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Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!  by Grey Wonderer

In this one, Merry is 17 and Pippin is 8 and Fredegar is 19.

                           There are Friends, and then there's Merry 

Pippin tripped again, catching himself with his out-stretched hands.  He heard laughter and felt himself blush as he straightened back up onto his feet, resigned to an afternoon of ridicule and bruises.  His knees were already sore and his palms were fast catching up to them. 

The laughter had faded and several of his tormentors were now calling him by name and coming dangerously close to him but not close enough.  He swung blindly about reaching for them with his hands and catching only air.  Reluctant to try again, but knowing that he must, Pippin took several steps forward with his hands in front of him and hoped that he wasn’t near any trees.  All he needed now was to stub a toe on a tree root.  How he hated this game!

The blindfold was hot in the afternoon sun and was tied a bit too tightly for comfort.  It seemed to him that he had been the blind-hobbit for a very long time now.  His cousins had all been quick to catch someone when they had been in his position and he was feeling more frustrated by the minute.  He could hear feet running on the soft grass and feel the rush of wind as others ran past him and out of reach.  The laughter continued mingled with shouts of his name and general taunts about how terrible he was at this game.  He wanted to quit but he didn’t want to take the teasing he would receive if he did that.  He was the youngest one playing and he would not give up and let them call him a baby or a quitter.

He took a few more steps forward and lunged at someone passing by close enough to make his hair move and missed, falling down again.  He crawled forward waving an arm in front of him in the hopes of striking someone while peals of laughter assaulted his ears.  Sighing deeply, he stood again and moved forward hoping that someone would take pity on him and allow him to catch them.  He stumbled along slowly waving his arms in all directions and meeting no resistance.  Soon his  tormentors were silent and he had no clues as to their location to guide him in his search.  He hated being in the dark like this.  He could feel the sun on his over-heated face, but he could see nothing through the tightly wrapped blindfold.

He had stood still and allowed one of his older cousins to tie it about his eyes.  “Now, don’t cheat.  There is no peeking,” his cousin had reminded him sternly.  Pippin had promised to play fairly and he had kept his word even though he suspected that some of the others had peeked.  Some of them just had to be cheating in some way because they never fell and they always caught someone quickly.  Pippin waved his arms about and spun himself in a circle which almost cost him his balance again.

_____________________________________________

From the road as they walked back from fishing, Merry and Fredegar could see a curious sight just ahead of them.  “What do you suppose he’s doing, Merry?” Fredegar asked, pointing toward Pippin.

“I don’t know,” Merry admitted, squinting against the sunlight in an effort to have a better look at his little cousin.  “I think he’s wearing a blindfold of some sort.”  He watched Pippin stagger about with his hands held out in front of himself.

“Why would he do that?” Fredegar asked, curiously.  He didn’t always understand Pippin Took and he relied on Merry to clear things up.  Merry always seemed to know what was going on, but this time, it seemed that Merry was as confused by Pippin’s actions as he was.  “Why would anyone don a blindfold and wander about a deserted meadow in this heat?”

Merry groaned as understanding dawned.  “No one would, Freddy,” he sighed, quickening his pace and cutting across the meadow toward Pippin.

Fredegar followed his younger cousin at a slower pace.  Merry would explain at some point now that he knew what was what.  There was no reason to hurry in this heat.  The little hobbit didn’t seem to be in any sort of trouble.  He let Merry run ahead of him.

Pippin felt hands on his shoulders and swung about smacking someone a bit too hard in the face in his exuberance.  “I got you!  You’re it!”

“Ouch!” Merry said, rubbing the side of his face.  “Easy, Pip Squeak.  That hurts.”

Pippin fumbled with the blindfold and found that he was unable to move it upward and off of his eyes.  He sighed and reached for the knot at the back clumsily.  “Merry, is that you?” he said as he tried to untie the hated blindfold with no success.

“It’s me,” Merry said.  “Hold still and let me get that thing off of you.”  He turned the little hobbit around and knelt in the grass to remove the blindfold.  “Someone has really tied this in place far too well,” Merry complained as he slowly worked to untie the knot beneath his nimble fingers.

“Toby tied it on,” Pippin said.  “I didn’t know that you were playing, Merry.  I didn’t see you before but I was blindfolded and so I don't guess that I would see you, would I?”

Merry sighed and slid the blindfold from Pippin’s face revealing two relieved-looking green eyes that squinted back at him in the bright sunlight.  He used the blindfold to wipe away some of the sweat on his little cousin’s face and smiled at him.  “Is that better?”

Pippin smiled back and nodded.  “It’s very hot, Merry.  I hope you don’t have to be the blind hobbit for very long,” Pippin said, sympathetically and then looked up to see Fredegar approaching them.  “There’s Freddy.  Do you suppose that he is going to play too?”

Merry hated to do it, but someone had to tell the poor child the truth of his situation.  “Pip, I think you’ve been tricked,” Merry began, gently.  “There isn’t anyone else here but you.  I think they went off and left you.”

Pippin looked all around them, lower lip trembling slightly.  “They were here,” he said, softly.

“I’m sure they were,” Merry said, trying not to let his anger get the better of him and keeping his voice calm.  “I suspect that they are playing a joke on you, Pip.”

Pippin swallowed and nodded.  He flushed in embarrassment and looked at his feet.  “I guess I looked pretty silly when you came by,” he mumbled as tears started to form at the corners of his eyes.  “I guess it was a funny joke, wasn’t it?” he tried, feeling foolish and small.

“I don’t think it was very funny at all,” Merry said as Fredegar joined them.

“So, is everything alright?” Fredegar asked, seeing the tears on Pippin’s face.

Pippin nodded.  “I’m fine, Freddy.  How are you?”

“A bit hot, Pippin,” Freddy admitted.  He gave a questioning look at Merry, but received no answer.

“You missed a really good joke, Freddy,” Pippin said, a bit too brightly as the tears slowly leaked from his eyes and onto his cheeks.  “I got left here thinking that everyone was playing blind-hobbit with me, only they were gone.  Isn’t that funny?”  He sniffled and ran his sleeve across his face.

“I don’t think that I would call it funny if it had been me that they’d left out here in this heat,” Freddy frowned.

“It wasn’t that funny really,” Pippin sniffled and then gave up trying to be brave and wrapped his arms around Merry.  He buried his face in Merry’s shoulder and cried while Merry patted his back.  “It wasn’t a bit funny,” Pippin whimpered.

“No, it wasn’t,” Merry agreed, picking the child up in his arms.  “I don’t think you should play with them for a while, Pip.”

“Then what’ll I do?” Pippin asked, sadly.  “I don’t want to play by myself and it took me ever so long just to get them to let me play with them to begin with, Merry.  They said I was too little to play and that I’d cheat or cry if I lost, but I didn’t cheat and I didn’t cry until I found out that they had played this unfunny joke on me.  You won’t tell them I cried will you, Merry?”

“No, Pip.  I won’t tell,” Merry said.  “And neither will Freddy.”

“Of course not,” Freddy said, patting the child on the head and smiling at him.  “It will be our secret.”

Pippin looked over Merry’s shoulder at Fredegar and smiled back.   “I can just pretend that I thought it was funny and then they will let me play with them tomorrow too,” Pippin said, brightly.

“Why do you want anything to do with them, Pip?” Merry asked.

“They were only teasing me, Merry,” Pippin said.  “They didn’t mean to make me cry or anything.  It was supposed to be a joke.  They're my friends.”

Merry sighed, knowing that Pippin was completely wrong.  He was very tempted to tell the child the truth but thought better of it.  Pippin had been hurt enough today.  “I guess you’re right, Pip,” Merry said with a great deal of effort.  “I don’t suppose that you’d rather do something with me tomorrow instead of playing with your friends, would you?”

Pippin’s eyes brightened and he gave Merry a genuine smile that lit up his entire face, dried tears and all.  “Really, Merry?  You want me to do something with you tomorrow?  I thought you were busy doing things with the older lads, like Fredegar.”

Fredegar spoke before Merry could answer.  “Merry and I could use some company tomorrow, Pippin.  Things are just more entertaining when you have more friends along.”

“So, what do you think, Pip?” Merry asked, with a smile over at Fredegar.  “Do you think you might be able to leave your other friends on their own tomorrow and spend some time with Freddy and me?”

“Oh yes, Merry,” Pippin said, giving his cousin a hug and then pulling back and smiling at him.  “What shall we do?  I'll do whatever you and Fredegar want to.”  He suddenly frowned.  “You aren’t going to play blind-hobbit are you?”

Merry grinned at him.  “No, that game is for little hobbits, Pip.  We’re too old for it.  I’m afraid that you might have to settle for a day of boating and fishing if you come with us.”

“Can I row the boat if I’m good?” Pippin asked, excited and already forgetting his dreadful afternoon in anticipation of a day of fishing with Merry.

“I suspose so, but only for a bit and only if you follow my instructions,” Merry said, returning Pippin’s smile.

“Do you think I’ll catch anything?  Did you catch anything today?” Pippin asked.

“We caught a few today, but I'm sure there are plenty more of them left for us to catch tomorrow,” Merry said, setting Pippin down and pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket.  He turned Pippin to face him and cleaned the tear-streaks from his cousin’s face.  “Now, when we get to the Hall, just pretend that you figured out what they were doing right away and that you played along for a bit and then took off the blindfold by yourself, understand?”

Pippin nodded.  “Is this a joke too, Merry?”

“No, this is self-defense, Pippin,” Merry said.  “You can’t let them know that they completely fooled you or they might try it again.  You have to act as if you knew and that you didn’t mind.  Do you understand?”

“Not really,” Pippin admitted.  “But if you say so, then I’m sure it’s right, Merry.”

“Just try to remember that you can’t trust everyone the way you trust me, Pippin,” Merry said, trying to get his point across.  “Some hobbits aren’t the sort that you should trust completely.  You have to be careful and try to look out for yourself.”

Pippin nodded and then smiled.  “But if I mess up, then you’ll look after me, won’t you, Merry?”

“I will, Pip,” Merry said, smiling back.  “Now, lets get poor Fredegar out of this heat and go inside and find ourselves a snack.  We have a fishing trip to plan.”  He reached down and took Pippin’s hand and the three of them headed toward the Hall together. 

The End

G.W.     02/16/2005

________________________________________________

Ages ago, I wrote a story called "Downpour" in which  a thirty-year-old Pippin is entertaining some young children by playing blind hobbit's bluff with them even though he doesn't enjoy the game.  This incident may be why he isn't too fond of it.  - thanks for reading!                           





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