Title: Treasures
Author: BellaMonte
E-Mail:
Rating: PG-13 (for violence and mild cursing)
Disclaimer: I own not the characters with the exception of the nasty kidnappers.
Summary: Bad men kidnap Frodo. Bilbo pines. Yeah.
A/N: Greetings everyone!Forgive the delay. I know I said just a week for this, but at this point I think everyone knows that means a week plus a few more days.....weeks....months......later. My bad. Some complications got in the way, and the rest of this chapter proved to be a lot more difficult than I originally thought, though I'm not sure why.
Chapter dedicated to Ubiquitous Pitt. Ubiquitous Pitt will understand why towards the end. :)
Enjoy!
Chloe Amethyst: Hey, Chloe! It's great to hear from you again. I'm glad you like the Bell/Bilbo relationship going on. When I was originally starting this story, I hadn't really given much thought on how some of the characters were going to turn out, at least not until I'd gotten into the story. But Bell, I don't know, she just sort of developed in chapter 6 and after that it seemed she was the best to look out for Bilbo. Most of the characters have developed a lot more than I originally intended, but that's just me, I take on a realist mode of thinking when I write, so just like Dickens, my tree and a minor character and a major character are all described equally. Plus, I don't feel there aren't enough females in LoTR in my opinion, and I needed at least one. And as for the Gamgees as a family, they've sort of developed as you said, the sensible care givers to Bilbo, who's so rash and emotional in this story that he needs someone to keep him steady. Just like Sam does to Frodo in the books. :) Thanks for de review!
Elerrina Kyledove: Greetings, Elerrina! You think you know who it is? Then please by all means ignore this message to you here, and read on! Tis below. :)
endymion: Hi there! No, I don't believe I did receive your e-mail, I'm sorry....on my aol account, I tend to receive dozens of coughporncough e-mail mixed in with legitimate mail, and I often just click on a whole bunch and delete them all. Yours might have been deleted with it, or it just didn't send....I know not......but if it's impt, just re-send, and I'll get back to you. :)
Ubiquitous Pitt: Amen to that - what J.R. Tolkien......ack, I mean Rowling did (I tend to get them mixed up!) was EVIL!!! Am still fuming/bawling at night at the character she took. They were my favorite. And as for the plot, you know, there's always the chance that they might come back, but considering Rowling does approach the 'd' word with a fair degree of maturity, I'd doubt she'd bring them back. But you never know. I'm taking it as this: the next book ain't coming out for three to four years, probably, so I can live in denial in the meantime that they're still around. Not the healthiest way to deal perhaps but it's a step on the grief scale. Okay, there's my own book 5 review in turn.
QTPie-2488: Hey QTPie! I promise that we WILL find out who the hobbit is. Not much longer, I swear. I think that the last chapter, at least at the end, finally picks up the plot again after months and close to six chapter of next to nothing happening, just random miserable hobbits thinking, so here's a chapter with something actually happening, and it's just going to go faster from here....hopefully. :)
Shlee Verde: Shlee Verde! Oh no, the last chapter made you nearly cry?....damn, that last chapter was supposed to be mildly funny....oh dear, I be a failure at humor. Just as a warning, this chapter's supposed to have a bit of humor mixed in as well...I hope it's apparent. If it's not, let me know. And you're right about the Bell being a lot more mature than Bilbo. The way Bilbo's character has developed in my story is that although he's really old, and wise in many different things, he has some learning in some areas, in particular how to deal with a child (ahem, tweenager) full time, and also he goes off when he's emotional, and Bell and the Gamgees are all like an anchor for him to steady himself on. That'll be their greatest job....Bell, in particular....as the story runs along. And Sackville-Bagginses you say? Well, read on! Ooh, and one more thing. Have you still given any thought to continuing your LoTR story? I loved it so much, it was one of the best Merry/Pippin friendship stories I've read. Please keep going with it, there's still so much more to do.....technically, they're still in the forest, there's still orcs after them.... :)
Niphrandl: Aaah! You cried too with the last chapter??!! Damn, I'm just going to resign from attempting dry humor. This one was a mild attempt as well, at least here and there. So you think it be the S.B.'s? Well, read on, we shall see!
Fionarox: Greetings, Fionarox! WHAT?! You think it's MERRY?? LOLOLOLOL!!! Okay, (let me pause for a second to roll on the floor and laugh.....okay, done). No, I promise you that. Though I can't reveal any more than that. It be not Sam Gamgee (someone else's theory) and it's not Merry. Remember, he was at Bilbo's pad when the exchange happened, and surely Frodo or Bilbo would have recognized him. :)
Camellia Gamgee-Took: Hey there! Frodo will be in the chapter after the next one. I think I want to keep the attention on Bilbo for just a little while longer, because after this he's gone some things to do, and then we'll get back to Frodo. I'm bouncing back and forth between the days when writing them, because they don't always remain on the same day, and I want them to be evened out when I get to the...........dundundun..........second exchange. But we'll get more of Frodo I promise. :)
Tavion: Greetings, Tavion! Thank you for coming out of lurking......I love to know there are prying eyes.....hope you like the next chapter! :)
Bookworm2000: Wowow! Could you be comparing that poopy ending of mine to TTT? Wow, am thoroughly flattered. And hope being some random stranger named Estel? 'Right? Maybe?'....you think I'm going to spoil you? Never! :)
Ten minutes later, Bilbo Baggins burst out the door to Bag End and began storming down the road, jerking his arms into his coat sleeves as he went.
Hamfast Gamgee and Halfred trailed behind him. After seeing the rage that had followed horror on Bilbo's face, Mrs. Gamgee had feared he was about to fly out the door with the sword after all, and quickly ran to get Hamfast. Mr. Gamgee was more than willing to assist his master, and left the Inn in charge of his other sons as he and Halfred followed their fuming master.
"Beggin' yer pardon, sir, but where are we off to?" Hamfast inquired as they began to descend the Hill.
"You'll know soon enough," replied a voice that sounded anything but assuring.
Although Bilbo was moving a remarkably fast pace, Halfred managed to catch up to him and caught a glimpse of him before falling back. On this day, Bilbo looked every one of his years. Whatever was making him so angry though had renewed his strength and vigor, making look something like a fire-breathing ghost. His eyes were still glassy and bloodshot, but were wide and blazing. His face was still pale, but it no longer looked tired. Instead, it was animated and pulsed with a white fury. His disheveled clothing only added to the wildness of his features.
Halfred was not the only one that had noticed. As they passed down the hill, hobbits that were busy working in their gardens or walking down the road stopped short to see Bilbo Baggins had emerged from his home, and continued to watch mouth open as he stormed down the Hill. Though Hamfast and Halfred couldn't help feeling exposed at the eyes upon them, Bilbo payed no mind to it. He continued on, glaring venomously at the road in front of him.
They walked for some time, the sun hot and beaming down upon them. Halfred watched as his father grew weary at the long and arduous walk, and he couldn't help but beg for Bilbo to stop so that his father could rest.
Bilbo seemed agitated to pause even for a moment, but allowed them to sit while he himself stood, still glaring at the land folding out before them. They were nearing a rather busy part of Hobbiton that lay on the unmarked border between there and the land called Michael Delving.
Once Hamfast was ready to continue, they passed through a small market, and then down a road composed of a series of hobbit holes groups close together. Compared to the Hill, which was one of the more wealthy parts of Hobbiton, these holes were far smaller than the ones on the Hill, and the gardens around them, if there were any (many merely had grass growing) were very unkempt.
For the life of him, Halfred could not understand why his peculiar master would be coming here.
"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but are we visit' somebody?" he couldn't help asking.
"What's that, Halfred?" Bilbo asked, swiveling his head around for a moment. His tone was pleasant but laced with sarcasm. "Where are we destined? Oh, no place in particular. We're just going to confront the hobbits responsible for hiring the men who kidnapped my nephew."
At hearing this, both Mr. Gamgee and Halfred nearly stumbled over their own feet in shock.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" Mr. Gamgee bellowed.
Bilbo spun around to face them while his feet continued to carry him backwards. He nodded, his face white and hard with fury. "That's right....leave it to me to figure it out a week longer than I should've, when they had just been sitting in my hole the very day Frodo was taken."
Halfred and Hamfast exchanged looks of confusion before catching up to Bilbo, who had resumed his rapid pace and was now muttering furiously to himself.
Fragments of their last conversation whispered through Bilbo's mind:
'I have recently switched my affection to a nephew whom I am very fond of.'
'You - you vile creature! I know for certain you sold your utter soul to the elves for those riches.'
Bilbo pressed a hand to his heart in an attempt to slow his ragged breathing. They knew he had money. And right then and there, though he had not known it, he had exposed his love for the child that had just been bestowed what was formerly their inheritance.
"So stupid," Bilbo hissed aloud. "I was so, so stupid!"
"Oh, come now sir," Hamfast began, yet his words were soon lost as Bilbo began spewing curses so numerous and horrible that Hamfast placed his hands over Halfred's ears. To his bewilderment, Bilbo's curses occasionally drifted into another tongue, and then Hamfast would begin to lift his hands from Halfred's ears before they returned to common tongue once again.
Both exchanged worried glances, not knowing who or what was making their master so furious. Yet at seeing the pace he was going, and the unutterable words he was spewing, they began to doubt Bilbo had brought his cane, now clenched in a sweaty, white-knuckled fist, for the sake of aiding him in his walk.
Hurriedly, Hamfast rushed forward and placed a steady hand on Bilbo's shoulder.
"Now jus' wait a minute sir, before you go stormin' through someone's door. Speak plain first. Who is it?"
"Need I be any more plain, Hamfast?" Bilbo exclaimed. "It was so obvious. I should kick myself for not realizing it sooner." Hamfast stared at him as blankly as he himself had been that morning. "The Sackville-Bagginses," he finished.
Both went aback slightly at the name. Though they were not acquainted with the Sackville-Bagginses themselves (the Sackville-Bagginses never associated with anyone that was of a lower class than them), they had certainly heard stories from Bilbo, and knew the hostility between them.
"Are you absolutely sure, sir?" Hamfast asked, though he asked more out of caution than doubt.
In fact, as he thought on it, Bilbo was probably right. He should've suspected it himself. But it was no matter now. What worried Hamfast the most at the moment was what might become of Bilbo if he confronted the Sackville Bagginses, or anyone for that matter, in his present state of rage. Especially with a weapon in his trembling hand.
"Now wait, hold on sir!" Hamfast protested, and once again attempted to restrain his master from continuing any further.
"Why do you hold me back, Hamfast?" Bilbo demanded.
"Jus...just hold on. Think on this before you go makin' accusations and confrontin' them face to face. For even if you're right....and I don't doubt you are....don't do somethin' terribly rash, and get yourself on the wrong side of the law yourself. If you do, you might end up in a worse place than the guilty hobbit. And what justice would that be?"
This sounded sensible enough even with Hamfast's belabored breathing , and Bilbo slowed in his tracks as he took in what Hamfast had said. It was true, in his tantrum of fury and betrayal he had not considered what an outburst on Lobelia and Otho might prove in the long run. No doubt they'd been running to fetch their lawyers before he could even remember the name of his.
"You........you're right, Hamfast," he said, dragging a hand over his face. "But I can't just sit any longer. By the Shire, I've done enough of that recently...."
"I know that sir. I'm not sayin' don't do nothin' about this, that would be worse. But let me or let Halfred get Shiriff Proudfeet to see this out. He's probably about someplace, and he can hear the confession, if you manage to get one outta him."
"That's a good idea, Hamfast," Bilbo said, and turned to Halfred. "Halfred, go to the market immediately and see if you can find Shiriff Proudfeet. No doubt you won't need to relay much to him to know what's going on," he added, grimly.
Halfred nodded and took off in the direction of the market.
In the history of hobbits, there had never been a desperate need for government when it came to enforcing laws. Hobbits typically went about their own business on their own land. Any disputes over territory or quarrels of a varied kind rarely required the presence of a law enforcer, and was usually settled between those in conflict.
For peace's sake, however, a mayor was elected every seven years and he was responsible for appointing twelve hobbits, known as shirrifs, who dealt with the order in the land when it was necessary. Most of their time was spent at the markets, the best known area of activity, which is why Bilbo had no doubt that they would find Shiriff Proudfeet there.
At long last, Bilbo and Hamfast reached the road where the Sackville-Bagginses lived.
"Are ye sure about this, sir?" Mr. Gamgee offered one last word of caution.
"I'm sure, Hamfast."
Suddenly, Bilbo halted in his tracks. In a hole not far from them, a great heap of furniturewas stacked in the road, effectively blocking further travel. From the looks of the towering couches, tables, and chests piled on one another, it appeared as though someone were moving out.....or leaving, however conspicuously.
"Is that their hole, sir?"
"It is." Bilbo's teeth ground together as he spoke.
"Well, Master Baggins!" a surprisingly cheerful voice greeted them. As they turned, a curly haired, red-cheeked hobbit approached from his small garden, leaning over his fence. "What brings ye to this edge of Hobbiton? I don't reckon I've seen ye in years!"
"What's going on over there?" Bilbo questioned, gesturing to the mess of furniture.
"Oh, you mean Lobelia and Otho?" the hobbit asked, giving a sideways glance at his neighbors. "I hear they're packin' up and going to Michael Delving. They've been havin' some troubles recently, and have finally decided to move out."
"What sort of trouble?" Bilbo asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I don't rightly know, sir. To be honest, I'm not on too friendly terms with 'em. They're not the friendliest folk. Though," he added, and his face seemed to grow nervous as he misinterpreted Bilbo's grin, "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't mention I said that about 'em. Well anyway, I hear they've been havin' some financial troubles and can't afford the hole anymore. I hear they're goin' to live with relatives in Michael Delving," he added, before moving off.
Bilbo's blood went cold as he took in the hobbit's words. "Financial troubles my foot," he muttered.
Taking a deep breath, he followed Hamfast's advice and tried not to let his anger get the best of him as he approached their home.
The door to the hole was hanging open. Upon entering, Bilbo immediately heard raised voices from the back of Lobelia and Otho bickering. It had been several years since he had been there. As his eyes traveled over the rather cramped space, he could see that time had dulled the walls and aged the already shabby furniture.
His momentary observations were broken by the sound of Lobelia's all too familiar screechy voice.
"Give me that vase, Otho! Don't you dare think about selling it, it's mine! Give it...don't touch it with your filthy hands!"
"I paid for the damn thing, Lobelia...........oh, shut it, why are you wanting to waste wagon space with a stupid vase when you detest flowers?!"
Lobelia huffed. "Oh, well, then you can just toss out your stupid fishing tackle then too. Why keep it? It's been years since you've ever managed to catch a fish – "
Bilbo desperately bit his lip, suppressing laughter. This was ridiculous. He was coming here to accuse them of the terrible crimes they'd committed against his dear nephew, yet how was he supposed to manage that with them ready to tear each other's throats out? And Lobelia always used to tell him that she and Otho got along splendidly.....
Before his fury ebbed any further, he entered the hallway and made himself visible in the doorway.
"Why, what'er you doing here, Bilbo?" Lobelia asked, sourly.
Bilbo bit the insides of his lips in an attempt to fight off the grin at seeing her seated in the middle of the room, clutching the vase with other random pieces of furniture strewn about her.
"Yes, Bilbo, what's the purpose of this sudden call?" said Otho. Although he had always been the more evasive of the two, he still eyed Bilbo with amusement. "Aren't you supposed to be locked up in your cozy Bag End right now, pouring your eyes out? That's the latest that reached us, anyway."
"Where's my nephew?" Bilbo asked, cooly and to the point.
Both stopped what they were doing to stare at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lobelia demanded.
"Don't deny it," Bilbo sneered, surprised that he was able to control himself thus far. "Shiriff Proudfeet is already on his way to do whatever the Shire law supposes justifiable to you. Though I don't believe they'll come up with a good enough punishment. Exile at the worst. Personally, I think pitching you in Mirkwood Forest would do better." Lobelia's glassy eyes widened, and she made a motion to get up from her chair, but Bilbo continued. "Where's Frodo? Or no, where's the men who you sent to kidnap him?"
Vague, suspicious stares from the both of them suddenly erupted into fury.
"Why you, worthless piece of pig dung!" Lobelia spat. "You think we had anything to do with that Brandybuck's kidnapping?"
Anger began to rise dangerously to the surface again, and Bilbo felt the hand clutching his cane shooting up to meet right between her eyes. She spluttered and twisted in her chair.
"Don't make me any more mad than I already am, Lobelia," Bilbo said, darkly. "And oh yes, I am mad. And these past days have made me more so...so don't try and weasel your way out of this, or I might lose myself beyond control and become that crazy beast you always repute me."
Otho sighed from across the room, and shook his head as though finding the entire scene tiresome.
"Bilbo you're cracked beyond recognition already if you think we'd have anything to do with that Brandybuck brat – "
So much for restraint. Dropping his cane, Bilbo seized Otho by his collar and slammed him into the wall with a force more violent than either anticipated.
"You selfish, cold-hearted –—– !" Lobelia blushed at Bilbo's language, which at the moment surpassed hers in foulness. "You were the one who got those men to kidnap Frodo, didn't you?" he demanded.
Otho attempted to say something, and Bilbo gripped him harder. "DIDN'T YOU!"
In nearly the same moment, many things happened. Hamfast rushed forward to break Bilbo's hands away. Once freed, Otho immediately scurried away, while Lobelia continued to scream at the top of her lungs and attack Bilbo with a spare umbrella. Soon after, Halfred rushed into the room, terribly out of breath and collapsed against the wall as Shiriff Proudfeet followed on his heels, immediately taking in the scene with a frown.
"What's this about?" he demanded.
Everyone in the room struggled to catch their breath. Recovering first, Bilbo stood and faced Shiriff Proudfeet. Although he was one of this shiriffs, he had the appearance of any other hobbit with curly hair and bright colored clothes. The only thing that really distinguished him as a shiriff was the feather in his hat. Bilbo was relieved that he was here. Now, finally, some of this might get settled.
"Sir," he began, respectfully, "from the speed at which news travels in this glorious land, I doubt I need to relay to you the history of how my nephew was recently kidnapped from me for ransom."
"Yes, I've heard it, Bilbo," Shiriff Proudfeet replied, giving Bilbo a short, sympathetic smile. "But what has that got to do with you going about attacking your relatives?"
Bilbo was prepared to answer when something caught his eye to the side of him. Turning, he inwardly groaned to see that all the screams and racket had stirred the attention of those outside. Now there were gathering pairs of eyes outside the two small windows, and more seemed to be listening from behind the door. He had hoped this meeting would be short, and certainly private. Yet thinking on it, he realized he didn't care. Let Shiriff Proudfeet hear what he had to say. Let them all.
Standing up fully, Bilbo pointed his cane at Lobelia and Otho, who had both slunk away to the middle of the room. "Well, as I said, my nephew was kidnapped. I believe that it was they who did it."
Gasps erupted and carried like a storm from the growing crowd, and Bilbo felt satisfaction course through him to see the eyes from the windows narrow suspiciously at the pair. In spite of everything, it felt good to see others listening to him, others believing him. He was finally doing something for Frodo, some of this mess was finally going to be resolved, even if other parts never would.
"Now hold on a moment, Bilbo," the shiriff said, sternly, as he tried unsuccessfully to close and latch the windows. "What makes you think that they anything to do with your nephew's kidnapping?"
"These two aided in kidnapping my nephew," Bilbo repeated, and pointed his stick at them once again.
Panicked, Lobelia scurried behind Otho like a frightened animal. Gasps continued to erupt from the crowd, and fingers stuck through the windows, pointing at them in accusation.
Shiriff Proudfeet was less dramatic in his reaction.
"I still don't understand, Bilbo. Forgive me if I've been misinformed, but I was told that it was not hobbits, but men from the south who were responsible for kidnapping your nephew."
Bilbo couldn't hide a huff of astonishment. It was hard to believe the way the entire Shire seemed to be gathered around the hole right now that all the details were unknown. And this...what was this, why was Shiriff Proudfeet defending them?
'He doesn't know everything,' Bilbo reminded himself.
Taking a deep breath, seeing everyone was waiting for him to speak, Bilbo dove into an account of what had happened. He began with the morning Frodo had left to meet Merry, and how he had informed Lobelia and Otho that same afternoon that he was switching his inheritance from them to his nephew. When Bilbo described what their reactions had been, faces went dark with suspicion around him. As he continued, it grew more difficult having to recollect personal moments he did not want to have to say in front of everybody. Walking into Frodo's room to find it empty....the four day long search....Frodo's letter and the ransom instructions.....
Bilbo was surprised that he was able to keep his voice so hard and commanding, considering he'd barely used it in days. When he reached the part about the exchange, however, and describing the brutality of the men, making Frodo scream to prove that he was actually there, Bilbo's voice broke a little. He quickly got it under to control so that he could describe what happened when the hobbit arrived. The man himself had exposed him as the one had originally planned this, and the hobbit gloated over it himself.
By the time Bilbo reached the end of the story, when he had awoken after the man had knocked him unconscious, and the men, the hobbit and Frodo were gone, those in the room and those peeping in from outside were shocked silent. Throughout his account, Bilbo was able to hear gasps and occasional sniffs from those that were listening. While he was surprised how much sympathy his story had conjured from those who apparently hated his stories, the only one he really needed to convince was the shiriff.
Shiriff Proudfeet had listened intently as Bilbo had spoken, yet even now he did not look convinced when it came to Lobelia and Otho's involvement.
"Now you say that the hobbit and you exchanged words that night," he said, sternly.
"He did, yes."
"What did their voice sound like?"
Bilbo recalled the voice, painfully. 'Greetings to you, ol' Bilbo Baggins! Just taking a share of some o' yer lavish wealth that you're not generouse enough to pass around.'
"The voice sounded...puny, actually," he admitted. "And screechy. But he may have been faking it to disguise his own, especially if it was someone I already knew."
"Puny and screechy," Proudfeet repeated, and nodded as though that made some profound sense. "Well, then" he added, and gestured to Otho. "It couldn't have been him. For Otho's has a grown hobbit's voice, and it's very deep, not screechy, nor puny. Are you sure it was a male voice you heard?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure that it was just one hobbit who planned this?"
"It appeared so," Bilbo said, anxiously, "But I'm not saying it was necessarily Otho. For all I know, it could've been Lotho."
"You dog...don't you dare bring our precious boy into your mad tales," Lobelia spluttered, hands still gripping her vase.
"Precious, indeed," Bilbo snorted. He recalled how the lad had a habit of 'accidentally' breaking something of his every time he came to Bag End, no doubt a habit encouraged by his mother.
"Lotho's got no more to do with this than we do, Bilbo. And if you need proof," Otho added, defensively, "Inquire for him at his Uncle Odo's in Michael Delving, where he's been this last month. A bit of a journey it would be from there to Hobbiton and back, wouldn't you say?"
"But," Bilbo protested, his voice growing more frustrated as he saw faces turn reluctantly doubtful, "There's no particular time when he may have gone to recruit these men. For all I know it might have been weeks ago that this was planned, months even."
"That may be true," Shiriff Proudfeet replied. "But whomever it was, the fact remains that they were there in the forest near Tuckborough on the night of the exchange. Therefore, it could not have been Lotho because he was in Michael Delving as his parents claim, and Lobelia and Otho were here."
"Well, they could've hired somebody else!" Bilbo protested, but stopped himself from continuing when he realized how ridiculous his accusations were becoming.
Lobelia scowled at him from behind Otho. "Oh yes, Bilbo, we hired a random hobbit on loan to go hire some random men to kidnap your nephew. Yes, that makes a lot of sense."
"I hope I become this clever in my old age," snorted Otho.
Bilbo could feel his cheeks burning, and he wanted nothing more than to shout something intelligent and accusing back. Yet a doubt was beginning to weigh down his anger as he considered that there might truly be nothing behind their scowls and insults but the same anger and jealousy they'd always harbored for him....and nothing more.
"Well," he demanded, not ready to accept that they were innocent until he'd covered all corners of suspicions. "What is Lotho doing in Michael Delving in the first place?"
Lobelia scowled, and when she didn't speak Bilbo felt his hope lift again that they were hiding something.
"Bilbo, you're unforgivable," Otho finally sneered. "Lotho's going to work there in his uncle's shop. He doesn't have a choice now, considering some unnamed relative of his disowned him of the inheritance that had been his and gave it to a distant cousin."
All eyes immediately went to Bilbo, and he suddenly found himself the one on the spot.
"Yes, Bilbo I was wondering that myself," said a random voice from outside, "Why'd you switch inheritance?"
"Why adopt him?" came another
"Put him in danger, you did...." muttered another.
Bilbo felt color return to his face. Through a rising tide of voices he heard Lobelia say, "Yes, was not some way to spite us yet again? Use the boy to get to us, why else would you give him everything?"
"BECAUSE HE HAD NOTHING!" Bilbo exploded. Silence descended again, and rung in the air as everyone looked at him, expectant to say more. "Do.....don't you understanding?" he rasped, looking around. "He had absolutely nothing. He was so young, and already he had lost both his parents and spent the last nine years being passed around in Brandy Hall like an extra coat with no one to really take care of him...with nowhere to go when he was older...."
Eyes continued to stare at him, and he huffed, raising his arms mockingly in the air. "Forgive me for not anticipating the unimaginable happening when I decided to take him in. Forgive me for hoping it would give him a better future. But then," he couldn't help adding, bitingly, and his eyes went to those watching, "How would anyone here know what a wonderful lad he was. You turned your nose away from him as much as you did me."
Faces of hobbits he vaguely knew, and didn't, lowered slightly, and some disappeared from the window. But Bilbo gave no more thought to them. His quarrel wasn't really with them.
Instead, his cane rose again to Lobelia and Otho. "And you two worst of all...you were his relatives, and yet you hated him from the first instant. You didn't even meet him before you decided to do this. Did you even see him before you dropped him in the clutches of monsters?" he accused, his eyes slits.
"Bilbo, I must ask," Shiriff Proudfeet interrupted before whispers began to rise. "Why are you just now saying this? The letter, the exchange, it all happened nearly a week ago....if you're so sure it's them, what took so long to say this?"
Fresh humiliation burned inside him. He'd hoped that he would be able to avoid admitting that he had not figured it out until that morning. Before he could, Halfred, who had stood aside with his father the entire time, suddenly spoke up.
"Why, he's been overcome with grief, sir! He's had barely enough to strength to leave Bag End, an' he's been wrapped up in the loss he's felt for his nephew. I say it's better to think of that than the worthless scum who did this to him."
Bilbo could feel his face burning at those words. He had not wanted those details to be revealed, especially not to an open crowd....and yet, as his eyes lifted a bit, he saw that hobbits were gasping and a few even sent him tear-filled looks of pity. To his satisfaction, the attention went back to Otho and Lobelia, who was now shrinking in her chair at the dark looks she was receiving.
In spit of everything, Shiriff Proudfeet was not convinced. "No one doubts your affection for the lad, Bilbo," he said, his tone surprisingly soft. "But the fact remains that you think Lobelia and Otho are responsible for Frodo's kidnapping....but I don't think so."
Bilbo's gasp of shock was lost in everyone else's, including Lobelia and Otho's.
"On what evidence?" Bilbo exclaimed.
"On the lack of yours," he replied, simply.
"How so?"
"Because of this: although the Sackville-Bagginses did have the motives for the crime you accuse them of, they did not have the opportunity. For as they claim, Lotho has been at his uncle's in Michael Delving these last three weeks. Lobelia and Otho have not gone any journeys or been seen anywhere else in the Shire these last weeks. And as for the night you spoke, when the exchange occurred, I can testify myself that Otho anyway was at the local pub. I saw him lose quite badly in a game of cards there, and then stomp off in the late hours of the night. Because of this, I think we can safely say that none of the Sackville-Bagginses could have possibly been the one that was present before you on the night of the exchange."
Whispers, now extremely annoying to Bilbo's ears, began to buzz loudly. He couldn't believe it....he still couldn't. Turning to face them, he saw that they were scowling at him still, as was their nature, yet they seemed relieved nonetheless.
Bilbo swallowed with difficulty. It couldn't be...who else would do something like this but them?
"If you did not do this," he asked, his voice rough, "Then why are you moving, if not for the purpose of avoiding me?"
"You're such a self-centered pig," Lobelia hissed, and Bilbo gladly returned the scowl. "We've decided to move to Michael Delving to be with Lotho, since he works there now. Besides, if we had reason to leave because of you, don't you think we would've left a little sooner, not knowing it would take you four days to get here?"
Giggles erupted from a few, and Bilbo fumed so greatly that his chest palpitated with rage. He would have charged at her if the truth hadn't descended on him like a cold block of ice....they weren't the ones. Otho had not been the masked hobbit he had seen in the forest that night.
With the excitement seemingly finished, the faces slowly began to move away from the window. Shiriff Proudfeet made a quiet retreat, and Lobelia and Otho both shot Bilbo and Hamfast looks to 'go away.'
'But it's not done!' Bilbo thought, furiously, even as Hamfast began to lead him gently away. 'It's not finished. If it wasn't them....then it was someone else....' Stepping outside, Bilbo looked up to see the retreating hobbits as well as those remaining behind to watch him. 'It could be anybody.'
"Next time, decide to recite your crazy stories elsewhere, Bilbo," Otho called back, but he didn't answer.
As Bilbo walked past the crowd of hobbits, he felt like a greater failure than when he'd first entered. At least then he had thought he could have avenged Frodo a little bit...
Unknown to himself, those that watched him leave had been very moved by his attempt, however unsuccessful, of avenging his beloved nephew.
Whispers continued to follow him as he walked away, and he felt his palms began to itch in agitation. He didn't want to hear them right now, he'd had enough, and as he continued to walk the desire to be alone enveloped him like a suffocating blanket.
Then he remembered, as he fiddled with his vest pocket, that he had his ring. He always pocketed it when he went out, but it had been a long time since he had felt the urge to use it...until now. The desire strengthened as he thought of putting it on, and before he knew it his feet were breaking away from the crowd.
Bilbo quickly informed Hamfast and Halfred that he would head home on his own, and then walked away down a side path until he was sure that he was alone. Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, he retrieved the gold ring from his pocket, and put it on.
It felt better having it on at the moment. There was no longer a worry of hobbits glancing at him as he returned to the road and continued the walk home, and he didn't hear muttering behind his ear. It was as though he could pass out of existence whenever he wanted, and in that moment there was never a great relief to do so.
Bilbo closed his eyes for a moment and expelled a long, tired sigh.
It had been a while since he'd worn it...months in fact, since before Frodo came. Once the lad had moved in, Bilbo refrained from using it, just in case he didn't scare the child. He didn't know why he hadn't ever told Frodo about it. But Frodo was gone now, so it would not longer be a worry.
The Shire was quiet as he passed down the road towards home. The evening had come and gone, and now the sky was a pallet of dark blue shades above him.
By the time he was within a mile from home, the fury that had restored the energy and life into him throughout the day began to ebb some. Weariness began to seep into his limbs again, though not nearly as badly as before. Whether he would have been able to stop it or not, today had broken him out of the stupor he'd been in and he couldn't just go back to sitting in front of his fire now. Too much had happened. And although he was still grieving, he felt drained somehow of at least some doubts, and it felt good to be outside again, to be going somewhere.
Walking along the side of the hill, the road ran nearly straight. As Bilbo stared at it before him, he began to wonder for the first time since the exchange what he should do with himself now....where did his future lie?
Just a few months ago he had made a decision to take Frodo in, which had altered his entire future. But that future, in all its advantages and prior inconveniences, had now been ripped away from him. He no longer had someone to take care of, nor was he bound by obligations.
Even as he thought on this, Bilbo's eyes unconsciously lifted to the Misty Mountains far off in the distance. They looked like nothing more than little white peaks against the purpling sky.
'Should I just leave now?' he wondered to himself.
With his feet continuing to lead him down the road, the mountains far off in the distance before him, it felt as though he had already began making his journey there.
TBC
Ubiquitous Pitt: THERE YOU GO! THERE'S THE RING!! HEHEE, I know you've been waiting for it. :)
See? It's there....and I deliberately haven't mentioned it until now, and I hope I gave good enough explanation as to why. It really didn't have a presence beforehand but believe me when I say it's going to have significance now.
Ack......this turned out far too serious. This was supposed to be a funny chapter. Oh dear........too late now. Anyway, next chapter not so intense. At least I'm say that. Who knows what it will actually turn out to be. But next chapter contains what Bilbo finds when he comes home.
Thanks to everyone who reviews, those that are occasional and those that are constant. If not for you, I probably wouldn't have gotten this far with the fic. So, in effort to help me along, please review and let me know what you think! It shall further push me on to get to better times with the story. I swear it doesn't have an ending that reads: "My life is miserable" and everyone dies. I promise. :)
Next chapter title: A Burglar's Plan. Heheheee!!!