Sequel: A Burden ›
A Mistake
And in the Darkness Bind Them...
Months passed, and nothing happened. Raina seemed to be getting along alright, but the truth was, was that she was broken. Not from this, but being abandoned by her parents. Her mother was, or is, an Elf, so it was shameful to have an illegal affair; especially with a human. So she fled when she became pregnant, and gave the baby away to another Halfling, as Bilbo was a Hobbit and considered a Halfling by most of Middle Earth. Being left by her adoptive father was just another blow to her low self esteem.
But no one would have been able to tell. On this particular night, Raina was out watching the stars, trying to teach herself Astronomy, like she would have if she had been at her proper home. It was late, and the dew was starting to form on the ground. There was the faint sound of galloping in the distance, and Raina’s head snapped up. No one rode horses in Hobbiton, at least not that fast. It had to be an outsider.
Raina stood slowly, making sure that no one would be able to see her graceful figure from the road. After a moment of watching from the shadows, a familiar figure rode into view.
Gandalf slowed his horse and jumped off. He strode to the front door and rapped on it with his knuckles.
“No one is there,” Raina said as she stepped out of the shadows.
Gandalf flinched before turning around to face her. “Raina! You could never sneak up me before!” Raina remembered her sad attempts to try and be sneaky, like the elves in the old tales. It had never worked.
‘Guess I’m just more graceful now that I’ve grown up,’ Raina thought about saying, but she just blinked in response.
“Where is Frodo?” Gandalf asked, before he lowered his voice. “Is it secret? Is it safe?”
Raina nodded. Frodo had put it in a chest somewhere… “Frodo went down to the Green Dragon.
“Would you like to come in?” Raina asked after a moment.
“Yes, we have some things to discuss once Frodo returns.”
Raina made the two of them some hot tea, and by the time she had brought Gandalf his mug, Frodo was back, and slightly tipsy.
“Gandalf!” he cried happily. Raina wondered if she were the only one who could sense the seriousness in the air.
“Frodo,” Gandalf chuckled weakly as Frodo hugged him.
Frodo’s eyebrows knit together. “What is it? What’s going on?” his confused expression came over to Raina, who shrugged in return.
“The ring- where is it?” Gandalf asked, on his feet.
Frodo moved over to an old trunk and opened it with a creak. After shuffling through the assortment of objects, he came upon the envelope, and handed it to Gandalf.
Without a word, Gandalf turned and threw the envelope into the fire.
“What are you doing?” Frodo asked, scrambling to his feet to look into the fire next to Raina.
Raina looked up at Gandalf in question, but his face revealed nothing. He picked the ring up from the flames with a pair of tongs, and told Frodo to hold his hand out.
“It’s quite cool,” Gandalf said as he dropped the ring into Frodo’s open hand.
“Do you see anything?” he asked, worry etched onto his wrinkled face.
“Nothing. There’s nothing…”
Gandalf sighed in relief as Raina looked over Frodo’s shoulder. Raina saw nothing either.
“Wait- there’s markings…” Raina leaned in closer.
“What? I see nothing,” she said slowly, but Frodo obviously did because he kept turning it over in his hands.
“What are they?”
“The language of Mordor, and Raina and I cannot see them because the ring knows its owner, which is you now. It reads, ‘One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them down and in the darkness bind them.’”
But no one would have been able to tell. On this particular night, Raina was out watching the stars, trying to teach herself Astronomy, like she would have if she had been at her proper home. It was late, and the dew was starting to form on the ground. There was the faint sound of galloping in the distance, and Raina’s head snapped up. No one rode horses in Hobbiton, at least not that fast. It had to be an outsider.
Raina stood slowly, making sure that no one would be able to see her graceful figure from the road. After a moment of watching from the shadows, a familiar figure rode into view.
Gandalf slowed his horse and jumped off. He strode to the front door and rapped on it with his knuckles.
“No one is there,” Raina said as she stepped out of the shadows.
Gandalf flinched before turning around to face her. “Raina! You could never sneak up me before!” Raina remembered her sad attempts to try and be sneaky, like the elves in the old tales. It had never worked.
‘Guess I’m just more graceful now that I’ve grown up,’ Raina thought about saying, but she just blinked in response.
“Where is Frodo?” Gandalf asked, before he lowered his voice. “Is it secret? Is it safe?”
Raina nodded. Frodo had put it in a chest somewhere… “Frodo went down to the Green Dragon.
“Would you like to come in?” Raina asked after a moment.
“Yes, we have some things to discuss once Frodo returns.”
Raina made the two of them some hot tea, and by the time she had brought Gandalf his mug, Frodo was back, and slightly tipsy.
“Gandalf!” he cried happily. Raina wondered if she were the only one who could sense the seriousness in the air.
“Frodo,” Gandalf chuckled weakly as Frodo hugged him.
Frodo’s eyebrows knit together. “What is it? What’s going on?” his confused expression came over to Raina, who shrugged in return.
“The ring- where is it?” Gandalf asked, on his feet.
Frodo moved over to an old trunk and opened it with a creak. After shuffling through the assortment of objects, he came upon the envelope, and handed it to Gandalf.
Without a word, Gandalf turned and threw the envelope into the fire.
“What are you doing?” Frodo asked, scrambling to his feet to look into the fire next to Raina.
Raina looked up at Gandalf in question, but his face revealed nothing. He picked the ring up from the flames with a pair of tongs, and told Frodo to hold his hand out.
“It’s quite cool,” Gandalf said as he dropped the ring into Frodo’s open hand.
“Do you see anything?” he asked, worry etched onto his wrinkled face.
“Nothing. There’s nothing…”
Gandalf sighed in relief as Raina looked over Frodo’s shoulder. Raina saw nothing either.
“Wait- there’s markings…” Raina leaned in closer.
“What? I see nothing,” she said slowly, but Frodo obviously did because he kept turning it over in his hands.
“What are they?”
“The language of Mordor, and Raina and I cannot see them because the ring knows its owner, which is you now. It reads, ‘One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them down and in the darkness bind them.’”