6: Conversations with the Wizard and Mushroom Soup


Frodo began began to tell his tale once more, covering as much as he could and elaborating things Pippin told him before the wizard arrived. Gandalf listened intently, smoking his pipe, savoring the smell of old Toby. ". . . Merry and Sam found him somewhere in the woods like this." Gandalf nodded, touching Pippin's broken arm. "Good thing Miss Lila sent Sam for a healer. I fear I cannot heal everything on Peregrin's body. Perhaps ease his pain, nothing more."

Frodo smiled at the wizard's worry over the young hobbit. He didn't think that he cared that much for Pippin, since the young hobbit did nothing half the time but tamper with the wizard's belongings within in his cart. Which usually lead to Gandalf leaving his things behind half of the time, keeping them away from Peregrin and Merry's grabby fingers and schemes. "Thank you Gandalf," Frodo sighed. "I'll leave so you can do your work."

"You can stay my lad," Gandalf assured him. "Pippin needs to wake to a friendly face."

Frodo sat back down on the chair and watched the wizard heal Pippin, the wizard held his aged hand over the gentlehobbit and Pippin's body began to glow. Frodo's mouth almost dropped out as he watched the cuts heal, the bruises fade, and wounds vanish before his eyes. "Amazing," Frodo muttered to himself. There was not a sign of injury on Pippin's body; it as though they were never there! Pippin began to stir again but didn't wake.

"There," The wizard sighed, rising from his chair. "I did all I can, now we must wait for the healer." With that said, Gandalf left the room leaving Frodo alone with Pippin. His presence was unexplained, Frodo had not expected Gandalf to return like he did. He expected a very long absence from his friend. The Baggins stared at the sleeping figure of his cousin for a moment longer. The sleeping hobbit's face twitched, his lips parted letting out a groan. Frodo didn't have the heart to leave the young hobbit all by himself. Frodo rose up from the chair, he laid himself across the bed below Pippin's feet careful of his broken arm and awaited sleep to claim him.


The healer had come and set Pippin's broken arm. Pippin laid up in Bilbo's room for nearly two months by order of the healer. During this time, Merry, Frodo, or Sam (maybe even Lila) came and spent as much time with him. They made his mind focus on other things besides the bed-rest he was enduring. Pippin was thankful for their company.


Pippin was rudely awakened by his cousin Frodo who practically had to drag him out of the bedroom by the ear. As bad and tried he felt, Pippin followed nonetheless. His emerald-green eyes followed Frodo's animated movement, his mind wondering what the fuss was all about. Frodo directed his young couisn to the table and sat him in the chair. Pippin raised an eyebrow as the brunette haired hobbit grabbed a pot from the stove and poured the contents of it into a bowl.

"Frodo?" He asked a bit uncertain of his couisn's intentions besides feeding him soup. Frodo balanced the bowl in one hand, carefully making his way over two the table. He placed it in front of Peregrin who lifted the other eyebrow. "Whose soup is this?" He asked, hesitantly. Frodo raised his mittened hand with a bit of a proud smile. "Mine," The hobbit replied. "It's your favorite, mushroom soup."

Pippin stared down at the broth mushroom-infested liquid uncertain if it was safe enough to it eat, mostly because Frodo had made. He did not mean to offend his cousin, but he was a horrible cook when it came to soup, bread or anything else.

"Is it safe to eat?" Pippin quipped, stratching his pointy ear. Frodo looked insulted. "Of course it is, Samwise tried it and he absoulty loved it," Frodo exaggerated. Samwise tried his soup and almost choked on the unnecessarily strong broth in his mouth. He failed trying to hide this, commenting honestly that Frodo was far from becoming a good cook, but seeing that this was his second try at making mushroom soup, if was fairly good. Pippin sighed and Frodo handed him a spoon. "Eat up, it make you feel better," He said. Pippin took a gamble and put one spoonful into his mouth swallowing it quickly. He closed his eyes awaiting for a bad tase, but got none. Frodo smiled, unable to keep himself from boasting. "I told you you'd like it," He said bitting back the urge to laugh at his couisn's embarrassed expression.


After staying at Bag End for two weeks Pippin and Merry returned to the Great Smials.
December's chill had fallen over land of Middle-earth. Frodo was disheartened that, after his short visit, Gandalf vanished once again. It worried Frodo, but remembered the conversation he had with the wizard before he vanished the first time. Miss Lila (who had become a favorite of Pippin's; she'd sneak him a nice pastry when Sam wasn't looking), returned to Bree, feeling she had overstayed her welcome. Life to returned to normal in the Shire when concerned with the young Took, Frodo visited his two cousins whenever he got the chance to. Sam would visit every so often, but not by much.

"Pippin!" Merry cried, running over to his cousin who happened to be in bed curled up in his covers like a mummy. "Look out the window! Pip wake up! You have see this!" Pippin opened his eyes blinking in question to why his cousin had awakened him at such an absurd time of day. "It's too early, I want to go back to sleep!" He muttered. "Leave me alone!"

Merry paid no heed to Pippin's request and pulled the young Took out of the bed. "C'mon, look! Snow! A lot of it too!" Merry cried, pressing his cousin's forehead to the window. Pippin cracked open one eye. The intensity of the light outside world stung his eyes, he closed them and reopened them to adjust to the light. A smile spread across Pippin's face. "Oi!" He chirped, "Snow indeed!"

Merry patted his cousin hard on the shoulder as he moved away from the window. "Hurry, let's get freshened up, if your mum allows it," Merry pointed at Pippin's arm, which was still in a in a sling. Merry's brow knited together, Pippin regarded him with wary eyes. "How'd you sleep like that?"

Pippin gestured to the sling and Merry nodded in response. "Lucky?" Pippin replied, following his cousin out of the bedroom. That'll be the day, Merry thought as he shrugged. "It's possible Pip. But that's beside the point, if your mum says so, we're going straight over to Bag-end."

"Sounds like plan!" Pippin exclaimed happily. "Indeed it does!" Merry chirped. "I wonder if we'll bump into the Diamond of Long Cleave on the way." Merry turned to his young cousin with a sly look. Pippin glared at him in response. "I do not like, Lasses!" He snapped, angrily at his brown eyed cousin. Merry simply laughed continuing down the hall, followed by Pippin. The Took smiled at the thought of the Diamond. He was beginning to think he was falling for her, but what made Merry think he was just going to confess to that? Pippin grinned.


(End)