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Four of a Kind  by Grey Wonderer

“Leaving Home”

Merry age eight

“Will you look there? If that lad’s not a caution. I don’t know how the Master and his Missus will keep him in line,” Lavender Grubb sighed as she pointed toward the lad in question.

“Stars!” Eglantine said looking over toward her nephew who was riding a pony that was much too big for him.

The lad was leaning forward across the broad back of what must have been one of the Brandybuck’s plow ponies and holding onto the animal’s mane with his fists. The animal, obviously a gentle beast, was plodding along at an even, slow pace placing one large hoof in front of the other carefully as if it might know that it carried precious cargo. The pony wore no saddle.

“Surely the Master doesn’t know that his lad is out riding on that large pony,” Lavender said. “No one in their right mind would allow a lad of that age to ride all on his own.”

“Of course not,” Eglantine said. “Why Merry isn’t even allowed to come into town alone and yet here he is.” She sighed and ran a hand across her swollen stomach and felt a tiny foot kick hard against her palm. The baby was anxious to be born she suspected. She was still far from her time to deliver but some days she felt as big as a barn and ready to have this over and done with. Still looking at what young Merry was doing just now made her think that perhaps her new little one was safer and less trouble where she was.

This would probably be her last trip away from home before the birth. She and her husband and three daughters had come to Buckland to visit for a few weeks before the weather turned and the ride here had been pleasant enough but she knew she was getting too far along for any more trips. The return ride home might actually be a bit uncomfortable for her.

“I suspect that someone should fetch the Master,” Lavender sighed. “I honestly thought that when young Frodo left to stay with that strange Baggins relation of his that things might calm down a bit but it looks as if little Merry means to follow in his cousin’s footsteps.”

“I’ll see to it,” Eglantine said with a boldness that she didn’t really feel. She was the mother of three lasses after all and little lads were something of a mystery to her. Merry had visited the farm in Whitwell and she adored him but she was not at all used to dealing with the problems of lads. She raised her skirt slightly to hold it above the mud and stepped toward the approaching pony and its rider.

She had just reached the pony when Merry pulled tight on the mane and the large animal stopped. He peered down at her with his serious grey eyes and said, “They know where I am. It’s fine really. I do this all of the time.”

“You do?” Eglantine asked looking startled at how easily the lad had lied to her.

Merry nodded. “I’ve been riding since I was two.”

“Only two years old? Before you could walk?” Eglantine frowned.

“Well, I might have been three,” Merry reconsidered. “And I’m eight now so I’m very good at riding now. You don’t have to worry and you don’t have to tell anyone or try to stop me or anything.”

“I might be able to tell someone but I seriously doubt that I could stop you,” Eglantine said patting her stomach. “I have a small baby to think of and I can’t be wrestling young lads off of ponies just now.”

“Oh,” Merry said thoughtfully. He stared at her stomach for a minute and said, “Does it hurt having a baby inside you?”

“Not really,” Eglantine smiled. She didn’t know exactly what Merry knew about babies or the process of delivery but she wasn’t about to appoint herself his tutor in this area.

“When will it come?” Merry asked leaning forward over the side of the patient pony.

“Well, I am to expect it sometime within the next four months,” Eglantine said.

“Why doesn’t it come now? It looks big enough,” Merry observed still staring at her stomach.

She supposed that she did look large enough to give birth already. She certainly felt large enough. This was probably going to be a very big baby. Pervinca had been a large baby and had looked as if she were six months old when she was born. Eglantine had nearly died giving birth to Pervinca and so she tried not to think about how large this baby was growing. She cleared her throat and turned her attention to her nephew. “It may be large enough to come now but with babies it takes time for them to be ready for the world. This little lass isn’t ready just yet,” Eglantine smiled.

“How do you know it’s a lass? Mum says that you never know until they come out,” Merry said.

“Well, I suppose that I don’t know really,” Eglantine said. “I am only going by what has happened before. I have had three babies and all three of them have been lasses and so I am just guessing that this is also a lass. I could be wrong.”

Merry nodded seriously. The child had such a serious look to him at times but when he smiled his eyes danced and he lived up to his name in every way. He was a merry little lad. Just now he was deep in thought and he said, “If it’s a lad will you let it ride ponies?”

“When he’s old enough,” Eglantine said. She thought this was a good opening and so she pressed on. “And might I ask where you are going on this very large pony?”

“I’m going to Hobbiton,” Merry announced.

“All the way to Hobbiton by yourself on this pony?” Eglantine said looking startled. It hadn’t occurred to her that Merry actually had any one place in mind. She had suspected that the lad had merely taken the pony for a ride without permission. She never really thought that he might be going anywhere.

“All by myself. I packed my things that I need in my rucksack and got on this pony and I’m going to Hobbiton and no one is going to stop me,” Merry said firmly. He looked at her now as if daring her to try.

“I see,” Eglantine said. “Why are you going to Hobbiton?”

“I’m going to go and get Frodo,” Merry said with determination. “Bilbo has had him long enough and I’m getting him back. No one else will go and get him and so I have to do it.”

Eglantine saw it all clearly now. Merry was missing his much-adored older cousin. Merry’s mum, Esmeralda had told her about how much difficulty they were having with Merry since Frodo had made the decision to go and live with Bilbo. Now she realized just how determined Merry was to get his cousin back to Buckland. “Do you think that Frodo will want to come back now?” Eglantine asked gently.

“I don’t care,” Merry said. “He’ll come. I’ll go and get him and he’ll know that I need him here more that Bilbo Baggins needs him.” Merry looked fierce now.

The baby kicked again and Eglantine winced a bit but put her attention back on Merry. “So you need him here more than Bilbo needs him?”

Merry nodded. “Frodo teaches me things. He takes me places and he tells me stories and, and I had him before Bilbo did!”

“That’s true,” Eglantine said. “Still, you have your parents and your other cousins in Buckland and your friends but I don’t think Bilbo has anyone at all living with him except Frodo.”

“I don’t care,” Merry said childishly. “I need Frodo here. Bilbo can come and live with us too but I have to have Frodo here.”

“I don’t think Bilbo will leave his home,” Eglantine said softly as she rubbed her stomach absently.

“Then he will just have to live alone,” Merry said. “I’m taking this pony to Hobbiton and I’m getting Frodo.”

Eglantine sighed. “You do seem determined but this is a rather dangerous thing that you’re doing riding all the way to Hobbiton on your own. It’s a very long way and that is a very large pony. What if you get lost?”

“I have a map,” Merry said proudly. “It’s in my pack. Frodo taught me that you always take a map if you go anyway very far away. I’ve been to Hobbiton and it takes a very long time to get there so I brought a map.”

“Can you read maps? I never was very good with them,” Eglantine said.

“Frodo showed me some of it,” Merry said a bit uncertain for once. “I think I can.” He paused and then said quickly, “But I’ve been to Hobbiton once or twice and so I can find it without a map, probably.” In fact the map that was inside of Merry's pack was actually a map of the farming fields of Buckland. It had been the only map that Merry had been able to locate. He'd been certain that Hobbiton must be on the map somewhere because Hobbiton was nearly as important a location in the Shire as Buckland and so he had brought the map along. Merry could read from children's books but he was not yet well schooled enough for maps.

The baby kicked again and she winced. Merry looked down at her worriedly. “Is the baby trying to get out?”

“No, the baby is just moving around a bit,” Eglantine sighed. “This little baby is going to be in constant motion if its beginnings are any hint at its behavior. She moves all day long and sometimes all night long.”

“How do you sleep?” Merry asked.

“Sometimes I don’t,” Eglantine laughed.

“Do you get angry at the baby?” Merry asked. “I would. I would tell it to keep still and I’d have none of that.”

Eglantine grinned at him. It was true that lads knew nothing at all about having babies and it was a very good thing that they didn’t. “No, I don’t get mad at her. She’s very tiny and she doesn’t know any better yet. When she is born then she will learn,” Eglantine smiled.

“If I were a lass I wouldn’t have any babies,” Merry said wrinkling up his nose.

“I think this one will be the last one that I have and that makes it very special,” Eglantine smiled.

Merry looked confused by this remark and so he changed the subject to something he understood well. “I can't stay here and talk now. I have to get to Hobbiton before dark.”

“I’m afraid that you won’t get there before dark, dear,” Eglantine said looking up at the sky. “It’s after one now and it takes a while to get to Hobbiton. You’ll have to stay overnight somewhere. Did you bring money?”

“I have all of the coins from my coin box,” Merry said. “I’ve been keeping them for a long time now and so I know I have enough. I haven’t spent any in two whole weeks.”

“My, that is a long time,” Eglantine said. “So you’re going to get Frodo and bring him back then?” She was stalling because she had no idea at all how to dissuade Merry from his mission. The lad looked very determined.

Merry nodded. “He’s my special cousin. He takes care of me and I take care of him.”

“I hope this baby has a special cousin too,” Eglantine said.

“If it’s a lass then it won’t need a special cousin cause it will have all those sisters,” Merry sighed. He didn’t like lasses very much just yet. He played with Pervinca sometimes and other times he would play with Pimpernel but mostly he was polite to them and he went off with his own friends. Her daughters didn’t interest Merry too much and they usually visited more with the other lasses at Brandy Hall.

“What if it’s a lad?” Eglantine asked.

“Then he’s in trouble with all of those sisters,” Merry sighed rolling his eyes in genuine sympathy for the poor child. “He’ll get bossed around and have to play games that lasses play all the time.”

“Then he’ll need a special cousin, won’t he?” Eglantine said hopefully.

“I suppose,” Merry said. “But he can’t have Frodo. Frodo is my special cousin. Everyone knows that except Bilbo and I’m going to Hobbiton to tell him right now.”

“What if you were to be the lad’s special cousin?” Eglantine said quickly in an effort to keep Merry from riding away. “Do you think you could do that?”

“I’d have to leave home and come live with you,” Merry frowned. “And all those lasses.”

“No you wouldn’t,” Eglantine said. “You could be his special cousin without moving away from home.”

“It’s better if your special cousin lives with you like Frodo lives with me,” Merry said.

“But Frodo is still your special cousin now isn’t he?” Eglantine asked.

“I guess so,” Merry said.

“I know he send you things. You get mail from him all of the time. I have seen two packages from Bag End since we’ve arrived and a couple of very long letters as well,” she said.

Merry grinned. “He sends me lots of things. He mailed me a box of rocks this week. He said so in his last letter. I should be getting it soon.”

“Rocks?”

“I collect them and Frodo knows the kind I like so he says that he’s found me a whole bunch of them and that he mailed them,” Merry said brightly.

Eglantine felt sorry for the poor post hobbit that would have to carry a box of rocks out to Brandy Hall but she said, “That’s a very nice thing for him to do.”

“If I have a lad this time then you can mail him special things too. You won’t have to be right there all of the time for him to know that you are his special cousin,” Eglantine said. “He’ll know you care because you send him things and visit him and because when you are with him you look out for him. He will be a lot younger than you and so he will need lots of looking after.”

Merry wiped at a tear in his eye. “But it’s better if your own special cousin lives with you so you don’t have to miss them all the time.”

“I know,” Eglantine said. “But sometimes we have to make the best of things.” She rubbed his stomach. “It would be better for me if this little ball of energy would stay quiet at times but this baby isn’t going to and so I have to make the best of it.” She handed Merry her lace handkerchief. He looked at it thoughtfully as if finding it too frilly to use but then wiped his nose with it. “Frodo is a very special lad and maybe Bilbo needs him for a while. It doesn’t mean that Frodo isn’t your special cousin anymore. It just means that for now he is helping Bilbo. Bilbo is old and all alone, Merry.”

“Bilbo is very, very, old,” Merry agreed. “But I wish someone else were helping Bilbo and that Frodo were here.”

“I know but you have responsibilities too,” Eglantine said.

“That baby isn’t even here yet,” Merry frowned.

“I meant you have to look out for your parents,” Eglantine said smiling. “You are the only lad they have. They don’t have any lasses or any other children at all. They love you very much and if you go off to Hobbiton they will worry.”

“I’m coming back after I get Frodo,” Merry reasoned.

“But it is still a long way and you will be gone for a while. I’m certain that you will have to talk Bilbo into letting you bring Frodo home with you and that might take several days,” Eglantine said. “Bilbo is quite the talker. He’s part Took you know.”

Merry nodded. “I am too but you can’t tell it.”

Eglantine smiled and wondered how many Brandybucks would be adventurous enough to get on a pony at eight and ride to Hobbiton. Merry was more Took than he let on she suspected. “Merry, you have to trust Frodo, do you?”

Merry nodded but said nothing.

“Then you have to trust that he still loves you more than anyone and that he will always be your special cousin. You have to let him do this thing that he needs to do. That’s part of being someone’s special cousin. You have to trust them and let them do what they have to do. Frodo needs to know that you love him but that you want him to be happy,” Eglantine said.

“So I have to let him live with Bilbo?” Merry frowned.

Eglantine nodded.

“He’s going to visit soon,” Merry said as if trying to talk himself into feeling better about it all.

“Of course he is,” Eglantine said. “And you will visit him but I do think that you should let someone know about it before you go.”

“I guess,” Merry relented. He turned suddenly and slid down off of the pony and landed on his feet. He grinned up at her. “Now I gotta get this big pony back in the barn before anyone knows it was me that took it.”

“I’ll help you if you promise not to do this again,” she smiled. “I’ll get my carriage, we’ll tie the pony to it and we can ride back to the Hall together.”

“That’s good cause my bum is tired of riding that pony,” Merry said.

Later that week Frodo get a very long, very entertaining letter from Merry all about stealing a plow pony from the barn and about how much trouble it is to have a baby. Frodo wasn’t certain why Merry was so interested in babies and he didn't believe that Merry had jumped several fences and ridden across the Brandywine Bridge on the pony but the letter was very entertaining all the same. He was also skeptical when Merry wrote about Eglantine Took having lied for him in his efforts to cover up the adventure. This didn't sound at all like the very prim Eglantine Banks Took that Frodo knew and he was certain that Merry was making that protion of his tale up. He and Bilbo particularly enjoyed the part of the letter that contained Merry's views on childbirth.

The End

GW 06/24/2007





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