A/N: In this chapter, you'll meet
Laurel, Asphodel, and Oliden(Ah-luh-den) Hallfaux(Hall-fox). The Hallfauxes
live on the western shore of the River Brandywine [Baranduin], by the Marish.
This chapter contains lots of speaking parts, and not much action. Also,
I do not know where Farmer Maggot's field is located, so I have done my
best to guess. I'm following the map in my hardback version of the LOTR
trilogy, and it makes no mention of the field. So I wouldn't know if it
was the Green Hill Country or Woodend, which would be way too far, or if
it was near the Old Forest. If anyone could tell me the location of Farmer
Maggot's field, I'll give you credit in this chapter when I update it with
that information.
"…And he's such a little pest! Can
you believe it?"
"Well, Merry. Seems like you've
been too hard on Pippin. He's only five, after all. And you're almost thirteen.
Oh, I'd forgotten! What about that party?"
"No party. Mum says that with Pippin
about, it's impossible. There would be too many tweenagers around, and
Pippin might feel left out or something. A lot of posh if you ask me."
"Don't say posh, Merry, it's not
proper. And besides, you're being unfair. You'd have to understand that--"
"SH! Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"Someone's following us. If that's
Pippin, I'll--"
"Relax, Mer. Pip's at Brandy Hall,
Bilbo's telling him a story, remember? Even he couldn't pass that chance
up."
"Right. Look, Frodo! There's the
field! Come on!" Merry shot off down the lane, with Frodo following close
behind. The two of them entered the large farm field, their first
stop, each of them with two sacks in tow. The field had been abandoned
some time ago, but vegetables still grew there, as if some silent and invisible
magic kept them alive. Quickly, the two hobbit lads collected carrots,
lettuce and some mushrooms and filled the sacks up. When the sacks were
filled, they hauled them over their shoulders and started down the large
hill that overlooked the Baranduin River, otherwise known as the River
Brandywine. One of the hobbits who lived along the shore had several dogs,
not terribly vicious, for their barks were much worse than their bite.
They were loud and bothersome, but practically harmless. They howled mercilessly
as Frodo and Merry slid down the hill, so Merry threw a couple of carrots
over the fence and the dogs paid no more attention to Merry or Frodo, but
instead to the carrots, which they attacked. With a laugh, Merry led the
way down the hill and spotted the ferry, bobbing over little waves in the
water.
"Look! C'mon Frodo, let's load the
vegetables on, and then we'll be off." Merry said. The two of them hauled
the four sacks onto the ferry, and were just about to get the ropes, when
a small figure burst into the clearing.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIT!!!" It
was Pippin.
"GO HOME!" Merry exclaimed, angry
that the smaller Hobbit had followed them. "You're supposed to be at home!"
"I wanted to see where you were
going. And I was going to run back when I heard the dogs. They scared me.
And then…then I fell down the hill and got lost. I followed you. Please,
Merry!"
"No," Merry said roughly. "Go back
to Brandy Hall. Now. Mum'll be really worried when she finds out you're
gone."
"PLEEEEEEEEEASE?" Pippin said, putting
on a puppy-dog look.
"Oh, be a good cousin, now, Mer."
Frodo said. "Let Pippin come with us. Besides, I'd like to get to know
him. Come along, Pippin, hop on." Frodo offered Pippin a smile, and to
Merry, a shrug. Merry knew better than to go against Frodo, so he unanchored
the ferry, grabbed the oar and began to paddle.
"You can come alone, but don't you
dare touch our vegetables."
"Merry!" Frodo exclaimed, surprised
at his cousin's rudeness.
"It's ok, I've got my own." Pippin
said, bringing out several carrots and a whole head of lettuce that he'd
hidden cleverly under his shirt and vest. Merry wanted to gape, but he
shut his mouth, and started ahead angrily, mumbling to himself.
For the first half hour of their
trip, all three young Hobbits were relatively silent. Frodo made several
attempts at conversation, but the talk died almost instantly. Also, they
had eaten all their food already, and Pippin started whining that he was
still hungry. Merry snapped at him to be quiet, and told him that if he
didn't, they were going to throw him overboard. Pippin was quiet for awhile,
but he couldn't resist an urge to ask a question.
"Where are we going, Merry?" Pippin
asked. Merry didn't respond. Frodo laughed at his stubborn young cousin,
and patted Pippin on the shoulder.
"To the Overbourn Marshes. It's
a fair long journey, but it's wonderful. We've been doing this almost three
years, since Merry learned to operate the ferry when he was ten. Your uncle
Saradoc told us about the great treasures left by travelers in the marshes,
and we've been exploring it. So far, we've found--"
"Frodo! Don't go telling our secrets!"
Merry cried out. "Especially not to a blabbermouth like Pippin!" That was
not entirely fair, as Pippin had done nothing at all to Merry to warrant
such a labeling. At least, not yet.
"I'd like to learn to "opiate" a
ferry, too." Pippin said.
"Not this one!" Merry snapped. "This
is the Brandybuck ferry. No Took has ever picked up an oar on this ferry.
And it's "operate," not "opiate". You're even stupider than other hobbits!"
"Oh, come on Merry, let him alone.
He's only five! Besides, remember, you're a Took. Your mother's a Took,
remember?"
"Shut up, Frodo!" Merry exclaimed,
hotly. "My dad's a Brandybuck, though and that's what counts. I'm a Brandybuck
on the side that counts, that's what I meant. He," Merry said, jabbing
a finger at Pippin, "is a Took on the side that counts for him, so there
you are."
"Yes, Merry, but--" At that moment,
Frodo stopped, and Merry stopped rowing the ferry. On the opposite shore,
two small girl Hobbits with pigtails and pink flowery dresses were jumping
up and down, yelling, and a third Hobbit, a boy, was flailing about in
the water.
"HELP!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!! SOMEONE
SAVE MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" The boy was screaming.
Thinking fast, Merry, displaying
himself every inch a Brandybuck, dove into the water and swam over to the
boy. He grabbed the boy's shirt and dragged him over to the ferry. Frodo
hauled the boy onto the ferry, and then grabbed Merry's hand and pulled
him up firmly. The boy sat and coughed up water. Merry took back his oar,
and rowed over to where the two girls were. The boy scampered up on shore,
gasping for breath. Frodo jumped from the ferry to make sure the boy was
alright, and little Pippin, curious, followed. Merry rowed the ferry closer
to the shore and anchored it. The two girls tackled the boy with a massive
hug, and the boy nearly died of shock.
"Laur! Asphodel! That HURTS!" The
boy squeaked. When they let him go, he rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue
out at them. "Sisters," he groaned.
"Oh, thank you!" The taller of the
two girls said, throwing her arms around Merry, who tried to back away--no
avail. The girl squeezed him in a tight hug, and then let him go to check
on the boy. Frodo edged closer to watch, and Pippin took* Frodo's hand
and peered around his elder cousin's leg.
"Are you alright?" Frodo asked the
boy, who was sitting with his legs straight out, leaning back on his hands,
still sputtering a little.
"I'm fine. Thanks, though! I told
you that we shouldn't have come here!" He said, directing his last comment
to his sisters.
"Well you--"
"Laurel! Ollie! You ought to be
ashamed. We haven't even found out who saved your life, Ollie, and you're
being impolite and arguing! Do you know how ashamed Mum would be of us?"
She turned to the three boys. "I'm Asphodel Hallfaux. This is my sister,
Laurel, and my brother Oliden, though they go by Laur and Ollie. We're
from Great Fox Hall, by the Marish. Who're you?"
"I'm Frodo Baggins, from Hobbiton.
These are my cousins. This is Peregrin Took, from the Great Smials, and
this is Meriadoc Brandybuck, from Brandy Hall--"
"It's Merry to most, though." Merry
interrupted.
"I'm Pippin!" cried Pippin. Laurel
squealed, and scooped Pippin up into her arms.
"Oh, you're so adorable!" She exclaimed.
Pippin was shrieked and began giggling madly. Merry rolled his eyes in
disgust, but Frodo kicked him and silenced him with a look.
"What are you doing up here? The
Marish is a ways from here, isn't it? How'd you come to be up here?"
"It's a long story," Laurel said,
putting Pippin back on his feet. "It's Ollie's fault."
"IT IS NOT! You're the ones who
wanted to come down here! 'Let's go and see if we can see the Brandywine
Bridge!' I said it wouldn't be good idea, but you didn't listen!"
"The Brandywine Bridge?" Merry said.
He laughed. "Oh, that's near 30 miles from here. You'd have spent ages
getting there." Merry laughed again, thinking himself wonderful with all
his knowledge of the Ferry and its waters.
"I told them, though." Ollie said,
sticking his tongue out at his sisters.
"Oliden Hallfaux!" gasped Asphodel.
"You'd better stop that this instant! You'll give off a bad impression
to our new friends!"
Laurel rolled her eyes at her sister,
turned to Frodo and Merry. "Why are you out here?"
"We're going to the Overb--" Frodo
started, but Merry jabbed him in the stomach.
"We were just going up the river,
that's all."
"No, Merry, you said to the
Overboure Marshes, to get some treasure!" Pippin said.
"Peregrin Took, you little--" Merry
clenched his teeth and balled up his fists, but Frodo held him back. Pippin
scampered behind Laurel's legs and whimpered. Asphodel found this extremely
funny, and giggled.
"Are they jealous of one another?"
she asked.
"Yes, very. Or rather Merry is of
Pippin. Come here, now, Pip, to me. Merry won't bother you." Frodo said.
Cautiously, Pippin hurried over Frodo, wrapping his arms around Frodo's
legs. Ollie hopped up onto his feet.
"Treasure, though? Really?"
"No." Merry said, to the point.
"That's the rumours, but there isn't any. I told him that to keep him quiet.
He's a pest."
"I think he's cute!" Laurel said.
She went over and bent down next to Pippin, but there was a horrid growling
sound, and she jumped back and fell over. Pippin giggled, however.
"My tummy!" he said, laughing, but
at once became serious. "I'm hungry!"
"You haven't any food, I see." Asphodel
said, helping her sister to her feet. "Would you come with us to Great
Fox Hall? Our mum's making us a fresh batch of Verlag Swishers!" She received
blank looks from Merry, Frodo and even little Pippin, so laughed.
"It's our favourite dessert!" She
said, as thought it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mum puts
in butter and brown sugar and caramel and heats it on a sauce pan and then
pours it into a pan and lets it harden and cool off and then she cuts it,
and we have it.** It's delicious! You'd love it!"
"Please, Frodo? Can we?" Pippin
cried, hopping up and down from one foot to the other, giving the puppy-dog
look.
"We have to get home, Frodo. We're
going to--"
"We'd love to," Frodo said, kicking
Merry, half in revenge for Merry elbowing him in the stomach earlier, half
to get his cousin to show some manners.
"Jolly!" said Ollie. "Come on, then!
I'll led the way!"
A/N: *(Uh, this happened by accident,
but my friend, who was reading it while I wrote it, pointed out that the
word "took" comes after Pippin's name. Pippin Took. Haha.)
** Part of the recipe for blondies,
which are kinda like brownies. My cousin and I tasted the butter/brown
sugar/caramel when my mom was making them, and they were yum. So we made
our own, but just with those ingredients, and we let them harden. They're
really rich and sugary, but it's yummers.
