Chapter 9, finally!

Sorry, my beta and I had loads of homework to do. I found some time to write, she found some time to correct and here it is!

Hope you like it! And thank you for reading and reviewing my story!

Chapter 9: What are we?

I was picking dry wood for the fire, humming to myself.

We had departed from Rivendell yesterday. I would miss Elladan and Elrohir. They had given me the bow which I used in my archery practice and it was on my back next to a small quiver full of arrows.

I could hear Gandalf grumbling where I had left him with Frodo as the sun was slowly disappearing on the horizon.

I grimaced. Gandalf made me feel like a little stupid Hobbit girl. I did not like it. It's not that he wasn't nice… He was sometimes grumbling but was quite nice with me. Still, his age – How old was he? Even Frodo did not know! – and his weird electrical aura made me a bit uncomfortable. I shook my head. Frodo and Gandalf were good friends. My father respected the old… ah, well… the wizard a lot. I should follow their examples.

"Foolish Hobbit lass!" I told myself. I looked up at the sky. It was coloured with warm shades of red, pink, light orange and dark indigo.

"You hair looks like silken fire." Frodo's voice made me jump and I dropped my wood bundle. He smiled and I blushed.

"T-thank you…" I stammered, bending to pick up the wood again. Frodo helped me and we worked in silence for a while as I discreetly looked at him. His compliment had caught me unaware. After our steamy kisses in the bathroom, we had both kept a respectable distance from each other. I don't think I was the only one puzzled by my actions and my emotions.

"Aly… Aly!" he shook me out of my memories.

"Hmm… ah, yes?" I was thankful that the sun was casting red highlights on my face. It probably hid my blush.

Or maybe not, because Frodo smiled a bit sheepishly and, balancing his bundle of wood under one arm, he reached out to caress my reddened cheek. "You're blushing." he told me, confirming my thoughts.

I cast my eyes down, worrying my lower lip between my teeth. What was going on between us? What did Frodo want from me? What did I want?

I opened my mouth to ask but found myself kissing him instead, feeling slightly lightheaded. Whoa! Where did that come from? Maybe he had kissed me by accident in the bathroom, acting on impulse!

He was kissing me back, though…

"The night is falling! Did you find wood or not?"

We jumped away from each other, startled by Gandalf's voice. I sheepishly looked at Frodo and he sheepishly met my eyes, a small smile lurking at the corner of his lips.

"We are coming, Gandalf!" he called back. With one last look in my direction, he strode off toward the camp.

A weird feeling was twisting my stomach in knots. I felt torn. I wanted to fall in love and was pretty sure that the warm heat that went through me when I had kissed Frodo was love. Still, I was afraid. Afraid that Frodo did not share my feelings, that he would reject me, that I was maybe… a replacement for someone else…

That one hurt.

"What are we, Frodo?" I asked softly.

A strand of hair fell before my eyes. It did look like silken fire. Like dying silken fire… I shook my head and headed toward the camp.

Breathless, I ran through darkness.

"Frodo! Where are you?" I called, desperate, sobbing. My throat was burning, my eyes stinging. I rubbed a hand over my face. It became wet with the burning tears rolling down my cheeks.

I was afraid. No, terrorized. Something I did not want was happening under my nose and I could not do anything to prevent it. And I didn't even know what was happening!

I stopped running and fell on the dark ground. Dark? Not anymore. I was panting breathlessly, kneeling on green grass. In front of me, I saw the sea. I had never seen the sea before. What I knew of it came from my father's stories. Yet…

It was beautiful. White waves were licking the shore. A bird flew over my head. It was white; the tips of its wings and of tail were black. It flew toward the sea, the deep blue-green sea.

I saw a silver-white boat peacefully glide on the waves. I watched it mutely, in silence, for a small eternity. I knew Frodo was on this boat. I wanted it to bring him back.

I hated the sea. It was separating Frodo from me. I began to sob again.

"Stop!" I cried to the boat. But it was too far.

It disappeared on the horizon and I knew I had lost Frodo forever…

I awoke, shaking. Tears were streaming down. My face and neck were wet.

I wanted to run and hide and roll in a small ball and cry until my throat burned, like in my dream. I wanted to be sick.

"Aly…" Frodo mumbled, nuzzling my neck and tightening his hold around me. What was I doing in his arms? He stiffened. "Alylonna, are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't see why I wouldn't be alright…" I said, fighting the tears. "Stop sobbing, you big baby!" I sternly told myself.

"You're shaking." Frodo said, sitting up. "You're crying." he added when he saw my wet face.

I closed my burning eyes. "It was only a stupid nightmare. Nothing to worry about." I mumbled. Gandalf was probably not far. I did not want to wake him too.

I let out a small cry of surprise when Frodo pulled me on his lap. "No nightmare is stupid." he whispered.

How dare he? I was an adult, not a child in need of comfort! I could go back to sleep and not worry about this nightmare, couldn't I? No?

I began to weep in his shirt. I did not know where that dream came from but I was upset, no need to lie to myself. Frodo began to rock back and forth, whispering things I could not hear in my hair. I was myself choking out words between sobs but I had no idea of what was slipping past my lips.

I don't know how long we stayed like this but I slowly stopped crying, becoming aware of my pitiful hiccupped words and Frodo's soft reassurances.

"Don't go… Please…Don't leave me…" Were the words I was babbling. I shut up, concentrating on Frodo's instead.

He was singing softly.

"Don't cry, little bird

Don't hide in a tree

I miss your songs, little bird

When you shy away from me

Don't cry, sunshine

Don't hide behind a cloud

I miss your light, sunshine

When you don't want to be found

Don't cry, pretty flower

Don't close back on yourself

I miss you beauty, pretty flower

When you turn your back on yourself

Don't cry, my love

Don't hide away from me

I miss you, my love

When you go away from me"

"It's pretty…" I murmured, relaxing. "What are we, Frodo?" I found myself asking.

He stopped singing but continued to rock back and forth. "I… I don't know. I think… I think I love you… But I don't where this is going… I've never fallen in love before, Aly. I seriously have no idea of what I'm doing." he said softly.

Warmth suffused through me. He thought he loved me! I smiled. "Me neither, Frodo. But I think I love you too." I bit my lip, my dream coming back quite vividly. "Don't leave me… Please! In my nightmare, you were leaving. A boat was carrying you away on the sea… Don't leave me…" I pleaded.

"I…" he began to say. Silence. He began to caress my hair, untangling my curls. "Hush, Aly. Go back to sleep…" he whispered, humming his song again, hugging me tightly.

As I fell asleep, I heard Frodo whisper in a sad voice. "I don't want to leave you, Aly… But I will have to go, one day. So soon…"

The song Frodo sings is mine.

The next chapter will probably take place in Lothlórien... I think... ;)

As always, if you have comments, reviews are welcome.