Outcast
Disclaimer: They're not mine ... yet.
A/N: Gets darker. Please only read if you are really really really sure.
1 Chapter 6
They arrived at Daisy's house in the middle of the night. Merry kept knocking on the door when Daisy finally opened it.
"What's wrong?", she yawned, but then she saw Pippin and she understood. "Come on in.", she said and lead them into her comfortable little kitchen. Then she put her hand on Merry's arm and walked a bit away with him.
"What happened?", she asked, silently.
"He ... well ... I ... He told me what his father does to him again and I do believe now, but Daisy?"
"What is it, Merry?"
"There's more ... it's not just that what we know about. There's something else ... I've been there, too. I should remember, but I can't ..."
Daisy's face clouded over as Merry told her about his own fear.
"Sometimes, Merry my lad, it's better not to remember."
Then she walked back to where Pippin sat and examined him. When she saw his little bruised hands and the fractured wrist, fury arose inside her heart.
"That's going to heal soon, darling.", she told the young Took and smiled, friendly. "You're still young."
Pippin looked up to her; his eyes were dark and full of tears.
"Does he know where you live?", Pippin asked, softly.
"No! Who cares about an old stupid hobbit lass like me?", Daisy joked. "I only have one guest room ... I never managed to afford a larger hole."
She showed the room to the cousins.
"You aren't hungry, are you?", she asked.
They shook their heads in unison. They were not angry and Pippin doubted that he would ever be hungry again.
He was a rebel now, an outcast. His father would hunt them down sooner or later and then also Merry would have to suffer.
Pippin didn't want Merry to get hurt. His cousin was the most precious person to him in the whole wide world.
"Merry?", Pippin asked as they lay together in the broad bed.
"Yes, Pip?"
"I won't let him hurt you. It's all right if he hurts me, but not you. Not you."
Pippin started to cry, silently, so Merry wrapped his arms around him.
"Shhh, Pippin. Don't cry. He won't hurt me."
And so they stayed through the night; their young hearts in fear and distress.
The next morning Pippin found himself all alone. He shivered. It was pretty cold in here without Merry's strong arms and his warm body. He walked through all the rooms, but Merry wasn't there.
"Merry?" No response. "Merry?!" Still no response. "MERRY!!!"
He ran out of the house. What if his father had come? But then Pippin called himself a fool. Of course his father hadn't come. He would've taken Pippin with him, wouldn't he have?
Then Pippin could see Merry. He was sitting on a low seat beside the entrance.
"Pippin!" He jumped up to take Pippin into his arms.
"What's wrong, Pippin? Please, tell me."
Merry lead his best friend to the seat, sat down himself and let Pippin climb up to his lap.
Pippin put his head on Merry's chest and let him stroke his curly hair.
"I thought you were gone.", Pippin said, silently. "But it's all right. I'm not afraid."
Merry smiled and ruffled Pippin's hair.
"You really know how to shock somebody, Pip. I thought a bunch of wild orcs was after you."
Pippin giggled. He loved Bilbo Baggins's stories.
"Merry ... if I were a princess and a bad dragon had kidnapped me ... would you rescue me?"
Merry looked at him, seriously and lifted Pippin's chin.
"I would. I definitely would."
He got closer to Pippin and was about to kiss him, when they heard a cry of pure fury.
They looked up with wide eyes to face Paladin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. It hadn't been Paladin's cry, though; Merry's father had been very shocked and angry to see his son in that situation.
The two older hobbits rushed towards them. They grabbed their respective son and started to yell at them.
"You no-good little brat!! What did you think you were doing?!", Paladin yelled and slapped Pippin across the face.
"HOW CAN YOU DARE HURT THAT CHILD?!", Daisy yelled and stormed out of her hobbit-hole.
Paladin sneered. Pippin was **his** son after all. He owned him.
"Mind your own business, Miss Daisy.", he said. "A lad like him should be punished. Runs away from home twice."
And then Daisy heard something else; Merry was crying out loud. Awfully loud. His father had just beat him for the first time in his young life so that it actually hurt.
"Saradoc!" She glared at him, but Saradoc just stared back at her and then at his hand. He hadn't meant to hurt his son ... he hadn't ...
"And now you're coming home, Peregrin.", Paladin announced and dragged the young Took over to his pony.
"NOOOOOO!!! MERRY!!!"
Merry looked at him with eyes that were dark with sadness and pain. But his father held him back. Merry couldn't go and besides he couldn't face the dragon ... not yet ... he was weak ... too weak ...
As soon as they had reached home Paladin started to give Pippin his real punishment.
"So we're a little whore now, aren't we, Peregrin my beloved son?", Paladin sneered and kicked Pippin's face with his foot.
Some bone was breaking and his nose started bleeding. Pippin whimpered and tried to crawl away, but his father didn't know about mercy.
He kicked him again and again. Soon Pippin couldn't even move a single finger. He was broken. His heart shattered.
Maybe the sweet darkness he desired more than anything else in the world would come soon and deliver him from a pain too great to bear.
But Paladin definitely wasn't done yet. He was just starting.
"So, you want to be with someone from the family? So what about your father?"
Pippin's eyes widened. They had never been that wide before as his father ripped of his trousers and did to him what no child should ever see.
The princess was lost.
Disclaimer: They're not mine ... yet.
A/N: Gets darker. Please only read if you are really really really sure.
1 Chapter 6
They arrived at Daisy's house in the middle of the night. Merry kept knocking on the door when Daisy finally opened it.
"What's wrong?", she yawned, but then she saw Pippin and she understood. "Come on in.", she said and lead them into her comfortable little kitchen. Then she put her hand on Merry's arm and walked a bit away with him.
"What happened?", she asked, silently.
"He ... well ... I ... He told me what his father does to him again and I do believe now, but Daisy?"
"What is it, Merry?"
"There's more ... it's not just that what we know about. There's something else ... I've been there, too. I should remember, but I can't ..."
Daisy's face clouded over as Merry told her about his own fear.
"Sometimes, Merry my lad, it's better not to remember."
Then she walked back to where Pippin sat and examined him. When she saw his little bruised hands and the fractured wrist, fury arose inside her heart.
"That's going to heal soon, darling.", she told the young Took and smiled, friendly. "You're still young."
Pippin looked up to her; his eyes were dark and full of tears.
"Does he know where you live?", Pippin asked, softly.
"No! Who cares about an old stupid hobbit lass like me?", Daisy joked. "I only have one guest room ... I never managed to afford a larger hole."
She showed the room to the cousins.
"You aren't hungry, are you?", she asked.
They shook their heads in unison. They were not angry and Pippin doubted that he would ever be hungry again.
He was a rebel now, an outcast. His father would hunt them down sooner or later and then also Merry would have to suffer.
Pippin didn't want Merry to get hurt. His cousin was the most precious person to him in the whole wide world.
"Merry?", Pippin asked as they lay together in the broad bed.
"Yes, Pip?"
"I won't let him hurt you. It's all right if he hurts me, but not you. Not you."
Pippin started to cry, silently, so Merry wrapped his arms around him.
"Shhh, Pippin. Don't cry. He won't hurt me."
And so they stayed through the night; their young hearts in fear and distress.
The next morning Pippin found himself all alone. He shivered. It was pretty cold in here without Merry's strong arms and his warm body. He walked through all the rooms, but Merry wasn't there.
"Merry?" No response. "Merry?!" Still no response. "MERRY!!!"
He ran out of the house. What if his father had come? But then Pippin called himself a fool. Of course his father hadn't come. He would've taken Pippin with him, wouldn't he have?
Then Pippin could see Merry. He was sitting on a low seat beside the entrance.
"Pippin!" He jumped up to take Pippin into his arms.
"What's wrong, Pippin? Please, tell me."
Merry lead his best friend to the seat, sat down himself and let Pippin climb up to his lap.
Pippin put his head on Merry's chest and let him stroke his curly hair.
"I thought you were gone.", Pippin said, silently. "But it's all right. I'm not afraid."
Merry smiled and ruffled Pippin's hair.
"You really know how to shock somebody, Pip. I thought a bunch of wild orcs was after you."
Pippin giggled. He loved Bilbo Baggins's stories.
"Merry ... if I were a princess and a bad dragon had kidnapped me ... would you rescue me?"
Merry looked at him, seriously and lifted Pippin's chin.
"I would. I definitely would."
He got closer to Pippin and was about to kiss him, when they heard a cry of pure fury.
They looked up with wide eyes to face Paladin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. It hadn't been Paladin's cry, though; Merry's father had been very shocked and angry to see his son in that situation.
The two older hobbits rushed towards them. They grabbed their respective son and started to yell at them.
"You no-good little brat!! What did you think you were doing?!", Paladin yelled and slapped Pippin across the face.
"HOW CAN YOU DARE HURT THAT CHILD?!", Daisy yelled and stormed out of her hobbit-hole.
Paladin sneered. Pippin was **his** son after all. He owned him.
"Mind your own business, Miss Daisy.", he said. "A lad like him should be punished. Runs away from home twice."
And then Daisy heard something else; Merry was crying out loud. Awfully loud. His father had just beat him for the first time in his young life so that it actually hurt.
"Saradoc!" She glared at him, but Saradoc just stared back at her and then at his hand. He hadn't meant to hurt his son ... he hadn't ...
"And now you're coming home, Peregrin.", Paladin announced and dragged the young Took over to his pony.
"NOOOOOO!!! MERRY!!!"
Merry looked at him with eyes that were dark with sadness and pain. But his father held him back. Merry couldn't go and besides he couldn't face the dragon ... not yet ... he was weak ... too weak ...
As soon as they had reached home Paladin started to give Pippin his real punishment.
"So we're a little whore now, aren't we, Peregrin my beloved son?", Paladin sneered and kicked Pippin's face with his foot.
Some bone was breaking and his nose started bleeding. Pippin whimpered and tried to crawl away, but his father didn't know about mercy.
He kicked him again and again. Soon Pippin couldn't even move a single finger. He was broken. His heart shattered.
Maybe the sweet darkness he desired more than anything else in the world would come soon and deliver him from a pain too great to bear.
But Paladin definitely wasn't done yet. He was just starting.
"So, you want to be with someone from the family? So what about your father?"
Pippin's eyes widened. They had never been that wide before as his father ripped of his trousers and did to him what no child should ever see.
The princess was lost.