Chapter Twenty
Frodo stood at the window of Bag End, his arms folded as he gazed out. Rose sighed as she sat down beside Holly - both of them looking worried.
"Where is Nina?!" Frodo exclaimed. "Has no one seen her?!"
Holly looked to Frodo with a shrug. "I saw her last night, in the marketplace . . . with him"
"I haven't seen her in five days," Frodo sighed. "Is she avoiding me?!"
"Five days?!" Holly called, unbelievably.
"Don't you think that strange?"
"Yes, and what is stranger, is that last night, she gave me no signs of a happy greeting. No 'Hello's' or 'Goodbye' nor even a smile"
Frodo let out a huff of air. "I can't help but worry . . ."
"I'm sure she's fine," Rose assured them both. "If she was out in the market place with Friado -"
"That is the point" Holly sighed. "He was with her, probably controlling her."
"Maybe he found out she was pregnant" Pippin yawned from the opposite side of the room.
"Oh don't talk nonsense!" Holly snorted. "I'm sure he'd do something terrible if he knew"
"Or maybe not . . ." Merry added. "Why not go round there to see her? No one has thought of that yet"
"I'll go" Frodo offered.
"Bad idea, very bad!" Holly shook her head, standing beside him. "Especially if you are going alone. No, I'll go with you . . . and *I'll* knock on the door. If Friado does know something then its best you stay out of the way"
"Fine, fine" Frodo rolled his eyes almost in annoyance. "Let's go,"
And so they walked down the streets, Frodo keeping his eyes on the Roper household as they past it.
"Relax" Holly smiled, tapping her hand on his arm. "She'll be fine,"
"I'm not too sure," he admitted. "I wish I knew what was going on here . . ."
"And that's where we're going, to find out" Holly smiled again. "I'm sure Nina's fine - she's a strong girl, she can get through anything, trust me"
"Is that a good idea?" he managed a little joke at his cousin's expense.
Holly chuckled. "You wait Mr Baggins; the next joke shall be on you!" They turned a final corner and Holly pulled Frodo behind the bushes. She parted the leaves with her hand and showed him the house.
"There it is, Nina's new home"
"Hmm . . ." Frodo sighed. "Very homely"
"Not really" Holly shrugged, trying to make him feel better. "You should see the inside . . . tacky!"
"Can we go now?!"
"No, you stay here Mr Baggins"
"What?! Did it cross you mind that I'd actually * want* to see Nina?!"
"It's crossed my mind, yes," Holy smirked, having got Frodo in the joke. "But we need to keep you away from the Big Bad Wolf" she added.
"Ok, ok, but at least get Nina out here so I can see her?!"
"I'll think about it," Holly winked with a smirk as Frodo rolled his eyes at her.
"You'll pay Holly Brandybuck"
"Not if you get there first" She went to stand up but sat back down quickly as the front door opened. Holly and Frodo looked through the bushes as Friado opened the door and stepped outside.
"And don't you dare try to run!" he yelled back into the house. Holly and Frodo exchanged frowned expressions then watched Friado lock the door, mumbling to himself as he turned and walked the other way.
"What in hells bells is going on?!" Holly whispered. "Stay there" she told Frodo.
"No way," he called, standing up. "Friado's gone . . . I need to see Nina"
The two hobbits rushed up to the front door and began pounding on it with their fists.
"Nina?!" they both called. "It's us! We've come! Open the door!"
They heard footsteps rush to the door and try to open it.
"I can't," a weak female voice called back through the door. "He's locked it"
"Nina?!" Holly frowned, worry ness filling her cheeks. "What's going on?! Is there another way we can get in?"
"The kitchen window is open" she answered weakly. "Around the back . . ."
Without further hesitation, they both ran around the back and found the open window. Frodo lifted Holly so she could climb through, then he followed.
"Nina!?" Holly's eyes widened as she took one look at her friend. She looked worn out; her hair all fizzed up . . . this wasn't the Nina Roper she knew.
Frodo was next to be shocked. The look on his face was unbearable as he gathered her up in his arms as she sobbed.
"What has he done to you?!" Holly cried as unshed tears started appearing in her eyes.
"Nothing, nothing . . ." she wept. She didn't want them to know . . .
"Don't lie to us Nina! Look at you! Why has he locked you in here?!"
"Because he knows everything" she admitted. "About the baby, about the secret place, about where I went when I kept running off. About us . . ." she looked at Frodo as he kissed her gently, not wanting to leave her here.
"How?" he asked quietly, still in shock.
"He was listening in on us Frodo . . . on the hill . . . he's told everyone the baby is his, he still wants to marry me. And he said if I go near you again . . . he'll kill you . . . I can't allow that to happen. I don't want you to go through torture again . . ."
"It's not about me - what's he been doing to you?"
"Nothing"
"Nina, don't lie to us . . ." Holly warned. "Look at you; you're shaking like a leaf"
"I'm fine . . . I just . . ."
"You don't look fine" Frodo tilted her chin up so she could face him. "We're getting you out of here"
"No, Frodo, you need to go, before . . . before he comes back" she put her hand to his cheek pleadingly.
"I'm not leaving you here"
"But you have too . . . if he comes home and finds I'm gone, he'll know where to find me. You two need to go"
"Nina, you would tell us if he's hurt you . . .?" Holly asked.
"I would tell you, just, I don't want him to hurt you. He's angry, riddled with jealousy. Please . . . I don't want him to find you both here"
Holly sighed. "Okay, we'll go, but we'll be back to check on you"
Nina forced a smile. "I'm so sorry"
"It's not your fault"
They all let out gasps when they heard someone at the front door put a key into the locks.
"It's Friado!" Nina gasped. "Quick, quick get out of the window! Hurry!"
"We will, distract him!" Holly called back giving her friend a quick hug. "I'll come back for you," Frodo whispered, kissing her quickly before following Holly out of the window. "Love you" he called back.
"Me too" Nina ran into the hallway - Friado stood there, bags of groceries.
"Well, now I know you can be trusted on your own in the house"
"Yes Friado"
"I haven't seen that Baggins around, good thing too . . ."
"Yes Friado"
"Here, brought some groceries . . . you can cook me something up for dinner, isn't that what wives do"
She followed him into the kitchen, but stopped dead when he laid eyes on the wide open window.
"What's that?" he looked at her.
"Well . . . I was hot, so I opened the window for some air"
"Hmm . . ." he narrowed his eyes as he set the bags on the side. "For a moment there I thought you were trying to run away again.
"No," she gasped. "You'd find me"
"So I would" he added. "Now," he kissed her quickly. "Cook me something nice"
As he walked out, Nina let out a huff of air. That was a close shave . . .
Frodo stood at the window of Bag End, his arms folded as he gazed out. Rose sighed as she sat down beside Holly - both of them looking worried.
"Where is Nina?!" Frodo exclaimed. "Has no one seen her?!"
Holly looked to Frodo with a shrug. "I saw her last night, in the marketplace . . . with him"
"I haven't seen her in five days," Frodo sighed. "Is she avoiding me?!"
"Five days?!" Holly called, unbelievably.
"Don't you think that strange?"
"Yes, and what is stranger, is that last night, she gave me no signs of a happy greeting. No 'Hello's' or 'Goodbye' nor even a smile"
Frodo let out a huff of air. "I can't help but worry . . ."
"I'm sure she's fine," Rose assured them both. "If she was out in the market place with Friado -"
"That is the point" Holly sighed. "He was with her, probably controlling her."
"Maybe he found out she was pregnant" Pippin yawned from the opposite side of the room.
"Oh don't talk nonsense!" Holly snorted. "I'm sure he'd do something terrible if he knew"
"Or maybe not . . ." Merry added. "Why not go round there to see her? No one has thought of that yet"
"I'll go" Frodo offered.
"Bad idea, very bad!" Holly shook her head, standing beside him. "Especially if you are going alone. No, I'll go with you . . . and *I'll* knock on the door. If Friado does know something then its best you stay out of the way"
"Fine, fine" Frodo rolled his eyes almost in annoyance. "Let's go,"
And so they walked down the streets, Frodo keeping his eyes on the Roper household as they past it.
"Relax" Holly smiled, tapping her hand on his arm. "She'll be fine,"
"I'm not too sure," he admitted. "I wish I knew what was going on here . . ."
"And that's where we're going, to find out" Holly smiled again. "I'm sure Nina's fine - she's a strong girl, she can get through anything, trust me"
"Is that a good idea?" he managed a little joke at his cousin's expense.
Holly chuckled. "You wait Mr Baggins; the next joke shall be on you!" They turned a final corner and Holly pulled Frodo behind the bushes. She parted the leaves with her hand and showed him the house.
"There it is, Nina's new home"
"Hmm . . ." Frodo sighed. "Very homely"
"Not really" Holly shrugged, trying to make him feel better. "You should see the inside . . . tacky!"
"Can we go now?!"
"No, you stay here Mr Baggins"
"What?! Did it cross you mind that I'd actually * want* to see Nina?!"
"It's crossed my mind, yes," Holy smirked, having got Frodo in the joke. "But we need to keep you away from the Big Bad Wolf" she added.
"Ok, ok, but at least get Nina out here so I can see her?!"
"I'll think about it," Holly winked with a smirk as Frodo rolled his eyes at her.
"You'll pay Holly Brandybuck"
"Not if you get there first" She went to stand up but sat back down quickly as the front door opened. Holly and Frodo looked through the bushes as Friado opened the door and stepped outside.
"And don't you dare try to run!" he yelled back into the house. Holly and Frodo exchanged frowned expressions then watched Friado lock the door, mumbling to himself as he turned and walked the other way.
"What in hells bells is going on?!" Holly whispered. "Stay there" she told Frodo.
"No way," he called, standing up. "Friado's gone . . . I need to see Nina"
The two hobbits rushed up to the front door and began pounding on it with their fists.
"Nina?!" they both called. "It's us! We've come! Open the door!"
They heard footsteps rush to the door and try to open it.
"I can't," a weak female voice called back through the door. "He's locked it"
"Nina?!" Holly frowned, worry ness filling her cheeks. "What's going on?! Is there another way we can get in?"
"The kitchen window is open" she answered weakly. "Around the back . . ."
Without further hesitation, they both ran around the back and found the open window. Frodo lifted Holly so she could climb through, then he followed.
"Nina!?" Holly's eyes widened as she took one look at her friend. She looked worn out; her hair all fizzed up . . . this wasn't the Nina Roper she knew.
Frodo was next to be shocked. The look on his face was unbearable as he gathered her up in his arms as she sobbed.
"What has he done to you?!" Holly cried as unshed tears started appearing in her eyes.
"Nothing, nothing . . ." she wept. She didn't want them to know . . .
"Don't lie to us Nina! Look at you! Why has he locked you in here?!"
"Because he knows everything" she admitted. "About the baby, about the secret place, about where I went when I kept running off. About us . . ." she looked at Frodo as he kissed her gently, not wanting to leave her here.
"How?" he asked quietly, still in shock.
"He was listening in on us Frodo . . . on the hill . . . he's told everyone the baby is his, he still wants to marry me. And he said if I go near you again . . . he'll kill you . . . I can't allow that to happen. I don't want you to go through torture again . . ."
"It's not about me - what's he been doing to you?"
"Nothing"
"Nina, don't lie to us . . ." Holly warned. "Look at you; you're shaking like a leaf"
"I'm fine . . . I just . . ."
"You don't look fine" Frodo tilted her chin up so she could face him. "We're getting you out of here"
"No, Frodo, you need to go, before . . . before he comes back" she put her hand to his cheek pleadingly.
"I'm not leaving you here"
"But you have too . . . if he comes home and finds I'm gone, he'll know where to find me. You two need to go"
"Nina, you would tell us if he's hurt you . . .?" Holly asked.
"I would tell you, just, I don't want him to hurt you. He's angry, riddled with jealousy. Please . . . I don't want him to find you both here"
Holly sighed. "Okay, we'll go, but we'll be back to check on you"
Nina forced a smile. "I'm so sorry"
"It's not your fault"
They all let out gasps when they heard someone at the front door put a key into the locks.
"It's Friado!" Nina gasped. "Quick, quick get out of the window! Hurry!"
"We will, distract him!" Holly called back giving her friend a quick hug. "I'll come back for you," Frodo whispered, kissing her quickly before following Holly out of the window. "Love you" he called back.
"Me too" Nina ran into the hallway - Friado stood there, bags of groceries.
"Well, now I know you can be trusted on your own in the house"
"Yes Friado"
"I haven't seen that Baggins around, good thing too . . ."
"Yes Friado"
"Here, brought some groceries . . . you can cook me something up for dinner, isn't that what wives do"
She followed him into the kitchen, but stopped dead when he laid eyes on the wide open window.
"What's that?" he looked at her.
"Well . . . I was hot, so I opened the window for some air"
"Hmm . . ." he narrowed his eyes as he set the bags on the side. "For a moment there I thought you were trying to run away again.
"No," she gasped. "You'd find me"
"So I would" he added. "Now," he kissed her quickly. "Cook me something nice"
As he walked out, Nina let out a huff of air. That was a close shave . . .