“She’s hungry, Aragorn,” Frodo said, looking at the newborn child sadly. “What are we going to do?”

Aragorn sat with his head in his hands. Beyond the joy of their newborn child, there was the sudden and immediate problem of feeding the babe. Frodo wasn’t, as far as he could tell, lactating like any female would be, and their little girl needed nourishment. Aragorn had tried feeding her bits of mashed up apple, but she hadn’t taken it.

Now she was crying and screaming her head off, begging for some kind of food. Aragorn wished with all his soul that he could give it to her. But he was out of ideas, and had nothing else to offer her.

“We have to go, Aragorn. I know that I am weak and that it will be difficult, but we need to. She’ll starve if we don’t.” Frodo’s words filled in the pregnant silence like dirt falling into a grave.

Aragorn knew that he spoke the truth, and he honestly wanted to get out of this cave as much as the child seemed to do. It had provided a haven for a short while, but now the time had come for them to leave the place that still smelled of afterbirth and blood.

He thought about all this to avoid thinking about the real problem. About the real problem that just happened to be his child. How would they feed her? She would starve quickly and it was possible they might not even make it to Rohan before the babe died.

He agreed with Frodo on this. They had precious few things to gather together; just a few of the herbs Aragorn had dried and some provisions he’d been able to find. Other than that, it was just themselves.

Aragorn fashioned a pack for their baby girl by wrapping her in his cloak and then tearing the ends and tying them around his neck and shoulders. The end effect was an awkward sling that held their baby girl firmly in front of him, resting solidly against his chest.

He helped Frodo to his feet. The hobbit was a little wobbly, but otherwise, his strong and hardy body was already on its way to recovery. Aragorn shook his head as he marveled at the strength contained in Frodo’s tiny form. He was convinced that no other being would have survived all the things that Frodo had been through.

Almost shyly, Frodo slipped his hand into Aragorn’s. The king’s heart melted at the feel of the familiar fingers entwining with his own. He had to believe that Frodo was on his way to getting better, and that they would find help for their baby girl soon.

He just had to.

***

“What shall we name her, Aragorn?” Frodo asked quietly as they walked through the whispering trees. The forest closed in over their heads, keeping them close and protected as they walked. The atmosphere was close and warm, and seemed to muffle every noise they made. Even the baby was quiet.

Aragorn looked critically at his little baby. No name came immediately to mind, but he knew the longer they waited to name her, the fewer names would seem appropriate.

“Lillith,” Aragorn said decisively. He startled himself; he hadn’t even known where that name had come from. But it seemed suiting. Elegant enough for a princess, and close enough to Elvish to suit his own roots.

“Lillith,” Frodo said, rolling the name around in his mouth. “I like it. And we can call her Lily when she’s a child, so that she’s not burdened with such a proper name. And Lily does follow hobbit tradition of naming children after flowers. Lillith. I think so.”

Frodo smiled beatifically at Aragorn, but it only reminded the king that his paramour still wasn’t at full-strength. He held out a hand to Frodo, and the hobbit slipped his smaller hand into Aragorn’s rough, dry one.

The quiet and peace of the forest were just beginning to become comfortable when Lily let out a loud, shrill yell. Her face screwed up and turned red as she filled her lungs and began to bawl in earnest. The sound of her cries was deafening.

With his hands clapped over his ears, Frodo looked at his daughter reproachfully. But after a few seconds his irritation turned to worry as he saw his little girl’s bawling face.

“This cannot be allowed to continue,” Aragorn said, desperately. Frodo nodded his head emphatically. “Here, hold her, Frodo. I will be back soon.”

Frodo cradled Lily gently to his chest. Suddenly tired, he sat down against a giant tree and slumped against the trunk. It was odd, but the tree seemed to shift to make him more comfortable. There was an enormous root next to him that offered his arms some relief, as he propped Lily against it and held her only with one arm.

She was still crying, but her screams weren’t quite as shrill as they were before. Frodo kissed her forehead gently, and began to sing softly to her, in vain hopes of quieting her down.

He wished she would be quiet. Not only was the incessant crying irritating and soul-wrenching, but he was worried that it would attract some more ruffians of the sort that they’d already escaped. Without Aragorn here, it would just be him against them, and Frodo still felt quite weak from the birthing. He gazed lovingly on Lily’s face and decided that he would do anything to spare her from the treatment he’d received at their hands. Anything.

He curled around her body and waited for Aragorn to return.

***

Frodo knew he had fallen asleep, because when he woke up, Aragorn was staring bemusedly at him. “Do you need more rest, Frodo? Because if you’re tired, we can stop here for the night.”

Frodo blinked his eyes quickly to clear the sleep from them. “No, no, I’ll be fine. I just needed a rest, and I thought that since Lily was sleeping, I should be too. Isn’t that what they suggest for parents of newborns?”

Aragorn chuckled and kissed Frodo’s pale rosy lips. “Alright, then, sleepyhead, we best be on our way. I’m still a bit worried about those outlaws we escaped from earlier. I don’t think we’re being followed, but it is better not to find out by being caught.”

Aragorn helped Frodo to his feet, and they walked quietly together along the path. Every so often, they would hand off Lily to the other, but besides that, they made no stops and kept a slow, even pace.

Finally they found themselves back on the main highway. As they turned on the road toward Rohan, Frodo caught a glimpse of the sun setting between the mountains, illuminating the way they had come. In the buttery light of the dying sun, it didn’t seem like such an arduous trek, and the forest didn’t seem at all threatening.

“It is really quite beautiful out here,” Frodo observed. Aragorn hummed in agreement. After a moment of silence, he added. “But I do not think I would want to live here. It is nice to escape for a time, but I would miss the city. I do miss the city. Almost more than I miss the Shire, which has been my home for far longer...”

Aragorn did not know how to respond to this odd note of melancholy, because it scared him. He had always felt guilty about taking the hobbit away from his beloved home, but as Frodo mentioned it only rarely, he was able to forget about it most of the time. Now the guilt came back, fresh and sharp, and he looked away into the wilds of Gondor.

“No, you would not want to live here, especially if you were unfortunate enough to encounter more of those outlaws, or some of the vicious wild men that like to roam our borders. It may be pretty, but that forest hides more than you will ever know.”

Frodo realized that he was talking to not only the king of Gondor, but a Ranger from the North, as well. Aragorn knew what he was talking about. And as the sunlight faded and darkness came on, those magical moments in which the forest had held no fear disappeared, and the trees were dark and menacing again.

Frodo slipped a hand into Aragorn’s. “So,” he asked, voicing the question that had been on his mind all afternoon. “Where did you go before, when I fell asleep?”

Aragorn smiled. “You will find out soon, I hope.”

They walked for about a half hour more, and then Aragorn said that they would stop here, a slight way off the road, for the night. “Lily is tired, I think, and so are you. I would not want to cause either of you any undue stress. Here, Frodo, curl up next to me. I will keep you warm.”

When all three were curled together, Aragorn slung his cloak across them. Frodo pressed in tighter to his side, and listened to the soft, rhythmic sigh of air going in and out of Aragorn’s lungs. The man’s warmth next to him was reassuring and comforting in a way that nothing else could be. He could not have been more comfortable. The chill in the air gave him the only excuse he needed to crowd close to his mate, and the tree they rested against cradled them protectively and comfortably. Lily slept peacefully, and the stars were brilliant in the crisp air.

He sighed, and reached an arm across Aragorn’s chest. Lily rested comfortably in the hollow between their chests.

Ensconced so, Frodo fell gently to sleep, no thought at all of the pain that tomorrow might bring.

***

He woke with a start. The first thing he noticed was that it was still dark; in fact, by the position of the moon, he would judge that it had only been a few hours since he’d fallen asleep. The second thing that he noticed was the heavy sound of hoofbeats on the road.

He was going to wake Aragorn, but then looked up and saw that the king was already awake. His dark eyes glistened attentively in the moonlight.

Frodo was about to say something, but Aragorn silenced him with a finger to his lips. “Shh,” he said. He listened intently for a moment more, and then his face broke into a smile. “It’s them,” he said, enigmatically.

He stood, then took Lily from Frodo and pulled him to his feet. “Eomer and the others. Riders of Rohan. They’ve come to aid us.”

Baffled, Frodo asked, “But how can you tell?”

Aragorn stroked his cheek playfully. “Don’t you recognize the sound of your own horse? Wait here, I’ll get you once I’m sure it’s really them.”

With that, he bounded into the underbrush.

He was back no more than five minutes later, leading another one of Frodo’s favorite ponies, Carrot, as well as his own horse. He was followed closely by King Eomer.

On Carrot’s back, there was an older woman that Frodo had never met before. He looked with confusion first at Aragorn, then at Eomer. Lily took that as her cue to wake up and begin to cry.

Frodo winced. Her cries sounded tired and harsh. Eomer smiled and nodded toward the woman. “Wet nurse. In King Elessar’s message, he mentioned that you would need one. I’m glad I was able to bring one, as your daughter there looks quite hungry.” He nodded at the woman, who dismounted.

She walked over to Frodo, and then looked into his eyes, begging silent permission. Wordlessly, Frodo held out Lily. The woman took her and without hesitation, pulled down her shirt, exposing her breast so that Lily could nurse. The baby’s cries quieted, the noise replaced by the sound of contented suckling.

Frodo breathed a sigh of relief, even as he felt a slight twinge of jealousy. Aragorn was talking in close confidence with Eomer, but he looked up and met Frodo’s eyes. “We’re safe now, Frodo. We made it.”

Eomer smiled. “Come, let us rest here. You’ve chosen as good a campsite as any, and we’ve been riding for the past day and night. We could all use a rest, I think.”

Frodo and Aragorn bedded down together, quite a ways off from the other ten or so men. Eomer set his men on watch, and Frodo finally felt able to relax. The wet nurse, whose name was Kydel, was only a short way off, with Lily sleeping peacefully in her arms. The jealousy Frodo had felt towards her had faded, and now all he felt was grateful that Lily would be well taken care of without his help.

He laid down next to Aragorn. “We’re out of the woods now, I suppose,” he said to Aragorn. “There’s only one thing I don’t understand. How did Eomer know where to find us?”

Aragorn chuckled. “I spotted an eagle in the sky, not two days ago. I saw the same eagle yesterday, as we were walking in the forest. He was quite gracious to me when I explained our predicament, and agreed to take a message to King Eomer for me. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how long it would take, or if the eagle would even pull through. Though those of that race are honorable, they are also easily distracted, and tend to forget. Thankfully, he got through with my message, and now, here we are.” He paused and then added. “Out of danger at last.”

Frodo laughed. “Yes. It’s good to finally have the burden of Lily off our chests. I love her dearly, but this feels like the only time we’ve been alone together in nine months.” Aragorn smiled and kissed Frodo tenderly as an answer.

Frodo relaxed under his lover’s caress, and finally felt like he was home.

THE END