Bookworm2000 - Almost worse than the shovel incident? Maybe from a psychological standpoint!
Midgette - It is indeed 5:00 somewhere! If you remember what you wanted to say about chapter 14, just squeeze it in someplace!
Endymion2 - Those mouthy tweens were just hanging around by chance, and Lotho seized the opportunity to turn their comments into much more than they really were.
GamgeeFest - Thanks for your comments on my previous stories. Lotho has absolutely no idea what he's dealing with here, and this chapter will make that very clear. Lotho is getting desperate as Springtime comes to the Shire.
LotRseer3350 - Hobbits may not have jumped to such conclusions about Bilbo and Frodo, but you never know! Small communities can be breeding grounds for vicious gossip.
Iorhael - Thanks for trying to read my story with all the slow internet trouble. Hopefully it will start behaving better for you.
Amelia Rose - Lotho is foiled again, thanks to Bilbo's experience and hobbit sense. Those tweens deserved to get their mouths washed out for making such insinuations about the gents at Bag End!
LittleMiss2 - Thanks for stopping by! I see you've at least made it to chapter 6, and I hope you've kept reading!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
And now, my friends, Lotho is about to get in deeper than he ever planned - literally!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Chapter 15 - Disaster
~*~
Spring did indeed seem to come early to the Westfarthing, and the sun had melted away all traces of the winter, leaving early flowers in their place. Frodo had followed Bilbo's advice and kept his chin up, refusing to heed the few crude comments made here and there, mostly by other tweens. Never once did he see a sly look pass between any of the adults or hear them speak a word of any rumors of impropriety at Bag End.
Lotho, for his part, felt his frustration growing daily. Just when he thought he had given Frodo good reason to go away, the infuriating lad had somehow overcome his doubts and seemed more confident than ever in his surroundings. He didn't seem to care in what regard the people of Hobbiton held him or Bilbo, but blithely went on about his business, even seeming proud of old Bilbo and his eccentricities.
Contact between Lotho and his cousin had been minimal for the last month or so. Lotho had made no overt gestures toward Frodo and had done little more than smile and wave when they happened to see each other in passing. All part of the plan, but a difficult thing for Lotho in his impatience to see Frodo as far away from Hobbiton as possible.
Lotho grunted a terse reply as Ted Sandyman greeted him. Ted didn't seem to notice Lotho's dour mood, but went on as if all things were as they should be. "Want to go get an ale?" Ted prompted.
"Sure, why not?" Lotho grumbled sourly. Maybe a few half pints would make him forget about Frodo for a short while.
"Did you hear about Milo Proudfoot?" Ted gossiped as he tipped his tankard. "He had a few too many ales and got his foot stuck in a gopher hole on the way home. Warn't nobody around 'cause it was late, and he was still there at sunrise, trying to dig hisself out!"
"Ummm, yeah. Funny," Lotho said distractedly. This time Ted did notice and he looked at Lotho questioningly.
"Somethin' eatin' away at you, then?" He downed more ale. "You look like you've been whacked upside the head with a grumpy stick."
"Leave off, Ted. I've got a right to be grumpy. Blasted cousins anyway," he groused as he lifted his tankard.
"I thought you had your little problem mostly taken care of," Ted offered, wondering what had gone wrong this time. "Ain't he afraid that folk are thinkin' ill of him?"
Right then, Lotho's little problem walked into the Ivy Bush, seated himself by the window and pulled a book out of his pack. Lotho looked on as Frodo smiled at the barmaid and ordered a snack and a half pint.
"I had him going for a bit, I think, but somehow he just doesn't seem to care now," Lotho said, scowling. "I've got to get rid of him, and soon. It's going to be Forelithe in a short while, and then it will be too late. He'll settle in for good and live high on what should be my inheritance."
Ted's stomach growled insistently, so he flagged the barmaid down and ordered a plate of steamed mushrooms. "Well, getting him hurt and sick didn't make them Brandybucks haul him off, and he don't seem to care whether folks 'round here approve of him or not. How else are you gonna take care of him?" Ted was never an imaginative sort, and he couldn't fathom what more Lotho could do about the situation.
"I might have to just be more direct," Lotho said, contemplating. "I'll have to let him know in no uncertain terms that he's not welcome here." To do that, Lotho needed to get Frodo alone for a short while, but how?
He popped one of the mushrooms in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. A sly grin spread across his face as he stared at the plate of mushrooms on the table. He had an idea.
"Ted, you just play along here for a minute. If I say something, agree with me. Back me up." Ted nodded. Didn't he always? Lotho motioned to the barmaid again. He ordered a half pint and pointed in Frodo's direction.
A few minutes later, just as Frodo was finishing his first ale, the barmaid appeared with another. "Compliments of Mr. Lotho," she said, and Frodo peered at Lotho curiously. Lotho lifted his tankard and smiled disarmingly, then gestured for Frodo to come and join him.
Frodo felt apprehension rise within him, but he pushed it away. Lotho had been behaving himself lately and while he had not been overly friendly toward Frodo, he had not been unkind either. The mishaps seemed to have stopped as well. Perhaps the entire storm had finally blown over. Frodo rose and walked over to greet his cousin and the miller's son.
"Good afternoon, Ted, Lotho," he nodded politely. "Thank you for the ale."
"My pleasure, Frodo," Lotho replied, and gestured to the plate of mushrooms. "Try one, they're good. You do like mushrooms, don't you?"
"Absolutely," Frodo said, and bit into a juicy mushroom appreciatively.
"These are good," Lotho intoned, "but they aren't anything compared to the ones I found at Empty Row last week, right Ted?"
Ted nodded. "Nowhere near as good."
Empty Row was a hill where a couple of old smials had been left to slowly decay. It was a good hour's walk from Hobbiton proper, and sometimes youngsters who were a tad too young for the Green Dragon or the Ivy Bush would sneak off to the location to drink ale and sing songs, away from the prying eyes of their elders.
Obviously, Frodo hadn't heard of the location. "Where's that?" he asked curiously. Mushroom hunting was fun, and perhaps he could surprise Bilbo with his finds.
Lotho looked around conspiratorially, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I'm only going to tell you because you're my cousin. I wouldn't share this information with just everyone." He asked Frodo to get paper and a quill for him, and Frodo retrieved the items from the small pack he was carrying. "Now most folk know where Empty Row is, but not everyone knows about the mushrooms. Our secret."
Frodo nodded. Lotho drew a simple map, detailing landmarks to guide Frodo to the proper place. "You have to go pretty deep into the hill to find them, but it's worth the effort."
"Thank you for sharing that information with me, Lotho," Frodo said with a smile. "I haven't been mushroom hunting in a long time."
"It's been days since I've been, so there should be some nice ones by now," Lotho said, smiling back. He and Frodo chatted idly for a few more moments, then Frodo went back to his book and his snack. Lotho's glower had changed to a satisfied grin.
Ted, on the other hand, looked confused. "Lotho, you know there ain't no mushrooms at Empty Row."
"I know that and you know that, but Frodo has no clue," Lotho snickered.
"So what now?" Ted asked, thoroughly intrigued by the workings of Lotho's devious mind.
"He goes mushroom hunting, and I follow him." A nasty gleam settled in Lotho's eyes. "I'm going to explain things to him, Ted. We're going to reach an understanding, you might say."
"Do you think he fell for it?" Ted wondered.
"Oh, he fell for it all right. I'm certain. As soon as I finish my ale, I'm going to head for Empty Row. Unless I miss my guess, Frodo will be along shortly after." Lotho smirked. He had heard from his mother that Frodo had a weakness for mushrooms and had actually been caught raiding the farmers' mushroom beds in and around Buckland. He couldn't picture his sweet younger cousin pulling such a stunt, but you never could tell.
"Thank you for your company, Ted, I feel better already," Lotho said as he rose and put a few coins on the table to pay for his share. "I'm off to take care of business," he sneered and stalked out of the inn.
~*~Later that afternoon~*~
Frodo hummed a tune as he walked, thinking what a perfect day it had been so far. Even Lotho had seemed pleasant, of all things. Maybe Frodo's older cousin had finally come to accept him. The thought of big, tasty mushrooms filled Frodo's mind as he followed the map Lotho had drawn for him. If he hurried, he would be home in time for tea with something good to add to supper.
Bilbo had become more at ease with Frodo's wanderings, and didn't fret about him being out for the better part of a day as long as Frodo left word of when he expected to return.
When no more accidents befell the lad, Bilbo had even given up on trying to prove Lotho to be at fault for the previous incidents. When the thaw had come, Halfred and Hamson had managed to retrieve the shovel from the pond. The only tale the shovel told was one of rusting away for several months underwater. Frodo had pleaded with his guardian to let matters lie, as they were in the past and dwelling on them wouldn't change them.
Frodo had stopped briefly at Bag End to trade his book for a small candle and a tinderbox, which he tucked into his pack. He had slipped in unnoticed as Bilbo was working on something in his study. He hoped the candle would be enough to light his way in the old tunnels under the hill. The location wasn't far away now, perhaps a quarter mile.
~*~
Lotho peered out from behind the overgrown bushes on the hilltop, watching Frodo's progress from afar. He could see the distant form of his cousin on the road, nearing the hill where the old smials lay.
He shifted from one foot to the other impatiently. He couldn't wait to sneak up on Frodo and corner him, then tell him exactly what he must do to avoid a very unpleasant time ahead. He disliked such base methods for their sheer commonness, but nothing else had done the job.
"Come on, Frodo, I'm waiting," he whispered. "It's time we had a talk, you and I."
~*~
Frodo stood at the base of the hill, peering into the yawning mouth of the hole that led to the tunnels beyond. It was indeed very dark further inside and he paused to light the candle before stepping forward. He held the candle high to illuminate the walls and ceiling of the hole as root tendrils reached down to tangle in his hair.
Moving deeper into the darkness, he searched the alcoves for the mushrooms Lotho had mentioned. The tunnels were cool and musty and he paused to examine the moss that was growing there. He hadn't seen any mushrooms yet, but Lotho had said he would have to go farther in and really look for them. He padded onward, deeper into the hillside.
~*~
Lotho smirked nastily as he emerged from his hiding place. "You're mine, little cousin," he breathed as he slowly entered the tunnel. He could see the faint glow of light up ahead as Frodo made progress before him. He would have to be careful not to let his quarry hear him, or to let Frodo reach the end of the tunnel and turn back before he could get there.
He stepped quietly, watching the light become brighter as he neared his young cousin. He held his breath as he peered around a corner, and spied Frodo poking inquisitively into the corner of what had once been a room in the dwelling. Frodo stood with his back turned, oblivious to Lotho's approach.
Lotho reached out with both hands and grabbed Frodo by the shoulders, spinning him around to pin him against the wall. Frodo gasped in surprise and dropped the candle, the flame dying as it hit the ground, plunging the tunnel and its occupants into inky darkness.
"Make any discoveries, Frodo?" Lotho growled. "I've made some discoveries lately, and I don't like what I've found."
Frodo was still suffering from the shock of being grabbed and thrown back against the wall. He found his voice with difficulty, and his words came out in a breathless stutter. "Lotho! Wh - what in the Shire are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you and how you've managed to get in the way." Lotho shook Frodo hard as he spoke. "Everything was going fine until you showed up."
Frodo gripped Lotho's wrists and tried to pry the hands from his shoulders, to no avail. "Let go of me! What's got into you?" he asked incredulously.
"I'm not going to sit back and let you rob me of my inheritance, Bucklander." Lotho winced as Frodo's foot connected with his shin, but he held on, slamming Frodo backward. "You'd better listen, and I mean good!"
Frodo was getting angry. Lotho had obviously tricked him into going to the old smials, and for what purpose? To threaten him and thrash him? And what was that about an inheritance?
"No, Lotho! You listen," Frodo ground out through clenched teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about, and you had better get your hands off me now."
"Or what? You can't even see me in here. I can take you out easily if you try anything and you know it." Lotho leaned in closer to make sure Frodo didn't miss a word. "I don't know how you did it, but you got old Bilbo to adopt you and make you his heir."
Frodo blinked. "But Bilbo hasn't adopted me, Lotho. He says I can stay at Bag End as long as I wish, but he's said nothing of formal adoption or making me his heir. Where did you get such a notion?"
"I read it in the old codger's journal, you little twit." Lotho's grip on Frodo's shoulder's tightened painfully. "He intends to make it final at Forelithe, unless you decide you don't like it here and go back to Brandy Hall."
Frodo gasped. Indignation flooded him as he peered into the darkness where his cousin stood before him. "How dare you! Bilbo's journal? His private writings?" Something dawned on the startled tween and he shuddered. "All the things that have happened - the pond - you were responsible, just as Uncle Bilbo thought!" A trickle of dust fell from the ceiling and Frodo could feel it tickle against his nose.
"Candle wax is nice and slippery, isn't it cousin?" Lotho said, unable to resist gloating over his actions. "I should have let them pull you out themselves, provided they would have even succeeded." More dust fell, and a few small pebbles with it.
"You beast!" Frodo shouted, trying to twist out of his cousin's grasp. The two grappled in the darkness, Lotho losing his grip on Frodo. Frodo managed to move away from the wall and into the center of the room before Lotho caught him again. Lotho held him fast this time and Frodo writhed desperately as more dirt and stones dropped onto them from above.
"Since you getting hurt and sick didn't get your Brandybucks to come and claim you back, I had to resort to other measures," Lotho explained. "But you didn't take the bait, did you? You didn't feel ashamed to show your face for fear everyone was thinking you were more to Bilbo than his ward!"
"I don't care what people supposedly think about matters at Bag End," Frodo shot back. "It isn't their business, and it isn't true, besides." A much larger chunk of the ceiling broke off and tumbled down on them, stopping the argument momentarily.
"Maybe we should discuss this elsewhere," Frodo said looking up at the invisible ceiling above. "I don't think this place is safe."
"Don't try to change the subject, little cousin," Lotho sneered. "You are going back to Buckland, and you are not becoming Bilbo's heir. Bag End will go to my family, not you. I'll take you back myself if I have to."
"Do you think that's why I came to live with Uncle Bilbo?" Frodo's anger returned in a rush. "You judge me by your own poor example, Lotho," Frodo spat. "I came to live with Uncle Bilbo because he wanted me to. He didn't think Brandy Hall was the right place for me, and he offered to take me in. It was his idea entirely, and I said yes because I love him! I don't care that people think he's odd or mad. He isn't mad, and he's very intelligent, kind and brave! He's a better hobbit than you'll ever dream of being!"
Frodo's words echoed eerily from the walls of the darkened tunnel, and there followed an ominous sound, a shifting of earth and rock somewhere in the hill above. Both tweens looked up at the same instant, and Lotho released his hold on Frodo as he tried to reckon where the exit was. An instant later, a great torrent of dirt and rock came down upon them, as the roof of the decrepit smial caved in.
~*~To be continued~*~
******* I know this is an awful place to leave you hanging for an entire week, and I didn't plan it this way, honestly! I'll post the next chapter on September 4, and I hope you'll all be there to read it!********
Midgette - It is indeed 5:00 somewhere! If you remember what you wanted to say about chapter 14, just squeeze it in someplace!
Endymion2 - Those mouthy tweens were just hanging around by chance, and Lotho seized the opportunity to turn their comments into much more than they really were.
GamgeeFest - Thanks for your comments on my previous stories. Lotho has absolutely no idea what he's dealing with here, and this chapter will make that very clear. Lotho is getting desperate as Springtime comes to the Shire.
LotRseer3350 - Hobbits may not have jumped to such conclusions about Bilbo and Frodo, but you never know! Small communities can be breeding grounds for vicious gossip.
Iorhael - Thanks for trying to read my story with all the slow internet trouble. Hopefully it will start behaving better for you.
Amelia Rose - Lotho is foiled again, thanks to Bilbo's experience and hobbit sense. Those tweens deserved to get their mouths washed out for making such insinuations about the gents at Bag End!
LittleMiss2 - Thanks for stopping by! I see you've at least made it to chapter 6, and I hope you've kept reading!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
And now, my friends, Lotho is about to get in deeper than he ever planned - literally!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Chapter 15 - Disaster
~*~
Spring did indeed seem to come early to the Westfarthing, and the sun had melted away all traces of the winter, leaving early flowers in their place. Frodo had followed Bilbo's advice and kept his chin up, refusing to heed the few crude comments made here and there, mostly by other tweens. Never once did he see a sly look pass between any of the adults or hear them speak a word of any rumors of impropriety at Bag End.
Lotho, for his part, felt his frustration growing daily. Just when he thought he had given Frodo good reason to go away, the infuriating lad had somehow overcome his doubts and seemed more confident than ever in his surroundings. He didn't seem to care in what regard the people of Hobbiton held him or Bilbo, but blithely went on about his business, even seeming proud of old Bilbo and his eccentricities.
Contact between Lotho and his cousin had been minimal for the last month or so. Lotho had made no overt gestures toward Frodo and had done little more than smile and wave when they happened to see each other in passing. All part of the plan, but a difficult thing for Lotho in his impatience to see Frodo as far away from Hobbiton as possible.
Lotho grunted a terse reply as Ted Sandyman greeted him. Ted didn't seem to notice Lotho's dour mood, but went on as if all things were as they should be. "Want to go get an ale?" Ted prompted.
"Sure, why not?" Lotho grumbled sourly. Maybe a few half pints would make him forget about Frodo for a short while.
"Did you hear about Milo Proudfoot?" Ted gossiped as he tipped his tankard. "He had a few too many ales and got his foot stuck in a gopher hole on the way home. Warn't nobody around 'cause it was late, and he was still there at sunrise, trying to dig hisself out!"
"Ummm, yeah. Funny," Lotho said distractedly. This time Ted did notice and he looked at Lotho questioningly.
"Somethin' eatin' away at you, then?" He downed more ale. "You look like you've been whacked upside the head with a grumpy stick."
"Leave off, Ted. I've got a right to be grumpy. Blasted cousins anyway," he groused as he lifted his tankard.
"I thought you had your little problem mostly taken care of," Ted offered, wondering what had gone wrong this time. "Ain't he afraid that folk are thinkin' ill of him?"
Right then, Lotho's little problem walked into the Ivy Bush, seated himself by the window and pulled a book out of his pack. Lotho looked on as Frodo smiled at the barmaid and ordered a snack and a half pint.
"I had him going for a bit, I think, but somehow he just doesn't seem to care now," Lotho said, scowling. "I've got to get rid of him, and soon. It's going to be Forelithe in a short while, and then it will be too late. He'll settle in for good and live high on what should be my inheritance."
Ted's stomach growled insistently, so he flagged the barmaid down and ordered a plate of steamed mushrooms. "Well, getting him hurt and sick didn't make them Brandybucks haul him off, and he don't seem to care whether folks 'round here approve of him or not. How else are you gonna take care of him?" Ted was never an imaginative sort, and he couldn't fathom what more Lotho could do about the situation.
"I might have to just be more direct," Lotho said, contemplating. "I'll have to let him know in no uncertain terms that he's not welcome here." To do that, Lotho needed to get Frodo alone for a short while, but how?
He popped one of the mushrooms in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. A sly grin spread across his face as he stared at the plate of mushrooms on the table. He had an idea.
"Ted, you just play along here for a minute. If I say something, agree with me. Back me up." Ted nodded. Didn't he always? Lotho motioned to the barmaid again. He ordered a half pint and pointed in Frodo's direction.
A few minutes later, just as Frodo was finishing his first ale, the barmaid appeared with another. "Compliments of Mr. Lotho," she said, and Frodo peered at Lotho curiously. Lotho lifted his tankard and smiled disarmingly, then gestured for Frodo to come and join him.
Frodo felt apprehension rise within him, but he pushed it away. Lotho had been behaving himself lately and while he had not been overly friendly toward Frodo, he had not been unkind either. The mishaps seemed to have stopped as well. Perhaps the entire storm had finally blown over. Frodo rose and walked over to greet his cousin and the miller's son.
"Good afternoon, Ted, Lotho," he nodded politely. "Thank you for the ale."
"My pleasure, Frodo," Lotho replied, and gestured to the plate of mushrooms. "Try one, they're good. You do like mushrooms, don't you?"
"Absolutely," Frodo said, and bit into a juicy mushroom appreciatively.
"These are good," Lotho intoned, "but they aren't anything compared to the ones I found at Empty Row last week, right Ted?"
Ted nodded. "Nowhere near as good."
Empty Row was a hill where a couple of old smials had been left to slowly decay. It was a good hour's walk from Hobbiton proper, and sometimes youngsters who were a tad too young for the Green Dragon or the Ivy Bush would sneak off to the location to drink ale and sing songs, away from the prying eyes of their elders.
Obviously, Frodo hadn't heard of the location. "Where's that?" he asked curiously. Mushroom hunting was fun, and perhaps he could surprise Bilbo with his finds.
Lotho looked around conspiratorially, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I'm only going to tell you because you're my cousin. I wouldn't share this information with just everyone." He asked Frodo to get paper and a quill for him, and Frodo retrieved the items from the small pack he was carrying. "Now most folk know where Empty Row is, but not everyone knows about the mushrooms. Our secret."
Frodo nodded. Lotho drew a simple map, detailing landmarks to guide Frodo to the proper place. "You have to go pretty deep into the hill to find them, but it's worth the effort."
"Thank you for sharing that information with me, Lotho," Frodo said with a smile. "I haven't been mushroom hunting in a long time."
"It's been days since I've been, so there should be some nice ones by now," Lotho said, smiling back. He and Frodo chatted idly for a few more moments, then Frodo went back to his book and his snack. Lotho's glower had changed to a satisfied grin.
Ted, on the other hand, looked confused. "Lotho, you know there ain't no mushrooms at Empty Row."
"I know that and you know that, but Frodo has no clue," Lotho snickered.
"So what now?" Ted asked, thoroughly intrigued by the workings of Lotho's devious mind.
"He goes mushroom hunting, and I follow him." A nasty gleam settled in Lotho's eyes. "I'm going to explain things to him, Ted. We're going to reach an understanding, you might say."
"Do you think he fell for it?" Ted wondered.
"Oh, he fell for it all right. I'm certain. As soon as I finish my ale, I'm going to head for Empty Row. Unless I miss my guess, Frodo will be along shortly after." Lotho smirked. He had heard from his mother that Frodo had a weakness for mushrooms and had actually been caught raiding the farmers' mushroom beds in and around Buckland. He couldn't picture his sweet younger cousin pulling such a stunt, but you never could tell.
"Thank you for your company, Ted, I feel better already," Lotho said as he rose and put a few coins on the table to pay for his share. "I'm off to take care of business," he sneered and stalked out of the inn.
~*~Later that afternoon~*~
Frodo hummed a tune as he walked, thinking what a perfect day it had been so far. Even Lotho had seemed pleasant, of all things. Maybe Frodo's older cousin had finally come to accept him. The thought of big, tasty mushrooms filled Frodo's mind as he followed the map Lotho had drawn for him. If he hurried, he would be home in time for tea with something good to add to supper.
Bilbo had become more at ease with Frodo's wanderings, and didn't fret about him being out for the better part of a day as long as Frodo left word of when he expected to return.
When no more accidents befell the lad, Bilbo had even given up on trying to prove Lotho to be at fault for the previous incidents. When the thaw had come, Halfred and Hamson had managed to retrieve the shovel from the pond. The only tale the shovel told was one of rusting away for several months underwater. Frodo had pleaded with his guardian to let matters lie, as they were in the past and dwelling on them wouldn't change them.
Frodo had stopped briefly at Bag End to trade his book for a small candle and a tinderbox, which he tucked into his pack. He had slipped in unnoticed as Bilbo was working on something in his study. He hoped the candle would be enough to light his way in the old tunnels under the hill. The location wasn't far away now, perhaps a quarter mile.
~*~
Lotho peered out from behind the overgrown bushes on the hilltop, watching Frodo's progress from afar. He could see the distant form of his cousin on the road, nearing the hill where the old smials lay.
He shifted from one foot to the other impatiently. He couldn't wait to sneak up on Frodo and corner him, then tell him exactly what he must do to avoid a very unpleasant time ahead. He disliked such base methods for their sheer commonness, but nothing else had done the job.
"Come on, Frodo, I'm waiting," he whispered. "It's time we had a talk, you and I."
~*~
Frodo stood at the base of the hill, peering into the yawning mouth of the hole that led to the tunnels beyond. It was indeed very dark further inside and he paused to light the candle before stepping forward. He held the candle high to illuminate the walls and ceiling of the hole as root tendrils reached down to tangle in his hair.
Moving deeper into the darkness, he searched the alcoves for the mushrooms Lotho had mentioned. The tunnels were cool and musty and he paused to examine the moss that was growing there. He hadn't seen any mushrooms yet, but Lotho had said he would have to go farther in and really look for them. He padded onward, deeper into the hillside.
~*~
Lotho smirked nastily as he emerged from his hiding place. "You're mine, little cousin," he breathed as he slowly entered the tunnel. He could see the faint glow of light up ahead as Frodo made progress before him. He would have to be careful not to let his quarry hear him, or to let Frodo reach the end of the tunnel and turn back before he could get there.
He stepped quietly, watching the light become brighter as he neared his young cousin. He held his breath as he peered around a corner, and spied Frodo poking inquisitively into the corner of what had once been a room in the dwelling. Frodo stood with his back turned, oblivious to Lotho's approach.
Lotho reached out with both hands and grabbed Frodo by the shoulders, spinning him around to pin him against the wall. Frodo gasped in surprise and dropped the candle, the flame dying as it hit the ground, plunging the tunnel and its occupants into inky darkness.
"Make any discoveries, Frodo?" Lotho growled. "I've made some discoveries lately, and I don't like what I've found."
Frodo was still suffering from the shock of being grabbed and thrown back against the wall. He found his voice with difficulty, and his words came out in a breathless stutter. "Lotho! Wh - what in the Shire are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you and how you've managed to get in the way." Lotho shook Frodo hard as he spoke. "Everything was going fine until you showed up."
Frodo gripped Lotho's wrists and tried to pry the hands from his shoulders, to no avail. "Let go of me! What's got into you?" he asked incredulously.
"I'm not going to sit back and let you rob me of my inheritance, Bucklander." Lotho winced as Frodo's foot connected with his shin, but he held on, slamming Frodo backward. "You'd better listen, and I mean good!"
Frodo was getting angry. Lotho had obviously tricked him into going to the old smials, and for what purpose? To threaten him and thrash him? And what was that about an inheritance?
"No, Lotho! You listen," Frodo ground out through clenched teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about, and you had better get your hands off me now."
"Or what? You can't even see me in here. I can take you out easily if you try anything and you know it." Lotho leaned in closer to make sure Frodo didn't miss a word. "I don't know how you did it, but you got old Bilbo to adopt you and make you his heir."
Frodo blinked. "But Bilbo hasn't adopted me, Lotho. He says I can stay at Bag End as long as I wish, but he's said nothing of formal adoption or making me his heir. Where did you get such a notion?"
"I read it in the old codger's journal, you little twit." Lotho's grip on Frodo's shoulder's tightened painfully. "He intends to make it final at Forelithe, unless you decide you don't like it here and go back to Brandy Hall."
Frodo gasped. Indignation flooded him as he peered into the darkness where his cousin stood before him. "How dare you! Bilbo's journal? His private writings?" Something dawned on the startled tween and he shuddered. "All the things that have happened - the pond - you were responsible, just as Uncle Bilbo thought!" A trickle of dust fell from the ceiling and Frodo could feel it tickle against his nose.
"Candle wax is nice and slippery, isn't it cousin?" Lotho said, unable to resist gloating over his actions. "I should have let them pull you out themselves, provided they would have even succeeded." More dust fell, and a few small pebbles with it.
"You beast!" Frodo shouted, trying to twist out of his cousin's grasp. The two grappled in the darkness, Lotho losing his grip on Frodo. Frodo managed to move away from the wall and into the center of the room before Lotho caught him again. Lotho held him fast this time and Frodo writhed desperately as more dirt and stones dropped onto them from above.
"Since you getting hurt and sick didn't get your Brandybucks to come and claim you back, I had to resort to other measures," Lotho explained. "But you didn't take the bait, did you? You didn't feel ashamed to show your face for fear everyone was thinking you were more to Bilbo than his ward!"
"I don't care what people supposedly think about matters at Bag End," Frodo shot back. "It isn't their business, and it isn't true, besides." A much larger chunk of the ceiling broke off and tumbled down on them, stopping the argument momentarily.
"Maybe we should discuss this elsewhere," Frodo said looking up at the invisible ceiling above. "I don't think this place is safe."
"Don't try to change the subject, little cousin," Lotho sneered. "You are going back to Buckland, and you are not becoming Bilbo's heir. Bag End will go to my family, not you. I'll take you back myself if I have to."
"Do you think that's why I came to live with Uncle Bilbo?" Frodo's anger returned in a rush. "You judge me by your own poor example, Lotho," Frodo spat. "I came to live with Uncle Bilbo because he wanted me to. He didn't think Brandy Hall was the right place for me, and he offered to take me in. It was his idea entirely, and I said yes because I love him! I don't care that people think he's odd or mad. He isn't mad, and he's very intelligent, kind and brave! He's a better hobbit than you'll ever dream of being!"
Frodo's words echoed eerily from the walls of the darkened tunnel, and there followed an ominous sound, a shifting of earth and rock somewhere in the hill above. Both tweens looked up at the same instant, and Lotho released his hold on Frodo as he tried to reckon where the exit was. An instant later, a great torrent of dirt and rock came down upon them, as the roof of the decrepit smial caved in.
~*~To be continued~*~
******* I know this is an awful place to leave you hanging for an entire week, and I didn't plan it this way, honestly! I'll post the next chapter on September 4, and I hope you'll all be there to read it!********