A Partnership in Villainy

This story is an extrapolation of a brief memory that occurred in the story Recaptured.

Llinos

Pippin's memory flitted back to the time he and his cousin had first had chocolate on that Yule. All the hobbit children spending the 12 days in Brandy Hall had been given a piece, there had not been enough for the adults. The doling out had started with the youngest and allocated according to age until it was all gone. Pippin remembered how Merry's face had dropped as Ferdibrand, Merry's junior by a year, was given the last piece.

The littlest Took, who worshipped his Brandybuck cousin, couldn't bear the look of disappointment on his hero's face. But Pippin had gobbled his piece of chocolate with relish the moment he was given it. There had to be something he could do. Pippin had resolved the problem in his own unique way by stealing his sister, Pervinca's chocolate and giving it to Merry.

Pervinca had wailed and told and both boys had been beaten, Pippin over his father's knee and Merry over a chair with a strap, because he was old enough to know better. But it had merely served to form a closer bond between the two – a partnership in villainy had been cemented.

From Recaptured – Chapter 61 – Rough and Tumble

This story explains what really happened…

"No Pearl! I don't want to wear it – it's a baby's hood! I'm five and I'm a big boy now – Papa said!" Peregrin Took stamped his small foot and pulled the pixie hood off and threw it petulantly to the floor.

"Come along now Pippin," Pearl patiently picked the woollen hat up again. "You have to wear it, Mamma says. It's cold outside and we have a long journey, we don't want you to catch a chill."

"You're always dressing me silly," Pippin pouted. "Merry laughed at me last Yule in that silly hat and I don't want Merry to laugh at me."

"No he didn't," Pearl tied the hood back in place, tucking Pippin's curls and ears firmly beneath the knitted flaps. "He said you looked like a little squirrel."

"See – he laughed at me." Pippin wailed, tears starting to spring to his eyes.

"Oh hush now." Pearl pulled a pair of knitted mittens onto her brother's little fists that were rubbing at his eyes. "I promise you can take your things off as soon as we get to Brandy Hall and Merry won't even see you dressed like this. It's a long way in the carriage and Mamma's afraid you'll take cold and you don't want to be in bed for Yule – now do you?"

"Why can't I ride on a pony like Papa?" Pippin demanded. "I could you know."

"One day darling," Pearl assured him, "when you're big."

"I'm big now!" Pippin stuck his bottom lip out defiantly and put his hands on his hips, drawing himself up to his full one foot five and a half inches. "See – Papa says I'm getting very big at last."

"Well when you're big enough to reach the mantelpiece in the study – that's Papa's own rule for riding a pony." Pearl completed her little brother's outdoor attire by adding his best woollen cloak and buttoning it tightly at the neck. "Be a good lad Pippin, we're going to have a splendid time at Brandy Hall and if you behave I'll show you something nice when we're in the carriage."

Twenty-year-old Pearl enjoyed looking after her tiny brother, very often pretending that she was married and Pippin was her own baby. So did her sister Pimpernel, who was four years her junior, but still eleven years older than Pippin. However, their father, who knew that Pippin would one day be The Thain, worried that the boy was being overly mothered, particularly when one day he found his son and heir dressed in Pimpernel's doll's clothes sitting in her toy perambulator.

He could not condemn his daughters for their loving indulgence, especially as Peregrin tended to be somewhat frail and sickly, taking ill very easily, all the women in his household worried and coddled him a great deal. But it pleased him secretly when just lately Pippin had started to protest and refuse to take part in dollies' tea parties and wanted to play The Thain in their games rather than the baby.

Another thing that pleased him was his son's obvious admiration and hero worship of his older cousin Meriadoc. On their frequent visits Pippin had followed the older lad everywhere and then talked about him incessantly when the visits were over. Young Merry was his sister Esmeralda's son, and the son and heir to Saradoc, successor to the Master of Buckland, Old Rory, a good role model for his own heir, Paladin decided. A fact that played no small part in his decision to spend this Yule at Brandy Hall – a break with tradition it was true, but Paladin knew his son would be Thain eventually and wanted him to get the right values – strong and loyal – as befitted the titular head of The Shire and Merry seemed to be growing into a good example of this.

"What are you going to show me, Pearl?" Pippin was now tucked cosily into the carriage between his two older sisters while his mother sat opposite with ten-year-old Pervinca. "Can I see now – I've been very good."

"Well I suppose you have," Pearl reached into her embroidery workbag. "But you have to promise to keep that rug tucked tightly round you."

"I will." Pippin squeaked enthusiastically. "Won't I Mamma?"

"Yes my darling." Eglantine agreed. "Show him now Pearl before he gets too excited."

Pearl brought out a white linen pillowcase, which she had embroidered in red gold and green silks. The design was a flying dragon and all around the border were leaves of holly and ivy, scattered about with golden coins. Across the top was Pippin's name.

"Oh is that mine?" Pippin gasped in awe at the magnificence of the dragon. "What does it say?"

"Oh my darling, you can read that," Eglantine held it up and pointed to the first letter. "What is that letter?"

"P!" Pippin said decisively. Then wavered a little. "Or B, I think – no P for Pippin!"

"That's right," Pearl laughed. "But it says your whole name." Carefully she traced over the letters spelling them out. P-e-r-e-g-r-i-n T-o-o-k, you see."

"It's grand Pearl, but why did you have to write my whole name?" Pippin pretended not to know, but then added excitedly, "I know it's so Thluggul will find me isn't it!"

"Yes my dearest one." Pearl laughed. "Of course it is."

"What about me?" Pervinca asked with a frown. "My pillowcase hasn't got a name."

"Oh it has now my darling." Eglantine took the embroidered case from her bag. "You see, it's the one you always had, but I've stitched your name on it this year, because we'll be at Brandy Hall instead of the Smials."

"…and Thluggul might not know!" Pervinca pointed out. "Thank you Mamma." She put her arms around her mother's neck and kissed her cheek.

"So can Thluggul read?" Pippin asked in awe. "He must be so clever."

"But of course," Pearl cuddled her arm around Pippin and Pimpernel smiled at her over his head. "He's the cleverest dragon in the whole world."

"Tell me again, Pearl." Pippin asked excitedly. "Tell me what happens."

"All right, once more." Pearl actually never really tired of telling the story, but she liked to pretend. "All year long Thluggul, the great magic dragon, watches The Shire and he flies over every so often to see which are the good hobbit lads and lasses and which are the no so good ones. At the setting of the sun on the eve of Yuletide, Thluggul gathers up all the gifts that the dwarves have spent the year making in their secret caverns. He looks at his long list to see who are the good little hobbit children and then he decides who will have which presents. As he leaves his home in the high frozen mountains, his great wings flap so hard that sometimes he blows the snow right off the mountain top and it falls down over The Shire and turns it all to white."

"Oh do you think he'll do that this year?" Pippin squeaked ecstatically, "Do you Pearl?"

"Well no one knows for sure, we'll have to wait and see." Pearl drew a breath. "Then he flies right over the Shire and visits every hobbit hole and home where there are children and, if they've been good – very good – he fills their pillowcases with special gifts and treats."

"But if they've been bad?" Pervinca prompted.

"If they've been bad," Pearl added sadly, "he leaves them nothing but a piece of charcoal."

"Oh that's so sad!" exclaimed Pippin. "I've been good haven't I Mamma? Please say I have."

"Yes my darling," his mother reassured him. "Both you and Pervinca have been very good. I'm sure Thluggul will be kind to you and leave lots of nice things."

"But you have to remember as well, Pippin." Pearl continued. "You should leave Thluggul a cup of wassail and a mince pie, else he won't have enough fire to finish his journey."

"Does everyone leave him that?" Pippin asked his eyes wide. "That would be a lot and lot of wassail. I only had a little sip and it made me wobbly."

"Yes but Thluggul is a big dragon and magic too." Pearl assured him. "He can drink a lot of wassail and never get wobbly."

"Who gave you wassail, Pippin?" his mother asked anxiously, "you're too young to have that you know."

"Oh sorry Mamma, it was…" Pippin realised suddenly that to tell his mother it was Merry, last year, when the Brandybucks had visited just before Yule, might get his cousin into trouble, especially as he had told him not to say anything to anyone. "… it was a big boy, I forget who."

"Hmm," Eglantine eyed Pippin suspiciously. "Never mind then. But you're not to drink wassail, even if the big boys do give it to you."

"No Mamma." Pippin did not want to do anything to spoil his good behaviour record, not with a visit from Thluggul imminent.

 TBC

"Eglantine! How wonderful to see you." Esmeralda Brandybuck, as Mistress elect of Brandy Hall was waiting to greet the carriage. "Paladin arrived a while ago and is warming himself in the study." She smiled knowingly. "I think Saradoc is giving him a little glass of ginger wine or two."

"Esmeralda!" Eglantine kissed her sister-in-law, "now don't get cold out here."

"Aunt Esmie, where's Merry?" Pippin piped in as soon as Pearl lifted him down.

"How was the journey?" Esmeralda continued. "Most of the Took entourage are here now – I think you're the last."

"It was slow, but the girls hate to jostle, so Bopo drove very slowly." Eglantine followed her hostess into the Hall, with her small son positively bouncing up and down.

"Mamma, where's Merry? Please! Aunt Esmie, is Merry here?"

"Well young Peregrin, you've done a lot of growing at last I see." Esmeralda finally paid some attention to the excited little one. "At least a foot I should say!"

Pippin looked up proudly. "I've growed exactly one inch and a quarter from Afteryule last," he announced. "Papa says I'm big now! Auntie, where's Merry?"

"I think he's in the stables with the ponies," Esmeralda said after a moment's thought. "He was helping to bed down the extra ponies that came from the Smials." She smiled indulgently at her excited nephew still bundled up in his pixie hood and mittens. "He'll be there quite a while now that your ponies have arrived. Do you want to go and see him?"

"Yes please!" Pippin jumped up and down, completely forgetting his worries about Merry seeing him in his pixie hood. "Can I go now, Mamma? Please, I'll be good."

"Bopo!" Eglantine put her head back through the door. It was growing dark and very cold and their coachman was about to lead the ponies round to the stables. "Would you take Peregrin with you? He wants to see his cousin Meriadoc and he's helping in the stables."

"Of course Ma-am." Bopo reached down and lifted Pippin up and sat him on the lead pony. "You sit tight now Master Pippin and hold on. We'll go and find your Master Merry afore you can say 'dragon'."

"Dragon, dragon, dragon!" Pippin giggled as he wrapped his still mittened fists around the pony's harness. "Come on Jingles," (for that was the pony's name) "let's find Merry!"

As they reached the stables there was much activity going on. So many extra ponies from the Smials meant a lot of doubling up in stalls and more hay nets to be filled and mucking out to be done. Merry loved to work in the stables though and was busily rubbing down his Uncle Paladin's mare as she was still hot and damp from her ride.

"Merry!" Pippin shouted as soon as he spotted his big cousin. "Merry look I can ride a pony!"

Bopo lifted him down so that the stable hands could start unharnessing the team and Pippin ran straight to his big cousin. "Did you see me? I was riding on Jingles!"

"Hullo Pip!" Merry looked up from what he was doing with a big grin on his face. "that's a cosy hat you've got! You look just like a baby squirrel!"

The other lads who were working in the stables laughed good-naturedly at the little hobbit, but Pippin's face dropped. That was what Merry had said before. He'd forgotten he was wearing the hat and now Merry still thought he was a baby.

Pippin pulled the hood off and threw it on the ground and stamped on it. "I'm not a baby! I rode the pony, can I help you Merry? Can I help brush the ponies too?"

"No Master Pippin," Bopo came up behind him and lifted him up to sit on the saddle tree. "You sit there and stay out from under foot. You're a bit little in the stable. Your Mam would have my hide if'n you got trod on."

Pippin sat enthralled and watched Merry skilfully rubbing down his father's pony, whistling as he did and chatting casually to the other lads in the stable. Then his big cousin helped to unharness and settle the ponies from the coach. Eventually he turned back to his baby cousin. "Well Pip did you grow any more yet?" He lifted Pippin down and stood beside him, measuring the top of his cousin's curly head against himself. Pippin just reached up to Merry's thigh. "Still got a lot more to go little Pip." Merry laughed.

"I'm a whole inch and a quarter more from Afteryule last!" Pippin announced. "and Papa says I'm big now."

"Yes you're a bit bigger." Merry picked Pippin up and swung him round. "But I wager I can still throw you over a haystack."

Pippin was pleased to get Merry's attention at last, but would have preferred him to have admired his new stature a bit more, especially as he had worked on it so hard, eating all his greens, finishing his breakfast every day and even having an afternoon sleep without being told too many times.

"Come along now, Master Pippin." Bopo caught the hobbit child from Merry and lifted him up on his shoulders. "I'd best take you indoors now, your Mam will be a worrit about you."

"No, can't I stay with Merry?" Pippin pleaded. "Please Bopo, please!"

"I'm not coming yet, Pip." Merry told him. "It'll be your bedtime before I'm finished here. I'll see you in the morning I dare say."

****

Pippin was not exactly sulking, he knew better than that, but he was being very quiet and taciturn. Merry still treated him as if he were a baby. Admittedly he let him follow him round indoors, but Merry kept going outside and doing, what he called, 'grown up things with the adults'. Things that he, Pippin, was not allowed to do, such as helping to bring in the Yule log and chopping up the firewood or cutting branches of holly to decorate the big dining hall. Pippin was sure he could have managed to help, even if Merry had had to hold him up.

Pippin was also being subjected to an undue amount of fussing from various aunts at Brandy Hall. He had heard the tales before, but took very little interest in his own beginnings. He was the 'miracle baby', born just when all hope was lost, the heir to the Thainship. His own father had inherited the title from his cousin, Thain Ferumbras III, was a bachelor and likely to remain so and had handed over the Thainship to Paladin on the birth of his son and heir.*

Pippin liked the idea of being Thain one day, but he disliked being the subject of so much wonder at how he had put on weight and grown into such a healthy lad from his aunts. None of their admiration mattered if Merry did not think he was big yet.

"Pearl I don't think Merry likes me," he whispered to his big sister, "he doesn’t want to play with me at all."

"Well Merry's an almost grown lad now and he's been given lots of special jobs to do while everybody gets ready for Yule." Pearl reassured him. "I'm sure he'll find some time for you soon, once all the things are ready."

But Pearl was not so sure, so later that day she spoke to Merry. "You know Meriadoc, Pippin worships the ground on which you walk. You could try and spend a little more time with him."

"Honestly Pearl, I think I'm a bit too old to be playing with Pippin," Merry was enjoying semi-adult status now that he had turned thirteen, "and babysitting is women's work in any case."

"He's not a baby any longer," Pearl pointed out, "and Father was hoping you would spend some time with Peregrin as he is worried that he spends too long with just girls for company."

"I don't really know what to talk to him about any more." Merry thought back to how he had played with Pippin before. "He usually just follows me around and I ignore him mostly, that seemed to work quite well."

"I think you'll find he's quite a bit more grown up now," Pearl smiled at her younger cousin. "Tell him about Thluggul, he likes that and it's only two days to go."

"Oh really Pearl," Merry groaned. "I can't start telling him fairy stories – it's too babyish!"

"Well then tell him how to muck out a stable," Pearl sighed, "only just talk to him, please, Merry – for me."

"I suppose." Merry knew he would have to spend some time with his baby cousin, if not for Pearl, he knew his Uncle Paladin would ask him sooner or later, so he may as well get it over with, but he knew he was really too grown up for Pippin now. 

TBC*See Big Enough To Be Thain

"Who is we waiting for again Merry?" Pippin was wrapped up warmly in his cloak – the pixie hood had mysteriously gone missing – and now he was outside, standing in front of The Hall, his small mittened hand firmly in Meriadoc's.

"We're waiting to greet Uncle Calderoc and Aunt Emerald and I don't know how many cousins." Merry explained once more. "Grandma or Grandpapa should greet them really, but it's too cold out here for older folk and Mamma or Papa are both busy, so I have to wait."

"Why do you have to grate them, Merry?" Pippin did not really mind what he did as long as he got to do it with Merry.

"Greet them Pip! Because it's good manners." Merry was actually quite proud to have been delegated such a task. "The Master or Mistress should welcome relatives and guests to the Hall, but Papa says there's no knowing when they'll be here because they've come from so far, so I'm to wait and call him or Mamma when they arrive." Merry smiled down at his excited little cousin. "It's a very important job Pip."

"Is it?" Pip's face shone, pleased to finally be doing an important job with Merry. "Am I doing it right, Merry?"

"Absolutely!" Merry agreed.

At that moment the carriage rounded the bend and started down the long drive. The two young hobbits waited impatiently to see what their relatives would be like, although being from the most southerly part of the South Farthing, on the Brandywine below Sarn Ford, they would almost certainly be strange and foreign.

Merry stepped forward to open the carriage door as it drew up, but his uncle had already opened it and jumped down and clapped Merry on the back, "Hello, Hello, what have we here?"

"I'm Meriadoc, Uncle Calderoc, welcome to Brandy Hall. Papa will be here directly and he bade me greet you and Aunt Emerald and…and…" Merry frowned as he suddenly realised he could not quite remember the names of all his cousins.

"Never mind, Meriadoc. There're a lot of us to remember." First their mother Emerald descended from the carriage, followed by stream of hobbits, the smaller ones from inside and some bigger boys from on top. "This is Callum, Callibob, Myrtle, Dacrydd, Fern, Danbide, Ruby, Hyacinth, Sapphire, Heather, Lily, and the baby is Snowdrop."

Merry nodded to or shook hands with each of his cousins and then remembered Pippin standing quietly beside him. "Oh and this is Peregrin Took." He pushed Pippin forward a little, "but we call him Pippin."

"Ah Paladin's son!" Uncle Calderoc picked Pippin up and lifted him high in the air. "You're a dainty one no mistake."

"I'm five!" declared Pippin with as much dignity as he could muster whilst being hoisted off the ground, "and I'm one foot, five and a half inches."

"My, my!" His uncle chortled and set him back down on the ground, "practically as big as a mountain troll!" He ruffled Pippin's hair and turned to shake hands with Saradoc, who had now arrived at the front door.

Merry meanwhile had started to talk to the other cousins. "We've got lots of special things with us." Dacrydd was saying. "Papa even managed to get some chocolate from a trader he knows from down South."

"What's chokolit?" Merry asked in awe. "I never even heard of it."

"Oh we have it all the time." Myrtle announced airily, "Papa always gets it for us."

"No he doesn't!" Callibob snorted at his sister. "Take no notice Merry, she's such a madam! We have it about once a year – on Papa's birthday usually."

"Well we do have it more than most." Myrtle retorted. "Cousin Meriadoc has never had it at all!"

"What is it Merry?" Pippin asked tugging at his cousin's coat. "What do they have all the time?"

"I'm not sure Pip," Merry put on his grown-up face again, "Something for good little lads and lasses I expect. You go inside now with the others, I have to go and help with the carriage."

****

"Merry! Merry! Wait for me!" Pippin was running along the corridor as fast as his short legs would take him. "Please Merry!"

"Oh Pippin!" Meriadoc had received another lecture, this time from his father, via Paladin, about spending time with Peregrin, but since his new cousins had arrived he found their company exotic and enticing. He had spent until nightfall the previous day helping in the stables with Callum and Callibob, who were 17 and 16 and each had their own pony and sword. Also they could shoot arrows and sometimes went hunting with their father.

But Merry dutifully stopped and waited for Pippin, while the two older lads carried on, bent on their mission to acquire third breakfast in the form of Yule fare that was doubtless adorning the pantries by now. Merry knew this was a strictly illegal pastime, but there was scarcely a lad in Brandy Hall who did not at some time try to outwit the cooks.

"What is it Pippin?" Merry could not help sounding a bit impatient. He knew that Callum and Callibob would not tolerate a five-year-old's company, especially as they had so many younglings in their own family.

"I found you!" Pippin declared with delight.

"So you did!" Merry smiled in spite of himself. Pippin's enthusiasm for his company was hard to ignore and it was nearly Yule after all.

"What are we going to do?" Pippin asked, his hand creeping into his cousin's, establishing his determination not to be dismissed.

"Well, I don't suppose you'd want to – but I was about to go and steal some mince pies." Merry whispered conspiratorially, expecting to frighten Pippin into scurrying off to find his big sisters.

"And me!" Pippin breathed excitedly. "I know a good way, Merry. We can climb through the lickelest, tiny window in the top pantry."

"Pippin!" Merry was genuinely shocked. "Who told you about that window?"

"Frodo!" Pippin squeaked, happy to have surprised his big cousin. "He telled me when he was as big as ten years, he was the only one could get in there."

"In that case, he was a very naughty little hobbit!" Merry laughed at the thought of Frodo getting caught in the pantry. "Do you want to try it?" Merry had suddenly realised that if he could capture some illicit Yule fare ahead of time, he might increase his standing in the eyes of his older, foreign cousins.

TBC

The plan was without flaw. Merry had lifted Pippin up to the pantry window. It was not even a proper window as such and had no glass or frame, but was a slit in the wall that acted more for ventilation than anything else, except when it provided ingress for undersized hobbit children. The Master should really have boarded it up, except that he remembered his own days of discovery, scrumping and eventual capture and reprisals. It was all just part of being a hobbit.

Pippin in turn had his moment of glory. The two thieves sought out Callum and Callibob and, discovering that their attempted forays into the pantry had been thwarted at every turn, delighted in sharing their ill-gotten gains of six mince pies and a plum duff. Pippin was praised no end for his agility in negotiating the window and his presence of mind in stealing the plum duff as well. Merry had only sent him for mince pies and he had spotted the pudding at the last minute. The four sat in the far stall of the stables to enjoy their illegal feast.

"This is almost as good as chocolate!" declared Callum as he wiped the telltale crumbs from his coat. "But not quite."

"What is chokolit?" Merry asked again. "You keep talking about it."

"It's a special sweet that Papa gets from a trader who comes from the south." Callum stood up to leave and Callibob immediately followed him. "He hasn't got so much this time, so I expect only the little ones will get some – that's how it works – youngest first. You'll get some Pippin and probably you will Merry, then you'll see how good it is."

****

That evening, in the great dining hall, after dinner, Uncle Calderoc announced chocolate! The great brown slab was carefully divided into small squares and hobbit children were lined up in order of age, with the youngest at the front. This of course took a great deal of organisation, as an additional requirement was that participants also had to be able to walk, babes in arms were too small for chocolate.

Pippin was very near the front of the queue and watched anxiously to see if Merry would also be in the line. As soon as his cousin took his place Pippin started to get excited. Pippin was just behind Ilberic and Lily but ahead of Doderic and Heather. Merry on the other hand was almost at the end, behind even Pippin's sisters, except Pearl who had not even lined up, just after Mentha and then Ferdibrand but ahead of Merimas.

Pippin was doled out his piece of chocolate by Aunt Emerald who smiled at his look of wonder. "Eat it up quickly dear, before it melts." Pippin popped the whole square into his mouth at once, it was not very big and it had started to squish a little in his warm fingers. The little hobbit's eyes opened wide at the taste. It was the best thing he had ever tried in his life. Pippin decided right there and then, that when he was grown he would go on an adventure and find out where chokolit grew and bring it back to the Shire so he could have it all the time.

He rushed over to Merry, who was still waiting for his turn. "It's so nice Merry!" Pippin babbled excitedly, "Chokolit is my favouritest thing in the world now!"

The line was growing shorter, but so was the supply of chocolate. Merry looked down the queue at the happy faces. Obviously this was something quite delicious and Merry was keen to try it for the first time. He tried to work out if the squares were going to last until it was his turn – it was certainly going to be a close run thing, but he reckoned it out and saw that he should get some.

Suddenly there was a great howl. "My chokolit!" Pervinca had been holding her piece in her handkerchief to stop it from melting. She had planned to save hers as she wanted to be the last one with any left to eat. However, her plan had gone terribly wrong when one of the Brandy Hall dogs had decided he was being offered a little treat and had helped himself to the hobbit lass's treasured sweet.

Aunt Emerald tutted and fussed over the sobbing child and she was eventually given another piece, this time wrapped securely in a cloth and told to go and put it in her room if she wanted to save it.

This of course upset Merry's calculations completely. Mentha received her piece but as Ferdibrand was given the last square, Meriadoc's face fell and he bit his bottom lip. Tears were close, but he had to be strong. There would be other times he was sure and what you've never had you can't miss.

"I'm sorry Meriadoc, Merimas, that's all there is." Aunt Emerald told the disappointed children. "Next time we'll start with the oldest perhaps."

"It's all right Aunt Emerald." Merry smiled with his mouth in a straight line. "I don't mind."

Pippin was possibly more distressed than his big cousin. He rarely saw Merry get upset, but he could tell that he had really wanted to try chokolit. If only he hadn't gobbled his up as soon as he got it, he would have given it to Merry for certain. If only Pervinca hadn't fed her first piece to the dog and had to have another, Pippin thought angrily, that was really Merry's piece!

Then Pippin had another idea. It was so obvious he wondered why it had taken him so long to think of it. He would get Pervinca's piece and give it to Merry! It was his by rights anyway.

TBC

"Pippin! Where did you get this?" Merry was sitting in a corner of the Great Hall on his own, curled up on a big cushion, pretending to read a book. In fact he had been watching and listening to his older, bigger cousins, but they seemed to be regaling the youngsters with stories of chokolit they had eaten over the years and he did not feel like joining in just now.

"Aunt Emerald found another bit!" the little hobbit lied, "and she asked me to bring it to you. Go on Merry eat it, you'll really like it." Pippin reasoned the sooner he could get his cousin to eat the evidence of his crime, the better.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, eat it quickly, Merry."

"Pippin?"

"It am yours Merry, really!"

Merry looked at Pippin's worried face and, even as he popped the chokolit in his mouth, he knew it was stolen, almost certainly from Pervinca, but he also knew that Pippin would be deeply hurt if he didn't eat it. "Mmmm! That is lovely Pip – just wonderful. Better than mince pies and plum duff, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes – and I've got a plan Merry." Pippin's eyes were lit up now. "When I'm big I'm going on an adventure, and you can come too, and we're going to find where the chokolit grows and get some, lots and lots of it."

"Oh Pip… I think that…"

Whatever Merry thought was cut short by a similar interruption to the last one. Pervinca was wailing at the top of her lungs again and Paladin was marching determinedly across the hall in Peregrin's direction.

"Pippin!" The hobbit quailed at his father's voice, as precious as he was to his family, Pippin received no special treatment when it came to discipline. "Did you steal Pervinca's chocolate?"

Merry took one look at his little cousin's guilty and panic filled face and stood up from the cushion to face his uncle, "No Sir, Uncle Sir, it was me," Merry lied holding out his chocolate stained fingers as evidence of his guilt. "I'm sorry, I just really wanted to try it, I'm really sorry I did it."

"Meriadoc! I'm shocked!" Paladin shook his head in disbelief. He caught hold of his own son's hands and examined his fingers for evidence, but there was none. Pippin had kept the melty chocolate in the cloth before giving it to Merry. "I would not have expected this of you! Stealing sweets from a child – what will your father say?"

"I'll tell you what he will say." Saradoc had heard the whole tale, along with most of the other hobbits in the great hall and was now advancing upon his embarrassed son with a very angry look on his face. "Go to my study young fella m'lad and wait for me!"

****

"…and the worst of it is, the example you set to Pippin. Stealing! And from your little cousin, Meriadoc I can hardly believe my own ears." Saradoc had been talking for about ten minutes now to his silent son. "Have you nothing – nothing at all – to say for yourself?"

"I-I'm sorry sir." Merry could not think of any excuse and therefore was at a loss to explain what had happened. He was certainly not about to tell the truth and get Pippin into trouble.

"Very well," Saradoc sighed. "You leave me no alternative. You're old enough to have known better, so I will have to punish you."

"I know sir," Merry had not doubted for a moment the outcome of this interview. He would have actually preferred to go straight to the beating, the lecture was in many ways more painful. He went to the cupboard where the strap was kept and brought it to his father.

Merry's father waited while his son leaned over the chair. Six of the best would not be enough this time obviously; the crime was heinous enough to warrant a dozen strokes at least. Merry managed not to cry out; although when his father was finished he had trouble standing up. Saradoc pointedly made no move to help him, in a strange way it pleased him to at least see his son take his punishment without complaint.

"Now go and stand in the corner until I give you leave to go," Saradoc was determined to make this discipline impress itself on his son. He wanted, with all his heart, never to have to do this again.

As Merry limped into the corner and put his hands on his head in the required position, a knock came on the study door. Saradoc walked over and opened it. Paladin was there with a sobbing Peregrin held by one arm. "My son has a confession and an apology to make," he announced.

"Oh Pippin – no!" Merry could not stop himself from calling out.

"You be silent Meriadoc Brandybuck." Paladin warned. "You're in quite enough trouble already."

"What did you do Pippin?" Saradoc asked, already guessing the truth.

"I-I did stealed the chokolit!" the little one sobbed. "…t'weren’t Merry t'was me and I did a l-lie to M-Merry and s-sayed it was an extra f-founded piece and then I didn't say it was me and I l-letted Merry get in tr-trouble and I'm sorry Merry."

Saradoc looked at his brother-in-law and shook his head in despair. "What'll we do with them? Turn them over to Thluggul perhaps?" This was the ultimate threat to Shire children. Not only would Thluggul give bad children a piece of charcoal, really wicked children would be taken away by the dragon to his snowy mountain and never be seen again.

"I've already spanked this one." Paladin gave Pippin a little shake. "…and he's promised not to lie or steal ever again. Haven't you, Peregrin?"

"Yes Papa." Pippin whispered. "I'se sorry, Papa. Don't give us to Thluggul, please!"

"All right," Saradoc sighed. "Meriadoc, come here, son." Merry limped back over to his father and uncle. "It was noble of you to try and protect Pippin, but you're supposed to be setting him a good example, not teaching him to lie."

"I know, sir," Merry sniffed a little now. "I'm sorry, it all happened so quickly and he looked so frightened."

"Well that's not a bad reaction then." Saradoc conceded, "you were doing your best to protect him, albeit from his own crimes and his own father. Now where do you suppose little Pippin got the idea of stealing in the first place?"

"Oh that's easy!" Pippin brightened up a little as their fathers' tones grew lighter. "Merry and me practiced on the mince pies in the pantry."

"Pippin!" Merry squawked in horror.

"Oh really?" Saradoc narrowed his eyes at his son, "been in the pantry, have we?"

"Yes sir." Merry confessed, "but it was only a couple of…"

"Stop there before you get yourselves into more trouble." Saradoc held up his hand. "Merry I would not expect you to be perfect in every way and I know lads will be lads. Why, Paladin and I have been known to do the odd bit of scrumping in our youth. What I'm trying to tell you is that both you and Pippin have a lot of heavy responsibility ahead of you. One day you will be the Master of Buckland and he will be The Thain."

Paladin took over, "those are not just empty names, Meriadoc, they are both important positions and other hobbits will look to both of you for leadership and guidance, you have to be ready. And you as the oldest should be setting Peregrin a good example, do you understand that is why it is important for you to look to my son and guide him in the best possible way."

"Yes Uncle Paladin," Merry nodded, his head still hung in shame, "I'll never let you down again and I vow I'll always look after Pippin no matter what."

"That's a big promise to make Merry," Saradoc put his arm on his son's shoulder and lifted his chin up with his other hand. "Don't say it unless you mean it."

"I mean it, sir," Merry looked his father in the eye. "I'll take care of Pippin always, come what may."

Pippin had stopped sobbing and was looking up at his big cousin with a beaming smile.

"All right," Paladin guided Pippin over to his cousin with a hand on his sore rump. "you can start now. For the rest of Yule, you take care of Pippin and keep him out of trouble."

"Off you both go." Saradoc smiled at the pair and ruffled his nephew's hair.

****

"Merry?" Pippin had decided to move into his cousin's bedroom, it was infinitely preferable to sleeping in with his sisters and Pervinca was not his favourite person at the moment anyway. "I s'pose Thluggul's leaving just now, is he?"

"Yes, I imagine he is Pip." Merry smiled at the memory of waiting for Thluggul. "Are you going to hang your pillowcase up?"

"No – it won't do any good will it?" Pippin sighed as he ran his fingers over the beautiful red and gold stitching. "I've been so bad, all I'll get is a bit of charcoal. Either that or he'll take me away altogether and put me in the snowy mountain."

"You hang it up Pip," Merry tickled his little cousin under the chin, making him giggle in spite of his melancholy over the dragon. "You know, even though you did a bad thing, you also did a good thing."

"I did?"

"Yes, you owned up and told your Papa, even though you were scared and you got a spanking, so that makes you good again you see."

"Does it?" Pippin perked up immediately. "Do you really think Merry?"

"Oh yes," Merry assured him. "You hang it up and then we'll have a look out of the window and see if we can see Thluggul coming."

Pippin balanced his pillowcase neatly over the end of Merry's bed and then they both scrambled to the window, Merry lifting Pippin up onto a chair so he could see out. "Oh Merry! Look! Thluggul's making the snow fly off the mountains."

Sure enough, a white blanket of snow was falling across the lawns of Brandy Hall, turning it into a perfect Yuletide scene. "There you see, Pip, I told you Thluggul would forgive you. This snow is just for you, because you've been such a precious little hobbit and Thluggul loves you very much."

"Does he Merry?" Pippin frowned. "Are you sure?" Then in the next breath, "Merry! I forgot to put out the wassail for Thluggul – oh Merry what'll I do? He won't love me if I don't put the wassail out."

Merry smiled knowingly. "Don't worry my Pip, I put it out for you. Thluggul will get his wassail."

"Why is he called Thluggul, Merry," Pippin frowned at the strange name. "Did his Papa call him that?"

"No, Frodo explained it to me." Merry furrowed his brow as he pieced the memory together. "It's Sindarin, Elvish that is. Lhûg  means 'dragon' or i thlûg and gûl means 'magic' or i ngûl means 'the magic' and hobbits just muddled those words up to make Thluggul."

"Oh Merry," Pippin's eyes were wide as he listened without any understanding to the explanation. "You and Frodo are everso clever. So will Thluggul bring me presents do you think?"

"Of course, Pippin." Merry kissed the curly mop. "But you have to promise to be good from now on."

"I will Merry," Pippin nodded solemnly, "I promsis."

"No more stealing."

"No."

"Unless I say so."

"Yes Merry."

"No more fibbing."

"All right Merry."

"Unless I say you can."

"What if I don't have no time to ask you?"

"Well you can ask me later."

"Merry?"

"Yes?"

"Does your bottom still hurt?"

"Yes."

"So does mine!"

A partnership in villainy had been cemented.

The End