Reviews (18)

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Thank you, always Antane, for your support and for always reading/reviewing. It means a lot to me. May God's Light shine upon you, Always. ~Elemmírë~

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Every new beginning must start with an ending. Frodo will no doubt face some very difficult times ahead of him now, but Bilbo will always be there for him ... as will many others, old friends and new. These trials will barely compare, however, to the trials Frodo must endure later in his life. Yes, a sad tale that leaves many with questions indeed ... however, questions that the answers to will most likely never be known. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and reviewing, Larner. It means a lot! ~Elemmírë~

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The next tale will pick up a few months after the accident. I must warn you, however, its tone is melancholy ... but there is a happy ending to the next tale. Ughh, homework. (shudders with you) ... I know you'll manage though. Thank you so very much for reading and reviewing, Queen Galadriel! ~Elemmírë~

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Thanks for reading/reviewing, Antane! As for your questions ... well, you're just going to have to continue reading. (And you've made me realize that I may need to tack on a formal Author's Note, for the next chapter posted will be the last of this particular tale. I think you'll understand that comment better once I've posted.) ~Elemmírë~

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Hmm, to click on Publish or not to fo the next chapter? LOL! I will post the next chapter in a few days, Queen Galadriel. I want to give readers a chance to catch up and to dry their tears, however. Yes, Rory is very grieved, but as Master of the Hall and head of the Brandybuck family, he will force himself to remain strong in order to support his family ... and now one orphaned little Frodo Baggins. As always, thank you for reading. ~Elemmírë~

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Sorry for such a late reply, my dear Queen, but I seem to have missed your review here. Thank you for continuing on with such a sad and anguished tale. *hands out another pocket-handkerchief, courtesy of Bilbo* ~Elemmírë~

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Just as Frodo would forever be haunted by the loss of his parents, I would think Old Rory would be just as affected. As Master of the Hall and head of his his large family, however, it was not for him to show his grief ... he had to remain strong for all those who looked up to him, including little Frodo Baggins who was now under his care. No, Rory will never, ever forget the shocking sight of seeing his beloved little sister and brother-in-law so; just as he will remember Frodo's reaction to the day he himself dies. Part of what I wanted to show through this tale was how the sudden, tragic loss of Primula and Drogo also affected those who loved them, and not just their son, which is often portrayed in fanfic. Aha! You caught onto my master plan! I figured this chapter was grievous enough without revealing the entire letter now. You will see the rest in the next and last chapter. Thanks for reading/reviewing, Larner. ~Elemmírë~

Author's reply

In my line of work as a Respiratory Ttherapist, I've seen the reactions of those left behind as a loved one dies suddenly and tragically (including victims of drowning) ... it's not a pleasant sight or experience by any means. Yes, the horror Drogo experienced at his own inability to save his beloved wife or later himself will become even more apparent in the remaining chapters when their unexpected deaths are learned of throughout the Shire. I agree, bats do not usually become tangled in hair intentionally. However, as Tolkien's world was created to have existed in a long ago period, I decided to incorporate a very old wive's tale into the events leading to the accident, inspired by Marigold's challenge to me to include a swarm of bats. It used to be said long ago that bats were evil and dark creatures, thus the unenlightened people of the Middle Ages began to fear them. It was also once said that bats would entangle themselves purposefully into peoples' hair. The likely root to this myth was that insect-eating bats seeking prey, dive erratically and sometimes toward and into people (who attract mosquitoes and gnats). It was these occasional instances hundreds of years ago that lead the squeamish and superstitious to believe that the bats were trying to get in their hair on purposes of doing harm. In this chapter, Primula and Drogo unfortunately happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As they were drifting down river, their boat passed a nearby cave that housed a large number of bats. The bats were going about their own business of feeding on insects near the river during the evening, when one's echo location bounced off the hobbits, flew a bit too low, and scared Primula thus making her upset the boat. The subsequent events, will unfortunately affect poor Frodo for the rest of his life. I wanted the accident to seem just that--an accident ... yet one that also occurred under mysterious circumstances that would provoke the unkind rumors that Frodo and the rest of his family would have to hear in whispers and deal with. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing, Larner. I hope you continue to do so :D

Author's reply

Yes, I've seen that concept elsewhere as well--that Sam was born to take Drogo and Primula's place. However, I do not have Frodo's parents dying on April 6th, which I believe was implied to be Sam's birthday by Tolkien. The date of April 6 as Sam's birthday is drawn from Appendix D: "... there grew up a custom of making holiday and dancing in the Party Field, when weather permitted, on April 6. Some said that it was old Sam Gardner's birthday, some that it was the day on which the Golden Tree first flowered in 1420, and some that it was the Elves' New Year." (p. 390) I do not intentionally state the sepcific date on which the boating accident took place (just as Tolkien left the actual date open-ended and left to interpretation); but so far in my tales regarding such, I've always had Drogo and Primula dying more towards the middle or end of April, after Sam is born. And while Frodo knew Mrs. Gamgee was very preganant before he and his parents left to visit Buckland, he doesn't yet know that Sam was born while he was away ... in my tales anyway. Sorry for such a lengthy explanation :) No, Frodo is never alone. Unfotunately he won't realize this for quite some time, the poor child (in this particular case). Thanks for reading/reviewing, Antane! ~Elemmírë~

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Thank you, Antane! I suggest keeping a box of kleenex handy from here on out. :( *Bilbo stands at the ready with a huge supply of pocket-handkerchiefs* ~Elemmírë~

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Would you expect any less from Frodo? *grins* With their excellent aiming skills, I think the hobbits would excell at golf. I myself, however, am not a golf fan by any means. I enjoy mini-golf but the real deal with 18 holes doesn't do much for me. If I'm going to take a swing at a ball, I'd rather it be with a bat and baseball. LOL! I know what you mean about there being a force field around some holes! Thanks, Antane! ~Elemmírë~

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Thanks, Antane!

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Yes, Dora usually gives sound advice to those that will listen ... however Bilbo felt she gave out too much advice, apparently. LOL! Esme and Sara (and Frodo) will have a difficult transition ahead of them, I'm afraid. All will be grieving, but the young couple who desperately wanted for their own child will suddenly be in charge of caring for a very distraught Frodo, who may not respond to their love at first. His life and their will literally change overnight. All will manage however, to some degree or another. As always, thank you for taking the time to read/review, Larner! ~Elemmírë~

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Yes, you're right about my choice of title for this chapter. But when I post the next chapter, you will see why I choose the way I did. Actually this title and the next can be interchangable really. In 'Primula' I tried to focus on the couple and their long relationship they have had with each other before Frodo ever even existed. It starts out with Primula's thoughts but then it does go more into Drogo towards the end. It's about the love he has for her and the long love they have for each other. What comes next will not be a pretty picture by any means. Thanks, Larner!

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LOL! I think the mini-golf course has been the hightlight of this first part of the story. I had to include 'a game played on a lawn' as part of the Tale Challenge, and I'm very happy to see that it's been such a hit amongst the readers, along with Bilbo's dragon. Yes, Sara and Esme will get their wish, but not as they anticipated. They will agree to foster Frodo, but you're right, they won't quite know what to do for all in Brandy Hall will be grieving over the tragedy, but especially Frodo. It won't be easy for such a young couple to suddenly take care of a young one who's world has been forever shattered for he won't be the same hobbit they knew. They do understand that Frodo will needs lots of love, however, and that is one thing they can easily provide him with. It will be much harder for Frodo to learn to accept it however. You will see more of Sara and Esme very soon come the end of this month when I start posting another tale involving part of the fallout in the months following the accident. I also have another tale in the planning stages that deals solely with Frodo's own emotions and how he eventually comes to deal with the tragedy. Why thank you for the compliment and I'm very glad that you enjoy my writing so. True, I really enjoy writing young Frodo ... and yes, he's a favorite of mine. I can never get enough of Bilbo caring for him etc. Have you read 'Extreme Makeovers: Bag End Edition' yet? I posted it while you were away this summer, but I think you will like it as it's another young Frodo fic. It's mainly about Bilbo's preparing Bag End for Frodo's arrival, but Frodo's in it too towards the end. Might I also reccomend Shirebound, Dreamflower, Lily, GamgeeFest, Elwen, Grey Wonderer, Obelia Medusa, & Slightly Tookish as writing some utterly wonderful tales involving young Frodo. There's also AngieT and Febobe who post on Fanfiction.net or in their Live Journals. Namarie, ~Elemmírë~

Author's reply

LOL! Only Bilbo would come with that, of course. Now if there could just be some way to have the cast dragon perpetually blowing steam out of its snout .... hmm, perhaps I should add some "jewels" for him to be hoarding as well. :) No, you're absolutely right about that>, Larner. I doubt it very much that Frodo would ever wish to set sights upon Brandy Hall's mini-golf course ever again ... even with his beloved Merry or Pippin at his side. It would hold just too many bittersweet memories for him. It's really sad too, because it's one of the last times that he will experience true happiness and be that carefree for a very long time. As always, thank you for reading/reviewing :D ~Elemmírë~

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Let's just put it this way ... be sure to have plenty of kleenex (or pocket-handkerchiefs) ready to use for the upcoming chapters. There are a couple more happier ones first, however. And yes, that goodbye would haunt continue to haunt Sara, Esme, and especially Frodo for the rest of their lives. Thanks for reading/reviewing, Larner. :)

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I wrote this to be a chaptered story, such as is posted here. But for Marigold's challenge it was too long for that, so I made it into 2 distinct parts ... the happy part and the sad part. I'm sorry that you missed the first part, Lily ... but the good news is, you can now catch up! Thank you so very much ... for all your kind reviews!!! I appreciate it a lot! :D ~Elemmírë~