He had fallen asleep on the side of the bed, with one arm reaching out, curving around the children. What had woken him was the shrilling cry of Simblemynë's pleas for hunger. He had jumped, falling off the bed, softly knocking Théodoc, which also caused him to start crying.
Merry quickly pulled himself up and ran out of the room for the bottles that were waiting in the kitchen, but stopped. He couldn't just leave the babies alone and laying on the bed. He rushed back and scooped one into each arm before heading out into the dining area. "Shh...it's going to be okay," he tried.
He panicky looked around for a place to set the children.
"Merry!" the door blew open and he whipped around to find Pippin standing in the doorway, trying to catch his breath.
"What?" Merry asked with frustration, still trying to find some where to put the babies.
"You're mum is coming up here," Merry stopped his whirling around to face his cousin.
"Why?"
"The neighbors spoke to her about hearin' the cries of a wee babe, or maybe more, comin' from the house, and when I was at market this mornin' she saw me and asked about it. I dinn'a answer her, so now she's comin' up,"
"This is wonderful," Merry sighed, heading to the kitchen. "Hold him." Merry loaded off Théodoc into Pippin's arms. Pippin attempted to coo at the little boy and Merry started to get the bottles filled (spilling some of the milk) and setting the glasses into the water. "What am I supposed to do, Pippin?"
"Well, you can't very well hide them. She's going to hear them cryin' the second she steps into th' door,"
"Meriadoc!" And loud pounding came from the front door. Merry and Pippin both froze. "Meriadoc!"
"Here," Merry grabbed a not-quiet-warm-enough bottle from the pan, handing it to Pippin. "Feed him."
"If you don't open this door, I am going to storm in!"
"Hold on, Mother!" Merry called. He grabbed the other bottle, feeding it to Simblemynë.
Esmeralda didn't wait. The door flew open and Merry jerked around to see his mother standing in the hall, hands on hips and glaring at him. "You two have so much explaining to do," she angrily walked towards her son and nephew with her finger pointed. "Mrs. Bracecurdle said that ever since yesterday afternoon she's been hearing crying, and you haven't left the house and there were some of the Big Folk wondering around..." she paused when she saw both boys with a child. "Where did those babies come from?"
"Mother," Merry let out a heavy sigh. "You probably should sit down."
"I will do no such thing, Meriadoc. You tell me this very instant why you have those children and where they came from,"
"Mother, there is no easy way to say this-"
"Peregrin, that is no way to hold a child," Esmeralda brushed by her son and to Pippin. "Like this, you have to keep their head up." She paused when she saw the baby's face. "This baby has your eyes." She glared at Merry as he tried to look away. She went to him and glanced at Simblemynë. "Meriadoc. You look me in the eye right now."
"His name is Théodoc, and she's Simblemynë,"
"Who is the mother?" Esmeralda demanded.
"Her name was Eowyn," Merry kept his eyes on his daughter as he explained things to his mother. "She was a Lady of Rohan-"
"You didn't," he didn't answer. "This is why Estella hasn't spoken to you, this is why the engagement is off!"
"Mother-"
"How could you? You didn't of anything but yourself? Didn't you think there would be consequences of your lustful actions?"
"I don't think he was really-"
"Stay out of this, Peregrin," she snapped.
"One of the Big Folk, and children conceived out of wedlock," she shook her head with disgust. "And not even with the woman that you're engaged to. Meriadoc, you are the only heir of Buckland didn't you even..." she sighed and glanced at the children. "Where is the mother?"
"She left. We agreed that she couldn't keep the children,"
"Paladin always said that you would be the death of your father," Simblemynë start to push away from the bottle and cry again. "Let me have her," she took the baby girl from her son. "You have to burp her after she's finished."
"Mother-"
She raised her free hand to silence him. "I will deal with you later. Peregrin, bring him into the next room." Esmeralda stormed passed Merry. He exchanged glances with Pippin as he followed his aunt into the den.
---
Good? Bad? Ugly? FUBAR? Lemme know.
Merry quickly pulled himself up and ran out of the room for the bottles that were waiting in the kitchen, but stopped. He couldn't just leave the babies alone and laying on the bed. He rushed back and scooped one into each arm before heading out into the dining area. "Shh...it's going to be okay," he tried.
He panicky looked around for a place to set the children.
"Merry!" the door blew open and he whipped around to find Pippin standing in the doorway, trying to catch his breath.
"What?" Merry asked with frustration, still trying to find some where to put the babies.
"You're mum is coming up here," Merry stopped his whirling around to face his cousin.
"Why?"
"The neighbors spoke to her about hearin' the cries of a wee babe, or maybe more, comin' from the house, and when I was at market this mornin' she saw me and asked about it. I dinn'a answer her, so now she's comin' up,"
"This is wonderful," Merry sighed, heading to the kitchen. "Hold him." Merry loaded off Théodoc into Pippin's arms. Pippin attempted to coo at the little boy and Merry started to get the bottles filled (spilling some of the milk) and setting the glasses into the water. "What am I supposed to do, Pippin?"
"Well, you can't very well hide them. She's going to hear them cryin' the second she steps into th' door,"
"Meriadoc!" And loud pounding came from the front door. Merry and Pippin both froze. "Meriadoc!"
"Here," Merry grabbed a not-quiet-warm-enough bottle from the pan, handing it to Pippin. "Feed him."
"If you don't open this door, I am going to storm in!"
"Hold on, Mother!" Merry called. He grabbed the other bottle, feeding it to Simblemynë.
Esmeralda didn't wait. The door flew open and Merry jerked around to see his mother standing in the hall, hands on hips and glaring at him. "You two have so much explaining to do," she angrily walked towards her son and nephew with her finger pointed. "Mrs. Bracecurdle said that ever since yesterday afternoon she's been hearing crying, and you haven't left the house and there were some of the Big Folk wondering around..." she paused when she saw both boys with a child. "Where did those babies come from?"
"Mother," Merry let out a heavy sigh. "You probably should sit down."
"I will do no such thing, Meriadoc. You tell me this very instant why you have those children and where they came from,"
"Mother, there is no easy way to say this-"
"Peregrin, that is no way to hold a child," Esmeralda brushed by her son and to Pippin. "Like this, you have to keep their head up." She paused when she saw the baby's face. "This baby has your eyes." She glared at Merry as he tried to look away. She went to him and glanced at Simblemynë. "Meriadoc. You look me in the eye right now."
"His name is Théodoc, and she's Simblemynë,"
"Who is the mother?" Esmeralda demanded.
"Her name was Eowyn," Merry kept his eyes on his daughter as he explained things to his mother. "She was a Lady of Rohan-"
"You didn't," he didn't answer. "This is why Estella hasn't spoken to you, this is why the engagement is off!"
"Mother-"
"How could you? You didn't of anything but yourself? Didn't you think there would be consequences of your lustful actions?"
"I don't think he was really-"
"Stay out of this, Peregrin," she snapped.
"One of the Big Folk, and children conceived out of wedlock," she shook her head with disgust. "And not even with the woman that you're engaged to. Meriadoc, you are the only heir of Buckland didn't you even..." she sighed and glanced at the children. "Where is the mother?"
"She left. We agreed that she couldn't keep the children,"
"Paladin always said that you would be the death of your father," Simblemynë start to push away from the bottle and cry again. "Let me have her," she took the baby girl from her son. "You have to burp her after she's finished."
"Mother-"
She raised her free hand to silence him. "I will deal with you later. Peregrin, bring him into the next room." Esmeralda stormed passed Merry. He exchanged glances with Pippin as he followed his aunt into the den.
---
Good? Bad? Ugly? FUBAR? Lemme know.