Chapter Three: A Father's Decision
I love reviewers, especially mine! Thank you so much. You're great, really. There will be Pippin angst in this chapter, and quite a bit in the others following. I might revise this in a while.
Disclaimer: Let's see. Pippin, nope, not mine. Merry, no, not mine either. *Sniff* What is mine? The story of course!
It was late by the time the Took family arrived in Tookland. Pippin was the first into the house, followed by his sisters and parents.
"Pippin, we need to talk," Paladin requested. "But, we'll do it tomorrow morning. I think we all need some sleep right now."
Pippin nodded. "All right, Paddy. Good-night." With that said he departed to his bedroom.
"Sweet dreams," his sister wished as he passed her.
"Sweet dreams to you too, Pervinca."
Once the children were in bed, Paladin and Eglantine retired to the sitting room.
"That Saradoc has cheated me for the last time," Paladin declared as he stared into the crackling fire from his velvet lounge chair.
Eglantine sighed in annoyance. Her husband could overreact at the smallest of things and was quick to make false accusations and presumptions. She looked up from the dark blue dress she was sewing and replied, "It was just a mule, Paladin. Anyone could have made a mistake like that."
"Not Saradoc! He knows what is mine and what is his. He did it deliberately. I just know it! That Brandybuck cad!"
Giving up, Eglantine focused on the seams she was sewing once again. "He is so difficult," she muttered as she poked through the material and stabbed in again, only to prick herself in surprise when her husband suddenly proclaimed, "Peregrin should stop playing with that son of his."
"Why, Paladin! Why ever would you say that?" Eglantine exclaimed sucking on her poked thumb.
"He spends too much time over there. We are his family. We should spend more time with him than those Brandybuck fools. Besides, he needs to start learning, attend to his studies, and grow up. He can never receive that playing silly games with the boy and stealing from Farmer Maggot and what else not. I think."
"Paladin, those are things that boys like him do. He is just a child!" interrupted his wife.
"Still, I do not like it. I will not permit this. Besides, you have seen how close he is to that boy. That could start some nasty rumors about our son and our family. Peregrin needs to learn about society, Eglantine! He is old enough to know about that, at least. And as his father I will not allow it to go on like this. If he doesn't learn now, it could be too late."
"Too late, Paladin? Oh," Eglantine exclaimed, putting down her needle and resting her head in her hand. There was no arguing with Paladin in this mood. 'I will have to talk to him tomorrow,' Eglantine concluded, "before Peregrin's heart is broken."
Morning came bright and early and Paladin, determined as ever, was awake with it. Eglantine was still sleeping from the night before. The party had really worn her out, especially after all of those polite dances the other hobbits kept asking her for. Saradoc had been entitled to quite a few, Paladin remembered. "The cad is trying to steal my wife, I bet. I'll show him," he said to himself.
Paladin sat at the table eating first breakfast and waiting for Pippin to wake and come eat with him. Pippin was an early-riser usually, since the late morning was always his time to go out and do some mischief, and he made sure to eat first breakfast still hot from the stove.
Sure enough, Pippin strolled into the dining hall with a plate of eggs, toast, and broiled ham and sat down at the other end of the long, polished wooden table. Paladin faked a smile and continued eating.
"You wanted to talk to me about something, Paddy?" Pippin asked when he finished his first breakfast. His father nodded.
"Yes, I did. Perhaps the study would be better for that," he said and stood from his padded wooden chair, walking to his study with Pippin following behind him.
Merry sat on one of the wood benches overlooking the Brandywine River, twirling a blue trumpet flower over and over in his fingers and humming nothing in particular. The green leaves of the trees surrounding the river were quickly turning a deep yellow color, turning the summer to a fast approaching autumn.
Merry smiled and started plucking the dark blue petals from the flower. "She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not. He loves me. She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not. He loves me."
Pippin sat quietly in the red velvet-lined chair in front of his father's desk as Paladin thought of how to begin. He was pacing behind his desk, at an almost loss for words.
"Are you going to say something, Paddy?" Pippin asked innocently. Whatever it was, it seemed he was in big trouble by the way his father was acting. 'I hope he didn't find out about the cookies that we stole last week. But it was Merry's fault anyway!' Pippin mused as his father stopped pacing.
Paladin turned to him. "Huh? Oh yes. Indeed. Pippin, um. You do know that, well, hmmm. How to put this." Paladin said partly to himself as he thought of something. "Well, you do know that it is common society for a woman and man to love each other, don't you?"
Pippin pulled a disgusted face. "Yes, I know."
'Well, maybe I had better get that *other* chat in while I have the chance,' Paladin inquired as he sat in his chair and proceeded to explain to Pippin as best as he could the certain changes that boys go through.
Pippin stared at him wide-eyed as he listened to his father. Something had sparked his interest.
"What about with other boys?" he asked as his father paused.
"They go through it the same as any other does," Paladin answered.
"No, I mean. Well, never-mind," Pippin replied and quieted back down to listen. Paladin finished his speech, ignoring his son's last statement.
"Do you see now, Peregrin?" he asked.
Pippin nodded. "Uh huh."
"Good, now for what I really wanted to talk about this morning."
Pippin sighed and slumped in his chair, taking a quick look at the small clock on the right of the desk. It had already been twenty minutes, and not a very comfortable twenty minutes at that!
"Go ahead, Paddy," Pippin replied. He sighed and twiddled his thumbs. 'How long will this take? I want to go find Merry soon,' he pondered.
"Pippin, I want you to promise something. Promise that anything said in here will not leave this room."
"Paddy? Is something wrong?"
Paladin shook his head. "Just promise."
"All right, I promise."
"Pippin, to put this plainly. You need to spend more time at home and learn something."
Pippin sat up. "Well, that is fine. If you want, I will stay in the evening and."
"No, Pippin," Paladin interrupted. "It isn't just that. You see, well. You need to stop playing with that Merry. At least for a while."
Pippin felt dumbfounded. "W. What?"
"You are no longer allowed to see that Brandybuck boy."
Tears came to Pippin's eyes as a stir of emotions flooded his brain. "But. Da. Well, why not? I like Merry! He's my best friend," Pippin tried to explain without his voice cracking.
"You just cannot anymore," his father replied. "And that is final!"
"No, it is not final!" Pippin cried out in distress.
"Yes, it is. You are always over there. When was the last time you spent a full month at home?"
"I. I don't know."
"Well, I do. And the answer is never! At least not since you were very young. We are your family. And as long as you live in our home, you obey our rules. And the new rule is no contact with that Merry!"
"Paddy," Pippin yelled as he stood up. "Merry is my friend. I should be able to at least see him!"
"The two of you are too close!" Paladin shouted as he stood up also.
"That's how best friends should be! Mum says."
"No, it is not. And don't bring your mother into this. Go to your room. You're grounded," Paladin finally said, exasperated.
Pippin stood there for a moment, silent in complete shock. "How could you?" he replied in a shaky voice, barely above a whisper.
With that said he ran blindly out of the study and plummeted through his bedroom door. He stumbled upon the left side of bed and lay down, burying his face in the white cotton pillow to control his racking sobs.
I love reviewers, especially mine! Thank you so much. You're great, really. There will be Pippin angst in this chapter, and quite a bit in the others following. I might revise this in a while.
Disclaimer: Let's see. Pippin, nope, not mine. Merry, no, not mine either. *Sniff* What is mine? The story of course!
It was late by the time the Took family arrived in Tookland. Pippin was the first into the house, followed by his sisters and parents.
"Pippin, we need to talk," Paladin requested. "But, we'll do it tomorrow morning. I think we all need some sleep right now."
Pippin nodded. "All right, Paddy. Good-night." With that said he departed to his bedroom.
"Sweet dreams," his sister wished as he passed her.
"Sweet dreams to you too, Pervinca."
Once the children were in bed, Paladin and Eglantine retired to the sitting room.
"That Saradoc has cheated me for the last time," Paladin declared as he stared into the crackling fire from his velvet lounge chair.
Eglantine sighed in annoyance. Her husband could overreact at the smallest of things and was quick to make false accusations and presumptions. She looked up from the dark blue dress she was sewing and replied, "It was just a mule, Paladin. Anyone could have made a mistake like that."
"Not Saradoc! He knows what is mine and what is his. He did it deliberately. I just know it! That Brandybuck cad!"
Giving up, Eglantine focused on the seams she was sewing once again. "He is so difficult," she muttered as she poked through the material and stabbed in again, only to prick herself in surprise when her husband suddenly proclaimed, "Peregrin should stop playing with that son of his."
"Why, Paladin! Why ever would you say that?" Eglantine exclaimed sucking on her poked thumb.
"He spends too much time over there. We are his family. We should spend more time with him than those Brandybuck fools. Besides, he needs to start learning, attend to his studies, and grow up. He can never receive that playing silly games with the boy and stealing from Farmer Maggot and what else not. I think."
"Paladin, those are things that boys like him do. He is just a child!" interrupted his wife.
"Still, I do not like it. I will not permit this. Besides, you have seen how close he is to that boy. That could start some nasty rumors about our son and our family. Peregrin needs to learn about society, Eglantine! He is old enough to know about that, at least. And as his father I will not allow it to go on like this. If he doesn't learn now, it could be too late."
"Too late, Paladin? Oh," Eglantine exclaimed, putting down her needle and resting her head in her hand. There was no arguing with Paladin in this mood. 'I will have to talk to him tomorrow,' Eglantine concluded, "before Peregrin's heart is broken."
Morning came bright and early and Paladin, determined as ever, was awake with it. Eglantine was still sleeping from the night before. The party had really worn her out, especially after all of those polite dances the other hobbits kept asking her for. Saradoc had been entitled to quite a few, Paladin remembered. "The cad is trying to steal my wife, I bet. I'll show him," he said to himself.
Paladin sat at the table eating first breakfast and waiting for Pippin to wake and come eat with him. Pippin was an early-riser usually, since the late morning was always his time to go out and do some mischief, and he made sure to eat first breakfast still hot from the stove.
Sure enough, Pippin strolled into the dining hall with a plate of eggs, toast, and broiled ham and sat down at the other end of the long, polished wooden table. Paladin faked a smile and continued eating.
"You wanted to talk to me about something, Paddy?" Pippin asked when he finished his first breakfast. His father nodded.
"Yes, I did. Perhaps the study would be better for that," he said and stood from his padded wooden chair, walking to his study with Pippin following behind him.
Merry sat on one of the wood benches overlooking the Brandywine River, twirling a blue trumpet flower over and over in his fingers and humming nothing in particular. The green leaves of the trees surrounding the river were quickly turning a deep yellow color, turning the summer to a fast approaching autumn.
Merry smiled and started plucking the dark blue petals from the flower. "She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not. He loves me. She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not. He loves me."
Pippin sat quietly in the red velvet-lined chair in front of his father's desk as Paladin thought of how to begin. He was pacing behind his desk, at an almost loss for words.
"Are you going to say something, Paddy?" Pippin asked innocently. Whatever it was, it seemed he was in big trouble by the way his father was acting. 'I hope he didn't find out about the cookies that we stole last week. But it was Merry's fault anyway!' Pippin mused as his father stopped pacing.
Paladin turned to him. "Huh? Oh yes. Indeed. Pippin, um. You do know that, well, hmmm. How to put this." Paladin said partly to himself as he thought of something. "Well, you do know that it is common society for a woman and man to love each other, don't you?"
Pippin pulled a disgusted face. "Yes, I know."
'Well, maybe I had better get that *other* chat in while I have the chance,' Paladin inquired as he sat in his chair and proceeded to explain to Pippin as best as he could the certain changes that boys go through.
Pippin stared at him wide-eyed as he listened to his father. Something had sparked his interest.
"What about with other boys?" he asked as his father paused.
"They go through it the same as any other does," Paladin answered.
"No, I mean. Well, never-mind," Pippin replied and quieted back down to listen. Paladin finished his speech, ignoring his son's last statement.
"Do you see now, Peregrin?" he asked.
Pippin nodded. "Uh huh."
"Good, now for what I really wanted to talk about this morning."
Pippin sighed and slumped in his chair, taking a quick look at the small clock on the right of the desk. It had already been twenty minutes, and not a very comfortable twenty minutes at that!
"Go ahead, Paddy," Pippin replied. He sighed and twiddled his thumbs. 'How long will this take? I want to go find Merry soon,' he pondered.
"Pippin, I want you to promise something. Promise that anything said in here will not leave this room."
"Paddy? Is something wrong?"
Paladin shook his head. "Just promise."
"All right, I promise."
"Pippin, to put this plainly. You need to spend more time at home and learn something."
Pippin sat up. "Well, that is fine. If you want, I will stay in the evening and."
"No, Pippin," Paladin interrupted. "It isn't just that. You see, well. You need to stop playing with that Merry. At least for a while."
Pippin felt dumbfounded. "W. What?"
"You are no longer allowed to see that Brandybuck boy."
Tears came to Pippin's eyes as a stir of emotions flooded his brain. "But. Da. Well, why not? I like Merry! He's my best friend," Pippin tried to explain without his voice cracking.
"You just cannot anymore," his father replied. "And that is final!"
"No, it is not final!" Pippin cried out in distress.
"Yes, it is. You are always over there. When was the last time you spent a full month at home?"
"I. I don't know."
"Well, I do. And the answer is never! At least not since you were very young. We are your family. And as long as you live in our home, you obey our rules. And the new rule is no contact with that Merry!"
"Paddy," Pippin yelled as he stood up. "Merry is my friend. I should be able to at least see him!"
"The two of you are too close!" Paladin shouted as he stood up also.
"That's how best friends should be! Mum says."
"No, it is not. And don't bring your mother into this. Go to your room. You're grounded," Paladin finally said, exasperated.
Pippin stood there for a moment, silent in complete shock. "How could you?" he replied in a shaky voice, barely above a whisper.
With that said he ran blindly out of the study and plummeted through his bedroom door. He stumbled upon the left side of bed and lay down, burying his face in the white cotton pillow to control his racking sobs.