The Adventures of Bilbo and Tauriel

Chapter 9

The Hobbits took their Tea to the cabin. Frodo ate his crabmeat sandwiches, pork pie, crisps, treacle tarts, chocolate chunk biscuits, and apple turnover in melancholy. He wished he'd known Lady Tauriel, his Aunt. She would have become as much mother to Frodo as Bilbo had become his father. She had been everything—it seemed—to his Uncle; the Love of his Life. What had become of her?

Bilbo sensed his nephew's mournful state. He thought he knew what was wrong.

"Cheer up Frodo my Dear Boy. There is more to this story yet. I spent many happy years with the Lady Tauriel before…er…well let's not get too far ahead again."

"We were greeted warmly by Gandalf and Elrond (well as warmly as that Elf can be) when we finally reached Rivendell. Gandalf looked at us with that penetrating eye of his.

'I do believe there is something different about you, my Good Hobbit; and Lady Tauriel, there seems to be a glow about you I do not recall.' As we both blushed, Elrond glanced at Gandalf pointedly.

'It is not for us to second guess the Grace of Eru, Mithrandir. Let us not cause these two any more discomfort than they already bear.'

'Indeed, Lord Elrond. I am merely delighted that my good friend has at last found his heart's desire, and that the Lady Tauriel has found that which she long has sought.'"

"What," gasped Frodo, "How did they know? And Elrond was fine with it? I mean—well—look at all the fuss over Aragorn and Arwen!"

"Yes, well of course they couldn't 'prove' anything," Bilbo chuckled, "But they are probably the wisest souls on Middle-Earth along with Galadriel. Gandalf knew what he was doing sending Tauriel and I back into the Greenwood. And clearly a love such as ours is visible to those who can See. So they both pretended to look the other way, and Elrond gave us private quarters together."

"As to Aragorn and Arwen; you have to realize Frodo, that as his daughter, Arwen caused Elrond a special dilemma. He loved his daughter dearly and wanted only that she should be happy, and he loved Aragorn almost as a son, but for her to choose Aragorn meant she had to choose a mortal life and would never reach the Undying Lands."

"There was no such dilemma for him with Tauriel and myself."

"But this becoming mortal thing…" began a consternated Frodo.

"No-one knew then, what rules govern a Union of Elf and Hobbit. It had never happened before. It has been speculated that the Illustrious Yavanna Herself, was responsible for the existence of Hobbits, or that Eru had Himself actually created us as a diminutive form of Elf—but with the 'blessing' of mortality. It is not written, so we can only guess."

"Also, Elrond holds no special grudge in his heart for Hobbits, though he can be at times dubious about the motivations of Men and Dwarves. Thus, Tauriel and I enjoyed the special privilege of his unspoken Blessing."

"Tauriel and I spent a blissful week in Elrond's House, serenaded by the Elves and joining in their merriment (though it was a much more staid sort of merriment than that of the Elves of the Greenwood—much less…erm…drunken carousing). It was more of a High Joy that they shared, contemplative, quiet, and reserved."

"I fell in love with the beauty and peace of Rivendell, and Tauriel and I would oft spend holidays there, as well as studies. We both shared a love for maps, languages, and lore, so we were well suited to each other on that score also."

"But after a week of rest at Elrond's House, Gandalf, Tauriel, and I took our leave. The rest of our journey back the Shire was relatively uneventful, though, as you recall, we picked up the Stone Trolls gold along the way. We were once accosted by some more accursed Goblins, and once by Highwaymen, but Gandalf and Tauriel made short work of those fools."

"And, well, I've already told you how Tauriel and I arrived at Bag End to find my belongings being auctioned off and the Sackvilles measuring my rooms. Well Gandalf and Tauriel soon set things right, and forced the auctioneers to pay back the folk who had purchased my belongings in good faith. I gave the Sackville-Bagginses a quick boot, and they despised me even more than they had before."

"I Thought you'd had to buy your things back Uncle Bilbo." Frodo proffered.

"No, no…That was a bit of artistic license Dear Frodo. It was necessary to alleviate any residual resentments that might be harboured towards interfering Wizards and Elves."

"Oh, of course," replied Frodo, nodding his head.

"Tauriel taking up residence with me did cause quite a stir indeed at first. But the whole 'Personal Guard' cover worked quite well, especially after she demonstrated her authoritative command in settling that auction business. Grub, Grub, and Burrowes required her…um…gently persuasive techniques before they did the right thing." Bilbo laughed at the memory. "From that time forth, I hired Messrs Gringol, Dingol, and Son to watch over my estate during my absence, with explicit instructions to never let the Sackvilles anywhere near my property."

"Tauriel and I spent many happy years there, in the privacy of my—our—home. Though, we would travel frequently searching for the magnificent parts of Middle-Earth in which to explore our Passions. We had quite a few adventures that bear little relevance to this particular story, but suffice it to say, we righted more than a few wrongs and discovered some long Lost Artifacts and returned them to their rightful owners."

The bell rang for supper at that moment, but Frodo, sensing the end of the story close at hand begged Bilbo to forgo the evening meal.

"What, two nights in a row? I think not Dear Boy. Come on, I'm famished."

The Old Hobbit hopped out of his bunk. He really was beginning to look younger; his face less wrinkled, his hair darkening, and a spring in his step. Frodo wondered what sort of Magic was at work. He had never heard of anything like it, excepting in the fairy tale of a Magical Human who lived backwards through time.