Title:

Author: Anso the Hobbit

Beta: Marigold

Characters: Frodo, Pippin and Merry

Rating: PG

Timeline: Bag End, SR 1402 so Frodo is 34, Merry is 20 and Pippin is 12

Summary:

Note: I am blaming this on Astrid Lindgren for writing stories with such detail about what this story is about, so that it has fested itself on my mind. And if you recognise the first lines, this was supposed to be for one of Marigolds first challenges back in the spring of 2004.
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"Frodo? Will Merry be all right?" Pippin clung gently to Frodo´s hand, trying to reassure them both that they were together, though he wondered if Frodo even realised that he was here.

"He´ll be just fine, Pip." Frodo´s voice was flat, as if he was concentrating very hard. And he was concentrating, trying not to run away from what he knew was about to happen. But at the same time he was happy, happy that it was not him this dreadful thing was going to happen to. He squeezed Pippin´s hand and gave the lad a hug. They had to be brave for Merry now. "Merry is strong and brave, and will survive anything." Frodo said, to reassure them both. He did not know if it would reassure Merry though, if he heard it at all.

Merry was sitting on a stool, eyes wide and frightened and his face was pale with sweat beading his brow. He had entwined his fingers as if praying and his knuckles where white. Would he survive this? How was life going to be after? He shifted a little on his stool, but a hand on his shoulder told him to stay put. Frodo and Pippin backed away. A cloth was tied about his neck.

"Ready, master Merry?"

No, he thought. But would he ever be?

"All right" A hobbit came forward and laid a hand on his head, fingers boring into his skull, making him unable to move. A sturdy hobbit´s body came up behind him, hands on his shoulder, ready to hold him upright if he should fall. They were ready to begin.

Pippin whimpered.

Please, Merry thought, don´t make it worse than it is. He had wanted Pip and Frodo to be there for him if something happened, and he had felt calm by their presence, but didn´t know if he felt anything besides fear now.

"Open wide".

Merry unclenched his jaw. He had bit his teeth so hard together that he actually had to force them apart. Not that he wanted to, though. He had prolonged this as far as he could, but now he couldn´t sleep any longer for the pain, and Pippin and Frodo had been badgering him with seeking help for days. Slowly he opened his mouth.

The hobbit in front of him put his face almost into Merry´s mouth, trying to assess the situation. A couple of fingers entered. Merry tasted the powder the hobbit had used to make his fingers as clean as possible. Involuntarily he gagged.

In Buckland the blacksmith was the one that they´d call upon if someone had problems with their teeth, and even if he was known for his skill in such matters as removing bad teeth, he was looked upon with fright and wonder. The custom was the same in Hobbiton and now the blacksmith there had his hand in Merry´s mouth.

"Right" the blacksmith said. "Here we need to remove some teeth." He moved away from Merry and started to sort through his things.

Merry stared at him, shocked. He heard Pippin and Frodo gasp. Merry felt like running away, but the hands on his shoulders tightened the grip. Why did the blacksmith have to use his assistant in this too? Why could not Frodo or Pippin hold him? But he knew the answer. If someone you loved was in pain, you would do all you could to prevent it, and therefore Frodo and Pippin had been allowed to stay, but to keep away from Merry.

Frodos chin had fallen to his chest when he heard the blacksmith wanting to remove some of Merrys teeth. Surely that was not necessary? Merry was a healthy hobbit, and that went for his teeth too. He had been in pain, yes, but it could not be this bad? Frodo felt Pippin move closer.

"Poor Merry" Pippin whispered. He had heard about hobbits dying of having to remove teeth. Now Pippin pictured the worst in his mind, and started to walk towards Merry.

"No." Frodo said. "They told us to keep at a distance." He pulled Pippin back and put an arm around his shoulders.

Merry did not utter any sound at all, and now the blacksmith turned back at him, a large instrument in one hand, a bottle of some sort in the other.

If it was possible, Merry paled more and started wavering on his stool. The hands on his shoulders gripped even tighter.

"Now," the blacksmith said, "drink this." He held out the bottle, but Merry did not take it. "You need to drink this. It helps clean your mouth, and dulls the pain quite effectively."

Slowly Merry extended his hand and took the bottle. Like a sleepwalker he tipped the bottle to his lips and swallowed, shuddering at the strong liquid running down his throat. He handed the bottle back.

"Now we wait" he said and stood back watching Merry intently.

After a couple of minutes with silence so loud it could be heard, Merry started to relax. His face became soft and his eyes lost their wide and frightened look ad became glazed. He slumped a bit on the stool.

"We may continue now" the assistant said, after having checked Merrys pulse beat. It was steady and calm.

The blacksmith put a hand under Merrys chin, holding his face steady. His assistant removed one of the hands holding Merrys shoulders, and clamped his nose shut with two fingers. This was to keep Merry from closing his mouth. He nodded to the blacksmith.

The large instrument he had taken out of his bag earlier was put to use now.

Pippin thought he would faint as the blacksmith removed a tooth from the back of Merrys mouth and held it out for his assistant so see and started explaining what was the trouble. Merry gave a small cry as the tooth came out but was prevented from saying anything else as a boiled cloth was put into his mouth to staunch the bleeding.

Frodo looped his arm around Pippins shoulders to keep him up and watched as Merry slumped even more on the stool.

"Right, then" the blacksmith said "that should do the trick. Here, have a bit more of this". He put the bottle to Merrys lips again and Merry obediently swallowed a little. The cloth was removed and when it came out clean Merry was pronounced finished. "Give him something to sleep on and bundle him up in bed to sleep of the worst. Id keep him on some strong painkilling tea for a few days but he should be right as rain within a week."

Frodo released Pippin and followed the smith and his assistant to the door. In the kitchen, Pippin hurried over to Merry and embraced him. Merry only stared back, still in a bit of shock and quite drugged.

"How are you feeling?" Pippin said, stroking back Merrys curls and trying to get eye-contact with him.

After a bit Merry managed to focus on Pippin and he tried to smile. "Ill be all right." Pippin hardly understood what he said but Merrys slight smile brought him hope.

Frodo came back then, and started making a tea for Merry. "Here now" he said, seeing Merry still sitting on the stool, looking half-dazed and hugged him. "It wasnt that bad now was it?" Merry only nodded. "Well, Im sure the tea will help some and then you can go sleep for a while. Would you like that?"

Again Merry nodded. He felt to numb to think or feel really and he was just waiting for the pain to set in, but it didnt. Frodo led him over to sit on the bench by the table instead of perching on the stool, and Merry slumped back against the wall, trying to relax. He felt completely exhausted! He tried to drink the tea when it was finished, but the hot liquid burned his mouth and he had to wait before he could manage to get it down.

"Im so sorry Merry" Pippin said.

"What for?" Merry managed.

"Because now you cant eat anything but soup and broth for several days and what are we going to do with all the biscuits we made this morning?"

"Oh, Im sure youll manage to come up with something, Pip!" Frodo said, also sitting down at the table and giving Pippin one of the treats.

"ank o" Merry said.

"What?"

"...ank...yo." Merry tried again. It was going to be difficult to talk for some days now.

"Thank you! He means to say thank you!" Frodo said. "For what, dear?"

Merry gestured towards where the stool still stood by the cupboards.

"Youre welcome, dear. Now, lets put you to bed all right?"

And so they did. A few minutes later Merry was sleeping peacefully. Frodo and Pippin went back to the kitchen to have a snack to calm themselves on, but as Pippin reached for yet another biscuit, Frodo took the jar away. "Thats enough sugar for you today Pippin. Im not sure why Merrys teeth suddenly started to hurt, but we wouldnt want you to have to have any teeth removed too, now would we?"

Pippin pouted a little, but settled with what he got. He did after all not want to have to remove any teeth. Just thinking about what Merry just went through made him shudder and he went to the bathroom to wash his mouth and used the wodden stick with the hard ponytail hairs on to clean his own teeth.