Omnibus: One-Shots, Imagines, & Drabbles

Mist and Shadow (LotR)

I really wanted to get this up for Lord of the Rings Day but I'm an hour or two late - which may or may not be due to me spending excessive amounts of time looking through #majesticthorin memes. This one-shot may be slightly confusing if you are not familiar with LotR.

Merry is 18 and Pippin is 10, which in human years is something like 11 and 7 idek. Basically they're kids.

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"He's always followed me. Everywhere I went, since before we were were tweens..."

The setting sun burned bright on the horizon, streaming crimson and gold rays over the rolling green hills and staining the sky amber, rose, and lavender. Dusk settled over the Shire, blanketing all in its warm, dim veil. Hobbit lasses and lads were herded indoors by their Hobbit mothers and fathers. Their bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and tangled, curly hair spoke to a day of adventures and fun. Protesting all the while, yawning Hobbitlings were carried to bed and kissed goodnight. And as the sun finally slipped below the horizon and the silver moon rose, all the little Hobbits drifted off to sleep.

Well, almost all. Huddled beneath a tall oak tree in the meadow were two young Hobbits, far too excited for sleep.

"Merry," said the smaller one, "Do you think we made it?" Merry loudly shushed his cousin. "Well Pip," Merry replied, with the air of one who has carefully laid out a plan, "Your folks think you're at my place an' my folks think I'm at yours, so there's no reason that they would come after us." Pippin nodded. His cousin was very smart; of course he had planned this out well.

"So whaddya wanna do?" Pippin asked excitedly. Merry peered at the High Hay - the great hedge that protected Buckland from the Outside, now barely visible in the darkness. Pippin followed his gaze and gasped. "Out there?" he asked. No one ever went outside the Shire, most definitely not little Hobbitlings who were supposed to be asleep. It was forbidden. Merry nodded.

"I dunno, Merry," Pippin hesitated, "I've never been Outside before, an' it's dark, an' what if those things that Bilbo talks about are out there - the Gobbins?" Pippin was very frightened of the creatures in Bilbo's tales. He had been threatened repeatedly by his parents that those monsters would get him if he wandered too far.

"They're called Goblins, Pip," Merry replied impatiently, "An' just think, the others will be so jealous when we tell 'em that we saw the Outside. Why, I bet Frodo will have a fit. He's always been wanting to see the Outside, you know..." Merry realized he was rambling and trailed off. "'Sides," he accused, "You're not scared, are you?" Pippin shook his head vigorously. Merry nodded in satisfaction, "Good, then let's go."

The two Hobbitlings crept silently through the meadow until they reached the High Hay, keeping close to the hedge so as to avoid detection. Pippin peered past Merry's shoulder at the gate. "Merry!" he hissed, "There's a guard!" "Shhh!" Merry held a finger to his lips, "I know, Pip. We're not going through the gate." Pippin looked at his cousin in confusion, "then where are we-" "Just follow me," Merry cut him off, "an' for goodness' sake be quiet! You're gonna get us caught."

Merry led Pippin away from the gate, padding softly along and following the curve of the hedge. The Hobbitlings walked for what felt like hours to Pippin. "Merry," he complained, "I'm tired." "Almost there, Pip," Merry promised. Pippin sighed. This adventure was turning out to be decidedly less fun than he thought it would be.

Finally, Merry slowed down, then stopped. Preemptively covering Pippin's mouth, Merry pointed at a hole in the hedge, roughly the size of a crouching Hobbit. Merry got down on all fours and began to crawl through the hedge, then turned back to look at Pippin.