Bronwe: Silence (13/?)
By ALBA
******
DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me, they belong to J.R.R. Tolkien's estate. I merely borrowed them and will return them when I'm finished with them. I am making no money off this fiction. I am merely using them for my own enjoyment. ;) So don't sue me because I am flat broke. PrettySparklyDanceBoys broke my bank.
DEDICATION: For Kris, my beloved, nasty elfslut. :) For Janelle, my smutmuse who gives me the needed boots to the head. And to Daisy Gamgee for her kind words and her go-ahead for me to write this series. A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed this little fic of mine. It's a real blast writing it!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Bronwe" is Sindarin for "enduring, lasting quality, faith" (according to http://www.jrrvf.com/~hisweloke/cgi-bin/sintrans.cgi). No, Elves don't have anything to do with the story. I just liked the word. :)
******
BRONWE - Silence
It was strange for the place to be so silent, Pippin decided. Normally, the sounds of his large family would fill the rooms with their chatter and laughter, but today everyone was either out playing in the freshly-fallen snow or, in the case of his parents, still asleep.
"Come play with us!" Pervinca had pleaded earlier that morning, tugging on his shirt sleeves.
"Can't. Merry's coming over," he'd told her, grinning when she'd rolled her eyes. "He promised he'd take me out skating!"
"Silly hobbit." Tugging on his curls, Pervinca had left him alone, gathering up the various cousins and siblings around the house to have a giant snowball fight in the front yard.
"Where are you, Merry?" Pippin muttered to himself, looking out the window. He laughed when Pervinca got a snowball to the face, courtesy of one of his cousins and for a moment, he wished he'd said yes.
"Why aren't you out there?" his mother asked from behind him.
"Merry's coming," Pippin said shortly, never taking his eyes off the front gate.
"Sweetie, I don't think he's coming."
"He'll be here," insisted Pippin. "He promised."
"Call the kids in to get warmed up," was all his mother said. "It's nearly lunchtime and they'll need to clean up a bit before they can eat."
"Yes, Ma." Going to the door, he watched his family play for a bit before calling them in. Pervinca was the last in the house, giving him a sad look as she walked in, brushing snow off her collar.
"Merry's not here?" she said softly to him and he shook his head. "Maybe he just had a bit trouble getting here. It snowed an awful lot last night."
"I hope so, 'Vinca," he whispered.
"He'll come. He always does."
"I know." And Pippin went back to his watching while his sister went to get cleaned up. Lunch came and went with no sign of Merry and Pippin finally started wondering if his mother was right and Merry wasn't going to come. As Pervinca came back in the room, Pippin finally turned away from the window. No sense in watching for something that was never going to come.
"Read a book to me?" Pervinca asked him, curling up on the floor beside him and placing her head in his lap. This was their second-favorite pastime on snowy days - to read to each other by the warmth of the fire.
"You just like my voices," Pippin gently teased his sister, earning a snort.
"I do better voices thank you," she insisted, getting up to grab a book off the bookshelf before throwing herself back down beside him. "I've always done better voices."
"We only said that so you wouldn't get mad."
"OH!" Pervinca smacked him in the chest and handed him the book. "Here, read this one."
"You're older me! Why am I reading?"
"Because I told you to."
"OK then." Looking at the title of the book she'd grabbed, Pippin had to laugh. "Tales of the Elves?"
"You've always loved that one," Pervinca admitted. "You've been so sad today 'cause of Merry and I wanted to make you smile."
"Thank you, 'Vinca." Pippin gave his sister a huge hug and settled in beside her to read. As the afternoon wore on, they continued to read, each taking turns reading one chapter of the book. Various cousins and other siblings wandered into the room until most of the family was curled up around the fire, listening to Pippin and Pervinca read. When Pippin stumbled over a particularly large word, Pervinca softly corrected him and he would continue on as if he hadn't stumbled in the first place. Their parents peeked in from time to time, but left the children alone for the most part.
Pippin's mother had just called the children for dinner when there came the sound of stomping on the front step. Pervinca looked at Pippin, but he just shook his head. It wasn't Merry. Not this late. Rolling his eyes, Paladin got up from the table and opened the front door.
"What is this? A snow-hobbit!" he exclaimed, drawing the figure inside. "Pippin, my lad, look what's finally turned up."
"MERRY!" Tackling his cousin to the floor in a hug, Pippin barely heard his family's laughter as they went to sit down for dinner.
"Geroff!"
"What?"
"GET OFF, I said. You're heavy, Pip," Merry told the younger hobbit, pushing Pippin off his chest so he could sit up.
"What took you so long? I've been expecting you all day!"
"All the roads are snowed-in. I had to help the Gaffer and Bilbo clear the road from the Row up to Bag End just so I could get out! I was visiting Frodo last night and I stayed over. Then when that road was done, we still had all the rest of the roads to and from the Shire to clear. Lucky you, sitting nice and warm all day!"
"You're warm now," said Pippin, putting his arms around Merry's waist. "Even if you are soaking wet!" Laughing, Pippin flicked his now-wet hands in Merry's face and scampered off. Shaking his head, Merry drew off his heavy coat and tossed it into the chair by the fire so it could dry.
Now laughter, and not silence, filled the hallways of the Great Smials.
******
DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me, they belong to J.R.R. Tolkien's estate. I merely borrowed them and will return them when I'm finished with them. I am making no money off this fiction. I am merely using them for my own enjoyment. ;) So don't sue me because I am flat broke. PrettySparklyDanceBoys broke my bank.
DEDICATION: For Kris, my beloved, nasty elfslut. :) For Janelle, my smutmuse who gives me the needed boots to the head. And to Daisy Gamgee for her kind words and her go-ahead for me to write this series. A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed this little fic of mine. It's a real blast writing it!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Bronwe" is Sindarin for "enduring, lasting quality, faith" (according to http://www.jrrvf.com/~hisweloke/cgi-bin/sintrans.cgi). No, Elves don't have anything to do with the story. I just liked the word. :)
******
BRONWE - Silence
It was strange for the place to be so silent, Pippin decided. Normally, the sounds of his large family would fill the rooms with their chatter and laughter, but today everyone was either out playing in the freshly-fallen snow or, in the case of his parents, still asleep.
"Come play with us!" Pervinca had pleaded earlier that morning, tugging on his shirt sleeves.
"Can't. Merry's coming over," he'd told her, grinning when she'd rolled her eyes. "He promised he'd take me out skating!"
"Silly hobbit." Tugging on his curls, Pervinca had left him alone, gathering up the various cousins and siblings around the house to have a giant snowball fight in the front yard.
"Where are you, Merry?" Pippin muttered to himself, looking out the window. He laughed when Pervinca got a snowball to the face, courtesy of one of his cousins and for a moment, he wished he'd said yes.
"Why aren't you out there?" his mother asked from behind him.
"Merry's coming," Pippin said shortly, never taking his eyes off the front gate.
"Sweetie, I don't think he's coming."
"He'll be here," insisted Pippin. "He promised."
"Call the kids in to get warmed up," was all his mother said. "It's nearly lunchtime and they'll need to clean up a bit before they can eat."
"Yes, Ma." Going to the door, he watched his family play for a bit before calling them in. Pervinca was the last in the house, giving him a sad look as she walked in, brushing snow off her collar.
"Merry's not here?" she said softly to him and he shook his head. "Maybe he just had a bit trouble getting here. It snowed an awful lot last night."
"I hope so, 'Vinca," he whispered.
"He'll come. He always does."
"I know." And Pippin went back to his watching while his sister went to get cleaned up. Lunch came and went with no sign of Merry and Pippin finally started wondering if his mother was right and Merry wasn't going to come. As Pervinca came back in the room, Pippin finally turned away from the window. No sense in watching for something that was never going to come.
"Read a book to me?" Pervinca asked him, curling up on the floor beside him and placing her head in his lap. This was their second-favorite pastime on snowy days - to read to each other by the warmth of the fire.
"You just like my voices," Pippin gently teased his sister, earning a snort.
"I do better voices thank you," she insisted, getting up to grab a book off the bookshelf before throwing herself back down beside him. "I've always done better voices."
"We only said that so you wouldn't get mad."
"OH!" Pervinca smacked him in the chest and handed him the book. "Here, read this one."
"You're older me! Why am I reading?"
"Because I told you to."
"OK then." Looking at the title of the book she'd grabbed, Pippin had to laugh. "Tales of the Elves?"
"You've always loved that one," Pervinca admitted. "You've been so sad today 'cause of Merry and I wanted to make you smile."
"Thank you, 'Vinca." Pippin gave his sister a huge hug and settled in beside her to read. As the afternoon wore on, they continued to read, each taking turns reading one chapter of the book. Various cousins and other siblings wandered into the room until most of the family was curled up around the fire, listening to Pippin and Pervinca read. When Pippin stumbled over a particularly large word, Pervinca softly corrected him and he would continue on as if he hadn't stumbled in the first place. Their parents peeked in from time to time, but left the children alone for the most part.
Pippin's mother had just called the children for dinner when there came the sound of stomping on the front step. Pervinca looked at Pippin, but he just shook his head. It wasn't Merry. Not this late. Rolling his eyes, Paladin got up from the table and opened the front door.
"What is this? A snow-hobbit!" he exclaimed, drawing the figure inside. "Pippin, my lad, look what's finally turned up."
"MERRY!" Tackling his cousin to the floor in a hug, Pippin barely heard his family's laughter as they went to sit down for dinner.
"Geroff!"
"What?"
"GET OFF, I said. You're heavy, Pip," Merry told the younger hobbit, pushing Pippin off his chest so he could sit up.
"What took you so long? I've been expecting you all day!"
"All the roads are snowed-in. I had to help the Gaffer and Bilbo clear the road from the Row up to Bag End just so I could get out! I was visiting Frodo last night and I stayed over. Then when that road was done, we still had all the rest of the roads to and from the Shire to clear. Lucky you, sitting nice and warm all day!"
"You're warm now," said Pippin, putting his arms around Merry's waist. "Even if you are soaking wet!" Laughing, Pippin flicked his now-wet hands in Merry's face and scampered off. Shaking his head, Merry drew off his heavy coat and tossed it into the chair by the fire so it could dry.
Now laughter, and not silence, filled the hallways of the Great Smials.