action.

[bronwe]

[ Frodo arrives rolling and tumbling across the floor.

There was a great shadow over him then, something with a terrible stench and legs too numerous to count. And now, light. He shields himself from the brightness and scoots back until he bumps against the wall, then scrambles to find shelter behind a couch. It hurts his eyes. The air is suddenly too clear, everything too clean. He fears it is a trick.

He speaks in a hush, afraid to alert the enemies but more afraid of being alone. ]

Sam? Where are you, Sam?

Comments

[willrememberthat]

[She shakes her head!]

It's okay, they were for you.

[She might have nabbed a slice on the way up.]

Are you feeling better?

[As she asks, she scoots over to the other side of the bed, pulling back the covers with her as she goes.]

[bronwe]

[ Being taken care of by a little girl isn't what he expected for today, after the endless stairs and that thing, and now here in a castle with the taste of apples on his tongue.

Maybe he would wake and find himself lying on hard rock again.

Frodo climbs onto the bed, watching her. ]

You said this is not where you sleep. If not here, where then?

[willrememberthat]

[She'll toss the blankets over him, whether he's ready or not. It's fun, being the one doing the taking-care-of stuff.]

In the city, with Arthur. He takes care of me. [Until her parents or Lee show up. She checks the journals every day for sign of them, and every day she's disappointed.] That means you can stay here as long as you want. I don't mind.

[bronwe]

[ Frodo gives her a small smile and grabs the blanket to tug it over him. ]

I would like to share an apple with you properly. Tomorrow, perhaps? I will find you in the city.

[willrememberthat]

Alright! I'd like that. [Her smile backs up her words. She figures that's her cue to let him sleep, so she starts to slide off the bed.]

But I think I should come here, so you don't get lost.

[Newbie!]

[bronwe]

[ Frodo keeps smiling so she won't worry or anything, shifting to make himself comfortable on the bed. ]

Don't worry. I only get lost when I choose to.

[willrememberthat]

[Something scary and gross was chasing you, man. Clem knows from experience that it takes time to be okay from that.]

That doesn't make sense. I'll come here. Just in case.

[bronwe]

[ Oh, so much sass. Frodo's rather shocked by that threat! Still gaping at her. ]

Then you must.

[willrememberthat]

[She's proud of her sass :')

Clem is perceptive, so she's pretty sure there's a lot going on here that's probably not very good for Frodo, but he seems nice. Even when tired, scared, and lost, he's friendly. Sam wasn't the only brave one!]

I'll go now, but I'll see you tomorrow.

[She scurries around the side of the bed and moves in to give him a quick hug. It's what she'd want.]

[bronwe]

[ Frodo returns the hug easily, placing one hand on the back of her head. Even when everything is dark and uncertain, he can still do this and mean it. Company makes any burden lighter, whether real or in the mind.

He lets her hold on for as long as she wants to. ]

[willrememberthat]

[Clem didn't doubt he'd return it, as her hug-senses are strong. She knows how much they can help. Something about meeting someone in a state that had been familiar to her own was special. She didn't know much about Frodo, but she did know how relieving it was to have someone hold her hand and lead her to a clean and safe room after everything in Savannah.

He had to be okay because she was okay. That's how it worked. She decides to cling a little longer.

She misses her parents. She misses Lee, too. But everything would be okay, somehow.]

[bronwe]

[ Frodo is only beginning to realize that maybe this would help her as much as it would him. Perhaps it's reassurance she needs or perhaps it's company. No little girl should be wandering alone so late at night, and this Arthur may not even be family.

He holds on tighter and pats her softly on the back, the way he remembers Bilbo did when he would think of his parents and cry. ]

[willrememberthat]

[The patting nearly gets her to cry, but she gets it under control before it can grow beyond a tiny, tiny sniffle and a subtle nuzzle into his shoulder. Her crying wouldn't be very comforting, would it?]

Goodnight. I hope you feel better.

[Now she'll gently pull back. He needs to sleep! She can chat his ears off tomorrow.]

[bronwe]

I do already.

[ Frodo gives her a sympathetic smile, placing both hands on her face so he can gesture at wiping some imagined tear away. His hobbit ears heard that sniffle, little lady! ]

Good night, Clementine.

[willrememberthat]

[That gets her to smile, even if her eyes are glassy.

Once off the bed, she goes to the door, waving before heading out.

She'll ask about his strange ears tomorrow.]

[bronwe]

[ Frodo waves back, though in the morning he doesn't remember anything else between that and the deepest sleep he's had yet! ]