Belladonna Took
by Belladonna Took
Chapter 1: Tookish Nature
Chapter 1 Tookish Nature
"Ada, where has that girl got to again?" roared Gerontius Took." If I
have told her once I have told her a dozen time, it is not good for a
young hobbit-lass to wonder off by herself."
"Gero calm down. You know she will always do exactly what you
tell her not to." Adamanta chided. "Besides why should she be forced to
stay home and do nothing while all of her brothers run about the
countryside?"
"I just worry that something will happen to her if she is by herself in
the woods. The Elves still use the paths to the White Towers and
I don't want anything bad to happen if she disturbs them." Gero stated
with a sigh.
His daughter, Belladonna, was a very big handful and often
angered him by her careless nature, but she was his favorite
child. She reminded him so much of Bullroarer when it came to her
actions and interactions with people that it was frightening to
him. He worried so because she was such a delicate, little thing,
not even a quarter the size of Old Bullroarer. At 23 years old
she was by far the smallest of those her age. With long bouncing
curls of ink black hair and crystal blue eyes it was no wonder he was
always worried that someone was going to take her away from him. She
was quick to laugh with a sweet, beguiling grin, but even quicker to
anger.
Just as her father yelled for her Bella walked up to the front
door of the Great Smials. Why, she thought, did he always have to
treat me like a child? Every other member of this family is
allowed to go wherever they chose but I am supposed to clear it with my
father first? I don't think so! I was going to tell him
about the wonderful old man I met today but not now. He is far
too cranky.
So she lay down on the grass staring up at the clear blue sky and
reminisced about the thoroughly exciting day she had. It had
started out like any other day; she got up and dressed well before
everyone had even gotten out of bed. Gone and eaten a light
breakfast and packed a small lunch. She was out the door laughing
before her father was even out of bed. But as she walked down her
favorite path towards Hobbitton. She knew that her best friend
Bungo would be waiting for her.
Soon she was humming to herself and skipping along the path. She
suddenly saw a very tall old man and a younger looking one standing in
her path. The old man was talking to Bungo and Bungo looked a
little put off. So she hurried up to see what was going on.
"Hi, Bungo! Who are your friends?" she asked with a very curious expression on her face.
"I am called Gandalf the Gray and this is Arador, we are trying to find
Bree. This young hobbit seems to think that we are up to no
good. He will tell us nothing," the old man stated before Bungo
could respond.
"Well, you have quite a way to go to get there. And you need to
be heading that way." Bella stated as she pointed towards her own home.
"Why are you trying to get there?
"We have business with the owner of the Prancing Pony," he said with a
smile on his face. "My aren't you an inquisitive little
hobbit-lass? You are the first to speak to me in quite a
while. Most seem to be afraid of me."
"Well, I am Belladonna Took and my father is Thain Gerontius of
Tookland. I am not afraid of anyone or anything," she stated
matter of factly.
"Bella, you need to watch what you are saying. I have heard that
this man is a wizard,", Bungo said as if that would make her afraid.
The reaction he got from that statement made him regret opening his
mouth. He had, yet again, forgotten who he was talking to.
"What? You are a real wizard? That is so great. Can you do
magic?" she asked with an amazed expression on her face, " I have
always wanted to meet a real wizard! But my father said that
wizards are just myths, made up to get hobbit-fry to go to bed. I
never believed that though. I knew you just had to be real."
"Well, my young Took I guess you are right after all. If I did
not have more pressing matters to attend to right now I would show you
what this old wizard could do, but I really must get to Bree.
Thank you for the direction, Belladonna. I will be back soon to
see you if you would like," with that Gandalf gathered all of the items
he had set on the ground.
"You must tell me first, are there truly Rangers patrolling the borders
of the Shire or are they a myth?" Bella asked quickly. The
impulse could not be stopped.
" There are truly Rangers that watch the Shire. They help to keep
you all safe," said the one named Arador. With that Gandalf put
on his hat and walked away with great strides.
"Wow! Did you hear that Bungo? There are really Rangers and wizards. Oh, I can't wait to tell my father."
With that Bella bounded off towards home to tell her father all that
had happened that morning. It was as she got to the door that she
overheard her parents arguing about her again.
Bella had fallen asleep on the grass when Gero had decided to
take his coffee and pipe outside in the warm, bright sunlight. He
saw his daughter asleep with a peaceful smile on her face and called
into his wife so she could see.
"Why does she have to look so innocent and calm when she is
sleeping? I know that is not her natural personality but it would
be nice." he grinned.
"Bella, my love. Wake up," he shook her gently. "What in the world were you dreaming about that made you smile so?"
"Da, I met a wizard and a man today! I found out that there are
such things as Rangers and Wizards!" She stated gasping for breath in
all her excitement. "It was wonderful! The wizard's name was
Gandalf and the man's name was Arador. Isn't that wonderful Da?"
"Yes my love! I am very happy that you have learned the answers
to some of you questions, but do be careful my dear. These
travelers can be dangerous. You should bring one of your brothers
with you."
"But Da, Bungo met me on the path. Why do I have to bring one of them along? They treat me like a baby.
"Bella, how many times have I told you that I do not want you meeting that Baggins kid I do not like the look of him?"
"But Da, he is my best friend. And he has done nothing wrong. Just
because you don't like his parents doesn't mean we can't be friends."
"Bella for the last time you are not to see that boy again! Now go to
your room for the rest of the day!" Bella ran off to her room in
tears. Why couldn't she be allowed to be friends with Bungo? He was not
bad. She would see him again and there was nothing her father could do
about it. So Bella sat in her room wondering how she would be able to
sneak out early if her father was so mad. Then it came to her. The
perfect plan!
Chapter 2: A Real Adventure Begins
It was about 2 weeks before Bella would talk to her father again.
She, of course, was not to blame for Bungo getting into trouble when
her father found that she had left the Smials an hour after everyone
had gone to bed. It was Bungo who found her sleeping just off the
path at 8:00 the next morning. Her father came storming into the
woods with her brothers and dogs in tow. After being told to go
back home and refusing to go, her brother Hildigrim carried her home
thrown over his shoulder. Her father then escorted Bungo home to
his parents where they were told that if Bungo was seen around Bella
again Gero would not hold his sons back.
Bella had finally decided it was time to go out for a walk. It
would not be the same without Bungo, she missed him terribly, but she
need the sunlight. After telling her mother she would be back in time
for luncheon, she walked out the front door and right into her father.
"Where are you running off to this morning, love?" Gero asked kindly."
I was beginning to think you would stay locked up in your room for the
rest of your life."
"I am going for a walk Da, if that's allowed," she said with a very
cool voice. "I need the exercise and since I am not allowed to walk
with Bungo anymore I WILL be walking alone."
"Bella," he said as she walked away. "Bella!" But she was already too far off to even pay attention.
As Bella walked along her favorite path she decided that she no longer
liked this path and went walking straight into the woods instead.
As she walked along she started crying. "Gosh, how I wish Bungo was
here. I feel so isolated and lonely without him. He always
knew just how to make me feel better no matter what," she mused to
herself.
Finally it just got to be too much for the little hobbit and she laid
down on the fallen leaves and wept. "How will I ever survive
without him? He is my best friend. I need him." As
she lay there crying she heard two voices. They were ones she had
heard before but they were not hobbit voices.
"I now see why you love these halflings so much, Gandalf. They
are a giving bunch, even to one that is a stranger to them," one voice
said.
"Yes, I have long told people that these hobbits are a strangely hardy
and merry group. They should never be underestimated." Gandalf
responded.
At this Bella jumped up and ran towards the voices just as they were
about to pass her hiding spot she emerged from the brush. "Good
morning, Gandalf. Arador. Where are you two off to today?"
"Well, now, Belladonna Took. What an unexpected pleasure to see you
again. Where is your friend today?" Gandalf asked with a gentle
smile.
Bella looked up with tears in her big blue eyes," I am not allowed to
see him anymore and likewise he is not allowed to see me. I am
terribly lonely may I walk a ways with the two of you? I will not
be a bother, I promise. I just can't stand to be alone."
Arador looked at the tearful hobbit-lass and then looked up at Gandalf,
who nodded. "Of course you may walk with us little one. You can
tell us why you are not allowed to see your friend and we will show you
where the Elves pass to the Grey Havens."
Arador placed his hand on the distressed hobbit shoulder and guided her
to the path. Happy for the interaction with another person she allowed
herself to be guided along by the man. As they walked along she
listened intently to the stories the two told her of distant lands and
strange people. She was most interested in the Rangers.
They travel the whole of Middle Earth. "Do you know any Rangers
Arador? I would love to meet a Ranger one day. That would be
wonderful." She asked.
"Bella, my dear, I am a Ranger. I thought you knew that." Arador said with a slight smile on his face.
"Really? Wow that has to be very exciting traveling to all of
those places. I would love to see the White City in Gondor one
day. Is it really as grand as it sounds?" Bella asked with eyes
wide in wonder.
"It truly is a beautiful as you could ever imagine. But I have to
say my heart belongs in Rivendell." he said with a far away look.
As they walked Bella became aware that she was quite far from home and
in an area that she didn't recognize. The trees were much larger
than they were near the Smials and the brush was almost waist high on
Gandalf. But she felt very at ease with these to men. She
had started forget about her sadness over Bungo when she saw an odd,
blue flower that was just about the color of his eyes. Gandalf
decided it was time for luncheon and he stopped and pulled several
things out of his pack. First he pulled out a skin of what
appeared to be water, three large apples, several odd looking biscuits
and a large piece of dried beef. As they sat down to eat Bella
remembered telling her mother she would be home for luncheon and
started to panic. But then she remembered her father's ban on
Bungo and decided to skip luncheon instead. She had a wonderful
lunch with Arador and Gandalf and was just about finished when she
heard singing coming from all around her. As she turned around
she saw several elves walking and riding horses in the woods. "These
have to be the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my entire
life," she thought as the elves surrounded the three of them.
