Author’s Notes: Rated for some violence and some slightly mature themes. (Slightly.) Technically, it’s an Angst/Action story with drama mixed in, but I figured “Drama” as a catagory pretty much summed it up. This was originally posted at www.warofthering.net and is merely a product of my deranged mind, nothing more. No, they’re not my characters. Yes, there will be more than one chapter. No, I do not take any responsibility for what the characters may do to each other in this story, fair or foul – if you don’t like it, then everybody blame Merry.

Chapter One: The Stumble

Pippin crept stealthily through the winter forest, bare hobbit feet making no sound on the deep snow. His breathing was silent, his movements expertly plotted so as to ensure the utmost secrecy and noiselessness. The footprints that he was following were those of a swift runner, no doubt someone far ahead of him by now, but they were easy to follow. Familiarity with his quarry lent to his ease, but it was mainly that he was known throughout the Great Smials as an exceptional tracker. He wasn’t at the Great Smials right now–he was visiting his cousin at Brandy Hall in Buckland–but even there, no one ever tried to hide from him if there was a chance that their feet would leave prints.

However, he could have been just a child, and the job still would have been easy. He was tracking Merry, which meant that the chase wasn’t going to last much longer.

Indeed, for soon the footprints led him to the edge of a small clearing. Pippin tucked away a mental note that footprints in the woods always led to small clearings in the old stories; then, increasing his effort to remain silent, he moved behind a large tree and peered round it.

His mouth fell open at what he saw. Well, there was his cousin, all right–Merry was standing next to the left end of the clearing, next to an iced-up stump. But what made Pippin feel as if he’d just swallowed an ice-cube was that Merry wasn’t alone. There was a lass there.

Well of course there was. What other reason would Merry have had to sneak away from Brandy Hall after a hurried tea? It wasn’t the sneaking away that had roused Pippin’s curiosity; it was that his cousin had only touched one piece of buttered bread and a small cake at tea-time, instead of sitting down for a small feast as he usually did. No twenty-eight-year-old hobbit lad in his right mind ever did that. Thus, Merry could not have been in his right mind–and of course Pippin knew that he never was in his right mind when he was around a lass.

Hmm, so Merry had probably secretly arranged for this lass–good heavens, she had turned towards him, not noticing (thank goodness) that she was being watched, and he’d recognized her! It was Fredegar’s sister! Estella Bolger was standing in the woods and kissing Merry!

The thought was like a blow to Pippin’s young mind. He was only twenty, and at that age didn’t care a whiff whether or not there were any lasses interested in him. Merry’s infatuation with the female species had always annoyed him, but he’d never imagined that his cousin would do a thing like this! Merry was still a lad! And it was all the more uncomfortable to watch him interacting like this with one of Pippin’s friends. Fredegar Bolger was one of Pippin’s constant companions, and Estella hung about with them at oft. Good grief, they weren’t actually thinking of getting married, were they?

No, no, of course not. Merry was five years away from coming of age yet. He was far too young. The only logical explanation was that Merry had taken a liking to Estella, and privately arranged a meeting with her, here, in this clearing, where they would–where they would what? It wasn’t as if they were just going to stand there kissing all day.

Pippin began to feel his conscience stirring. It wasn’t right for him to stand here watching them, and it certainly wasn’t right for Merry to stand there–doing–that! What could he do? Run off and leave it at that? No, he’d have to tell someone. But he couldn’t sneak off and tattle without somehow alerting Merry of his presence. It wouldn’t be fair to him–he’d have to let him know he’d seen. And that would mean doing something drastic. One didn’t just walk up to two lovers and announce, “Oh, hullo there, by the way, I see you.”

The sun gleaming on a snowdrift nearby caught Pippin’s eye, and an idea began to form. Ahh, that was perfect! Estella wouldn’t mind much–oh, she’d yell at him and act all distressed, but he knew her pretty well; she’d end up laughing along with him and poking fun at Merry’s sure-to-come sullen mood. When it came to that, he’d probably get Merry chasing him halfway across the Shire as penalty for sneaking up on them, but he and his cousin were always exchanging pranks, and he’d been chased halfway across the Shire lots of times before. It wasn’t so bad; and at the end of it all, they would both be laughing, and generally get into a playful scuffle or–more often than not–Merry would attack Pippin with his fingers, and a wild tickling match would ensue. They were always friends again after things like this. Always.

Yes, he thought as he took a handful of snow and began forming it, the plan was perfect. It couldn’t go wrong. He gauged the distance carefully. What luck: if he aimed right, he might even succeed in hitting them both on the mouth at the same time–a feat that wouldn’t be too difficult.

~~~~~

Merry was feeling quite pleased with himself today. Everything was going right. He’d even gotten Estella to meet him here after tea-time. Finally, she was starting to like him! Perhaps she’d even consent to dance with him on his birthday later than month. He’d look dashing, and she’d be very impressed and partner with him for all the dances. Maybe someday he’d think about marrying her . . . but that was still a long way off yet. He would need to come of age to start heading in that direction.

Suddenly out of nowhere, something sailed through the air and heavily smacked him on the face. Merry tore himself away from Estella and stared at the thing. It was a snowball.

“What–”

Before he had time to register the thought, another snowball came flying and made contact with his chest. A second one followed quickly, aimed at Estella. Soon the two hobbits were being properly bombarded with cold, wet, stinging missiles.

“Stop it!” Merry spat snow out of his mouth. “Stop it, whoever you are!” Then a snowball caught him in the face. Snow filled his eyes and mouth, and he choked, blinded. Throwing himself to the ground, dragging Estella with him, he wiped furiously at his eyes until he’d gotten most of the ice out of them. He sat up just in time to see Estella shield her head as a barrage of weapons hit her.

“For the Tooks!” someone shouted.

Rage blazed in Merry’s heart. Pippin! The rat had snuck up on him in the woods and attacked Estella and him–and with snowballs! Forgetting the snow in his eyes and the oncoming cloud of snowballs, Merry jumped to his feet and ran to where the attack was coming from.

In a minute, he’d hauled Pippin out from behind the tree by his collar. “Peregrin Took, you rat of a hobbit! What on earth did you think you were doing?” Anger was burning inside of him like a bonfire, and he shook Pippin hard.

“Let go, let go!” exclaimed his cousin, trying to free himself from Merry’s iron grip.

“Let go? Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“I swear, I didn’t think you’d react this way. I didn’t think you’d mind so.” Pippin tore at his collar where Merry had his hold, and when that was in vain, he tried to wriggle out of his jacket.

“Didn’t think! You never think, you inconsiderate prankster! Just do whatever you want, isn’t it?” Merry threw him down into the snow.

Pippin crouched panting on the ground, staring up at his assailer. Merry took another step forward. “Did it ever occur to you that perhaps this would hurt my feelings? No! Did it ever occur to you how cruel this was? Of course it didn’t!”

He could feel his face burning, despite the cold weather. Not only had he been humiliated, but so had Estella. They’d both been embarrassed, and Pippin had acted like it was all a joke.

“How was I cursed with you for a cousin?” growled Merry, sitting heavily on the snow-covered tree stump and glaring at the ground.

“Honest, Merry, I’m sorry, and I really didn’t think Estella or you would take it so hard–”

“Merry.” Estella interrupted.

The hobbit looked up. Estella was standing with her hands clenched into fists, a look of pure contempt upon her face. Merry gasped and rose quickly to his feet.

“I’m sorry, Estella, I had no idea that he’d followed–”

“Is that your cousin?” She pointed a trembling finger at Pippin, who still lay in the snow, propped up on an elbow.

“I–he’s–” Merry didn’t know what to say. To let Estella know that he was related to that–that–that senseless demon in the form of a hobbit–would be just as bad as him having committed the act himself! She’d never speak to him again!

“Well, he’s really not–not my cousin; he’s my third cousin twice removed, and I don’t know how he got here–”

“What are you talking about?” Pippin asked from behind him. “Of course I’m your cousin.”

He whirled around. “Pippin–”

“I’m not wasting my time here,” hissed Estella. And then she was gone.

Merry stared, unbelieving, into the woods where she had disappeared. She was gone. Estella was gone. No more dances, kisses, secret meetings in the woods–it was all over.

Humiliation rose up anew in his soul, and he clenched his eyes shut to keep out the tears. But suddenly, within the humiliation, a spark of anger shot up again, and he turned round slowly to face the person who had just ruined everything for him.

“What–have–you–done?” he whispered.

~~O~~

Pippin was breathing heavily. Never in his life had he witnessed his cousin so angry before. And never in his life had Merry lied about him before. Or taken out his rage on him through physical contact. But that had all happened now, and suddenly, for the first time in his life, Pippin found himself afraid of his cousin.

And then Merry ran at him. Somehow Pippin found enough strength to leap up from where he lay and take a few steps to the side, but it wasn’t enough. Merry grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against the tree.

Pippin’s breath left him, and his knees buckled. “Stop, Merry–”

“Did you stop? No!” shouted Merry, shoving his cousin harder up against the trunk. “You just kept at it! Don’t expect any different from me!”

“Let go of me!”

And then a sharp, piercing pain went up his arm. Pippin screamed and crumpled to the ground.

“You like that? Do you know that’s how I felt when you did what you did?”

Pippin grabbed his arm as tears filled his eyes. “You just hit me–”

“Yes, I did! As hard as I could! It’s no more than you deserve! You’ve ruined everything”

This time Pippin saw Merry’s fist come at him before it made contact. The blow fell on his chest, and once more he felt pain like fire. He tried to rise to his feet, but Merry was on top of him, pinning his arms against the ground. The injured arm burned in pain.

“Merry, please, let go of me!”

Merry’s grip loosened a bit, and the rage left his eyes, only to be replaced by a look of cold hatred. He released Pippin and rose.

“Get out of here, rat,” he said in a hard voice. “Get out and never come back.”

Questions swirled round Pippin’s mind. What had made his cousin act so? Of course it was pure rage out of losing Estella, but how could something like that turn someone into what Merry had become? Shakily he stood up, trying to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him.

“You needn’t worry,” he gasped, touching his chest where it stung. “I’ll never come here again. I value my life.”

His cousin’s face was hard, and his tone icy.

“You’re probably the only one in the world who does.”

A tear froze on Pippin’s cheek as he stumbled out of the clearing and turned toward home.