Chapter Fourteen: Closer
Meriadoc looked incredulously at his cousin. "Attend a party? I just arrived home. Can't I have a night of peace?" He started trudging off down to his room to put away his travelling bags, but he stopped briefly and turned back towards Berilac. "Where's this party at, anyway?"
Berilac grinned even more impishly than before. "Tookland."
"W-what about the feud?" Merry seemed more than a little confused.
"Oh, you know about that already, do you? That doesn't matter. We can sneak in."
Merry shook his head. "Someone is bound to see us, Ber."
"No, they won't. We can keep hidden most of the time. There's going to be a lot of hobbits there, so the Tooks can't keep track of everyone, can they?"
Doing an about-face, Meriadoc sighed and continued walking to his room as Berilac followed him. "Why do you want to go, anyway?"
Berilac swayed his head a bit and grinned dreamily. "A certain Took daughter."
Merry almost burst out laughing. "Seriously? Let's see here. Though I don't see why, uh, Pimpernel, perhaps?"
"A little bit older."
"Pearl? You like Pearl?
Berilac nodded and stepped inside Merry's bedroom as he shut the door behind him. He looked on as Merry unpacked his things from three months. Well, not unpacked, more like dumped onto the floor. He grinned at his cousin's neatness. "So your decision is?"
"Hmm?" Merry looked back to him and remembered what they had been speaking about. "Well, you have heard about Pippin and I, haven't you?"
"Oh, that old news? To what it can exceed it is most terrible, I am sure. But, it does not matter much, does it?" Berilac asked.
He seemingly hit a nerve point in Merry with that particular question, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than his cousin angrily spun around to face him. Clenching his teeth, Merry spat viciously, "Doesn't matter much?! What do you mean 'doesn't matter much'? It's Pippin we're talking about here! You think he doesn't matter much?!"
Berilac waved his hands in the air, trying to appease his cousin for his previous bad choice of words. "All right, Mer. Just calm down a bit. I'm sorry. Don't even bother remembering that I said it. I take it all back."
"Good," Merry replied curtly, sitting on his bed. He sighed and glanced back up to Berilac. "Well, don't just stand there. Help me find something to wear."
It was nearing six o'clock when the guests starting arriving at Tookland for the party. Pervinca haunted the front step for a while, seemingly looking for someone. She gave up after a half an hour and stepped inside, where the music had begun playing and the food had started to disappear, starting up the merriment. Paladin and some of the other older hobbits were sitting around a table that was placed inside one of the connected suites that were in a long, straight vista, drinking ale and chatting about old times. Other guests, younger and more energetic, waltzed around another room to the rapid music. Other hobbits were standing near tables lined with food and drinks.
Pervinca walked around for a while, playing a little game with herself while looking around for her expected guest. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around, finding Hildibrand standing behind her. "There you are!" she replied cheerfully before pulling him off to the side of the room. She turned towards him as she stopped by the wall. "So, how's the plan working?"
Hildibrand smiled. "They'll be here soon. Don't worry. I have everything planned. Though I wish I knew more about this a few months ago. 'Tis a shame, keepin' them separated and all." He took a step back and held out a hand to her. "A dance, fairest of the fair?" She giggled and took his hand, letting him lead her to the center of the suite.
"All right now, Merry. You know this place like you do Buckland, so show us around," Berilac commanded. Some of the other Bucklander boys had joined them, deciding they wanted to party like the rest of the Shire.
Merry glanced at the front door from their hiding spot, which was behind the fence some thirty yards from the door. He scrunched his mouth in a frown as he saw some of the adult Tooks greeting people at the door. "There's another door, behind the hill. We can go in that way without being noticed. I'm sure of it," he stated, risking a cautious glance at Berilac, who nodded perceptively. He began crawling off in the dark towards the back of the smials, pausing to let the others catch up to him.
They reached the doors after a few minutes of looking, and Berilac and the others were starting to walk to it when the Brandybuck glanced back to see Meriadoc standing there, shivering while staring at the door.
"Merry? Are you all right, cousin?"
Merry turned to him upon hearing his name and very slowly shook his head. "I can't do it, Berilac. I can't do it."
"What?" Berilac asked, bewildered at his cousin's behavior.
"I can't do it. I can't face him, I can't," he stated brokenly.
Understanding crept up on Berilac, and he smiled reassuringly. "Merry, it's all right. You can face Pip-"
"No, I can't! Besides, Frodo said to wait and-"
"Merry!" Berilac interrupted as he gripped his cousin's upper arms. "You've gotten this far. Please don't turn back now. Pippin needs you, Merry. Don't you see? You two are better together than you are apart!" Meriadoc looked back to the door as his older cousin pleaded with him, and his expression suddenly held determination.
"You're right, Berilac."
"Of course I am! Now, come on. Let's join the party!"
After cautiously sneaking down a few halls, the Brandybuck boys found the suites where the party was taking place and stealthily joined the rest of the already large crowd, fitting in and keeping away from Took eyesight. Merry kept off to the side, keeping an eye out to look for the only person he had been longing to see.
When ten minutes had passed, Berilac and Hildibrand caught each other's eyes from across the room. Smiling at him, Berilac winked and nodded over to where Merry stood. Hildibrand nodded back and walked off, going to find Pippin.
"I'm late!" Pippin cried as he quickly stepped into his clothes that were laid out near his bed. He had not noticed the time until he had put down his book that he had been reading for the past few hours. Once he made sure he looked all right, he stepped out of his room and hurried to the suites where the party was taking place. "Pervinca is probably mad," he said to himself as he slipped through the first crowd of dancers. He sighted his father sitting with some of the older hobbits, still drinking and talking about old times. Pimpernel was at one end chatting with some other girls her age. Pervinca was once again dancing with Hildibrand, which Pippin noted and smiled to himself. He saw some of the Cotton family roaming about and one or two of the Bracegirdles standing about the food trays. Many other hobbits crossed his vision in the dimly lit room, some dancing, some eating, and many laughing.
But something was tugging at the back of his neck, something that just did not seem right. The sounds started to grow louder than they had been, and when they reached a point when he thought he would go deaf they started to fade out again. The fire in the scones and on the candlewicks seemed to grow dimmer than they had been. Things seemed to grow hazy about him as he stopped in the middle of the dance floor, but these things did not catch his attention at all. There was only one thing in the room at the moment that held his notice. A hobbit lad from across the largely occupied suite had unexpectedly caught Pippin's eye.
Was... Was that... Dare he hope that was...
"Merry?!"
Meriadoc looked incredulously at his cousin. "Attend a party? I just arrived home. Can't I have a night of peace?" He started trudging off down to his room to put away his travelling bags, but he stopped briefly and turned back towards Berilac. "Where's this party at, anyway?"
Berilac grinned even more impishly than before. "Tookland."
"W-what about the feud?" Merry seemed more than a little confused.
"Oh, you know about that already, do you? That doesn't matter. We can sneak in."
Merry shook his head. "Someone is bound to see us, Ber."
"No, they won't. We can keep hidden most of the time. There's going to be a lot of hobbits there, so the Tooks can't keep track of everyone, can they?"
Doing an about-face, Meriadoc sighed and continued walking to his room as Berilac followed him. "Why do you want to go, anyway?"
Berilac swayed his head a bit and grinned dreamily. "A certain Took daughter."
Merry almost burst out laughing. "Seriously? Let's see here. Though I don't see why, uh, Pimpernel, perhaps?"
"A little bit older."
"Pearl? You like Pearl?
Berilac nodded and stepped inside Merry's bedroom as he shut the door behind him. He looked on as Merry unpacked his things from three months. Well, not unpacked, more like dumped onto the floor. He grinned at his cousin's neatness. "So your decision is?"
"Hmm?" Merry looked back to him and remembered what they had been speaking about. "Well, you have heard about Pippin and I, haven't you?"
"Oh, that old news? To what it can exceed it is most terrible, I am sure. But, it does not matter much, does it?" Berilac asked.
He seemingly hit a nerve point in Merry with that particular question, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than his cousin angrily spun around to face him. Clenching his teeth, Merry spat viciously, "Doesn't matter much?! What do you mean 'doesn't matter much'? It's Pippin we're talking about here! You think he doesn't matter much?!"
Berilac waved his hands in the air, trying to appease his cousin for his previous bad choice of words. "All right, Mer. Just calm down a bit. I'm sorry. Don't even bother remembering that I said it. I take it all back."
"Good," Merry replied curtly, sitting on his bed. He sighed and glanced back up to Berilac. "Well, don't just stand there. Help me find something to wear."
It was nearing six o'clock when the guests starting arriving at Tookland for the party. Pervinca haunted the front step for a while, seemingly looking for someone. She gave up after a half an hour and stepped inside, where the music had begun playing and the food had started to disappear, starting up the merriment. Paladin and some of the other older hobbits were sitting around a table that was placed inside one of the connected suites that were in a long, straight vista, drinking ale and chatting about old times. Other guests, younger and more energetic, waltzed around another room to the rapid music. Other hobbits were standing near tables lined with food and drinks.
Pervinca walked around for a while, playing a little game with herself while looking around for her expected guest. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around, finding Hildibrand standing behind her. "There you are!" she replied cheerfully before pulling him off to the side of the room. She turned towards him as she stopped by the wall. "So, how's the plan working?"
Hildibrand smiled. "They'll be here soon. Don't worry. I have everything planned. Though I wish I knew more about this a few months ago. 'Tis a shame, keepin' them separated and all." He took a step back and held out a hand to her. "A dance, fairest of the fair?" She giggled and took his hand, letting him lead her to the center of the suite.
"All right now, Merry. You know this place like you do Buckland, so show us around," Berilac commanded. Some of the other Bucklander boys had joined them, deciding they wanted to party like the rest of the Shire.
Merry glanced at the front door from their hiding spot, which was behind the fence some thirty yards from the door. He scrunched his mouth in a frown as he saw some of the adult Tooks greeting people at the door. "There's another door, behind the hill. We can go in that way without being noticed. I'm sure of it," he stated, risking a cautious glance at Berilac, who nodded perceptively. He began crawling off in the dark towards the back of the smials, pausing to let the others catch up to him.
They reached the doors after a few minutes of looking, and Berilac and the others were starting to walk to it when the Brandybuck glanced back to see Meriadoc standing there, shivering while staring at the door.
"Merry? Are you all right, cousin?"
Merry turned to him upon hearing his name and very slowly shook his head. "I can't do it, Berilac. I can't do it."
"What?" Berilac asked, bewildered at his cousin's behavior.
"I can't do it. I can't face him, I can't," he stated brokenly.
Understanding crept up on Berilac, and he smiled reassuringly. "Merry, it's all right. You can face Pip-"
"No, I can't! Besides, Frodo said to wait and-"
"Merry!" Berilac interrupted as he gripped his cousin's upper arms. "You've gotten this far. Please don't turn back now. Pippin needs you, Merry. Don't you see? You two are better together than you are apart!" Meriadoc looked back to the door as his older cousin pleaded with him, and his expression suddenly held determination.
"You're right, Berilac."
"Of course I am! Now, come on. Let's join the party!"
After cautiously sneaking down a few halls, the Brandybuck boys found the suites where the party was taking place and stealthily joined the rest of the already large crowd, fitting in and keeping away from Took eyesight. Merry kept off to the side, keeping an eye out to look for the only person he had been longing to see.
When ten minutes had passed, Berilac and Hildibrand caught each other's eyes from across the room. Smiling at him, Berilac winked and nodded over to where Merry stood. Hildibrand nodded back and walked off, going to find Pippin.
"I'm late!" Pippin cried as he quickly stepped into his clothes that were laid out near his bed. He had not noticed the time until he had put down his book that he had been reading for the past few hours. Once he made sure he looked all right, he stepped out of his room and hurried to the suites where the party was taking place. "Pervinca is probably mad," he said to himself as he slipped through the first crowd of dancers. He sighted his father sitting with some of the older hobbits, still drinking and talking about old times. Pimpernel was at one end chatting with some other girls her age. Pervinca was once again dancing with Hildibrand, which Pippin noted and smiled to himself. He saw some of the Cotton family roaming about and one or two of the Bracegirdles standing about the food trays. Many other hobbits crossed his vision in the dimly lit room, some dancing, some eating, and many laughing.
But something was tugging at the back of his neck, something that just did not seem right. The sounds started to grow louder than they had been, and when they reached a point when he thought he would go deaf they started to fade out again. The fire in the scones and on the candlewicks seemed to grow dimmer than they had been. Things seemed to grow hazy about him as he stopped in the middle of the dance floor, but these things did not catch his attention at all. There was only one thing in the room at the moment that held his notice. A hobbit lad from across the largely occupied suite had unexpectedly caught Pippin's eye.
Was... Was that... Dare he hope that was...
"Merry?!"