Returning Home: A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 2 - Found

~~Celia~~

"Goodness gracious, Miss, are you all right?"

The concerned voice penetrated into the thick fog that was swirling around in Celia's mind, swirling the clouds away and leaving a dull throbbing in its place. She groggily opened her eyes, but the blinding light shining directly into her retinas made her instinctively close them again. She waited a minute for them to adjust before carefully opening them again. 

A middle-aged man with curly hair was bending over her, looking very worried. She carefully sat up, then pressed a hand to her aching head.

"Ouch, that hurts. Where am I?" she asked groggily.

The older man looked startled. "Why, you're in the Shire, Miss. Did you not know that?"

Still half out of it, Celia just stared at him for a minute, uncomprehending, before the words finally processed. "Shire? As in, hobbits of the Shire?"

The man furrowed his brow but nodded. "That's the one. Are you sure you're all right? You seem rather confused."

Celia squinted up at him. "I'm not sure. My head really hurts, and I'm not sure how I got here, but other than that I think I'm fine."

Kneeling down next to her on one knee, he asked, "What's the last thing you remember? Maybe that will help us find some answers."

Thinking hard for a minute, a few images and snippets of memories came into Celia's mind. "I was in the woods with my sister. I was doing something... hunting, I think. But then... something happened. I don't remember what. But I was really scared. I was calling for my sister to help, and she was answering me; I think she was coming to help me, and then..." She put a hand to her forehead in frustration. "I don't remember anything after that." 

The man looked over at something beside her. "Well, I found these beside you. You said you were hunting. Are they yours?" he asked, holding up a bow and quiver.

Celia's eyes widened in relief at the sight of something familiar. "Yes! That's my bow and arrows!" Taking the bow from the man, she inspected it carefully, gently rubbing her fingers along the bowstring.

Inspecting the quiver, the young man said, "I don't believe I've seen a bow or quiver quite like this before."

"It was a gift from my mother for our birthday a few years ago." Celia murmured distractedly, still focused on the bow. "Elena wanted an axe really badly, she always has, the weirdo, so she got a pair of smaller axes."

She stopped short, realizing what she had just said. "Elena - she was looking for me!" Looking up at the man with wide eyes, she said urgently, "My sister - she could be nearby, have you seen her? She's short, like me, with short brown hair, and brown eyes."

He shook his head sympathetically. "I'm afraid you're the first young lady I've seen in such a state today. Would she be around here?"

Celia shook her head. "I don't know. I still don't know how I got here." She paused. "Can you help me up? I need to try and find her."

The man hastily helped her to her feet. "Of course! Pardon my bad manners. My name is Bilbo Baggins," he said apologetically, bowing slightly.

Celia did a double take. "Did you say - B-bilbo Baggins?"

Giving her an odd look, he nodded slowly. "Yes, Miss. Bilbo Baggins, Master of -"

"Bag End of the Shire," Celia finished for him, only now noticing his bare feet, and the curly hair covering the tops of them. Bilbo gave her a slightly disconcerted look, though still maintaining his polite demeanor.