A/N: Sixty reviews! I have sixty reviews! *Throws confetti in the air* How I wish I could reply to you all individually, but I can't. So, I have to do the best I can with the story. Here is chapter seven! Oh yes, and I hope you all got the thing with the mirror. I was trying my hand at that double meaning stuff.
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter Seven: Counting down
"Where are we going, Mister Frodo?" Sam asked from the back of the small pony he was riding, or actually plodding along, on. He yawned loudly, but tried to stop it when Frodo turned to him. Of course all this really did was manage to make him have to yawn more. Frodo smiled at his companion, and held up a rolled up piece of parchment tied with a blue string.
"Bilbo asked me to deliver this to the Smials, and I asked you to come along to keep me company. Bilbo said we were in no particular hurry."
"Oh." Said Sam. "Well what's the note about?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Frodo admitted. "I do know it's got something to do with the war of Uncle Saradoc's." Sam was silent for a bit, carefully trying to figure out what he wanted to say next. With a sigh, he decided that the only way to do it was to be blunt about it.
"Do you think it'll really come to war, Mister Frodo? And if it does, what side will you choose?" Frodo's voice was somewhat exhausted and tired when he next spoke.
"I don't know Sam. Brandybucks are famous for their tempers, quick to flare but just as easy to quell. I'm hoping that Uncle Saradoc was mostly bluffing. But if it does come to war, I think Bilbo and I will stay out of it."
"That's a good idea Mister Frodo." Sam agreed. They continued in silence the last little bit to the Smials. When they got there, they were both surprised to see many hobbits running this way and that in what seemed to be a great hurry.
"What's going on Mister Frodo?"
"I don't know Sam. But I have a feeling it isn't good." Frodo trotted his pony over to where Paladin was standing on a rock in the middle of all the confusion, Sam about four pony steps behind him.
"Paladin, sir," Frodo said, and the older Took turned and smiled at him.
"Why, it's Frodo Baggins! Hello Master Baggins! Have you come to pledge your support to our side?"
"Er..." Frodo wasn't sure what the correct answer was, as he wasn't sure what cause Paladin was talking about, and decided it best not to answer. "We bring you a message from Bilbo."
"Ah! Yes, very wise of you Frodo." He took the parchment Frodo offered, then yelled over his shoulder, "Pippin!" The small hobbit ran forward from where he was sitting under a tree, watching all the activity.
"Yes Da'?" He looked up at the ponies and let out an excited yell. "Frodo! Sam!"
"Hello Pippin!" Frodo laughed, waving down to him.
"Take our guests to the Smials, Pippin, and get them fed and watered." Pippin nodded eagerly.
"You can tie your ponies in the stables!" When the ponies had been taken care of, and the two guests led to the kitchen, Pippin began talking excitedly.
"It's been awfully long since I've seen you Frodo!" Frodo laughed good naturedly, and ruffled the young hobbit's hair.
"It's only been five days Pip!"
"Well it's seems awful long, so much has happened!" For once, Frodo didn't bother to insert the missing since into his cousin's sentence.
"What's happened Pip?"
"Aunt Esmie came over! And now we're going to war with the Brandybucks!" Sam couldn't tell whether the Took sounded more frightened or excited about this idea, but knew that neither was an emotion he would have expect to hear when said with those words. Not that he'd really expected to hear those words out of that particular Took, either.
"War with the Brandybucks?" Frodo looked, and sounded, thunderstruck. "But Pippin you can't really be doing that!"
"We are." He said, and Sam now understood the emotion to be fear. Though this was preferable to excitement, he still would have expected the young one to be in tears. After all, the lad's best friend was a Brandybuck! Wasn't he?
"Let me talk to Esmie, Pippin." Frodo said, face paler than usual. Pippin walked over to get two cups and two plates. He didn't turn to them when he spoke, so they almost missed his whispered reply.
"You can't."
"Why not Pip?"
"Da' said no one is supposed to talk to her, unless it's to tell her the food has been slipped under the door."
"Slipped under the door! Peregrin Took I demand to know what's going on right now!" Pippin's bottom lipped quivered, and then the whole story burst forth.
"Oh Frodo, I don't know what happened! One night Aunt Esmie came after I was in bed, and told Da' that the Brandybucks were going to come and hurt us! And...and then I asked if I could see her and Da' said no! He said not until she learned her lesson! And he said we weren't to let her out of the room or anything! Oh, Frodo, what's Merry going to do without his Mum? What if he gets hurt? Who'll make him better, Frodo?" Frodo studied Pippin carefully, Merry's pain filled voice recounting what Pippin had said to him filling the back of his mind.
"So you don't think your Dad is right anymore Pippin?"
"I don't know," the little hobbit sighed in defeat, and then hiccupped. "Sometimes it seems Da' is right, and sometimes Merry is."
"Take me to Esmie, please Pippin. It's really important!" Sam didn't know how anyone could resist Frodo's pleading look, and it appeared Pippin couldn't.
"Okay, follow me!" The small lad led them down several winding halls, until they stopped at a room, right next to Pippin's.
"She's in there." He motioned to the door, and Frodo stepped forward. He then fell to his knees, and pressed his face under the crack.
"Esmie! Esmie, can you hear me? It's me, Frodo?"
"Frodo?" The voice that came back was not the voice of the strong hobbit woman both Sam and Frodo knew, but sounded feebler and like the owner had been crying really hard for a long time.
"Yes Esmie, it's me. Pippin's told us everything." There was sound of movement in the room.
"Paladin has locked me in here Frodo. He thinks it's going to keep me safe. He's only going to make things worse! And if I'm not back soon, Saradoc might begin to think that I betrayed him like Paladin does! And poor Merry! He was looking so pale when I left. I fear he's getting sick, and Saradoc can't take care of a sick child to save his life!" Pippin began to tremble and sniffle at this revelation, picturing Merry lying dead on his bed thinking that he hated him!
"Is there anything I can do, Esmie?" Frodo begged. Someone had to think of something!
"Yes...yes Frodo I think you can." Something slid under the door, hitting Frodo in the face.
"Take this note to Saradoc, it'll explain everything to him. Maybe he'll be able to reason with Paladin, now that he's calmed down enough."
"How do you know he's calmed down, Miss Esmerelda?" Sam wanted to know.
"Oh, he's a Brandybuck through and through." Sam looked confused, but decided to ask no further. Frodo picked up the note and smiled at him.
"I'll explain it on the way Sam." He then turned back to the door. "We'll bring back any reply we get Esmie."
"Make haste Frodo! And be careful!" Frodo nodded, though Esmerelda couldn't see him, and pushed himself to his feet.
"Thank your father for his hospitality for us, Pip. And don't say a word of this to anyone." Pippin nodded.
"I promise Frodo, I won't!" Frodo gave him a small smile, and found his way back to the kitchen. He then climbed onto his horse, with Sam not far behind.
"Come on, Kili," Frodo whispered to Bilbo's pony, "to Buckland we go, with as much speed as you can." The pony whinnied and took off with Fili, the pony Sam was on, following.
End A/N: Anyone who can tell me where I got the names Fili and Kili from gets...*pulls out a Merry plushie* one of these! OH! And the next chapter will have more Saradoc, and more of poor Merry, and even more Bilbo. But I don't think there will be too much more action until the chapter after that!
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter Seven: Counting down
"Where are we going, Mister Frodo?" Sam asked from the back of the small pony he was riding, or actually plodding along, on. He yawned loudly, but tried to stop it when Frodo turned to him. Of course all this really did was manage to make him have to yawn more. Frodo smiled at his companion, and held up a rolled up piece of parchment tied with a blue string.
"Bilbo asked me to deliver this to the Smials, and I asked you to come along to keep me company. Bilbo said we were in no particular hurry."
"Oh." Said Sam. "Well what's the note about?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Frodo admitted. "I do know it's got something to do with the war of Uncle Saradoc's." Sam was silent for a bit, carefully trying to figure out what he wanted to say next. With a sigh, he decided that the only way to do it was to be blunt about it.
"Do you think it'll really come to war, Mister Frodo? And if it does, what side will you choose?" Frodo's voice was somewhat exhausted and tired when he next spoke.
"I don't know Sam. Brandybucks are famous for their tempers, quick to flare but just as easy to quell. I'm hoping that Uncle Saradoc was mostly bluffing. But if it does come to war, I think Bilbo and I will stay out of it."
"That's a good idea Mister Frodo." Sam agreed. They continued in silence the last little bit to the Smials. When they got there, they were both surprised to see many hobbits running this way and that in what seemed to be a great hurry.
"What's going on Mister Frodo?"
"I don't know Sam. But I have a feeling it isn't good." Frodo trotted his pony over to where Paladin was standing on a rock in the middle of all the confusion, Sam about four pony steps behind him.
"Paladin, sir," Frodo said, and the older Took turned and smiled at him.
"Why, it's Frodo Baggins! Hello Master Baggins! Have you come to pledge your support to our side?"
"Er..." Frodo wasn't sure what the correct answer was, as he wasn't sure what cause Paladin was talking about, and decided it best not to answer. "We bring you a message from Bilbo."
"Ah! Yes, very wise of you Frodo." He took the parchment Frodo offered, then yelled over his shoulder, "Pippin!" The small hobbit ran forward from where he was sitting under a tree, watching all the activity.
"Yes Da'?" He looked up at the ponies and let out an excited yell. "Frodo! Sam!"
"Hello Pippin!" Frodo laughed, waving down to him.
"Take our guests to the Smials, Pippin, and get them fed and watered." Pippin nodded eagerly.
"You can tie your ponies in the stables!" When the ponies had been taken care of, and the two guests led to the kitchen, Pippin began talking excitedly.
"It's been awfully long since I've seen you Frodo!" Frodo laughed good naturedly, and ruffled the young hobbit's hair.
"It's only been five days Pip!"
"Well it's seems awful long, so much has happened!" For once, Frodo didn't bother to insert the missing since into his cousin's sentence.
"What's happened Pip?"
"Aunt Esmie came over! And now we're going to war with the Brandybucks!" Sam couldn't tell whether the Took sounded more frightened or excited about this idea, but knew that neither was an emotion he would have expect to hear when said with those words. Not that he'd really expected to hear those words out of that particular Took, either.
"War with the Brandybucks?" Frodo looked, and sounded, thunderstruck. "But Pippin you can't really be doing that!"
"We are." He said, and Sam now understood the emotion to be fear. Though this was preferable to excitement, he still would have expected the young one to be in tears. After all, the lad's best friend was a Brandybuck! Wasn't he?
"Let me talk to Esmie, Pippin." Frodo said, face paler than usual. Pippin walked over to get two cups and two plates. He didn't turn to them when he spoke, so they almost missed his whispered reply.
"You can't."
"Why not Pip?"
"Da' said no one is supposed to talk to her, unless it's to tell her the food has been slipped under the door."
"Slipped under the door! Peregrin Took I demand to know what's going on right now!" Pippin's bottom lipped quivered, and then the whole story burst forth.
"Oh Frodo, I don't know what happened! One night Aunt Esmie came after I was in bed, and told Da' that the Brandybucks were going to come and hurt us! And...and then I asked if I could see her and Da' said no! He said not until she learned her lesson! And he said we weren't to let her out of the room or anything! Oh, Frodo, what's Merry going to do without his Mum? What if he gets hurt? Who'll make him better, Frodo?" Frodo studied Pippin carefully, Merry's pain filled voice recounting what Pippin had said to him filling the back of his mind.
"So you don't think your Dad is right anymore Pippin?"
"I don't know," the little hobbit sighed in defeat, and then hiccupped. "Sometimes it seems Da' is right, and sometimes Merry is."
"Take me to Esmie, please Pippin. It's really important!" Sam didn't know how anyone could resist Frodo's pleading look, and it appeared Pippin couldn't.
"Okay, follow me!" The small lad led them down several winding halls, until they stopped at a room, right next to Pippin's.
"She's in there." He motioned to the door, and Frodo stepped forward. He then fell to his knees, and pressed his face under the crack.
"Esmie! Esmie, can you hear me? It's me, Frodo?"
"Frodo?" The voice that came back was not the voice of the strong hobbit woman both Sam and Frodo knew, but sounded feebler and like the owner had been crying really hard for a long time.
"Yes Esmie, it's me. Pippin's told us everything." There was sound of movement in the room.
"Paladin has locked me in here Frodo. He thinks it's going to keep me safe. He's only going to make things worse! And if I'm not back soon, Saradoc might begin to think that I betrayed him like Paladin does! And poor Merry! He was looking so pale when I left. I fear he's getting sick, and Saradoc can't take care of a sick child to save his life!" Pippin began to tremble and sniffle at this revelation, picturing Merry lying dead on his bed thinking that he hated him!
"Is there anything I can do, Esmie?" Frodo begged. Someone had to think of something!
"Yes...yes Frodo I think you can." Something slid under the door, hitting Frodo in the face.
"Take this note to Saradoc, it'll explain everything to him. Maybe he'll be able to reason with Paladin, now that he's calmed down enough."
"How do you know he's calmed down, Miss Esmerelda?" Sam wanted to know.
"Oh, he's a Brandybuck through and through." Sam looked confused, but decided to ask no further. Frodo picked up the note and smiled at him.
"I'll explain it on the way Sam." He then turned back to the door. "We'll bring back any reply we get Esmie."
"Make haste Frodo! And be careful!" Frodo nodded, though Esmerelda couldn't see him, and pushed himself to his feet.
"Thank your father for his hospitality for us, Pip. And don't say a word of this to anyone." Pippin nodded.
"I promise Frodo, I won't!" Frodo gave him a small smile, and found his way back to the kitchen. He then climbed onto his horse, with Sam not far behind.
"Come on, Kili," Frodo whispered to Bilbo's pony, "to Buckland we go, with as much speed as you can." The pony whinnied and took off with Fili, the pony Sam was on, following.
End A/N: Anyone who can tell me where I got the names Fili and Kili from gets...*pulls out a Merry plushie* one of these! OH! And the next chapter will have more Saradoc, and more of poor Merry, and even more Bilbo. But I don't think there will be too much more action until the chapter after that!