Returning Home: A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 4 - Life in the Shire, Part 1

~~Celia~~

Celia walked wearily up the hill toward Bag End. Pushing open the gate with a tired sigh, she let it swing shut behind her, the gate brushing against her long green skirt as it shut. Reaching the door, she paused to adjust her dark green vest and white shirt before pushing the door open. 

It had been almost a month since she and Elena had been found by Bilbo and had subsequently been taken in by him. It had come as a surprise to most of Hobbiton to hear that Bilbo had taken in two young dwarves, but they had been accepting for the most part, in large part due to the efforts of Bilbo. 

During that time, she had become apprenticed to the the town healer, Mrs. Labilee. As there wasn't a huge demand for artists in Hobbiton, Elena occasionally helped the gardeners, a task that she enjoyed, or would draw sketches for the children of Hobbiton, who delighted in getting pictures of themselves.

Elena looked up from the chair where she had been sketching when her sister entered.

"Hey, sis," she said with a smirk. "You look great. I take it everything went well?"

Celia rolled her eyes. "Oh shush," she said wearily, brushing a curl that had gotten loose back behind her ear. "And it went fine, I'm just tired."

Still smirking, Elena asked, "So... if I recall correctly, this was your first time 'birthing a babe,' as it were, wasn't it?" Barely waiting for her sister to respond she went on, "So what'd you think?"

Celia shot a mock glare at her sister. "Yes, it was my first time helping with a birth. And no, I did not faint." Seeing her sister pretending to look disappointed, she rolled her eyes again. "But if it makes you feel any better, I will admit that I am... very glad that I am not having a child any time soon. I love children, but I think I can wait."

Laughing, Elena leaned forward in her chair and rested her chin on her hand. "I bet. But I still want to know: is it a boy or a girl?"

Celia smiled, her tired expression softening. "Boy. They named him Milo Proudfoot. And he has got to be one of the cutest newborn babies I have ever seen."

Elena laughed again. "Pfft," she said, sitting back in her seat and waving her hand in the air. "You say that about literally almost every baby you see."

"True," Celia admitted, "But it's also true for him. Plus, he's the first baby I've ever helped deliver, so I suppose I feel a bit more proud about him than I would most other babies."

Elena thought about this for a minute before nodding in agreement. "I suppose. I do have one other thing to talk about though, if you feel up to it. It's kind of important though, so it would be best if we get it done now rather than later."

Celia looked at her sister curiously as she sat down in a chair next to her. "I suppose I could do it. But what's so important, anyways?"

Elena paused before answering. "The Hobbit." Seeing the questions starting to form in her sister's eyes, she went on, holding up a finger to keep her from interrupting. "What I mean is, the adventures of the Hobbit book, the one written by J. R. R. Tolkien back home. The one that we read all the time, and the story that got made into an epic trilogy."

Celia nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm with you so far. The story is obviously important because we're living in that world, but I'm too tired to think through whatever it is you're trying to imply right now."

Elena let out an impatient sigh. "If you'd let me explain, I'd tell you."

"Sorry," Celia muttered, fighting back a yawn.