Disclaimer- "The Lord of the Rings" is still not mine. Sorry if you were told otherwise.
Chapter 12- Scheming Lads and Giggling Girls
"Good-bye!" Theo yelled, doing his best to look sad and left out. Poppy, Dandelion, Tru, and his father were leaving Brandy Hall with Rolo, riding off into the sunset like the heroes from stories Theo listened to as a younger hobbit lad- even if they were, technically, riding away from the sunset. He waved despondently once more, then followed his mother back inside the Hall.
"Theo, I'm sorry you can't go meet that Man- I know you really wanted to, dear- but honestly, I'm just looking out for your safety. D'you want to go so badly that you're willing to risk your health on it?" When Theo didn't answer, June added, "I thought as much. Don't worry, there'll be other Men, at other times."
Although his mother had taken his silence for a negative answer, Theo really just wasn't paying her much attention. He was going through a long repertoire of ways he knew to sneak out, hoping he would find a good one he hadn't used in a while. It wasn't that Theo was a disobedient child- well, he was, but he wasn't disobedient for the sake of being disobedient. 'I am seventeen years old,' he thought indignantly, 'about time they should start trusting me more.' Besides, he was adamant about wanting to see a Big Person.
As they continued down the hall toward Theo's bedroom- 'Where I'm being exiled to,' he thought morosely- Theo wished Dandelion or one of the others had stuck up for his inclusion in the party. He had wanted to shout that he was coming, or they'd have to send him home tied in a sack, as Thain Peregrin had said in one of Dandy's stories- then he had remembered he was already home, and even if he was not there was a good chance his mother would have tied him in a sack and taken him back. Thinking of this made him think of Dandelion's stories, and his mind went over them casually, looking- with little hope- for a way to sneak out that night. Suddenly, he began to smile, and then he nearly laughed, for he had thought of a perfect plan. Theo hurried to catch up with his mother, who was several strides in front, and stopped smiling, instead adopting a downcast look.
"Mum, I don't feel well. I'm gonna go t'bed now, if that's all right."
"Of course," June answered, realizing that all the excitement must have tired him out.
Theo entered his room (shutting the door behind him), rushed to get dressed for bed and jumped into the covers. He paused for a minute or two, then called, "I'm in bed!" to his waiting mother, who silently went into the room and to his bed.
"Good-night, Theo. Sweet dreams." June kissed her son on the forehead and walked toward the door.
"Good-night, Mum," Theo replied, making a big show of yawning and blinking tiredly. "See you in the morning." The young hobbit listened to the soft shuffle of his mother's feet going down the hall; when they faded into the distance, he leapt out of bed and pulled his clothes back on. It was, after all, a cold night. He tugged some spare pillows from out of a drawer and dropped them onto the top of the bed. He arranged them into what could pass for a hobbit shape as quickly as he dared, then produced the finishing touch from a drawer in his dresser: a small brown cloth. 'It is not,' he thought regretfully, 'a perfect match for my hair, but in the dark it will be hard to tell. I think.' He placed it carefully on the top of his pillow-hobbit, then crept to the window and opened it quietly. Theo was halfway out of it when he remembered his pack. He rolled his eyes in annoyance at his forgetfulness and hurried quietly back to his dresser, picked the sack of supplies- mostly food- out from a drawer, and carefully exited his room through his round window.
He landed on the grass and dropped to the ground, listening carefully to make sure his escape had not been noticed. A soft bark came from inside his room. "Scamp," Theo said in surprise. How could he have forgotten his puppy? He looked into the window to see the aforementioned puppy looking at him mournfully. "I'll be all right, Scamp, don't worry. Stay here." With that, he shut the window. Scamp jumped onto a chair and propped his front paws on the window frame, watching his young master weave his careful way across the yard, until he entered the stables and disappeared from the pup's view. Scamp put his head onto his paws and whimpered to express his loneliness. But he, unlike the hobbit he had watched, knew when to follow orders, and soon left the window to take his place at the foot of the bed.
* * *
Theo had managed to escape Brandy Hall, but he was not immediately going to the east gate. Oh no. 'I have to get Mat,' the young hobbit thought. So, he was now in fact riding his pony north to Crickhollow, where, as you may remember, there was a small house. It was indeed the same house used by Frodo Baggins, where he pretended to be moving after he sold Bag End. But that, of course, is another story.
Crickhollow was not very far from Brandy Hall, no more than a couple of miles, but Theo needed speed and so had gotten Roan saddled and bridled hastily, then set off. Roan was a swift pony, one of the swiftest in the Shire, so it was around half an hour after he had set out that Theo reached the house. After Frodo had sailed West, the house had been occupied by Master Meriadoc and Thain Peregrin (before they were Master and Thain, of course), and then shuffled among several hobbit families until the current owners, the Goold family, had come into possession.
Theo rode to a window on the western side and slid off his saddle. He led Roan right up next to the window; then, the hobbit tapped on it. "Mat!" There was no response from the room within. Theo tapped harder. "Mat! Mat! Matta Goold!" His pointed ears picked up slight noises from inside. The window was flung open by a sleepy hobbit lad, no older than Theo.
"What?" he said tiredly.
"Mat, it's me- Theo."
Mat rubbed at his eyes, trying to focus clearly on his friend. "Theo? What's the time? Why are you here? We heard you were," he yawned, "ill or something."
The Brandybuck shuffled his feet. "I was, but I'm better now. Get dressed. It's time for an adventure!"
At this Mat's curiosity was piqued, but he was still partly asleep. "Can't it wait until morning? I'm dead tired, Theo. It's too early for adventures."
Theo was growing impatient. Roan nuzzled his shoulder, as if sensing his restlessness. "Nonsense. Adventures happen when they happen, and this one's happening now. There's a Man down at the East Gate, and my father and some of my cousins are down there right at this moment. I'm going to meet them."
"Half a minute!" cried Mat, now thoroughly awake. He vanished from the window.
"And get the disguise!" Theo shouted after him.
Mat reappeared at the window and looked at his friend curiously. "Why?"
"Just get it. We might need it, you never know."
Mat disappeared again, dressed quickly, and climbed out of his window, carrying a small sack. The two hobbit lads then mounted Roan.
Theo, who was in front, snapped the reins slightly. "Yah!"
After they had been riding for a few minutes, Mat said conversationally, "So, I'm assuming your mum and dad wouldn't let you go."
Theo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You assume wrong. Father was all for letting me go, then Mum got wind of it, and that was that." He shrugged, then pointed out, "You didn't even ask your parents."
Mat laughed. "And wake them up? No, thank you, I'll take my chances with my parents after our adventure's over."
They rode on, then Theo voiced his thoughts. "I wonder what a Man's doing at the East Gate anyway."
* * *
Dandelion, at the moment, was thinking the same thing. Rolo had said the Man was a messenger from the king, but that did little to explain why he was in the Shire. To see a Man in the Shire was nearly unheard of, because since the end of the War of the Ring, hobbits had gone back to the way they had always been: caring little for what was happening in the world farther than Bree. She frowned. With that kind of thinking, it would be so easy for some Big Person to come and try to take over the Shire, like Saruman had done before. But, of course, she was forgetting the king's proclamation in 1427, that no Men were allowed in the Shire. A Big Person who was trying to take over the Shire wouldn't care about the king, though, would he?
Poppy saw her friend frown and edged up beside her. "Are you all right, Dandy?" Tru heard her and looked back at them for the answer.
"What? Oh, sorry, Poppy, I suppose I was just preoccupied. I've been wondering why a Man would be in the Shire. Bounder Rolo," she called. The hobbit turned in his seat.
"Yes?"
"Did the Man say what he wanted or what he was here for?"
Rolo shook his head emphatically, causing him to lose his balance and nearly fall off his pony. "No, ma'am, he said that he had a message from the king an' queen to the Thain or the Master or the Mayor."
There was a short pause, then Dandelion and Poppy laughed, sharing a joke in that silent communication of best friends. "And what, might I ask, is so funny?" inquired Tru.
"It's just that," Dandelion began, "the Thain is my father, and Poppy's second cousin (by marriage), even though he's once removed; the Mayor is my uncle and Poppy's first cousin, again once removed; and we have the Master of Buckland - who is also my second cousin, once removed - with us. So, between us we're related to the three most powerful hobbits in the Shire."
"How is that funny?" Tru questioned.
The girls looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter again without responding.
Tru shook his head and faced forward again, remembering something his father had told him once: "Women can be awful strange at times, my lad, giggling over nothin' at all or crying over nothing, especially around the time of their comin' o' age. I don't understand it, you won't understand it, no male has ever or will ever understand it. It's just the way it is." The hobbit thought pensively that this must be one of those times and hoped tears weren't forthcoming.
Ahead of said brooding and giggling young hobbits, Rolo's pony suddenly broke into a gallop as he recognized his home. The other ponies were immediately urged faster to catch him, and so they reached the Bounder-house with a great clamor of hooves and eager talking amongst the three youngest. The group dismounted quickly and walked to the Bounder-house, Rolo and Eomer in the lead.
"I wonder what the Man will be like," said Dandelion, her eyes shining.
Tru grinned and Poppy shrugged. "We're about to find out."
* * *
A/N- Review! Please!
Chapter 12- Scheming Lads and Giggling Girls
"Good-bye!" Theo yelled, doing his best to look sad and left out. Poppy, Dandelion, Tru, and his father were leaving Brandy Hall with Rolo, riding off into the sunset like the heroes from stories Theo listened to as a younger hobbit lad- even if they were, technically, riding away from the sunset. He waved despondently once more, then followed his mother back inside the Hall.
"Theo, I'm sorry you can't go meet that Man- I know you really wanted to, dear- but honestly, I'm just looking out for your safety. D'you want to go so badly that you're willing to risk your health on it?" When Theo didn't answer, June added, "I thought as much. Don't worry, there'll be other Men, at other times."
Although his mother had taken his silence for a negative answer, Theo really just wasn't paying her much attention. He was going through a long repertoire of ways he knew to sneak out, hoping he would find a good one he hadn't used in a while. It wasn't that Theo was a disobedient child- well, he was, but he wasn't disobedient for the sake of being disobedient. 'I am seventeen years old,' he thought indignantly, 'about time they should start trusting me more.' Besides, he was adamant about wanting to see a Big Person.
As they continued down the hall toward Theo's bedroom- 'Where I'm being exiled to,' he thought morosely- Theo wished Dandelion or one of the others had stuck up for his inclusion in the party. He had wanted to shout that he was coming, or they'd have to send him home tied in a sack, as Thain Peregrin had said in one of Dandy's stories- then he had remembered he was already home, and even if he was not there was a good chance his mother would have tied him in a sack and taken him back. Thinking of this made him think of Dandelion's stories, and his mind went over them casually, looking- with little hope- for a way to sneak out that night. Suddenly, he began to smile, and then he nearly laughed, for he had thought of a perfect plan. Theo hurried to catch up with his mother, who was several strides in front, and stopped smiling, instead adopting a downcast look.
"Mum, I don't feel well. I'm gonna go t'bed now, if that's all right."
"Of course," June answered, realizing that all the excitement must have tired him out.
Theo entered his room (shutting the door behind him), rushed to get dressed for bed and jumped into the covers. He paused for a minute or two, then called, "I'm in bed!" to his waiting mother, who silently went into the room and to his bed.
"Good-night, Theo. Sweet dreams." June kissed her son on the forehead and walked toward the door.
"Good-night, Mum," Theo replied, making a big show of yawning and blinking tiredly. "See you in the morning." The young hobbit listened to the soft shuffle of his mother's feet going down the hall; when they faded into the distance, he leapt out of bed and pulled his clothes back on. It was, after all, a cold night. He tugged some spare pillows from out of a drawer and dropped them onto the top of the bed. He arranged them into what could pass for a hobbit shape as quickly as he dared, then produced the finishing touch from a drawer in his dresser: a small brown cloth. 'It is not,' he thought regretfully, 'a perfect match for my hair, but in the dark it will be hard to tell. I think.' He placed it carefully on the top of his pillow-hobbit, then crept to the window and opened it quietly. Theo was halfway out of it when he remembered his pack. He rolled his eyes in annoyance at his forgetfulness and hurried quietly back to his dresser, picked the sack of supplies- mostly food- out from a drawer, and carefully exited his room through his round window.
He landed on the grass and dropped to the ground, listening carefully to make sure his escape had not been noticed. A soft bark came from inside his room. "Scamp," Theo said in surprise. How could he have forgotten his puppy? He looked into the window to see the aforementioned puppy looking at him mournfully. "I'll be all right, Scamp, don't worry. Stay here." With that, he shut the window. Scamp jumped onto a chair and propped his front paws on the window frame, watching his young master weave his careful way across the yard, until he entered the stables and disappeared from the pup's view. Scamp put his head onto his paws and whimpered to express his loneliness. But he, unlike the hobbit he had watched, knew when to follow orders, and soon left the window to take his place at the foot of the bed.
* * *
Theo had managed to escape Brandy Hall, but he was not immediately going to the east gate. Oh no. 'I have to get Mat,' the young hobbit thought. So, he was now in fact riding his pony north to Crickhollow, where, as you may remember, there was a small house. It was indeed the same house used by Frodo Baggins, where he pretended to be moving after he sold Bag End. But that, of course, is another story.
Crickhollow was not very far from Brandy Hall, no more than a couple of miles, but Theo needed speed and so had gotten Roan saddled and bridled hastily, then set off. Roan was a swift pony, one of the swiftest in the Shire, so it was around half an hour after he had set out that Theo reached the house. After Frodo had sailed West, the house had been occupied by Master Meriadoc and Thain Peregrin (before they were Master and Thain, of course), and then shuffled among several hobbit families until the current owners, the Goold family, had come into possession.
Theo rode to a window on the western side and slid off his saddle. He led Roan right up next to the window; then, the hobbit tapped on it. "Mat!" There was no response from the room within. Theo tapped harder. "Mat! Mat! Matta Goold!" His pointed ears picked up slight noises from inside. The window was flung open by a sleepy hobbit lad, no older than Theo.
"What?" he said tiredly.
"Mat, it's me- Theo."
Mat rubbed at his eyes, trying to focus clearly on his friend. "Theo? What's the time? Why are you here? We heard you were," he yawned, "ill or something."
The Brandybuck shuffled his feet. "I was, but I'm better now. Get dressed. It's time for an adventure!"
At this Mat's curiosity was piqued, but he was still partly asleep. "Can't it wait until morning? I'm dead tired, Theo. It's too early for adventures."
Theo was growing impatient. Roan nuzzled his shoulder, as if sensing his restlessness. "Nonsense. Adventures happen when they happen, and this one's happening now. There's a Man down at the East Gate, and my father and some of my cousins are down there right at this moment. I'm going to meet them."
"Half a minute!" cried Mat, now thoroughly awake. He vanished from the window.
"And get the disguise!" Theo shouted after him.
Mat reappeared at the window and looked at his friend curiously. "Why?"
"Just get it. We might need it, you never know."
Mat disappeared again, dressed quickly, and climbed out of his window, carrying a small sack. The two hobbit lads then mounted Roan.
Theo, who was in front, snapped the reins slightly. "Yah!"
After they had been riding for a few minutes, Mat said conversationally, "So, I'm assuming your mum and dad wouldn't let you go."
Theo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You assume wrong. Father was all for letting me go, then Mum got wind of it, and that was that." He shrugged, then pointed out, "You didn't even ask your parents."
Mat laughed. "And wake them up? No, thank you, I'll take my chances with my parents after our adventure's over."
They rode on, then Theo voiced his thoughts. "I wonder what a Man's doing at the East Gate anyway."
* * *
Dandelion, at the moment, was thinking the same thing. Rolo had said the Man was a messenger from the king, but that did little to explain why he was in the Shire. To see a Man in the Shire was nearly unheard of, because since the end of the War of the Ring, hobbits had gone back to the way they had always been: caring little for what was happening in the world farther than Bree. She frowned. With that kind of thinking, it would be so easy for some Big Person to come and try to take over the Shire, like Saruman had done before. But, of course, she was forgetting the king's proclamation in 1427, that no Men were allowed in the Shire. A Big Person who was trying to take over the Shire wouldn't care about the king, though, would he?
Poppy saw her friend frown and edged up beside her. "Are you all right, Dandy?" Tru heard her and looked back at them for the answer.
"What? Oh, sorry, Poppy, I suppose I was just preoccupied. I've been wondering why a Man would be in the Shire. Bounder Rolo," she called. The hobbit turned in his seat.
"Yes?"
"Did the Man say what he wanted or what he was here for?"
Rolo shook his head emphatically, causing him to lose his balance and nearly fall off his pony. "No, ma'am, he said that he had a message from the king an' queen to the Thain or the Master or the Mayor."
There was a short pause, then Dandelion and Poppy laughed, sharing a joke in that silent communication of best friends. "And what, might I ask, is so funny?" inquired Tru.
"It's just that," Dandelion began, "the Thain is my father, and Poppy's second cousin (by marriage), even though he's once removed; the Mayor is my uncle and Poppy's first cousin, again once removed; and we have the Master of Buckland - who is also my second cousin, once removed - with us. So, between us we're related to the three most powerful hobbits in the Shire."
"How is that funny?" Tru questioned.
The girls looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter again without responding.
Tru shook his head and faced forward again, remembering something his father had told him once: "Women can be awful strange at times, my lad, giggling over nothin' at all or crying over nothing, especially around the time of their comin' o' age. I don't understand it, you won't understand it, no male has ever or will ever understand it. It's just the way it is." The hobbit thought pensively that this must be one of those times and hoped tears weren't forthcoming.
Ahead of said brooding and giggling young hobbits, Rolo's pony suddenly broke into a gallop as he recognized his home. The other ponies were immediately urged faster to catch him, and so they reached the Bounder-house with a great clamor of hooves and eager talking amongst the three youngest. The group dismounted quickly and walked to the Bounder-house, Rolo and Eomer in the lead.
"I wonder what the Man will be like," said Dandelion, her eyes shining.
Tru grinned and Poppy shrugged. "We're about to find out."
* * *
A/N- Review! Please!
