Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Tolkien's world, but I sure wish I did.
Summary: A young girl goes to work as a maid in Bad End. Will this lass help Frodo heal?
A Troubled Soul
Chapter 1
"You stupid girl!" Otho Chubb yelled at me as I tried to pull myself off the ground. I smoothed out my skirt and noticed the areas soaked in ale, knowing it would cause me extra hours in my cleaning. Carefully, I gathered up the tray and mugs, trying to ignore Otho's constant insults. Sure, he yelled at me every night, but tonight I had actually done something worth yelling at. Halfast Proudfoot sat there, chuckling in delight of tripping me.
"That's it!" Otho yelled again, nearly ripping the tray from my hands. "I've had enough of you. You mess everything up every night. I wonder why I hired you in the first place. Pack up your things and leave."
"But Master Proudfoot tripped me!" I exclaimed, pointing at the young hobbit.
"Even so, I'm tired of your insolence. Get out! From now on you are a paying customer."
I turned around and stormed off tot he back room, gathering up my shawl and aprons. I walked out carefully, trying not to be seen. I scurried out of the Green Dragon, saying good bye to a year of abuse. Frankly, I was scared to go home. My father counted on me to bring in some money since I was the oldest and there were four others in the house to look after. It had been hard trying to survive ever since my mother died seven years earlier. Now that the youngest one was crawling around the house, it was harder to keep track of my younger siblings. Thankfully, Lily was old enough to stay home and take care of the others. She would often wish to work and have me take care of the others, but I would never wish such a horror on my sister.
Pushing my fears aside and trying to be brave, I headed down the small path to the warm cozy hobbit hole I was usually eager to run to every day after work. Nearing the small hobbit hole, a candle flickered in the window, signaling that my father was still up. I guess that it was earlier in the evening than when I normally got off work. Taking in a deep breath, I put my hand on the brass knob that resided in the middle of the dull crimson door, turned it and pushed. The door let out a long, low creak as if in protest. I walked in slowly and pushed the door shut, trying to make the latch as quiet as possible. Tiptoeing across the floor, making my presence quickly forgotten, my foot stumbled on an unruly board that always creaked.
"Mira?" my father's voice rang throughout the house. Knowing that I could no longer hide from him, I gave up trying to sneak around the house and went straight to the sitting room where my father was reading. I poked my head around the corner and peered into the room.
"You're home early," my father commented, inviting me into the room.
"Good evening, father." I entered the room and sat down in a big leather chair, my favorite chair in the room.
"Did Mr. Chubb let you off early today?"
"Yeah," I stated plainly, knowing it wasn't the full truth.
"Well, that's good. Why don't you get a good night's rest. You've been looking awfully tired these days."
"Yes, father." I got out of the chair and hurried to my room I shared with my sister, Lily. She sat in a chair near the small window, knitting by dim candlelight. I quickly changed into my nightclothes and huddled under the covers.
"Hard day?" Lily asked, breaking the steady click of the needles. I made a noise sounding like "yes" and tucked my head under the covers, hoping that this was all a dream and I could go back to work for that wretched Otho Chubb once more.
The next morning, I awoke to the morning sun peering in through the small window. The first time I had slept past the sunrise in at least a year. My peace was shortly disturbed when the front door quickly slammed shut and my father stormed into the house.
"Mirabella Robin Fairbairn! Get in this room at once!" he yelled. It couldn't be good. It was never a good thing when my father used my full name. Sheepishly, I crawled out of bed, hating to see him, but knowing I had to. My feet slowed down with each step I took towards the front room. As I neared him, I stared down at the floorboards, feeling my father's gaze rest on me.
"Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Chubb fired you?" His tone was eerily calm, meaning he was even angrier than when he yelled.
"I figured I'd tell you in the morning."
"Well, it's morning!"
"I slept in, okay? Is that such a crime?"
"In this house, yes. You know we need that money. Now, I will go to work and ask around if anyone needs a maid. You stay here and help Lily take care of the others. You'd better behave on the next job." He turned around to leave.
"It wasn't my fault!" I called after him.
"What?" He turned back around to stare at me, fire burning in his eyes.
"Young Master Proudfoot tripped me as I passed him and Master Chubb has never liked me."
"He has a right to not like you with your mouthing back!"
"You're on his side?"
"I'll look for a job for you. Help you sister. This discussion is over." My father stormed out of the house, slamming the round door shut only to awaken my youngest brother, Everard. I sighted, walking to the back room to sit on the edge of my seven-year-old brother's bed. He reminded me of my mother in so many ways, but mostly because she died while bearing him. Thoughts often ran through my head of whether my father really just didn't want me in the house because I reminded him of my mother.
I rubbed Everard's forehead as he whined a bit about being jolted awake. He turned over to me and sat up. "Do I have to get up?" he whined.
"Yes, you should."
"Are you staying home today?"
I nodded and smiled while he jumped over and gripped his arms around my waist. Soon, he was up out of bed and hurrying to the kitchen where Lily was already up and making breakfast. I went to the cupboard and pulled out enough dishes for the five of us. I sat down at the table and Everard sat next to me as Lily came over with a pan full of scrambled eggs and nice thick pieces of ham. She laid some on each plate and then returned the pan to the stove before taking her seat at the table.
Lily, being a young tweenager, was becoming very adept and running the household. It would not have surprised me if any day now a young gentleman caller showed up and asked to take a walk with her. Knowing Lily's modesty, she would never admit how beautiful she actually was. I was jealous of her looks since I was in my late tweens and she had more young lads fawning over her on one outing than I had ever had. But settling down was not my thing. I would probably work my fingers off taking care of my siblings until the day I died.
Andwise, or Andy as we called him, showed up to the table and sat down, hungrily eating his breakfast. At eighteen, he was a fine lad, becoming an apprentice to Master Brandybuck. Ruby showed up shortly after Andy and sat down next to him, opposite of myself. In her youthful age of twelve, she was learning to be like Lily, helping to take care of Everard whenever Lily was unable to take care of him. I picked up a chunk of ham with my fork and ate it, savoring the taste. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence. Andy left to go work with Master Brandybuck after placing his dishes in the sink. Ruby skipped off to school soon after along with Everard.
I spent endless hours with Lily, cooking, cleaning, sweeping, and dusting. I had forgotten how hard it was to take care of the house during the day. The laundry never seemed to get clean when I scrubbed down to the bones of my knuckles, but Lily had become very adept at it and could get rid of stains in a pinch. By the afternoon, my arms were sore and my body aching with heat and exhaustion. My body nearly gave up when Everard and Ruby came home from school. Everard was a bundle of energy and kept running around the place trying to make me catch him. I asked Lily how she could work like that every day and she smiled at me, giving me some reply about how she got use to it after a couple weeks.
In the evening, while dinner was simmering on the stove, I collapsed into my favorite chair in the sitting room. As a child, I curled up in that chair with a book of tales I had secretly taken off the top shelf. Father always kept the most fascinating books up there, but he would never let me read them. I would lose myself in the adventures of elves and men, often wondering where father had gotten the books. Then father would come home and I would slide the book under the chair until I could find a more suitable time to put it back in its proper place.
"Mira?" my father's voice echoed through the house. I looked up to see him standing in the room.
"Yes, father?" I stood up quickly and straightened out my dress, tucking the imaginary book under the chair out of force of habit.
"I was at the Green Dragon and overheard some folks talking about how Master Gamgee is looking for a maid. Then I went over to his home and talked with Mrs. Gamgee and she said they'll take you as their maid. You start in the morning." His voice was stern, almost as if he was ashamed of me.
"Where must I go?"
"Bag End, up the hill and to the left." Father left the room without much more to say.
The words continued to echo in my head. Bag End. As a child, folks would snicker about Mr. Bilbo Baggins living up in Bag End. They say he was a bad influence on young Frodo Baggins and the town looked down upon him greatly, especially when that wizard came to town every so often. More rumors spread within the last several years when Bilbo disappeared, leaving everything to Frodo. Then there were the rumors about Frodo himself and his mysterious absence for the past two years. He locked himself in Bag End for countless days, he was rarely seen in town these days. It was a good thing he had the Gamgees with him or else it would have all crumbled and Frodo would have been a lost cause. The young children still tell stories about what he does inside all day and how he lost his finger. Nine-fingered Frodo is what they call him. I personally did not buy into everything they said, but had never seen him except the night Bilbo disappeared when I was a young lass.
"Are you coming to dinner, Mira?" Lily called out. I dragged myself to the table and sat down, avoiding my father's gaze once more. We all ate in silence. No one knew what had happened except father and myself, but they knew that whatever it was, it was bad. They had heard the muffled yells through the walls of the house.
After dinner, I went to my room, knitting away on some new blankets for the coming fall. I wondered about working for the Gamgees and seeing if the rumors about Frodo were true. It took a long time to fall asleep as my body kept itself awake with anticipation. ~~~~
A/N: thanks for reading this. Please reply and if you could suggest any constructive criticism, that would be great.
Summary: A young girl goes to work as a maid in Bad End. Will this lass help Frodo heal?
A Troubled Soul
Chapter 1
"You stupid girl!" Otho Chubb yelled at me as I tried to pull myself off the ground. I smoothed out my skirt and noticed the areas soaked in ale, knowing it would cause me extra hours in my cleaning. Carefully, I gathered up the tray and mugs, trying to ignore Otho's constant insults. Sure, he yelled at me every night, but tonight I had actually done something worth yelling at. Halfast Proudfoot sat there, chuckling in delight of tripping me.
"That's it!" Otho yelled again, nearly ripping the tray from my hands. "I've had enough of you. You mess everything up every night. I wonder why I hired you in the first place. Pack up your things and leave."
"But Master Proudfoot tripped me!" I exclaimed, pointing at the young hobbit.
"Even so, I'm tired of your insolence. Get out! From now on you are a paying customer."
I turned around and stormed off tot he back room, gathering up my shawl and aprons. I walked out carefully, trying not to be seen. I scurried out of the Green Dragon, saying good bye to a year of abuse. Frankly, I was scared to go home. My father counted on me to bring in some money since I was the oldest and there were four others in the house to look after. It had been hard trying to survive ever since my mother died seven years earlier. Now that the youngest one was crawling around the house, it was harder to keep track of my younger siblings. Thankfully, Lily was old enough to stay home and take care of the others. She would often wish to work and have me take care of the others, but I would never wish such a horror on my sister.
Pushing my fears aside and trying to be brave, I headed down the small path to the warm cozy hobbit hole I was usually eager to run to every day after work. Nearing the small hobbit hole, a candle flickered in the window, signaling that my father was still up. I guess that it was earlier in the evening than when I normally got off work. Taking in a deep breath, I put my hand on the brass knob that resided in the middle of the dull crimson door, turned it and pushed. The door let out a long, low creak as if in protest. I walked in slowly and pushed the door shut, trying to make the latch as quiet as possible. Tiptoeing across the floor, making my presence quickly forgotten, my foot stumbled on an unruly board that always creaked.
"Mira?" my father's voice rang throughout the house. Knowing that I could no longer hide from him, I gave up trying to sneak around the house and went straight to the sitting room where my father was reading. I poked my head around the corner and peered into the room.
"You're home early," my father commented, inviting me into the room.
"Good evening, father." I entered the room and sat down in a big leather chair, my favorite chair in the room.
"Did Mr. Chubb let you off early today?"
"Yeah," I stated plainly, knowing it wasn't the full truth.
"Well, that's good. Why don't you get a good night's rest. You've been looking awfully tired these days."
"Yes, father." I got out of the chair and hurried to my room I shared with my sister, Lily. She sat in a chair near the small window, knitting by dim candlelight. I quickly changed into my nightclothes and huddled under the covers.
"Hard day?" Lily asked, breaking the steady click of the needles. I made a noise sounding like "yes" and tucked my head under the covers, hoping that this was all a dream and I could go back to work for that wretched Otho Chubb once more.
The next morning, I awoke to the morning sun peering in through the small window. The first time I had slept past the sunrise in at least a year. My peace was shortly disturbed when the front door quickly slammed shut and my father stormed into the house.
"Mirabella Robin Fairbairn! Get in this room at once!" he yelled. It couldn't be good. It was never a good thing when my father used my full name. Sheepishly, I crawled out of bed, hating to see him, but knowing I had to. My feet slowed down with each step I took towards the front room. As I neared him, I stared down at the floorboards, feeling my father's gaze rest on me.
"Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Chubb fired you?" His tone was eerily calm, meaning he was even angrier than when he yelled.
"I figured I'd tell you in the morning."
"Well, it's morning!"
"I slept in, okay? Is that such a crime?"
"In this house, yes. You know we need that money. Now, I will go to work and ask around if anyone needs a maid. You stay here and help Lily take care of the others. You'd better behave on the next job." He turned around to leave.
"It wasn't my fault!" I called after him.
"What?" He turned back around to stare at me, fire burning in his eyes.
"Young Master Proudfoot tripped me as I passed him and Master Chubb has never liked me."
"He has a right to not like you with your mouthing back!"
"You're on his side?"
"I'll look for a job for you. Help you sister. This discussion is over." My father stormed out of the house, slamming the round door shut only to awaken my youngest brother, Everard. I sighted, walking to the back room to sit on the edge of my seven-year-old brother's bed. He reminded me of my mother in so many ways, but mostly because she died while bearing him. Thoughts often ran through my head of whether my father really just didn't want me in the house because I reminded him of my mother.
I rubbed Everard's forehead as he whined a bit about being jolted awake. He turned over to me and sat up. "Do I have to get up?" he whined.
"Yes, you should."
"Are you staying home today?"
I nodded and smiled while he jumped over and gripped his arms around my waist. Soon, he was up out of bed and hurrying to the kitchen where Lily was already up and making breakfast. I went to the cupboard and pulled out enough dishes for the five of us. I sat down at the table and Everard sat next to me as Lily came over with a pan full of scrambled eggs and nice thick pieces of ham. She laid some on each plate and then returned the pan to the stove before taking her seat at the table.
Lily, being a young tweenager, was becoming very adept and running the household. It would not have surprised me if any day now a young gentleman caller showed up and asked to take a walk with her. Knowing Lily's modesty, she would never admit how beautiful she actually was. I was jealous of her looks since I was in my late tweens and she had more young lads fawning over her on one outing than I had ever had. But settling down was not my thing. I would probably work my fingers off taking care of my siblings until the day I died.
Andwise, or Andy as we called him, showed up to the table and sat down, hungrily eating his breakfast. At eighteen, he was a fine lad, becoming an apprentice to Master Brandybuck. Ruby showed up shortly after Andy and sat down next to him, opposite of myself. In her youthful age of twelve, she was learning to be like Lily, helping to take care of Everard whenever Lily was unable to take care of him. I picked up a chunk of ham with my fork and ate it, savoring the taste. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence. Andy left to go work with Master Brandybuck after placing his dishes in the sink. Ruby skipped off to school soon after along with Everard.
I spent endless hours with Lily, cooking, cleaning, sweeping, and dusting. I had forgotten how hard it was to take care of the house during the day. The laundry never seemed to get clean when I scrubbed down to the bones of my knuckles, but Lily had become very adept at it and could get rid of stains in a pinch. By the afternoon, my arms were sore and my body aching with heat and exhaustion. My body nearly gave up when Everard and Ruby came home from school. Everard was a bundle of energy and kept running around the place trying to make me catch him. I asked Lily how she could work like that every day and she smiled at me, giving me some reply about how she got use to it after a couple weeks.
In the evening, while dinner was simmering on the stove, I collapsed into my favorite chair in the sitting room. As a child, I curled up in that chair with a book of tales I had secretly taken off the top shelf. Father always kept the most fascinating books up there, but he would never let me read them. I would lose myself in the adventures of elves and men, often wondering where father had gotten the books. Then father would come home and I would slide the book under the chair until I could find a more suitable time to put it back in its proper place.
"Mira?" my father's voice echoed through the house. I looked up to see him standing in the room.
"Yes, father?" I stood up quickly and straightened out my dress, tucking the imaginary book under the chair out of force of habit.
"I was at the Green Dragon and overheard some folks talking about how Master Gamgee is looking for a maid. Then I went over to his home and talked with Mrs. Gamgee and she said they'll take you as their maid. You start in the morning." His voice was stern, almost as if he was ashamed of me.
"Where must I go?"
"Bag End, up the hill and to the left." Father left the room without much more to say.
The words continued to echo in my head. Bag End. As a child, folks would snicker about Mr. Bilbo Baggins living up in Bag End. They say he was a bad influence on young Frodo Baggins and the town looked down upon him greatly, especially when that wizard came to town every so often. More rumors spread within the last several years when Bilbo disappeared, leaving everything to Frodo. Then there were the rumors about Frodo himself and his mysterious absence for the past two years. He locked himself in Bag End for countless days, he was rarely seen in town these days. It was a good thing he had the Gamgees with him or else it would have all crumbled and Frodo would have been a lost cause. The young children still tell stories about what he does inside all day and how he lost his finger. Nine-fingered Frodo is what they call him. I personally did not buy into everything they said, but had never seen him except the night Bilbo disappeared when I was a young lass.
"Are you coming to dinner, Mira?" Lily called out. I dragged myself to the table and sat down, avoiding my father's gaze once more. We all ate in silence. No one knew what had happened except father and myself, but they knew that whatever it was, it was bad. They had heard the muffled yells through the walls of the house.
After dinner, I went to my room, knitting away on some new blankets for the coming fall. I wondered about working for the Gamgees and seeing if the rumors about Frodo were true. It took a long time to fall asleep as my body kept itself awake with anticipation. ~~~~
A/N: thanks for reading this. Please reply and if you could suggest any constructive criticism, that would be great.