Chapter 5- New Lessons
Frodo watched with a smile as the young hobbits walked back hand in hand. 'I wonder . . .' a small smirk began to form on his face. The two entered the house, after releasing one another's hand, and sat down at the table. "I was wondering when you two would show up." Aubrey smiled, looked over at Drogo and noticed that both of their stomachs were growling.
"You know, now that I think about it, I think that I would like something to eat, Frodo," Aubrey said smiling.
"I would think you would like something to eat. You two have been out so long; it just turned the right time for elevensies."
"I missed second breakfast!?" Drogo yelled from across the table from Aubrey.
She laughed under her breath, "Calm down, Drogo. So did I and I'm alright."
"But you must understand, Drogo never misses a meal. Sometimes I think he is more of a Took then a Baggins," Frodo leaned in front of her while loading her plate with some good-looking stew. She laughed out loud remembering how Pippin had nearly begged for food every chance he had. As soon as the plate was set down in front of him, Drogo dug in. Aubrey soon found herself almost shoveling the stew into her mouth as she finally realized how hungry she was.
After elevensies all three sat, unmoving being weighed down with the meal in their stomachs. "So, Drogo, you finished your work, didn't you?"
Drogo snapped his head up, "I forgot about my Elvish!" He jumped from his chair and ran toward his room apparently, no longer held down by the stew in his stomach.
Aubrey looked at Frodo with a question painted on her face, "Elvish?"
"I have been teaching Drogo Elvish, along with other subjects that I have learned myself over the years."
"Have you been teaching others around Drogo's age?"
"Actually, I started teaching Drogo mathematics and geography when he was three, but I have only started teaching him Elvish a few months ago. And yes, others stopped by occasionally and listened to me while I was teaching Drogo, but most don't come by regularly."
Aubrey thought for a minute, "Can you possibly teach me?"
Frodo smiled at the young girl and was very surprised that she actually wanted to learn, "Of course, lass. Do you have any background in human based math?"
Aubrey smiled broadly, "Let's see . . . I know: basics, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, Advanced Math, but only some limits in Calculus."
Aubrey thought to herself if the humans in this world have even reached the point of calculus in the study of math. Her question was somewhat answered by the perplexed look on Frodo's face.
Frodo was surprised to say the least, "That's alright. Drogo is just starting Advanced Math. You could probably help him." He looked at the young girl, "How do you know all that?"
"My mother was very good at math. And when I told her I was very curious about the figures on her paper, she began to teach me."
"Oh, by any chance do you know any Elvish or geography of Middle Earth?"
"No, I think I'll need help in those areas, along with history."
"Don't worry, Drogo's a great tutor. Faramir, Drogo's best friend is usually the only one that comes to learn with him. According to Drogo he is very hard to teach, but he has managed. And after taking my shot at teaching the young hobbit . . . you have no idea how hard headed that hobbit can be."
Aubrey giggled, "I have an idea."
"Oh, how?"
"I met him while outside. He is very nice."
"Yes he took after his father in being a kind hobbit. But that head of his is going to get him in trouble one day. But nonetheless, we're getting off topic. Drogo will teach you Elvish and that is a promise."
"What was that father?" Drogo had come back from his room carrying about four books in his hands.
"I was telling Aubrey about your lessons, and it seems that she wants to join you," Frodo said looking over the many books in Drogo's hands.
"Really?" Aubrey nodded her head.
"But she'll need some help in some areas."
"Yeah, that human math can be difficult."
"Well actually-"
"Actually, I'm looking forward to it," Aubrey interrupted Frodo and gave him a wink. "When do we start?"
"We can start in about two hours. Drogo could probably show you some basics of Elvish since that is the subject he neglected to remember. And I can't help but wonder why he has all his books in his hands now when he only forgot about his Elvish."
Drogo smiled and took Aubrey by the arm, "Well, let's get started, Aubrey. We'll be in the den, father."
"Thanks again for the food Frodo. It was great." They hurried out of the room and into the den.
"So lets get started, shall we?"
"Don't you need to do your work?" Aubrey asked placing her hands on her hips.
"I'll do that after I teach you." He opened the book and began to teach her. He began with the basics as he said he would, but after a little while, Aubrey got the hang of it. To make sure that she understood it he assigned her some pages to read while he did his work. Once in a while he thought he saw some light coming from her direction, but only dismissed it as light coming from the window. After an hour in a half he finished what he needed to do and turned to Aubrey, who still seemed to be working hard. He put his work in his other book and walked over to her.
"So, how are you doing on it?"
"I was finished quite a while ago. It's on the book over there," she pointed to the pile of books next to her.
He picked up the pile of papers, "So why are you still reading?"
"I found it quite interesting and couldn't help but keep going. I know that we haven't really gone over numbers yet, but this is chapter ten right?"
"Chapter ten! Aubrey, you shouldn't keep going without doing some work for each chapter."
"But I did. All the chapters are in your hands, Drogo. Look for yourself." He flipped through the pages of elvish that Aubrey had done.
"But it took me months to get this far . . . I mean I'm only on chapter 16, you'll catch up to me by tomorrow by this rate."
"It makes perfect sense to me. Especially the history of Rivendell."
"That's fifty pages summarized! In elvish! You read all of it?"
"Yep. It's a great story," Drogo sighed and stood awestruck at the girl sitting on the floor with her nose deep in the book. He didn't know what to make of her. Many of the hobbit lasses in the Shire ran away from his father whenever he even mentioned his lessons.
"I'll be right back, Aubrey. I'm going to go ask my father about any corrections you might need."
"Alright, I'll be here," Aubrey commented, her nose still buried deeply in the book.
Drogo walked out of the room and found his father standing by the window watching the clouds pass overhead and gently puffing on his pipe.
"Father?"
"Drogo, are you finished?"
"Yes, but about Aubrey-"
"It might take her a while to catch on, but be patient."
"Father, she has done all the work up to chapter ten."
"What?" he took the papers Drogo was holding and read it over carefully page-by-page. "Drogo, these papers are perfect. There are no mistakes, this is perfect Elvish."
"But how? She just started learning it today?"
"I don't know. I hope Gandalf gets back soon. We need some answers about her," he turned to Drogo and handed him the papers back, "Go back and tell her to take a break. I'll brink some tea for you two in a few minutes."
"Yes father," Drogo walked back to Aubrey and found her asleep in the book, "Aubrey?"
"Hmm?" She opened her eyes and looked up.
"Father is getting some tea. We need to take a break."
"Alright," she closed the book and got up. She picked up the book and put it on the stack to her left. She yawned and stretched big.
Drogo laughed at her.
"And what are you laughing at, Drogo?"
"You."
"And why me?"
"You just busted through ten chapters of elvish and then you took a nap like it was nothing at all."
"And you find that funny?"
"Yes actually. No one has ever felt this stupid before."
"Well, get used to it," she smiled confidently and folded her arms in front of her.
He just shook his head, and sighed. "You want to go meet my friends after lessons today? I'm sure their dying to meet you."
"Why is that?" Aubrey opened one of her eyes looking down at him and asked with a light laugh.
"Well, knowing Faramir everyone in Hobbiton knows about you by now. He takes after his mother with that."
Aubrey smiled. "I would love to meet your friends. If they are as charming as you, then I bet that I will love them."
Drogo blushed a little at the comment and looked at the doorway where Frodo just entered with a tray with three cups of hot tea placed on top. "Drogo, are you alright? You look red in the cheeks," Frodo asked as he set down the tray.
"Let me see," Aubrey took Drogo's face in her hands and looked closely. She was only an inch from his face, "Doesn't look like a fever, but you should check your temperature just in case, Drogo." She backed up from him and looked at Frodo.
"No, I'll be fine. I think it just got a little hot in here," Aubrey shrugged and turned to get her tea. Frodo looked at his son with a smirk on his face.
He whispered to him, "Is it getting hot in here . . .?" Drogo just shrugged his shoulders and got his cup of tea as well. Frodo rolled his eyes and sat down across from the two.
"So, Aubrey. I heard that you filled ten chapters of Elvish in only an hour. How did you do it?"
"I don't know really. It just seemed to come naturally. I understood every word written in the books," she took another sip of her tea and placed it back down on the table.
"And you thought you would need help in it," Frodo thought to himself and then got back up, "Well, it's time to get started on the studies. Come on you two, and bring your books." He turned and left the room. Drogo got up and gathered most of the books sprawled on the floor. Aubrey followed suit and quickly followed the other two down the hall.
They passed about five doors before they stopped at the end of the hall. Frodo opened the door and inside the room there were two desks and old chalkboard at the front of the room. On one side of the room there were two huge windows where light poured into the room like streams of golden rain. There was a perfect view of Lilly's Garden outside, and Aubrey could see the pond where she was sitting at earlier. Aubrey looked at the two desks, as she set down her things on the one closest to the windows. "Frodo, why are there only two desks?"
"Whenever there are others . . . it's usually only Faramir. And if there is more, we usually go outside to study."
"Oh," Aubrey took her seat, and Drogo handed her something that came close to a pencil. Frodo got together some papers that were sitting on his desk, pulled out a large piece of paper and hung the blank side on the board. "Now, let's see what you know about the geography of Middle Earth."
Aubrey could hear Drogo moan a little and mouthed, 'Quiz,' to her. Aubrey's eyes went huge and she could believe that she had a quiz on something she has never studied in her life.
"Don't worry, lass. This won't count with you." He placed a blank map of Middle Earth in front of her, and only the outlined parts of the land were staring back at her.
She looked at the paper amazed, 'I know all of this. Jane had me watch that movie so many times that I can do this in my sleep.' She started right away filling in every part of the map, from the Shire all the way to Mordor. She heard some frustrated noises from Drogo to the side of her, and felt sorry for him.
"Alright you two. Time," Frodo collected it and found it surprising that both had scored perfectly. "Great job you two." Frodo asked Aubrey to point where her home was on the map of Middle Earth up on the board.
"I can't, Frodo."
"Why is that?"
"California isn't on that map. It probably isn't on any map here."
"California?"
"Yes, that is where I'm from. The problem is that I have no idea how the orcs got me here, or how I can get back."
Frodo soon moved from the topic and they began studying the specific regions of Mordor for an hour. Drogo knew all the answers and gave them every time they were asked for as Aubrey just stayed quite and listened to Frodo's lessons. Whenever he answered correctly he looked over at Aubrey with a smug smile on his face, 'Take that. Me being the stupid one, yeah right.'
They soon moved to mathematics, "Any questions, Drogo?"
"Father, I had trouble with number twenty. It took me over an hour a couple of nights ago," Drogo said.
Frodo nodded and wrote the problem on the board. As soon as Frodo turned around he saw that Aubrey raised her hand so she could have a turn to show him where she stood in the class. Frodo let her come up to the board. Aubrey demonstrated how to do the problem and didn't have one bit of trouble on it, although it took Drogo an hour to reach the same answer. As soon as she was done she turned to Drogo and gave him a smug smile back. "And that is how you do it . . . in under an hour's time."
"Is there anything that you don't know?" he asked her as she sat back down right next to him.
She shrugged her shoulders and turned to him, "Anything's possible, although you have already been out smarting me in geography."
After going over some minor history and reviewing some Elvish, they were released. "Those were good lessons, Frodo."
"Why thank you, Aubrey. That is very kind of you."
"When are the next ones?"
"Tomorrow."
"You want to learn more?! You just totally made me feel like a dumb orc in there. You have been here only a day, and you know so much."
"I can't really explain it, although I wish I could." Frodo walked past them and into the den. "I was ready for some kind of lesson; I'm starting to miss school."
"School?"
"Yeah, kids my age- well, actually of every age- go to a big building with different rooms and people stand and teach us different subjects. Just like your father."
"That's interesting."
"I find it boring at times, but I am starting to miss it. So, when are we going to meet your friends?"
"Do you want to go now?"
"Sure."
Drogo yelled down the hall to his father, "We're going to the leaf bed!"
"Be back before supper. It will be ready in a few of hours." Drogo grabbed her hand and led her out the door.
"The leaf bed?" Aubrey asked.
"I'll show you when we get there." They both walked down a path heading in through the middle of town. Many hobbits turned to look at the new hobbit lass, some whispering into other's ears. None of them have ever seen a hobbitlass like her around hobbiton, so of course there was much gossip. Others were still going along their business in the Market, not taking any notice of the new hobbitlass.
Drogo could tell that Aubrey was getting a little tense with all the eyes on her and decided to start a conversation, to get her to relax, "Is your home even further then Mordor?"
"Much," she looked at him and started to relax, "You know, I was just wondering where you got your name from."
"I was named after my grandfather, Drogo Baggins. He died when my father was very young."
"I'm sorry you never got to meet him."
"It's alright. Aubrey, how come you never talk about your family?"
Aubrey walked silently down the path for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Because, some one in my family is really close to death. And because of the orcs, I never got to say good-bye."
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, it's good to get this out. But do you mind if we talk about it later, I don't like how all these people are all just staring."
"Sure," he looked at the others in the Market stalls and spotted a certain pair of eyes that he didn't want to see and turned to look straight ahead.
"What's the matter, Drogo?"
"Just keep walking, and don't act like anything is up."
"Oh . . ." she looked around at the different hobbits, "I get it, someone you don't want to see is in the crowd, huh?"
"Stop looking around like that," he stopped her by holding her shoulders, "How'd you know?"
"A girl's intuition," she tapped her head.
Drogo and Aubrey were soon out of the market and down a dirt path toward a small wooded area.
"What was it like?"
"What?"
"Your home . . . Cal . . . Cali . . ."
"California?"
"Yes."
"Well. . . where can I start? I guess you can say that it is very nice. It snowed in winter and in the summer it gets hot enough to go swimming. I think the only bad thing about it was the valley girls."
"Valley girls?"
"Oh . . . um, how can I put this? Girls that think that they are all high and mighty. Placing themselves in front of everyone else. Never caring for anything except for their popularity."
"They don't seem to act like ladies."
"Most don't," she looked at the small area ahead of them, "But I learn to live with it the best I can. Where is this leaf bed anyway?"
"I'll show you," he looked behind them and grabbed her hand. He ran into the woods, pushing branches and bushes out of the way. Aubrey didn't have a hard time keeping up; she just had to keep her skirt up so she could jump over the small streams and logs. They both laughed as they dodged and jumped together. Aubrey even went as far as pretending that she was a run away. Running from her parents with her only love to led her and comfort her. 'Whoa there! Slow down, Aubrey. You've only known Drogo one day. Slow down that imaginative little mind of yours.'
"We're almost the-" Drogo ran right into something.
Aubrey helped him off the ground laughing and Drogo looked down at what he ran into. "Faramir! I knew you would be around here somewhere. Well, more like hoping then knowing."
He helped his friend off the ground, "Then why didn't you slow down to give me some time to get out of your way?" They laughed and Faramir looked at Aubrey, "Nice to see you again, Miss Aubrey."
Aubrey sighed, "Nice to see you too, Faramir. Can you do me favor, and do not call me Miss. Just call me Aubrey."
Faramir looked at her weird, "No problem, but why not?"
"I just feel uncomfortable when people call me Miss. Too formal."
"Alright then," he turned toward Drogo pointing at Aubrey, "Strange, she's the only girl in the Shire that will not slap me for not calling her miss. Anyway . . . on your way to the leaf bed?"
"Yep, going to take Aubrey to see it for the first time."
"And you don't have her blindfolded? What are you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, is this a kind of a secret hiding place?" Aubrey questioned, putting her hands on her hips.
"No, I'm just missing with you. You're very welcome to come." Faramir turned the other way and started walking.
Drogo walked next to Aubrey and motioned her to follow, "We can walk a little slower; we're into the woods too deep for anyone to follow us now."
Faramir looked back at the two, "I think that the others are already there."
"The others?"
Aubrey looked at Drogo, "You'll see."
The two gentle hobbits stopped in front of a big bush, "Aubrey, welcome to the leaf bed." Drogo moved the bush out of the way and Aubrey stepped into the small area. There were dense trees surrounding them on all sides, with leaves all around their trunks. In the middle of the area there was a small pond with a twenty-foot waterfall following into it. Drogo moved forward and whistled to the trees. Three other hobbits appeared, one from a pile of leaves, one from a nearby tree, and another from behind a rock.
"So, we have a new hobbit lass in our midst," the other boy stepped toward them from out of the pile of leaves. He was about as tall as Drogo and almost just as skinny. His dark hair covered his forehead and almost covered his eyes as well. He wore a tan shirt with a pair of dark pants with the same color of suspenders, one side over his shoulder and the other side hanging loose. "My name is Thomas Took," he bowed and let some of the leaves fall from his hair while Aubrey curtsied to him.
"Oh, don't spend your manners on the likes of my cousin," one of the other hobbits said, jumping down from the tree. The other came from behind the rock. Both had dark blond hair down to their shoulder blades, with pretty figures for hobbits. The only distinguishing features between the two were the different colored eyes. One of the girls had hazel eyes while the other had dark brown. When Aubrey looked at them closely she saw that they were twin girls, "Hi, my name is Kate," said the one that jumped from the tree and had the hazel eyes. She turned to her twin at her left pointing to the one with dark brown eyes, "This is my sister, Kat."
"You Brandybucks, never clean your dresses do you?" Faramir stepped up to them folding his arms in front of him. The two girls looked down at their dresses, which were covered with dust, and some grass stains.
"We do too clean our dresses, Gamgee!" yelled Kat looking up at him, "And we're proud to be Brandybucks!"
"Yeah! Well said sister," Kate turned to Faramir, "Did your older sister tell you to say that to us?" Kate asked.
"No, I thought I would just point it out to you two."
Aubrey smiled, "I think their dresses are very beautiful."
"Thank you!" both cried in unison and hugged Aubrey. "I like her, Drogo. Where did you find her?"
Drogo didn't say anything and turned toward Thomas who had a smile on his face, and his arms crossed mouthing, 'You got it, cousin' to Drogo. Aubrey smiled and hugged the two back for the compliment.
After a few seconds Aubrey felt something hit her hand, and the three girls turned to see Thomas holding some mud in his hand, "Their not so pretty anymore." He turned around, laughing until he was hit in the back of the head so hard that he fell forward.
"And neither are you. Well, now that I think about it, the mud is an improvement."
"Who hit me?" he got up and looked over at Frodo and Faramir.
They shook their heads, "It wasn't us."
"It was me," he saw Aubrey holding another mud ball ready for launch.
"It couldn't have been you. It was thrown too hard, and that comeback was way too cleaver."
Aubrey's eyes went a flame with anger and threw the mud even harder at hit him in the stomach; throwing him into the tree trunk. "Maybe it was you," he grabbed a handful of mud, "Here's your payback!" He threw some back at her, but she leaned and the mud hit Kate.
"MUD FIGHT!" Each one of them grabbed mud and started to target each other. Aubrey finally felt as if she belonged and fit in this new world.