Chapter 3

The Land with the Swift Sunrise

Frodo and Bilbo had made it safely to the Undying Lands. They were welcomed warmly by the Elves. Elrond was reunited with his wife, Celebrian, who was the spitting image of Galadriel. Frodo was amazed to see this beautiful, peaceful land. He had never imagined anything like it. For a time, he was placed under the care of some healers, who examined his old wounds and listened to his nightmares. It was decided where he and Bilbo could stay in the East Wing of the beautiful palace where the Elves lived.

"So, you are being placed under the care of Basso…you're in for a wonderful surprise." Celebrian had told him.

"Who is Basso?" Frodo asked.

"You will see." Celebrian gave him a kind smile. "I believe you will be most delighted." She led them to the beautiful suite they would be living in. "I hope you will be comfortable here." She said. "Let us know if you need anything." She turned and left the room.

~jb~

"Frodo, no!" May screamed, sitting up in her bed. She covered her mouth when she heard hasty footsteps approach her door. Blair burst into her room, holding a candle.

"May, are you all right?" She panted.

"Yes, I'm fine…" May replied, also panting. "Just another nightmare…"

"I see," Blair sighed in relief. "Have you been reading or drawing lately?"

May got out of her bed and walked to her desk. "I have been reading…but I guess I should do some drawing."

When May was younger, she would have many nightmares. Her parents tried everything to stop them. They would put a candle on her night-table at night. They had purchased a plush dog to 'protect' her. The simple remedies seemed to help, but only for a while. They finally took her to a physician. He didn't know much about dreams, but he suggested she read and draw more. After Bilbo gave her some lessons on reading, and May was given sketchbooks for her birthday, the nightmares ceased. Occasionally, she would still have a nightmare, but not as often when she was little. Lately, as May read the stories about the War of the Ring, she began to have nightmares again.

"All right…let me know if there's anything I can do for you." Blair replied, setting the candle on May's desk.

"Thank you…" May replied. She focused on her sketchbook and drew pictures under the candlelight. She attempted to draw the hobbit she found in the book earlier. After all these years, she noticed how much her drawing skills had improved. She picked up a parchment from when she was eleven and nearly gagged at how awful it looked. She tried to draw her plush dog, but Daisy told her it looked like a fat pig…she was right…

She looked down at her drawing…it wasn't too bad, despite some of the flaws and uneven proportions… still, it was much better than her old plush-dog drawing. She smiled at her drawings. She yawned and stretched her arms. She wasn't sure if she would be able to go back to sleep, but she stood and went back to bed. As she pulled the covers back up to her chin, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Think happy things…" She whispered to herself, as her mother always would after soothing May from her nightmares. "Think happy things…"