Chapter Text
Since Violet was seven years old, she has lived in Rivendell amongst the elves, and she never imagined herself ever leaving. Never. Rivendell was a paradise. There was always plenty of food, and it was always so clean and fresh, the springs were perfect for taking relaxing baths in after a long day, and for a little hobbit, she still got to sleep in a bed made for a full sized elf in silken robes, tailored exactly to fit her size. On top of all that, Violet had a wonderful mentor, Gandalf, and while he was away, which he normally was, Elrond, and if he was gone as well…then Lady Galadriel might teach her a fun spell or two. It truly was an honor to learn the power of healing from such incredible people, and she has grown quite attached to them, and to everyone she has spent the last twenty-five years with.
This is why it was so hard for the young hobbit to pack her bags right now. Tears welled up in her eyes as she grabbed a couple of extra tunics and leggings, folding them neatly and placing them in her bag before grabbing her brush, bandages, her book of herbs, and some rations she had made herself along with an extra loaf of bread that Lindir had made for her after Elrond told him that she would be leaving for the Shire to help Gandalf with an adventure of some sort. All Lindir knew is that it was something about a mountain, and that’s about all Violet knew as well. Gandalf wouldn’t go into much detail, but he told her where she needed to meet him at and when.
Violet paused in the middle of packing and she sighed. She had to go to the Shire, of all places. She gulped nervously and placed a bottle full of dried chamomile in her bag and thought back to when she used to live with her adopted family back in Bree. For the first seven years of her life, Violet has lived so close to the Shire and not once has she ever been. From what she was told, she was born in the Shire, but she obviously has no memory of it since her birth mother had given her up at only a few days old. From what Gandalf has told her, the Shire is a beautiful, peaceful place with rolling green hills, crystal clear water, and it was full of happy hobbits. Violet dreaded meeting this hobbit of Bag End though, but only because she’s been so far removed from Hobbit culture that she knew for sure that she would make a huge fool out of herself. This Baggins guy seemed like he was very uptight, and she doubted he would be very fun to bring on a long journey.
With a sigh, Violet finished packing her bag, trying to keep her load as light as possible so she wouldn’t struggle later on. Elrond was already waiting by the entrance to Rivendell with her pony all saddled up and ready to go. Violet’s heart sank a little at seeing the horse ready to go and Elrond glanced down at her with a gentle smile. He knew that she didn’t want to leave, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, and if Gandalf said that it would be good for her, then it was something that the dark haired hobbit had to do. Gandalf had already made the decision for Violet that she would be going. So that was that.
“Try not to be so down, Ms. Violet. This will be-” Elrond started but was cut off by Violet as she climbed on top of her brown and white spotted pony.
“A learning experience, I know.” Violet huffed and Elrond rolled his eyes.
“You will also be visiting the very place you were born. Aren’t you excited?” the elf asked and Violet just bit her lip nervously. Her expression said it all to Elrond and he sighed softly. Violet never really got exposed to hobbit culture, and while hobbits were quite nice, they tended to stay away from individuals they didn’t know too well, or ones that seemed ‘strange’. She was sure that the hobbits of the Shire would find her very strange indeed, with her elven clothes and carrying products they have probably never seen nor heard of before.
Violet hesitated before answering Elrond, turning her pony in the direction of the path in front of her, one that would lead her to The Shire. “I…suppose,” she said softly then turned back to Elrond and told him goodbye. Elrond waved her a farewell as she rode off. It was a three-week ride, and Violet has never travelled on her own before, so she was nervous. Elrond felt a bit nervous about it as well, but if Gandalf and Galadriel insisted that she would be okay and that she was ready, then he would try to push his worries to the side.
So, for about three weeks, Violet rode by herself from Rivendell all the way to the rolling, green hills of the Shire. It was just after sunset when she arrived, and she could tell her pony was begging for a rest and a snack, and so was she. Violet got off of her pony, who she had named Lily, and tugged her along by the reigns towards Hobbiton.
As she walked down the dirt road, the occasional hobbit or two that would pass her would give her a strange look, knowing for a fact that they have never seen her in their village before. Violet did her best to ignore the passerby hobbits and looked for Bag End. “Gandalf said that Bag End is…at the top of the hill..with a large tree on top?” Violet mumbled to herself, looking up and instantly finding a lit up burrow with a large tree at the very top. There was also the glowing blue symbol Gandalf had scratched onto the green door with his staff just earlier that day. She made her way up the hill and tied her pony to the wooden post of the hobbit gentleman’s fencing and fed Lily a red apple before opening the gate and walking up the stone steps and to the large, circular, green door.
Violet gulped, a good bit of anxiety taking over as she raised her fist to knock on the door three times. She heard voices inside and figured some of the company had already arrived before her. Then, she heard another voice. It sounded flustered and irritated and it was followed by the heavy sound of footsteps getting closer and closer to the door until it finally opened, revealing the master of Bag End himself, Bilbo Baggins.
“If I see one more dwarf I’m-!!” Bilbo’s voice was rather loud and angry now as he swung the door open and Violet flinched and blinked a couple of times, her eyes wide as they were locked on Bilbo’s. He instantly froze. “Oh! I, uhm,” he stuttered and ran a hand through his messy, light red curls and glanced back at the ruckus going on in his pantry before turning back to the dark haired, female hobbit…dressed in elven clothing? “I-I apologize, are you-are you lost, madam?” Bilbo stuttered slightly, the tips of his ears turning red from embarrassment, making sure to address her more formally since he started off their meeting with his frustrated tone.
“O-oh! Um, no, I’m actually not lost. Um-” Violet gulped and she remembered what Elrond had taught her the day before she left Rivendell. “Violet Newbury,” she began and bowed slightly before Bilbo and his eyes widened. This is exactly what the dwarves did. “At you service!” she proclaimed with a bit more confidence. “I am a healer, trained by Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.” she explained. This certainly peaked Bilbo’s interest. A hobbit from Rivendell? The bachelor hobbit couldn’t believe his pointed ears and he remained silent for only a moment before coming back to his senses and stepping aside.
“Well, come in then, Violet.” Bilbo said, motioning for her to come in. She glanced at Bilbo for a moment before taking a couple of steps inside and he closed the door behind her with a soft sigh. Violet looked around the hobbit hole and took it all in, only ever hearing of these from Gandalf when she would ask about the place she was born. It was just as warm and cozy as he said they were. She could hear the booming, joyous voices of all of the dwarves and she saw them bustling back and forth from Bilbo’s pantry to the dining room to set up dinner
“Where is Gandalf?” she asked rather quickly, turning to Bilbo. This caught him off guard a bit and he pointed towards the dining room where the wizard was counting all of the dwarves, making sure everyone was here. From the face he made, it looked like there was still one dwarf still missing. “Gandalf!” Violet called out, a smile growing on her face for the first time in weeks. The tall wizard turned and instantly smiled as he saw the dark haired hobbit walk up to him, clearly very happy to see a familiar face.
“Ah, Ms. Violet! I am very glad to see that you have made it safe. Grab a plate and eat something. You look famished.” Gandalf said, noticing that she was a bit thinner than the last time saw her. She must not have eaten very much during her journey here and that made Gandalf sigh. If she was going to be joining the company on the trip to Erebor, she needed to make sure to eat and keep her energy up. She was a very important asset to the company, after all. Having a reliable healer come along seemed to put the dwarves at ease, although they didn’t seem to like the fact of who she learned her skills from.
The company wasn’t exactly sure what to make of Violet yet, but they still welcomed her into their group with open arms. Fili, Kili, and Bofur decided to immediately become her best friends and had her sit with them at the table. ‘Maybe these dwarves aren't so bad after all?’ Violet thought as she bit down on a chicken leg. She glanced towards Bilbo as he turned towards his pantry and froze, now finding it completely emptied out. She swallowed her bite of chicken and felt a bit bad for him, but…wow was this food good! Violet rarely ate meat in Rivendell, so this was quite a treat for her. Master Baggins was quite the cook! She would definitely have to compliment him on his skills later.
Well, that is if he decided to come with them.