Chapter 5- The Meaning of Fun

Violet was slowly becoming accustomed to life among civilized people. Few knew her secret, and those who did could scarcely believe her background, and thought no worse of her for it.

Despite her progress, Merry and Pippin noticed an appalling lack of fun. They took it upon themselves to amend this problem.

Although the hobbits had only the best of intentions, they still managed to frighten Violet immensely with their proposal to "go have some fun."

Among the orcs, this usually meant whips and torture were forthcoming, so Violet was understandably nervous.

Merry and Pippin, upon seeing her tension, realized the problem. "She does not know the true meaning of fun!" Pippin said with shock in his voice.

Turning to Violet, he began to explain. " ‘Fun’* means doing something we enjoy. It chiefly involves eating, although talking, singing, and playing games can be fun too."

"Let’s take a walk," Merry said, "that’s always fun."

Violet heartily agreed, remembering her pleasant walk with Frodo and Sam a few days before. She and the two hobbits walked the streets of Minas Tirith, having a lively good time.

They were an odd trio. Merry and Pippin were talking rapidly of food, the Fellowship, and obscure details of their family history. Their antics caused Violet to smile, and even laugh outright. The hobbits were very pleased with their success.

It was a long walk overall, but with frequent stops at various places throughout the city. Perhaps the oddest thing (to a non-hobbit) was that most of these were for food. The hobbits inhaled massive amounts of sweets and baked goods, but this did not seem to dull their appetite for regular meals. They found Violet’s apparent lack of appetite odd, but were too busy eating their own food to be overly concerned.

Frodo and Sam were exasperated at Merry and Pippin’s excessive exuberance. Legolas merely smiled, thinking it made her look much more elf-like. Gimli and Aragorn just shook their heads and said it was a mercy that the two hobbits were not getting themselves drunk on their tour of the city.

* Should that be italicized or not?