Chapter 4 A special party

Before anyone knew it, the time for the harvest festival had come. A large party was held for hobbits of all ages from Buckland, Tookland and Hobbiton alike to celebrate the coming of the fall season. Pearl frantically searched through her wardrobe for her best gown and to her utter surprise, found it missing. "PERVINCA!" she hollered and stormed out of her bedroom looking like a whinded rhinocerous. She heard the sound of scurrying hobbitfeet and immediately bolted after the sound, tackling her sister once she caught up with her. "You're wearing my gown! I told you not to touch my things without permission.oh now look what you've done.you've gone and stained it!"

Pervinca stood, holding a hand to her forehead where it had smacked against the floor. "It isn't stained, Pearl. It's only a bit of dirt."

"Girls! What on Earth is going on?" Eglatine asked as she approached them holding Pippin.now two weeks old.in her arms. Pippin squealed with delight at the sight of his sisters and reached for them gurgling.

"Mama.Pervinca was rooting through my clothes again! And I specifically told her my closet was off limits!"

Eglatine put her hands on her hips and looked at Pervinca seriously. "You know better. Go and get out of your sister's gown.you have plenty of your own."

"But Pearl's gowns are prettier than mine!" she whined.

"I'm the oldest," Pearl snapped. "That's why."

Pervinca's lower lip stuck out as she went away, and Pearl folded her arms. "Little sisters are such pests."

Eglatine chuckled. It was then that they saw Frodo coming down the corridor looking downright miserable. "I hate to be elegant," he snarled as he looked down at himself. He wore a fancy new navy blue suit with a white button-down collared shirt. His unruly curly dark hair was slicked back a little as well, making him look rather funny.

"You look charming, Frodo." Eglatine laughed. "Is that a new suit your Uncle Bilbo got you?"

Frodo nodded. "I was hoping to accidentally forget it when we came here and not go to the dance at all.I don't care much for big parties."

"Oh come on.it'll be fun," Pearl encouraged. "There will be plenty of pretty lasses for you to dance with.I'll even set you up if you'd."

Frodo's cheeks turned bright red. "Exactly why I don't want to go.lasses.BAH!" He turned on his heel and stalked away making Eglatine and Pearl laugh.

"Deeeeee!" Pippin squealed, grabbing a hold of his mother's pearl necklace.

"No, no, no.hands off love." Eglatine warned. Immediately little Peregrin's face wrinkled up and the tears started coming.

"Here we go," Pearl sighed as Pippin began wailing.

"Shhhh.I know you want Mommy's pearls but you're still such a little baby!" she tapped him on the nose and the tears immediately subsided and giggles took over. Pearl laughed.

"He's such a scamp! He's not coming to the ball now, is he?"

"Of course not. I'll have his nurse take care of him while we are gone.your father and I have not danced in ages." She winked at her daughter. "Go and get dressed.we'll be leaving soon."

"Yes Mama." Pearl hurried off.

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Around 6:00 three fancy carriages pulled to the front of the Great Smial. Pearl, Pimpernel, Pervinca and Frodo rode in one carriage. Bilbo, Saradoc, Esmerelda, and Merry rode in the second carriage and in the third rode Paladin and Eglatine. They made their way to the Tookland courthouse where the party would be held. When they arrived, Pearl immediately dashed in to meet up with her many admirers. Frodo lagged behind and decided to go off with Merry. "Don't be shy, lad." Bilbo encouraged his nephew. "Don't put your hands behind your back," Pervinca added. "Or stare."

"Don't use slang either," Pimpernel added.

"Don't worry about me," Frodo replied stuffily. Then he took off at a run and yelled "To be elegant.or die!" and leapt over the gate that lead to the courthouse and the entire family gasped.

"Such ill manners!" Pimpernel gasped as she followed close behind her mother. They entered the great room and Pimpernel's mouth fell open. The room was packed with hobbits and she could see tables upon tables of fall treats: pumpkin pie, carrot-cake, apple cider etc. She heard her sister speaking with Hilda Brandybuck and Daisy Gamgee.

"So it worked out after all," Pimpernel caught the end of her sister's sentence. "The little nuisance didn't have to think twice! I told him that I wasn't ready for such rediculous nonsense."

Boys.the youngest female Took sighed and she decided to go and search for Merry and Frodo who had disappeared into the crowd also.

"Aren't you going to dance, Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo jumped at a familiar voice and turned to see his Uncle's gardener's son Samwise Gamgee standing before him. "Hulo, Sam! So you were forced to come too?" he asked in a teasing tone. Frodo and Merry sat on chairs against the wall. Sam took the empty seat.

"Forced? Why? Didn't you want to come?"

Frodo sniggered. "I don't care for dancing."

"Oh.dancing's not a bad thing. I.I already had a dance with a pretty lass.she's only a year older than me and her name is Rosie."

Frodo grinned. "Rosie, eh? Not Rosie Cotton?"

"The same. She sure is pretty Mr. Frodo.but I can't get myself to say so to her. I get all tongue-tied."

"You like girls?" Merry asked, wrinkling his nose. "Yuck!"

Both Frodo and Sam laughed. "You'll understand when you're older, Merry." Sam admitted.

"But dancing must make you dizzy."

"Oh no." Sam replied. "You don't feel dizzy at all."

Merry blinked. "Why not? You're spinning around a lot."

Frodo leaned his chin in his palm. "Yes, Sam.why not?"

Sam frowned. "Well.because.when you look into your partner's eyes.you don't see anything else! You don't see all that other stuff whirling around!"

Immediately Frodo and Merry began giggling and Merry stood. "May I have this dance, cousin?" he teased holding out his little hand. Frodo stood and bowed.

"I would be honoured." (This is NOT slashy!)

"You two can't dance.you're both boys!" Sam cried in shock.

"Who says we can't?" Frodo teased as he began to twirl his little cousin around, dancing to the beat of the music. Suddenly:

"I'm cutting in!" Daisy Gamgee teased as she broke the dance up between Frodo and Merry and immediately began twirling Frodo around until the two of them disappeared into the crowd of dancers. Merry watched them with his mouth hanging open. Since he was just five, Merry really couldn't participate in the dancing but he tried out the sweets and chatted with his Aunts and Uncles from Brandy Hall. The party lasted long into the night and around midnight, Merry felt so exhausted that he was literally falling asleep standing up.

"My poor darling.are you ready to go home?" Esmerelda asked as she lifted her son into her arms.

Merry nodded. "I'm tired, Mama. Are we going back to Brandy Hall tonight?"

"Not tonight, dearie. We still have the harvest festival to look forward to tomorrow!" Esmerelda gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh yes.that." Merry fell asleep almost a minute later.

Frodo, meanwhile, finished chatting with Mellilot Brandybuck and Halfred Gamgee when Bilbo came to fetch him. "I see you had a wonderful time." The old hobbit laughed. "You were worrying over nothing."

Frodo blushed. "Well.I was until Daisy Gamgee came and swept me off of my feet."

"Yes.well.it's time to go, lad. The carriages are waiting."

Frodo said goodbye to his companions before following his Uncle out into the crisp night air. "I love fall.it's so pretty in the Shire." He admitted dreamily.

"Shhhh." Saradoc whispered and nodded to Merry who lay limply against his mother's shoulder out cold. "We musn't wake him.hopefully he'll sleep through the whole journey."

"And not ask "are we there yet" as he usually does?" Frodo teased.

Saradoc gave him a warning look as Frodo entered his carriage and sat next to a very exhausted Pearl Took. "Danced with seven boys tonight.honestly.must be a record!"

"I saw that YOU were dancing, Frodo." Pimpernel teased with a giggle.

Frodo blushed again. "Er.not willingly if that's what you mean."

"Oh come now." Said Pervnica. "You enjoyed yourself.just say so!"

Frodo stuck his tongue out at his cousin and received an "Such ill manners!" from Pimpernel.