Raindance
It was a hot day in the Shire. Estella was picking strawberries in the garden for dessert. The sweat was trickling down her cheeks, soaking her dress. She had picked a light, breezy, cotton garment of bright yellow, thinking that it would keep her cooler for the heat wave, but it hadn't been working the way she'd hoped.
"Could it get any hotter?" she wondered out loud. Her elder brother, Fredegar sat beneath the shade of the oak tree, reading with his feet up.
"Not much I hope." he called across the yard. Estella straightened, placing a sweaty hand on her hip.
"You know, the work would go by a lot quicker if you got off your rear and helped!" she called, feigning anger. He laughed, setting his book aside and rising.
"Someone has to cook the supper." he said with a wink. And strolled back to the house. Snatching a handful of strawberries as he passed her.
"Idiot." she growled, swatting his arm playfully. He chuckled and scampered off. It was too hot to follow, so she simply stuck out her tongue and continued her work.
She felt the coolness of a soft wind whispering in her hair, drying her wet cheeks, it felt so good, that she stopped working to close her eyes and drink it in.
"Breeze feels nice, eh?"
The gentle voice was so close, she felt the warmth of its breath on her nose. Her eyes flew open, and a pair of sky-blue ones looked back at her.
"Hullo, 'Stella." the kindness in the tone was unmistakably Merry Brandybuck. She laughed, drawing away from his enticing gaze to give him a well-deserved shove.
"You imp!" she giggled falling back into the dusty garden earth. He chuckled and sat back on his heels.
"Working hard or hardly working?" he asked teasingly. She frowned.
"I'm working, goodness knows what you're doing!" she retorted. He stretched out his hand and pulled her up.
"Just paying a friendly visit to my favorite girl in all the Shire." he grinned mischievously. She raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh, and how did you find out we were having strawberry pie tonight?" she asked cockily. He frowned.
"Now Estella, that hurts!" he said, pretending to be offended "You think I only visit for your brothers' pie? Really?" he covered his face with his hands and sobbed dramatically.
"Oh, come off it!" she smiled, pushing him away "And don't you dare take even one berry from that dish! If you're going to have our pie, I suggest you start picking."
Grinning, he sat in the dirt beside her and began to help. Estella observed her friend out of the corner of her eye.
His trousers were dusty from the walk to her home, his white shirt was half unbuttoned and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His sandy brown curls were damp and sticking to his forehead, shiny with perspiration. A bead of sweat dripped off his handsome nose, drawing her attention to his bright, blue eyes. Trapped in their depths was a mischievous gleam, as well as kindness and gentleness that resonated from his being. He was really just a child at heart, yet a lovely one, one she adored.
"So how have you been down in Brandyhall?" she asked, making conversation.
"Well enough, I suppose. The daughter of my mothers' maid, Daisy, is ill but she'll recover soon."
"Sounds dull." she grinned, glancing at him. He nodded in agreement.
"That's why I came over. I needed something to do. Though I didn't think you'd be quite so cruel as to make me work on such a sweltering hot day!"
"As if this is real work, you lazy oaf!" she laughed "If you want to work, why don't you go pull weeds in the flowerbed."
He began moving faster, picking berries at a startling speed.
"I'm working, I'm working!" he cried, feigning desperation. She laughed,his ridiculous humor was warming to her heart. He had always been so silly, it was such a part of his personality, and a part of hers. They both loved to trade jokes back and forth, joking in sarcasm, teasing each other mercilessly. But no matter what either said, they both knew the depths of the other's love and never doubted it.
"Relax, we don't want to send you home all tuckered out."
He grinned, pleased to see she cared, and steadied his pace, all the while glancing over to watch her long, graceful fingers expertly plucking each berry gently from its' stem. She had a way about her that knew perfectly every leaf and every blade of grass, she moved so smoothly, but made it look effortless. Whether this talent was hereditary or learned, he didn't know, but it hardly mattered, it was enough to just watch her working.
With both youngsters hard at work, it took little time to fill the tin with berries, Estella sat back on her heels and sighed, Merry followed suit.
"Well, that should be enough for now." she said, wiping her slick forehead "Thank you for all your help, Merry."
"Aww, it was nothing." he winked, rising and helping her up. Estella took the berries and strolled to the house, Merry tagged along behind, willing the clouds to cover the relentless sun as it scorched his back.
Fredegar happily received the berries for the pie, and shooed them back out-of-doors for fresh air while he cooked.
"Exile us into the desert, why don't you." Estella growled as she closed the round, brown door. Merry smothered a laugh. She glared at him.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just love to see you all riled up, that's all." he chuckled, playfully punching her shoulder. She cracked a smile, then lit up.
"I know, let's head to the creek while we wait. We'll be cool there." she said, grinning as she seized his wrist and pulled him out into the field, towards the shaded woodland nearby.
The creek was small, but came up to their waists. It was clear and fresh and cool as a dewdrop, and murmured rhythmically over the polished, smooth pebbles below. Estella waded in straight away, sighing with pleasure as the water rushed past her shins, catching the hem of her yellow dress and dragging it down with the current.
"How is it?" Merry asked from the soft banks of the shore as he rolled up his pant legs.
"Absolutely divine!" she replied "It's taking all my will to not throw myself in."
Grinning, Merry followed after her, groaning with pleasure as the cold trickle danced past his legs, he eased himself in slowly, savoring each splash.
Around them, the woods were quiet, hazy in the hot afternoon light. A few birds twittered back and forth from the treetops but from their little pool, Merry and Estella payed no attention, too busy cooling off.
They wandered through the water wordlessly for awhile, focusing on simply relaxing in the fresh water. Little fish darted beneath the ripples, shining when the sun's rays hit them.
Finally, Merry reclined back on the bank, still letting his feet dangle in the stream, Estella lay beside him, resting her head in the crook of his arm.
"It's such a quiet day," Estella said softly "It would be perfect if there was a breeze, or some clouds, or something."
"What we need is rain." said Merry, his warm breath dancing in her hair. "A nice thunderstorm to water the crops and the gardens, else harvest will be lacking this fall."
"I agree, I've been wishing for rain for days, but it hasn't come." she replied with a pitiful sigh "I've worked too hard on my garden to have it melt in this heat."
"Papa says it will rain soon." Merry commented, twirling a lock of her golden hair around his fingertip "He gets this feeling in his legs when a storm is coming, you know. Mother calls it, 'intuition'. He was complaining about it when I left."
"I hope he's right," Estella said "I don't know how much longer I can stand this heat. I haven't been able to sleep for days, I've been so hot."
"He's not been wrong before now." Merry insisted "I know it'll rain. I know it."
Estella yawned, burying her head deeper into her friend's neck, soft, bouncy curls caressing his chin. He chuckled quietly.
"You tired, 'Stella?" he asked with a smile. She nodded, closing her eyes.
"Very. It's impossible to sleep when it feels like you're being baked."
He nodded in agreement, wrapping his arm tighter around her shoulder.
"Go ahead and sleep. I'll watch over you." he insisted, she smiled and wriggled down more comfortably.
"Thanks, Merry..." she said, drifting off softly. Merry grinned, pleased Estella was resting in his own arms. In the hazy light, he admired the curve of her chin, the roundness of her sweet lips, the thick eyelashes splayed over her face, the smooth skin that held the distinct coloring of one who has spent their life in the sun and wind. Taking in her pure, lovely, comforting scent.
As he lay there, he was reminded of the conversation he'd recently had with his mother, Esmerelda, about Estella. She'd questioned whether or not Merry spent too much time with "that messy, half-wild tomboy". Merry had taken offence, and rigorously defended Estella against his mother. She disapproved of their friendship, calling it "an unfortunate attraction between two people of very different ranks". He remembered the heat that flooded his cheeks with painful clarity, the anger that burned in his soul, all the arguments he'd thrown against his mother in his fury.
"Meriadoc, I simply think you would do better to spend time with more respectable young ladies. It's hardly proper for the next Master of Buckland to constantly hang around an orphan. She has nothing to offer you."
Merry burned, glowering from his seat across the room. How dare his mother assume so much.
gWhy should I need to take anything from her? She's my friend mother." heanswered, striving to remain calm and collected. She looked at him reproachfully.
"You know very well what I meant by that, son." she answered him "You're not far from your coming of age, after that comes a wife, then a family, and then you assume your father's duties. You need a woman of class, of breeding, of respectable upbringing. Estella is certainly not a bad child, but she is out of your ranking, your wife must be of noble Buckland blood, not some backwoods, wild, tomboy."
Merry had heard far too much, angrily, he leapt to his feet.
"You're completely wrong about her mother!" he cried, unable to restrain himself "Estella is as good a girl as I could wish for, why papa himself said I couldn't hope to do any better! Besides, I'm not looking to marry her, or anyone, for a good long time, so you can just forget about it!"
Esmeralda looked at him coolly, obviously angered by his outburst. She frowned.
"She's changed you, Meriadoc. You're not the same boy you were before Frodo and Bilbo introduced you that summer. You've become...oh, I don't know!" she said, exasperated.
"She's made me better, mama." he told her, marching out of the room.
And here he was now, cradling the girl Esmeralda wanted him to avoid in his arms. He smiled at the thought, happy to be spiting her. He was certainly not a disobedient boy, but he believed himself old enough to decide whose company he would keep. His mother could not keep him from loving Estella, no matter how hard she tried.
Love? The word took him by surprise, he had barely realized he'd thought it. Was it real? Were his mother's marriage fears founded even slightly in truth? Did he love this girl? Was his anger simply an urge to defend a friend, or to justify his feelings toward her? Did he wish to marry Estella Bolger?
No. He realized. He didn't wish to marry Estella. He longed to marry her.
The revelation eased his heart, as if a weight had sat there ever since he'd set eyes on her skinny eleven-year-old frame sixteen years ago. Now he knew, with absolute certainty, with unshakable faith that Estella was his, just as he was hers. And as he lay there, beneath the oak trees, listening to the gurgling river swirl beneath his toes, he solemnly resolved to be Estella's husband, whether his mother disapproved or not. Whether anyone disapproved or not. He would find a way. And he knew Estella would find a way too.
He had been so lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed the dark clouds gathering above them, how the temperature had dropped considerably in such a short time, he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, and felt the first drops of rain on his face. He smiled, his father had been right. And if he was right about the rain, he was certainly right about Estella too.
She stirred, shivering a little in the sudden cold. He leaned over to whisper in her pointed, hobbit ear.
"Wake up, the rain came." he found himself unable to hide the joy in his voice and decided not to bother. She rolled away from him, climbing to her knees.
"What?" she asked drowsily, rubbing her heavy eyes.
"It raining!" he repeated, laughing despite himself "It's really raining!" he clambered to his feet and hauled her up, spinning round as the water fell from the sky, soon it was falling harder and both were soaked to the skin, yet neither cared, too happy to notice.
Estella could not know that the true reason for Merry's joy was her and not the rain, she had never seen him quite so happy and it warmed her heart. She loved her darling Merry, and could thing of no better place to be than right there with him.
gI'm glad to be with you, Merry." she grinned, pushing his slick, sandy hair from his face before tenderly kissing his cheek "I hope we'll be friends forever."
And she knew not the excitement that coursed through Merry's veins as her lips touched his skin, as her words reached his ears. A crack of lightning split the sky above them, and he gathered her close, wrapping an arm around her shivering shoulders.
"C'mon!" he laughed, leading her back through the trees and out into the meadows, right into the Bolger hole where Fredegar waited impatiently for them.
"What on earth is the matter with you kids?" he exclaimed as the sopping wet youngsters stumbled through the round doorway, giggling like fools.
"It's raining..." Merry said breathlessly, eyes sparkling. Estella laughed and Fredegar rolled his eyes.