Sorry that I haven't updated in a while – I didn't get a chance to tell you guys before we went away, and these last few days I think I've just been taking a break from typing… :S
Chapter Eight: Ew…Veggies!
"Now we need to gather the stuff for part two of this prank," said Merry, munching on a strawberry muffin saved from breakfast. That really had been one of the most interesting breakfasts ever! He still chuckled at the thought of Strider spread-eagled on the floor and the Lord Elrond trying unsuccessfully to remove the rigged boots.
"What's so funny, Merry?" asked Pippin absently.
"You know what's so funny. Uhmmm… These strawberry muffins really are excellent!" Pip, polishing of his second, which unfortunately for the hobbits was the last, nodded his agreement.
"Ten out of ten!"
"Erm… Pranks," Elrohir prompted.
"Ohhh, yes, Arwen's hair!" Pippin's eyes narrowed and he grinned darkly. "We need flowers, lots of flowers! And other, less attractive plants," he added as an afterthought, "Ones that don't smell so good." Merry rubbed his hands together, giggling.
"I don't know if you'll find anything like that in the Rivendell gardens," said Elladan objectively, "Hey! Who ate all the muffins!"
"Weeds?" said Pippin hopefully. Elladan shook his head.
"Not a chance. No weed dares show its head in the gardens of Rivendell."
"Hmm…"
"But there's always the vegetable patch and the herb garden!" Elrohir cried, "There's plenty of nasty stuff in there!"
"Ohhh, yes!" Pippin's eyes shone.
"I wish you'd stop saying that, Pip," sighed Merry, "You don't know how annoying it gets."
"Sorry, Merry. Let's go!" Pippin ran for the door.
"Hold it, Halfling!" Elladan chuckled, "Do you even known where the said garden is?"
"Err, no." Pippin giggled.
"I thought not. It's in the East Garden, under and around that huge weeping willow. You'll see it."
"Great! C'mon Merry! Let's go!"
"Wait, Pippin!" exclaimed Elrohir, "Why are you Halflings always in such a hurry! Now listen, you two will go first. Hide under the willow once you're there, because we're going to join you via a different route, and it'll look suspicious if we're all seen together, us being the notorious pranksters that we are." He nudged his twin. "Don't worry, that willow is like a big tent, no-one'll see you unless ada –"
"Adder?" echoed Pip, who really didn't speak a word of elvish.
"Ada," corrected Elrohir, while his brother snickered, "It means 'father' in Sindarin. Anyway, as I was trying to say, you're pretty much safe unless ada decides to go picking herbs, but I don't think he will, because he gathered enough yesterday."
"Great; may we go?"
"Yes, now you may go."
"Yay!" Merry and Pippin scampered out the door, Pippin in the lead. Elrohir grinned to himself. He'd left out the fact that large edible mushrooms grew under the willow. He'd leave the hobbits to discover that for themselves. It would keep them out of trouble and out of sight.
oXo
"Err, hi Strider… Fancy meetin' you here." Pippin smiled shyly up at the Ranger, who backed up against the wall, hastily hiding something behind his back.
"Uh, good morning to you, Merry and Pippin. I was actually on my way up to see you two." True enough.
"Err, you were?" Merry and Pippin glanced at each other nervously, horrible images flashing through their minds.
"Yup, I wanted to talk to you guys. I, err" – he gave a beguiling smile – "I just wanted to say, no hard feelings about the boot incident. You and I both know it was you."
"You don't mind?" asked Pippin incredulously.
"Pipp-in!" Merry groaned. His younger cousin had, as usual, given their game away. Aragorn ignored him.
"Nope," he said, "Consider it forgiven and forgotten."
"Wow." Pippin was impressed. So much for revenge. "Gosh, thanks, Strider." Aragorn nodded, grinning again.
"See you. Have a nice day!" He hurried off, keeping his back to the wall.
"Pippin, you idiot!" Merry turned on his cousin with a face like thunder, and Peregrin cowered, expecting to be t humped, but Merry wasn't finished yelling. "Fool of a Took! Gone and messed things up! Again! Now he knows!"
"Merry, he already knew. Weren't you listening?"
"No he didn't. He just said he did." But Merry didn't pursue the matter. "Come," he growled, "to the East Garden! Quick now! Strider's up to something. We'd best work quickly."
oXo
"Ohh, look, Merry! Mushrooms!" Pippin swooped and came up triumphant, holding a large brown field mushroom in each hand. He handed one to Merry, whose eyes instantly lit up.
"Still cross?"
"A little." But Merry grinned, dusted the mushroom off, and took a large bite. "Uhmm…" Pippin did likewise.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "There's more of them!" The hobbit knelt and began to pick his knew found treasures, carrying them in his shirt. Mery followed suite.
"Ooohhh, there's a monster, heehee!"
"That one's mine!"
"Mm-mmm!" The hobbits were so absorbed in their mushroom picking that they failed to hear the approach of two sets of soft footsteps in the grass.
"Hey, Merry, hey, Pippin." Elladan grinned as the hobbits spun around guiltily. "I see you found the mushrooms. Oh, you needn't worry," he said with a wave of his hand, "Take all you want. Ada won't mind."
"Oohhh, fanks," said Pippin through a mouthful.
"Just don't get sick."
"We won't."
"Okay, good, now help me pick this basil," said Elladan, who carried a woven basket. "Get the tomato leaves too – they have a rather nasty smell."
"Heh, you're right." Pip wrinkled his nose. "Nor do these potato leaves, Ick."
"Great – take them. You can wash your hands when you're done."
oXo
"Right, well, I think we have enough now." Elladan stood up and stretched some time later. "We don't want to destroy the garden too much, or it'll be obvious. Merry and Pippin – put those mushrooms in the basket rather. You do look awfully strange."
oXo
As they made their way up to Merry's room once more, keeping out of sight, Elrohir frowned.
"I can't help but feel a little bad about this," he said, biting his lip, "After all, she is my sister…"
"Oh, come off it 'Ro. Estel's your brother, and you pranked him. Well, foster brother, but same idea." Elladan shrugged.
"I dunno. Brother's different to sister. I just feel like I'm betraying her, that's all…" he looked troubled.
"You wouldn't tell her, would you!" Elladan asked in a serious, awed voice.
"No!" snapped Elrohir, and didn't mention it again. He wasn't two faced, he just had a little more conscience, perhaps.
oXo
When the basket had been dumped on Merry's bed and the hobbits were once more tucking into the mushrooms, Elrohir produced an empty crystal bottle, of the sort used to store potions and medicines. It was topped with a cork stopper. Elladan picked up the basket.
"Now the two of us go down to the kitchens and mix all of this into a lovely, foul-smelling shampoo, saving all the flowers of course. Here." He tossed a bunch at Merry.
"But how will you accomplish this without getting caught?" Pippin frowned. Elladan grinned. "Oh, I'll say ada told us to make up some insecticide, and these are the ingredients. It's a new recipe. Potent, eh?" The hobbits wholeheartedly agreed, and the twins made for the kitchens.
oXo
When they returned, Elladan carried the bottle, and it was now filled with a grass green liquid.
"Take a whiff of this!" He uncorked it, and Merry and Pippin, now thoroughly gorged on mushrooms, took a cautious sniff. The smell almost made them gag. Pippin smiled up at the elves, who were both grinning from ear to ear.
"She's in for it, all right."
"Yup." Elladan replaced the stopper and clasped the precious bottle to his chest. "Now, we wait for nightfall."
TBC
