A/N: *squealing with delight* I have over forty reviews! This is my most successful story (in the review sense) ever! Oh, and the elvish is "A star shines on the hour of our meeting" or something similar to that. I can't find it right now to quote exactly *sweatdrops*
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter Six: Wars brewing
The poor teddy bear flew across the room, hitting the wall so hard one of it's button eyes came off, and fell to the floor with a dull thump. A hand curled around the defenseless bear's chest. Merry looked at the remaining button eyes, his own eyes ablaze.
"This is my fault!" He cried to it, giving it a little shake. "I knew better than to go to the Smials! I knew it would only make things worse. I'm so stupid!" The poor bear flew again, this time hitting the small looking glass on the wall. Both fell to the ground with a crash, but such was the noise out the hobbit's door that no one heard it. Grim faced, the young hobbit walked over the broken glass.
Merry looked down at the shattered glass, his face now expressionless. Fragments of himself showed back at him, all with dead green eyes and expressionless faces.
"A broken reflection. Splintered pieces of the same whole." He murmured, bending down and picking up one of the pieces. As he picked up the largest piece, it sliced his hand. He watched numbly, the pain only a vague sensation in the back of his head, as dark red blood dripped onto his hands. Merry watched it silently for a moment, before putting the glass down and walking out the door. Little red spots splashed onto the wood floor behind him. He was walking to the nearest bathroom, which was on the other side of his parents room, when he heard yelling behind it.
"Saradoc this is madness! No one in the Shire has killed another intentionally in almost a hundred years, if not longer!"
"They've got to know Esmerelda, they've got to understand! When it is no longer safe for our children to travel to the other side of the Brandywine, enough is enough! I will not tolerate our son being beaten and spit upon like some beggar! There is more pride in the name Brandybuck than that!"
"Just because you have the power to start a war, Saradoc Brandybuck, does not mean that you have too! Give me a chance to talk to my brother, maybe I can sort this out."
"And give him warning of our plan? No. Now is the time to act!"
"I'm going to try and talk some sense into my brother Saradoc, whether you like it or not! You have until I return to change your mind!" With that, the Mistress of Brandyhall left the room with as much air and dignity as she could muster, her cloak thrown over her shoulders, and was flying to the stables. Saradoc stepped to his doorway, but stopped there. Why was he bothering? He knew it would not work, and he had preparations to make. With the whipping of his cape, Saradoc turned back to his room. From the shadows of the hall Merry looked at his hand, and whispered.
"One more piece."
"Aunt Esmie!" Pearl cried in shock, as she opened the door several hours after Esmerelda had left Brandyhall. The gentle hobbit woman stepped inside, and swept off her riding hood.
"Hello, dear, is your Da' home?" She asked, reverting back to her Tuckbraugh accent instead of the Buckland one she had acquired. "I need to speak with him, on a matter of some urgency."
"Yes, he's in his study." Pearl lead her swiftly down one of the many corridors. "Da', Aunt Esmie's here!" Paladin Took threw the door open wide, and firelight flooded the time hallway.
"Esmie!" Paladin cried, dignity forgotten for a moment, and drew his sister into a tight hug. Esmerelda smiled at him, and held the embrace for a moment before pulling away and locking eyes with her brother.
"I wish this were a casual visit, Pal, but I fear it is a matter that demands your immediate attention." Paladin nodded, and motioned for his oldest daughter to leave.
"Thank you for wasting no time Pearl. You may go now." The young hobbit nodded and scurried off, as Paladin shut the door behind his sister.
"What brings you here in such haste, sister?" Drawing a breath to steady herself, Esmerelda quickly launched into her tale; starting with Merry coming home, up until when they left Bag End.
"And Saradoc is set in is resolution to make war on you, Pal!" She cried in dismay, throwing her arms up in a sign of defeat. "But you'll set him right won't you? You'll explain the whole thing to him..." Paladin's face lit up with malice, and he laid his hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you Esmie. I knew you would betray those wretched Brandybucks and return to the life of the Tooks in the end." Esmerelda was taken aback.
"Betray the Brandybucks? Paladin I'm not trying to betray anyone! I'm trying to put some sense into both your heads!" But it appeared Paladin was not listening.
"Now we have the information we need to attack first!"
"Attack?!" Esmerelda with sudden anger, "Paladin, I did not tell you this so you could attack first! I gave you this information so that you could go talk to my husband and make him see reason!"
"Talk to that lair and thief?"
"Paladin that's my husband you're talking about!"
"Not rightly, Esmie! He took your from me, stole you the moment I turned my back!"
"Paladin, I told you this the first night and a hundred nights since then! Saradoc did not force me to marry him! We'd been dating in secret for a long time, and were married secretly because we knew that you and father would not approve!"
"You had not mine nor father's permission. There for your marriage was not legal, or ligament, and that makes your son a bastard*!" Esmerelda' s fists clenched and her eyes were blazing with rage.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage all ready? You leave my son out of this! And whether you think he is legal or not, he is still your nephew and I still love Merry and Saradoc more than anything in the world!" Paladin's eyes flashed.
"You have been brainwashed, Esmie. And a think a few days in the Smials would do you good. I hereby decree that, until otherwise stated, you will not be returning to Brandyhall, Esmie, and you will not go anywhere without an army escort!"
"You can't do that!" Esmerelda yelled in fury. "You can't keep me from my home Paladin!"
"I'm not keeping you from your home, Esmie. I'm keeping you at home." With great strength, but as gently as he could, he dragged his little sister to a spare room, tossed her lightly in, and locked the door.
"PALADIN! YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE! PALADIN!"
End A/N: Paladin isn't as evil as I'm writing him; he's just fiercely protective. So don't judge him to harshly.
*= I'm not using this as a swear word, I'm using the literal meaning as I've read it in books about medieval England, meaning an illegitimate son. Or a child produced because of sleeping around. This is normal used when referring to the illegitimate son/daughter of someone of importance.
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter Six: Wars brewing
The poor teddy bear flew across the room, hitting the wall so hard one of it's button eyes came off, and fell to the floor with a dull thump. A hand curled around the defenseless bear's chest. Merry looked at the remaining button eyes, his own eyes ablaze.
"This is my fault!" He cried to it, giving it a little shake. "I knew better than to go to the Smials! I knew it would only make things worse. I'm so stupid!" The poor bear flew again, this time hitting the small looking glass on the wall. Both fell to the ground with a crash, but such was the noise out the hobbit's door that no one heard it. Grim faced, the young hobbit walked over the broken glass.
Merry looked down at the shattered glass, his face now expressionless. Fragments of himself showed back at him, all with dead green eyes and expressionless faces.
"A broken reflection. Splintered pieces of the same whole." He murmured, bending down and picking up one of the pieces. As he picked up the largest piece, it sliced his hand. He watched numbly, the pain only a vague sensation in the back of his head, as dark red blood dripped onto his hands. Merry watched it silently for a moment, before putting the glass down and walking out the door. Little red spots splashed onto the wood floor behind him. He was walking to the nearest bathroom, which was on the other side of his parents room, when he heard yelling behind it.
"Saradoc this is madness! No one in the Shire has killed another intentionally in almost a hundred years, if not longer!"
"They've got to know Esmerelda, they've got to understand! When it is no longer safe for our children to travel to the other side of the Brandywine, enough is enough! I will not tolerate our son being beaten and spit upon like some beggar! There is more pride in the name Brandybuck than that!"
"Just because you have the power to start a war, Saradoc Brandybuck, does not mean that you have too! Give me a chance to talk to my brother, maybe I can sort this out."
"And give him warning of our plan? No. Now is the time to act!"
"I'm going to try and talk some sense into my brother Saradoc, whether you like it or not! You have until I return to change your mind!" With that, the Mistress of Brandyhall left the room with as much air and dignity as she could muster, her cloak thrown over her shoulders, and was flying to the stables. Saradoc stepped to his doorway, but stopped there. Why was he bothering? He knew it would not work, and he had preparations to make. With the whipping of his cape, Saradoc turned back to his room. From the shadows of the hall Merry looked at his hand, and whispered.
"One more piece."
"Aunt Esmie!" Pearl cried in shock, as she opened the door several hours after Esmerelda had left Brandyhall. The gentle hobbit woman stepped inside, and swept off her riding hood.
"Hello, dear, is your Da' home?" She asked, reverting back to her Tuckbraugh accent instead of the Buckland one she had acquired. "I need to speak with him, on a matter of some urgency."
"Yes, he's in his study." Pearl lead her swiftly down one of the many corridors. "Da', Aunt Esmie's here!" Paladin Took threw the door open wide, and firelight flooded the time hallway.
"Esmie!" Paladin cried, dignity forgotten for a moment, and drew his sister into a tight hug. Esmerelda smiled at him, and held the embrace for a moment before pulling away and locking eyes with her brother.
"I wish this were a casual visit, Pal, but I fear it is a matter that demands your immediate attention." Paladin nodded, and motioned for his oldest daughter to leave.
"Thank you for wasting no time Pearl. You may go now." The young hobbit nodded and scurried off, as Paladin shut the door behind his sister.
"What brings you here in such haste, sister?" Drawing a breath to steady herself, Esmerelda quickly launched into her tale; starting with Merry coming home, up until when they left Bag End.
"And Saradoc is set in is resolution to make war on you, Pal!" She cried in dismay, throwing her arms up in a sign of defeat. "But you'll set him right won't you? You'll explain the whole thing to him..." Paladin's face lit up with malice, and he laid his hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you Esmie. I knew you would betray those wretched Brandybucks and return to the life of the Tooks in the end." Esmerelda was taken aback.
"Betray the Brandybucks? Paladin I'm not trying to betray anyone! I'm trying to put some sense into both your heads!" But it appeared Paladin was not listening.
"Now we have the information we need to attack first!"
"Attack?!" Esmerelda with sudden anger, "Paladin, I did not tell you this so you could attack first! I gave you this information so that you could go talk to my husband and make him see reason!"
"Talk to that lair and thief?"
"Paladin that's my husband you're talking about!"
"Not rightly, Esmie! He took your from me, stole you the moment I turned my back!"
"Paladin, I told you this the first night and a hundred nights since then! Saradoc did not force me to marry him! We'd been dating in secret for a long time, and were married secretly because we knew that you and father would not approve!"
"You had not mine nor father's permission. There for your marriage was not legal, or ligament, and that makes your son a bastard*!" Esmerelda' s fists clenched and her eyes were blazing with rage.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage all ready? You leave my son out of this! And whether you think he is legal or not, he is still your nephew and I still love Merry and Saradoc more than anything in the world!" Paladin's eyes flashed.
"You have been brainwashed, Esmie. And a think a few days in the Smials would do you good. I hereby decree that, until otherwise stated, you will not be returning to Brandyhall, Esmie, and you will not go anywhere without an army escort!"
"You can't do that!" Esmerelda yelled in fury. "You can't keep me from my home Paladin!"
"I'm not keeping you from your home, Esmie. I'm keeping you at home." With great strength, but as gently as he could, he dragged his little sister to a spare room, tossed her lightly in, and locked the door.
"PALADIN! YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE! PALADIN!"
End A/N: Paladin isn't as evil as I'm writing him; he's just fiercely protective. So don't judge him to harshly.
*= I'm not using this as a swear word, I'm using the literal meaning as I've read it in books about medieval England, meaning an illegitimate son. Or a child produced because of sleeping around. This is normal used when referring to the illegitimate son/daughter of someone of importance.