I'm still in the midst of reading the books (don't kill me! I'm on TT), and I just adore Merry and Pippin. I've seen the movies, of course, but I've tried to make it more applicable to the books so I've tried to use the correct ages.
Just to be clear, the characters in age order and birth year are:
Fredegar "Fatty" was born in SR 1380
Merry was born in SR 1382
Estella was born in SR 1385
Pippin was born in SR 1390
Diamond was born in SR 1395
Sam and Rosie's first child, Elanor, was born in SR 1421, March 25th. Frodo and Bilbo left for the undying lands in SR 1421, September 22nd.
If I've made a mistake, then please don't hesitate to point it out so I can correct it – other then that, enjoy!
Life after the adventure was never quite the same, and nowhere near as normal as it had been once before. Besides the departure of Frodo – and Uncle Bilbo too, for that matter – Sam had become a father in the March before, and there were no doubt more babes on the way; this left Merry and Pippin alone with only each other for friendly company once again.
Perhaps it was the adventure, or maybe the time that had passed during it, but it was certain that the two hobbits had matured considerably since they first set out. Many noticed their growth, and soon there were whispers all over Hobbiton regarding where they'd been, what they'd been doing: after all, it just wasn't natural for a hobbit to be of their heights, shattering any hopes they'd had of just 'slipping' back into normalcy.
Oh well, they reasoned one night in The Green Dragon as they each nursed a drink, at least they had each other – and Sam to some extent too, for he continued to live nearby and sometimes take some time away to speak to them.
Merry, being the older of the two, was the first that became increasingly interested in the lasses of the Shire – and not for quick encounters or drunken encounters while drunk at a celebration. His parents had been hoping he'd marry and settle down soon anyway, especially as he was getting older, and it was necessary to produce future heirs to become Masters of Buckland. Of course, who they had in mind for their son – the very next Master of Buckland, in fact, a rather prestigious title – was a far cry from the girl that was soon on Merry's mind.
"Estella Bolger?" Pippin asked, quite surprised; he was the first and only one that Merry confided his feelings to on the matter, being his most trusted friend and cousin. "As in Fatty's little sister?"
Merry went rather red. "Yes, as in Fatty's sister…What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing," Pippin amended quickly. "I suppose I would have never thought of her in that way, that's all."
And, truthfully, he hadn't; maybe he was too young or maybe he just had other things on his mind, but he certainly wasn't thinking of settling down. As for Estella Bolger…well, she was a pretty lass, Pippin supposed, but five years older than himself, and he had never seen her as more than his friend's sister.
Merry, on the other hand, was eight years older – and he clearly didn't see her in that way.
Pippin knew Merry's family well – after all, they were not only cousins but close friends too, and so he was as acquainted with Saradoc and Esmerelda Brandybuck almost as well as Merry was. They were loving parents, of course, but also respectable hobbits; they had a reputation to maintain. Pippin could only imagine what might happen if they found out that their only son had fallen in love with Estella; the Bolgers, while a wealthy family in their own right, were nowhere near the same rank as the Brandybuck family, especially after the Scouring of the Shire – the Bolgers' crops had been either destroyed or stolen by the Ruffians. Estella was not the kind of respectable lady that the Brandybucks would hope Merry to marry, that was for certain.
Merry and Pippin continued these discussions whenever they could see each other, usually in the evenings; Merry was spending his days either helping to run Buckland Hall in preparation for when he'd take over or, most importantly, trying to discover ways to see the girl of his fancy. From what Pippin could tell, the two had merely exchanged a few sentences from time to time since these feelings arose.
As for Merry, he found that those times he managed to converse with Estella over the following months were doing nothing to ease his attraction to her; he not only found her beautiful but funny and clever too, with a sharp mind. She didn't shy away from him like some lasses did, instead readily greeting him whenever they saw each other and showing no signs of shying away when he tried to sit closer to her. He, on the other hand, couldn't help but grow red in the face whenever thinking of her, of how she had to gaze up at him to make eye contact. He'd had more than one or two embarrassing dreams regarding her, so seeing her always caused his stomach to flip with excitement.
Merry was sure that if he had to settle down, he'd want to do it with Estella. He could even imagine it: a nice comfortable bed to share, perhaps in a home in Crickhollow, and acres of land to go with it. He imagined owning ponies and looking after them, each having a name, of having boats to sail on the river alongside the ferry - and maybe, in due time, some little lads and lasses to keep them company. It was what most (if not all) hobbits wanted in life, and Merry knew that he was willing to live it with Estella.
Because her family's farm had been scoured and stolen from while he and his friends had been away, Estella was soon helping her family by working - in the Green Dragon, as a matter of fact. Since Rosie had long since stopped working (thanks to the beautiful babes she and Sam were producing), Estella seemed to be taking over that role and pouring drinks (among other things) to earn some of their money back.
Merry made sure to go down to the Green Dragon every night just so that he could see her.
Sometimes he dragged Pippin along with him; his cousin wanted nothing more than to drink and party away after a long week, but was rebuffed when all that Merry wanted to do was watch Estella as she worked. Whenever she saw him she smiled, and it made his heart lift in his chest.
"You're no fun anymore, Merry," Pippin would jibe, giving him a poke in the ribs. "C'mon, have a drink - if you keep staring, she'll think there's something wrong with you."
But Merry never drank more than one ale or so; he didn't feel much like becoming drunk in front of the girl he fancied, knowing that he'd probably act in a foolish way.
It took the young hobbit a while to work up the courage to approach Estella to ask her to take a walk with him, but when he did he couldn't help but notice the bright smile that lit up her face or the excited tone in her voice, and how it only boosted his self-confidence - clearly, she was pleased that he'd asked.
"I'd love to, Merry!" She answered enthusiastically. "Perhaps after Lunch tomorrow afternoon?"
Thrilled that he had not made a fool of himself, Merry agreed; he left the Green Dragon that night with a spring in his step and a ridiculous grin that reached his cheeks.
Because it was the gentle-hobbit thing to do, and Merry was brought up to be a gentleman around lasses, they started with just spending time in one another's company on walks. Sometimes they would just walk along the roads and talk, while on others - if they were feeling particularly energetic that evening - they'd have some fun playing in Farmer Maggot's crops, just like they used to as children; it was peaceful bliss to just be able to relax around her.
"So?" Estella asked one afternoon during their post-lunch walks; this particular stroll had lead them near to a field of crops, and so they had sat in the grass to soak up the summer sun. "Are you going to tell me what you were doing while you were gone? You know, with Frodo and the others."
Merry, admittedly, didn't want to answer this because he knew the answer would be long and probably disheartening to talk about; instead, he simply replied with, "It's a long story."
She rolled her eyes at him and lightly slapped his arm. "I guessed as much! If you don't want to talk about it in detail, then I understand...to be honest, no one's been having an easy time lately." There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she said this, her smile fading just a touch.
"It wasn't an all-around pleasant trip," Merry agreed quietly, hoping to distract her from feeling too down. "As you and most of the Shire know, we four hobbits earned our fair share of battle wounds and scars." He briefly thought back to his own on the Battle of Pelennor Fields after injuring the Witch-King, and how he had eventually recovered under Aragorn's care. "It...It took a lot out of us."
Estella looked sympathetic at this admission, but she didn't comment on it further; she knew that Merry wouldn't want her to. "It must be rather exciting for you nowadays, preparing to be the next Master of Buckland already."
"It's more of a precautionary measure," He told her, looking out at the tall grass around them. "My father is still strong and able, so it will be a while before I succeed him." He didn't particularly want to take that place that soon, to be honest - not if it meant his father's death. "What about your family? How are you managing?"
Estella gave a small sigh. "Not too well - we're slowly earning everything back, but it will be a while until we are as we were before."
As the walks continued, so did the weight of their conversations; soon Merry was confiding things that only Pippin and Frodo had known beforehand, about the things he liked, what he feared, and even - after a couple of months when their closeness was undeniable - more in-depth details of the adventure he'd been on. He told Estella of the great Ent, Treebeard, of how he and Pippin had drunk the Entwash and subsequently grown taller than average; he described to her each of the members of the Fellowship, delighting her with tales of King Aragorn, the elf Legolas and Gimili the dwarf - he even told her of Boromir, and how he had saved his and Pippin's lives. Merry couldn't help but lean in close and tell her in a near-whisper of King Théoden of Rohan, of the elves in Rivendell...and, one late afternoon on a picnic, he went on to tell her of Éowyn.
"Éowyn?" Estella repeated, looking surprised when he admitted this to her.
Merry nodded, a smile gracing his face as he remembered her. "She was a Shieldmaiden of Rohan and...one of the bravest people I've ever met. They wouldn't let her go to war, though, even though she had more skill than most of the men in Théoden's army... They didn't exactly let me go to war either, you know," He admitted sheepishly. "But Éowyn dressed as a man and rode out to war, taking me with her; she fought so fiercely, Estella, so courageous! She defeated the Lord of the Ringwraiths without fear, better than any man could have, and she was the most incredible person I met on the quest; I feel honoured to have served by her side."
While he spoke Estella had just listened patiently, eyes wide in wonder; she was clearly as enchanted by these stories as Merry had been when experiencing them. "She sounds beautifully fearless - amazing, Merry. You are clearly fond of her, and I would love to meet her one day...if that were possible."
"Of course it's possible," He said easily, grinning at her as he reached for a sandwich. "I've been writing to her of late - maybe, when the time is right, I will travel to visit her; and I will take you with me, if you want."
Estella looked touched, and she didn't speak for a full minute; instead, the two sat in companionable silence with their picnic, looking out at the Shire from their position on the hill. Finally she looked at him in an almost embarrassed way, clearly contemplating something.
"I really like you, Merry."
Merry swallowed the lump of sandwich in his mouth, suddenly feeling close to nauseous. "Oh yeah? I really like you too, Estella."
"No, I mean to say..." She suddenly went rather pink. "I know it's stupid to presume...of course it's not like I've been building it up to be...but I think I have feelings for you, Merry." When he said nothing, she continued in a rather defeated tone. "I know of course that we are friends and nothing more - you are friends with my brother too - and it's silly for me to feel like this, but I can't help it...we've been spending so much time together, and-"
"Estella," He interrupted quickly. "I feel exactly the same. That was why I wanted to go on walks with you - because every time I look at you I get this strange feeling in my belly, like butterflies." He paused for a moment, thinking to himself so that he would act rationally. "If you don't object, I'd...I'd very much like to court you."
Despite the situation, she still raised an eyebrow at him. "Court?"
"Well yes, that's the proper word of it after all," Merry chuckled; it had sounded a little bit ridiculous to his own ears, saying the word 'court'. "But I think you understand what I am trying to ask you."
Estella just started to smile unabashedly at him. "I do. Merry, I'd like nothing more."
