Seconds, Please Chapter 6: Did You Find What You Were Looking For?, a hobbit fanfic

Chapter 6

Frodo stands in the light of the fireplace of her study, hunched over the table and tracing her finger over the map of Middle Earth. Retracing the path the fellowship had taken. It was baffling how quickly she had traveled to Mordor in such a short timeframe. She really had done the unthinkable.

The absence of the ring's weight around her neck had to mean she accomplished her goal. Right? She had been thinking about its absence. How she had changed with it. She remembers opening her hand, but memories were fickle and she could have assumed she had thrown it into the fire. The doubt lingered in her gut, twisting and unbearable. Everyone's suffering… what if she hadn't…was it all for nothing? Did she fail? Frodo looked at her right hand. Still wrapped in its bindings. Being here felt like it was a sign of failure.

She could not say. She didn't understand anything.

Frodo's finger tapped on the black lines of Mordor. How did she even get to Hobbiton? It would have taken months from Mordor to the Shire. Impossible in her condition. It doesn't explain anything. Even if she walked all that way, she was 80 years in the past!

Her lips pressed into a frown.

Magic existed and many strange phenomena have occurred because of it. She had seen spirits walk among men, and creatures of myth stand before her eyes. Was it so impossible that she could be in one place and then in another so quickly? Yes. Especially being dragged into the past! Frodo pressed her fingers between the space of her eyes, trying to ease the headache building behind it. She will never find her answer. She should be grateful she still had her life.

Even at the cost of your friends lives?

Frodo's lips curled at the intrusive thought. No, she never meant that. She could not tell if that was her or the whispers. She swatted the air around her, as if that would cause it to go away. She imagined it did. Her shoulders slumped in her exhaustion.

"I would not trade a life of peace if it meant they were all dead" She declared to the room. "If they were all dead… I could not live…" She shook her head, "I could not live with myself." The admission soft in the stillness of the room. The popping of firewood her only answer.

A suffering sigh left her and she slumped down in her chair and let her head fall into her hand. Bleary eyes gazed into the fireplace, thinking of everything and yet nothing at all.

Eventually Frodo forced her attention back on the map. After a moment she let the ink focus into lines she understood. Blinking away the daze from her eyes she made herself sit upright in her seat. That's right. Shaking away the fog, she looked at Breeland.

Grabbing her feather pen, she dipped it into the black ink, and with not too much trouble from her hand, continued writing out her memories in her chicken scratch.

She had written so much already. The notes making a small pile on the side of her desk. It was hard remembering the details and order of events because of how much had happened, but somethings were hard to remember because of the weight of it. In the beginning they didn't know what dangers they were facing, how it would turn into a more than just a quick trip across the river.

Harsh lines scrawled across the paper,

Prancing Pony. Met Aragorn. Ring Wraiths.

Her hand stilled. The memories of that night fuzzy except for the screeching of the Wring Wraiths when they did not find her dead in that bed.

KNOCK

Frodo jumped in her seat. Ink well spilling over the desk and onto the floor. She cursed and quickly picked it up and scrambled to find some cloth to sop up the mess. Black staining the sheet she had been writing on. A giant puddle of black growing on her desk. She found it helpless to wipe up the stain on her carpet. It's fate sealed. She gave another curse and stood there looking at her uncle's rug. He would kill her if he knew. Her gut twisting and a hysterical urge to cry filled her suddenly.

Her wild eyes then looked into the dark hallway beyond the office door.

KNOCK

It was late. Well past 9:00pm.

With a curse, Frodo abandoned the mess and pulled the kitchen knife from the handmade sheath at her side. She had made to carry it on her at all times. A nagging persistent thought in the back of her head. If they could break into your home, what makes you think they won't do it again?

Holding the knife at her side, she took silent steps into the hall and to the front door.

Her Smial was dark, as she often didn't light many candles - only lighting the ones she needed. She could see who stood at her porch from within her foyer, the glass panes wavy in texture, making it hard to see in, but easy to see out of. It was a hobbit. The tension in her shoulders lessened. She slid her knife into her sheath and concealed it beneath her cardigan.

Pulling her green door open, Frodo found herself face to face with a Buckland guard. He was out of breath and cut her off before she could properly greet him.

"- I have a message for you. Miss Baggins." He was holding a small letter and pushed it towards her. She blinked and understood he was in a rush, and took it, her hands leaving black fingerprints. Oops.

"Ah, thank you." Frodo's embarrassed flush warmed her face as she hesitated a moment, unsure what to do with her inky hands. She opened the red seal anyways. It was more a note, really.

Frodo,

The rangers have found Bilbo Baggins.

Frodo's took in a large, shaky breath. Her heart thumping in her chest. Blinking rapidly she continued reading, noting there was not a lot left.

When you get this message, come to Buckland.

Sincerely,

Gorbadock Brandybuck

Frodo found her throat tight and she swallowed the sudden emotions that spurred up. She stood her ground. Swallowing thickly. She looked at the guard with wide eyes. The hobbit was curious, but did not ask what the note said.

"Miss Baggins, the Master wanted me to escort you to Brandy Hall." He supplied in her silence. Frodo nodded unable to speak and looked around, blinking back the tears in her eyes. " I just need to get my bag." She whispered as explanation, her breath labored with the sudden emotions that choked her. If she said anymore she would surely cry. She rushed to the sideboard in the foyer and grabbed her bag. She shoved the note inside and locked her front door before rushing to the guard's side.

"We will be taking the ponies. " He told her as he led her to two Shire bred ponies tied to her fence. Frodo nodded and easily mounted the brown mare given to her. With a yip, The Buckland Guard led her to Brandy Hall in a gallop.

When she arrived, she was whisked to the Master's private study. It was late in the night and the rest of Brandy Hall was asleep, the hallways empty and dark save for the two hobbits and the candle lighting the way. The Master of the Hall was wide awake, his bifocals reflecting the firelight as he smoke his pipe where he sat in his arm chair before the hearth. The room was more a small office and it was crammed with personal belongings and trinkets that reflected him. The wall of books overfilled and piled. The room smelled like Long bottom, distinctly earthy, with notes of cedar and stone fruit- it was a calming scent. He looked like the grandfather she knew in her memories. The sight of him sitting there and the smell of his pipe weed brought her back to when she was eight years old, his warm, old voice reading over stories to her and her cousins.

At the sight of her, he stood from his armchair by the fireplace.

"Master," The guard bowed before leaving the two of them alone with the soft click of the door shutting behind him.

Frodo walked up to her grandfather who had grabbed a scroll from the side table beside his armchair. "Frodo" He greeted with a tired smile, happy to see her but carrying with it worry. The smile was unexpected, and the tension eased in her shoulders somewhat.

"Master Brandybuck. I -I. What did the rangers say? Anything more? How is he? Is he okay?" She asked in one breath, her tone steadily rising in a more hysterical pitch.

"This is the letter I received from the Rangers. Please, read it" He handed it to her and she read over the neat, cursive writing. The note slightly shaking in her grip.

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. There wasn't a lot written and the language was different. A prominent thought came to the forefront of her mind. She he didn't expect Rangers to have such pretty handwriting.

There was nothing in this letter but vague language. It said nothing of Bilbo's health only that they had found the hobbit matching his description and they had them in their care. Whoever they were. It was maddening. Her heart felt like it was straining to beat in her chest. Her hands were shaking now as she gripped the paper - it crinkling in her hands. Why can't she ever get a simple answer! Was he hurt? Was he even alive? The letter did not even bother to mention what happened and how Bilbo was found. Nothing. Just detached information, like it was nothing to be concerned about.

"It is from the elves in Rivendell." She looked up at Gorbadock with wide eyes. Frodo was confused at what that meant. "The rangers found Bilbo and took him to Rivendell. He will be okay."

Frodo stood there digesting the information. It felt like she was doing that a lot lately, her brain slow to understand. But it was satisfactory. There were so many questions. Yet they all jumbled in her brain. "You saved his life Frodo." He added softly, resting a hand gently on her shoulder.

Frodo inhaled sharply, suddenly finding herself overwhelmed with the news. He was right. Goosebumps prickled over her skin, and her eyes felt heavy with the weight of emotion that wanted to slip from them. "I - I am so happy he's okay." She swallowed the lump down her lips wobbling and she pressed them together, unable to say more. The tears she had kept to unleash earlier returning faster and prickling behind her eyes.

After a long moment she felt she could speak again.

"Where did they find him?" She asks him in a whisper. Because that is the question that plagues her. He must have been found close to Rivendell if they took him there. Did they manage to catch who took him? She shivers again. A cold seeping into her that no fire can warm.

The older hobbit gives a gusty sigh as he moves about the room. She is thankful when he wordlessly drapes a blanket over her shoulders. She wraps the blanket close to her, and watches as he sits back down in his armchair with a sigh. "I don't know Frodo. That is what I questioned as well. The rangers did not said anything else when I asked." He looks over to her once more, "The letter is vague. And that tells me they are not eager to share what information they have." Frodo's attention perks up at her grandfather's thoughts. She hadn't thought of that.

"What if it —Do you think…" The suggestion of Black-riders doesn't make it past her lips. She does not want to sound paranoid about this, even if she has reason. And proof. But it is proof only to her.

The Master taps his pipe against his teeth. "I know of many dark things that reside just outside these halls. And I know the world outside the Shire is filled with bad people. We are blessed to be protected in the Shire, but it seems like that is not the case anymore." The Master taps his pipe again and Frodo patiently waits for him to finish his thoughts. "One of our own was taken from us, but by whom? Frodo you are convinced it is these Black Riders. Who are they? Have you run into them before? His eyes focus on her and she straightens slightly in her hunch. She has not moved from her position.

He was evaluating her. Frodo's eyebrows knit together as she considers his words and she stepped forwards. He knows something.

Frodo sucks in a breath.

She takes a moment to answer. Not sure how she can explain properly. "I have a feeling in my, in my gut. I just know it is something that not a bandit, or some vagabond would do. Bag End was broken into and searched. Whoever did that left a note written in blackspeech." She looks to the fireplace, lips pursed. " I mean. Wouldn't you know of it were bandits? They would not be able to pass by you or the Thane without notice. But someone did." She look back to him, "They also left a blade in my Fireplace mantle." And of all the things to be upset with, Frodo was more angry about the large gash in her fireplace than finding her Smial broken into.

"A blade?" The older hobbit asks, sitting foreward in his seat, no longer tapping his teeth with his pipe.

"I know it's a warning" She explains. "The blade is, is made for them. With dark magic. It is known as a morgul blade."

The Master takes in a deep inhale of his pipe and slowly blows it out, a cloud floating slowing into the cieling. "Then if it as you say, I think we need more security." He admits with an air of levity. She is flabbergasted by his attempt at humor and can't help but let out a bark of a laugh. This hobbit. He was a Brandybuck for sure.

All she could see was Merry in that moment and her face and heart warmed. He would have said the same.

"So you think it could be Black riders?" She asks.

" I…believe that what you've told me makes a great deal of sense. They were silent and were able to pass by the guard." Which was the most surprising of all. "You saved Bilbo's life with this knowledge and you also brought up a flaw in the Shire's defenses. If a hobbit can be stolen without a sound, without any notice, it proves we are not protected from threats. We have been invaded by many creatures of dark forces in our history, but we have always drove them out. If any more of these black riders think they can come in and kidnap hobbits, then they won't know what waits for them."

Frodo's lips curled into a smile, and a wave of awe filled her. Her grandfather was truly a great leader.

"I think we need to find out why he was kidnapped. Why they were secret about it." She tells him. "Can you ask the rangers? Is there a way I can go see Bilbo?" She asks, but she knows it would not be possible. Not without someone to help guide her, or rangers to help protect her.

"We will talk to the rangers in the morning. These questions will be addressed, I assure you." He looks to her once more. "You may spend the night here Frodo."

Frodo nodded and stood up, the Master of the Hall mirroring her. She walked with him to the door. Opening it, the same Buckland guard that brought here here stood at attention, turning to address them. "Hugo, please take Frodo to the guest room. She'll be staying the night."

Frodo turned to her grandfather, "Thank you for everything. I don't know how to express my gratitude." She was flustered and overwhelmed with his generosity and the news she learned.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't stop being kind Frodo. The world is filled with evil, but there is also good. Don't let the bad keep you from smiling."

Frodo ducked her head, taking his words in, and feeling like she had been scolded. Guilt for her own attitude twisting in her chest. "Thank you." She said softly, her voice escaping her.

"Now, good night and get some rest."

Frodo inclined her head and was led to the familiar room in the Smial she had previously stayed in. Hugo bid her goodnight, and she closed the door softly. Pressing her head against it and letting out a deep sigh. She pulled her hand away from the handle and turned around. It was habit now as she shoved the chair beneath the handle. Keeping the door locked. She sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted and mind reeling with information.

Bilbo was alive.

Bilbo had been found near Weathertop.

The rangers won't say what happened, and neither did the elven letter.

What happened to you Bilbo?

What did you do? Frodo looked at the wall adorn with a flowery wallpaper, "What did you do to Bilbo?" Because Frodo knew it was Ring Wraiths, the question a whisper on her lips.

What do you think happened to Bilbo

The whisper was sudden and she looked to the side, seeing no-one. She would never get over it. It sounded like someone was right next to her.

"I think…" you are just a voice in my head.

She glared at the bed space beside her, imagining crushing the voice into smithereens. Another gusty sight and Frodo eventually changed into the spare pajamas provided.

Ring

Wraiths.

Frodo plugged her left ear with her finger and hoped it would go away.

They are coming for you

Frodo pulled her knife from her sheath and slashed the air at her right side, of course no one was there. But she hoped she could stop the voices. Her breath quick and haggard from the sudden movement. "If they come for me. If they find me. I will be ready" She promised the whispers.

Silence was their answer.

Frodo gave her room one more look around before placing her things on the end table. Crawling into bed she looked up at the barreled ceiling. It was painted with stars, copying the constellations in the night sky. This must hav been a child's room in the past. She wondered who it could have been.

Frodo closed her eyes and prayed for everyone she knew. For the the fellowship and Bilbo wherever they were right now. Asking for protection the gods could grant them. She felt it was needed now more than ever. Things were changing, and they all needed to be ready for it. Whatever it was. A shiver wracked through her and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm coming Bilbo." She promises- eyes alight with a determination that burns through the other emotions. She leans over and blows out the lamp.

Krooshy: Hey! Thanks for reading!