Trust No One - Bramblethorn will strike a hard bargain, indeed. Will Frodo be part of that bargain? (Evil laughter...)
Endymion2 - I just may be in time for Christmas with the chapter in which our heroes and villains meet. If not, it will come soon after.
KT SHY - I have a confession to make. I get the chapters out so fast because they're already written. I've spent the last 3 months or so writing and editing this story and sending chapters to my beta to review. Having the whole thing finished at the time I start posting helps me keep up the momentum of the story and ensures that I'll actually finish it sometime!
Hobbitfeet13 - There's not been a lot of slash yet, but there is some naughtiness ahead. This is Bramblethorn, after all! Bramblethorn is an evil creature for sure. I think in this fic I'll be getting deeper into his psyche than I've dared to go before. (A daunting prospect!)
GamgeeFest - The sooner we get to Bramby getting his grimy hands on Frodo the better? We're getting closer all the while. Meanwhile, everyone is pitching in to help the Bucklanders, but to what avail?
Iorhael - You're probably remembering Aiden because of the hobbits going to Bree. Unfortunately, he's part of a different series, so you won't find his kindly presence here.
Sam - Thanks for joining us! I'm glad you found time to read my other stories and enjoyed them. I like letting Merry's more serious side come out from time to time. He's got a great sense of humor, but there's more to him beyond that. Sam's going to want to give Bramblethorn a good beating, believe me!
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Note: AU warning. I've chosen to ignore Sam's remark in the film, "If I take one more step it will be the farthest from home I've ever been." He's a big boy now, and I'm going to let him out of the front yard.
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Chapter 4 - Decisions
Frodo could not recall having ever seen such a somber mood prevail at harvest time in Buckland. Instead of having been stamped down by the feet of many dancers, the grass in the courtyard stood upright and the trees were devoid of colorful lanterns and banners. Even the children playing in the shade seemed to be quieter and more subdued. Merry and Saradoc were walking up the path to greet them as Sam brought the wagon to a halt.
"Thank you so much for your generous effort, Frodo," Saradoc said as Frodo and Sam climbed down from the seat.
"I know it isn't much, but I suppose every little bit helps," Frodo answered, looking at the load of sacks he and Sam had brought.
"Thanks to you and the Thain, we've made up the loss of perhaps one of the damaged fields," Merry informed him. "We were able to grow enough in the second planting to make up for one more."
Sam frowned. "Don't that still leave you short by a good bit?"
"Yes, Sam, it does," Saradoc said ruefully. "All of us will likely find our belts a notch tighter come next harvest."
Merry escorted Frodo and Sam to their rooms while Saradoc found a stable boy and a couple of apprentices to unload the grain and see to the pony. As he ushered Sam and Frodo through the doorway Merry suggested, "Why don't we all rest for a bit and then have tea in the study?"
"That sounds splendid, Merry," Frodo responded as he eased himself into a chair. "I imagine a short rest would do us all some good."
"You go ahead, Mr. Frodo," Sam suggested. "I'll get us unpacked." Sam proceeded to unload Frodo's pack and stow his spare clothing carefully in the armoire, smoothing out wrinkles and straightening collars. Frodo lay down on the bed and within minutes was dozing comfortably.
~*~Several hours later~*~
Merry tapped lightly on the door of Frodo's room. It was almost time for tea, and time to wake those who were napping. Sam opened the door and quietly admitted Merry.
"Is he still asleep?" Merry asked.
"Yes, Mr. Merry. I imagine he was more tired than he let on." Sam shook his head slightly. "He's been worryin' a lot about all of you here."
Merry smiled and nodded. It was just like Frodo to spend his energy thinking about others. They walked quietly into the room, and Frodo was indeed still asleep, eyes peacefully closed and hair falling carelessly across the pillow.
"He looks so calm and restful, it pains me to wake him," Sam said as he looked down at the sleeping hobbit.
"But if you don't wake him and he misses tea, you'll likely hear about it, I suspect," Merry said with a wry grin.
Sam nodded and shook Frodo's arm lightly. "Mr. Frodo? It's time to wake up an' go to tea." Sam gave Frodo another light shake and Frodo opened his eyes reluctantly.
"I must have been more tired than I thought," he said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Have I made us late?"
"Not at all," Merry answered. "But tea will be ready soon, so I suspect we had better be as well."
Frodo rose and went to the washbasin. He splashed some cool water on his face and combed his fingers through his hair to settle it. A quick straightening of his weskit and he pronounced himself ready.
Esmeralda and Saradoc were already in the study when Sam, Merry and Frodo arrived. Sam bowed politely to Esmeralda and she hugged Frodo in a warm embrace. "It's so good of you to come, Frodo," she said. "And Sam, thank you for accompanying him and for all your help."
Sam blushed a little and said, "You're welcome, Mistress Esmeralda."
After a little light conversation, the subject turned inevitably to the problem of the poor harvest. "Everyone has been supportive and generous, but with how little they had to spare, I fear we're still far short of the mark," Saradoc said grimly.
Merry decided it was time to press the issue of further action. "My offer to go to Bree still stands," he reminded his father. "I don't see any other clear alternatives."
Esmeralda gave Merry a worried look. "You know how I feel about that idea," she told him, a stern note coming into her voice. "Bree is home to some fine folk, but it's just not the Shire - "
"The Shire has given all it can to help us, Esmie," Saradoc put in, reasoning with his wife. "It pains me as well that we must look outside our borders for what we need, but I fear there is no other choice save enduring hunger."
Frodo listened with concern. Merry had said nothing in his last letter about going on a journey to Bree. "Merry, are you sure you want to go?" he asked, searching his cousin's face for the truth.
"I'm no more eager to seek outside the Shire for assistance than anyone here, but I will go to Bree to buy the things we need. I know I'm up to the task." Merry looked at Frodo earnestly. "I should like to take someone with me, to help with the transport of the grain back to Buckland, however."
Frodo knew an invitation when he received one. He smiled at his cousin and nodded. "Then I shall go with you," he offered. "It will make me feel as if I am actually being of some assistance."
Sam listened with dismay. There was no chance that he would allow Frodo to go outside the borders of the Shire without him. "Beggin' your pardons, sirs, but if Mr. Frodo is goin' to Bree, I'm goin' too." He looked pleadingly at Frodo, hoping Frodo would change his mind about the expedition.
"I wouldn't think of going without you, Sam," Frodo said gladly.
"I wish you wouldn't think of goin' at all," Sam said glumly. "You belong here in the Shire, safe and sound, where there ain't nothin' to harm you."
"And shall I not be safe and sound in the company of you and Merry?" Frodo argued gently. "You mustn't worry so, Sam. The garden will wait, too. This is much more important."
Sam nodded. He supposed it was, but that didn't ease the knot of apprehension growing inside of him.
"Where is Pippin these days?" Frodo said, changing the subject. "I haven't seen him for some time."
"Pippin is trapped in Tuckborough due to his cousin Violet's impending wedding," Merry informed him. "I think he would rather go to Bree than be there, but there it is."
Frodo laughed. He could just picture Pippin moping about the Great Smials and trying to avoid his sisters and fussy cousin Violet. Violet was a bit on the irritating side to begin with, and with her nerves jangled from wedding preparations, any sensible fellow would best avoid her.
"So poor Pip will have to miss this adventure, it seems," Frodo remarked, thinking back to the times they had all been together through a crisis. "It's probably better that he does. I don't know that Bree is ready for Peregrin Took."
General laughter rose at the statement, but Merry was quick to defend his younger cousin. "He was help enough a couple of years ago in Bywater."
Frodo stopped laughing, and Merry immediately regretted having brought up the subject. "He ought not to have been a part of all that, as glad as I was for his presence," Frodo told Merry.
"We had no way of knowing anything like that would happen," Merry defended. "We were just on a routine visit to Bag End, after all." Things had turned out to be far from routine that visit, when Merry and Pippin arrived at Bag End to find Frodo missing and no clue to his whereabouts.
Frodo sighed. "You do have a point. Pip is old enough to travel with you to visit me, and none of us could have foreseen what happened."
"I should have, somehow," Sam berated himself. "If I had been takin' proper care - "
"Sam, you take more than proper care of me, and you know it. I'll not have you blaming yourself for anything. Besides, it's all in the past now." Frodo regarded his gardener fondly. "Is that why you're so nervous about our going to Bree?"
Sam looked up at Frodo levelly. "I'm nervous about anythin' that involves you bein' anywhere but home, where I can make sure nothin' harms you. Anythin' that wants to will have to get past me first."
"Dear Sam, is that not true of things whether or not we're at Bag End?" Sam's fierce protection of Frodo did not begin and end at Bag End's doorstep.
"I suppose so, sir, but I feel much better in a place I know. At home I know where all the corners are an' what's around each of them."
"Going outside the borders of the Shire can be a dangerous business indeed," Saradoc said thoughtfully. "A hobbit who does must have his wits about him and his eyes open for trouble. The Bree folk themselves are not so terrible, but all manner of strange travelers appear in the village, and their intentions are not always good."
"You're not thinking of refusing to send me, are you?" Merry asked his father a little defensively. "Who else would you consider more able?"
"Easy, Meriadoc," Saradoc said calmly. "I am not refusing you. I merely wish to caution you, and suggest that you remain wary."
"Is the decision made, then? Are Frodo, Sam and I to go to Bree to purchase grain for Buckland?" Merry waited for his father to answer.
"If you are willing, I will consent to the journey," Saradoc said, acknowledging the worried expression on his wife's face with a quick squeeze of her hand. "I will send you with the proper funds and letters to introduce you to any suppliers. The seal of Buckland should be enough to open a few doors for you."
"When do we leave?" Frodo asked, his mind already set on making the trip.
"There's no reason to wait, is there?" Merry asked, glancing from one face to the next. "We may as well depart on the morrow."
And so it was settled that Frodo, Merry and Sam would leave at first light, with what supplies the journey required and an otherwise empty wagon or two to be loaded with grain. The Gamgees' wagon would be left at Brandy Hall in favor of a much larger one that would better carry the number of sacks that would have to be loaded into it.
~*~ Dawn in Buckland ~*~
The sun was only beginning to lighten the Eastern sky when Merry climbed up into the seat of his wagon and took the reins. Sam and Frodo seated themselves aboard the second, and the hobbits left Buckland amid waving and admonishments to be careful and to return as soon as possible.
Bree was a few days' journey from the Shire, and Sam sat silently tallying up the number of days they would be gone. It would take time to get there and back, and who could tell how long it would take to find and purchase the amount of grain they were in need of? They could easily be gone a full two weeks or more. The garden would be -
"Beautiful."
"What was that, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked as Frodo's voice broke his reverie.
"I said the sunrise is beautiful, Sam." And Frodo was right. The sky was beginning to come alive with color, from pinks and reds to yellows and oranges, all mixing and intertwining in bands of cloud and haze. The sun was beginning to peek through the scattered clouds and would soon chase them away over the horizon.
"I suppose it is, sir," Sam answered, allowing himself to stop worrying for the moment.
"I do love the Shire," Frodo remarked. "I suspect I shall love it even more after being away from it for a short time."
"I reckon you're right, Mr. Frodo," Sam replied, settling back against the seat of the wagon. "We ain't but reached the border yet an' I miss it already."
The sun completed its emergence and shone warmly upon the travelers. The steady motion of the wagon and the soothing sunlight soon lulled Frodo to sleep, and he leaned comfortably against Sam as they rode. Sam took care not to let the wheels of the wagon slip into the worst ruts in the road. It was an earlier hour than that to which Frodo was accustomed, and Sam was loath to disturb what rest Frodo could find on the journey.
With Bree ahead and the Shire behind, the hobbits forged on, hoping to succeed in their task. If they could procure enough grain to finish filling the storehouses in Buckland, the grim specter of hunger would be banished and all would be well. If they failed, Buckland would face a trial indeed.
~*~ To be continued ~*~
Endymion2 - I just may be in time for Christmas with the chapter in which our heroes and villains meet. If not, it will come soon after.
KT SHY - I have a confession to make. I get the chapters out so fast because they're already written. I've spent the last 3 months or so writing and editing this story and sending chapters to my beta to review. Having the whole thing finished at the time I start posting helps me keep up the momentum of the story and ensures that I'll actually finish it sometime!
Hobbitfeet13 - There's not been a lot of slash yet, but there is some naughtiness ahead. This is Bramblethorn, after all! Bramblethorn is an evil creature for sure. I think in this fic I'll be getting deeper into his psyche than I've dared to go before. (A daunting prospect!)
GamgeeFest - The sooner we get to Bramby getting his grimy hands on Frodo the better? We're getting closer all the while. Meanwhile, everyone is pitching in to help the Bucklanders, but to what avail?
Iorhael - You're probably remembering Aiden because of the hobbits going to Bree. Unfortunately, he's part of a different series, so you won't find his kindly presence here.
Sam - Thanks for joining us! I'm glad you found time to read my other stories and enjoyed them. I like letting Merry's more serious side come out from time to time. He's got a great sense of humor, but there's more to him beyond that. Sam's going to want to give Bramblethorn a good beating, believe me!
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Note: AU warning. I've chosen to ignore Sam's remark in the film, "If I take one more step it will be the farthest from home I've ever been." He's a big boy now, and I'm going to let him out of the front yard.
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Chapter 4 - Decisions
Frodo could not recall having ever seen such a somber mood prevail at harvest time in Buckland. Instead of having been stamped down by the feet of many dancers, the grass in the courtyard stood upright and the trees were devoid of colorful lanterns and banners. Even the children playing in the shade seemed to be quieter and more subdued. Merry and Saradoc were walking up the path to greet them as Sam brought the wagon to a halt.
"Thank you so much for your generous effort, Frodo," Saradoc said as Frodo and Sam climbed down from the seat.
"I know it isn't much, but I suppose every little bit helps," Frodo answered, looking at the load of sacks he and Sam had brought.
"Thanks to you and the Thain, we've made up the loss of perhaps one of the damaged fields," Merry informed him. "We were able to grow enough in the second planting to make up for one more."
Sam frowned. "Don't that still leave you short by a good bit?"
"Yes, Sam, it does," Saradoc said ruefully. "All of us will likely find our belts a notch tighter come next harvest."
Merry escorted Frodo and Sam to their rooms while Saradoc found a stable boy and a couple of apprentices to unload the grain and see to the pony. As he ushered Sam and Frodo through the doorway Merry suggested, "Why don't we all rest for a bit and then have tea in the study?"
"That sounds splendid, Merry," Frodo responded as he eased himself into a chair. "I imagine a short rest would do us all some good."
"You go ahead, Mr. Frodo," Sam suggested. "I'll get us unpacked." Sam proceeded to unload Frodo's pack and stow his spare clothing carefully in the armoire, smoothing out wrinkles and straightening collars. Frodo lay down on the bed and within minutes was dozing comfortably.
~*~Several hours later~*~
Merry tapped lightly on the door of Frodo's room. It was almost time for tea, and time to wake those who were napping. Sam opened the door and quietly admitted Merry.
"Is he still asleep?" Merry asked.
"Yes, Mr. Merry. I imagine he was more tired than he let on." Sam shook his head slightly. "He's been worryin' a lot about all of you here."
Merry smiled and nodded. It was just like Frodo to spend his energy thinking about others. They walked quietly into the room, and Frodo was indeed still asleep, eyes peacefully closed and hair falling carelessly across the pillow.
"He looks so calm and restful, it pains me to wake him," Sam said as he looked down at the sleeping hobbit.
"But if you don't wake him and he misses tea, you'll likely hear about it, I suspect," Merry said with a wry grin.
Sam nodded and shook Frodo's arm lightly. "Mr. Frodo? It's time to wake up an' go to tea." Sam gave Frodo another light shake and Frodo opened his eyes reluctantly.
"I must have been more tired than I thought," he said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Have I made us late?"
"Not at all," Merry answered. "But tea will be ready soon, so I suspect we had better be as well."
Frodo rose and went to the washbasin. He splashed some cool water on his face and combed his fingers through his hair to settle it. A quick straightening of his weskit and he pronounced himself ready.
Esmeralda and Saradoc were already in the study when Sam, Merry and Frodo arrived. Sam bowed politely to Esmeralda and she hugged Frodo in a warm embrace. "It's so good of you to come, Frodo," she said. "And Sam, thank you for accompanying him and for all your help."
Sam blushed a little and said, "You're welcome, Mistress Esmeralda."
After a little light conversation, the subject turned inevitably to the problem of the poor harvest. "Everyone has been supportive and generous, but with how little they had to spare, I fear we're still far short of the mark," Saradoc said grimly.
Merry decided it was time to press the issue of further action. "My offer to go to Bree still stands," he reminded his father. "I don't see any other clear alternatives."
Esmeralda gave Merry a worried look. "You know how I feel about that idea," she told him, a stern note coming into her voice. "Bree is home to some fine folk, but it's just not the Shire - "
"The Shire has given all it can to help us, Esmie," Saradoc put in, reasoning with his wife. "It pains me as well that we must look outside our borders for what we need, but I fear there is no other choice save enduring hunger."
Frodo listened with concern. Merry had said nothing in his last letter about going on a journey to Bree. "Merry, are you sure you want to go?" he asked, searching his cousin's face for the truth.
"I'm no more eager to seek outside the Shire for assistance than anyone here, but I will go to Bree to buy the things we need. I know I'm up to the task." Merry looked at Frodo earnestly. "I should like to take someone with me, to help with the transport of the grain back to Buckland, however."
Frodo knew an invitation when he received one. He smiled at his cousin and nodded. "Then I shall go with you," he offered. "It will make me feel as if I am actually being of some assistance."
Sam listened with dismay. There was no chance that he would allow Frodo to go outside the borders of the Shire without him. "Beggin' your pardons, sirs, but if Mr. Frodo is goin' to Bree, I'm goin' too." He looked pleadingly at Frodo, hoping Frodo would change his mind about the expedition.
"I wouldn't think of going without you, Sam," Frodo said gladly.
"I wish you wouldn't think of goin' at all," Sam said glumly. "You belong here in the Shire, safe and sound, where there ain't nothin' to harm you."
"And shall I not be safe and sound in the company of you and Merry?" Frodo argued gently. "You mustn't worry so, Sam. The garden will wait, too. This is much more important."
Sam nodded. He supposed it was, but that didn't ease the knot of apprehension growing inside of him.
"Where is Pippin these days?" Frodo said, changing the subject. "I haven't seen him for some time."
"Pippin is trapped in Tuckborough due to his cousin Violet's impending wedding," Merry informed him. "I think he would rather go to Bree than be there, but there it is."
Frodo laughed. He could just picture Pippin moping about the Great Smials and trying to avoid his sisters and fussy cousin Violet. Violet was a bit on the irritating side to begin with, and with her nerves jangled from wedding preparations, any sensible fellow would best avoid her.
"So poor Pip will have to miss this adventure, it seems," Frodo remarked, thinking back to the times they had all been together through a crisis. "It's probably better that he does. I don't know that Bree is ready for Peregrin Took."
General laughter rose at the statement, but Merry was quick to defend his younger cousin. "He was help enough a couple of years ago in Bywater."
Frodo stopped laughing, and Merry immediately regretted having brought up the subject. "He ought not to have been a part of all that, as glad as I was for his presence," Frodo told Merry.
"We had no way of knowing anything like that would happen," Merry defended. "We were just on a routine visit to Bag End, after all." Things had turned out to be far from routine that visit, when Merry and Pippin arrived at Bag End to find Frodo missing and no clue to his whereabouts.
Frodo sighed. "You do have a point. Pip is old enough to travel with you to visit me, and none of us could have foreseen what happened."
"I should have, somehow," Sam berated himself. "If I had been takin' proper care - "
"Sam, you take more than proper care of me, and you know it. I'll not have you blaming yourself for anything. Besides, it's all in the past now." Frodo regarded his gardener fondly. "Is that why you're so nervous about our going to Bree?"
Sam looked up at Frodo levelly. "I'm nervous about anythin' that involves you bein' anywhere but home, where I can make sure nothin' harms you. Anythin' that wants to will have to get past me first."
"Dear Sam, is that not true of things whether or not we're at Bag End?" Sam's fierce protection of Frodo did not begin and end at Bag End's doorstep.
"I suppose so, sir, but I feel much better in a place I know. At home I know where all the corners are an' what's around each of them."
"Going outside the borders of the Shire can be a dangerous business indeed," Saradoc said thoughtfully. "A hobbit who does must have his wits about him and his eyes open for trouble. The Bree folk themselves are not so terrible, but all manner of strange travelers appear in the village, and their intentions are not always good."
"You're not thinking of refusing to send me, are you?" Merry asked his father a little defensively. "Who else would you consider more able?"
"Easy, Meriadoc," Saradoc said calmly. "I am not refusing you. I merely wish to caution you, and suggest that you remain wary."
"Is the decision made, then? Are Frodo, Sam and I to go to Bree to purchase grain for Buckland?" Merry waited for his father to answer.
"If you are willing, I will consent to the journey," Saradoc said, acknowledging the worried expression on his wife's face with a quick squeeze of her hand. "I will send you with the proper funds and letters to introduce you to any suppliers. The seal of Buckland should be enough to open a few doors for you."
"When do we leave?" Frodo asked, his mind already set on making the trip.
"There's no reason to wait, is there?" Merry asked, glancing from one face to the next. "We may as well depart on the morrow."
And so it was settled that Frodo, Merry and Sam would leave at first light, with what supplies the journey required and an otherwise empty wagon or two to be loaded with grain. The Gamgees' wagon would be left at Brandy Hall in favor of a much larger one that would better carry the number of sacks that would have to be loaded into it.
~*~ Dawn in Buckland ~*~
The sun was only beginning to lighten the Eastern sky when Merry climbed up into the seat of his wagon and took the reins. Sam and Frodo seated themselves aboard the second, and the hobbits left Buckland amid waving and admonishments to be careful and to return as soon as possible.
Bree was a few days' journey from the Shire, and Sam sat silently tallying up the number of days they would be gone. It would take time to get there and back, and who could tell how long it would take to find and purchase the amount of grain they were in need of? They could easily be gone a full two weeks or more. The garden would be -
"Beautiful."
"What was that, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked as Frodo's voice broke his reverie.
"I said the sunrise is beautiful, Sam." And Frodo was right. The sky was beginning to come alive with color, from pinks and reds to yellows and oranges, all mixing and intertwining in bands of cloud and haze. The sun was beginning to peek through the scattered clouds and would soon chase them away over the horizon.
"I suppose it is, sir," Sam answered, allowing himself to stop worrying for the moment.
"I do love the Shire," Frodo remarked. "I suspect I shall love it even more after being away from it for a short time."
"I reckon you're right, Mr. Frodo," Sam replied, settling back against the seat of the wagon. "We ain't but reached the border yet an' I miss it already."
The sun completed its emergence and shone warmly upon the travelers. The steady motion of the wagon and the soothing sunlight soon lulled Frodo to sleep, and he leaned comfortably against Sam as they rode. Sam took care not to let the wheels of the wagon slip into the worst ruts in the road. It was an earlier hour than that to which Frodo was accustomed, and Sam was loath to disturb what rest Frodo could find on the journey.
With Bree ahead and the Shire behind, the hobbits forged on, hoping to succeed in their task. If they could procure enough grain to finish filling the storehouses in Buckland, the grim specter of hunger would be banished and all would be well. If they failed, Buckland would face a trial indeed.
~*~ To be continued ~*~