This is not strictly a Yule ficiton but I decided that it belongs here with my other winter fictions. So here is this year's offering of the season.

Happy Holidays for 2007

GW 12/02/2007

Divide and Conquer

“It’s so very gloomy with all of the leaves gone from the trees. It’s so quiet,” Frodo said looking out at the falling snow.

Merry smiled. “Snow doesn’t make much noise, Frodo.”

“I know that,” Frodo sighed. “It’s quiet everywhere.” Frodo shivered slightly and leaned against the tree. “I miss the sunshine and the warm nights.”

“It’s getting late and it’s winter,” Merry laughed gently. “All proper hobbits and sensible creatures have found shelter for the night. In fact, I was about to suggest that you and I go back inside and I’ll make a pot of tea. We can sit by the fire and have a pipe.”

“You can’t even see the stars tonight,” Frodo sighed as if Merry had not spoken at all. Frodo pointed out toward the falling snow and said, “Too many clouds for the stars.”

“You are in a very strange mood, Cousin,” Merry said gently. “What is troubling you?”

“Nothing really,” Frodo said. “I just find it a bit sad when the winter comes. My lovely garden is gone for the season and the air is too damp and chilly for a proper walk in the woods. No flowers or brightly colored leaves. No leaves of any sort. You and I have only been out here for an hour and both of us are damp and cold. I miss late evenings looking at the stars.”

Suddenly snow began to rain down upon both hobbits from overhead. Huge chunks of it dropped out of the tree and coated them both and then something large came tumbling out of the tree and fell at their feet. Merry and Frodo leaned forward and looked down. Two bright green eyes looked back at them and Pippin said, “Did I surprise you?” He was lying on his back in the snow looking as if he had been frosted from head to toe.

Merry laughed. “Pippin, are you mad? You’ve fallen out of the tree! You could have been injured.” Merry said this as though it were the most amusing thing ever.

Pippin grinned up at him and said, “How do you know I haven’t been?”

“What?”

“Injured,” Pippin said. “Help me up.” He reached one snow-covered arm up toward Merry.

“Why should I?” Merry asked. “You got yourself down. Shouldn’t you be able to get yourself up again?”

Pippin sighed. “I suppose but it might be easier if you helped.” He continued to wave his arm at Merry and then he lifted his other arm and stretched it out toward Frodo. “You could help too, you know.”

Frodo, who had been dusting the snow from his shoulders and the top of his head, frowned at Pippin. “You are supposed to be inside asleep.”

“I know but it’s snowing,” Pippin said.

“Where are your gloves?” Frodo asked.

“I lost them,” Pippin said waving his cold, red, fingers at Frodo.

“He always loses them,” Merry smiled. “He does it on purpose.” Merry and Frodo both leaned forward and each of them grabbed one of Pippin’s cold hands and pulled him to his feet. “It’s only the beginning of winter and I’m willing to bet that Pippin has lost at least three pairs of gloves already.”

“You’d lose,” Pippin said grinning. “I’ve lost four.” He said this proudly.

"Well, I'll just have to get you another pair of them for Yule then," Merry grinned. It was a bit of a joke between them. Merry always got Pippin a pair of gloves for Yule along with whatever else he gave him.

Frodo did not look amused or impressed. “You are supposed to be in doors asleep. You are not supposed to be falling out of the trees in my garden. This is not a proper hour for a fourteen-year-old lad to be up and about.”

“The snow will be gone tomorrow,” Pippin objected. “It never lasts very long. If I go in and sleep now then I won’t see the snow. I can sleep tomorrow when all it is out here is cold and the snow is gone. We don’t have much snow.”

“Why do I have the feeling that no matter what I say at this point I won’t win?” Frodo asked trying not to smile.

“I could pick him up and carry him into the smial and sit on him until morning,” Merry offered.

Pippin stepped back a bit from Merry and said, “You’d have to catch me first.”

“Is that a challenge?” Merry asked looking ready and willing.

“Lads,” Frodo said trying to avoid more foolishness. “It is too cold to be running about in the garden. The snow is falling thicker now.”

“No it isn’t,” Pippin laughed. “You just look like it because I dropped snow on top of you from that tree!” He reached down and picked up a handful of the snow as he spoke. “It’s not falling any faster at all. I wish it would but it’s not.”

“I wish it were a clear night and that the stars were out,” Frodo sighed. “I wish you were in bed asleep, Peregrin Took.”

“There are stars!” Pippin objected. “They’re all over the place!” He spun in a circle with both arms out as he said this.

“I don’t see any stars,” Merry frowned looking up at the sky.

“Not those kind,” Pippin said. “Snow stars! All of the flakes look like little stars falling down. When the light from inside of your windows hits them they twinkle just like stars.” Pippin leaned his head back and stuck out his tongue to catch several snowflakes.

Frodo and Merry looked at the falling snow and Frodo smiled. “They do look like stars,” he murmured. Before he could say more on the subject something cold hit him in the jaw and he turned to see Pippin laughing. “Peregrin Took!”

“Snowball attack!” Pippin shouted and threw another, this time hitting Merry in the chest.

“You are going to die!” Merry announced scooping up a handful of snow and pelting Pippin in the face with it.

Pippin clutched at his forehead and moaned. “I’ve been hit!” He fell flat on his back in the snow and Merry unleashed a barrage of snowballs on top of his still form until all that could be clearly seen was Pippin’s sharp nose and red fingers and his feet. Everything else was a blanket of white.

Frodo sighed still fighting a smile and walked over to help Pippin up. “Get up out of that snow, Peregrin Took. He held out his gloved hand and Pippin reached up and grabbed hold. It was then that Merry placed his foot on Frodo’s backside and neatly pushed him over on top of Pippin.

“I win,” Merry said brushing his hands together and making a cloud of snow.

“I’m crushed!” Pippin shouted. “Frodo, what have you been eating?”

Frodo ignored Pippin and quickly got to his feet with a snowball in each hand. “You do not win,” he said and he landed a perfect hit right in the middle of Merry’s face.

“On the nose!” Pippin shouted sitting up. “And a very big target that is!” He began to throw snowballs of his own.

Merry hid behind the trunk of the tree and quickly began to gather an impressive pile of snowballs while Frodo was trying to find a good vantage point from which to take aim at Merry. Pippin, being far more reckless, jumped to his feet with a snowball in each hand and charged around the tree screaming, “Snowball attack!”

Frodo stood and watched as snow puffed out from behind the tree and a great deal of shouting and wrestling ensued.

“Get off!’

“You shouldn’t warn folks that you’re coming!”

“That’s not fair!”

“Get you’re elbow out of my ribs!”

“You’re cheating!”

“That hurt, you little twit!”

“Don’t whine!”

“Now you’ve had it!”

Frodo chuckled as he listened but little did he know that a plot was in the making. As he stood listening to the battle, Merry crept out from behind the tree and came up behind him, smashing a snowball in Frodo’s face.

“It worked!” Pippin shouted bouncing on his toes as he danced out from behind the tree. “We got him! It worked! I was loud enough for a whole battle and you sneaked up on him! Good work, Merry!”

Frodo pushed Merry into the snow and began to aim snowballs at the dancing figure of Pippin Took. Laughing, Merry sat up and began to help Frodo.

“No fair! Merry, you can’t switch sides!” Pippin shouted falling face first into the snow and putting his arms over his head. “I’m out numbered and I’m the youngest!”

“That’s exactly why you are supposed to be in bed,” Frodo said throwing another snowball.

“And you did start this war,” Merry said throwing a snowball of his own and hitting Pippin’s arms which were still protecting his head.

“I fell out of a tree!” Pippin objected. “I could have been hurt!”

“Not you,” Merry laughed. “You’ve fallen out of enough trees in your short life. You know how to land. In fact, I think you jumped!” He was standing over Pippin now and had thrown his last snowball onto Pippin’s back.

“I think perhaps you should have stayed in bed where it was safe,” Frodo laughed.

Just then Pippin kicked out one leg and managed to catch Merry completely by surprise. Pippin’s leg connected with the side of Merry’s shin and down he went onto his bum in the snow. Pippin sat up, scooped up some snow and hit Merry with it full in the face. “Now who should be in bed?” Pippin demanded.

“You are not getting anything at all for Yule this year! You’ve been too wicked,” Merry said and he grabbed Pippin’s ankle and pulled him back down. “I’ll teach you some respect for your older, better looking cousin.” Much wrestling ensued with both cousins yelling insults and threats that would be impossible to carry out while Frodo watched the tiny snowflakes fall down from the sky twinkling like tiny stars. Without knowing exactly why, Frodo was filled with a new fascination for the snowflakes. He was cold and he was damp but the garden was rather pretty. Perhaps Pippin had been right. He hadn’t been looking at the snowflakes properly. He’d been too busy missing the sunshine and the long summer days and the crunch of dry leaves underneath his feet in the autumn and he’d forgot to enjoy the winter.

“It’s cold,” Pippin was saying between chattering teeth and Frodo realized that both of his cousins were now standing next to him covered in snow and shaking. Pippin had his hands underneath his arms and melting snow was dripping from his damp curls.

“That h-hot tea I suggested earlier sounds g-g-good now,” Merry said pulling off his damp gloves and stuffing them into his pockets. His cheeks were bright red and he was blowing on his hands.

Frodo wrapped an arm about either cousin pulling them in close for warmth and began walking toward Bag End. “I win,” he said softly.

“You?” Merry objected. “Y-You quit!”

“Exactly, Meriadoc,” Frodo said. “I allowed the two of you to wear each other out and now, if I wanted to, I could take you both.”

“Not fair,” Pippin said huddling closer to Frodo in an effort to keep warm.

“Ah, but it is fair,” Frodo said. “You’re both just annoyed because neither of you thought of it. It’s an excellent battle plan. You set your enemies against one another and that makes less work for you.”

“Divide and conquer,” Merry said thoughtfully.

“Cheating,” Pippin said stubbornly as Frodo opened the front door of Bag End.

Frodo stood in front of the doorway blocking it and said, “If I have cheated then you don’t have to come in and have hot tea and warm crumpets and sit by the fire. You can remain out here in the lovely snow on principle.”

“I have no principles,” Merry said pushing past Frodo and hurrying into the smial.

Shivering, Pippin looked at Frodo for a moment and then he said, “I have principles but I’ll trade them for tea and crumpets and maybe a hot bath?”

Frodo stepped aside and waved Pippin in. “I’ll accept your offer of a trade. Now get your frozen backside in here before you catch your death.”

Pippin hurried into the smial following the path of wet footprints that Merry had left and mixing his own with them as he went.

Later that evening when both Merry and Pippin were sound asleep Frodo slipped back out into the frozen garden and enjoyed the snowflakes and the quiet. Winter did have its own charm if you looked at it properly.

The End

GW12/02/2007