Greetings on my last week doing Marigold's Recommendations! Pearl Took here one last time.

First I offer a delightful story of the Fellowship while journeying down the Anduin. Merry, Pippin and Boromir are featured but every one is there. The two young hobbits teach an important lesson to the Man of Gondor and the rest of the Fellowship as well. This is number #47 in this grouping of short works under the heading of "Agape's Attempts" and there are many other gems to be found here.

A Lesson Learned by Agape4Gondor

Next we have a story about the hobbits and Aragorn after the War of the Ring while the Fellowship is in Minas Tirith. Strider finds yet another surprising talent that the hobbits possess that causes him to to ignore their wishes to return to the Shire. This is also to be found in a grouping of small stories, this one entitled "Seeing Isn't Always Believing". I hope you enjoy -

Master Back-walker by shirebound

And to my own amazement, the next story doesn't even have Pippin in it. In fact, it has no hobbits at all :-O This wonderful story features Bergil before the troubles around the White City have become as dire and he is a young boy wandering in the woods near his grandparents farm. I know you will barely even miss our beloved hobbits while reading -

The Rider in the Gloaming by Nesta

Picked by Guest-Recommender by Pearl Took!

My "Pick of the Week" is truly a gift given in the finest of Hobbit tradition - it's a true mathom. "Let Him Eat Cake" was a birthday gift given by one of our best writers of hobbit humour, Grey Wonderer, to Dreamflower based upon a few lines of dialogue in one of Dreamflower's own stories. So grab a plate and fork and help yourself to a huge piece of birthday cake!

Let Him Eat Cake by Grey Wonderer

With Many Fond Acknowledgments by Thundera Tiger

Sam makes the mistake of taking his copy of the Red Book along on a visit to Minas Tirith and several others that played a part in the story are none too pleased with how certain events have been set out for posterity!

It's really interesting to consider how others involved might have perceived events differently than the author and those who reported what took place to him, and also fun to see various egos come to the fore.

Of Beasts and Birds by MagickalMolly

This is wonderfully funny! Frodo attempts to assist Merry in the collection of some eggs but he is not exactly at home amongst the chickens! It was very easy to visualise the events that transpire and both Frodo and Merry are in wonderful character! A very cousin-y fic.

Nightmares by PipMer

At Crickhollow, Merry and Pippin are suffering from nightmares that disturb their rest, but are suddenly thrust into a waking nightmare with no escape. This is an angsty story, with the cousinly love and supportiveness between them very well described.

I think that this is one of PipMer's best stories to date!

The recommendations this week are courtesy of the KnittedHobbits, with my thanks! KnittedPippin is up first...

Helo evrybudy!

weve bin on hollydays fur a long tyme in ther forresst! und sore lotts ov ponys und wrabbits, so Marigold und Llinos is to tyred und weery tu du mulch reckommendering!

So Marigold, hu is mi frend, sed i cud du a reckomendationoanaon agin! So thus is wot i chuse!

it am a v. nise stori und i leik it becus it am abowt wun ov mi fammilee! a Tuk!

it wuz mi grate, grate, grate, grate, grate unkle! und he's nayme wuz Bullroarer!

i hop u wull leik thes gud stori us mulch as wot me und meri did!

More than Meets the Eye by Dadgad

**********

Felicitations Fellow Connoisseurs of Excellent Fanfiction!

As my colleague, friend, cousin and knittedcompanion (to name but four) pointed out, Marigold and Llinos are skiving once again and claim to be too exhausted and emotionally drained to make recommendations this week, on account of a paltry 100 mile journey through a dark and benighted forest filled with strange monsters and weird other-worldly creatures, or as KnittedPippin calls them, ponies and rabbits!

KP's recommendation is indeed a worthy piece and an essential piece of historical knowledge which you should all commit to memory at once!

However I, of course, have out-historied him! My recommendation is certainly the most important piece of history ever! So pay attention and read with care!

The Unbearable Smugness of Being Feanor by Ignoble Bard

PS I really like the title as well!
K. M. The Mag

Gifts of Life by Fileg

This is a story that I recommended back in the early days of the Recs Page - I am going to be bringing up stories from the past on occasion so that newer readers in the fandom don't miss them!

This particular story features Merry and Gimli and the gifts that they have made for Aragorn and Arwen's wedding. Their discussion here is very nicely done. They are very clearly friends and I like the way that the author has captured their sense of companionship in this story. I think that their gifts, and the meaning behind them, are just perfect for each of them, individually and for their different races.

A Knot For Life by Regina

This is a short story that takes place in the Houses of Healing. Ioreth and Lothiriel don't know what else they can do to keep Merry, Eowyn and Faramir alive. Finally Ioreth remembers an old cure handed down among the old goodwives. I really like the sense of urgency in this story and their willingness to do whatever it takes to help the three hopeless cases under their care.

Now, on to this weeks stories, three by Fantasy Fan! I have discovered a wonderful series of vignettes by this author. All of her dialogue rings true, she has a wonderful grasp of the characters and she writes in a lovely, easy to read and yet sophisticated style. There are links to her other vignettes at the bottom of each story and I urge you to read them all. These three were hard to choose!

A Party Of Special Magnificence

I really enjoyed this! It takes place in Lothlorien just before the Fellowship leaves. Pippin overhears the Lady Galadriel bid them to a parting feast and is excited at the prospect of a party. His conversation with Merry about possible presents and whether or not it is Galadriel's birthday and if so how old she might be is wonderful! Merry is thoughtful and indulgent and Pippin is exuberant and naive and I am so pleased to have found this sweet story.

Into The Wilderness

This is a more serious moment, taking place in the Trollshaws. In this little vignette we see an example of how Pippin matures as the journey progresses. There must have been many such instances, each of them taking away just a bit more of Pippin's innocence. Merry's care for Pippin here is wonderfully done too, and I wondered how he must have felt on the Quest, watching his little cousin forced to grow into an adult so quickly, putting the needs of others before his own.

Ready For Anything

Sam gets acquainted with Bill and the description of the beginning of their friendship was very well done. The author really manages to capture Bill's personality just as well as she does the two-legged characters in the story. Sam isn't too sure of Strider yet though, and as he and Merry talk this over I loved the description of just how the womenfolk of Bree view the scruffy Ranger!

An Autumn Afternoon by Slightly Tookish

This short story does an excellent job of displaying the personalities of my favourite hobbits! Pippin is forever young at heart, and Merry willingly lets himself to be drawn into his cousin's play, after just the right amount of a show of Brandybuck maturity. The ending with Frodo really sets off the rest of the story perfectly!

Untitled by Claudia

This is a wonderful scene between Frodo and Damrod, the Ranger from Ithilien, which takes place in the gardens of the Houses of Healing after the War. I thought that the premise was excellent, one that I don't remember having seen before. The dialogue was especially well done, especially Frodo's, and I found the story very believable and had no trouble imagining that this meeting might have actually taken place.

Four Seasons by Citrine

Four vignettes featuring Merry and Pippin across the years that have a bit of everything; adventure, humour, drama, a bit of angst, but what shines through most of all is the deep cousinly love and friendship between the two. I can't decide which is my favourite, though Autumn really stands out.

Thoughts in the Night by Pearl Took

This is Pearl's version of what might have happened the night after Merry was able to walk in the garden at the Houses of Healing with his friends. While Merry is a prominent character, he sleeps through this particular story and the focus is on Pippin, and how he has been affected by the stressful events of the past week. The story is told through the pov of Pearl's original character, Parsow the Healer's Apprentice.

I particularly loved the references to what Pippin endured during his search to find Gandalf and thus save Faramir, a story told in Pearl's riveting tale Pippin's Crucible.

Hulo Marigold Reckonmedashuns Reeders. i hop yu are awl feeling gud! This ist, KnitedPipin macking ther reckondemnations tuday! und i relly hop you awl liek them! And i hop i dunt do it too rong, evn if mi spellink is a bit wobbley.

Furst i chuose a stori by Lady Masterblott, wich is qite a funi name butt it is qite a funi (and skary) stori too as wel!

it is heer

uNd fore mi neckts stori i relly lieked this wun! its not got a lot ov me and merry in it - wel acshully, none of me at all, but i stil lieked it cuz its got a lot of peeple in it enyway - and they is relly gud!

it is cawled "No Living Man" und it wuz rit by Elana und it am heer!

Through the Eyes of Another by Grey Wonderer

This is a superb Merry and Pippin story! The two of them are on a journey, post-Quest, but exactly where they are going and when, is a twist that will surprise you. They are in perfect character and I really enjoyed the obvious love and deep bond between them. This is one of Grey Wonderer's older stories and I was very glad that I came across it again!

Making Aquaintance by Bodkin

A day out and about in the woods near Brandy Hall results in some very unforeseen events for Merry and Pippin. They meet someone for the first time that will have a very great impact on their lives. And in this story young Pippin certainly has a big impact on their unexpected guest! It is a very fortuitous meeting, both in the present and for the future. We are left wondering if the three of them were somehow meant to be at that spot at that very time.

I liked very much Merry assuming his mantle of responsibility as the Master's grandson to meet this potential threat face to face, and Pippin's curiosity was spot on. All three characters are well written here, and I enjoyed this story very much. I wish that the author would write more of it! I'd love to see what happens next, when they all go to Brandy Hall.

Yule Eve 1430 SR by Baggins Babe

This story takes place in the author's AU in which Frodo did not sail West. It is Yule in Minas Tirith and the King has arranged a very special treat. My favourite part of this story were the descriptions of the Yule festivities of the Shire, especially the Apple-Man.