Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 24

A soft breeze rolled through the valley, stirring the grasses around me as I sat on a blanket that lay over the freshly watered earth. I glanced over my shoulder, back towards the small village and saw Frodo sitting across from me, smiling politely. He reached over into a small basket that sat at his side, pulling out a few covered bowls. I moved some closer to myself and removed the cloths that kept in the warmth, revealing the fresh rolls and cuts of meat lying within the safety of the wooden bowl.

I gazed up at Frodo, seeing him staring at me, something new lingering in his eyes. Searching further into his eyes, I realized that what I thought was new, was not new, just a previous feeling enhanced.

As we sat there, admiring the gentle scenery about us, I felt his hand slowly cover mine, his fingers caressing my skin. Slowly his hand moved up, brushing my arm, then finding its way around my shoulders, sliding against my cheek until he lifted my chin so I would meet his eyes.

His eyes smiled in a way I had not seen before. His cheeks rosy with cheer and his whole aura seemed to be more content. My eyes searched his soul and his followed a similar suit, but he was different, changed. I could not place the change, but after siting that way for a while, I could tell, he was what he once was, the whole and innocent hobbit he had been before the Ring had ever entered his train of thought.

It was then he embraced me, and I felt safe in his arms, knowing that he was fine.

Faint light grazing over my eyelids stirred my senses, waking me from a peaceful slumber. The images of Frodo's cheery face still lingered in my mind, making myself unable to help but smile. I opened my eyes, trying to turn over, but my body protested, aching sharply as I rolled onto my side. My throat let out a groan of despair as I realized my situation and my eyes shut tightly, hoping that I could hide from the pain.

Slowly, I tried to allow my body to relax, having little strength left in me to do nothing else. The gentle brush of fingertips crossed my face, running around my hairline to push away unruly curls that adhered to my damp skin. I convinced myself to open my eyes and to turn only my head, feeling the stiffness in my neck in the first attempt to move the muscles.

Frodo sat next to me, his gentle features filled with concern as he stared down at me. He bit his lip, tilting his head so his face could be somewhat parallel to mine. I swallowed hard, ignoring the lump that was in my throat.

"Frodo?" I asked, unsure of what to say.

"How do you feel?" he questioned me softly, his hand lingering on the side of my head, then returning to his lap.

"I feel better," I replied, wanting to be awake, feeling that I could not sleep any longer. I struggled with myself a few moments, attempting to pull myself up into a sitting position against the headboard, but the atrophied muscles in my arms refused to support me. Frodo moved closer to me, sliding his arms underneath me to help me sit up properly in bed, adjusting the pillows behind me before finally returning to his seat.

"Do not stress yourself. You've been asleep for another day or so. Six days without movement has left you very weak, so do not attempt to do anything just yet."

I turned to face him. "Have you been here all of today?"

"Rosie insisted that she and Sam watch over you for some of the time, so they sat here while I slept." A faint smile crossed his lips.

"I'm sorry," I muttered under my breath, staring down at my hands on my lap.

"Why do you apologize?"

"I did not wish to cause all of you such trouble."

"It was no trouble."

I was afraid to look at him. His warm expression made me feel a bit guilty for causing such strife within the household.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, standing up from his chair. I nodded, recognizing the hunger that my stomach now proclaimed. "I'll return shortly," Frodo whispered, leaving the room.

I looked at the still room, peering through the small window to see the bright sun blanketing the rich green grasses of Hobbiton. Far in the distance, there were some children running around, creating their own amusement during these warm summer months.

Frodo came back shortly with a steaming bowl in his hand, nearing my side and placing the bowl in my hands. "Rosie's glad to hear that you're awake again."

I smiled, stirring the soup slightly then bringing the spoon to my lips, letting the hot liquid revive me.

"Did you sleep well?" Frodo asked, his voice wary.

I nodded, bringing the spoon back to my mouth. He let me eat in silence until I had finished the entire bowl. I assumed that he was very unsure of what to do in such a situation.

"The first time I woke you, you screamed into the night, as if your life depended on the act," Frodo said, breaking the silence and taking the bowl away from my hands, placing it on the table behind me.

I pursed my lips, not wanting to go back to that nightmare, but quite uncertain how to divert the subject of conversation away from myself.

"What did you see in your dreams?" Frodo reached over with his right hand and placed it on my hands.

I stared down at his hand that was now covering mine and closed my eyes.

"I saw myself returning home," I started, finding it hard to bring the next words from my mouth. "And my sister was dead, killed by my father. Then he came after me, threatening to do the same to me."

Frodo said nothing and I was afraid to look at him. I held onto the image of his cheerful face from my last dream, wishing that if I looked at him with that appearance in mind, his expression would be the same. But when I turned to look at him, I saw despair and concern dwelling within his sorrow.

"I was incredibly frightened," I stated, trying to coax him to say something.

"I can understand your fear."

I knew of the horrors that he had seen, felt, heard, but somewhere in my mind, I doubted if he truly understood my fear. Then another part of my mind pulled me out of self pity long enough to say that my fear had no right to be compared to his fear for I could not even begin to imagine the terror that spurred his fear, but he could truly understand the anxiety that resided in me.

Rosie came in, crossing the room to be at my bedside. Frodo withdrew his hand, staring down at his lap.

"My, you're looking very well now that you're awake," Rosie said as she picked up various items from the table behind me.

"I'm sorry for causing you such grief over me."

"It's quite all right. Do not worry yourself into a mess over this. The important thing is that you're feeling better." Rosie's tone was very warm and endearing, soothing the troubles in my heart as if she were my mother taking care of me as her own child. "Just focus on getting better. There's no real rush to get back to the housework. I can handle it." She winked at me before she left.

Somehow, I felt awkward with Frodo plainly sitting in the room, saying nothing nor showing any expression of any sort. My mind raced to think of something to do as I recuperated, and it turned to Frodo's books.

"Frodo?" I asked, trying to catch his attention.

"Yes, Mira?" He looked up sharply.

"Would it trouble you too much to fetch me a book from your study?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Do you have a preference of what book you would like to read?"

"I'm sure whatever you bring me will be just fine."

Frodo stood up quickly, leaving the room and returning within a few minutes. "I think this one will cheer you." He sat down on his chair. "Would you care for me to read it to you?"

"I would like that," I said, glad to have him in the room.

The afternoon passed, Frodo reading to me grand tales of adventure. Somehow, every word he spoke sounded better, making the story more appealing by his reading the tales rather than if I were to read it to myself. I felt at ease, just knowing that he was there, by my side, caring for me. But when I would look at him, make the rare connection into his soul through his eyes, I saw that worry still lingered within him, as if he was still holding on to some secret that he was battling over with himself on whether or not to reveal to me. I half dismissed it, figuring that it might be the remainder of my delirium and feeling that it did not matter since he was there now.

When dinner arrived, I found strength in me to walk to the kitchen, although Frodo had to help me a bit with getting out of my bed. Rosie and Sam were delighted that I had found some reservoir of strength to join them for the meal. The conversation was about the usual topics, as if I had not fallen ill. Again, I felt comforted knowing that they cared for me.

The next morning, even though I had the energy to find my way around the house easily and without much exertion on my part, Rosie urged that I take the day off, just to make sure I was fully healed before attempting to continue my chores. I humored her and spent the day reading, letting my mind create my own stories when I had finished one of Frodo's books.

By that evening, I was feeling back to my normal self, ready to be of some use and to return to my duties within the household.

~*~

Sorry for the delay, and I've been busy with school and all sorts of other stuff and yeah. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out before Friday otherwise you'll have to wait until later next week because I'm going out of town next weekend and no computer available, although I might still be able to write. So yeah, just hang in there!

Thank you, all of those who reviewed. I was scared of posting it because it was taking a risk, as was the chapter before that, but it just all seemed to lead that way and I just didn't know what to say.

Evildiabolicalbunny: wow, one night and all those reviews, quite a feat.

Traveller: yes, adding "sigh" to your reply made a lot more sense. In reference of the dream being foreshadowing, I sincerely don't know, could be. How many chapters left? Again, I'm not sure, but less than ten. It's sad thinking about the end…

Innocent Princess: wow, one night? Kudos! Thanks for reading.

Vittaria: I'm glad you like Mira.

Lady Chatterly: best fanfic on the site? *blushes * thank you, wow, I must say that is quite a compliment.

EFDGamgee: I'm sorry if it seemed like I was chewing you out in my response. I thought you might be a Tolkien purist who might be strictly book oriented and yeah. Yes, I am trying to be closer to the books since it has a clearer timeline and I can access them easier, but sometimes the movie helps as far as visual, and with the whole Mount Doom thing, it just added to the drama. Thank you again, for your compliments. :)