Red String
A Knife of the Past
Miranda happily waved the customer off. She turned, seeing her Aunt Lilly sweeping the front step to her home-healing office. Miranda sighed happily, wrapping her coat tighter around her. She loved Hobbiton much more than she did Buckland. All her picky family and bossy in-laws, it was nice to go out on a holiday. Miranda returned inside her Aunt's home, cleaning up along her way.
Aunt Lilly looked up and smiled as the gate to her home was opened. Rosie Cotton Gamgee smiled, coming up to the gate. Rosie's small stomach was getting larger, proof of her pregnancy and happy life with her husband, Samwise Gamgee. "Ah, if it isn't Mrs. Gamgee, what can I do for you this morn, darlin'?" Aunt Lilly asked.
Rosie smiled, coming up next to Aunt Lilly. "I'm fine, thank you." She looked inside the house for a moment. "I was just wonderin' if you have anything to cure mornin' sickness?" the two let out a laugh. "Sam is getting overly worried about it."
"Men always do, men always do." Aunt Lilly nodded. "Come, come in Rosie, no point in you standing outside, come in." she let Rosie enter first the closed the door behind her, and placing the broom at the door. She scurried off into the kitchen, where she kept all of her medicines. Rosie wandered off into the sitting room, finding Miranda placing things away. Rosie watched her curiously, unsure of whom this hobbit was.
Miranda turned and saw her Aunt's guest, smiling sheepishly. "Hullo, what can I do for you?" Rosie tilted her head. "Oh, right..I'm sorry. My name is Miranda Chubb, niece of Lilly Chubb."
"Ah, so youare the fabulous Miranda I've heard of." Rosie smiled, clapping her hands together. Miranda blinked. "Frodo has told Sam and I much about you, Miranda….I see he was accurate in his telling of you."
Miranda's eyes widened as the light came on. "You are Mr. Gamgee's wife, are you not?" Rosie nodded. "My apologizes… I've been …..Frodo's told you about me!?"
Rosie laughed. "Yes, he has." She sat down. "Sam wanted to know everything about what Frodo had done in Buckland, and well, he mentioned that he spent a lot of time with you." Miranda looked away, a slight pink on her cheeks. "He really admires you, Miss Miranda, you know that?"
"He….does?"
"Well when he talked about you he seemed to really have enjoyed spending time with you." Rosie smiled. "And also, he had some kind of light in his eyes too. I think he fancies you in more ways than one, Miranda." She looked up as Aunt Lilly returned with nothing in hand. "Something wrong, Miss Lilly?"
"I'm afraid that I don't have anythin' made at the moment, darlin'." Aunt Lilly sighed. "I can have it done by tomorrow, but you shouldn't be around much like that."
"Everyone says that." Rosie sighed. She smiled. "That isn't a problem; Miss Miranda can take it up to Bag End for me tomorrow, I'm not doing anything." She winked at Miranda who turned a near scarlet color. Miranda nodded numbly and turned around as Aunt Lilly took Rosie to the door.
Were people purposely trying to get her to spend time with Frodo? Then again, he didn't know she was here in Hobbiton. She'd been busy with her Aunt, and Frodo hadn't come down into the market lately. Miranda pondered for a moment, and then she felt dark chills run down her spine. She ran out into the hallway, seeing Aunt Lilly wave Rosie off.
"Aunt!" Miranda asked as if her life depended on her answer. Aunt Lilly turned to her. "What's today?"
"It's the 5th of October, silly." Aunt Lilly smiled happily while Miranda's face fell to a grave one. "Oh don't look so horrified about seeing Bag End, Miranda; it is a very nice hole. Bilbo's father built it himself! That's what I call a crafty hobbit." She rambled on as Miranda was only half listening. "And did you know that it was only a few months ago Frodo Baggins resigned as Mayor of the Shire? He did a wonderful job. He received Bag End back from Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, never thought Lobelia was a real wonderful hobbit woman, but, to each his own I suppose…." She looked at Miranda. "What's wrong with you, Miranda?"
"Just thinking." Miranda said in a distant thinking voice. October 6th, Frodo was going to be ill tomorrow. "I may end up staying longer than I need to tomorrow, Aunt Lilly."
"That's fine." Aunt Lilly smiled. "You've done your share for today, you can have a slacker day tomorrow…I may close tomorrow anyways! I'm running low, time to get down and dirty with the herbs, come on dear, help me!"
Miranda stood in front of Bag End the next day. For a short moment, the fear and worry of the date passed away as she stood in awe of the hobbit hole. Just as her Aunt had said, this hobbit hole was very lovely. She gulped down the knot in her throat then knocked on the door, waiting for a moment. There was a scuffle and the door opened to show Rosie. Miranda smiled. "Hullo Miss Rosie." Rosie nodded, though she seemed worried and let the hobbit lass in. Miranda placed down the small basket in her arm and removed her scarf and coat. Rosie studied the Bucklander's attire. It was a dark green, near black, skirt and bodice with a ivory shirt that came around her arms, showing her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Miss Miranda." Rosie said, concern was riddled in her voice. "Frodo can't see you today….he is…."
"Ill." Miranda said softly.
Rosie's eyes sparked with acknowledgment. "So I was right." She said thoughtfully. "Frodo did tell you parts of his quest?" Miranda nodded solemnly. "Then perhaps you can make him feel better, Miss Miranda. He hasn't left bed all morning, and early in the morning Sam was called out to do some work in the Shire, he won't be back till late evening and the earliest, and I don't know what to do! If you know of Frodo's journey then you can help."
"I can't heal him." Miranda said softly. "I don't know how to fix wounds from evil blades of distant lands….especially when they attack the spirit." She said the last part to herself as Rosie dragged her down the hall to the bedroom hall of Bag End. How big this hole was!
"You can at least accompany him then, Miss Miranda!" Rosie said, almost near pure hysterics. "Sam would know what to do, but he isn't here, and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to do anything right and that…"
"Calm down Rosie!" Miranda said, gripping the hobbit woman's arm gently. She waited till Rosie had calmed before speaking. "Did Frodo say anything to you and Sam before he went to bed last night?"
Rosie thought for a moment, contemplating the previous night's events. "He said that he wasn't feeling well, his shoulder was cramping and that he felt a little cold, he went to bed. Sam checked on him before we went to bed and Frodo had four large blankets on his bed. Then, this morning when I checked on him to ask what he wanted to eat, nearly all of them were on the floor and he was shivering." Rosie shuddered.
Miranda nodded, worry replacing fear now. Frodo never did describe how he was when he was ill due to the wraith attack. She looked at Rosie before opening the door to Frodo's room, Rosie nodded that she could go in. Miranda felt a slight pink come to her cheeks. She opened the door, seeing how dark it was even though it was now early afternoon. Rosie peaked in as well, seeing that the room was a mess, blankets on the floor, piles of papers everywhere, though Rosie seemed to know what the papers were for.
Miranda entered the room slowly, coming over to the bed where Frodo lay, feeling herself shaking in fear. Frodo's back was to her and Rosie, and he was entangled in his bedding as if it were a spider that had trapped him. Miranda placed her hand on his arm (his left one, he was laying on his right) and found that it was freezing cold. She pulled her hand back quickly as if it were burned and shivered from its touch. Frodo rolled over onto his other side, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. Miranda motioned Rosie to come in, and the Gamgee did slowly as if she were afraid the room was intoxicated with some vile force.
"Bring me a hot compress, Rosie." Miranda instructed. "His arm is freezing." Rosie nodded and hurried out of the room to do as she was told. Miranda turned back to Frodo as he made a slight groan and opened his eyes. He looked up at Miranda and she smiled at him, getting on her knees beside the bed and putting her arms on the mattress. "Hullo, Frodo." She said softly and happily.
Frodo looked at her for a moment with distant foggy eyes then rolled his shoulder back in discomfort again. He shut his eyes and his shoulder jerked as if stabbed. "My shoulder hurts." He muttered. Miranda frowned sadly, putting her hand over his maimed one. "It's cold." He let out a groan of discomfort. "Sam, close the window."
Miranda looked down. Frodo didn't even see her there. She quickly stood, moving the thick blankets so they covered Frodo up to below his shoulders, so if needed she could place the hot compress onto his shoulder. Frodo let out a sad sigh, nuzzling down and keeping his eyes closed. Miranda stood by his side, her hands on his right arm. She squeezed his arm, seeing if he was even awake, knowing that someone was there. Frodo let out a soft groan, and he moved his left hand up to take Miranda's. She let out a small gasp at how cold it was. His eyes shut tighter, as if he were thinking through his pain. His grip became tighter on her hand, and Miranda wondered what to do.
"Miranda!" Rosie's voice came from down the halls of Bag End. "Come here, I need your help."
"Coming!" She called back. Miranda turned, heading for the door when she felt something grab her arm. She stopped, looked over her shoulder to see Frodo looking at her with soft begging eyes. She came back to him, kneeling at his bedside. He said something but she couldn't hear it, so she leaned down near his lips, turning her head so her ear was closer.
"Don't go." His voice was softer than a whisper. Miranda looked at him, frowning, unsure what to do. His grip tightened to a clinging one, closing his eyes and wincing as if stabbed in the shoulder. Miranda brought her hand up, feeling his forehead. It was clammy and warm, showing that he had a slight fever.
Miranda turned her head. "Rosie, I don't think I can come." She called. "He has a fever, where is that blasted hot compress, Rosie!?" she let out a soft cry of distress as if Frodo were to die without it. Within a moment Rosie returned to the room, handing it to Miranda. Miranda placed the hot water bag over Frodo's shoulder, he let out a small cry of discomfort due to the reaction of heat mixing with cold, but he settled down. Rosie caught sight of his hand on her arm and smiled at Miranda.
"I told you he fancied you." Rosie said softly. Miranda smiled weakly, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. Rosie set off to get another compress ready for when the current one cooled. Miranda looked down at his maimed hand, holding softly in hers.
She looked up at him, worriedly. Frodo had told her that he could only heal by sailing into the West…with the Elves. Miranda bit her lip, wondering what would happen if he didn't leave….would he die in his illness? Would she come to him one day to find that he was no longer of this world that he had departed? Thinking about him dieing brought a harsh pain to her heart, making her shake. She lowered her head, feeling her skin touch the covers of the mattress. She felt water down from her eyes, cascading down her nose onto the covers. She bit her lip hard to keep her cries silent.
'How could I have fallen in love so quickly….' She thought to herself, clenching her fist in confusion, feeling hurt. 'Frodo wouldn't die…he wouldn't….he couldn't….' she felt like she wanted to break something then collapse crying. She opened her eyes, her version blurry as Frodo's maimed hand moved some of her hair behind her rounded pointed ear. She looked up at him, blinking and causing more tears to come down.
Frodo moved her tears away from her face, moving his hand to hold hers. Miranda held his tightly, wanting him to hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be alright. That he wouldn't die in his illness that he'd live until it was her time to pass, and then he'd follow. Miranda closed her eyes sadly, feeling more tears come down, her hand clinging onto his. He held hers weakly and lovingly. Frodo looked over at the door with distant eyes as Rosie re-entered the room. Rosie frowned, unsure of what had happened. Frodo closed his eyes again.
"Mr. Frodo!"
Frodo groaned and opened his eyes slowly, finding Samwise Gamgee, his beloved gardener and friend standing beside his bed, seemingly happy. Frodo pushed himself to sit up, frowning and rolling his shoulder again. He looked at Sam with a sad smile. "Hullo Sam."
"I'm sorry for not being here, pardon, Mr. Frodo." Sam said sadly. "I was called away on a favor and you know how the Hobbiton folk are, you don't come immediately then you are the laughin' stalk of the whole town." Frodo nodded numbly, smiling at Sam's humor. "Seems like you faired well without me, though, sir."
"He had help." Sam turned, seeing Rosie in the entrance to the bed room. Rosie moved aside, showing Miranda standing in the hallway, looking sad and almost scared. "This is the healer's niece, Sam, Miranda Chubb."
Sam smiled. "So, you are Miss Miranda." Miranda nodded. "Nice to meet you." Miranda looked at Frodo worriedly. Sam glanced at Rosie, who nodded, and Sam let her enter. Miranda slowly came to Frodo's bed, as if it were his death bed. Frodo looked at her, surprised for a moment, and then smiled sadly.
"So then, I wasn't dreaming." He said thoughtfully. Miranda blushed and looked down. He looked at her worriedly now, taking her hand in his, she looked up a little, showing her concern, worry and fear.
Sam followed Rosie as she walked down to the kitchen. "What's wrong with Miss Miranda, Rosie?"
Rosie sighed and turned to Sam, hugging him. Sam blinked, and held her, unsure of what had transpired when he had left. "Sam, Miranda is worried that Frodo will die in his illness. She loves him, I can see it when I look at her….and it's always painful to think of loosing a loved one." She looked at him as Sam nodded, looking at the ground. "You should know that better than anyone, Samwise, epically with Frodo." She continued to head down to the kitchen.
Sam frowned, clenching his fists. Even with the blasted Ring destroyed, it still left harmful marks on his master. He returned to the bedroom hall, peaking into Frodo's room. Frodo now sat near the edge of the bed beside Miranda, holding her as tears claimed her. Sam looked at both of them, seeing that it was almost like they felt the same pain, when neither sad anything. Sam wondered.
A/n: None really. Sad chapter, angsty, nice music to listen to helps with this. I think it's about time Miranda had another nice little dream about Frodo. ~_^
ElegantArrow64: I meant to be humorous, I'm sorry to have made you feel bad. __
CarcilwenGreenleaf: Hobbit names are funny ^_^