Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings​ belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

A/N:  One of the things that KG asked me (DF), when we were going to partner in this story, was that we try to include my OC, Menelcar, who appears in my story, “Chance Encounter”.  I agreed.  Therefore, you may see bits of that story quoted here and there in the next few chapters.  Those are from my own story, so be assured that if you see something you recognize, it is not plagiarized.  Thank you.  DF and KG.

Chapter 106: The Unbirthday Song, Part 3

"SURPRISE!" came a chorus of voices.

Gail gasped at the size of the crowd inside.  What on earth?

"A very happy Unbirthday, Gail," Frodo added, as he stood aside for the family to enter.

Steve ushered his family inside, enjoying the expression on his wife's face; she was bright red with embarrassment, and her eyes were wide with astonishment, while her jaw had dropped as fare as it could go.

Steve looked down at Frodo with a wink.  "Actually, it is two Unbirthdays, Frodo…"

Frodo (who of course had not forgotten, as this had already been arranged in Kaylee’s absence) turned to Kaylee and bowed.  "And also, a very happy Unbirthday to you, Miss Kaylee!"  Kaylee’s eyes widened as she gaped at him, looking bewildered.  She had not recall missing her own birthday at all.  She looked up at her father in confusion.

"It seems," said Steve, "that you also missed your birthday when we were in Lothlórien, Kaylee!"

"I did?"  Kaylee looked up at her father, confused.

Gail, who had by now recovered from her own astonishment, turned to remind Kaylee, "Yes, baby, your birthday is only a few days before mine.  But we didn't really keep track of the days while we were in Lothlórien."

Frodo smiled at the little girl.  “It wasn’t only your mother’s birthday we were preparing for, Kaylee.”  He gestured inside.  “Come on in.”

As they entered the guesthouse, the clamour of voices was nearly deafening.  There stood Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, grinning at them like there was no tomorrow.  And there were Gandalf and Radagast and Legolas and Gimli, and most of the Elves who had come from Rivendell, including Mairen--and Aragorn, and Faramir, and the King of Rohan and his sister, and Beregond and Bergil and Sador, and Elladan and Elrohir and several of the soldiers from Pippin's company, and Éomer and Éowyn, and some of their riders, including Haleth.  “Sador!  Bergil!”  With a broad smile, Joey waved at the other boys; grinning, they waved back.  Somewhere there was the sound of a harp, Menelcar's harp, though they couldn't see him in all the throng.  Frodo grinned, and ushered the McCloud family into the crowd, to join the festive chaos.

Gail looked up to see Merry, Pippin, and Gimli bringing in the low table from the kitchen, with a lovely and huge cake on it.  Kaylee and Megan jumped and squealed with joy at the sight of it.

No sooner were they all inside than Kevin turned and said, "I'll be back shortly," as he joined several of the guardsmen and Elves and Rohirrim as they headed back outside.

"Where are they going?" Gail asked Steve.

"Well, the guest list was so much larger than we expected that the food will have to be served outside in the courtyard.  They've gone to set up the big trestle tables out there," her husband answered.

Menelcar, it turned out, was standing with his harp on the stair landing, and he started to play a lively Shire air.  Pippin ran up the stairs to join him where his fiddle awaited him.  And one of the Rohirrim followed him with a flute.  And everyone looked surprised when Aragorn also mounted the stairs.  On the landing, there was a large hourglass-shaped drum.  The King took it and sat on the top step with it between his knees and began to keep the time with his fingers. 

Gandalf, who had made his way next to the McClouds, smiled.  "That is a drum such as the Easterlings use.  It is something he picked up on his many travels in his youth."  The wizard smiled down at Joey.  "Did I not hear that you were also to be a part of the music?" he asked.

Laughing, Joey laughed also darted up the stairs, where he sat down next to Aragorn and pulled out his harmonica.

“Are they gonna play ‘Happy Birthday’ for Mommy and me?” Kaylee asked.

Steve laughed.  “Well, why don't we just wait and see what happens?"  He ruffled her hair and pulled her into a brief hug.

By now, toes were tapping.  The musicians had begun to play the air known as Southfarthing Brawl, a dance done in a circle that didn't need partners.  Frodo grabbed Gail by the hand, and then Kaylee by his other hand.  Gimli found himself next to Steve, and Steve, Jennifer, and Megan were pulled in; Gandalf, and then Legolas, and then Éowyn and Faramir came to join in, and soon everyone else found a spot in the circle, as the music grew faster and faster.  Bergil grabbed Jennifer by one hand, and Sador grabbed her other; Steve, for his part, found himself between Kaylee and Gimli.  There were so many people there that a second circle was started to hold everyone else.  Everyone was puffing hard when it finished.

The musicians played several more toe-tapping Shire melodies, and then Menelcar and Pippin sang.  They sang some old Shire songs, and Menelcar and Pippin finished the song about "Princess Mee", and then Pippin spoke up.

"Mistress Gail, Kaylee, Merry and I have a song we made just for the party.  Merry made up most of the words, and it is set to the tune of 'Down the Green Hills'."

Pippin and Menelcar played just a bit of a sentimental air, a favourite in the Shire with fiddlers and pipers alike, and then Pippin stopped and began to sing, his voice so clear and sweet.

"The Road has brought us ever on
A long and winding way,
And step by step it led us on
Through fire and flood and dark and dawn
Further from home each day.

"Of the world's beauty and sorrow
There is much we can tell,
And through darkness and through shadow,
We have fought to find tomorrow,
And hoped all would be well.

"No matter how far we would roam,
Together or apart,
When we struggled on all alone,
Our dreams were always of home,
For there we kept our heart.

"Where the Brandywine meanders
Down through the rushes green,
In rills and ripples wanders
On past all the gentle splendours
Of every rustic scene.

"Where the scent of summer clover
So sweetly fills the air,
And the bees through fields of heather
Over open blossoms hover
On warm mornings so fair.

"Oh, there is much we can admire
Here in this world of Men.
But we will find our heart's desire
On down the Green Hills of the Shire;
We will be home again."

Pippin's green eyes glistened when he finished, as did most of the listening guests.  Gail moved closer to Steve, and he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.  The song was so touching.  She glanced over to where Frodo, Sam, and Merry stood.  Both Frodo and Merry also had tears in their eyes, and Sam was outright crying, with tears running down his face. Merry, who stood next to him, handed him a handkerchief, and Frodo on his other side reached over and patted him on the back.

After the song ended, Menelcar waited for a moment, and then to lighten the mood, began another song, a comic song about a young Man trying to court a farmer's daughter, while all along the lass saucily denied him.  Soon there were chuckles and tapping toes once more.

When the minstrel had finished his song and the laughter had died down, he held up his hand and said, "The children of Mistress McCloud have planned a special treat for their parents.  Would Sir Kevin, Lady Jennifer, Master Joey, Miss Kaylee, and Miss Megan please join us here?"

Kevin had returned a short time after the singing had first begun.  He cricked a finger at his younger siblings and gestured, and the children followed him up to the landing, as the musicians moved to the side, and they arranged themselves with Kevin, Jennifer, and Joey, who lined up behind Kaylee and Megan.

Jennifer bent down.  "Are you sure you remember the words?" she asked the little girls in a whisper.

"I do," said Kaylee.

Megan nodded her head, but then said, "I think so."

"Do your best, sweetie," whispered Jennifer.  "You'll do fine."

Kevin cleared his throat, and then said, "These are songs that were sung at our parents' wedding.  I hope they like hearing us sing them."  He turned to look at his younger siblings, and when they nodded, he began to sing acapella:

“You may think that I'm talkin' foolish.

You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free.

You may wonder how I can promise you now

This love that I feel for you always will be…”

Then the other children joined in as the song continued, and finished with the last of the chorus:

“Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever.

Forever and ever, amen.

As long as old men sit and talk about the weather,

As long as old women sit and talk about old men.

If you wonder how long I'll be faithful.

Well, just listen to how this song ends.

I'm gonna love you forever and ever.

Forever and ever, amen.

I'm gonna love you forever and ever.

Forever and ever, forever and ever.

Forever and ever, amen."*

When the applause from that song died down, the five of them began the second song they had rehearsed as a surprise for their parents:

“He is now to be among you,

At the calling of your hearts.

Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.

The union of your spirits here has caused Him to remain,

For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name,

There is love...”*

As the song continued, Gail looked at Steve, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy, and whispered, "Did you know they were going to sing these songs?"

Steve shook his head.  "I knew they were going to sing," he whispered back, "but not which songs."

When they had finished the second song, the young singers came back down the staircase, as the musicians began to play another lively song fit for dancing.

“Kids, that was beautiful!” Gail said, her tears still in her eyes.  She hugged each one of them.

“It certainly was,” Steve agreed.  “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Kevin said, smiling.  “Glad you liked it.”

Megan grinned up at her parents.  "I din't forget any of the words, even the hard ones!"

Gail chuckled and gave her youngest daughter another big hug.  “You sure didn’t, sweetheart!  Good job!”

After another dance, the first musicians took a break, and were supplanted by other performers.  Several Elves went up to the landing and began to sing as Legolas took out the shepherd's pipes, which he had made in the Golden Wood, and began to play a lovely Elven melody.

Elladan and Elrohir went up to the landing, where one took over Strider's drum, and the other borrowed Menelcar's harp.  Pippin put his fiddle aside and came down to get some refreshment.

Near the ale cask, Gimli stood with Gail, Steve, and Éomer and Éowyn.  "This is a lively gathering," said the King of Rohan.

Gimli chuckled.  "Hobbits really know how to throw a party!  Even when taken unawares, they are first-rate hosts, and when they have time to plan, they excel at it.  Old Bilbo was famous for his parties.”

Legolas started in on a lively Shire tune, another dance song, that Pippin had taught him, and the twins followed his lead.  

Laughing, Merry shouted, "Let's have the Tangle Dance!"  He pulled on Gail's hand, while Frodo grabbed Jennifer.  Grinning, Pippin grabbed Steve, and Sam took Kaylee by one hand and Megan by the other.  Kevin (whom Pippin had warned about the dance) asked for Lady Éowyn's hand, and then Joey took the other.  Gandalf (who recognized the tune) grabbed someone else’s.  Others joined in, as Merry led them in the Tangle Dance.  Soon even more guests were pulled into a circle.

As the music continued, Merry stooped to go between the arms of two other dancers.  "Don't let go!" he shouted, as he began to lead them into a large human knot.  All were laughing as they tried to hold their places.  Megan let out a squeal of laughter as Aragorn inserted himself on her other hand and lifted her high in the air.  Finally, all were so tangled up that they could scarcely move, much less dance, and the whole tangle fell apart as the music stopped.  Everyone was breathless when the Tangle broke apart.**

No sooner was the dance ended, that Sam announced that the food was ready outside in the courtyard.  There were two long tables set up on trestles, with benches and chairs set out along both sides.  The table was laden with food, and two immense cakes had pride of place, one in the centre of each table.  Gandalf gave the signal for the Standing Silence, facing West.  Standing silently with the others, the McClouds held hands and used the moment for their own silent prayer.  Soon after the food was being passed, and all were busy feasting, until it was time to slice and serve the cakes.

Before the cake was cut, Jennifer called for attention.  Then she lifted Megan to stand atop the bench on which they had been sitting.  "This whole party was Megan's idea, and she has one more song:

“A very merry unbirthday

To Mommy,

To who?

To Mommy

Oh, her.

“A very merry unbirthday

To Kaylee,

To who?

To Kaylee,

Oh, her.”*

Joey joined in, as Jennifer sang the rest of “A Very Merry Unbirthday”.  When they had finished, Megan grinned and looked up at her big sister.  "More?" she asked.

Jennifer laughed.  "One more time," she announced, "and this time, everybody join in!"

And so, they did, with mixed results, as only a few had memorized the words.  The Elves, of course, were perfect.

Kaylee giggled.  “Guess this was better than ‘Happy Birthday’ would have been!” she said to her mother.

“Well, since this isn’t either of our real birthdays, I’d say it was,” Gail agreed, laughing.

The cake was delicious, and the children and Pippin all had more than one serving.  “All that’s missing is ice cream,” Joey said at one point.  All too soon, though, it seemed, most of the guests began to take their leave.  The Rohirrim were the first to go, for they would begin their solemn journey to Edoras on the morrow.  Faramir also left, for he wished to spend a bit of time with Éowyn before she departed.  Lord Elrond's sons came over and gave the McCloud family a courteous bow before they left.  They would be leaving along with the party from Rohan.

Soon, the only guests remaining were the Fellowship, and the Elves and Radagast, who had accompanied the McClouds from Rivendell.  Gail thought the party was nearly over, for the celebration had lasted far longer than she had thought it would.  She'd been expecting a small dinner party with just the hobbits and Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas, who also lived in the guesthouse, not this big party.  Now she was very tired, and she could tell that Kaylee and Megan were flagging; even Joey looked to be drooping a little.  But Frodo forestalled her. 

"Your husband has told me of the customs of your land when it came to birthday presents, that it was the custom for the byrdings to open their presents at the end of the party, unlike hobbits, who have their gifts on the day before.  I realize that this is an 'unbirthday' to make up for not having your celebrations on the right days, but some of us have gifts for you now."  Sam stood behind Frodo, holding a basket covered with a cloth, and when Frodo lifted the cloth up, a wonderful smell came out.  "This is our gift for you and Kaylee, Mistress Gail, but we made enough of these for the whole family,” Frodo added.  "The shortbreads are from me.  Sam made the gingersnaps, Merry made the Bucklebury Cakes, and Pippin made the jammy dodgers."

As Gail and Kaylee thanked the hobbits, Gail took the basket from Sam and then held it out for all the family to sniff.  Glorfindel stepped forward.  "It is the habit of Elves to give items we find in nature, and to enhance them in some way to make the gift special.  This gift is for you, Gail."  He placed a small bundle tied with an embroidered cloth upon the table.

Gail reached over and untied the knot at the top.  She could recognize Mairen's needlework.  There was a lovely, polished quartz stone, which had been carved in the semblance of a niphredil in full bloom; it was enhanced with a bit of silver gilt here and there.  It had been carefully mounted on a base of carved driftwood from the river.  It seemed to slightly glow.

“Thank you so much!  This is lovely,” Gail told Glorfindel, with a pleased smile.

Glorfindel bowed.  “We all are pleased that you like it, Gail McCloud.”

Then he put a smaller item, also wrapped in Mairen's handiwork, next to it.  "Kaylee, this is for you."

Eyes wide, Kaylee opened her gift.  This stone was a polished pale green gem, with a faint marbling of grey; it looked like a carving of a young dog.  It suggested Lucy, but with an Elvish air about it, and it, too, glowed.  "Wow," Kaylee breathed in awe.  "I love it!"

Radagast smiled.  "I enchanted it so that it will glow somewhat brighter in the dark of night," he said, "and the colours will softly change for you according to your mood."

Kaylee smiled.  “Thank you, Glorfindel and Radagast.”

Glorfindel smiled back.  “You are most welcome, Kaylee, on behalf of all of us.”  He ruffled her hair, and she hugged his waist with her left arm, since her right hand was hugging the gem.

Gimli blushingly gave Gail a lovely chain of silver clearly of his own forging, and to Kaylee, he gave a little brass puzzle box that he had made for her.  "It will take you a while to open it, but I know that you are persistent enough to figure it out," and he winked at her.  Giggling, Kaylee thanked him, and so did Gail.

Legolas gave Gail a beautiful large flawless seashell, and to Kaylee, he gave another smaller one.  "I found these on the shores of the sea at Belfalas before we took ship to Minas Tirith."  He smiled.  "If you hold them up to your ear, you will hear the sea singing to you."  Kaylee immediately held hers up to her right ear.

“I hear it!  I hear the ocean!” she squealed.

Gail held her seashell up to her own ear.  “I hear it, too, sweetie,” she told Kaylee, smiling.  Indeed, it seemed to sound even more melodic, and yet real, than the seashells of their own land.  Song of the Sea, indeed! she thought. 

Radagast pulled out a small wooden carving from seemingly nowhere and passed it to Kaylee.

"It's Lucy!" she squealed and held it close.  "Oh, I can't wait to show it to her!  Thank you, Radagast!"

And then with a flourish, he also brought out another carving for Gail, a larger carving of one of the Great Eagles.  He handed it to her. 

“There are eagles where we come from, too,” Gail told him.  "But they are nowhere near as large as the Eagles you have here!"

“Yes, and the bald eagle is the national bird of our country,” Steve added, "although this is clearly not a bald eagle.  I don’t suppose you have those in Middle-earth."

"No, but the Great Eagles are among the Free Peoples, and are the servants of Eru," Radagast answered, "but never have I seen an Eagle that appears to be bald."

“Their heads are covered with white feathers.  That’s why they appear to be bald,” Steve said.

"True.”  Gail nodded.  “Well, at any rate, I shall cherish this one.  Did you carve these sculptures by hand, or are they magic?"

Radagast blushed, but with a smile, he nodded.  "They were both carved by my very own hands, from a fallen branch of lebethron."#

Gail nodded.  Must be an Elvish tree, she thought.

Now it was Gandalf's turn.  Not to be outdone by his fellow Istar, with a pop and a puff of coloured smoke, he brought forth two leather pouches, engraved with leaves, one slightly smaller than the other.

"And these are for you, my ladies," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, as he gave an exaggerated bow.  "These pouches are enchanted so that you will never be able to lose them!  Even if you have misplaced them, they will manage to find their ways back to you!"

Joey giggled.  “Will they fly back to Mom and Kaylee?”

Gandalf chuckled.  "Let us just say that they will always show up again, with their contents intact."

Gail laughed, exchanging a look with Kaylee.  “Thank you, Gandalf.“  Kaylee echoed her mother’s thanks.

Finally, the King came forward, and with a flourish, removed two wooden boxes from his belt pouch.  First, he handed a long narrow box to Gail, who lifted the lid to reveal a silver necklace, with a silver pendant carved with an image of the White Tree that hung from the chain.  To Kaylee, he handed a flat square box that contained a silver bracelet with a little charm of the White Tree.  Steve helped Gail to put on her necklace, and Kevin helped Kaylee to fasten her pretty bracelet on her left wrist.

“Thank you!” Kaylee said, smiling, holding up the wrist that her new bracelet was fastened around.

“Yes, thank you,” Gail added.  "It's beautiful!"  She glanced down at Kaylee’s bracelet.  “They both are!"

Gandalf glanced over to see that Megan was nearly asleep as she curled up in her father's arms.  "Many blessings on your 'unbirthdays', my dears, but I do believe it is time for our festivities to end,” he told Gail and Kaylee, and Gail and Steve nodded in agreement.  “May you be blessed with beautiful dreams tonight."

“I can’t wait to show my presents to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet!”  Kaylee took a hop and a skip.

Gail laughed.  “I’m looking forward to showing them my presents, too, when we get home, sweetheart.”

Sam stepped forward.  “Here is a smaller version of your Unbirthday cake, to take back to the Citadel with you.”  He handed Gail a platter on which stood a family-size version of the cake they had all munched on during dessert.

Gail smiled.  “Thank you, Sam.  We’ll enjoy it.”

“We certainly will,” Steve agreed.

The family went out, accompanied by Aragorn at their side, his guards following behind, as he walked with his guest back up to the Citadel.  Only Kevin was aware of why they were staying close by, and that two of the eight guards were not following as well. 

-oo000oo-

The two figures, who had been surreptitiously watching the guesthouse from behind the white walls of the courtyard, drew back.  "Min," said a whiny voice, "that fancy party was what all the coming and going has been about!"

"I think you're right," said Min.  "I'm glad we will be finishing this up tomorrow.  We will not need to drag it out.  Tomorrow, we finish with those halflings and leave town with our takings." 

They crept off, also failing to notice they were being followed.

-oo000oo-

A/N: 

*Credits for the songs are as follows:

The song Pippin sang was written by Dreamflower (me, DF) for my story, "Chance Encounter," found among my Stories of Arda fanfiction archive.  DF.

"Forever and Ever, Amen" is a song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist Randy Travis.

"Wedding Song (There Is Love)" is a title of a 1971 hit single by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary.  The song—which Stookey credits to divine inspiration—has since remained a popular choice for performances at weddings.

"The Unbirthday Song" (music and lyrics by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston), was written for Disney's 1951 animated film, "Alice and Wonderland".  It has been re-written a few times for other Disney productions.  The version here was slightly re-written to fit with the McCloud family's story.

**The last dance described in this chapter is a popular dance common at events in The Society for Creative Anachronism, where it is known as "The Tangle Bransle" (pronounced "brawl").  It is often used as a "Shire dance" for the hobbits in Dreamflower's fanfiction universe.  DF.

#A tree that grew in Gondor; little is known of it, except that it was generally dark or black in colour, and beloved by the woodworkers of that land.  The staves given by Faramir to Frodo and Sam were made of lebethron wood, as was the casket in which he brought the Crown of Gondor to the coronation of Aragorn.