Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are property of J.R.R.
Tolkien. The only characters I do own are Toralinda and Mimosa. Matilda
belongs to my friend Amael.
Dancing in the Stars
"Mother! Mother, come quick! They're back, they're back!" Toralinda ran through the gate to her family's small hobbit-hole, tripping and stumbling in her haste. She had not seen her dear friends for a long time now, not since they had left over a year ago.
"Mother, hurry!" Toralinda rounded a corner and nearly ran headfirst into her mother.
"Hush, child! Do you want to have us all arrested for being a disturbance? What is all the fuss about?"
"They're back, mother! Frodo, and Merry and Pippin and Sam! They're back!" Toralinda brought her voice down to a normal level, but she could hardly contain herself enough to stay on her feet.
"Do you mean it, child? Have they truly come back? By the stars, I thought they were dead by now! I am so glad to hear this!" She blotted her hands on her apron and placed her hands on Toralinda's shoulders. "Do the Brandybucks know about this?"
The young hobbit shook her head.
"Then be a good lass and go give them the news! Dear, child, why did you go a-telling me before dear Merry's family? Well, go on, child, go! And send your father in here if you see him!" She yelled after her daughter as the young girl ran down the hallway to the door.
Toralinda burst through the door into the small garden in front of their home. Her father was at work tending the flowers by the window, and he turned when he heard his daughter run by.
"Tori!" he yelled after her. "Where be you a-goin' so fast? Is there a fire?" Tori halted and turned to face the old hobbit.
"No, papa," she said happily. "They're back! Frodo, and Merry and Pippin and Sam! They're back!" She turned and ran down the road towards the Brandybuck home. Her father gave a hoot of joy as he began to dance around the garden, seizing his wife and whirling her around as she stepped out.
"They're back!" he shouted. "Hurrah, hurrah, they're back!"
Tori kept running, down the road and past the bridge, over the hill, and finally around one last corner to the Brandybuck home.
"They're back!" she yelled as she ran through the gate. "They're back!"
Matilda Brandybuck, Merry's younger and much more level-headed sister, ran around from behind the hill and stopped by the door.
"Who's back?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"
Tori took Matilda's hands and began to dance around in a circle.
"They're back! Merry and Frodo, and Sam and Pippin! They're all back!"
Matilda laughed heartily as she began to twirl along with her young friend. Tori let go of Matilda's hands and stepped back, watching her friend gaily dance around the garden. After a few moments, Matilda lost her balance and fell to the grass. Tori sat down alongside her, happy as could be.
"How do you know all this, Tori? How do you know they've come back?" Matilda lay back on the grass, smiling at the thought of all her friends still alive.
"I overheard old Hob Hayward earlier this morning, talking to a group of shirrifs just come in from Hobbiton. He was going on about their orders to arrest a group of strange looking travellers for Gate-breaking, and Tearing up of Rules, and a whole lot of other things. Then he began saying that he knew the travellers, and that the shirrifs all new them too, and he said, real quiet-like, so no one would hear except them and me, being close- by, 'It's Mr. Merry, and the others who went missing a while back. They've returned to the Shire, and I reckon they've had quite an adventure by the way they're dressed and all.' Well, when he said that, I just up and ran back home to tell mother, and she sent me over here to tell you, and well, Matti, I think we should go look for them."
Matti sat up, surprised by the sudden proposition. "What? But, we don't even know where they are. How are we supposed to find them? They could be anywhere."
"Well," said Tori. "I also heard Hob say that they were heading down the Road towards Frogmorton, and that's where they were to be arrested. So I reckon if we head straight that way, we'll catch them there about sundown, perhaps before the shirrifs reach them."
"I suppose so, but what if we don't find them there? We're not allowed to be out past sundown, and we'll get in an awful lot of trouble if we're caught."
"Well, Mimsy lives down that way, and I suppose if we don't find the boys there, we can stay with her for the night. I'm sure she wouldn't mind it if she knew that Pippin and them were back." Tori stood and placed her hands on her hips. "So is it settled, then?"
Matti hesitated for a moment, but stood up and walked over to her front door. "I suppose so. But we'll need food. You know Mimsy's family can't share their food with us. It's against The Rules."
"Right." said Tori as she walked inside the hobbit-hole with Matti.
"And," Matti continued. "If we get in trouble, it's your fault."
A/N This is just the first chapter, there will be more to come, and those of you waiting for the mushy stuff: it may take a couple chapters, but don't lose interest just yet! Please tell me what you think, and the more people that review, the faster I'll add on!
Dancing in the Stars
"Mother! Mother, come quick! They're back, they're back!" Toralinda ran through the gate to her family's small hobbit-hole, tripping and stumbling in her haste. She had not seen her dear friends for a long time now, not since they had left over a year ago.
"Mother, hurry!" Toralinda rounded a corner and nearly ran headfirst into her mother.
"Hush, child! Do you want to have us all arrested for being a disturbance? What is all the fuss about?"
"They're back, mother! Frodo, and Merry and Pippin and Sam! They're back!" Toralinda brought her voice down to a normal level, but she could hardly contain herself enough to stay on her feet.
"Do you mean it, child? Have they truly come back? By the stars, I thought they were dead by now! I am so glad to hear this!" She blotted her hands on her apron and placed her hands on Toralinda's shoulders. "Do the Brandybucks know about this?"
The young hobbit shook her head.
"Then be a good lass and go give them the news! Dear, child, why did you go a-telling me before dear Merry's family? Well, go on, child, go! And send your father in here if you see him!" She yelled after her daughter as the young girl ran down the hallway to the door.
Toralinda burst through the door into the small garden in front of their home. Her father was at work tending the flowers by the window, and he turned when he heard his daughter run by.
"Tori!" he yelled after her. "Where be you a-goin' so fast? Is there a fire?" Tori halted and turned to face the old hobbit.
"No, papa," she said happily. "They're back! Frodo, and Merry and Pippin and Sam! They're back!" She turned and ran down the road towards the Brandybuck home. Her father gave a hoot of joy as he began to dance around the garden, seizing his wife and whirling her around as she stepped out.
"They're back!" he shouted. "Hurrah, hurrah, they're back!"
Tori kept running, down the road and past the bridge, over the hill, and finally around one last corner to the Brandybuck home.
"They're back!" she yelled as she ran through the gate. "They're back!"
Matilda Brandybuck, Merry's younger and much more level-headed sister, ran around from behind the hill and stopped by the door.
"Who's back?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"
Tori took Matilda's hands and began to dance around in a circle.
"They're back! Merry and Frodo, and Sam and Pippin! They're all back!"
Matilda laughed heartily as she began to twirl along with her young friend. Tori let go of Matilda's hands and stepped back, watching her friend gaily dance around the garden. After a few moments, Matilda lost her balance and fell to the grass. Tori sat down alongside her, happy as could be.
"How do you know all this, Tori? How do you know they've come back?" Matilda lay back on the grass, smiling at the thought of all her friends still alive.
"I overheard old Hob Hayward earlier this morning, talking to a group of shirrifs just come in from Hobbiton. He was going on about their orders to arrest a group of strange looking travellers for Gate-breaking, and Tearing up of Rules, and a whole lot of other things. Then he began saying that he knew the travellers, and that the shirrifs all new them too, and he said, real quiet-like, so no one would hear except them and me, being close- by, 'It's Mr. Merry, and the others who went missing a while back. They've returned to the Shire, and I reckon they've had quite an adventure by the way they're dressed and all.' Well, when he said that, I just up and ran back home to tell mother, and she sent me over here to tell you, and well, Matti, I think we should go look for them."
Matti sat up, surprised by the sudden proposition. "What? But, we don't even know where they are. How are we supposed to find them? They could be anywhere."
"Well," said Tori. "I also heard Hob say that they were heading down the Road towards Frogmorton, and that's where they were to be arrested. So I reckon if we head straight that way, we'll catch them there about sundown, perhaps before the shirrifs reach them."
"I suppose so, but what if we don't find them there? We're not allowed to be out past sundown, and we'll get in an awful lot of trouble if we're caught."
"Well, Mimsy lives down that way, and I suppose if we don't find the boys there, we can stay with her for the night. I'm sure she wouldn't mind it if she knew that Pippin and them were back." Tori stood and placed her hands on her hips. "So is it settled, then?"
Matti hesitated for a moment, but stood up and walked over to her front door. "I suppose so. But we'll need food. You know Mimsy's family can't share their food with us. It's against The Rules."
"Right." said Tori as she walked inside the hobbit-hole with Matti.
"And," Matti continued. "If we get in trouble, it's your fault."
A/N This is just the first chapter, there will be more to come, and those of you waiting for the mushy stuff: it may take a couple chapters, but don't lose interest just yet! Please tell me what you think, and the more people that review, the faster I'll add on!