The Pub Series
Title: The Pub Series ~ Story 1 Politics
Author: Rachel Stonebreaker
Email: redirect@beckyswebdesign.com
Rating: G
Characters: Frodo, Pippin, Sam, Fatty, Lotho, and Merry.
Date: 5 May 2002
Summary: The PUB SERIES is a group of stories that take place in one of the Shire's more bawdy Pubs, the 'Old Mother Red Cap'. It's a real bar in modern times and refers to a ghost story about an old woman who used to hang out (and perhaps manage) a pub (oh, much like me.). Some say she was a witch, others say a murderess, still others say she was the harbinger of death. Why on Earth anyone would name a pub after THAT is beyond me, but I thought it an interesting name and therefore "borrowed" it.
Disclaimer: JRRT created these wonderful creatures. His estate owns all rights. I just take them out to the pub for a drink now and again. I do NOT make any money, fame or other gain from them. Everyone who created anything that I'm including in this story owns said material. I own my brain, for what it's worth.
Story Notes: 'POLITICS', actually the second story in the Pub Series (Illusions was the first but we're calling Politics the first now) involves our youngest hobbits coming into their own in the Shire and facing up to the fact that mundane tasks must tackled. This story was inspired by MarigoldG who wanted to hear Pippin sing. It's mainly a Pippin Centric story with the others popping in, one at a time to give their view of the world, Pippin, and of course their eldest cousin Frodo.
Review notes: Thanks to my fans and reviewers, for reviewing so quick, Marion and Melody. It's nice to see reviews when I've been quiet for so long.
Story 1 ~ Politics
Chapter 2 ~ Thinking Too Hard
Oh that fateful "Falco Chubb-Baggins-Final-Birthday Disaster". If Sancho had just been able to keep Pippin on his shoulders long enough for Pippin to reach the shelf with the mead on it, they wouldn't have fallen into the shelves below with all of the meats, baked goods, potatoes, fruits, oh. EVERYTHING. It was truly a disaster of momentous proportions! Pippin couldn't sit down for a week after the strapping he took for THAT little adventure. It probably would have worked except that the two of them had already finished off a half bottle of that sweet honey mead they'd removed from a side board and neither was thinking too clearly. It should have taught Pippin a lesson. Think things through before engaging in potentially hazardous adventures. But he was a Took and impetuous. He still liked mead to this day and so did Sancho, who, bless his naïve little hobbit heart, never even considered blaming Pippin for the debacle and took a beating as well. They would most likely still get into more trouble if they lived closer to each other.
Ah, yes, Sancho was a fourth cousin and could definitely be counted on to participate if persuaded in the right way. Relations were a good thing. You could count on them when necessary and ignore them when need be. Pip got to thinking which was something he didn't like to do when he had set his mind on becoming thoroughly langered... the more he thought on it, the more he was convinced everyone in the Shire was related. Oi! Did he really want to claim them all? He'd have to take on the responsibility of convincing them to Frodo's plan! That's what they'd all agreed on, to convince relations to vote on some thing or other. Noooo, nooooooooo, he wouldn't claim everyone, just the fun ones.. the Tooks. Like his sisters. And Everad and Ferdibrand (Tooks both). He didn't have to worry about Meriadoc Brandybuck (who was half Took), Fredegar Bolger (another half Took) and Frodo (who was only ¼ Took but looked and acted more Tookish than most of them) as they were the instigators of "The Plan". It really wouldn't be hard for him to do his part, persuade his sisters to help persuade the older Tooks (his father, the Thain, for one) to support whatever it was Frodo wanted. He couldn't remember just now, the ale was surely doing its job. But Pip was convinced the idea was a good one. Frodo's ideas were always good. Not necessarily fun, but generally good for everyone involved. Frodo was so sensible. A lot like Merry. Well, it stood to reason, both had strong Brandybuck heritage and living where they were born took a lot of initiative to stay alive sometimes, what with being on the edge of the wilds and all. Not to mention living in Brandy Hall with a million relations and not all of them necessarily on speaking terms. Frodo was lucky to get out of that situation. Merry could handle it, he was cocky, headstrong, and he had a mouth backed up by ready fists. But Frodo was meant for something easier than scrapping over things like food and sleeping quarters and chores and the attention of adults.
~ end Chapter 2
Here's a great Irish Fight song. It songs like this I get to hear after I've made Last Call and The O'Neil's boys come rolling down the street on their way home. Our landlord is Chief of the Clan Mac Colin, so the O'Neil's lads don't come in too often, but they're a fun lot (not that Chief's aren't fun, I love all those hearty lads in kilts!) The shout of "Aboo!" means "Hurrah! To victory!" and when several huge celts come down your street with their hair flying and their weapons shouldered shouting Aboo! you understand why the English trembled.
Goto http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,277785,00.html and click on "The O Donnell Aboo" it's the Clancy Brothers ~ 28 Irish Pub Songs.
Lyrics on http://ingeb.org/songs/proudlyn.htmlhttp://www.makem.com/discography/recordings/lyricpage/odonnellabu.html
