Rise (Lord of the Rings)

11 - No Worries

I woke up on my own account in the middle of the night.

My eyes still felt droopy, but I forced them open. I sat up. I almost freaked out when I didn't see any light, but then I realized that it was night here in Rivendell.

I was surprised I remembered that I wasn't in the Shire anymore, that I was someplace entirely different.

I felt around the bed to have my fingers bump into something softer than the sheets I sat on. I rubbed the fabric, trying to get a feel for its shape. A nightgown? I also felt something else on the bed as well—a small napkin, wrapped up. In it was food. Damn, I missed dinner. The food wasn't going to be fresh, but at least it wouldn't be stale.

Since Frodo felt still on the bed, I quickly stripped in the dark, having the nightgown spill all over me. The fabric caressed my skin. It had long sleeves and possibly covered my feet when I stood.

My eyes began to adjust to the dark as I unraveled the little bundle of food left over on the bed for me. I detected some bread, cheese, and leftover fruits. This was more of a snack than a full-out meal. Then again, maybe one of the boys brought me this. Sam would be the most likely candidate since he knew I ate light.

I was fully awake once I wolfed down every piece of food. I felt Frodo shift in the sheets. He should definitely be well rested when waking up tomorrow; he had had enough time to sleep.

My legs felt a little stiff, so I slipped off the bed, walking around to stretch them. When walking, I confirmed that the nightgown did cover my feet—my toes bumped into the bottom of it constantly.

I didn't really have anything like this back home. I felt like I was being treated like royalty, given such a fine piece of clothing.

I ended up pacing around in the room for a while. I really shouldn't be up so late in the night, but I couldn't help it.

I wondered what would happen from here. The Ring was safe now, wasn't it? Did this mean Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and I were free? Could we head home, back to the Shire? Was home even safe to go back to?

Home. I thought of Hobbiton. I thought about the children running in the roads, laughing. I thought about Rosie, my best friend in the entire world. I missed her so much, and I hadn't even been away from home that long.

I couldn't go to sleep right now, I was too awake mentally. I sauntered out of the dark room. If I needed a place to go, maybe the porch where I had seen Bilbo earlier would help me calm down. After all, it had a wonderful view.

I dragged myself to the porch to see Rivendell at night. The moonlight was abundant, giving the place a somewhat ghostly feel to it. I shuddered, reminding myself that I wasn't in a warm place right now—it was sort of cold out.

I reached the edge of the railing, resting my arms on top of it. I realized that the nightgown I wore looked to be made of silk—no wonder it was so comfortable. It looked to be gray as well.

I gazed out at the scenery before me. Rivendell was just as beautiful as the Shire was, but nothing could compare to home. I closed my eyes, basking in the new view.

"I expected you to be up in the morning. Why in the middle of the night?"

I gasped, whirling around; my hands gripped the railing behind me. Merry spooked me. What was he doing up so late? Shouldn't I be the only one with sleeping trouble?