Disclaimers: See the Prologue for more information.

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2:

When in Doubt…

Frodo gazed out the window. There were so many princes and princesses gathered outside. He had a feeling they had also come for… wait. Aslan? He couldn't stop looking out the window at them. Was everyone expecting him to do great things? That was how it looked, and yet… he lowered his head, unsure what to do… he was relieved when Ebony wrapped her arms around him, if not making things more awkward between the two.

"Why don't you go and talk to them?" Ebony asked him, curious.

Frodo huffed. "Ebony, I wouldn't know what to say."

"You did on the first day, with the assembly," she answered.

"There's been a lot of assemblies since the first day," he admitted. He leaned up against the wall, right in front of Ebony. "I don't know how many more I can handle."

"Would you like me to go with you?" she asked, concerned.

"No. I can do this." He looked back at her, curious. "Watch my back."

She nodded. "I will."

"Thank you." Frodo breathed deeply. On cue, he walked outside the castle, across the rugged floor. With a small gesture, he called to the princes and princesses, "We'll meet in the auditorium." Without another word, he returned inside. He did it. He succeeded, and yet the meeting had only just begun…

Frodo heaved in deep breaths. He could do this. He knew he could. He had known Aragorn since the quest, and he was a good king. Surely the same could be said for the children, born from royalty, as well as those who weren't at court. Even though he had notecards with him, he felt sure he could pull this off.

When everyone was seated, and announcements were made, Frodo realized it was his turn to speak. Walking up to the podium once again, he began his speech: "Good morning. For those who don't know me, I am Frodo Baggins. I understand this is your first time here, and yet this is not my first speech." He continued, "Breakfast will be held in the cafeteria, as soon as this meeting is finished, lunch is at noon and dinner is at five.

"I understand that most of you have traveled a long way, from other worlds, too. You are not the first to be here, and I expect you won't be the last." He chuckled for a moment, gulped and then proceeded with the speech. "Classes begin tomorrow, our time, as soon as everyone's here."

"Excuse me," one woman raised her hand.

"Yes miss?" Frodo asked, pointing to the woman.

"Who else is arriving today?" the woman asked, perkily.

"Authors and authoresses, the ones that write about us and anyone else who isn't here yet." He shooed the thought away with his hand. "That will be explained later. For now, I wish you all the best and welcome to the Heroes' University." He nearly said something else, but then the thought went away. Not bothering with the idea, he directed the crowd to head to the door on their right for food and beverages.

Just as he climbed down the steps, Frodo was met by Ebony, Rosemary and Bane. How Bane ended up in the crowd, he didn't know nor felt like asking. As for Ebony and Rosemary… well, Frodo was interested in their business.

"How did it go?" Frodo asked his two women.

"I thought you did excellent!" Bane said, smiling widely.

"Bane, you can excuse yourself to the cafeteria. Please." Frodo told him, serious.

"Oh, yes my good sir! I'll be back!" With that, Bane darted out the door, nearly bumping into the princess with the auburn hair. "So sorry about that, miss." Frodo waited until Bane had left the auditorium before he spoke to Rosemary first.

"What did he do this time?" Frodo asked his daughter.

"I'll go get him, before he wolfs down all the meat in the cafeteria," Rose said, taking her leave. Even though Frodo didn't approve, he let Rosemary handle the situation. Well, anything was better than having her… oh. Something didn't feel right.

"Frodo, I'm sure she's fine," Ebony told her husband, holding his hand.

"You sure? Because you know what Wolf was like to Virginia," Frodo admitted. He said, firmly, "I don't want the same to happen to our daughter."

"You're right about that," Ebony said, nearly backing off on her words. Frodo sighed behind his teeth.

"Come on. Let's find them both," Frodo said, taking her hand. In all honesty, he would have asked to give Ebony a kiss, but… oh, this was too ridiculous. The second they were out in the hallway, he pulled Ebony over to a bench. "Ebony, I…"

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Rosemary chimed in. Great. That wasn't what Frodo planned.

"Come on, Frodo," said Ebony, standing up. Frodo was shocked.

"Ebony, wait for me," Frodo said, chasing after her. He arrived at the same time as his wife, Ebony, in the cafeteria, which was packed with princes and princesses. Taking heed to them, Frodo followed his wife and daughter, collecting as much food and drinks as they could find. When they came to sit down at a table… well, he had to ask his wife, "Ebony, if there was ever a chance for us to mend our ways, have a family again."

"We have a family. Right here," Ebony said. She didn't understand what he was asking. Frodo tried again to get her attention.

"That's not what I mean." Frodo held her hands in his. "I want to… eh." He couldn't do it, but then he'd been waiting to kiss her for a long time. Waiting for two weeks, while every hero, descendant and author got settled. It was too much for him to handle. He had to kiss her, but when he leaned in, he stopped. Ebony looked away from him, so much so that he had to let her go. And yet, she was still with him. This was good, wasn't it?

"Frodo, I'm not ready. It's too soon," she told him, serious.

"What?" He didn't understand. "I've waited for you for a long time. And now that we're here…"

"Frodo, I can't…" Ebony rubbed her eyes. Maybe she had a point, but still… it was her turn to speak, "Frodo, if we did anything now, it would be…"

"Too much, too fast," Frodo understood now. "I know. We both want the same thing." He gazed into her confused eyes. "Don't we?"

"I'm not ready. Even if I was ready, I want to be prepared this time," Ebony said. Frodo turned his gaze to Rosemary. She was stunned.

"Mother, you had me and you weren't ready," Rosemary admitted.

"I know," Ebony said. She said, apologetic, "I still wish we had…"

Frodo interrupted her, telling Rosemary, "What she means is, we wanted to keep you."

"From what?" Rose asked the couple, "You find me a burden."

"It's not like that…" Ebony looked at Frodo. He couldn't believe he had to help Ebony get through this, but then she nearly said the wrong things.

"Don't help, Ebony. Please?" Frodo asked her.

"No. What were you going to say, Mom," Rosemary asked, curtly.

"I…" she shook her head. "No. It's better to say that I should have been there to protect you, to help raise you, like I should have." Tears formed in her eyes. "I wanted you to have a good life, a happy life. I know that's something Frodo would say, but it's true. You're our daughter and we want what's best for you." She shook her head a second time. "There's things I wish I could take back. I'm sorry for everything. We should have been there for you. I should have, too. I'm sorry."

Frodo returned his gaze to his daughter. He spoke to Rose, tenderly, "We won't abandon you, Rosemary. It is what families do: they protect each other."

"Sounds like something that came out of 'Once Upon a Time'," Rosemary admitted. Frodo couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Yes it does, doesn't it? Hmm…" Frodo added on a serious note, "I suppose that's natural." He turned to Ebony then, asking her, "Would you care to dance?"

"What? Now. I'm still eating," Ebony said, taking a bite of sausage. She asked next, "When's the next group due to arrive?"

"After breakfast. In two hours, actually," Frodo said. He asked her next, "Would you care to dance with me?"

"Now?" she asked again.

Frodo nodded. "Come on. We finish eating, and then we dance."

"Are you trying to win me back?" Ebony asked, curious.

"Is it working?" Frodo smiled at her.

"A bit," she agreed.

"Good. I'm glad." Frodo waited until they were both done eating their breakfast, before leading Ebony to the dance room on the opposite end of the cafeteria. Opening the door, Frodo led his wife inside, before shutting the door behind them. Conveniently, the band of heroes was setting up to play a tune, in case anyone used the room. Before he danced with Ebony, he spoke to the band director. Once the song was selected, a slow tune complete with violins, he returned to his wife. She was shocked and confused.

"Frodo, what…"

"You know how to waltz, don't you?"

"Frodo, I'm not a good dancer…"

"Just trust me." He placed her hand over his shoulder and her free hand in his. As he taught her the steps, at first Ebony's foot landed on his. They tried again, feeling the music and where their steps took them. In time he dipped Ebony, bringing her up again and continuing the waltz.

Eventually, everything surrounding them went away. In that moment, it was just Frodo with Ebony. As if nothing could separate them from this moment. Their heart beat faster as they waltzed. Frodo spun Ebony once before they met again, only to come around for another dip. For a moment, the school and time didn't matter, until the music stopped and reality shifted right back into their lives.

A loud cheer and applause came from the crowd outside the room. But Frodo wanted to try one more thing. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed Ebony on the cheek. The kiss lasted for a few moments, until it became apparent they weren't getting any privacy anymore. He released her cheek, but not before pulling Ebony in and whispering in her ear:

"I love you, Ebony."

"I know you do," she replied. He was this close until she spoke further, "We should head back."

"I wish I could do more to help you," Frodo said, keen on saying something further. No, he wouldn't. Realizing that was all he was getting – he still wanted to kiss Ebony, but he couldn't. Was he respectful? Yes, but the feeling was gnawing at him. Just as he opened the door, Frodo was met by screaming fangirls and angry fangirls. Had they really come to see him? "Hullo ladies." He turned to Ebony, kissing her again on the cheek. "We'll have another moment. I promise."

"Frodo, do you need help with your fans?" Ebony asked. It was a good question.

"What? Ebony, I'll be fine." Frodo knew it was time to leave. "I'll meet you back at the smial, later tonight. I'll have a dinner planned for us. You'll see. You'll see!" He darted out of the cafeteria, well aware the screaming fangirls were after him. If only he had Force powers like Luke Skywalker. Hey! He could form a bridge then and avoid the screaming, screeching fangirls. If only things were like the LEGO worlds. No, he was asking too much again. Oh…

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Chapter 3 Teaser:

For Livia and her three friends – Reese, Nokida and Samson – writing fanfiction stories was their passion. Even though they were nearly seniors in high school, hanging out meant everything to them. They didn't know if they would see each other again, down the road, or what would happen next in their lives. They just knew this time was precious. What happened next for them was unclear, at least on Livia's mind.

In her room, which was covered in movie posters, Livia invited her friends over to her house to spend the day together. This was nearing their last chance to be together. And they weren't too happy about it.

"Come on, guys. Let's work on some fanfiction stories, throw ideas around," Nokida said, hopeful.

"All right, but my parents want me to work on original stories as well," Livia addressed them.

"Original stories?" Reese and Samson said at the same time, shocked to hear those words.

"Livia, this club is for fanfiction stories. What would we do with original works? You're almost eighteen," Nokida said, almost pleading.

"Well…"

"You're in luck,' said a mysterious voice. Livia turned around to time to see the voice belonged to a wizard in white robes. There was no mistaking it: it was Gandalf and a grown Lion with him. Wait… did they say those words at the exact same moment in time? It was all very confusing.

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Thanks for reading. :) More is to come, as usual…