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Memories -- Movie drabble.
Mar. 21st, 2005 12:47 amHow long has it been since you held me in your arms and spoke to me of strawberries, and nesting birds and spring?
An hour? Less?
The memory of despair is fading already, and better, sweeter memories are mine again. The Shire blossoms behind my eyelids, I hear the Water flowing through the millrace once more.
And yet when I open my eyes I find that memory has turned bitter for you. The hope we've given back the world has no room for us, dear Sam. I have nothing left to give you but the comfort of my arms.
An hour? Less?
The memory of despair is fading already, and better, sweeter memories are mine again. The Shire blossoms behind my eyelids, I hear the Water flowing through the millrace once more.
And yet when I open my eyes I find that memory has turned bitter for you. The hope we've given back the world has no room for us, dear Sam. I have nothing left to give you but the comfort of my arms.
Cormallen Lullaby
Mar. 7th, 2005 07:57 pmFor a moment, Elladan thought something had gone badly wrong. But no, the two Halflings were still sleeping, the small chests moving gently under the cloaks which had been pressed into service for blankets. They looked much better now they'd been cleaned up, and from what Mithrandir had said they'd taken some broth and water not too long ago. So what was wrong with Elessar?
He rested a hand on one shaking shoulder, and his foster brother raised his head from his arms, to look and see who had joined him. The young king's eyes were red-rimmed with sleeplessness, but the brightness in them was laughter, not grief. "What?" Elladan began, but Elessar hushed him. "Listen…" he whispered, tugging Elladan down to sit beside the patients' pallets.
Elladan frowned, but did as he was bid, and became aware of two small stomachs, long empty, rejoicing the arrival of water and food with all the undignified mewling of a pair of disgruntled kittens. A particularly beauteous grumble from Sam's insides set Elessar's shoulders shaking again as he covered his mouth like a small boy with a joke.
Elladan grinned, not only for the music of the hobbits' returning health, but also for the memory of that small boy, giddy with exhaustion, doing his best to keep up his eyes open as long as those with more Elven blood in the Hall of Fire, and singing a song for the assembled company that was not one his foster brothers had ever meant for him to repeat.
Warned by that memory, he was able to catch Aragorn now when the Man's eyes flickered shut and weariness turned bones to water. He chuckled when Elessar mumbled a protest, and settled him onto a hastily spread cloak. "Easy, brother," he said. "I shall watch the little ones."
"They've been through so much," tears appeared under the dark lashes, as Aragorn fought sleep. "I should…"
"You should sleep," Elladan said, and soothed him with a hand to his brow. "By the lullaby they're playing, I think they'll do for now." That brought a smile for a moment, before unconsciousness began to smooth away the worried lines. "Sleep," Elladan said again, fondly, as he'd said so long ago to the sleeping child. "Not even the Dúnedain can battle without rest."
He rested a hand on one shaking shoulder, and his foster brother raised his head from his arms, to look and see who had joined him. The young king's eyes were red-rimmed with sleeplessness, but the brightness in them was laughter, not grief. "What?" Elladan began, but Elessar hushed him. "Listen…" he whispered, tugging Elladan down to sit beside the patients' pallets.
Elladan frowned, but did as he was bid, and became aware of two small stomachs, long empty, rejoicing the arrival of water and food with all the undignified mewling of a pair of disgruntled kittens. A particularly beauteous grumble from Sam's insides set Elessar's shoulders shaking again as he covered his mouth like a small boy with a joke.
Elladan grinned, not only for the music of the hobbits' returning health, but also for the memory of that small boy, giddy with exhaustion, doing his best to keep up his eyes open as long as those with more Elven blood in the Hall of Fire, and singing a song for the assembled company that was not one his foster brothers had ever meant for him to repeat.
Warned by that memory, he was able to catch Aragorn now when the Man's eyes flickered shut and weariness turned bones to water. He chuckled when Elessar mumbled a protest, and settled him onto a hastily spread cloak. "Easy, brother," he said. "I shall watch the little ones."
"They've been through so much," tears appeared under the dark lashes, as Aragorn fought sleep. "I should…"
"You should sleep," Elladan said, and soothed him with a hand to his brow. "By the lullaby they're playing, I think they'll do for now." That brought a smile for a moment, before unconsciousness began to smooth away the worried lines. "Sleep," Elladan said again, fondly, as he'd said so long ago to the sleeping child. "Not even the Dúnedain can battle without rest."
Introductions
Mar. 3rd, 2005 10:42 pmFigure Sam at three and a bit is equivalent to 2, Frodo at fourteen is equivalent to just under 9, and Merry at one is equivalent to about 7 and a half months.
When Bilbo opened the door to Saradoc's knocking he had a fauntling perched on his hip and two small lasses clinging to his coattails. The visiting Brandybucks were surprised, but young Frodo, who had visited Bag End before his parents died, recognized the Gamgee girls and laughed. "Are Hal and Ham here too, Cousin Bilbo?"
"Indeed they are," said Bilbo. "They're in the kitchen, peeling potatoes for our luncheon. The midwife's with Bell now," he added to Saradoc and Esmerelda, "so I'm awash with younglings for a day. That's Daisy, and that's May, and this young rascal is Sam." The child on his arms blushed and put a thumb in his mouth, hiding his face against Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo didn't seem to mind. He nodded at the bright eyes peeping out from behind Frodo's curly hair. "And I see you've brought another one."
"This is Merry, Cousin Bilbo," Frodo explained. "Meriadoc. Can you wave, Merry?"
"He doesn't know how to wave yet, either, half the time," his mother said tolerantly. "Give him to me, lad, and go and see if you can help with the potatoes."
Frodo gave her a brilliant grin, "Yes, Auntie," he said. It took some prying to get free, but he'd had a year of practice now, and at fourteen his patience with babies lasted only as long as he didn't have something better to do.
Bilbo watched him go with a smile. "You've done well by him," he admitted, glad to see that two years had eased much of the sorrow of his young cousin.
"It's Merry's doing," Esmerelda said. "As soon as he was old enough to smile he made a friend of Frodo. And he's such a happy baby I don't think Frodo could stay sad around him even if he wanted to."
"Baby?" Sam asked, pulling his thumb out of his mouth to point at the smaller lad who was now at eye level with him. Everyone had been talking for days about a new baby, and he'd been trying to attach the word to chickens, portraits, and gingerbread men without success.
"Yes, Sam, that's a baby," Bilbo told him, much to Sam's delight. "His name is Merry."
"Baby!" Sam reached for Merry. Merry grabbed the hand Sam was waving at him and tried to put it in his mouth. Sam pulled back his hand and looked alarmed. "Baby bi'e Sam!"
"The baby is hungry, I expect. And he's not the only one," Bilbo waved his guests inside. "Come along and we'll have some gingersnaps and tea, that'll hold us till luncheon."
To save the books and knickknacks on the shelves of Bag End from Sam's curiosity, Bilbo and the older Gamgees had constructed a playpen out of chairs in the parlor and filled it with cushions and small toys. Both babies fit in it, though, and the adults sat around and chatted, watching amused as Sam toddled round and round after Merry as the younger baby crawled to all the corners in search of a way out. He offered various toys to the little one, but being ignored eventually sat down on the cushions and ate gingersnaps instead.
By lunchtime they were both asleep.
When Bilbo opened the door to Saradoc's knocking he had a fauntling perched on his hip and two small lasses clinging to his coattails. The visiting Brandybucks were surprised, but young Frodo, who had visited Bag End before his parents died, recognized the Gamgee girls and laughed. "Are Hal and Ham here too, Cousin Bilbo?"
"Indeed they are," said Bilbo. "They're in the kitchen, peeling potatoes for our luncheon. The midwife's with Bell now," he added to Saradoc and Esmerelda, "so I'm awash with younglings for a day. That's Daisy, and that's May, and this young rascal is Sam." The child on his arms blushed and put a thumb in his mouth, hiding his face against Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo didn't seem to mind. He nodded at the bright eyes peeping out from behind Frodo's curly hair. "And I see you've brought another one."
"This is Merry, Cousin Bilbo," Frodo explained. "Meriadoc. Can you wave, Merry?"
"He doesn't know how to wave yet, either, half the time," his mother said tolerantly. "Give him to me, lad, and go and see if you can help with the potatoes."
Frodo gave her a brilliant grin, "Yes, Auntie," he said. It took some prying to get free, but he'd had a year of practice now, and at fourteen his patience with babies lasted only as long as he didn't have something better to do.
Bilbo watched him go with a smile. "You've done well by him," he admitted, glad to see that two years had eased much of the sorrow of his young cousin.
"It's Merry's doing," Esmerelda said. "As soon as he was old enough to smile he made a friend of Frodo. And he's such a happy baby I don't think Frodo could stay sad around him even if he wanted to."
"Baby?" Sam asked, pulling his thumb out of his mouth to point at the smaller lad who was now at eye level with him. Everyone had been talking for days about a new baby, and he'd been trying to attach the word to chickens, portraits, and gingerbread men without success.
"Yes, Sam, that's a baby," Bilbo told him, much to Sam's delight. "His name is Merry."
"Baby!" Sam reached for Merry. Merry grabbed the hand Sam was waving at him and tried to put it in his mouth. Sam pulled back his hand and looked alarmed. "Baby bi'e Sam!"
"The baby is hungry, I expect. And he's not the only one," Bilbo waved his guests inside. "Come along and we'll have some gingersnaps and tea, that'll hold us till luncheon."
To save the books and knickknacks on the shelves of Bag End from Sam's curiosity, Bilbo and the older Gamgees had constructed a playpen out of chairs in the parlor and filled it with cushions and small toys. Both babies fit in it, though, and the adults sat around and chatted, watching amused as Sam toddled round and round after Merry as the younger baby crawled to all the corners in search of a way out. He offered various toys to the little one, but being ignored eventually sat down on the cushions and ate gingersnaps instead.
By lunchtime they were both asleep.
schnibble, nibble...
Mar. 3rd, 2005 12:26 am"What do you miss the most?" Merry asked out of nowhere, and the others paused in their hasty supper/breakfast. "What food, I mean? I miss shirred eggs."
"Jam," said Pippin decidedly, eying his piece of twice-baked bread with a wrinkled nose.
"Cucumbers," said Frodo. "Or something green to crunch."
"Fresh milk," was Sam's choice, his eyes closed as he thought of the possibilities that would lend to preparing their supplies.
The taller folk smiled at the hobbits, but answered in their turn. "Spinach," for Gandalf and "rhubarb," for Gimli, with understanding smiles for Frodo. "Grapes," said Legolas, when pressed, and Aragorn chose the kind of cheese they made in Bree.
Then Boromir said he missed olive oil, and he and Aragorn had to explain what it was to the hobbits, who planned meals and recipes as they walked.
"Jam," said Pippin decidedly, eying his piece of twice-baked bread with a wrinkled nose.
"Cucumbers," said Frodo. "Or something green to crunch."
"Fresh milk," was Sam's choice, his eyes closed as he thought of the possibilities that would lend to preparing their supplies.
The taller folk smiled at the hobbits, but answered in their turn. "Spinach," for Gandalf and "rhubarb," for Gimli, with understanding smiles for Frodo. "Grapes," said Legolas, when pressed, and Aragorn chose the kind of cheese they made in Bree.
Then Boromir said he missed olive oil, and he and Aragorn had to explain what it was to the hobbits, who planned meals and recipes as they walked.
