Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Rivendell?!" Nina stood absolutely shocked, as Frodo laid the bombshell on her. "You're taking me to Rivendell?!"
"Or maybe Gondor . . ."
"Gondor?!"
"Or possibly Lothlorien . . ."
"Lothlorien?!"
"Frodo, stop!" Holly laughed.
"What? I thought you wanted me to tell her!" Frodo chuckled, as Nina still stood with the same expression on her face.
"You said only Rivendell!"
"Yes, but I want to see Strider again and I figured . . . since Nina's always wanted to go around Middle Earth . . ."
"You can't marry in all three places Mr Frodo" Sam commented with a smile. "Besides I thought that the Elves had left Middle earth"
"Most have Sam," Frodo answered. "I don't think none reside at Lothlorien anymore - though, I do know that Elrond and a few other Elves still reside at Rivendell . . . and that Legolas and Gimli also are there too"
"Well!" Sam brightened up. "And I suppose you are intending on marrying in Rivendell?!"
"Well . . . it is the most beautiful place in Middle Earth"
"Oh my goodness!" Nina screeched. "You're really taking me to Rivendell?!"
"Of course, where else would you rather get married?"
"M-Married?!"
"Nina, haven't you been listening to any of this?!" Holly laughed at the shocked expression on Nina's face. "What did you think we were taking about?! A short holiday?!"
"Actually . . . yes"
Holly groaned, then laughed. "Well, now you know what's REALLY going on!" she walked towards her cousin. "Frodo, lovely, sweet Frodo . . . the best cousin I could ever ask for . . ." she smiled sweetly as Frodo rolled his eyes.
"Yes Holly?"
"You're going to take me to Rivendell aren't you?! I mean, you left me behind on that quest . . . I could have kicked some real Orc ass. And besides, Nina needs a bridesmaid and . . ."
"Of course, we're taking you!" Nina called. "You're my best friend - I can't get married without you!"
"You're all coming," Frodo announced, "We'll leave this evening"
"I'm afraid I'll have to meet you in Rivendell Mr Frodo," Sam announced. "I can't be leaving so soon, especially with Elanor. You can leave this evening, but you better had not marry until I arrive in Rivendell!"
"We won't Sam, we won't" Frodo smiled, hugging the gardener. "I'd have to have Samwise Gamgee at my wedding"
"But what about Mama and Papa?" Portia bit her nails. "What would they say?"
Nina looked to Frodo, then to Holly, then back to her brothers and sisters. Truth, after everything, she wanted her parents to be at her wedding; even though they had driven her crazy for the past year. Maybe after learning the truth about Friado, they would understand and apologize. And maybe Papa would shake Frodo's hand and wish them all the best . . . just like Nina had always dreamed of him doing so. She knew that before they set off for Rivendell, that she would have to talk to him.
"I'll go and see them before we leave," Nina answered.
"Is that such a good idea sis?" Friagrin frowned. "You know what Papa's like . . . he's still probably in a sulk"
"Whether he's changed his mind of not, I still must see them. It may be their last chance to see me as a Roper"
"Do you want me to go with you? Or Holly?" Frodo asked, kissing her cheek softly.
"No, it'll be best if I see them on my own. Who is travelling tonight?"
"Pippin, Merry, Holly, Miss Portia and Miss Nissa will be going with you" Sam answered. "And in a couple of day's time, I and my good wife will follow, along with your brothers and any other hobbit that wishes to attend. But Mr Frodo, beggin' ya pardon, but would Lord Elrond perform the ceremony and have half of Hobbiton in his city?"
"I'm sure he would Sam, though I know it's wrong to just assume" Frodo shrugged. "He said to me once, that he would have liked to see the Shire . . . and I explained that there would be a lot of hobbits that would wish to see Rivendell - he told me he'd be mighty proud to let hobbits see around the city"
"If you say so Mr Frodo" Sam shrugged. "But yer best start packing if you want to leave before sunset"
"I'll get Lömadia" Rose smiled, walking to the nursery.
"And I suppose I'd best go and see Papa" Nina sighed, then turned and placed a kiss on Frodo's lips. "But I'll be back this time"
"Promise?"
She smiled and nodded, kissing him again. "Nothing can stop us now"
//
Nina started to fiddle with her fingers again - like she always did when she was nervous. As she approached her parent's home, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door lightly. When Lilla answered, Nina gave a weak smile.
"Hullo, Mama" she said.
"Nina!" Lilla nearly cried from happiness. "You've come home!" she hugged her daughter tightly and Nina gracefully returned the hug.
"Not necessarily" she said. "I came to speak with you and Papa; I feel I ought too after everything that has happened"
Lilla nodded slightly and led Nina into the front room where Meruda Roper was puffing on a pipe and staring into the fire.
"So you've returned" he said, not bothering to look up. "Like I knew you would, you could never stop running - oh no, not from your family. You'll never run too far from your family"
Nina winced, seeing her Papa was still not in the greatest of moods. "I came to explain" she said.
"Explain what? What needs explaining? It's all pretty clear to me. The Roper's - the laughing stock of the Shire"
"Is that all you care about?! Idle gossip?!" Nina called.
"We had the best reputation in the Shire! And you're frolicking with that Baggins has put it all into shreds!"
"Just let me explain Papa, for once in your life just hear me out!"
Meruda looked up at her. "Go on then," he said calmer, his pipe sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "Explain"
Nina took a deep breath, wanting every word to come out perfect as she had been rehearsing in her mind. "You know I've never been keen on arranged marriages," she started. "But I tried Papa; I really tried to keep you happy. Just things happen - in all cases; obstacles occur and you have to live around them. I don't really know what made me fall in love with Frodo Baggins. Perhaps it was the endless talks we had and joking around, his charm, his handsome features . . . in all honesty, I never will find out why I fell for him. And to be honest, that's one of the many things I love about him. He has an impact on me, he always has. He just made me feel happy and special, without doing anything at all. It wasn't until Bilbo Bagginses 111th birthday party, when Frodo asked me to dance that I *knew* I was in love with him. I cannot describe the feeling . . . my heart skipped a few beats, my knees went to jelly . . . my stomach churned like a mill." Nina paused, waiting for some reaction from her father. There was none, so she carried on.
"When he went out on that quest, I felt so empty without him, I thought I'd lost him forever, and that he's died . . . but when he returned and saved us all from Sharkey . . . the feelings all came back. We'd sit, and he's talk about Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs . . . even about Mount Doom and Gollum, and it all amazed me."
"He put silly nonsense into your mind, so what?" Meruda muttered, but Nina ignored him.
"The Morgul blade made him ill about twice a year, I remember being there one time while it happened, holding his hand, wanting to confess my feelings for him, but I never thought he'd love me. And when he left for the Undying Lands, I knew he'd be gone forever. Six months of torture that was for me . . . six months of loneliness and emptiness. But then he came back . . . and I was the first to see him . . . and we started having our talks again and he told me all about the Undying Lands and how beautiful and enchanted it was . . . I felt as though I could not get any happier. But it could not compare to the night when Frodo told me he loved me . . . told me he always had and that it was I who made him carry on, on the quest . . . he told me he had thought only of me - the night before Friado entered our lives"
Lilla looked down, fighting back tears.
"See . . . I may have lied to you Papa, but you lied to me too. You told me that father's know what's best for their daughters and always will. You acted as though true love did not exist and that marriages should only be arranged to keep everyone happy. But in truth . . . it's not. When I was with Frodo, I never thought of Friado once, because I was happy and I'm in love . . . and things like that never pop into your mind. Frodo and I just carried on as though we were a normal happy couple. The sneaking around and the lies was the only thing in our path that could make us unhappy at times . . . but we got through it, and no matter what you say Papa, we're getting married"
"But what you did Nina . . . that was unforgivable. You could have told me all about Friado"
"I tried but you wouldn't listen! There were many times when I tried to protest, tried to tell you I was in love with a true gentlehobbit but you would not have it! You had the idea in your head that Friado was perfect, and you were too much into the idea that you forgot all about me - as though I didn't exist!"
"Nina-"
"And don't try to tell me otherwise because you know I'm right!"
"Where exactly are you planning to marry Frodo?" Meruda avoided the subject.
"He's taking me to Rivendell, city of the Elves. He's taking me to see Elves Papa! Do you know how happy that makes me?!"
"You're not going"
"Oh yes I am! And Portia, Nissa, Friagrin and Sogrin are too!"
"Oh no they are not! You're staying here where we can find a proper suitor for you, with precautions obviously. But you ain't going"
"Are you blind?! You can't get a better hobbit than Frodo! Just let me marry him!"
"You marry him and you won't be a part of this family anymore"
Nina paused before responding. She couldn't take on the fact that her father was going to throw her from the family. It took a while for her to reply, but she had already made her decision in her mind.
"Make what threats you want to" she answered quietly. "I shall marry Frodo and I shall become Nina Baggins."
"Over my dead body, you will!" Meruda leapt up.
"It's too late Papa, he's proposed and I have accepted. We're engaged and there's nothing you can do about it. Remember that line? The very line you said to me when I refused to marry Friado?"
"Nina-"
"How does it feel?" she began to get teary, watching her father slump down in defeat.
"Nina, please, just calm down" Lilla pleaded. "I feel as though we're not a family anymore"
"We're not. Papa does not want me to be in this family. Why? Because I fell in love someone he does not take very well too"
"I liked Frodo Baggins" Meruda said.
"Yes, until you found out I was in love with him. What's so bad about it?! Why are you acting so childish Papa?!"
"I just want you to be happy!"
"I am happy! Just accept that I'm only happy because of Frodo!"
"Please! Please!" Lilla leapt up. "Please stop shouting! Both of you!"
The room was silent for a while . . . until Nina spoke up.
"We're leaving for Rivendell tonight - Frodo, Pippin, Merry, Holly, Portia, Nissa and I . . . Sam Gamgee is travelling to Rivendell in two days time with Friagrin and Sogrin, and any one else who wishes to attend. If you want to see me get married, and see me on the happiest day of my life, then you're welcome to come"
Meruda looked into the fire again. "Go," he just said.
Nina looked to her mother for support, but got none.
"Well . . ." she said, holding back tears. "Goodbye," she turned and headed to the door, blinded by tears. She left without a second glance.
Nina ran back to Bag End, trying to control her emotions. She was happy that she could finally marry Frodo, but she had wanted her parents to be there. She wanted her Papa to give her away at the alter. Guess you can't have everything . . .
"Maybe they'll turn up with Sam" Holly said, comforting Nina after she told everybody the story. "They would have had two days to think about it then . . . don't worry, I'm sure they wouldn't miss it for the world"
"Suppose" Nina shrugged.
"Are we ready?" Frodo asked, stepping into the room.
"I am," Holly smiled. "Nina?"
Nina smiled and wiped her tears away. "I'm set"
Frodo put an arm around her waist and led her outside were Merry, Pippin and Sam were setting up the ponies.
"All set Mr Frodo, all set" Sam smiled, helping Portia and Nissa onto a pony.
"Sam?" Nina asked, walking towards the gardener. "Before you leave for Rivendell . . . would you ask my parents if they want to go?"
Sam smiled, understanding. "Of course Miss Nina" he said.
"Come on Nina!" Holly called. "You and Frodo are riding Bill!"
"Bill!" Nina exclaimed rushing to the pony. "Sam told me this pony was a diamond on the quest . . . well up until Moria I guess"
"Come on then," Frodo laughed, helped her on top of Bill. Holly handed Nina Lömadia and Frodo got up on Bill behind Nina. Nina leaned back against his chest for support and he put one arm around her waist for extra support and held on to the reins with his other hand. Portia and Nissa were on a pony together, as were Merry and Pippin. Holly insisted on riding on her own.
"To Rivendell!" Holly called happily, kicking her pony onwards.
"Wait! Wait!" Merry called after her. "You don't know the way!"
"Well get a move on then!" Holly called back to her brother. Frodo laughed at his cousin's behaviour and Nina just sighed, holding Lömadia tightly to her. She looked to her house and saw her mother and father stood at the window, watching as they left. Nina smiled to them, giving them a look that she forgave them after all - giving them a sign that she wanted them to come. But when Meruda pulled Lilla away from the window and closed the curtain, Nina knew they weren't coming.
"Rivendell?!" Nina stood absolutely shocked, as Frodo laid the bombshell on her. "You're taking me to Rivendell?!"
"Or maybe Gondor . . ."
"Gondor?!"
"Or possibly Lothlorien . . ."
"Lothlorien?!"
"Frodo, stop!" Holly laughed.
"What? I thought you wanted me to tell her!" Frodo chuckled, as Nina still stood with the same expression on her face.
"You said only Rivendell!"
"Yes, but I want to see Strider again and I figured . . . since Nina's always wanted to go around Middle Earth . . ."
"You can't marry in all three places Mr Frodo" Sam commented with a smile. "Besides I thought that the Elves had left Middle earth"
"Most have Sam," Frodo answered. "I don't think none reside at Lothlorien anymore - though, I do know that Elrond and a few other Elves still reside at Rivendell . . . and that Legolas and Gimli also are there too"
"Well!" Sam brightened up. "And I suppose you are intending on marrying in Rivendell?!"
"Well . . . it is the most beautiful place in Middle Earth"
"Oh my goodness!" Nina screeched. "You're really taking me to Rivendell?!"
"Of course, where else would you rather get married?"
"M-Married?!"
"Nina, haven't you been listening to any of this?!" Holly laughed at the shocked expression on Nina's face. "What did you think we were taking about?! A short holiday?!"
"Actually . . . yes"
Holly groaned, then laughed. "Well, now you know what's REALLY going on!" she walked towards her cousin. "Frodo, lovely, sweet Frodo . . . the best cousin I could ever ask for . . ." she smiled sweetly as Frodo rolled his eyes.
"Yes Holly?"
"You're going to take me to Rivendell aren't you?! I mean, you left me behind on that quest . . . I could have kicked some real Orc ass. And besides, Nina needs a bridesmaid and . . ."
"Of course, we're taking you!" Nina called. "You're my best friend - I can't get married without you!"
"You're all coming," Frodo announced, "We'll leave this evening"
"I'm afraid I'll have to meet you in Rivendell Mr Frodo," Sam announced. "I can't be leaving so soon, especially with Elanor. You can leave this evening, but you better had not marry until I arrive in Rivendell!"
"We won't Sam, we won't" Frodo smiled, hugging the gardener. "I'd have to have Samwise Gamgee at my wedding"
"But what about Mama and Papa?" Portia bit her nails. "What would they say?"
Nina looked to Frodo, then to Holly, then back to her brothers and sisters. Truth, after everything, she wanted her parents to be at her wedding; even though they had driven her crazy for the past year. Maybe after learning the truth about Friado, they would understand and apologize. And maybe Papa would shake Frodo's hand and wish them all the best . . . just like Nina had always dreamed of him doing so. She knew that before they set off for Rivendell, that she would have to talk to him.
"I'll go and see them before we leave," Nina answered.
"Is that such a good idea sis?" Friagrin frowned. "You know what Papa's like . . . he's still probably in a sulk"
"Whether he's changed his mind of not, I still must see them. It may be their last chance to see me as a Roper"
"Do you want me to go with you? Or Holly?" Frodo asked, kissing her cheek softly.
"No, it'll be best if I see them on my own. Who is travelling tonight?"
"Pippin, Merry, Holly, Miss Portia and Miss Nissa will be going with you" Sam answered. "And in a couple of day's time, I and my good wife will follow, along with your brothers and any other hobbit that wishes to attend. But Mr Frodo, beggin' ya pardon, but would Lord Elrond perform the ceremony and have half of Hobbiton in his city?"
"I'm sure he would Sam, though I know it's wrong to just assume" Frodo shrugged. "He said to me once, that he would have liked to see the Shire . . . and I explained that there would be a lot of hobbits that would wish to see Rivendell - he told me he'd be mighty proud to let hobbits see around the city"
"If you say so Mr Frodo" Sam shrugged. "But yer best start packing if you want to leave before sunset"
"I'll get Lömadia" Rose smiled, walking to the nursery.
"And I suppose I'd best go and see Papa" Nina sighed, then turned and placed a kiss on Frodo's lips. "But I'll be back this time"
"Promise?"
She smiled and nodded, kissing him again. "Nothing can stop us now"
//
Nina started to fiddle with her fingers again - like she always did when she was nervous. As she approached her parent's home, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door lightly. When Lilla answered, Nina gave a weak smile.
"Hullo, Mama" she said.
"Nina!" Lilla nearly cried from happiness. "You've come home!" she hugged her daughter tightly and Nina gracefully returned the hug.
"Not necessarily" she said. "I came to speak with you and Papa; I feel I ought too after everything that has happened"
Lilla nodded slightly and led Nina into the front room where Meruda Roper was puffing on a pipe and staring into the fire.
"So you've returned" he said, not bothering to look up. "Like I knew you would, you could never stop running - oh no, not from your family. You'll never run too far from your family"
Nina winced, seeing her Papa was still not in the greatest of moods. "I came to explain" she said.
"Explain what? What needs explaining? It's all pretty clear to me. The Roper's - the laughing stock of the Shire"
"Is that all you care about?! Idle gossip?!" Nina called.
"We had the best reputation in the Shire! And you're frolicking with that Baggins has put it all into shreds!"
"Just let me explain Papa, for once in your life just hear me out!"
Meruda looked up at her. "Go on then," he said calmer, his pipe sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "Explain"
Nina took a deep breath, wanting every word to come out perfect as she had been rehearsing in her mind. "You know I've never been keen on arranged marriages," she started. "But I tried Papa; I really tried to keep you happy. Just things happen - in all cases; obstacles occur and you have to live around them. I don't really know what made me fall in love with Frodo Baggins. Perhaps it was the endless talks we had and joking around, his charm, his handsome features . . . in all honesty, I never will find out why I fell for him. And to be honest, that's one of the many things I love about him. He has an impact on me, he always has. He just made me feel happy and special, without doing anything at all. It wasn't until Bilbo Bagginses 111th birthday party, when Frodo asked me to dance that I *knew* I was in love with him. I cannot describe the feeling . . . my heart skipped a few beats, my knees went to jelly . . . my stomach churned like a mill." Nina paused, waiting for some reaction from her father. There was none, so she carried on.
"When he went out on that quest, I felt so empty without him, I thought I'd lost him forever, and that he's died . . . but when he returned and saved us all from Sharkey . . . the feelings all came back. We'd sit, and he's talk about Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs . . . even about Mount Doom and Gollum, and it all amazed me."
"He put silly nonsense into your mind, so what?" Meruda muttered, but Nina ignored him.
"The Morgul blade made him ill about twice a year, I remember being there one time while it happened, holding his hand, wanting to confess my feelings for him, but I never thought he'd love me. And when he left for the Undying Lands, I knew he'd be gone forever. Six months of torture that was for me . . . six months of loneliness and emptiness. But then he came back . . . and I was the first to see him . . . and we started having our talks again and he told me all about the Undying Lands and how beautiful and enchanted it was . . . I felt as though I could not get any happier. But it could not compare to the night when Frodo told me he loved me . . . told me he always had and that it was I who made him carry on, on the quest . . . he told me he had thought only of me - the night before Friado entered our lives"
Lilla looked down, fighting back tears.
"See . . . I may have lied to you Papa, but you lied to me too. You told me that father's know what's best for their daughters and always will. You acted as though true love did not exist and that marriages should only be arranged to keep everyone happy. But in truth . . . it's not. When I was with Frodo, I never thought of Friado once, because I was happy and I'm in love . . . and things like that never pop into your mind. Frodo and I just carried on as though we were a normal happy couple. The sneaking around and the lies was the only thing in our path that could make us unhappy at times . . . but we got through it, and no matter what you say Papa, we're getting married"
"But what you did Nina . . . that was unforgivable. You could have told me all about Friado"
"I tried but you wouldn't listen! There were many times when I tried to protest, tried to tell you I was in love with a true gentlehobbit but you would not have it! You had the idea in your head that Friado was perfect, and you were too much into the idea that you forgot all about me - as though I didn't exist!"
"Nina-"
"And don't try to tell me otherwise because you know I'm right!"
"Where exactly are you planning to marry Frodo?" Meruda avoided the subject.
"He's taking me to Rivendell, city of the Elves. He's taking me to see Elves Papa! Do you know how happy that makes me?!"
"You're not going"
"Oh yes I am! And Portia, Nissa, Friagrin and Sogrin are too!"
"Oh no they are not! You're staying here where we can find a proper suitor for you, with precautions obviously. But you ain't going"
"Are you blind?! You can't get a better hobbit than Frodo! Just let me marry him!"
"You marry him and you won't be a part of this family anymore"
Nina paused before responding. She couldn't take on the fact that her father was going to throw her from the family. It took a while for her to reply, but she had already made her decision in her mind.
"Make what threats you want to" she answered quietly. "I shall marry Frodo and I shall become Nina Baggins."
"Over my dead body, you will!" Meruda leapt up.
"It's too late Papa, he's proposed and I have accepted. We're engaged and there's nothing you can do about it. Remember that line? The very line you said to me when I refused to marry Friado?"
"Nina-"
"How does it feel?" she began to get teary, watching her father slump down in defeat.
"Nina, please, just calm down" Lilla pleaded. "I feel as though we're not a family anymore"
"We're not. Papa does not want me to be in this family. Why? Because I fell in love someone he does not take very well too"
"I liked Frodo Baggins" Meruda said.
"Yes, until you found out I was in love with him. What's so bad about it?! Why are you acting so childish Papa?!"
"I just want you to be happy!"
"I am happy! Just accept that I'm only happy because of Frodo!"
"Please! Please!" Lilla leapt up. "Please stop shouting! Both of you!"
The room was silent for a while . . . until Nina spoke up.
"We're leaving for Rivendell tonight - Frodo, Pippin, Merry, Holly, Portia, Nissa and I . . . Sam Gamgee is travelling to Rivendell in two days time with Friagrin and Sogrin, and any one else who wishes to attend. If you want to see me get married, and see me on the happiest day of my life, then you're welcome to come"
Meruda looked into the fire again. "Go," he just said.
Nina looked to her mother for support, but got none.
"Well . . ." she said, holding back tears. "Goodbye," she turned and headed to the door, blinded by tears. She left without a second glance.
Nina ran back to Bag End, trying to control her emotions. She was happy that she could finally marry Frodo, but she had wanted her parents to be there. She wanted her Papa to give her away at the alter. Guess you can't have everything . . .
"Maybe they'll turn up with Sam" Holly said, comforting Nina after she told everybody the story. "They would have had two days to think about it then . . . don't worry, I'm sure they wouldn't miss it for the world"
"Suppose" Nina shrugged.
"Are we ready?" Frodo asked, stepping into the room.
"I am," Holly smiled. "Nina?"
Nina smiled and wiped her tears away. "I'm set"
Frodo put an arm around her waist and led her outside were Merry, Pippin and Sam were setting up the ponies.
"All set Mr Frodo, all set" Sam smiled, helping Portia and Nissa onto a pony.
"Sam?" Nina asked, walking towards the gardener. "Before you leave for Rivendell . . . would you ask my parents if they want to go?"
Sam smiled, understanding. "Of course Miss Nina" he said.
"Come on Nina!" Holly called. "You and Frodo are riding Bill!"
"Bill!" Nina exclaimed rushing to the pony. "Sam told me this pony was a diamond on the quest . . . well up until Moria I guess"
"Come on then," Frodo laughed, helped her on top of Bill. Holly handed Nina Lömadia and Frodo got up on Bill behind Nina. Nina leaned back against his chest for support and he put one arm around her waist for extra support and held on to the reins with his other hand. Portia and Nissa were on a pony together, as were Merry and Pippin. Holly insisted on riding on her own.
"To Rivendell!" Holly called happily, kicking her pony onwards.
"Wait! Wait!" Merry called after her. "You don't know the way!"
"Well get a move on then!" Holly called back to her brother. Frodo laughed at his cousin's behaviour and Nina just sighed, holding Lömadia tightly to her. She looked to her house and saw her mother and father stood at the window, watching as they left. Nina smiled to them, giving them a look that she forgave them after all - giving them a sign that she wanted them to come. But when Meruda pulled Lilla away from the window and closed the curtain, Nina knew they weren't coming.