Hope you guys enjoy the first chapter! R&R would be so appreciated and if you like it, next chapter shall be uploaded!

Chapter 1: Of Hobbits and Hybrids

Evelyn Lieflin loved her life, which was no understatement. It was bliss to be living peacefully and in prosperity among the humble, merry hobbits of The Shire, even if there was nothing overly exciting to be found anywhere, except perhaps maybe Over the Hill, or Across the Water. It was a cheerful, peaceful place, far away from any danger, a complete mass of emerald green hills, rivers that held sweet, pure water, furry footed folk and tiny hobbit-sized homes built into the hills with little round oak doors and colourful gardens out the front.

Evelyn had resided with the Shire folk since she had been a teenager. Her mother, Ella Hayward, had been a hobbit of The Shire, and her father, Roranth, had been a man of Rohan. Her father had been a naturally born fighter and, after many disagreements and late night arguments with his wife, he had selfishly chosen a dangerous, bloody life on the battlefield as opposed to a quiet, prosperous life in The Shire with his beloved family. The day he had left, he had begged Evelyn's forgiveness for his sudden decision to depart, and had promised to write to her every day. The letters stopped coming ages ago, and Evelyn had long since ceased sitting outside at the crack of dawn to await the arrival of the postman. Evelyn's mother had recovered from her husband's absence after many a night of crying herself to sleep, but did not go a day without missing him and hoping that one day he might come home to her to see their daughter grow up. She passed peacefully into the next realm at the healthy age of 90 years old, never seeing Roranth again. After her passing, she left every single one of her possessions in the care of her one and only daughter. This included the lovely, small house that was situated right next to a Mr Bilbo Baggins.

Evelyn was only a little bit taller than the average hobbit, with shoulder length, curly, auburn hair, deep blue eyes and a kind face adorned with a few freckles. She did not develop extremely hairy feet, just the tough soles and a couple of fair, curly hairs on the top. She was actually glad for this because she wasn't sure if hairy feet suited her much, but the hobbit children loved to tease her about this. Apparently, hairless feet weren't a trend in The Shire.

The majority of the rosy-cheeked hobbit women in The Shire wore pretty dresses with frilly hems and puffy sleeves. After many heated arguments with her mother and a lot of frustration in both parties, Evelyn finally managed to convince her mother that she would have less trouble trying to educate a troll than getting Evelyn to wear a dress, and so her mother resigned to letting her wear pants, boots and t-shirts, which gave her more freedom when she was outside.

Evelyn grew to enjoy the thrill of combat ever since the first time she held her father's weapons when she had barely grew out of her toddler years, under close supervision by both parents of course. Her father taught her how to handle weapons, and she and practised her skills daily in a secluded little spot behind the hill. Over the years, she endured calloused hands, sore muscles, tight joints and many cuts and bruises, and became an extremely capable fighter, and was even able to disarm her expert sword-wielding father every now and then.

Evelyn, since her father's unexpected departure, had grown into a responible young lady. She had become respected and liked by many other hobbits, and had made good friends with Bilbo Baggins, her next door neighbour. As she sat outside her house in the warm light of the sun, sketching a drawing of a flower on a blank piece of parchment in her little leather bound sketchbook, she often thought of how lucky she was to be living in The Shire, where she was safe and sound and content with her life.

Her mother had been praised for her artistic skills many times, and she was glad to see Evelyn inherit something other than the capability to wield a weapon. The drawing contained miniscule lines and such exquisite detail. As she drew, the many tips and lessons her mother gave her on sketching echoed in her mind.

She looked up to her right and smiled, seeing Bilbo Baggins leaning back on the bench outside his hobbit hole, calmly indulging in his favourite hobby of smoking from a wooden pipe. She looked down to continue her drawing, and it was at that moment that Bilbo's voice floated to her ears.

"Good morning," He said suddenly. She opened her mouth to reply to him, but stopped when someone else with a deep, somewhat hoarse voice responded instead.

"What do you mean by saying good morning?" She heard the voice ask. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or is it actually a good morning whether I want it to be or not… or that you perhaps feel good on this very particular morning or that this morning is a morning to be good on?" Evelyn could tell he had said that in one breath, and was slightly amazed to hear someone say so much in one breath. She looked up to see a tall man with grey hair and a long beard in a grey cloak and matching pointed hat standing on the pathway outside Bilbo's house. In his hand he clutched a wooden staff. She smiled as she recognized the twinkling eyes and wise face of Gandalf the Grey. You'd think he would have better things to do as the Wandering Wizard, but he frequently sought the company of hobbits for as long as anyone could remember, but he appeared mostly when times of great festivities were occurring to dazzle people with his magnificent fireworks. As far as Evelyn knew, there were no parties occurring anytime soon. In fact, Gandalf had just missed the celebration of Dugbong's one hundred and ninth birthday. Everyone knew old Dugbong was currently the oldest hobbit in The Shire. People would sometimes ask him why he wasn't dead yet and he would just laugh nervously, tug at his collar as if he was hot, and change the subject rather quickly. He was obviously not keen on the topic of the inevitable.

Evelyn pretended to busy herself with her drawing, even though she already had been doing so, as she listened to the conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo.

"Can I help you?" Bilbo asked politely as he took another puff from his pipe.

Gandalf made a low, thoughtful noise. "That remains to be seen I suppose… I am looking for someone to share in an adventure," Evelyn choked back a snigger. Bilbo Baggins going on an adventure? Although, she had to admit, an adventure sounded exciting! Surely the hobbit side of her would say a firm 'no' to the prospect of leaving The Shire, but Evelyn was more like her father, and her insides churned excitedly. But she had to stop herself. She was not being invited or being involved so perhaps it would be better to keep her nose out of trouble.

"… no, you see I don't imagine anyone as far as west of Bree would be interested in any adventures at all. They are nasty, uncommon and dangerous things. They even make you late for dinner!" Evelyn couldn't help a quiet laugh to escape her lips. It was typical of Bilbo to think with his stomach instead of his brain.

The conversation went back and forth for a while, and ended rather abruptly when Bilbo hurriedly said goodbye and jumped inside his house in a rushed fashion, closing the door tightly. She smiled as she heard the click of the door being locked. Gandalf took a quick peep inside the window, shut the gate behind him and walked by Evelyn. He stopped in front of her and turned.

"Hello Gandalf," She greeted him politely. "It is certainly nice to see you again!"

"And you too, my dear! My my, you have certainly grown since I last saw you!" Gandalf said merrily. He bent over and peered at her drawing. "I can see you inherited your mother's gift!"

She smiled. "I guess I did. So what are you doing here in The Shire? Surely there are no parties to be happening soon?"

He chuckled. "No, no I came to have a small chat with your neighbour, Bilbo,"

"Yes, I heard," She said, sounding a bit guilty.

"Yes well, I expected him to be at least a tad interested in my offer, but he is more a Baggins than a Took. But still, I'm sure I'll have him persuaded by morning. Good day to you Miss Lieflin," And with that, Gandalf trudged away before Evelyn could ask him about the proposed adventure. He was a strange fellow, but Evelyn liked him all the same. She stood up and placed her drawing materials and sketchbook inside her house and she went next door, pushing open the gate and knocking on the wooden door of Bilbo's green oak door. She didn't notice the shining mark Gandalf had drawn on the door with his staff.

"There's nobody home!" She heard him yell from inside, his voice slightly higher than normal.

"Bilbo, it's Evelyn!" She called back. Bilbo's face appeared at the window momentarily, and he then opened the door, a look of great relief on his face.

"Oh it's you Evelyn! Thank goodness! I thought that it might be Gandalf come back to badger me!" He said as he stepped outside and gave here quick hug.

"No I'm not Gandalf!" She laughed. "And incidentally, I couldn't help but overhear your little chat before! What was all that talk of adventures?" Evelyn asked.

Bilbo laughed. "You are far too interested in adventures Evelyn! That worries me quite a bit! But I have no idea why Gandalf was asking me about an adventure," Bilbo said.

Evelyn shrugged. "He's a strange fellow, no doubt about it, but then again he does make wonderful fireworks!"

"I enjoy them every year! They are so magical!" Bilbo said, his eyes glazing over slightly as his mind was cast back to the days when he had been a young hobbit, and had chased the dazzling fireworks everywhere just like the other children. The two then had a lovely conversation outside on his little bench, until Evelyn finally decided to be off home, not that she had far to go though.

"Would you like to come over for supper tonight?" Bilbo asked her as she opened the gate and closed it behind her gently.

She turned and smiled. "I would love to come over!"

Bilbo smiled. "Great, well I shall see you here at 6:30 sharp!" And with that, Bilbo retreated inside his house again. Evelyn smiled to herself. Bilbo was such an organized hobbit when it came to things like appointments and gatherings and such.

So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Journey. Please rate and review, and get excited for a merry gathering in the chapter!