The door shut behind Pippin with a click that echoed through the
hall. Paladin stood before his son, hands on hips, a glare of
disappointment streaming from his eyes. Pippin didn't dare look up. He knew
from experience that that would only put him in more trouble. "Peregrin,
Peregrin, Peregrin!" His father spat, emphasizing the "P's.". "What in
middle-earth am I going to do with you?" A wave of giggles could be heard
from the left hand side of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Pippin
could see his sisters, all three of them, with their heads lined up peeking
out of the corner of the doorway. He bit his lip.
"You know," Paladin said after awhile. "Farmer Maggot stopped by earlier." Pippin stared at the floor. "He said something about you messing about in his crops, and with Lumillia Pudifoot no doubt!" Paladin looked at his son, expecting a reply. No answer came. "Peregrin, what in the shire were you thinking?! You know farmer Maggot hates young hobbits in his field! And you didn't even tell me about it! You said nothing! So when Farmer Maggot came over this morning he made me look like a fool! He called you a fool Pip! My son, Peregrin Took, called a fool by a fellow hobbit!" Pippin held back the tears that were swelling in his eyes. How come he always got himself into situations like this? It's not like he wanted to get himself into trouble, but he always seemed to-somehow.
His father continued. "And the next thing I know, Gandalf shows up, tells me you knocked Lumillia unconscious, stole from his cart, I have to pay him off, and you didn't tell me about any of that either!" Pippin wanted to protest, say he didn't have the chance or the courage to tell his father anything, but he didn't get the opportunity. "Why, oh why are you such a fool Peregrin?! Why?" Paladin cried. This was too much. Pippin could feel the tears overflowing in his eyes. He tried his best to keep them back, but one of them escaped his grasp and found its way down his cheek. Pippin whipped it off quickly with the back of his palm. Paladin started to pace again.
There was a long suspenseful pause, filled only by the sound of the Thain's shoes tapping on the floor. "Well Pippin," he finally said with a sigh. "You and I both know that Milly didn't really have anything to do with this mess." He got down on his knees so to speak to the hobbit boy at his own level. "Did she?" he asked. Pippin shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to words. "So there's only one thing to do. You deserve a good whipping, but that can wait. First you've got to go and tell the Pudifoots' what really happened concerning their daughter!"
With that said, Pippin found himself up bright and early the next day. He got no breakfast (Paladin said that could wait too) but was promptly dragged to the Pudifoots', with his head kept down the whole way. The walk was long and hard, for the hobbit boy was little and hungry, and his father was eager and impatient. Before Pippin knew it, he was staring at the Pudifoots' front gate.
"This is for your own good son." Paladin said. Pippin had a hard time believing it. He wanted to run in all directions at once, but instead he found his father and his feet urging him forward.
"Knock, knock" went the door. It was opened promptly by Mrs. Pudifoot. She didn't look pleased to see Tooks at her front door. "Yes?" she scoffed. "What do you want?"
"Peregrin here has come to do some explaining Mrs. Pudifoot." Paladin replied. The Mrs's expression turned from one of unfriendliness to surprise. "Oh! Well by all means then," she said. "Come in."
Paladin and Pippin entered the house. Mrs. Pudifoot motioned for them to step into the kitchen, but Paladin refused the offer. "No thank you ma'am." He said. "Peregrin and I have come for the sole reason of explaining the circumstances of the last few days. That's all." The Mrs's nodded. There was an odd pause.
"Well speak up boy!" Paladin shouted at his son. Pippin felt himself tremble. "I-I…" he stuttered. His father gave him a hard nudge with his arm. Pippin tried again. "I…..I was the one who got Milly in trouble."
It was at that moment that young Milly, wakened by the sound of Paladin's yell, entered the doorway into the front hall. She had a large purple bruise on her forehead, and though her mother had instructed her to stay in bed all day, the hobbit girl was stubborn. She convinced herself she was fine, and began to listen in on the conversation.
"And then Maggot came and found us." Pippin continued. "I just bumped into her and…."
Milly surveyed the scene a little farther. She had heard stories about the Thain's harsh punishments, and she could tell by the tremble in Pippin's voice that he knew that he was going to get punished too. He looked so pathetic, standing next to his huge father, and Mrs. Pudifoot, mumbling out words he didn't want to say. Milly couldn't stand there and let Pippin take the blame. She couldn't let him get beaten on her account. Something pulled at her little hobbit heartstrings, and before she knew it, Milly found herself stepping forward.
Pippin stopped talking, partially out of the shock of seeing Milly, partially out of seeing the bruise on her head. The elders turned in the little hobbit girl's direction.
"I did it." Milly squeaked. Silence followed. "I got myself in trouble. Pippin had nothing to do with it." The elders were shocked. Pippin was more so. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Why was Milly doing this? "You see," Milly continued. "I was stealing from Maggot's crops too. All by myself, and I ran into Pippin. So it's not his fault that I got in trouble."
Paladin seemed less convinced, or at least he didn't want to believe the girl as much as Mrs. Pudifoot did. "And how do you explain that nasty bruise on your head, Lumillia?" Milly's eye's grew wide. She hadn't though of this. "Well…" she started. "I……"
"She came over to visit yesterday." aided Pippin.
"Right." Milly continued. "I came over because…….I fell….and hit my head on the road! And I needed help."
"Yes!" joined in Pippin. He was beginning to see what Milly was doing. "But she passed out when we got her inside."
"And so then I found myself wide awake at Bag End, and heard that Pippin had made up this great big story."
"Well why on middle-earth did you do that?" asked Mrs. Pudifoot. Pippin thought fast on his feet. "Because…..I didn't want Milly to get in trouble. After all she did ruin one of her good dresses when she fell." The Mrs. Nodded. She was hooked. Paladin would take more work.
"But what about what Gandalf told me, about you trying to revive Milly with a gas cloud?"
"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Pudifoot. "What's this?" Pippin lowered his head. He wasn't about to turn Merry in on that one. "I was just trying to help." He whispered. Paladin's face grew dim. He spoke up. "Help were you? You did a lot more than help Milly!"
"But by the sounds of it Mr. Took, it seems that this whole situation is a big misunderstanding." Mrs. Pudifoot offered. "And my little Lumillia here would never lie to her mother. Isn't that right Lumillia?" Milly nodded her head gravely. Now that she had admitted to part of the crime, she wasn't sure if she was to be punished. "There now Mr. Thain." Continued Mrs. Pudifoot. "I'm glad we got that all figured out." The Thian flashed Mrs. Pudifoot a fake smile. "Good day to you Mrs. Pudifoot." He said, then exited out the door. Pippin followed in his wake. Just before he left, he let a little wave go at Milly, which made the injured girl smile. The door shut with a click.
"Well now," said Mrs. Pudifoot. "I'm glad you had the courage to admit your faults my dear. I'll see to it that you get your share of punishments, extra chores and such, just as soon as you are better. Now off to bed with you! Let's get you back to good health!" Milly quickly hurried back into her room.
Meanwhile outside on the road, Paladin began talking to Pippin. "I never would have thought it." He said. "I was quite inclined to believe the contrary of that situation." Pippin smiled then, a sweet smile that beamed across his face. "Don't get too happy." His father continued. "You still stole from Maggot and you still went snooping in Gandalf's cart. You're not off the hook yet Peregrin." The smile faded like a bouquet of week old flowers. Paladin laughed then, recalling a day when he had done the exact same thing-that fading smile after a torrent of troublesome behavior. "Cheer up Pippin." He added. "I did similar things when I was a young hobbit myself. I'll go easy on you. Just this once."
Pippin did cheer up then, and let a faint glimpse of the old smile creep back onto his face. He wondered why Milly had done that for him. He wondered what Merry would say when he told him….wait…better not do that. Merry might tease the heck out of him for all eternity. He wondered what Frodo would say, or Gandalf. Suddenly Pippin's smile faded. He had forgotten he had told Gandalf everything.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this story minus Teldise, Milly and Mrs. Pudifoot. All others are the property of the Tolkien Estate. I am borrowing them simply to gain writing experience. I make no profit from my work.
Author's note: Okay, I know that most of us think of Paladin as a big mean hobbit abuser, but I decided to soften his character a bit, just for a refreshing change. -neoli
"You know," Paladin said after awhile. "Farmer Maggot stopped by earlier." Pippin stared at the floor. "He said something about you messing about in his crops, and with Lumillia Pudifoot no doubt!" Paladin looked at his son, expecting a reply. No answer came. "Peregrin, what in the shire were you thinking?! You know farmer Maggot hates young hobbits in his field! And you didn't even tell me about it! You said nothing! So when Farmer Maggot came over this morning he made me look like a fool! He called you a fool Pip! My son, Peregrin Took, called a fool by a fellow hobbit!" Pippin held back the tears that were swelling in his eyes. How come he always got himself into situations like this? It's not like he wanted to get himself into trouble, but he always seemed to-somehow.
His father continued. "And the next thing I know, Gandalf shows up, tells me you knocked Lumillia unconscious, stole from his cart, I have to pay him off, and you didn't tell me about any of that either!" Pippin wanted to protest, say he didn't have the chance or the courage to tell his father anything, but he didn't get the opportunity. "Why, oh why are you such a fool Peregrin?! Why?" Paladin cried. This was too much. Pippin could feel the tears overflowing in his eyes. He tried his best to keep them back, but one of them escaped his grasp and found its way down his cheek. Pippin whipped it off quickly with the back of his palm. Paladin started to pace again.
There was a long suspenseful pause, filled only by the sound of the Thain's shoes tapping on the floor. "Well Pippin," he finally said with a sigh. "You and I both know that Milly didn't really have anything to do with this mess." He got down on his knees so to speak to the hobbit boy at his own level. "Did she?" he asked. Pippin shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to words. "So there's only one thing to do. You deserve a good whipping, but that can wait. First you've got to go and tell the Pudifoots' what really happened concerning their daughter!"
With that said, Pippin found himself up bright and early the next day. He got no breakfast (Paladin said that could wait too) but was promptly dragged to the Pudifoots', with his head kept down the whole way. The walk was long and hard, for the hobbit boy was little and hungry, and his father was eager and impatient. Before Pippin knew it, he was staring at the Pudifoots' front gate.
"This is for your own good son." Paladin said. Pippin had a hard time believing it. He wanted to run in all directions at once, but instead he found his father and his feet urging him forward.
"Knock, knock" went the door. It was opened promptly by Mrs. Pudifoot. She didn't look pleased to see Tooks at her front door. "Yes?" she scoffed. "What do you want?"
"Peregrin here has come to do some explaining Mrs. Pudifoot." Paladin replied. The Mrs's expression turned from one of unfriendliness to surprise. "Oh! Well by all means then," she said. "Come in."
Paladin and Pippin entered the house. Mrs. Pudifoot motioned for them to step into the kitchen, but Paladin refused the offer. "No thank you ma'am." He said. "Peregrin and I have come for the sole reason of explaining the circumstances of the last few days. That's all." The Mrs's nodded. There was an odd pause.
"Well speak up boy!" Paladin shouted at his son. Pippin felt himself tremble. "I-I…" he stuttered. His father gave him a hard nudge with his arm. Pippin tried again. "I…..I was the one who got Milly in trouble."
It was at that moment that young Milly, wakened by the sound of Paladin's yell, entered the doorway into the front hall. She had a large purple bruise on her forehead, and though her mother had instructed her to stay in bed all day, the hobbit girl was stubborn. She convinced herself she was fine, and began to listen in on the conversation.
"And then Maggot came and found us." Pippin continued. "I just bumped into her and…."
Milly surveyed the scene a little farther. She had heard stories about the Thain's harsh punishments, and she could tell by the tremble in Pippin's voice that he knew that he was going to get punished too. He looked so pathetic, standing next to his huge father, and Mrs. Pudifoot, mumbling out words he didn't want to say. Milly couldn't stand there and let Pippin take the blame. She couldn't let him get beaten on her account. Something pulled at her little hobbit heartstrings, and before she knew it, Milly found herself stepping forward.
Pippin stopped talking, partially out of the shock of seeing Milly, partially out of seeing the bruise on her head. The elders turned in the little hobbit girl's direction.
"I did it." Milly squeaked. Silence followed. "I got myself in trouble. Pippin had nothing to do with it." The elders were shocked. Pippin was more so. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Why was Milly doing this? "You see," Milly continued. "I was stealing from Maggot's crops too. All by myself, and I ran into Pippin. So it's not his fault that I got in trouble."
Paladin seemed less convinced, or at least he didn't want to believe the girl as much as Mrs. Pudifoot did. "And how do you explain that nasty bruise on your head, Lumillia?" Milly's eye's grew wide. She hadn't though of this. "Well…" she started. "I……"
"She came over to visit yesterday." aided Pippin.
"Right." Milly continued. "I came over because…….I fell….and hit my head on the road! And I needed help."
"Yes!" joined in Pippin. He was beginning to see what Milly was doing. "But she passed out when we got her inside."
"And so then I found myself wide awake at Bag End, and heard that Pippin had made up this great big story."
"Well why on middle-earth did you do that?" asked Mrs. Pudifoot. Pippin thought fast on his feet. "Because…..I didn't want Milly to get in trouble. After all she did ruin one of her good dresses when she fell." The Mrs. Nodded. She was hooked. Paladin would take more work.
"But what about what Gandalf told me, about you trying to revive Milly with a gas cloud?"
"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Pudifoot. "What's this?" Pippin lowered his head. He wasn't about to turn Merry in on that one. "I was just trying to help." He whispered. Paladin's face grew dim. He spoke up. "Help were you? You did a lot more than help Milly!"
"But by the sounds of it Mr. Took, it seems that this whole situation is a big misunderstanding." Mrs. Pudifoot offered. "And my little Lumillia here would never lie to her mother. Isn't that right Lumillia?" Milly nodded her head gravely. Now that she had admitted to part of the crime, she wasn't sure if she was to be punished. "There now Mr. Thain." Continued Mrs. Pudifoot. "I'm glad we got that all figured out." The Thian flashed Mrs. Pudifoot a fake smile. "Good day to you Mrs. Pudifoot." He said, then exited out the door. Pippin followed in his wake. Just before he left, he let a little wave go at Milly, which made the injured girl smile. The door shut with a click.
"Well now," said Mrs. Pudifoot. "I'm glad you had the courage to admit your faults my dear. I'll see to it that you get your share of punishments, extra chores and such, just as soon as you are better. Now off to bed with you! Let's get you back to good health!" Milly quickly hurried back into her room.
Meanwhile outside on the road, Paladin began talking to Pippin. "I never would have thought it." He said. "I was quite inclined to believe the contrary of that situation." Pippin smiled then, a sweet smile that beamed across his face. "Don't get too happy." His father continued. "You still stole from Maggot and you still went snooping in Gandalf's cart. You're not off the hook yet Peregrin." The smile faded like a bouquet of week old flowers. Paladin laughed then, recalling a day when he had done the exact same thing-that fading smile after a torrent of troublesome behavior. "Cheer up Pippin." He added. "I did similar things when I was a young hobbit myself. I'll go easy on you. Just this once."
Pippin did cheer up then, and let a faint glimpse of the old smile creep back onto his face. He wondered why Milly had done that for him. He wondered what Merry would say when he told him….wait…better not do that. Merry might tease the heck out of him for all eternity. He wondered what Frodo would say, or Gandalf. Suddenly Pippin's smile faded. He had forgotten he had told Gandalf everything.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this story minus Teldise, Milly and Mrs. Pudifoot. All others are the property of the Tolkien Estate. I am borrowing them simply to gain writing experience. I make no profit from my work.
Author's note: Okay, I know that most of us think of Paladin as a big mean hobbit abuser, but I decided to soften his character a bit, just for a refreshing change. -neoli