Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord Of The Rings or any of it's characters. The Books belong to J. R.R. Tolkien, and the movies to New Line. The songs belong to Enya.
A.N. Since my fanfic was such a success, I just couldn't resist the urge to write a sequel. This is a mystery, an adventure, a romance, and even a bit of a ghost story. I hope you all will enjoy this fic.
The Rising Dawn
Prologue
It was twilight on the sea as the old Hobbit woman stood by the window in her room, beneath the decks of the Elven ship. Carole Greendown Baggins looked out at the bounding waves as the moon began to rise. If one looked at her, she seemed no older than 59 years old, but in truth she would have been over 100 if it were not for the events that took her from the Shire over 40 years ago. As she stood, her memory wandering over her youth, a sudden sound made her turn away from the little window. She walked over to where she had carefully laid her pack down on the bed, and with both her hands she gently lifted up the small bundle she had secretly carried. With a quick movement, she uncovered her treasure, the small Hobbit child, and sat on the bed, rocking back and fourth to quiet the waking baby.
"Shush, little one, " Carole whispered softly, "It's alright, Aurora . We're on a Elven ship, don't you know? We're going to Valinor. Don't fret, dear, your Granny's here, and your Grand-Da will be back soon."
"Sooner than you thought, dearest," said Carole's husband, Frodo Baggins, standing in the doorway. Even after 40 years, he was still as quick and silent as he was young and could set traps and hunt in the woods outside their home back in the green Western lands.
"Goodness, Frodo, don't do that!" said Carole, sighing with relief, "You gave me an awful fright."
"Forgive me, my love, but when you dote on little Dawn, anything, whether it's a dragon or an army of Orcs could come by and you wouldn't even blink," he said with a smile as he sat down next to his bride.
"True, but still, we need to be careful. Suppose Thoron, or Gem, or- worse- even Gandalf came in-"
"Indeed, suppose he did," said the voice of the White Wizard. Both the Hobbits looked up, and standing five feet away was Gandalf The White himself, his robes still a blinding white after hundreds of years, his staff in his hand. "Suppose he did come by? What do you think he would do if he discovered your stowaway, hm?" The old wizard laughed a big and hearty laugh as he came closer, and looked down upon his old friends and their granddaughter. "I don't see why you thought you needed keep her a secret," he said, "She is welcome here, as you two are welcome. There is no need to hide her."
"It's not that we wanted to hide her, Gandalf," said Frodo, "We were just unsure if it would have been alright to bring her with us."
"Especially under such short notice," added Carole. "Truth be told, we thought to let our daughter, Samantha, take care of her, but the poor thing's always been sick, and ever since her mother and father died…"she could not finish, for the memory, still so fresh in her mind, brought tears to her old brown eyes.
"Have no fear, my friends, I know your troubles. Your granddaughter is welcome here. And I am sure that she will bring some needed excitement on this rather dull voyage." Gandalf said as he began to chuckle.
And he was right. The crew and their friends, the Dwarves Tor, Dain, Thain, Gwain, and Gem, and the Humans Thoron, his wife Hope, and Hope's brother Homer, all loved the child instantly. For the rest of the short voyage, none could get over the child, who's blue eyes were always filled with wonder, and whose black curls shined even in the Moonlight. The only thing odd about her was that she was a bit larger than most Hobbit children should be, and her skin a perpetual tan. But being a sweet baby, none gave these a second thought.
********************************************
Carole sat with Aurora in her arms, rocking in a new chair in their home on the Isle of Valinor. Only a month had passed, and yet it seemed as if they had always been living in their small house, and also as if they had arrived just yesterday. As she began to sing a lullaby to Aurora, there came a knock at the door to the not-quite-a-nursery.
"Come in," she said softly, so she wouldn't disturb the baby. Sam Gamgee, Frodo's closest friend and gardener poked his head in. Though he had long since been released of his services as gardener and been his own master, when they had returned to Valinor Sam insisted on calling them 'Mr.' and 'Miss'.
"Beggin' your pardon, Miss Carole," Sam said from the door, "But you're needed in the parlor." His kind old voice seemed troubled, and a bit nervous. How odd for someone who had always seemed cheerful, no matter what the circumstance.
"Thank you Sam," Carol replied. She put Aurora in her crib (a gift from the Lady Galadriel) and she followed Sam into the parlor room. There waited Gandalf, Lord Elrond, and Lady Galadriel on her right, and Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle, and Frodo on her left. The three Elven Ringbearers faces, normally warm and kind, were now of stone. Bilbo's old face was downcast, his pity obvious, and Frodo's blue eyes held bitter tears.
"What's wrong?" asked Carole. "Please, tell me, what is wrong," she said, though she already half guessed.
Frodo was the first to speak, "I'm sorry, love. We can't keep her."
"Why?" she asked.
"Elrond and Galadriel say that they have seen her future, and…"
"Forgive us, my friend," said lord Elrond, "but a fortnight ago, a vision came to me. I looked into her future, and saw grief, pain, and despair."
"Then why send her away?" cried Carole, as her heart began to break, "Why not keep her here, in peace and happiness?"
"If she does not go," said Galadriel, "then all the world, even this land, is doomed. Two nights ago, Elrond told me of his vision. I wanted to know if he was correct, thus I looked into my Mirror. First, I saw a tall man and a Hobbit lass standing side by side under the flowering trees. Then, I saw Aurora, as she is now, cradled in your arms. Finally, I saw Aurora once more, older, in her 'tweens', standing before a dark and powerful Queen. Last night I looked once more, and saw all of Middle Earth covered in shadow. Then, I saw that same shadow cover the entire world. My final vision was of the same dark Queen, sitting on the throne of Gondor, a Mithril crown on her head, The Simarils embedded in that crown, and a Ring on her finger."
"They came to me with their visions," said Gandalf, "and after great debate, we came to the decision that these visions mean that Aurora must bring down this Queen, or she will cover all in her darkness. For that, dawn must leave Valinor."
"But…" Carole said, "but where will you take her?"
"To the Shire," said Gandalf, "She will be safest there."
"But who will take care of her?"
"That will all be taken care of, good lady. For now, I suggest that you spend this day with Aurora. For she will be taken tonight before the Moon rises.
************************************
Merimac Brandybuck III, the Master Of Brandybuck Hall, sat in his great study, reading the book of legends that his ancestor, Meriadoc the Magnificent, collected long ago. At nearly 40, he and his wife, Eliza, had had no children, and their house rang with the fact. His brothers and sisters, and all his cousins, who resided with them had had children already, some of them even in their pre-teens, yet he and Eliza were never blessed with a child. For a year his lovely wife had been deeply distressed, for she wanted a child more than anything. But in recent weeks, his wife had become restless. She had taken to looking out windows, going for walks by the Brandywine river, and taking out her old quilt sewings, which she had packed away when she gave up on having anyone to make a quilt for. Whenever Merimac questioned his wife about this odd behavior, her face would go blank, and then she would reply, "I'm not sure. I feel as if I'm waiting."
"For what?" Merimac would say.
"I don't know," Eliza would reply.
Then, as morning's first light crept over the tops of the trees, a commotion of many feet came running up to the study's door. Then, several of Merimac's cousins burst through the door, shouting, "Eliza's found a baby in the river!!"
"What?!" said Merimac, in disbelief.
"Eliza's found a little baby in the Brandywine!," said little Danwise Bolger, the youngest of Merimac's cousins (the lad was only 4). "We were by the river- "
"Shush, Danny," said the boy's father, Danmar Bolger, "Eliza was taking one of her walks, with some of the children, and one pointed across the river and said, "'Look! Elves in the trees!'" but all we could catch were what looked like green-hooded Bigfolk running back through the trees. Then, Eliza saw a small white basket floating in the reeds nearby, and she got it out. And wonder of wonders, she finds a baby girl inside!"
"Well don't stand there, take me to Eliza!" shouted Merimac. Soon, they had made their way to one of the front rooms, where Eliza sat in a large armchair, indeed holding a baby girl in her arms. As Merimac came closer, he passed the white basket the foundling had been in. As he stood beside hi wife, he looked at the child in the wraps. The baby clothes alone were strange enough. They were of fine cloth, finer even than what was imported from Gondor, and the embroidery was too exquisite for words.
Then there was the child herself. She was a beautiful baby, to be sure, but her skin was a warm light copper, and her hair was as black as night, but the curls caught and held the light of the dim lit room as if the Sun shone bright on it. And her eyes were a deep and dark shade of blue that none had ever seen before.
Merimac leaned in close to his wife and said, "How can this be?"
"I don't know," said Eliza, smiling at the little jewel she held. "All I know is that our wish has been answered. After all these years, my dear, we have our own child."
"Yes, but what will we call her? I don't suppose there was a piece of paper attached to that basket?" he said, half joking as the baby reached up and grabbed his index finger.
"No," said Eliza, "But I already have a name for her. Dawn, because I found her at sunrise."
"Then Dawn it is," said Merimac with a smile. "Dawn Brandybuck"
A.N. Haha! I hope you like the prologue! Coming soon: Chapter 1! Please reveiw
A.N. Since my fanfic was such a success, I just couldn't resist the urge to write a sequel. This is a mystery, an adventure, a romance, and even a bit of a ghost story. I hope you all will enjoy this fic.
The Rising Dawn
Prologue
It was twilight on the sea as the old Hobbit woman stood by the window in her room, beneath the decks of the Elven ship. Carole Greendown Baggins looked out at the bounding waves as the moon began to rise. If one looked at her, she seemed no older than 59 years old, but in truth she would have been over 100 if it were not for the events that took her from the Shire over 40 years ago. As she stood, her memory wandering over her youth, a sudden sound made her turn away from the little window. She walked over to where she had carefully laid her pack down on the bed, and with both her hands she gently lifted up the small bundle she had secretly carried. With a quick movement, she uncovered her treasure, the small Hobbit child, and sat on the bed, rocking back and fourth to quiet the waking baby.
"Shush, little one, " Carole whispered softly, "It's alright, Aurora . We're on a Elven ship, don't you know? We're going to Valinor. Don't fret, dear, your Granny's here, and your Grand-Da will be back soon."
"Sooner than you thought, dearest," said Carole's husband, Frodo Baggins, standing in the doorway. Even after 40 years, he was still as quick and silent as he was young and could set traps and hunt in the woods outside their home back in the green Western lands.
"Goodness, Frodo, don't do that!" said Carole, sighing with relief, "You gave me an awful fright."
"Forgive me, my love, but when you dote on little Dawn, anything, whether it's a dragon or an army of Orcs could come by and you wouldn't even blink," he said with a smile as he sat down next to his bride.
"True, but still, we need to be careful. Suppose Thoron, or Gem, or- worse- even Gandalf came in-"
"Indeed, suppose he did," said the voice of the White Wizard. Both the Hobbits looked up, and standing five feet away was Gandalf The White himself, his robes still a blinding white after hundreds of years, his staff in his hand. "Suppose he did come by? What do you think he would do if he discovered your stowaway, hm?" The old wizard laughed a big and hearty laugh as he came closer, and looked down upon his old friends and their granddaughter. "I don't see why you thought you needed keep her a secret," he said, "She is welcome here, as you two are welcome. There is no need to hide her."
"It's not that we wanted to hide her, Gandalf," said Frodo, "We were just unsure if it would have been alright to bring her with us."
"Especially under such short notice," added Carole. "Truth be told, we thought to let our daughter, Samantha, take care of her, but the poor thing's always been sick, and ever since her mother and father died…"she could not finish, for the memory, still so fresh in her mind, brought tears to her old brown eyes.
"Have no fear, my friends, I know your troubles. Your granddaughter is welcome here. And I am sure that she will bring some needed excitement on this rather dull voyage." Gandalf said as he began to chuckle.
And he was right. The crew and their friends, the Dwarves Tor, Dain, Thain, Gwain, and Gem, and the Humans Thoron, his wife Hope, and Hope's brother Homer, all loved the child instantly. For the rest of the short voyage, none could get over the child, who's blue eyes were always filled with wonder, and whose black curls shined even in the Moonlight. The only thing odd about her was that she was a bit larger than most Hobbit children should be, and her skin a perpetual tan. But being a sweet baby, none gave these a second thought.
********************************************
Carole sat with Aurora in her arms, rocking in a new chair in their home on the Isle of Valinor. Only a month had passed, and yet it seemed as if they had always been living in their small house, and also as if they had arrived just yesterday. As she began to sing a lullaby to Aurora, there came a knock at the door to the not-quite-a-nursery.
"Come in," she said softly, so she wouldn't disturb the baby. Sam Gamgee, Frodo's closest friend and gardener poked his head in. Though he had long since been released of his services as gardener and been his own master, when they had returned to Valinor Sam insisted on calling them 'Mr.' and 'Miss'.
"Beggin' your pardon, Miss Carole," Sam said from the door, "But you're needed in the parlor." His kind old voice seemed troubled, and a bit nervous. How odd for someone who had always seemed cheerful, no matter what the circumstance.
"Thank you Sam," Carol replied. She put Aurora in her crib (a gift from the Lady Galadriel) and she followed Sam into the parlor room. There waited Gandalf, Lord Elrond, and Lady Galadriel on her right, and Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle, and Frodo on her left. The three Elven Ringbearers faces, normally warm and kind, were now of stone. Bilbo's old face was downcast, his pity obvious, and Frodo's blue eyes held bitter tears.
"What's wrong?" asked Carole. "Please, tell me, what is wrong," she said, though she already half guessed.
Frodo was the first to speak, "I'm sorry, love. We can't keep her."
"Why?" she asked.
"Elrond and Galadriel say that they have seen her future, and…"
"Forgive us, my friend," said lord Elrond, "but a fortnight ago, a vision came to me. I looked into her future, and saw grief, pain, and despair."
"Then why send her away?" cried Carole, as her heart began to break, "Why not keep her here, in peace and happiness?"
"If she does not go," said Galadriel, "then all the world, even this land, is doomed. Two nights ago, Elrond told me of his vision. I wanted to know if he was correct, thus I looked into my Mirror. First, I saw a tall man and a Hobbit lass standing side by side under the flowering trees. Then, I saw Aurora, as she is now, cradled in your arms. Finally, I saw Aurora once more, older, in her 'tweens', standing before a dark and powerful Queen. Last night I looked once more, and saw all of Middle Earth covered in shadow. Then, I saw that same shadow cover the entire world. My final vision was of the same dark Queen, sitting on the throne of Gondor, a Mithril crown on her head, The Simarils embedded in that crown, and a Ring on her finger."
"They came to me with their visions," said Gandalf, "and after great debate, we came to the decision that these visions mean that Aurora must bring down this Queen, or she will cover all in her darkness. For that, dawn must leave Valinor."
"But…" Carole said, "but where will you take her?"
"To the Shire," said Gandalf, "She will be safest there."
"But who will take care of her?"
"That will all be taken care of, good lady. For now, I suggest that you spend this day with Aurora. For she will be taken tonight before the Moon rises.
************************************
Merimac Brandybuck III, the Master Of Brandybuck Hall, sat in his great study, reading the book of legends that his ancestor, Meriadoc the Magnificent, collected long ago. At nearly 40, he and his wife, Eliza, had had no children, and their house rang with the fact. His brothers and sisters, and all his cousins, who resided with them had had children already, some of them even in their pre-teens, yet he and Eliza were never blessed with a child. For a year his lovely wife had been deeply distressed, for she wanted a child more than anything. But in recent weeks, his wife had become restless. She had taken to looking out windows, going for walks by the Brandywine river, and taking out her old quilt sewings, which she had packed away when she gave up on having anyone to make a quilt for. Whenever Merimac questioned his wife about this odd behavior, her face would go blank, and then she would reply, "I'm not sure. I feel as if I'm waiting."
"For what?" Merimac would say.
"I don't know," Eliza would reply.
Then, as morning's first light crept over the tops of the trees, a commotion of many feet came running up to the study's door. Then, several of Merimac's cousins burst through the door, shouting, "Eliza's found a baby in the river!!"
"What?!" said Merimac, in disbelief.
"Eliza's found a little baby in the Brandywine!," said little Danwise Bolger, the youngest of Merimac's cousins (the lad was only 4). "We were by the river- "
"Shush, Danny," said the boy's father, Danmar Bolger, "Eliza was taking one of her walks, with some of the children, and one pointed across the river and said, "'Look! Elves in the trees!'" but all we could catch were what looked like green-hooded Bigfolk running back through the trees. Then, Eliza saw a small white basket floating in the reeds nearby, and she got it out. And wonder of wonders, she finds a baby girl inside!"
"Well don't stand there, take me to Eliza!" shouted Merimac. Soon, they had made their way to one of the front rooms, where Eliza sat in a large armchair, indeed holding a baby girl in her arms. As Merimac came closer, he passed the white basket the foundling had been in. As he stood beside hi wife, he looked at the child in the wraps. The baby clothes alone were strange enough. They were of fine cloth, finer even than what was imported from Gondor, and the embroidery was too exquisite for words.
Then there was the child herself. She was a beautiful baby, to be sure, but her skin was a warm light copper, and her hair was as black as night, but the curls caught and held the light of the dim lit room as if the Sun shone bright on it. And her eyes were a deep and dark shade of blue that none had ever seen before.
Merimac leaned in close to his wife and said, "How can this be?"
"I don't know," said Eliza, smiling at the little jewel she held. "All I know is that our wish has been answered. After all these years, my dear, we have our own child."
"Yes, but what will we call her? I don't suppose there was a piece of paper attached to that basket?" he said, half joking as the baby reached up and grabbed his index finger.
"No," said Eliza, "But I already have a name for her. Dawn, because I found her at sunrise."
"Then Dawn it is," said Merimac with a smile. "Dawn Brandybuck"
A.N. Haha! I hope you like the prologue! Coming soon: Chapter 1! Please reveiw