One Ring to troll them all

Interlude: Bilbo

It was a day like any other when Bilbo found a stranger knocking on his door. He woke up promptly at 7 am, prepared himself a delicious breakfast, and enjoyed it while seated at his mahogany table, a piece that had been passed down through three generations of Baggins. Afterward, he stepped outside to purchase food for the upcoming week. As he was about to begin preparing his second breakfast, the doorbell chimed.

Visitors were a rarity in Bilbo's life, despite his house being considered the finest in the Shire. Travelers passing through the area were an uncommon sight, with the exception of the rangers - a reclusive group who sought shelter there only when they had no other options. Bilbo had occasionally hosted them, though rangers typically preferred their own prepared safe houses or the nearest inn.

Hence, when Bilbo opened his door, he was utterly unprepared for the sight of an exceedingly attractive and tall stranger awaiting him. He could easily have been mistaken for an elf, were it not for the noticeable absence of the pointy ears characteristic of the fair-folk. Regardless, the stranger emanated an air of kindness and displayed no signs of ill intent. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Being a hobbit, Bilbo possessed a knack for gauging whether someone carried good intentions - apart from the world they may be, but hobbits were anything but stupid.

And the young stranger before him - because he looked too young to be travelling around on his own -seemed to exude an aura that practically cried out, 'help me.' Beyond his inherent kind-hearted disposition, Bilbo knew that declining aid to someone in such an evident state of need would be contrary to his hobbit nature.

No, that was absolutely out of the question, as long as his name remained Bilbo Baggins!

Granted, the name "Kael" was unfamiliar to Bilbo. An oddity, certainly. But, well, who was he to judge?

Lo and behold, the decision to let the young man stay with him for as long as he needed to find his footing ended up being the best one Bilbo had ever made in his life.

Kael proved to be a breath of fresh air. He possessed not only a wealth of knowledge but also a penchant for sharing amusing anecdotes that prompted Bilbo's laughter without inhibition. Kael even managed to entangle Bilbo - yes, him, Bilbo Baggins - in a prank war against Lobelia Sackville-Baggins! Admittedly, it was more of a one-sided prank war, but that mattered little. Lobelia had brought it on herself with her audacious attempts to steal Bilbo's cherished silver spoons on four consecutive occasions!

And Kael treated Bilbo with nothing but kindness and respect. He even had all the little ones constantly trailing after him, begging him to tell them one of his stories, previously unheard of even by Bilbo. These tales were fantastical; stories about people who could fly, become invisible, and shoot lasers from their eyes - disregarding the fact that nobody, including Bilbo himself, understood what lasers actually were. Nonetheless, they proved highly entertaining, capable of captivating Bilbo's attention for hours on end.

There really was no rush for Kael to leave, and the lad even insisted on compensating Bilbo for it! Despite Bilbo's repeated attempts to decline, Kael's obstinacy ultimately left Bilbo with no choice but to accept, though he only asked for the bare minimum - the sum typically paid for subpar inns.

He'd be damned if he let such a bright young one pay him more!

Still, life in the Shire was as good as it could possibly be, and Bilbo had never expected he would enjoy someone else's company to such a degree, yet it felt like Kael and him had known each other for years. Kael had even gifted him a beautiful book intended for Bilbo's future stories, and his garden had never looked so vibrant and stunning before!

Yes, his life was going quite well. It was peaceful and wonderful, but it also had its fair share of mischief, and Bilbo would not have it any other way.