A Daisy for my Daisy
Samwise stepped slowly down the path, his five-year-old daughter's pudgy little hand clasped tightly in his own large and work-calloused one. Little Daisy Gamgee was well into walking now, but on this uneven path her steps were unsteady and Sam was worried she might fall.
He had a rare day off his mayoral duties today, and was spending the day with his third-youngest daughter while Rosie looked after the newest arrival. Daisy was by now big enough to be running around getting into mischief, but not big enough to know that it was mischief and that she was in the way, unlike the older ones, so Sam had taken the littl'un out of the smial for the day.
He was enjoying the heat of the sun on his back as they made their way through the winding streets of Hobbiton, Daisy toddling along by his side. They didn't get very far very fast, as Daisy kept stopping to pick up little leaves and pretty wayside flowers and presenting them to her father.
He felt a little tug on his arm as Daisy stooped to pluck a golden flower from a little pool that was growing on the roadside. It was a bright, sunny yellow, perfectly capturing the warmth and delight of Afterlithe. He knelt down next to Daisy as she handed him the little flower.
'For you, da,' she said, smiling a smile at him which was as bright as the flower she was holding.
'Thank you, my poppet,' he said, and ruffled her soft honey curls as he took it and added it to the little collection that was gathering in his shirt pocket. Daisy giggled as he ruffled her hair; she loved it when her da did that.
'Do you know what flower this is, Daisy?' he asked. She shook her head. 'It's Ragwort,' he pronounced it carefully.
'Rag-ort,' she enunciated, a frown puckering her little forehead as she tried to recreate the sounds correctly.
'Close enough,' Sam chuckled, and stood back up, his knees protesting slightly. He took his daughter's hand again and they resumed walking.
They carried on for a while longer, with many more stops as Daisy picked up a little mallow flower, all delicate shades of pink, and a particularly nicely shaped red leaf lying in the bracken. As they reached the end of the lane, Sam stopped in his tracks. On his side of the road there was a little patch of flowers, one of which he stooped to pick. Its petals were long and brilliantly white with a slight blush of deep pink towards the centre, next to the radiant golden bud.
'Hey, Daisy,' he called. 'Do you know what this flower's called?'
Again, she shook her head.
'This, my dear, is a daisy.'
He smiled at the look of delight that was spreading across her face.
'But I'm Daisy, da! The flower stole my name!' she exclaimed.
'Oh no, Daisy, you were named after this flower – as was your Aunty Daisy,' he laughed. 'But shall I tell you a secret?'
'Yes, da! Tell me!'
'Oh no, maybe I shouldn't…'
'Dada! Tell me!' she giggled.
'Alright…' he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. 'You're much more beautiful than any daisy flower!' he said, picking her up and laughing as she squealed in delight.
Setting her on his hip, he tucked the bright flower behind her little ear, where it contrasted against her soft tumbling curls.
'There. A daisy for my Daisy,' Sam said happily, and Daisy laughed as she laid her head against his shoulder and hugged him. Together the two of them made their way back home, where Rosie pressed the bright tiny flower and Daisy kept it always on her little bedside table.
A/N: Just some cute hobbit fluff I came up with while sitting outside with my cat - who is actually called Daisy, and she just randomly started nibbling at a daisy. And then the title popped into my head... and I produced this! Because hobbits age slower than humans, I'm guessing that Daisy is the equivalent of about 3 years old. I don't know for certain, but that's the sort of age I was thinking of when I wrote this.
I really hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you thought about it! :)
