As Frodo stood at the balcony in his healing room, the first thing that caught his eyes were the cousins. Pippin and Merry had seemed closer now than ever before in their lives. With good reason too. Whether that would be a godd thing or not-Frodo Smiled- was still to be decifered.
He heard footsteps and turned to find his old friend following up on him, coming to the balcony. They both looked down and Frodo felt a small frown crawl over his face. "How did you do it?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Gandalf replied, turning slightly from the pranksters sight below.
"Seperate them, i mean. Pippin told me he served for Denetor for a time. He did not say Merry did though, meaning they were not together. How did you do it?" Frodo explained, not taking his own sight off his cousins.
Gandalf gulped, turning around completely and leaning slightly against the railing. "Pippin had taken a palantir from me. Saruman's Palantir, to be precise. He looked into it and Sauron saw him. He thought Pippin had the Ring, not you. Once I told Merry that, he seemed restful in having Pippin leave with me."
Frodo laughed slightly, turning to the Wizard. "Come on Gandalf, you know that's not true." The wizard looked at the hobbit-hero with a look of shock on his stern face. "Do you remember the few days after Pippin was born?"
"Ah yes, even as a small child, he was restless."
"But even more was Merry. He busied himself every hour of everyday with Pippin. I thought Merry was trying to drive me mad when he would see me and begin a conversation with 'Pippin this' and 'Peregrin that' or even 'Have you seen the baby cousin, Frodo?' " To this, Gandalf laughed. Frodo turned to him, a small smile now on his face as well. "Since then, Pippin's never been out of Merry's sight. How could you seperate them?"
Gandalf pursed his lips. "You are truthful, Frodo Baggins, I'll give you that. When Pippin did leave with me, I recal slightly tears in Meriadoc's voice. Pippin was more relentless to go, for he was still as childish as he is."
Frodo turned back to the cousins.. Merry was holding Pippin, who cried into his chest. Merry, though far away the friends were, seemed to also be holding back tears. "Gandalf?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Anything, Frodo."
"Please don't even do that again."