The Hobbit, the Ring and the Fellowship

Rating: PG-13/T

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Summary: Narnia/LOTR crossover. What if the Wardrobe Lucy Pevensie stepped through hadn't led her to Narnia? What if it had led to Middle Earth instead? The Pevensie children are drawn into the Battle for Middle Earth- will they survive to see their home again?

Author's Note: And this, children, answers the question of "How many Alternate Universes can one person think up of for Lord of the Rings?"

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis do. THEY ROCK!

NOTE: I'm just going to start out right at the hide and seek game. Nothing happens before that that would greatly influence the plot.

Personally, Lucy Pevensie loved hide and seek. Her older siblings thought it was for babies, but she didn't care. And besides- even though they wouldn't admit it most of the time, she knew they had fun. She knew even Edmund, who had been a big-old sourpuss since they had arrived in the country a few days ago, enjoyed it. No matter how much he grumbled and cursed about it.

Though Lucy had to admit, Edmund was ruining the game a bit. He had just shoved her out a place behind the curtain so he could hide there. Lucy huffed angrily at this, but then submitted and ran off to find another place. She charged up a flight of stairs and pulled on the nearest door. It was locked. She tried the next door. Locked. And then the next. Still locked. On and on, she went down the hall and tugged on the doors, most of which were locked.

Then she got to the one at the end of the hall. This one was unlocked. Lucy quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside. She stopped halfway through closing the door as she caught sight of the only thing in the room. A large object was at the back of the room, with a white sheet covering it completely. Lucy, ignoring Peter's audible counting from downstairs, moved forward slowly.

Once directly in front of the object, she reached out and curled her fingers into the sheet. She pulled it off, revealing a large, beautifully carved, oaken wardrobe. She studied the carvings in the wood for a moment, and then opened the door, knowing it would be a perfect place to hide. Stepping inside, she saw the wardrobe was full of fluffy brown coats. Carefully, so as not to trip, she moved back through the sea of coats.

She discovered that the wardrobe was a lot bigger than it seemed to be. It seemed to take forever for her to touch the back. In fact… Where was the back? Lucy, her eyes narrowed, reached behind her to grope around for the back of the wardrobe. Finally, her hand touched something. But it wasn't what she expected to touch.

She had expected wood, but she hadn't expected a tree.

But a tree it was. A large, leafy green branch was jutting between the last two coats and into the wardrobe. Lucy gasped a bit, and touched the branch lightly. It moved. She gave it a small tug, and it resisted. Lucy followed the branch until she found where the back of the wardrobe was supposed to be. She stumbled, and realized that the wardrobe wasn't attached to the ground. She stepped down, and felt soft grass beneath her feet.

Stepping out of the wardrobe, she pushed aside a clump of leaf-covered branches and looked out. "Why, it's an apple orchard!" She gasped. And indeed it was. Large red apples hung from trees like the one a few feet from the wardrobe. Lucy smiled and looked around. For a brief moment, she wondered if maybe the wardrobe was really a secret passage to the yard of the Professor's house.

"I suppose it can't be," She muttered to herself. "The spare room was on the second or third floor…" Like the countryside, this place was very sunny, and gave Lucy a warm and happy feeling when she gazed around. The tension and sadness she felt from the war, and having to leave London evaporated. "Such a beautiful place," She whispered, taking a step backwards.

"Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it?"

Lucy jumped a mile at the unfamiliar voice and whirled around. There stood a young man- a very small man- with curly brown hair and shockingly blue eyes. (A/N: Am I the only person who thinks that Frodo and Mr. Tumnus look alike? Especially the hair?) "Y-Yes! A very lovely place!" Lucy stuttered. "Em… Actually… What is this place? And, who are you?" She asked. A curious look crossed the man's youthful features, and he cocked his head slightly.

"You don't know where you are?" He asked. Lucy shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"How did you get here?" Lucy turned and pointed through the clump of trees that barely concealed the wardrobe. The man glanced past her. "From there?"

"Yes." Lucy said. The man blinked again, and then decided not to press the situation.

"All right… Well, in any case, my name is Frodo Baggins." He held out a hand, and Lucy shook it. "And you are?"

"Lucy Pevensie," She said. Now that he was closer, Frodo studied the child a bit more carefully.
"Say… Are you one of mankind?" Now it was Lucy's turn to blink.
"Yes," She said. "Aren't you?" Frodo shook his head.

"No, I'm a Hobbit. One of the Shire-folk; Which is where you are right now. The town of Hobbiton, in the Shire." He explained. Lucy nodded, processing this new information.

"And where is the Shire?" She asked. If Frodo had been curious and a little confused, then he was downright puzzled now.

"It's in the North."

"In the North of what?" Now the hobbit just stared.

"When you said you didn't know where you were… I didn't really know how serious you were… You're in Middle Earth, Lucy. Where are you from?"

"England." Lucy answered. From the look on Frodo's face, she could tell he had no idea what she was talking about. "Great Britain?" She tried again. Still nothing. Well, it figured- she knew England wasn't in Middle Earth, but on Earth-Earth, and Frodo knew as much about England as Lucy did about the Shire. "Oh well. I suppose it doesn't matter as long as I can get back. So, Frodo, do you meet humans often?" Lucy asked.

She and Frodo began to stroll through the orchard. It was easy to talk with Frodo, because he was just about Lucy's height. It was an advantage for a child talking to a hobbit. "No, not really. I know one human, though; A wizard, named Gandalf." Lucy's eyes widened.
"A wizard? Wizards are real? My sister told me they were just make-believe!" Frodo grinned.

"I know. I could hardly believe it myself, if my uncle wasn't such an adventurer. He's told me all sorts of tales about wizards, dragons, dwarves, goblins, elves… You name it, he's met one of its species." Lucy gaped.

"Wow, were they wrong!" She whispered, in reference to her older siblings.

"Were who wrong?" Frodo asked, sitting down against a tree. Lucy sat down across from him.

"My brothers and sister. They said that there's no such thing as elves and wizards, or dwarves and goblins. Though, one of my brothers does like to tease that there's a monster under my bed that'll eat me if I try to crawl under there… But I think he was just being stupid." She explained.

"You have siblings? How many?" Frodo asked.

"Three. Peter's the oldest, then Susan, then Edmund, then me." Lucy made a face. "I hate being the youngest. Peter bosses everyone around, Susan's too logical, and Edmund's been a little mean lately. Peter and Edmund are always fighting, and Susan's getting frustrated from it all. Personally, they're all driving me mad!" Frodo chuckled.

"Be lucky you have them. I wish I had siblings. I have loads of relatives- especially cousins- but no brothers or sisters. My only immediate family is my uncle, Bilbo." He said.

"What about your parents?" Lucy asked.

"They drowned when I was a child."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. Living with Bilbo's rather exciting. He's loaded with stories, and he's always good to have a chat with. Though, lately… He's been holding up in his study, and looking over maps when he thinks I'm not looking." Frodo paused. "I think he's planning on leaving soon."

"Why would he want to leave?" Lucy asked, twiddling a blade of grass between her fingers. "I've only seen this much of the Shire, and it's very lovely." Frodo smiled.

"Yes, the Shire is one of the prettier places in Middle Earth. Mind you, I've never left the Shire, but it's in my own opinion. It's also one of the more peaceful places. Very quiet, not too active… When you think about it, it can get a little boring around here. Most hobbits like the peace, and like to keep it that way, but others- like my uncle- prefer more adventure and mischief." He said. Lucy sighed and cast her eyes down, remembering her own home.

"I wish England was this peaceful. There's a war going on now, and Peter, Susan, Edmund and I had to leave our home to go to the country. The government said it would be safer there." She flipped her eyes up to meet Frodo's. "You should have seen our house. Our home's been attacked so hard, you'd barely know it used to be a house." Frodo frowned.

"That's horrible. Where are your parents?" He asked, hoping for the sake of his new friend that her answer was not the same as his.

"Daddy's off fighting. Mum's a nurse at the hospital. With all the attacks, a lot of people are getting hurt. She didn't come with us when we were evacuated." Lucy said. She, for one, was a bit more grateful that she still had her parents. They, at least, were alive, and she could look forward to seeing them; Whereas, poor Frodo would never get the chance to see his parents again.

"Who are you staying with now?" He asked. "Relatives?" Lucy shook her head.

"No- someone named Professor Kirke, and his insane house-keeper, Mrs. Macready! Oh, she was horrible! Always yelling at us for 'walking too loudly' in the halls. 'You're one shenanigan away from sleeping in the stables'!" Lucy said, perfectly imitating Mrs. Macready's accent and twisting her face to a hilarious expression. Frodo laughed. Then, an idea struck him.

"Lucy- tonight is my uncle's birthday. Would you and your brothers and sister like to come?" Lucy's eyes lit up.

"Oh, really? You're inviting us?" She asked, sounding ecstatic. Frodo nodded and laughed again.

"Why not? Half the Shire's been invited, and the rest are coming anyway!" Lucy clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh, thank you, Frodo!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "I bet it'll be wonderful!" Frodo nodded.

"Oh yes, Bilbo's always making a big deal out of his birthday. He's one of the oldest hobbits in the Shire." He said.

"Really? How old is he?" Lucy asked.

"One-hundred eleven." Her jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" She asked. Frodo nodded.

"I take it humans don't live that long?" He asked. Lucy shook her head.

"Well, a few have, but still, it's surprising." She said, standing up. "I'll go back and tell them we're invited. Ooh, this will be so exciting!" She said, turning to go back to the wardrobe. "Good-bye, Frodo!"

"Good-bye, Lucy!" Frodo called. He smiled as she disappeared into the foliage, and turned back to the road. He paused for a moment, listening, and then froze. He heard the clattering of cart wheels, and the humming of a man. Or, more appropriately, a wizard.

Stepping out onto the bank above the road, Frodo crossed his arms and stared at the cart as it approached. A grey-cloaked man with a pale blue, pointed hat was driving the cart, and he stopped it when Frodo broke his silence and said, "You're late."

The wizard paused for a moment, and then looked up to meet Frodo's eyes. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." There was a pause, and their eyes remained locked. But the corners of their lips twitched. The wizard appeared to have trouble holding back a smile. Finally, Frodo grinned and laughed, jumping onto the cart and embracing the wizard as he, to, laughed.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf!" He cried. Gandalf smiled.

"Well, you didn't think I was going to miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday, did you?" He asked with a chuckle. Frodo sighed and smiled.

"I didn't think so. Gandalf, you'll never guess what just happened; I met a human!" He said. Gandalf's eyes widened, and he spluttered uncharacteristically for a moment.

"A human?" He choked. "This far into the Shire? I didn't think they ever went much farther than Bree… How old was he? Did he say where he was going?"

"Actually, it was a she. A little girl named Lucy Pevensie. I think she was about nine or ten years old." Frodo said. Gandalf stared at the hobbit, as though he didn't believe him.

"A child…" He said slowly, thinking about this for a moment. "And what was a child doing so far away from other humans? Was she lost?" Gandalf watched the Hobbit carefully, trying to search his face for any clues.

"Well, I don't think she was lost… She knew how to get home, anyway. Lucy said she came from a place called 'England', but I've never heard of it. Have you, Gandalf?" Frodo asked. Gandalf paused, and then shook his head.

"No, I have not. Where did she go?"

"Back home."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. She said she got here through a clump of trees and bushes. She didn't say it, actually, but she implied it. You'll get to meet her, Gandalf- I invited her and her three siblings to Bilbo's birthday tonight. I don't think he'll notice four more people." Frodo said, relaxing back. Gandalf nodded, looking a bit distant.

"Yes, I think I should like to meet these children." He said. "Indeed…"