Tears on the Brandywine - Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of Tears on the Brandywine.
A note: the prologue and first three chapters are first person POV, the following chapters will be third person. I apologize if that is confusing to anyone, it's just the way the story came to me.
A further note: this story will eventually be Frodo/Sam and Merry/Pippin.
I would appreciate any thoughts you all might have.
I will be posting the third chapter shortly, keep an eye out.
The TotB Prologue can be found here http://littleone-17.livejournal.com/611.html
The TotB Chapter 1 can be found here http://littleone-17.livejournal.com/887.html
Title: Tears on the Brandywine - Chapter 2
Author: littleone_17
Pairings: Drogo/Primula
Rating: G
Summary: Frodo's POV at age 10 when his family is visiting Bag End.
Disclaimer: I am not JRR Tolkien, I will never be him. I do not make any money off of this and do it purely for the joy I find in spending more time in Middle Earth.
Author's Note: This story is AU but with as much canon as possible. If you like it, don't like it, or think I need to make some changes, please let me know.
Frodo’s POV:
I love my cousin Bilbo. And I love coming to visit Bag End. It is such a different place from our home in Buckland and very different from Brandy Hall where we so often visit.
Brandy Hall is always so busy, with lots of people everywhere. There never seems to be any place you can find peace, even when you try to hide in your bedroom. Cousins pounding on your door all the time, aunts trying to get you to go outside for some fresh air, uncles-well no, the uncles usually let you be. And it isn’t that I don’t enjoy playing with my cousins, or running around outside in the gardens and orchards, because I do like those things. I especially like when it is warm out and we can go swimming and boating on Brandywine River. But sometimes I just want to be alone, I want to hide in the library and read, I want to learn about the Shire and about the places outside the Shire.
Our home isn’t too far from Brandy Hall, just in Stock. It is smaller, and quiet. I like being home. That’s when my mother and father have lots of time to spend with me. We have fun playing games and telling stories. My father helped me build a tree house behind our smial. It’s almost 4 feet high up the tree (Which is as high as mother would allow it to go)! She says climbing up is unnatural. Hobbit’s feet are meant to stay on the ground. But she helped me find things to put in my tree house: a chair, table, some old books. And she gives me fruit and sometimes lunch that I can take to eat in my tree house.
But I do love to visit Uncle Bilbo at Bag End in Hobbiton. First I like to travel to Hobbiton, because I always see something new. And Mum and I make a game of traveling, playing I Spy and other games. Sometimes Da will let me sit up with the carriage driver, Tom. He tells me silly stories that always make me laugh. Bag End is fun too. Sometimes Uncle Bilbo lets me try to find the treasure he brought back from his adventures. But I always get distracted by the books in his study. Uncle Bilbo has lots of books, and my favorite thing about them is many of them are in Elvish. Sometimes he will let me pick out an Elvish book and read to me from the book. I think the books with the paintings are the best, so pretty. I hope I can see an elf someday.
Sometimes when I am visiting Bag End I get to play with Hamson, Halfred, and Daisy Gamgee, they are the gardener, Master Hamfast Gamgee’s, children. I like playing with them. They know games that I don’t and sometimes, when Daisy isn’t there, Hamson and Halfred teach me how to fight. I like that, though I know that if I do get in a fight I will be punished.
What I don’t like about Bag End is that sometimes when we visit, cousin Lotho comes over too, with his parents. I don’t like cousin Otho and cousin Lobelia, but I really don’t like Lotho. Lotho is mean. Sometimes when I am outside reading he will steal my book and run away with it. One time, he stole the book I was reading and threw it in a mud puddle. It wasn’t even my book. It was Uncle Bilbo’s.
We’re at Bag End visiting right now, and I can see cousin Lotho and his parents coming up the road. Lotho is 14 and thinks that since he is older and bigger than me he can push me around and order me around. This time I’m not going to let him.
Here they come through Uncle’s gate.
“Hello cousin Otho, cousin Lobelia, cousin Lotho. I hope you are well. Uncle Bilbo and my parents are waiting in the parlor for you.” I know I have to be polite, if I’m not cousin Lobelia tattles on me. I smile sweetly, but they ignore me. So much for being polite.
“Lotho you stay outside and play with your cousin, I know how much you love to play with Frodo. Your father and I are going to talk with the other adults.” Oh no! Why can’t they take him in with them?
Lotho smirks at me until they close the door. Then his smirk turns into a sneer. “Hi, cousin. Give me that book you’re reading. You don’t need to be reading that right now. You should be playing with me.”
“I want to read. I don’t feel like playing. Entertain yourself.” Saying this, I take my book and head around the side of the smial towards the bench in the garden arbor. Lotho stares after me for a minute until his brain catches up with what I’ve said.
By the time Lotho has caught up with me I am already seated on the bench and have my book open. I can see Master Gamgee a little to the side, so I know that Lotho can’t take the book and throw it in a puddle, not without getting in trouble. Instead he glares at me.
“Fine, I will go entertain myself.” He stomps off further into the garden. I sigh in relief and look down at my book. Shifting into a more comfortable position on the bench I begin to read.
I’ve been reading for about 15 minutes when suddenly. WACK, something hits me in the back of the head. I shake my head for a second and then turn around to see what hit me. Looking down I see a small potato. I look up to find Lotho standing in the vegetable garden, just in time for a second potato to hit me in the forehead. Dirt falls into my eyes and I have to bend over to blink several times and get the dirt out.
Once the dirt is out of my eyes I look up at Lotho again. He’s moved closer and is tossing a couple of potatoes in his hands. Master Gamgee is nowhere in sight. I guess he must have moved to the front garden. I’m sure he will be annoyed about the potatoes being picked early. I close my book and set it on the bench. Then I stoop to pick up the potatoes that have already hit me, trying to keep my eyes on Lotho at the same time.
I step around the bench and start walking towards Lotho. He starts backing up. I walk faster. When I am about 10 feet from him I wind up and throw one of the potatoes at him. It hits him in the stomach, hard. He doubles up, as if I’ve knocked the wind out of him. Then he starts crying, saying how badly I’ve hurt him.
I drop my other potato and start to walk over to him, concerned that maybe I have hurt him more than I’d meant. I’m only a few feet away from him when he suddenly pops up.
“You’re so stupid. Did you really think I was hurt?” Lotho laughs at me. “A couple of potatoes are nothing. I’ll show you something that really hurts.” Then Lotho swings his fist into my stomach. It’s my turn to double up in pain. That hurt.
“Ha ha. You really are stupid. You’re as stupid as these potatoes.” And he drops a pile of dirt on my head.
Now I’m angry. That punch hurt, and now I am going to have to take a bath-again. Ugh. I unbend and glare at Lotho. He is laughing so hard, he doesn’t even notice.
That’s it. This is the last straw. I’m sure going to get in trouble for this, but right now I don’t care. Remembering my fighting lessons with Hamson and Halfred, I swing my fist into Lotho’s nose. I hear a crack and blood starts gushing out. Lotho really does start crying now. He grabs his nose in his hands and runs towards the kitchen door. “I’mb tebbing!” he cries running inside.
So, now I am sitting in the bath tub, trying to get dirt out of my hair and ears. And, I’m going to bed without dessert, as punishment for punching Lotho. But you know what, I don’t care. At least now I know I can stand up for myself if I have to, and I know that Lotho will think twice about picking on me next time, which gives me one more reason why I love Bag End.
A note: the prologue and first three chapters are first person POV, the following chapters will be third person. I apologize if that is confusing to anyone, it's just the way the story came to me.
A further note: this story will eventually be Frodo/Sam and Merry/Pippin.
I would appreciate any thoughts you all might have.
I will be posting the third chapter shortly, keep an eye out.
The TotB Prologue can be found here http://littleone-17.livejournal.com/611.html
The TotB Chapter 1 can be found here http://littleone-17.livejournal.com/887.html
Title: Tears on the Brandywine - Chapter 2
Author: littleone_17
Pairings: Drogo/Primula
Rating: G
Summary: Frodo's POV at age 10 when his family is visiting Bag End.
Disclaimer: I am not JRR Tolkien, I will never be him. I do not make any money off of this and do it purely for the joy I find in spending more time in Middle Earth.
Author's Note: This story is AU but with as much canon as possible. If you like it, don't like it, or think I need to make some changes, please let me know.
Frodo’s POV:
I love my cousin Bilbo. And I love coming to visit Bag End. It is such a different place from our home in Buckland and very different from Brandy Hall where we so often visit.
Brandy Hall is always so busy, with lots of people everywhere. There never seems to be any place you can find peace, even when you try to hide in your bedroom. Cousins pounding on your door all the time, aunts trying to get you to go outside for some fresh air, uncles-well no, the uncles usually let you be. And it isn’t that I don’t enjoy playing with my cousins, or running around outside in the gardens and orchards, because I do like those things. I especially like when it is warm out and we can go swimming and boating on Brandywine River. But sometimes I just want to be alone, I want to hide in the library and read, I want to learn about the Shire and about the places outside the Shire.
Our home isn’t too far from Brandy Hall, just in Stock. It is smaller, and quiet. I like being home. That’s when my mother and father have lots of time to spend with me. We have fun playing games and telling stories. My father helped me build a tree house behind our smial. It’s almost 4 feet high up the tree (Which is as high as mother would allow it to go)! She says climbing up is unnatural. Hobbit’s feet are meant to stay on the ground. But she helped me find things to put in my tree house: a chair, table, some old books. And she gives me fruit and sometimes lunch that I can take to eat in my tree house.
But I do love to visit Uncle Bilbo at Bag End in Hobbiton. First I like to travel to Hobbiton, because I always see something new. And Mum and I make a game of traveling, playing I Spy and other games. Sometimes Da will let me sit up with the carriage driver, Tom. He tells me silly stories that always make me laugh. Bag End is fun too. Sometimes Uncle Bilbo lets me try to find the treasure he brought back from his adventures. But I always get distracted by the books in his study. Uncle Bilbo has lots of books, and my favorite thing about them is many of them are in Elvish. Sometimes he will let me pick out an Elvish book and read to me from the book. I think the books with the paintings are the best, so pretty. I hope I can see an elf someday.
Sometimes when I am visiting Bag End I get to play with Hamson, Halfred, and Daisy Gamgee, they are the gardener, Master Hamfast Gamgee’s, children. I like playing with them. They know games that I don’t and sometimes, when Daisy isn’t there, Hamson and Halfred teach me how to fight. I like that, though I know that if I do get in a fight I will be punished.
What I don’t like about Bag End is that sometimes when we visit, cousin Lotho comes over too, with his parents. I don’t like cousin Otho and cousin Lobelia, but I really don’t like Lotho. Lotho is mean. Sometimes when I am outside reading he will steal my book and run away with it. One time, he stole the book I was reading and threw it in a mud puddle. It wasn’t even my book. It was Uncle Bilbo’s.
We’re at Bag End visiting right now, and I can see cousin Lotho and his parents coming up the road. Lotho is 14 and thinks that since he is older and bigger than me he can push me around and order me around. This time I’m not going to let him.
Here they come through Uncle’s gate.
“Hello cousin Otho, cousin Lobelia, cousin Lotho. I hope you are well. Uncle Bilbo and my parents are waiting in the parlor for you.” I know I have to be polite, if I’m not cousin Lobelia tattles on me. I smile sweetly, but they ignore me. So much for being polite.
“Lotho you stay outside and play with your cousin, I know how much you love to play with Frodo. Your father and I are going to talk with the other adults.” Oh no! Why can’t they take him in with them?
Lotho smirks at me until they close the door. Then his smirk turns into a sneer. “Hi, cousin. Give me that book you’re reading. You don’t need to be reading that right now. You should be playing with me.”
“I want to read. I don’t feel like playing. Entertain yourself.” Saying this, I take my book and head around the side of the smial towards the bench in the garden arbor. Lotho stares after me for a minute until his brain catches up with what I’ve said.
By the time Lotho has caught up with me I am already seated on the bench and have my book open. I can see Master Gamgee a little to the side, so I know that Lotho can’t take the book and throw it in a puddle, not without getting in trouble. Instead he glares at me.
“Fine, I will go entertain myself.” He stomps off further into the garden. I sigh in relief and look down at my book. Shifting into a more comfortable position on the bench I begin to read.
I’ve been reading for about 15 minutes when suddenly. WACK, something hits me in the back of the head. I shake my head for a second and then turn around to see what hit me. Looking down I see a small potato. I look up to find Lotho standing in the vegetable garden, just in time for a second potato to hit me in the forehead. Dirt falls into my eyes and I have to bend over to blink several times and get the dirt out.
Once the dirt is out of my eyes I look up at Lotho again. He’s moved closer and is tossing a couple of potatoes in his hands. Master Gamgee is nowhere in sight. I guess he must have moved to the front garden. I’m sure he will be annoyed about the potatoes being picked early. I close my book and set it on the bench. Then I stoop to pick up the potatoes that have already hit me, trying to keep my eyes on Lotho at the same time.
I step around the bench and start walking towards Lotho. He starts backing up. I walk faster. When I am about 10 feet from him I wind up and throw one of the potatoes at him. It hits him in the stomach, hard. He doubles up, as if I’ve knocked the wind out of him. Then he starts crying, saying how badly I’ve hurt him.
I drop my other potato and start to walk over to him, concerned that maybe I have hurt him more than I’d meant. I’m only a few feet away from him when he suddenly pops up.
“You’re so stupid. Did you really think I was hurt?” Lotho laughs at me. “A couple of potatoes are nothing. I’ll show you something that really hurts.” Then Lotho swings his fist into my stomach. It’s my turn to double up in pain. That hurt.
“Ha ha. You really are stupid. You’re as stupid as these potatoes.” And he drops a pile of dirt on my head.
Now I’m angry. That punch hurt, and now I am going to have to take a bath-again. Ugh. I unbend and glare at Lotho. He is laughing so hard, he doesn’t even notice.
That’s it. This is the last straw. I’m sure going to get in trouble for this, but right now I don’t care. Remembering my fighting lessons with Hamson and Halfred, I swing my fist into Lotho’s nose. I hear a crack and blood starts gushing out. Lotho really does start crying now. He grabs his nose in his hands and runs towards the kitchen door. “I’mb tebbing!” he cries running inside.
So, now I am sitting in the bath tub, trying to get dirt out of my hair and ears. And, I’m going to bed without dessert, as punishment for punching Lotho. But you know what, I don’t care. At least now I know I can stand up for myself if I have to, and I know that Lotho will think twice about picking on me next time, which gives me one more reason why I love Bag End.