FIC: "Into the East" (PG, 12/?) by Febobe
Sep. 15th, 2011 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
febobeAs promised, another chapter to compensate for the shortness of 11.
Title: Into the East
Author: Febobe (Frodo Baggins of Bag End)
Rating/Warnings: PG (graphic food descriptions, some occasionally graphic medical angst - NO CANON CHARACTER DEATH. I promise! It may seem at first that I'm headed that direction, but I absolutely guarantee, NO canon characters will be killed off in this fic!)
Summary: After the Quest, Frodo comes down with a serious illness, and journeys to Harad in search of better health.
Characters: Frodo, Sam, Elrond, Eowyn, Faramir, Merry, Pippin, an OC named Kalil (partly in tribute to Claudia's own Khalil), other supporting OCs, appearances by Aragorn and possibly Arwen. Others TBA, if any.
Disclaimer: I do not own and have not created any of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, neither characters nor world nor any of his concepts. I'm just playing in the sandbox, with no ill intent. Original characters, including (but not limited to) Kalil are my own creation, and I would appreciate it if they weren't used without asking. (Unlike Tolkien, I'm not dead!) This fic meets FrodoHealers standards and is free from profanity, sex, and slash.
Notes: Sam lovers, I think this is a fic you'll enjoy, as it strongly features his voice and viewpoint. Frodo lovers, this is definitely a fic you'll enjoy, especially if you're an old-school FrodoHealers fan. Faramir and Eowyn, Merry and Pippin will all have significant roles to play throughout this fic, though it takes a few chapters to get there. Also, please note that I have chosen Indian food for the predominant culinary culture of Harad. I realize that it may well be closer to Middle Eastern cookery, but I wanted to give it a distinctive tie and recognizable flavor, and I chose Indian. No ill will intended if you prefer a different interpretation; just know that this is my interpretation only and I realize it isn't the only potential take on Haradraic food out there. A word about Kalil and the Haradrim: I intend absolutely no disrespect to any culture or language. But the people of Harad would look and seem strange to Sam, Shire hobbit that he is, and more so than the fair-skinned elves and Big Folk he knew well. As for Kalil's language, I realize some people are fluent in multiple languages, but Kalil isn't as fluent as some people. I think he does pretty well myself!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Well, Mr. Frodo seemed real weak all evening, even worse than usual, and Master Merry and Master Pippin came up and wanted to see him, but Faramir told 'em he needed to rest tonight, and maybe tomorrow they could come in, which sounded right smart to me, 'cause they mean well, but Mr. Frodo was in the sort of state where he didn't need to get excited, or feel like he had to keep people from worrying too much about him.
Kalil stayed on and didn't leave us. He stayed right there by Mr. Frodo's bed, 'cept when he went down to make the medicine for Mr. Frodo's cough, and Faramir went with him, and he made up the medicine and a tea for Mr. Frodo's cough, and gave that to him, and gave him more medicine later.
I let Kalil deal with supper, seeing as how I didn't want to leave Mr. Frodo, and Eowyn went to help him, and he made some kind o'chicken broth with spices that smelled real nice. I fed Mr. Frodo a little o'that, and a little more of it later, and he seemed real fond of it, and the second time he even asked for more, so we got him a bit more and that made him happy. I reckon it might have hurt me a little he didn't ask for more of what I fixed, but I was just so glad he was eating something I didn't let it bother me none. Kalil said we ought to keep him on liquids for the rest o'the day, maybe the next day too, till he perked up a little, and that seemed all right to me, so long's we didn't keep him from solid food too long. I'd seen what that did to him in Minas Tirith, and it hadn't helped him none, though goodness knows it weren't lack of trying that kept him mostly on liquids.
Mr. Frodo was real sick with fever that night, but his cough seemed a mite better to me, and Kalil sat up with us, and made a drink with hot milk, with some stuff he said was pistachios and poppy seeds, that put Mr. Frodo to sleep finally. We made Faramir and Eowyn go sleep in their room. They made me go and look at mine, right next to Mr. Frodo's, with a big bed o'my own, but they made me and Kalil beds on nice little couches they had carried in and set in Mr. Frodo's room, where we could be right there close, and one o'us always sitting with him. I didn't much want to go to sleep and leave Mr. Frodo with that strange foreigner, but Faramir said he would trust him with his life, and Kalil said it weren't healthy to not sleep, that I'd be no use to Mr. Frodo if I wore myself out and got sick too, and that last part, that was what made me finally lie down somewhere around two that morning, just for a short rest.
Well, I don't reckon I woke up till eight in the morning, and by then Eowyn was there, feeding Mr. Frodo porridge and orange-juice, and he was eating for her, if kinda slowly. So I sat there and ate the breakfast she'd been nice enough to bring me too - fried eggs, orange-juice, a dish o'strange fruit, and some odd kind of bread, like a ball with air in it, some kind they made here. I made up my mind I'd have to see about baking real bread, but this weren't half bad. Tasted all right, if a little plain.
I finished up and washed up, and went over to see how things was going, and Eowyn smiled, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
"He isn't feeling very well today," she said, "and I think he's still tired out from the journey."
I sat down beside him and felt o'his cheek, and sure enough he was still burning up. I guess a part o'me had been hoping he'd recover overnight, once we got here, but I remembered what Lord Elrond said about good cures taking time, and time being the best healer, and how long it had taken him to get strong again after his wound, and how it had taken even longer for him to start looking at all well after our journey. So this, I reckoned, might take a long time too.
"I'm here, Mr. Frodo," I said. "Anything you want me to do, you just say the word."
He smiled a little, but he didn't seem to feel much like talking, so I just held his hand and sat there with him. Kalil had gone to wash up himself while Eowyn fed him, and now he came back.
"Little master, can you open your mouth for me?"
Mr. Frodo obeyed, and Kalil put that thermometer back under his tongue, and he lay there holding it. When Kalil took it out and read it, he looked real worried.
"Little master must not get up today," he said. "Fever very bad. I go make him more broth."
And off he went, down to the kitchen I reckon, leaving me and Eowyn with Mr. Frodo, who just closed his eyes and lay real still, 'cept for those awful coughing fits he kept taking.
Only he didn't stay quiet long.
-to be continued-
Title: Into the East
Author: Febobe (Frodo Baggins of Bag End)
Rating/Warnings: PG (graphic food descriptions, some occasionally graphic medical angst - NO CANON CHARACTER DEATH. I promise! It may seem at first that I'm headed that direction, but I absolutely guarantee, NO canon characters will be killed off in this fic!)
Summary: After the Quest, Frodo comes down with a serious illness, and journeys to Harad in search of better health.
Characters: Frodo, Sam, Elrond, Eowyn, Faramir, Merry, Pippin, an OC named Kalil (partly in tribute to Claudia's own Khalil), other supporting OCs, appearances by Aragorn and possibly Arwen. Others TBA, if any.
Disclaimer: I do not own and have not created any of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, neither characters nor world nor any of his concepts. I'm just playing in the sandbox, with no ill intent. Original characters, including (but not limited to) Kalil are my own creation, and I would appreciate it if they weren't used without asking. (Unlike Tolkien, I'm not dead!) This fic meets FrodoHealers standards and is free from profanity, sex, and slash.
Notes: Sam lovers, I think this is a fic you'll enjoy, as it strongly features his voice and viewpoint. Frodo lovers, this is definitely a fic you'll enjoy, especially if you're an old-school FrodoHealers fan. Faramir and Eowyn, Merry and Pippin will all have significant roles to play throughout this fic, though it takes a few chapters to get there. Also, please note that I have chosen Indian food for the predominant culinary culture of Harad. I realize that it may well be closer to Middle Eastern cookery, but I wanted to give it a distinctive tie and recognizable flavor, and I chose Indian. No ill will intended if you prefer a different interpretation; just know that this is my interpretation only and I realize it isn't the only potential take on Haradraic food out there. A word about Kalil and the Haradrim: I intend absolutely no disrespect to any culture or language. But the people of Harad would look and seem strange to Sam, Shire hobbit that he is, and more so than the fair-skinned elves and Big Folk he knew well. As for Kalil's language, I realize some people are fluent in multiple languages, but Kalil isn't as fluent as some people. I think he does pretty well myself!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Well, Mr. Frodo seemed real weak all evening, even worse than usual, and Master Merry and Master Pippin came up and wanted to see him, but Faramir told 'em he needed to rest tonight, and maybe tomorrow they could come in, which sounded right smart to me, 'cause they mean well, but Mr. Frodo was in the sort of state where he didn't need to get excited, or feel like he had to keep people from worrying too much about him.
Kalil stayed on and didn't leave us. He stayed right there by Mr. Frodo's bed, 'cept when he went down to make the medicine for Mr. Frodo's cough, and Faramir went with him, and he made up the medicine and a tea for Mr. Frodo's cough, and gave that to him, and gave him more medicine later.
I let Kalil deal with supper, seeing as how I didn't want to leave Mr. Frodo, and Eowyn went to help him, and he made some kind o'chicken broth with spices that smelled real nice. I fed Mr. Frodo a little o'that, and a little more of it later, and he seemed real fond of it, and the second time he even asked for more, so we got him a bit more and that made him happy. I reckon it might have hurt me a little he didn't ask for more of what I fixed, but I was just so glad he was eating something I didn't let it bother me none. Kalil said we ought to keep him on liquids for the rest o'the day, maybe the next day too, till he perked up a little, and that seemed all right to me, so long's we didn't keep him from solid food too long. I'd seen what that did to him in Minas Tirith, and it hadn't helped him none, though goodness knows it weren't lack of trying that kept him mostly on liquids.
Mr. Frodo was real sick with fever that night, but his cough seemed a mite better to me, and Kalil sat up with us, and made a drink with hot milk, with some stuff he said was pistachios and poppy seeds, that put Mr. Frodo to sleep finally. We made Faramir and Eowyn go sleep in their room. They made me go and look at mine, right next to Mr. Frodo's, with a big bed o'my own, but they made me and Kalil beds on nice little couches they had carried in and set in Mr. Frodo's room, where we could be right there close, and one o'us always sitting with him. I didn't much want to go to sleep and leave Mr. Frodo with that strange foreigner, but Faramir said he would trust him with his life, and Kalil said it weren't healthy to not sleep, that I'd be no use to Mr. Frodo if I wore myself out and got sick too, and that last part, that was what made me finally lie down somewhere around two that morning, just for a short rest.
Well, I don't reckon I woke up till eight in the morning, and by then Eowyn was there, feeding Mr. Frodo porridge and orange-juice, and he was eating for her, if kinda slowly. So I sat there and ate the breakfast she'd been nice enough to bring me too - fried eggs, orange-juice, a dish o'strange fruit, and some odd kind of bread, like a ball with air in it, some kind they made here. I made up my mind I'd have to see about baking real bread, but this weren't half bad. Tasted all right, if a little plain.
I finished up and washed up, and went over to see how things was going, and Eowyn smiled, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
"He isn't feeling very well today," she said, "and I think he's still tired out from the journey."
I sat down beside him and felt o'his cheek, and sure enough he was still burning up. I guess a part o'me had been hoping he'd recover overnight, once we got here, but I remembered what Lord Elrond said about good cures taking time, and time being the best healer, and how long it had taken him to get strong again after his wound, and how it had taken even longer for him to start looking at all well after our journey. So this, I reckoned, might take a long time too.
"I'm here, Mr. Frodo," I said. "Anything you want me to do, you just say the word."
He smiled a little, but he didn't seem to feel much like talking, so I just held his hand and sat there with him. Kalil had gone to wash up himself while Eowyn fed him, and now he came back.
"Little master, can you open your mouth for me?"
Mr. Frodo obeyed, and Kalil put that thermometer back under his tongue, and he lay there holding it. When Kalil took it out and read it, he looked real worried.
"Little master must not get up today," he said. "Fever very bad. I go make him more broth."
And off he went, down to the kitchen I reckon, leaving me and Eowyn with Mr. Frodo, who just closed his eyes and lay real still, 'cept for those awful coughing fits he kept taking.
Only he didn't stay quiet long.
-to be continued-
