Thanks for the reviews so far, here's the next chap!
Chapter Two~
I flipped open the thick red book, and started from page one. "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins," I read out loud, then looked at my children's faces. "Old Bilbo Baggins is Frodo's uncle."
I looked further down the page and read again. "The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins. Get comfortable children, this is one long story."
Elanor took hold of her woollen doll, and Frodo wrapped himself in a small blanket Rosie had warmed up for him.
"It all started on the night of Old Bilbo's 111th birthday. All the Hobbits in the Shire were invited; Tooks, Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, and even more! Our Old Bilbo was a friend to everyone, young or old, Hobbit or Elf."
"I like Elves," Elanor said softly, smiling.
"Me too, Elves are wonderful creatures," I replied, reflecting the smile. "Your mother was also at that party, dancing to the music. I had liked her for a long time." I grinned at the memory.
"That was quite a night!" Rosie giggled, then looked at Elanor and Frodo. "Your father didn't bother to ask for a dance, oh no. He just went straight in by himself, I had no choice!"
I coughed loudly. "That was because Frodo pushed me into you!" I looked back at the book and scanned the page. "So, towards the end of the party, Bilbo did what I thought must have been a little party trick, for the little Hobbit children. He stood up to make a speech and POOF!" I said, raising my hands in the air. Elanor and Frodo leant back slightly. "He disappeared! Right into thin air!"
"How?" Frodo asked, obviously amazed. Rosie walked out of the room quietly, so she didn't disturb the children.
I tapped my nose. "We'll find that out soon, Frodo. A few days later, after leaving The Green Dragon Pub – where your mother worked – I walked home with Frodo. I couldn't help my curiosity when I overhead Gandalf – a Wizard you may have heard of – say something about a Ring and a dark lord. I hid in the bushes below Frodo's window, listening."
Rosie then put a drink of water on the small table near my chair and I smiled quickly as a way of saying 'thank you'.
"Then, your silly old father here stepped in a twig and crunch!" I exclaimed, making a crunching noise. "Gandalf heard and threw me on the table, while I was trying to convince him I hadn't been eavesdropping. A word of advice children: never eavesdrop on a wise wizard, you never know what will happen to you!"
"What did he do to you?" Elanor gasped.
"He threw me on the table, and forced me to tell him what I'd heard. I was so scared I was stuttering, I had never seen Gandalf that way before. But he did not hurt me, Elanor, it is alright!" I took a quick drink of water then looked back down at the book. "He told me he wanted me to assist Frodo on a quest, to destroy a ring. But children, this was no ordinary ring. This was a magic, evil ring, a nasty piece of work by Sauron," I explained, rounding my finger and thumb. "Pure gold it was, an absolutely beautiful ring too. All we had to do was travel to Bree, where we would meet Gandalf again after he visited Saruman. Then, as we thought, we could go back home."
"That doesn't sound very interesting daddy," Frodo said, pouting.
"Oh, there was more to come, son," I replied. "The next morning at sunrise, myself, Gandalf and Frodo set out for Bree. Gandalf made me promise something, and it was a promise I kept throughout the whole quest, and even after it. It was 'Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee!' and I never did. You know, Old Bilbo used to say something. He used to say 'It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.' Frodo told me that."
I looked at my children again and smiled, as their angelic faces paid attention to every word I said.
"We ended up in a field full of corn and crops, then suddenly, Merry and Pippin jumped out! You know Merry and Pippin don't you children?"
"Yes!" Elanor grinned excitedly.
"Yes, well those are the two. They were stealing carrots and other vegetables from Farmer Maggots crops, the naughty little rascals. Pippin fell onto Frodo, crushing him almost. I panicked and pulled Pippin off him, I didn't want him hurt before we'd even left the Shire. He was all right though; Pippin is not so heavy himself. But then, we heard a dog bark and had to run for it. Merry, Pippin and Frodo ran out of the field, and to the edge of a hill. Silly me, I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into them, sending us all tumbling down the hill."
I made gestures with my hands, trying to show them what we looked like tumbling down the hill after each other. Then I slammed my hand on the chair arm.
"Bang!" I said loudly. "We all fell in a heap on the floor, one on top of another, barely able to move. Our worries soon went when we seen the mushrooms though, loads of mushrooms just sitting there waiting to be picked! Frodo walked off, whilst myself, Merry and Pippin went to collect the mushrooms. Mr. Frodo then told us to get off the road quickly. I didn't hesitate, Gandalf had told us to stay off the roads in case the Nazgul came, but I had forgotten I suppose. We ran under a tree, and tried to hide ourselves as best as we possibly could. It felt as if my heart was in my throat, thumping away. It was so loud I was sure the Nazgul could hear it."
"What is the Nazgul?" Frodo asked quietly, sitting cross-legged.
"Well dear Frodo, the Nazgul are those who come and look for the Ring. They are neither dead nor living, and you can only see them because of their long, black cloaks. They travel on horseback, which was unlucky for us, as we were travelling on foot. It was disgusting under that tree; worms, spiders and the sort were crawling either over or under us. But we couldn't make a sound. Not one," I fell to a whisper, holding my finger over my mouth. "Because if we did, the Nazgul would hear us. He was leaning over the tree, and I feared he would see us, but Nazgul do not have the best vision in the world. He didn't seem to suspect anything, but he wouldn't move, so maybe he could smell something. Nazgul have a very keen sense of smell, don't you know?"
"What happened?" Elanor asked, hugging her doll as if for protection.
"Frodo slipped into a trance, unnoticed by Merry and Pippin, and by me for a little while. The Ring was slowly making its way to his finger, he couldn't resist it, and he was under some sort of spell. I noticed just in time, and I had to hit him to take him out of his trance. It worked, and he put the Ring away again. But we still had the Nazgul problem. Thanks to our Merry's fast thinking, he threw a bag of vegetables in the opposite direction, and the Nazgul chased after it as quick as a flash. He didn't even think about it, and off he went. We took that as our opportune moment and ran as fast as our little Hobbit legs would carry us."
I took another drink of water and turned the page, sighing as I did. "We went until nightfall without seeing the Nazgul again. It was scary, I'll assure you. We barely dared to speak. What if the Nazgul heard us? Would I ever be able to go home again? It was awful, not knowing what would be the outcome from this quest. Back in the beginning, I don't think I understood just how serious this quest was, but deep down I think I knew that it was going to be a long time before I returned to the Shire. I just didn't want to accept it."
I looked at my children again, and I shook my head. "Anyway. It was dark and quiet, no sound at all. No birds, no rabbits, just pure silence. Then we saw him. The Nazgul was back. We hid behind a tree, but we knew we couldn't stay there forever. Frodo and myself had to leave the Shire, to meet Gandalf at Bree. Merry knew of a way to get to Bree, so we started to run for a ferry. But then the Nazgul just suddenly appeared from behind some bushes. Mr. Frodo didn't run as fast as Merry, Pippin and I, but he did manage to jump on as the ferry left."
Elanor and Frodo smiled, probably happy about the fact that Frodo made it onto the ferry.
"It was twenty miles until we reached Brandywine Bridge, and we sailed on the water, in silence and in fear. There was no source of light anywhere, just darkness. I was surprised we even made it to Brandywine Bridge in complete darkness."
"I'm scared of the dark," Frodo said.
"Oh, if you were on this quest son, darkness would have been on the bottom of your list of fears. I had never experienced true fear until I did this," I smiled at him. "It was raining hard by the time we reached Bree, and although we had cloaks on our hair still got soaked. My feet were muddy and cold; we weren't walking on soft grass like we do in the Shire. We were walking on sharp branches, mud, leaves, rocks and stones."
"Ouch," Elanor said to herself.
"Yes," I laughed softly. "We were given orders by Gandalf to meet him at The Prancing Pony. The Prancing Pony is a bar, with beds to sleep in upstairs. Mr. Frodo asked for Gandalf, but he had not come. What were we going to do now? We had no idea where to go, or what to do with this Ring of ours. Well, Frodo's. All we could do now was wait. So we sat and had some drinks, waiting. And waiting. But he never arrived. What I'd noticed though, is that a dark, shady looking person was sitting in the corner of the room, just staring at us..."
Chapter Two~
I flipped open the thick red book, and started from page one. "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins," I read out loud, then looked at my children's faces. "Old Bilbo Baggins is Frodo's uncle."
I looked further down the page and read again. "The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins. Get comfortable children, this is one long story."
Elanor took hold of her woollen doll, and Frodo wrapped himself in a small blanket Rosie had warmed up for him.
"It all started on the night of Old Bilbo's 111th birthday. All the Hobbits in the Shire were invited; Tooks, Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, and even more! Our Old Bilbo was a friend to everyone, young or old, Hobbit or Elf."
"I like Elves," Elanor said softly, smiling.
"Me too, Elves are wonderful creatures," I replied, reflecting the smile. "Your mother was also at that party, dancing to the music. I had liked her for a long time." I grinned at the memory.
"That was quite a night!" Rosie giggled, then looked at Elanor and Frodo. "Your father didn't bother to ask for a dance, oh no. He just went straight in by himself, I had no choice!"
I coughed loudly. "That was because Frodo pushed me into you!" I looked back at the book and scanned the page. "So, towards the end of the party, Bilbo did what I thought must have been a little party trick, for the little Hobbit children. He stood up to make a speech and POOF!" I said, raising my hands in the air. Elanor and Frodo leant back slightly. "He disappeared! Right into thin air!"
"How?" Frodo asked, obviously amazed. Rosie walked out of the room quietly, so she didn't disturb the children.
I tapped my nose. "We'll find that out soon, Frodo. A few days later, after leaving The Green Dragon Pub – where your mother worked – I walked home with Frodo. I couldn't help my curiosity when I overhead Gandalf – a Wizard you may have heard of – say something about a Ring and a dark lord. I hid in the bushes below Frodo's window, listening."
Rosie then put a drink of water on the small table near my chair and I smiled quickly as a way of saying 'thank you'.
"Then, your silly old father here stepped in a twig and crunch!" I exclaimed, making a crunching noise. "Gandalf heard and threw me on the table, while I was trying to convince him I hadn't been eavesdropping. A word of advice children: never eavesdrop on a wise wizard, you never know what will happen to you!"
"What did he do to you?" Elanor gasped.
"He threw me on the table, and forced me to tell him what I'd heard. I was so scared I was stuttering, I had never seen Gandalf that way before. But he did not hurt me, Elanor, it is alright!" I took a quick drink of water then looked back down at the book. "He told me he wanted me to assist Frodo on a quest, to destroy a ring. But children, this was no ordinary ring. This was a magic, evil ring, a nasty piece of work by Sauron," I explained, rounding my finger and thumb. "Pure gold it was, an absolutely beautiful ring too. All we had to do was travel to Bree, where we would meet Gandalf again after he visited Saruman. Then, as we thought, we could go back home."
"That doesn't sound very interesting daddy," Frodo said, pouting.
"Oh, there was more to come, son," I replied. "The next morning at sunrise, myself, Gandalf and Frodo set out for Bree. Gandalf made me promise something, and it was a promise I kept throughout the whole quest, and even after it. It was 'Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee!' and I never did. You know, Old Bilbo used to say something. He used to say 'It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.' Frodo told me that."
I looked at my children again and smiled, as their angelic faces paid attention to every word I said.
"We ended up in a field full of corn and crops, then suddenly, Merry and Pippin jumped out! You know Merry and Pippin don't you children?"
"Yes!" Elanor grinned excitedly.
"Yes, well those are the two. They were stealing carrots and other vegetables from Farmer Maggots crops, the naughty little rascals. Pippin fell onto Frodo, crushing him almost. I panicked and pulled Pippin off him, I didn't want him hurt before we'd even left the Shire. He was all right though; Pippin is not so heavy himself. But then, we heard a dog bark and had to run for it. Merry, Pippin and Frodo ran out of the field, and to the edge of a hill. Silly me, I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into them, sending us all tumbling down the hill."
I made gestures with my hands, trying to show them what we looked like tumbling down the hill after each other. Then I slammed my hand on the chair arm.
"Bang!" I said loudly. "We all fell in a heap on the floor, one on top of another, barely able to move. Our worries soon went when we seen the mushrooms though, loads of mushrooms just sitting there waiting to be picked! Frodo walked off, whilst myself, Merry and Pippin went to collect the mushrooms. Mr. Frodo then told us to get off the road quickly. I didn't hesitate, Gandalf had told us to stay off the roads in case the Nazgul came, but I had forgotten I suppose. We ran under a tree, and tried to hide ourselves as best as we possibly could. It felt as if my heart was in my throat, thumping away. It was so loud I was sure the Nazgul could hear it."
"What is the Nazgul?" Frodo asked quietly, sitting cross-legged.
"Well dear Frodo, the Nazgul are those who come and look for the Ring. They are neither dead nor living, and you can only see them because of their long, black cloaks. They travel on horseback, which was unlucky for us, as we were travelling on foot. It was disgusting under that tree; worms, spiders and the sort were crawling either over or under us. But we couldn't make a sound. Not one," I fell to a whisper, holding my finger over my mouth. "Because if we did, the Nazgul would hear us. He was leaning over the tree, and I feared he would see us, but Nazgul do not have the best vision in the world. He didn't seem to suspect anything, but he wouldn't move, so maybe he could smell something. Nazgul have a very keen sense of smell, don't you know?"
"What happened?" Elanor asked, hugging her doll as if for protection.
"Frodo slipped into a trance, unnoticed by Merry and Pippin, and by me for a little while. The Ring was slowly making its way to his finger, he couldn't resist it, and he was under some sort of spell. I noticed just in time, and I had to hit him to take him out of his trance. It worked, and he put the Ring away again. But we still had the Nazgul problem. Thanks to our Merry's fast thinking, he threw a bag of vegetables in the opposite direction, and the Nazgul chased after it as quick as a flash. He didn't even think about it, and off he went. We took that as our opportune moment and ran as fast as our little Hobbit legs would carry us."
I took another drink of water and turned the page, sighing as I did. "We went until nightfall without seeing the Nazgul again. It was scary, I'll assure you. We barely dared to speak. What if the Nazgul heard us? Would I ever be able to go home again? It was awful, not knowing what would be the outcome from this quest. Back in the beginning, I don't think I understood just how serious this quest was, but deep down I think I knew that it was going to be a long time before I returned to the Shire. I just didn't want to accept it."
I looked at my children again, and I shook my head. "Anyway. It was dark and quiet, no sound at all. No birds, no rabbits, just pure silence. Then we saw him. The Nazgul was back. We hid behind a tree, but we knew we couldn't stay there forever. Frodo and myself had to leave the Shire, to meet Gandalf at Bree. Merry knew of a way to get to Bree, so we started to run for a ferry. But then the Nazgul just suddenly appeared from behind some bushes. Mr. Frodo didn't run as fast as Merry, Pippin and I, but he did manage to jump on as the ferry left."
Elanor and Frodo smiled, probably happy about the fact that Frodo made it onto the ferry.
"It was twenty miles until we reached Brandywine Bridge, and we sailed on the water, in silence and in fear. There was no source of light anywhere, just darkness. I was surprised we even made it to Brandywine Bridge in complete darkness."
"I'm scared of the dark," Frodo said.
"Oh, if you were on this quest son, darkness would have been on the bottom of your list of fears. I had never experienced true fear until I did this," I smiled at him. "It was raining hard by the time we reached Bree, and although we had cloaks on our hair still got soaked. My feet were muddy and cold; we weren't walking on soft grass like we do in the Shire. We were walking on sharp branches, mud, leaves, rocks and stones."
"Ouch," Elanor said to herself.
"Yes," I laughed softly. "We were given orders by Gandalf to meet him at The Prancing Pony. The Prancing Pony is a bar, with beds to sleep in upstairs. Mr. Frodo asked for Gandalf, but he had not come. What were we going to do now? We had no idea where to go, or what to do with this Ring of ours. Well, Frodo's. All we could do now was wait. So we sat and had some drinks, waiting. And waiting. But he never arrived. What I'd noticed though, is that a dark, shady looking person was sitting in the corner of the room, just staring at us..."