The Road to Middle-Earth

A fanfiction by MushrooomsPTook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!

A/N – This chapter has been rated for violence.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham

It was a spring day and I had been asked to babysit Alice for the first time while her parents were house hunting for the day. They had moved to Chicago recently and it would be the first time that I would have seen Alice since her birth. She was four now and I was a little anxious that she may not take to me kindly. But there was also a part of me that was excited to see her in person after four years. I had gotten pictures in the mail and been updated over various emails, of course, but I also missed four years of growth, not to mention the fact that I also missed seeing her parents. But thankfully they would be staying with me for the week and I was looking forward to catching up and getting all the news from James and Rachel.

The morning after they arrived was a beautiful one and I let Alice sleep in late while I read a little bit from one of my favorite books, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I'd been reading from it off and on and was thinking to myself how amazing it was to find a new detail every time I flipped through its pages. I was at the part where Frodo was distracting the guests at the Inn of the Prancing Pony by singing the ridiculous song he'd learned from Bilbo, and I closed my eyes, singing the nearly memorized lyrics in an improvised melody. I nodded my head to the irregular beat and a smile spread across my face as I imagined myself at the inn, clapping and laughing at the sight of Frodo mimicking a leaping cow.

A creak in the floor brought me back to reality and I opened my eyes to see little Alice watching me with freshly awakened eyes. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks rosy from sleep. Her finger was halfway in her mouth and her big brown eyes shone of curiosity. I cleared my throat awkwardly and closed my book after a few moments, turning my full attention to my small charge. I tried to think of something to say to break the silence, but I had watched very few children in my lifetime and all I could do was force an embarrassed smile. I did not possess any musical talent, and regardless of the age of my audience, I had sworn to never breathe a song in front of anyone.

"What awh you doing?" Alice asked meekly.

"Reading." I looked her up and down cautiously. "Did I wake you?"

She shook her head shyly. "What awh you weading?"

I played with the pages of the book, still maintaining eye contact with my small cousin. "A book called Lord of the Rings. Ever heard of it?" Alice shook her head a second time. "Well, it's about hobbits, elves, wizards, dwarves, and—"

"What's a hobbit?" she interrupted.

A slow smile spread across my face. "Well, they're people like you and me, except they're short, have curly hair, don't wear shoes, and eat a lot!"

"Like 'oo?" she asked, coming a bit closer.

I cringed. Of course, she had to notice that I was the only person to help myself to seconds last night at dinner. I mentally reminded myself to make a salad for lunch—a small one. "No," I went on. "They eat more than me! Six meals a day or more in fact."

"Six? Wow," she whispered slowly. "They must be fat."

I smiled and stood up from my recliner, placing my book on the side table next to me. "You must be hungry. Come and have some breakfast. I made pancakes for you!"

At the word pancakes, Alice's eyes went wide and a smile crept on her face. She walked after me briskly and watched with curiosity as I worked to reheat the food I had prepared for her. Her eyes watched the plate of fluffy pancakes greedily as I moved it from the microwave to the table. I helped her in her seat and filled her plate. Silence passed as she ate and I watched her intently as she poked the pancakes with her fork and shoveled rather large bites into her mouth. I chuckled and reprimanded her gently, taking the fork and knife in my hands and cutting the pancakes into smaller bites. After she finished I cleared the table as she sat in silence, taking a nearby pencil and drawing on her napkin. I swept by her to pick up the syrup when I looked down at her artwork and my brows furrowed as I tried to piece together what she was drawing. There were two circles joined together, the upper one smaller with messy spirals covering it. I gathered it was a person for in its stick arm was an object that I couldn't make out. Below the larger circle were two smaller ones with bumps on the end of each.

"What is that?" I asked my cousin with an amused chuckle.

"A hobbit!" She began to point at the drawing with the pencil. "Look, it has cuwly hair and it's not weawing shoes and it's eating a appow."

"I see. You forgot the hairy toes."

"EW!" Alice shrieked and threw down the pencil as if it had suddenly been contaminated.

I laughed loudly at her reaction. "Anyway, we should probably give your hobbit a name, don't you think?" I picked up the pencil and scribbled something on the paper next to the hobbit's head.

Alice squinted her eyes as she tried to read the newly scratched information. "Bi...Biwbo?"

I chuckled. "Yep. Bilbo Baggins."

Alice squealed. "That's a funny name!"

"So is Alice!" I poked her nose and she giggled more.

"Can you wead it to me?"

I paused. "What, Lord of the Rings?" She nodded. I bit my lip in discomforted silence, wondering if Tolkien's magical works were appropriate for a child of only four. "Well... I don't know, Alice. Maybe when you're older."

Suddenly, Alice gave me a look I would never forget. Her eyes grew very large and her bottom lip poked out into a pout. I thought she would seriously start crying and I put my hands up to fend off the tearful look. "Pwease?" she pleaded. "I wike stowies and I wead all mine."

I sighed. "Alice, your mommy and daddy may not want you to read it."

"Yes they do. They tell me all the time that weading makes me smawt." I chuckled but when I tried to walk away to rid myself of the uncomfortable silence, Alice wrapped her arms around my legs, forcing me to come to a halt. "Pwease, Awayna? Pwetty pwease?"

My lip trembled. I could tell she was about to start crying, but I didn't wait to find out if she would fake it. "Oh...All right!"

Alice released me and clapped her hands in glee. Then she bounced over to my armchair and snatched up my book in her tiny hands before plopping down into the chair. I couldn't help but laugh as I picked her up into my arms. "Now, if we're going to do this, Alice, we'd better do it right."

I went into my bedroom and pulled a book out of the bookshelf. I walked over to the armchair and sat down with Alice in my lap. She snuggled in closely to my chest and rested her head on my shoulder as I opened up the first page and reclined into the chair. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." I continued to read on and on while Alice sat and listened intently, laughing at certain spots, and interrupting frequently to ask certain questions about Bilbo Baggins and his hobbit hole. She went quite silent when I introduced Gandalf and gasped at the mention of his fireworks. She had always loved fireworks.

Her laughter continued when the dwarves were introduced and she applauded at my various impersonations of them. I was quite astonished at how well she was focused on the story and I was glad I was able to entertain her. When I glanced at her occasionally I caught the image of my baby cousin when I first held her four years ago. She was growing up so fast, and inwardly I was glad that James and Rachel decided to move to Chicago, so that I could be a part of Alice's childhood memories.

"...when there came—a loud knock," I continued. "Not a ring, but a hard rat-tat on the hobbit's beautiful green door." I emphasized this part in the story by knocking on the side table, but instead of a 'rat-tat', I heard a very loud clang, such as when someone closes a heavy, steel door. I paused, eyed the table carefully, and knocked on it again. This time it was a louder clang. Then, I heard a voice. "Up! Get up!"

I looked at Alice. "Oh no!"

I was barely able to shake off my sleep before I felt the sting of my hair being pulled. I winced as I tried to fight off the person who was hurting me, but I was too disoriented. "Get up! Now!" said the voice. I finally managed to get my legs under me and forced myself to stand and face the Sheriff, whose face was full of fury. My jaw was sore and my back hurt, and I was cold too. "Where is she?"

"What?" I peered at him in uncertainty as he let go of my hair. But his hand quickly returned to meet my face in a blow that reminded me of the gravity of my situation.

"Your cousin! Where is she? My men didn't find her."

"I don't know what you're—" His hand slapped my face again.

"Think carefully about your next words, or they could be your last," he warned between his teeth.

"All I know is that your men sent them into the forest like I asked. If you can't find them, that's not my problem!"

The Sheriff glared at me and then raised his right hand, beckoning his guards to enter. Four of them came forward and among them was Sir Guy of Gisbourne, clasping the arm of a shorter man. His hands were bound and a dark hood was over his head. Sir Guy reached over to remove the hood. I immediately went stiff and all hope seemed to drain from my heart. The man was Will Scarlet. "No, my dear Alayna," said the Sheriff. "I believe it is your problem."

"Will," I whispered.

"Ah, so you two know each other." I closed my gaping mouth and glared at the Sheriff. "I believe you know much more than what you're telling me, or are you not in league with Robin of the Hood?"

I swallowed and tried to steady my breathing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Foolish girl." The Sheriff nodded his head to Sir Guy and he rammed his fist into Will's stomach, making him double over with a grunt.

"Stop!" I shouted and moved to stop the violence, but the Sheriff grabbed me and pushed me back forcefully.

"Where is Robin Hood?"

"I don't know!" I looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he would understand that I really was telling the truth now. I didn't know where Robin's whereabouts were. But he turned to Sir Guy and nodded again, and I watched helplessly as he sent another blow into Will's stomach. I again tried to push myself to help my friend but the Sheriff lifted his hand to strike me. I was expecting it, however, and thrusted my knee into his groin. With the Sheriff on the floor, wailing in pain, I moved past him quickly and fought with the guards. I knew the training I had received from Robin wasn't for nothing as I was able to punch Sir Guy in the face, but that was all I could do when the other three guards seized me, pulling my arms back. The Sheriff, in the meantime, had pulled himself up weakly and was wobbling over to me, eyes blazing with fury. He stopped, grabbed me by the neck, threw me down and pulled out a dagger. I backed into the corner as he advanced upon me.

"No!" cried Will. "Stop! I'll tell you!" The Sheriff paused and turned slowly to look at the prisoner. "I'll tell you, just don't hurt her."

"Will, no!" I begged, but he ignored me as the Sheriff approached him, lowering the dagger as he did so.

"Yes?"

"Will, don't, please."

The Sheriff turned his head sharply to look at me. "Shut up!" Then he looked back at Will. "Well, go on."

"Well...I don't know where he is right now. But...he comes here often under the guise of a servant. He normally prepares food for you, as well as caters to events."

The Sheriff smiled. "Gamble," he whispered under his breath.

Will swallowed. "Yes."

"No!" I got up quickly and lunged at Will. I tried to beat him with my fists, but I was too weak from the tears that spilled out. I caught a glimpse of sorrow when he looked at me before turning his head to evade my fury. The guards seized me and pulled me away. The Sheriff, still smiling smugly, walked past us, clasping his hands behind his back in a victorious confidence.

"Sir Guy," he said.

"Yes, my lord?" The man bowed.

"You and your men will prepare the gallows for an execution in the morning." Sir Guy bowed again. "For twoexecutions to be exact. When the king returns—if he returns—he will learn that I, out of honest loyalty and duty, had to end the conspiracy of Robin Hood and his companions from overtaking the throne with the stolen Galdorcarr. The reward for my heroic actions will be great and just, don't you think?"

Sir Guy smirked. "Yes, my lord."

"I'm sure we can expect a rescue attempt from the illusive outlaw, so why don't we allow him to join the party? Set up the gallows for three executions." Sir Guy chuckled and strode away. The Sheriff walked up to me and knelt so that he was directly in front of me. He stroke my cheek and I shuddered, pulling away. "I was really looking forward to our wedding night, I'll have you know. But I can't miss this opportunity to see justice enforced upon a criminal. I hope you understand."

I glared through my tears. "The only criminal here is you, Sheriff!"

The Sheriff sniffed and scratched his nose. "Yes, of course." He stood up and walked out, nodding once to the guards. They cut Will's bounds and laughed as they kicked him inside the cell with me. Then with a "pleasant dreams" from the Sheriff, the door was shut and all light faded into darkness.

Next Chapter – Will the Sheriff succeed in carrying out his plan?

A/N – I'm super sorry for how long this took me to write. Honestly, I had the biggest writer's block on this and I went through two alternative ideas before finally settling on this one. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think! R&R

P.S. The Hobbit comes out this Tuesday! Let me know if you're planning on getting it or waiting for the extended. They will have an extended, won't they?

xXChaoticOrderXx – Whew! I was worried for a moment there! ;)

Calemireth – Tut tut! So much violence. ;)

Daddys number 1 girl – Thank you kindly. :)

seafarer – I love that line too! I just had to use it. I think it often when I'm going through difficult times. ;)