Chapter forty
Lilla was overwhelmed with the happiness that swept through her . . . she had made peace with all five of her children and spent the days with them and her grandchildren. She commented often on how mature Friagrin and Sogrin were now . . . much to her surprise and relief!
Meruda, however, was drowning in a sea of arrogance and wouldn't listen to his wife's ramblings on her happy days with her grandchildren. Lilla just sighed and carried on, trying to make her husband see what he was missing.
"There shall be a party tomorrow evening for their return" she said, handing him a cup of tea. Meruda snorted. "It was organised thoughtfully by the Bolgers and you shall be there"
"Why would they want me there? I've caused nothing but misery over the years" he grumbled. Lilla frowned and sat beside her husband.
"What are you saying dear? Are you telling me you wish to make peace?"
"Not with that Baggins" he said slamming the empty tea cup on the side of the table.
"What has Frodo done wrongly to offend you?! At least, yes, at first we all thought he was sickly for taking away our Nina, but of you could only see how happy he makes her and the children - they love him terribly!"
"He bewitched them all. Call for Portia and Nissa . . . and our sons if they have any sense left in them. I shall apologise for not paying enough attention to them . . . that is all"
"Meruda Roper I shall do no such thing! Either you apologise to all of our children or you'll never see them again!"
"So be it" he grumbled, sinking lower into the seat. Lilla sighed. What now?
******
"Look!" Lömadia called happily as she walked out of the bedroom. "I can walk and it doesn't hurt anymore!"
"Darling, are you sure?" Nina knelt down beside her. "It normally would take longer to heal"
"The magic smelly medicine made the pain go away . . . and the healer made me walk again, I must go tell Papa!"
"Papa's sleeping," Nina smiled, running a comb though her daughter's mattered golden hair.
"Sleeping?" the young hobbit lass scrunched her tiny nose up. "But the sun is out of bed, is Papa lazy?"
Nina chuckled. "No, just tired, darling" Daisy, Frodo and Krystal were sat in front of the fire playing and giggling. Young Samwise was in his cradle. "You may want to wake him Lömadia" she added.
Lömadia nodded with a grin and showed her mother how fast she could now run. She ran all the way into the bedroom, where Frodo was still sleeping.
"Papa?" she said, climbing onto the bed with full force. Her tiny body could hardly get on it. Frodo's back was facing her, and he himself was in a peaceful sleep. "Papa, Mama say's you have to wake up and stop being lazy. And look at my foot! It's all better!" she said, climbing on top of him. Frodo would not rouse and Lömadia scrunched her face up. "Papa! Wake up or you will be asleep for the rest of the day and miss luncheon!"
"You little pest!" he said, sitting up automatically and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry," she giggled. "But mama said I had to wake you otherwise you would be lazy . . . and Grandma's is coming today . . . do you think grandpa will come?"
Frodo sighed. "I do not know Little One," he answered. "But you shall be glad to know that today; I am to visit Fatty Bolger. He's organising a party for us, you know"
The girl's eyes widened, if it was possible for them to get wider. "A real party?! Like the ones Lord Elrond had?"
"Well . . ." Frodo found it hard to explain. He knew his daughter and other children were very much used to elvish lifestyle, and it was his job to get them into hobbit culture. "Not exactly like Lord Elrond's"
"But will there be dancing?"
"Of course!"
"Papa? May I go with you?! My foot is all better and it doesn't hurt anymore. Can I go, can I?!"
Frodo gave in to temptation . . . those eyes where going to be the death of him. He shooed Lömadia from the room as he got dressed and walked out of the bedroom to find Lilla in the kitchen.
"Good morning Frodo" the woman smiled. She used to only refer to him as 'Master Baggins' but she had now decided that he had wed her daughter and so a less formal name should be used. Frodo did wish deep down that Meruda would make peace; he saw the loss in Nina's eyes when only her mother turned up . . . Frodo felt as though he was depriving her of a father.
"Good morning" he exchanged a smile, taking Samwise off Nina. "I shall go and see the Bolgers now, they wish to speak to me about a party"
"A party?!" Nina gasped. "I had forgotten . . ."
"I'm taking Lömadia with me"
"Oh Frodo, do you think that wise?" Nina questioned. "She claims her ankle is better but you know what she is like. She will say anything just so she will be able to go out again"
"Just like you at that age" Lilla pointed out. "And Portia and Nissa were very much like that too. However, Friagrin and Sogrin would fake their illnesses, as young mischievous lads would do" "I must see them today," Nina spoke half to herself. "Frodo and Daisy wish to see Faramir again . . . would it be alright if I go now Frodo?"
"You're taking the children?"
"Except Lömadia . . . she's yours for today!"
Frodo smiled and kissed his wife. "Will you be here for when I return?"
"No, come to Brandyhall" Nina kissed him again, and then turned to her mother. "Will you be joining Mama?"
"But of course" Lilla said.
~*~
If not anything, Brandyhall looked bigger to Nina. The front room was newly decorated and seemed warmer. Holly rushed forward, hugging her friend like crazy, but stopped and turned to Lilla. She new that Lilla had made peace with her children, but had not seen her.
"Hullo, Lilla," she said half politely, half nervous.
Lilla smiled and hugged her. "I'm sorry" she said. "I can never say I'm sorry enough for the damage my husband and I have caused. I know now I was wrong and -"
"Speak nothing of it again" Holly smiled. "Come, everyone is in the room"
The children rushed up to Faramir and ran outside, playing up the hill and dancing around the chimney.
"I see they still have their spark" Portia commented, hugging her mother.
"And their enthusiasm" Nissa added. "Will you both be staying for supper?"
"Most likely not, Nissa" Lilla answered.
"Where is Frodo this evening?!" Merry spoke up.
"He's at the Bolgers; apparently there shall be a party tomorrow evening in honour of our return."
"A party?!" Pippin squeaked.
"Get ready for an evening of Ale, music, dances and laughs!" Merry said happily. "And hopefully the birth of Frodo and Nina's sixth baby who dies not seem to want to come out into the world!"
True, the unborn baby was a week overdue. "Please, Merry, it will be a party to remember. I don't think the guests shall be pleased if I gave birth in the middle of their festivities!"
"You never know Nina, you never know!"
**A/N ok, ok, reasons why I have not updated and why this chapter was crap . . . I got writers block on this story (Which was annoying seen as though it's only got this chapter and the chapter after until it's finished), I'm working on my Elijah fan fiction and I've started a Faculty fan fic on this site which is in desperate need of updating. Sorry this chapter was dull . . . there will be one more chapter and then it's the end . . . boo hoo, another story over, 3 more to go! Thanks everyone for reviewing, it keeps me going. I'll say sorry again for this chapter . . . why am I even posting it?! Anyway, I promise to update as soon as I can . . . it's my last year of school and I have all my exams (plus M.O.C.K exams in November and G.C.S.E's in July so I'll be starting to revise soon (something I've never done!) Anyway I'll try and update the end of this story as quick as I can, bear with me peeps!**
Lilla was overwhelmed with the happiness that swept through her . . . she had made peace with all five of her children and spent the days with them and her grandchildren. She commented often on how mature Friagrin and Sogrin were now . . . much to her surprise and relief!
Meruda, however, was drowning in a sea of arrogance and wouldn't listen to his wife's ramblings on her happy days with her grandchildren. Lilla just sighed and carried on, trying to make her husband see what he was missing.
"There shall be a party tomorrow evening for their return" she said, handing him a cup of tea. Meruda snorted. "It was organised thoughtfully by the Bolgers and you shall be there"
"Why would they want me there? I've caused nothing but misery over the years" he grumbled. Lilla frowned and sat beside her husband.
"What are you saying dear? Are you telling me you wish to make peace?"
"Not with that Baggins" he said slamming the empty tea cup on the side of the table.
"What has Frodo done wrongly to offend you?! At least, yes, at first we all thought he was sickly for taking away our Nina, but of you could only see how happy he makes her and the children - they love him terribly!"
"He bewitched them all. Call for Portia and Nissa . . . and our sons if they have any sense left in them. I shall apologise for not paying enough attention to them . . . that is all"
"Meruda Roper I shall do no such thing! Either you apologise to all of our children or you'll never see them again!"
"So be it" he grumbled, sinking lower into the seat. Lilla sighed. What now?
******
"Look!" Lömadia called happily as she walked out of the bedroom. "I can walk and it doesn't hurt anymore!"
"Darling, are you sure?" Nina knelt down beside her. "It normally would take longer to heal"
"The magic smelly medicine made the pain go away . . . and the healer made me walk again, I must go tell Papa!"
"Papa's sleeping," Nina smiled, running a comb though her daughter's mattered golden hair.
"Sleeping?" the young hobbit lass scrunched her tiny nose up. "But the sun is out of bed, is Papa lazy?"
Nina chuckled. "No, just tired, darling" Daisy, Frodo and Krystal were sat in front of the fire playing and giggling. Young Samwise was in his cradle. "You may want to wake him Lömadia" she added.
Lömadia nodded with a grin and showed her mother how fast she could now run. She ran all the way into the bedroom, where Frodo was still sleeping.
"Papa?" she said, climbing onto the bed with full force. Her tiny body could hardly get on it. Frodo's back was facing her, and he himself was in a peaceful sleep. "Papa, Mama say's you have to wake up and stop being lazy. And look at my foot! It's all better!" she said, climbing on top of him. Frodo would not rouse and Lömadia scrunched her face up. "Papa! Wake up or you will be asleep for the rest of the day and miss luncheon!"
"You little pest!" he said, sitting up automatically and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry," she giggled. "But mama said I had to wake you otherwise you would be lazy . . . and Grandma's is coming today . . . do you think grandpa will come?"
Frodo sighed. "I do not know Little One," he answered. "But you shall be glad to know that today; I am to visit Fatty Bolger. He's organising a party for us, you know"
The girl's eyes widened, if it was possible for them to get wider. "A real party?! Like the ones Lord Elrond had?"
"Well . . ." Frodo found it hard to explain. He knew his daughter and other children were very much used to elvish lifestyle, and it was his job to get them into hobbit culture. "Not exactly like Lord Elrond's"
"But will there be dancing?"
"Of course!"
"Papa? May I go with you?! My foot is all better and it doesn't hurt anymore. Can I go, can I?!"
Frodo gave in to temptation . . . those eyes where going to be the death of him. He shooed Lömadia from the room as he got dressed and walked out of the bedroom to find Lilla in the kitchen.
"Good morning Frodo" the woman smiled. She used to only refer to him as 'Master Baggins' but she had now decided that he had wed her daughter and so a less formal name should be used. Frodo did wish deep down that Meruda would make peace; he saw the loss in Nina's eyes when only her mother turned up . . . Frodo felt as though he was depriving her of a father.
"Good morning" he exchanged a smile, taking Samwise off Nina. "I shall go and see the Bolgers now, they wish to speak to me about a party"
"A party?!" Nina gasped. "I had forgotten . . ."
"I'm taking Lömadia with me"
"Oh Frodo, do you think that wise?" Nina questioned. "She claims her ankle is better but you know what she is like. She will say anything just so she will be able to go out again"
"Just like you at that age" Lilla pointed out. "And Portia and Nissa were very much like that too. However, Friagrin and Sogrin would fake their illnesses, as young mischievous lads would do" "I must see them today," Nina spoke half to herself. "Frodo and Daisy wish to see Faramir again . . . would it be alright if I go now Frodo?"
"You're taking the children?"
"Except Lömadia . . . she's yours for today!"
Frodo smiled and kissed his wife. "Will you be here for when I return?"
"No, come to Brandyhall" Nina kissed him again, and then turned to her mother. "Will you be joining Mama?"
"But of course" Lilla said.
~*~
If not anything, Brandyhall looked bigger to Nina. The front room was newly decorated and seemed warmer. Holly rushed forward, hugging her friend like crazy, but stopped and turned to Lilla. She new that Lilla had made peace with her children, but had not seen her.
"Hullo, Lilla," she said half politely, half nervous.
Lilla smiled and hugged her. "I'm sorry" she said. "I can never say I'm sorry enough for the damage my husband and I have caused. I know now I was wrong and -"
"Speak nothing of it again" Holly smiled. "Come, everyone is in the room"
The children rushed up to Faramir and ran outside, playing up the hill and dancing around the chimney.
"I see they still have their spark" Portia commented, hugging her mother.
"And their enthusiasm" Nissa added. "Will you both be staying for supper?"
"Most likely not, Nissa" Lilla answered.
"Where is Frodo this evening?!" Merry spoke up.
"He's at the Bolgers; apparently there shall be a party tomorrow evening in honour of our return."
"A party?!" Pippin squeaked.
"Get ready for an evening of Ale, music, dances and laughs!" Merry said happily. "And hopefully the birth of Frodo and Nina's sixth baby who dies not seem to want to come out into the world!"
True, the unborn baby was a week overdue. "Please, Merry, it will be a party to remember. I don't think the guests shall be pleased if I gave birth in the middle of their festivities!"
"You never know Nina, you never know!"
**A/N ok, ok, reasons why I have not updated and why this chapter was crap . . . I got writers block on this story (Which was annoying seen as though it's only got this chapter and the chapter after until it's finished), I'm working on my Elijah fan fiction and I've started a Faculty fan fic on this site which is in desperate need of updating. Sorry this chapter was dull . . . there will be one more chapter and then it's the end . . . boo hoo, another story over, 3 more to go! Thanks everyone for reviewing, it keeps me going. I'll say sorry again for this chapter . . . why am I even posting it?! Anyway, I promise to update as soon as I can . . . it's my last year of school and I have all my exams (plus M.O.C.K exams in November and G.C.S.E's in July so I'll be starting to revise soon (something I've never done!) Anyway I'll try and update the end of this story as quick as I can, bear with me peeps!**