Indigo
By Cerridwen
Author's Notes: A Dana Challenge Ficlet based off of the following
words: rain, a hat, blue, and a mood of mischief.
When the ladies at Brandy Hall found that a large portion of their lovely blue indigo dye had been stolen, they immediately looked to the usually suspect pair. Merry and Pippin however adamantly denied any knowledge of the dye's disappearance and looked quite put out to have been charged with a crime that wasn't their own for once. Indeed they had just come in from the apple orchard, drenched from the sudden rain and shivering, but quite pleased with themselves (both carrying pockets full of apples that Saradoc had told them in no uncertain terms *not* to pick, but as it was Merry's thirtieth birthday they could hardly be expected not to sample the shiny treats.).
Frodo, who had come about to add his own few bits to Merry's birthday party had grinned rather expectantly once they'd escaped the matrons and asked what they had stolen the dye for, and what they intended to do with it. Merry's put out look had returned full force as he removed his sopping hat and wrung it out before the fire.
"Honestly! We didn't take the dye." He'd huffed, the very beginnings of a pout tugging the corners of his mouth down.
Frodo had only smiled serenely at him. "If you say so, cousin."
That evening, the thunderstorm doing a marvellous job of hiding his footfalls, a grinning Hobbit snuck into his cousin's bedroom, a pail of liquid blue dye clutched tight as a treasure. He slowly pulled back the bedclothes, exposing the sleeping Hobbits nightshirt-clad form in the rain bespeckled moonlight. Gently, he took his cousin's limp right hand and lowered it into the cerulean liquid, biting his lip as the Hobbit stirred slightly, and frowned in his sleep.
Thirty minutes later, the stealthy Hobbit crept back to his own bedroom, disposing of the dye down the privy on his way and crawled into bed with a triumphant grin on his face.
****
When Merry woke the next morning, it was to a bright clear day, and warm sunshine on his face. He groaned loudly and threw his hand over his eyes as the light cut into his sensitive night eyes and lay for a moment unmoving and drowsy.
Until he noticed something very odd about the hand now lying across his face.
He spent the day with the matrons who had questioned him about the dye the day before having the blue scrubbed from his skin as Frodo and Pippin sat by, both grinning and giggling and absolutely enjoying his plight. However, something in Frodo's own smirk caught his eye, and he peered suspiciously at his cousin who immediately took an angelic expression and patted his normal hand.
"There, there, Merry. Whoever did this to you shall be caught and-" a snort of laughter broke the sentence in half, and Merry's eyebrows raised. "And punished accordingly." Frodo finished, a rather satisfied light to his blue eyes.
Merry groaned again.
When the ladies at Brandy Hall found that a large portion of their lovely blue indigo dye had been stolen, they immediately looked to the usually suspect pair. Merry and Pippin however adamantly denied any knowledge of the dye's disappearance and looked quite put out to have been charged with a crime that wasn't their own for once. Indeed they had just come in from the apple orchard, drenched from the sudden rain and shivering, but quite pleased with themselves (both carrying pockets full of apples that Saradoc had told them in no uncertain terms *not* to pick, but as it was Merry's thirtieth birthday they could hardly be expected not to sample the shiny treats.).
Frodo, who had come about to add his own few bits to Merry's birthday party had grinned rather expectantly once they'd escaped the matrons and asked what they had stolen the dye for, and what they intended to do with it. Merry's put out look had returned full force as he removed his sopping hat and wrung it out before the fire.
"Honestly! We didn't take the dye." He'd huffed, the very beginnings of a pout tugging the corners of his mouth down.
Frodo had only smiled serenely at him. "If you say so, cousin."
That evening, the thunderstorm doing a marvellous job of hiding his footfalls, a grinning Hobbit snuck into his cousin's bedroom, a pail of liquid blue dye clutched tight as a treasure. He slowly pulled back the bedclothes, exposing the sleeping Hobbits nightshirt-clad form in the rain bespeckled moonlight. Gently, he took his cousin's limp right hand and lowered it into the cerulean liquid, biting his lip as the Hobbit stirred slightly, and frowned in his sleep.
Thirty minutes later, the stealthy Hobbit crept back to his own bedroom, disposing of the dye down the privy on his way and crawled into bed with a triumphant grin on his face.
****
When Merry woke the next morning, it was to a bright clear day, and warm sunshine on his face. He groaned loudly and threw his hand over his eyes as the light cut into his sensitive night eyes and lay for a moment unmoving and drowsy.
Until he noticed something very odd about the hand now lying across his face.
He spent the day with the matrons who had questioned him about the dye the day before having the blue scrubbed from his skin as Frodo and Pippin sat by, both grinning and giggling and absolutely enjoying his plight. However, something in Frodo's own smirk caught his eye, and he peered suspiciously at his cousin who immediately took an angelic expression and patted his normal hand.
"There, there, Merry. Whoever did this to you shall be caught and-" a snort of laughter broke the sentence in half, and Merry's eyebrows raised. "And punished accordingly." Frodo finished, a rather satisfied light to his blue eyes.
Merry groaned again.
