The Gathering
Merry and Pippin had gone out into the forest to find some mushrooms to mix in with the stew they were going to make for dinner. They were having a Christmas get-together with the Fellowship.
"Merry, I found 'em!" Pippin shouted to Merry, who was on the other side of a rather gnarled-looking tree.
Merry came running, scooped up as many 'shrooms as he could carry, and gestured for Pippin to take some too.
"Good eye." Merry said, smiling at Pippin's young face, and Pippin returned it.
They started out of the forest quietly. Pippin looked across the gleaming river and saw a small figure following them, in-step with them. Pippin squinted to try and see them better, but it didn't help.
"Merry, I think someone's following us." Pippin said quietly.
"You're just hungry, Pip. It's your imagination." Merry answered, not turning or slowing down.
Pippin looked back to find the figure was gone. He cocked an eyebrow, and was about to turn around, when he suddenly saw a pale face in front of him.
"Hello, might I join you for a short meal?" the girl said. "I've been running for days."
"Uh," Pippin looked passed the girl to Merry, who seemed not to know the girl was there. "Sure, I guess so."
"Thank you, I'm most grateful." The girl took off her hood, revealing the most beautiful face Pippin had ever seen. She had pale skin, long dark brown hair, and shining young green eyes. She was a bit shorter than himself, and he noticed something instantly. Pointed ears. She was an Elf.
She went to his side, and when he looked over at her, she smiled encouragingly at him, then looked ahead.
"By the way," she said gently, "My name is Alida."
Sam and Frodo had gotten to Merry's house earlier than they expected. They went inside and sat sown on the floor silently.
"When do you think they'll be back?" Frodo asked hopefully.
"'Dunno." Sam answered simply, just as the door creaked open, and the two familiar Hobbits stepped in.
But after Merry and Pippin had come in, another person, a girl, followed shyly after Pippin.
"Merry, Sam, Frodo, this is Alida." Pippin told them.
He stepped aside to reveal a girl shorter than him with long shimmering dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Just then, there was a knock at the door, then several more. Merry strode over to the door and opened it. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli stepped in. Legolas was the first to greet them.
"Hello, everyone." He looked at the four young Hobbits, then saw Alida.
"I'm Alida," she said before Legolas could speak.
He nodded and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back, but it was a weak smile. Gandalf sat down in his chair, the huge one, and all the little Hobbits sat around it.
"What are you all crowding around me for?" Gandalf asked, but already knowing the answer.
"Oh, come one Gandalf." Aragorn said with a chuckle. "You know they make you do this every year for Christmas."
"Not this year," Gandalf said with a laugh. "I rebel!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Gandalf?" said Frodo, his watery blue eyes bigger and bluer than ever.
"Nope," Gandalf said, folding his arms.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Gandalf?" Pippin pleaded. "Pretty please with sugar on top, and a cherry, and some chocolate syrup, and some almonds, and sprinkles, and-"
"Alright!" said Gandalf holding up his hand to silence Pippin's plead.
He got up and walked up the stairs, and returned a few moments later wearing a stuffed, red Santa suit. He sighed in reluctance and sat down in his chair again as the Hobbits and Legolas clapped gleefully. Frodo and Pippin jumped into Gandalf's lap and stared up at him, each wearing an ear-to-ear grin.
"*Sigh* What do you little Hobbits want for Chirstmas?"
Pippin spoke first. "I want....." he thought for a moment. It looked like hard work for him. Then he said, "I want a double pint!"
"A what?" Gandalf said.
"You know, still a mug that can hold a pint, but DOUBLE, so it can hold more rum." Pippin smiled at him innocently.
Gandalf sighed and turned to Frodo. "And you?"
"I want a girl," Frodo said simply.
"WHAT?!" everyone except Alida exclaimed at Frodo's answer.
"It seems our little Frodo has finally discovered women!" Pippin shouted and nudged Frodo.
Pippin turned around to smile at Alida, only to find that she was gone. He got off of Gandalf and walked through Merry's house. He found her sitting at the kitchen table with a pint-sized mug, filled almost to the brim in her hands.
"What's this?" she asked Pippin.
"That, my friend, is pint." Pippin said smiling at her.
She held the mug to her lips and drank. And drank. And drank. When she put the mug down, it was three quarters empty.
"Wow," Alida said. "That was good. For now."
"Mind if I have the rest?" Pippin asked with a smile.
"Be my guest." Alida said smiling at him.
Merry and Pippin had gone out into the forest to find some mushrooms to mix in with the stew they were going to make for dinner. They were having a Christmas get-together with the Fellowship.
"Merry, I found 'em!" Pippin shouted to Merry, who was on the other side of a rather gnarled-looking tree.
Merry came running, scooped up as many 'shrooms as he could carry, and gestured for Pippin to take some too.
"Good eye." Merry said, smiling at Pippin's young face, and Pippin returned it.
They started out of the forest quietly. Pippin looked across the gleaming river and saw a small figure following them, in-step with them. Pippin squinted to try and see them better, but it didn't help.
"Merry, I think someone's following us." Pippin said quietly.
"You're just hungry, Pip. It's your imagination." Merry answered, not turning or slowing down.
Pippin looked back to find the figure was gone. He cocked an eyebrow, and was about to turn around, when he suddenly saw a pale face in front of him.
"Hello, might I join you for a short meal?" the girl said. "I've been running for days."
"Uh," Pippin looked passed the girl to Merry, who seemed not to know the girl was there. "Sure, I guess so."
"Thank you, I'm most grateful." The girl took off her hood, revealing the most beautiful face Pippin had ever seen. She had pale skin, long dark brown hair, and shining young green eyes. She was a bit shorter than himself, and he noticed something instantly. Pointed ears. She was an Elf.
She went to his side, and when he looked over at her, she smiled encouragingly at him, then looked ahead.
"By the way," she said gently, "My name is Alida."
Sam and Frodo had gotten to Merry's house earlier than they expected. They went inside and sat sown on the floor silently.
"When do you think they'll be back?" Frodo asked hopefully.
"'Dunno." Sam answered simply, just as the door creaked open, and the two familiar Hobbits stepped in.
But after Merry and Pippin had come in, another person, a girl, followed shyly after Pippin.
"Merry, Sam, Frodo, this is Alida." Pippin told them.
He stepped aside to reveal a girl shorter than him with long shimmering dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Just then, there was a knock at the door, then several more. Merry strode over to the door and opened it. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli stepped in. Legolas was the first to greet them.
"Hello, everyone." He looked at the four young Hobbits, then saw Alida.
"I'm Alida," she said before Legolas could speak.
He nodded and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back, but it was a weak smile. Gandalf sat down in his chair, the huge one, and all the little Hobbits sat around it.
"What are you all crowding around me for?" Gandalf asked, but already knowing the answer.
"Oh, come one Gandalf." Aragorn said with a chuckle. "You know they make you do this every year for Christmas."
"Not this year," Gandalf said with a laugh. "I rebel!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Gandalf?" said Frodo, his watery blue eyes bigger and bluer than ever.
"Nope," Gandalf said, folding his arms.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Gandalf?" Pippin pleaded. "Pretty please with sugar on top, and a cherry, and some chocolate syrup, and some almonds, and sprinkles, and-"
"Alright!" said Gandalf holding up his hand to silence Pippin's plead.
He got up and walked up the stairs, and returned a few moments later wearing a stuffed, red Santa suit. He sighed in reluctance and sat down in his chair again as the Hobbits and Legolas clapped gleefully. Frodo and Pippin jumped into Gandalf's lap and stared up at him, each wearing an ear-to-ear grin.
"*Sigh* What do you little Hobbits want for Chirstmas?"
Pippin spoke first. "I want....." he thought for a moment. It looked like hard work for him. Then he said, "I want a double pint!"
"A what?" Gandalf said.
"You know, still a mug that can hold a pint, but DOUBLE, so it can hold more rum." Pippin smiled at him innocently.
Gandalf sighed and turned to Frodo. "And you?"
"I want a girl," Frodo said simply.
"WHAT?!" everyone except Alida exclaimed at Frodo's answer.
"It seems our little Frodo has finally discovered women!" Pippin shouted and nudged Frodo.
Pippin turned around to smile at Alida, only to find that she was gone. He got off of Gandalf and walked through Merry's house. He found her sitting at the kitchen table with a pint-sized mug, filled almost to the brim in her hands.
"What's this?" she asked Pippin.
"That, my friend, is pint." Pippin said smiling at her.
She held the mug to her lips and drank. And drank. And drank. When she put the mug down, it was three quarters empty.
"Wow," Alida said. "That was good. For now."
"Mind if I have the rest?" Pippin asked with a smile.
"Be my guest." Alida said smiling at him.