I Will Protect You
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, here's part seven of the story. I really would like some pointers on this because I'm trying to work on my writing style. If you have any comments or helpful suggestions, please put them on your review. Thanks!
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Frodo walked through the halls of the Fairy Kingdom, thinking. He wanted to follow Sam's advice, but he wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. He continued walking, not really wanting to go anywhere, just wanting to walk and think.
It was always summer in the Fairy Kingdom, so there were no glass in the windows, just a curtain that you could pull closed for privacy. The halls were open, with no walls on the sides, just railings so that you wouldn't stumble and fall out. The only exception to this was the halls were the bedrooms were kept. They had firm solid walls.
Frodo was walking through one of the open halls and running his hand idly along the railing as he went. He reached a place where the railing ended and there were steps that lead down into a sort of miniature courtyard. It was made entirely out of stone. In the center, a large marble pool shimmered with clear water, and pink and white water lilies floated lazily about.
Frodo's heart stopped for a moment when he saw Lorenthia sitting at the edge of the pool. She had her skirts drawn up to her knees and her legs were dangling in the water. She had a very dreamy expression on her face that made Frodo's heart instantly swell with love.
He stood there, nervously contemplating. Did he dare approach her? He thought about his conversation with Sam and decided that he did dare. He walked down the stairs and toward the pool.
Lorenthia looked up and smiled when she saw him coming. "Good morning, Frodo." She patted the ground next to her, and he sat down Indian-style. "How is Sam?"
"He's getting better, although he's still very weak."
Lorenthia nodded, "That's not surprising. Grindwith said it'd take a month, and you've only been here three days." She paused a moment and looked out over the water lilies. "You were in there an awfully long time this morning. I had to practically restrain Fern from barging in throwing you out." Frodo laughed at the mental image that statement created. "What were you two talking about in there?"
"Oh, j-just stuff," Frodo stammered, blushing.
Lorenthia noticed his embarrassment and (to his relief) decided to change the subject. "Do you want to go for a walk? You really haven't seen much of the Fairy Kingdom and it'd be fun to show you around."
"Sure," said Frodo, happy at the prospect of spending time with her.
Lorenthia went up to her room and changed into pants and a shirt. Fern packed them a lunch to take in case they got hungry. They set off, and Lorenthia led him through the city gates and into the rural part of the kingdom. Soon, they were walking down a dirt road with fields of wild flowers on either side.
"I don't understand," said Frodo, "I thought we were shrunk. So why does everything seem normal size?"
"Because we are still inside the Fairy Kingdom." Lorenthia replied, "Everything inside the boarders is shrunk down. Look over there." Lorenthia pointed off into the distance. Even though it was a clear day, there seemed to be a wall of white mist. "That's the boarder. Outside of that, everything is normal sized."
They walked in silence for awhile, just happy of the other's company. Frodo surveyed the countryside happily. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever been in, in his entire life.
They came to a grove of cool shady trees. Lorenthia pulled him over to sit under a blossoming cherry tree that sat beside a crystal clear stream. The cherry blossoms fell through the air, creating a soft cushion beneath them, covering their clothes and hair, and filling the air with the light, beautiful scent of cherries.
"By the time we're ready to leave here," Lorenthia said, "the cherries will be ripe, and we'll be able to take a bunch of them with us. Wait till you taste them, they're the sweetest cherries you'll ever taste."
Frodo looked up at the falling flowers, lost in memory. "I remember, back in the Shire, there was a little tree like this beside the river. When I'd first come to the Shire and Bilbo had announced that I'd be his heir, some people weren't too friendly to me. Others, were sort of scared of me and were much too polite. I felt as though I didn't have a friend in the world. So, I gave up on making friends, and I'd spent my time sitting under that tree every day and reading. Everyonce in awhile, a rather large boy with messy blond hair would come and sit under a tree near me and fish in the river. He seemed friendly enough, and one day, when he was fishing, he slipped and fell into the river. The current was quite strong that day, and he could swim. I reached and pulled him out. After that, when he'd come to the river, he'd sit near me and we'd talk. That was how I first met Sam. He was my first real friend."
Lorenthia smiled, "I know. I remember that."
Frodo looked over at her, thoughtful. "You know so much about me. You seem to understand everything I do and what I'm thinking. I just wish I understood you half as well."
"Like I said Frodo," Lorenthia said, reaching over to smooth some of the light pink petals from his curly dark hair, "you can ask me anything in the world. It's only fair that you know more about me when I know so much about you. Now's the perfect time since we have no interruptions. Ask away."
"Well," Frodo paused to think, "you said that you're half hobbit and half fairy. I know what you are but I don't know anything about your parents and where you come from."
Lorenthia looked down at her lap, sadness seeping into her lovely blue eyes. "My parents. . ." she trailed off and swallowed hard, "They're dead."
Frodo felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he saw the pain that crept into her eyes. He reached out and put and hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said, "I shouldn't have asked that. We can change the subject if you want."
"No," Lorenthia said, reaching up and taking his hand in her own, "I want to tell you about this. Back in my mother and father's day, the Fairy Kingdom had very little contact with the outside world. The council decided that they should try to learn about other cultures and creatures in order to better understand them and live peacefully with them.
"So, they picked a team of volunteers to go out and learn about different cultures. My father volunteered to go and live in a village of hobbits for awhile. That's how he met my mother. They fell in love, were married, and had me. While most of the other hobbits in the village found it slightly strange that my mother would marry outside her race, they didn't object to the paring.
"Only, there was one hobbit in the village who was furious when my mother married. He didn't act like most hobbits. He had a quick temper and a depressing personality. Some say he had a little troll blood in him, and that was the reason why he acted to brutally.
"Anyway, he had been secretly in love with my mother, and when she married he became angry, violently angry. He went over to the house one night and challenged my father to a fight. They fought with swords. Somehow, the man managed to knock my father's sword out of his reach, and he was about to kill him, when my mother jumped in the way. He stabbed her instead. When this occurred, the man became frightened and ran away.
"My father had been greatly wounded in the battle. He was dying, and he knew it. He somehow managed to contact his friends in the Fairy Kingdom before he dyed. They came and got me, and brought me here."
Lorenthia let out a shaky sigh, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "Even though I was so little when it happened, sometimes in the night, I can still hear my mother's scream that she gave right before she died."
Frodo sat there, silently gripping her hand. Seeing her so sad made his heart feel as though it had shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. For the first time since he had met her, she looked vulnerable. He wanted to do something, anything to protect her from the sadness she was feeling.
He slowly, and very hesitantly, reached out and gathered her up in his arms, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around her. Lorenthia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself tightly against him, and buried her face in his chest.
"Shhh," Frodo whispered, "It's all right." He brought an unsure hand up and began to stroke her hair, running his fingers through it and whispering any comfort he could think of.
Even though Frodo's heart felt broken with sadness, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of joy swell in his chest at the feel of having her in his arms. He bent his head down and buried his face in her hair. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. She smelled of water lilies and rose petals.
After a few minutes, Lorenthia pulled from his grasp slightly, though not enough that she moved out of his lap. "I'm sorry," she said, "Now I've gotten your shirt all wet."
"No, I'm sorry." Frodo said, lovingly running a hand down her cheek, "I shouldn't have made you relive all that."
Lorenthia took both of his hands in hers. "Well, I guess we have something in common. We're both orphans."
She turned so that she was still in his lap, but was now facing the same way he was. She leaned against him so that her back was against his chest, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and wrapped his arms tightly around her. They sat in silence like that for a long while. Until the sun was setting over the misty horizon, and they headed back to the city.
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, here's part seven of the story. I really would like some pointers on this because I'm trying to work on my writing style. If you have any comments or helpful suggestions, please put them on your review. Thanks!
______________________________________________________________
Frodo walked through the halls of the Fairy Kingdom, thinking. He wanted to follow Sam's advice, but he wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. He continued walking, not really wanting to go anywhere, just wanting to walk and think.
It was always summer in the Fairy Kingdom, so there were no glass in the windows, just a curtain that you could pull closed for privacy. The halls were open, with no walls on the sides, just railings so that you wouldn't stumble and fall out. The only exception to this was the halls were the bedrooms were kept. They had firm solid walls.
Frodo was walking through one of the open halls and running his hand idly along the railing as he went. He reached a place where the railing ended and there were steps that lead down into a sort of miniature courtyard. It was made entirely out of stone. In the center, a large marble pool shimmered with clear water, and pink and white water lilies floated lazily about.
Frodo's heart stopped for a moment when he saw Lorenthia sitting at the edge of the pool. She had her skirts drawn up to her knees and her legs were dangling in the water. She had a very dreamy expression on her face that made Frodo's heart instantly swell with love.
He stood there, nervously contemplating. Did he dare approach her? He thought about his conversation with Sam and decided that he did dare. He walked down the stairs and toward the pool.
Lorenthia looked up and smiled when she saw him coming. "Good morning, Frodo." She patted the ground next to her, and he sat down Indian-style. "How is Sam?"
"He's getting better, although he's still very weak."
Lorenthia nodded, "That's not surprising. Grindwith said it'd take a month, and you've only been here three days." She paused a moment and looked out over the water lilies. "You were in there an awfully long time this morning. I had to practically restrain Fern from barging in throwing you out." Frodo laughed at the mental image that statement created. "What were you two talking about in there?"
"Oh, j-just stuff," Frodo stammered, blushing.
Lorenthia noticed his embarrassment and (to his relief) decided to change the subject. "Do you want to go for a walk? You really haven't seen much of the Fairy Kingdom and it'd be fun to show you around."
"Sure," said Frodo, happy at the prospect of spending time with her.
Lorenthia went up to her room and changed into pants and a shirt. Fern packed them a lunch to take in case they got hungry. They set off, and Lorenthia led him through the city gates and into the rural part of the kingdom. Soon, they were walking down a dirt road with fields of wild flowers on either side.
"I don't understand," said Frodo, "I thought we were shrunk. So why does everything seem normal size?"
"Because we are still inside the Fairy Kingdom." Lorenthia replied, "Everything inside the boarders is shrunk down. Look over there." Lorenthia pointed off into the distance. Even though it was a clear day, there seemed to be a wall of white mist. "That's the boarder. Outside of that, everything is normal sized."
They walked in silence for awhile, just happy of the other's company. Frodo surveyed the countryside happily. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever been in, in his entire life.
They came to a grove of cool shady trees. Lorenthia pulled him over to sit under a blossoming cherry tree that sat beside a crystal clear stream. The cherry blossoms fell through the air, creating a soft cushion beneath them, covering their clothes and hair, and filling the air with the light, beautiful scent of cherries.
"By the time we're ready to leave here," Lorenthia said, "the cherries will be ripe, and we'll be able to take a bunch of them with us. Wait till you taste them, they're the sweetest cherries you'll ever taste."
Frodo looked up at the falling flowers, lost in memory. "I remember, back in the Shire, there was a little tree like this beside the river. When I'd first come to the Shire and Bilbo had announced that I'd be his heir, some people weren't too friendly to me. Others, were sort of scared of me and were much too polite. I felt as though I didn't have a friend in the world. So, I gave up on making friends, and I'd spent my time sitting under that tree every day and reading. Everyonce in awhile, a rather large boy with messy blond hair would come and sit under a tree near me and fish in the river. He seemed friendly enough, and one day, when he was fishing, he slipped and fell into the river. The current was quite strong that day, and he could swim. I reached and pulled him out. After that, when he'd come to the river, he'd sit near me and we'd talk. That was how I first met Sam. He was my first real friend."
Lorenthia smiled, "I know. I remember that."
Frodo looked over at her, thoughtful. "You know so much about me. You seem to understand everything I do and what I'm thinking. I just wish I understood you half as well."
"Like I said Frodo," Lorenthia said, reaching over to smooth some of the light pink petals from his curly dark hair, "you can ask me anything in the world. It's only fair that you know more about me when I know so much about you. Now's the perfect time since we have no interruptions. Ask away."
"Well," Frodo paused to think, "you said that you're half hobbit and half fairy. I know what you are but I don't know anything about your parents and where you come from."
Lorenthia looked down at her lap, sadness seeping into her lovely blue eyes. "My parents. . ." she trailed off and swallowed hard, "They're dead."
Frodo felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he saw the pain that crept into her eyes. He reached out and put and hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said, "I shouldn't have asked that. We can change the subject if you want."
"No," Lorenthia said, reaching up and taking his hand in her own, "I want to tell you about this. Back in my mother and father's day, the Fairy Kingdom had very little contact with the outside world. The council decided that they should try to learn about other cultures and creatures in order to better understand them and live peacefully with them.
"So, they picked a team of volunteers to go out and learn about different cultures. My father volunteered to go and live in a village of hobbits for awhile. That's how he met my mother. They fell in love, were married, and had me. While most of the other hobbits in the village found it slightly strange that my mother would marry outside her race, they didn't object to the paring.
"Only, there was one hobbit in the village who was furious when my mother married. He didn't act like most hobbits. He had a quick temper and a depressing personality. Some say he had a little troll blood in him, and that was the reason why he acted to brutally.
"Anyway, he had been secretly in love with my mother, and when she married he became angry, violently angry. He went over to the house one night and challenged my father to a fight. They fought with swords. Somehow, the man managed to knock my father's sword out of his reach, and he was about to kill him, when my mother jumped in the way. He stabbed her instead. When this occurred, the man became frightened and ran away.
"My father had been greatly wounded in the battle. He was dying, and he knew it. He somehow managed to contact his friends in the Fairy Kingdom before he dyed. They came and got me, and brought me here."
Lorenthia let out a shaky sigh, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "Even though I was so little when it happened, sometimes in the night, I can still hear my mother's scream that she gave right before she died."
Frodo sat there, silently gripping her hand. Seeing her so sad made his heart feel as though it had shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. For the first time since he had met her, she looked vulnerable. He wanted to do something, anything to protect her from the sadness she was feeling.
He slowly, and very hesitantly, reached out and gathered her up in his arms, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around her. Lorenthia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself tightly against him, and buried her face in his chest.
"Shhh," Frodo whispered, "It's all right." He brought an unsure hand up and began to stroke her hair, running his fingers through it and whispering any comfort he could think of.
Even though Frodo's heart felt broken with sadness, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of joy swell in his chest at the feel of having her in his arms. He bent his head down and buried his face in her hair. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. She smelled of water lilies and rose petals.
After a few minutes, Lorenthia pulled from his grasp slightly, though not enough that she moved out of his lap. "I'm sorry," she said, "Now I've gotten your shirt all wet."
"No, I'm sorry." Frodo said, lovingly running a hand down her cheek, "I shouldn't have made you relive all that."
Lorenthia took both of his hands in hers. "Well, I guess we have something in common. We're both orphans."
She turned so that she was still in his lap, but was now facing the same way he was. She leaned against him so that her back was against his chest, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and wrapped his arms tightly around her. They sat in silence like that for a long while. Until the sun was setting over the misty horizon, and they headed back to the city.