“Cath! Cath, wake up!”

Miranda, one of the barmaids from the Green Dragon, had her hand pressed to Cath’s heart. She frowned, “Rosie, yelling at her like that is just going to damage her hearing.”

Rosie ignored her, “Cath. Talk to me, dammit!”

A sliver of greeny-blue showed beneath Cath’s eye-lashes, “If I talk to you, will you shut up? Or at least turn your voice down by a couple of decibels.”

Rosie sighed with relief, “Thank heaven. We thought you were a goner!”

“Not yet Rosie, I still have my new-found freedom to enjoy. And Maisetta to annoy….”

Miranda clapped a hand over her mouth, “By that shall I assume that you are perfectly alright and you do not need me to carry you home, regardless of how ill you are and how much you shall complain…..” Cath immediately shut up.

“Miraandaaa…..”

“Wha-at?”

“Can you lift me up?”

Miranda groaned, “Fine! But if I break my back from lifting up such a big lump as you it’s your fault….”

Rosie shivered pitifully, “And when you do Miranda, can you find a coat or something for me? I don’t have anything and I’m freezing.”

“Am I your personal slave or something? Fine, I will, okay?”

Cath pointed to the far side of the barn, “There’s one over there.” Miranda ran over and came back carrying the large green coat. She smirked.

“You’ll probably be drowned in it,” Rosie put the green coat over her shoulders, the coat swamping her small size, “Wonder whose it is.”

“They’ll be mega ticked off.”

“They won’t care that much. Look, it’s torn across the sleeve. Probably really old.”

For some odd reason Rosie felt a cold sensation creep into the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t until Cath traced the rip with her finger that she realised, “That’s Merry’s coat.”

Cath looked up, shocked, “It’s….it’s probably been here for days…”

“There’s a way of finding out that.” Rosie delved suddenly into the pockets. Miranda looked shocked. The young lass came out with a handful of twigs and two parts of a broken pipe.

“Don’t you remember? Yesterday I tripped over and fell on top of him. That’s when the pipe broke.”

Cath looked shocked, but Miranda looked puzzled, “What’s the matter?”

Rosie ignored her, “And look! That’s the pollen all right. Merry and Pippin had something to do with this, I just know it.”

“I’ll kill them,” Cath muttered, “How far d’you reckon they’d have gotten away by now?”

“You’re in no shape to be fighting anyone right now Cath,” Miranda chided her, “And Merry and Pippin could beat you at a fight no problem, even if you were well. Anyway.….” Her voice trailed off, and the other girls followed her gaze, to the bottom of the ladder.

Rosie and Miranda leapt to their feet, but even if they hadnÂ’t gotten away so far, only one glimpse told the girls all they needed to know; Merry and Pippin were the two that had almost killed Cath.

****

“We are sooo dead,” Pippin muttered, as the two boys hid behind the ladder, watching Miranda and Rosie desperately try and revive Cath, “Those two are going to kill us…..”

“Hooray. Cath’s awake.” Merry grinned, but his voice was still flat, “That means that when they find us, we’ll have three people and not two after our blood.”

“Joy.” The two boys watched for a bit until Pippin turned round looking puzzled, “Where’s Miranda going? I’d have thought Cath would have made her carry her home straight away.”

“Oh…..” Merry uttered several unprintable words, “She’s found my coat.”

Pippin squeaked. “They might not recognise it as yours…will they?”

“Umm…..They have.”

It was Pippins turn to swear. “They’ll probably think it’s been here for days…”

“Uh-huh, and what if they find the pipe? Yep, they’ve just done that.” He groaned, “I think I’m going to have a lie down….”

“Yay, Cath has already pledged to kill us. Well, I was hoping to live to my tweens but I see that’s only going to be a happy fantasy from now on…Cath will be hunting us until we die….”

Merry grimaced, “Fancy moving to Bree, eh?”

“Good ideaÂ….Hey, whatÂ’s up with Miranda? SheÂ’s looking right in this direction likeÂ…Â…OhÂ…greatÂ……”

“Scarper.” Pippin didn’t need to be told twice. In a matter of seconds the two were already off at full speed, as if the entire hoards of Mordor were upon. Which, in a way, they were.

I canÂ’t run anymore, Pippin thought. I hope someone says something nice to my sistersÂ….He stumbled forward, arms going round like a wind-mill. The ground approached at an alarming speed.

“Two left feet,” Merry muttered, grabbing Pippin by the collar. He gasped for breath.

“Are they still after us?” He yelped, as soon as Merry had let go of his neck enough to use his windpipe.

“Don’t know. No, they aren’t. Boy, I thought they were going to murder us then!”

“It was definitely on their minds, yes. By the way, why did Cath completely collapse? I thought you said just a little bit of the powder would just make her go a little queasy.”

“It would unless…..oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.”

“What?”

Merry was too annoyed to say, “You…you….gerbil! Why did you have to forget which was which?!”

“Huh?”

“You forget which barrel was which. We give Cath a whole pot of the pollen. Therefore she almost dies. Therefore we die, no almost about it.”

Pippin moaned, “This is so bad,” He muttered, “I think I’m going to take a walk over here.” He started walking, Merry looking on with a puzzled expression.

“Pip, you’re heading into a brick wall.”

Pippin gave a small smile, “I know.”

Merry squeaked and looked up again, “Meanwhile, can we get going? I don’t want to end up as a dead hobbit.”

Pippin swallowed, his bravado deserting him completely, “I think that would be a good idea, don’t you?”

“Exactly.”

****************

“Can we go to the bakery? Or Bess’s house? Or Lilly’s? Or…..”

Miranda bent over Cath, “My dear….girl.” She told her, “You have not yet stretched me to breaking point. Do not make me lose my temper.”

“But….”

“No, no! No. I do not care if you’re about to collapse, either you shut up or I drop you.”

“I think I’ll shut up.”

“Good girl.”

Cath yawned, “I’m tired. I think I want to go to sleep.”

“Eh? What about going to the bakery? Or Bess’s house? Or Lilly’s? Or….”

A small snore told Rosie that Cath didnÂ’t fancy going to any one of those things at that moment.

******

“Hi Rosie…..what’s up with Cath?”
Rosie smiled wanly at May, “Nothing. She’s just tired is all.”

“I am not!” A little voice yelled out. Obviously wasn’t as asleep as they thought. Cath raised her head, “May, Merry and Pippin played a trick on me and tipped that pollen thing on my head, and I passed out and I feel really queasy and I’m *hungry*”

May chuckled, taking Cath from Miranda, “Don’t worry squirt, we’ll get you better in no time.” She looked up at Halfred, “Keep an eye out for those two. Don’t be horrid, just impress on them how serious that was.”

Halfred nodded, before looking up and seeing Miranda, “Oh…oh, hello Miranda.” He stuttered, blushing profusely.

Cath opened one eye, “Oh, ICK, Halfred.” She muttered, before closing it again.

“Hello!” Frodo stuck his head round the kitchen door, “Bilbo wanted to drop off the extra cakes…and why is Cath like that, has she been drinking your Dads home-brew?”

“Um….no, Merry and Pippin poured that pollen she’s allergic to on her, and so she’s all washed out. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop her talking though.”

“Damn it,” Frodo couldn’t help muttering. Cath glared at him, “And…I’d better be going soon. Merry and Pip are staying at Bag End, so I’ll have a word with them.”

“Don’t worry Halfred,” Cath piped up, “I’ll let you get them anyway.”

***

“So you both see how serious that was?” Frodo asked his cousins sternly.

“Yes, Frodo,” Said the said cousins, not paying the slightest bit of attention.

“She could have died.”

“Yes Frodo.”

“Why are you not paying the slightest bit of attention?”

“Yes Frodo.”

Frodo groaned, “Oh look, the stars are out. They are spelling the word, mushrooms, and are luminous purple, as they are usually are.”

“Yes Frodo.”

“Are you two going to ask girls to Bilbo’s next party?”

“Yes Frodo.”

Frodo chuckled. He’d have to remember that for later, “Merry, the Green Dragon’s closed. Pippin, all meals apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner have been cancelled.”

“Yes Fro – what?”

Frodo threw his hands up, “Hey, I didn’t do anything. You were the ones who forgot to listen.”

“Well…..if you didn’t make such boring speeches…” Frodo cuffed Merry round the head, “Oi! Anyway, I heard one thing out of that mind-boring, dull, stupid pile of worthless drabble,” He ducked again, “We have apologise to Cath.”

“Exactly.”

“And we must stay away from the rest of the family or we could find ourselves dead.”

“In a way.”

“So how are we going to find Cath, now that she’ll have at least one member of family with her at all times.”

“Use your imagination.”

“My imagination is rather preoccupied with thinking up what they’re going to do to us when they find us, thankyou Frodo.” Pippin told his older cousin, eyes narrowed, “Can’t you just tell Cath we’re really sorry for us?”

“ ‘Fraid not Pip,” Frodo laughed, his own eyes sparkling, “You brought this on yourselves, so you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

***

“And why do I have to wash up?” Cath protested, as she was frog-marched to the sink by Hamson and Halfred, “I mean it’s not like I’ve been *sick*, or anything…..”

“Cath, the reason you are washing up is because we are all going out, so someone needs to wash up, and you have been shirking on washing up for two days anyway.” Daisy snapped at her, “So, start washing up, or Marigold will wash your head for you.” Marigold smiled and waved a dishcloth.

“Charming,” Cath muttered, “Okay, well, bye, hurry up and come back soon, so I don’t have to wash up so much, pleeeaaase!”

“Bye.” May smiled and shut the door. Marigold turned to Cath.

“You heard the girl, start washing!”

“Not fair.” Cath muttered, and started viciously scrubbing fish entrails from a particularly sticky pan. After about five minutes she turned to face Marigold, who was sat at the table, “And why aren’t you wiping?”

“Cos I can’t be bothered.”

“Oh, Mari!” Cath scowled, “That’s not fair!”

“Tough nuggets.” Cath stuck her tongue out at Marigold and carried on her war with the stubborn pan, who was refusing to be clean.

After quarter of an hour, Cath heard a knock on the door, “Mari, can you get that?”

“No, you get it.”

“I’m up to my arms in blimmin’ soap suds, for crying out loud, you get it!”

Marigold rolled her eyes and got up from the chair, “It may be Tom anyway,” She said, walking to the hall, “Then I definitely wouldn’t want you to answer the door.”

“Why are you getting possessive over Tom Cotton anyway?” Cath cried out, “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

“No! Look, Cath. My dear sister.” Marigold grabbed Cath by the shoulders, “There is nothing going on between me and Tom Cotton. N. O. T. H. I. .N. G. Nothing. Alright?”

Cath struggled free and looked suspiciously at her sister, “You seem very sure of yourself.”

“I am! I am.”

“Which is why I trust you barely and disbelieve you absolutely.”

Marigold’s arms dropped limply, “What?”

“Particularly when I never mentioned anything going on between you and Tom Cotton,” Cath smirked, “You’ve given away yourself sister dear.” She grinned slyly.

“Oh, shut up.” Marigold batted her round the head, “I do not fancy Tom Cotton, and he does not fancy me. End of discussion. Okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Cath sunk her arms into the warm water, “Door.”

“Oh, right.” Marigold swung herself into the hall. Out of her sight, Cath pricked up her ears. Two extremely familiar voices floated into her ears.

“Marigold, if that’s Merry and Pippin, tell them if they come in here they are going to get their heads smashed in with a frying pan!” She hollered. She could hear voices from the hall

“Who’s going to go in there first then?” Pippin hissed.

“How about we just…not go in?” Merry suggested.

“You’re going to have to,” Marigold told them, a wide smirk on her face, “Or I shall smash your heads in with Cath’s frying pan.”

“Hmm. We’re going to get our heads smashed in either way. Might as well apologise.”

“Well, I’m not going in! I value my head and Cath has a harder swing.”

“You value your head Pip. Th at’s strange, seeing as there’s nothing in there.”

“Oh, ha-ha-ha.”

“No, I’ve decided. I’m the oldest, so you can go in first.”

“Oh, Merry!”

“Go on then.”

Pippin edged closer to the door, but turned round to look at Merry, “Mer, I don’t think this is a good idea….”

“Go!”

Pippin turned back. As he did he felt the pain of Merry kicking him in the rear end. As if he wasnÂ’t going to be in enough pain already.

He crept in. Even though CathÂ’s back was towards him, he could tell she knew he was there. Something to do with the way she gripped the frying pan like she couldnÂ’t wait to throw it at him.

“Erm…H…Hi, Cath.”

“Go away.”

“Um…Well…Um…Me and Merry…um…we’re sorry.”

Cath half-turned, the frying pan still in her and, “You AND Merry? Well, I don’t seem to be seeing Merry at the moment Pippin. Perhaps you’d care to show him?”

Pippin edged a little further from Cath and called, “Er….Merry? Come in here a moment, eh?”

He could hear Merry mutter something under his breath and trail in, “What? Have you got it over and done with then….OW!”

Cath grabbed the ends of each of the lads ears and hauled them into the kitchen, “Now, seeing as neither of you wanted to come in and apologise….Don’t shake your head like that Pippin! I know you didn’t really want to apologise…How do I know you really mean it?”

“We’re sorry Cath, we’re both really, really, really sorry.” The two boys babbled. Cath raised an eyebrow.

“We are!” Merry protested.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cath turned back to the washing up bowl.

For a few minutes the boys watched her. Then Pippin had an idea, “We’ll help you with that….washing up stuff.”

Cath turned round, an odd smile on her face, “Would you?”

“Yeah!” Merry said, “I mean…it….it can’t be too hard. Right Pip?” His cousin nodded happily.

Cath still looked unsure, “Have you two ever done washing or wiping up before?”

“Ah….no. But it can’t be that hard!”

Cath sighed, “Sometimes I wish I was a spoilt, lazy brat who one day would get to be the Thain or Master of Buckland and not have to do simple, lowly house life chores like I do now…. “

“Hey!” Pippin protested. “We aren’t brats or spoilt or lazy!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cath said again, “Pippin, you wipe up the things I pass to you, Merry, you put away the things Pippin passes to you.”

“I don’t know where to put them!”

“Use your eyes. Look.”

“At what?” Merry asked.

“For the shelves you moron!”

“Ah.”

The work carried on quite smoothly. ThenÂ….

“Oi, Pippin, you’re passing me all the wet plates!”

“Am I really? Oh dear. I can’t imagine why…..”

Merry dumped the plates in front of Pippin, “Wipe. And wipe them properly.”

“Oh, Merry! That’s nearly all of them!”

“Your fault.”

Pippin stuck out his tongue, “It is not my fault. If Cath didn’t get the plates so wet…” He flicked Cath gently with the water.

“Oi!” Cath protested, “Don’t splash me!” She flicked Pippin back, a little harder this time.

“Hey! Stop it missy!” Pippin told her, grabbing hold of Cath wrists. Merry took advantage of this to flick them both. Well, it wasn’t really flicking, unless you define filling a small bowl with water and spilling it over the two hobbit children…..

“Merry!” Cath squealed, “Right, that’s it….”

She grabbed a saucepan filled with water and poured it over MerryÂ’s head. Unfortunately some of it splashed onto Pippin.

“Oi!”

“Pippin! That went all over my head!”

“And over me too!”

Merry seized another saucepan and threw the contents over the two children (and most of the floor). Cath strode forward to grab another container and slipped on the floor. She grabbed the side of the washing up bowl, and the whole lot spilled out onto the floor.

It was only then that the trio realised what a mess theyÂ’d made. Merry stared at the floor and thought of how many people it would take to clean it up (The washing up bowl didnÂ’t just have water in it). Cath stared down at her dress and thought of how angry her Grandmother would be when she found her. And Pippin stared at the water logged work surface, table and window sill and wondered how long it would take it for him to run home to Tuckborough.

“I think.” Cath said slowly, “We may just have created a problem.”

“Naa,” Merry said in a shaky voice, “I reckon….I reckon everyone’ll be….okay, with it.”

“WHAT IN MIDDLE-EARTH HAPPENED HERE!!!!????”

Cath turned to Merry, “Sure.” She muttered.

The three turned slowly to meet their doom. Marigold was standing in the doorway, hands over her open, horrified mouth, eyes blazing with fire, and a look that said thereÂ’d be hell to pay when she found out who was responsible for this.

“Trust me,” Cath whispered under her breath, “To have been looked after by the neat-freak in the family when this happened.” She turned to Marigold, a pleading look on her face, “Mari,” She said, slowly and carefully, “I can explain…..”

“Merry! Pippin!” Bilbo’s friendly voice could be heard, “Your mothers have come to bring you home!” The two cousins exchanged fearful glances, “And, Cath, your Dad’s come home early….”

The rest of his words were drowned out by Eglantine Tooks shriek of,

“WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!?!”

*****

“Mum didn’t bring me home after all,” Pippin said casually, lying on a bank by the lake in Hobbiton, “She said that she’d be dead before she came home with me looking like that, me being the Thain’s son and all.”

If you looked at him, Cath decided, you definitely wouldnÂ’t think Pippin was one day going to be the most important lad in the Shire. Lounging about with his hair all messed up from when theyÂ’d tumbled down the hill together and a mischievous glint in his eyes, youÂ’d think he was more of a farmers son.

“But…er…Esmerelda decided to take Merry home, eh?”

“Yeah. Merry’s ear is going to be VERY sore when he gets home, from her hauling him about and all.”

Cath looked a bit sheepish and started fiddling with the grass. Pippin noticed, “What’s up Cath? You’re not still angry with us for that pollen thing are you?”

“Eh? Oh, no….no, I’m not….”

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, come on Cath, you can tell me anything.”

“Well…” Cath started fiddling with the grass and staring at the ground, “You’d probably think it really mean for me to say but….Well, don’t you think it’s a bit odd us being friends? I mean, you’re a Took and I’m a Gamgee and….Well, don’t you think your parents would be a bit….uncomfortable about it? Like…that kind of stuff. There, I’ve said it; you’ll hate me now.”

“No I don’t!” An idea came into Pippins brain, “Is that why you never come to the Smials?”

“Apart from them being ages away from home, then yeah.”

“Right. Right then, come on.” Pippin stood up and pulled Cath after him.

“Eh?”

“Do you want to come round my house, or don’t you?”

“Well, yeah, I guess….but…”

“Come on then!”

Cath held out her hands in front of her, “Pippin this is just…..daft! I mean, no-ones invited me….”

“I’m inviting you now.”

“Yeah…but…your parents….”

“Won’t really care. It’ll be fine, come on!”

“Pip, it takes at least three hours to get there if we ride at remotely sensible speed, we can’t even ride without someone else with us at that and….” Cath sighed and shook her head, “I’m gonna get in trouble for this, I know that. But….Oh what the heck, let’s just blow being sensible!”

Pippin laughed, “We can find some ponies at the Green Dragon or something.”

“They aren’t ours!”

“Yeah…but we can hire ‘em can’t we?”

“With what?” Cath laughed, “Thin air?”

Pippin grinned mischievously, “You’ve forgotten; you’re talking to the Thain’s son.” He pulled out a handful of coins.

Cath whistled, “There are going to be perks to travelling with you after all, I see.”

Pippin grabbed her hand, “Come on!”

Cath laughed and the two raced down the hill. At the Green Dragon, Mr Smallburrow, MirandaÂ’s father, looked down at them.

“Well….alright,” He eventually said, “I don’t know why I’m letting two little mites like you hire my ponies but….if you don’t tell.”

“Thankyou Mister Smallburrow!” The two said, and ran round the back. Pippin stared at a large cart and the two ponies.

“Hey Cath, you reckon we could go in this?” He whispered.

Cath shook her head, “No way! Pippin, we’d attract far too much attention! You don’t even know how to drive it!”

“Oh, come on, it’d be fun!”

“No! Come on! We’re pushing limits as it is you know. We aren’t travelling with an older hobbit, nothing!”

“Oh….Please?”

“No! Come on, we have to go on the ponies. All right?”

Pippin sighed, “Okay.”

The two got on two brown ponies and rode out of the stables, Pippin still staring wistfully at the carriages.

*****

“We’ll be here in a moment.” Pippin told Cath.

The lass stared at her pocket watch, “And it’s only ten in the morning! How did you manage that?”

“I took us round the shortcuts didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Cath shook her head ruefully, “And made me fall of the pony twice in the process.”

“Oh yeah….Still, not a complete dummy, am I?”

“I guess not….” Cath bit her lip.

“What is it?”

Cath chuckled suddenly, “Oh nothing. I was just thinking….the last time your mother saw me, we’d just spilt a washing up bowl over us.”

“Oh yeah…..”

But, fortunately for Cath, Eglantine Took was not in. Rosanna-Anne, the Took childrenÂ’s nurse welcomed them with hugs and cakes, something the two appreciated very much (the cakes not the least). Cath even stopped being nervous; Rosanna was one of those hobbits who didnÂ’t care where ANYONE came from.

“Well, well.” A pleasant voice came in, “To what to we owe this honour, Miss Gamgee?”

Cath and Pippin whipped round to face Paladin Took, who was smiling happily.

“Oh…um….it was Pippins idea….” Cath babbled nervously.

“Quite. It is a good idea Pippin, you should come round again quite often, Miss Cath.”

Pippin’s father left the room and the young Took breathed a sigh of relief, “He’s in a good mood,” He whispered, “Usually he just snaps something and heads off to his study.”

“Ah, he in a good mood today,” Rosanna told them, with a companionable wink, “One of your cousins….Young Reginard Tooks father or one of the like said he’d take the place of Thain…so he very happy, yes.”

Cath shrugged, but Pippin was confused, “Why’d Dad want that to happen? I mean…it’s good to be Thain, right?”

“You don’t know what you talk about child,” Rosanna scolded gently, “Yes, you get money, and respect yes, but also, much pressure. You didn’t know your father before he became Thain, child, no he was a very different man. So happy….now he is changed hobbit. He just works all the time….no, it is not a good thing to be Thain unless you know that you are doing.”

Pippin shrugged, “Whatever you say Rosanna…..”

The two walked out into the back of the stables, passing well bred ponies from all over the Shire. Pippin, who was going first, stopped straight in his tracks. There before them, was the largest pony either of them had ever seen. It was no pony in fact, it was a horse.

It was at least 6Â’2 inches tall, chestnut brown and a flowing mane and tail. Its flanks were strong and muscular, the coat had a strong, glossy sheen to it, and it uneasily pawed its hooves, like some mountain breeze or distant song from faraway was calling it.

“I’ve never seen a horse before.” Cath gasped.

“Me neither.”

“We found it!” A strong voice boomed, “Just off by the north of the Woody End. Beauty isn’t he? Probably fought in wars of the big folk.”

Pippin turned to face his father, “Can we get on it? Just to see what he’s like. Or, just maybe a quick ride?”

Paladin looked firm, “No. Absolutely not. I forbid it. You may damage yourselves; he has a strong temper. No, you most certainly can not.” He smiled suddenly, “You may mount the ponies though, they are not as fiery. Just not the horse. But I don’t need to tell you that, do I?” The two children shook their heads, “No, no, I thought not.” He ruffled their hair and strode off, leaving the two children gawping at the large horse.

“I’m going to name him…..Firefoal.” Cath decided..

“Foal?” Pippin snorted, “He’s not a foal!”

“Oh, shut up.” The two stared at it for a little while, each resisting the temptation to ride the newly names Firefoal. Finally, Cath broke the spell, “Come on, it’s no good standing here all day. Let’s see the ponies.”

“No, that’s boring Cath. I want to ride the horse.”

Cath shook her head, “Neither of us know how to ride a horse! And anyway, you know what your father said.”

“So? Oh, come on Cath, it’ll be easy, just once around the paddock, then we can lead him back and no-one will be any the wiser. Why can’t we?”

“Because someone could come out and see us, from what your father said it would be dangerous, and anyway we don’t know if the horse is used to people riding it!”

Pippin looked at her, “What’s the matter, are you afraid?”

“No I’m not.” Cath said, in a queer voice.

“Well then why won’t you ride it?”

“Because I’m not an idiot like you.”

“Idiot or not, I still know how to have fun,” Pippin told her, and before Cath could say anything he had got a crate from the stable, got onto it and had gotten half-way onto the horse!

“Alright, alright, I’ll go!” Cath snapped, “If that’ll stop you from going on that thing on your own then fine. I’ll go with you.”

Pippin smiled, “See what happens when you stop being such a boring thing?” He moved backwards from the horse and let Cath go in front of him. The horse stamped nervously and twitched forward, but stayed where it was.

“So, just once round the paddock right?”

“Yep.”

“Then we get off again.”

“Of course.”

Cath twisted round to look at her friend, “You sure about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Cath glared at him, “I don’t know why, but whenever you start agreeing with me I get worried.”

“I have no idea why that would be.”

Cath ignored him, “So, we’ve got the bit in his mouth, the saddle in place, the reigns…..why they were on the horse in the first place I have no idea….”

“So now I have to do is kick it in the side?”

“Not *kick* it,” Cath corrected him, “Just dig your heels into the side. Gently.”

But whether Pippin dug his heels in gently or not weÂ’ll never know.

“Here we go then,” Pippin said, and dug his heels into the sides of the horse. Both the children yelled.

The horse reared up, so that it was almost vertical. Cath flung her arms tightly round the horseÂ’s neck, and Pippin held on tightly round her stomach, thinking that no amount of money was ever going to get him disobeying his father again.

Then the horse bolted. Being at the back of the stables he raced down the middle, making ponies left and right canter round their enclosures in fright. As they neared the stable doors, something in CathÂ’s intestines tightened uncomfortably. They had forgotten to open the doors!

“Hold on!” She yelled. The two hobbits ducked in their seats, bracing themselves for the crash.

It didnÂ’t come. The horse reared up again, not as far as the last time, but enough for its front legs to flail wildly and kick the doors open. The horse sped through the now wrecked gates, brushing dangerously near to the Smials. Pippin winced.

“Another yard and we would be dead.” He muttered.

“We still are,” Cath reminded him, “Do YOU have any idea where this horse is going?”

Pippin shook his head in panic, “We are in for a long ride.”

****

An hour later, and the runaway horse was still galloping in a panic, its two passengers still clinging on for dear life.

“Why is it going so mad?” Pippin asked.

“How am I meant to know? It either has got so nervous that it just went berserk, or something spooked it.” Pippin ignored her, “Oi Pippin? Pip?” Cath twisted round to look at her friend. His face was pale and there was a frightened look on his face she hadn’t seen before, “What’s up?”

“That.” He pointed with his free hand and Cath gulped. The land went on for a little way, and then gave out, “It’s the quarry.”

“Heaven help us,” Cath breathed. The quarry had steep edges going round its edges for three miles. Going down it would be like taking a dive down a waterfall in a barrel. Cath yanked on the reigns. Hard.

“Woh!” Pippin yelped as, for the third time in two hours, the horse reared up, almost throwing the two from the saddle, “Great idea Cath.”

Cath didnÂ’t answer. She just screwed up her eyes and prayed that they wouldnÂ’t be completely killed when they reached the bottom.

The horse skidded down the side of the hill sideways, miraculously managing to remain on its feet. Piles of dust towered above them, and rocks scattered around Firefoals hooves. Cath screamed.

“I swear Pippin, when we get out of this I will kill you!” Cath flung her arms round the horses neck as it galloped off at top speed down the quarry, “Once around the paddock my foot.”

“What the….oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.”

Cath twisted round in her saddle, “What? No, don’t tell me. We’re going to go over a cliff.”

“No, we’re going to go into the market place.”

Cath whipped round. Sure enough, in the distance she could see the usual hustle and bustle of the Bywater market, “Oh DAMN IT! What are we going to do???” She glared at Pippin, “I am going to kill someone when we get off this thing.”

“More likely we are going to kill someone WHILE we are on this thing.”

Cath groaned, “Kill me now.”

Pippin shook his head, “My father is going to kill me.”

“Yeah, well WHO’S FAULT IS THAT???”

“I know, I know.”

Cath shook her head and twisted her fingers around the bridle, pulling it to the right in an attempt to steer the horse. But the attempt just maddened it, putting on extra speed. Pippin groaned as the horse neared the market. One young woman looked up from her bundle of shopping. She screamed.

Two men looked up, just in time to hear the womanÂ’s scream drain out as the mad horse ploughed itself into her. Cath dropped the bridle and covered her eyes as the horse crashed into four others, driving itself mad with the noise. People ran. Woman screamed, men tried to grab the horse, only to have it rear away from them, and children ran for cover. One particularly brave lad of around twenty made a leap for the horse, intending to drag it to a halt, The horse twisted itself round and delivered a sharp kick to the lads head. He collapsed to the floor, blood draining from his head.

Pippin put his hands over his head, just as the horse galloped through a marketers stall. Firefoal leapt, speeding away from the wreckage he had caused.

Cath twisted round in her seat to gawp at the scene behind them, “Well, you were right.”

Pippin shook himself, rousing himself from his trance, “Eh?”

“That’s right. Most likely we did kill someone.”

Pippin swallowed, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Me too. What…oh no. Oh no. This could only happen on a day like today.”

“Huh?”

“We are heading for Bywater Pool.”

Pippin shook his head, “That’s it. That is it. I’m getting off.” He swung his leg off the horse. Cath yelled and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him back.

“Do not do that again! You could kill yourself!”

“Better than drowning.”

Cath shook him by the hair, “This is your fault Perigrin Took, so you’re going to stay hear and DEAL WITH IT!”

“Okay, okay.”

Cath nodded as she turned around, closing her eyes as the horse skidded along the banks of the Pool, waiting for the impending disaster.

The horse tripped. A large stone jutted out a couple of feet into the pool. None of the three saw it, horse or hobbit.

And the horse didnÂ’t just *trip*. It flipped out the water, launching Cath and Pippin into the air. Spray flew through the air. Pebbles rained down from where they had been thrown up by the horseÂ’s ever moving hooves. The horses head jerked so quickly the air hissed. Then it was still.

Pippin rolled himself into a ball as he flew through the air, bracing himself for the crash as he came back to earth. Of course he expected one. He wasnÂ’t disappointed.

Perfect, he would have muttered, if he still had a spare amount of air in his lungs. But, almost in slow motion, he looked up. And drew a sharp breath.

The water closed over his head. PippinÂ’s first reaction was to shoot his head back through the waves. The second was to gasp for easier breath. The third was to look for Cath.

“Cath! Cath, where are you?” There was no answer, “Cath, I’m sorry! Cath, if this is a joke….Where are you?”

A loud sound of coughing broke the silence, “Pippin? Are you okay?”

Pippin dragged himself through the water, almost falling on top of Cath, “You survived then?”

“Uh huh, although I don’t think I’m going to be using this arm for a while,” Cath shook it limply, as the hand hung from the wrist, looking like it was threatening to part company, “What about you?”

“Um…I’m in quite a lot of pain actually,” To say the truth, Pippin hadn’t exactly registered the fact that he was in serious pain. But that’s what comes of being concerned for friends who, if they hadn’t listened to you, would still have their arm intact, “And very wet.”

“Duh.”

Pippin turned round and stared at the stock still Firefoal, “Oh my gosh! The horse; is he dead?”

Cath looked up. Something wet and slimy seemed to tighten itself around her insides, and she blanched.

“No, but we are.”

“Eh?” Pippin looked at where Cath was pointing. He almost collapsed.

Eyes like burning coals, almost shaking with rage and towering above them, was Paladin Took.