Red String
Weavers and Destroyers
Miranda nearly tossed the soup ladle across Frodo's kitchen, but her grip tightened on the ladle handle instead. She glared at the soup; it seemed like no matter what her in-laws always came to ruin things. She sighed, letting her anger out slowly, glancing up to see that both Merry and Pippin had a scared face on, and seeing the fiery wrath in her eyes. They both quickly turned back to their meal and she stood, coming over to the door. Frodo now stood near the wall; Olivia and Claudia were still wearing their winter uniforms.
"Hullo, Olivia and Claudia." Miranda said, forcing herself to smile and be happy. Claudia's eyes flickered, noticing the fire in Miranda's eyes.
"How dare you!" Olivia shrieked, catching everyone off guard. "How dare you stay in Hobbiton and send dear Aunt Lilly away!" she shook her finger horribly at Miranda. "You have no hobbit sense, do you, Miranda Anne Chubb? How could you stay with a bachelor and send our old Aunt away? You selfish little!"
"Aunt Lilly asked me to stay here." Miranda said calmly, a hint of ice to her words. "She was worried of Mr. Baggins health, and has asked me to be with…."
"Oh I am very sure of that." Olivia remarked sarcastically. "And what kind of helping would this be? Hm?"
"Are you suggesting that I sell myself, Olivia?" Miranda asked darkly.
Claudia shook her head, pushing Olivia behind her. "Allow me to explain, since Olivia can't." she looked at Frodo for a moment who stood there, his hands in his pockets, a solemn look on his face. She turned her attention back to Miranda who was clenching her fists in anger. "We were all surprised when Aunt Lilly came home all alone; she did mention something about Mr. Baggins being ill, but she didn't mention that you were staying with him."
"SO that gives you the right to suspect me of sleeping out of wedlock!?" Miranda asked angrily, glaring at both in-laws. Olivia scowled while Claudia kept her straight face. "Just because I occupy the same hole as a bachelor does not mean I'm going to sleep with him the first chance I have, Olivia. I have more hobbit sense than that! Everyone remembers what happened to you and your first fiancé!"
Olivia was instantly outraged and pushed Claudia aside. "How dare you speak of that! How dare you mention that in someone else's home, you have no decency, Miranda Anne! You surely cannot talk about your family like that!"
"I just did." Miranda glared. "And I don't think it is very wise of you to insult someone in another's home. And if you ask me, Olivia, I don't like you. My brother could have found a much nicer lass to settle down with, but instead he chose a lass who thinks sleeping with a man will keep them longer." Olivia glared. "If you do not have the guts to insult me outside of another's home, then perhaps you should leave and just walk back to Buckland."
"You cannot throw me out! You do not own this hole." Olivia said icily. Claudia glanced to see that Frodo was now looking at both of them with some hidden emotion in his eyes.
"No, but I can request you to." Frodo spoke up. Miranda looked at him, a bit shocked. "I do not like anyone who insults my friends, Mrs. Chubb. And also, I've heard that you insult my person behind my back. Isn't it a bit odd to be insulting someone in their own home? Now, I ask that you two leave my home before I have to get an order saying you cannot come near my person or anyone around me."
"I am sorry for my sister-in-law, Mr. Baggins." Claudia apologized, nodded her head then dragged her sister-in-law out of Bag End's door, shutting it quietly. Miranda let out a long breath of hot air then plopped down into a chair in the living room, holding her head since he had developed a slight headache. She looked over as Frodo squeezed her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile.
Merry looked at Pippin letting out a surprised expression. "Seems like our plan has worked better than thought!" he whispered to Pippin.
Pippin smiled, glancing at the two. "Yes, let's just hope that the in-laws don't wreck it."
Merry sighed and ate a bit of his bread. "There are weavers in tales." He said, and Pippin looked at him. "And there are the destroyers of tales. The ones who ruin the ending, the ones who go about and rearrange the story to make it fit their ways and wants. We are weavers, Pippin, the in-laws are destroyers."
"What exactly are we 'weaving' then, Merry?" Pippin asked.
Merry thought for a moment and let out a sigh. "I'm not sure, Pip. I'm not sure….but, whatever it is, it is over our heads now, and I think fate has intertwined itself in this tale." He looked up as Miranda and Frodo entered again and sat down, smiling as if the recent advent had not happened. Merry and Pippin just smiled, and they began their meal again, talking about the party the Mayor was to have.
~*~
"What a day." Miranda groaned, falling back on to the settee in the small den in Bag End. Frodo was sitting at the table again, writing more of his adventure down for his Uncle. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and staring at the blank ceiling. Pippin and Merry had gone off to the inn now, and were most likely going to be drunk off their feet when they returned. She yawned, seeing that Frodo had paused in his writing, but did not turn to her.
"You're tried." He remarked.
"A little." Miranda stretched out on the settee, rolling onto her stomach and looking out the window above the desk. The snow had stopped again, but a fair amount had accumulated on the window sill. The sound of the quill and paper meeting started again as Frodo continued his writing, and Miranda stared out the window with a daydream glaze to her eyes. Now that Olivia and Claudia had dropped by, it seemed like whatever fantasy she was living in was shattered. How would she explain to her own family that Frodo loved her, without even saying so?
Sometimes she wondered if he did, but whenever she did, she felt warmth in her heart, somehow telling her. Miranda closed her eyes, after Frodo had been so broken from his quest, he couldn't possibly say his true feelings. She wondered if he even believed what she had told him, about how she did not believe he had failed. He most likely would never believe her…and, he would be sailing off to the Havens and the West anyways. Miranda lowered her head.
The sound of writing had stopped, but Miranda hadn't noticed. Frodo looked over at her worriedly and came to her, sitting down beside her. Miranda looked at him from over her shoulder, silver tears coming down her face. He frowned, seeing the pleading light in her eyes, knowing it was about his opportunity to go to the Uttermost West. He looked down for a moment, knowing that it pained her, her thinking of him leaving and never being able to return. It hurt him as well, but if that was what he needed, it was what he needed. Why would he deny himself the opportunity to heal? Even though Miranda would never understand the feelings he felt, he knew she could understand some of it.
Miranda turned so she lay on her side, sighing and removing her tears. Frodo took her right hand in his maimed one and helped her sit up in a sitting position, letting her lay her head on his shoulder. He held her, moving his hand up her arm and down again soothingly. She closed her eyes, wondering. If Frodo didn't sail….would he die like in her dream she had a few days before? She shuddered, remembering the Dead Marshes, then how Frodo had died and left her.
"Merry and Pippin should be back soon." Frodo said amused by that fact. Miranda didn't answer, and kept her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. Frodo frowned, kissing her head lightly, and combed her hair with his fingers. "I suppose they know already about us….they've always seemed to know when I was up to something." He smiled.
Miranda let out a sad smile. 'That's because they planned it. I thought they'd just want me to be a friend…those sneaky buggers. It seems like Merry has the same match-making hunch that Rosemary has.' She looked up as Frodo stood, returning to the table and closing the Red Book, placing the quill pen inside. He held the book in his hands for a moment, as if he were wondering on what the book's future should hold. Miranda looked back at the fire sadly.
'How do you plan this little love story to end?' she asked herself. 'Come next fall, he'll leave, sailing over the sea and leaving you here on Middle-Earth. Then what will you do? Become like your Aunt and never marry because your first love left?' Miranda looked up at Frodo as he stood before her, helping her stand by taking her hands in his. She held his hands for a moment before wrapping them around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Frodo's arms came up around her and held her softly. Miranda opened her eyes, feeling them water up. 'No, he'll be the only one.' She thought to herself. 'If Frodo leaves, then I'll wait till I pass on to see him again. I couldn't handle it if he was hurt because I decided to be happy without him. So then, we will suffer together and not apart.'
"What did you say?" Frodo asked softly, kissing her head. Miranda blushed, knowing that her last sentence was said aloud. "What is this about suffering?"
"I'll tell you when I need to, promise." Miranda answered. Frodo shrugged, not being sure about the answer. Miranda looked up at him, finally seeing how short she was compared to him. She only came up to his nose, and he was only average height for a hobbit. Frodo kissed her lightly and she returned it, smiling afterwards. "If you really want to know….then, I'd rather us suffer together than apart."
"Who said we'd suffer?" He asked. Miranda looked down then turned her head away. Frodo sighed, holding her close. She rested her head on his chest, letting him try to sooth her.
"Si boe es ú-dhanna." Frodo said, bringing her head back up to his. She blinked, unsure of what to say. "Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad…estelio han." He smiled then kissed her lovingly. Miranda closed her eyes and returned the sweet kiss, not sure what he had said, but it helped soothed her. He ended the kiss, keeping his face close. "Estelio veleth…." He whispered.
"Ah, Frodo has always been quiet the charmer."
Miranda and Frodo turned, seeing Merry and Pippin in the door way. Pippin snickered, while Merry wore a face of victory. Miranda blushed while Frodo merely shook his head at his cousins.
"That's really cute." Pippin smiled. "I hope you plan to take her to the party, Frodo."
"I don't have anything nice enough to go to that party!" Miranda said stubbornly. Frodo glanced at Merry, who smirked. She glanced up at him, knowing they were conspiring something. "I don't know if I'd fit in to well with Hobbiton folk."
"They are just like Bucklanders." Pippin spoke stubbornly. "It wont take that long, Miranda, don't worry. Besides most of them will be too drunk off their bottoms to even notice you and Frodo being so intimate in the back." Miranda blushed widely, hiding her face behind her hands. Pippin laughed at this. "Don't worry, Miranda, Frodo has more sense to kiss you in private than he does in public…though I am some what offended he didn't tell me about it!"
"Maybe I didn't feel the need to." Frodo mumbled.
"It's alright cousin, we'll protect you from her crazy in-laws!" Merry spoke, both he and Pippin striking poses of warriors. Miranda giggled. "Knights of Gondor and Rohan unite!"
Miranda smiled up at Frodo and kissed his cheek. "I already have a knight." She whispered. Frodo's face turned red and she giggled.
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A/n: As the story goes, more people are reading. Did anyone spread the word or something? Lol. Well, thank you veteran reviewers and newbie reviewers of Red String! This chapter was brought to you buy 'Those-Who-Listen-To-The-ROTK-Soundtrack-Too-Much Inc.' ^^
Translations:
"Si boe es ú-dhanna." – Literally: 'Now it-is-necessary[that] you don't fall.
"Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad…estelio han." – Literally: 'If you don'-trust some-thing…trust this.
"Estelio veleth…." – Literally: 'Trust love.'
Lyrics from Evenstar from Howard Shore's The Two Towers soundtrack.
Well, there are MANY reviewers, so I thank everyone this chapter. ^^