DISCLAIMER: Of course. The characters don't belong to me, I just get to think about them day and night.
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WHISPERS OF THE DRAGON
Chapter 2 --- The Dragon
Frodo awoke to a chill morning, roused by Sam gently calling his name. He was startled to learn that he had somehow slept through dinner and would likely have slept through breakfast as well. He rose, grateful that his head had stopped pounding. He ate ravenously of the bread, cheese, and dried fruits, and noticed that the strange feeling of disorientation from the day before had disappeared as well.
"How are you doing, Frodo?" asked Aragorn, coming to sit by him. He had been talking quietly with Legolas, who joined them as well.
"I feel fine. I felt so strange yesterday I thought I might be getting sick, but it seems to have passed."
"That's interesting," Legolas mused.
"What do you mean?"
The Elf looked thoughtful. "Aragorn and I were just talking about how you were feeling last night. There is a transition of sorts between Lothlórien and the rest of Middle-earth. Time flows a bit differently there than here. You seem to have been affected by it, although I would not have thought a mortal would sense such a subtle thing. Perhaps the presence of the Ring has given you a sharper perception of what is for the most part unseen and unfelt by others." He smiled at Frodo and rose to help Gimli pack the remainder of their gear.
The Ring. During their last days in Lórien Frodo had been able to all but forget that it hung about his neck, but as soon as they left the borders he had felt its presence strongly once again. He sighed, thinking about what Legolas had said. If the Ring was altering his perceptions, what else might it be doing to him?
**********************
Sam tried, he really did. After about half an hour, though, Aragorn gently uncurled Sam's rigid fingers from the paddle and conceded that maybe the hobbit could better serve as lookout than boatsman.
"It's all right Sam," Frodo sat in the forward seat (now well padded), and reached to pat his friend on the knee. "You do everything else so well I suppose we had to discover *one* skill lacking!"
"Thank you, Mr. Frodo," Sam said ruefully. "It's just when I lean out and push the paddle in the water, I just know I'm either going to drop it or tumble right over the side or......" He sighed. "It's just not natural, a Gamgee and water, and that's that."
Frodo saw that in the boat just behind Boromir was giving Pippin a few pointers. Merry, it turned out, had needed no instruction at all.
"I wonder whose boat Gandalf would have been in," Frodo mused quietly. "He might have wanted to keep an eye on Pippin and keep him from falling overboard, but I think Pip's grown up so much he wouldn't recognize him." Frodo's heart still ached for Gandalf, but the stay in Lórien had been a very healing time and at least now he could talk about him.
"I suspect the Elves would have given us a fourth boat if there were still nine of us," said Aragorn. "It's amusing to picture Gandalf paddling down the river with us in that outlandish hat." He was glad to see Frodo smile. "If we *would* have been using boats, that is. What plans Gandalf had past Lórien I suppose we will never know."
"I suppose not," Frodo said. He looked around. "Bilbo would have loved this. He always wanted to go everywhere and see everything. He'd be traveling still if he hadn't grown old and frail so quickly. It was hard to see him.........that way........." Frodo suddenly turned pale. "Old and frail........." he whispered to himself, aghast at a sudden thought. He looked up at Sam, wide-eyed.
"Mr. Frodo, there's no point in thinking such things," Sam declared.
Aragorn was looking from one hobbit to the other, completely confused. "What in the world are you two talking about?"
Frodo looked at him, obviously shaken. "Aragorn, how old do you think I am?"
"How old? What difference does........"
"Please. I know you've been helping guard the Shire for years, you must know more about hobbits than anyone except for Gandalf. How old do I look?"
Aragorn saw that Frodo was deadly serious about something, even a bit frightened. "Well, I know you're of age, Frodo. Sam and Merry seem about the same age. You look a bit younger. Pippin's much younger, no doubt about that. What is this all about?"
When Frodo didn't answer, Sam said, "That's a good guess, Strider. I'm 38 and Merry is 36. Pippin is 28, he'll be a tweenager for a few years yet."
"I'm 50, Aragorn," said Frodo.
"You are? Frodo, you don't look any older than........."
"I know," Frodo said. "It's the Ring. I've had it since I was 33, and haven't aged a day since." He sighed. "I'd gotten used to it, you know. Always looking the same. The way Bilbo always looked the same. Until he got rid of........got rid of it."
"I see," Aragorn said quietly. "He didn't start to age again until he got rid of the Ring. And when you get rid of it......"
"Yes," said Frodo. He looked out at the shoreline going by and said nothing more.
"Fifty is hardly old and frail, Frodo," said Aragorn after a few minutes. "I passed 50 quite a few years ago, and I can still stagger about and feed myself on occasion."
Frodo laughed, then grew serious again. "I just never thought of it before. I think the Ring is filling my head with all the reasons why I shouldn't destroy it. Why I should......" he absently fingered the chain about his neck.
"It's like the dragon, isn't it?" asked Sam.
Frodo was startled out of his reverie. "What do you mean?"
"It's like that dragon from Mr. Bilbo's adventure. That Smaug. He said dragons tell you just enough truth to make you believe everything they say. You stop listening to yourself and start listening to them. You can't listen to dragons, that's all. You can't look them in the eye." He looked at Frodo intently. "You can't listen, Mr. Frodo. You just can't."
"Sam," Frodo whispered. He bowed his head, his hand dropping into his lap. He took a deep breath. "Thank you."
Aragorn put his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Forget about the paddling, Sam. Frodo is right --- you do everything else very well indeed."
** TBC **
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WHISPERS OF THE DRAGON
Chapter 2 --- The Dragon
Frodo awoke to a chill morning, roused by Sam gently calling his name. He was startled to learn that he had somehow slept through dinner and would likely have slept through breakfast as well. He rose, grateful that his head had stopped pounding. He ate ravenously of the bread, cheese, and dried fruits, and noticed that the strange feeling of disorientation from the day before had disappeared as well.
"How are you doing, Frodo?" asked Aragorn, coming to sit by him. He had been talking quietly with Legolas, who joined them as well.
"I feel fine. I felt so strange yesterday I thought I might be getting sick, but it seems to have passed."
"That's interesting," Legolas mused.
"What do you mean?"
The Elf looked thoughtful. "Aragorn and I were just talking about how you were feeling last night. There is a transition of sorts between Lothlórien and the rest of Middle-earth. Time flows a bit differently there than here. You seem to have been affected by it, although I would not have thought a mortal would sense such a subtle thing. Perhaps the presence of the Ring has given you a sharper perception of what is for the most part unseen and unfelt by others." He smiled at Frodo and rose to help Gimli pack the remainder of their gear.
The Ring. During their last days in Lórien Frodo had been able to all but forget that it hung about his neck, but as soon as they left the borders he had felt its presence strongly once again. He sighed, thinking about what Legolas had said. If the Ring was altering his perceptions, what else might it be doing to him?
**********************
Sam tried, he really did. After about half an hour, though, Aragorn gently uncurled Sam's rigid fingers from the paddle and conceded that maybe the hobbit could better serve as lookout than boatsman.
"It's all right Sam," Frodo sat in the forward seat (now well padded), and reached to pat his friend on the knee. "You do everything else so well I suppose we had to discover *one* skill lacking!"
"Thank you, Mr. Frodo," Sam said ruefully. "It's just when I lean out and push the paddle in the water, I just know I'm either going to drop it or tumble right over the side or......" He sighed. "It's just not natural, a Gamgee and water, and that's that."
Frodo saw that in the boat just behind Boromir was giving Pippin a few pointers. Merry, it turned out, had needed no instruction at all.
"I wonder whose boat Gandalf would have been in," Frodo mused quietly. "He might have wanted to keep an eye on Pippin and keep him from falling overboard, but I think Pip's grown up so much he wouldn't recognize him." Frodo's heart still ached for Gandalf, but the stay in Lórien had been a very healing time and at least now he could talk about him.
"I suspect the Elves would have given us a fourth boat if there were still nine of us," said Aragorn. "It's amusing to picture Gandalf paddling down the river with us in that outlandish hat." He was glad to see Frodo smile. "If we *would* have been using boats, that is. What plans Gandalf had past Lórien I suppose we will never know."
"I suppose not," Frodo said. He looked around. "Bilbo would have loved this. He always wanted to go everywhere and see everything. He'd be traveling still if he hadn't grown old and frail so quickly. It was hard to see him.........that way........." Frodo suddenly turned pale. "Old and frail........." he whispered to himself, aghast at a sudden thought. He looked up at Sam, wide-eyed.
"Mr. Frodo, there's no point in thinking such things," Sam declared.
Aragorn was looking from one hobbit to the other, completely confused. "What in the world are you two talking about?"
Frodo looked at him, obviously shaken. "Aragorn, how old do you think I am?"
"How old? What difference does........"
"Please. I know you've been helping guard the Shire for years, you must know more about hobbits than anyone except for Gandalf. How old do I look?"
Aragorn saw that Frodo was deadly serious about something, even a bit frightened. "Well, I know you're of age, Frodo. Sam and Merry seem about the same age. You look a bit younger. Pippin's much younger, no doubt about that. What is this all about?"
When Frodo didn't answer, Sam said, "That's a good guess, Strider. I'm 38 and Merry is 36. Pippin is 28, he'll be a tweenager for a few years yet."
"I'm 50, Aragorn," said Frodo.
"You are? Frodo, you don't look any older than........."
"I know," Frodo said. "It's the Ring. I've had it since I was 33, and haven't aged a day since." He sighed. "I'd gotten used to it, you know. Always looking the same. The way Bilbo always looked the same. Until he got rid of........got rid of it."
"I see," Aragorn said quietly. "He didn't start to age again until he got rid of the Ring. And when you get rid of it......"
"Yes," said Frodo. He looked out at the shoreline going by and said nothing more.
"Fifty is hardly old and frail, Frodo," said Aragorn after a few minutes. "I passed 50 quite a few years ago, and I can still stagger about and feed myself on occasion."
Frodo laughed, then grew serious again. "I just never thought of it before. I think the Ring is filling my head with all the reasons why I shouldn't destroy it. Why I should......" he absently fingered the chain about his neck.
"It's like the dragon, isn't it?" asked Sam.
Frodo was startled out of his reverie. "What do you mean?"
"It's like that dragon from Mr. Bilbo's adventure. That Smaug. He said dragons tell you just enough truth to make you believe everything they say. You stop listening to yourself and start listening to them. You can't listen to dragons, that's all. You can't look them in the eye." He looked at Frodo intently. "You can't listen, Mr. Frodo. You just can't."
"Sam," Frodo whispered. He bowed his head, his hand dropping into his lap. He took a deep breath. "Thank you."
Aragorn put his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Forget about the paddling, Sam. Frodo is right --- you do everything else very well indeed."
** TBC **