EmberRose: First Lord of the Rings fiction! Yay! Review and tell me how I do!

Disclaimer: XxEmberRosexX doesn't own Lord of the Rings. She's not that good of a writer.

EmberRose: Shut up.

"Your late." That was the greeting that awaited us when my mentor Gandalf and I as we entered the Shire. I smiled at my hobbit friend Frodo, my gentle silver eyes resting fondly on him.

"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." Gandalf said, raising an eyebrow. We all looked at each other for a few moments before bursting out with laughter.

"Then how is it, when I am late for a lesson, I get scolded?" I demanded turning to Gandalf. My braided brown hair flung around my other shoulder as I did so.

"You, my dear, are only half wizard. Your other half is elf, and elves are notorious late creatures." Gandalf said, making me stick my tongue at him.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf. You as well Gwenavire." Frodo laughed, beaming widely.

"I have told you, Frodo. Call me Gwen. Gwenavire is too...elegant." I scoffed, wrinkling my nose in distaste.

"Very well, Gwen." Frodo grinned, hopping into our wagon. I sighed before going from the front seat to the back end of the wagon.

"What new of the outside world?" Frodo asked eagerly. "Tell me everything!"

"What, everything? Far too eager and curious for a Hobbit. Most unnatural." Gandalf said with a twinkle in his eye. I snorted in a very unlady-like manner as our cart made its way over the stone bridge to the Hobbit marketplace. "Well, what can I tell you? Life in the wide world goes on much as if it has past age..."

I drifted off as Gandalf started his long conversation. I observed the Hobbits milling around the marketplace, waving at a few. Some Hobbits greeted us in a very friendly manner, but some glared at us as we rode through.

"Who did we kill?" I muttered under my breath.

"Whatever you did, you've been officially labeled as a Disturber of the Peace." Frodo informed us cheerfully.

"Oh really?" Gandalf said curiously. I sighed and shook my head. A man observed us as our cart rattled by, and children ran after us. Frodo and I looked Gandalf expectantly, but he did not turn and greet the children or do any magnificent trick. I looked in astonishment and the old trickster, wondering how he could ignore the sweet children. As we were about to disappear from view, fireworks sparked up and flew into the sky. I chuckled at the delighted children before turning back around. We finally arrived at Frodo's destination and Frodo stood up.

"Gwen, Gandalf...I'm glad you're back." Frodo said, leaping expertly from the cart. I smiled.

"So am I, Frodo. So am I." I agreed as I crawled back to my spot. As we made our way to Bilbo's house, something occurred to me. "Gandalf. If your title is Gandalf the Grey...what am I?"

"Hmm..." Gandalf seemed to consider this for a moment. "Gwenavire...the apprentice."

"I'm not good enough to have a title yet?" I demanded, glaring at the dirt road.

"Your only twenty three, my dear Halfling." Gandalf chuckled, smiling.

"I've been twenty three for fifty years!" I said, shaking my head.

"And that, my dear, is very young." He sighed. I was about to continue my argument, but we arrived at Bilbo's home. Gandalf went in, but I stayed back to take inventory of the fireworks. I was mentally preparing myself to see Bilbo again, because I knew it would bring back painful memories. Things I'd rather not think about ever again. Legolas. I couldn't help but smile when I thought about how we met. I was only around twenty then, not done aging yet. Gandalf had started mentoring me, but a lot of times he wasn't around because he was on a quest of some sort. He took me on the quest to find a dragon with a ton of dwarves and a hobbit, calling it a learning experience. The first time Legolas and I met, he was pointing a bow at my face. I grin at the memory, but the smile quickly fades away. Legolas started having feelings for each other, and he was about to court me when I caught him with another she-elf. She was beautiful, charming, enchanting even. It wasn't hard to see why Legolas chose her over me. Of course he was still young, we both were. Maybe we rushed things.

I sighed and shook all of the painful things out of my head.

"Gandalf my old friend, this will be a night to remember!" Bilbo laughed, walking out of the hobbit hole with my mentor. "Gwenavire! How wonderful it is to see you again! How are things with you and that young elf?"

"Fine." I lied, clearing my throat uncomfortably.

"Maybe I'll come and see the wedding when it happens!" He continued, sending me a wink.

"Sure." I sighed, smiling weakly. Gandalf, sensing my unease, put his arm around Bilbo's shoulder and guided him to the wagon.

"Come my friend. We have much to do until tonight." He said, climbing into the wagon.

"Meridoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. We should have know." I sighed as Gandalf pulled the mischievous hobbits to their feet.

"What are you going to do to us?" Merry asked fearfully. I grinned in an evil manner.

"Oh we have something special in mind for you." Gandalf said with a twinkle in his eyes.

A few minutes later, Merry and Pippin were scrubbing dishes with Gandalf smoking his pipe and sipping ale. Gandalf, being like my father, wouldn't let me smoke or drink any alcohol until I was older. Cries of "Speech! Speech!" rang out around us and finally Bilbo got to his feet.

"My dear Bagginses, and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks...Brubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proudfoots!" He started with a proud look.

"Today is my one hundredth and eleventh birthday. Yes, and alas...eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable Hobbits! I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you as well as you deserve." He continued with a fading smile. There was scattered clapping like people were trying to figure out if this was a compliment or not. Frodo Gandalf and I were all smiling to ourselves. Bilbo pulled something out of this waistcoat and put it behind his back. Gandalf and I exchanged a confused look.

"I have things to do and I have put this off for far too long. I regret to announce, this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell!" Bilbo announced looking around at the astonished crowd. He looked right as Frodo as he whispered "goodbye" and vanished. Gandalf and I were immediately on our feet, sharing alarmed looks. We ran to Bilbo's Hobbit hole and stood at the door as Bilbo came out carrying a walking stick.

"I suppose you think that was terribly clever?" Gandalf demanded.

"Come on, Gandalf! Did you see their faces?" Bilbo laughed carelessly.

"There are many magic rings in the world, Bilbo Baggins, and none of them should be used lightly." Gandalf warned.

"It was just a bit of fun! Oh, you're probably right as usual." Bilbo finally sighed.

"He is usually right." I agreed with a small smile.

"Gwen, go check on Frodo. Tell him to come up here." Gandalf said, making me pout slightly.

"But I want to talk to Bilbo!" I protested, but then I gave in. I walked from the Hobbit hole and walked down the path. I met Frodo at the party, meeting his confused eyes with my own confused eyes.

'What did Gandalf need to tell Bilbo without me?' I wondered as I walked over to Frodo.

"What is going on?" He asked in bewilderment.

"How am I supposed to know?" I huffed grumpily. Another hobbit bounded over to us. She had dark curls that hung in rings around her shoulders and chocolate colored eyes that always had mischief in them. "Hello, Talia."

"Hi, Gwen." My best Hobbit friend said with a deep curtsy. "I worked on my curtsy! Isn't it wonderful!"

"Why did you?" I asked in confusion.

"I had an hour with nothing to do." She sighed, rolling her eyes. Despite being surrounded by Hobbits, I was only a few inches taller. Yes. I'm short. I don't have many curves, and would be considered more innocent looking than fierce, but believe me, I can be as fierce as a tiger when provoked.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"That is exactly what I wish to know." I responded, shaking my head.