Disclaimer- I don't own LOTR, and I'm sure you're very shocked.
A/N- This is my first fanfic and I'm not certain if I should continue it or not, so please read and review! Any constructive criticism/ tips/ odd comments are welcome! Enjoy!
"Miss Dandy! Miss Dandy!" A small hobbit child rushed through the streets of Tuckborough and very nearly ran into the older hobbit he sought. "Miss Dandy!" he shouted into her startled face.
"That's Miss Took to you, Sando Proudfoot," replied Dandelion Took, brushing back one of her golden curls and raising an eyebrow at the youngster. "Now what reason could you possibly have for running through Tuckborough as if a band of orcs were after you?"
"I- was-," Sando panted, "talkin' to Mister Sandyman."
"Oh," said Dandelion, sniffing; she disliked the miller's son as her grandfathers had disliked Sandyman's grandfather. "Whatever about?"
"Well, he asked me what I was learnin' at school, an' I told him we was-"
"Were."
"Were learnin' about Nine-Fingered Frodo, an' Mayor Samwise, an' Thain Peregrin, an' Master Meriadoc, an' he asked why you was teachin' about them when you should be teachin' about real heroes like his grandfather, not some hobbits who came and messed things up, an' I said I didn't know, an' he laughed an' told me to ask you. So what did his grandfather do, Miss Dan-- Took?"
Dandelion was too upset by this to correct her pupil's grammar, but fortunately her helper and friend, Poppy Cotton, had heard the whole recital. "Come along, Sando. If you want, we'll learn more about the Scouring of the Shire later today, all right?"
"All right, Miss Cotton." Oblivious to the gathering storm that was his teacher, Sando went into the smial that served as a school.
"Now Dandelion," began Poppy, trying to calm her friend down, "don't do anything rash--"
"Anything rash?!" Dandelion repeated, whirling to face Poppy. Her green eyes flared in anger. "Did you hear what that- that- that half-orc said? He insulted my ancestors, and yours as well Poppy! Why should we let him go about slandering other people's names when--"
This time, it was Poppy who interrupted. "Dandelion Took, you know that no hobbit out of their tweens listens to anything any Sandyman says. They're a bad lot, and they try and save face by saying bad things about others. We'll teach the children about the Scouring today, those that don't know about it already, and that'll be the end of it, all right?"
"No, it won't. He's been doing this since the summer was half-over, and now he's gone too far. Trying to stir up trouble when he's drunk at the Green Dragon is one thing, but when he starts defaming my grandparents, I'll--" Dandelion's green eyes flashed again, but she was (again) interrupted.
"Well, well, if it ain't the schoolmarms. Shouldn't you be teachin' the kiddies about Elvish history or some such nonsense? Or do they wanna know what really happened an' you're afraid to tell 'em?"
Poppy sighed as Dandelion turned to face the sneering Fred Sandyman. He had been trying the Took for a long time, and now he had gone too far. "Fred Sandyman, unless you want to start something you can't finish, or maybe learn better Westron, you had better leave immediately," she said, placing one hand on her friend's arm as if to hold her back.
"Pah!" Fred spat. "I wasn't talkin' to you, Poppy Cotton. I was talkin' to the one who's been teachin' a fat load of rubbish to all the children in the Shire. Gold rings and Elves indeed!" He spat again. "Teach 'em what really happened, is what I say."
"And what might that be, Sandyman?" asked Dandelion, her voice dangerously low.
"Like what my grandfather did. Fought off twenty of those ruffians bare-handed, he did, only to have his glory stole by Mad Bag--"
He was cut off by Dandelion leaping at him and punching him straight in the eye. She would have gotten his other eye, too, but a pair of strong hands pulled her off of the screaming Sandyman.
"Now, now, Dandy-lass, what seems to be the matter?" asked the owner of the hands, who turned out to be none other than her own father, Thain Faramir. He frowned when he saw Fred on the ground, one hand over his eye. "You go back to your home, Fred Sandyman, and don't go bothering this school any more," he ordered.
"But I- but she--"
"No buts. Go on now, or I'll call the Shirriffs on you for interfering with the school."
Sniveling, Fred turned and hurried off, leaving Dandelion still held by her father and Poppy looking relieved but more than a little irritated.
"What happened, Poppy?" Faramir asked, sensing his youngest daughter needed some time to calm down before she could speak.
"Well, sir, Sando Proudfoot asked us about some things that Fred had said, not knowing any better, and Dandelion got rather mad, so when Fred came swaggering up here, one thing led to another and she pounced."
Pounced? Faramir thought. "What kind of things?"
Poppy hesitated, even though the Thain was a more reasonable and less quick-tempered hobbit than his golden-haired daughter. "Just some things about, er, about..."
"About your father, Papa, and Mum's, and Mister Frodo and Mister Meriadoc," Dandelion said angrily. "And if he says any more, or shows his face near my school again, I won't waste time talking."
The Thain cut her off by raising one hand and sighing tiredly. Unlike her sisters and brother, she had an anger that often threatened to boil over, especially when the sensitive subject of her grandparents and their friends came up. She was a handful sometimes, he thought, but he almost smiled. She could remind him a lot of his father, especially when his father had gotten very excited over something. "Now, Dandy-lass, don't go getting all upset over nothing. Don't pay any attention to what that fool says, you'll just waste your time. I want you to take a while off of your teaching, and visit your cousins in Buckland for a few days while your temper cools down. Besides, Cousin Theo wrote you a letter asking you to come see his new puppy."
Dandelion felt some of her anger melt away at the mention of one of her favorite cousins. "That rascal, Papa? He'd say anything to get me to come see him. I won't believe he's really got a new puppy until I see it."
"Why don't you go too, Poppy? Surely you can use a break," Faramir suggested.
"I'd love to, sir, but the school--"
"Can handle being closed for a few days. Come on, Poppy, when was the last time you had some real fun?" Dandelion grinned, her eyes lighting again, but this time with mischief.
The other hobbit replied dryly, "Let's see. Isn't that what you said when we 'visited' Farmer Maggot's and your new dress was ripped in half by his dogs?"
"Poppy!" groaned Dandelion as her father looked at her askance.
"Dandelion Took, you said you tore it on a fence! That settles it, the pair of you are banished from the Great Smials until you've visited Buckland!"
A/N- This is my first fanfic and I'm not certain if I should continue it or not, so please read and review! Any constructive criticism/ tips/ odd comments are welcome! Enjoy!
"Miss Dandy! Miss Dandy!" A small hobbit child rushed through the streets of Tuckborough and very nearly ran into the older hobbit he sought. "Miss Dandy!" he shouted into her startled face.
"That's Miss Took to you, Sando Proudfoot," replied Dandelion Took, brushing back one of her golden curls and raising an eyebrow at the youngster. "Now what reason could you possibly have for running through Tuckborough as if a band of orcs were after you?"
"I- was-," Sando panted, "talkin' to Mister Sandyman."
"Oh," said Dandelion, sniffing; she disliked the miller's son as her grandfathers had disliked Sandyman's grandfather. "Whatever about?"
"Well, he asked me what I was learnin' at school, an' I told him we was-"
"Were."
"Were learnin' about Nine-Fingered Frodo, an' Mayor Samwise, an' Thain Peregrin, an' Master Meriadoc, an' he asked why you was teachin' about them when you should be teachin' about real heroes like his grandfather, not some hobbits who came and messed things up, an' I said I didn't know, an' he laughed an' told me to ask you. So what did his grandfather do, Miss Dan-- Took?"
Dandelion was too upset by this to correct her pupil's grammar, but fortunately her helper and friend, Poppy Cotton, had heard the whole recital. "Come along, Sando. If you want, we'll learn more about the Scouring of the Shire later today, all right?"
"All right, Miss Cotton." Oblivious to the gathering storm that was his teacher, Sando went into the smial that served as a school.
"Now Dandelion," began Poppy, trying to calm her friend down, "don't do anything rash--"
"Anything rash?!" Dandelion repeated, whirling to face Poppy. Her green eyes flared in anger. "Did you hear what that- that- that half-orc said? He insulted my ancestors, and yours as well Poppy! Why should we let him go about slandering other people's names when--"
This time, it was Poppy who interrupted. "Dandelion Took, you know that no hobbit out of their tweens listens to anything any Sandyman says. They're a bad lot, and they try and save face by saying bad things about others. We'll teach the children about the Scouring today, those that don't know about it already, and that'll be the end of it, all right?"
"No, it won't. He's been doing this since the summer was half-over, and now he's gone too far. Trying to stir up trouble when he's drunk at the Green Dragon is one thing, but when he starts defaming my grandparents, I'll--" Dandelion's green eyes flashed again, but she was (again) interrupted.
"Well, well, if it ain't the schoolmarms. Shouldn't you be teachin' the kiddies about Elvish history or some such nonsense? Or do they wanna know what really happened an' you're afraid to tell 'em?"
Poppy sighed as Dandelion turned to face the sneering Fred Sandyman. He had been trying the Took for a long time, and now he had gone too far. "Fred Sandyman, unless you want to start something you can't finish, or maybe learn better Westron, you had better leave immediately," she said, placing one hand on her friend's arm as if to hold her back.
"Pah!" Fred spat. "I wasn't talkin' to you, Poppy Cotton. I was talkin' to the one who's been teachin' a fat load of rubbish to all the children in the Shire. Gold rings and Elves indeed!" He spat again. "Teach 'em what really happened, is what I say."
"And what might that be, Sandyman?" asked Dandelion, her voice dangerously low.
"Like what my grandfather did. Fought off twenty of those ruffians bare-handed, he did, only to have his glory stole by Mad Bag--"
He was cut off by Dandelion leaping at him and punching him straight in the eye. She would have gotten his other eye, too, but a pair of strong hands pulled her off of the screaming Sandyman.
"Now, now, Dandy-lass, what seems to be the matter?" asked the owner of the hands, who turned out to be none other than her own father, Thain Faramir. He frowned when he saw Fred on the ground, one hand over his eye. "You go back to your home, Fred Sandyman, and don't go bothering this school any more," he ordered.
"But I- but she--"
"No buts. Go on now, or I'll call the Shirriffs on you for interfering with the school."
Sniveling, Fred turned and hurried off, leaving Dandelion still held by her father and Poppy looking relieved but more than a little irritated.
"What happened, Poppy?" Faramir asked, sensing his youngest daughter needed some time to calm down before she could speak.
"Well, sir, Sando Proudfoot asked us about some things that Fred had said, not knowing any better, and Dandelion got rather mad, so when Fred came swaggering up here, one thing led to another and she pounced."
Pounced? Faramir thought. "What kind of things?"
Poppy hesitated, even though the Thain was a more reasonable and less quick-tempered hobbit than his golden-haired daughter. "Just some things about, er, about..."
"About your father, Papa, and Mum's, and Mister Frodo and Mister Meriadoc," Dandelion said angrily. "And if he says any more, or shows his face near my school again, I won't waste time talking."
The Thain cut her off by raising one hand and sighing tiredly. Unlike her sisters and brother, she had an anger that often threatened to boil over, especially when the sensitive subject of her grandparents and their friends came up. She was a handful sometimes, he thought, but he almost smiled. She could remind him a lot of his father, especially when his father had gotten very excited over something. "Now, Dandy-lass, don't go getting all upset over nothing. Don't pay any attention to what that fool says, you'll just waste your time. I want you to take a while off of your teaching, and visit your cousins in Buckland for a few days while your temper cools down. Besides, Cousin Theo wrote you a letter asking you to come see his new puppy."
Dandelion felt some of her anger melt away at the mention of one of her favorite cousins. "That rascal, Papa? He'd say anything to get me to come see him. I won't believe he's really got a new puppy until I see it."
"Why don't you go too, Poppy? Surely you can use a break," Faramir suggested.
"I'd love to, sir, but the school--"
"Can handle being closed for a few days. Come on, Poppy, when was the last time you had some real fun?" Dandelion grinned, her eyes lighting again, but this time with mischief.
The other hobbit replied dryly, "Let's see. Isn't that what you said when we 'visited' Farmer Maggot's and your new dress was ripped in half by his dogs?"
"Poppy!" groaned Dandelion as her father looked at her askance.
"Dandelion Took, you said you tore it on a fence! That settles it, the pair of you are banished from the Great Smials until you've visited Buckland!"