My Lord of the Rings Fan Fiction
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Disclaimer:
This is a LOTR fanfic page, and I obviously don�t own any rights to LOTR or Tolkien's writing. I just wrote this for my own amusement. But that doesn't mean it sucks (hopefully).
This first story deals with Frodo's early life, and mostly concerns just hobbits. I brought back some Canon characters, and created a few of my own, (namely, Lily, Aunt Pansy, and Uncle Rufus) to suit my purpose. I realize that they do not exist in Canon, but please, I need some artistic liscence! All four stories really go together.
First: this is a gap-filler/wish-fulfillment story. It is based on the books, but I have borrowed a couple of small details from the films. (e.g. First, Frodo's parents die when he's young, not when he's in his 20s.. like the book says. Secondly, it takes Frodo four years --instead of two-- to write The Lord of the Rings. That's the Gap I'm writing about in the third and fourth stories. The first two are sort of a prelude to the story I originally wanted to write, to establish a few events, and characters.)
Second: I have edited the hell out of this thing. More recently I went back and changed a few small details. Had I not done this, Lily would have had some irritating Mary-Sue characteristics.
In terms of rating, this story is only PG, nothing more. There�s nothing too scary that warrants a tougher rating. I hate that sex stuff, so you�ll never find it in my writing.
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Frodo was born in Buckland, the easternmost reaches of the Shire. His parents were Drogo Baggins and Primula (formerly Took). Frodo was raised on the banks of the Brandywine River in the main village of Bucklebury for most of his childhood, living a carefree life. That is, until one spring day when Frodo was twelve..
�Mother, I don�t like the water,� Frodo pouted as they walked towards the edge of the river. �Oh come now, my boy, you�ll have to learn to use a boat one of these days,� Drogo smiled at his son. �It�s unheard of that a boy of your age can�t even paddle,� he added, shaking his head.
The boy looked startled and angry. �Papa, don�t be so loud about it!� he cried.
�Well, today�s you�re lucky day, son. We won�t force you to come out with us. If you can tear Merry or Lily or Pippin away from their first chance to go boating, you can wander around on the banks together.� Drogo chuckled. �The spring water�s still too cold and fast anyway, we wouldn�t want you to get hurt, Frodo.�
With a kiss on his mother�s cheek, and a huge grin, Frodo ran off to find his friends near the bank. But suddenly he stopped and turned. A strange look was on his face as he spoke. Frodo hesitated for a moment, then said �Thank you.� Something in his heart was telling him not to run away, but he ignored it. He didn�t dare go near the water... Not today at least.
****
And so Frodo found himself by the biggest, shadiest tree furthest from the river, chatting with his three friends. He had convinced them that he had a big surprise, and it couldn�t wait until later.
�So what is it?� Pippin said. �Yeah, you promised this would be worth it,� Merry added impatiently. A sly grin appeared on Frodo�s face as he took a paper bag from his back pocket. Staring in anticipation, they wondered what it was. �Mushrooms!� Merry cried, and swiped the bag. �These are Farmer Maggot�s, aren�t they?� Lily asked suspiciously, but not without interest at the plain bag's contents. Frodo laughed. Pippin just looked disappointed.
�I thought it was pipe-weed,� he mumbled. They looked at him wearily. �Oh not again with the pipe-weed, Pippin!� Frodo muttered, in mock anger. �You can�t smoke yet, we�re still too young!� Merry punched his foolish cousin in the shoulder.
�I don�t know what you fellas see in that junk anyway,� Lily commented. "It smells awful." They looked at her, uninterested, and exchanged glances as if to say �Girls are so weird.� They just let her chatter on.
So the four friends ate the stolen mushrooms (much to Lily�s hesitation...until after they convinced her to try one), and talked away the afternoon. Before they knew it, the sun was sinking below the horizon, towards the river. It was time to be off. On the far border of the Shire it was not always safe after sunset. In fact, people of Buckland commonly locked their front doors at night.
�I wonder where my folks are,� Frodo mused as he walked beside Merry. �They probably should have come to find me a long time ago.� Merry grinned and shrugged. � I�ll bet they just didn�t want to bother us... we can find our own ways home, right?�
At this, Frodo smiled faintly. But he wasn�t so sure. Something in his heart was telling him all that all was not well. But he dared not look cowardly in front of his friends, so they walked on down the road, all thinking their parents would welcome them back when they arrived home.
But they were not long walking before Pearl Took appeared from behind the hedge in front of them. She was terribly flustered about something. She ran to Frodo and hesitated to speak.
�What is it, Pearl?� Lily asked, disturbed by her worried expression.
�Frodo, no one has seen your parents all afternoon. They set out on their old paddleboat down the river hours ago, and there�s been no word since then... � she stopped, seeing the fear in his eyes. �The water, it was going very fast.. and it�s still cold from winter�s thaw. Frodo, we�ve looked all over, and they think your parents might be dead.�
They all stared in surprise and horror. �How could this have happened?� Lily, Pippin, and Merry thought, worried for their friend. Pearl sighed sadly.
Frodo slowly turned around, clenching his fists. He started walking off quickly towards the river. His friends ran after, shouting. �No, stop! Frodo!� Pearl held her little brother back, and told the other two to stop. �But he needs us! He�s going to the river!� Merry shouted.
�No, he needs to go on his own,� Pearl said stubbornly. �What he needs is to face this by himself.� But Lily was not so easily stayed. �I won't just let him go to the river by himself!� she cried, and ran off, without listening to another word.
****
Lily found Frodo running along the edge of the water, looking around and shouting, �Mama, Papa, come out now! It�s Frodo! Mama! Where are you?� He looked like a lost little child, trying to find his parents in a crowded hall of people. After awhile, he suddenly fell to his knees on the grass near the riverbank.
Lily watched from afar as Frodo sat and wept. She didn�t know what to do. Go down to him? Or was Pippin's sister right? Does he have to face this all by himself? Suddenly, plucking up courage, she walked down the hill from behind their tree, and gingerly sat next to him. Neither said a word for a long while. Finally, Frodo spoke.
�I can't beleive it,� he said, drying his tears. With a deep breath, he said �But they�re not coming back, are they? They�ve left me...and it�s my fault.� he choked. Frodo was speaking more to himself than to Lily.
Putting an arm around his shoulder, Lily spoke to her friend. �It�s not your fault, Frodo. If you�d gone out with them you would have been lost to us as well. You have to be strong.� Lily wasn�t sure where her words were coming from...she was trying to be grown-up sounding for her freind's sake. Eleven-year-olds are like that at times. She just wanted to comfort her friend as best she could, even though she really didn�t understand the pain he was going through.
So they sat by the riverbank for time out of mind, and talked about nothing in particular. Eventually a group of people came to find them.
�Frodo! Lily!� We were so worried about you!� cried Frodo�s Aunt Pansy, running down the hillside to bundle him up in her arms. �Oh my boy, I�m so sorry..� she said, tears in her eyes. �We�ll take care of you, Frodo, don�t you worry.. me and your Uncle Rufus. Ohh, it�s all right, it will be all right.�
Frodo said nothing, but gave in to his aunt�s embrace. Lily watched from the company of her own relatives, come to scold her for being out so late. The two friends smiled at each other.
Read Part Two