TITLE: "Brandywine"
AUTHOR: Mainframe
RATING: PG
PAIRING: None so far, however there are implications of a M/M relationship Merry has had in the past and hint at F/S attraction.
Disclaimer: The Hobbits belong to J. R.R. Tolkien and are not of my creation and I make no money from this or other stories involving them, this is purely a non-profit fiction of my creation in honour of the book & movies. However this storyline is mine.
SUMMARY: It's been raining none stop for over a month in the shire and Bilbo is being driven mad by three young hobbits with too much energy to spend. But is his solution to the problem a wise one or could it led to disaster?
NOTES: This is my first fic and I am extremely nervous…I'm usually one of the lurking members of this group so please don't shoot down my amateur efforts and force me back to lurking: I'd just like to thank those of you who were kind enough to review my work, your comments were very encouraging! I especially want to thank MarigoldG for pointing out a few errors. I know now that Sam is actually two years older then Merry! Oups! Never mind, I had a feeling I would fluff their ages. I cannot correct their ages in this fic, but will be sure to in the next story, which is set later. And a big thank you to my all time favourite fic writer XENOBIA!
Thanks again!
Hope you all enjoy!
Brandywine
Chapter 3: Apples!
"Let us never speak of it again!" Merry moaned sarcastically as he plopped himself down on a dry patch between two apple trees. He was out of breath and covered from the waist down in a thick layer of mud, the track had become a quagmire in the denser parts of the forest, and were the sun had been unable to reach it had been virtually impossible!
Frodo emerged from the forests depths and trudged into the clearing. Allowing Sam to slip from his back, poor Sam had sunk up to his chest once on the journey and that had nearly scared Frodo to death. He had insisted that the lad was to be carried by him through the rough areas. Sam had protested but in the end had been forced to give in when Frodo pulled rank, he had hated to resorting to that but Samwise was a very stubborn young hobbit and Frodo knew him well enough to know that he would never admit he needed help.
Frodo and Sam sat down beside Merry, observing that whilst the Brandywine was well in flood, it had not burst its banks as Frodo and Sam had feared. As Frodo tried to catch his breath he saw for the first time in daylight unhindered by the forests canopy, just what they all looked like. Merry was lying on his back, eye's closed panting. His cloths were covered in mud and they clung to him from the waist down, upon closer inspection Frodo could see that he had a spattering of it down the left side of his face. Sam sat opposite him looking up at the trees they were to pick from; he looked uncomftable as he squirmed trying to ignore the slippery mess his breeches were in. His beautiful golden curls hung limp across his eyes, weighed down by mud from that last fall, several leaves had come to rest upon his crown and he absentmindedly picked them off.
Frodo's eye's roamed over Sam protectively, mentally cursing himself for allowing Merry to goad him into making a bad decision, Bilbo would never have expected them to go through this just for apples. How were they to get back with their sacks full? He couldn't carry both Sam and two sacks of apples and neither could Merry. He sat pondering this unforeseen dilemma. Finally he realised that the path along the bank of the river was quiet sun dried compared to their forest route, and made a mental note that it would be the path they would take instead. Even if it meant having to go all the way round the outskirts of the forest to get back to Bag-End. Frodo suddenly became aware that he was being watched and realised he had been staring at Sam as he'd been following his own thought; Sam's soft brown eyes stared back.
"I guess it's the long way back Mr Frodo?" Sam said as he finally got his breath back and chuckled as his Master reddened, he knew Frodo hadn't meant to stare. Frodo smiled fondly at the lad, contrary to what Sam led most hobbits to believe he was very sharp, and was often either one step ahead of his young Master when it came to practical problem solving, or could read him so well that he knew what Frodo had decided before he had even voiced it.
"Yes Sam, I think that would be best". He couldn't suppress a chuckle as he looked from Merry to Sam. Sam looked from Merry to Frodo and began to laugh heartily. Merry sat up and joined in as the three of them realised just what they looked like.
"Oh Frodo! I know I said that a little mud didn't bother me but this is rather a lot, and somehow I doubt if we shall be allowed back into Bag- End." He chuckled.
"You wanted this Merry so you have no right to complain now!" Frodo grinned "So seen as Sam is the smallest and I am too' old' you get to be the shaker!" Merry scowled at him and he thought he heard Sam mumble under his breath a witty comment at Merry's expense. He cocked an eyebrow at Sam but said nothing.
"Alright come and help me get up then!" Merry waited impatiently as Frodo leaned his back against the tree's trunk and locked his hands together. Merry stepped up and was quickly boosted up into the first V of the tree. He nearly fell right back down as his foothold slipped, the mud on his feet and cloths was making it difficult to get a good grip.
Merry began to shake the tree vigorously, sending down a torrent of apples in his wake as he stepped from branch to branch. Where the tree branches interlaced with their neighbour he was able to carefully step across and begin on the next tree. Frodo and Sam in the meanwhile were hurriedly filling the sacks and trying to avoid being hit on the head, half way through their work they had pretty much got the knack of dodging, but only after Frodo had been hit once and Sam twice.
Midday soon turned into evening as the three hobbits continued their work, as the last sack was filled they found themselves playing game after game. Merry slipped down from the tree into Frodo's waiting arms and only allowed himself time to stretch the various knots out of his muscles before starting a mud-fight with Frodo and Sam. Shrieks of laughter followed as the fight continued and mud flew; it finally ended with all three of them wrestling in one huge mud pile. Frodo and Sam teamed up on Merry and he ended up under the two of them, but in desperation and between fits of laughter Merry managed to whisper something to Sam. Frodo soon found the situation reversed and Merry and Sam were ruthlessly tickling him. A weakness that Merry knew of and had obviously now passed that information to Sam. Frodo screamed and convulsed and cried for mercy at their attack, which lasted for what seemed like hours, infact it had only been several minutes. They finally fell back and allowed him to rise. Now all three were covered in mud from head to toe, Frodo grinned and shot Sam a look of disbelief at his changing sides halfway through their fight. He was about to make a comment when he felt the first soft brush of a light drizzle falling. Sam shrugged and set about tying the sacks while Merry helped Frodo to his feet.
"Well, now that we all look as bad as each other I guess we should start making our way back" He glanced at Merry then. "And thank you very much for not telling anyone about me being ticklish, I believe that's what we agreed wasn't it?" He teased, "Yes that's right you promised not to tell if I would make sure never to tell anyone what I found you doing in…. Mmummmf!" His words were cut short as Merry firmly planted a hand over Frodo's mouth before his cousin could continue. He looked to see if Sam had heard but Sam was still tying the last sack and seemed not to notice the exchange.
"Alright Frodo, alright! Have a heart! I forgot" He removed his hand as he felt Frodo's grin widen and knew that his cousin could see him blushing under the streaks of mud. Then a wicked thought crossed his mind, *two can play at this game! *.
"I don't think it was so bad telling Sam, just think of the hours of fun you can have" He stepped back to gage Frodo's reaction. Frodo's grin vanished in an instant, Merry observed the tips of his ears had turned red as he started to trace circles in the mud with his big toe, and with a smirk he continued. "I think he's sweet on you".
"Merry!" Frodo scolded and made sure his voice would not carry. "Don't be so rude and ridiculous! Sam is still a child!" he sputtered.
"Not a child cousin! Not much younger then I was when…" He broke off suddenly shy. "When you found me that time at the Inn" Merry whispered as he watched Sam.
"He's growing fast and from what I have seen these last few days, has eyes are only for you!" He grinned and started to munch on an apple. "You know there's nothing wrong with fancying a lad Frodo if that's what your concerned about, true it's not spoken about but I know a good few in Buckland and Tookborough who prefer to remain 'bachelors'".
Frodo considered his cousin's words for a moment. Merry was right in one respect, after living in Hobbiton for so long he was not used to being able to speak as freely about 'personal' matters as he had been able in Buckland. Not that he ever had for he preferred to keep his own business to himself, but still the option had been there. Hobbiton was very stuffy in that sense.
Merry had caught him by surprise and the Brandybuck knew it! As he watched Frodo's gaze drift back to Sam, a sadness crept into those beautiful deep blue eyes and for a moment they lost some of their sparkle; Merry fancied he could actually see a darkness wrap around his cousin before he finally spoke.
"I would never take advantage of Sam like that, he is one of my best friends…and I would never do anything to hurt him" He said softly and began to heave his sack onto his back.
"I don't think you'd be taking advantage of him Frodo, you cannot cut yourself off from those who love you for ever" He gently placed a hand on his shoulder. But Frodo pulled away, stung by Merry's accurate observations and cursed himself for allowing his feelings to be so easily read.
"Merry please, take the hint. I don't want to talk about this again. Sam is my friend. There is nothing more to be said". He knew his cousin for all his teasing was trying to help him, but there was no way Frodo was going to jeopardize his friendship with Sam for his oddities. He shot Merry a quick smile that Merry knew was forced, but nodded.
When Frodo reached Sam the younger hobbit was already waiting on the path, he frowned when he noticed a strained silence between Frodo and Merry. He shot Merry a questioning look but Merry just shook his head.
"S' everything alright Mr Frodo" He asked finally.
"Oh, yes Sam! We better hurry before the weather gets any worse. Come on before we all catch our deaths" He chuckled then "Although with any luck we should be a good deal cleaner" His voice was cheerful but his eyes were not, but Sam knew Frodo would talk to him about whatever it was that had upset him later if he wanted to.
As they made their way along the edge of the Brandywine a light breeze began to blow and to their dismay the sky was fast becoming overcast. A storm was brewing and they still had several miles of dirt track ahead of them before it opened up and allowed them to pass into the green fields that surrounded Hobbiton.
Tbc ~
AUTHOR: Mainframe
RATING: PG
PAIRING: None so far, however there are implications of a M/M relationship Merry has had in the past and hint at F/S attraction.
Disclaimer: The Hobbits belong to J. R.R. Tolkien and are not of my creation and I make no money from this or other stories involving them, this is purely a non-profit fiction of my creation in honour of the book & movies. However this storyline is mine.
SUMMARY: It's been raining none stop for over a month in the shire and Bilbo is being driven mad by three young hobbits with too much energy to spend. But is his solution to the problem a wise one or could it led to disaster?
NOTES: This is my first fic and I am extremely nervous…I'm usually one of the lurking members of this group so please don't shoot down my amateur efforts and force me back to lurking: I'd just like to thank those of you who were kind enough to review my work, your comments were very encouraging! I especially want to thank MarigoldG for pointing out a few errors. I know now that Sam is actually two years older then Merry! Oups! Never mind, I had a feeling I would fluff their ages. I cannot correct their ages in this fic, but will be sure to in the next story, which is set later. And a big thank you to my all time favourite fic writer XENOBIA!
Thanks again!
Hope you all enjoy!
Brandywine
Chapter 3: Apples!
"Let us never speak of it again!" Merry moaned sarcastically as he plopped himself down on a dry patch between two apple trees. He was out of breath and covered from the waist down in a thick layer of mud, the track had become a quagmire in the denser parts of the forest, and were the sun had been unable to reach it had been virtually impossible!
Frodo emerged from the forests depths and trudged into the clearing. Allowing Sam to slip from his back, poor Sam had sunk up to his chest once on the journey and that had nearly scared Frodo to death. He had insisted that the lad was to be carried by him through the rough areas. Sam had protested but in the end had been forced to give in when Frodo pulled rank, he had hated to resorting to that but Samwise was a very stubborn young hobbit and Frodo knew him well enough to know that he would never admit he needed help.
Frodo and Sam sat down beside Merry, observing that whilst the Brandywine was well in flood, it had not burst its banks as Frodo and Sam had feared. As Frodo tried to catch his breath he saw for the first time in daylight unhindered by the forests canopy, just what they all looked like. Merry was lying on his back, eye's closed panting. His cloths were covered in mud and they clung to him from the waist down, upon closer inspection Frodo could see that he had a spattering of it down the left side of his face. Sam sat opposite him looking up at the trees they were to pick from; he looked uncomftable as he squirmed trying to ignore the slippery mess his breeches were in. His beautiful golden curls hung limp across his eyes, weighed down by mud from that last fall, several leaves had come to rest upon his crown and he absentmindedly picked them off.
Frodo's eye's roamed over Sam protectively, mentally cursing himself for allowing Merry to goad him into making a bad decision, Bilbo would never have expected them to go through this just for apples. How were they to get back with their sacks full? He couldn't carry both Sam and two sacks of apples and neither could Merry. He sat pondering this unforeseen dilemma. Finally he realised that the path along the bank of the river was quiet sun dried compared to their forest route, and made a mental note that it would be the path they would take instead. Even if it meant having to go all the way round the outskirts of the forest to get back to Bag-End. Frodo suddenly became aware that he was being watched and realised he had been staring at Sam as he'd been following his own thought; Sam's soft brown eyes stared back.
"I guess it's the long way back Mr Frodo?" Sam said as he finally got his breath back and chuckled as his Master reddened, he knew Frodo hadn't meant to stare. Frodo smiled fondly at the lad, contrary to what Sam led most hobbits to believe he was very sharp, and was often either one step ahead of his young Master when it came to practical problem solving, or could read him so well that he knew what Frodo had decided before he had even voiced it.
"Yes Sam, I think that would be best". He couldn't suppress a chuckle as he looked from Merry to Sam. Sam looked from Merry to Frodo and began to laugh heartily. Merry sat up and joined in as the three of them realised just what they looked like.
"Oh Frodo! I know I said that a little mud didn't bother me but this is rather a lot, and somehow I doubt if we shall be allowed back into Bag- End." He chuckled.
"You wanted this Merry so you have no right to complain now!" Frodo grinned "So seen as Sam is the smallest and I am too' old' you get to be the shaker!" Merry scowled at him and he thought he heard Sam mumble under his breath a witty comment at Merry's expense. He cocked an eyebrow at Sam but said nothing.
"Alright come and help me get up then!" Merry waited impatiently as Frodo leaned his back against the tree's trunk and locked his hands together. Merry stepped up and was quickly boosted up into the first V of the tree. He nearly fell right back down as his foothold slipped, the mud on his feet and cloths was making it difficult to get a good grip.
Merry began to shake the tree vigorously, sending down a torrent of apples in his wake as he stepped from branch to branch. Where the tree branches interlaced with their neighbour he was able to carefully step across and begin on the next tree. Frodo and Sam in the meanwhile were hurriedly filling the sacks and trying to avoid being hit on the head, half way through their work they had pretty much got the knack of dodging, but only after Frodo had been hit once and Sam twice.
Midday soon turned into evening as the three hobbits continued their work, as the last sack was filled they found themselves playing game after game. Merry slipped down from the tree into Frodo's waiting arms and only allowed himself time to stretch the various knots out of his muscles before starting a mud-fight with Frodo and Sam. Shrieks of laughter followed as the fight continued and mud flew; it finally ended with all three of them wrestling in one huge mud pile. Frodo and Sam teamed up on Merry and he ended up under the two of them, but in desperation and between fits of laughter Merry managed to whisper something to Sam. Frodo soon found the situation reversed and Merry and Sam were ruthlessly tickling him. A weakness that Merry knew of and had obviously now passed that information to Sam. Frodo screamed and convulsed and cried for mercy at their attack, which lasted for what seemed like hours, infact it had only been several minutes. They finally fell back and allowed him to rise. Now all three were covered in mud from head to toe, Frodo grinned and shot Sam a look of disbelief at his changing sides halfway through their fight. He was about to make a comment when he felt the first soft brush of a light drizzle falling. Sam shrugged and set about tying the sacks while Merry helped Frodo to his feet.
"Well, now that we all look as bad as each other I guess we should start making our way back" He glanced at Merry then. "And thank you very much for not telling anyone about me being ticklish, I believe that's what we agreed wasn't it?" He teased, "Yes that's right you promised not to tell if I would make sure never to tell anyone what I found you doing in…. Mmummmf!" His words were cut short as Merry firmly planted a hand over Frodo's mouth before his cousin could continue. He looked to see if Sam had heard but Sam was still tying the last sack and seemed not to notice the exchange.
"Alright Frodo, alright! Have a heart! I forgot" He removed his hand as he felt Frodo's grin widen and knew that his cousin could see him blushing under the streaks of mud. Then a wicked thought crossed his mind, *two can play at this game! *.
"I don't think it was so bad telling Sam, just think of the hours of fun you can have" He stepped back to gage Frodo's reaction. Frodo's grin vanished in an instant, Merry observed the tips of his ears had turned red as he started to trace circles in the mud with his big toe, and with a smirk he continued. "I think he's sweet on you".
"Merry!" Frodo scolded and made sure his voice would not carry. "Don't be so rude and ridiculous! Sam is still a child!" he sputtered.
"Not a child cousin! Not much younger then I was when…" He broke off suddenly shy. "When you found me that time at the Inn" Merry whispered as he watched Sam.
"He's growing fast and from what I have seen these last few days, has eyes are only for you!" He grinned and started to munch on an apple. "You know there's nothing wrong with fancying a lad Frodo if that's what your concerned about, true it's not spoken about but I know a good few in Buckland and Tookborough who prefer to remain 'bachelors'".
Frodo considered his cousin's words for a moment. Merry was right in one respect, after living in Hobbiton for so long he was not used to being able to speak as freely about 'personal' matters as he had been able in Buckland. Not that he ever had for he preferred to keep his own business to himself, but still the option had been there. Hobbiton was very stuffy in that sense.
Merry had caught him by surprise and the Brandybuck knew it! As he watched Frodo's gaze drift back to Sam, a sadness crept into those beautiful deep blue eyes and for a moment they lost some of their sparkle; Merry fancied he could actually see a darkness wrap around his cousin before he finally spoke.
"I would never take advantage of Sam like that, he is one of my best friends…and I would never do anything to hurt him" He said softly and began to heave his sack onto his back.
"I don't think you'd be taking advantage of him Frodo, you cannot cut yourself off from those who love you for ever" He gently placed a hand on his shoulder. But Frodo pulled away, stung by Merry's accurate observations and cursed himself for allowing his feelings to be so easily read.
"Merry please, take the hint. I don't want to talk about this again. Sam is my friend. There is nothing more to be said". He knew his cousin for all his teasing was trying to help him, but there was no way Frodo was going to jeopardize his friendship with Sam for his oddities. He shot Merry a quick smile that Merry knew was forced, but nodded.
When Frodo reached Sam the younger hobbit was already waiting on the path, he frowned when he noticed a strained silence between Frodo and Merry. He shot Merry a questioning look but Merry just shook his head.
"S' everything alright Mr Frodo" He asked finally.
"Oh, yes Sam! We better hurry before the weather gets any worse. Come on before we all catch our deaths" He chuckled then "Although with any luck we should be a good deal cleaner" His voice was cheerful but his eyes were not, but Sam knew Frodo would talk to him about whatever it was that had upset him later if he wanted to.
As they made their way along the edge of the Brandywine a light breeze began to blow and to their dismay the sky was fast becoming overcast. A storm was brewing and they still had several miles of dirt track ahead of them before it opened up and allowed them to pass into the green fields that surrounded Hobbiton.
Tbc ~