[Child of the 7th Age]

Himaran's post:

Frodo-lad ran flat out toward Bag-End, mentally repeating the lengthy message in his head. When he reached the gates, the hobbit was nearly sick from running; and thus jogged across the party field. He soon spotted his father, mother, and Frodo all talking on the steps above Bag-End. Running up to them, Frodo-lad blurted out "Dad, Dad you've got to hear this!"

The desired effect of the words did not come. Sam turned to Frodo-lad slowly, and gave him a dark, stern look. "Frodo-lad, how many times must I tell you not to interrupt other peoples' conversations! It is an extremely poor social skill, and furthermore....."

Sam's voice trailed off when he saw how exausted Frodo-lad looked. The hobbit then knew that he had his father's attention. However, in his excitement, the hobbit tried to fit everything into several sentences. "I was down at Amarathras' house, and Gilly was there with the twins. But then these three Big Folk came in, and they took them away. And then I ran back, but I was stopped by Mithadan and another one of the big folk and they grabbed me, an' told me to tell you that, Frodo, he needs to come to the deserted area a little ways north of Bywater Pond tonight, without any Shirriffs or friends, not even with you, dad, or Gilly and the twins won't live or any of the other children!"


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Pio's post - the Shiriff, Halfred

Halfred’s face darkened as Frodo-lad repeated the ransom demand. His eyes narrowed and he nodded his head at his brother, Filibert, as if to say ‘I told you so!’

The partygoers had gathered round as the note was read, and now the group was abuzz with exclamations of shock and anger. Halfred raised his voice his voice to add his own commentary to the maelstrom of words and emotions.

‘I knew it all along! He was a viper in our midst!’ Halfred rounded on Sam. ‘Begging your pardon, Mister Mayor, but you should never have sent that note when we first caught him. He should have been kept in the locks, and delivered by the Bounders to the Rangers. The King’s justice should have taken care of him. He shouldn’t have been allowed to stay here as a free man!’

He folded his arms across his chest and waited for the recognition he felt he deserved. The response was not long in coming . . .

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theWhiteLady's post

"You listen here, Mr. Halfred!" Rose Goodchild's voice rang out clearly, though she staggered a bit as she made her way through the crowd. Several heads turned, watching the little hobbit march up to the shirrif, trembling slightly from both anger and exhaustion.

"Mithadan has been out risking his neck trying to find out who those
Bandits are and where they are hiding, which is a whole lot more than
I've noticed you doing! I've been in Bree for the last few weeks because I was foolish enough to try and stop him; well, he finally make contact with me yesterday, and do you know what he did?" Rose was shouting now and everyone else listening. "He warned me what was going to happen. Why else would I nearly kill my pony to get back here so quick? And I might have had time too, if you had been doing your job instead of going to parties! And if you think Mithadan would want to hurt his own children then . . . then you're even more stupid than we all thought!" Rose was forced to stop, out of breath and out of steam for the moment.


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Himaran's post:

Frodo-lad watched Halfred's face as Rose explained why Mithadan was innocent and a friend. It was clear that the Sheriff was unimpressed with her story. "Yes, that's all good and well, but what about him grabbing Frodo-lad and giving him to Ferny, huh? How do you explain that?"

Frodo-lad then decided to intervene. "I can, sir. You see, Mithadan didn't actually hurt me. He just picked me up and told me that he was sorry about the whole thing, but was just trying to help the children. I think that he's just playing along with Ferny and the other Big-Folk."
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Child's post:

Rose and Frodo-lad's heartfelt words did a great deal to sway the opinion of those who had gathered to hear what had happened. A few who had initially clamored for Mithadan’s head now found themselves staring at their toes, shifting nervously from foot to foot, and wondering if their own judgment might have been too hasty. Soon, they were glaring over towards Halfred with unabashed frustration, begging him to stop persecuting an innocent man and actually do something to collar the real culprits.

Halfred, however, gave little indication of backing down. He was too sure of himself and remained stubbornly obdurate, carefully pointing out that the Shire had been a happy place to live until Mithadan arrived within its borders upsetting everyone and everything. Vowing to carry out his duties exactly as he saw fit, Halfred mulishly planted his feet in the soil and refused to budge.

At this point, Cami had heard enough. She’d stood quietly at the back struggling to keep her opinions to herself, but soon found her anger bubbling over as she remembered the twins and the danger they were in. She stared at Halfred and vented. "How can you possibly say these things after everything Mithadan has done to try and help? If one hair on those childrens’ heads is harmed, it will be your fault. Your fault, Halfred Whitfoot! You will be as much to blame as the bandits themselves. If you had focused on catching these thugs instead of wasting time chasing after chimeras, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Halfred's response was immediate and curt. "When I need an opinion from someone who doesn't even live here anymore, I'll ask for it. Meanwhile, I'm in charge. You can argue all day, but it's not going to change my mind!"

Suddenly, from beyond the garden hedge, came the distant sound of rumbling cart wheels, a vehicle that appeared to be slowly heading west in the direction of Bag-end.

*********************************************

Coming to the hard realization that nothing she could say would dissuade Halfred from his course, a disappointed Cami retreated over to where her husband stood. Maura's attention was no longer fixed on the cantankerous debate which he frankly considered useless. He'd already begun his preparations to leave and was sorting through the weapons he'd managed to salvage from their ransacked burrow. He handed Cami her bow and sword, then buttoned up his protective leather vest and strapped two dudgeons to his waist, drawing out his broadsword to test its balance and heft before slipping it back inside its scabbard.

Maura fixed an uneasy eye on his wife as he began walking towards the outside gate. "I'll never understand Shirelings. There's a man and several hobbits in trouble and all they do is argue."

Cami shook her head, "It's different for them. Very different. There were troubles at the end of the last war. But that's it. Other than that, they've been protected from this kind of thing."

Exasperated and out of patience, he snapped back, "They would never have survived in Beleriand. They have neither the wits nor heart."

Cami's response was equally swift, "Don't be so sure. There's more to them than you see. At the end Halfred will do what's right."

Maura reached out and gently squeezed his wife's hand as if to apologize for his sharp tongue, "I hope so. But now I have to do what I think is right."

He hastily sprinted down the garden path and out onto the road with Cami following close at his heels. Some ways ahead was a shadowy figure whom they could not make out. As the shadow came into focus bringing a flash of recognition, Cami's heart thumped furiously. In the distance, heading straight towards Bywater and presumably venturing on to the pool where the rendezvous was scheduled to take place, was the quickly receding figure of Frodo Baggins.

Cami's face blanched as she glimpsed the solitary hobbit hurrying along the road. "By all of Beruthiel's cats, no one even bothered to talk with him, or ask his opinion. So he made up his own mind and slipped off. Curse that Halfred. His stubborness will cause someone's death."

Maura glanced quickly at Cami, "Would Frodo do that? Would he run off to handle things on his own?"

Cami nodded fiercely without bothering to explain. "Yes! Believe me, he would." With that she and Maura took off at a dead run to try and catch up.

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Pio's post - The Shiriff, Halfred

Milo and Hugo raced back to Sam’s house, shouting for Halfred as they dismounted and hurried into the garden with Amaranthas in tow. She had flagged them down from her cart and given them the story of what had happened at her house. They had just come down from the burrow where Cami and Maura had taken up residence, and had come to alert the Shiriff.

They stopped, perplexed, when they caught sight of him and looked curiously at the red faced Shiriff, ringed by an angry looking group of Shire folk. They drew nearer, looking to see if he needed protection, but words, it appeared, were the only weapons being hurled at him.

Halfred, for his part, was doing his best to explain why he had taken the actions the angry little mob seemed so upset about. Noting that his deputies had arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief and motioned them over, expecting them to support him in his continued belief that Mithadan was at the heart of all this nasty business. Milo and Hugo cast their eyes at the ground at his request to tell the group what they’d learned, squirming uncomfortably with the knowledge that the Shiriff was indeed in the wrong.

It was Amaranthas, elbowing the two of them apart to make a path for herself, who set him straight once and for all. She stood right before him, fixing him with her beady black eyes. Leaning on her blackthorn cane, she told him the entire story of how Piosenniel and Mithadan had agreed that he would try to find the Big Folk responsible for hurting the folk in the Shire. How he had gone away before his own children were born.

‘His firstborn, mind you, Halfred Whitfoot,’ she emphasized, tapping the head of her cane against his chest.

And didn’t he do just what he’d promised Mistress Pio. He found out who they were and where they were hiding the children. ‘And if you weren’t so pigheaded you would be helping him rout them out instead of badmouthing him and doing nothing but helping the ruffians from Bree.’ She thumped him again on his chest. ‘I can’t imagine a better friend to the Shire than someone who would put the Shire’s needs above the needs of his own family.’

She stepped back and shook her head at him. ‘Mistress Pio’s gone after them herself, you know. Her wee little babies in the hands of those miscreants.’ Her voice dropped low and the group leaned in closer to her last words. ‘One of the babies was hurt when it was taken. Cut. Its little drops of blood fell on the floor when they stole it away . . .’

The group was silent when Amaranthas had finished speaking. Millefoil had turned white as a sheet when she thought of the little ones she had held in her arms a few short hours ago. Trembling, she walked up to her husband and poked him hard in the ribs.

‘Halfred, you were dead wrong. There’s no time to apologize now. Get this business with the ransom demand for Frodo taken care of, then you find Mr. Mithadan, if he’s with them, and offer him your help.’ A certain steely note had come into her voice as she made her final demand.

‘You find those babies, Halfred and you get them back safe to the Inn.’

‘You, too,’ said Hyacinth firmly, pushing Filibert to stand next to his brother.

[ July 11, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]