The Road to Middle-Earth
A fanfiction by MushrooomsPTook
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!
Chapter Thirty-One: Trolling Around with Silver
I moaned as a wet cloth ran itself over my forehead. My head ached miserably, and the last thing I wanted was to be reminded of that. But regardless of my protests, I opened my eyes anyway. They did their best to focus on the image before me, but all I could make out was the blurry outline of a figure leaning over me. I blinked repeatedly, and after a moment, my vision cleared. I was lying down on what felt like a sofa, a comfortable quilt draped over me, and a hobbit woman was smiling at me, dabbing my forehead with a wet towel. I sat up, rubbing my head, but the pain did not lessen. If anything it got worse. I moaned again at the throbbing ache.
"Easy! Easy!" said the woman, as she rested a small hand on my shoulder. "You had quite a bit of a spell there."
"What happened?" I croaked. "And...who are you?"
She gently pushed me back into the cushions. "To your second question, my name is Esmeralda Brandybuck." Merry's mother, I thought to myself. "And to answer your first question, you lost your footing shortly after Frodo went into the dining room."
"Why does my head hurt so much?" I asked, trying to rub the dull pain away.
"Oh, that." Esmeralda chuckled. "I'm afraid that's master Peregrin's doing. You see, when you fell—or fainted more like—you took a couple steps back, tripped over young Pippin, and knocked your head against the table." She paused, watching me curiously, then cleared her throat. "Are you better?"
I nodded, but didn't say anything in response. A little golden-curled figure skipped into the room and smiled widely when she saw me. She ran up to me and squatted beside the sofa. "Hi!" she said brightly. "I'm Pervinca. What's your name?"
"Alayna." I did my best to smile, but inside I was crying. Everything was so overwhelming and I felt like hugging the hobbits, but I couldn't pull myself up.
"Vinca," said Esmeralda. "Why don't you run along and inform your cousin of Alayna's condition. Ask him to bring the tea. I'm sure his guest wouldn't mind some?" She looked at me questioningly and I nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, please."
"Ok, Auntie!" said the child and turned to wave at me. "Bye!" She skipped out of the room and was gone just as quickly as she came.
There was a little moment of silence after that as Esmeralda ran the cloth over my head delicately. She kept her curious eyes on me, but I smiled politely and did my best not to look intimidating. But she seemed relaxed enough under the circumstances. I could hear raucous laughter and the sounds of little feet trampling on the floor of Bag End. A voice, sounding much like Bilbo's, adding to the chorus of noise. "Here! Lads! Slow down, or you'll break something you shouldn't!" I could hear Pervinca loudly informing everyone that I was awake and I heard a high-pitched squeal, followed by a chatter of questions, which I could not understand.
The next thing I knew, Alice had excitedly entered the room, but she had a hand clasped in hers, which she tugged most anxiously after her. Her friend, chuckled as he did his best to balance a tray of tea and scones in his free arm, and trying to keep up with her pace. When she saw me sitting up, Alice left her friend and leapt across the room to bounce into my arms. Esmeralda laughed as she ruffled the girl's head and got up to give us some room.
"Alice!" I cried and clasped her tightly in my embrace.
"Alayna, you're alive!" she giggled happily.
"Of course, I'm alive, silly. And what have you been up to? Causing mayhem, no doubt."
"Oh, Alayna, Alayna!" She bounced up and down. "Did you see Biwbo? Did you see him? He's real! I knew he was."
"Yes, Alice. We've met. And he's Mr. Baggins to you."
Alice blushed but then her eyes went wide, as she turned back to her friend and bounced over to him, clasping his hand in hers again, and giving him an enormous tug so that he was standing directly in front of me. His blue eyes and dark curls gave his identity away instantly, and I felt a bubble burst inside my stomach. I chided Alice nervously for her boisterous behavior, but the gentlehobbit in front of me ruffled her head. "It's quite all right," he assured me gently, and then cleared his throat. "I believe it's time we properly were introduced." The hobbit set the tray down on a side table next to the sofa. "Frodo Baggins, at your service." The hobbit took my hand in his, lifting it to his lips, but I couldn't hold out any longer. Something in me snapped, and I wrapped my arms around the hobbit, giving him a fierce squeeze. I commented to myself of how his hair smelled of a combination of mints and fresh herbs. Esmeralda took a couple steps back, looking a bit aghast, while Frodo had managed to raise his head just above my elbow, taking in a much needed breath after I nearly suffocated him. But sudden realization of my impulsiveness prompted me to release him as quickly as I had embraced him. I broke eye contact, rubbing my lips together, and clasping my hands behind me sheepishly.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
Frodo's face was slightly pink, but he seemed more amused than offended, for which I was very thankful. "No harm done," he said, and there was a quiver in his voice, as if he was trying not to laugh. He picked up a cup from the tray and handed it to me. "Here, drink this. You'll feel much better." As I took my hot cup, his finger touched mine and I shivered. "Your cousin tells me you're from a place called Chicago. I must admit, I didn't know such place existed in Middle-earth. I looked on one of Bilbo's maps, and I couldn't find it. Is it close to Bree?"
"Um..." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. How was I supposed to answer this? I didn't want him, nor the other hobbits to know that we were from another world; how would I explain that? And could they even understand? Gandalf might, but Gandalf wasn't here. "No, it's quite a distance from Bree actually. But I haven't had a chance to thank you properly for taking us in." I looked also at Esmeralda when I said this, for I hoped that bringing her into the conversation would help change the subject.
"Don't worry about it, lass," she said. "You're in good hands here. That weather out there is frightful enough for anyone to be outside. You'll find Bilbo is a good host. I imagine he won't want you to leave until the worst of it is over."
Just as if he knew we were talking about him, Bilbo entered the room. Pippin was close on his heels, dragging a stuffed toy behind him and licking his fingers, which were covered in some kind of chocolate. He was so cute, I wanted to gather him up in my arms and give him a squeeze, but I didn't want to scare him away. His big green eyes were already peering at me with inquisitive mischief twinkling in them.
"Ah," announced Bilbo. "Glad to see you're awake...again. I see you found your cousin?" He looked at Alice and gave her a wink.
"Yes, thank you for taking such good care of her."
"Oh, nonsense, 'tis no trouble. Actually, she's been keeping company with the lads and lasses mainly. Although, she was kind enough to help me with some cookies."
"Peanut butter!" Alice piped up loudly with a smile. It was amusing to see Alice standing next to Bilbo, for although her face was closer in age to Pippin's, she was nearly the same height as the old hobbit. I was surprised no one except Merry had been frightened of me. But then, I had been either lying down or sitting for most of my visit thus far. Thinking about this made me restless, and I was determined to meet the rest of the hobbits without any more mishaps. After making it clear that I had had enough of sitting, Bilbo and Frodo came on either side of me, taking an arm each, and hoisted me up.
"I'll go check on supper," said Esmeralda, striding past me with a smile. "See if Eglantine needs any help."
"Supper? But I just had breakfast...didn't I?" I asked, perplexed.
"Yes," laughed Bilbo. "About six hours ago. It'll be a bit, though. We still have afternoon tea, but we have a lot of people visiting, so it's best to start dinner early."
"You must have hit your head hard," Frodo commented, and together they both helped me out the door. Alice gathered Pippin's free hand in hers.
"Come on, Pippin."
As we exited into the tunnels of Bag End, I noticed the beautiful smell of freshly baked bread coming down the hall. I could hear either Eglantine or Esmeralda humming a sweet melody, but the tune was suddenly interrupted by a little bundle of curls that bumped right into me. He stopped, gripping the piece of bread in his hand and slowly lifted his head to make contact with my eyes. Merry gave a small gasp, and backed up into the wall, shielding himself with the small chunk of bread, as if it was a weapon. I giggled and he slowly relaxed after his shock, giving me a small smile. "H-Hullo," he whispered. "Sorry, it's just...you're so..."
"Tall," I finished with a nod. "I know. It's okay. But I'm not a dragon, I won't bite."
"Dwagon!" Pippin cried, lifting his toy in excitement.
"I think if there was a dragon here in Bag End, we'd have a problem," Bilbo murmured with a chuckle.
"Merry," Frodo said, kneeling to the child's level. "Why don't you take Alayna around and introduce her to everyone."
Merry's eyes widened at Frodo's suggestion, huddling himself shyly against the wall, then turned his gaze on me wearily before returning to Frodo. "M-Me?" He pointed a finger into his chest.
"I really won't bite. I promise," I encouraged the lad. The hobbit's eyes began to take on their normal shape, and as I extended my hand out to him, the corners of his mouth began to turn upward.
"Dwagon!" yelled Pippin again, making everyone jump, Merry scrunching up his nose at the toddler.
"Goodness, Pippin-lad! We're right here!" Bilbo said. The toddler blushed and gurgled out a laugh as the old hobbit ruffled his curls. "Go on, lad," he said to Merry. "Maybe you'll have an adventure along the way." He said this with a wink, and it prompted a full-blown smile to spread itself across the child's face and he took my hand shyly.
"Okay!" he said, leading me away from the group and steering me down the hall. "Come with me, Alayna. You can meet my parents." He stopped suddenly, turning around, and I had to catch myself before I collided into him. "But be very, very quiet," he whispered, putting up his hands delicately to add to the effect. "There are some nasty, squirrely trolls running around, and we can't let them hear us."
"Okay," I whispered, encouraged by the sudden change in Merry. When he turned to continue to lead me, I gently grabbed his arm. "Wait! What happens if they hear us?" Merry's eyes got big and his face turned serious.
"They'll force us to play dress-up!" Dress-up, eh? So that's the real reason Bilbo couldn't get away from the trolls on his adventures to Erebor, I thought with a smirk on my face.
As Merry led me on through the tunnels of Bag End, I could hear more and more the chattering, giggly, girlish voices above the soft conversation among the adults. I also noticed that the closer we got to the voices, the slower Merry's pace became, until he was in a half-crouching, half-standing position, peering around the corner from which we stood.
"Merry, where are—"
"Shh!" he cut me off abruptly, placing a finger to his lips. He pointed to three girls sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. One of them I recognized as Pervina. I guessed the other two were her sisters. They were talking amongst themselves, showing each sister the progress on whatever they were knitting.
"There they are," Merry whispered, his back to me. "Trolls."
"However shall we get past?" I asked innocently, but Merry knitted his brows together and his lip curled up in visible concern.
"Through the kitchen!" he replied finally. "It's a dangerous passage, but it's the only way."
"You lead on then, Sir Merry, for I do not know the way."
The hobbit grinned and his eyes flashed mischievously at the name I gave him. But it was soon gone, for his eyes became focused and his face serious as he quickly adjusted into the role of a brave knight. As we snuck out from around the corner, Pervinca turned around. She saw me, smiled brightly, and waved. But the oldest sister, having noticed us as well, grabbed the wrists of the other two and pulled them into a huddle, where a wave of whispers were forged. Occasionally, the oldest one would lift her head to peer at us, grinning evilly, but if Merry noticed, he did not show it. As we entered the kitchen, he put a finger to his lips again, reminding me of the seriousness of the situation.
"There's my boy!" cried Esmeralda, who had her hands busy in a cooking bowl.
"Come in for seconds have we?" said a man, as he approached us.
"Da—shh!" cried Merry. The hobbits gave me a questioning look.
"We're hiding from the trolls," I explained with a nod and a wink.
Merry's father nodded. "Ohhh... I see now. Well, I'm Saradoc, Merry's father. I think you met my wife?"
"Da!" Merry cried, rebukingly.
"Oh, right." He put a finger to his own lips and nodded. "Sorry, lad. I'll let you go on your way. Nice meeting you," he whispered to me.
As we continued into the kitchen, we came to another pair of hobbits. The woman was kneeding some dough, while the man was taking off a hunk of bread that was set on the counter. "Merry-lad!" cried the woman. "Just the boy I was looking for. Have you seen my Peregrin?" This time, the lady was shushed by not only Merry, but his parents as well. Saradoc pointed to the wall, indicating what lay on the other side.
"Trolls," he whispered.
"Yes, they can be," the man nodded in agreement. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss. The name is Paladin, and Eglantine is my wife."
"Alayna," I whispered, extending my hand. "Nice to meet you."
"I'd best find our little one. Have fun with Merry."
A gasp escaped the lad's face as he peered around the corner into the next room. The parlor where the girls sat was just on the other side of the kitchen and the room had gone silent, save for the one squeal that erupted throughout all of Bag End. I leaned forward, following Merry's gaze.
"Oh no!" he cried. "They have Pippin!"
Sure enough, in older girl's lap was the young hobbit. She was doing her best to make her captive look like he was in serious trouble, but that didn't stop the toddler from grabbing a fistful of her dress and play with it, muttering, "Pwetty."
"What do we do?" I gasped.
Merry looked around anxiously, as if concocting some sort of battle plan in his head. Little did he realize that these games were giving him the training he would need for a bigger and grander adventure. I watched the child sympathetically. It wasn't fair for one so small to have to go through so much difficulty. He was so innocent, as was his world. What did he ever do to deserve to be thrown into what would become a nightmare?
As I fell into silence watching the young hobbit, Merry's mischief returned and he looked left and right, as if he was about to do something naughty. Thankfully, in his fortune, Eglantine had already finished her current task and was now on the opposite side of the kitchen near Esmeralda. That gave Merry just enough time. He went around to the counter and pulling open a drawer, stuck his sticky paw in it, retrieving two butter knives. Just one look at them told me that they were not any ordinary knives. They were silver. Bilbo's silver! He stuffed one in my hand before I could voice my doubts.
"We'll fight!" he answered.
"But...with silverware? Do you think that's a good idea, Merry?"
The child folded my hand over the knife, keeping his eyes on mine in determination. "Yes! We have to. It's the only way to free Pippin."
I began to lift my hand to the counter to rid myself of the chaos that was about to ensue. "Maybe I'll just sit this one out..."
"No! We must do this together!"
"I was afraid of that," I mumbled. What I should have done was left the knife on the counter, but Merry's pleading eyes yanked at my heart and all I could think of doing was satisfying that little face at whatever cost. I knew I would probably pay for it. And I was right.
Merry started forward, crouching and making no noise. I followed, trying my best to be as quiet as a hobbit, but I felt like an elephant compared to him. He was very stealthy on his feet, while my big ones made the floorboards creak uneasily. At last, he bounded right in front of the girls, waving his sword about heroically and demanding Pippin's freedom. But the girls all gave each other knowing looks, and before he knew what hit him, Merry was off his feet and pinned beneath them.
"Pippin! Alayna!" he shrieked as they tickled him mercilessly, "save—haha—save yourselves!"
"And abandon you to your fate? Never! Don't worry, Merry. I, Lady Alayna, Friend of Lions, will rescue you!"
I soon lost my concern over Bilbo's good silver when the enemy brandished their own swords—quilting needles. "For the Shire!" they cried.
"For, uh...for Chicago!" I retorted and charged with a battle cry, louder than I actually intended. Thus, the great battle against the trolls began and I soon found that, despite my size and experiences that had shaped me, nothing could have prepared me for this. I was quickly overtaken, as I began to receive Merry's same fate, and I succumbed to laughter as their fingers dug into my sides.
"Do you give up?" the eldest asked.
Between all the noise that followed—laughter, gasping, Pippin giggling while clapping his hands at the entertainment—I could not respond. But it turns out I wouldn't have to. Another battle cry was heard. Alice had come to our rescue. "Release them," she demanded. "For I am Lady Alice, Troll-Defeater!" The thumping of her feet running in our direction was heard and before I could scream out a protest, Alice bounded up into the air and landed on top of the pile of hobbits. Of course, I was on the bottom, so I felt the force the most. What began as an innocent game was turning into a rowdy battle, as shouts, screams, and giggling accompanied the violent wrestling. When one hobbit moved, the whole pile seemed to go with it, until we were tangled up into a heap of arms, legs, and heads, rolling around like a ball. A new level of energy burst into the game when one of the girls screamed and we all crashed into the wall by the fireplace. I knew then that if there was any cause to break up the game, it was certainly now. I tried to free myself from the group, but I was quickly shoved back to the ground. Another bang echoed throughout Bag End, and at that point, I heard feet running into the room.
Merry had managed to find his way on top of the pile of hobbits and was sitting on the oldest, brandishing his sword in the air, and crying, "victory!", when I peeked my head out and saw Bilbo covering his mouth with panic stricken on his face.
"No, no, no! Not the good silver!" Crap, I thought as I abandoned my weapon before he could notice.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" scolded Esmeralda as she lifted the child off the pile of hobbits. "You know better than to get into Uncle Bilbo's silver!"
In the meantime, Pippin had found my sword and cried, "Dwagon!" as he whacked it against his older sister. Thankfully, all the adults came to her rescue in the blink of an eye, Paladin picking up the little lad before he could do any more damage, and Bilbo snatching away his knife and checking it for scratches.
"Not a toy, lad," said Bilbo gently, showing him the knife.
"Dwagon?" Peregrin's said with a fallen face.
"No," Frodo chortled, shaking his head. "No dragons in Bag End, Pip." He helped me to my feet and I could swear I felt tiny bruises forming beneath my skin. A small price to pay, however, for the pleasure of wrestling with the smallest creatures on earth...or Middle-earth. I couldn't—and wouldn't—complain.
"You know, Pippin, your pipes are going to be the death of this old hobbit."
"I'm sorry, Bilbo," Eglantine apologized. "I'm afraid whenever Peregrin learns a new word, he makes sure it's not only engrained in his vocabulary, but everyone else's as well."
"It's all right, Eglantine. I remember well. Now the rest of you quiet down and mind your manners around Alayna and Alice. They are guests here."
"It's quite all right," I chuckled as Bilbo looked me over for any damages. "I'm partly to blame. I helped egg them on."
Paladin cleared his throat. "Pimpernel, Pervinca, Pearl... Why don't you girls wash up and help your mother set the table?"
"Oh, is it supper time already?"
"No," replied Alice with a smirk. "It's tea time!" I kept forgetting Alice had had a start on me when it came to hobbit meals. I was still trying to digest breakfast...or second breakfast, whatever I had. Ever since Nottingham, we had been fed well and I was used to regular meals. Now all of that was about to change.
Frodo gathered up Merry and Pippin and whisked them away to wash their hands and faces as I offered to help Esmeralda and Eglantine. They refused my help, reminding me that Alice and I were guests and to make ourselves at home. I shrugged my shoulders and took Alice's hand, following after Frodo. I wasn't used to washing my hands before supper—er, tea, but I wanted to be on my best behavior, and after my horrid display with Bilbo's knives, I felt I was on a downward spiral.
As we got ready for tea, I asked Frodo if I could have a bath that evening. It had been so long since I'd had one that I was beginning to feel itchy all over. I felt awkward asking him, but Frodo laughed and said that he had been meaning to ask me if I'd like one. Unfortunately, there would be no time before tea, but I was determined to have one before bed tonight, if I felt like going to sleep at all; I had already slept most of my visit away, and I felt like the fun had just begun.
I had just started down the hall again toward the dining room, when there came a timid knock at the door. Half-curious as to who this new visitor would be, I crept forward when Bilbo went to answer it, mumbling, "Now who could that be at this hour?" But when he opened the door, Bilbo's face softened. "Ah, Hamfast!"
A/N – Yikes! I am so sorry that took so long to write. It turns out I really had no plans made for when Alice and Alayna made it to the Shire. I was more concerned about how to get there than the destination itself! But now I think I've got a pretty solid outline. Thank you all for your patience. Here are a couple things to note. I've indicated the ages of Pippin's sisters below. I had a hard time finding Pimpernel's and Pearl's birthdates, so if it doesn't seem right let me know.
Also, if you haven't seen my profile page, the avatar is what the cover will be for my next story. It is, in fact, a sequel to this one.
Hobbit Age/Human Age
Pervinca – 11/5
Pimpernel – 17/9
Pearl – 21/10
P.S. If anyone has anything they'd like to see happen while in Hobbiton, let me know. I want to make these last few chapters for you! Just bear in mind that I probably can't put in everything [not this time around anyway ;)] and it will have to stick with the outline that I have planned. But I'll do my best!
And now the reviews!
Diana Fay – Yes, I'm enjoying writing Merry and Pippin. I wish they were mine to keep, but all I can do is borrow them for a while, pinching their cheeks and hoping they don't mind. ;)
xXChaoticOrderXx – I was squeeing too, just wasn't sure how to put it into words! ;) I tried to think of what I would say if ever I ran into a hobbit, but all I could imagine is stuttering nonsense pouring out of my mouth. And yes, they'll be long gone before the quest begins.
Seafarer – Yes, I'm the exact same way, except I gurgle out giggles while grinning. No, it's not over yet. There's more hobbity goodness coming up. ;)
mwang – More is on the way. Just don't hate me if it takes about a week. :(