The Manic Adventure Of Sam, Zee, and Jackie
Chapter 17: Bonding and Stories
That next morning Sam and Jackie took to politely eating while Zee, the devourer, decided to eat whatever was in sight. Even if it wasn't on her plate.
"She has the appetite of a Hobbit!" Bofur laughed as he carefully kept his food out of Zee's reach, "Bilbo, you should teach her some manners!"
"Shut up!" Zee said with food stuffed in her mouth, "I'm trying to enjoy myself!"
Sam and Jackie didn't bother trying to correct her manners, they were to focused on their own breakfast to care. Yummy honey cakes, sweet milk, warm bread, despite the lack of variety it was wonderfully delicious. Then again, their travels didn't allow for luxuries like this.
"Thank you, Beorn!" Sam and Jackie smiled once they finished their meals, they weren't going to overindulge like Zee and accidentally cause an upset stomach.
"Sam.." Fili came up to Sam with a nervous smile, "May we talk?"
Sam nodded her head and followed Fili outside to have a private discussion. She was actually in a good mood today, which was weird considering how awful she felt yesterday.
"I was thrilled to hear that you wished to talk," Fili smiled at her, "I was beginning to think that you were never going to come near me again."
"I wouldn't do that." Sam told him as they strolled past some berry bushes, "I just needed a moment to myself to figure some things out."
"And what did you need to think about?" He asked, he had a feeling that he had scared her off but she was making it sound like there were other things on her mind. "Us?"
"Lots of things," Sam sighed, somewhere along the way Fili had taken Sam's hand and started leading her around, "You know, I think you'd make a great king."
Fili stopped, "Really?" he had a small blush on his face. "I've always been too afraid to think about that."
"Because you think you won't be a good king?" Sam asked with a small smile, "I know how you feel..."
"How?" Fili asked, as far as he was aware Sam was ordinary and not royalty. "How would you know?"
"Because I was in denial that I was forever stuck in Middle-Earth." Sam told him, "I was being so stupid that I made myself afraid of living here because I don't know how to care for myself here."
"You were afraid?"
"Of course," Sam nodded, "where I'm from, none of this exists, or at least not anymore in some cases. I never had to cook for myself, never had to know how to fight, my life was so simple back then. I was feeling so useless."
"You're not useless!" Fili grabbed her shoulder and stared into her eyes, "You are useful, maybe not entirely in a way that Thorin would have wanted, but believe me when I say that we need you and your friends."
"I do believe you now," Sam blushed a bit as she spoke, "because you're what makes me feel safe."
Fili was taken aback by that, "M-Me..?"
Sam nodded, "You gave that sense of security that I needed, without you I'd be a mess!"
Fili blushed a bit, never had he heard those words before. True, Kili use to look up to him and tell him he was a hero but that wasn't the same.
"That's why I know you'll be a wonderful king." Sam leaned up and kissed his cheek, "You are a lovely king in my eyes."
Fili smiled back and returned a kiss to Sam's cheek, "And you will make a kind queen Âzyungâl."
While the statement made Sam a bit uncomfortable, as she could never see herself as a queen, she remembered that in order for them to achieve a happy ending she would need to stay strong. Besides, with Fili by her side how bad could life be?
When Fili and Sam returned to Beorn's house, Ori and Bilbo eagerly came to her for some stories that she once promised to tell them a while back. She had actually forgotten but she was happy to do so nonetheless.
"Join us, Fili." Sam insisted when she caught on that Fili was feeling a bit left out, "I'm sure you'd like to hear some of the stories I grew up with."
"I believe I am intrigued with that claim." Fili followed the three to a tree and the males all seated themselves around Sam.
"What are you guys in the mood for first?" Sam asked, "Give me some idea."
"Do you have one with dwarves?" Ori asked eagerly, he loved to hear one with some of his kind. "I understand if you don't but-"
Sam didn't want to tell them of the only dwarf story she knew (AKA Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) so she shook her head, "I don't know any off the top of my head, I'm sure there were some though."
"How about one of an adventure?" Bilbo asked, "Like ours?"
"Hmm..." Sam thought about that, "Nothing comes to mind right away but I know a few that involve rescuing another person."
"I would love to hear one of those then!" The two bookworms eagerly encouraged her to tell one of the stories.
"Alright, I know a good one!" Sam smiled as she recalled a great story, "It's called Hansel and Gretel."
"Han what?" Ori asked, he had his scribes ready to note the stories she would tell them.
"Hansel, H-A-N-S-E-L, and Gretel, G-R-E-T-E-L. They were the children of a poor woodcutter and step children to his wicked second wife." Sam explained for them, speaking slowly so the Ori could keep up. "When a great famine spread across the land, the second wife proposes to her husband that they leave the children in the woods to fend for themselves, leaving more food for the adults to survive off of."
Bilbo stared in shock while Fili asked in outrage, "Why would she do that?! How cold of a woman!"
"I always assumed that the second wife hated the children because their father probably loved them more and devoted fathers tend to remarry just so that their children can have a caretaker when they're not around." Sam shrugged, quite frankly she often expressed to her mother that her father's new wife was like a story book villain. Then again, Sam was a spoiled brat.
"The father refused right?" Bilbo asked worriedly, "I mean, they are his children."
"He did at first, but his wife eventually convinced him." Sam felt bad for the boys as the three shared a look of shock, "However, Hansel and Gretel had heard their parents and, when the adults went to bed, Hansel snuck out of of the house and collected many small white pebbles. When he returned, he promised Gretel that they would not be forsaken."
"May I asked a question?" Ori asked rather hurriedly, "Is Hansel the oldest child?"
"Yes he is." Sam nodded, "Anyways, the next day the adults let their children join them on a trip. Intending on leaving them, they told the two to stay where the adults would leave them and that they would come back."
"Truly cold." Bilbo commented softly.
"But, Hansel had dropped the pebbles he gathered during the trip and the siblings were able to return to home safely. So the second wife decided to leave them again the next time and, to make sure Hansel couldn't get outside during the night, locked the house's door. So the next morning, the siblings were given bread to eat and taken to the woods again. Hansel used the crumbs of the bread to mark the trail but, when they tried to return, they found that the birds had eaten the crumbs."
"As resourceful as that idea was," Fili commented, "I had figured it would fail."
Sam nodded in acknowledgment of the comment and continued, "So the siblings wander the woods, the day had already long past and they were tired and hungry. Eventually, they wandered upon a house made of delicious sweets like candy and gingerbread. They were quick to start eating the house and soon an old woman emerged from the tasty house. Promising the children soft beds and food, she managed to lure them inside. However, when the children fell asleep, the old woman took a sleeping Hansel and locked him in a cell."
"Why in the world would she do that?" Ori and Bilbo asked.
"She was a witch." Sam explained, she continued to explain that the witch liked to eat children, hence why her house was made of treats, and how she forced Hansel to eat the candy every day to fatten him up while Gretel was used as a slave.
"One day, having enough of not eating the boy, the witch decided to eat Hansel regardless of his size. She had her oven prepared for him when she chose to eat Gretel first, planning on tricking the girl into making sure that the fire was just right by crawling in it. Gretel outsmarted the witch, she pretended to not understand and the witch had to demonstrate for her so that Gretel could shove her into the fire instead."
"Genius!" Ori cheered, taking a moment from his writing to give a regular comment like Bilbo had.
"So while the witch burned, Gretel freed her brother and the two stole some precious jewels they found in her house. With the help of a swan , the siblings were able to return home to find the their second mother had died and their father had been mourning for the loss of his children. With their family reunited, and with the wealth the children stole, they all lived happily ever after."
"A marvelous story!" Ori smiled as he copied the last of the story, "What others do you know?"
"Do you know any kings?" Kili asked as he popped up from behind Sam's tree, "Sorry, but it was hard not to notice that something was going on over here."
"And it's hard to not notice that you're being nosy." Sam laughed as he seated himself to her right just like Fili was at her left, "But I think I have one that'll entertain you."
"What's it called?" Ori had a new page opened for the next story, "Is it adventurous?"
"Not really but I think you might like it." Sam smiled, "It's called The Four Skillful Brothers."
"Brothers?" Fili and Kili perked up at the title, "You have our attention!"
Sam rolled her eyes and began the story, "Okay, there was once a poor man with four sons, he sent them away to learn any trade they could. Each brother ended up meeting a different man who would teach them a different trade; the oldest learned to be a thief, the second learned astronomy, the third learned to be a huntsman, and the last became a tailor."
"I have a question," Bilbo asked, "why did the father send them away to learn?"
"Well, judging the time era of the story, I'd say that maybe the father himself had no special trade or felt that his sons could do better learning other trades." Sam explained to the hobbit, "It is a common practice."
"What does the father do?" Ori asked, "What was his trade?"
"Assuming he's poor, I'd say he was a farmer because when you live that kind of life, and in older times, it was really a gamble on whether you could make your fortune or not." Sam shrugged, "I was never told what his trade was."
Sam continued on to tell them how when the sons returned to their father, the old man tested their new skills by tasking each one to do something to a nest of eggs. The second son had to tell the father how many were in the nest with his telescope and then the oldest brother had to steal the eggs with the mother being unaware, the third had to shoot all five eggs in one shot and the fourth stitch up the eggs and chicks so that they could be returned.
"Not long after, the princess was stolen by a dragon and the brothers decided to go save her. The second brother was able to locate her and, with a ship from the king, they were able to reach the dragon's lair. Unable to shoot the dragon, in fear of hurting or even killing the princess as well, the oldest decided to steal her back instead. As they sailed back to their kingdom, the dragon followed only to be finally killed by the huntsman but, when the dragon fell into the sea, the waves swamped their ship. Luckily, the youngest brother was able to sew together the ship and, upon the princess's return, were given four equal parts of the kingdom to rule."
"I say!" Bofur laughed as he and Balin approached the group, "That story sounds much like our journey!"
"Aye," Balin smiled, "Bilbo would be the oldest since he is the thief."
"Kili would be the huntsman since he apparently shoots things." Ori teased while Kili only grinned cheekily.
"Then Ori would be the tailor!" Fili laughed, "He is the only one I could see have such a small yet important role."
"And Balin could the second brother!" Kili hooted, "I can see him being the one to find everything we cannot."
The group laughed at their comparisons of the story characters to themselves, it seemed that Sam was right about them liking the tale. Because even long after her stories they continued to bring it up.
"Sam?" Bilbo had pulled the girl to the side as the dwarves left to go about other activities, "I was wondering if you had a more romantic story...?"
"Of course!" Sam smiled, "Anything to specify?"
"U-Um..." Bilbo blushed a bit which totally told Sam what she needed to know.
"How about Beauty and The Beast?" Sam asked innocently, "I think you'll enjoy it."
"I-If you think so." Sam took Bilbo away to a small stream that laid behind Beorn's house.
"Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy merchant with three daughters, each were lovely but only his youngest was kind and pure. To their family's misfortune, the merchant's ships were caught in a terrible storm and they were forced to reside in a small farmhouse because all of their wealth was lost." Sam said as she leaned against a tree trunk, "After a few years, a ship of the merchant's had returned so he went to the dock to see if there would be anything of worth. Before he left, he asked his daughters what they wanted him to get them from his trip. The older two asked for fine dresses and jewels while Belle only asked for a rose because non grew where they lived."
"What happened?" Bilbo asked curiously, taking a seat on a rock and allowing his feet to relax in the cold waters. "Did he get the ship's contents?"
"Nope, everything was seized to pay his debt and he was left with nothing to buy his daughters their gifts. While traveling through a forest, having gotten lost, he found a dazzling palace where a mysterious host greeted him. After spending the night, the merchant was about to leave when he noticed a rose bush and pick one for Belle. However the host, who turned out to be a beast, refused to let the merchant leave for stealing a rose. He did let the merchant leave to see his daughter and give them their gifts but under the condition that he had to return. So he left but Belle knew something was wrong when he arrived home and confronted the beast herself after her father told her what had happened. The beast did decide to make a change, Belle was to take her father's place and become the palace's mistress. The only condition was that she could never leave, but, to spare her father, Belle took it. So she spent every day with the beast and the servants, who tended to her every whim, and every day the beast would ask her to marry him but she refused as she could only love him as a friend. Every night when she slept, a handsome prince would appear in her dreams and beg her to marry the beast but gave her no reason as why she should. "
Sam was going to continue with Belle searching for the prince throughout her new home as it was believe the prince was a prisoner of the beast but a voice cut in.
"What are you two doing over here?" Sam found herself being interrupted by Thorin, who looked like he was confused and a bit hurt. "I thought you two would have been enjoying some lunch like everyone."
"We would have been," Sam smiled kindly, she did not miss the fact that Thorin was looking a bit jealous, "but Bilbo wanted another story and I thought it would be fun to tell the story here, the atmosphere just seemed to fit the story."
"I see." The darkness in his eyes let up a bit but still remained, "Then I heavily suggest that you two hurry back and eat before Bombur devours everything."
"Okay!" Sam grabbed Bilbo's hand and dragged him back to Beorn's, Thorin didn't seem to expect that as he watched them disappear with wide eyes.
"I-I think you may have upset him.." Bilbo stuttered nervously, "Did you really need to do that?"
"I was only teasing him, plus it might be a sign." Sam winked at Bilbo, causing the poor hobbit to blushed, "But, we both know that food is so precious and no one cares if we don't get any so long as their bellies are full."
Bilbo gave her a small laugh at the joke, it rang with truth and Bilbo knew that he would be rather annoying should he not eat the three daily meals he was forced to settle with. After all, Hobbits ate seven times a day. Sam was one to not let a meal go uneaten, she did get over her pickiness thanks to the lack of food she received daily.
I'm going to Disneyland! Yes, seventeen years old and still excited to see that mouse, don't judge me! Anyways, I do plan a releasing a Christmas chapter, like where the girls explain Christmas to the dwarves and whatnot so look forward to that. Also, I'm going to see the Hobbit: Battle Of Five Armies tonight! So excited, I'm bringing extra soft tissues just in case I cry. I do hope that once I see the movie I don't suddenly ask myself what I'm going to do with my life from now on...That'll be just sad if I did. But, either way, Imma be all happy till I see it and after that, can't say...