Reviews (138)

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Tom to the rescue. I'm not a fan of Tom's but there was just no other way of getting Frodo out of this forest alive. I also like the idea that Tom helped Frodo prior to the Quest and that maybe Tom recognized him later in LOTR. Infants are very good on picking up the emotions of those around them, especially when the emotions are so high as they were that night. I've heard infants cry like that, when everyone around them are distraught. It's heartwrenching. Edon is getting there, but he still has one more door to walk through. Then we'll see what he's really made of. Thank you so much for reading. :)

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There shouldn't be too many suspenseful chapters to come, so you'll be able to relax soon enough. :) Please, feel free to ramble. Those are my most favorite reviews. Thanks for reading this and for your reviews thus far. They've all been delightful to receive and read. :)

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It was time to check back with the women and find out what was going on on their end. They're not having a very good time of it either, and anything that keeps them busy will be welcomed at this point. Edon and Fuchsia go together like peas and ... tartar sauce. :D Fucshia is way out of Edon's league and what's more, she doesn't trust him. Piper is more suiting for Edon, if she decides to stick around after what's to come. The addition of the song caused a whole new epilogue to be written, which meant the original epilogue was turned into a full chapter. So four little lines got you 7 more pages of story. :) The reference to "When One Door Closes" was also added after the original draft. Frodo needed to know, at what is possibly his lowest point in his young life, that there is hope for him and that he won't always be alone. Knowing that there is someone out there, even if he doesn't know who that someone is, will help make life more bearable for him. Yes, it's Tom, just in the nick of time. :)

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Thank you! This was the snippet of song I added in, that then caused me to write an epilogue. That should answer the question if Frodo remembered or not. I wasn't originally intending this to be so connected to "When One Door Closes" but in the telling of it, that's what happened. I can't remember exactly when that part of this chapter was added into it, but as this is ultimately about Frodo's feelings of abandoment and fears of loneliness, it seemed more than fitting. Frodo needed to know that there *is* someone out there who will take care of him, no matter what. That promise is perhaps the only thing that got him through the rest of his years at Brandy Hall. Fuchsia, as with Gil, doesn't exactly display her best side when in Edon's presence. She does have a good many qualities, but she doesn't trust Edon any further than she can toss him. Edon is definitely better off without her. She's too high-class for him and he's always known it. What is it about the unattainable that makes people want it all the more? Thankfully, Edon has come to realize that he was wasting his time; his newfound interest in Piper no doubt helped that revelation come about. However, this won't help Edon win back Gil's friendship, as they were never truly fighting about Fuchsia in the first place. There's a much bigger obstacle standing in the way, and we'll finally find out what exactly that is in the next chapter. :) Thanks again for reading!

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Oh, but the trees were never working *with* them - just allowing them to get far enough inside to become trapped themselves. These trees know what they're doing! I imagine they're feeling very smug with themselves, now that they have nine new "toys" to play with. It's so easy to blame ourselves when something goes wrong. But Saradoc isn't the only one blaming him, as we'll see in another chapter or two. ;) Gil has stepped up to the plate, but too late. He understands at last just what he did and he's doing his best to amend things. He realizes that if Frodo is not found, that he'll be the one to carry the brunt of that the rest of his life, no matter how much everyone else may try to take the blame. Seems they could all use a talking to from Piper. :)

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Piper's got a good, sensible head on her shoulders and that's the one thing that Edon is missing! lol. She would probably be able to keep him in line and help him grow up a bit, but that's ultimately going to be up to Edon. Let's hope that Edon is up to the task and is worthy of Piper's affection. Frodo is extremely close to giving up. Things aren't looking very good for him. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. Your reviews are wonderful and very encouraging. :) Thanks for reading!

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Poor Frodo, to have to dream such things. It's no wonder he hides those memories away as much as he can. I can see a grieving child going to a secret/favorite place he used to share with his loved ones to wait for them there. Of all of Frodo's hiding places, this is the one he would visit the most and the only one he doesn't tell anyone about. He knows now that they will never show up, but he still goes there to "be" with them in spirit and in thought. The Forest has very much enjoyed their cat-and-mouse game with Frodo. They're not about to give up their game so soon, now that they've worn down their toy. They are mean and vindictive trees indeed. Thanks for reading and for such wonderful reviews. :)

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Frodo has more baggage than he knows what to do with. And he wonders why he feels so weighed down all the time. Hopefully, this experience will help him to start putting some of that behind him. But first, he needs to get out of the forest! Rory and Saradoc are the two who are most responsible for Frodo's well being, besides Esmeralda. And Rory is simply trying to look after his own son here. They all love Frodo and care deeply for the lad, but they simply don't know how to deal with a grieving child. Good luck with your story and thanks for reading!

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No, they want to keep Frodo for their own. If they could speak, they would probably be uttering "my precious" right about now, lol. Frodo has managed to forget - or at the very least, hide away - most of these memories. He hasn't dealt with his parents' deaths at all and its been affecting him all the more because of that. The dreams of the river and the sea are just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more going on under the surface and this gives us a glimpse of that.

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As Frodo grows weaker, so too does his ability to block out these memories that have been kept at the edge of his consciousness for so long. He had likely forgotten that night of his mother's miscarriage, and he would think as little as possible about his parents' death and his attempt to "join" them. He's now been backed into a corner of his own, rather like the spider he was playing with earlier in the story and again in his dream. Unfortunately for him, his oppressor is himself and so there is no one for him to lash out at. So he takes it out on those around him, or he has been up to this point. He doesn't understand this connection though and so he keeps repeating the same behaviors, including shutting out Esme and Saradoc. Frodo would have forgotten a good deal about this experience over the years to attempt the Forest again. Either that, or he somehow managed to gain something from the experience, thus taking off a bit of the edge. Or, he was just plain desperate to get out of the Shire undetected, which we all know well enough that he was. Everyone loves and cares for Frodo. It's Frodo who doesn't see that. He thinks of himself as a burden, but knowing that so many people went into the forest to look for him will open his eyes a little bit. Frodo singing to little Merry was a last minute addition. I thought the scene wasn't quite angsty enough, lol, so I upped the ante. :) A little slice of life when all is well in the family. And Sara is right in a way - Merry never will remember these things about Frodo or how his older cousin used to be during these first few fragile years. I wonder if he will even really believe the stories that he's told about Frodo as a "rascal". Frodo won't be the only one learning something from this experience. Gil has much to chew on and he won't be quite the same lad he was when he entered the Forest. The change will come quick for him and it will hopefully last him the rest of his years. He at the very least will see Frodo in a different light and will be able to appreciate the "scrap of a teen" better after this. And the Forest awakens again, to prevent the rescue of its captor. They're worse than a tower full of orcs! I'm so glad you're enjoying this. I'm still a tad bit nervous about this story and your support has been wonderful. Thanks for reading!

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Well, the trees certainly think they're protecting their prize. They don't want the searchers to reach Frodo, but they did want the searchers to get far enough into the woods to become trapped themselves. Thanks for reading!

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LOL, well I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight. I've had some incredibly lucid and horrible dreams myself, so I suppose that helped a bit while writing this. But much of this dream just came out of nowhere, a gift from the Muses. Frodo's thoughts and fears are laid bare here. He's been stripped down to his deepest secrets and darkest remembrances. I'm glad you're enjoying this, night terrors and all. Thanks for reading!

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Well, no actually, no one really did understand Frodo. Or at least, that's how Frodo felt - that no one understood him or could know what he felt. He will of course finally find such friends in Merry, Sam and Pippin, but at the moment, he's rather lost amongst his Brandybuck relations. The statement is true enough though, so far as the hobbits are concerned. Frodo did have a tragic start, with the death of his parents at such a tender age, and he'll have a tragic end (to his life in the Shire), though they won't necessarily understand why it is so tragic. LOL. Well, there's a few more angsty chapters still to come. Let's see if I can squeeze some tears out of you yet. ~_^

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Edon is starting to see that the grass isn't always greener. He won't be taking Piper for granted anymore at least, and that's a good start. Edon has a tendency of letting his thoughts run away with him. Piper's practical enough to help keep him from doing that. Poor Frodo. He doesn't realize his own strength yet and has no one to point it out to him. He's slipping fast indeed. Let's hope the search party finds him quickly. Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. :)

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We're all busy nowadays. :) Glad you liked the chapter. The hobbits are approaching this similar to what they would a search of Brandy Hall, with the noticeable difference being the danger of the forest. Most of the searchers have been in the forest already, so they at least know what they're getting themselves into!

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It's amazing how quick we are to blame ourselves, over things which we have no control. Frodo is not unique in that respect. Everyone is blaming themselves for their part in this story. Edon is starting to see the light, lol. He's still got his head in the clouds a bit, but he'll be brought back down to earth before too long. He's still got another lesson or two to learn before he has an honest shot at winning Piper's hand. I don't think these trees know what mercy is. They're a mean-spirited bunch.

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A great deal of what started the feud is exactly that: Edon's insecurities and feelings on inferiority. We're getting closer to the big reveal with each chapter. :) But Edon does have a lot of doubts and fears. In this sense, he is very much like Frodo, only he's had more time to perfect acting brave. Also, as with Frodo, he was suddenly uprooted from his home and taken to a rather strange place that he does not feel entirely comfortable in. Even though he's managed to blend in quite well, he still feels like he sticks out like a sore thumb most of the time and he feels like no one would really understand why he feels that way. The rest of his family has adjusted to the move, yet Edon seems stuck in that limbo which they first experienced upon moving to Buckland. There is no doubt that Piper would be good for Edon. Now that Edon knows the truth of Fuchsia's initial interest in him, his infatuation with her has rather deflated. Edon might come to see how worthy Piper truly is, if he's given the opportunity to do so. Exactly. The hobbits would see Frodo's leaving (or sudden disappearance) either as perfectly odd (for a Baggins anyway) or as tragic (those that know him better, perhaps.) And they would all consider in early years as tragic. Piper has no clue how accurate her words will wind up being.

Author's reply

No, Frodo was nowhere near the River so that rumor, fortunately, never got started. Rather, they are speaking of something Frodo did after they had died. I've hinted at it before in previous stories, but this one gets closest to saying just what it was he did. Most of the searchers are Brandybucks, and so have been in the forest before. They know how to navigate it. I'm sure there have also been a couple of searches for lost kids, though not in the forest of course, most likely those searches were conducted within Brandy Hall itself. The Hall being so huge, it's easy enough for a kid to tuck himself away somewhere or go wandering off and then getting lost. You want straight answers? Ok then: yes, no, no. But not necessarily in that order. :P

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More on Edon and Gil to come later. We're getting closer and closer to the big reveal, and while I would love to drop anvils, they just wouldn't let me. I don't think there are any more hints from here on out even, since the two are now separated and can no longer argue with each other, lol. Frodo took his weskit off just before entering the forest. See, I can answer questions straightforwardly. :P

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I wouldn't go so far as to say the forest has had a change of heart. More likely its contemplating what to do with its latest victims and isn't paying as much heed to Frodo. Or maybe it figures Frodo is a done deal and so isn't as concerned with him anymore. (And I would say its a living thing. I always felt that the trees of the Old Forest must be descendants of the Huorns, if not Huorns themselves. Both the Old Forest and Fangorn were once part of the same forest after all, IIRC, and Tolkien describes them so similarily.) Gil's always had a certain degree of respect for Frodo, but you're right. By the time this is over, he'll have a much better understanding of just how brave Frodo is. He's already beginning to understand. His fear of the forest, even in the presence of eight others, is helping him to understand what Frodo must be feeling, if only a small fraction of it.

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The hints will come shortly, in just another two chapters. :) The story itself - who knows when, lol. I'm glad that you are enjoying this. Thanks for reading!

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Gil let his rivalry with Edon get in his way of making amends before. He figured this time he would do what he must, no matter what. He's not one to back away from his responsibilities, he just allows himself to get distracted a bit too easily when it comes to Edon. They know that some of them must remain behind and they know that Saradoc would be going, no matter what. Mac was the obvious choice to remain at the Hall. LOL, well you know, if food can't make something look better, then it's not worth worrying about. Hobbits know and understand the important things in life. ~_^ The berries have worn off, but Frodo's still in need of adequate food and water. Three days is a long time to go without such things, especially in such heat. Thanks for reading and for the encouragement. :)

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Edon allowed himself to be talked out of going. Makes you wonder if he truly wanted to go in the first place... But they are all now where they are supposed to be. After three days in such intense heat and humidity, Frodo's running low on reserves. Those poisonous "cherries" didn't help matters any. The raspberries will keep Frodo going for awhile, hopefully long enough for help to find him. Now we know where Merry gets his organizational skills from. ;)

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Yep, same field. My geography of Buckland is pretty much set by this point. After "A Tale" there wasn't much more for me to figure out, as to locations of things and their names. It all comes from that story. By hobbit standards, Frodo *is* unusual. And there is "something" not right with him, that being his anxities and such. So that rather rude hobbit was correct, from a certain point of view. The poison would be lethal if enough of it is eaten. Luckily, Frodo only had a spoonful of it, if that much. He won't be a happy camper when he awakens though.

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I love seeing Frodo with his parents and what he was like prior to their deaths. I imagine that despite all their problems, he was a very carefree child and his parents were fiercely loving toward him.