Outcast
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to my master, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Daisy, the Brandybuck's nurse, does belong to me.
A/N: Oh well, that's chap. 2. Enjoy reading.
1 Chapter 2
It was late when they arrived at Brandy Hall.
Pippin was asleep and Merry was exhausted. He lifted the young Took from the pony and carried him into his house.
"What is going on? What's wrong with Pippin?", Merry's mother asked as she walked towards the entrance.
"I'll tell you later. Just get Daisy.", Merry replied and walked to his room.
There he put down his cousin on the bed and sat down beside him, holding his hand with two of his.
"Don't give up on yourself, Pip.", he whispered. "You'll be all right."
Soon Daisy, the Brandybuck's nurse, stepped into the room.
"What's wrong, Merry?", she asked.
She was using his nickname since she had been the mid-wife at his birth and knew him very well.
"Daisy, you musn't tell my parents, but Pippin's father ... he beat him up. I think it's very bad. I-I just took him with me."
Daisy frowned, but then she smiled. She knew that Merry cared a lot about his younger relatives, especially about the young Took.
"Now let's see ...", she murmured as she examined Pippin.
Her face clouded over and soon she looked very very angry.
"His father is a monster. Poor child."
"He would not like being called a child. He's 19 after all."
"He is a child.", Daisy contradicted. "A poor little hobbit child. Look at him. Everything's bruised. And his face ..."
Tears started to form in Daisy's eyes. She loved children: children of Men, Elven children and of course hobbit children and it always hurt to see them wounded.
"How could he do that?! What did that poor baby do?", Daisy asked, furiously.
"He stole a can of beer, I think. You know the Took family is very strict when it comes to that. You have to be twenty. Then and only then you are allowed to drink alcohol. Poor Pip."
"We should talk to your mother though.", Daisy said and started to bandage Pippin. "She would understand."
"Well, all right. But ... could ... you?"
"Of course."
Daisy smiled and then she left the two hobbits alone.
Pippin woke up about one hour later.
He felt sore and hungry and he didn't know where he was at first.
"Merry?", he asked.
But probably Merry was gone. Why would anybody want to be with a freak like him?
Pippin started to cry. He had no friends. Everybody, even his own father, hated him. What had he done to deserve that?
Then he felt arms around his body that cradled him gently.
"Shhh, don't cry, my dear Pippin.", Merry whispered. "I'm here. I'm always here for you."
"Merry? Wh-where a-are we-e?", Pippin sobbed.
"We're at Brandy Hall. Don't be afraid. He's not here. He won't hurt you."
"Wh-why did y-you ta-take me to Brandy Hall? Why do ... do you stay with me?"
Merry smiled, but Pippin couldn't see it because it was so dark.
"You're my best friend, Pippin. I'd never leave you behind when you need me."
Pippin snuggled up to Merry, looking for warmth and shelter. He liked the feeling of Merry's arms around him. He wanted to be held like that for eternity. There was somebody who loved him, somebody who cared. He was safe ...
Daisy walked to Mrs. Brandybuck after she had finished her work in the whole Brandy Hall.
"Mistress, I have to talk to you.", she said, seriously.
"Is it about the young Took?", Merry's mother asked.
"Yes.", Daisy sighed. It was hard to talk about that since it hurt herself.
No child should suffer the way Pippin did.
"What did happen?", Mistress Brandybuck asked.
"His father. Saladin Took ... he beat him up."
Merry's mother gasped and looked at Daisy, obviously shocked. Of course the Brandybucks slapped their children, too, sometimes. Especially Merry who did stupid things all the time, but they never actually beat them up. Things like that just didn't happen in the Shire.
"Is he awake?", she asked, worriedly. "How is he doing?"
"He was unconscious the last time I saw him, but that is quite some time ago. He's bruised and has a few small wounds on the back, but other than that he should be all right."
Mistress Brandybuck nodded and walked away to see Pippin.
She knocked on the door first and when Merry asked her to come in she entered the room.
It was dark, but she could still make out her son holding his cousin.
She smiled.
"Will you leave us alone for a while?", she asked Merry.
Pippin started to whimper as Merry let go of him.
"I'll be back soon.", Merry promised. "Really, Pip. Don't worry. I'll come back."
"Don't go!", Pippin pleaded. "Not yet! Please."
He stared at his friend with wide eyes and Merry just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was all right, like before. But there was his mother waiting and so he could only smile at his cousin and leave the room.
Mrs. Brandybuck sat down beside her nephew and stroked his hair.
"Daisy, our nurse, told me. I'm sorry for what happened to you."
Pippin's eyes widened.
"Please don't send me back. I don't want to go back. I'll be good! I promise!"
"Shhh. You mustn't get excited. You don't have to go back. But we'll have to talk about this with your father sooner or later."
Pippin started to cry once again.
"No! He'll punish me because I told you!"
Merry's mother was shocked. That child was broken. His father had taught him to be afraid.
"He will never ever hurt you. I won't let that happen.", Mrs. Brandybuck said and hugged him. "Trust me."
Merry came in since he had heard Pippin cry.
"Merry!" Pippin was very pleased when he saw his friend. Merry smiled.
"Yes, I'm back."
Merry's mother got up and pulled her son towards the door.
"He'll stay with you. He needs comfort tonight, I think."
With that she left those two hobbits who were so dear to her. Pippin extended his hands to Merry and so he walked over to the young Took.
Pippin buried his face in Merry's shoulder.
"Pip? How do you feel now?"
"I don't know.", Pippin replied from Merry's shoulder. "I don't know what I feel. I do know however that I'm hungry."
Merry chuckled.
"Well, I could go to the kitchen and look for something to eat."
"NO!"
Pippin's eyes widened in fear. He didn't want to be left alone. He was afraid in the darkness. He didn't know why ... it had been something in his early childhood, but he couldn't remember.
"I'll stay with you then. You don't have to be afraid."
Pippin curled into a ball at Merry's side. He hoped that he could stay here forever.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to my master, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Daisy, the Brandybuck's nurse, does belong to me.
A/N: Oh well, that's chap. 2. Enjoy reading.
1 Chapter 2
It was late when they arrived at Brandy Hall.
Pippin was asleep and Merry was exhausted. He lifted the young Took from the pony and carried him into his house.
"What is going on? What's wrong with Pippin?", Merry's mother asked as she walked towards the entrance.
"I'll tell you later. Just get Daisy.", Merry replied and walked to his room.
There he put down his cousin on the bed and sat down beside him, holding his hand with two of his.
"Don't give up on yourself, Pip.", he whispered. "You'll be all right."
Soon Daisy, the Brandybuck's nurse, stepped into the room.
"What's wrong, Merry?", she asked.
She was using his nickname since she had been the mid-wife at his birth and knew him very well.
"Daisy, you musn't tell my parents, but Pippin's father ... he beat him up. I think it's very bad. I-I just took him with me."
Daisy frowned, but then she smiled. She knew that Merry cared a lot about his younger relatives, especially about the young Took.
"Now let's see ...", she murmured as she examined Pippin.
Her face clouded over and soon she looked very very angry.
"His father is a monster. Poor child."
"He would not like being called a child. He's 19 after all."
"He is a child.", Daisy contradicted. "A poor little hobbit child. Look at him. Everything's bruised. And his face ..."
Tears started to form in Daisy's eyes. She loved children: children of Men, Elven children and of course hobbit children and it always hurt to see them wounded.
"How could he do that?! What did that poor baby do?", Daisy asked, furiously.
"He stole a can of beer, I think. You know the Took family is very strict when it comes to that. You have to be twenty. Then and only then you are allowed to drink alcohol. Poor Pip."
"We should talk to your mother though.", Daisy said and started to bandage Pippin. "She would understand."
"Well, all right. But ... could ... you?"
"Of course."
Daisy smiled and then she left the two hobbits alone.
Pippin woke up about one hour later.
He felt sore and hungry and he didn't know where he was at first.
"Merry?", he asked.
But probably Merry was gone. Why would anybody want to be with a freak like him?
Pippin started to cry. He had no friends. Everybody, even his own father, hated him. What had he done to deserve that?
Then he felt arms around his body that cradled him gently.
"Shhh, don't cry, my dear Pippin.", Merry whispered. "I'm here. I'm always here for you."
"Merry? Wh-where a-are we-e?", Pippin sobbed.
"We're at Brandy Hall. Don't be afraid. He's not here. He won't hurt you."
"Wh-why did y-you ta-take me to Brandy Hall? Why do ... do you stay with me?"
Merry smiled, but Pippin couldn't see it because it was so dark.
"You're my best friend, Pippin. I'd never leave you behind when you need me."
Pippin snuggled up to Merry, looking for warmth and shelter. He liked the feeling of Merry's arms around him. He wanted to be held like that for eternity. There was somebody who loved him, somebody who cared. He was safe ...
Daisy walked to Mrs. Brandybuck after she had finished her work in the whole Brandy Hall.
"Mistress, I have to talk to you.", she said, seriously.
"Is it about the young Took?", Merry's mother asked.
"Yes.", Daisy sighed. It was hard to talk about that since it hurt herself.
No child should suffer the way Pippin did.
"What did happen?", Mistress Brandybuck asked.
"His father. Saladin Took ... he beat him up."
Merry's mother gasped and looked at Daisy, obviously shocked. Of course the Brandybucks slapped their children, too, sometimes. Especially Merry who did stupid things all the time, but they never actually beat them up. Things like that just didn't happen in the Shire.
"Is he awake?", she asked, worriedly. "How is he doing?"
"He was unconscious the last time I saw him, but that is quite some time ago. He's bruised and has a few small wounds on the back, but other than that he should be all right."
Mistress Brandybuck nodded and walked away to see Pippin.
She knocked on the door first and when Merry asked her to come in she entered the room.
It was dark, but she could still make out her son holding his cousin.
She smiled.
"Will you leave us alone for a while?", she asked Merry.
Pippin started to whimper as Merry let go of him.
"I'll be back soon.", Merry promised. "Really, Pip. Don't worry. I'll come back."
"Don't go!", Pippin pleaded. "Not yet! Please."
He stared at his friend with wide eyes and Merry just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was all right, like before. But there was his mother waiting and so he could only smile at his cousin and leave the room.
Mrs. Brandybuck sat down beside her nephew and stroked his hair.
"Daisy, our nurse, told me. I'm sorry for what happened to you."
Pippin's eyes widened.
"Please don't send me back. I don't want to go back. I'll be good! I promise!"
"Shhh. You mustn't get excited. You don't have to go back. But we'll have to talk about this with your father sooner or later."
Pippin started to cry once again.
"No! He'll punish me because I told you!"
Merry's mother was shocked. That child was broken. His father had taught him to be afraid.
"He will never ever hurt you. I won't let that happen.", Mrs. Brandybuck said and hugged him. "Trust me."
Merry came in since he had heard Pippin cry.
"Merry!" Pippin was very pleased when he saw his friend. Merry smiled.
"Yes, I'm back."
Merry's mother got up and pulled her son towards the door.
"He'll stay with you. He needs comfort tonight, I think."
With that she left those two hobbits who were so dear to her. Pippin extended his hands to Merry and so he walked over to the young Took.
Pippin buried his face in Merry's shoulder.
"Pip? How do you feel now?"
"I don't know.", Pippin replied from Merry's shoulder. "I don't know what I feel. I do know however that I'm hungry."
Merry chuckled.
"Well, I could go to the kitchen and look for something to eat."
"NO!"
Pippin's eyes widened in fear. He didn't want to be left alone. He was afraid in the darkness. He didn't know why ... it had been something in his early childhood, but he couldn't remember.
"I'll stay with you then. You don't have to be afraid."
Pippin curled into a ball at Merry's side. He hoped that he could stay here forever.