The Light in the Darkness

Chapter 6: New Home?

Only one review? I'm seriously begging now! If you're kind enough to favorite the story or me, please leave a review! I really want to know how you feel about the chapters!

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own The Lord of the Rings franchise. I only own the story, Lin and Neera who tells the story.

Frodo didn't stop holding my hand. He didn't say anything and he didn't even look at me. He just looked lost and really confused. If I could tell him what exactly was going on and why his uncle most likely disappeared, I would. But I was under a strict oath of silence from my Grandfather. It felt almost like lying to him and he deserved to know the truth. But I knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. He didn't belong in this mess. He belonged here with his friends and family in their calm and happy lifestyle. This horrid thing should never have been brought here. I can sense it now. It's hurting me badly. The thing that caused the death of my mother and so many others. I secretly cursed Sauron in my silent anger for causing this pain and torture. No person who ever possessed the ring ever found happiness. Why should Bilbo be different? Living this long for someone who shouldn't be able to isn't for the faint of heart. If he had chosen to leave, he must've been very unhappy.

People came and went, wondering what exactly had occurred with Bilbo's disappearance, but then they quickly moved on with the shock and went back to the party. Everyone except his nephew, who didn't let go of my hand the entire time. I didn't know how to handle this situation as I had never really been this connected with another person before. Back home, Lin basically chased away any potential friends I could have had. We were both incredibly afraid of the curse, but she was more afraid of it than I was. As a result, we had no friends back home and tended to keep to ourselves. Now I regret that because now that I have connected with someone that I care about, I have no idea how to comfort him. I couldn't tell him the truth, so what exactly could I do?

But then Frodo let go of my hand and began running away, towards the direction of his home.

"Frodo? Frodo come back!" I shouted after him.

I then followed Frodo until we reached the steps of Bag End. It was hard to keep up with him, to my surprise. I knew he probably expected Bilbo to be in his home and that he had just pulled a bit of fun at the party and that was it.

Frodo rushed into Bag End, hoping to find Bilbo and answers about the stunt he pulled in front of the entire village. If you ask me, that was probably the worst way to say goodbye to your friends, neighbors, and beloved nephew who worships the ground you walk on.

"Bilbo! Bilbo!" Frodo cried as he ran into the little house. I followed right behind him. I didn't say it out loud, but I had a gut feeling that Bilbo was long gone and wasn't planning on saying a proper goodbye to his nephew. I had a very strong sense of family given the fact that I am so close with my father, grandfather and sister and if they had pulled a stunt like that without explaining why or saying goodbye, I would be furious. I knew that Frodo wasn't like that, so I knew he was just honestly very confused.

I then looked toward the fire to see the backs of Grandfather and my sister. They were just sitting there, my grandfather in a chair and my sister on the floor next to him, staring into the fire as if lost in thought. I could see the rising smoke from both the fire and Grandfather, which implied that he was heavily smoking, which he only did when he was lost in thought as he appeared to be now.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at the floor. On the ground there lay a simple gold ring, just lying there looking completely harmless. He picked it up and looked at it and then showed it to me.

He then brought it close to me and as he did, I saw the eye of Sauron. I felt a burning sensation in my chest that was sharp and painful and caused me to fall to the floor on my knees. It was the worst sensation that I had ever felt in my entire life.

"Neera, are you alright?" he asked worriedly. I just continued to wince at the extreme pain and I knew even in my state that, without a doubt in my mind, that this was the ring that had cursed my family for thousands of years with death, destruction and heartbreak. I had expected to have some reaction to being so close to it, but I didn't expect that it would hurt this much.

Lin then flashed up from her position on the ground and practically shoved Frodo out of the way and came to my aid. She placed her hands on my face and my whole chest felt as though it were on fire.

"Neera? Neera! Look at me!" she said, her voice clearly full of worry and fear.

I tried to do as she said and then her hand moved to my face and started glowing with a bluish color and stopped at my forehead. I then felt this sensation, almost chilly and soothing, and within moments, the intense and painful heat that I had felt was gone. I then collapsed in her arms, heavily breathing, eyes closed in exhaustion. It was as if my whole body had been extinguished. I looked up and the first pair of eyes I met were those of azure blue, who looked at me with such concern and care that made me smile in my exhausted state.

"Frodo, I'm fine. I guess the party was a little too much fun."

He sighed in relief and managed one of his beautiful smiles. Lin rolled her eyes, but I just ignored it and so did he.

He then stood up again and all three of us looked at Grandfather, who seemed to have been in such concentration that he didn't notice what had just happened to me. I was a bit surprised, but then again, there were times when I was a child when he would be lost in thought for almost days on end and nothing could move him. I hope this isn't one of these times.

Frodo then broke the silence.

"He's gone hasn't he?" Frodo said, almost like he already knew and accepted it. "He talked so long about leaving, I didn't think he'd really do it."

He looked so sad at this revelation. Maybe I hadn't seen it, but now I knew that while Frodo had expected his uncle to still be here despite what happened, he had accepted the reality that Bilbo was gone. He walked over to Grandfather, still in thought, and was hoping to get some more answers from him.

"Gandalf?" he said.

Slowly, Grandfather came back to reality and first looked down at the ring and then at Frodo. I knew my grandfather very well, and based on the smile he gave him, I knew that he was hiding something from him and I. I understood. Frodo didn't deserve to get tangled up in this mess. I didn't want his normal, ordinary life ruined and neither did he.

"Bilbo's ring," he said, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, like nothing strange had happened at all.

"He's gone to stay with the elves. He's left you Bag End. Along with all his possessions."

Now I understood. Grandfather had told me of his adventures with Bilbo and his ties to my uncle Elrond in Rivendell. Bilbo must be heading over there as we speak. Good. So at least he wasn't running off to some unknown place where no one knew him and where he didn't have any friends. For a hobbit, the world is a very dangerous place and in my opinion, if you were going off on an adventure like Bilbo, you better have people that will keep you safe. I knew Bilbo would be safe in Rivendell. My uncle is a good man and he will protect him.

Grandfather held out an envelope and encouraged a saddened Frodo to place the ring in it, the latter he did. Grandfather then placed it on the table and sealed it with a stamp, concealing it from the world. Even while it was concealed, I could still feel it.

"The ring is yours now," he declared cheerfully, and handed the newly sealed envelope in my confused friend's hands.

But as was normal with Grandfather, he didn't waste time to make things serious.

"Keep it out of sight."

And then he got up from his chair and then started running around the house trying to get all of his possessions, almost as if he was... Wait. He's not leaving, is he? We just got here, why would he want to leave?

I wasn't the only one who noticed this. Frodo and I had been following him trying to get more answers, to which he refused without saying so.

"Where are you going?" Frodo asked, more demanded. He had been through so much tonight and now Grandfather was just confusing the poor thing even more.

"There are things that I must see to," he simply said.

"What things?" I asked, trying to get an answer. I didn't understand what was going on or why he and Lin were trying to leave just like that. It didn't make any sense to me and I began to worry. We had only just gotten here. What could have possibly occurred that could arouse such fear and chaos within Grandfather? Was it because Bilbo left? Was it because of the Ring? Was it because he brought Lin and I with him? I was past worried, I was terrified.

"Questions that need answering," he said simply again, grabbing his staff and his hat and began walking to the door where my sister awaited already in her cloak and ready to leave.

"You've only just arrived!" Frodo said, but Grandfather paid him no mindset and was almost out the door when Frodo spoke again. "I don't understand!"

Grandfather stopped dead in his tracks, seeming to regret not telling Frodo or I the truth of what all of this was all about. As he paused, I knew that this had to be something important, something to do with the ring. Bilbo obviously left the Shire to be rid of this life, but some part of me knew that it had to have been Grandfather who convinced him to leave the ring behind, for good. I was glad for Bilbo's sake that he was forever rid of it. That thing has caused nothing but misery and death for anyone who comes across it and not to mention for my family. But even so, I didn't understand why he was doing this. We both deserved an explanation. What had happened between the disappearing act at the party and when Grandfather had left it? I didn't understand and neither did Frodo.

Grandfather turned around and looked at Frodo.

"Neither do I, Frodo," he said, seriously.

I sighed. He was obviously focused on leaving and was very clearly taking Lin with him, which only meant one thing: I was coming with them. I looked back at Frodo without him realizing it. I had only just met him and I felt so connected to him, even though we hadn't been together very long. I felt my heart sink in my chest at the thought of leaving him. I didn't want to do it. Not at all. I know I promised Grandfather that I would leave the Shire willingly after the party was over, but I knew now that I couldn't do it as easily as I had thought when we first arrived. Did we have to leave so soon? Can't we stay a couple more days before we have to go home? I sighed again. No. I have to keep my word to my grandfather. I stole a glimpse of Frodo out of the corner of my eye and painfully said my next words.

"So when are we leaving, then?" I asked sadly, knowing we would have to leave.

"We?" Grandfather asked.

"We as in myself, Lin and you, Grandfather. Who else would I be speaking of?"

I avoided looking at Grandfather trying to hide my disappointment. We had only just arrived and now we had to leave. I couldn't deny to myself that I didn't want to go with them, no matter what it was that was so important. I looked over at the reason I didn't want to leave, who looked sad that I would be leaving as well, or maybe it was just my imagination.

"Neera, I'm afraid you're not coming with us," Grandfather said.

I raised my head up immediately at hearing this. I raised an eyebrow. What did he mean I wasn't going with them? We're a family and we have to stay together no matter what. What does he mean?

"Grandfather, I don't understand," I said.

"We have business away from here, Neera, " Lin explained. "Not you."

I raised an eyebrow. They were leaving without me? "I don't understand."

Grandfather put a hand on my shoulder.

"My dear, I think your skills will be put to use far better if you stay here. I need someone to stay here and look after things here and see that they're taken care of," he said seriously and then smiled. "And besides, you've long wanted to learn about the world outside your home and if you stay, you can do that."

I knew that Grandfather had been shifting a lot between being his usual kind self and his serious self, but to leave me behind was something that he had never considered and neither had my sister. I couldn't help but be suspicious.

"After all, you're the better fighter out of the two of us," Lin said.

I then put it together: Lin and Grandfather wanted me to stay and look after Frodo and the ring. They were right in leaving me behind. Lin was absolutely correct: out of the two of us, I'm the better fighter. I just wish I had my bow and arrows and knives to defend us. I didn't think to bring them as I expected to be back home very quickly and didn't think I would have need of them. Lin and I were trained to be resourceful if we didn't have our primary weapons of choice to protect us and those around us, but even so, I was stronger with my weapons than without them. Father told me that I took after him in that respect.

"How am I supposed to keep us safe without my weapons?" I asked.

Lin laughed and rolled her eyes. "Way ahead of you, there, sister."

And with these words, she lifted up a bundle that I hadn't noticed she had. I saw the tip of my mother's bow. My eyes widened. How did she know? More importantly how did she manage to get it out of Mirkwood without me seeing it. It didn't matter. Now I had a way to protect Frodo if it came down to it. I would protect Frodo with everything I had. Then my sister handed me the bundle and Grandfather got close to us again.

"Keep it secret," he said to Frodo.

"Keep it safe," he said to me. I nodded and then embraced him very tightly. I didn't know what was going on or where he and Lin were going or when we would ever see each other again. Hopefully this wouldn't be one of those times that he was gone for a year. I looked at Lin, who didn't like physical contact or affection at all, and hugged her anyway. She stiffened, but obviously understood this one exception to her rule of no physical contact and tried to embrace me back to the best of her ability. Then Grandfather opened the door and they both went off into the night. I was terrified because I didn't know what was going on or when I would ever see them again. I knew that they could both take care of themselves, but even so, they were my family so I had every right to worry about them. I tried to keep my tears to a minimum as I did when I said goodbye to my father back home.

They then raced out the door and rode off into the night. I then opened the door and watched them ride off. They took the horse and not the cart. Understandable given the clear urgency of the situation. To tell the truth, I know that I had wanted independence from my sister earlier this evening. I wanted space from my sister, but now that she was gone, I was terrified. I had never really been on my own before.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. He was so sweet. Even in his confusion and fear about everything that had just happened, he was still concerned about me.

He could never know the real reason of my pain. I suddenly wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn't break my vow of silence to my grandfather, so instead, I said: "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Then came another silence as I looked down in fear at the ring in Frodo's hand. That thing may look small and completely harmless, but it has caused so much pain and death and destruction not only for my family, but to every single person that it has come into contact with. I never thought I would have the chance to see it up close, as it was thought to be lost from the world forever and even though hundreds of men in my family tried so hard to find the ring and destroy it to save their families, none ever succeeded. No one wanted to accept the fate of their wives or of themselves. Sauron's curse has brought so much pain in my family and I honestly don't understand how my father was so accepting of my mother passing away. Of course, he is still devastated by her loss, and yet he didn't succumb to the same method of those before him. For those before him, the grief was just too much to bare and so they either went into madness or find some way to go die. My father did neither of these things and still manages to continue living despite the gigantic hole in his heart. Even now, it was speaking to me, taunting was a better way of putting it. Now I wanted to be with Lin and Grandfather. I had been apart from Grandfather before, but never Lin.

He looked at me as he didn't know what to do. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know if it's much comfort right now, but I'm here with you and I will protect you."

He didn't smile or anything, but something in his eyes told me that he was grateful and happy that I was here with him. I had to be strong for the both of us.

I now know it, but at the time, I felt relieved that I wasn't in love and that I had to have no fear of the ring. It hadn't won and I wasn't in love with anyone. I didn't realize how wrong I was until much later on in our story. I just continued to question why the ring had effected me the way it did. I wouldn't understand why until much later on. For now, I just ruled as an ordinary reaction to the thing that cursed my family.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and favorite! I love feedback and knowing that I have supporters, which in turn give me motivation to write more chapters! Please I am begging for reviews! I appreciate all the favorites and such, but I really would love to know how I am doing with the story and the writing and all that jazz. Constructive criticism only and no flames! If you leave a flame, you will be ignored and not taken into consideration! Thank you so much for your support!

Until next time!

Kagomehater4ever