AUTHOR: Dreamflower
RATING: G
CATEGORY: General
SUMMARY: A bit of reminiscing about the night the Black Riders came to Crickhollow…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was written for Marigold's Challenge #22; I had to answer two questions--How did Fredegar feel when he ran from Crickhollow to warn of the Black Riders? and How did Esmeralda feel when she learned that Merry and the others had left the Shire?
DISCLAIMER: Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the Tolkien Estate. I own none of them. Some of them, however, seem to own me.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER…

Odovocar sat back in his comfortable chair by the hearth and surveyed his remaining guests. Estella’s and Merry’s betrothal party had been a stunning social success, and as soon as all the regular guests had left, Rosamunda had pled fatigue and a headache, and taken herself to bed.

The only ones remaining now were those who were staying in Brock Hall.

He spared a smile for the happy couple. Merry sat in a large chair with Estella perched on his right knee, his arm firmly around her as she rested her head on his broad shoulders. His cousin Pippin sat on the floor, leaning his head against Merry’s left knee, and looking a bit pensive. Odovocar thought he was probably missing his own lass. Diamond had left early, with her mistress, Lavender Bunce, to attend a childbirth in Whitfurrows, and Pippin clearly wished she had not. But such absences were only to be expected, if he had formed an attachment to an apprentice healer.

He glanced at the settee, where his son Freddy sat, Angelica Baggins leaning into his side, and his arm about her shoulders. There soon would be another betrothal party, and a wedding shortly after. Freddy had made it clear that after a year’s absence, he would not welcome a waste of time in making the fair Angelica the new Mrs. Fredegar Bolger. He was very proud of all Freddy had accomplished in his journey to Rohan and Gondor. A friendship with the Kings in the South would not be a bad thing for his future at all.

At the other end of the settee, Saradoc Brandybuck and his wife Esmeralda had made themselves cozy, sitting close, their hands entwined like newlyweds, instead of the parents of a son who was nearing forty. He could not imagine being so demonstrative in front of others with Rosamunda. She was a wonderful wife to him, but she had a very firm belief in the importance of appearances.

The last guest in the room was Frodo Baggins, who sat across from him in another armchair. Odovocar cast him a brief worried look. Frodo did not look well. He was too thin, and there were dark smudges beneath the blue eyes, and he was far too pale for health. Odovocar suspected that if this party had been for anyone save his beloved cousin Merry, Frodo would most certainly not have attended. He had come with his friends the Gamgees, but they were not staying at Brock Hall. Mistress Rose had a cousin at the other end of town, whom they were visiting as well.

Freddy had been regaling the small group with details of his visit to the South, and his time in Minas Tirith, and Merry and Pippin were quizzing him from time to time about certain of their friends and acquaintances there.

“I wish,” said Pippin, “that they had been able to stay awhile, and come into the Shire. And I wish that Bergil had come back.” He gave a deep sigh.

Freddy shook his head. “King Elessar made it clear that he wished them to begin abiding by the edict. It is only another six years until the decision is made whether or not to make the ban permanent. He said that he has given us Shirefolk the right to make the decision as to when an exception may be made, but he hoped that we would save such exceptions for emergencies, or for truly special occasions. That was one reason all three of the Shire worthies must agree.” Pippin still looked a bit doubtful, and Freddy added, “As to Bergil, he’d already been away from his father for months. He was ready to stay home for a while.”

“I was hoping,” said Merry, “that Legolas and Gimli would return with you.”

“They accompanied us as far as Rivendell, and then they decided to return to their own lands again for a while. Rivendell is so different than I had envisioned it. But I was pleased to see Cousin Bilbo again.”
Frodo looked up sharply. “How is Bilbo?”

“He is feeling his age. He has days when he does nothing but sleep, and days when his mind seems to wander--one day he took me for my father, and seemed to forget that he was no longer in the Shire. But he also had some good days, and we talked a bit then. He wanted to know how all of you were doing, of course. He seemed rather pleased that I was planning to speak for Angelica here,” and he gave her shoulders a squeeze, “when I returned home. He said ‘I take it she overcame her silly tween vanity, then?’ and gave me a little mathom for a wedding gift.” At Angelica’s inquiring smile, he shook his head. “And no, I am not going to tell you what it is, except it’s *not* a mirror.” He laughed as she blushed beet red.

“I still have that mirror,” she confessed.

Everyone else laughed at her rueful tone.

“And is there yet any sign of an impending heir to the throne?” asked Frodo hopefully.

Freddy chuckled. “No, not at the time we were there. I don’t believe that the King and Queen are in a hurry to start their family. They seem to be enjoying one another’s company a good deal.”

He fell silent a moment, and then said “He is most concerned about all of you. I know that he misses you a lot. I wonder sometimes if it had not been better if I had been brave enough to come with you all after all.”

Odovocar sat forward. It was rare for Fredegar to speak of the role he had played in the Travellers leaving the Shire.

Merry shook his head. “None of that, Freddy. You know that what you did do was every bit as brave. And if you had not stayed, there would have been no one to challenge Lotho’s depredations.”

“Yet I could have stayed at Crickhollow, perhaps deceived those Black Riders as to where all of you had gone…”

Pippin leaned forward, looking very serious. “No. There is no way you could have faced up to them. They would have killed you.”

Frodo nodded. He was very pale, and Merry turned to look at him in concern. “Freddy, it would have been useless. As long as I bore the Ring, I drew them after me like a lodestone. Pippin is quite right. It would have been the death of you.” He blinked and swallowed, and rubbed his shoulder, as he leaned back once more, seemingly exhausted by his speech.

“Are you all right, Frodo?” asked Merry quietly.

Frodo nodded, and then said, “I am very proud of you for all that you did do, Freddy.”

Freddy sighed. “I was so sure that everything was working out well. No one had really come to challenge your still being at Crickhollow. I had begun to relax, was working on learning Sindarin from that book you left me, and enjoying the peace and quiet. My only worry was that Gandalf still had not arrived. And then, as evening drew in and I began to close the windows against the damp and prepare to lock the door, I saw them--dark shapes in the garden. I remembered your description, and knew who they must be. I was terrified. For a few seconds I couldn’t even think. Then I remembered the back door. I crept out, and as soon as I was outside, I raced like the wind towards the Boffin’s cottage. I couldn’t help it, I seemed to get more frightened the further I went…

…tearing through the garden, through the fields, lungs burning, heart pounding, soon a terrible cramp in his side, yet he kept going until the lights of the cottage greeted his eyes. He fell against the door, pounding with both fists, calling out “Help! Help!” And then suddenly the door had opened, and he had fallen forward collapsing onto the mat. “No, no, no! Not me! I haven’t got it!” * He felt himself lifted up, a cup of water being brought to him by the wife. He drank it down gratefully, and at last, with a bit more coherence was able to make them understand that Merry Brandybuck and companions had gone in the Old Forest, and that there were strange menacing creatures come after them to Crickhollow…

Old Mr. Boffin had half-dragged him in, as he sobbed over and over

Mr. Boffin sent his son to ride to the Hall, and soon we heard the Horn-call--‘FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE! AWAKE!’* I am afraid I rather collapsed after that, for the next thing I recall was being awakened as I lay in a strange bed by Berilac, who was informing me that the Master wished to see me at the Hall.” Freddy stared off as if into some far distant time or place. Angelica had taken one of his hands, and was squeezing it so hard both their knuckles had turned white.

Merry, Pippin and Frodo all looked at him with understanding, nodding. It was clear this was his first time to really relate what had happened that awful night since the event first occurred.

There was a brief silence, and then Saradoc nodded. “Yes, the evening before, I had found your note, Merry. You had concealed it rather cleverly, but the ledger book was not quite as I had left it. I was extremely disturbed by what it had to say. I sat there for a good long time, trying to think what to do, and had very nearly made up my mind to ride to Crickhollow myself, in spite of the late hour, to see just what *had* happened. And then young Boffin came rushing into the Hall with his bit of news: there was an invasion from the Old Forest. I sent Merimac out at once to blow the Horn-call and rouse Buckland, but the invaders left as quickly as they had come.”

Esmeralda reached a hand up, and tucked a stray curl behind her husband’s ear. “I know I’ve not been so frightened in a long time. You came up to tell me that it looked like Merry, Frodo, Pippin and Samwise Gamgee had slipped away out of the Shire. He showed me the note, and when I saw the part that said Frodo was ‘in peril of his life’, I thought the breath had been knocked right out of me…

…that night had been a sleepless one for Esmeralda. Saradoc had gone back down to his study, to speak to his brother, and get a report of the evening’s happenings. She had gone to bed, tossing and turning, and wondering what kind of peril Frodo might have been in, and thinking back to little signs of nervousness and distress she had noticed in Merry over the last few days she had seen him. How could she have missed it? Why had Frodo not confided in Saradoc? He must know that they would have protected him from any threat. What kind of enemy must he have? Lotho came to her mind instantly, and she found herself realizing that she should have known something was wrong when Frodo had sold Bag End to the S.-B.s of all people…

After hours of tossing and turning, she had finally drifted off into a restless doze at about the time dawn came through the window…

“Well, we learned much later,” said Saradoc, “more of the state of things, though I do not think any of us guessed the true nature of the Black Riders. Still, I do not think any of us in Buckland ever believed the rumor in the rest of the Shire that they were hired ruffians sent by Lotho. It was clear that whatever those creatures were, they were far beyond the likes of Lotho Pimple to deal with.”

Odovocar glanced over at Merry, who was not looking much happier than Frodo at this point. Estella had taken his right hand in both of hers, and was chaffing it, as though it were cold. Pippin had reached up, put a hand on his cousin’s other arm, and said, “Well, I’m glad to hear a bit of what happened that night. We had a bit of a fright ourselves what would have been that same evening, if I’m remembering aright. But the main thing is that we all came through it and out the other side. And you are a stout fellow, Freddy, and a good friend and Conspirator.”

“Indeed,” said Frodo, and if the cheer in his voice sounded a bit ragged and forced everyone feigned not to notice, “and now you have made the journey, and have met our King, and we are most pleased to have you home again, safely in the Shire.”

Merry, whose color had returned, gave a fond look to the lass on his knee. “And I for one, am most heartily glad you came back when you did.” He looked at Estella mischievously. “Do you still want to wait until Yule, or shall we have the wedding tomorrow and surprise your mother?”

And at this sally, everyone laughed heartily, and the conversation turned to weddings.

But Odovocar could not help but notice that Frodo Baggins' own laughter had rung just a bit hollow.