Merry went ahead and grabbed a piece of bread from the table and stuffed it into his face. He may have looked funny but he couldn't care being as hungry as he was. He could see in the corner of his eye his cousin Pippin taking the basket away from Merry's side of the table and moving it to the far right. "I'm sorry, Pip." Merry apologized, "I am just soo hungry!" He gaped at the glazed ham in front of him and then looked back at Pippin, "On second thought, I'm not that sorry!" Just before Merry could grab the ham with his fork, Pippin lept forward and snatched it.
"Okay, enough of this!" Pippin declared as the kitchen of Brandybuck hall went quiet. It was only Merry and Pippin. And a table full of leftovers from the supper hours before. "You were three hours late for supper, wouldn't tell me why, and now you want to eat the rest of that delicious ham without sharing it?! You better tell me what has gotten into you, Meriadoc Brandybuck, before I have to splinter a log over you to get it!" Merry's face deadpanned.
"You would never believe me," he said to his cousin. Pippin's arms folded and his face broke out into a grin.
"Try me!"
Merry simply smiled.
The blanket draped over the chair in the living room was hers for tonight. Never had she ever been so chilled. She should have listened to Merry when he told her that she felt cold and that she should go inside. But Estella Bolger was obstinate. And in love. How could she leave him? She couldn't and she wouldn't have hadn't Diamond shown up at her cottage to spend the night like she said she would. Only so much had occurred after she had asked her that, Estella didn't remember. And now she had someone to tell the whole tale to. Her heart skipped a beat as she wrapped the blanket about her and crumpled onto her bed with a smile upon her face. "Your the very look of glee, Estella Bolger, and I am furious to know why!" Diamond charged her. Estella rolled round to face her friend and exhaled deeply.
"Once upon a time..." began the thrilling story.
Pippin scratched the top of his curly head with a look of puzzlement. He had told Merry that whatever he could possibly say that would excuse his lateness for supper, which was never a habit of his, and for his cherry red cheeks and dimpled smile, was something that was not totally beyond him to believe. And Pippin had seen many things in his young life. But the story Merry was telling him WAS absolutly ridiculous on so many levels. He was sure the look Merry saw on his face was the very look many hobbits got on their faces when the two of them tried to explain where they had been all those months whilst fighting in Middle-Earth. It was the look of true disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Merry, pardon me, but do you think I am stupid?" Pippin asked. Merry's green eyes slitted in his rambunctious laughter. "Oh dearest cousin, I would never charge you with being stupid as others would surely say that it runs in the family!" Before Pippin realized Merry had really just insulted him, he gave a 'Humph!' and said, "Aye, then....Hey!"
"What about this I tell you that you find so hard to believe?"
"Estella Bolger, for one."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, isn't Estella Bolger living in Hobbiton?"
"Why, how keen you are, Pippin!" Merry said and with that, he gave Pippin a pat on the back, "Allow me to continue."
And so Merry continued.
There was a magical twist in every word Estella spoke about the day she had just had. Ethereal. And although Diamond of Long Cleeve was no specialist on such things as love or even very knowledgable about how to tell you are in love, tonight she could not say her friend was anything BUT in love with Meridoc Brandybuck. "...It was then that he asked me if he could hold my hand, he said it looked lonely." Estella smirked, "I told him no..."
"No!" Diamond protested, "but after he saved you? He at least deserved that!" Estella looked at her friend kindly. "Do you think I could be so rude?" she asked, inquisitively.
"Well, no, but..." "I told him he could hold both of my lonely hands." Diamond, as silly as she felt, swooned over this. And even in the deepest part of her heart, felt the twinge of jealousy. She had seen many of her close friends find love in recent years. Why was she not? "You are so forunate to even have someone to hold even just one of your hands, Stel. I am destined to die an old maid!" Her friend reached out and rested her hand gently upon Diamonds face.
"You may not be so alone as you think..." said Estella and left it at that. If it was any other topic, Diamond would have not felt so silly as to ask what she meant. But this she did feel silly about. Just what did that mean? Could Estella know something? Whatever she meant, nothing could mean more to Diamond as the laughs and stories the two of them shared the rest of that night. It seemed that perhaps soon Diamond would again lose one of her friends to love. She would need to savor these moments forever...
Please review if you like what I have written so far. I cannot continue unless you do! I will not!!! And then you will not know about the magical day that Estella and Merry shared or who Diamond will end up with? Of course, we know but how is a completly different matter, indeed!!!!
