Chapter Five - It’s Mine

Once again, Merry found himself knocking on a door. It was his Pippin’s room, and his Aunt greeted him this time.

“Hullo, Aunt Tina,” he began, “I wanted to see if you needed anything, and to inquire about Pippin.”

“Oh, well, thank you Merry. Such a sweet lad you are!” Eglantine opened the door wider for her nephew to enter. “Pippin is sleeping at the moment but he’s not any worse. And as for myself, I’m not needing anything, save a nice cup of tea if you please.”

Merry smiled, “Very well, I will see to it. I would inform you also that I’ve made arrangements for Mistress Salinda, one of Brandy Hall’s healers, to visit with Pippin later today.”

Eglantine gazed at her nephew with wonder, “How splendid, Merry! Thank you.”

Merry still felt his aunt’s eyes upon him, “Is there something else, Aunt Tina?”

“No. Well...yes,” she answered, leaning against the doorpost folding her arms across her bosom. “I have vivid memories of you as a very frightened little boy visiting us at Whitwell. And the few scrapes that you got into while growing up made me unsure as to how you would turn out when you grew up--especially with the problems between you and your father.” Her smile broadened, “A few years ago I stopped doubting. You are a very fine young hobbit, Merry.”

Merry’s heart swelled with pride. That was the first time anyone, besides his dad, had noticed he was now grown up and was apparently also well thought of as a young adult. He stood tall and stepped forward, embracing the woman who had been like a second mother to him all his life, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Eglantine returned his hug, “Get you going now, lad. My tea must be boiling.” She said, wiping a moist eye.

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Merry rapped on yet another door. He waited a few moments before deciding no one was about inside. He turned and was several feet away from the door when it creaked open.

“Hullo, Merry--come in.” Frodo answered the door looking tired.

“I didn’t think anyone was inside,” Merry accepted the invitation and found a nice soft chair nearby, plopped himself into it and then propped his feet on the stool in front of it. Merry sighed with relief, “Oh...my feet.”

“I was just napping,” Frodo grinned at the weariness of his host. “Tired? You look as if you need one, too.”

Merry threw him a look, “I’ve been on my feet all morning. Don’t you see them throbbing?”

Frodo sat in the chair opposite his cousin, “So, tell me our plans for the day.”

“Well, my plans,” said Merry, “began with seeing to Pippin and my Aunt. You know she stayed behind to look after him until he is hale and strong enough to travel back home?” Frodo nodded. “I had to find Mistress Salinda away in the North Tunnel because she was giving ministrations to a little girl there. Then I ran back to the East Tunnel to inform Auntie that the healer would be visiting later on.” Then he looked at Frodo, “Now I’m in the West Tunnel seeking an old friend to tell him he has to share my time with all these wonderful folks!”

Frodo laughed, “You came all that way just to tell me that?”

Merry sighed dramatically, “Yes--and to see if you would accompany me to view my new apartment.” He held aloft a silver skeleton key.

Frodo was shocked. “You have your own apartment?”

“Yes,” Answered Merry, “and my own office therein.”

“I’m floored, cousin! Let’s go and see it.”

They were like two young boys on a scavenger hunt. Merry knew his apartment wouldn’t be too far away from his parents, though distant enough to make him feel independent. Merry kept muttering under his breath, “Number five, number five....where is number five?”

Frodo called from the further end of the hallway, “It’s over here!”

Merry came and surveyed the door with the number “5” written on it. He scratched his head, “Doesn‘t the number five come after number four?”

“It depends on if you like the number four or not,” Frodo quipped. “Well...being three doors away from your parents isn’t all that bad.” Frodo snickered at his cousin’s plight.

Merry gave him a look as he inserted the key and turned it. He twisted the door handle and opened the door wide. Grabbing a lit candle from the hallway Merry led the way inside. It was fairly empty with the exception of the bed in the bedroom, one couch in the parlor, and off in an anteroom--supposing it to be his office, there was a large desk made of walnut.

Frodo looked around and sniffed in the stale air, “A tad barren, don’t you think?”

“It’s barren, but it’s mine,” Merry smiled, dropping onto his very own sofa. A plume of dust rose up and filled his nostrils. He coughed, waving his hands about to disperse the dust, “ It appears I have lots of cleaning to do.”

“Now that I’ve seen your extremely humble abode, shall we go look in on Pippin?”

“Yes! Let’s do--I should like to tell him about apartment number 5.”

The two hobbits were strolling at an easy pace towards Pippin’s room with a brief stop in the kitchen larder, being they had missed lunch while they were hunting for Merry’s new quarters. Here Merry explained to his cousin all of his newly appointed duties.

As they passed various doors, Frodo was remembering many of his kin who lived in Brandy Hall. However, because he had been away for so long, there were some folks he wasn’t quite familiar with. “So, tell me, who is the little girl that I hear is ill?”

“Salvia Goldworthy. She’s the great-great-granddaughter of Salvia Bolger.”

“Oh,” Frodo nodded. “Is her mother Silvia Bracegirdle?”

Merry looked up, “Yes. How did you know?”

Frodo smiled in recognition, “Many rainy afternoons we played checkers in the children’s room of the North Tunnel where my parents lived. Then I do know her--well, I mean, the girl’s mother. Which Goldworthy did she marry?”

“His name is Orrin,” Merry replied. “His family’s from Standelf. I am sorry that you now know their daughter is quite ill.”

“How ill is she?”

Merry looked back down at his feet, “Bad.”

After a moment of walking in silence Frodo spoke up, “Then when you’re conducting your duties with your Aunt and Pippin, I shall look in on Silvia and her daughter.”