shirebound - Actually, no, just have one sister, but my cousins have some
big families, so I've seen such things first hand. ;) And no, she didn't
just marry Faramir to escape the family, but we'll get into that
later...... ;) Thanks!!!
Luth - Thanks so much! I also noticed the lack of post-RotK hobbit stories, and I'm glad I managed to pull off a fairly decent one for you folks!
Leah Beth - Just wait 'til later. I think Faramir's going to be a really fun character to write... ;) Thanks!!
Glewen - Like I told shirebound, no, but I've seen family squabbles outside my immediate family; glad I managed to capture what fun big familes can be (it's funny, I used to wish I had a big family, but after writing this I'm not so sure...). ;) I was really worried about keeping everything in hobbit character, since this is my first LotR fic, so I'm very glad you like it!
Leah Beth - About Merry, Pippin, and Frodo's namesakes - yeah, that was both intentional and accidental. Some things about those three kids just fell in to place, so it was quite fun to go back and read how I had written them without meaning to. Thanks!
Zebra Wallpaper - Thanks! Like I said, I have limited experience with sibling rivalries, especially now that my sister's gone, but it was actually quite easy to write. Heck, these kids practically write themselves (a good quality in characters ;) ).
Disclaimer - Nope, not mine. And it'd be scary to think of what would happen if it was, so let's just move on, shall we?
A Little Change of Heart
Chapter 3 - A Few Surprises
*~*~*
When the door closed behind her and the angry voices inside Bag End could barely be heard, Goldilocks let out a long sigh of relief. It had been a long time since she'd witnessed an argument like that from her siblings, and it definitely wasn't something she ever wanted to see again.
In a household with twelve children of varying ages and dispositions, disagreements and sibling rivalries were inevitable. Elanor and Frodo, being the most patient of the Gamgee children, were usually the ones to help their parents keep the peace at Bag End. And now, Goldilocks suspected her brother was feeling the strain of carrying this responsibility on his own. Rosie did her best to help him, but was more often than not unable to keep her head on straight while attempting to settle things between the arguing parties. Merry, the next oldest after Rosie, had never possessed the patience to handle such things, and Pippin was often involved in the argument and therefore not of much help. As for Goldilocks and Hamfast, the last family members of a reasonable age to deal with such things, they aided Frodo whenever they could; but being much more introverted than the rest of their siblings, they often chose to stay as far away from disputes as possible. Which was why Goldilocks had decided to make her escape that night.
Not for the first time, she wished her good friend Faramir lived closer than Tuckborough; had he been with her at that moment, they would have simply laughed about her squabbling brothers and sisters. But far from laughing, all Goldilocks wanted to do was curl up on the cool grass and imagine her father was there, singing as he tended to the garden. Which was exactly what she did.
*~*~*
"Psst - Goldi! Wake up!"
Goldilocks groaned and shoved away the small finger that was poking her in the shoulder. "Go away, Ruby." For a brief moment as she attempted to go back to sleep, she wondered why she was not in bed, or even inside. She opened one eye slightly, expecting to see the bright light of morning. Instead she found shadows cast by the candle her youngest sister held over her. It was then that she remembered the argument at dinner, and how she had gone outside only to fall asleep in the garden.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up slowly and spoke to Ruby, "How long have I been out here?"
Ruby shrugged her little shoulders. "Dunno. But I think you should come inside now."
Goldilocks glanced apprehensively towards the door. "Have they finished yelling, then?"
Ruby grinned mischeviously and nodded. Before she could say anything in response, the door opened and a voice was heard from within.
"Ruby? Ruby, where are you? Did you find her?"
"Yes, over here!" she called as Goldilocks strained to see who the voice belonged to.
"Well, good evening, sleepyhead!" this new hobbit said to Goldilocks, putting her hands on her hips. "We all knew you loved this garden, but I had no idea you loved it enough to move into it!"
Goldilocks's eyes widened and her face broke into a grin. "Elanor!" She leaped up and ran into her sister's arms. "Oh Elly, it's so wonderful to see you!"
Elanor returned her sister's grin. "And you as well. My, look how you've grown! I wonder what Frodo has been feeding you lot!"
The mention of Frodo brought Goldilocks's mind back to when she'd last seen her siblings. "So, how long have you been here?"
"Not very long," she replied. She smiled mischeviously, apparently aware of the question Goldilocks had really been asking. "But long enough."
Goldilocks shifted her weight nervously. "Are they in a lot of trouble?"
"Not really. I think Mother and Father were simply too tired for punishments." She smiled again. "Poor Father almost burst into tears when he came in to find his darling children arguing up a storm."
"Where are they now?" Goldilocks inquired, eager to see her parents again after so long.
"Inside, I suspect, making sure their troublesome family doesn't break any dishes." She tossed her sister a wink as she stood, picking up Ruby. "Come on, then. They've all been wondering where you'd gotten off to."
Goldilocks followed her sister inside, where she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop the giggle that wanted to escape at the site before her.
It looked as though everyone who had been involved in the dispute had been put to work. Primrose could be seen sweeping the floors with a broom much taller than herself, while Daisy and Bilbo were nearby, one wiping a wet cloth and the other a dry one across the table. After Goldilocks walked in, the first thing she heard was a great sneeze; she looked around and saw Hamfast holding a duster and using it to frantically wave away a large cloud of dust he had apparently sweeped off the mantlepiece over the fireplace. Out of the fireplace stuck two legs that Goldilocks guessed belonged to Merry; coughing a sputtering could be heard inside, where she assumed her brother was sweeping off the soot. She was beginning to wonder where Pippin was when from far away she heard him give a yelp of pain, followed by a toddler's giggle. "Just get in the tub, would-- OW! Robin, you *bit* me!" Frodo and Rosie she also did not see, but from the sound of her older sister's grumblings, she suspected they were busy in the kitchen. And just off to the side of all this, Sam and Rose Gamgee sat in rocking chairs, wearing bemused expressions.
Goldilocks grinned and rushed towards her parents. "Father, Mother!"
Sam set down his pipe just in time to catch his daughter as she leaped into his arms. He laughed heartily and kissed her on the brow. "My, if you haven't grown ten times fairer than last I saw you!"
Goldilocks blushed at this and hugged her father. "It's so wonderful to have you home!" She then leaned over as far as she could to embrace her mother. "We missed you all so much!" It was then that Goldilocks noticed the small bundle in her mother's arms. "What is--" She interrupted herself with a small gasp as the bundle wriggled, revealing a tiny hand.
Rose smiled at her daughter and spoke softly, "Goldilocks, I'd like you to meet Tolman - your brother."
Goldilocks grinned and reached out with her finger, allowing the little hand to grasp it. "'Lo, Tom," she whispered. "Welcome home."
*~*~*
Well, think about it - Sam and Rosie spent the year 1442 in Gondor, and their son Tolman was born that year... So I'm pretty sure that makes sense. :P
Also, I'm not sure if Faramir would have lived in Tuckborough, but I figured since Pippin was the Thain by this time, they probably would've relocated there. But hey, if I'm wrong, which wouldn't be too far-fetched an idea, someone let me know. ;)
Luth - Thanks so much! I also noticed the lack of post-RotK hobbit stories, and I'm glad I managed to pull off a fairly decent one for you folks!
Leah Beth - Just wait 'til later. I think Faramir's going to be a really fun character to write... ;) Thanks!!
Glewen - Like I told shirebound, no, but I've seen family squabbles outside my immediate family; glad I managed to capture what fun big familes can be (it's funny, I used to wish I had a big family, but after writing this I'm not so sure...). ;) I was really worried about keeping everything in hobbit character, since this is my first LotR fic, so I'm very glad you like it!
Leah Beth - About Merry, Pippin, and Frodo's namesakes - yeah, that was both intentional and accidental. Some things about those three kids just fell in to place, so it was quite fun to go back and read how I had written them without meaning to. Thanks!
Zebra Wallpaper - Thanks! Like I said, I have limited experience with sibling rivalries, especially now that my sister's gone, but it was actually quite easy to write. Heck, these kids practically write themselves (a good quality in characters ;) ).
Disclaimer - Nope, not mine. And it'd be scary to think of what would happen if it was, so let's just move on, shall we?
A Little Change of Heart
Chapter 3 - A Few Surprises
*~*~*
When the door closed behind her and the angry voices inside Bag End could barely be heard, Goldilocks let out a long sigh of relief. It had been a long time since she'd witnessed an argument like that from her siblings, and it definitely wasn't something she ever wanted to see again.
In a household with twelve children of varying ages and dispositions, disagreements and sibling rivalries were inevitable. Elanor and Frodo, being the most patient of the Gamgee children, were usually the ones to help their parents keep the peace at Bag End. And now, Goldilocks suspected her brother was feeling the strain of carrying this responsibility on his own. Rosie did her best to help him, but was more often than not unable to keep her head on straight while attempting to settle things between the arguing parties. Merry, the next oldest after Rosie, had never possessed the patience to handle such things, and Pippin was often involved in the argument and therefore not of much help. As for Goldilocks and Hamfast, the last family members of a reasonable age to deal with such things, they aided Frodo whenever they could; but being much more introverted than the rest of their siblings, they often chose to stay as far away from disputes as possible. Which was why Goldilocks had decided to make her escape that night.
Not for the first time, she wished her good friend Faramir lived closer than Tuckborough; had he been with her at that moment, they would have simply laughed about her squabbling brothers and sisters. But far from laughing, all Goldilocks wanted to do was curl up on the cool grass and imagine her father was there, singing as he tended to the garden. Which was exactly what she did.
*~*~*
"Psst - Goldi! Wake up!"
Goldilocks groaned and shoved away the small finger that was poking her in the shoulder. "Go away, Ruby." For a brief moment as she attempted to go back to sleep, she wondered why she was not in bed, or even inside. She opened one eye slightly, expecting to see the bright light of morning. Instead she found shadows cast by the candle her youngest sister held over her. It was then that she remembered the argument at dinner, and how she had gone outside only to fall asleep in the garden.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up slowly and spoke to Ruby, "How long have I been out here?"
Ruby shrugged her little shoulders. "Dunno. But I think you should come inside now."
Goldilocks glanced apprehensively towards the door. "Have they finished yelling, then?"
Ruby grinned mischeviously and nodded. Before she could say anything in response, the door opened and a voice was heard from within.
"Ruby? Ruby, where are you? Did you find her?"
"Yes, over here!" she called as Goldilocks strained to see who the voice belonged to.
"Well, good evening, sleepyhead!" this new hobbit said to Goldilocks, putting her hands on her hips. "We all knew you loved this garden, but I had no idea you loved it enough to move into it!"
Goldilocks's eyes widened and her face broke into a grin. "Elanor!" She leaped up and ran into her sister's arms. "Oh Elly, it's so wonderful to see you!"
Elanor returned her sister's grin. "And you as well. My, look how you've grown! I wonder what Frodo has been feeding you lot!"
The mention of Frodo brought Goldilocks's mind back to when she'd last seen her siblings. "So, how long have you been here?"
"Not very long," she replied. She smiled mischeviously, apparently aware of the question Goldilocks had really been asking. "But long enough."
Goldilocks shifted her weight nervously. "Are they in a lot of trouble?"
"Not really. I think Mother and Father were simply too tired for punishments." She smiled again. "Poor Father almost burst into tears when he came in to find his darling children arguing up a storm."
"Where are they now?" Goldilocks inquired, eager to see her parents again after so long.
"Inside, I suspect, making sure their troublesome family doesn't break any dishes." She tossed her sister a wink as she stood, picking up Ruby. "Come on, then. They've all been wondering where you'd gotten off to."
Goldilocks followed her sister inside, where she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop the giggle that wanted to escape at the site before her.
It looked as though everyone who had been involved in the dispute had been put to work. Primrose could be seen sweeping the floors with a broom much taller than herself, while Daisy and Bilbo were nearby, one wiping a wet cloth and the other a dry one across the table. After Goldilocks walked in, the first thing she heard was a great sneeze; she looked around and saw Hamfast holding a duster and using it to frantically wave away a large cloud of dust he had apparently sweeped off the mantlepiece over the fireplace. Out of the fireplace stuck two legs that Goldilocks guessed belonged to Merry; coughing a sputtering could be heard inside, where she assumed her brother was sweeping off the soot. She was beginning to wonder where Pippin was when from far away she heard him give a yelp of pain, followed by a toddler's giggle. "Just get in the tub, would-- OW! Robin, you *bit* me!" Frodo and Rosie she also did not see, but from the sound of her older sister's grumblings, she suspected they were busy in the kitchen. And just off to the side of all this, Sam and Rose Gamgee sat in rocking chairs, wearing bemused expressions.
Goldilocks grinned and rushed towards her parents. "Father, Mother!"
Sam set down his pipe just in time to catch his daughter as she leaped into his arms. He laughed heartily and kissed her on the brow. "My, if you haven't grown ten times fairer than last I saw you!"
Goldilocks blushed at this and hugged her father. "It's so wonderful to have you home!" She then leaned over as far as she could to embrace her mother. "We missed you all so much!" It was then that Goldilocks noticed the small bundle in her mother's arms. "What is--" She interrupted herself with a small gasp as the bundle wriggled, revealing a tiny hand.
Rose smiled at her daughter and spoke softly, "Goldilocks, I'd like you to meet Tolman - your brother."
Goldilocks grinned and reached out with her finger, allowing the little hand to grasp it. "'Lo, Tom," she whispered. "Welcome home."
*~*~*
Well, think about it - Sam and Rosie spent the year 1442 in Gondor, and their son Tolman was born that year... So I'm pretty sure that makes sense. :P
Also, I'm not sure if Faramir would have lived in Tuckborough, but I figured since Pippin was the Thain by this time, they probably would've relocated there. But hey, if I'm wrong, which wouldn't be too far-fetched an idea, someone let me know. ;)
