~*~*~*~
Marroc's Tale
By Hippy Hobbit
Chapter 15:
Dedicated to Niph
~*~*~*~
'No...I don't know... I don't think I want to go...let's just stay home...'
Maggie sat on the edge of her sons bed, one arm draped over his sick, little body. Red blood still seeped through the fresh white bandages on his hands and forehead. His eyelids were drooping and one hand was feebly stuffed into his mother's. He let out a little moan in his near-sleep state.
Tarroc watched the two of them, his eyes narrowed. Part of this was from jealousy- Maggie was giving Marroc all the attention that HE deserved. After all, HE had planned this outing for THEM.
'No, Maggie.' He said, firmly to his wife. It was the mid-morning on the night after Marroc's breakdown. The search party Tarroc had put together had found him, bleeding profusely and out cold, death seeming to just hover above his little, broken body.
Tarroc had feared his son would not make it through the night, and he told Saradoc privately that his whole family seemed to be dying before his eyes.
Most unfortunately, Maggie had heard them talking and had gone half into hysterics, and half into a screaming rage at her husband. It was only when the poor Master, who was caught in the middle of it all, had suggested to Maggie that her shouting would in no way help her son recover that she finally calmed down.
'Tarroc! I'm worried!' The Sun was currently peeking over the horizon and the two were supposed to be leaving now on their trip.
'Maggie! We've- I'VE been planning this trip for MONTHS! I am NOT going to let HIM ruin it!'
Maggie let out a tiny sob, before choking out, 'B-b-but Tarroc! Marroc...'
'...You'll not do him no good, staying here and worrying over him like this!'
But Maggie refused to leave her little boy's side,
'I WILL NOT GO!' she held Marroc close to her, waking him up, 'HE IS SICK, TARROC! I WILL NOT LEAVE MY SON IN THE HANDS OF STRANGERS WHILE HE'S ILL!'
'HE'S KNOWN THESE PEOPLE ALL HIS LIFE, MAGGIE!'
'NO! NONONONO NO!'
In the end, however, there was a compromise. Maggie was allowed to stay by her sons side until his health started improving, which turned out to be three days. Three long days. They decided on that night at dusk, they would leave for Tuckbourgh, but Maggie had only agreed to go if they would only stay until Yule-, which was another three days. It was agreed to, though Tarroc would've rather gone for a fornight, which had been the original plan.
At their final night at Brandyhall, Maggie was in tears. Meriadoc carried Marroc out, wrapped in layers of blankets, to say good-bye to his parents. The boy probably had a good 8-10 wool blankets wrapped around his tiny self, until the point where it was near-impossible for him to move. He also had two hot potatoes in his trouser pockets, to keep his hands warm when he put them in there, and another in his shirt pocket, to keep his chest warm. He also held a hot toddy in his mittened hands, as Healer Fillibold had refused to let him out of bed at first, and had only let him after he made sure that Marroc was properly 'wrapped' and 'stuffed'.
Marroc lay his head on his elder cousins shoulder, rather tired. His eyelids drooped a little and he yawned widely.
Many blankets and sweaters also covered his mother, who was starting to get sick again. But she smiled and kissed Marroc on the tip of his nose.
'Bye baby...' she cooed, taking him from Merry's arms and hugging him tightly, '...you be good for Merry and Auntie Essy,' she kissed his nose again.
'Yeah. Be good.' Tarroc added, his tone flat and even a little sour. He reached over to ruffle Marroc's curls, but his son pulled away sharply, with a wince.
Tarroc drew back as well. He'd forgotten about the wounds on Marroc's head. He muttered an apology, then turned away and started hooking Storm up to the sleigh.
'You're taking THAT beast?!' came a little voice.
Tarroc and Maggie spun around to look at their son, who had been placed back into his cousin's arms.
The lad's eyes were wide and Storm gave a loud *SNORT* of disapproval at the boy.
'Yeah...' Tarroc muttered. He seemed rather put out that his prized mare had been called a 'beast'.
But Maggie noted the uneasy tone of Marrocs voice, 'Something wrong, dear?'
'She...she...she'd a DEVIL!' Marroc squeaked, rather boldly.
Tarroc's face turned red.
'SHE IS NOT!' he argued indignantly, turning around and looking his son straight in the eye. Marroc quivered and sort of ducked his head away, grabbing one hand at Merry's chest.
'Tarroc!' Maggie lay a soothing hand on her husbands arm. She whispered a few short words to him, causing him to mutter something angrily back. She rolled her eyes and stepped one foot on to the sleigh, boosting herself up.
'Bye, beloved...' she cooed again to her son, who, after seeing his mother try and calm his father down, had turned his head back towards the sleigh, but did not remove his hand from Merry's chest, 'And you as well, Meriadoc. See you both in a few days.'
Tarroc grumbled his goodbyes to his son and his nephew, and then climbed up on the sleigh next to Maggie. He took the reigns in both his hands and Storm started to walk, though her owner had done nothing. A sudden, quick fear lit up Tarrocs eyes, but it died away, seeing as how she hadn't done anything else.
'Hmm... pro'lly never lead a sleigh...' Merry heard him grumble to himself, in explantion.
'Bye, you two!' Maggie called, cheerily back, as Tarroc called 'YAH!' and Storm broke into a run. The two boys watched as the sleigh disappeared off into night.
'Well, Marroc.... We'd better get back inside before we have to face the wrath of Filli.' Merry said, boosting Marroc up so he wouldn't drop him.
'Merry... do you think Storm is evil?'
Merry gave his little cousin a small smile, 'Whatever you think.'
(A/N: Ugh... I do not like that Storm. She reminds me of a Black Rider horse *shudders*. So...what do you think will happen next, hm?
And now for reviews-
Niph: I do fear Lastriel isn't in this episode, nor will she be in the next... but she'll be in one of the next couple... I don't know exactly how far ahead... but hopefully soon ^^
Random thanks go to:
Pipinheart (shana4037@aol.com) elessar*lover
Good wishes-
Hippy)
Marroc's Tale
By Hippy Hobbit
Chapter 15:
Dedicated to Niph
~*~*~*~
'No...I don't know... I don't think I want to go...let's just stay home...'
Maggie sat on the edge of her sons bed, one arm draped over his sick, little body. Red blood still seeped through the fresh white bandages on his hands and forehead. His eyelids were drooping and one hand was feebly stuffed into his mother's. He let out a little moan in his near-sleep state.
Tarroc watched the two of them, his eyes narrowed. Part of this was from jealousy- Maggie was giving Marroc all the attention that HE deserved. After all, HE had planned this outing for THEM.
'No, Maggie.' He said, firmly to his wife. It was the mid-morning on the night after Marroc's breakdown. The search party Tarroc had put together had found him, bleeding profusely and out cold, death seeming to just hover above his little, broken body.
Tarroc had feared his son would not make it through the night, and he told Saradoc privately that his whole family seemed to be dying before his eyes.
Most unfortunately, Maggie had heard them talking and had gone half into hysterics, and half into a screaming rage at her husband. It was only when the poor Master, who was caught in the middle of it all, had suggested to Maggie that her shouting would in no way help her son recover that she finally calmed down.
'Tarroc! I'm worried!' The Sun was currently peeking over the horizon and the two were supposed to be leaving now on their trip.
'Maggie! We've- I'VE been planning this trip for MONTHS! I am NOT going to let HIM ruin it!'
Maggie let out a tiny sob, before choking out, 'B-b-but Tarroc! Marroc...'
'...You'll not do him no good, staying here and worrying over him like this!'
But Maggie refused to leave her little boy's side,
'I WILL NOT GO!' she held Marroc close to her, waking him up, 'HE IS SICK, TARROC! I WILL NOT LEAVE MY SON IN THE HANDS OF STRANGERS WHILE HE'S ILL!'
'HE'S KNOWN THESE PEOPLE ALL HIS LIFE, MAGGIE!'
'NO! NONONONO NO!'
In the end, however, there was a compromise. Maggie was allowed to stay by her sons side until his health started improving, which turned out to be three days. Three long days. They decided on that night at dusk, they would leave for Tuckbourgh, but Maggie had only agreed to go if they would only stay until Yule-, which was another three days. It was agreed to, though Tarroc would've rather gone for a fornight, which had been the original plan.
At their final night at Brandyhall, Maggie was in tears. Meriadoc carried Marroc out, wrapped in layers of blankets, to say good-bye to his parents. The boy probably had a good 8-10 wool blankets wrapped around his tiny self, until the point where it was near-impossible for him to move. He also had two hot potatoes in his trouser pockets, to keep his hands warm when he put them in there, and another in his shirt pocket, to keep his chest warm. He also held a hot toddy in his mittened hands, as Healer Fillibold had refused to let him out of bed at first, and had only let him after he made sure that Marroc was properly 'wrapped' and 'stuffed'.
Marroc lay his head on his elder cousins shoulder, rather tired. His eyelids drooped a little and he yawned widely.
Many blankets and sweaters also covered his mother, who was starting to get sick again. But she smiled and kissed Marroc on the tip of his nose.
'Bye baby...' she cooed, taking him from Merry's arms and hugging him tightly, '...you be good for Merry and Auntie Essy,' she kissed his nose again.
'Yeah. Be good.' Tarroc added, his tone flat and even a little sour. He reached over to ruffle Marroc's curls, but his son pulled away sharply, with a wince.
Tarroc drew back as well. He'd forgotten about the wounds on Marroc's head. He muttered an apology, then turned away and started hooking Storm up to the sleigh.
'You're taking THAT beast?!' came a little voice.
Tarroc and Maggie spun around to look at their son, who had been placed back into his cousin's arms.
The lad's eyes were wide and Storm gave a loud *SNORT* of disapproval at the boy.
'Yeah...' Tarroc muttered. He seemed rather put out that his prized mare had been called a 'beast'.
But Maggie noted the uneasy tone of Marrocs voice, 'Something wrong, dear?'
'She...she...she'd a DEVIL!' Marroc squeaked, rather boldly.
Tarroc's face turned red.
'SHE IS NOT!' he argued indignantly, turning around and looking his son straight in the eye. Marroc quivered and sort of ducked his head away, grabbing one hand at Merry's chest.
'Tarroc!' Maggie lay a soothing hand on her husbands arm. She whispered a few short words to him, causing him to mutter something angrily back. She rolled her eyes and stepped one foot on to the sleigh, boosting herself up.
'Bye, beloved...' she cooed again to her son, who, after seeing his mother try and calm his father down, had turned his head back towards the sleigh, but did not remove his hand from Merry's chest, 'And you as well, Meriadoc. See you both in a few days.'
Tarroc grumbled his goodbyes to his son and his nephew, and then climbed up on the sleigh next to Maggie. He took the reigns in both his hands and Storm started to walk, though her owner had done nothing. A sudden, quick fear lit up Tarrocs eyes, but it died away, seeing as how she hadn't done anything else.
'Hmm... pro'lly never lead a sleigh...' Merry heard him grumble to himself, in explantion.
'Bye, you two!' Maggie called, cheerily back, as Tarroc called 'YAH!' and Storm broke into a run. The two boys watched as the sleigh disappeared off into night.
'Well, Marroc.... We'd better get back inside before we have to face the wrath of Filli.' Merry said, boosting Marroc up so he wouldn't drop him.
'Merry... do you think Storm is evil?'
Merry gave his little cousin a small smile, 'Whatever you think.'
(A/N: Ugh... I do not like that Storm. She reminds me of a Black Rider horse *shudders*. So...what do you think will happen next, hm?
And now for reviews-
Niph: I do fear Lastriel isn't in this episode, nor will she be in the next... but she'll be in one of the next couple... I don't know exactly how far ahead... but hopefully soon ^^
Random thanks go to:
Pipinheart (shana4037@aol.com) elessar*lover
Good wishes-
Hippy)