The Forbidden Child

A Barmaid, a Ranger, and a Hobbit Walk Into An Inn

Lessien had only been working for a few hours and she was already annoyed by the comments given to her by drunks. "Come over here, pretty lass," and comments about various desirable body parts were only two examples of dozens. They were not intimidating as much as annoying but she smiled through it anyway. It was helpful to know she was not the only one who endured the cruel treatment. Another barmaid, Liliath, worked there too.

The two barely talked, for if they stopped working they would get lectured by the inn keeper but they communicated with whispers when they passed one another. "Does this ever stop?" Lessien once asked and in reply, Liliath just shook her head.

Finally, it came time when two dozen or so drunkards were in a dull doze. Both Lessien and Liliath did not know how long this would last so they took a moment to eat. They stole some bread and butter from the kitchen and went outside to cool down, for the inn was uncomfortably hot with sweaty bodies.

"So Liliath, got anyone at home?" Lessien asked casually.

"Just me mam and me little one, Manu," Liliath replied. "And yourself?"

"Oh, me? No! I live with my father but we are traveling."  There was a silent pause and Lessien reconfirmed absentmindedly, "It is just me and ada."

Liliath smiled softly. "Miss, you speak strangely, as though you are from a far off land. You have mentioned that you come from the Outer End but I know how they speak and it ain't like that."

Lessien kept a straight face. "You are very smart, my girl," she complimented and left it at that.

It was not safe to share more and luckily Liliath did not press.

"Anyway, you have a husband and son, too!" Lessien exclaimed brightly, changing the subject.

"Oh, don' remind me! Isn' no father, just a lover, and went and turned into a drunk! Tha's why I work here. Whatever puts food on the table, I always say," Liliath explained. "I knew it wouldn' last. I mean, who could ever love a red-head? Men are only ever after one thing."

Lessien pursed her lips and fell silent, looking at her hands. She could not see how the colour of any girls' hair mattered.

Liliath stared at her intently before saying, "Of course you would'n' understand."

Lessien's gaze quickly flickered to the young girl but Liliath was already looking away indignantly. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by the pounding and stamping of feet and shoutings of "Drink, drink, drink!"

With that, the two girls got up, not a word exchanged between them as they went inside.

-

Not a quarter of an hour later, a strange, dark man entered the Prancing Pony. Lessien instantly recognized him but kept working.

She eventually approached Aragorn and casually questioned, "Can I get you anything this fine night?" Lessien's nostrils flared like a proud mare's while she said these things in her ridiculously strong Bree accent.

"I will have a nice hot meal, thank you," he replied in his clipped, clear voice. With that, Aragorn pulled his hood over his head and got out his pipe, taking a few puffs on it.

Lessien turned on her heel and sauntered away to prepare her father's meal, listening to the drunkards' songs all the while.

-

Later that evening, the tavern was even more full with jolly drunks. Never would she admit it but she did not mind being a barmaid. Lessien was fairly certain that her father was the only sober man in the room, but it was of no matter. The joyful loopy men were growing on her, save the ones who were excessive with the out of line comments.

A storm raged outside and Lessien soon lost hope that the aforementioned Underhill would show up when the tavern's door opened and a four-foot curly-haired hobbit with hairy feet entered. He began talking to the tavern owner, Butterbur, who wrote something down in his impressively big record book.

Behind the dark-haired hobbit came a more plump, sandy-haired one with a loaded pack on his shoulders, and another two that looked very alike each other entered after. They both had curly, strawberry-blond hair and round-shaped faces.

Lessien approached Aragorn and offered more food or drink to him. She gestured discretely to the hobbits.

Aragorn nodded, indicating with his pipe towards the table. First off, she saw the dark-haired hobbit who went by the name of Underhill. He was staring at them with a terrified expression, and so nudged his stout companion to look at them too. Immediately and reluctantly, Underhill's friend spat out his food, as though Lessien had poisoned it.

Lessien then saw the two blond hobbits had left the group. She observed that the strawberry-blond haired hobbit had left the table and was talking with a large group of drunk men. She cleared her throat and hurried to her next customers, allowing her father to keep a watchful eye on the group.

It was a while later when Lessien was still waiting on the men when she heard a high, merry voice slur drunkenly, "That—that over there is Frodo Baggins. Frodo Baggins, can you believe it?" Pointing with a short finger at the group, he continued to relate all about Frodo's family.

With those words, Underhill, now betrayed as Baggins, looked up at the drunken hobbit in shock, immediately jumping to his feet and running towards his friend. "Pippin!" he shouted, grabbing at his friend's wrist to get ahold of him but he tripped on an old man's large foot, falling onto his back.

A golden trinket flung out of Frodo's hands, and fell back down towards him. As his fingers fumbled for it, it slipped on and he consequently disappeared into thin air. It all happened so fast. The crowd gasped, and Aragorn sat up in seat, ready to arouse.

A minute or two after the excitement, the drunkards forgot about the incident and slipped back into laughing and cracking jokes at the barmaids.

Lessien's eyes followed the scuffling sound, tracking where the invisible body was going with any other sense than sight. The table at which the sandy-haired hobbit sat at jiggled and next to the table leg Frodo appeared.

Aragorn, on his feet now, immediately grabbed him by the shoulder, flinging him around and pushing him into the wall. "You bring far too much attention to yourself, Mr. Underhill," he muttered before whisking Frodo away.

Lessien watched the sandy-haired hobbit's already panicked face grow more worried. He ushered for the drunken hobbit, now dubbed Pippin, and his other round-faced friend to come. They were in hot pursuit of Aragorn and Lessien herself was behind the trio.

Pippin adopted a chair for his weapon to fight back for his friend. Meanwhile, the sandy-haired hobbit had but his fists. He burst through the door and yelled, "Let him go, or I'll 'ave you!"

Lessien appeared close behind.

"You have a stout heart," Aragorn replied, eyes flicking to Lessien before he sheathed his sword. He watched the terrified hobbits with an observant eye.

Lessien's eyes narrowed. She remarked snidely, "It looks like things are not going as you planned."

Aragorn barely glanced at his daughter when he cautioned, "We must be careful now. We tread on dangerous ground."

Lessien nodded in agreement, looking at the stout hobbits and the concern on their faces. Her father exited the room and she addressed them, "Do not fear, Frodo Baggins, for we are friends of Gandalf as well. We are not here to hurt you or your companions. Stay here and I will be back."