PART TWO: Promises given

Pippin sat on a stool in the lantern-lit shed, thinking about Merry. Maybe he had done something to upset his cousin and now Merry wanted to go back to Buckland? Or perhaps he had been summoned back by his father and was sad he would have to cut his visit short? Pippin knew that Merry was growing up and needed to know all about the business of Buckland and learn how to become Master one day, but he didn`t think it was fair for Merry to leave him now, he’d only arrived a couple of weeks ago. Pippin loved it when Merry came to stay. He loved visiting Merry in Buckland too of course, but somehow it was more special when Merry came to visit Pippin. Here in his own smial, with his mama and Da and sisters about, when Merry was there he seemed even more Pip’s own brother. He’d told that to Merry once, and Merry hadn’t thought it odd at all, in fact he said he felt the same way when Pippin stayed in Brandy Hall. But brothers didn’t always get along, and sometimes they grew apart. Merry had said that would never happen with them, but Pippin’s cousin Isenbras never wanted to do things with his little brother anymore. And Isenbald was only six years younger, not eight, like Pippin was to Merry. Maybe Merry just didn’t like doing the same things as Pippin anymore.

“Are you going to leave me?” Pippin said as he felt rather than saw that Merry sat down on a box beside him.

“Leave you?” Merry looked aghast. “Why would I leave you?”

“You`ve been so strange all day, quiet and not playing and having fun, so I thought maybe you were bored and wanted to go back to Buckland.” Pippin had tears in his eyes now, he couldn`t bear it if Merry didn’t want to do things with him, and be his best friend anymore.

“Oh, Pippin! Come here.” Merry took his little cousin and sat him in his lap, hugging him tight. “I was a little tired today, that is all. I won`t leave you. I love staying here with you. Don`t cry.” Merry hugged him even tighter and kissed the unruly curls. He ducked his head a little, looking into Pippin’s eyes. “Did you think I was going to leave you because I didn`t feel like playing today?”

Pippin nodded. “I thought that maybe you didn’t like spending time with me anymore.”

“It`s just me that’s a little tired today, I`m not tired of you. That couldn’t ever happen, Pippin.” Merry wasn`t sure himself why he felt tired. He hadn`t been working harder than normal lately, had he? He was growing, his parents said, and that was why he ached sometimes, and was sometimes sleepy, but today’s tiredness wasn’t the same as that tiredness exactly, and it made Merry uneasy. Before Pippin could pick up on his worry, Merry added brightly, “And you know what?”

Pippin looked up then, excited to hear what Merry had to tell him.

“I feel better for that nap, so how about if we go and find some apples or maybe some of those pears your mama loves to hide from us?” Merry wasn`t hungry at all, but food being a great source of comfort for hobbits, and especially little ones like his cousin, he could always manage to eat one or two if it made Pippin happy again. And maybe eating something would help his headache.

Pippin perked up at the idea and ran to the back of the shed where the fruit was stored in large, wooden barrels, tucked away from wind and weather. Merry followed after at a more sedate pace with the lantern. He had wanted to run, but didn`t have the energy to do so, and decided to try to take things slow until it was supper and he could sit down again. Why was he feeling so tired and strange? That nap should have done the trick. Sleeping a little always helped if he felt tired.

Pippin was already hanging half inside a barrel of pears when Merry came up to him. Tickling Pippin and putting him under his arm as if he were a parcel to be carried about, Merry took a couple of pears, replaced the lid (how had Pippin managed to open the barrel in the first place, the lid was rather heavy) and plonked Pippin down on top of it, handing him a pear.

“How did you manage to open that lid, Pippin?” Merry asked. “It`s awfully heavy.”

His mouth full of pear Pippin beamed at Merry and nodded vigorously. “I`m strong now!”

Merry could barely understand what he said through the mouthful of fruit, but he tousled Pippin`s curls. “Yes, you`re growing into a strong, big lad, aren`t you?” Merry knew that wasn`t exactly the truth, but if boosting Pippin`s self-confidence a little after their talk made Pippin happy, then he`d do that. He wasn`t up to any sort of games or play but he knew of other ways to distract Pippin`s attention from his lack of energy. Food was one of them.

“Lads?” Paladin called. “Suppertime!” Pippin had polished off two pears and had started on an apple when his father called them in. Merry was still on his first pear and Pippin found that rather strange. After sleeping for hours after hardly any tea Merry surely must be starving by now? He was always hungry after sleeping.

Hand in sticky hand the two young hobbits went back to the house and another meal. Merry sat down to eat, but found he couldn`t manage more than a few bites this time either. He drank a little milk and valiantly managed to get down a little of the stew. His aunt made delicious food, and her chicken stew was one of his favourites, but today everything tasted bad.

“Merry!” Eglantine said her voice sharp with worry. Merry`s head snapped up. He hadn`t fallen asleep at the table, had he? His eyes were so heavy, and he was rather cold. Hot stew should have been just what he needed but he suddenly felt a great longing for his bed and the warmth of his quilts.

“I`m sorry Auntie. I don’t know what`s the matter with me today.” He sat up straight and grasped fork and knife with determination. He set to eating again and managed a few more bites.

Pippin looked about worriedly. His mama seemed upset and Merry wasn’t eating properly again. 

It was no good just sitting at the table trying to eat anymore, Merry decided, and the scents of what he knew was delicious food now were making him feel ill instead of hungry. He felt his head starting to droop again, and he raised it wearily.

Seeing her cousin suddenly go pale after looking at the food on the table, Pearl decided it was time to speak up. “Merry?”

“Hm? I’m sorry, Pearl, did you say something? ”

“Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale.” She reached over and put a hand to his forehead. It was warm and a little clammy.

“Tired…’m just tired. May I be excused?”

 “Yes, you may dear.” Eglantine said and watched worriedly as Merry wearily rose and padded towards the hallway and his bed.

Pippin scowled at Merry`s almost full plate and looked back to his parents for comfort but found none. Both of his parents, and his sisters too, all looked worried.

“He was a little warm,” Pearl said in concern.

“I suspected as much. He was warm after he had his nap too. I`ll go and see if there is anything I can do. Pearl would you clean up here when everyone has finished?” Eglantine rose and knowing that Pip wouldn’t finish his own meal out of worry, took him by the hand, leading him towards Merry`s room. Eglantine hoped that Merry wasn`t seriously ill and that he only had come down with a cold. If it was anything contagious, Pippin would certainly already be exposed as he and Merry had been inseparable since Merry arrived. Indeed, Merry had sat with Pippin as he recovered from a cold the first week of Merry’s visit, and could have caught it from Pippin, Eglantine supposed. Pippin`s large, green eyes were full of questions and at last he found the courage to voice them.

“Is Merry sick, Mama?” Pippin hadn`t thought that was possible. Merry was never sick, not ever, so long as Pippin could remember.

Eglantine stopped and kneeled down before her littlest one. “I think so Pippin.”

“Is he going to die?” Pippin‘s eyes brimmed with tears.

“No, of course not, love. Why do you ask that?”

“Because people who never are sick and suddenly do get sick, die.” Pippin said.

“Where did you hear this from?” Eglantine said.

“Da talked to Tom at the Sandybottom`s and he said that his uncle had been well all his life, then suddenly he got the Winter Sickness and then he died within a week.”

“Oh, sweetie. I don`t think Merry has the Winter Sickness, besides, old Will Sandybottom was over a hundred and that is rather old for an hobbit you know. Now, let’s go see how our Merry-lad is faring.”

Eglantine opened the door to Merry`s room and Pippin followed her inside. He still didn`t like the possibility of his Merry being sick. He walked over to the bed and climbed up beside him. Merry had fallen asleep on the top of his covers, still fully clothed and as Pippin clambered up onto the bed he woke up.

He rolled over to lie on his back and Pippin carefully climbed on top of him, sitting with his legs on each side of Merry`s stomach. “You`re not sick, are you Merry?” Pippin wanted to tickle Merry because that always made him happy again, but Merry looked so tired and pale he thought maybe he had better not.

Merry sighed. “I don`t know Pippin. Perhaps a little. Does that make you sad?”

Pippin nodded. “Because then you can`t play with me and you will be stuck in bed forever and maybe die!”

“Pippin!” Merry lifted Pippin away and sat up in the bed. “I’m certainly not going to die. What are you talking about?” Merry looked at Eglantine. “Auntie?”

“He heard Paladin talk with Tom Sandybottom about his uncle dying of the Winter Sickness and since he`s never seen you ill before he is afraid that you are going to die too.” Eglantine rose from where she had been stoking up the fire in the hearth and came over to sit on the bed.

“I`m not going to die, Pip, I’m just a little unwell. I`ll probably be chasing you around the fields again tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. I`ll be up and about before you know it.” Merry wasn`t sure he`d be up and about tomorrow the way he was feeling, but he couldn`t stand to see his Pip sad and he wanted to be well and chase Pippin through the fields so perhaps if he thought positively it would be so.

“I`ll take care of you then, Mer.” Pippin said, tugging on Merry`s blanket and covering him up, tucking the soft material up under Merry`s chin. He didn`t think he could cope with taking care of his Mer if Merry was going to die, though of course he would have tried his best, and he was very glad that Merry had promised he wouldn’t. Pippin would do all in his might to see that Merry didn’t hurt too much, and that he got well fast, just like Merry always did for him.

“Thank you Pippin.” Merry reached out and Pippin willingly crawled into his lap, hugging Merry tight.

Sitting there with his little cousin in his arms, Merry thought that he would do all he could to be better fast, but what if Pippin caught what he had?  He pulled away a little looking from Pippin to Eglantine. “Auntie? I don`t want Pippin to catch whatever I`ve got.” Maybe it was best if Pippin not was with him all the time. Merry didn`t think he could bear Pippin being taken away from him, but if he might make Pippin sick it would be for the best.

“No! I want to stay here; I need to take care of my Merry! I won`t get sick, I promise.” Pippin said, looking from Merry to his mother with fear in his eyes. He didn`t want to be taken away from Merry. Not when Merry needed him the most.

“I don`t think you should worry about if Pippin will catch what you have Merry. He would have been exposed to it by now as you`ve been together all the time since you arrived. Perhaps you have even caught Pippin’s cold.”

“If you think it’s all right then. You hear that, Pip? You can stay and help me get better.”

Hearing this, Pippin bounced on the bed a little, but soon quieted as Merry got a strange look on his face, as if Pippin bouncing hurt him even more.

“I think Merry needs to sleep now, Pippin dearest.” Eglantine lifted Pippin down from Merry`s lap. Merry undressed and put on his nightshirt, then lay down again with a weary sigh. Pippin helped his mother tuck the covers up about him again and they both kissed Merry’s brow before Eglantine turned down the lamp and turned to leave.

“Come along Pippin.”

“I can`t go now, Mama! Merry needs me.” Pippin knew from all the weeks he had spent ill in bed during the years that if someone was sick they were seldom left alone. He sat down in the bedside chair, folding his little arms across his chest. Merry was always watching out for him when he was sick, and now it was his turn to watch over Merry.

Merry smiled and looked at Eglantine. “May he stay please, Auntie? I’d like for him to.”

“All right then, but I`ll be back to fetch you soon, Pippin. You need to sleep soon too you know.”

Pippin nodded and Eglantine left them, blowing each a kiss from the door.

*****

Some time later, the lasses abed, Eglantine sat before the fire mending a pair of Merry’s breeches.  Paladin came in from doing the evening chores about the farm, and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Well my dear,” Paladin said. “How are our lads doing?”

Eglantine chuckled a little. “Pippin is as fierce a protector as Merry ever was and won`t leave Merry`s side for all in the world. He fell asleep in the chair so I carried him off to bed.”

“And Merry?”

“He has a slight fever, and seems very weary, but I don`t think it`s serious, at least not yet. We`ll see how he`s doing in the morning before sending a letter off to the Hall or calling in the healer.”

“That sounds wise, my dear. It`s strange to see that lad anything but a bundle of energy.”

“Yes it is. I`m sure he`ll bounce back soon. He’s such a strong lad. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is feeling much better tomorrow.”

Paladin set about banking the fire in the hearth, and Eglantine tiptoed into Merry`s room with the mended breeches, seeing to him at the same time. Merry never stirred as she silently put the garment in the wardrobe. He looked flushed, but his breathing was even and deep. She sat with him a little, but as her own eyes grew heavy, Eglantine left for her own bed. Hopefully things would be better in the morning.