Disclaimer: I don’t own them, and I’ll put them back when I’m done.

Author’s Note: Thank you all for your lovely reviews, I’m highly enjoying the. I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter Seven: The Monster

Whatever Merry had expected to see in the library, it was not a sodden, dripping Evenstar. The lady of Rivendell stood glowering in the general direction of the gardens. The hobbits skidded to a halt, staring at her in horror.

Arwen turned to them with an upraised eyebrow, her face rather deadly. “Were you the ones who set a bucket of water over the door?” she asked, her voice chilly.

They shook their heads mutely. Arwen sighed, perceiving that they spoke the truth.

“Then it was either Estel or Legolas,” she muttered, clenching and unclenching her fists. “Or my brothers. All right. I’ll see you lads at the evening meal.”

Utterly bemused, the hobbits watched as the lady stormed gracefully out of the library, nodding at the other people who had come rushing on hearing her scream. Pippin turned to Merry with a frazzled look on his face.

“I need a drink,” he said.

Merry agreed wholeheartedly. Today was strange.

*****

Boromir sat with the hobbits that night. Merry and Pippin watched him nervously, picking at their food. The man was polite and lordly, but he was also friendly with Aragorn, and that was cause for worry. Their suspicions were confirmed when he asked casually, “By the way, may I ask why you and Aragorn are fighting?”

Merry twisted his fork apprehensively. “Well, er, it’s not like we’re actually fighting. Not technically, anyway. Why do you need to know?”

“I’m curious,” Boromir replied easily. And I promised I’d let Aragorn know, he thought.

Frodo smiled sweetly over at them. “Yes, lads, I’m curious about this, too. Why are you fighting with Aragorn?”

They were caught and they knew it. As Merry hesitated, Pippin blurted out, “He dragged us through the Midgewater Marshes when he could have taken us on a secret ranger path!”

Frodo’s eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. Sam choked on his wine, and Boromir looked confused.

“Midgewater Marshes?” he said.

“There was a secret Ranger path?!” Frodo repeated dangerously.

Boromir looked from hobbit to hobbit. “Were these marshes bad?”

“Bad!” Frodo burst out. “They were intolerable! There were all sorts of insects that ate at us, and these wretched creaking things! Lads, you have my full permission to make Aragorn sorry for that.”

Merry grinned broadly, feeling his anxiety melt away. If Frodo didn’t mind, they would be able to do all sorts of things. Pippin looked equally as happy.

Boromir shrugged to himself and went back to eating his trifle. Now he had something to tell Aragorn.

*****

Later in the evening, as they sat in the Hall of Fire, Merry contemplated their next possible prank. He and Pippin really couldn’t react until Aragorn had done something, but there was no problem with being prepared.

As he thought about it, Pippin sitting silently beside him, Merry heard the sound of voices talking urgently nearby. The words were in Westron, and he could make them out quite clearly.

“It was seen last near the waterfall. Lindir thinks it is hungry,” one voice said.

“Best warn our folk not to wander too far from the paths,” another replied. “We can’t have anyone being eaten. What has Galdor said?”

The first voice answered, sounding grim. “That this monster won’t be sated by a few sheep this time. We must kill it!”

“I agree,” the other voice said. “Let us go alert the guards to keep a sharp eye out.”

The voices faded away, and Merry looked after them. He could see two tall Elves well wrapped in cloaks walking out of the hall. His heart pounding, Merry glanced at Pippin to see if he had heard. The tween’s face was white.

“There’s a monster here?” Pippin squeaked. “Merry, I’m afraid! What if it eats Frodo?”

Merry squeezed his cousin’s arm, shaking his head. “Frodo’s too cantankerous for a monster to eat, Pippin. If they Elves have it under control, than everything will be all right.”

Still, they spent the rest of the evening very tensely, and resolved to leave their candles burning when they retired to their room. Their original room was clean now, the bubbles fully gone, and the lads thankfully retired to their familiar beds. The candles in their holders burned quite low, and the hobbits dropped off to sleep.

Pippin woke up because something was making a scratching sound on the balcony. He sat up and peered through the darkness; the candles had burnt out and the room was pitch black. Frowning, Pippin leaned closer to the sound.

Scratch, scratch, whoosh. Something dark and heavy was out there, in the trees. A light breeze was blowing, making the branches snap and flutter. Pippin climbed out of his bed and crept over to Merry.

“Merry,” he whispered. “There’s something outside.”

Merry opened his eyes blearily, glaring at Pippin. “It’s the middle of the night, Pip. You were dreaming.”

“No, I wasn’t!” Pippin insisted. “See, there it is again!”

Scratch, creak, thump. Merry sat up and whirled towards the balcony. A huge, dark shape, like an animal, was standing there. It had red eyes and was making an awful panting noise. The monster!

Merry climbed backwards out of his bed, pushing Pippin behind him towards the door. The monster advanced after them, breathing heavily and making little slobbering noises. The hobbits backed all the way to the door, almost too frightened to breathe. The monster gathered itself to jump at them, and Pippin grabbed the knob and swung the door open. The two hobbits fled from the room, screaming at the top of their lungs. Merry had the foresight to slam the door hard behind them as they ran for Frodo’s room.

*****

Gandalf stormed towards the hobbits room, staff raised. He had been talking late with Frodo and Bilbo when the lads burst in, sobbing and claiming that there was a monster in their room. Although he had a good idea of what the monster actually was, Gandalf had promised them that he would go take care of it.

He swung their door open and let his staff illuminate the room. There was nothing there but the tangled sheets on the beds, and a slight tracking of leaves and mud across the floor from the balcony. Gandalf walked over to the balcony and peered around. From there, he could see Aragorn’s room. It was still lit, and laughter drifted towards Gandalf on the night wind. The wizard rolled his eyes and sighed.

*****

“I can’t believe that worked so well,” Elladan said gleefully. “We haven’t played that trick since Arwen was an elfling.”

Aragorn grinned, surveying the “monster”. It had been nothing more than bent wire covered with a cloak and several animal skins. The eyes had been two tiny candles in small red globes. Amateurish, yes, but it had worked. He and Elrohir had carried it, with Elladan and Legolas making the various noises. They had retired quietly and quickly to his room when the hobbits’ door had slammed.

“I wonder how long it will take for Merry and Pippin to realize it was us,” he said.

Elrohir grinned. “They seem like sensible lads, if a little inclined to believe anything we tell them. They’ll probably be furious by morning.”

Aragorn snickered. “Did you see their faces? I’ll remember those expressions whenever I need amusement.”

Their laughter rang out for a long time as the four friends howled like children. At last, Elladan wiped his eyes.

“We have to be careful of Arwen, though,” he said. “She’s likely to commiserate with the hobbits, especially after that bucket of water I put up in the library emptied on her and not them.”

Aragorn chuckled, although he was slightly worried. Arwen may have been the fairest of all women, but she was a force to be reckoned with when perturbed. It looked like the next few days would not be at all dull.

TBC