. 

  “It’s alright. It was an accident. You didn’t mean it.” He paused, setting me upright. “I suppose that you were looking for me?”

  I blushed, looking down. 

  “Yeah. . . . I guess.” 

  “Well, Eira” said Frodo as he held his arm out to me. “Would you like to dance with me?”

  Just as he asked that question, a lively tune came on. As he held his arm out to me, I blushed. While Frodo may be strange (in the best way), he's also quite the gentleman. 

  “I would be delighted,” I answered, my voice a little too breathy. 

  He grabbed both of my hands and led me to the dance floor. Hobbits around us began to gather around and dance. Frodo twirled me around and I felt as though I was on cloud nine. We chatted and laughed throughout the night. Our conversation ended whenever a large firework creation, in the form of a dragon, swooped down upon the party. 

  “Eira! Watch out for the dragon!” said Frodo in a frantic voice. 

  “What dragon?” I insisted, confused. 

  But he didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled me to the ground for protection. Once the firework had exploded, everyone applauded, except for me. I shook my head in disapproval. I had an idea of who was behind that bloody prank. 

  “Are you okay?” Frodo asked in an anxious voice as he helped me up. 

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered as I brushed myself down. “Are you?”

  “Yeah,” Frodo breathed as he eyed me up and down.

Through the corner of my eye, I could see Merry and Pippin being hauled by the ears towards the kitchen by none other than Gandalf the Grey. Their faces were ashen, and I had a feeling of who was behind the dragon fireworks display that terrified everybody.

  “Excuse me,” I apologized before excusing myself.

  I walked away from him and went to find Merry and Pippin, who were already handwashing the dirty dishes that were used for the party. Pippin was the first to see me and he gave me a triumphant grin.