A/N: Seeing as I haven't been able to upload any chapters for a while, I
thought I'd give you two today. Pippin seems a little OCC to me, but I am
quite pernickety.
Frodo shook his head and roused himself from his dark thoughts. Everyone was staring at him and Sam had the most worried face of all. Frodo smiled at them all.
"I'm fine, really I am." He said and he inwardly cringed at the barefaced lie. Sam knew Frodo better than to believe him strait off, as did Merry and Pippin, but Sam also knew better than to persue such a subject. Merry and Pippin usually would, trying to get Frodo to open up (though often failing miserably) but they had other things on their minds presently and were satisfied with Frodo's claim.
Rosie finally came in the door with a glass of water.
"Sorry, Elanor started acting up." She said as she delivered the water to Merry's bedside. Merry, whose arms had, by now, woken up, took the water and drank deeply, which pleased Pippin to see.
"Are they still there?" asked Pippin.
Merry rubbed his eyes. They were still there and he nodded to confirm it to his friends. Pippin sighed, he couldn't work out what was wrong with Merry as he seemed fine apart from the seeing things. Merry then stopped still and stared at the doorway, Pippin looked over to the doorway: there was nothing there.
Merry, though, could see someone walk into the room, over to the bookshelf in the corner, next to the fireplace. He bent over and picked a book up off the shelf. He then glanced over at Merry and smiled. Merry knew his face.
"Grandpa Rory." He murmured to himself. His grandpa, or 'Old Rory' as he was known by others had died thirteen years previously yet here he was, grinning mischievously as he used to when Merry was but a child. He showed the cover of the green book to Merry, so he could read the gold writing, it said 'The Art of Ale-Making'. It was well known that Old Rory was always trying to brew his own ale so as to save himself some money, but in all his long years he had never succeeded. Merry smiled and rolled his eyes, as he always had done when visiting grandpa Rory and finding him with a barrel of something that smelt like vinegar in his kitchen.
Old Rory then turned from the bookshelf, leaving the book there and strode out of the room. Rosie went over to inspect the bookshelf, she was wondering what it was that Merry had been looking at.
"What's over here Merry?" she asked.
"Nothing anymore. But tell me Rosie, what books are on that shelf?" Rosie was rather surprised by the request but began reading out the titles of the books anyway.
"Oh, there's, err, a couple of recipe books, for cakes and the like; a book on herbs; a book about carving pipes and a book about fiddle playing. My my, we have a lot of useless books here. Why have we got all these? Look. A book about sail making!" She said, holding up a plain brown book.
"That's why they're here and not in the study." Answered Sam, "And there may come a time when you'll be grateful we have those books and you'll thank me for keeping them."
"Why? Are you expecting the Shire to flood soon? Or do you know something I don't about a shortage of pipes that will force you to whittle your own?" To this, Sam had no answer. Merry smiled at this friendly discussion, one that Rosie had quite plainly won.
"Is there a book there about brewing Ale?" Rosie answered positively and Merry continued, "Is it called 'The Art of Ale-Making'? And is this title written in gold ink? And is it bound with green leather, slightly faded on the spine?" Rosie pulled the book out, it fitted the description exactly.
"By the One Merry! How did you know that?" exclaimed Rosie, but Merry just smiled knowingly. That earnt him a shove from Pippin.
"Just say Merry, I can't stand it when you're all smug and a know-it-all." Merry smiled even more knowingly but obliged before Pippin could shove him again.
"A 'hallucination' as you put it, showed me. My old grandpa Rory as a matter of fact."
"Is that so?" said Pippin, with slight disbelief, "Well then, I think we're going to have to test this aren't we? All right then, err, how many pots are there under your bed?"
"Four, Pip. I already knew that." Stated Merry. Pippin opened his mouth to say something more but Frodo stepped forward.
"You're going about this all the wrong way Pippin. Sam, you come with me and we'll hide some things around the hole. Then, we can ask Merry what we've hidden and where. If he's right, then they're not hallucinations."
So Sam and Frodo went out of the room, Drogo and Primula following, and returned a few minutes later. Primula came forward to whisper into Merry's ear but Pippin was sat in the way.
"Pip, move out of the lady's way please." This annoyed pippin exceedingly and it could be clearly heard in his voice,
"Well, it might help if I knew where the Lady's way was before I could move out of it!" Merry was a bit taken aback by his cousin's uncalled-for outburst.
"No need to get in such a mood Pip! Just move to the end of the bed." To which Pippin folded his arms, with tears in his eyes and stood up,
"I don't think I will actually Merry!" and with that, he turned and stormed out of the room. Primula nimbly stepped aside. Merry stared after Pippin in shock,
"What happened there?" he said to no one in particular but Frodo answered him anyway,
"I don't know if you're aware, but you were in a coma for three full days and Pippin never once left your side, not even to sleep, no matter how hard we tried to prise him away from you. Sam even physically dragged him away from you but he wriggled free and ran strait back to your side, his yells were worrying the neighbours as well. They thought it was you in some delirious state of illness. They were waking Elanor up as well if I remember correctly. Anyway, When you woke up, Pippin was overjoyed, as you may have noticed, but you forgot one fundamental thing Merry. You forgot to thank him, if you were planning to in the first place. That hurt him Merry, and he's nearly as exhausted as you are meaning his temper is somewhat shorter than usual." Merry thought about what Frodo said, he had meant to thank them all, he really had! He just hadn't found the words. He opened his mouth to tell them so, but Frodo interrupted, "It's too late now, leave him be and let him get a little rest. He'll be all the better for it in the morning."
Merry sunk back into sadness, he jumped when he heard a small whisper in his ear, telling him where everything had been hidden. He smiled at Primula and quietly thanked her without anyone noticing so it came as quite a surprise when he recited a list of everything they had hidden and where. Frodo, Sam and Rosie stared at each other in amazement and they asked how he knew.
"I was told." He said curtly. Frodo noticed Merry's significantly subdued mood and ushered everyone out of the room. Just before Frodo himself left, he drew the curtains and opened the window. The sky was still grey and there was a familiar smell of freshly fallen rain in the air. Frodo went to walk out the door but Merry caught his attention just before he went through it.
"Thankyou for everything you've ever done for me Frodo. I mean it." Frodo nodded and hurried out of the room, he could feel the tears gathering in his eyes. How much he wished he had told his parents that.
Frodo shook his head and roused himself from his dark thoughts. Everyone was staring at him and Sam had the most worried face of all. Frodo smiled at them all.
"I'm fine, really I am." He said and he inwardly cringed at the barefaced lie. Sam knew Frodo better than to believe him strait off, as did Merry and Pippin, but Sam also knew better than to persue such a subject. Merry and Pippin usually would, trying to get Frodo to open up (though often failing miserably) but they had other things on their minds presently and were satisfied with Frodo's claim.
Rosie finally came in the door with a glass of water.
"Sorry, Elanor started acting up." She said as she delivered the water to Merry's bedside. Merry, whose arms had, by now, woken up, took the water and drank deeply, which pleased Pippin to see.
"Are they still there?" asked Pippin.
Merry rubbed his eyes. They were still there and he nodded to confirm it to his friends. Pippin sighed, he couldn't work out what was wrong with Merry as he seemed fine apart from the seeing things. Merry then stopped still and stared at the doorway, Pippin looked over to the doorway: there was nothing there.
Merry, though, could see someone walk into the room, over to the bookshelf in the corner, next to the fireplace. He bent over and picked a book up off the shelf. He then glanced over at Merry and smiled. Merry knew his face.
"Grandpa Rory." He murmured to himself. His grandpa, or 'Old Rory' as he was known by others had died thirteen years previously yet here he was, grinning mischievously as he used to when Merry was but a child. He showed the cover of the green book to Merry, so he could read the gold writing, it said 'The Art of Ale-Making'. It was well known that Old Rory was always trying to brew his own ale so as to save himself some money, but in all his long years he had never succeeded. Merry smiled and rolled his eyes, as he always had done when visiting grandpa Rory and finding him with a barrel of something that smelt like vinegar in his kitchen.
Old Rory then turned from the bookshelf, leaving the book there and strode out of the room. Rosie went over to inspect the bookshelf, she was wondering what it was that Merry had been looking at.
"What's over here Merry?" she asked.
"Nothing anymore. But tell me Rosie, what books are on that shelf?" Rosie was rather surprised by the request but began reading out the titles of the books anyway.
"Oh, there's, err, a couple of recipe books, for cakes and the like; a book on herbs; a book about carving pipes and a book about fiddle playing. My my, we have a lot of useless books here. Why have we got all these? Look. A book about sail making!" She said, holding up a plain brown book.
"That's why they're here and not in the study." Answered Sam, "And there may come a time when you'll be grateful we have those books and you'll thank me for keeping them."
"Why? Are you expecting the Shire to flood soon? Or do you know something I don't about a shortage of pipes that will force you to whittle your own?" To this, Sam had no answer. Merry smiled at this friendly discussion, one that Rosie had quite plainly won.
"Is there a book there about brewing Ale?" Rosie answered positively and Merry continued, "Is it called 'The Art of Ale-Making'? And is this title written in gold ink? And is it bound with green leather, slightly faded on the spine?" Rosie pulled the book out, it fitted the description exactly.
"By the One Merry! How did you know that?" exclaimed Rosie, but Merry just smiled knowingly. That earnt him a shove from Pippin.
"Just say Merry, I can't stand it when you're all smug and a know-it-all." Merry smiled even more knowingly but obliged before Pippin could shove him again.
"A 'hallucination' as you put it, showed me. My old grandpa Rory as a matter of fact."
"Is that so?" said Pippin, with slight disbelief, "Well then, I think we're going to have to test this aren't we? All right then, err, how many pots are there under your bed?"
"Four, Pip. I already knew that." Stated Merry. Pippin opened his mouth to say something more but Frodo stepped forward.
"You're going about this all the wrong way Pippin. Sam, you come with me and we'll hide some things around the hole. Then, we can ask Merry what we've hidden and where. If he's right, then they're not hallucinations."
So Sam and Frodo went out of the room, Drogo and Primula following, and returned a few minutes later. Primula came forward to whisper into Merry's ear but Pippin was sat in the way.
"Pip, move out of the lady's way please." This annoyed pippin exceedingly and it could be clearly heard in his voice,
"Well, it might help if I knew where the Lady's way was before I could move out of it!" Merry was a bit taken aback by his cousin's uncalled-for outburst.
"No need to get in such a mood Pip! Just move to the end of the bed." To which Pippin folded his arms, with tears in his eyes and stood up,
"I don't think I will actually Merry!" and with that, he turned and stormed out of the room. Primula nimbly stepped aside. Merry stared after Pippin in shock,
"What happened there?" he said to no one in particular but Frodo answered him anyway,
"I don't know if you're aware, but you were in a coma for three full days and Pippin never once left your side, not even to sleep, no matter how hard we tried to prise him away from you. Sam even physically dragged him away from you but he wriggled free and ran strait back to your side, his yells were worrying the neighbours as well. They thought it was you in some delirious state of illness. They were waking Elanor up as well if I remember correctly. Anyway, When you woke up, Pippin was overjoyed, as you may have noticed, but you forgot one fundamental thing Merry. You forgot to thank him, if you were planning to in the first place. That hurt him Merry, and he's nearly as exhausted as you are meaning his temper is somewhat shorter than usual." Merry thought about what Frodo said, he had meant to thank them all, he really had! He just hadn't found the words. He opened his mouth to tell them so, but Frodo interrupted, "It's too late now, leave him be and let him get a little rest. He'll be all the better for it in the morning."
Merry sunk back into sadness, he jumped when he heard a small whisper in his ear, telling him where everything had been hidden. He smiled at Primula and quietly thanked her without anyone noticing so it came as quite a surprise when he recited a list of everything they had hidden and where. Frodo, Sam and Rosie stared at each other in amazement and they asked how he knew.
"I was told." He said curtly. Frodo noticed Merry's significantly subdued mood and ushered everyone out of the room. Just before Frodo himself left, he drew the curtains and opened the window. The sky was still grey and there was a familiar smell of freshly fallen rain in the air. Frodo went to walk out the door but Merry caught his attention just before he went through it.
"Thankyou for everything you've ever done for me Frodo. I mean it." Frodo nodded and hurried out of the room, he could feel the tears gathering in his eyes. How much he wished he had told his parents that.