Chapter Five - It's Mine

Once again, Merry found himself knocking on a door. He was greeted by his Aunt this time.

"Hullo, Aunt Tina," He began, "I wanted to see if you needed anything, and to inquire about Pippin."

"Oh...well, thank you Merry. Such a sweet lad you are!" She opened the door wider for her nephew to enter. "Pippin is sleeping at the moment, but he's not any worse. And as for myself, I'm not needing anything, save a nice cup of tea if you please."

Merry smiled, "Very well, I will see to it. I would inform you also that I've made arrangements for Mistress Salinda, one of Brandy Hall's healers, to visit with Pippin later today."

Eglantine gazed at her nephew with wonder. "How splendid, Merry! Thank you."

Merry felt his aunt's eyes upon him. "Is there something else?"

"No. Well...yes." She answered, leaning against the doorpost. "I have vivid memories of you as a very frightened little boy visiting us at Whitwell. And the few scrapes that you got into while growing up made me unsure as to how you would turn out when you grew up--especially with the problems between you and your father." Her smile broadened. "I doubt no longer. You are a very fine young hobbit, Merry."

Merry's heart swelled with pride; that was the first time anyone, besides his dad, had noticed he was now grown up, and was apparently also well thought of as a young adult. He stepped forward and embraced the woman who had been like a second mother for him all his life. "Thank you, Auntie."

Eglantine returned his hug. "Get you going now, lad. My tea must be boiling." She said, wiping a moist eye.

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Merry rapped on yet another door. He waited a few moments before deciding no one was about inside. He turned and was several feet away from the door when it creaked open.

"Hullo, Merry. Come in!"

"I didn't think anyone was inside." Merry accepted the invitation and found a nice soft chair nearby and plopped himself into it, then propped his feet on the stool in front of it.

"I was napping." Frodo grinned at the weariness of his host. "Tired? You look as if you need one, too."

Merry threw him a look. "I've been on my feet all morning. Don't you see them throbbing?"

"So, tell me our plans for the day." Frodo sat in the chair opposite his cousin.

"Well, my plans," Said Merry, "began with seeing to Pippin and my Aunt. You know she stayed behind to look after him until he is hale and strong enough to travel back home?" Frodo nodded. "I had to find Mistress Salinda away in the North Tunnel because she was giving ministrations to a little girl there. Then I ran back to the East Tunnel to inform Auntie that the healer would be visiting later on." Then he looked at Frodo, "Now I'm in the West Tunnel seeking an old friend to tell him he has to share my time with all these wonderful folks!"

Frodo smiled and then laughed, "You came all that way just to tell me that?"

Merry sighed dramatically, "Yes--and to see if you would accompany me to view my new apartment!" He held aloft a silver skeleton key.

Frodo was shocked. "You have your own apartment?"

"Yes," Answered Merry, "and my own office therein."

"I'm floored, cousin! Let's go and see it!"

They were like two young boys on a scavenger hunt. Merry knew his apartment wouldn't be too far away from his parents, though distant enough to make him feel independent. Merry kept muttering under his breath, "Number five, number five....where is number five?"

"Down here!" Called Frodo from the further end of the hallway.

Merry came and surveyed the door with the number "5" written on it. He scratched his head, "Doesn't the number five come after number four?."

"It depends on if you like the number four or not!" Answered Frodo. "Well...being three doors away from your parents isn't so bad." Frodo chuckled.

Merry gave him a look as he inserted the key and turned it counter clockwise. He twisted the door handle and opened the door wide. Grabbing a lit candle from the hallway, he led the way inside. It was fairly empty with the exception of the bed in the bedroom, one couch in the parlor, and off in an anteroom, supposing it to be his office, there was a large desk made of walnut.

"A tad bare, don't you think?"

"But it's mine." Smiled Merry, dropping onto his couch. A plume of dust rose up and filled his nostrils. "Apparently I have lots of cleaning to do." He coughed, waving his hands about to disperse the dust.

"Now that I've seen your humble abode, shall we go look in on Pippin?"

"Yes! Let's do. I should like to tell him about apartment number 5."

The two hobbits were strolling at an easy pace towards Pippin's room with a brief stop in the kitchen larder, being that they missed lunch while they were hunting for Merry's quarters. Here Merry explained to his cousin his newly appointed duties.

As Merry spoke, Frodo was remembering many of his kin who lived in Brandy Hall, but he had been away for so long, there were some who he wasn't quite familiar with. "So, tell me, who is the little girl that's ill?"

"Salvia Goldworthy. She's the great-great-granddaughter of Salvia Bolger."

"Oh." Frodo nodded. "Is her mother Silvia Bracegirdle?" He asked.

"Yes. How did you know?"

Frodo smiled in recognition, "Many rainy afternoons we played checkers in the children's room of the North Tunnel, where my parents lived. Then I do know her--well, I mean, the girl's mother. Which Goldworthy did she marry?"

"His name is Orrin." Merry replied. Frodo nodded in recognition. "I am sorry that you now know their daughter is quite ill."

"How ill?"

Merry didn't even look up. "Bad."

After a moment of silence Frodo spoke, "Then when you're conducting your duties with your Aunt and Pippin, I shall look in on Silvia and her daughter."