The Monster of Bywater
Chapter Nine - Trial and Verdict
By Talking Hawk
They sat in two of the dining chairs - the prisoners. They sat in the middle of the living room, seemingly isolated. These were their judgment seats, awaiting their verdict.
Quietly, as to not encourage or scorn the boys before the man of the house made his decision, Bell Gamgee wrapped a large towel around the dripping Frodo. The lad accepted it, though it was the much despised color of dark pink. As he resumed his seat once more, his face turned to the color of the towel, seeing three curly heads poke through a door to watch him curiously. To his utter embarrassment, they were the three sisters of Sam, staring at him like a. . .like a. . .boy only wearing his underpants!
Frodo lowered his eyes, ashamed not only to be wearing a pink towel and having three pairs of female eyes staring at him, but to have been caught entirely. He had gotten away with much more back in Buckland - even stealing from Farmer Maggot (up to a certain point). How could he have been caught *swimming*?
His eyes staring at the floor that his feet could not yet touch while sitting in a chair, Sam twiddled his thumbs nervously in his lap. The fluffy - and now dry - form of Arnold waddled about his lap, playfully nipping at the bottom of the boy's shirt. Sam was in no mood to entertain the duck, however, so he bounced off his lap - and after landing most unceremoniously onto the floor - he scuttled across the floor and slipped through the ajar door that the girls were peeking through. The door snapped shut a moment later as Hamfast appeared once more, a grim look upon his face.
His hands folded somberly behind his back, the man stood before them and shifted his gaze from one to the other. He decided to start with the stranger.
"I frankly have no idea who you are," he said gruffly, "but you have no business bein' in a waterhole. You could've gotten yerself killed!" Frodo kept his blue eyes upon the floor, refusing to tear them away to look up into the man's angry face. Hamfast grunted in displeasure and turned to his son.
"And you. . .I thought I had taught you better than that!" Samwise sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I. . .I know. . ." he stammered, his fists turning white as they twisted about each other.
The man's anger got the better of him. "I *told* you that swimmin's dangerous! Why did you let him go swimmin' anyway?" Frodo decided to intervene at this point.
"I've swam all my life, sir," he said, finally lifting his gaze to meet the man's. "And I told him that I could swim. He tried to get me out of the water when he first saw me at the Bywater."
Hamfast gave the tweenager a venomous glare. "Fine. But what if Sam here slipped in, when nobody else was around? What then?!"
"I would've saved him, sir," Frodo replied, his voice staying amazingly cool. He and the man stared at each other for a long moment. "Besides," the boy said, "I've had plenty of practice in saving other people. For example, once my cousin Merry swallowed a turkey leg whole, and I was the one to make him pop it right out again!"
Needless to say, this didn't inspire much confidence in the Gaffer. He opened his mouth to counter this claim, but a rap came to the door. He snapped his mouth back shut again, then said, "You two wait 'ere just one moment. . ." And with that, the man went to see who was there. The boys' eyes returned to the floor as an incomprehensible murmur of conversation flooded from the doorway. After a long while, two sets of feet could be heard making their way toward the pair.
A new form appeared before them, conversing with Hamfast - Bilbo Baggins.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bilbo," Hamfast said with a sigh. "I didn't know this young man 'ere was yer kin. If I had've known, I wouldn't've."
"No apologies needed, Hamfast," Bilbo assured him. He gave Frodo a glare out of the corner of his eyes, making the lad gulp. "If it had been me who found him, I would've done the same." After some more discussion, both men folded their hands behind their backs and turned to their charges.
"I suppose you two haven't been introduced as of yet," Bilbo said. "Frodo, this is Master Gamgee - our gardener." Frodo glanced at the man, and Sam shrunk in his seat, a surge of panic running through his veins. What would his new friend think of his social position - his gardener's son?
"Really?" Frodo asked, a note of exuberance in his tone. "You mean they're not just visiting, and they don't live in some other village? . . . That's. . .that's *wonderful*!" The tweenager grinned, and Sam stared at him in shocked disbelief.
Mr. Frodo didn't care.
Bilbo halted a moment, also pleased that his charge had found a companion. However, he could not let the day's events slide completely. "Frodo," he scolded, "you shouldn't have given Master Gamgee such a scare. Why, if your Aunt Dinodas was here. . ." Frodo's eyes widened in horror - Dinodas was his mother's elder sister, and had a nasty reputation for dealing out the worst punishment that any growing boy could ever dream of receiving. Her disciplinary action was feared by all - even Bilbo himself, to a certain extent.
"And Sam," Hamfast said, "what has been the matter with you lately? First conjurin' up stories about fanciful monsters, and now *this*. . ."
"But it *wasn't* fanciful!" Sam cried out. He pointed a finger at Frodo. "I caught my monster!"
'Don't you think you could've caught a prettier one?' Bilbo quipped jokingly, but decided it would be best not to be humorous with Hamfast in such a dangerous mood. . .
The Gaffer's face furrowed with anger, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Boy," he seethed, "watch yer manners."
"He's my monster though! The Monster of Bywater!"
Frodo stared at him a moment, then catching on, he nodded his head furiously in Hamfast's direction. "It's true, sir. He caught me with a butterfly net and everything. . .!"
Hamfast stood there a moment, thinking deeply. Deep blue eyes. . .tall. . .lily pad growing out of head. . . Everything suddenly added up. The man's eyes widened in shock, finally understanding.
"Well, gracious me. . . Me boy's right. . ." was all he could manage to utter. Bilbo stared at his fellow enforcer, then seeing he was now on his own, he shook his head and heaved a small sigh.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he did his best to conceal it. "Well, Frodo," Bilbo sighed, pretending to sound more disappointed than he really was, "I suppose I'll just have to come up with a decent punishment for you as your legal guardian."
Frodo's eyes perked up at this, and he gazed at his uncle for the longest time. ". . .What?. . ." Bilbo finally allowed himself to smile, and withdrew a piece of parchment from his pocket and unrolled it. Frodo leapt to his feet, and watched as the writing appeared.
"Seven signatures and all," Bilbo said. "It's official - you're my new adopted heir."
A moment of silence passed, and Hamfast and his son exchanged glances. Frodo goggled at the parchment, but then lifted his gaze to stare deeply into Bilbo's eyes. To the elder hobbit's surprise, he found tears welling up within the boy's eyes.
"I. . .I love you, Bilbo!" he finally exclaimed, wrapping his arms about the other hobbit. Bilbo laughed, and gave the boy a quick pat on the back before he ran out of his arms. A pink towel went flying through the air.
Frodo ran up to Sam, screaming with joy, "Did you hear that?! Did you hear? I'm *adopted*, Sam!" Before the stunned boy had the chance to reply, Frodo linked their hands and began skipping about in a circle. "I'm adopted, I'm adopted!"
The three heads appeared again, and while first blinking at the sight of the dancing boy in his undergarments, they giggled fitfully. They then swung open the door, and joined hands and began dancing in a circle as well.
"He got adopt-ed, he got adopt-ed!" they chanted enthusiastically, though Marigold had no idea what "adopted" meant. She figured, however, that it must be a good thing for such joy to be spread about at the mere mention of the word.
Frodo released Sam's hands, and began cartwheeling and jumping about the room, still crying out giddily. By this time, Bilbo had picked up the discarded pink towel, and smirked. "Now, lad!" he exclaimed, running after him. "This is no way to be acting in front of ladies!"
"Ah, who cares?" Frodo called back, nearly bouncing off the walls. "I'm ADOPTED! Wooohoooo!"
After much chasing about the room, Bilbo finally caught hold of the lad, and pressed the boy's back to his chest while trying to get the towel back on him. Frodo writhed, laughing as he wildly tried to free himself of his uncle's grasp. Bilbo, just as merry as the lad, gave him a bit of a tickle (only increasing the laughter in the smial) then gave Frodo's unruly curls a kiss.
Hamfast smiled down at his son, and ruffled the boy's curls. "I'm proud of you, lad. Don't you e'er forget that, neither. . ." Sam's eyes shone with a joy equivalent to that of his friend's; everything was back to the way it was - no, Sam corrected, it was even better than before.
Everything was perfect now.
Chapter Nine - Trial and Verdict
By Talking Hawk
They sat in two of the dining chairs - the prisoners. They sat in the middle of the living room, seemingly isolated. These were their judgment seats, awaiting their verdict.
Quietly, as to not encourage or scorn the boys before the man of the house made his decision, Bell Gamgee wrapped a large towel around the dripping Frodo. The lad accepted it, though it was the much despised color of dark pink. As he resumed his seat once more, his face turned to the color of the towel, seeing three curly heads poke through a door to watch him curiously. To his utter embarrassment, they were the three sisters of Sam, staring at him like a. . .like a. . .boy only wearing his underpants!
Frodo lowered his eyes, ashamed not only to be wearing a pink towel and having three pairs of female eyes staring at him, but to have been caught entirely. He had gotten away with much more back in Buckland - even stealing from Farmer Maggot (up to a certain point). How could he have been caught *swimming*?
His eyes staring at the floor that his feet could not yet touch while sitting in a chair, Sam twiddled his thumbs nervously in his lap. The fluffy - and now dry - form of Arnold waddled about his lap, playfully nipping at the bottom of the boy's shirt. Sam was in no mood to entertain the duck, however, so he bounced off his lap - and after landing most unceremoniously onto the floor - he scuttled across the floor and slipped through the ajar door that the girls were peeking through. The door snapped shut a moment later as Hamfast appeared once more, a grim look upon his face.
His hands folded somberly behind his back, the man stood before them and shifted his gaze from one to the other. He decided to start with the stranger.
"I frankly have no idea who you are," he said gruffly, "but you have no business bein' in a waterhole. You could've gotten yerself killed!" Frodo kept his blue eyes upon the floor, refusing to tear them away to look up into the man's angry face. Hamfast grunted in displeasure and turned to his son.
"And you. . .I thought I had taught you better than that!" Samwise sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I. . .I know. . ." he stammered, his fists turning white as they twisted about each other.
The man's anger got the better of him. "I *told* you that swimmin's dangerous! Why did you let him go swimmin' anyway?" Frodo decided to intervene at this point.
"I've swam all my life, sir," he said, finally lifting his gaze to meet the man's. "And I told him that I could swim. He tried to get me out of the water when he first saw me at the Bywater."
Hamfast gave the tweenager a venomous glare. "Fine. But what if Sam here slipped in, when nobody else was around? What then?!"
"I would've saved him, sir," Frodo replied, his voice staying amazingly cool. He and the man stared at each other for a long moment. "Besides," the boy said, "I've had plenty of practice in saving other people. For example, once my cousin Merry swallowed a turkey leg whole, and I was the one to make him pop it right out again!"
Needless to say, this didn't inspire much confidence in the Gaffer. He opened his mouth to counter this claim, but a rap came to the door. He snapped his mouth back shut again, then said, "You two wait 'ere just one moment. . ." And with that, the man went to see who was there. The boys' eyes returned to the floor as an incomprehensible murmur of conversation flooded from the doorway. After a long while, two sets of feet could be heard making their way toward the pair.
A new form appeared before them, conversing with Hamfast - Bilbo Baggins.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bilbo," Hamfast said with a sigh. "I didn't know this young man 'ere was yer kin. If I had've known, I wouldn't've."
"No apologies needed, Hamfast," Bilbo assured him. He gave Frodo a glare out of the corner of his eyes, making the lad gulp. "If it had been me who found him, I would've done the same." After some more discussion, both men folded their hands behind their backs and turned to their charges.
"I suppose you two haven't been introduced as of yet," Bilbo said. "Frodo, this is Master Gamgee - our gardener." Frodo glanced at the man, and Sam shrunk in his seat, a surge of panic running through his veins. What would his new friend think of his social position - his gardener's son?
"Really?" Frodo asked, a note of exuberance in his tone. "You mean they're not just visiting, and they don't live in some other village? . . . That's. . .that's *wonderful*!" The tweenager grinned, and Sam stared at him in shocked disbelief.
Mr. Frodo didn't care.
Bilbo halted a moment, also pleased that his charge had found a companion. However, he could not let the day's events slide completely. "Frodo," he scolded, "you shouldn't have given Master Gamgee such a scare. Why, if your Aunt Dinodas was here. . ." Frodo's eyes widened in horror - Dinodas was his mother's elder sister, and had a nasty reputation for dealing out the worst punishment that any growing boy could ever dream of receiving. Her disciplinary action was feared by all - even Bilbo himself, to a certain extent.
"And Sam," Hamfast said, "what has been the matter with you lately? First conjurin' up stories about fanciful monsters, and now *this*. . ."
"But it *wasn't* fanciful!" Sam cried out. He pointed a finger at Frodo. "I caught my monster!"
'Don't you think you could've caught a prettier one?' Bilbo quipped jokingly, but decided it would be best not to be humorous with Hamfast in such a dangerous mood. . .
The Gaffer's face furrowed with anger, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Boy," he seethed, "watch yer manners."
"He's my monster though! The Monster of Bywater!"
Frodo stared at him a moment, then catching on, he nodded his head furiously in Hamfast's direction. "It's true, sir. He caught me with a butterfly net and everything. . .!"
Hamfast stood there a moment, thinking deeply. Deep blue eyes. . .tall. . .lily pad growing out of head. . . Everything suddenly added up. The man's eyes widened in shock, finally understanding.
"Well, gracious me. . . Me boy's right. . ." was all he could manage to utter. Bilbo stared at his fellow enforcer, then seeing he was now on his own, he shook his head and heaved a small sigh.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he did his best to conceal it. "Well, Frodo," Bilbo sighed, pretending to sound more disappointed than he really was, "I suppose I'll just have to come up with a decent punishment for you as your legal guardian."
Frodo's eyes perked up at this, and he gazed at his uncle for the longest time. ". . .What?. . ." Bilbo finally allowed himself to smile, and withdrew a piece of parchment from his pocket and unrolled it. Frodo leapt to his feet, and watched as the writing appeared.
"Seven signatures and all," Bilbo said. "It's official - you're my new adopted heir."
A moment of silence passed, and Hamfast and his son exchanged glances. Frodo goggled at the parchment, but then lifted his gaze to stare deeply into Bilbo's eyes. To the elder hobbit's surprise, he found tears welling up within the boy's eyes.
"I. . .I love you, Bilbo!" he finally exclaimed, wrapping his arms about the other hobbit. Bilbo laughed, and gave the boy a quick pat on the back before he ran out of his arms. A pink towel went flying through the air.
Frodo ran up to Sam, screaming with joy, "Did you hear that?! Did you hear? I'm *adopted*, Sam!" Before the stunned boy had the chance to reply, Frodo linked their hands and began skipping about in a circle. "I'm adopted, I'm adopted!"
The three heads appeared again, and while first blinking at the sight of the dancing boy in his undergarments, they giggled fitfully. They then swung open the door, and joined hands and began dancing in a circle as well.
"He got adopt-ed, he got adopt-ed!" they chanted enthusiastically, though Marigold had no idea what "adopted" meant. She figured, however, that it must be a good thing for such joy to be spread about at the mere mention of the word.
Frodo released Sam's hands, and began cartwheeling and jumping about the room, still crying out giddily. By this time, Bilbo had picked up the discarded pink towel, and smirked. "Now, lad!" he exclaimed, running after him. "This is no way to be acting in front of ladies!"
"Ah, who cares?" Frodo called back, nearly bouncing off the walls. "I'm ADOPTED! Wooohoooo!"
After much chasing about the room, Bilbo finally caught hold of the lad, and pressed the boy's back to his chest while trying to get the towel back on him. Frodo writhed, laughing as he wildly tried to free himself of his uncle's grasp. Bilbo, just as merry as the lad, gave him a bit of a tickle (only increasing the laughter in the smial) then gave Frodo's unruly curls a kiss.
Hamfast smiled down at his son, and ruffled the boy's curls. "I'm proud of you, lad. Don't you e'er forget that, neither. . ." Sam's eyes shone with a joy equivalent to that of his friend's; everything was back to the way it was - no, Sam corrected, it was even better than before.
Everything was perfect now.