TH Ficlet: Heroes

[martasfic]

Title: Heroes
Fandom: The Hobbit
Characters: Bilbo
Prompt: BMEM09 Day 9
Word Count: 150
Rating: General
Summary: A tweenage Bilbo thinks back on the stories he learned as a child.

Bilbo remembers the tales he learned bouncing on his mother’s knees. She told him of Isengar who’d gone to sea once, and other daring hobbits besides; and even more, stories of men tall as trees, and graceful fae folk, and stalwart dwarves, off in wars to save the whole world from dragons and worse things.

He knows better, now, for he is a tween; still victim to hobbit-like mischief, but too far grown for a child’s fancies. This is the Shire, safe and sound if a little too dull, and there are no heroes to be found in his neighborhood. Little hope for that!

Still, sometimes he looks up at the stars and longs for one more glimpse of fireworks. He remembers a most noteworthy birthday when the sky seemed to shine with flowers, and he wonders: whatever became of that old codger, the one who’d taught him to dream?



Canon Afternote:

“I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are comfortably far-off (and therefore legendary).” (Gandalf, in “An Unexpected Party,” the Hobbit).