Chapter Six: Suspecting, Talking, and Planning
A/N: I need to be faster on my updates, don't I? I thought I had better get this in today. School starts tomorrow and I'll be swamped with getting into that routine, and waking up early in the morning.
Saradoc sat in the dining room the next morning with a cup of hot tea and a book. He idly swung his legs over the chair arm and rested his left elbow on the table while holding the book in his right hand. He hummed and sipped his tea, too wrapped up in the book to hear the approaching sound of humming.
"Do you have any table manners at all, Saradoc?"
Saradoc almost jumped out of his skin at this sudden statement, about spilling his tea and knocking over the saucer on the table. "Oh, Esmeralda," he said, realizing who was speaking. He sighed as his wife sat at the opposite side of the table. "No one is around that would really care."
Esmeralda smiled. "Well, I would care if you broke that chair!" Saradoc turned around to face her. "All right. You win, like usual." He closed his book and set it carefully on another chair. "Is Meriadoc still sleeping?"
"Yes, I let him sleep in. He had a late night yesterday," she replied as she tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Something especially odd is up."
"Oh? What?" Saradoc asked.
"Well, last night Merry came home in tears, and all he would say was that Peregrin doesn't seem to like him anymore."
"Really?" Saradoc asked, almost surprised. The two cousins had had quite a few arguments in the past, but not serious enough to make his son weep over one.
"Yes. But I believe there is something else going on. And I don't believe Merry knows about it."
Saradoc scratched his chin. "Well, I would say you're right. Peregrin would not stop playing with Merry for no reason. And I think Paladin has something to do with it."
Esmeralda nodded. "I think so too. I am going to go have a talk with him this afternoon. Perhaps I can get to the bottom of this soon enough." There was a short pause. Saradoc glanced at the clock as he took another sip.
"Did you ask him yet?"
"About what?"
"My trip."
"Oh, yes," Esmeralda replied. "Yes, I asked him last night. I believe he will go.. Speaking of last night, how are you feeling?"
Saradoc patted his stomach. "All right now. The alcohol went out of me a few hours ago."
Throughout the day Merry stayed in his bed. He wanted to sleep, but he was at the point of being too tired to actually sleep. He had not slept much last night and today he was feeling miserable. Wrapping himself in his blankets Merry closed his eyes and hugged his pillow tightly. Nothing could stop thoughts of Pippin from coming, no matter what he tried.
A knock pounded on his door and he turned towards it. "Yes. What is it?" The door opened to reveal Hildibrand Deeptunnel, one of the many guests staying at Buckland for the autumn season and another friend to Merry. "Merry, are you all right?"
"Yes. I suppose.. Why do you ask, Hildi?"
"Well, it's just.." He started to explain, but paused a moment to conjure what to say. "Well, some people are saying some rumors- not that I believe them- but, you see, I'm just sort of-"
"Worried?" Merry finished and smiled as he sat up. "Sit down here, Hildi. I need to ask you something."
Hildibrand sat down on the foot of the bed and waited for what Merry would say next.
"Have you ever felt a serious attachment to someone else? And then you lose them and you can't stop thinking about them?"
Hildibrand half-grinned. "A few times. Why? Is that what has happened to you?" Merry nodded. He looked into Hildibrand's warm hazel eyes and almost smiled at the care in them. "Oh, you poor thing. Heartbroken over some fair young lady, no doubt. Do not worry. These things happen all of the time. Try to focus on someone else and forget about her."
Merry shook his head. "I have tried. I cannot do it, Hildi."
"Well, who is she? Maybe I can help."
Merry shook his head. "Doesn't matter now anyway. He- uh, Heeeeildi, she hates me!"
"Why?"
"Something that happened. I do not know really."
"Then go to her and apologize for whatever you did!" Hildibrand shook his head in amusement. "Love really blinds some people," he muttered as he stood and walked towards the door. "I'll see you later."
Merry nodded, lay back down and closed his eyes. They shot open again as he repeated what Hildibrand had said. "Love?"
Pippin smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had done almost everything to look like himself again. 'For Merry,' he mused as he turned. His hair was washed and brushed so his curls of hair stuck out just right. His eyes were still a bit red and dull, but that would be fixed with a little sleep. He still had one more day of being grounded before he could set foot outside. At first he had contemplated on sneaking out that day and going to Merry's, but then logic came back to him. What if someone found out he was gone and then his sentence would be even longer? That meant he didn't have a chance of seeing Merry.
He nodded in satisfaction and walked out to the kitchen where Pervinca was making eggs for second breakfast. "Hallo, Vinca!" Pippin exclaimed as he sat at the table.
"Hallo yourself, Pippin. Well you look happy. What is up?" she asked as she glanced over her brother's appearance.
"Oh, nothing. Just this and that, ya' know," he replied idly as he swung his legs over the chair.
Pervinca just shook her head and lay a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her brother. "All right, keep your secrets. I know something happened to make you so happy, but if you will not tell me, all right. I have ways of finding things out, you know."
Pippin laughed and chopped up his eggs. "As long as Paddy won't find out, I'll tell you."
Pervinca sat on the edge of her chair and leaned towards Pippin. "So what is this little secret?" she asked in a conspiring low voice.
"I'm going to see Merry tomorrow."
Pervinca raised her eyebrows. "And why is that a secret?"
"Well, you see," Pippin started as he swallowed, "Paddy said that I couldn't see him anymore." He almost smiled as Pervinca jumped out of her seat.
"What!" she exclaimed. "How could he do such a thing? No wonder you have been so sad lately!"
Pippin nodded. "Don't tell Paddy."
Pervinca smiled. "Pippin, your secret is safe with me!"
A/N: I need to be faster on my updates, don't I? I thought I had better get this in today. School starts tomorrow and I'll be swamped with getting into that routine, and waking up early in the morning.
Saradoc sat in the dining room the next morning with a cup of hot tea and a book. He idly swung his legs over the chair arm and rested his left elbow on the table while holding the book in his right hand. He hummed and sipped his tea, too wrapped up in the book to hear the approaching sound of humming.
"Do you have any table manners at all, Saradoc?"
Saradoc almost jumped out of his skin at this sudden statement, about spilling his tea and knocking over the saucer on the table. "Oh, Esmeralda," he said, realizing who was speaking. He sighed as his wife sat at the opposite side of the table. "No one is around that would really care."
Esmeralda smiled. "Well, I would care if you broke that chair!" Saradoc turned around to face her. "All right. You win, like usual." He closed his book and set it carefully on another chair. "Is Meriadoc still sleeping?"
"Yes, I let him sleep in. He had a late night yesterday," she replied as she tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Something especially odd is up."
"Oh? What?" Saradoc asked.
"Well, last night Merry came home in tears, and all he would say was that Peregrin doesn't seem to like him anymore."
"Really?" Saradoc asked, almost surprised. The two cousins had had quite a few arguments in the past, but not serious enough to make his son weep over one.
"Yes. But I believe there is something else going on. And I don't believe Merry knows about it."
Saradoc scratched his chin. "Well, I would say you're right. Peregrin would not stop playing with Merry for no reason. And I think Paladin has something to do with it."
Esmeralda nodded. "I think so too. I am going to go have a talk with him this afternoon. Perhaps I can get to the bottom of this soon enough." There was a short pause. Saradoc glanced at the clock as he took another sip.
"Did you ask him yet?"
"About what?"
"My trip."
"Oh, yes," Esmeralda replied. "Yes, I asked him last night. I believe he will go.. Speaking of last night, how are you feeling?"
Saradoc patted his stomach. "All right now. The alcohol went out of me a few hours ago."
Throughout the day Merry stayed in his bed. He wanted to sleep, but he was at the point of being too tired to actually sleep. He had not slept much last night and today he was feeling miserable. Wrapping himself in his blankets Merry closed his eyes and hugged his pillow tightly. Nothing could stop thoughts of Pippin from coming, no matter what he tried.
A knock pounded on his door and he turned towards it. "Yes. What is it?" The door opened to reveal Hildibrand Deeptunnel, one of the many guests staying at Buckland for the autumn season and another friend to Merry. "Merry, are you all right?"
"Yes. I suppose.. Why do you ask, Hildi?"
"Well, it's just.." He started to explain, but paused a moment to conjure what to say. "Well, some people are saying some rumors- not that I believe them- but, you see, I'm just sort of-"
"Worried?" Merry finished and smiled as he sat up. "Sit down here, Hildi. I need to ask you something."
Hildibrand sat down on the foot of the bed and waited for what Merry would say next.
"Have you ever felt a serious attachment to someone else? And then you lose them and you can't stop thinking about them?"
Hildibrand half-grinned. "A few times. Why? Is that what has happened to you?" Merry nodded. He looked into Hildibrand's warm hazel eyes and almost smiled at the care in them. "Oh, you poor thing. Heartbroken over some fair young lady, no doubt. Do not worry. These things happen all of the time. Try to focus on someone else and forget about her."
Merry shook his head. "I have tried. I cannot do it, Hildi."
"Well, who is she? Maybe I can help."
Merry shook his head. "Doesn't matter now anyway. He- uh, Heeeeildi, she hates me!"
"Why?"
"Something that happened. I do not know really."
"Then go to her and apologize for whatever you did!" Hildibrand shook his head in amusement. "Love really blinds some people," he muttered as he stood and walked towards the door. "I'll see you later."
Merry nodded, lay back down and closed his eyes. They shot open again as he repeated what Hildibrand had said. "Love?"
Pippin smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had done almost everything to look like himself again. 'For Merry,' he mused as he turned. His hair was washed and brushed so his curls of hair stuck out just right. His eyes were still a bit red and dull, but that would be fixed with a little sleep. He still had one more day of being grounded before he could set foot outside. At first he had contemplated on sneaking out that day and going to Merry's, but then logic came back to him. What if someone found out he was gone and then his sentence would be even longer? That meant he didn't have a chance of seeing Merry.
He nodded in satisfaction and walked out to the kitchen where Pervinca was making eggs for second breakfast. "Hallo, Vinca!" Pippin exclaimed as he sat at the table.
"Hallo yourself, Pippin. Well you look happy. What is up?" she asked as she glanced over her brother's appearance.
"Oh, nothing. Just this and that, ya' know," he replied idly as he swung his legs over the chair.
Pervinca just shook her head and lay a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her brother. "All right, keep your secrets. I know something happened to make you so happy, but if you will not tell me, all right. I have ways of finding things out, you know."
Pippin laughed and chopped up his eggs. "As long as Paddy won't find out, I'll tell you."
Pervinca sat on the edge of her chair and leaned towards Pippin. "So what is this little secret?" she asked in a conspiring low voice.
"I'm going to see Merry tomorrow."
Pervinca raised her eyebrows. "And why is that a secret?"
"Well, you see," Pippin started as he swallowed, "Paddy said that I couldn't see him anymore." He almost smiled as Pervinca jumped out of her seat.
"What!" she exclaimed. "How could he do such a thing? No wonder you have been so sad lately!"
Pippin nodded. "Don't tell Paddy."
Pervinca smiled. "Pippin, your secret is safe with me!"