Concerning Hobbits

Merry and Pippin are unexplored characters in the book and though obviously very close this friendship is never truly developed or touched upon. Here are several events from Merry and Pippins early lives up to and leading into the quest to destroy the ring. It's basically just me developing the story of my two favourite characters and bit more and detailing some of the mischief they no doubt got up to before they joined the fellowship. Enjoy, or not, whichever. PLEASE REVIEW! Flames help Sauron's fire burn so, no thank you! (The events are all dated by the way and this is all compltely accurate with the world Tolkien created, I researched meticulously, also if they seem a bit out of character remeber they are younger here and much more care free!)

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! (So there!) ALL THE WORK OF THE GENIUS THAT IS J.R.!

2990 –Concerning cousins and the heights of Hobbits

Meriadoc Brandybuck wriggled in his seat on the hard wooden bench and sighed. He swung his legs and tried to make patterns out of the polished tiles that lined the floor of the passageway, make creatures out of the grooves in the smooth plaster that swept across the curving walls and met the beams of the ceiling but nothing was interesting enough to catch his attention. He didn't want to be here on a wooden bench, he didn't even want to be in the Great Smials, in fact he could think of at least five other places he'd rather be, no of them in Tuckborough where he currently was stranded. However he was here, in Tuckborough, in the Great Smials, sitting on a hard wooden bench, waiting. He didn't understand why they had to travel all the way from Buckland across the shire to the West farthing, Tookborough, every time a member of the Took clan decided to have another hobbit child. This time it was his Aunt and Uncle having a child.

He had asked his mother why on middle earth they had to be there and his mother had smiled irritably and explained that her brother's wife was having a child and she was there to support them and he was there to meet a very important person. He asked her the same question each time and each time she gave the same answer. He never understood it seeing as the Tooks and the Brandybucks never really seemed to get on that well.

He wondered what was so special about having hobbit children anyway, all they did was squawk and squeal and be a nuisance. 'It will be another cousin for you Merry' his mother had told him. ANOTHER cousin, Merry had despaired, he already had cousins coming out of his ears and he prayed to anyone who might be listening that it wasn't another girl like Pearl or Pimpernel.

Merry wriggled again and returned to the book his cousin Frodo had lent him, Frodo was the only cousin Merry actually liked, he was a good deal older than Merry being in his tweens whilst Merry was only eight. Frodo lived with Bilbo Baggins in Bag end in Hobbiton and Merry spent a great deal of time running around causing mischief for the two of them. Recently Frodo had discovered that the best way to keep Merry quiet was to give him intellectual stimulus and the little hobbit had been reading and studying maps ever since, drinking in tales of forgotten cities, mountains of gold and creatures never before dreamed of in the Shire. His father Saradoc was not fully aware of his only child's obsession with knowledge. If he had been he probably would have put a stop to it. 'Knowledge leads to curiosity about the outside world and curiosity led to peculiar behavior' and despite the Brandybucks reputation for being rather unhobbit like in their manner, there were standards.

Merry was hoping that one day he would read a book that told him why hobbits didn't just pop out of the ground and start running around, why they had to be born, he could never ask anyone of course, they would just look at him like he'd asked about Bilbo Baggins and dwarfs or the mountains of fire to the east. Merry longed to see the rest of the world out there, it wasn't that he minded being a hobbit, far from it, good food, comfort and excellent company was all that was required to keep him happy, a hobbits life indeed, but there was one thing that Merry didn't like about being a hobbit and it was rather a major issue as far as hobbits were concerned, he didn't like being so small.

Merry had only been four when his fate to be an adventurous hobbit was sealed, he didn't know it at the time but that one experience would shape him into the mischievous and curious hobbit he became. He had been running through the dense, slightly oppressive Old Forest to the south of Buckland, after Frodo, who lived in Buckleberry at the time, when his cousin had disappeared from sight leaving a small and slightly frightened Merry all alone.

*****

"Are you alright little one?" Merry nearly shot three feet into the air and spun around to see who had spoken. There before him stood an enormous man, though his ears were pointed like Merry's own meaning he couldn't be a human. He had to be an elf, like the ones out of Mr Bilbo's stories. He closed his mouth, which he realised was hanging open, and swallowed.

The elf didn't smile but Merry saw the glint of mirth shining in his eyes and relaxed.

"My name is Thranduil, and what might yours be?" the elf settled himself on a mossy log, stretching his long limbs out before him and looked expectantly at the little hobbit.

Merry decided that there was no way this huge elf was going to see him, Meriadoc Brandybuck, afraid of anything, so he stood up tall and puffed out his chest before replying, "Meriadoc Brandybuck, son of Saradoc Brandybuck, Master of Buckland."

"Are you not a little small to be master of Buckland?" Thranduil's eyes twinkled.

Merry smiled "I am not yet master of Buckland, my father is, as well you know. Now Master elf, I do hate to be a bore but I feel I must ask, as my father is at present away in hobbiton I shall ask on his behalf, what are you doing in Buckland?" Thranduil did smile this time, his whole face relaxing at the little hobbits words, had he not seen the twinkle of mischief in the hobbits eyes he would have refrained and answered in a tone as serious as the hobbits but he knew when he was being teased, two thousands years walking middle earth had taught him that.

"Well, if you really want to know, I was looking for little Halflings to capture and take back to Mirkwood and put to work in our woods!" to Thranduil's great surprise instead of running away screaming childishly the little hobbit looked positively thrilled.

"Really, can I really go to Mirkwood with you?" Merry surprised himself, he hadn't realised he wanted to see the rest of Middle earth that much but now he came to think about it he knew he would never be content just seeing the Shire when he knew of all the amazing places out there, waiting to be discovered.

"I'm afraid not, little Halfling" Thranduil continued to smile, "but one day, if you ever find yourself in the woodland realm, ask for Thranduil and I will be at your service" Merry hopped with joy, now he had an excuse to go somewhere as hobbits are nothing if not polite and it would be the height of bad manners to refuse an invitation to visit, even if it was from an elf.

"Only if you can promise me second breakfast" Merry giggled and Thranduil who had heard of the hobbit races great love of food, smiled and nodded.

"Merry!" Merry turned as he heard Frodo calling him.

"One minute" he replied then turned to the elf, who was now standing, a good four feet above Merry, "I have to go but I'll be sure to visit if I'm ever in Mirkwood" the little hobbit smiled and waved at the elf as he ran threw the trees towards Frodo. Thranduil continued to smile and thought to himself that he really must tell his son Legolas Greenleaf about this strange little hobbit who one day might turn up asking for second breakfast.

*****

Merry looked up out of his thoughts to see his mother walking down the winding hallway of the great Smials, a little bundle of gurgling hobbit in her arms.

"Merry, this is your new cousin Peregrin Took" Merry looked down at the hobbit baby, eyes huge and green, winking up at him. Even in his befuddled state the baby had a mischievous smiled on his lips and Merry smiled down at him. 'Were going to have some fun little one, or we will when I've learnt how to say your name'

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