12:
Gone for Good (or Bad)
Sam
could not believe what had just seen. Despite being a close friend to Frodo and
Bilbo, he had not been invited to the special supper in the great pavilion. He
understood; it would have hardly been proper for a gardener to sit among all of
the Baggins’ rich and important family. But after they had eaten their own
fabulous dinner (Sam did not think he had ever eaten such glorious food), he
and Rose, joined by Young Tom, Jolly and Marigold hovered near the edge of the
pavilion so that they could here Bilbo’s speech.
“He’s
disappeared!” Jolly cried.
“He
can’t ‘ave!” Tom returned. “Folks just don’t vanish like that! Do they?”
Sam
realised that all eyes had fallen upon him. As the gardener for Bag-End, they
expected to have answers, but he had none to give. Certainly, he had known of
Bilbo’s oddities, and had been told the tale of his adventure many times, but
Sam could remember no mention of learning how to vanish into thin air in that
tale.
“I
wonder how Mister Frodo’s takin’ this,” he mumbled. His eyes searched the
pavilion for his Master. They fell on Pervinca for a moment, but he managed to
tear them away. Now was not the time for such things. He found Frodo’s chair,
but it was empty. Not Frodo too! He almost cried out, but then he caught
a glimpse of Frodo headed away from the party.
“Poor
Mister Frodo,” he sighed.
“Out
of our way!” roared Otho Sackville-Baggins. He pushed his way passed Sam and his
friends, with Lobelia and Lotho close behind.
Sam
scowled at their backs. He had never much cared for the “S.-Bs”, as Frodo and
Bilbo had called them.
“That
Baggins was always mad!” Jolly declared. “Don’t you all agree?”
His
companions nodded and murmured their agreement, but Sam remained silent. He was
still worried about Frodo. Bilbo had been like a father to Frodo. Sam thought
about how he would feel if the Gaffer simply disappeared one day. He shuddered,
and concluded that he no longer felt in a party mood. He would come back later
– Bilbo had asked him to help clear out any incapacitated guests, and in the
morning, to help clean the field.
“Come
on Mari,” he sighed. “Find Dad. We’re going home.”
“But…”
Marigold was about to argue, but a stern glare from her brother helped her to
decide not to. She said goodbye to her friends and went in search of her
father.
* *
* * * *
Pervinca
was also no longer in the mood for celebrating. Though she had never been as
close to Bilbo as Merry or Pippin, she knew that she would miss him dearly. He
always spoiled her when she came to visit, and she believed it had something to
do with the resemblance she bore to Belladonna Took Baggins, Bilbo’s mother.
From
the corner of her eye, she saw Frodo stand and leave the table. Poor Frodo! If
she was already missing Bilbo, she could hardly imagine how Frodo was feeling.
Pervinca hoped that no one else had seen Frodo leave. She knew that he would
need some time alone in his grief.
“I
understand why Bilbo said Frodo would need you in the morning, Merry,” sighed
Esmeralda. “This is the second time that poor lad has had to deal with losing a
parent.”
“Peregrin,
Pervinca,” said Eglantine. “Are you both sure that you want to stay too?”
“Of
course!” Pippin scoffed. “Frodo will need us too!” He yawned.
“Pippin,
dearest, you look awfully tired. I could take you make to the Inn…”
“I’ll
take him into Bag-End,” Merry offered. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but
I’m rather sick of this party. Come on, Pip.”
“I’ll
come too,” said Pervinca. The three hobbits said goodnight to their families
and followed Frodo’s escape to Bag-End.
“How
are you feeling, Pip?” Merry asked.
“I
still feel a little dizzy,” Pippin admitted. “And my tummy is a little funny.
But I don’t think I’ll throw up again.”
“Would
you like me to stay in your room anyway?” Pervinca suggested. Just because
Pippin said he wasn’t going to throw up, didn’t mean he wouldn’t. She wanted to
have someone there in case he was sick again.
“Only
if you want to.”
Pervinca
nodded. “Let me get the room ready.”
She
ran on ahead, leaving Merry to safely deliver Pippin to Bag-End. She had left
the door open for them, and Merry let Pippin in first. As he shut the door,
Merry heard his elder cousins voice speaking to Gandalf.
“Shh!”
Merry whispered to Pippin, pulling the lad close to him. Together they snuck
towards Bilbo’s study.
“You
are the Master of Bag End now. And also, I fancy you’ll find a golden ring.”*
“The
ring!” Merry hissed at the same time as Frodo cried out. Merry knew about
Bilbo’s ring, though he hoped to discovery more. He pressed closer to the door
in hope of hearing something interesting.
But
instead, the door opened, and Merry fell flat on his behind with Pippin on his
lap. Gandalf frowned down at them, and quickly shut the door behind him.
“Master Meriadoc, do you make it a habit of standing outside doors like this?”
“N-no,
sir,” Merry stammered. “I was just taking Pippin to his room. He’s very tired.”
Gandalf
continued to frown, but did not accuse Merry of lying. “He’s not the only one.
I am pleased to see that the two of you will be staying here. Frodo may need
his friends.”
“Yes,
sir. We’ll be sure to help him any way we can!”
The
frown dissolved into a small smile. Gandalf made his way down the hall to his
room, chuckling about “delightful hobbit lads”.
Pippin
squirmed in Merry’s lap and stood. “What was that all about?”
“Doesn’t
matter,” Merry muttered.
“Yes,
it does. You lied to Gandalf. You said you weren’t listening to what he and Frodo
were talking about, but you were!”
“I
never said that,” Merry stubbornly replied. “He didn’t ask me whether I was
listening, he only asked if I made a habit of standing outside doors, and I
don’t.”
Pippin
gave his cousin a sceptical look, quite an achievement for an eleven year old.
“What were they talking about anyway? What ring?”
“Pip,
don’t worry about it.”
“Merry!
If you don’t tell me, I’ll go in there and tell Frodo you were listening.”
Merry
sighed. “Look, Pippin, I’ll make you a deal. I promise I’ll tell you everything
I know when you’re older…”
“When
I’m older? Merry!”
“I
don’t know everything yet myself, Pippin. All I know is that we’ll have to keep
a close eye on Frodo from now on. We won’t want him running away like Bilbo
did, will we?”
“No,
that wouldn’t be good at all.”
Merry
stood and knocked on the study door. He figured that Gandalf had left long
enough ago for Frodo not suspect that they had been listening in.
“Yes?”
Frodo called in a sad voice.
“Hullo,
Frodo,” Merry greeted. “I’m just taking Pippin to bed now. I thought you might
be here. Are you all right?”
Frodo
nodded. “Yes, thank you, Merry. Is the party still going on?”
“Yes,
though I think quite a few guests have left already.”
With
a sigh, Frodo stood. “I suppose that’s hardly surprising. I’d best go and see
to those that remain.”
“Probably
a good idea.”
Frodo
squeezed Merry’s shoulder as he passed through the door, and ruffled Pippin’s
hair. “Sweet dreams, Pippin. I shall see you in the morning. You too, Merry.”
“G’night,
Frodo!” Pippin called. “Pervinca is staying too, but she’s getting my room
ready. I’ll tell her you said goodnight.”
“Thank
you for that, Pippin.”
Once
Frodo had left, Pippin looked up at Merry. “Will Frodo be okay, Merry?”
“I
hope so, Pip.”
* *
* * * *
*
Quoted directly from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, “A
Long Expected Party”
A/N:
Very short chapter – sorry about that. Promise the next one will be longer!