~CHAPTER 2: BILBO & THE BEE~

During Winterfilth (October), Esmeralda had made little headway with her sewing project as Frodo had been very sick for much of the month with the measles that were going around Brandy Hall. While he recovered, Bilbo had come again and entertained him for hours on end with his stories of Elves, Dwaves, and Men; and also such tales as the Fell Winter and how the Brandywine River froze, allowing the Wolves to cross; or how Bandobras Took fought off an army of orcs in the Shire long ago (and invented the game of golf at the same time). The narratives seemed to perk the melancholy lad up as he sat in his bed, propped up by numerous pillows. He continued to clutch at his blue Elvish blanket and listened to Bilbo with wide-eyed wonder, Beorn the Bear faithfully tucked at his side.

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By the end of Blotmath (November), Esmeralda was nearly finished sewing the squares of Primula’s clothing together, working only after the lad was tucked into his bed. Frodo was finally starting to eat more of his own accord and he no longer awoke screaming from nightmares, although she and Saradoc had found him whimpering in his sleep for his mother or father several times still.

They were becoming more concerned, however, as Frodo was growing increasingly indifferent about the life of Brandy Hall that surrounded him. Things that used to hold his interest or comforted him no longer seemed to; and he spent more and more time alone by himself with every passing day. While helping the young hobbit clean his room one morning, Esmeralda observed his special Elvish blanket crumpled and tossed into a corner with apparent disregard. When she asked him about it, Frodo merely shrugged his small shoulders and said he didn’t care for it anymore and that it was just a stupid baby blanket.

Telling Frodo she would save it for him in case he changed his mind, Esmeralda carefully folded the blanket, eventually deciding to use it as the new quilt’s centerpiece when the young lad continued to lack any interest in it whatsoever. Beorn too, now sat slumped over on a shelf collecting dust--the days of Frodo reverting to an almost faunt-like need to keep the worn stuffed toy with him at all times after the accident, apparently over.

Esmeralda could only stand by and watch helplessly as Frodo now played by himself most of the time, despite her and Sara's encouragement otherwise to make new friends aside from the ones he'd had in Hobbiton. Then again, the few children he'd used to play with whenever he'd visited Buckland in the past also sensed his growing disinterest and most had long ago ceased their invitations to him for play and now even for parties too. In fact, Frodo seemed to have few friends at all anymore, save his cousins Pearl and Reginard Took when they came from Tuckborough to visit with their respective families.

Frodo's indifference toward the life around him was growing exponentially and there were times when he would became increasingly restless, fidgety, and even angry. Why just the other week the lad had been downright belligerent to his rather formidable Uncle Rorimac, which had resulted in a sound thrashing despite her protests. Saradoc had tried to have a talk with Frodo, but the child had not spoken to anyone for the rest of the day, stomping off in his emotional confusion and wanting to be left alone.

Esmeralda knew that if such continued and the voices and methods of the Brandybucks remained ineffective, Bilbo as head of the Baggins family would have to be spoken to about this type of behavior. Frodo would have no choice then but to listen and obey Bilbo without a word otherwise. She and her husband both fervently hoped it would not come to down to that. Meanwhile, she continued with her sewing.

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In the beginning week of Foreyule (December), Esmeralda had finished her work on the quilt with the help of her husband’s Aunts Asphodel and Amaranth, and her own mother-in-law, Menegilda. She also received a letter via the Quick Post from Dora that the Baggins’ section of the quilt was ready and that Bilbo would bring it with him to Buckland the week before Yule. Dora expressed her regret at not being able to further help or see Frodo receive his new quilt, but the elder hobbit felt she would not do well traveling across the Shire in the middle of Winter. The rest of her letter contained advice as to how the squares of the quilt should be properly sewn together.

As promised, Bilbo arrived a week before Yule and handed over a tightly wrapped bundle to Esmeralda before going off to find Frodo, who by now had completely lost interest in everything and everyone. When he wasn’t being made to help with chores or tossed outside to play, he was almost always alone in his room staring at the walls, his toys lying long forgotten in a corner. Bilbo was utterly shocked to hear of this latest development and he decided to drag the lad against his protests to Brandy Hall’s vast library. The elder Baggins hoped to spark the boy's interest of books and love of tales once more, and perhaps encourage his already well-developed reading skills in the process.

That night, long after Frodo was asleep in bed, Bilbo volunteered to help Esmeralda, Asphodel, Amaranth, and Menegilda sew all of the sections of the quilt together. The hobbit ladies were quite surprised at Bilbo’s remarkable sewing skills and stated as such, making the Master of Bag End nearly splutter out his tea. All hobbits learned how to sew, but few lads showed any promise for it, those that did usually becoming tailors. Bilbo explained to them that as an only child he had often had to help his mother, Belladonna Took, on numerous occasions with her prize-winning sewing work. Not to mention that he was a self-sufficient bachelor; he went to a reputable tailor in Hobbiton to have his fancy clothing made up, but he was quite capable of doing any sort of mending himself, thank you very much.

Bilbo uncharacteristically blushed however, when Menegilda casually remarked to the other lasses present that the renowned Master of Bag End should invite himself to official quilting bees more often ... reputation of Mad Baggins notwithstanding, of course.

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