Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than I usually write them, as I said last week that it would be. I'm quite pleased with this chapter, since it goes back to the original idea! The last chapters have all had a common plot, and even though it's mentioned in this part it's not central. Great fun to write! Btw, if the coding is all screwed up, let me know! My comp is acting up and I don't know if it saved the coding the way it should have...
Disclaimer: Same old same old =)
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"Warms the heart, doesn't it?" Diamond said with a loving smile.
Estella nodded. She too couldn't help but smile when she saw Pippin and Merry playfully wrestling with each other over an apple, when there was a whole orchard full of apples around them. Harvest was in full action at Crickhollow.
A year had now passed since Merry and Pippin had returned from Gondor, light at heart and back to their old selves again. Merry had had little trouble from his back during the year that had passed and the gloomy mood that had filled Brandy Hall and the Great Smials during the past years had vanished. The Masters had returned, through some miracle best friends again, and things seemed to be back to the way they always had been. The only thing that was different was that the two friends argued now, something nobody had ever seen them do before save for when their friendship had been bad the past year.
Right now however they weren't fighting for real, only playfully battling over the apple. Pippin had control over the apple at the moment and was climbing an apple tree as fast as he could while Merry gave chase. The two seemed more like children than adults, it was nice to see them acting like Hobbits again.
Estella and Diamond put their empty baskets down by a tree each and helped the children fill them. Faramir was up in one tree, despite his mother's constant protests, and was picking apples at a surprisingly high speed. Each apple he picked he handed to Cordy on the ground who placed them nice and safely in a basket. The other children were down on the ground with Cordy, picking apples, singing and talking. The only two not helping out were Merry and Pippin.
"You know, there are a hundred apples in this orchard" Estella said. "Why do you have to fight over that one?"
"Huh?" Pippin said and halted, surprise by the question.
Merry, who had jumped down from the tree a few seconds after him, caught up to him and tackled him to the ground from behind. While Pippin was still on the ground Merry snatched the apple and hurried off.
"All right!" Diamond said and placed her hands on her hips. "Enough now! It's all fun and games until someone breaks a leg."
"Revenge!" Pippin cried, ignoring his wife, and ran after Merry.
"Well at least he's not up in a tree" Diamond sighed and glared at Faramir. "You on the other hand…"
"Don't worry Mother" Faramir said. "I'm perfectly safe up here!"
"It's all fun and games until someone falls down and breaks his arm" Lúthien said, imitating Diamond.
"You listen to her" Diamond said to Faramir. "She's got more sense in her head than you, she does!"
"I had sense in my head when I was nine" Faramir claimed.
"You began climbing trees before Lúthien was even born, Faramir Took!" Diamond pointed out with a glare.
Faramir dismissed her with a wave of his hand. He was not afraid of falling out of the tree and he liked being up among the branches. He loved pretending that he was his father at a younger age, riding on Treebeard the Ent. His father had told him all about the Ents, and how they looked like trees but could move and talk. Faramir wished he could see one for real some day, but until then he would have to settle for Shire trees.
"I hope I have that much energy when I'm Father's age" Théo commented as Merry feinted Pippin and ran in the other direction.
"Oh shush" Aramac said. "You don't even have that much energy now!"
"Another basket is full" Cordy reported.
"Can I take it inside?" Lúthien asked.
"No darling, it's too heavy for you" Diamond said and lifted the basket up.
Meanwhile Pippin managed to catch up to Merry and jumped up on his back. While his cousin struggled to keep his balance Pippin grabbed the apple and them jumped down on the ground and hurried off with Merry on his heels. The others shook their heads and concentrated on the apples. This game seemed to be able to go on for a long while.
"Can we have apple pie tonight?" Éowyn asked.
"Maybe if we wished it!" Lúthien said.
"I think an apple pie should be easy to arrange" Estella said. "We have to have something to celebrate that it's Éowyn's birthday tomorrow."
"Don't forget my birthday!" Faramir said from his tree. "It's not long after Éowyn's!"
"But Éowyn comes before you" Théo said and gave his second cousin a glare. He didn't appreciate Faramir trying to steal his sister's thunder.
"To think that it's been nineteen years" Estella sighed. "Seems like it were only yesterday we harvested the apples here at Crickhollow and Rose would not let me help since I was having my first child any day."
"Yesterday?" Éowyn said, not exactly feeling that the past two decades had gone by as fast as her mother felt they had.
"And then the year after that the lads had to do the harvesting themselves" Estella continued and ignored Éowyn's comment. "For both Diamond and I were expecting soon."
"Was that the summer that was so hot and dry?" Cordy asked.
"Yes. And it was followed by a snowy winter, the first of its kind in many years."
"I wish something special had happened when I was born" Aramac said. "You have stories for all years but mine!"
"Your birth caused quite the scandal, if that makes you happy to know" Estella said. "Your father and aunt Rose brought me here when you decided to enter the world, instead of keeping me at Brandy Hall which was safer."
"That's not a scandal" Aramac objected. "Not the way Lúthien's birth was a scandal."
"It was nothing of the sort!" Lúthien objected. "What's a scandal?"
"I was about to say that it's a relief getting to harvest the fruit without having to run back and forth between the trees and infants, or having to keep an eye on young children running about everywhere" Estella said and watched her husband trying to catch up to Pippin and regain control of the apple. "But looking at the Masters of the house, I realise nothing has really changed around here."
"Are you sure nothing special happened on the year I was born?" Aramac asked, still on that subject.
"Was your birth not special enough, darling?" Diamond asked.
"That does not count!"
"For us it does" Diamond said.
"You all have very special stories that you were far too young to be able to remember today" Estella said. "And I'm sure you all have some very special stories ahead of you as well."
"I wish our fathers could have saved some of the excitement for us " Faramir said and glanced over at Pippin and Merry. "All the adventures happened when they were young, there's nothing left for us! It's not fair!"
"Oh shush, Faramir Took" Diamond said and began to walk to the house with her fruit basket. He was too much like his father in some aspects, adventures were not something a Hobbit should long for or dream of.
"I agree with you, Faramir" Cordy whispered. "I wish I could have adventure too!"
Cordy often set out on his own private adventures, but by now they were getting a bit boring. He had never been outside the Shire, and the surrounding areas were so familiar to him that it didn't feel like exploring or doing anything adventurous. He would often fantasise about what kind of adventures his father had had all those years ago, but he knew that nothing his mind could come up with would be as fascinating as the truth. But his own mother didn't even know much about Meriadoc's adventures, so Cordy did not expect to get to hear about them anytime soon.
Pippin, who still had control over the apple, looked over his shoulder to see how much Merry had gained on him. Not seeing where he went he collided with Diamond and knocked over both her and the basket, sending red apples flying everywhere. Diamond got up on her feet again before the shocked look had left Pippin's face, and with still shocked eyes he managed to smile apologetically. Diamond gave him her most angry glare and placed her hands on her hips once more. Merry skidded to a stop right behind them and looked over Pippin's shoulder.
"I am so sorry Dimesy!" Pippin said. "Did I hurt you?"
Before Diamond could answer Merry looked down at Pippin's hand and noticed that the apple was gone. Then he looked at the probably thirty apples spread around by their feet.
"Pip… Did you drop the apple?"
Pippin quickly looked down on his hand and gasped when he realised that he had lost his grip when he collided with his wife. Now there was no telling which apple they had been fighting about. The game was over.
"Sometimes you really need to grow up, Peregrin Took. Look at you, you're more concerned over that stupid apple than over me!" Diamond said.
"Of course I'm not darling, it's just that…"
Pippin gave Merry a wide-eyed look and Merry didn't know what to say. Diamond however bent down and picked up an apple.
"That's our apple?" Pippin asked.
"It took your wives and children a lot of effort to gather those apples" she said and pointed to the ones on the ground. "I suppose we'll have to feed them to the animals now! Look at all these apples! It's your fault that they're lying there!"
Then she threw the apple in her hand on Pippin's forehead, making him flinch and take a step back.
"Now pick them up!" Diamond commanded and strode off inside to get another basket. Pippin and Merry shared a look and obediently got down on the ground to pick the apples up.
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"Barkeep!" Pippin cried and smacked his hand on the counter. "Some ale, please! We have thirsty throats in need of refreshments!"
"Coming right up, Thain" the barkeep said.
"Good" Pippin said. He waited until the tankards were full and then cruised to the table Merry had picked out.
"Finally" Merry said when he arrived at the table. "I'm so thirsty I could drink the entire Brandywine!"
"A well earned drink" Pippin said and sat down. "After a day of hard work!"
"I don't ever want to see another apple again" Merry said and absent-mindedly began to chew on one he'd found at the table.
"I'd better go easy on the ale tonight" Pippin said. "Dimesy won't be pleased if I come home intoxicated, I think she's still mad at me for knocking her over like that."
"Nonsense" Merry said. "What makes you say that?"
"How about the fact that she didn't leave a single bit of the apple pies for me?"
"Just as well she did" Merry said and sipped his ale. "You need to lose some weight."
"Speak for yourself" Pippin snorted.
"Well at least you're not a butterball like Sam" Merry said. "Yet. But you're getting there, mark my words."
"Your waistline is wider than mine" Pippin said.
They ventured into other topics and before they knew it they had finished their half-pints. Time flew by when you had a pleasant conversation with a dear friend while sharing a few pints of ale. They shared a look when they had finished their ale. Both had promised their wives they would not be gone for long, and they would not drink too much ale. But just another half-pint couldn't hurt anyone, could it?
"I'll get us refills" Pippin said and headed back to the counter.
"Want some more ale, Master Took?" the barkeep asked and began to fill the tankards without waiting for an answer.
"We have worked hard today, we deserve a little ale" Pippin said. "We haven't gone to an inn together for ales in ages!"
"It's about time you did now" the barkeep said. "You and the Master, such a sad thing that happened! Neither of you understood that some things you just don't go about changing. But you understand that now. The Master and yourself have been together forever, you don't just go about changing that after so many years!"
"What happened was between Merry and myself" Pippin said and glared at the barkeep who couldn't help butting in.
"Oh, but everyone was talking about it. Such a shame, we all said. Well you don't keep two friends apart, and those who have gone together like a horse and carriage since forever do best not to part ways, says I."
"Barkeeps do best not minding into other people's business, says I" Pippin said. "Now where is my ale?"
The barkeep placed the tankards on the counter but held onto them long enough to be able to say all he had to say.
"Now the Master and yourself need to stop bickering the way you have of late. Don't let it drive a wedge between you. You have always gone together and you always should. It's always been that way, and for a reason. It's mean to be that way."
"I already know all that" Pippin pointed out, getting more and more irritated.
He grabbed the half-pints and yanked them out of the barkeep's grip, not caring that he spilled some, and marched back towards his table. As he headed off he could hear the barkeep talking to him.
"Out of all the queer things you and Master Merry have done in your lives, parting with each other was by far the queerest."
Pippin sighed, rolled his eyes and sat down opposite Merry again.
"Is there anyone who does not have an opinion on you and me?" he asked. "I just got a lecture from the barkeep on how you and I should stay friends and not argue."
"He's just worried about business" Merry said and began working on his ale. "I never drink ale when I'm depressed."
"Wow" Pippin said. "I must remember to tell that to Faramir!"
"Why not let him discover some things for himself?" Merry asked.
"What, and take away all the fun in parenting?" Pippin said.
"Poor Faramir" Merry said and shook his head with a smile.
"Don't talk so much Merry" Pippin said. "Get working on that ale of yours and let's sing a song in a few minutes!"
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"Well, well" Diamond said with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. "Only gone for a short while, was it? Will not drink too much ale, did you say?"
Pippin gave her a grin and gulped when he noticed the time on the clock. It was past midnight, they had left at six in the evening. During those six hours he and Merry had had a lot more to drink than originally intended. Now they were a bit unsteady and could not hide from their quite annoyed wives that they'd had more to drink than they said they would.
"But Dimey…" Pippin said. "I've only had…" He began to count in his head but gave up. He had no clue how many half-pints he'd had during the evening, he had stopped counting after the second. "Either way, I am not drunk."
"Sure you're not" Diamond said. "You just called me Dimey."
"And what about you?" Estella asked Merry. "How much did you drink?"
"What?" Merry asked. "Estella don't bother me…"
"I expected you home four hours ago, I think I have the right to bother you" Estella said. "Now you march straight to bed! In case you have forgotten, we have to be up and about in six hours, those trees won't harvest themselves!"
"Oooo!" Pippin said, his eyes perking up. "Harvest! Apples! Merry we have to make cider!" "To bed" Estella commanded and pointed down the hall.
"I have not had that much ale to drink" Merry objected. "I know how to find my own bedroom, lassie!"
Estella shook her head at him and put her arm around his waist so that he could lean on her for support. She had seen him a lot more drunk than this but he was best off going to bed straight away or he would have a lot of trouble getting up tomorrow morning. They began making their way down the hall and Pippin followed.
"Hold it!" Diamond said.
"I thought you said go to bed" Pippin said, confused.
"No Estella said to go to bed" Diamond said. "You come with me."
She grabbed him by the hand and walked him outside. He gave her a confused look.
"Well out of all the amorous places in the world…"
"Sit" she commanded.
Pippin obediently sat down and wondered what she was up to now. It was chilly out tonight and he preferred being inside. His bed seemed so warm and cosy right now. Suddenly a bucket of cold water was emptied over him and he gave a shrieking cry.
"Diamond!"
"Maybe that will sober you up" she said.
"I'm not that drunk" Pippin angrily sputtered while spitting water.
"You promised me you wouldn't drink much, and you promised you would be back home after only a little while!"
"I stayed a bit longer and had a few more tankards, what's the big deal?" Pippin asked and got up on his feet. "You've seen me far more intoxicated than I am right now!"
"I think the cold water is to thank for that."
Pippin gave her an angry look and stumbled off to the water barrel she had gotten the water from. He grabbed the edge of the barrel and leaned his head over it. Diamond quickly grabbed the bucket and hurried up to him.
"Pip!" she cried. "What are you doing? Use this instead!"
She held up the bucket to him and he gave her a glare.
"I'm not going to hurl" he said. "You keep your bucket."
With that said he began to drink water directly from the barrel, instead of using the ladle hanging by the barrel for anyone who might fancy a drink. Diamond rolled her eyes and put the bucket back down on the ground.
"Don't tell me you're not intoxicated when you're lapping water like a dog instead of using the ladle! One would have thought you'd had enough to drink for one night."
Pippin angrily waved her off and continued to drink. He knew that the more water he drank now the better he'd feel in the morning. Merry had always claimed it was unfair that Pippin never got hung-over, but Pippin knew it was because Merry never drank any water before going to bed.
"Goodnight" Diamond said and went back inside, leaving Pippin to his water.
Pippin gave her an absent-minded wave and continued to drink until he felt sure he could not find room for another drop of water in him. He then used his sleeve to wipe his mouth, though the sleeve was soaking wet and didn't do much good, and went back inside. He took his cape off and hung it up to dry, but left the rest of his dripping clothes on. It was much more fun to casually toss them at Diamond when he changed into his nightgown. Plus it had the added bonus of forcing Diamond to sleep as close to him as possible to avoid the soaked half of the bed. Though Pippin preferred having some sleeping space he could think of more fun things to do than to sleep while waiting for Diamond's side of the bed to dry.
On his way to the bedroom he stopped outside Faramir's room. The old nursery was still the room where Faramir slept whenever he spent a night at Crickhollow and it brought back many fond memories for Pippin. As quietly as he could he opened the door and went inside. Faramir was sound asleep, as were Cordy who slept in the extra bed. The old Brandybuck nursery was not large enough to make room for all the children who had slept there and their siblings, so Cordy shared a room with Faramir and let Lucky have his own room.
Pippin walked over to Faramir's bed and resisted the urge to pull a strain of hair from the boy's face. He knew his wet hands would wake Faramir up and he wanted to let him sleep. The two greatest adventures of Peregrin's life had begun at Crickhollow, the Quest and fatherhood. There was so much that Faramir didn't know about his father's past, but someday he was bound to no longer accept being kept in the dark and ask for answers.
"One day," Pippin whispered, "shall you ask your father everything. How things were, and how it was that I left. You'll want to know so much, you will ask about the paths I took, the things I saw, the things I did. 'Are all those things still there?' you will ask. 'Are those places still there today where you did all these things? That place you love like a second home, does it still stand?' You will ask me all those things someday. But what will be my answer? Can I tell you of my adventure? Perhaps I can't… But I will have to tell you something. I will tell you that as long as my heart as the strength to beat those places will be there still. Far beyond these green lands where you have lived your entire life there are white towers, magnificent cities, things beyond your wildest imagination. They might pass out of all knowledge in the Shire, Hobbits may forget they have ever existed. But so long as I am alive, that second home will live too. There, my son, it is not yet harvest. The trees will keep their fruit for another month. Beyond mountains and rivers and plains… Minas Tirith."
He realised he must be more intoxicated than he'd thought. It was not like him to muse in this manner, at least not out loud. He realised he had better head off to bed or he would have a very hard day tomorrow. As quietly as he could he left the old nursery.
When the door closed behind Pippin, Faramir opened one of his eyes. When he saw that the coast was clear he sat up and looked at Cordy, who was also still awake.
"What do you suppose that means?" he asked, wondering what on earth his father had really been talking about.
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"This is so exciting" Lucky grinned and wrapped his blanket around him. "I've never seen a calf being born before!"
"You're old enough now" Merry said. "But it's going to be a long night."
"I don't mind!" Lucky said.
The two of them were sitting in a booth with a cow who was having her calf. In the next booth sat Pippin, Faramir and Cordy, watching over another birthing cow. Neither Merry nor Pippin had ever had two cows have their calves on the same night, but it had presented the perfect opportunity for Lucky to get to take part in the event. Aramac, Théo and Éowyn were with Merry and Lucky in their booth, they were close to being too many people as it were, so it was a good thing there were two booths and two cows.
"After this there won't be any more calves this year" Théo said and played with a rubber band. "It will be nice to get to sleep through the nights."
"You don't have to be here if you don't want to" Merry said. "There are eight of us, we'll manage all right."
"I'll stay" Théo said. "But not all night."
"How can you want to go back inside, Théo?" Lucky asked. "This is exciting!"
"Not as exciting as it looks" Théo said. "It's only waiting for hours and hours…"
"Leave him be" Aramac said. "Don't you remember how thrilling it was the first time you got to sit with Father while a calf was born? I remember it like it were yesterday, it made me feel so old and mature, and I loved getting to stay up all night."
Théo shrugged his shoulders. Farming and animal care had never been things that interested him. He preferred other crafts, like carving wood and working with iron. He sometimes sighed when he thought about how his future was to be the Master of the Hall and he would be required to be a farmer. He wished his father would go on living for centuries and never leave his lands to Théo.
"I bet Lucky won't be able to stay awake all night through." Cordy said, peeking over the short wall between the two booths.
"I will so!" Lucky said.
"You're one to talk, Comradoc" Éowyn said. "The first time you sat with a cow you were asleep before midnight!"
Lucky laughed at his brother and Cordy gave his sister an angry glare before he sat back down in his booth.
"Siblings" he sputtered. "Faramir be glad you have none!"
"Don't argue" Pippin said and stretched his legs. "The night is going to be long enough without any arguments."
"Sorry Uncle Pippin."
Faramir nodded obediently and leaned his head against Pippin's shoulder. Though he was eighteen years old he still thought there was no better company in the world than his father's. Perhaps it was because he'd never had any siblings, but he could never have enough of his father's presence. It made him proud when people said he reminded them of Peregrin, it was his goal to be just like him. He had begun more and more to follow him around the same way Éowyn had always followed Merry. Pippin always had time for him and seemed to be happy that his son wanted to learn everything there was to learn about being the Thain.
Comradoc on the other hand looked up to Faramir more than anyone else in the world. He would show up at the Smials several times a week and occupy a lot of Faramir's time, and ever so often he would get on his second-cousin's nerves. Faramir did not have half the patience with his younger relative that Meriadoc had once had with Peregrin.
In the other booth, Théodoc was still playing with the rubber band just to have something to do. Waiting for a calf to be born was incredibly boring, he made up his mind not to stay much longer. He would wait for a couple of more hours and see if Lucky, or perhaps Cordy, fell asleep, and if so he could carry his brother inside with him. He always looked after his brothers, even though they were big pains most of the time, always running around, always sticking their noses in where they weren't wanted, always borrowing Théo's things without asking and then sometimes losing them. Most of the time they annoyed Théo, and so did Aramac and Lúthien. Éowyn was the only one of his siblings who in Théo's eyes never did anything wrong, and he loved spending time with her. While Cordy followed Faramir, who in turn followed Pippin, Théo followed Éowyn who followed Merry.
Éowyn however seemed completely indifferent to her brother's affection. She knew she was the only person he felt completely comfortable around and that she was the only one he told his secrets to, but she had trouble understanding him. Éowyn loved being around people and couldn't understand how her brother could dislike large crowds and prefer to be in smaller groups. She had a lot more in common with Aramac, they were both much like their father. Exactly who Théo was like nobody could tell, he didn't look much or act much like either parent.
"Father!" Cordy said, peeking over the wall again. "Faramir says he's going to teach me to climb trees!"
"Peregrin!" Merry said firmly. "Keep an eye on your son! Do not let him promise Comradoc things like that!"
"But Father…" Cordy complained.
"You will not climb any trees and that's the end of that!" Merry said. Cordy was adventurous enough as it was, if he learned to climb trees he would be going up every spruce he saw.
"You keep your feet on the ground" Théo said to his brother, who made a face at him and sat back down. "Climbing trees… Nonsense!"
"You're so boring, Théo!" Cordy's voice came from the other booth.
"That's enough!" Pippin exhorted him. "Keep your voice down, young lad! You're bothering the cow!"
Cordy snorted and sulked in a corner. Nobody ever let him do anything fun! When Aramac had been his age he had gotten to go out with Éowyn in the boat, but Cordy hadn't been allowed to do that this summer. Faramir got to climb trees, but Cordy wasn't allowed to. He felt like everyone got to be adventurous save for him.
"Now don't sulk" Faramir said. "I'll teach you when you're 33! Nobody can object to it then."
The door to the stables opened and Diamond and Lúthien came with food baskets.
"Blessed Diamond!" Pippin cried and flew to his feet. "You always know when I'm so hungry I cannot survive another minute without food!"
"One is not your wife for twenty years without learning a little something" Diamond smiled and gave her husband a kiss.
"Hey!" Merry said. "You're giving him a basket, but what about us?"
"I brought you food!" Lúthien happily declared, trying her best to open the door to the booth. She was too short to reach over the door so her father and siblings couldn't see her.
"Somebody help her" Aramac said to Lucky and Éowyn who were closest to the door.
"No!" Lúthien cried. "I can do it myself!"
Aramac sighed and rolled his eyes. He got up and walked over to the door, then opened it so that his sister could get inside. Lúthien did not appreciate the gesture.
"Aramac!" she cried and stomped her foot angrily.
"Thank you sister" Aramac said and picked up the basket. Lucky and Éowyn protested when he carried it over to his own spot and sat down with it.
Pippin handed the basket given to him by Diamond to Faramir, and the two lads quickly investigated what was in it. Pippin had gotten a bit sidetracked and was locked in a kiss with Diamond when Faramir gave him a smack on the leg.
"Father!" he complained. "Please! You're gonna make me sick!"
"Oh shush you!" Pippin said and gave Diamond one last kiss. "I have all night to eat."
"I thought you said you were so starving you couldn't wait another minute" Faramir dryly pointed out.
"I like my appetisers" Pippin said and finally pulled himself from Diamond and turned his attention to the basket.
"Father" Faramir complained, wishing his father would stop kissing his mother in public.
"So how are the cows doing?" Diamond asked with a smile.
"They're coming along…" Pippin said and began rummaging through the basket. "Diamond Took, I see no apple pie!"
"I put that in the other basket."
"What?" Pippin cried and flew to his feet. He looked at the Brandybucks in the other booth and saw that the pie was already going around the hungry Hobbits. "But Diamond, that's not fair! I want apple pie too!"
"Estella only made one" Diamond said. "And since she made it I figured it was only proper that her children got to eat it."
Pippin pointed to Cordy.
"Estella's child!"
"Now don't be a baby, Peregrin" Diamond said with a smile. "You got a kiss to go with your dinner, isn't that better?"
"No" Faramir said.
Diamond laughed and gave Pippin another kiss to remove the grumpy look on his face. Then she turned her attention to Lúthien who was tugging her arm.
"Auntie Diamond… Can I stay here?"
"Tonight? But darling, it's your bedtime in thirty minutes…"
"But all the other kids get to" Lúthien said and looked like she was about to cry.
"Not when they were your age, love" Diamond said and lifted her up.
"Maybe if I wished it…"
"No, no wishes will help tonight" Diamond said. "I'll be back for the dishes and baskets" she told the others. "Say goodnight, Lúthie!"
"I don't want to" Lúthien said grumpily.
"Goodnight Lúthien" everyone else said in one voice.
"I'll see you in a while" Diamond said and left the stables with the grumpy child.
Lucky closed the door to the booth with a proud smile. He was no longer a little child who had to go inside and get to bed. He was old enough to sit in the stables, waking with his siblings. He had never felt so old and mature in his life and he couldn't believe that Théo was bored already.
"It is going to be a very long night…" Merry stated.
"I hope so!" Lucky said. "The longer the better!"
"If you say that in a few hours I won't believe you" Aramac said. "Is there any pie left or did we eat it all?"
Lucky handed him the last of the pie and then wrapped his blanket around him again. This was the most exciting thing he had ever done. He didn't care much about the cow and the calf, it was getting to stay up and do such an adult thing as to wake that made the evening exciting. He thought he could hear a yawn from the other booth.
"Cordy will be out like a light before long" Éowyn predicted.
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The following week was very hectic at the Great Smials and Brandy Hall. Once the last calves had been born it was time to slaughter the pigs and an ox or two. Hobbits didn't usually stock up food for winter, but it was a ritual to slaughter after harvest, and it was busy times for everyone. The only ones who didn't have to work were the youngest, they were watched over by their grandparents or other elders. The rest were hard at work, the lads out with the animals and the lasses inside, making sausages and salting pork and doing everything they could to make sure that every edible part of the animals were properly taken care of. The children who were too old to get to run around and play, but too young to have any harder tasks to do, constantly tried to sneak a taste of all the goodies and their mothers had their hands full keeping them out of the kitchen.
Merry and Pippin worked out a system where they would be at the Smials one day and at the Hall the next, going back and forth as long as the slaughtering took. They brought their wives and children with them and after a few days everyone was getting a bit dizzy from all the running back and forth. This part of the harvesting was hard work, and they all looked forward to the traditional feast that would be held underneath the harvest moon. But before the party could be held, the work had to be done.
"Lucimac Brandybuck!" Estella roared, as her youngest son managed to steal a treat from the Great Smials kitchen. "Who is watching after him, really?"
"He constantly escapes" Pippin's sister Pervinca said. "I remember when my Paladar was a new-born during harvest a few years ago and I was watching the children, Lucky and Cordy always managed to escape to the kitchen."
"He had better not show his face here again anytime soon" Estella angrily said.
Old Eglantine Took, Pippin's mother, appeared in the doorway.
"Lucky?" she called out. "I know you're here!"
"He left" Pervinca said.
"With unauthorised food with him" Estella added. "Do not let him run in here again! Tie him to your wrist if you have to!"
"Peregrin was always very skilled in the art of sneaking to the kitchen" Eglantine smiled sentimentally. "No matter how carefully one watched him, he would make his way to the kitchen and sneak off with the finest treats he could find!"
"Mother would be red with fury after only an hour" Pippin's sister Pearl laughed.
"That habit never stopped" Estella said and continued darning sausages. "I remember one time at Crickhollow when I had made Merry a mushroom sandwich, I turned my back and in only a second or two Pippin snatched it and ate it up. I don't know how he does it, he always manages to steal food right before one's eyes and you don't notice it!"
"I am not surprised" Eglantine said. "But now to find little Lucimac!"
She hurried off and Estella sighed deeply.
"What is with that child and sneaking in here? None of his brothers were that persistent, save for Cordy of course."
"And apparently they never grow out of it!" Pearl said with a smile.
"Where is my mother?" Pippin asked with an annoyed sigh as he entered the kitchen from the opposite direction his mother had left. "She let Lucky run off again, he got in the way out in the barn! She has got to keep a closer eye on him."
Estella sighed deeply when she saw that Pippin had Lucky in a firm grip. If the child could only keep out of the way and let them do their work.
"Lucimac" she said firmly. "One more incident like this one and there will be no ribs for you at the feast!"
"I'll take him, Pip" Pervinca said and took Lucky's other hand. "He can come with me and help fold the laundry I didn't have time for yesterday."
"Mother do I have to?" Lucky complained, not liking the sound of the chore.
"Off you go!" Estella said and sent him off together with Pervinca.
"He's been in here, causing trouble I take it" Pippin said.
"Naturally" Estella sighed.
"He reminds me of a certain uncle of his" Pearl smiled.
"I never realised just how annoying I must have been" Pippin said and put his arm around Diamond's waist.
"I'd say you were worse than Lucky" Pear claimed.
"That's a bit unfair" Pippin said. "Especially coming from the one who would help me get away from whoever was watching me in exchange for half of the booty."
"If you have a baby brother who knows how to get a hold of food, use it!" Pearl smiled.
"As for Lucky, he really needs to be kept under stricter supervision" Pippin said. "I'm sorry that my mother constantly fails at keeping an eye on him."
"She's 110" Pearl pointed out. "I think we can forgive her."
"If looking after the children is her job then she should do it" Pippin said. "Meanwhile my job is out in the barn!" He pulled Diamond closer for a kiss and then left with a nonchalant wave. "I'll see you again at dinner, lasses!"
Diamond smiled and then turned her attention back to the sausage she had been darning. She gave a cry.
"Peregrin Took!"
"What?" Pearl asked and looked at her sister-in-law.
"He stole the sausage I had just finished with!"
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Three days later the slaughtering was finally nearing its end. They had finished the day before at the Smials and there was only a little work left to do at the Hall. Estella was busy boiling a huge ham that they would eat the next day at the feast. She was in their private kitchen at Brandy Hall, knowing that at least there she would only have her own children to keep an eye on. It was easier cooking there, especially during harvest.
"I'm starved!" Merry exclaimed as he entered.
"When are you not?" Estella asked. "The first ham is finished, please take it down to the larger kitchen. And don't even think about tasting a piece!"
"Wouldn't dream of it" Merry said and took the large plate with the ham on it.
"You might have fooled me with that line before" Estella said. "But I won't fall for it again! I'm sending Lúthie with you, if you sneak a taste she will report it to me at once!"
"Can she be bribed?" Merry wondered.
"Not when she's got a special assignment" Estella said. "Éowyn might be your daughter honey, but Lúthien is mine!"
"And so I shall have to go hungry" Merry sighed.
"Not quite, dinner will be ready when you come back."
"I love you" Merry grinned and kissed her on the cheek.
As if on some given signal the five oldest children came and sat down by the dinner table, one after one, and Estella began serving them dinner. She was looking forward to the day's rest she would get tomorrow, before beginning all the preparations for the party. She had sent Éowyn and Théodoc out earlier in the day and they had come back with a basket each filled to the rim with mushrooms. Estella planned on making her famous mushroom white sauce for the feast.
Merry returned with Lúthien and the lass reported that her father had behaved very well and not stolen a single bit of the ham.
"Thank you Lúthie" Estella said. "Now come get your dinner."
"Finally the harvesting and the slaughtering is all over" Merry said and leaned against a counter with a content sigh.
"For you perhaps" Estella said and dropped a piece of flatbread into the pot she had boiled the first ham in. With a pair of cooking tongs she moved the bread around in the broth for a while. "I still have the other ham to finish, and the white sauce to make. You keep Peregrin Took away from this Hobbit hole until all the food is finished, and please be so kind as to keep your two youngest sons away as well!"
She fished out the bread and put it on a plate. She handed it to Merry who sat down to eat while she dropped another piece of bread into the broth. She glanced over at her eating family to see who would get the next serving.
"Lucky" she said. "You're not eating as much as you should."
"I want ham, not this" Lucky complained.
"The ham is for the party" Estella reminded him. "There is nothing wrong with this food so don't complain! Pass your father the butter!"
Lucky obeyed and glanced longingly at the pot with the boiling ham. It was hard settling for this dinner when a ham smelled so wonderfully in the very same room. His mother came up to him and slapped down another piece of wet bread on his plate and with a sigh he ate it. Usually they would get ham to go with the bread, but today everything had to be saved for the party.
"I wish I could have some ham with the bread" Lúthien said, as if having read her brother's mind. "It tastes better that way."
"No ham today, sweetie" Merry said. "It's for the party, like your mother said. You can have ham then, but not today."
"Maybe if I wished it…"
"Do any of those wishes ever come true?" Cordy sighed. "Mother tell her to stop saying that! It gets on my nerves!"
"You get on your own nerves" Lúthien replied.
"Excuse me!" Merry said. "I would appreciate some peace and quiet while I eat my dinner!"
"She started it" Cordy said.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Both of you stop it" Estella said. "Or you won't get any ham at the party either!"
"Why did you have to have so many children?" Cordy complained. "I would have liked it much better without younger siblings. Couldn't you have settled for those you had when I was born instead of having two more?"
"Practice makes perfect" Lúthien said cheekily.
"Hey!" Éowyn complained.
"That's enough!" Merry said, getting more and more annoyed. "The next person to say a word will be sent straight to bed without any supper later on!"
Estella sighed and rubbed her aching temples. She continued to serve the others and could then finally sit down and eat some dinner of her own. None of the children said another word, fearing having to go to bed without supper, and the parents found the silence lovely. For weeks now they had had people chatting around them constantly, it felt good to enjoy a moment of silence for once.
Once they were all finished eating Éowyn and Estella silently rose and began gathering the dishes. Lúthien and Cordy were busy giving each other as many evil eyes as they could and Lucky, who looked bored, was twirling his glass around.
To make sure he had something to do Lucky was put on dishing duty while Éowyn dried up. Estella went back to the ham which was almost done now, and the others remained seated. After a while Aramac looked at Merry.
"Can we talk now?" he asked.
"Talk, but not argue." He saw that Lúthien was about to speak and cut her off before she got the chance. "That especially goes for you, young lady!"
"What do you want to talk about?" Théo asked Aramac, just to get a conversation going.
"I was hoping Éowyn and I could go out in the boat" Aramac said. "It's a lovely evening…"
"You run along" Estella said. "Merry can dry the dishes."
"At your service" Merry said and took over the job. "But don't go swimming, I don't want you in the River after dinnertime!"
"You used to swim by midnight when you were younger" Aramac objected.
"That counts as arguing" Théo said.
"I'll just be quiet and leave" Aramac said and hurried off together with his sister.
"Théodoc will you take over the dishes from your brother?" Estella asked. "I've got two pig's tails here and as tradition goes it is the youngest members of the family who get to grill them over the fireplace!"
"Hooray!" Lúthien cried and ran up to her mother. "I love being the youngest."
Cordy sighed and left the room muttering something about how he had been the youngest until Lucky and Lúthie had come along. Estella shook her head and wondered how six children could bicker so much. She had completely forgotten how much she had bickered with Fatty when she was younger.
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Early the next morning Lucky carefully opened the door to his parents' bedroom. He had been feeling under the weather the night before and when he had woken up this morning he could tell he had a fever to go with his sore throat and aching head.
His parents were sleeping heavily. Lucky could tell they had had a visitor during the night. Lúthien was asleep with Merry as her mattress, sucking her thumb. Ever since she was a little girl, when she first had gotten over her fear of Merry after his year away, she had loved climbing up on his strong chest and going to sleep there. Merry still let her do that even though she was getting too big and too heavy.
Lucky padded up to the bed and for a moment hesitated to wake his father up. He knew that when he woke his father Lúthien would wake too, and she would wake up their mother. But he had to alert his father to his illness and get something for the aching head and throat. Gently he shook Merry's arm.
Merry mumbled something in his sleep and for a moment Lucky feared he was going to roll over. But his father laid still and Lucky shook his arm harder. This time Merry stirred and woke up. "Lucky?" he mumbled. "Is something the matter?"
Lucky gave him an unhappy look. He didn't want to open his mouth and say that he was not feeling well. It was always Lucky who was not feeling well, he hated being the first to catch every cold and sometimes being the only one who caught anything at all. Merry looked at him and quickly put two and two together.
"Oh Lucky…" he said. "Are you ill again?"
Lucky nodded unhappily. Merry glanced at Lúthien and wondered how he would be able to get out of bed without waking her up. As carefully as he could he tried to move her off him but only managed to wake her up.
"Lucky…" she complained when she saw her brother. "I was sleeping!"
Her voice woke Estella, just like Lucky had known would happen. While Lúthien got off her father and stole his pillow to lie more comfortably between her parents, Estella sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Lucimac!" she said. "What is it, are you ill?"
"Go back to sleep, Estella" Merry said and lit a candle. "I'll get Lucky something to drink. It's probably the excitement from the past weeks…"
"I never get sick because I'm excited" Lúthien said and closed her eyes to go to sleep again.
"Shush Lúthie" Estella angrily said.
"Last time it was your birthday you threw up" Lucky pointed out.
"There now" Merry said. "Let her go back to sleep. Come with me, I'll get you something for your throat. What else is hurting?"
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An hour later Lucky was tucked back in his bed the room he often slept in when he was ill. Normally he shared a room with Cordy but Merry didn't want a sick child around a healthy one if it could be avoided. Poor Lucky had pneumonia, the second one in two years, and Merry lay down in the bed beside him after he had tucked him in. Gently he stroked the boy's forehead and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Poor Lucky always seemed to be falling ill with something. Unlike his brothers and sisters he never hurt himself while playing or had even had as much as a bruise in his life, instead he got sick. Merry knew it was most likely his premature birth that had given him such poor health, and he knew Estella always blamed herself whenever Lucky was sick.
It didn't take long for Lucky to fall asleep. Merry knew he would be chained to this sickbed for another couple of days, which meant that he would miss the party. Poor Lucky had looked forward to the party for weeks and now he would miss it. Merry got out of the bed as carefully as he could and snuck down to the kitchen. Nobody seemed to be awake yet, making the most out of the opportunity he found the best pieces of all the pies, sausages and steaks and put them aside so that Lucky would get them when he felt better.
He then returned to Lucky and got back into the bed. He placed a cold cloth on the boy's forehead and stroke his cheek gently. He would give anything to improve his son's health but he knew there was nothing to do. He should be thankful that his son was even alive, nobody had given him more than a few hours to live when he was born.
"You're really not the lucky one…" he whispered to his son. "We are. You didn't ask us to be born, certainly not born prematurely! But we got to keep you, and that's as lucky as anyone could ever get."
He closed his eyes and put an arm around the boy. Lucky slept peacefully for now, but the upcoming days would be tough. At least this time Merry was there by his side instead of in Gondor.
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Please review! Hope you enjoyed this little "nothing really happens" piece! Next week it will be about the same length as usual. Until then, toodles!
Disclaimer: Same old same old =)
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"Warms the heart, doesn't it?" Diamond said with a loving smile.
Estella nodded. She too couldn't help but smile when she saw Pippin and Merry playfully wrestling with each other over an apple, when there was a whole orchard full of apples around them. Harvest was in full action at Crickhollow.
A year had now passed since Merry and Pippin had returned from Gondor, light at heart and back to their old selves again. Merry had had little trouble from his back during the year that had passed and the gloomy mood that had filled Brandy Hall and the Great Smials during the past years had vanished. The Masters had returned, through some miracle best friends again, and things seemed to be back to the way they always had been. The only thing that was different was that the two friends argued now, something nobody had ever seen them do before save for when their friendship had been bad the past year.
Right now however they weren't fighting for real, only playfully battling over the apple. Pippin had control over the apple at the moment and was climbing an apple tree as fast as he could while Merry gave chase. The two seemed more like children than adults, it was nice to see them acting like Hobbits again.
Estella and Diamond put their empty baskets down by a tree each and helped the children fill them. Faramir was up in one tree, despite his mother's constant protests, and was picking apples at a surprisingly high speed. Each apple he picked he handed to Cordy on the ground who placed them nice and safely in a basket. The other children were down on the ground with Cordy, picking apples, singing and talking. The only two not helping out were Merry and Pippin.
"You know, there are a hundred apples in this orchard" Estella said. "Why do you have to fight over that one?"
"Huh?" Pippin said and halted, surprise by the question.
Merry, who had jumped down from the tree a few seconds after him, caught up to him and tackled him to the ground from behind. While Pippin was still on the ground Merry snatched the apple and hurried off.
"All right!" Diamond said and placed her hands on her hips. "Enough now! It's all fun and games until someone breaks a leg."
"Revenge!" Pippin cried, ignoring his wife, and ran after Merry.
"Well at least he's not up in a tree" Diamond sighed and glared at Faramir. "You on the other hand…"
"Don't worry Mother" Faramir said. "I'm perfectly safe up here!"
"It's all fun and games until someone falls down and breaks his arm" Lúthien said, imitating Diamond.
"You listen to her" Diamond said to Faramir. "She's got more sense in her head than you, she does!"
"I had sense in my head when I was nine" Faramir claimed.
"You began climbing trees before Lúthien was even born, Faramir Took!" Diamond pointed out with a glare.
Faramir dismissed her with a wave of his hand. He was not afraid of falling out of the tree and he liked being up among the branches. He loved pretending that he was his father at a younger age, riding on Treebeard the Ent. His father had told him all about the Ents, and how they looked like trees but could move and talk. Faramir wished he could see one for real some day, but until then he would have to settle for Shire trees.
"I hope I have that much energy when I'm Father's age" Théo commented as Merry feinted Pippin and ran in the other direction.
"Oh shush" Aramac said. "You don't even have that much energy now!"
"Another basket is full" Cordy reported.
"Can I take it inside?" Lúthien asked.
"No darling, it's too heavy for you" Diamond said and lifted the basket up.
Meanwhile Pippin managed to catch up to Merry and jumped up on his back. While his cousin struggled to keep his balance Pippin grabbed the apple and them jumped down on the ground and hurried off with Merry on his heels. The others shook their heads and concentrated on the apples. This game seemed to be able to go on for a long while.
"Can we have apple pie tonight?" Éowyn asked.
"Maybe if we wished it!" Lúthien said.
"I think an apple pie should be easy to arrange" Estella said. "We have to have something to celebrate that it's Éowyn's birthday tomorrow."
"Don't forget my birthday!" Faramir said from his tree. "It's not long after Éowyn's!"
"But Éowyn comes before you" Théo said and gave his second cousin a glare. He didn't appreciate Faramir trying to steal his sister's thunder.
"To think that it's been nineteen years" Estella sighed. "Seems like it were only yesterday we harvested the apples here at Crickhollow and Rose would not let me help since I was having my first child any day."
"Yesterday?" Éowyn said, not exactly feeling that the past two decades had gone by as fast as her mother felt they had.
"And then the year after that the lads had to do the harvesting themselves" Estella continued and ignored Éowyn's comment. "For both Diamond and I were expecting soon."
"Was that the summer that was so hot and dry?" Cordy asked.
"Yes. And it was followed by a snowy winter, the first of its kind in many years."
"I wish something special had happened when I was born" Aramac said. "You have stories for all years but mine!"
"Your birth caused quite the scandal, if that makes you happy to know" Estella said. "Your father and aunt Rose brought me here when you decided to enter the world, instead of keeping me at Brandy Hall which was safer."
"That's not a scandal" Aramac objected. "Not the way Lúthien's birth was a scandal."
"It was nothing of the sort!" Lúthien objected. "What's a scandal?"
"I was about to say that it's a relief getting to harvest the fruit without having to run back and forth between the trees and infants, or having to keep an eye on young children running about everywhere" Estella said and watched her husband trying to catch up to Pippin and regain control of the apple. "But looking at the Masters of the house, I realise nothing has really changed around here."
"Are you sure nothing special happened on the year I was born?" Aramac asked, still on that subject.
"Was your birth not special enough, darling?" Diamond asked.
"That does not count!"
"For us it does" Diamond said.
"You all have very special stories that you were far too young to be able to remember today" Estella said. "And I'm sure you all have some very special stories ahead of you as well."
"I wish our fathers could have saved some of the excitement for us " Faramir said and glanced over at Pippin and Merry. "All the adventures happened when they were young, there's nothing left for us! It's not fair!"
"Oh shush, Faramir Took" Diamond said and began to walk to the house with her fruit basket. He was too much like his father in some aspects, adventures were not something a Hobbit should long for or dream of.
"I agree with you, Faramir" Cordy whispered. "I wish I could have adventure too!"
Cordy often set out on his own private adventures, but by now they were getting a bit boring. He had never been outside the Shire, and the surrounding areas were so familiar to him that it didn't feel like exploring or doing anything adventurous. He would often fantasise about what kind of adventures his father had had all those years ago, but he knew that nothing his mind could come up with would be as fascinating as the truth. But his own mother didn't even know much about Meriadoc's adventures, so Cordy did not expect to get to hear about them anytime soon.
Pippin, who still had control over the apple, looked over his shoulder to see how much Merry had gained on him. Not seeing where he went he collided with Diamond and knocked over both her and the basket, sending red apples flying everywhere. Diamond got up on her feet again before the shocked look had left Pippin's face, and with still shocked eyes he managed to smile apologetically. Diamond gave him her most angry glare and placed her hands on her hips once more. Merry skidded to a stop right behind them and looked over Pippin's shoulder.
"I am so sorry Dimesy!" Pippin said. "Did I hurt you?"
Before Diamond could answer Merry looked down at Pippin's hand and noticed that the apple was gone. Then he looked at the probably thirty apples spread around by their feet.
"Pip… Did you drop the apple?"
Pippin quickly looked down on his hand and gasped when he realised that he had lost his grip when he collided with his wife. Now there was no telling which apple they had been fighting about. The game was over.
"Sometimes you really need to grow up, Peregrin Took. Look at you, you're more concerned over that stupid apple than over me!" Diamond said.
"Of course I'm not darling, it's just that…"
Pippin gave Merry a wide-eyed look and Merry didn't know what to say. Diamond however bent down and picked up an apple.
"That's our apple?" Pippin asked.
"It took your wives and children a lot of effort to gather those apples" she said and pointed to the ones on the ground. "I suppose we'll have to feed them to the animals now! Look at all these apples! It's your fault that they're lying there!"
Then she threw the apple in her hand on Pippin's forehead, making him flinch and take a step back.
"Now pick them up!" Diamond commanded and strode off inside to get another basket. Pippin and Merry shared a look and obediently got down on the ground to pick the apples up.
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"Barkeep!" Pippin cried and smacked his hand on the counter. "Some ale, please! We have thirsty throats in need of refreshments!"
"Coming right up, Thain" the barkeep said.
"Good" Pippin said. He waited until the tankards were full and then cruised to the table Merry had picked out.
"Finally" Merry said when he arrived at the table. "I'm so thirsty I could drink the entire Brandywine!"
"A well earned drink" Pippin said and sat down. "After a day of hard work!"
"I don't ever want to see another apple again" Merry said and absent-mindedly began to chew on one he'd found at the table.
"I'd better go easy on the ale tonight" Pippin said. "Dimesy won't be pleased if I come home intoxicated, I think she's still mad at me for knocking her over like that."
"Nonsense" Merry said. "What makes you say that?"
"How about the fact that she didn't leave a single bit of the apple pies for me?"
"Just as well she did" Merry said and sipped his ale. "You need to lose some weight."
"Speak for yourself" Pippin snorted.
"Well at least you're not a butterball like Sam" Merry said. "Yet. But you're getting there, mark my words."
"Your waistline is wider than mine" Pippin said.
They ventured into other topics and before they knew it they had finished their half-pints. Time flew by when you had a pleasant conversation with a dear friend while sharing a few pints of ale. They shared a look when they had finished their ale. Both had promised their wives they would not be gone for long, and they would not drink too much ale. But just another half-pint couldn't hurt anyone, could it?
"I'll get us refills" Pippin said and headed back to the counter.
"Want some more ale, Master Took?" the barkeep asked and began to fill the tankards without waiting for an answer.
"We have worked hard today, we deserve a little ale" Pippin said. "We haven't gone to an inn together for ales in ages!"
"It's about time you did now" the barkeep said. "You and the Master, such a sad thing that happened! Neither of you understood that some things you just don't go about changing. But you understand that now. The Master and yourself have been together forever, you don't just go about changing that after so many years!"
"What happened was between Merry and myself" Pippin said and glared at the barkeep who couldn't help butting in.
"Oh, but everyone was talking about it. Such a shame, we all said. Well you don't keep two friends apart, and those who have gone together like a horse and carriage since forever do best not to part ways, says I."
"Barkeeps do best not minding into other people's business, says I" Pippin said. "Now where is my ale?"
The barkeep placed the tankards on the counter but held onto them long enough to be able to say all he had to say.
"Now the Master and yourself need to stop bickering the way you have of late. Don't let it drive a wedge between you. You have always gone together and you always should. It's always been that way, and for a reason. It's mean to be that way."
"I already know all that" Pippin pointed out, getting more and more irritated.
He grabbed the half-pints and yanked them out of the barkeep's grip, not caring that he spilled some, and marched back towards his table. As he headed off he could hear the barkeep talking to him.
"Out of all the queer things you and Master Merry have done in your lives, parting with each other was by far the queerest."
Pippin sighed, rolled his eyes and sat down opposite Merry again.
"Is there anyone who does not have an opinion on you and me?" he asked. "I just got a lecture from the barkeep on how you and I should stay friends and not argue."
"He's just worried about business" Merry said and began working on his ale. "I never drink ale when I'm depressed."
"Wow" Pippin said. "I must remember to tell that to Faramir!"
"Why not let him discover some things for himself?" Merry asked.
"What, and take away all the fun in parenting?" Pippin said.
"Poor Faramir" Merry said and shook his head with a smile.
"Don't talk so much Merry" Pippin said. "Get working on that ale of yours and let's sing a song in a few minutes!"
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"Well, well" Diamond said with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. "Only gone for a short while, was it? Will not drink too much ale, did you say?"
Pippin gave her a grin and gulped when he noticed the time on the clock. It was past midnight, they had left at six in the evening. During those six hours he and Merry had had a lot more to drink than originally intended. Now they were a bit unsteady and could not hide from their quite annoyed wives that they'd had more to drink than they said they would.
"But Dimey…" Pippin said. "I've only had…" He began to count in his head but gave up. He had no clue how many half-pints he'd had during the evening, he had stopped counting after the second. "Either way, I am not drunk."
"Sure you're not" Diamond said. "You just called me Dimey."
"And what about you?" Estella asked Merry. "How much did you drink?"
"What?" Merry asked. "Estella don't bother me…"
"I expected you home four hours ago, I think I have the right to bother you" Estella said. "Now you march straight to bed! In case you have forgotten, we have to be up and about in six hours, those trees won't harvest themselves!"
"Oooo!" Pippin said, his eyes perking up. "Harvest! Apples! Merry we have to make cider!" "To bed" Estella commanded and pointed down the hall.
"I have not had that much ale to drink" Merry objected. "I know how to find my own bedroom, lassie!"
Estella shook her head at him and put her arm around his waist so that he could lean on her for support. She had seen him a lot more drunk than this but he was best off going to bed straight away or he would have a lot of trouble getting up tomorrow morning. They began making their way down the hall and Pippin followed.
"Hold it!" Diamond said.
"I thought you said go to bed" Pippin said, confused.
"No Estella said to go to bed" Diamond said. "You come with me."
She grabbed him by the hand and walked him outside. He gave her a confused look.
"Well out of all the amorous places in the world…"
"Sit" she commanded.
Pippin obediently sat down and wondered what she was up to now. It was chilly out tonight and he preferred being inside. His bed seemed so warm and cosy right now. Suddenly a bucket of cold water was emptied over him and he gave a shrieking cry.
"Diamond!"
"Maybe that will sober you up" she said.
"I'm not that drunk" Pippin angrily sputtered while spitting water.
"You promised me you wouldn't drink much, and you promised you would be back home after only a little while!"
"I stayed a bit longer and had a few more tankards, what's the big deal?" Pippin asked and got up on his feet. "You've seen me far more intoxicated than I am right now!"
"I think the cold water is to thank for that."
Pippin gave her an angry look and stumbled off to the water barrel she had gotten the water from. He grabbed the edge of the barrel and leaned his head over it. Diamond quickly grabbed the bucket and hurried up to him.
"Pip!" she cried. "What are you doing? Use this instead!"
She held up the bucket to him and he gave her a glare.
"I'm not going to hurl" he said. "You keep your bucket."
With that said he began to drink water directly from the barrel, instead of using the ladle hanging by the barrel for anyone who might fancy a drink. Diamond rolled her eyes and put the bucket back down on the ground.
"Don't tell me you're not intoxicated when you're lapping water like a dog instead of using the ladle! One would have thought you'd had enough to drink for one night."
Pippin angrily waved her off and continued to drink. He knew that the more water he drank now the better he'd feel in the morning. Merry had always claimed it was unfair that Pippin never got hung-over, but Pippin knew it was because Merry never drank any water before going to bed.
"Goodnight" Diamond said and went back inside, leaving Pippin to his water.
Pippin gave her an absent-minded wave and continued to drink until he felt sure he could not find room for another drop of water in him. He then used his sleeve to wipe his mouth, though the sleeve was soaking wet and didn't do much good, and went back inside. He took his cape off and hung it up to dry, but left the rest of his dripping clothes on. It was much more fun to casually toss them at Diamond when he changed into his nightgown. Plus it had the added bonus of forcing Diamond to sleep as close to him as possible to avoid the soaked half of the bed. Though Pippin preferred having some sleeping space he could think of more fun things to do than to sleep while waiting for Diamond's side of the bed to dry.
On his way to the bedroom he stopped outside Faramir's room. The old nursery was still the room where Faramir slept whenever he spent a night at Crickhollow and it brought back many fond memories for Pippin. As quietly as he could he opened the door and went inside. Faramir was sound asleep, as were Cordy who slept in the extra bed. The old Brandybuck nursery was not large enough to make room for all the children who had slept there and their siblings, so Cordy shared a room with Faramir and let Lucky have his own room.
Pippin walked over to Faramir's bed and resisted the urge to pull a strain of hair from the boy's face. He knew his wet hands would wake Faramir up and he wanted to let him sleep. The two greatest adventures of Peregrin's life had begun at Crickhollow, the Quest and fatherhood. There was so much that Faramir didn't know about his father's past, but someday he was bound to no longer accept being kept in the dark and ask for answers.
"One day," Pippin whispered, "shall you ask your father everything. How things were, and how it was that I left. You'll want to know so much, you will ask about the paths I took, the things I saw, the things I did. 'Are all those things still there?' you will ask. 'Are those places still there today where you did all these things? That place you love like a second home, does it still stand?' You will ask me all those things someday. But what will be my answer? Can I tell you of my adventure? Perhaps I can't… But I will have to tell you something. I will tell you that as long as my heart as the strength to beat those places will be there still. Far beyond these green lands where you have lived your entire life there are white towers, magnificent cities, things beyond your wildest imagination. They might pass out of all knowledge in the Shire, Hobbits may forget they have ever existed. But so long as I am alive, that second home will live too. There, my son, it is not yet harvest. The trees will keep their fruit for another month. Beyond mountains and rivers and plains… Minas Tirith."
He realised he must be more intoxicated than he'd thought. It was not like him to muse in this manner, at least not out loud. He realised he had better head off to bed or he would have a very hard day tomorrow. As quietly as he could he left the old nursery.
When the door closed behind Pippin, Faramir opened one of his eyes. When he saw that the coast was clear he sat up and looked at Cordy, who was also still awake.
"What do you suppose that means?" he asked, wondering what on earth his father had really been talking about.
~*~
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"This is so exciting" Lucky grinned and wrapped his blanket around him. "I've never seen a calf being born before!"
"You're old enough now" Merry said. "But it's going to be a long night."
"I don't mind!" Lucky said.
The two of them were sitting in a booth with a cow who was having her calf. In the next booth sat Pippin, Faramir and Cordy, watching over another birthing cow. Neither Merry nor Pippin had ever had two cows have their calves on the same night, but it had presented the perfect opportunity for Lucky to get to take part in the event. Aramac, Théo and Éowyn were with Merry and Lucky in their booth, they were close to being too many people as it were, so it was a good thing there were two booths and two cows.
"After this there won't be any more calves this year" Théo said and played with a rubber band. "It will be nice to get to sleep through the nights."
"You don't have to be here if you don't want to" Merry said. "There are eight of us, we'll manage all right."
"I'll stay" Théo said. "But not all night."
"How can you want to go back inside, Théo?" Lucky asked. "This is exciting!"
"Not as exciting as it looks" Théo said. "It's only waiting for hours and hours…"
"Leave him be" Aramac said. "Don't you remember how thrilling it was the first time you got to sit with Father while a calf was born? I remember it like it were yesterday, it made me feel so old and mature, and I loved getting to stay up all night."
Théo shrugged his shoulders. Farming and animal care had never been things that interested him. He preferred other crafts, like carving wood and working with iron. He sometimes sighed when he thought about how his future was to be the Master of the Hall and he would be required to be a farmer. He wished his father would go on living for centuries and never leave his lands to Théo.
"I bet Lucky won't be able to stay awake all night through." Cordy said, peeking over the short wall between the two booths.
"I will so!" Lucky said.
"You're one to talk, Comradoc" Éowyn said. "The first time you sat with a cow you were asleep before midnight!"
Lucky laughed at his brother and Cordy gave his sister an angry glare before he sat back down in his booth.
"Siblings" he sputtered. "Faramir be glad you have none!"
"Don't argue" Pippin said and stretched his legs. "The night is going to be long enough without any arguments."
"Sorry Uncle Pippin."
Faramir nodded obediently and leaned his head against Pippin's shoulder. Though he was eighteen years old he still thought there was no better company in the world than his father's. Perhaps it was because he'd never had any siblings, but he could never have enough of his father's presence. It made him proud when people said he reminded them of Peregrin, it was his goal to be just like him. He had begun more and more to follow him around the same way Éowyn had always followed Merry. Pippin always had time for him and seemed to be happy that his son wanted to learn everything there was to learn about being the Thain.
Comradoc on the other hand looked up to Faramir more than anyone else in the world. He would show up at the Smials several times a week and occupy a lot of Faramir's time, and ever so often he would get on his second-cousin's nerves. Faramir did not have half the patience with his younger relative that Meriadoc had once had with Peregrin.
In the other booth, Théodoc was still playing with the rubber band just to have something to do. Waiting for a calf to be born was incredibly boring, he made up his mind not to stay much longer. He would wait for a couple of more hours and see if Lucky, or perhaps Cordy, fell asleep, and if so he could carry his brother inside with him. He always looked after his brothers, even though they were big pains most of the time, always running around, always sticking their noses in where they weren't wanted, always borrowing Théo's things without asking and then sometimes losing them. Most of the time they annoyed Théo, and so did Aramac and Lúthien. Éowyn was the only one of his siblings who in Théo's eyes never did anything wrong, and he loved spending time with her. While Cordy followed Faramir, who in turn followed Pippin, Théo followed Éowyn who followed Merry.
Éowyn however seemed completely indifferent to her brother's affection. She knew she was the only person he felt completely comfortable around and that she was the only one he told his secrets to, but she had trouble understanding him. Éowyn loved being around people and couldn't understand how her brother could dislike large crowds and prefer to be in smaller groups. She had a lot more in common with Aramac, they were both much like their father. Exactly who Théo was like nobody could tell, he didn't look much or act much like either parent.
"Father!" Cordy said, peeking over the wall again. "Faramir says he's going to teach me to climb trees!"
"Peregrin!" Merry said firmly. "Keep an eye on your son! Do not let him promise Comradoc things like that!"
"But Father…" Cordy complained.
"You will not climb any trees and that's the end of that!" Merry said. Cordy was adventurous enough as it was, if he learned to climb trees he would be going up every spruce he saw.
"You keep your feet on the ground" Théo said to his brother, who made a face at him and sat back down. "Climbing trees… Nonsense!"
"You're so boring, Théo!" Cordy's voice came from the other booth.
"That's enough!" Pippin exhorted him. "Keep your voice down, young lad! You're bothering the cow!"
Cordy snorted and sulked in a corner. Nobody ever let him do anything fun! When Aramac had been his age he had gotten to go out with Éowyn in the boat, but Cordy hadn't been allowed to do that this summer. Faramir got to climb trees, but Cordy wasn't allowed to. He felt like everyone got to be adventurous save for him.
"Now don't sulk" Faramir said. "I'll teach you when you're 33! Nobody can object to it then."
The door to the stables opened and Diamond and Lúthien came with food baskets.
"Blessed Diamond!" Pippin cried and flew to his feet. "You always know when I'm so hungry I cannot survive another minute without food!"
"One is not your wife for twenty years without learning a little something" Diamond smiled and gave her husband a kiss.
"Hey!" Merry said. "You're giving him a basket, but what about us?"
"I brought you food!" Lúthien happily declared, trying her best to open the door to the booth. She was too short to reach over the door so her father and siblings couldn't see her.
"Somebody help her" Aramac said to Lucky and Éowyn who were closest to the door.
"No!" Lúthien cried. "I can do it myself!"
Aramac sighed and rolled his eyes. He got up and walked over to the door, then opened it so that his sister could get inside. Lúthien did not appreciate the gesture.
"Aramac!" she cried and stomped her foot angrily.
"Thank you sister" Aramac said and picked up the basket. Lucky and Éowyn protested when he carried it over to his own spot and sat down with it.
Pippin handed the basket given to him by Diamond to Faramir, and the two lads quickly investigated what was in it. Pippin had gotten a bit sidetracked and was locked in a kiss with Diamond when Faramir gave him a smack on the leg.
"Father!" he complained. "Please! You're gonna make me sick!"
"Oh shush you!" Pippin said and gave Diamond one last kiss. "I have all night to eat."
"I thought you said you were so starving you couldn't wait another minute" Faramir dryly pointed out.
"I like my appetisers" Pippin said and finally pulled himself from Diamond and turned his attention to the basket.
"Father" Faramir complained, wishing his father would stop kissing his mother in public.
"So how are the cows doing?" Diamond asked with a smile.
"They're coming along…" Pippin said and began rummaging through the basket. "Diamond Took, I see no apple pie!"
"I put that in the other basket."
"What?" Pippin cried and flew to his feet. He looked at the Brandybucks in the other booth and saw that the pie was already going around the hungry Hobbits. "But Diamond, that's not fair! I want apple pie too!"
"Estella only made one" Diamond said. "And since she made it I figured it was only proper that her children got to eat it."
Pippin pointed to Cordy.
"Estella's child!"
"Now don't be a baby, Peregrin" Diamond said with a smile. "You got a kiss to go with your dinner, isn't that better?"
"No" Faramir said.
Diamond laughed and gave Pippin another kiss to remove the grumpy look on his face. Then she turned her attention to Lúthien who was tugging her arm.
"Auntie Diamond… Can I stay here?"
"Tonight? But darling, it's your bedtime in thirty minutes…"
"But all the other kids get to" Lúthien said and looked like she was about to cry.
"Not when they were your age, love" Diamond said and lifted her up.
"Maybe if I wished it…"
"No, no wishes will help tonight" Diamond said. "I'll be back for the dishes and baskets" she told the others. "Say goodnight, Lúthie!"
"I don't want to" Lúthien said grumpily.
"Goodnight Lúthien" everyone else said in one voice.
"I'll see you in a while" Diamond said and left the stables with the grumpy child.
Lucky closed the door to the booth with a proud smile. He was no longer a little child who had to go inside and get to bed. He was old enough to sit in the stables, waking with his siblings. He had never felt so old and mature in his life and he couldn't believe that Théo was bored already.
"It is going to be a very long night…" Merry stated.
"I hope so!" Lucky said. "The longer the better!"
"If you say that in a few hours I won't believe you" Aramac said. "Is there any pie left or did we eat it all?"
Lucky handed him the last of the pie and then wrapped his blanket around him again. This was the most exciting thing he had ever done. He didn't care much about the cow and the calf, it was getting to stay up and do such an adult thing as to wake that made the evening exciting. He thought he could hear a yawn from the other booth.
"Cordy will be out like a light before long" Éowyn predicted.
~*~
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The following week was very hectic at the Great Smials and Brandy Hall. Once the last calves had been born it was time to slaughter the pigs and an ox or two. Hobbits didn't usually stock up food for winter, but it was a ritual to slaughter after harvest, and it was busy times for everyone. The only ones who didn't have to work were the youngest, they were watched over by their grandparents or other elders. The rest were hard at work, the lads out with the animals and the lasses inside, making sausages and salting pork and doing everything they could to make sure that every edible part of the animals were properly taken care of. The children who were too old to get to run around and play, but too young to have any harder tasks to do, constantly tried to sneak a taste of all the goodies and their mothers had their hands full keeping them out of the kitchen.
Merry and Pippin worked out a system where they would be at the Smials one day and at the Hall the next, going back and forth as long as the slaughtering took. They brought their wives and children with them and after a few days everyone was getting a bit dizzy from all the running back and forth. This part of the harvesting was hard work, and they all looked forward to the traditional feast that would be held underneath the harvest moon. But before the party could be held, the work had to be done.
"Lucimac Brandybuck!" Estella roared, as her youngest son managed to steal a treat from the Great Smials kitchen. "Who is watching after him, really?"
"He constantly escapes" Pippin's sister Pervinca said. "I remember when my Paladar was a new-born during harvest a few years ago and I was watching the children, Lucky and Cordy always managed to escape to the kitchen."
"He had better not show his face here again anytime soon" Estella angrily said.
Old Eglantine Took, Pippin's mother, appeared in the doorway.
"Lucky?" she called out. "I know you're here!"
"He left" Pervinca said.
"With unauthorised food with him" Estella added. "Do not let him run in here again! Tie him to your wrist if you have to!"
"Peregrin was always very skilled in the art of sneaking to the kitchen" Eglantine smiled sentimentally. "No matter how carefully one watched him, he would make his way to the kitchen and sneak off with the finest treats he could find!"
"Mother would be red with fury after only an hour" Pippin's sister Pearl laughed.
"That habit never stopped" Estella said and continued darning sausages. "I remember one time at Crickhollow when I had made Merry a mushroom sandwich, I turned my back and in only a second or two Pippin snatched it and ate it up. I don't know how he does it, he always manages to steal food right before one's eyes and you don't notice it!"
"I am not surprised" Eglantine said. "But now to find little Lucimac!"
She hurried off and Estella sighed deeply.
"What is with that child and sneaking in here? None of his brothers were that persistent, save for Cordy of course."
"And apparently they never grow out of it!" Pearl said with a smile.
"Where is my mother?" Pippin asked with an annoyed sigh as he entered the kitchen from the opposite direction his mother had left. "She let Lucky run off again, he got in the way out in the barn! She has got to keep a closer eye on him."
Estella sighed deeply when she saw that Pippin had Lucky in a firm grip. If the child could only keep out of the way and let them do their work.
"Lucimac" she said firmly. "One more incident like this one and there will be no ribs for you at the feast!"
"I'll take him, Pip" Pervinca said and took Lucky's other hand. "He can come with me and help fold the laundry I didn't have time for yesterday."
"Mother do I have to?" Lucky complained, not liking the sound of the chore.
"Off you go!" Estella said and sent him off together with Pervinca.
"He's been in here, causing trouble I take it" Pippin said.
"Naturally" Estella sighed.
"He reminds me of a certain uncle of his" Pearl smiled.
"I never realised just how annoying I must have been" Pippin said and put his arm around Diamond's waist.
"I'd say you were worse than Lucky" Pear claimed.
"That's a bit unfair" Pippin said. "Especially coming from the one who would help me get away from whoever was watching me in exchange for half of the booty."
"If you have a baby brother who knows how to get a hold of food, use it!" Pearl smiled.
"As for Lucky, he really needs to be kept under stricter supervision" Pippin said. "I'm sorry that my mother constantly fails at keeping an eye on him."
"She's 110" Pearl pointed out. "I think we can forgive her."
"If looking after the children is her job then she should do it" Pippin said. "Meanwhile my job is out in the barn!" He pulled Diamond closer for a kiss and then left with a nonchalant wave. "I'll see you again at dinner, lasses!"
Diamond smiled and then turned her attention back to the sausage she had been darning. She gave a cry.
"Peregrin Took!"
"What?" Pearl asked and looked at her sister-in-law.
"He stole the sausage I had just finished with!"
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Three days later the slaughtering was finally nearing its end. They had finished the day before at the Smials and there was only a little work left to do at the Hall. Estella was busy boiling a huge ham that they would eat the next day at the feast. She was in their private kitchen at Brandy Hall, knowing that at least there she would only have her own children to keep an eye on. It was easier cooking there, especially during harvest.
"I'm starved!" Merry exclaimed as he entered.
"When are you not?" Estella asked. "The first ham is finished, please take it down to the larger kitchen. And don't even think about tasting a piece!"
"Wouldn't dream of it" Merry said and took the large plate with the ham on it.
"You might have fooled me with that line before" Estella said. "But I won't fall for it again! I'm sending Lúthie with you, if you sneak a taste she will report it to me at once!"
"Can she be bribed?" Merry wondered.
"Not when she's got a special assignment" Estella said. "Éowyn might be your daughter honey, but Lúthien is mine!"
"And so I shall have to go hungry" Merry sighed.
"Not quite, dinner will be ready when you come back."
"I love you" Merry grinned and kissed her on the cheek.
As if on some given signal the five oldest children came and sat down by the dinner table, one after one, and Estella began serving them dinner. She was looking forward to the day's rest she would get tomorrow, before beginning all the preparations for the party. She had sent Éowyn and Théodoc out earlier in the day and they had come back with a basket each filled to the rim with mushrooms. Estella planned on making her famous mushroom white sauce for the feast.
Merry returned with Lúthien and the lass reported that her father had behaved very well and not stolen a single bit of the ham.
"Thank you Lúthie" Estella said. "Now come get your dinner."
"Finally the harvesting and the slaughtering is all over" Merry said and leaned against a counter with a content sigh.
"For you perhaps" Estella said and dropped a piece of flatbread into the pot she had boiled the first ham in. With a pair of cooking tongs she moved the bread around in the broth for a while. "I still have the other ham to finish, and the white sauce to make. You keep Peregrin Took away from this Hobbit hole until all the food is finished, and please be so kind as to keep your two youngest sons away as well!"
She fished out the bread and put it on a plate. She handed it to Merry who sat down to eat while she dropped another piece of bread into the broth. She glanced over at her eating family to see who would get the next serving.
"Lucky" she said. "You're not eating as much as you should."
"I want ham, not this" Lucky complained.
"The ham is for the party" Estella reminded him. "There is nothing wrong with this food so don't complain! Pass your father the butter!"
Lucky obeyed and glanced longingly at the pot with the boiling ham. It was hard settling for this dinner when a ham smelled so wonderfully in the very same room. His mother came up to him and slapped down another piece of wet bread on his plate and with a sigh he ate it. Usually they would get ham to go with the bread, but today everything had to be saved for the party.
"I wish I could have some ham with the bread" Lúthien said, as if having read her brother's mind. "It tastes better that way."
"No ham today, sweetie" Merry said. "It's for the party, like your mother said. You can have ham then, but not today."
"Maybe if I wished it…"
"Do any of those wishes ever come true?" Cordy sighed. "Mother tell her to stop saying that! It gets on my nerves!"
"You get on your own nerves" Lúthien replied.
"Excuse me!" Merry said. "I would appreciate some peace and quiet while I eat my dinner!"
"She started it" Cordy said.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Both of you stop it" Estella said. "Or you won't get any ham at the party either!"
"Why did you have to have so many children?" Cordy complained. "I would have liked it much better without younger siblings. Couldn't you have settled for those you had when I was born instead of having two more?"
"Practice makes perfect" Lúthien said cheekily.
"Hey!" Éowyn complained.
"That's enough!" Merry said, getting more and more annoyed. "The next person to say a word will be sent straight to bed without any supper later on!"
Estella sighed and rubbed her aching temples. She continued to serve the others and could then finally sit down and eat some dinner of her own. None of the children said another word, fearing having to go to bed without supper, and the parents found the silence lovely. For weeks now they had had people chatting around them constantly, it felt good to enjoy a moment of silence for once.
Once they were all finished eating Éowyn and Estella silently rose and began gathering the dishes. Lúthien and Cordy were busy giving each other as many evil eyes as they could and Lucky, who looked bored, was twirling his glass around.
To make sure he had something to do Lucky was put on dishing duty while Éowyn dried up. Estella went back to the ham which was almost done now, and the others remained seated. After a while Aramac looked at Merry.
"Can we talk now?" he asked.
"Talk, but not argue." He saw that Lúthien was about to speak and cut her off before she got the chance. "That especially goes for you, young lady!"
"What do you want to talk about?" Théo asked Aramac, just to get a conversation going.
"I was hoping Éowyn and I could go out in the boat" Aramac said. "It's a lovely evening…"
"You run along" Estella said. "Merry can dry the dishes."
"At your service" Merry said and took over the job. "But don't go swimming, I don't want you in the River after dinnertime!"
"You used to swim by midnight when you were younger" Aramac objected.
"That counts as arguing" Théo said.
"I'll just be quiet and leave" Aramac said and hurried off together with his sister.
"Théodoc will you take over the dishes from your brother?" Estella asked. "I've got two pig's tails here and as tradition goes it is the youngest members of the family who get to grill them over the fireplace!"
"Hooray!" Lúthien cried and ran up to her mother. "I love being the youngest."
Cordy sighed and left the room muttering something about how he had been the youngest until Lucky and Lúthie had come along. Estella shook her head and wondered how six children could bicker so much. She had completely forgotten how much she had bickered with Fatty when she was younger.
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Early the next morning Lucky carefully opened the door to his parents' bedroom. He had been feeling under the weather the night before and when he had woken up this morning he could tell he had a fever to go with his sore throat and aching head.
His parents were sleeping heavily. Lucky could tell they had had a visitor during the night. Lúthien was asleep with Merry as her mattress, sucking her thumb. Ever since she was a little girl, when she first had gotten over her fear of Merry after his year away, she had loved climbing up on his strong chest and going to sleep there. Merry still let her do that even though she was getting too big and too heavy.
Lucky padded up to the bed and for a moment hesitated to wake his father up. He knew that when he woke his father Lúthien would wake too, and she would wake up their mother. But he had to alert his father to his illness and get something for the aching head and throat. Gently he shook Merry's arm.
Merry mumbled something in his sleep and for a moment Lucky feared he was going to roll over. But his father laid still and Lucky shook his arm harder. This time Merry stirred and woke up. "Lucky?" he mumbled. "Is something the matter?"
Lucky gave him an unhappy look. He didn't want to open his mouth and say that he was not feeling well. It was always Lucky who was not feeling well, he hated being the first to catch every cold and sometimes being the only one who caught anything at all. Merry looked at him and quickly put two and two together.
"Oh Lucky…" he said. "Are you ill again?"
Lucky nodded unhappily. Merry glanced at Lúthien and wondered how he would be able to get out of bed without waking her up. As carefully as he could he tried to move her off him but only managed to wake her up.
"Lucky…" she complained when she saw her brother. "I was sleeping!"
Her voice woke Estella, just like Lucky had known would happen. While Lúthien got off her father and stole his pillow to lie more comfortably between her parents, Estella sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Lucimac!" she said. "What is it, are you ill?"
"Go back to sleep, Estella" Merry said and lit a candle. "I'll get Lucky something to drink. It's probably the excitement from the past weeks…"
"I never get sick because I'm excited" Lúthien said and closed her eyes to go to sleep again.
"Shush Lúthie" Estella angrily said.
"Last time it was your birthday you threw up" Lucky pointed out.
"There now" Merry said. "Let her go back to sleep. Come with me, I'll get you something for your throat. What else is hurting?"
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An hour later Lucky was tucked back in his bed the room he often slept in when he was ill. Normally he shared a room with Cordy but Merry didn't want a sick child around a healthy one if it could be avoided. Poor Lucky had pneumonia, the second one in two years, and Merry lay down in the bed beside him after he had tucked him in. Gently he stroked the boy's forehead and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Poor Lucky always seemed to be falling ill with something. Unlike his brothers and sisters he never hurt himself while playing or had even had as much as a bruise in his life, instead he got sick. Merry knew it was most likely his premature birth that had given him such poor health, and he knew Estella always blamed herself whenever Lucky was sick.
It didn't take long for Lucky to fall asleep. Merry knew he would be chained to this sickbed for another couple of days, which meant that he would miss the party. Poor Lucky had looked forward to the party for weeks and now he would miss it. Merry got out of the bed as carefully as he could and snuck down to the kitchen. Nobody seemed to be awake yet, making the most out of the opportunity he found the best pieces of all the pies, sausages and steaks and put them aside so that Lucky would get them when he felt better.
He then returned to Lucky and got back into the bed. He placed a cold cloth on the boy's forehead and stroke his cheek gently. He would give anything to improve his son's health but he knew there was nothing to do. He should be thankful that his son was even alive, nobody had given him more than a few hours to live when he was born.
"You're really not the lucky one…" he whispered to his son. "We are. You didn't ask us to be born, certainly not born prematurely! But we got to keep you, and that's as lucky as anyone could ever get."
He closed his eyes and put an arm around the boy. Lucky slept peacefully for now, but the upcoming days would be tough. At least this time Merry was there by his side instead of in Gondor.
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Please review! Hope you enjoyed this little "nothing really happens" piece! Next week it will be about the same length as usual. Until then, toodles!