Title & Chapter Number: The Foolish Wish 2/8
Author(s): - Author's Index
Website: Tortured Scribes
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I am only borrowing J.R.R. Tolkien's world for a bit. The only things that are mine are Jessy, Bella, and this twisted plot.
Warnings: Language
Betas: Alex and Hedda
Cast: Lord of the Rings characters and two O/C's
Timeline: Post The Return of the King; Sequel to The Wayward Wish
Spoilers: Some for The Return of the King
Summary: Five years have past since Jessy went to live in The Shire. Legolas returns unexpectedly to find Jessy is not very happy to see him.
Notes: I'm playing with official canon a bit for storytelling purposes. The Keepers of the Rings have not passed over the Sea. Frodo and the others have not taken on any positions of leadership in The Shire at this point. I have also shortened the distance between Buckland and Hobbiton. Celeborn and Galadriel still reign in Lothlórien.
Chapter Two: A Mother's Anguish and A Father's Joy
The next morning, Jessy lay in bed listening to Frodo as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen. She was starting to regret some of her harsh words to Legolas the day before. The sight of him and Bella face to face had caused all the old pain to resurface. She began to entertain the idea of allowing him to visit with Bella on a regular basis despite the complications it would cause.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she got up and dressed for the day. She had promised Sam that she would help him tend the gardens around the young mallorn tree that was The Shire's new Party Tree. The old one having been ripped down by Saruman.
Jessy entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Frodo was just flipping the last of the pancakes onto a plate.
"Is Bella up yet?" Jessy asked.
"Not yet, I was just going to get her for breakfast."
"Don't bother, I'll go get her up." Jessy took another sip of coffee before setting the cup on the table.
"Rise and shine." Jessy called as she stepped into Bella's room. The bed was empty. "Bella?" She stepped back into the hallway and crossed to the front parlor. "Bella?"
Frodo walked in from the kitchen a look of concern on his face. "Was she not in her room?"
"No." Jessy was beginning to feel the first twinges of fear.
They searched the house, but could find no sign of the girl. Then Jessy glanced down the hallway and noticed that the front door was ajar. Bella was not allowed to leave the house without telling one of them where she was going. Jessy and Frodo then voiced the same thought, "Sam." They rushed to the door and outside heading towards Sam's.
Neither one noticed the envelope on the table as it was caught by the rush of wind as the door opened. It fluttered in the brief breeze and landed neatly beneath the table.
~*~*~*~
Jessy banged frantically at Sam's door, unable to shake the gnawing feeling that something was terribly wrong.
The door opened, and Rosie smiled when she saw who it was. "Morning Frodo. Jessy. Sam is not ready to leave yet."
"Rosie, is Bella here?" Jessy asked unable to keep the frantic edge from her voice.
"No." Rosie was suddenly concerned and called down the hall for Sam.
"Bella!" Jessy was already rounding the house heading for the gardens between the two Hobbit holes. "BELLA!"
"What is happening?" Sam asked when he reached the front door.
"Bella was not in her room this morning, and the front door was ajar. We thought perhaps she had come over here." Frodo explained in a rush.
Sam paled. "Oh my sweet goodness! The River!"
~*~*~*~
It was late morning. Sam, Frodo, Pippin and Merry had been searching for the last two hours. All of Hobbiton had been roused to search for the missing girl. Sam had rode like the wind to Buckland to fetch Merry and Pippin. Rosie had stayed at Bag End to try and console Jessy, who was bordering on hysterics.
As the four Hobbits followed the river, they had found no sign of Bella. Frodo, Sam and Pippin exchanged glances and stopped. Merry kept trudging doggedly forward, eyes down searching for any trace.
"Merry." Frodo called softly.
Merry stopped and looked back at the other three. "Why are you stopping?"
"We need to face facts, Merry. We have been walking for the last two hours and have seen nothing of Bella." Sam said.
"So you are giving up, is that it?" Unshed tears swam in Merry's eyes.
The other three Hobbits exchanged sad looks.
"We should go back. Jessy will - "
"Jessy will what?" Merry cut off Pippin. "Thank us for giving up on Bella. Welcome us home with open arms, even though we return empty-handed." He looked each of his friends squarely in the eyes. "Go ahead if that is what you wish to do. But I am not giving up; Jessy did not give up on me. Not when the Orcs took us and not on the field of battle. Nay, I will walk all the way to the Misty Mountains if I must, but I will not turn back. I will not look her in the eyes and tell her `I am sorry Jessy, but I was too tired to go on'."
Tears ran down Merry's face, and he wiped them away with his sleeve.
Frodo felt ill. "You are right, Merry. We should go on." He stopped when he noticed the look of horror that crossed Merry's face.
"No. Sweet Elbereth, please." Merry dropped to his knees unable to stand any longer.
Sam turned and followed Merry's gaze to a small clump of flowers near the edge of the river. There, nestled amid the leaves, was a single black slipper.
Sam heard Frodo's sharp intake of breath and knew beyond any doubt that it was Bella's.
~*~*~*~
Jessy looked up from her chair in the parlor when she heard the front door open and shut again. Her heart sank as Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin entered the room. All four were trying desperately to hold back tears of grief.
"What is it?" Jessy asked.
"Jessy…" Frodo was unable to continue. He walked over to his friend and gently placed the slipper into her hands.
"Bella's slipper. Where did you find it?" Jessy asked excitedly. She looked at her friends refusing to comprehend what they were trying to tell her.
"We found it at the river's edge. We looked but could not find her…" Pippin had started to say `body', but couldn't get the word out. "We are so sorry."
Jessy shook her head. "No. You go back out there, and you find her. She is not DEAD. Damn you, are you listening to me? Go back. Go back." Jessy collapsed as the looks on their faces finally convinced her of the reality of the situation. Bella wasn't coming back. She would never hold her baby again.
All of Hobbiton heard the cry of anguish that sounded from Bag End. Not one heart was untouched, not one eye was dry. The river had claimed one of their own. Mothers and Fathers held their little ones tighter, each secretly glad that it had not been their child.
For three days, they searched. In the end, it was decided that The Water¹ had carried Bella's body away.
~*~*~*~
Bella's mind lay on the verge of wakefulness and dreaming. She thought perhaps she was dreaming about being on a boat because of the gentle rocking she felt. She liked dreaming about boats and water. But as her mind shifted to full consciousness, the rocking did not stop. She blinked to bring her eyes into focus and wondered at the trees moving by her. There were no trees in her room.
Shifting into a sitting position, she realized that she was on the back of a horse. Not a pony but a real, live horse, and she was not alone. Tilting her head up and back, she saw that her companion was the Elf she had met yesterday. She couldn't remember his name. He was smiling down out her. She wasn't scared so she smiled back. She didn't know why she wasn't scared, but she sensed that he would never hurt her. Besides he smelled nice, like the woods after a rainstorm.
"Hello."
"Good morning, Tithen'gell. Did you sleep well?" Legolas asked softly. He was hoping that Bella would not become frightened and break down into tears. So far, she seemed to be taking her presence with him in stride, much to his relief.
"Where are we going?" Bella asked, suddenly curious.
"To Eryn Lasgalen, where your grandfather lives." Legolas answered.
"What's a Eryn Lasgalen?" The Elvish words flowed naturally over Bella's tongue.
Legolas had forgotten that Bella most likely spoke no Sindarin. "It means Wood of Green Leaves in Sindarin. Your grandfather is King of North Eryn Lasgalen.
Bella looked at Legolas skeptically. "My grandfather is Lord of Lothlórien." She promptly informed him.
Legolas chuckled. "Your other grandfather, Tithen'gell."
Bella frowned and then glanced sideways towards Gimli, who was riding a smaller horse. "Where is Mommy?"
Legolas had been dreading this question since she had awakened. "She will be meeting us there. She had some things to see to first."
Bella nodded seeming to accept Legolas' explanation of why her mother wasn't present. "I'm hungry. Can we have breakfast now?"
Legolas reached back and fished into a pack. He pulled an apple out and handed it to Bella.
"I don't want this. I want pancakes. Uncle Frodo said I could have pancakes for breakfast." Bella promptly threw the apple to the ground.
Legolas stopped the horse with a quick movement of his legs. He dismounted quickly taking Bella with him. Standing her on the ground, he pointed to the apple, which lay a few feet away. "You will go and pick up that apple. You will just have to do without pancakes."
Legolas was about to come face-to-face with four-year-old stubbornness.
"I want pancakes." Bella's voice took on an annoying whine. A more experienced parent would have noted this as a prelude to a full-blown tantrum, but unfortunately Legolas was rather new at being a father.
"I will hear no more about pancakes. You will eat what I provide for you. Now go and pick up that apple." Legolas told her firmly.
"NO! You're not my daddy. I don't have to listen to you. I WANT PANCAKES!"
Legolas looked at Bella in shock. "What did you say?"
Bella paused mid-wail. "I SAID you're not my daddy. My daddy is dead! I don't want your stupid apple." She promptly threw herself onto the ground in typical four-year-old fashion and proceeded to burst into tears.
Legolas slowly sat on the ground before Bella. He lifted his weeping daughter onto his lap and turned her face up to look into his. "What do you mean your daddy is dead?" He was surprisingly calm considering the wave of fury that had swept through him.
Bella wiped her tears and sniffled a few times before answering. "My daddy died before I was born in the War of the Bad Ring. Uncle Frodo lost his finger in it, and Mommy got a bunch of scars. Uncle Sam, Merry and Pippin were there too."
Legolas closed his eyes to fight the pain. His own daughter had spent her entire life thinking he was dead. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked lovingly at Bella. "Listen to me carefully, Tithen'gell. I am your daddy. Your mommy made a mistake. She thought I died, but I did not. Do you understand?" Legolas had resisted the urge to call Jessy a liar; it would serve no purpose to belittle her in front of their daughter. He would deal with his wife when next they met.
Bella sat quietly for a moment, before bursting into tears once again.
"Hush. There is no need for tears. Why are you crying?" Legolas gently wiped at the tears streaming down her face.
"Why didn't you tell Mommy you were still alive? Didn't you love me and Mommy?" Bella could only cry harder.
Legolas felt his heart contract at the anguish in his daughter's voice. He knew that part of him would never forgive himself for not being there for her and Jessy. "I love you both more than anything in this whole world. I made a promise to a friend, and I could not break that promise."
Bella wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tightly. "I understand, Daddy. Mommy says we should always keep our promises."
Legolas thought there was no lovelier sound then the word `Daddy' as it flowed from his daughter's lips.
"Daddy?"
"Yes."
"You know that my name is Bella, right? Not Tithen'gell."
Legolas smiled. "I know your name is Bella. Tithen'gell means Little Joy. I call you that because you are my Little Joy."
"I guess it's okay, then." Bella liked the pet name; it was pretty.
~*~*~*~
Jessy lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Frodo stood in the doorway watching her. He was deeply concerned. In the week that followed Bella's death, Jessy had barely eaten anything. She had not spoken a word since her collapse in the parlor. Nothing any of them said or did provided her any comfort. Something had to be done, or Jessy would soon be joining her daughter.
Frodo returned to the parlor where the others were gathered. "There is nothing for it. We must send word to Rivendell and seek the help of Lord Elrond."
"Why not send word to Legolas or Lórien?" Sam asked curiously.
"I fear that Jessy will die if we do not find a way to help her through her grief. Lord Elrond is a healer and her best hope." Frodo explained.
"I will go." Merry said quietly. Bella's death had hit him the hardest of the four Hobbits.
"I will go, also." Pippin added.
"Then it is decided. I have packed some supplies for you." Frodo pointed to some packs in the corner of the room.
Merry and Pippin grabbed the packs and headed towards the door.
"Ride hard." Sam called to them.
"Like the wind." Pippin answered.
~*~*~*~
Three days later, Merry and Pippin entered Bree and headed towards the Prancing Pony. A young Hobbit greeted then at the stables and helped them settle their ponies for the night.
They entered the inn and found that it had changed little since they had been there last on that fateful night when they had met Strider. The inn was full to the rafters and laughter rang out overpowering the constant din of conversation.
"What can I do for ye, Little Masters?" Barliman Butterbur asked the grim-faced new arrivals.
"Do you know if there are any Rangers here tonight?" Pippin asked.
Butterbur looked around the main room before leaning down to speak to the Hobbits. "There be two of them here, fair folk from the looks of them."
Merry brightened at this; he knew that Elrond's sons still rode with the Rangers of the North. "Where?"
"In the back corner, near the fireplace." The inn proprietor told them. He wondered what business the Wee Folk would have with the Rangers, but had learned long ago it's better not to ask too many questions.
"Thank you." Pippin said as he hurried after Merry who was already heading towards the table.
~*~*~*~
"Master Elladan? Master Elrohir?" Merry asked the cloaked figures when he reached the table in question.
"Aye, Master Meriadoc." Elladan pulled back his hood and smiled at the Hobbit.
"What brings you and Master Peregrin here?" Elrohir also slid back his hood and nodded to Pippin who had joined them.
"It is urgent that we get a message to your father." Merry said quickly.
The twins were intrigued but cautioned the Hobbits to say no more. Elladan dropped some coins on the table and motioned for them to follow him, his brother following after them.
Once they were all settled in the twin's rented room, Elladan turned his attention to the Hobbits. "Now what is so urgent?"
Merry and Pippin exchanged glances. Merry nodded and turned to face the Elves. "We bring bad news I am afraid. Little Bella… She…" He was finding it hard to continue.
"What of our little cousin? Speak!" Elrohir had not the patience of his brother.
"She fell in the river and was drowned." Pippin managed to spit out.
"Jessy is slowly dying of grief. We hoped that perhaps Lord Elrond could help her." Merry could no longer contain his tears.
Elladan and Elrohir were both reeling from the shock that little Bella was gone. Pushing their grief aside, they turned their attention to Jessy. She was still alive and needed their help. There would be time to grieve later.
"Stay tonight in our room. Elrohir will ride forth to Imladris and inform our father of all that has happened. I will go to The Shire and fetch Jessy."
"We want to come with you."
"Nay, Little Ones. Your ponies cannot match the speed of our steeds. For Jessy's sake, we must travel without you."
Merry and Pippin reluctantly agreed. Without hesitation, the twins gathered their gear and were gone.
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