Aelfgifu - Even Lotho has to admit his mother can be a trial at times! I like to believe there's a little good in everyone, and it's all about whether they choose to use it.
GamgeeFest - Yes, Frodo rather has got Lotho by a certain bit of his anatomy, doesn't he?
Shirebound - Sam's worries as to whether he will be thought of as an 'appropriate' friend for Frodo have been put to rest. Trust Bilbo to provide just the right amount of encouragement!
Aratlithiel1 - Sam sometimes pays more heed to his old hidebound gaffer than he should, eh? And Bilbo. What would any of us do without him?
Amelia Rose - Sam is the biggest sweetie in Middle Earth. Frodo saved Lotho from Bilbo's wrath by not laying out the whole tale, and Lotho called his mother off in return. Unfortunately, things may not be as comfy as they seem. There is still the matter of a certain inheritance to be discussed, and we all know what that means.
QTPie2488 - We'll have the adoption finalized in this chapter, but there's still one more to go. Bilbo has some news to break to the Sackville - Bagginses regarding an inheritance! And yes, Rushford Bramblethorn will be up to his old tricks in a new story, "A Harvest of Ashes". I warn you, though, he's worse than ever, and the story will well deserve the R rating I now plan to give it. (Author cringing...)
Anime Princess4 - The boys are rescued, and you don't have to pound Lotho now!
Endymion2 - I will have further development of Lotho and Frodo's tentative truce in the final chapter. Lobelia has to go and be a pain in the butt, doesn't she?
Iorhael - History does show that Lotho never really gets it, sadly.
Tavion - Your apprehensive feeling about Lotho and Frodo's truce is right on the money. More on that in the final chapter, but right now, we have reason to celebrate!
Illyria Pffyffin - More conflict? The last chapter will definitely be for you. Even patient Frodo has his breaking point, and Lotho will be pushing it! Your fiery Frodo awaits, but we've got a party to attend in this chapter.
Chapter 21 - Celebration
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Frodo! Frodo!" Merry's voice rang out in the courtyard and almost before Bilbo and Frodo made it through the gate a whirlwind of blonde curls and enthusiasm collided with them. Merry almost knocked Frodo to the ground with his effusive greeting, and Esmeralda and Saradoc followed a short distance behind at a more dignified pace.
"Bilbo, good to see you again," Saradoc said as he clasped the older hobbit's hand warmly. Bilbo kissed Esmeralda's hand gallantly as Saradoc greeted Frodo. "Is it my imagination, or are you bigger than you used to be?" During his and Merry's visit to Hobbiton in the winter, Saradoc had been too preoccupied with Frodo's illness to notice how the lad had grown.
Frodo grinned. "I've stretched, it seems," he answered, acknowledging his new height. "Perhaps by Yule I'll be as tall as you are." Another inch or so, and Frodo would indeed stand eye to eye with the Master of Buckland.
Frodo noticed that the last few months had added to Merry's physical stature as well. His younger cousin seemed less gangly than before, and had left behind some of the awkwardness of pre - tween motion and mannerisms. Before he could think further on the subject, he was again assailed by a young hobbit, a smaller one with a wide grin and cinnamon - brown curls.
"Cousin Frodo, it's been such a very long time since I've seen you," a voice lilted lightly in the courtyard. Peregrin Took looked up at his cousin happily, and Merry mussed his hair.
"Pippin?" Frodo said, feigning uncertainty as to the lad's identity. "You're right. The last time I saw you, you were half the size you are now." But no less energetic, thought Frodo fondly. "How long have you been here?"
"We got here last week," Pippin said quickly. "My whole family is here, even my sisters," he said with a rueful tone. "But Merry keeps me from being bored by them all the time, don't you, Merry?"
Merry gave Frodo a wry grin. Pippin wasn't too much trouble, young as he was, but Merry had a sudden flash of insight into how it must have been for Frodo from time to time, with younger cousins clamoring for his attention. "I keep him out of trouble," he answered with a wink at Frodo.
"I'll just bet you do." Frodo answered Merry's wink with one of his own. The day a young Brandybuck kept a young Took out of trouble would be a memorable day indeed, he reflected. More likely, Merry was teaching the younger lad all manner of terrible pranks that his sisters would come to regret later.
"How was your trip Bilbo?" Esmeralda asked. "Hauled Frodo along for one of your long journeys afoot, I see," she teased.
"I have not 'hauled' him anywhere, Esmie," Bilbo corrected good - naturedly. "He has hauled himself quite handily, and a good walk will benefit even the young from time to time." Frodo seemed to enjoy a journey on foot as much as his guardian, preferring to experience the feel of the ground beneath his feet rather than to ride in a wagon.
Merry walked next to Frodo, and watched him out the corner of his eye. He had been worried that Lotho might continue to trouble Frodo, but there was no sign of any physical injury or illness that Merry could see. Perhaps the situation had been resolved. "What about those Sackville - Bagginses?" Merry asked with a frown. "Are they still bothering you?"
Frodo smiled at his cousin. "There are not many pleasantries exchanged between us, but no one is going out of their way to be unkind either," he answered. "It's rather an uneasy truce, but far better than open hostility."
"Truce?" Merry frowned more deeply. "However did you manage anything of the kind?"
"That is a long story, Merry, and I shall tell you every bit of it once we're settled," Frodo answered seriously, and Merry laughed.
"Can I hear it too?" Pippin asked, staring up at Frodo hopefully. "I love stories, and you used to tell the best ones."
"Frodo could tell you stories that would turn your ears inside out," Merry said with a grin at Pippin and a knowing glance at Frodo.
"Yes, and I could have Aunt Eglantine and Uncle Pal turning me inside out as a result," Frodo said, laughing. "I'll tell you about the Sackville - Bagginses, Pippin. It's a harrowing tale in some places, but you're old enough to not be frightened by it, I suppose."
Pippin looked indignant at the reference to his age. "I'm not a baby anymore, Frodo," he said imperiously. "And you used to tell me about dragons and trolls and things, you know. I wasn't scared of them, either."
"No, you just hid under your bed because you liked it there," Merry teased mercilessly. "You're too big to hide under the bed now, so don't you go and try it, Pip."
The procession continued through the courtyard and on into Brandy Hall, where Frodo and Bilbo were settled into their rooms in time for tea. The Hall was as busy and bustling as Frodo remembered, perhaps more so as guests arrived for the Forelithe celebration. The coming of mid - year was as good a reason to have a gathering as any, and the summer weather usually proved to support the theory.
"We're all going to have tea together in Sara and Esmie's private parlor, Frodo," Bilbo informed the tween as he unpacked a few items from his bag. "Best get yourself tidied up properly and shake the dust of the road from those feet," he instructed. He pulled a parchment scroll from his bag and hurriedly tucked it inside his weskit.
Frodo had seen the surreptitious motion, and he smiled. Feigning innocence, he replied, "Yes, Uncle. I suppose I shall have to make a respectable appearance, after all."
As Frodo stepped into the next room to wash up, Bilbo withdrew the scroll from inside his weskit and examined it carefully. The words were neatly written, the language formal and official.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
On this 24th day of Forelithe, in the year of 1390, Shire Reckoning, I, Bilbo Baggins do hereby adopt Frodo Baggins and become his legal guardian. I will care for him through times of illness and good health, and will provide for his needs be they physical or emotional. I accept responsibility for his well - being for as long as he shall reside in my care.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
The document provided space for Bilbo to sign his name as Frodo's new guardian, and space for Saradoc to sign as his former. There were also spaces for seven witnesses to sign.
Bilbo tucked the scroll back into its former place and withdrew another from his pack. He examined it with a critical eye, making sure he had left nothing unsaid. The scroll contained his new will, and would be properly witnessed as well as the adoption notice. He had left everything to Frodo. What Frodo decided to do with his inheritance was his to decide when the time came.
Bilbo sighed and smiled in satisfaction as he tucked the second scroll into his weskit alongside the first. He had been hard pressed to conceal his excitement during the past few weeks as he awaited this day with great anticipation. One last reach into the pack produced a small bottle of red ink, tightly corked to prevent leakage. Saradoc should have some ready at hand as well, but one couldn't be too thorough in one's planning.
Several times he had wondered if Frodo suspected something. The boy was as sharp as needles, as he ought to be. After all, he was a Baggins, wasn't he? Frodo had shown no sign that he was expecting anything out of the ordinary besides a mid - year gathering with family.
Bilbo started at the sound of a voice behind him as Frodo re - entered the room. "Uncle? Are you all right?" Frodo stood at Bilbo's side. "You're awfully quiet."
"Just thinking, my boy," Bilbo said evenly, regarding Frodo with a look of approval. "You look much less the dusty traveler now, I must say."
"And just what do I look like, Uncle?" Frodo said teasingly.
"You look like the best thing that ever happened to a silly old hobbit," Bilbo said quietly, his eyes misting over. "Never forget that I love you with all my heart, Frodo, lad," the elder hobbit said as he embraced the tween.
"I won't forget, Uncle," Frodo said softly, returning the embrace. "And I love you too."
~*~
"Stop squirming, Pippin, and let Frodo tell us his story," Merry chided as he nudged his younger cousin.
At the mention of a tale to come, Pippin did as he was told and focused his attention solely on Frodo. The parlor was quite filled with hobbits, as all of the Master's immediate family and that of the Thain were present. Tooks and Brandybucks listened with bated breath as Frodo told of being trapped in the cave - in with Lotho.
"Weren't you scared?" Pippin said at one point, looking at Frodo with admiration.
"Yes, Pippin, I was," Frodo answered, giving his younger cousin a kind look. "It was very dark and we never knew from one moment to the next if more of the roof was going to fall in on us."
"And of all the people to be trapped with," Merry exclaimed, shaking his head. "You had to be stuck there with Lotho!" He said the name as if it were a word he would be soundly thrashed for using in the presence of women and children. "Come, Frodo. Tell the truth. Did he really go in to warn you?"
Frodo thought of how to answer Merry's question. Bilbo was also listening, and Frodo had told him only what was necessary, keeping the real truth to himself. "Yes, Merry. He did indeed mean to warn me," Frodo said. "Of course, his effort was in vain," Frodo continued with a smile. Lotho's efforts had indeed been in vain, all of them.
"And he broke his leg, too?" Pippin chirped, wondering what such a thing felt like. "Was it terribly painful?"
"Yes, I imagine it was," Frodo said simply. "He recovered well enough, although he made the most of it while he could." Lotho had been allowed to trade in his splint and crutches for a simple cane after a few weeks, and limped about Hobbiton attracting the curious questions of a few lasses as he did so. He never failed to tell them how he had been hurt trying to save his foolish cousin, who, by the way, was frightened to near uselessness at the time.
Knowing smiles and chuckles passed around the room as everyone present who was acquainted with the Sackville - Bagginses was able to easily imagine Lotho's opportunistic attempts to use his injury as a means of getting some female attention. It would be just like that young snip.
"Has anything else happened since then?" Saradoc asked with concern. It had never come to light whether Lotho had been to blame for any of the troubles Frodo had encountered in his first few months of residence at Bag End.
"Somehow Frodo has managed to escape his cousin's notice lately," Bilbo said with a sharp glance at Frodo, who betrayed nothing of his thoughts. "I think there's more to the story than the version we've been told, but I have yet to succeed in prying it from the boy."
Frodo shrugged and sipped his tea. "The details mean little, for the outcome was good," he reasoned. "Lotho and I understand a few things about each other now. I don't think he's anything to worry about," Frodo said, echoing the words he had spoken to Bilbo following the events he had told of.
A soft tapping on the door stemmed the tide of questions, and Frodo sipped his tea in relief.
Saradoc gave Bilbo a sharp look and Bilbo nodded. The Master of Buckland opened the door of the private parlor to admit none other than the Mayor, Will Whitfoot, and along with him, Rory and Merrimac Brandybuck, Farmer Maggot of the Marish, Gordo Goodbody, the healer from Hobbiton, and Odo Proudfoot. As Frodo looked up, Bilbo stood and cleared his throat.
"Now that we are all assembled, I have an announcement to make," Bilbo stated calmly, his eyes never leaving Frodo's. "I have gathered all of you here, along with these other fine gentlehobbits - " Bilbo gestured to the group who had just entered the room, and Farmer Maggot gave an amused snort at hearing himself referred to as a gentle hobbit - "to witness an important event." Always one to speak gravely and dramatically at such times, Bilbo paused, then continued. "Two important events, I should say," he corrected himself.
"Merry, what's happening?" Pippin whispered to his cousin.
"Hush, Pip!" Merry said. "You'll see!"
Bilbo reached into his weskit and drew out the two scrolls. "I have drawn up two documents. This one is a declaration of adoption." Bilbo spread the scroll out flat on a table and pinned the ends down with books so everyone could see what was written on the page. "Frodo, if you consent to the arrangement, I wish to formally adopt you." He looked at Frodo fondly. "What say you, lad?"
Frodo did a reasonably convincing job of looking surprised. He had known about Bilbo's plan to adopt him due to Lotho's divulging the information, but he had wondered who Bilbo would call upon to witness the documents. Pretending that he was absorbing the information for the first time, rose to his feet. "I'm - that is," Frodo stammered. "Well, yes, I consent!" Light laughter floated around the room at the obvious joy in Frodo's words and expression.
Paladin Took and Saradoc Brandybuck rose and stood by Bilbo's side as Frodo and Mayor Whitfoot joined them. Saradoc signed the first line, relinquishing his role as Frodo's legal guardian, and Bilbo signed the second, accepting the responsibility. The other adult male hobbits assembled signed as witnesses. Bilbo was pleased to note that Saradoc had indeed remembered the red ink required by legal tradition.
"The second of these documents is my Last Will and Testament," Bilbo told the hobbits assembled in the parlor. "Frodo shall be my heir," Bilbo said simply. "At such time that I may leave you all, he will inherit Bag End and all else I own." The scroll was flattened out on the table just as the first had been, and Bilbo signed it with a flourish. The quill was handed around again as the signatures of the witnesses were added.
Pippin watched the proceedings with wide eyes, and Merry with a huge grin. It was nigh on time for something good to happen to Frodo, he thought gladly. Nobody else Merry could think of deserved such good fortune as his elder cousin.
"Does this mean Frodo is going to stay in Hobbiton?" Pippin asked.
"Yes, Pip. Frodo is going to stay with Uncle Bilbo in Hobbiton from now on." Merry found that he was still smiling, despite confirmation that Frodo would not be coming back to Brandy Hall to stay.
"We can visit him, can't we?" Pippin asked, hope shining in his eyes. Hobbiton seemed like such a long way off to him.
"I don't know, Pip," Merry said as a mischievous gleam stole into his eyes. "Uncle Bilbo might not be too keen on you turning his smial upside down." He poked at Pippin playfully and Pippin scowled at him.
"You're just teasing me, Merry! Uncle Bilbo likes me, you know." Pippin poked Merry in return.
"Of course I like you, Peregrin," Bilbo said, giving Merry a look of mock warning. "And you may visit Frodo any time your family agrees to let you out of their sight."
"You can take him with you when you leave here," Pervinca suggested hopefully. Pippin kicked her.
"Enough, you two," Eglantine Took said as she separated them. "This is hardly the time or place for your antics."
Frodo turned from watching his younger cousins and found himself face to face with Farmer Maggot. He blushed furiously, remembering his ill - fated foray into Maggot's mushroom beds. It was plain by the farmer's words that he remembered the incident too. "Good mushrooms 'round Hobbiton, I hear," Farmer Maggot remarked with a raised eyebrow. As Frodo's blush deepened, Maggot broke into a grin and ruffled the lad's hair as if Frodo were still Pippin's age. "I'm sure you've outgrown such pastimes as farm raiding?"
"Yes, sir!" Frodo remarked with alacrity and shook the hand offered by the farmer.
Next to congratulate Frodo was Master Goodbody. "I've seen you more off your feet than on them lately, lad, and that has got to stop!" he exclaimed dramatically, eliciting a chuckle from Frodo. "Seriously, Frodo, it is good to see you healthy and unscathed. Let us hope you keep yourself so."
"I promise to do my best, sir," Frodo responded, smiling.
The Mayor was shaking hands with Saradoc, and then turned to shake Frodo's also. "Hobbiton is fortunate in the addition of a young gentlehobbit like yourself to its population," Mayor Whitfoot said, giving Frodo a grin.
"Thank you sir," Frodo responded politely. Although others were waiting to congratulate him, he suddenly found himself feeling as though the walls of the room were drawing in upon him. He had known all of this was going to happen, but the reality of it had left him rather stunned nonetheless. The arrangement of his living at Bag End no longer felt temporary, but carried a new certainty, a new solidity. He felt suddenly overwhelmed and struggled to hold back tears.
Bilbo noticed the shift in Frodo's emotional balance and excused himself and Frodo for a moment. They stepped into another room and Bilbo closed the door behind them. "Do you need a moment, Frodo?" he asked quietly.
"I - I just - " Frodo's fight to maintain his composure was lost and he embraced Bilbo tearfully. "I'm so happy," he explained. "I'd forgotten what it feels like to - to belong somewhere."
"You've always been loved, Frodo, wherever you were," Bilbo told him. "Even here at Brandy Hall."
"Yes, I know," Frodo said softly. "But something was missing ever since my parents died." He looked at the floor for a moment. "I always knew that people here loved me, but I didn't feel that I really belonged here. I was here because, well because there was no other choice at the time. I wasn't here because someone wanted me to be here."
Bilbo thought he understood what Frodo was trying to say. "It's not the same, is it, lad?" he asked. "At least not from where you're standing."
"No, it isn't," Frodo confirmed. "It's not the same as hearing someone say, 'I want you to be here and I choose to have you here'."
"Well, I have chosen to have you at Bag End, Frodo," Bilbo told him firmly. "And as long as you wish to stay there, you may. No one will come and tell you that you have to go anywhere else or do anything that you don't wish to do."
"I'll be home," Frodo said, raising his gaze to Bilbo's. "I'll really be home," he said again, savoring the sound of the words.
"Yes, Frodo." Bilbo smiled and smoothed the lapels of Frodo's weskit. "Now we had both better compose ourselves, for we've a crowd of congratulatory relations and friends awaiting us," he suggested with a nod toward the door. "And unless I miss my guess, the Master of the Hall and his lovely wife have prepared quite a celebration in honor of this event. No ordinary mid - year, this."
"No, Uncle. It's anything but ordinary, indeed," Frodo answered as he placed a hand on the doorknob and stopped. "Your choice of Forelithe as the time was well made," he remarked, looking at Bilbo for affirmation.
"Of course, lad," Bilbo said with a grin. "Brandy Hall was bound to be teeming with hobbits of notable status. There could be no better time or place to find a proper compliment of witnesses to sign our important documents!"
Frodo and Bilbo rejoined the group in the parlor, and there was much hugging and congratulatory back - slapping. The celebration eventually moved into the main Hall and the courtyard, as afternoon became evening. Hobbits danced, sang and enjoyed a delicious feast, celebrating the arrival of mid - year and the hope that the rest of the year would be just as pleasant and prosperous as the first half had been. It was a weary, but very happy Frodo Baggins who tumbled into bed sometime after midnight, to drift away into pleasant dreams.
~*~To be continued~*~
GamgeeFest - Yes, Frodo rather has got Lotho by a certain bit of his anatomy, doesn't he?
Shirebound - Sam's worries as to whether he will be thought of as an 'appropriate' friend for Frodo have been put to rest. Trust Bilbo to provide just the right amount of encouragement!
Aratlithiel1 - Sam sometimes pays more heed to his old hidebound gaffer than he should, eh? And Bilbo. What would any of us do without him?
Amelia Rose - Sam is the biggest sweetie in Middle Earth. Frodo saved Lotho from Bilbo's wrath by not laying out the whole tale, and Lotho called his mother off in return. Unfortunately, things may not be as comfy as they seem. There is still the matter of a certain inheritance to be discussed, and we all know what that means.
QTPie2488 - We'll have the adoption finalized in this chapter, but there's still one more to go. Bilbo has some news to break to the Sackville - Bagginses regarding an inheritance! And yes, Rushford Bramblethorn will be up to his old tricks in a new story, "A Harvest of Ashes". I warn you, though, he's worse than ever, and the story will well deserve the R rating I now plan to give it. (Author cringing...)
Anime Princess4 - The boys are rescued, and you don't have to pound Lotho now!
Endymion2 - I will have further development of Lotho and Frodo's tentative truce in the final chapter. Lobelia has to go and be a pain in the butt, doesn't she?
Iorhael - History does show that Lotho never really gets it, sadly.
Tavion - Your apprehensive feeling about Lotho and Frodo's truce is right on the money. More on that in the final chapter, but right now, we have reason to celebrate!
Illyria Pffyffin - More conflict? The last chapter will definitely be for you. Even patient Frodo has his breaking point, and Lotho will be pushing it! Your fiery Frodo awaits, but we've got a party to attend in this chapter.
Chapter 21 - Celebration
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Frodo! Frodo!" Merry's voice rang out in the courtyard and almost before Bilbo and Frodo made it through the gate a whirlwind of blonde curls and enthusiasm collided with them. Merry almost knocked Frodo to the ground with his effusive greeting, and Esmeralda and Saradoc followed a short distance behind at a more dignified pace.
"Bilbo, good to see you again," Saradoc said as he clasped the older hobbit's hand warmly. Bilbo kissed Esmeralda's hand gallantly as Saradoc greeted Frodo. "Is it my imagination, or are you bigger than you used to be?" During his and Merry's visit to Hobbiton in the winter, Saradoc had been too preoccupied with Frodo's illness to notice how the lad had grown.
Frodo grinned. "I've stretched, it seems," he answered, acknowledging his new height. "Perhaps by Yule I'll be as tall as you are." Another inch or so, and Frodo would indeed stand eye to eye with the Master of Buckland.
Frodo noticed that the last few months had added to Merry's physical stature as well. His younger cousin seemed less gangly than before, and had left behind some of the awkwardness of pre - tween motion and mannerisms. Before he could think further on the subject, he was again assailed by a young hobbit, a smaller one with a wide grin and cinnamon - brown curls.
"Cousin Frodo, it's been such a very long time since I've seen you," a voice lilted lightly in the courtyard. Peregrin Took looked up at his cousin happily, and Merry mussed his hair.
"Pippin?" Frodo said, feigning uncertainty as to the lad's identity. "You're right. The last time I saw you, you were half the size you are now." But no less energetic, thought Frodo fondly. "How long have you been here?"
"We got here last week," Pippin said quickly. "My whole family is here, even my sisters," he said with a rueful tone. "But Merry keeps me from being bored by them all the time, don't you, Merry?"
Merry gave Frodo a wry grin. Pippin wasn't too much trouble, young as he was, but Merry had a sudden flash of insight into how it must have been for Frodo from time to time, with younger cousins clamoring for his attention. "I keep him out of trouble," he answered with a wink at Frodo.
"I'll just bet you do." Frodo answered Merry's wink with one of his own. The day a young Brandybuck kept a young Took out of trouble would be a memorable day indeed, he reflected. More likely, Merry was teaching the younger lad all manner of terrible pranks that his sisters would come to regret later.
"How was your trip Bilbo?" Esmeralda asked. "Hauled Frodo along for one of your long journeys afoot, I see," she teased.
"I have not 'hauled' him anywhere, Esmie," Bilbo corrected good - naturedly. "He has hauled himself quite handily, and a good walk will benefit even the young from time to time." Frodo seemed to enjoy a journey on foot as much as his guardian, preferring to experience the feel of the ground beneath his feet rather than to ride in a wagon.
Merry walked next to Frodo, and watched him out the corner of his eye. He had been worried that Lotho might continue to trouble Frodo, but there was no sign of any physical injury or illness that Merry could see. Perhaps the situation had been resolved. "What about those Sackville - Bagginses?" Merry asked with a frown. "Are they still bothering you?"
Frodo smiled at his cousin. "There are not many pleasantries exchanged between us, but no one is going out of their way to be unkind either," he answered. "It's rather an uneasy truce, but far better than open hostility."
"Truce?" Merry frowned more deeply. "However did you manage anything of the kind?"
"That is a long story, Merry, and I shall tell you every bit of it once we're settled," Frodo answered seriously, and Merry laughed.
"Can I hear it too?" Pippin asked, staring up at Frodo hopefully. "I love stories, and you used to tell the best ones."
"Frodo could tell you stories that would turn your ears inside out," Merry said with a grin at Pippin and a knowing glance at Frodo.
"Yes, and I could have Aunt Eglantine and Uncle Pal turning me inside out as a result," Frodo said, laughing. "I'll tell you about the Sackville - Bagginses, Pippin. It's a harrowing tale in some places, but you're old enough to not be frightened by it, I suppose."
Pippin looked indignant at the reference to his age. "I'm not a baby anymore, Frodo," he said imperiously. "And you used to tell me about dragons and trolls and things, you know. I wasn't scared of them, either."
"No, you just hid under your bed because you liked it there," Merry teased mercilessly. "You're too big to hide under the bed now, so don't you go and try it, Pip."
The procession continued through the courtyard and on into Brandy Hall, where Frodo and Bilbo were settled into their rooms in time for tea. The Hall was as busy and bustling as Frodo remembered, perhaps more so as guests arrived for the Forelithe celebration. The coming of mid - year was as good a reason to have a gathering as any, and the summer weather usually proved to support the theory.
"We're all going to have tea together in Sara and Esmie's private parlor, Frodo," Bilbo informed the tween as he unpacked a few items from his bag. "Best get yourself tidied up properly and shake the dust of the road from those feet," he instructed. He pulled a parchment scroll from his bag and hurriedly tucked it inside his weskit.
Frodo had seen the surreptitious motion, and he smiled. Feigning innocence, he replied, "Yes, Uncle. I suppose I shall have to make a respectable appearance, after all."
As Frodo stepped into the next room to wash up, Bilbo withdrew the scroll from inside his weskit and examined it carefully. The words were neatly written, the language formal and official.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
On this 24th day of Forelithe, in the year of 1390, Shire Reckoning, I, Bilbo Baggins do hereby adopt Frodo Baggins and become his legal guardian. I will care for him through times of illness and good health, and will provide for his needs be they physical or emotional. I accept responsibility for his well - being for as long as he shall reside in my care.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
The document provided space for Bilbo to sign his name as Frodo's new guardian, and space for Saradoc to sign as his former. There were also spaces for seven witnesses to sign.
Bilbo tucked the scroll back into its former place and withdrew another from his pack. He examined it with a critical eye, making sure he had left nothing unsaid. The scroll contained his new will, and would be properly witnessed as well as the adoption notice. He had left everything to Frodo. What Frodo decided to do with his inheritance was his to decide when the time came.
Bilbo sighed and smiled in satisfaction as he tucked the second scroll into his weskit alongside the first. He had been hard pressed to conceal his excitement during the past few weeks as he awaited this day with great anticipation. One last reach into the pack produced a small bottle of red ink, tightly corked to prevent leakage. Saradoc should have some ready at hand as well, but one couldn't be too thorough in one's planning.
Several times he had wondered if Frodo suspected something. The boy was as sharp as needles, as he ought to be. After all, he was a Baggins, wasn't he? Frodo had shown no sign that he was expecting anything out of the ordinary besides a mid - year gathering with family.
Bilbo started at the sound of a voice behind him as Frodo re - entered the room. "Uncle? Are you all right?" Frodo stood at Bilbo's side. "You're awfully quiet."
"Just thinking, my boy," Bilbo said evenly, regarding Frodo with a look of approval. "You look much less the dusty traveler now, I must say."
"And just what do I look like, Uncle?" Frodo said teasingly.
"You look like the best thing that ever happened to a silly old hobbit," Bilbo said quietly, his eyes misting over. "Never forget that I love you with all my heart, Frodo, lad," the elder hobbit said as he embraced the tween.
"I won't forget, Uncle," Frodo said softly, returning the embrace. "And I love you too."
~*~
"Stop squirming, Pippin, and let Frodo tell us his story," Merry chided as he nudged his younger cousin.
At the mention of a tale to come, Pippin did as he was told and focused his attention solely on Frodo. The parlor was quite filled with hobbits, as all of the Master's immediate family and that of the Thain were present. Tooks and Brandybucks listened with bated breath as Frodo told of being trapped in the cave - in with Lotho.
"Weren't you scared?" Pippin said at one point, looking at Frodo with admiration.
"Yes, Pippin, I was," Frodo answered, giving his younger cousin a kind look. "It was very dark and we never knew from one moment to the next if more of the roof was going to fall in on us."
"And of all the people to be trapped with," Merry exclaimed, shaking his head. "You had to be stuck there with Lotho!" He said the name as if it were a word he would be soundly thrashed for using in the presence of women and children. "Come, Frodo. Tell the truth. Did he really go in to warn you?"
Frodo thought of how to answer Merry's question. Bilbo was also listening, and Frodo had told him only what was necessary, keeping the real truth to himself. "Yes, Merry. He did indeed mean to warn me," Frodo said. "Of course, his effort was in vain," Frodo continued with a smile. Lotho's efforts had indeed been in vain, all of them.
"And he broke his leg, too?" Pippin chirped, wondering what such a thing felt like. "Was it terribly painful?"
"Yes, I imagine it was," Frodo said simply. "He recovered well enough, although he made the most of it while he could." Lotho had been allowed to trade in his splint and crutches for a simple cane after a few weeks, and limped about Hobbiton attracting the curious questions of a few lasses as he did so. He never failed to tell them how he had been hurt trying to save his foolish cousin, who, by the way, was frightened to near uselessness at the time.
Knowing smiles and chuckles passed around the room as everyone present who was acquainted with the Sackville - Bagginses was able to easily imagine Lotho's opportunistic attempts to use his injury as a means of getting some female attention. It would be just like that young snip.
"Has anything else happened since then?" Saradoc asked with concern. It had never come to light whether Lotho had been to blame for any of the troubles Frodo had encountered in his first few months of residence at Bag End.
"Somehow Frodo has managed to escape his cousin's notice lately," Bilbo said with a sharp glance at Frodo, who betrayed nothing of his thoughts. "I think there's more to the story than the version we've been told, but I have yet to succeed in prying it from the boy."
Frodo shrugged and sipped his tea. "The details mean little, for the outcome was good," he reasoned. "Lotho and I understand a few things about each other now. I don't think he's anything to worry about," Frodo said, echoing the words he had spoken to Bilbo following the events he had told of.
A soft tapping on the door stemmed the tide of questions, and Frodo sipped his tea in relief.
Saradoc gave Bilbo a sharp look and Bilbo nodded. The Master of Buckland opened the door of the private parlor to admit none other than the Mayor, Will Whitfoot, and along with him, Rory and Merrimac Brandybuck, Farmer Maggot of the Marish, Gordo Goodbody, the healer from Hobbiton, and Odo Proudfoot. As Frodo looked up, Bilbo stood and cleared his throat.
"Now that we are all assembled, I have an announcement to make," Bilbo stated calmly, his eyes never leaving Frodo's. "I have gathered all of you here, along with these other fine gentlehobbits - " Bilbo gestured to the group who had just entered the room, and Farmer Maggot gave an amused snort at hearing himself referred to as a gentle hobbit - "to witness an important event." Always one to speak gravely and dramatically at such times, Bilbo paused, then continued. "Two important events, I should say," he corrected himself.
"Merry, what's happening?" Pippin whispered to his cousin.
"Hush, Pip!" Merry said. "You'll see!"
Bilbo reached into his weskit and drew out the two scrolls. "I have drawn up two documents. This one is a declaration of adoption." Bilbo spread the scroll out flat on a table and pinned the ends down with books so everyone could see what was written on the page. "Frodo, if you consent to the arrangement, I wish to formally adopt you." He looked at Frodo fondly. "What say you, lad?"
Frodo did a reasonably convincing job of looking surprised. He had known about Bilbo's plan to adopt him due to Lotho's divulging the information, but he had wondered who Bilbo would call upon to witness the documents. Pretending that he was absorbing the information for the first time, rose to his feet. "I'm - that is," Frodo stammered. "Well, yes, I consent!" Light laughter floated around the room at the obvious joy in Frodo's words and expression.
Paladin Took and Saradoc Brandybuck rose and stood by Bilbo's side as Frodo and Mayor Whitfoot joined them. Saradoc signed the first line, relinquishing his role as Frodo's legal guardian, and Bilbo signed the second, accepting the responsibility. The other adult male hobbits assembled signed as witnesses. Bilbo was pleased to note that Saradoc had indeed remembered the red ink required by legal tradition.
"The second of these documents is my Last Will and Testament," Bilbo told the hobbits assembled in the parlor. "Frodo shall be my heir," Bilbo said simply. "At such time that I may leave you all, he will inherit Bag End and all else I own." The scroll was flattened out on the table just as the first had been, and Bilbo signed it with a flourish. The quill was handed around again as the signatures of the witnesses were added.
Pippin watched the proceedings with wide eyes, and Merry with a huge grin. It was nigh on time for something good to happen to Frodo, he thought gladly. Nobody else Merry could think of deserved such good fortune as his elder cousin.
"Does this mean Frodo is going to stay in Hobbiton?" Pippin asked.
"Yes, Pip. Frodo is going to stay with Uncle Bilbo in Hobbiton from now on." Merry found that he was still smiling, despite confirmation that Frodo would not be coming back to Brandy Hall to stay.
"We can visit him, can't we?" Pippin asked, hope shining in his eyes. Hobbiton seemed like such a long way off to him.
"I don't know, Pip," Merry said as a mischievous gleam stole into his eyes. "Uncle Bilbo might not be too keen on you turning his smial upside down." He poked at Pippin playfully and Pippin scowled at him.
"You're just teasing me, Merry! Uncle Bilbo likes me, you know." Pippin poked Merry in return.
"Of course I like you, Peregrin," Bilbo said, giving Merry a look of mock warning. "And you may visit Frodo any time your family agrees to let you out of their sight."
"You can take him with you when you leave here," Pervinca suggested hopefully. Pippin kicked her.
"Enough, you two," Eglantine Took said as she separated them. "This is hardly the time or place for your antics."
Frodo turned from watching his younger cousins and found himself face to face with Farmer Maggot. He blushed furiously, remembering his ill - fated foray into Maggot's mushroom beds. It was plain by the farmer's words that he remembered the incident too. "Good mushrooms 'round Hobbiton, I hear," Farmer Maggot remarked with a raised eyebrow. As Frodo's blush deepened, Maggot broke into a grin and ruffled the lad's hair as if Frodo were still Pippin's age. "I'm sure you've outgrown such pastimes as farm raiding?"
"Yes, sir!" Frodo remarked with alacrity and shook the hand offered by the farmer.
Next to congratulate Frodo was Master Goodbody. "I've seen you more off your feet than on them lately, lad, and that has got to stop!" he exclaimed dramatically, eliciting a chuckle from Frodo. "Seriously, Frodo, it is good to see you healthy and unscathed. Let us hope you keep yourself so."
"I promise to do my best, sir," Frodo responded, smiling.
The Mayor was shaking hands with Saradoc, and then turned to shake Frodo's also. "Hobbiton is fortunate in the addition of a young gentlehobbit like yourself to its population," Mayor Whitfoot said, giving Frodo a grin.
"Thank you sir," Frodo responded politely. Although others were waiting to congratulate him, he suddenly found himself feeling as though the walls of the room were drawing in upon him. He had known all of this was going to happen, but the reality of it had left him rather stunned nonetheless. The arrangement of his living at Bag End no longer felt temporary, but carried a new certainty, a new solidity. He felt suddenly overwhelmed and struggled to hold back tears.
Bilbo noticed the shift in Frodo's emotional balance and excused himself and Frodo for a moment. They stepped into another room and Bilbo closed the door behind them. "Do you need a moment, Frodo?" he asked quietly.
"I - I just - " Frodo's fight to maintain his composure was lost and he embraced Bilbo tearfully. "I'm so happy," he explained. "I'd forgotten what it feels like to - to belong somewhere."
"You've always been loved, Frodo, wherever you were," Bilbo told him. "Even here at Brandy Hall."
"Yes, I know," Frodo said softly. "But something was missing ever since my parents died." He looked at the floor for a moment. "I always knew that people here loved me, but I didn't feel that I really belonged here. I was here because, well because there was no other choice at the time. I wasn't here because someone wanted me to be here."
Bilbo thought he understood what Frodo was trying to say. "It's not the same, is it, lad?" he asked. "At least not from where you're standing."
"No, it isn't," Frodo confirmed. "It's not the same as hearing someone say, 'I want you to be here and I choose to have you here'."
"Well, I have chosen to have you at Bag End, Frodo," Bilbo told him firmly. "And as long as you wish to stay there, you may. No one will come and tell you that you have to go anywhere else or do anything that you don't wish to do."
"I'll be home," Frodo said, raising his gaze to Bilbo's. "I'll really be home," he said again, savoring the sound of the words.
"Yes, Frodo." Bilbo smiled and smoothed the lapels of Frodo's weskit. "Now we had both better compose ourselves, for we've a crowd of congratulatory relations and friends awaiting us," he suggested with a nod toward the door. "And unless I miss my guess, the Master of the Hall and his lovely wife have prepared quite a celebration in honor of this event. No ordinary mid - year, this."
"No, Uncle. It's anything but ordinary, indeed," Frodo answered as he placed a hand on the doorknob and stopped. "Your choice of Forelithe as the time was well made," he remarked, looking at Bilbo for affirmation.
"Of course, lad," Bilbo said with a grin. "Brandy Hall was bound to be teeming with hobbits of notable status. There could be no better time or place to find a proper compliment of witnesses to sign our important documents!"
Frodo and Bilbo rejoined the group in the parlor, and there was much hugging and congratulatory back - slapping. The celebration eventually moved into the main Hall and the courtyard, as afternoon became evening. Hobbits danced, sang and enjoyed a delicious feast, celebrating the arrival of mid - year and the hope that the rest of the year would be just as pleasant and prosperous as the first half had been. It was a weary, but very happy Frodo Baggins who tumbled into bed sometime after midnight, to drift away into pleasant dreams.
~*~To be continued~*~