A whooping hauler issued from the many relatives. Merry tore his eyes from his parent's backs to gaze at the carriage.
A young hobbit's head was poking out one of the windows delighting everyone with his cheerful smile. He waved, shouted "hullo's" with a Tookish accent, (Merry's mother had lost hers from years of living in Buckland) and made a Tomfool of himself almost falling out the window.
Merry watched on, amused and chuckling. Then the great little monkey preformed a trick to the delight of the young and the horror of the responsible adults. He pulled his torso thru the window and turned to sit on the sill. He gripped the buggy top and climbed up to the canopy roof.
In awe (and relief) everyone cheered. And he, the goose, laid down on his stomach propped his head on his elbows and waved with the biggest victory grin Merry had ever seen.
Merry crowed with laughter and leaned on his father's shoulder for support. While his parents chortled with him Merry took note that they both seemed paler then usual.
Merry swallowed his mirth as the carriage made ready to stop before them and his parents rose.
Despite the antics of the hobbit lad on the housetop everyone waited anxiously to see who had brought Buckland its newest miscreant.
The door was opened by the footman and a haggard, but smiling, hobbit lad stepped out.
Merry's eyes brightened and he rushed to hug his cousin. "Frodo!"
The elder hobbit returned the embrace albeit a bit gingerly. "It's wonderful to see you again Merry!" They parted and Frodo stretched popping his back and stiff joints.
Merry, concerned but never one to miss a chance at teasing anyone he held dear, grinned.
"You sound like an old hobby hobbit Frodo m'lad." He chuckled.
Frodo smiled darkly and pointed up towards the canopy. "That," he said in mock severity (trying to scare the monkey on top no doubt, Merry thought with a chuckle), "is our new DEAR little cousin Peregin."
He straightened his tousled hair and dusted off invisible specs from his cloths adding with a no small amount of weariness, "And you are welcome to him!"
A giggle came from the buggy's roof and Merry's smile just got wider. Maybe this new cousin wouldn't be so bad after all.
Merry's parents approached the carriage and exchanged embarrassed, amused smiles. Saradoc took the initiative and spoke loud enough for their guest to hear.
"Uh... Young Mister Took? Hello? Can you hear me lad?" Another fit of giggles was his only reply. Saradoc bristled. "Listen here you young scamp! You come down this instant! I am Master of this house and your foster guardian! This kind of childish behavior will NOT be tolerated!"
Now Merry knew something was wrong. "Father never yelled at me like that when I did my pranks and they were no worse then this." he whispered to Frodo.
The elder hobbit bobbed his dark curly head in agreement. "Strange, I felt the same from Paladin when he was instructing Pippin before we left." Frodo muttered.
Esmarelda listened to their worried gossip. She stepped beside her husband and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Paladin has scared him off us." She said calmly. Saradoc looked at her confused. "You're brother? Surely not! He wouldn't do that!" He protested turning his eyes once again to the hidden child above them.
Esmarelda just shook her head as tears pooled in her pretty eyes.
"He would if Great Great told him to!" She sniffed delicately. "And he'd probably hate himself for it too." Saradoc wrapped an arm around his lady-wife and hugged her comfortingly.
Meanwhile a curly-topped head poked over the canopy edge. The eyes looked sad and its mouth was set in a tiny frown. Merry had seen enough. He didn't know why his parents were over emotional or who this 'Great Great' git was. But he was determined to help his loved ones.
He walked to the carriage's side and leaned on it just under the little head above. Facing the buggy wall he crossed his arms near his head and pillowed his chin on them. The small hobbit on the canopy watched him curiously and Merry grinned up at him.
"Hullo Peregin." Pippin gave him a hesitant smile but rose gamely to the friendly voice.
"H'llo yourself sir."
Merry mock scowled and said in over exaggerated indignation, "No, no, no! I am not yet a 'SIR'! I am your cousin Meredoc and you must always call me 'Merry'!" Pippin grinned openly and leaned farther over the roof's edge.
"Fine then Merry."
"And may I call you 'Pippin'?" Merry ventured.
Peregin thought for a moment then nodded sagely as if the request were encrypted with some deep wisdom. "Aye, you may. Seems only proper." The serious tone of the young clownish hobbit set several members of the gathered crowd into fits of giggles. Merry and Pippin ignored these, conversing as if none but themselves were present.
"Will you come down now Pip? I feel as if you are too tall for me to talk to." Merry pleaded. Pippin's smile vanished for a moment and he looked down fearfully into Merry's blue eyes.
"I.... don't think I can Merry." His eyes scanned the crowd and he whispered down to his elder cousin. "I've been told...things about those who live in Brandy Hall."
Merry frowned.
"Bad things?"
Pippin nodded. He cringed back as Merry's eyes narrowed and his voice hardened.
"By who?" A strong hand gripped Merry's shoulder. He looked back meeting the icy blue eyes of his second cousin. "You'll scare him more Mer." Frodo whispered harshly. "Do him a favor and get him down and feeling safe."
Merry turned from Frodo to get his parents advice. Both seemed to be pleading with their eyes that he not question them now. He nodded his understanding relieving them of their worries and whispered some questions to Frodo.
Satisfied with Frodo's answers, Merry addressed his cousin on the roof with an apologetic smile.
"A pity you're set on staying up there Pip m'lad! You'll miss your celebration lunch!" Pippin's head perked at that then disappeared over the edge. Mentally Merry kicked himself. Not two minutes ago they were getting on fine. Now, thanks to his temper the little fellow was probably curled up in the middle of the overhead crying.
Still maybe he'll come down if I keep talking, Merry thought.
"Yeah," he almost shouted. "We've got all kinds of food here! Yup! Best cooks in the whole Shire live in Brandy Land and they fixed you a meal fit for a prince! And...Um...me and Frodo were thinking of showing you the way of things around here too! You know, the lands, the pubs, the hobbits to flirt with, and the ones to avoid--" That earned him a laugh from all present. But still no Pippin. Merry sighed.
"Look Pip...if you come down I'll...I....I'll be your pal for life!"
"Promise?"
A young hobbit's head was poking out one of the windows delighting everyone with his cheerful smile. He waved, shouted "hullo's" with a Tookish accent, (Merry's mother had lost hers from years of living in Buckland) and made a Tomfool of himself almost falling out the window.
Merry watched on, amused and chuckling. Then the great little monkey preformed a trick to the delight of the young and the horror of the responsible adults. He pulled his torso thru the window and turned to sit on the sill. He gripped the buggy top and climbed up to the canopy roof.
In awe (and relief) everyone cheered. And he, the goose, laid down on his stomach propped his head on his elbows and waved with the biggest victory grin Merry had ever seen.
Merry crowed with laughter and leaned on his father's shoulder for support. While his parents chortled with him Merry took note that they both seemed paler then usual.
Merry swallowed his mirth as the carriage made ready to stop before them and his parents rose.
Despite the antics of the hobbit lad on the housetop everyone waited anxiously to see who had brought Buckland its newest miscreant.
The door was opened by the footman and a haggard, but smiling, hobbit lad stepped out.
Merry's eyes brightened and he rushed to hug his cousin. "Frodo!"
The elder hobbit returned the embrace albeit a bit gingerly. "It's wonderful to see you again Merry!" They parted and Frodo stretched popping his back and stiff joints.
Merry, concerned but never one to miss a chance at teasing anyone he held dear, grinned.
"You sound like an old hobby hobbit Frodo m'lad." He chuckled.
Frodo smiled darkly and pointed up towards the canopy. "That," he said in mock severity (trying to scare the monkey on top no doubt, Merry thought with a chuckle), "is our new DEAR little cousin Peregin."
He straightened his tousled hair and dusted off invisible specs from his cloths adding with a no small amount of weariness, "And you are welcome to him!"
A giggle came from the buggy's roof and Merry's smile just got wider. Maybe this new cousin wouldn't be so bad after all.
Merry's parents approached the carriage and exchanged embarrassed, amused smiles. Saradoc took the initiative and spoke loud enough for their guest to hear.
"Uh... Young Mister Took? Hello? Can you hear me lad?" Another fit of giggles was his only reply. Saradoc bristled. "Listen here you young scamp! You come down this instant! I am Master of this house and your foster guardian! This kind of childish behavior will NOT be tolerated!"
Now Merry knew something was wrong. "Father never yelled at me like that when I did my pranks and they were no worse then this." he whispered to Frodo.
The elder hobbit bobbed his dark curly head in agreement. "Strange, I felt the same from Paladin when he was instructing Pippin before we left." Frodo muttered.
Esmarelda listened to their worried gossip. She stepped beside her husband and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Paladin has scared him off us." She said calmly. Saradoc looked at her confused. "You're brother? Surely not! He wouldn't do that!" He protested turning his eyes once again to the hidden child above them.
Esmarelda just shook her head as tears pooled in her pretty eyes.
"He would if Great Great told him to!" She sniffed delicately. "And he'd probably hate himself for it too." Saradoc wrapped an arm around his lady-wife and hugged her comfortingly.
Meanwhile a curly-topped head poked over the canopy edge. The eyes looked sad and its mouth was set in a tiny frown. Merry had seen enough. He didn't know why his parents were over emotional or who this 'Great Great' git was. But he was determined to help his loved ones.
He walked to the carriage's side and leaned on it just under the little head above. Facing the buggy wall he crossed his arms near his head and pillowed his chin on them. The small hobbit on the canopy watched him curiously and Merry grinned up at him.
"Hullo Peregin." Pippin gave him a hesitant smile but rose gamely to the friendly voice.
"H'llo yourself sir."
Merry mock scowled and said in over exaggerated indignation, "No, no, no! I am not yet a 'SIR'! I am your cousin Meredoc and you must always call me 'Merry'!" Pippin grinned openly and leaned farther over the roof's edge.
"Fine then Merry."
"And may I call you 'Pippin'?" Merry ventured.
Peregin thought for a moment then nodded sagely as if the request were encrypted with some deep wisdom. "Aye, you may. Seems only proper." The serious tone of the young clownish hobbit set several members of the gathered crowd into fits of giggles. Merry and Pippin ignored these, conversing as if none but themselves were present.
"Will you come down now Pip? I feel as if you are too tall for me to talk to." Merry pleaded. Pippin's smile vanished for a moment and he looked down fearfully into Merry's blue eyes.
"I.... don't think I can Merry." His eyes scanned the crowd and he whispered down to his elder cousin. "I've been told...things about those who live in Brandy Hall."
Merry frowned.
"Bad things?"
Pippin nodded. He cringed back as Merry's eyes narrowed and his voice hardened.
"By who?" A strong hand gripped Merry's shoulder. He looked back meeting the icy blue eyes of his second cousin. "You'll scare him more Mer." Frodo whispered harshly. "Do him a favor and get him down and feeling safe."
Merry turned from Frodo to get his parents advice. Both seemed to be pleading with their eyes that he not question them now. He nodded his understanding relieving them of their worries and whispered some questions to Frodo.
Satisfied with Frodo's answers, Merry addressed his cousin on the roof with an apologetic smile.
"A pity you're set on staying up there Pip m'lad! You'll miss your celebration lunch!" Pippin's head perked at that then disappeared over the edge. Mentally Merry kicked himself. Not two minutes ago they were getting on fine. Now, thanks to his temper the little fellow was probably curled up in the middle of the overhead crying.
Still maybe he'll come down if I keep talking, Merry thought.
"Yeah," he almost shouted. "We've got all kinds of food here! Yup! Best cooks in the whole Shire live in Brandy Land and they fixed you a meal fit for a prince! And...Um...me and Frodo were thinking of showing you the way of things around here too! You know, the lands, the pubs, the hobbits to flirt with, and the ones to avoid--" That earned him a laugh from all present. But still no Pippin. Merry sighed.
"Look Pip...if you come down I'll...I....I'll be your pal for life!"
"Promise?"