Title: What May Come
Author: Frodo Baggins of Bag End (FrodoAtBagEnd)
E-mail: febobe at yahoo dot com
Characters: Celebrian, Frodo, Elrond; Gandalf, Bilbo, various others.
Rating: PG-13 or so. It's probably just PG-13, generally, but I don't know angstiness and h/c level for every single chapter yet. Chapter III - "Small And Great Steps" - is really about PG to PG-13, depending upon your level of interpretation of rating.
Summary: Frodo's healing in the West is not as he had hoped. . .and yet it is more; in Tol Eressea he finds a new home and family, and a different kind of healing. . . .
Feedback: Welcomed. Constructive only, please. . .no flaming.
Story Notes: I am delighted to finally publish a story that I began work on more than a year and a half ago, though to this day I cannot say it will not undergo further revision before some final version. However, it is very dear to my heart, and I thought I might go ahead and share it here as a work-in-progress - open to you all the drafts, notes, etc. - of the past many months and hope that you, too, will enjoy them. The interpretation, of course, is purely mine and was touched upon in "The Memory of Taste" (original publication of first chapter 1/18/03). . .others may disagree, or may share this view, but this is an old project of mine and simply a view I hold. If you wish to hear my reasoning, please ask, and I'll dig up links to my LJ comments dicussing the tale or engage in a discussion with you. But I hope that whether my rational is important to you or not, you will enjoy the story. . .I don't think it's necessary to know the reasoning behind my thought pattern in advance to find pleasure in the tale. :) At least I hope it isn't!
Warning: pure fluff (sometimes angst-filled, sometimes not) written for its own sake. It's not intended to have a grand plot. Lots of Frodo h/c in this, though, so if you like that, you'll enjoy this, especially if you like food detail! If you don't. . .my apologies; to each her (or his) own taste. :) I make absolutely no claims whatsoever that this is a canonically thematic portrayal of the West, though I have attempted to follow some canonical points, at least, of what we know, including that there was never a guarantee of how Frodo's healing would come, if it did, but that he might seek it there. . .as well as in some other matters, such as some of the book's characters actually being there at this time. Beyond those little points, I'm not even attempting to create a canonically purist story. This is purely for pleasure.
FYI: I'm toying with two possible titles: "What May Come" or "Beyond Repair." Feedback welcomed on that matter especially.
Part III Notes: Thank you all so much for your encouragement and support thus far!!! :) It means the world to me, and without it I doubt I'd have had the courage to let this see the light of day as yet. Sometimes those things dearest to our heart are those things we most fear to see go into the world, and it is through your gentle support that I have come to understand that there is good reason to release such butterflies into the wind. I hope they brighten your day!
An extra-extra-special thanks to all those who have reviewed thus far: Gayalondiel, Shirebound, Elwen, CpSings4Him, Leia Wood, Almie, Gentle Hobbit, Breon Briarwood, lovethosehobbits, Ancalime8301, Elizabeth 16, and anyone else I've missed! (That's as of the latest listing, but in case I've missed anyone. . .thank you so very much!!!)
And don't worry. . .Frodo will be setting foot in Tol Eressea quite soon. ;) I promise.
For permission to reproduce any part of this fanfic, please e-mail your request to febobefics at yahoo dot com.
DISCLAIMER: The characters, places, and story of The Lord of the Rings are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and consequently of the Tolkien Estate, with select rights by Tolkien Enterprises. This piece appears purely as fanfiction and is not intended to claim ownership of Tolkien's work in any way. Please e-mail me if you have concerns. Original characters, such as Mornaduial and Narien, are my own work; please do not use my creations in your work. Please respect my original contributions. Furthermore, please do NOT consider any treatments or remedies within this story safe or effective for use: these are included as fictitious hobbit care, not real human medical practice, and while some can indeed be traced to actual therapeutic practices, could be dangerous. Please consult your health care professional before treating yourself or others for any condition or symptom.
Part III: Small And Great Steps
"Elves can go mad, you do realise."
"Yes. And how many times has that happened in Tol Eressea?" Celebrian settled back on her heels, laughing, pushing tumbled waves of hair back from her face as she gathered the now-folded linens into her arms and slipped her legs over the bed. Something lower, she thought, or at the very least a fine step-stool. . . .
"There's always a first time." But Narien's smile was too broad for severity, and Celebrian could hardly believe that the elder elleth still meant the remark seriously. Mornaduial and Narien had been two of the first people she had grown to know well there; he and she had sailed West long ago, one after the other, in the earliest days of Imladris. Mornaduial had known Elrond from the Last Alliance, from the the battle against Sauron in the Black Land itself, but that had been before Celebrian had become his bride, and she had never known these two in Arda. To find someone who remembered his fair smile. . .his fine grey eyes. . .his strong silken hands. . .she wept, and at last found voice for her grief at having been forced to abandon them. . .forced to leave.
What were my marriage vows if the Shadow can take them from me?
What wife am I to be such a coward that I cannot face the darkness for the sake of my husband and my children?
And yet they had held her, both of them, and hearing her heartsong told her again and again that she must not think less of herself. . .that what needed to be done was done, and all would be well.
Never had she dreamt that it truly would be.
Never until the morning when she woke and did not wish to die or to sleep again at once, but to rise, and to taste food and drink. . .and though she still did not sing, she could remember it without pain now. Singing and dancing. . . .
And laughter.
She could laugh again.
And now she did, turning as she tucked the freshly folded linens into the cupboard.
"Yes, always a first time. I suppose now we shall see flying pigs, and cows that talk, and goats with eyes like the Silmarils."
"Celebrian - "
"I'm not mad."
"But how do you know this - vision - is true?" Narien's tone dimmed with anxiety.
"It - " Sobering, Celebrian hesitated, swallowing. "It was like - the other. The one of Arwen in her wedding-gown."
"But you do not know - "
"I know." She shivered. "I know it as surely as breath. She will not come. She has wedded one of the Secondborn, and she will remain in Arda. And her brothers will stay behind as well."
"And you say this - this little one you see - he is not of the Firstborn."
She shook her head.
"Then how is it he can come here? You know - "
"Ama's coming, too."
A sigh, and the other two exchanged anxious, rather alarmed looks. Mornaduial spoke first.
"A Noldorin Kinslayer - "
"My Ami." Celebrian looked up pleadingly. "She is my Ami more lately than that, and - remember, she was not one of Feanor's people, burning boats and slaughtering others of the Firstborn, but of those who followed Fingolfin across the Helcaraxe, whence many were lost. Ami came because she longed to see Arda. She made mistakes. But have many of us not? Does she not know that? If she is allowed to come, there is some cause. Something has happened. And for someone not of our kind to come as well, and my husband, and Mithrandir. . .something has changed. Not all is as we left it. And for the better, I think. . .though, as ever, at great price."
Mornaduial blinked. "You cannot mean - "
"Yes." She smiled. "The Lesser Shadow has departed from Arda. As for the Greater. . ." Her expression darkening once more, she sighed. "There is nothing anyone can do about that, save the Valar themselves, or Iluvatar, should he choose to move on behalf of His creation. But for now. . .the Greater will sleep, at least, and it will be well there. The Age of Men will be a beautiful one."
And my daughter will help lead them.
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she smiled once more.
Still shaking his head, Mornaduial knelt beside her. "What should we help you do, then, since you are so set upon this? I do not pretend to understand it, but if you will go ahead with this - "
"I am, and I will." Considering for a moment, she looked about. The house had so long been prepared for only tall people, those of elven stature - and she and her husband and children were all tall and slender in form even among elves, the children long past the need for children's furnishings or anything smaller than their parents' sizes in such matters as table-and- chairs, desks, beds, everything. . . . "I do not know yet what he will be like. . .what he will want. . .whether a regular bed or one more suited to his size, something small. . .but could you help me in having some sturdy, wide step-stools made at once? It would not do for him to have to be lifted in and out of bed, with no other way up and down. I do not mind, but there is hardly anything more frightening than being in a strange place and having no way out of wherever you are. . .being at the mercy of strangers."
Another quirked eyebrow. "True. But - Celebrian, surely he will have his own residence when he arrives?"
She hesitated. "I have a strange feeling in the matter of this little one. He is. . .different."
-to be continued-
Author: Frodo Baggins of Bag End (FrodoAtBagEnd)
E-mail: febobe at yahoo dot com
Characters: Celebrian, Frodo, Elrond; Gandalf, Bilbo, various others.
Rating: PG-13 or so. It's probably just PG-13, generally, but I don't know angstiness and h/c level for every single chapter yet. Chapter III - "Small And Great Steps" - is really about PG to PG-13, depending upon your level of interpretation of rating.
Summary: Frodo's healing in the West is not as he had hoped. . .and yet it is more; in Tol Eressea he finds a new home and family, and a different kind of healing. . . .
Feedback: Welcomed. Constructive only, please. . .no flaming.
Story Notes: I am delighted to finally publish a story that I began work on more than a year and a half ago, though to this day I cannot say it will not undergo further revision before some final version. However, it is very dear to my heart, and I thought I might go ahead and share it here as a work-in-progress - open to you all the drafts, notes, etc. - of the past many months and hope that you, too, will enjoy them. The interpretation, of course, is purely mine and was touched upon in "The Memory of Taste" (original publication of first chapter 1/18/03). . .others may disagree, or may share this view, but this is an old project of mine and simply a view I hold. If you wish to hear my reasoning, please ask, and I'll dig up links to my LJ comments dicussing the tale or engage in a discussion with you. But I hope that whether my rational is important to you or not, you will enjoy the story. . .I don't think it's necessary to know the reasoning behind my thought pattern in advance to find pleasure in the tale. :) At least I hope it isn't!
Warning: pure fluff (sometimes angst-filled, sometimes not) written for its own sake. It's not intended to have a grand plot. Lots of Frodo h/c in this, though, so if you like that, you'll enjoy this, especially if you like food detail! If you don't. . .my apologies; to each her (or his) own taste. :) I make absolutely no claims whatsoever that this is a canonically thematic portrayal of the West, though I have attempted to follow some canonical points, at least, of what we know, including that there was never a guarantee of how Frodo's healing would come, if it did, but that he might seek it there. . .as well as in some other matters, such as some of the book's characters actually being there at this time. Beyond those little points, I'm not even attempting to create a canonically purist story. This is purely for pleasure.
FYI: I'm toying with two possible titles: "What May Come" or "Beyond Repair." Feedback welcomed on that matter especially.
Part III Notes: Thank you all so much for your encouragement and support thus far!!! :) It means the world to me, and without it I doubt I'd have had the courage to let this see the light of day as yet. Sometimes those things dearest to our heart are those things we most fear to see go into the world, and it is through your gentle support that I have come to understand that there is good reason to release such butterflies into the wind. I hope they brighten your day!
An extra-extra-special thanks to all those who have reviewed thus far: Gayalondiel, Shirebound, Elwen, CpSings4Him, Leia Wood, Almie, Gentle Hobbit, Breon Briarwood, lovethosehobbits, Ancalime8301, Elizabeth 16, and anyone else I've missed! (That's as of the latest listing, but in case I've missed anyone. . .thank you so very much!!!)
And don't worry. . .Frodo will be setting foot in Tol Eressea quite soon. ;) I promise.
For permission to reproduce any part of this fanfic, please e-mail your request to febobefics at yahoo dot com.
DISCLAIMER: The characters, places, and story of The Lord of the Rings are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and consequently of the Tolkien Estate, with select rights by Tolkien Enterprises. This piece appears purely as fanfiction and is not intended to claim ownership of Tolkien's work in any way. Please e-mail me if you have concerns. Original characters, such as Mornaduial and Narien, are my own work; please do not use my creations in your work. Please respect my original contributions. Furthermore, please do NOT consider any treatments or remedies within this story safe or effective for use: these are included as fictitious hobbit care, not real human medical practice, and while some can indeed be traced to actual therapeutic practices, could be dangerous. Please consult your health care professional before treating yourself or others for any condition or symptom.
Part III: Small And Great Steps
"Elves can go mad, you do realise."
"Yes. And how many times has that happened in Tol Eressea?" Celebrian settled back on her heels, laughing, pushing tumbled waves of hair back from her face as she gathered the now-folded linens into her arms and slipped her legs over the bed. Something lower, she thought, or at the very least a fine step-stool. . . .
"There's always a first time." But Narien's smile was too broad for severity, and Celebrian could hardly believe that the elder elleth still meant the remark seriously. Mornaduial and Narien had been two of the first people she had grown to know well there; he and she had sailed West long ago, one after the other, in the earliest days of Imladris. Mornaduial had known Elrond from the Last Alliance, from the the battle against Sauron in the Black Land itself, but that had been before Celebrian had become his bride, and she had never known these two in Arda. To find someone who remembered his fair smile. . .his fine grey eyes. . .his strong silken hands. . .she wept, and at last found voice for her grief at having been forced to abandon them. . .forced to leave.
What were my marriage vows if the Shadow can take them from me?
What wife am I to be such a coward that I cannot face the darkness for the sake of my husband and my children?
And yet they had held her, both of them, and hearing her heartsong told her again and again that she must not think less of herself. . .that what needed to be done was done, and all would be well.
Never had she dreamt that it truly would be.
Never until the morning when she woke and did not wish to die or to sleep again at once, but to rise, and to taste food and drink. . .and though she still did not sing, she could remember it without pain now. Singing and dancing. . . .
And laughter.
She could laugh again.
And now she did, turning as she tucked the freshly folded linens into the cupboard.
"Yes, always a first time. I suppose now we shall see flying pigs, and cows that talk, and goats with eyes like the Silmarils."
"Celebrian - "
"I'm not mad."
"But how do you know this - vision - is true?" Narien's tone dimmed with anxiety.
"It - " Sobering, Celebrian hesitated, swallowing. "It was like - the other. The one of Arwen in her wedding-gown."
"But you do not know - "
"I know." She shivered. "I know it as surely as breath. She will not come. She has wedded one of the Secondborn, and she will remain in Arda. And her brothers will stay behind as well."
"And you say this - this little one you see - he is not of the Firstborn."
She shook her head.
"Then how is it he can come here? You know - "
"Ama's coming, too."
A sigh, and the other two exchanged anxious, rather alarmed looks. Mornaduial spoke first.
"A Noldorin Kinslayer - "
"My Ami." Celebrian looked up pleadingly. "She is my Ami more lately than that, and - remember, she was not one of Feanor's people, burning boats and slaughtering others of the Firstborn, but of those who followed Fingolfin across the Helcaraxe, whence many were lost. Ami came because she longed to see Arda. She made mistakes. But have many of us not? Does she not know that? If she is allowed to come, there is some cause. Something has happened. And for someone not of our kind to come as well, and my husband, and Mithrandir. . .something has changed. Not all is as we left it. And for the better, I think. . .though, as ever, at great price."
Mornaduial blinked. "You cannot mean - "
"Yes." She smiled. "The Lesser Shadow has departed from Arda. As for the Greater. . ." Her expression darkening once more, she sighed. "There is nothing anyone can do about that, save the Valar themselves, or Iluvatar, should he choose to move on behalf of His creation. But for now. . .the Greater will sleep, at least, and it will be well there. The Age of Men will be a beautiful one."
And my daughter will help lead them.
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she smiled once more.
Still shaking his head, Mornaduial knelt beside her. "What should we help you do, then, since you are so set upon this? I do not pretend to understand it, but if you will go ahead with this - "
"I am, and I will." Considering for a moment, she looked about. The house had so long been prepared for only tall people, those of elven stature - and she and her husband and children were all tall and slender in form even among elves, the children long past the need for children's furnishings or anything smaller than their parents' sizes in such matters as table-and- chairs, desks, beds, everything. . . . "I do not know yet what he will be like. . .what he will want. . .whether a regular bed or one more suited to his size, something small. . .but could you help me in having some sturdy, wide step-stools made at once? It would not do for him to have to be lifted in and out of bed, with no other way up and down. I do not mind, but there is hardly anything more frightening than being in a strange place and having no way out of wherever you are. . .being at the mercy of strangers."
Another quirked eyebrow. "True. But - Celebrian, surely he will have his own residence when he arrives?"
She hesitated. "I have a strange feeling in the matter of this little one. He is. . .different."
-to be continued-