Chapter Six - A Mother's View

A couple days later, Esmeralda was watching Merry writing his numbers and letters in their room. Despite being away from his Tutor, Esmeralda ensured Merry kept up with his lessons.

Esmeralda called to her son from the bed, "Merry, sweetie, come sit next to Mummy." She patted the space next to her.

Merry obeyed, leaving his paper and ink-pen on the desk. She began, "Uncle Paladin wants to talk to us--will you come to the study with me?"

Merry was still apprehensive about the big, dark hobbit with the broad shoulders and quick smile. He shook his head.

"Merry, dearest," Esemeralda rifled quickly through her mind as to how she could ingratiate Paladin to her young son. "Do you remember what brothers and sisters are?"

Merry thought for a second, "Merimas has two sisters. I don't have any sisters."

"Very good, but let's pretend that Uncle Paladin is your Dad." Merry's eyes went wide. "Just for the sake of the story!" She smiled, reassuring him. "Uncle Paladin is your Dad and Aunt Tina is your Mummy. That would make Pearl, Pimpernel, and Pervinca your sisters, and you would be their brother. Do you understand that?" He nodded. She continued, "Well Uncle Paladin and I shared the same Mummy and Dad. What does that make us?"

Merry thought about it, "That makes you Uncle Paldin's sister?"

"Yes!" Esmeralda said. "I am his sister, and he's my brother. When we were little children, much the same age as you and Pimpernel, we used to play games and run all over our Dad's farm. Then we grew up; he became Pearl, Pimpernel, and Pervinca's Dad, and I became your Mummy. We are still very close." Then she hugged Merry close, "Uncle Paladin would never hurt you, Merry. He loves you very much." She watched Merry's big blue eyes become far away and distant.

"Like my Dad?"

Merry's question caught Esmeralda off guard. "No, Merry. Not like your own Dad. Uncle Paladin loves you much the same way as I do, except that he doesn't think you like him yet."

Merry fingered at the designs in the bedspread. "He's so big, Mummy."

"I know he seems so big because you're so little, dear. But one day you'll be just as big as Uncle Paladin." She smoothed his longish curls behind his ears. "Will you come to the study with me?"

Merry sighed. "I will." He slipped down from the bed and took his mother's hand. The whole conversation she and her son just had made Esmeralda shudder. He does understand more than I thought.

Together, hand-in-hand, mother and son walked into Paladin's study. Paladin stood up from the couch he was sitting on, smiling as usual. He had been whittling an object in his hand, and wood shavings were all over the floor between his feet. "Good afternoon, Essie!" Then he held out his hand to the little child, "And good afternoon to you, too, Merry!" Merry hesitated, but cautiously took his uncle's hand and shook it, gazing at the mess at his uncle's feet.

"Would you care for some tea, Essie? We also have milk for growing young lads!"

"I'll have some tea, and Merry here will have milk."

"Good." Paladin handed his sister a cup of hot tea and then from a small pitcher, he poured a mug half full of milk.

Merry took the mug his uncle gave him, "Thank you."

Paladin put down the object he was carving so as to give his undivided attention to his nephew. "Merry," He started, "I would like to ask you a few questions. May I do that?"

Merry looked at his mother, then back at his uncle. "What kind of questions?"

"Well, for beginners, your mother tells me that you were quite upset the other night--to the point of running away. Will you tell me more about that?"

Merry quit sipping his milk and stared at the mug in his lap. "No, sir."

"I would like to help you, Merry. Will you let me?"

Silence.

Paladin sighed deeply and tried another angle. "Merry, do you like stories?"

The boy looked up and nodded. "I got stories, too!" He said, now warming up a tad. "Like, like....like the story about (his eyes spied one of the baby's toys in the corner; a stuffed pony) the pony who....who was sad."

Paladin eyed Esmeralda. "Why was the pony sad?"

"Because....he ran away."

"That is very sad, indeed. Why did he run away?"

"Because he...." Merry fidgeted in his seat, "he heard his dad shouting at his mummy, and....so he ran away."

Paladin got up and sat down next to Merry, putting his arm around him, "The poor pony! Can you tell me what the Dad pony was shouting?"

Merry shook his head, putting his hands over his ears as if he were hearing it all over again. "Stop!" He was clearly becoming upset. "I don't want to tell this story anymore!"

Paladin took the child onto his lap, "You don't have to finish the story, Merry, but may I finish it? I promise it won't end sadly."

Merry buried his face into his uncle's shoulder and nodded. So Paladin finished Merry's impromptu story. "So...the Mummy Pony worried over the Little Pony...because the Little Pony was so sad. And...well, the Mummy Pony took the Little Pony to visit his Uncle...Pony," Paladin grimaced at his sister, who nodded for him to continue. "And everybody loved the Little Pony: the Uncle and Auntie Ponies loved him dearly, as did his cousin ponies. The Mummy Pony had to go back home to talk to the Dad Pony."

Merry looked up, "Why?"

"Because the Mummy didn't want anymore shouting going on around the LIttle Pony."

"Did the Dad Pony stop shouting then?"

"Well, I think so." He looked at Merry, "Do you want the Dad to stop shouting?" Merry nodded. "Very well, then! From that moment on, the Dad Pony never shouted at the Mummy." Paladin hesitated a moment, then asked Merry, "What else do you want the Dad to stop doing?"

Merry shrugged. "Saying mean things."

Paladin gave a quick look to his sister, "And he stopped saying mean things to the LIttle Pony, because if he did, the Uncle Pony would..." Then Paladin stopped himself. "Then the Uncle and Auntie Ponies would invite the Little Pony to visit them...a lot. And everyday the Uncle Pony and the Little Pony would do something together; even if it was only walking up the lane to the road and back down again, because lad ponies like to do things together, isn't that right?" Paladin bounced Merry in his arms and smiled.

Merry looked back, then asked. "Is that the end of the story?"

"Well, that end for now." Paladin held Merry and kissed him. "I'm going to leave you with your Mummy for while. She wants to ask you something." He sat the boy down on the couch next to his mother and left the room.

Esmeralda waited until her brother left the room. "Merry, sweetie, I, um....I need to go back home to Brandy Hall and settle things with your dad."

The child threw her a look. He got a bad feeling he wasn't in her plans. "I'm going home, too!"

"Would you do something for Mummy, Merry? Would you be a brave, big lad and stay here with your Auntie and cousins?"

Merry's heart sank to his feet. "No!" He said, shaking his head, "No, Mummy! I'm coming home with you! Just like the Little Pony!"

Esmeralda held his face in her hand, "I need for you to stay here for a bit--not long at all!" Merry took his face out her hands; his eyes grew distant once more. "I promise, Merry! I promise I won't leave you here longer than necessary!"

Merry had turned his back towards his mother, facing the opposite direction. He remembered Frodo telling him about promises; that they are grievous words to speak. "Never utter a promise you don't intend to keep" he told Merry. He turned back towards his mother, "Promise?"

"Yes, love! I promise with all my heart!" She took him in her arms, hugging him tight and showering him with kisses. But he didn't giggle like he used to when she did this.

He looked up at his mother, "How long is a few days?"

"Let's make a calendar!", Esmeralda said. Merry gave an odd look to his mother. "Yes! Come!" She took her son by the hand and led him over to her brother's desk. She sat down in the large leather chair and pulled Merry up into her lap. She opened a couple drawers until she found blank paper and one small piece of a leadstick. "Make five squares." She watched as Merry drew five of the best squares he could. When he got to the last day, "5", she told him, "darken that square, Merry. Write your name in it, and make it look special." Merry thickened the lines around the last block, shading it in as only a small child can do, and then wrote his name as small as he could to fit it inside the block.

"Done." He said, laying the leadstick on the desk.

"That's a lovely square, Merry! Do you know why that day is so special?"

"No." He shook his head.

She answered, "That's the day you will wake up and come home to Brandy Hall. I promise."

Merry was now resigned to the fact that he had no say in the matter; his mother was leaving him behind.

Esmeralda watched her son withdraw into himself, but her heart told her that she must go back to put the proverbial fire under her husband, otherwise, he would never be a proper father to Merry. She silently wiped the tears from her eyes. "I must go now, love." She got up and set him down in her place in the large chair. Merry sat limply against the tall back, not even looking in her direction. She kneeled down, stroking his curls, "I love you." She saw a tear run down his cheek, his bottom lip quivering. She got up and ran out of the room, sniffling as she left.