Hand-Me-Down Love
Authoress' note: A Cinderella-esk story but rather off. Royalty meets poverty; they fall in love, the typical bit with a little twist. I've called a few of our favorite hobbits and an OC for the occasion. It should be fun. Oh, and for Rosie/Sam fans, be warned: I don't like Rosie, so she's not with Sam. Sorry. She's still here, but not as a main character. Intended for a graduation gift to my dear friend, Tersa. I hope you like it. R&R
Disclaimer: I don't own any Tolkien characters, and Tersa is owned by, you guessed it, Tersa. Cinderella is public domain, though, so I can freely write about that.
In a far away country, in a world we shall never know, where the small kingdom of Barans had not yet evolved from the monarchy, the Princess of Barans was nearing the seventeenth anniversary of her birth. The princess was a kind and loving soul, but over the years after her older sister married a prince from a far off land, she had grown lonely, and her heart grew cold. As the princess neared marrying age, her mother, the widowed queen, was anxious to make her daughter happy. The queen knew that soon her remaining daughter would have to marry and take over the ruling of Barans, but she feared the princess' hardened heart would keep her from finding love.
So, the queen organized a ball for her daughter's seventeenth birthday in hopes of her finding happiness. She sent out her heralds to every home in the kingdom and to the other nearby kingdoms with eligible young princes to announce the royal dance.
Down below, in the town of Baranbrath, the messengers spread out, delivering their call. One messenger in his deliverance path found himself outside of a rather small, homely house on the outskirts of the town that sat below the castle. He knocked upon the door, and after a few moments, a young girl who looked no older than fifteen opened the door and curtsied to the royal messenger.
"Hello, sir. How are you this beautiful morning?" the girl asked, her lovely golden curls bouncing as she rose from her curtsy.
"I have a proclamation from the Queen," he said firmly but smiling.
"Mother!" the blonde girl screamed back into the house.
A moment later, an older, yet still elegant lady walked into the front entryway, closely followed by her husband who draped his arms over the woman's shoulders protectively.
"Yes, Marigold?" the lovely mother asked, noticing the guest.
"I have a royal proclamation from the Queen," the messenger repeated.
"Boys, come in here!" the father yelled. Two rather tall and handsome boys came running into the hallway, confused until they saw the herald. Another boy slipped in unnoticed, sitting on the stairs that lead to higher rooms behind the doorway.
"It is my great pleasure to announce to you that Queen Brigina is holding a Royal Ball in honor of Princess Tersa's seventeenth birthday this coming Friday. All are welcome and all eligible young men are invited to dance with the Princess. The Princess is expected to find a husband at this ball. Queen Brigina looks forward to your attendance," the herald read off from a parchment. He bowed low to the family and, uttering a final 'Good day,' mounted his horse and dispersed.
"A Ball? Oh, mother, please can we go? I would love to see the princess!" Marigold asked, spinning around happily.
"Bell, do you think it wise?" the father asked, letting go of his wife.
"Oh, Hamfast, let them have some fun. Besides, one of my handsome little boys may make the princess swoon," Bell said smiling proudly at her two tall sons, still not noticing her third son.
"Yeah, the princess'll definitely fall for me," the older, taller brother joked.
"Oh, yeah right, Hamson! Princess Tersa is all mine!" the younger tall brother said.
"Hamson, Hamfred, stop fighting!" Hamfast yelled.
"So we're going, mother?" Marigold asked smiling broadly.
"Of course, maybe my little Marigold will be able to snag the heart of one of the boys turned down by the princess," Bell said smiling as she lead most of her family into the kitchen.
The final boy still sat on the stairs, staring at the ground. Now Samwise Gamgee didn't have the same confidence his brothers did. He wasn't extremely tall or good looking. Mind you, he was the right height for his age and shape, and he was better looking than most but not as handsome as society had taught him that his older brothers were. Sam had no intention of going to the ball. He figured if he had no shot with any of the local girls, what chance did he have with a princess? He stood up and left.
Slowly, he made his way to the only place he was sure he could be alone. From the time he was young, he had often come to the ruins of the old castle. A river flowed nearby and many old statues that represented the traditions and life of the ancient world were scattered about. He would often sit amongst the statues and walls, just being alive and away from his family.
When he finally reached the ruins, he walked into a room near the flowing river and found someone he didn't know. There was a beautiful girl with waist long, wavy auburn hair sitting up against a half destroyed wall about three feet from the river, reading. Sam stood for a moment, just amazed by her sheer beauty.
"What are you looking at?" the girl asked, not taking her eyes off her book.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't expect anyone to be here," Sam hastily muttered. "I'm Sam, by the way."
"I'm Te—eh, Duet. Nice to meet you, Sam," the girl said, standing up and walking over to him. Unlike most girls he'd seem around town who wore skirts or dresses, Duet wore long, clinging pants and a tie up corset top. Sam was rather amazed that her mother and father allowed her to dress that way.
"I didn't mean to intrude on your secret place or anything," Duet continued. "It's just, my father used to bring me here when I was a child. He told me never to forget my past."
"It's okay. I just needed to get away from my brothers. They're all worked up about the Royal Ball on Friday," Sam said sitting down.
"Well, what about you? You must be of age to want to marry the princess. Why are you not excited?"
"I don't think anyone can fall in love in once night."
"I know. My mother is making me go in hopes I'll find a husband. It's ridiculous, really." She sat down next to him.
"How old are you anyway?"
"I'll be seventeen on Friday. How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Well, don't you want to at least dance with Princess Tersa?"
"Not really. There's no way I'd have the courage to be near her. I've heard she's the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, though I think she'd have to fight the trophy from you."
Duet blushed slightly and looked at the ground, smiling to herself.
Minutes turned into hours, and hours turned out to take up the entire night. As the stars lit up one by one, Sam and Duet still talked. As the moon rose higher overhead, they finally realized it was night.
"Oh, wow. We talked all day," Duet mumbled looking up at the moon.
"Yeah. Hey, do you want to meet here tomorrow? I really liked talking to you," Sam said blushing.
Duet smiled. "Yeah, okay. I'll meet you here at about noon?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Well, goodnight." Before getting up, Duet leaned over and kissed Sam on the cheek then left quickly, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts.