Chapter Seven - Heart to Heart

A somber mood pervaded the dining room like a dark cloud over the family and guests. Supper was quiet; hardly anyone spoke. After the initial affair of passing food platters and carafes of water around the table, only murmurs of ‘please pass the rolls’ or ‘may I have the salt’ was all that was said. Paladin broke the silence when he asked the whereabouts of Merry and Pippin; both were absent from the table.

Merimas answered, “I believe they went riding, sir.” When he finished his statement, Merimas caught the stare of pretty lass sitting across from him.

“They should have returned by now. They know when supper takes place.” Paladin was concerned; both lads were always on time for meals, unless they were sick.

Merimas still held her gaze when he answered, “I’m finished. If I may be excused, I shall go looking for them.”

Pervinca blushed, averting her eyes. When she thought his attention was elsewhere, she found herself drawn to gaze in his direction. So well mannered he was; so handsome, she thought. Would he…? But no, she thought. He was an older, more mature tween with no time for younger tweens such as herself.

~ ~ ~

Merimas was riding his pony along the same bridle path he knew his cousin to take earlier before supper. He saw the path was forked in the distance; the right lane followed a bend on the outer rim of the meadow, while the one to the left went through a grove of trees. Both lanes merged back together on the far side of the field where the trees ended. He leaned on the pommel of his saddle trying to decide which way his cousin would have gone. He saw the group of trees on the left path, but thought the lowering sun would make it too dark to travel under. He decided on the path to the right. Merry and Pippin had been gone long enough to have gone farther than these trees.

Earlier, after Merry stormed out of his room, guilt began to work at Merimas. He did recall telling his cousin that he would spend less time studying, but unfortunately, he could not abandon it altogether. Maybe he could reduce it some. With that decision made he put his books away. He thought perhaps they would all do something together after supper, but when the lads were absent from the table, he, too, wondered what was keeping them away. He went out to the stables to fetch his own pony, as he volunteered to be the one to search for the lads. He felt could still catch up to them.

As he was pondering this, he was surprised to see a pony running out from the grove. He puzzled at this; was the pony spooked? When the pony ran past, he recognized it as belonging to Pippin. Something was not right. Merimas kicked his pony into a run, heading for the trees. As he drew close to the trees, he saw someone emerge from the lengthening shadows of the trees, carrying a small burden. The figured walking towards him looked to be…“Merry!”

~ ~ ~

When Pippin woke up, it was dark inside his room. Through the twilight seeping through the window, he could see two slumped figures in sitting chairs on either side of the bed. The door was open to his parlor; it’s dull light of several lit candles spilled into his room. He determined one of the slumped figures was Merimas when he saw some of the light flickering on his face. He was asleep. Pippin could not see the face of the other hobbit so he lifted himself onto his elbows for a better look. He felt a wave of nausea come over him then rolled over onto his side to ease the sensation.

“Do you need the pail again?”

“No.”

Neither hobbit spoke for a while. It was an uncomfortable silence for both. They were life-long friends, and for the first time in their lives they had nothing to say to one another. Merry got up after a minute and took a couple cloths from the ice water to change the ones that were already about his cousin’s head. As he wrung out the water, he caught sight of a small scar on the skin just inside of his hand, between his left forefinger and thumb. As he remembered the meaning of the scar he paused. He stared at it for several minutes; enough time to warrant dipping the cloths into the ice again.

The small scar was almost invisible now after eight years. The ‘ceremony’ took place after one of the most disastrous birthday parties that he had ever attended. One day, while he and Pippin were on the mend at Whitwell, they took an excursion down to the stream. Merry had lit a small fire near the trees and then revealed the paring knife he pinched for just this purpose. He had whetted it using a small rock he found, then washed it in the stream. As the fire became hot, Merry held the knife edge over the fire; imitating what he saw the healers to. It was then and there that they declared their undying friendship to one another. They would be more than cousins--and to some degree, more than friends. They would be brothers. If they couldn’t be brothers through their parents, then they would be brothers through a promise.

The ice in the bowl brought Merry back to the present when his hands began to feel numb.

Pippin saw that his cousin was standing still for a long time then pulled his hands out of the bowl with a jerk. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Merry dried his hands with a towel. Rubbing his hands together to warm them up, he ventured his third attempt to wring out the cloths.

He gently put the cool cloths around Pippin’s head. “How does that feel?” he asked.

The teen shivered when Merry touched him. “Cold--and so are your hands,” he answered.

“To match a cold heart, eh?”

“What are you talking about? Are you insulting me again, Merry?”

“I was speaking of my own,” Merry replied. “Do you remember these?” He held his hand out at an angle for Pippin to view his scar.

Taking his hand out from under the blankets, Pippin looked at his own scar that lay in the same place as Merry’s. It seemed so small, so long ago. He was a little boy when he pledged his love to his cousin; to be friends and brothers for life.

“I’m sorry, Pip. Above all others--except your mum and dad, I should be the most understanding of everyone. I should have accepted the new Pippin before anyone else, but…,” he hesitated, “I was being a pigheaded, stubborn Brandybuck again.” He added sadly, “I’m going to miss the old Pippin.”

Pippin reached out with his left hand to grasp Merry’s and drew him down to sit on the edge of the bed; their scars touching as he spoke. “You weren’t entirely wrong, Mer. At first, I changed because I felt so wretched over what I said to Pervinca. But when I saw that my ‘changing’ wasn’t liked by some,” Pippin smiled at Merry, “then I think the Brandybuck blood that mixed with mine long ago boiled up and got stubborn. I thought if everyone believes Pervinca can change, then why can’t I?”

“But she didn’t change, Pip--she just,” Merry searched for the right word, “grew up--and you will, too. In fact, I think it’s started already. You have to admit it, Pippin; changing overnight like that is quite drastic. It took everyone by surprise. When you let the change come gradually as you mature then it’s not so severe. Am I making sense?”

Pippin was elated. “You really think I’m starting to grow up?”

“Yes,” Merry smiled, “It was bound to happen sooner or later, Pip.” The momentary silence was broken by a loud grumbling noise, then Pippin held his stomach. Both hobbits went into a fit of quiet snickering, trying not to awaken the others. “But I don’t think you’ll ever be done growing on the outside!”

~ ~ ~

Merry was on his way to the kitchens to get breakfast for him and a very hungry Pippin when Pervinca stepped out of her room, nearly bumping into him. He walked on the far side of the hallway.

“Merry,” Pervinca called after him. Merry kept on walking. “Please!”

Merry stopped and turned on his heels. “What?”

“I want to apologize for what I said yesterday.”

Merry put his hands in his pockets. “Really? What changed your mind? Am I still not the same lazy hobbit who stood before you then?” A few dining room servers passed by in the hallway. Pervinca looked as if she were about to burst into tears. Now he was feeling bad for what he just said. “Let’s go into the sitting room, shall we?”

Merry felt the morning chill in the room as they entered. The cousins settled themselves next to each other on a couch so they could speak privately. He noticed his cousin fidgeting with the fringe on the pillow she set in her lap. “Well?”

Her eyes remained fixed on her fingers. “I want to say that I’m sorry. You have never been lazy, Merry; you’ve always been good to me, helping me whenever I have asked for it.” She continued to look at her fingers. She noticed a catch in one of her nails and proceeded to pick at it.

“Then why did you say what you did?”

Pervinca took a deep breath and plunged in. “I was angry that you had guessed what I wanted. You always see through my schemes, Merry, and it made me angry. I was also afraid that you would guess the other half of it and laugh at me, so in order to keep you from guessing it, I…I created an argument.”

Merry puzzled. “The other half? You mean…” Then he understood. “You mean Merimas? You wanted to visit Merimas?” He smirked, “Then why were you asking me to take the letter to him?”

“Because I was going to go with you, silly boy,” she sheepishly answered, nudging his leg with her own.

Merry nudged her leg in return. “I didn’t guess it--and I would not have laughed, silly girl. I think it’s wonderful that you like him.” This was good news, he thought to himself. Perhaps he would have a heart-to-heart talk with Merimas after breakfast.

Pervinca threw her arms around her favorite cousin, “Thank you, Merry.”