Chapter 9
Things to Remember
The coach pulled to a slow stop in front of the Grand Halls of Long Cleeve. Servants rushed to open the doors of the coach to help the young ladies out.
Poppy and Lily had both admired this beautiful home every time they had passed it during their walk to the town. They could hardly believe that they would now live within its walls. This hobbit home was as big as the entire hill that it was created under. There were numerous windows that stretched around the hill. There was a grand round door and the most beautiful front yard garden that Poppy could remember ever seeing. There were paths set in cobblestone that lead to the doors and gardens. Hugh trees and shapely hedges wrapped along both side of this gracious home.
Euphemia stroked her hand across her uplifted white hair and took out her lace handkerchief from her pocket of her neatly tailored vest that matched the long flowing skirt. Upon her vest she had always worn a brooch of her family's jewels that had been handed down many times and each generation had created their own special brooch to show the importance of their position of the North-Took clan, in which Euphemia was very proud of. Her pale white skin had many deep long wrinkles, but in her blue-green eyes were a sparkle of joviality of life that she enjoyed. Her grand parties were always the talk of the entire North Farthing and many would come from miles to attend.
Euphemia turned to her servants and asked them to show Poppy and Lily to their rooms. Turning to both the girls with a weary gently smile, she spoke kindly to them. "I'll join you girls later this afternoon. You will need sometime to get acquainted in your new quarters. Fanenbard will take you to your rooms."
Poppy watched as the three girls followed their mother into their Grand home.
Fanenbard never changed his expression, as he stood proper as their mistress Euphemia insisted upon. He looked down upon the two girls with their plain dress of faded, worn vest and skirt. Raising his right eyebrow he mumbled quietly, "Follow me."
He walked the girls around the grand hobbit home to the servants quarters and held the door open for them to enter.
Lily took Poppy's hand as she felt nervous and excited at the same time. Poppy looked at Lily and smiled. She gave her hand a tender squeeze to show her of her excitement as well.
They waited for Fanenbard to close the door and walk passed them to lead the way.
Poppy saw many doors in the long corridor and tunnels going off in many different directions. Poppy's heart raced thinking she could get lost in this very large home with so many tunnels. She wonder where they all lead.
Deeper and deeper they traveled into the Grand Halls of Long Cleeve. The floors had rustic wooden boards with white walls and thick sturdy beams upon the rounded ceilings and sections of the wall. Beautiful candleholders sparkled and gleamed with the many candles that they held. They saw a servant girl taking the old candles and replacing them with fresh tailored white candles. The servant girl smiled at Poppy and Lily when they passed her and kept following Fanenbard.
Lily did not speak a word but looked at everything with the widest of open eyes. She had never seen such a place before and she marveled at everything she saw.
Fanenbard finally stopped as he turned a corner of the long corridor to a small tunnel with only just a few doors down the length of it. He opened the first door and waited while the girls filed pass him as they entered. He turned to them and said. "Unpack you things and get yourselves settled. Someone will join you later to give you your orders and list of things for you to do!"
Fanenbard nodded his head once and slowly turned when he shut the door.
Poppy and Lily looked at each other and then all around the room that they would share with each other. There were two hobbit size beds and two dressing tables. Sitting next to the tables was a water stand. It had a large clay painted pitcher with tiny delicate flowers painted all around the brim. It looked beautiful with its matching clay painted bowl. The pitcher was filled full of water. There was a set of glasses, soap, a fresh stack of linens and towels. Poppy's eyes caught the large round window and she wandered over to look outside. Their room was just off from the main garden and it was a wondrous site of spectacular beauty.
Poppy saw a grand fountain with bright red and yellow flowers that circled this beautiful structure. Huge hedges cut to perfection outlined the walls of the garden area. Rows of roses lined lengths of flowerbeds. With other wondrous brightly colored flowers adorn the other areas of the garden.
Lily began to unpack her bags and lined up her clothing in neat folded piles. She took out her brushes and other personal items then began to place them into her drawers and closet area.
Poppy picked up her bag and placed it on the bed after Lily already chose the bed she wanted. She too took out her clothing and personal items. At the bottom of her bag was her mother's jewelry box. She held it in her hands and sat down upon her bed. Opening the box, Lily joined her sitting next to her. She too wanted to see what was in the box.
Lily's eyes opened wide in seeing the few little things that their mother had kept in there. Lily loved the two brooches and asked if she could try them on. The girls giggled at each other while Lily paraded around the room acting very noble wearing the beautiful brooch.
Poppy stopped laughing when she saw the bracelet again. She picked it up and stared at it. She saw the clover attached to the bracelet and a flash of memory went across her mind. She saw herself as a young child sitting in a field of clover smiling at an odd looking young lad. Some how he seemed familiar to her. A rush of pain bolted across her head like a lighting bolt that made the image suddenly fade. Poppy dropped the bracelet back into the box and held her throbbing head. She felt like she was going to faint when small beads of sweat began to appear about her brow. Lily stopped laughing and rushed to her sister. "Poppy! What is the matter?"
Lily saw her white face and trembling hands. "You're having another bout of headaches again, aren't you!"
Poppy could only nod her head slightly. Lily gently laid her sister upon her bed and went in search of the powered that she knew her sister had always kept for her constantly returning headaches that haunted her.
Poppy raised her head from her pillow and called to her sister, "No, Lily! I do not want to take another powder! The pain will pass shortly if I rest a bit!"
Lily looked at her sister and then placed her sister's bag down. She returned to sit next to Poppy and gathered the few pieces of jewelry and put them back into the box.
A knock came upon their door as Lily rushed to open it. Diamond walked in and saw Poppy looking very ill.
Diamond rushed to the girl to see if she was all right. Poppy reassured her that she just had a small headache.
Diamond was reluctant to give the girls their duties, however they insisted. She took them to the kitchen to begin learning from the cook how to prepare and serve the meals.
Mundarose Bullroarer, the cook, turned when the two girls were introduced to her. The heavyset cook had bright-rosy, puffy cheeks and thick locks of red hair. She wore a crisp white kitchen cap trimmed with a light lace. The apron matched the kitchen cap with the same lace around the hem. Her green eyes sparkled when she presented the girls with their own set of kitchen caps and aprons. Poppy took the kitchen cap and stared openly at it, waves of memory and images ran through her mind and she fought hard to sort them out.
The cook returned to her stove and lifted the lid on her big pot of apple jelly that she was making. The scent filled the air of the kitchen and Poppy took in its smell. She clearly saw herself in her mind as a young child filling the jars of apple jelly on a table wearing a big white kitchen cap upon her head. A hobbitess stood next to and put her arm around her and kissed her cheek warmly. Estella saw herself in her mind as she spoke, "I love you, Mama!" She could see the hobbitess in her mind clearly, the round puffy pink cheeks and the white kitchen cap upon the top of her head. She knew in that moment who her true mother was.
Estella grabbed her head and the pain pounded like thunder and waves of nausea overtook her. Her knees felt weak and shaking as the room began to spin wildly. She felt herself being pulled up into a swirling cloud and felt the fear and horror of that day, but this time Estella fought to hold the memories in her mind even with all the pain and fear she felt.
Estella took one step and fell to the kitchen floor unconscious.
Lily cried out seeing her sister suddenly fall beside her and she raced to her side.
The cook called for the servants to get the healer and bring the young tween into her bedroom since it was just off from the kitchen. "The lass can recover in my room!" said Mundarose.
Lily was crying in fear of her sister's illness and sat next to her on the bed. Poppy's eyes slowly blinked open and raised her hand to her aching head. Seeing Lily and then Mundarose standing next to her. Estella could not take her eyes from the cook's face and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Mama?" asked Estella still half way lost in her past memories of her mother trying desperately to hold on to each thought. Seeing Mundarose seemed to help her hold the image of her own mother in her mind. She would not take her eyes away from her.
Mundarose backed up away from the confused girl thinking she was not in her right mind. "I have never seen you, lass! I'm not your Mama!"
Lily looked at Poppy in confusion and her heart pounding in worry for her. "Poppy! What are you trying to say?"
Estella sat up in the comfy bed and looked directly at Lily. Hearing the name Poppy, both her worlds of her past and present came together and she now could remember everything that had happened to her. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She looked into Lily's eyes as a big smile crossed her lips. "My name is Estella Bolger! Lily, I remember! I remember everything that happened to me!" She shouted with the tears streamed down her face.
Estella placed her hands over her mouth and gasped. "My Mama?" cried Estella knowing she had missed all the years growing up in the North Farthing while her mother believed she was dead and never knowing what really happened to her. Her heart leaped in sorrow of missing her. She pushed Lily away from her and she ran to Mundarose. Staring openly with wild eyes at her, Mundarose looked closely like her real mother. She had the same chubby round cheeks and kind eyes of her mother. She could smell the jelly scent upon this hobbit and Estella's ache in her heart overwhelmed her. She reached out to touch Mundarose and wanted to wrap her arms around her for bringing her memory of her mother back to her.
Mundarose backed up from the girl in a terrible fear and pulled her apron over her face to hide herself from this crazy lass. She screamed hysterically and ran from the room. She was convinced the girl had lost her mind. She bumped into Euphemia and Diamond as they tried to enter the bedroom.
"The child is daft!" screamed the cook all the while pointing to her bedroom. "Crazier than a loon! She is calling herself Estella and she thinks I'm her Mama!"
Euphemia rushed past the cook and darted into the room. She saw Poppy hysterically crying into Lily's arms. "What is this all about?" shouted and demanded Euphemia.
Diamond stood shocked as she looked at Lily trying to calm the tween girl.
Lily was crying and so confused herself, as Poppy was not making any kind of sense. "I do not know!" said Lily over her shoulder to answer the noble hobbitess.
Euphemia gestured for Lily to stand away from Poppy and lead her back to the bed to lay down. She sat down next to the girl. "There, there now! Stop your crying and tell me what has happened!"
Estella raised her eyes to the noble old hobbitess and tried to calm herself. "I remember everything that has happened to me!" she began. "I have lost all my memories of my childhood! I was in a terrible storm and my brother Freddy!" said Estella and then stopped short in her story. Her eyes widened and she gasped out thinking about her brother as current memories raced in her mind. She again looked wildly upon the old hobbitess. "Freddy!.... Oh, no! Those letters!.... My brother!..... Oh, no!"
She jumped from the other side of the bed and ran passed Diamond who stood there gapping at the hysterical girl. Out the door she ran. Estella entered the kitchen and the cook screamed again seeing the girl and ducked behind a table trembling. The servants came rushing into the kitchen as the rumors spread rapidly and hearing more screaming. Estella rushed passed them and continued down the long hallway. She could hear Lily chasing her with the other servants following her. Lily called out, "Poppy! Stop!"
But Estella kept running farther down the hallway. She turned the corner and stopped at her bedroom door. Grasping the knob, she quickly turned it and rushed into the room. She looked from side to side until she finally spotted her bag and rushed to it. Wildly she began to pull everything from its pockets until she found her old love letters. She quickly pulled the letters from their envelopes and scanned down to his name. She saw the script of signature of Fredegar Bolger at the bottom. Estella gasped again. Tears again began to fall from her eyes. "I must get to Hobbiton immediately!"
Lily rushed into their bedroom and ran toward Poppy. She sat down beside her still crying and pleading with her sister, "Poppy, you must stop this at once!"
Estella turned to Lily. "We must leave, Lily. We must get to Hobbiton!"
The servants gathered outside the bedroom door. They did not know what to do next, but to keep the girls into their bedroom until their mistress caught up to them. The servants increase in numbers the longer they stood there as they all wanted to get a glimpse of the crazy girl.
Slowly Euphemia made her way down the long hallway with Diamond by her side. The servants parted to allow their mistress to enter the bedroom.
Euphemia stared openly at the girl in total shock, thinking she too has lost her mind. She heard Poppy trying to convince Lily to go with her to Hobbiton. "I don't think you should be going anywhere in your condition!" stated the noble hobbitess. "We have called the healers and they will see to you as soon as they arrive! You must calm yourself, now!"
Estella looked upon the noble hobbitess with pleading eyes. "You don't understand. I have not lost my mind. I have finally found it! I was greatly injured in a bad storm and Annegrin found me. I had lost all my memory of my life as a child. Annegrin saved me and took care of me. She gave me the name of Poppy, the name of her child that had died. My name is not Poppy! It is Estella Bolger from Hobbiton!"
Euphemia looked at the girl and tried hard to understand what she was saying. "Hobbiton! Hobbiton is in the East Farthing, it's four scores from here. How in earth did a young child with such an injury travel that distance?"
Estella looked at the hobbitess and wondered about it herself. "I do not know for sure. All I remember is being sucked up into a swirling cloud. The next thing I remember is waking on Annegrin's bed."
Euphemia bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud at such an outrageous story. "That is unheard of, child! That could have never happen! You're just in a state of confusion, Poppy! You're believing a dream you had and it's not real!"
Estella stood up and stared at the old hobbitess. "It's true, I'll tell you. Everything that I've told you is true! I have not lost my mind!"
The healers walked into the bedroom and saw the tween girl standing in the middle of the room. Everyone openly watched Poppy with fear and confusion.
Euphemia seeing the healers, turned to Poppy and spoke in a firm voice of authority. "Now listen to me, Poppy! This is my home and I will not stand for any foolishness going on from you! If you are going to work for me than this must stop immediately! Otherwise, you give me no choice but to let you go back to streets of Long Cleeve! Now, you will take your powder from the healers and you will go to sleep. Tomorrow I want you in the kitchens working as you agreed to do! I hope we understand each other!"
Estella not knowing what else to do walked over to her bed and lying down she allowed the healers to give her a powder.
She watched Euphemia take Lily from her room and shut the door behind them.
Estella closed her eyes and drifted off in a deep sleep from the powder the healers gave her.
~*~
With the months that Fredegar was jailed, nearly broken in spirit being caged as an animal. His stomached constantly ached from hunger pain, because the meal that was shoved under the cell door was barely enough to keep them alive. His clothing was tore and ragged in filth and stench of these lock holes.
Even Major Will Whitefoot was giving up all his hope of ever being saved. He no longer gave words of encouragement, but rather tears of deep despair.
Fredegar's letters were worn thin from constantly be read over and over again to help him pass the time. His weaken frame became thin and his skin felt loose as well as his pants. Even his weskit draped upon his thin shoulders and felt more like a blanket rather than a coat.
The lock-hole doors opened, but the prisoners knew that it was not the usual time the jailers would feed them.
They heard curse words being shouted from a high pitched hobbitess as they forced her into the lock-hole. Fredegar got to his knees and weakly watched the jailer struggle with the old hobbitess because she would hit him with her umbrella over and over again if he got too close to her.
He opened the number three-cell door and allowed Lobellia to enter. Lobellia lifted her chin high and pulled her skirt up enough for her feet not to trip on the hem. She walked slowly leaning upon her umbrella into the cell. She turned sharply to face the jailer again and shouted. "You numb skull! Once my son hears of this, he'll have your head on a platter! You just mark my words! You good for nothing rattle snake, you rubbish rat! You get close enough and I'll give you another whack from my umbrella!"
The guard coward away from her cell and made sure to stay away from her umbrella. He rubbed his shoulder from the pain and welts of being hit so many times by his prisoner. Turning he blew out the lantern and left the lock holes.
Fredegar looked shocked seeing Lobellia standing in the cell next to his. "Miss Lobellia! How could they put a noble hobbit of your grand years into a lock up?"
Lobelia looked at the lad in the next cell, "Your voice sounds familiar enough, but the looks of you don't! Who's a speaking to me?" Lobelia got next to the bars and peered down upon the lad in the next cell.
"It's me, Miss Lobelia, Fatty Bolger!"
Lobelia squint her eyes and stared at him. "Couldn't be! Why Fatty is a large lad supporting a good size belly in front of him! Your voice could be his, but your body frame is not! I hear tell that you died with the other four hobbits in the Old Forest!"
Fredegar eyes widening in thinking that is why his family had never come to him. They must of thought he was dead too! His face fell in despair. "Then I'm a goner, as it were, Miss Lobellia. No ones coming for me and I'm now forgotten!"
Lobellia stood proud in her cell, "Nonsense lad! There's trouble brewing in and among the good folk. They'll not stand long for all this ordering about and pushing the good folk aside. Their bellies all full of it and it won't be long and they'll be fighting mad on what is happening in our Shire!"
She looked a Fredegar and saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Least ways, the Tooks are fighting back and those ruffians can't even get a foot step into Tuckborough! Already there's been killing and it ain't no hobbit none either!"
Mayor Whitefoot shouted after hearing what Lobellia was saying. "It's about time! The Tooks have taking their sweet time in fight them off!"
Lobellia raised her eyes towards the Mayor in surprise, "So that is what happened to you, Mayor Whitefoot!"
He pulled his weak form to stand and grasped the iron bars. "It's your son that put both Fatty and Me in here!"
Lobellia frowned and looked down towards the ground. "I ain't hear nothing from me son, Lotho. I was going to find him. Those ruffians got in my way, ordering me about and all! I let them have it, I did! A good strong whack from my poor umbrella! I've got bad feelings, I have. They've taken my boy, I fear. Things are getting worse out there. Good folk are starving and going without. My Lotho has done many an unkind thing, but even this would be too much for him to do. He would never let it go this far, not to the good folk of Hobbiton and surely not to his dear mother!"
Lobellia shook her head and only clung onto hope that her son was being held somewhere against his will. She thought about when the wizard shown up in the Shire is when everything had taken a turn for the worst.
Fredegar and Mayor Whitefoot being so weak from hunger lowered themselves back down to the floor and listen to her talk. "Since that wizard come here, is when things took a bad turn. It's his fault for all of this. If he keeps going, the Shire will never recover and will be doomed forever."
Fredegar's ears perked up, "The wizard? I must speak to him at once! I have a message from......." Fredegar stopped himself from saying any more in fear of giving away his secret. He would wait to see the wizard first and then give him Frodo's message. He would ask the guards to take him to the wizard when they would bring him his food rations.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thank you to everyone reviewing this story..you really made me smile!
Skittles Are Candy : I have some really interesting things that are going to happen in the upcoming chapters that I hope keep you coming back to read more. I promise not to be too long winded in telling this story. I am so glad you are enjoying this story and keep coming back for more. I usually update quickly so I don't forget where I was going with the story.
ShireElf : That was fun writing about Lotho and trying to get him down in character, but your Lotho in your wonderful story is far better than what I could ever do! I was doing a happy dance in seeing your review! Your awesome, ShireElf!
MLynnBloom : I hope I can continue to make you shriek as the next chapter should be interesting...smile!!!!
Hold on Estella and Fredegar, Merry and Pippin are coming to save the day! Dancing all over the room with my happy dance...I love your reviews...made me so so Happy!
Things to Remember
The coach pulled to a slow stop in front of the Grand Halls of Long Cleeve. Servants rushed to open the doors of the coach to help the young ladies out.
Poppy and Lily had both admired this beautiful home every time they had passed it during their walk to the town. They could hardly believe that they would now live within its walls. This hobbit home was as big as the entire hill that it was created under. There were numerous windows that stretched around the hill. There was a grand round door and the most beautiful front yard garden that Poppy could remember ever seeing. There were paths set in cobblestone that lead to the doors and gardens. Hugh trees and shapely hedges wrapped along both side of this gracious home.
Euphemia stroked her hand across her uplifted white hair and took out her lace handkerchief from her pocket of her neatly tailored vest that matched the long flowing skirt. Upon her vest she had always worn a brooch of her family's jewels that had been handed down many times and each generation had created their own special brooch to show the importance of their position of the North-Took clan, in which Euphemia was very proud of. Her pale white skin had many deep long wrinkles, but in her blue-green eyes were a sparkle of joviality of life that she enjoyed. Her grand parties were always the talk of the entire North Farthing and many would come from miles to attend.
Euphemia turned to her servants and asked them to show Poppy and Lily to their rooms. Turning to both the girls with a weary gently smile, she spoke kindly to them. "I'll join you girls later this afternoon. You will need sometime to get acquainted in your new quarters. Fanenbard will take you to your rooms."
Poppy watched as the three girls followed their mother into their Grand home.
Fanenbard never changed his expression, as he stood proper as their mistress Euphemia insisted upon. He looked down upon the two girls with their plain dress of faded, worn vest and skirt. Raising his right eyebrow he mumbled quietly, "Follow me."
He walked the girls around the grand hobbit home to the servants quarters and held the door open for them to enter.
Lily took Poppy's hand as she felt nervous and excited at the same time. Poppy looked at Lily and smiled. She gave her hand a tender squeeze to show her of her excitement as well.
They waited for Fanenbard to close the door and walk passed them to lead the way.
Poppy saw many doors in the long corridor and tunnels going off in many different directions. Poppy's heart raced thinking she could get lost in this very large home with so many tunnels. She wonder where they all lead.
Deeper and deeper they traveled into the Grand Halls of Long Cleeve. The floors had rustic wooden boards with white walls and thick sturdy beams upon the rounded ceilings and sections of the wall. Beautiful candleholders sparkled and gleamed with the many candles that they held. They saw a servant girl taking the old candles and replacing them with fresh tailored white candles. The servant girl smiled at Poppy and Lily when they passed her and kept following Fanenbard.
Lily did not speak a word but looked at everything with the widest of open eyes. She had never seen such a place before and she marveled at everything she saw.
Fanenbard finally stopped as he turned a corner of the long corridor to a small tunnel with only just a few doors down the length of it. He opened the first door and waited while the girls filed pass him as they entered. He turned to them and said. "Unpack you things and get yourselves settled. Someone will join you later to give you your orders and list of things for you to do!"
Fanenbard nodded his head once and slowly turned when he shut the door.
Poppy and Lily looked at each other and then all around the room that they would share with each other. There were two hobbit size beds and two dressing tables. Sitting next to the tables was a water stand. It had a large clay painted pitcher with tiny delicate flowers painted all around the brim. It looked beautiful with its matching clay painted bowl. The pitcher was filled full of water. There was a set of glasses, soap, a fresh stack of linens and towels. Poppy's eyes caught the large round window and she wandered over to look outside. Their room was just off from the main garden and it was a wondrous site of spectacular beauty.
Poppy saw a grand fountain with bright red and yellow flowers that circled this beautiful structure. Huge hedges cut to perfection outlined the walls of the garden area. Rows of roses lined lengths of flowerbeds. With other wondrous brightly colored flowers adorn the other areas of the garden.
Lily began to unpack her bags and lined up her clothing in neat folded piles. She took out her brushes and other personal items then began to place them into her drawers and closet area.
Poppy picked up her bag and placed it on the bed after Lily already chose the bed she wanted. She too took out her clothing and personal items. At the bottom of her bag was her mother's jewelry box. She held it in her hands and sat down upon her bed. Opening the box, Lily joined her sitting next to her. She too wanted to see what was in the box.
Lily's eyes opened wide in seeing the few little things that their mother had kept in there. Lily loved the two brooches and asked if she could try them on. The girls giggled at each other while Lily paraded around the room acting very noble wearing the beautiful brooch.
Poppy stopped laughing when she saw the bracelet again. She picked it up and stared at it. She saw the clover attached to the bracelet and a flash of memory went across her mind. She saw herself as a young child sitting in a field of clover smiling at an odd looking young lad. Some how he seemed familiar to her. A rush of pain bolted across her head like a lighting bolt that made the image suddenly fade. Poppy dropped the bracelet back into the box and held her throbbing head. She felt like she was going to faint when small beads of sweat began to appear about her brow. Lily stopped laughing and rushed to her sister. "Poppy! What is the matter?"
Lily saw her white face and trembling hands. "You're having another bout of headaches again, aren't you!"
Poppy could only nod her head slightly. Lily gently laid her sister upon her bed and went in search of the powered that she knew her sister had always kept for her constantly returning headaches that haunted her.
Poppy raised her head from her pillow and called to her sister, "No, Lily! I do not want to take another powder! The pain will pass shortly if I rest a bit!"
Lily looked at her sister and then placed her sister's bag down. She returned to sit next to Poppy and gathered the few pieces of jewelry and put them back into the box.
A knock came upon their door as Lily rushed to open it. Diamond walked in and saw Poppy looking very ill.
Diamond rushed to the girl to see if she was all right. Poppy reassured her that she just had a small headache.
Diamond was reluctant to give the girls their duties, however they insisted. She took them to the kitchen to begin learning from the cook how to prepare and serve the meals.
Mundarose Bullroarer, the cook, turned when the two girls were introduced to her. The heavyset cook had bright-rosy, puffy cheeks and thick locks of red hair. She wore a crisp white kitchen cap trimmed with a light lace. The apron matched the kitchen cap with the same lace around the hem. Her green eyes sparkled when she presented the girls with their own set of kitchen caps and aprons. Poppy took the kitchen cap and stared openly at it, waves of memory and images ran through her mind and she fought hard to sort them out.
The cook returned to her stove and lifted the lid on her big pot of apple jelly that she was making. The scent filled the air of the kitchen and Poppy took in its smell. She clearly saw herself in her mind as a young child filling the jars of apple jelly on a table wearing a big white kitchen cap upon her head. A hobbitess stood next to and put her arm around her and kissed her cheek warmly. Estella saw herself in her mind as she spoke, "I love you, Mama!" She could see the hobbitess in her mind clearly, the round puffy pink cheeks and the white kitchen cap upon the top of her head. She knew in that moment who her true mother was.
Estella grabbed her head and the pain pounded like thunder and waves of nausea overtook her. Her knees felt weak and shaking as the room began to spin wildly. She felt herself being pulled up into a swirling cloud and felt the fear and horror of that day, but this time Estella fought to hold the memories in her mind even with all the pain and fear she felt.
Estella took one step and fell to the kitchen floor unconscious.
Lily cried out seeing her sister suddenly fall beside her and she raced to her side.
The cook called for the servants to get the healer and bring the young tween into her bedroom since it was just off from the kitchen. "The lass can recover in my room!" said Mundarose.
Lily was crying in fear of her sister's illness and sat next to her on the bed. Poppy's eyes slowly blinked open and raised her hand to her aching head. Seeing Lily and then Mundarose standing next to her. Estella could not take her eyes from the cook's face and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Mama?" asked Estella still half way lost in her past memories of her mother trying desperately to hold on to each thought. Seeing Mundarose seemed to help her hold the image of her own mother in her mind. She would not take her eyes away from her.
Mundarose backed up away from the confused girl thinking she was not in her right mind. "I have never seen you, lass! I'm not your Mama!"
Lily looked at Poppy in confusion and her heart pounding in worry for her. "Poppy! What are you trying to say?"
Estella sat up in the comfy bed and looked directly at Lily. Hearing the name Poppy, both her worlds of her past and present came together and she now could remember everything that had happened to her. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She looked into Lily's eyes as a big smile crossed her lips. "My name is Estella Bolger! Lily, I remember! I remember everything that happened to me!" She shouted with the tears streamed down her face.
Estella placed her hands over her mouth and gasped. "My Mama?" cried Estella knowing she had missed all the years growing up in the North Farthing while her mother believed she was dead and never knowing what really happened to her. Her heart leaped in sorrow of missing her. She pushed Lily away from her and she ran to Mundarose. Staring openly with wild eyes at her, Mundarose looked closely like her real mother. She had the same chubby round cheeks and kind eyes of her mother. She could smell the jelly scent upon this hobbit and Estella's ache in her heart overwhelmed her. She reached out to touch Mundarose and wanted to wrap her arms around her for bringing her memory of her mother back to her.
Mundarose backed up from the girl in a terrible fear and pulled her apron over her face to hide herself from this crazy lass. She screamed hysterically and ran from the room. She was convinced the girl had lost her mind. She bumped into Euphemia and Diamond as they tried to enter the bedroom.
"The child is daft!" screamed the cook all the while pointing to her bedroom. "Crazier than a loon! She is calling herself Estella and she thinks I'm her Mama!"
Euphemia rushed past the cook and darted into the room. She saw Poppy hysterically crying into Lily's arms. "What is this all about?" shouted and demanded Euphemia.
Diamond stood shocked as she looked at Lily trying to calm the tween girl.
Lily was crying and so confused herself, as Poppy was not making any kind of sense. "I do not know!" said Lily over her shoulder to answer the noble hobbitess.
Euphemia gestured for Lily to stand away from Poppy and lead her back to the bed to lay down. She sat down next to the girl. "There, there now! Stop your crying and tell me what has happened!"
Estella raised her eyes to the noble old hobbitess and tried to calm herself. "I remember everything that has happened to me!" she began. "I have lost all my memories of my childhood! I was in a terrible storm and my brother Freddy!" said Estella and then stopped short in her story. Her eyes widened and she gasped out thinking about her brother as current memories raced in her mind. She again looked wildly upon the old hobbitess. "Freddy!.... Oh, no! Those letters!.... My brother!..... Oh, no!"
She jumped from the other side of the bed and ran passed Diamond who stood there gapping at the hysterical girl. Out the door she ran. Estella entered the kitchen and the cook screamed again seeing the girl and ducked behind a table trembling. The servants came rushing into the kitchen as the rumors spread rapidly and hearing more screaming. Estella rushed passed them and continued down the long hallway. She could hear Lily chasing her with the other servants following her. Lily called out, "Poppy! Stop!"
But Estella kept running farther down the hallway. She turned the corner and stopped at her bedroom door. Grasping the knob, she quickly turned it and rushed into the room. She looked from side to side until she finally spotted her bag and rushed to it. Wildly she began to pull everything from its pockets until she found her old love letters. She quickly pulled the letters from their envelopes and scanned down to his name. She saw the script of signature of Fredegar Bolger at the bottom. Estella gasped again. Tears again began to fall from her eyes. "I must get to Hobbiton immediately!"
Lily rushed into their bedroom and ran toward Poppy. She sat down beside her still crying and pleading with her sister, "Poppy, you must stop this at once!"
Estella turned to Lily. "We must leave, Lily. We must get to Hobbiton!"
The servants gathered outside the bedroom door. They did not know what to do next, but to keep the girls into their bedroom until their mistress caught up to them. The servants increase in numbers the longer they stood there as they all wanted to get a glimpse of the crazy girl.
Slowly Euphemia made her way down the long hallway with Diamond by her side. The servants parted to allow their mistress to enter the bedroom.
Euphemia stared openly at the girl in total shock, thinking she too has lost her mind. She heard Poppy trying to convince Lily to go with her to Hobbiton. "I don't think you should be going anywhere in your condition!" stated the noble hobbitess. "We have called the healers and they will see to you as soon as they arrive! You must calm yourself, now!"
Estella looked upon the noble hobbitess with pleading eyes. "You don't understand. I have not lost my mind. I have finally found it! I was greatly injured in a bad storm and Annegrin found me. I had lost all my memory of my life as a child. Annegrin saved me and took care of me. She gave me the name of Poppy, the name of her child that had died. My name is not Poppy! It is Estella Bolger from Hobbiton!"
Euphemia looked at the girl and tried hard to understand what she was saying. "Hobbiton! Hobbiton is in the East Farthing, it's four scores from here. How in earth did a young child with such an injury travel that distance?"
Estella looked at the hobbitess and wondered about it herself. "I do not know for sure. All I remember is being sucked up into a swirling cloud. The next thing I remember is waking on Annegrin's bed."
Euphemia bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud at such an outrageous story. "That is unheard of, child! That could have never happen! You're just in a state of confusion, Poppy! You're believing a dream you had and it's not real!"
Estella stood up and stared at the old hobbitess. "It's true, I'll tell you. Everything that I've told you is true! I have not lost my mind!"
The healers walked into the bedroom and saw the tween girl standing in the middle of the room. Everyone openly watched Poppy with fear and confusion.
Euphemia seeing the healers, turned to Poppy and spoke in a firm voice of authority. "Now listen to me, Poppy! This is my home and I will not stand for any foolishness going on from you! If you are going to work for me than this must stop immediately! Otherwise, you give me no choice but to let you go back to streets of Long Cleeve! Now, you will take your powder from the healers and you will go to sleep. Tomorrow I want you in the kitchens working as you agreed to do! I hope we understand each other!"
Estella not knowing what else to do walked over to her bed and lying down she allowed the healers to give her a powder.
She watched Euphemia take Lily from her room and shut the door behind them.
Estella closed her eyes and drifted off in a deep sleep from the powder the healers gave her.
~*~
With the months that Fredegar was jailed, nearly broken in spirit being caged as an animal. His stomached constantly ached from hunger pain, because the meal that was shoved under the cell door was barely enough to keep them alive. His clothing was tore and ragged in filth and stench of these lock holes.
Even Major Will Whitefoot was giving up all his hope of ever being saved. He no longer gave words of encouragement, but rather tears of deep despair.
Fredegar's letters were worn thin from constantly be read over and over again to help him pass the time. His weaken frame became thin and his skin felt loose as well as his pants. Even his weskit draped upon his thin shoulders and felt more like a blanket rather than a coat.
The lock-hole doors opened, but the prisoners knew that it was not the usual time the jailers would feed them.
They heard curse words being shouted from a high pitched hobbitess as they forced her into the lock-hole. Fredegar got to his knees and weakly watched the jailer struggle with the old hobbitess because she would hit him with her umbrella over and over again if he got too close to her.
He opened the number three-cell door and allowed Lobellia to enter. Lobellia lifted her chin high and pulled her skirt up enough for her feet not to trip on the hem. She walked slowly leaning upon her umbrella into the cell. She turned sharply to face the jailer again and shouted. "You numb skull! Once my son hears of this, he'll have your head on a platter! You just mark my words! You good for nothing rattle snake, you rubbish rat! You get close enough and I'll give you another whack from my umbrella!"
The guard coward away from her cell and made sure to stay away from her umbrella. He rubbed his shoulder from the pain and welts of being hit so many times by his prisoner. Turning he blew out the lantern and left the lock holes.
Fredegar looked shocked seeing Lobellia standing in the cell next to his. "Miss Lobellia! How could they put a noble hobbit of your grand years into a lock up?"
Lobelia looked at the lad in the next cell, "Your voice sounds familiar enough, but the looks of you don't! Who's a speaking to me?" Lobelia got next to the bars and peered down upon the lad in the next cell.
"It's me, Miss Lobelia, Fatty Bolger!"
Lobelia squint her eyes and stared at him. "Couldn't be! Why Fatty is a large lad supporting a good size belly in front of him! Your voice could be his, but your body frame is not! I hear tell that you died with the other four hobbits in the Old Forest!"
Fredegar eyes widening in thinking that is why his family had never come to him. They must of thought he was dead too! His face fell in despair. "Then I'm a goner, as it were, Miss Lobellia. No ones coming for me and I'm now forgotten!"
Lobellia stood proud in her cell, "Nonsense lad! There's trouble brewing in and among the good folk. They'll not stand long for all this ordering about and pushing the good folk aside. Their bellies all full of it and it won't be long and they'll be fighting mad on what is happening in our Shire!"
She looked a Fredegar and saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Least ways, the Tooks are fighting back and those ruffians can't even get a foot step into Tuckborough! Already there's been killing and it ain't no hobbit none either!"
Mayor Whitefoot shouted after hearing what Lobellia was saying. "It's about time! The Tooks have taking their sweet time in fight them off!"
Lobellia raised her eyes towards the Mayor in surprise, "So that is what happened to you, Mayor Whitefoot!"
He pulled his weak form to stand and grasped the iron bars. "It's your son that put both Fatty and Me in here!"
Lobellia frowned and looked down towards the ground. "I ain't hear nothing from me son, Lotho. I was going to find him. Those ruffians got in my way, ordering me about and all! I let them have it, I did! A good strong whack from my poor umbrella! I've got bad feelings, I have. They've taken my boy, I fear. Things are getting worse out there. Good folk are starving and going without. My Lotho has done many an unkind thing, but even this would be too much for him to do. He would never let it go this far, not to the good folk of Hobbiton and surely not to his dear mother!"
Lobellia shook her head and only clung onto hope that her son was being held somewhere against his will. She thought about when the wizard shown up in the Shire is when everything had taken a turn for the worst.
Fredegar and Mayor Whitefoot being so weak from hunger lowered themselves back down to the floor and listen to her talk. "Since that wizard come here, is when things took a bad turn. It's his fault for all of this. If he keeps going, the Shire will never recover and will be doomed forever."
Fredegar's ears perked up, "The wizard? I must speak to him at once! I have a message from......." Fredegar stopped himself from saying any more in fear of giving away his secret. He would wait to see the wizard first and then give him Frodo's message. He would ask the guards to take him to the wizard when they would bring him his food rations.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thank you to everyone reviewing this story..you really made me smile!
Skittles Are Candy : I have some really interesting things that are going to happen in the upcoming chapters that I hope keep you coming back to read more. I promise not to be too long winded in telling this story. I am so glad you are enjoying this story and keep coming back for more. I usually update quickly so I don't forget where I was going with the story.
ShireElf : That was fun writing about Lotho and trying to get him down in character, but your Lotho in your wonderful story is far better than what I could ever do! I was doing a happy dance in seeing your review! Your awesome, ShireElf!
MLynnBloom : I hope I can continue to make you shriek as the next chapter should be interesting...smile!!!!
Hold on Estella and Fredegar, Merry and Pippin are coming to save the day! Dancing all over the room with my happy dance...I love your reviews...made me so so Happy!