Chapter Four Disclaimers: Frodo Baggins comes from J.R.R. Tolkien's book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The Magic Mirror comes from Disney's animated film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Parker Dooley is my original dragonoid character. Swan Tavern is my original tavern. My self-insert is me.

Chapter Four Songs: "Cinderella" 2021 mashup cover of "Whatta Man and Seven Nation Army Song."

Chapter Four Inspired Songs: Songs from Suzanne Collins' book, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Warning! This chapter is Rated M for drinking.

Chapter Four Summary: Frodo and Parker find themselves, while hanging out at Swan Tavern, having a round of drinks. Frodo ends up singing a new song, before ending up meeting his admirers, who attempt to make him forget about Aria.

Sorry for the long delay! :( This chapter turned out to be even trickier to write. I couldn't figure out where it was going. All I knew was that Frodo would be dancing with his admirers, and the rest flowed after that.

So, here we are! :) I also worked on the next chapter ahead of time. So, the next chapter will be in the revision/editing stage next.

As for the song Frodo is about to sing, it's my own composition, but as I said before, inspiration for it, as well as when I was figuring out how to write songs again, came from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

That said, enjoy! :)

Chapter Four:

Damsels in Distress

Frodo sat at the table across from Parker, drinking his fill of ale. Frodo was on his second round and already feeling drunk. He shook his head, deciding against another round of ale.

How could he impress Aria that way, if he drank too much? He smirked, thinking better of it, all while contemplating what to do next.

It had already been an hour and he was losing his mind. Spiritual awakenings sure were something else, something new. Did he mind? No, of course not! He laughed, knowing he was taking this too far.

"How about a song?" one of the tavern band leaders asked the crowd, at the Swan Tavern. The crowd jeered the band on, demanding another song.

Parker smirked, drinking his second round of beer and contemplating how Eliza would take with his drinking, too. Well, he was joining Frodo in on the drinking. What was the worst that could happen to them?

"Now, which one of you lovely gents would welcome us all with a song?" the tavern band leader, a bald man wearing a gossamer yellow outfit, complete with red roses sewn into the fabric of his waistcoat, said, enticing the crowd to sing a song.

It was then he pointed out Frodo, who looked positively dismissive.

"Come now, lad! Come up here and sing us a song!" the tavern band leader said, encouraging him to sing.

Frodo shook his head. He had no reason to get up on the wooden platform and sing. "No. I'm too drunk for it!"

"Come on now! A song! Something new to please the crowd!" the tavern band leader asked, enticing him even further.

Parker winked at Frodo, smirking in delight. "Oh, come on. Surely, you can come up with something."

Frodo bit his lip. He didn't want to do this.

Parker tilted his head to the stage, and then back at Frodo. He smirked, leaving Frodo feeling perplexed.

Frodo stated, loud enough to hear, "Look, I don't know if you know this, but I can't…"

"Frodo, what are you worried about?" Parker asked, calmly. He looked at the poor hobbit now, telling him, "Listen, if you don't do it, you'll regret it. And then where would we be? Now, come on. It's not that bad." For a moment, Frodo could hear his own voice in Parker's. It was… strange.

Frodo gulped. Did he really have to do this? What if he messed up? Still, he glared at Parker, debating with himself, and then at last moving from his chair, and making his way towards the stage.

Parker watched him with a smirk, saying to himself as he took another sip of his beer, "There you go. That's the Frodo I know and love."

Frodo looked at the crowd as he made his way up the wooden steps to the platform. He quietly approached the microphone, taking in his surroundings. Sweat beaded down the back of his neck, as the lights fell upon him.

Frodo blinked, blinded for a second from the lights. He looked on at the crowd, as his vision restored. It was time, time for him to sing his song… great.

"All right. Here goes…

"Over the billowing stream, beyond the billowing seas,
Lies a country fair and sweet, no more sweeter than you might think.
There was a camp there, two or three. And in these camps lies heroes and villains,
Far and wide.

"They made the journeys together and apart,
They cost their own lives, took to the skies,
And then they lost their way.
No more to say, the Magic Mirror prophesized all that is to come.

"At last, our heroes have won and the villains have lost,
There's more to be done, there's more to see.
Time stood still, but for a moment.
Worlds collided, as a hobbit boy and his lover set aside.

"And now, they've lost this fight.
They've lost and done so much wrong.
Time stood still, all is lost! Lost, lost, lost it all and then,
They've gone again. And now, we know by now, by now and then.

"Worlds collided and summer's breeze, took to the skies,
We've gone again. And this is the end of that tale.
There's no more to tell? Where did she go now?
Oh yes, where did she go?"

Silence entered the tavern dining hall. Frodo looked around, knowing he sang a grim song. Well, he couldn't help it. He was angry, angry at Aria, and he wasn't alone in that. She reset everything. She was to blame!

"Thank you. I'll take my leave," Frodo said, moving away from the microphone and leaving the stage. He rounded back to Parker and sat down at the table, across from the light red dragonoid. Very quickly, Frodo drank a long sip of his ale, not bothering to say anything else. "What Parker? You wanted me to sing! Everyone here did. So be it." He growled, not liking where this was headed.

"You sang about our adventures?" Parker asked, timid and stunned. He smirked, asking the poor hobbit, "So, you're mad at Aria for what she did?"

"She brought you here? She's a writer, after all! One that made a very big mistake," Frodo spoke, angrily. He shook his head, admitting to Parker, "She shouldn't have done it. Everything was fine the way it was." Frodo paused, gulping. He took a sip of his ale, telling Parker straight up, "Maybe it would have been better if Aria and I hadn't met. Then we wouldn't have…"

"Frodo, do you believe that?" Parker asked, at which he was met with Frodo lowering his head in shame.

"I just thought… but no," Frodo shook his head. He gazed at Parker, telling him, somberly, "Aria wanted to reset everything. It was up to her to fix that machine… or so I think it was… the memories, they're scattered." He shook his head, debating on what to do next.

Parker looked longingly at him, telling him flat out, "Listen, maybe Aria has a loose screw in her, but she's a good person. She may make a mistake or two, but she's human. You have to realize that, Frodo. She's not perfect."

Frodo glanced up at him, admitting to him "Maybe I'm too hard on myself, too hard on her. I don't know. It all seems like… I lost her."

"Frodo, if you truly lost her, then why is her heart…"

"…It's faint. I don't know what's going on," Frodo said, contemplating what was happening to him. Why did his mind spiral?

"Frodo, think about all that Aria's done for you, what you've done for her. What any of us would have done," Parker said, trying to encourage him, "I promise you, you will see her again."

"Maybe she's forgotten me," Frodo said, worried.

Parker shook his head. "I'm sure she hasn't. But then…" Parker's voice trailed off.

Frodo glanced up, seeing all the hobbit women surrounding him and Parker. They seemed all right, weren't they?

"Would you care to dance? Forget about her!" one hobbit woman, with dark, curly brunette hair and deep sapphire eyes, said, annoying Frodo, but making Frodo forget where he was.

"Oh, go on! Surely, these ladies won't bother us now, would they?" Parker asked, curious about the hobbit women and nearly forgetting Eliza.

"Right. Let's dance!" Frodo said, knowing Aria was okay, at least for now. Or so Frodo hoped as he joined the hobbit lasses out on the dance floor, as the tavern band played their polka tune to the crowd.

Nothing could go wrong, at least for a while.

.

Exhilaration flew at Frodo's face. Oh, how he wanted to dance more, get lost within the beat. The music was so stunning, so…

"…Ehh!" Frodo grunted, pushing back from his admirer, as thoughts raced in his head. "Aria!" Frodo felt her. She had snapped. She wasn't the same, and her inner child… died. Her inner child was dead.

Frodo collapsed, feeling the cautionary tale unfold before his eyes. "Aria!" Frodo screamed, knowing he had lost her… again. How could this happen?

"Frodo, are you all right? What's wrong?" Parker asked, cautious now, as he approached the fallen hobbit.

Frodo gasped, doing what he could to sit up, but he couldn't. The pain…. It was too unbearable. But he had to do something. He had to! What was at stake here?

"Parker, it's Aria," Frodo said, remembering his true love now. "We must go. Now!"

"You're leaving me?" One of Frodo's admirers said, staring at Frodo with contempt in her eyes. "To run off with her. What about me? What about us? Don't we mean anything to you?" Frodo's admirer batted her long eyelashes at him.

Frodo stood up, irked at her. "I have to go. I'm sorry, but I can't…"

SMACK! Frodo careened back about a foot, shocked by the slap his admirer gave to him. His admirer simply looked at him, admitting to her, "You'll never win her heart, you know. You belong with us. You know that, don't you now? What use is she to you?"

"What use?" Frodo asked, courteously. He sighed, admitting to her, "She's done a lot of good. Yes, she has a darker side, but she's saved me as I've saved her. I can't bear the thought of losing her now. She's too tormented. I have to go to her."

"Come on, Frodo," Parker said, grabbing his shoulder. "It's better we find her. Leave your admirers be." He added, when Frodo barely paid attention to him, "Frodo, we don't have time for this. We must go. We must look for Aria!"

Frodo nodded, pausing as he took a step back from his admirers. "Right," he faced Parker, remembering, "You're right. Let's go." He looked back at his admirer now, telling her, "I think of you, and all my crushes, too, as well as my lovers. You each play your role in my life, as I do yours. I don't know where I'd be without you. Aria is a part of this tale, too, as much as you. I'm sorry, but I must go and look for her."

His admirer stated, "All right, but you will return to us."

Frodo winked, smirking as he walked out of the tavern in one piece.

How was that? :)

Hopefully, things will be all right come Frodo and my self-insert's meeting. But yeah, that was a bit intense.

As for the next chapter, it's back to my self-insert, who has a mental breakdown, after her ego death and inner child death. So, we'll see how my self-insert snaps out of it and heals her inner child and how her ego is doing.

Thanks for reading. :) More to come! :)

~Aria Breuer