A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait, but one thing led to another and
before I know it I'm back at school. Has anyone tried writing a story with
a six-year-old at your elbow asking if it's "that Lord of the Rings film"
you're writing about. Sweet, perhaps, but annoying when trying to write.
This last week, as the exams draw near, I've had to do some rather *ahem*
late pieces of work to catch up with everyone else and make sure that I'm
actually allowed to sit all the exams. But anyway, enough of me and my
excuses. On to the story! (Sorry again for the delay)
While They Walked
Chapter 16: A Bath
Now, back in correct footwear, the group were walking along much the same as usual. The scenery had changed and they were now walking next to the stream, something the hobbits welcomed greatly as it meant the grass was soft and lush and gentle on their sore feet. Except for Sam, he had all but recovered and so wasn't too worried about the quality of the grass.
"We should have made Gandalf swap with Bill," said Pippin darkly, "I would have gladly fixed the horse shoes to his feet." Unlike Aragorn, he hadn't been shown the benefits of their little experiment and so as far as he was concerned it had just caused his feet to be painful.
"Cheer up Pippin, next time we stop you can bathe your feet in the water." said Boromir.
"I need to bathe more than just my feet," replied Pippin, "I need a week- long bath with as many oils and soaps as you can find. Do you travel like this all the time?"
"If you could find a better way of travelling then I would gladly take it."
"You could always ride a horse, that would get you wherever quicker."
"That doesn't solve the washing problem at all though."
"Good point, Well, I think we should have a bah next time we stop, I for one am truly tired of all this dirt."
"I do believe, Pippin, you have had a good idea!" declared Merry.
"I always have good ideas Merry, you just take the credit for them."
"So I do." Said Merry, and then he turned to the rest of the group, "I think that next time we stop, we should find a suitable place to have a bath, after all, we should make good use of this fresh water while we have it." There was a murmur of agreement and Merry smiled in satisfaction, but then he turned back to Pippin who was glaring like he'd not glared since Merry had stolen a cake right from under his nose when he was fourteen. Boromir laughed and congratulated Merry on successfully stealing Pippin's idea and successfully transferred Pippin's glare to himself.
"Don't you start siding with him Boromir," he warned.
"I'm not siding with him, I was just giving praise where it was due." Pippin snorted, though he seemed to be satisfied.
Their plans decided, they walked on a little more in silence, Boromir occasionally chuckling to himself about previous conversations (not to mention he was in a good mood having got his boots back on). Gandalf stopped suddenly next to a small pool in the stream, where is was deeper and slower moving.
"I deem this to be a place suitable for taking baths, for those that want to." Said Gandalf, setting his staff against a lonely tree and sitting down on a rock next to it. "We'll stop here for the day."
"Oh, a bath, then tea, then bedtime! We're doing something remotely normal!" shouted Pippin, positively bouncing with glee. The company set down their packs with many a sigh. Then, before anything else could happen or any minds could be changed, Merry was shedding clothes left right and centre and dove right into to the middle of the pool. Sam looked a little alarmed at Merry's urgency and Frodo looked over Merry with a mock disapproving eye.
"Brandybucks, can't live without a good swim for a few months. Honestly, some times I think he's half fish!" declared Frodo. Pippin giggled, as he too began shedding clothes, but he kept his undergarments on. "Are you going in like that? "
"I don't see why I can't wash my underwear at the same time." Reasoned Pippin, Frodo agreed that it was a good idea, as did Boromir because he was rather dubious about bathing naked with a group of people he hadn't known more than a month or two.
"Pippin!" shouted Merry from his point in the pool, "I do wish you would tell me your good ideas before I go and do something else."
"But it's so much more fun when I don't!" replied Pippin.
"Well, could someone throw me my underwear?" Sam picked up the garments, which happened to be at his feet and threw them into the water.
"Right Merry, I'm coming in, is it cold?"
"Extremely." Pippin walked up to the edge of the pool, where the bank cut straight off and went right down a yard or so below the water. Then he jumped. The water went over his head as his feet sank into the slightly muddy bottom. He came straight back up, unlike Merry who had swum around for a little while, and gasped, more with the cold than anything else.
"Cold?" asked Frodo, now also ready to jump in.
"Positively freezing." Said Pippin. Frodo nodded and took a deep breath, then jumped too. His reaction to the water was much the same as Pippin's. Merry, now wearing something, put his hands on his hips.
"Frodo, you're acting just like a Took in water, I'm ashamed. It only goes to show that Lobelia knew nothing when she said you were a Brandybuck."
"I don't care what you say Merry, I say we should get washed and get out." There was a gasp as Sam slowly slipped into the water. By now, Gimli had started a fire and taken a seat next to Gandalf, reluctant to remove any of his armour. Gandalf was merely sitting and smoking, casting a lazy eye over the land and Legolas had climbed up into the tree that leaned over the pool and was sitting there, contentedly watching all that was going on.
Aragorn and Boromir were themselves, nearly ready to enter the pool. Sam turned from where he stood next to the bank and delved into his pack that lay there on the grass. He pulled out three bars of soap, in varying stages of use, and a bottle of liquid.
"Sam, you're a wonder." said Pippin, half swimming, half walking up to Sam and taking one of the bars from him. He popped it down his front and began scrubbing, and soon the bubbles began to appear.
"Don't use it all up, there's three bars for six people here." said Frodo. Once Pippin had made his entire top-half frothy, he handed the rest of the bar to Frodo.
Boromir was the first of the men to get in, he slipped in the same way as Sam had but then pushed off from the side and swam around a little.
"That's more like it!" said Merry approvingly as Boromir swam up to him. Boromir stopped, his feet on the bottom but his legs bent so the majority of him stayed below the surface. He faced Merry, who was on his toes, trying to keep his chin above the water, and smiled. Merry had no time to do more than wonder what Boromir was up to before those thick, strong arms of Boromir's were sweeping water towards him in something akin to a tidal wave. Merry went under suddenly but came up again soon enough, choking and spluttering. He looked at Boromir and saw him laughing and splashed him all he could, but Boromir only laughed.
But then suddenly Boromir was gone and replaced by Aragorn emerging from the water behind where Boromir had previously been, or still was as it appeared, as Boromir came back up, arms flailing and spluttering much like Merry had done earlier. Aragorn had taken his feet from under him.
"Watch where you're sending that water!" said a voice from above their heads, which could only be Legolas, but the still thick leaves on the tree hid him from view, if not from stray splashes.
"If you wash my feet, I'll wash yours." Said Pippin to Frodo, to which Frodo agreed quite heartily. He floated calmly on his back and let Pippin massage the soap onto his feet while Sam took the bottle of liquid and began to wash Frodo's hair with it, as it was shampoo. Frodo felt blissfully pampered and important for reasons other than the thing which hang about his neck. When Pippin finished on his feet, he put them back down on the bottom and Pippin floated on the top, allowing Frodo access to his feet.
The shouts and yells from the other side of the pool grew louder until, without any particular warning, a wave came and washed over the three of them. Pippin stood up and turned to face the two men and his cousin.
"We are trying to wash here!" he said indignantly.
"You look squeaky clean to me!" commented Merry.
"Sorry, forgot you were there." Added Boromir, by way of explanation.
"Charming!" said Pippin and he asked for the bottle of shampoo and washed his hair.
Before long, the other three were done with splashing around and wanted to wash as well. They were each handed a bar of soap, as the three hobbits were finished with them. Pippin offered to wash Boromir's back and Frodo to wash Aragorn's because both were just ridiculously large and there was no way they'd be able to reach it all themselves. Both offers were accepted.
"Don't I get my back washed?" asked Merry.
"You've washed yours, I saw." said Pippin as he set about his task.
"When?"
"Just before we offered to wash the men's. Oh Boromir, that reminds me, let me see your lips." Boromir turned his head so Pippin could see his lips over his shoulder.
"How did that remind you?"
"It didn't really, I just remembered. Wait there." And Pippin swam to the edge of the pool, hauled himself out and ran over to his pack. He dug around in it for a little and pulled out a jar. He ran back very quickly; the air was colder than the water, if that was possible.
"O, water hot is a noble thing!" he started as he hopped back into the water and soon Bilbo's old bath song was taken up by the other hobbits.
"What's that you have there?" asked Boromir about Pippin's jar.
"I don't rightly know, but I do know it's good for dry lips, try some." Boromir took a little on his finger and looked at it dubiously, but then shrugged and rubbed it into his lips.
Now Bilbo's song had finished each hobbit had launched off into another one, completely disregarding whatever song another had started on, the result lacked in anything truly musical, but it was hard to not let your spirit be raised by them all the same.
"Beautiful!" said Aragorn when they had all finished and he applauded them all.
"I don't know about you," said Pippin, his lips blue with cold, "But I'm getting out now." and he did, followed by everyone but Merry.
"Do you think we could swim to Mordor?" said Merry.
"No!" cried Sam. "I'll walk to Mordor, I'll run to Mordor, I'd even fly to Mordor if some eagles were kind enough to take us, but I'd not swim!"
"I have to agree with Sam," said Pippin, "I trust my legs on the ground more than I do in the water."
"Alright! I wasn't being entirely serious anyway." He stopped a little while to watch the soapy bubbles drift away downstream. Then finally he too got out. "Now, what's for dinner?"
While They Walked
Chapter 16: A Bath
Now, back in correct footwear, the group were walking along much the same as usual. The scenery had changed and they were now walking next to the stream, something the hobbits welcomed greatly as it meant the grass was soft and lush and gentle on their sore feet. Except for Sam, he had all but recovered and so wasn't too worried about the quality of the grass.
"We should have made Gandalf swap with Bill," said Pippin darkly, "I would have gladly fixed the horse shoes to his feet." Unlike Aragorn, he hadn't been shown the benefits of their little experiment and so as far as he was concerned it had just caused his feet to be painful.
"Cheer up Pippin, next time we stop you can bathe your feet in the water." said Boromir.
"I need to bathe more than just my feet," replied Pippin, "I need a week- long bath with as many oils and soaps as you can find. Do you travel like this all the time?"
"If you could find a better way of travelling then I would gladly take it."
"You could always ride a horse, that would get you wherever quicker."
"That doesn't solve the washing problem at all though."
"Good point, Well, I think we should have a bah next time we stop, I for one am truly tired of all this dirt."
"I do believe, Pippin, you have had a good idea!" declared Merry.
"I always have good ideas Merry, you just take the credit for them."
"So I do." Said Merry, and then he turned to the rest of the group, "I think that next time we stop, we should find a suitable place to have a bath, after all, we should make good use of this fresh water while we have it." There was a murmur of agreement and Merry smiled in satisfaction, but then he turned back to Pippin who was glaring like he'd not glared since Merry had stolen a cake right from under his nose when he was fourteen. Boromir laughed and congratulated Merry on successfully stealing Pippin's idea and successfully transferred Pippin's glare to himself.
"Don't you start siding with him Boromir," he warned.
"I'm not siding with him, I was just giving praise where it was due." Pippin snorted, though he seemed to be satisfied.
Their plans decided, they walked on a little more in silence, Boromir occasionally chuckling to himself about previous conversations (not to mention he was in a good mood having got his boots back on). Gandalf stopped suddenly next to a small pool in the stream, where is was deeper and slower moving.
"I deem this to be a place suitable for taking baths, for those that want to." Said Gandalf, setting his staff against a lonely tree and sitting down on a rock next to it. "We'll stop here for the day."
"Oh, a bath, then tea, then bedtime! We're doing something remotely normal!" shouted Pippin, positively bouncing with glee. The company set down their packs with many a sigh. Then, before anything else could happen or any minds could be changed, Merry was shedding clothes left right and centre and dove right into to the middle of the pool. Sam looked a little alarmed at Merry's urgency and Frodo looked over Merry with a mock disapproving eye.
"Brandybucks, can't live without a good swim for a few months. Honestly, some times I think he's half fish!" declared Frodo. Pippin giggled, as he too began shedding clothes, but he kept his undergarments on. "Are you going in like that? "
"I don't see why I can't wash my underwear at the same time." Reasoned Pippin, Frodo agreed that it was a good idea, as did Boromir because he was rather dubious about bathing naked with a group of people he hadn't known more than a month or two.
"Pippin!" shouted Merry from his point in the pool, "I do wish you would tell me your good ideas before I go and do something else."
"But it's so much more fun when I don't!" replied Pippin.
"Well, could someone throw me my underwear?" Sam picked up the garments, which happened to be at his feet and threw them into the water.
"Right Merry, I'm coming in, is it cold?"
"Extremely." Pippin walked up to the edge of the pool, where the bank cut straight off and went right down a yard or so below the water. Then he jumped. The water went over his head as his feet sank into the slightly muddy bottom. He came straight back up, unlike Merry who had swum around for a little while, and gasped, more with the cold than anything else.
"Cold?" asked Frodo, now also ready to jump in.
"Positively freezing." Said Pippin. Frodo nodded and took a deep breath, then jumped too. His reaction to the water was much the same as Pippin's. Merry, now wearing something, put his hands on his hips.
"Frodo, you're acting just like a Took in water, I'm ashamed. It only goes to show that Lobelia knew nothing when she said you were a Brandybuck."
"I don't care what you say Merry, I say we should get washed and get out." There was a gasp as Sam slowly slipped into the water. By now, Gimli had started a fire and taken a seat next to Gandalf, reluctant to remove any of his armour. Gandalf was merely sitting and smoking, casting a lazy eye over the land and Legolas had climbed up into the tree that leaned over the pool and was sitting there, contentedly watching all that was going on.
Aragorn and Boromir were themselves, nearly ready to enter the pool. Sam turned from where he stood next to the bank and delved into his pack that lay there on the grass. He pulled out three bars of soap, in varying stages of use, and a bottle of liquid.
"Sam, you're a wonder." said Pippin, half swimming, half walking up to Sam and taking one of the bars from him. He popped it down his front and began scrubbing, and soon the bubbles began to appear.
"Don't use it all up, there's three bars for six people here." said Frodo. Once Pippin had made his entire top-half frothy, he handed the rest of the bar to Frodo.
Boromir was the first of the men to get in, he slipped in the same way as Sam had but then pushed off from the side and swam around a little.
"That's more like it!" said Merry approvingly as Boromir swam up to him. Boromir stopped, his feet on the bottom but his legs bent so the majority of him stayed below the surface. He faced Merry, who was on his toes, trying to keep his chin above the water, and smiled. Merry had no time to do more than wonder what Boromir was up to before those thick, strong arms of Boromir's were sweeping water towards him in something akin to a tidal wave. Merry went under suddenly but came up again soon enough, choking and spluttering. He looked at Boromir and saw him laughing and splashed him all he could, but Boromir only laughed.
But then suddenly Boromir was gone and replaced by Aragorn emerging from the water behind where Boromir had previously been, or still was as it appeared, as Boromir came back up, arms flailing and spluttering much like Merry had done earlier. Aragorn had taken his feet from under him.
"Watch where you're sending that water!" said a voice from above their heads, which could only be Legolas, but the still thick leaves on the tree hid him from view, if not from stray splashes.
"If you wash my feet, I'll wash yours." Said Pippin to Frodo, to which Frodo agreed quite heartily. He floated calmly on his back and let Pippin massage the soap onto his feet while Sam took the bottle of liquid and began to wash Frodo's hair with it, as it was shampoo. Frodo felt blissfully pampered and important for reasons other than the thing which hang about his neck. When Pippin finished on his feet, he put them back down on the bottom and Pippin floated on the top, allowing Frodo access to his feet.
The shouts and yells from the other side of the pool grew louder until, without any particular warning, a wave came and washed over the three of them. Pippin stood up and turned to face the two men and his cousin.
"We are trying to wash here!" he said indignantly.
"You look squeaky clean to me!" commented Merry.
"Sorry, forgot you were there." Added Boromir, by way of explanation.
"Charming!" said Pippin and he asked for the bottle of shampoo and washed his hair.
Before long, the other three were done with splashing around and wanted to wash as well. They were each handed a bar of soap, as the three hobbits were finished with them. Pippin offered to wash Boromir's back and Frodo to wash Aragorn's because both were just ridiculously large and there was no way they'd be able to reach it all themselves. Both offers were accepted.
"Don't I get my back washed?" asked Merry.
"You've washed yours, I saw." said Pippin as he set about his task.
"When?"
"Just before we offered to wash the men's. Oh Boromir, that reminds me, let me see your lips." Boromir turned his head so Pippin could see his lips over his shoulder.
"How did that remind you?"
"It didn't really, I just remembered. Wait there." And Pippin swam to the edge of the pool, hauled himself out and ran over to his pack. He dug around in it for a little and pulled out a jar. He ran back very quickly; the air was colder than the water, if that was possible.
"O, water hot is a noble thing!" he started as he hopped back into the water and soon Bilbo's old bath song was taken up by the other hobbits.
"What's that you have there?" asked Boromir about Pippin's jar.
"I don't rightly know, but I do know it's good for dry lips, try some." Boromir took a little on his finger and looked at it dubiously, but then shrugged and rubbed it into his lips.
Now Bilbo's song had finished each hobbit had launched off into another one, completely disregarding whatever song another had started on, the result lacked in anything truly musical, but it was hard to not let your spirit be raised by them all the same.
"Beautiful!" said Aragorn when they had all finished and he applauded them all.
"I don't know about you," said Pippin, his lips blue with cold, "But I'm getting out now." and he did, followed by everyone but Merry.
"Do you think we could swim to Mordor?" said Merry.
"No!" cried Sam. "I'll walk to Mordor, I'll run to Mordor, I'd even fly to Mordor if some eagles were kind enough to take us, but I'd not swim!"
"I have to agree with Sam," said Pippin, "I trust my legs on the ground more than I do in the water."
"Alright! I wasn't being entirely serious anyway." He stopped a little while to watch the soapy bubbles drift away downstream. Then finally he too got out. "Now, what's for dinner?"