Chapter 9
Hobbiton
The five hobbits had been travelling for a few hours through the Shire. They decided to stop at the Green Dragon that night, hoping not many hobbits would notice these newcomers.
Frodo would be the only one who would get away with using his real name. He suggested Bilbo use the name "Underhill." (For old time's sake.) As the hobbits all settled in, they decided to relax in the tavern. They were dismayed to see the tavern unusually busy that night. As Frodo sat at the bar and gazed at his mug, a few hands began to slap him in the shoulders. He turned to see his cousins; Merry, Pippin, and Ferdibrand.
"Back so soon?" Merry asked with a teasing grin. "I thought he was gone for good!"
"Maybe he came back for a special someone?" Pippin guessed, winking.
"Wouldn't surprise me!" Ferdibrand added.
Frodo felt overjoyed; he stood to embrace his cousins. "It's good to see you all!" He cried.
"You too cousin!" Merry replied happily. "But seriously, what brings you back here?"
"Good question!" Sam suddenly cut in. He was standing with May, Rosie, and a hobbitess he had never met before- though she seemed familiar.
"Wait until everyone hears you're back!" May said. "Unless…you don't want the attention."
"I'm here…meeting with friends…" Frodo said nervously. "We're…er…running a special errand, you could say."
"Hm…something tells me you're not going to specify." Merry grumbled. "As is a stubborn Baggins." He sighed. "Well, enjoy your brief stay in Hobbiton."
"We're glad to have you back, nonetheless." May smiled. The group began to disperse. Frodo spotted his traveling companions and noticed more and more hobbits were gathering around them, asking questions. Frodo could tell they all seemed uneasy- even Bilbo.
"Frodo?" Ferdibrand gently elbowed his cousin. "Is everything all right?"
Frodo didn't answer, he took a deep breath as butterflies formed in his stomach. He ran toward the nearest table and stood on top of it. He swallowed and began to sing. He paused for a second, nearly choking on the lump in his throat. But the hobbits' cheering of encouragement gave him the courage to continue. There was another cheer. Suddenly, Merry hopped up on the table and began to sing with him. Sam and Pippin jumped in beside them and the four continued the song together. The hobbits paused as the hobbits with instruments in the corner began to play the song. The hobbits took this pause as a chance to find a partner. Sam immediately ran to Rosie, who took his hand excitedly. Pippin found Diamond of Long Cleeve, who blushed and smiled when he offered his hand to her. Merry extended his hand to Estella Bolger, who rolled her eyes, and took his hand half-heartedly. Frodo looked around the room for a moment and locked his eyes with May. She smiled, nodded, and ran to him. Each hobbit helped their partner on the table and continued the sang as May twirled. Merry joined, dancing with Estella, who was half-smiling. Pippin sang, as Diamond continued to blush. Sam sang loudly.
Now, all eight hobbits were singing together. The song took another pause, but the music continued to play. The hobbits helped the ladies from the table, and May began to dance. The hobbits were impressed with May's dancing, for they never knew she could dance like that before. Frodo supposed these things tend to happen when you have five siblings. After her dance, she continued leading the song. With the hobbits distracted by the song, this allowed the ancient hobbits to sneak out of the tavern, one by one until Bilbo was left.
"Fi-fo-fiddle-diddle, fi-fo-fiddle-diddle!" Soon, other hobbits gathered, joining in the dance as May led it. She sang out with Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, and the crowd followed. May even convinced Blair to join in the dance. As the song climaxed, hobbits began to find partners. Blair twirled, absentmindedly. She didn't often let go like this. She usually stayed by the side, watching other hobbits. She too often worried about being a proper lady. But tonight…she felt so…free. Lost in thought, she accidently twirled into someone's arms. She opened her eyes, shocked to see Ferdibrand Took staring right at her. At first, she felt surprised, but then smiled at him and allowed him to spin her around in the air. They continued to dance.
Frodo and May ran to each other once again and danced. Bilbo seized an opportunity to sneak out the door, accidently bumping into a hobbitess playing the violin.
"Sorry," He whispered.
"It's fine." She whispered back, before playing her violin again.
Bilbo looked over to see Frodo and May dancing. This made Bilbo hesitant to leave. He was interested in the look in Frodo's eyes. They were gazing admirably at May, who smiled back at him.
At the end of the song, Frodo held May in his arms and spun her around. He gently placed her down after the music stopped. Thoughts ran through Bilbo's mind- quicker than he could keep up. A hiss at the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Bilbo!" Basso gestured to follow. Bilbo jumped and quickly followed the other hobbits out.
"Thank you!" Frodo said, catching his breath.
"No, thank you!" May breathed. "That was the most fun I've had in a while."
"Frodo!" Sam walked up to him. "I was thinking…why don't you and your companions stay at Bag End for the night. Your friends didn't seem too comfortable here."
"You're right Sam." Frodo nodded. Maybe he didn't need to cause such a distraction after all. Of course, Sam would notice their discomfort, in fact, he probably noticed the four of them leaving the tavern. It would seem nothing would go unmissed by the Gamgee's…
"Yes, please stay tonight." Rosie insisted.
"Very well." Frodo replied. "But first, let me get some water." Frodo walked over to the bar and ordered his drink. As he gulped down the clean, cool water, Ferdibrand walked up to him.
"You know, Merry and Pippin are suspicious." He said.
"What else is new?" Frodo asked.
"I can keep a secret…tell me what's going on."
Frodo looked around to see if anyone was hearing. No one seemed to be listening. "You know the hobbit with the red coat?"
"One of your companions?" Ferdibrand clarified.
"He's not Mr. Underhill…his name is Bilbo Baggins." Frodo said.
Ferdibrand stared at his cousin in awe. "I don't know if I believe you… but you don't seem to be the type of Hobbit that would lie..." Ferdibrand mused.
"Well, that's not the reason we're here." Frodo continued. "I just didn't want to leave you out of the loop…since you seem to want to help so much."
"I appreciate that." Ferdibrand nodded. "So, you have returned for a reason…what is it?"
"I'm ill…" Frodo said. "In a way I'm…cursed…and the only solution is if I travel to Gundabad and retrieve a stone with healing properties."
"So, you're on your way to find a magic stone…" Ferdibrand nodded. He took a sip of ale from his mug and set it down. "Let me help you."
~jb~
"Frodo! Over here!" Basso hissed from a nearby bush, as Frodo and Ferdibrand walked out of the tavern. The two walked over and met with the other hobbits. Frodo quickly introduced Ferdibrand and explained that he wanted to help. Frodo also informed them that they could stay the night at Bag End.
The six hobbits made their way to Bag End without running into any nosy, or suspicious hobbits.
Once at the house, Sam and Rosie welcomed them and found rooms for each of the hobbits. May apparently traveled with Sam and stayed in Bag End to help Rosie with dinner.
May prepared a nice, calming tea to help the guests relax. She assumed they had travelled a long way. As the evening continued, she noticed Mr. Underhill seemed unsettled. She also noticed he hadn't shared his full name, unlike the other hobbits. There was also something about his face…something she might have seen before…something that she drew…
She approached him and poured a little more tea.
"Thank you." He said, smiling at her.
"You're welcome Bilbo." May replied, giving him a wink. Bilbo and Frodo both looked at her in surprise. She smiled and walked out of the dining room.
~jb~
May walked around the garden, it's familiar plants and trees bringing back childhood memories. She heard footsteps approaching behind her.
"Bilbo?" She asked, without having to turn her head.
"How did you-?"
"I have eyes in the back of my head." May replied.
"Yes, of course, I knew that!" Bilbo retorted. "How did you know my name?"
May turned to him. "There was a picture in the red book that Frodo gave to Sam… I was intrigued by it…It was very well drawn. I even drew my own copy…still nothing compared to the original. And then what do you know? The mystery hobbit shows up."
"You are a smart girl." Bilbo smiled. "Always have been."
"Who drew your picture?" May asked.
Bilbo hesitated. "A dwarf named Ori…" Bilbo's smiled faded. "He's… he's really dead, isn't he?"
May thought for a moment, thinking of the stories preserved in the read book. "Yes…I suppose he is…"
Bilbo nodded. "When we left for Valinor, I was hoping I could die there…and be reunited with my friends."
"Maybe you will see them one day." May suggested hopefully.
"Maybe." Bilbo smiled.
"Bilbo, why are you here?" May asked.
Bilbo hesitated. He looked around to see if there were any eavesdroppers. "I don't think I'm the one to tell you." He whispered.
"I see." May looked at the ground. "I was hoping to be of help…after all, it's the least I could do…"
Bilbo raised an eyebrow at her, urging her to continue.
"You taught me how to read and write…you helped me earn that apprenticeship from Mr. Proudfoot, and my parents were so worried they wouldn't be able to pay-"
"Mr. Proudfoot would not except money from anyone…he insisted to teach you his skills for free." Bilbo added, his memories flooding back.
"Still, if it weren't for you, I may have never become a physician." May continued.
"That's nice of you to say, May. But really, you don't have to trouble yourself on our account." Bilbo insisted.
"But I am a Gamgee." May smirked. "It's what we do."
"You seem so different than when you were younger." Bilbo admitted. "You used to be so ill-tempered."
"Sadly, that is a Gamgee trait, and a Goodchild trait." May laughed. "One time, I was watching over Mr. Proudfoot's herbs when a lad came in and tried to steal the sage…not sure why he went for the sage when he could've gone for the basil, or the cilantro…but each to his own, I guess…anyways, I gave him a black eye for that. He never attempted to steal from us again…I also hit Sam and gave him a bloody lip…it was an accident…I also kicked that Lotho Sackville-Baggins in the leg and pulled out some of his hair- he stole Marigold's doll and held it above his head and made her jump to grab it…Then there was that one time Hamson was bothering me when I was cutting slices of Mother's fresh bread. I threw the knife at him and missed- thank goodness, but it stuck into the wall…that is when I decided to be less ill-tempered." She turned and noticed a very concerned look on Bilbo's face. "Hey, it was a phase!" She quickly defended.
Bilbo chuckled. "Good. Glad it's over."
~jb~
"I'm not surprised May was able to figure that out." Frodo admitted as Rosie began to clear the table. The hobbits all had gone to bed. Frodo didn't feel tired yet.
"I'm not surprised either." Rosie agreed.
"Rosie, please." Frodo stood, taking the stacks of plates from her. "Let me do that…it's the least I can do…for you and Sam letting us stay for tonight."
"Sam and I would do anything for you." She smiled and left the kitchen.
Frodo walked over to the sink, placing the plates in and began to wash them. As he continued washing, he lifted a glass, getting ready to dry it. The glass suddenly slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor. As the glass shattered, images flashed through his mind. He saw the Eye, the Land of Mordor, the Orcs, the Ring…all the deaths he had seen on his account- such as Gandalf falling into the abyss with the Balrog. The images were so vivid and overwhelming, he had no sense of where he originally was, or what he was doing.
For a moment, he saw Gollum jump at him, hands reaching for his neck. Frodo flinched and closed his eyes, but felt warm, soft, gentle hands placed on his cheeks. He opened his eyes and saw a bright light. A voice spoke to him, but he could barely make it out. The light dimmed, and he thought he saw a she-elf, and the voice became clearer.
"Breathe…"
Frodo obeyed the voice and continued to gaze upon the elf. But the light only dimmed more to reveal a hobbitess.
"Just breathe…" She urged calmly. "I've got you…it's all right."
Frodo found himself back in the kitchen of Bag End, sitting on the ground, sweating. May sat in front of him, hands placed gently on his cheeks.
"Breathe…" She urged again.
Frodo obeyed, breathing in relief. "Thank you." He whispered. "I'm…sorry… I can't see…I mean I can see…I can't stop seeing…"
May pulled her hands away. "I understand." She said. "They say…time…you may be able to forget…even if it's a long time."
"Maybe…" Frodo replied. "But once you see…once things are in your head…it's hard to get it out…"
"Is that why you're back?" May asked.
"Yes…" Frodo said. "You really are sharp…sharper than any other Baggins I've ever met."
"Maybe it's a Gamgee thing." May winked.
"But you deserve to know…" Frodo hesitated. "We came back to Middle-Earth because…I'm ill, and none of your herbs can save me…but this Stone we are seeking can."
"I see…" May lowered her eyes. "Y'know…it really bothers me when I can't help someone…"
"You can't help everyone, May." Frodo said gently.
"I know." May sighed, but then her eyes brightened with that typical Gamgee determination. "But I won't stop trying!"
Frodo smiled. "Well, thank you for all your help anyways."
I'm super excited about this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! And wow, you really can't keep anything from the Gamgee's, can you?
