Chapter Seven: Brawling Mothers and Memories
A/N: I finally wrote more. I survived my first week of school. It went by really fast! Since my reviewers are so nice, I made this one extra long.
The gray afternoon clouds broke and evening was slowly coming on by the time Esmeralda knocked on the Took's front door. The round door opened to reveal not Paladin, but Eglantine.
"Why, Esmeralda! I wasn't quite expecting this visit." She smiled and motioned her inside. "Come in, and welcome!"
Esmeralda stepped inside as her sister-in-law stepped back. The door closed behind her, and she followed Eglantine to the kitchen. "I was wondering if Paladin was here. I need to speak with him."
Eglantine shook her head. "He is not here at the moment, but you can join us for a snack while we wait."
She went into the pantry for a second and hurried back with jam and bread. The iron kettle above the fire was steaming in minutes. "You know Esmeralda, I have been wanting to visit you for sometime now. I missed you at the party. Saradoc had so many nice things to say about you. But Paladin is always in a hurry, as you know, and I hadn't the time to say good-bye or thank you."
She pulled the whistling kettle off of the fire and poured the tea into the cups on the table. Esmeralda sat in a chair and accepted her tea. "That is all right, dear. Tomorrow I have Brandy Hall to myself for two months. Saradoc and Merry will be leaving tomorrow to visit Marmadas."
Eglantine nodded. "That is good. Merry must be looking forward to seeing his cousins again. Pippin would love to go see those three little Brandybuck girls. Not to mention Merry."
Esmeralda nodded slowly. "That is what I was wanting to talk about. Have you noticed if Paladin has been acting strangely?" She paused a moment. "Well, I mean, more strange than usual?"
Eglantine thought a moment. "Well, he has been more bitter since his fight with Saradoc. But, as I always say, boys will be boys and Paladin will be Paladin!"
Esmeralda nodded. She remembered when she was still young and lived with her brother, and she agreed with Eglantine. "Paladin was always a bit quick to temper. But perhaps you have seen a change in Peregrin?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, though if there was I think I would notice it," Eglantine replied, sipping her tea. "Well, you must admit Eglantine, your children do seem to cause a bit of interruption around the shire, if you do notice that."
Eglantine furrowed her brow. "Well, if I remember correctly, Meriadoc isn't such a cream puff himself!"
Esmeralda stood up in an instant. "Are you questioning me as a mother?" Her sister-in-law smiled and replied with a hidden mocking tone. "Well, Esmeralda, I am sure you are a good mother, if it calls for it."
Esmeralda returned a fake smile. "Well all I have to say is," she started, her smiled dropping into a sinister face, "what is that supposed to mean?"
Eglantine shrugged. "Well, if you let your child associate himself with some of the most roguish hobbits in the shire, I think-"
"Well I think you're wrong!" Esmeralda shouted. "And you make bad tea!"
Eglantine gasped and stood. "Bad tea! If you want bad tea, go back to your home and make some! Not to mention your other cooking skills."
Esmeralda stamped her foot and marched to the door. "Don't bother coming over for dinner anymore!" she shouted over her shoulder and slammed the front door with not so much as a farewell.
Sometime later, Merry sat on his bed reading a book when a loud knock pounded on his door. He looked up towards the sound. "Yes? Who is it?" "Your father. I need to speak with you, Merry."
Merry sauntered to the door and opened it. "Is there something wrong, Da?" Saradoc shook his head. "No. Nothing is wrong. I was wondering if you were coming with me tomorrow."
Merry thought a moment. He had forgotten all about the trip until now. "Uh, well... Yes. Yes, I am."
Saradoc smiled. "Good. I had hoped you would say that... Merry, there is another thing I wanted to ask you."
Meriadoc looked up at his father. "What?"
"Well, I have been talking to your mother and-"
"It isn't what you think, Da," Merry explained quickly.
"Actually I'm trying to find out what I should think. What happened between you and Pippin?"
Merry looked to the floor at the sound of that name. "Well, Mr. Took said Pippin needed a break and that I shouldn't come around anymore or talk to Pippin!"
"Did he say anything else?" Saradoc asked as he put his arm across his son's shoulders.
"Well, not that I can really think of. He said Pippin was ill, but he looked all right to me!"
"You spoke to him?"
"Well, no. I saw him at the end of the hall. Then I just left."
Saradoc nodded. "Hmm. I see. Well, you had better get packed. We leave tomorrow morning at nine."
Merry nodded. "All right, Da." He shut the door again as Saradoc left. Then he plopped down on his bed and hugged his pillow. "Oh, Pippin. Why?" he whispered as he buried his face in his dark blue pillow.
A loud noise from a few halls down made him sit up. He stepped out of his room to where other noises were coming. When he reached the sitting room, he found his mother pacing up and down muttering a long stream of insults towards someone. His father was sitting trying to understand what had happened.
"Esmeralda dear? What is wrong?"
She turned and saw Merry leaning on the doorframe. Her pacing stopped and she sat on a dark green lounge chair, calming herself. "Eglantine and I had a little argument. But I don't want either of you going down to Tookland anytime soon."
Saradoc nodded. "I was not planning to. Paladin is still angry about the mule, I guess."
Esmeralda shrugged. "Being Paladin, probably. I did not speak to him." Merry sighed and walked back to his bedroom. His mother did not find out what was wrong with Pippin, obviously, and he almost felt like sitting down and crying.
"Pippin wouldn't want to talk to me. He hates me." Merry lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes, soon falling into a dreamless slumber.
Morning came bright and early. Merry rubbed his eyes and sat up looking at the clock. It was eight thirty in the morning. He thought a moment. Something was happening today.
It came back to him suddenly as he scrambled out of bed, still in his clothes from yesterday. He was leaving in a half an hour, and he had forgot to pack! He quickly found his travelling bags at the back of his messy closet and threw them on the floor. He began tossing clothes into the bags and his hairbrush and some of his books, and his writing tablet that he kept beneath the bed. He double checked around his room and threw anything else he thought was important for two whole months into the bags. He checked around his bed for the one thing he really wanted.
He pulled it out from underneath his pillow and set it gently on top of the pile. Merry felt the fine cloth of the tiny blanket, seeming to memorize every thread. A memory long since passed returned, and he smiled as it came back to him.
************
Merry was eight years old, jumping up and down at the excitement of having a new cousin. His aunt Eglantine had had her new baby, and he couldn't wait to hold him.
He peeked over the bed at his aunt, cradling the little bundle in her arms. She quietly motioned Merry over to her side. He did so hesitantly and peeped at the little hobbit sleeping in his mother's arms. He was so tiny! "Can I hold him?" Merry asked.
Eglantine nodded. She slowly placed the baby into Merry's arms, showing him how to hold the newborn. Merry smiled down at the cute baby as he sat down. The little one had a cheeky face, with light wisps of light brown hair on his head and a contented expression. He was wrapped in a little white blanket made of very soft fabric, which snugly fit around him. Merry rubbed his thumb across the baby's cheek and then along the cloth. The baby's skin was as soft as the blanket.
"What is his name?"
Eglantine smiled. "Peregrin."
************
Merry clutched the white blanket for a while, lost in the many memories of when Pippin was tiny enough to hold in his arms. How that little thing had captivated him! The day that his little cousin was born, he made a silent promise to the little one sleeping in his arms that he intended to keep: "I will always protect you from harm, and hold you close when you cry, and be your friend forever. I will stand by you when no one else will. I love you, Pippin." And he had kept it.
A knock on the bedroom door snapped him from his thoughts. "Merry, are you ready?" his father called through the door. Meriadoc sighed and stood. "Yes. I will be there in a minute!" he replied, latching his bags closed.
Saradoc could be heard giving last minute orders to the servants of Buckland throughout the halls as Merry headed to the carriage. He threw his bags in the back of it and sat down as Saradoc sat next to him. "Where is Marmadas's home, anyway?" Merry asked as he slumped back into the seat.
"In autumn and winter, he moves his family to his other home south of Michel Delving."
"Uncle Marmadas has two homes? South of Michel Delving? We are going that far?" he asked as the information processed in his brain.
"Yes. We will be stopping in Hobbiton to find an inn tonight. Perhaps we can stop by Bag End and see Frodo also."
Merry nodded. He hoped they would stop by Bag End. His older cousin always had helpful advice on some matters, and maybe he would help with the situation Merry was in with Pippin.
A/N: I finally wrote more. I survived my first week of school. It went by really fast! Since my reviewers are so nice, I made this one extra long.
The gray afternoon clouds broke and evening was slowly coming on by the time Esmeralda knocked on the Took's front door. The round door opened to reveal not Paladin, but Eglantine.
"Why, Esmeralda! I wasn't quite expecting this visit." She smiled and motioned her inside. "Come in, and welcome!"
Esmeralda stepped inside as her sister-in-law stepped back. The door closed behind her, and she followed Eglantine to the kitchen. "I was wondering if Paladin was here. I need to speak with him."
Eglantine shook her head. "He is not here at the moment, but you can join us for a snack while we wait."
She went into the pantry for a second and hurried back with jam and bread. The iron kettle above the fire was steaming in minutes. "You know Esmeralda, I have been wanting to visit you for sometime now. I missed you at the party. Saradoc had so many nice things to say about you. But Paladin is always in a hurry, as you know, and I hadn't the time to say good-bye or thank you."
She pulled the whistling kettle off of the fire and poured the tea into the cups on the table. Esmeralda sat in a chair and accepted her tea. "That is all right, dear. Tomorrow I have Brandy Hall to myself for two months. Saradoc and Merry will be leaving tomorrow to visit Marmadas."
Eglantine nodded. "That is good. Merry must be looking forward to seeing his cousins again. Pippin would love to go see those three little Brandybuck girls. Not to mention Merry."
Esmeralda nodded slowly. "That is what I was wanting to talk about. Have you noticed if Paladin has been acting strangely?" She paused a moment. "Well, I mean, more strange than usual?"
Eglantine thought a moment. "Well, he has been more bitter since his fight with Saradoc. But, as I always say, boys will be boys and Paladin will be Paladin!"
Esmeralda nodded. She remembered when she was still young and lived with her brother, and she agreed with Eglantine. "Paladin was always a bit quick to temper. But perhaps you have seen a change in Peregrin?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, though if there was I think I would notice it," Eglantine replied, sipping her tea. "Well, you must admit Eglantine, your children do seem to cause a bit of interruption around the shire, if you do notice that."
Eglantine furrowed her brow. "Well, if I remember correctly, Meriadoc isn't such a cream puff himself!"
Esmeralda stood up in an instant. "Are you questioning me as a mother?" Her sister-in-law smiled and replied with a hidden mocking tone. "Well, Esmeralda, I am sure you are a good mother, if it calls for it."
Esmeralda returned a fake smile. "Well all I have to say is," she started, her smiled dropping into a sinister face, "what is that supposed to mean?"
Eglantine shrugged. "Well, if you let your child associate himself with some of the most roguish hobbits in the shire, I think-"
"Well I think you're wrong!" Esmeralda shouted. "And you make bad tea!"
Eglantine gasped and stood. "Bad tea! If you want bad tea, go back to your home and make some! Not to mention your other cooking skills."
Esmeralda stamped her foot and marched to the door. "Don't bother coming over for dinner anymore!" she shouted over her shoulder and slammed the front door with not so much as a farewell.
Sometime later, Merry sat on his bed reading a book when a loud knock pounded on his door. He looked up towards the sound. "Yes? Who is it?" "Your father. I need to speak with you, Merry."
Merry sauntered to the door and opened it. "Is there something wrong, Da?" Saradoc shook his head. "No. Nothing is wrong. I was wondering if you were coming with me tomorrow."
Merry thought a moment. He had forgotten all about the trip until now. "Uh, well... Yes. Yes, I am."
Saradoc smiled. "Good. I had hoped you would say that... Merry, there is another thing I wanted to ask you."
Meriadoc looked up at his father. "What?"
"Well, I have been talking to your mother and-"
"It isn't what you think, Da," Merry explained quickly.
"Actually I'm trying to find out what I should think. What happened between you and Pippin?"
Merry looked to the floor at the sound of that name. "Well, Mr. Took said Pippin needed a break and that I shouldn't come around anymore or talk to Pippin!"
"Did he say anything else?" Saradoc asked as he put his arm across his son's shoulders.
"Well, not that I can really think of. He said Pippin was ill, but he looked all right to me!"
"You spoke to him?"
"Well, no. I saw him at the end of the hall. Then I just left."
Saradoc nodded. "Hmm. I see. Well, you had better get packed. We leave tomorrow morning at nine."
Merry nodded. "All right, Da." He shut the door again as Saradoc left. Then he plopped down on his bed and hugged his pillow. "Oh, Pippin. Why?" he whispered as he buried his face in his dark blue pillow.
A loud noise from a few halls down made him sit up. He stepped out of his room to where other noises were coming. When he reached the sitting room, he found his mother pacing up and down muttering a long stream of insults towards someone. His father was sitting trying to understand what had happened.
"Esmeralda dear? What is wrong?"
She turned and saw Merry leaning on the doorframe. Her pacing stopped and she sat on a dark green lounge chair, calming herself. "Eglantine and I had a little argument. But I don't want either of you going down to Tookland anytime soon."
Saradoc nodded. "I was not planning to. Paladin is still angry about the mule, I guess."
Esmeralda shrugged. "Being Paladin, probably. I did not speak to him." Merry sighed and walked back to his bedroom. His mother did not find out what was wrong with Pippin, obviously, and he almost felt like sitting down and crying.
"Pippin wouldn't want to talk to me. He hates me." Merry lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes, soon falling into a dreamless slumber.
Morning came bright and early. Merry rubbed his eyes and sat up looking at the clock. It was eight thirty in the morning. He thought a moment. Something was happening today.
It came back to him suddenly as he scrambled out of bed, still in his clothes from yesterday. He was leaving in a half an hour, and he had forgot to pack! He quickly found his travelling bags at the back of his messy closet and threw them on the floor. He began tossing clothes into the bags and his hairbrush and some of his books, and his writing tablet that he kept beneath the bed. He double checked around his room and threw anything else he thought was important for two whole months into the bags. He checked around his bed for the one thing he really wanted.
He pulled it out from underneath his pillow and set it gently on top of the pile. Merry felt the fine cloth of the tiny blanket, seeming to memorize every thread. A memory long since passed returned, and he smiled as it came back to him.
************
Merry was eight years old, jumping up and down at the excitement of having a new cousin. His aunt Eglantine had had her new baby, and he couldn't wait to hold him.
He peeked over the bed at his aunt, cradling the little bundle in her arms. She quietly motioned Merry over to her side. He did so hesitantly and peeped at the little hobbit sleeping in his mother's arms. He was so tiny! "Can I hold him?" Merry asked.
Eglantine nodded. She slowly placed the baby into Merry's arms, showing him how to hold the newborn. Merry smiled down at the cute baby as he sat down. The little one had a cheeky face, with light wisps of light brown hair on his head and a contented expression. He was wrapped in a little white blanket made of very soft fabric, which snugly fit around him. Merry rubbed his thumb across the baby's cheek and then along the cloth. The baby's skin was as soft as the blanket.
"What is his name?"
Eglantine smiled. "Peregrin."
************
Merry clutched the white blanket for a while, lost in the many memories of when Pippin was tiny enough to hold in his arms. How that little thing had captivated him! The day that his little cousin was born, he made a silent promise to the little one sleeping in his arms that he intended to keep: "I will always protect you from harm, and hold you close when you cry, and be your friend forever. I will stand by you when no one else will. I love you, Pippin." And he had kept it.
A knock on the bedroom door snapped him from his thoughts. "Merry, are you ready?" his father called through the door. Meriadoc sighed and stood. "Yes. I will be there in a minute!" he replied, latching his bags closed.
Saradoc could be heard giving last minute orders to the servants of Buckland throughout the halls as Merry headed to the carriage. He threw his bags in the back of it and sat down as Saradoc sat next to him. "Where is Marmadas's home, anyway?" Merry asked as he slumped back into the seat.
"In autumn and winter, he moves his family to his other home south of Michel Delving."
"Uncle Marmadas has two homes? South of Michel Delving? We are going that far?" he asked as the information processed in his brain.
"Yes. We will be stopping in Hobbiton to find an inn tonight. Perhaps we can stop by Bag End and see Frodo also."
Merry nodded. He hoped they would stop by Bag End. His older cousin always had helpful advice on some matters, and maybe he would help with the situation Merry was in with Pippin.