Calm The Fire

Epilogue.

Sitting in his garden, Bilbo enjoyed the peace which came with the mid-morning. The sun was shining brightly from behind white fluffy clouds which seemed to lazily sail across the sky. The sky itself was a brilliant colour of blue. Bilbo couldn't honestly remember the last time he had seen such a blue sky. He was not alone in enjoying the sudden warm weather, it seemed the seasons were changing and summer was slowly making its appearance. The other residents of the Shire were either pottering around in their gardens, even from here Bilbo could clearly see one person gardening peacefully, or they were walking about on a nice morning stroll.

A nice morning stroll did sound good to Bilbo. Though he had long since discovered that just merely strolling around his home didn't quite satisfy him. He usually found himself wanting to go a little further, then a little further more, and then once he couldn't see his home anymore, he wanted to still continue on his way. That was one lasting effect of his adventure which happened and ended a few years ago.

He didn't seem as content as he was previous to it. Before he had Gandalf appearing on his doorstep, shortly followed by the dwarven company he'd come to call his friends, he was more than happy to just sit and enjoy the content atmosphere of the Shire. But because of that little adventure, through all its dangers, and there were many, he had seen the wider world. There was so much more beyond the small rolling hills, green yellow grass meadows and glistening streams of Hobbiton.

Leaning back on his wooden garden bench, he exhaled the smoke from his pipe and watched as it twisted up into the air and then dissipated altogether. Wistfully sighing, he soon decided on one thing for certain: he was bored. Boredom after such an adventure was bound to happen. And to be honest, he did have things to occupy himself with. His writing accounts of said adventures, Náriel's constant letters and other such things which were more trivial.

Náriel was not joking when she said to keep in contact. More often than not Bilbo would receive one letter and even before he replied another would appear. She was a very constant source of information on what was happening at Erebor. He would be lying if he said he wasn't missing her and the dwarves, of course he was. Getting pulled back to reality before his mind could fully wander off, he nodded and smiled politely to a couple who walked past his garden.

They waved a hand in good nature to him and soon disappeared down the little stone path. With a frown, a fidget and a quick twitch of the nose he couldn't help but let his mind quickly ponder of how those two particular hobbits reacted to his return those years ago. Shock would be putting it mildly. If he recalled correctly, and in all honesty it wasn't something he was ever really going to forget, one out of that couple shouted and called him a spirit before fainting.

Bilbo was naturally taken back by this. He had spent the small time since leaving the Lonely Mountain in the company of Radgast and Gandalf. On the way out of Dale it seemed the elven host, lead by Thranduil were returning home too. They were merely returning home for some proper rest and recuperation, they'd return again later in the week. But regardless of this, Bilbo soon found himself travelling with a very large company again. But the large company soon departed ways as soon as Mirkwood loomed on the horizon. With agile stealth the elves dissolved into the woodland space and seemed to disappear back to their palace. Radagast too quickly shuffled off back to Rhosgobel muttering something along the lines of; "I wonder what Sebastian has been getting up to."

With this, Gandalf had simply rolled his eyes and said farewell to his fellow wizard while looking to Bilbo with a knowing look. Bilbo merely sighed and shook his head, out of all things to worry about when it came to his home, he worried about a hedgehog. Naturally, Bilbo didn't know who Sebastian was until Gandalf had told him, with this new information Bilbo just blinked confused. A hedgehog couldn't do much, or get up to much in fact, surely?