Chapter Twelve: Stories and Storms

All in all, it was a lovely night to be outside and listening to songs and stories. There was a light breeze, but it was not very cold. At the virtually unanimous request of the Elves, Legolas sang first.

His voice was very clear and strong, able to surround the entire garden and reach to the heavens. It could reach wide ranges of notes, and was low but never deep.

And it was true, what Frodo had heard: the voices of Elves were able to makes their stories appear before their listeners. Around the fire stood great kings, fair maidens, and base evil-doers, all summoned by the powerful voice of Legolas.

After Legolas had finished, to great applause, a request rang out from the other side of the fire for Bilbo to tell of his adventures. This met with much approval from the Elves and even greater and louder approval from the hobbits.

" I grew up on this tale," Sam said to Frodo. "Used to pester Mr. Bilbo to tell it every day till my dad threatened to box my ears."

"The Wargs always frightened me when I was young," said Frodo. "I used to imagine them looking like Farmer Maggot's dogs, only larger and with bigger teeth. At night, if the wind was howling around the chimney, I'd think that the Wargs were outside, waiting to eat me."

"I was afraid of the trolls the most," said Sam. "All big and rough and hungry for anything they could eat…"

"I was scared of Gandalf," Pippin admitted, a bit pink-cheeked.

Merry stared at him incredulously. "You were afraid of Gandalf?!"

"When I was a child, yes! Because he was tall and he had a deep voice. And because of him, poor Bilbo had to go on an adventure and couldn't have six meals a day."

Merry laughed. "So Sam and Frodo were afraid of being devoured, and you were afraid of being hungry." He reached over and tousled Pippin's hair.

"And I was afraid because Gandalf was a wizard," said Pippin. "I thought that if I met him one day he might turn me into a toad."

"And I may yet, if you don't stop your babbling and listen to your cousin Bilbo, Peregrin Took," said a deep voice from the right. Pippin jumped, and Merry and Frodo began to laugh. Even Sam had to cover his mouth to hide a smile.

"So, you were frightened of me?" said Gandalf, taking a seat next to Pippin. "Well, that is not so hard to understand. I expect that a wizard could be a bit intimidating to a small hobbit-lad. But now, hush! I want to hear the story again, and offer a few of my own comments, perhaps."

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Just as Bilbo reached the part in his story where he returned home and found that his property was being auctioned, a boom of thunder drowned out his words. Within seconds, rain began to pour down on them.

"Well, it's a good thing that we used this night well," said Bilbo, who had walked over to Gandalf and the hobbits when he had realized that his story couldn't be continued. "Ah! Lady Arwen!"

Frodo looked up to see Arwen standing next to him, her hair hanging about her face like black vines. "I hoped that you would be here," she said, "for it occurred to me that I have not been introduced to two of your party."

"Oh!" said Frodo. "That's right! This is Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin – "

The "Took" was obliterated by another thunderclap.

"We should go inside, quickly," said Arwen, and she started for the door. Sam glanced at the sky and followed her, carrying the blankets.

"I think I shall stay here," said Merry. "I quite like the rain."

"You must be mad!" retorted Pippin. "Look at that lightening!"

"Yes, look at it!" said Merry, a wild grin on his face. "It's spectacular. Reminds me of Gandalf's fireworks."

"I'd much prefer to be warm and dry in bed, if you don't mind," said Pippin, shivering. (Frodo suspected that the shiver was more for emphasis than because he was cold.) "Rain makes all sorts of horrible mud, too."

"Perfect for pushing young Tooks into!" cried Merry, and with that, he tackled Pippin into the mud.

"You're both out of your minds," muttered Frodo, smiling, as his cousins wrestled in the dirt.

Pippin, who had just managed to pin Merry onto the ground, looked up. "Did you hear that?"

"I did!" said Merry.

"He insulted us!" cried Pippin. "Well, there's only one thing to do now!"

"Oh no you don't," Frodo started to say, but before he could finish, he had been pulled down into the mud.

"Out of our minds, are we?" said Merry mock-indignantly, as he took a handful of mud and rubbed it in Frodo's hair.

"Yes," said Frodo lightheartedly, dropping a clump of soil down Merry's shirt. "Completely mad. Wanting to stay outside in the rain…well, the Brandybucks were always queer when it came to water."

"You're half a Brandybuck yourself!" said Pippin, and threw a well-aimed mud ball at Frodo's chest.

"It's in your blood too," said Frodo, pushing past Merry and onto Pippin, pinning him by his shoulders.

"Let's see," said Merry. "I'm queer because I like water…Frodo's mad because he was raised by Bilbo…"

"And Pippin's odd because he's got Tookish part-fairy blood!" said Frodo as Pippin pushed him over and onto his back.

"So that means we're all quite strange and less than respectable," said Merry.

"All the more reason to fling mud at each other," said Pippin, and he launched some at Merry.

Merry ducked and sat right up after the mud had gone over his head. "Sam!" he exclaimed suddenly. "The last respectable hobbit in Rivendell!"

Frodo looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, looking quite clean and dry. "Mr. Frodo, come inside!" he shouted over the thunder. "You're in no condition to be roughhousing about, and no one ought to be outside in this weather. If Mr. Gandalf or Mr. Elrond find out about this – "

"All right, I'll come inside," said Frodo, getting up quickly. Merry and Pippin followed him to the door.

"Why, you're soaked through!" Sam exclaimed. "Look at your clothes…and it'll take me at least half an hour to get that mud out of your hair."

"You know, Sam, I do wonder what Frodo would do without you," Pippin said.

"Probably spend more time than is good for him running around with the likes of you two," said Sam, not unkindly.