The sound of rattling pots awakened him from deep slumber. He kept his
eyes closed and smiled as he heard Sam's familiar humming as he began
making breakfast. Yawning, he opened his eyes and was surprised to see a
different face sleeping beside him. Lorelai's eyelids were still closed
and he could see soft rings beneath her eyes. He shifted as to get up, and
she sighed contentedly, making him freeze before venturing on to pushing
himself up.
"Oh, good mornin' there Mr. Frodo," Sam said as he flipped the bacon in his pan.
"Hello there Sam. Do you know," he asked carefully, "what she's doing here?"
"Apparently last night her fever came back or something. She's staying with us for now, until she's well again."
"Oh." Frodo paused and began to walk over towards Sam, sitting beside him. It was indescribable, but somehow, when Sam said that she was to stay with them, if only for a little while, it seemed to lighten his heart. The sight of her sleeping peacefully had chased away his fears of her being alone and cold in the night.
Sam smiled slyly. "I suppose you're happy about that then, Mr. Frodo?"
"Yes Sam, I am. Now I don't have to worry about her being alone if something were to happen."
"Oh yes, only if something were to happen… has nothing to do with the way you're looking at her now…" he snickered good-naturedly. Frodo shot Sam a look.
"I'm not looking at her in any way Sam," he said, telling himself that in his mind as well. "I only wish her to be… alright…."
"Alright then Mr. Frodo, Sam knows when to stop asking questions," he grinned.
"So where is everyone else off to now?" Frodo questioned, his eyes only detecting Lorelai, Pippin, Merry, and Gimli asleep on the ground. His eyebrows raised when a loud snore of Merry's punctuated his sentence.
"Well, Strider and Boromir were awake when I woke up, and I haven't seen Legolas today. When Gandalf woke up, only a few minutes ago, he went off, I suppose looking for Strider, at the sight of her." Sam shrugged.
A loud yawn abruptly ended his sentence. They turned to see Lorelai stretching her arms high above her head, eyes squinted shut, before she sat up and smiled sleepily. "Well, hello there," she said softly, her eyes still looking fatigued and weary. "Good sleep last night?"
"Are you okay?" Frodo asked, rising to go to her side. He squatted beside her.
"Oh, I'm alright, it was just a little cold last night, that's all…" she shrugged, trying to hide the anxiety last night's dreams still held for her. The flashing red eye, looming over her, peering at her meticulously, examining every pore and finding she was worthless, used up, worn out to His cause. Casting her into the mighty fires of Mount Doom, where fires had continued to glow and rumble far beneath the recesses of the earth, where the only life was eternal damnation, and the only savior was death. Tormented dreams fired her soul and beckoned her fever, to return, to stay ever a reminder of the power held over her. Strangely enough, when she fell asleep for the second time, the brew seemed to aid her in quelling the brutal fire below. She still felt shaky today, and still felt vulnerable, but not nearly as petrified as she felt last night. And the warmth and genuine concern Frodo's eyes held for her was more than enough to make her feel better.
He reached out and gently touched her forehead. It felt cool and soft, and his fingers tingled at the contact of his skin to hers.
"Your fever seems to be gone," he said, drawing his hand back quickly. She nodded.
"Yes, I do feel quite a bit better."
"Ah, hello Lorelai!" a voice cried out from beside them. Gandalf stepped out of the woods, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas close behind him. "You are feeling better than?"
She stood, looking with the utmost gratitude at Aragorn. "Yes, very much better. I thank you very much for all you have done."
"Well then, that is good," Gandalf smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You shall stay with us for the rest of today, assuming that you are headed the way we are…." He gave her a slightly chastising look.
"You assumed correctly. Am I also correct to assume that Elrond informed you of our earlier conversation?" she countered, making Gandalf snort with amusement at her spunk.
"It is heartening to see you in such high spirits," he grinned, "but we must wake the others. We still have long to travel, and the day is short."
After the other members had awaken, breakfast was had by all before they had to shoulder their packs and begin again. Gandalf led the company through the forest for a time before the emerged into a wide field again. Frodo followed closely behind him, then Sam, and Merry and Pippin. Lorelai and Legolas walked carefully behind them, and after them, Boromir was talking with Aragorn.
"I do not think it is good that she is with the company," Boromir whispered adamantly. "There is no good to come of an extra walker. Especially one who is weak and little."
Aragorn shook his head as he listened. "She is involved with this quest somehow. Though I do not know for what purpose entirely, she is important."
"I say that we must send her away, get rid of her in some way. She proves to much of a liability in case of attack," Boromir countered with vehemence.
Legolas paused in his stride a few paces and began to walk with the pair at the end. "I would be careful with what you are saying Boromir, for she can hear your every word. You are lucky that she is not one to fight, for the fire in her eyes at your words would leave you dead."
Boromir's eyes travelled to the back of the tiny girl, whose movements seemed of calm indifference. He shrugged off Legolas' warning, but his eyes never left her.
"Oh, good mornin' there Mr. Frodo," Sam said as he flipped the bacon in his pan.
"Hello there Sam. Do you know," he asked carefully, "what she's doing here?"
"Apparently last night her fever came back or something. She's staying with us for now, until she's well again."
"Oh." Frodo paused and began to walk over towards Sam, sitting beside him. It was indescribable, but somehow, when Sam said that she was to stay with them, if only for a little while, it seemed to lighten his heart. The sight of her sleeping peacefully had chased away his fears of her being alone and cold in the night.
Sam smiled slyly. "I suppose you're happy about that then, Mr. Frodo?"
"Yes Sam, I am. Now I don't have to worry about her being alone if something were to happen."
"Oh yes, only if something were to happen… has nothing to do with the way you're looking at her now…" he snickered good-naturedly. Frodo shot Sam a look.
"I'm not looking at her in any way Sam," he said, telling himself that in his mind as well. "I only wish her to be… alright…."
"Alright then Mr. Frodo, Sam knows when to stop asking questions," he grinned.
"So where is everyone else off to now?" Frodo questioned, his eyes only detecting Lorelai, Pippin, Merry, and Gimli asleep on the ground. His eyebrows raised when a loud snore of Merry's punctuated his sentence.
"Well, Strider and Boromir were awake when I woke up, and I haven't seen Legolas today. When Gandalf woke up, only a few minutes ago, he went off, I suppose looking for Strider, at the sight of her." Sam shrugged.
A loud yawn abruptly ended his sentence. They turned to see Lorelai stretching her arms high above her head, eyes squinted shut, before she sat up and smiled sleepily. "Well, hello there," she said softly, her eyes still looking fatigued and weary. "Good sleep last night?"
"Are you okay?" Frodo asked, rising to go to her side. He squatted beside her.
"Oh, I'm alright, it was just a little cold last night, that's all…" she shrugged, trying to hide the anxiety last night's dreams still held for her. The flashing red eye, looming over her, peering at her meticulously, examining every pore and finding she was worthless, used up, worn out to His cause. Casting her into the mighty fires of Mount Doom, where fires had continued to glow and rumble far beneath the recesses of the earth, where the only life was eternal damnation, and the only savior was death. Tormented dreams fired her soul and beckoned her fever, to return, to stay ever a reminder of the power held over her. Strangely enough, when she fell asleep for the second time, the brew seemed to aid her in quelling the brutal fire below. She still felt shaky today, and still felt vulnerable, but not nearly as petrified as she felt last night. And the warmth and genuine concern Frodo's eyes held for her was more than enough to make her feel better.
He reached out and gently touched her forehead. It felt cool and soft, and his fingers tingled at the contact of his skin to hers.
"Your fever seems to be gone," he said, drawing his hand back quickly. She nodded.
"Yes, I do feel quite a bit better."
"Ah, hello Lorelai!" a voice cried out from beside them. Gandalf stepped out of the woods, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas close behind him. "You are feeling better than?"
She stood, looking with the utmost gratitude at Aragorn. "Yes, very much better. I thank you very much for all you have done."
"Well then, that is good," Gandalf smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You shall stay with us for the rest of today, assuming that you are headed the way we are…." He gave her a slightly chastising look.
"You assumed correctly. Am I also correct to assume that Elrond informed you of our earlier conversation?" she countered, making Gandalf snort with amusement at her spunk.
"It is heartening to see you in such high spirits," he grinned, "but we must wake the others. We still have long to travel, and the day is short."
After the other members had awaken, breakfast was had by all before they had to shoulder their packs and begin again. Gandalf led the company through the forest for a time before the emerged into a wide field again. Frodo followed closely behind him, then Sam, and Merry and Pippin. Lorelai and Legolas walked carefully behind them, and after them, Boromir was talking with Aragorn.
"I do not think it is good that she is with the company," Boromir whispered adamantly. "There is no good to come of an extra walker. Especially one who is weak and little."
Aragorn shook his head as he listened. "She is involved with this quest somehow. Though I do not know for what purpose entirely, she is important."
"I say that we must send her away, get rid of her in some way. She proves to much of a liability in case of attack," Boromir countered with vehemence.
Legolas paused in his stride a few paces and began to walk with the pair at the end. "I would be careful with what you are saying Boromir, for she can hear your every word. You are lucky that she is not one to fight, for the fire in her eyes at your words would leave you dead."
Boromir's eyes travelled to the back of the tiny girl, whose movements seemed of calm indifference. He shrugged off Legolas' warning, but his eyes never left her.
