It took three full days to walk between Bree and the Shire's Eastern border, whereupon I came across the first Hobbit I had seen since coming to this world. He was around 3'6" in height, but the spotted beard on his cheeks and chin banished any notion of him being a child. He wore a bowler cap with a feather tucked into the lip, and had a dagger - more of a sword in his hands - at his hip. He was a Bounder, the border-patrol for the Shire.
"Aye, traveller; what business do you have in the Shire?" the Hobbit asked as I approached. His eyes lingered on the dagger I had on my own hip - my only form of defense at the moment. Fortunately, I hadn't needed to use it, because I had no idea how to.
"I'm an explorer and a craftsman at heart, my friend, and I seek a place to settle down for a while," I greeted with a friendly smile. "I've heard wonderful things about your homeland, and was hoping to be considered for such a thing. If that isn't an option, I'd like to do some trading of goods and services on my way through."
"You don't want to stay with your fellow men?" The Hobbit inquired, pulling a pipe from his satchel and stuffing some green into it.
"I love my brethren in the East, but they don't bathe as often as they should," I chuckled, taking out a pair of stones and lighting the small man's pipe for him. "I prefer green pastures to muddy streets, and I feel my skills will be better appreciated by those with an eye for the simpler things."
"Aye, we Hobbits do enjoy a good harvest and a night of celebration," the Hobbit nodded in thanks as he puffed on his pipe. "What sort of skills do you boast, traveller?"
"I know all sorts of crafts, but my best are smithing and tailoring. I'm no shabby cook, either, though, and have plenty of recipes in mind I would love to have tasted," I answered. "I happen to have some scholarly interests, too."
"There aren't many smiths among the Hobbits," the Bounder blew an o-shaped ring of smoke to the side. "Many farmers and gardeners have to travel a ways to have their tools repaired, if they don't know how to do it themselves. As for your culinary skills, I can promise they'll be well-appreciated by whichever village you end up in."
"I can stay, then?" I cocked my head to the side.
"It's not my say, but I'm not against it. You seem like a nice enough fellow," The Hobbit smiled. "You can pass, just try not to cause any trouble. I'll have to box yer ears if you do."
I laughed. "You'll see no trouble from me, sir Bounder. If anything, I'm hoping to create a strong bond that will last a long while with you and your fellows."
"I'm glad to hear it," he nodded. "Thanks for the light; I'll leave you be."
I continued down the path, passing through Whitfurrows, Frogmorton, and Bywater over the course of the next couple days. Every time I stopped to make camp, a family of Hobbits would offer to lodge me for the night, and I couldn't turn them down with how friendly they were. I loved their company, and their food was glorious. They asked me many questions about Men and their lives beyond the Shire, which I was happy to answer based on what I knew of the people in Bree. I even shared a few recipes along the way, garnering some good reputation with the locals. I ended up in Hobbiton, where i asked around until I found the Thain, Isumbras Took III.
He was a sixty-year-old Hobbit with graying hair and pot-marked skin. His arms were easily twice the size of any Hobbit I had seen thus far, indicating many years of hard labor for his people. He puffed on a pipe which smelled of high-grade tobacco, likely farmed right there in the fields around Hobbiton. He graciously invited me into his home and sat me at a table for a lunch of cheese sandwiches and honey mead. It was only after we were well-fed - him consuming easily thrice as much as I did - that he asked me the purpose of my visit.
"So, traveller, what brings you to Hobbiton?" He asked, accent heavy.
"I was hoping to have your permission to settle down here in the Shire, Thain Took."
"A man wants to settle down among Hobbits? It's rare, but not unheard of. You've told me of your skills, already, and of your desire to have a quiet place to work, but what is your true ambition? You don't seem like the kind of person to be content with our lifestyle," Isumbras said.
"To be honest, I just want to help out," I began speaking, impassioned by my experiences thus far. "At every opportunity, your people have proven to me what I had heard - your kindness and generosity. Your enthusiasm for pleasures many men would consider pointless compared to other, baser passions. I want to be a part of that - to have contributed in some way to the lifestyle you've built here. I won't lie and say I don't have bigger ambitions beyond these hills, but I cannot think of a better place to start my plans than in the company of your brethren."
"High praise," the Thain puffed on his pipe, deep in thought. "You've convinced me, lad, not that you really had to. My title is more honorary than anything, but I am made aware of vacant lands because of it. There just so happens to be an expanse of empty land to the North of Bywater, across the river. The land isn't as fertile as some other spots in the area, which is why no family has claimed the area, but a Human like you should be able to make due. Build whatever you like, grow whatever you want to grow. You should be far away enough from nearby families to hammer away at your metals without fear of disrupting anyone."
I couldn't help but grin, overjoyed. "Thank you, Thain Took, for giving me this opportunity. I promise to be a boon upon your people."
"It's no trouble, lad; you seem like a good kid. I can't fault you for wanting in on our pie. Speaking of, if you happen to know any new recipes, my wife is holding a contest in a few weeks time. The winner gets a barrel of our finest ale - enough to last a Hobbit a good few months!" Isumbras cackled. "Anyways, the zone for your new homestead is pretty obvious - there's a fence around it and everything. You'll want to set up camp before nightfall, and get started on a home before winter. If you need help, my brethren need only a prompt; as you said, we are gracious hosts."
"Aye," I stood and offered a bow. "I'll be on my way, then. You and your kin are always welcome in my home - or will be, when it's built."
I left the Thain's Hobbit hole and made for the bridge North of Bywater, which was only an hour's walk from Hobbiton. It didn't take long for me to find the fence around my new home. It was five acres from West to East, between the two bridges North of Bywater, and three acres South to North. There was a large hill in the center of the land, to the East of which was dense woodland, while the West was flat with rich soil. I breathed in the clean, beautiful air and got to work marking the area for my homestead.
Over the course of the next three months, I slowly made progress on my homestead. Using good ol' fashioned labor, I dug a fifteen-meter-wide, ten-meter-deep recess into the hillside to serve as the foundation of my home. I laid the ground with concrete and stone slabs for a smooth platform, around which I laid stone bricks for the basement level with a door towards the West side. On top of that, I slowly built a Tudor-style home of wood, stucco, and brick. The first floor extended to the West, forming a patio by the basement door, with supports for the building on the corners. I dug and laid a stone staircase up the side of the hill to a door on the South of the first floor, which extended to the East to the other side of the hill.
I bought glass panes from my ring's shop and used a composite paste to lay the windows, which were capable of opening outwards at the bottom to allow airflow into the building while still trapping heat. The interior of the walls was filled with a foam insulation I also bought from the shop, then paneled with smooth wooden planks for the upper two-thirds of the wall while leaving brick for the footer. The floorboards were sanded down thoroughly, making for a comfortable walking surface.
The first floor was partitioned into a dining room, fireproof kitchen, and a study, with a staircase that led up to the second floor. It followed the same build pattern as the first floor, but had vaulted ceilings with platforms for storage. There, I built four bedrooms I furnished using my carpentry skills. The rooftop was built of lattice shingles, which would direct water into a channel on either side to prevent water build-up on the rooftop. The large hearth in the dining area/sitting room on the first floor had a chimney that ran up the side of the building to a covered output on the top. Let me tell you - the joy I felt upon first lighting that thing was unparalleled by anything I had done in my previous life.
In the basement was where I built my storage, mostly for materials for my smithy, which I built on the patio outside. I was able to light the forge and start earning back the credits I spent to build the house soon after construction was complete. The praise I received from the locals for the speed with which I built the place was pleasant, and a reminder of why I had chosen to settle here. I started a small herb garden on the West side of the house for my own use, relying on purchasing vegetables from the locals to sustain myself. The house was ready just in time for the winter of 2746 - 1146, rather, using Shire Reckoning years.