Chapter 10- Ah, campfire singing
I've got a rocky horror song in here as well. I thought I'd stick it in. At some point I'll have to write a LOTR/Rocky horror song parody fic, but until then, I'll just say that I'm a fan.
Oh yes, the other song that Froda sings is one of my favourite Travis songs, but I can't find the CD and I've forgotten the name. I'll tell you when I remember.
I've prattled for long enough, Enjoy!
_______________
The sun had set long ago and the fire and the torches they held only cut into the darkness a short way. It had taken a long time to get the fire going properly, and Sam hadn't seen anyone except Merry and Kavamir who brought him wood. Pippin had been with them, helping them as best as possible. Estel, Thorin and Ledron sat in their tent, playing shithead=+. No one had seen Mr Greenleaf or Gimli. He supposed that they were in the wood somewhere. He hadn't seen Froda either. 'Hey! Merry, Come over here!' Merry walked over to Sam.
'Yes master?' he asked in his jokester tone.
'Tell everyone that food is ready.'
'As you wish.' Said Merry. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, 'GET YOUR ARSES OVER HERE! DINNERS UP!'
This cry was received. They sat down either side of Sam and held out their plates. Sam ladled the pasta on the plate and they ate it gladly. Thorin appeared from somewhere and sat next to Estel. Sam took his plate and ladled some pasta in it. Thorin took it and tasted it like a food critic.
'Hey, not bad Sammy.' He said with his mouthful.
'Not bad?' said Sam in horror, 'It's a masterpiece!'
'Did I just hear the word masterpiece in connection with food?' asked Kavamir, walking beside Merry. They sat down and Merry ladled out the pasta for both of them. Pippin walked from her tent to the place where the logs had been rolled out. She sat between Merry and Kavamir, equally beside them. She ladled some food onto her plate. She never let it show that she realised that Kavamir and Merry were staring at her.
Estel cleared his throat, 'So, anyone see anything interesting today?'
Pippin dropped her fork with a rattle.
'Nah,' said Thorin, 'Except some cows. I didn't realise that they were meant to be blurry.'
They laughed.
'Well, I think we learned something today,' said Ledron in a mock Jerry Springer voice,' I think we learned that Thorin is an idiot and that city kids should be kept as far away from the countryside as possible.' He flicked his hair back. They laughed again.
'Hello!!' they turned around. Mr Greenleaf stood there and waved at them hopefully. Everyone that didn't face him made a face and sighed. 'I thought that I said that we'd join you for dinner. I'm afraid that Mr Gimli won't be joining us, he said that he had a headache and would got to bed straight away. He needs an early night anyway, he hasn't been getting much sleep recently.'
'How would you kno…' started Merry. The look Pippin and Kavamir gave him would have made a medusa shut up. He closed his mouth after a few seconds. He looked sideways at Pippin. She nodded. He choked on his pasta.
'So, can I have some pasta?' asked Mr Greenleaf. Sam lent over to him and ladled some pasta onto his plate. Mr Greenleaf flashed them all a brittle smile that would make any good housewife go weak at the knee. 'So, how's everyone's day been?'
'Horrifying!' said Sam
'Pointless!' exclaimed Kavamir
'Exhausting!' said Merry forcefully.
'Ok.' Said Pippin.
'I think someone's missing.' Said Estel, 'But I can't quite think who….'
'Maybe it's Xandra.' Said Thorin.
'No Thorin, I know it isn't her.' He said almost in a dream.
'Mr Gimli?' asked Mr Greenleaf.
'No. Just trust me on this.' Said Estel, 'Anyway, probably doesn't matter.' He took another bite. 'Well, we've been travelling all of today, so we haven't had a chance to learn stuff.'
'Err…' said Mr Greenleaf slightly uncomfortably.
'Yeah, when are we going to get to havens, on average Y'know.' said Ledron.
'In a few days.' He said simply.
'So, apart from seeing the heavenly home of elves, what are we going to do?' said Pippin.
'Um…'
'We're studying their culture.' They all turned around. Froda was sitting on the end of the log, next to Mr Greenleaf.
'Oh, you've appeared then.' Said Kavamir with slight distaste.
'Yeah, and I would like something to eat.' She said passing over her plate to him. Kavamir grabbed the spoon and slopped some pasta on it. He swung her a dirty look and passed the plate back to her. Froda took it, giving him a brittle condescending smile.
'Right….' Said Sam, interrupting the following silence, 'so does anyone know any good songs? I brought a guitar with me.' This caused a few of the people there to shuffle away from him.
Froda slowly put down her fork. 'Sam, if you are suggesting we have a sing song, I'll kill you myself.'
'I am.' He said cheerily, 'but I though that maybe we could sing songs we all know.' The stopped as everyone stared at him. 'COME ON! It isn't a camp out unless we sing some dodgey songs.'
'Yeah, and unless you get bitten to death by bugs!' said Pippin. 'There's no way I'm singing!'
'Hey! Don't be hasty.' Said Merry waving his hands to quieten down the cynics,' Kavamir and me have been working on a song for a while now. I mean, it's about a virgin.'
'A New born virgin?' asked Froda sarcastically.
'Nah, a proper one, just pass the guitar over here.' Sam passed it to Merry, who passed it to Kavamir. Kavamir sat were he was, but organised the way he was sitting. Now they knew they were in for a treat. Merry and Kavamir were famous for the amount of dirty songs they had made up, and this seemed to be a new one. He gave a quick intro and Merry stood up. He cleared his throat, and putting on a squeaky female voice he began to sing….
'I was feeling done in
Couldn't win…
I had only ever kissed before'
Kavamir interjected, 'You mean you never….'
'I thought there's was no use getting
Into heavy petting
It only leads to trouble
And seat wetting'
They knew were it was going now. They tried not to show how much they were going to laugh from Mr Greenleaf.
'Now all I want to know
Is how to go
I've tasted blood and I want more'
Kavamir added,' more, more, more'
'I put up no resistance
I want to go the distance
I've got an itch to scratch
I need assistance
Touch a touch a touch me
I want ta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Then if anything grows
When you pose
I'll oil you up and rub you down'
Kavamir lifted his eyebrow and said, 'Down, down, down'
'That's only one small fraction
Of the main attraction
You need a friendly hand
And I need action
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night'
By now they were in floods of laughter as Mr Greenleaf blushed from embarrassment. Merry By now was drunk on laughter as he went over to Pippin and pretended to shag her. She was laughing as he pushed her to the ground. Kavamir's expression changed and his playing began to get harsher. Then Merry got up and finished singing.
'Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
OHHHHHHHHHH
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Creature of the night
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Merry fell on the floor in a fit of laughter as they all laughed around him. Even Froda was sniggering. Mr Greenleaf wiped his brow with his hand. 'Well Mr Brandybuck, that was different.'
'Different? That was brilliant!' said Kavamir.
'I don't think that would go down very well in the havens.' He said slightly nervously.
'Of course it wouldn't.' Said Ledron, 'But it's funny.'
'I can't wait for more!' said Pippin. 'You guys are writing a play, aren't you? I've seen bits of it. It seems great fun. The sort of thing when the audience dress up and stuff.'
'Yeah, what's it about?' Asked Mr Greenleaf
'A bit hard to explain. It's sort of something you have to see to understand.' Said Merry.
'Well, does anyone else have any songs?' asked Mr Greenleaf.' I think that if we go we should give them a song about now, BUT not that one!' He said a Merry and Kavamir opened their mouths.
Sam said 'Anyone with a non dirty song?'
Froda put her plate on the floor. 'Yeah. I do. Sort of.'
Kavamir passed the guitar to her. She put it on her knee and breathed in, as if remembering the song in her head. She strummed the guitar and said, 'This is something that my dad taught me. He was kind of musical' He voice cracked a little,' could play anything. It's a song he made up for me.'
She strummed the guitar again and sang, hesitantly and a little out of tune to start with, but soon it was in tune,' Take all the goods from all the bads,
And tell the people that you've gone away.
Now lift your head up to the sky…'
________________________
'Now you can tell apart
the black from the white.'
Froda sat one her Dad's knee on the camp site. She herself was between the guitar and his body. He smiled down at her and she smiled back. She squeezed his arm and he strummed the guitar,
' We waste the time they treasure dear.
My only thought is that they could be right.'
Froda smiled in a way that told him to continue. It was about nine and Roland and Mum had gone to bed. They both sat out and watched the embers in the fire die out slowly. She snuggled up to his chest and he smiled at her.
'Oh look their goes another year
About as distant as a shining light.'
___________________
'And I feel safe,
And I feel safe,
So safe
And I feel safe
So safe
So safe'
_________________
'The worlds a small child in the dark,' A twelve year old Froda held onto her father, praying that he would never go. This would be the last time they would be together before he came back from his battle
'And my mind's the same place
as it's always been.' Dad never had much time off, and she treasured all the time she had with him.
'The monsters seem to fade so fast.
Upon the waking of another dream '
Then he went into the chorus she knew so well. And she hoped it would never end
'And I feel safe,
And I feel safe,
So safe
And I feel safe
So safe
An I feel so safe'
_____________________
'I feel so brave,
I'm not afraid of anything they've got to say.
And you're ok because you're tucked away. '
They couldn't believe it. The song was so simple and beautiful. Hopeful yet tinged in some way, an ineffable way, with an everlasting sadness. She seemed to have forgotten that they were watching her as she grew more confident.
_____________________
The man, unaccustomed to hobbit holes lent down to a young Froda of twelve and a quarter years old. Mum had burst into tears when she had been told this horrible fact, but she didn't understand what was wrong. Yet. Froda looked at her mothers tear stained face. Froda's life was going to change in so many ways from this moment onward.
'I'm sorry Froda, 'said the man in his best "Talking to young children" voice, 'I've got some bad news.'
Froda although only twelve had a feeling that it wasn't good. And by the uniform he was wearing she assumed that it was about her dad. She could almost tell what he was about to say, but her mind stopped registering what he was about to say.
The man sighed as if she were stupid. 'Froda, I knew your dad, and he was a fine and upstanding hobbit, but there was an orc and he….' He bowed his head. Froda's eyes widened. She only one hope left. He couldn't be, could he?
'He died in combat. It was an honourable death, so there's no shame in his death. His body was buried around the gates of Cirth Ungul, near the battlefield.' Explained the man in one breath. Froda just looked at him, and burst into tears. He held out his hand to confort him but she backed away and ran out crying to her room. She slammed the door, hard as dad had told her off lots about doing that. She threw herself onto her bed and cried into her pillow. Then, after a while she though of something. In her cracked, choked voice she heard in her head a voice sing softly to her
*Don't go astray,
you've got to be just who are.
Who you are. *
She cried harder, trying to block it out, but it was no use. She thought of others who had seen bad times. What about Frodo, he went through the worst to save the world, but he didn't cry. Froda cried anyway.
_______________________________
'When I was young things didn't last.
My only care stemmed to the price of sweets.
Now I am older I can laugh, '
She didn't look like she could though. Only Sam noticed the way her anger left her eyes and was replaced with sorrow.
'A dolly mixed up guy with rotten teeth'
_____________________________
Froda was twelve and a half now, and had first experienced being left on her own. Roland had gone to school, but Froda was far too young to go and mum had to go to work, to earn money. She stayed in the house, trying to be a good girl.
She often went to her bookcase and read a book or two, as she had learned to read from a copy of the red book. It was old and battered, but it was one of the few things she owned. Most of her best toys were sold to pay for things and she had little left, but a few toys inherited from her brother and a some soft toys so bashed up you could hardly tell what they were.
So Froda went into her Mums room. Most of her mum's nice things were gone now. Although being a soldier did not pay as well as many other jobs, he had many perks and they were confortable. Froda, on a whim opened the draw. Maybe it might have something to play with in it.
* And I feel safe,
And I feel safe*
Inside the draw were some bill, a few coins and a few handkerchiefs. Froda picked out a couple of the nicer ones and went to her room. Went she got their she realised that there was something heavy in them. She let it slide out onto the floor and looked at it.
It was a mithril ring, beautiful and sparkling on the floor. It had a little tag attached to it. She picked it up by the tag and read it. It was written in Dads writing, but it just said two words.
"For Froda."
* So safe
And I feel safe*
She pulled a thread out of her shirt and put the ring around her neck. From that moment she was part of this story.
______________________________
'So safe
And I feel safe,
And I feel safe'
Froda strummed the guitar as she finished the song.
'So safe
And I feel safe
So safe'
They stared at her. Even Ledron, who was naturally musical, looked at her. Finally she looked up. She blinked at them, her long black lashed sweeping over eyes like blinds. She put the guitar on the floor gently and looked up again, aggressively.
'What?' she said, leering at them.
'Err, nothing?' said Ledron.
'Well, that's my song. I'm going to bed.' She passed the guitar to Ledron and stormed off back to her tent. She lay down alone on the hard ground and wriggled into her sleeping bag. She was cold, but she let a single tear roll down her face as she tried to get to sleep through the chorus of laugher and talking outside.
___________________
=+ If you hadn't guessed, shithead is a card game. It's hard to explain, but it's very good fun. Not easy to gamble on though, each round takes at least half an hour.
Okay then, that is Chapter 10. Whatever, just read and review, it's good fun. Flame me if you must!
I've got a rocky horror song in here as well. I thought I'd stick it in. At some point I'll have to write a LOTR/Rocky horror song parody fic, but until then, I'll just say that I'm a fan.
Oh yes, the other song that Froda sings is one of my favourite Travis songs, but I can't find the CD and I've forgotten the name. I'll tell you when I remember.
I've prattled for long enough, Enjoy!
_______________
The sun had set long ago and the fire and the torches they held only cut into the darkness a short way. It had taken a long time to get the fire going properly, and Sam hadn't seen anyone except Merry and Kavamir who brought him wood. Pippin had been with them, helping them as best as possible. Estel, Thorin and Ledron sat in their tent, playing shithead=+. No one had seen Mr Greenleaf or Gimli. He supposed that they were in the wood somewhere. He hadn't seen Froda either. 'Hey! Merry, Come over here!' Merry walked over to Sam.
'Yes master?' he asked in his jokester tone.
'Tell everyone that food is ready.'
'As you wish.' Said Merry. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, 'GET YOUR ARSES OVER HERE! DINNERS UP!'
This cry was received. They sat down either side of Sam and held out their plates. Sam ladled the pasta on the plate and they ate it gladly. Thorin appeared from somewhere and sat next to Estel. Sam took his plate and ladled some pasta in it. Thorin took it and tasted it like a food critic.
'Hey, not bad Sammy.' He said with his mouthful.
'Not bad?' said Sam in horror, 'It's a masterpiece!'
'Did I just hear the word masterpiece in connection with food?' asked Kavamir, walking beside Merry. They sat down and Merry ladled out the pasta for both of them. Pippin walked from her tent to the place where the logs had been rolled out. She sat between Merry and Kavamir, equally beside them. She ladled some food onto her plate. She never let it show that she realised that Kavamir and Merry were staring at her.
Estel cleared his throat, 'So, anyone see anything interesting today?'
Pippin dropped her fork with a rattle.
'Nah,' said Thorin, 'Except some cows. I didn't realise that they were meant to be blurry.'
They laughed.
'Well, I think we learned something today,' said Ledron in a mock Jerry Springer voice,' I think we learned that Thorin is an idiot and that city kids should be kept as far away from the countryside as possible.' He flicked his hair back. They laughed again.
'Hello!!' they turned around. Mr Greenleaf stood there and waved at them hopefully. Everyone that didn't face him made a face and sighed. 'I thought that I said that we'd join you for dinner. I'm afraid that Mr Gimli won't be joining us, he said that he had a headache and would got to bed straight away. He needs an early night anyway, he hasn't been getting much sleep recently.'
'How would you kno…' started Merry. The look Pippin and Kavamir gave him would have made a medusa shut up. He closed his mouth after a few seconds. He looked sideways at Pippin. She nodded. He choked on his pasta.
'So, can I have some pasta?' asked Mr Greenleaf. Sam lent over to him and ladled some pasta onto his plate. Mr Greenleaf flashed them all a brittle smile that would make any good housewife go weak at the knee. 'So, how's everyone's day been?'
'Horrifying!' said Sam
'Pointless!' exclaimed Kavamir
'Exhausting!' said Merry forcefully.
'Ok.' Said Pippin.
'I think someone's missing.' Said Estel, 'But I can't quite think who….'
'Maybe it's Xandra.' Said Thorin.
'No Thorin, I know it isn't her.' He said almost in a dream.
'Mr Gimli?' asked Mr Greenleaf.
'No. Just trust me on this.' Said Estel, 'Anyway, probably doesn't matter.' He took another bite. 'Well, we've been travelling all of today, so we haven't had a chance to learn stuff.'
'Err…' said Mr Greenleaf slightly uncomfortably.
'Yeah, when are we going to get to havens, on average Y'know.' said Ledron.
'In a few days.' He said simply.
'So, apart from seeing the heavenly home of elves, what are we going to do?' said Pippin.
'Um…'
'We're studying their culture.' They all turned around. Froda was sitting on the end of the log, next to Mr Greenleaf.
'Oh, you've appeared then.' Said Kavamir with slight distaste.
'Yeah, and I would like something to eat.' She said passing over her plate to him. Kavamir grabbed the spoon and slopped some pasta on it. He swung her a dirty look and passed the plate back to her. Froda took it, giving him a brittle condescending smile.
'Right….' Said Sam, interrupting the following silence, 'so does anyone know any good songs? I brought a guitar with me.' This caused a few of the people there to shuffle away from him.
Froda slowly put down her fork. 'Sam, if you are suggesting we have a sing song, I'll kill you myself.'
'I am.' He said cheerily, 'but I though that maybe we could sing songs we all know.' The stopped as everyone stared at him. 'COME ON! It isn't a camp out unless we sing some dodgey songs.'
'Yeah, and unless you get bitten to death by bugs!' said Pippin. 'There's no way I'm singing!'
'Hey! Don't be hasty.' Said Merry waving his hands to quieten down the cynics,' Kavamir and me have been working on a song for a while now. I mean, it's about a virgin.'
'A New born virgin?' asked Froda sarcastically.
'Nah, a proper one, just pass the guitar over here.' Sam passed it to Merry, who passed it to Kavamir. Kavamir sat were he was, but organised the way he was sitting. Now they knew they were in for a treat. Merry and Kavamir were famous for the amount of dirty songs they had made up, and this seemed to be a new one. He gave a quick intro and Merry stood up. He cleared his throat, and putting on a squeaky female voice he began to sing….
'I was feeling done in
Couldn't win…
I had only ever kissed before'
Kavamir interjected, 'You mean you never….'
'I thought there's was no use getting
Into heavy petting
It only leads to trouble
And seat wetting'
They knew were it was going now. They tried not to show how much they were going to laugh from Mr Greenleaf.
'Now all I want to know
Is how to go
I've tasted blood and I want more'
Kavamir added,' more, more, more'
'I put up no resistance
I want to go the distance
I've got an itch to scratch
I need assistance
Touch a touch a touch me
I want ta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Then if anything grows
When you pose
I'll oil you up and rub you down'
Kavamir lifted his eyebrow and said, 'Down, down, down'
'That's only one small fraction
Of the main attraction
You need a friendly hand
And I need action
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night'
By now they were in floods of laughter as Mr Greenleaf blushed from embarrassment. Merry By now was drunk on laughter as he went over to Pippin and pretended to shag her. She was laughing as he pushed her to the ground. Kavamir's expression changed and his playing began to get harsher. Then Merry got up and finished singing.
'Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
OHHHHHHHHHH
Touch a touch a touch me
I wanta be dirty
Thrill me, chill me fulfil me
Creature of the night
Creature of the night
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Merry fell on the floor in a fit of laughter as they all laughed around him. Even Froda was sniggering. Mr Greenleaf wiped his brow with his hand. 'Well Mr Brandybuck, that was different.'
'Different? That was brilliant!' said Kavamir.
'I don't think that would go down very well in the havens.' He said slightly nervously.
'Of course it wouldn't.' Said Ledron, 'But it's funny.'
'I can't wait for more!' said Pippin. 'You guys are writing a play, aren't you? I've seen bits of it. It seems great fun. The sort of thing when the audience dress up and stuff.'
'Yeah, what's it about?' Asked Mr Greenleaf
'A bit hard to explain. It's sort of something you have to see to understand.' Said Merry.
'Well, does anyone else have any songs?' asked Mr Greenleaf.' I think that if we go we should give them a song about now, BUT not that one!' He said a Merry and Kavamir opened their mouths.
Sam said 'Anyone with a non dirty song?'
Froda put her plate on the floor. 'Yeah. I do. Sort of.'
Kavamir passed the guitar to her. She put it on her knee and breathed in, as if remembering the song in her head. She strummed the guitar and said, 'This is something that my dad taught me. He was kind of musical' He voice cracked a little,' could play anything. It's a song he made up for me.'
She strummed the guitar again and sang, hesitantly and a little out of tune to start with, but soon it was in tune,' Take all the goods from all the bads,
And tell the people that you've gone away.
Now lift your head up to the sky…'
________________________
'Now you can tell apart
the black from the white.'
Froda sat one her Dad's knee on the camp site. She herself was between the guitar and his body. He smiled down at her and she smiled back. She squeezed his arm and he strummed the guitar,
' We waste the time they treasure dear.
My only thought is that they could be right.'
Froda smiled in a way that told him to continue. It was about nine and Roland and Mum had gone to bed. They both sat out and watched the embers in the fire die out slowly. She snuggled up to his chest and he smiled at her.
'Oh look their goes another year
About as distant as a shining light.'
___________________
'And I feel safe,
And I feel safe,
So safe
And I feel safe
So safe
So safe'
_________________
'The worlds a small child in the dark,' A twelve year old Froda held onto her father, praying that he would never go. This would be the last time they would be together before he came back from his battle
'And my mind's the same place
as it's always been.' Dad never had much time off, and she treasured all the time she had with him.
'The monsters seem to fade so fast.
Upon the waking of another dream '
Then he went into the chorus she knew so well. And she hoped it would never end
'And I feel safe,
And I feel safe,
So safe
And I feel safe
So safe
An I feel so safe'
_____________________
'I feel so brave,
I'm not afraid of anything they've got to say.
And you're ok because you're tucked away. '
They couldn't believe it. The song was so simple and beautiful. Hopeful yet tinged in some way, an ineffable way, with an everlasting sadness. She seemed to have forgotten that they were watching her as she grew more confident.
_____________________
The man, unaccustomed to hobbit holes lent down to a young Froda of twelve and a quarter years old. Mum had burst into tears when she had been told this horrible fact, but she didn't understand what was wrong. Yet. Froda looked at her mothers tear stained face. Froda's life was going to change in so many ways from this moment onward.
'I'm sorry Froda, 'said the man in his best "Talking to young children" voice, 'I've got some bad news.'
Froda although only twelve had a feeling that it wasn't good. And by the uniform he was wearing she assumed that it was about her dad. She could almost tell what he was about to say, but her mind stopped registering what he was about to say.
The man sighed as if she were stupid. 'Froda, I knew your dad, and he was a fine and upstanding hobbit, but there was an orc and he….' He bowed his head. Froda's eyes widened. She only one hope left. He couldn't be, could he?
'He died in combat. It was an honourable death, so there's no shame in his death. His body was buried around the gates of Cirth Ungul, near the battlefield.' Explained the man in one breath. Froda just looked at him, and burst into tears. He held out his hand to confort him but she backed away and ran out crying to her room. She slammed the door, hard as dad had told her off lots about doing that. She threw herself onto her bed and cried into her pillow. Then, after a while she though of something. In her cracked, choked voice she heard in her head a voice sing softly to her
*Don't go astray,
you've got to be just who are.
Who you are. *
She cried harder, trying to block it out, but it was no use. She thought of others who had seen bad times. What about Frodo, he went through the worst to save the world, but he didn't cry. Froda cried anyway.
_______________________________
'When I was young things didn't last.
My only care stemmed to the price of sweets.
Now I am older I can laugh, '
She didn't look like she could though. Only Sam noticed the way her anger left her eyes and was replaced with sorrow.
'A dolly mixed up guy with rotten teeth'
_____________________________
Froda was twelve and a half now, and had first experienced being left on her own. Roland had gone to school, but Froda was far too young to go and mum had to go to work, to earn money. She stayed in the house, trying to be a good girl.
She often went to her bookcase and read a book or two, as she had learned to read from a copy of the red book. It was old and battered, but it was one of the few things she owned. Most of her best toys were sold to pay for things and she had little left, but a few toys inherited from her brother and a some soft toys so bashed up you could hardly tell what they were.
So Froda went into her Mums room. Most of her mum's nice things were gone now. Although being a soldier did not pay as well as many other jobs, he had many perks and they were confortable. Froda, on a whim opened the draw. Maybe it might have something to play with in it.
* And I feel safe,
And I feel safe*
Inside the draw were some bill, a few coins and a few handkerchiefs. Froda picked out a couple of the nicer ones and went to her room. Went she got their she realised that there was something heavy in them. She let it slide out onto the floor and looked at it.
It was a mithril ring, beautiful and sparkling on the floor. It had a little tag attached to it. She picked it up by the tag and read it. It was written in Dads writing, but it just said two words.
"For Froda."
* So safe
And I feel safe*
She pulled a thread out of her shirt and put the ring around her neck. From that moment she was part of this story.
______________________________
'So safe
And I feel safe,
And I feel safe'
Froda strummed the guitar as she finished the song.
'So safe
And I feel safe
So safe'
They stared at her. Even Ledron, who was naturally musical, looked at her. Finally she looked up. She blinked at them, her long black lashed sweeping over eyes like blinds. She put the guitar on the floor gently and looked up again, aggressively.
'What?' she said, leering at them.
'Err, nothing?' said Ledron.
'Well, that's my song. I'm going to bed.' She passed the guitar to Ledron and stormed off back to her tent. She lay down alone on the hard ground and wriggled into her sleeping bag. She was cold, but she let a single tear roll down her face as she tried to get to sleep through the chorus of laugher and talking outside.
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=+ If you hadn't guessed, shithead is a card game. It's hard to explain, but it's very good fun. Not easy to gamble on though, each round takes at least half an hour.
Okay then, that is Chapter 10. Whatever, just read and review, it's good fun. Flame me if you must!