What Happened Thereafter {A LotR Fanfiction}

A Meeting Between Friends

[I dedicate this chapter to passerbyarmy99 because she is my most devoted fan, and is about the sweetest person ever. If you haven't read her stuff yet, I highly recommend you do before reading any further in my works. ^-^)

Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Daffodil, Ivy, Nettle, and Thorn were sitting around in a circle, crowded in Frodo's living room. The fire was going and a teapot was singing in the next room over, and the sun was just beginning to set. Because she had been "forced to bring him along," Thorn's little brother, Beauregard, was sticking his nose into every nook and cranny he could find. Every once in a while he'd turn around to face his sister and her friends, place a finger to his lips and say: "You didn't see nothin'," before going back to whatever it was he was doing.

"I thought you guys killed the orcs when you went on your adventure," Daffodil said. She was sitting on Frodo's armchair with her feet resting on Nettle's shoulders, who was sitting below her, leaning against the chair. 

"Well that's what we thought," Pippin said as he bit into a beautiful, ripe apple. "But then I remembered that there were a few that escaped."

"Escaped?" Ivy's nose wrinkled. She exchanged a nervous look with Sam. "What do you mean, escaped?"

"When the ring was destroyed, the tower where the Eye of Sauron lived fell and somehow the earth cracked and swallowed most of our enemies. But not all of them fell because some of them were on the wrong side and ran away to...well I don't know where, after it was clear we had won," Merry explained like it was obvious. 

"It doesn't matter how they've been kept alive all these months," Frodo piped in. "All that matters is that we get rid of them and save the Shire. They have come far too close to our home."

"How do we get rid of them?" Thorn asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer to her own question. Frodo looked over into the fire and Sam shifted uncomfortably. Would there ever be peace? They had fought so hard for peace, but peace seemed to be impossible to obtain.

"We'll have to fight them," Daffodil surprised them all by speaking up. She stared each of them in the eyes and crossed her arms. "We have to defend the Shire under all circumstances. These orcs have a leader, do they not? If we take the leader out the rest will be sure to fall soon after."

The others were clearly startled by Daffodil's highly logical statement. Pippin blinked twice before nodding his head in agreement. After all, her theory did make sense, and he didn't think it would take too long to accomplish.

"I agree with Daffodil," Frodo said before any of the others could say anything. There was a look of hurt in his eyes and Sam buried his face in his hands. Ivy patted his shoulder and he stood up and walked over to his master.

"Whatever we must do, Mister Frodo. I will do it. You won't be fightin' this battle all on your own, now. I shall stand by you to the death."

Frodo smiled and hugged his gardener like a brother.

"My dear Sam," he said.

"Well you aren't going anywhere without us!" Merry jumped up and put his arm around Frodo. Pippin was right behind him.

"This time I actually know where we're going. I'm coming too," he said. "Not that knowing where exactly we're going would change my willingness to go, anyway."

The girls smiled at the sweet scene before them, and Thorn stood up and marched over to the four hobbits and place her hands on her hips.

"So where's the dagger I get to use?" she asked. "Because you honestly don't believe I'll be watching the battle from the sidelines, do you?"

"Of course we're all going," Ivy said. She, Nettle, and Daffodil all walked over to the rest of the group. "I thought it was obvious."

The four gentlemen looked at each other with worried glances and all opened their mouths to protest, but Daffodil beat them to it.

"Do shut your mouths; you look like a flabbergasted school of  fish. Trying to talk us out of it won't work, so don't even bother trying." 

Before any of them could argue their point of view, a large CRASH! sounded from Frodo's food pantry. Both Thorn and Frodo ran to see what had happened.

"Beauregard, if you've done anything conceivably worse than last time, I am going to dress you up like a cabbage and plant you in the garden!" Thorn shouted. 

"I didn't do nothin'!" Beauregard shouted back, equally annoyed. He had been trying to reach the top shelf to grab the large, yummy-looking piece of cheese from it, but he had fallen from the shelves and brought many other articles of food along with him. He was sitting on a heap of potatoes, angrily trying to swim his way out.

"I'm really sorry about that, Frodo. We'll help you clean it up," Thorn said, just as the others came up behind her to see what the commotion was. Frodo was staring at his messy pantry and at Beauregard who was getting increasingly red in the face. For a moment time seemed to stop. Then, Ivy started to laugh. She laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. 

"Well, if that isn't the funniest thing I've ever seen!" Ivy giggled and held her sides. Daffodil bit her lip nervously and looked at Frodo, hoping he wasn't too upset. But then he, too, started to laugh. He turned and hugged Daffodil and twirled her around until she was laughing even harder than he was. Very soon afterwards, they were all laughing as hard as they could and it was a long while before they could stop.

[The picture on the right is of Beauregard Tumalow, Thorn's little brother, drawn by N-A-T-I]