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A LoTR fic
Hello, all! This story was written while in the Shire, oh so many months ago,lol. Beta'ed by the amazing Marigold, without whom this story would suck big time! I hope you enjoy, so let me know what you think. Now, for your enjoyment, a little pre-Quest ficlet.
Hair Today...
“Oh, Merry!”
Esmeralda’s voice was tight with concern as she looked down at her son’s feet, ignoring her own slightly singed ones as she gazed in horror.
“It’s all right, Mum,” Merry insisted, tightening his arms as he gazed at the smoke filled kitchen and the remains of what had been a kettle of stew and hearthrug. “You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“But your feet, Merry! And you with the dance on Highday! If I hadn’t been so addled –“ Esmeralda’s voice cut off as she put a hand to her mouth, stifling her small cry.
“Mum, listen to me,” Merry whispered, petting her hair softly as he tried to calm her down. “It’s not your fault. You’ve been worried about Da, and the harvest, and poor Aunt Egg. You have every right to be a bit addled, and no real harm was done. It was an accident, that’s all. Why don’t we get out of the way and let some of the others clean this up while we get ourselves taken care of, all right?”
Esmeralda nodded slightly, allowing herself to be led out even as several young hobbit lasses rushed in, mops and buckets at the ready to start cleaning.
“Just promise me you won’t let Pippin talk you into anything foolish,” she asked, giggling slightly at the look on her son’s face. “Well, you know he will.”
Merry sighed as he sat his mother down gently in the bathing room, grimacing at the feel of hairless feet as he crouched down to make certain she had not been more severely burned.
“I know, Mum. But I have a feeling that he may not be the one making stupid comments this time.”
Esmeralda laughed softly as she kissed the top of her son’s hair.
***
“Maybe if we took some of Da’s glue we could snip a few locks from your head and stick them to your feet,” Pippin offered, staring in consternation at the sight before him.
“I thought of that, but I think it would look too – too fake!” Merry muttered, glaring at his bald feet. “I am certain Estella would notice.”
“Hmmm. Probably,” Pippin sighed, plopping down on the floor to take a closer look. “What if we took one of Pim’s pencils and drew it on?”
They both considered this for several long moments, before simultaneously shaking their heads.
“I don’t know what else to do, Merry,” Pippin whispered, and the slight wobble in his voice made his cousin’s heart break.
“It’s not your fault, Pip,” Merry whispered, sliding off the bed to sit beside the younger hobbit, wrapping an arm around him. “It’s just really, really bad timing, I guess. Maybe I shouldn’t go, pretend I have a headache or something.”
“But you have to go!” Pippin protested, turning in the circle of Merry’s arm to stare incredulously up at him. “Estella will be there, and you don’t see her very often!”
“It’s all right, Pip,” Merry assured him, smiling tightly. “Maybe she’ll think of me as brave, rather than silly looking.”
“You are not silly looking!” Pippin objected, struggling out from under Merry’s arm to glare at him. “You burned your feet being brave and saving your mum, and if Estella can’t figure that out, well, she’s not right for you, that’s all!”
Merry grinned up at him, taking the hand that Pippin offered and pulling himself up. He wrapped both arms around his cousin, smiling.
“What say we go and get Pervinca and be on our way? It should be dark enough now,” Merry suggested, grinning mischievously.
“All right,” Pippin agreed, grinning as he pulled back. “It will be nice to have a third set of hands.” His grin turned impish as he added, “More food for us!”
***
“Oi, Vinca, give me your knickers!” Pippin hissed, struggling to keep his armload of mushrooms and onions from toppling to the ground.
Merry choked on the bite of carrot he had just taken, earning a swift pat on the back from his right.
“Why should I give them to you?” Pervinca asked softly, not at all perturbed by the request, much to Merry’s amazement. “They’re my knickers, I should get whatever I put in them.”
Merry sputtered, still choking and earning a concerned look from both cousins as Pippin joined in patting him on the back.
“All right, Merry?” Pippin asked, frowning.
“Pippin!” he finally managed to gasp, glowering at the oblivious lad. “You can’t just ask your sister for her knickers!” he hissed, casting an embarrassed glance to Pervinca, who was smiling widely at him.
“See, Pip? Even Merry agrees that I should be the one who decides what goes in my knickers, not you. So you can just manage your armful without them, and if you ask me really nicely, I may put a few potatoes in for you,” Pervinca told her little brother.
Merry quickly averted his gaze as Pervinca put her own armful of scrumped vegetables to the ground and wiggled out of her knickers.
“You are both quite mad,” he told them both in a strangled whisper, frowning as this statement was met with laughter from both cousins.
“We’re Tooks,” they said in unison, and then quickly started bickering over what should go into the lace trimmed knickers and what should be carried.
Merry firmly turned his back on them, quite thankful for the fact that he had been born an only child.
***
“Pippin…you didn’t!” Merry exclaimed, gazing in astonishment at his cousin’s hairless feet, even as Pippin proudly walked up and down the length of the room, grinning.
“Of course I did,” Pippin said, in a tone that clearly implied that Merry was daft to even consider the fact that Pippin wouldn’t shave off all his foot hair. “Don’t you know? It’s a new Tookish style. It will be all the fashion soon!”
Merry finally lifted his gaze, staring in amazement at his cousin’s grinning face, green eyes twinkling.
“Oh, Pip,” he whispered, moving without even realizing it until he had his cousin in his arms, burying his face in Pippin’s shoulder. “What would I ever do without you?”
Pippin shrugged beneath him, and Merry could feel his cousin’s smile even through the layer of his dress shirt. “Probably get into a lot less trouble, I would guess,” Pippin giggled. “Now come on, we don’t want to be late! Pervinca has been locked in her room with Estella and Pimpernel all evening, who knows what they have been plotting?”
Still grinning, with an arm around his cousin’s shoulder, Merry followed him out to the ballroom, looking forward to the night’s events for the first time since he had lost his foot hair. And if Pippin noticed him wiping his eyes, he didn’t say a word.
***
Merry stared, open-mouthed, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before him.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a green dress that hugged her in all the right places, stood Estella, her feet as bald as his and Pippin’s.
Dragging his eyes away from her for a moment, he finally took in the appearance of his female cousins, standing on either side of her, grinning cheekily as they displayed their bald feet.
“Oh, Pervinca, what happened?” a young lass demanded, stopping and staring in horror at her friend’s naked feet.
“Why, didn’t you know, Levonia? It’s the latest fashion! All the Tooks are doing it,” Estella answered, smiling happily as she made her way to Merry’s side, grinning at his stunned expression. “Dance with me Merry?” she asked, taking his arm.
Pippin snickered beside him, grinning broadly as he took Pervinca’s arm. They stood for a moment, watching silently as Merry and Estella danced around the room, lost in each other’s eyes.
Pervinca, steering her brother onto the dance floor, smiled impishly at the furtive groups of lasses and lads that made their way out of the room. Knowing they would return with a little less hair, and minds that were a little more open.
Hair Today...
“Oh, Merry!”
Esmeralda’s voice was tight with concern as she looked down at her son’s feet, ignoring her own slightly singed ones as she gazed in horror.
“It’s all right, Mum,” Merry insisted, tightening his arms as he gazed at the smoke filled kitchen and the remains of what had been a kettle of stew and hearthrug. “You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“But your feet, Merry! And you with the dance on Highday! If I hadn’t been so addled –“ Esmeralda’s voice cut off as she put a hand to her mouth, stifling her small cry.
“Mum, listen to me,” Merry whispered, petting her hair softly as he tried to calm her down. “It’s not your fault. You’ve been worried about Da, and the harvest, and poor Aunt Egg. You have every right to be a bit addled, and no real harm was done. It was an accident, that’s all. Why don’t we get out of the way and let some of the others clean this up while we get ourselves taken care of, all right?”
Esmeralda nodded slightly, allowing herself to be led out even as several young hobbit lasses rushed in, mops and buckets at the ready to start cleaning.
“Just promise me you won’t let Pippin talk you into anything foolish,” she asked, giggling slightly at the look on her son’s face. “Well, you know he will.”
Merry sighed as he sat his mother down gently in the bathing room, grimacing at the feel of hairless feet as he crouched down to make certain she had not been more severely burned.
“I know, Mum. But I have a feeling that he may not be the one making stupid comments this time.”
Esmeralda laughed softly as she kissed the top of her son’s hair.
***
“Maybe if we took some of Da’s glue we could snip a few locks from your head and stick them to your feet,” Pippin offered, staring in consternation at the sight before him.
“I thought of that, but I think it would look too – too fake!” Merry muttered, glaring at his bald feet. “I am certain Estella would notice.”
“Hmmm. Probably,” Pippin sighed, plopping down on the floor to take a closer look. “What if we took one of Pim’s pencils and drew it on?”
They both considered this for several long moments, before simultaneously shaking their heads.
“I don’t know what else to do, Merry,” Pippin whispered, and the slight wobble in his voice made his cousin’s heart break.
“It’s not your fault, Pip,” Merry whispered, sliding off the bed to sit beside the younger hobbit, wrapping an arm around him. “It’s just really, really bad timing, I guess. Maybe I shouldn’t go, pretend I have a headache or something.”
“But you have to go!” Pippin protested, turning in the circle of Merry’s arm to stare incredulously up at him. “Estella will be there, and you don’t see her very often!”
“It’s all right, Pip,” Merry assured him, smiling tightly. “Maybe she’ll think of me as brave, rather than silly looking.”
“You are not silly looking!” Pippin objected, struggling out from under Merry’s arm to glare at him. “You burned your feet being brave and saving your mum, and if Estella can’t figure that out, well, she’s not right for you, that’s all!”
Merry grinned up at him, taking the hand that Pippin offered and pulling himself up. He wrapped both arms around his cousin, smiling.
“What say we go and get Pervinca and be on our way? It should be dark enough now,” Merry suggested, grinning mischievously.
“All right,” Pippin agreed, grinning as he pulled back. “It will be nice to have a third set of hands.” His grin turned impish as he added, “More food for us!”
***
“Oi, Vinca, give me your knickers!” Pippin hissed, struggling to keep his armload of mushrooms and onions from toppling to the ground.
Merry choked on the bite of carrot he had just taken, earning a swift pat on the back from his right.
“Why should I give them to you?” Pervinca asked softly, not at all perturbed by the request, much to Merry’s amazement. “They’re my knickers, I should get whatever I put in them.”
Merry sputtered, still choking and earning a concerned look from both cousins as Pippin joined in patting him on the back.
“All right, Merry?” Pippin asked, frowning.
“Pippin!” he finally managed to gasp, glowering at the oblivious lad. “You can’t just ask your sister for her knickers!” he hissed, casting an embarrassed glance to Pervinca, who was smiling widely at him.
“See, Pip? Even Merry agrees that I should be the one who decides what goes in my knickers, not you. So you can just manage your armful without them, and if you ask me really nicely, I may put a few potatoes in for you,” Pervinca told her little brother.
Merry quickly averted his gaze as Pervinca put her own armful of scrumped vegetables to the ground and wiggled out of her knickers.
“You are both quite mad,” he told them both in a strangled whisper, frowning as this statement was met with laughter from both cousins.
“We’re Tooks,” they said in unison, and then quickly started bickering over what should go into the lace trimmed knickers and what should be carried.
Merry firmly turned his back on them, quite thankful for the fact that he had been born an only child.
***
“Pippin…you didn’t!” Merry exclaimed, gazing in astonishment at his cousin’s hairless feet, even as Pippin proudly walked up and down the length of the room, grinning.
“Of course I did,” Pippin said, in a tone that clearly implied that Merry was daft to even consider the fact that Pippin wouldn’t shave off all his foot hair. “Don’t you know? It’s a new Tookish style. It will be all the fashion soon!”
Merry finally lifted his gaze, staring in amazement at his cousin’s grinning face, green eyes twinkling.
“Oh, Pip,” he whispered, moving without even realizing it until he had his cousin in his arms, burying his face in Pippin’s shoulder. “What would I ever do without you?”
Pippin shrugged beneath him, and Merry could feel his cousin’s smile even through the layer of his dress shirt. “Probably get into a lot less trouble, I would guess,” Pippin giggled. “Now come on, we don’t want to be late! Pervinca has been locked in her room with Estella and Pimpernel all evening, who knows what they have been plotting?”
Still grinning, with an arm around his cousin’s shoulder, Merry followed him out to the ballroom, looking forward to the night’s events for the first time since he had lost his foot hair. And if Pippin noticed him wiping his eyes, he didn’t say a word.
***
Merry stared, open-mouthed, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before him.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a green dress that hugged her in all the right places, stood Estella, her feet as bald as his and Pippin’s.
Dragging his eyes away from her for a moment, he finally took in the appearance of his female cousins, standing on either side of her, grinning cheekily as they displayed their bald feet.
“Oh, Pervinca, what happened?” a young lass demanded, stopping and staring in horror at her friend’s naked feet.
“Why, didn’t you know, Levonia? It’s the latest fashion! All the Tooks are doing it,” Estella answered, smiling happily as she made her way to Merry’s side, grinning at his stunned expression. “Dance with me Merry?” she asked, taking his arm.
Pippin snickered beside him, grinning broadly as he took Pervinca’s arm. They stood for a moment, watching silently as Merry and Estella danced around the room, lost in each other’s eyes.
Pervinca, steering her brother onto the dance floor, smiled impishly at the furtive groups of lasses and lads that made their way out of the room. Knowing they would return with a little less hair, and minds that were a little more open.