Chapter 4: A Ray of Hope

There was a knock on Olo Bracegirdle's door one afternoon. When the shirrif answered it, Merry stepped in, along with a few other men.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bracegirdle," he addressed him politely. "We are sorry to trouble you now, but I'm afraid that we have a warrant to search your smial."

"Why's that, Mr. Meriadoc?" Olo asked suspiciously.

"One of our people back in Hobbiton expressed some concerns about you and the condition of your child, Miss Crystal Bracegirdle, I believe?"

"Who - ?"

"The hobbit in question wished for us not to disclose his name. Now, if you would just step aside and let us carry out our duty, things will go much easier…"

Merry reported back to Frodo's office around five o'clock. The search had lasted for about two hours.

"How did it go, Merry?"

"We found that illegal southern weed from the poppy flower in his cellar. Opium, I believe it's called." Frodo looked at him in surprise. "It's true. It turns out our beloved hot-headed shirrif has been involved in underground activities for years with ruffians. Same with his father."

"What did you do?"

"I had him arrested and sent to the Lockholes. He'll probably have quite a bit of time to do."

"What did you do with the girl, then?"

"She's with Mosco Fields right now. He's going to bring her over."

"Good, good." Frodo nodded. Merry thought he saw a hint of a smile across his face. He sat in a chair by Frodo's desk.

"You were right about him and his girl, too," he said quietly. "She was curled up in a little ball in the corner of her room when we got there. We saw the whip marks and the bruises. And I think you should move for a change in custody on grounds of physical abuse."

"That's what I've been planning to do." Frodo got up and looked out the round window in the office. It was a week into December, and the sky was growing dark due to the shortening days.

Merry watched him closely for a bit. At length he asked, "Is it true that you went and bought Eos's girl a doll?"

Frodo's back was turned to him, so if he was surprised, Merry could not tell. "Yes, I did," Frodo answered. "How did you know?"

"After they took Olo away, we had to coax little Crystal out of her room. She brought a little stuffed bag with her and the doll as well. She asked us where we were taking her, and we told her we were taking her to you. She held up her doll and said, 'He gave me my doll!'"

Frodo laughed softly. "She remembered," he said.

"But Frodo, why?"

"Why what?"

"You and Pip went over to make arrangements with Olo only a week ago. In that small amount of time, you get her a doll. Knowing you, you would probably do the same for any other lad or lass, but in a week?" Frodo said nothing. "What made you do that much for her?"

Frodo shrugged. "It was because her mother was Eos, wasn't it?" Merry demanded. "Because she was the daughter of the woman you loved."

He saw his friend's shoulders tense. Then, "How did you know?" His voice was quiet, steely.

Merry, sensing Frodo's discomfort chose his words carefully. "I'm not blind, Frodo." For a few moments silence screamed. "Are you angry with me, Frodo?"

"No, not at all. Just… don't talk to me about her, alright? I – I don't want to suffer any further if I ever find out she's - dead, or maybe remarried. I don't think I could bear it if I kept yearning for her."

"Well, she can't remarry, she hasn't even divorced yet! Why, she'd be guilty of bigamy!"

"If she's gone outside the Shire – Bree, for instance – our laws won't apply to her." Frodo turned back to Merry. "I don't know, Merry. All I want to care about right now is Crystal." He paused. "If I can't have Eos, I'll have her child."

Mosco brought Crystal to the office half an hour later. She had his overcoat dragging behind her. It flew off as she ran to Frodo, doll in hand.

"What are you planning to do with her, Frodo?" asked Merry.

"I believe I am allowed to have custody of her, as Deputy Mayor," he replied, as the girl wrapped her arms around his waist. He put a hand on her head. "Eos has two sisters, we'll see what they say about the matter later. For now, I'm bringing her home." He took his coat, wrapped it around Crystal, then picked her up and wrapped her cloak around the both of them.

"Are you ready, Crystal?"

"Are we going to your home?"

"Yes we are, when you're warm."

Partway back to the Cottons', Crystal fell asleep leaning against Frodo's chest. He was warmed by her soft touch and the trust and affection that poured out from her into him. He enjoyed the sensation until they reached the front door of the farmer.

Frodo shook her gently awake. "Crystal… Crystal, we're home." Sam and Rosie went up to him as he set Crystal on her feet.

"So this is the Crystal we've been hearing so much about," Sam said as he helped Frodo get his overcoat off of the slightly drowsy child.

"Most certainly, Sam," said Frodo as he grinned back at him. "Did you hear about Olo's arrest?"

"Why, it's already halfway around town how one of our shirrifs has been smoking illegal weed and is having his daughter taken from him on grounds of abuse."

"And by tomorrow it'll be news from here to Michel Delving, I should guess," Frodo replied idly as he chafed Crystal's cold hands. He pushed her gently toward Rosie. "Rosie, could you give Crystal a bath and something light to eat? I swear I can hear her stomach roaring from here."

"Of course, Mr. Baggins. If she trusts me enough to come without you," Rosie added jokingly, gesturing to Crystal, who was still hanging on to Frodo's sleeve.

"Go on," Frodo coaxed softly. "I'll still be nearby. Aunty Rosie will be good to you. Go on."

Crystal let go of him and took Rosie's hand. As she took her down the hall, Sam followed Frodo to the small kitchen, where Frodo collapsed into a chair. Sam sat beside him.

"Long day, hm?" he asked.

"I guess. I think it just seemed long, from all the waiting in the office and thinking about how the girl was, if she was being treated decently." He paused. "Well, she's here now, that's all that matters."

"But her sisters – Celandine and Berylla – they might want to have custody of their niece, seeing that they're relatives."

A shadow came over Frodo's face. "I was thinking of that. Oh, Sam, I know that rightfully they should have her, but… I just don't want to let her go. I already care for her so much."

Frodo and Sam talked quietly for a while Frodo had his dinner (Sam and the rest of the Cottons had already had theirs). Rosie came in to get a plate of food for Crystal to eat in her room, and told Frodo that she'd given Crystal some small lass's clothes from when she was little. As she went out, Frodo caught a little loving smile that passed between her and Sam. He grinned inwardly to himself. It was about time Sam settled down with a wife, he thought.

A quarter of an hour later, Rosie came back to say she'd tucked Crystal in, but she wanted to see Frodo before she went to sleep. Frodo got up to go to her room.

"She's in the last room at the end of the hall, where Nibs used to sleep," Rosie called after him.

Frodo opened the bedroom door and quietly shut it behind him. Crystal was sitting up in the little bed, waiting expectantly.

"Crystal," said Frodo in a mock exasperated tone, "little hobbit girls are supposed to be asleep by now."

"But I wanted to ask you something."

Frodo sat on the bed with her. "What's that?"

"Will I have to go and live with Aunt Celandine or Aunt Berylla?"

"We'll see, we'll see. I told them to come here tomorrow so we could talk about it."

"I want to stay here, Frodo."

Frodo was quiet for a moment. "Don't you love your aunts?"

"I love them, but I want to stay here."

He sighed. "Maybe you'll stay, maybe you won't. I can't say, baby." He bent his head for a moment, as if in thought, then he looked at her and said, "Go to sleep now, Crystal. Don't worry about this until tomorrow."

Crystal lay back on the pillows, and he tucked the blankets more snugly around her. He was about to lean over and kiss her goodnight, when another question came. "Frodo?"

"Yes?" Frodo took one of the little hands that lay on the pillows.

"Did you know my Mommy?"

Even at the young age of nine, Crystal saw a brief flash of grief in Frodo's eyes before he replied, "Yes, I knew her."

"Did you like her?"

Another pause. "Yes, I liked her very much. We were friends."

"Did she like you?"

"I would think so."

"Why did you like her?"

"Well, she was beautiful, she was intelligent. And she was very kind to people. Your mother was a good woman." Frodo's eyes went to a shade of ethereal sky blue, like they did when he was pensive. Crystal lay there, silent, fascinated by the emotions chasing each other across his face. There was a mixture of sadness, love and deep thoughtfulness. Presently, he looked up and smiled at her. "You look very much like her. She should be proud."

She smiled back. Frodo kissed her forehead, blew out the candle on the bedstead, and left. She curled up into a ball under the covers and fell into undisturbed sleep.

Crystal did not know that when Frodo got back to his room, he pressed his back to the door, his eyes closed tightly with the agony in his heart.

A.N.: In hobbit years, Crystal would be about four years old, though she's nine in human years, a correction I made to this story with the guidance of Southern Gaelic. So think of Crystal as a preschooler, not a third-grader.