Written for Silmladylove's Femslash February drabbletag on Tumblr, for the prompt: Goldberry/Lady Hobbit of Your Choice, picnic by the river and quaint hobbit customs
Donnamira glanced over her shoulder just once before passing through the opening in the hedge that led into the Old Forest. She wasn't sneaking off—she hadn't done any real sneaking since her teens, when she'd first developed her reputation as the canniest mushroom thief in the North Farthing—but she did not relish delaying her afternoon to answer questions from concerned neighbors or relations.
The trees whispered all around her as she strolled down the path with her picnic hamper. Donnamira hummed a song that Goldberry had taught her ages ago that always seemed to get the forest to leave her alone. There were no words to it, just a tune. Donnamira had once accidentally gotten the whole of the Great Smials humming it for a week straight, and it was still a mystery where it had come from. She smiled, realizing that she had not yet told Goldberry about it—the story would certainly make her laugh.
She reached the lily pool without so much as a stray vine falling on her, and found Goldberry already there, combing out her long golden hair in the sunlight, singing to the lilies of sunlight on the water and wind in the willow boughs. She smiled widely when Donnamira stepped out of the trees, and ran greet her, pale skirts whispering over the grass, to embrace her. "Donnamira! It has been too long!" She smelled of lilies, and her kiss tasted like blueberries. "What a beautiful surprise on this sunny day! Come, let us sit!" Goldberry led the way back to the water's edge. "And what is this?"
"Why, I've brought a picnic lunch!" Donnamira took a blanket from the hamper and spread it out on the grass. "A proper hobbit picnic," she added as they both sat down, and she started unpacking everything. Stewed mushrooms, roasted fish and vegetables, strawberries and cream, a freshly baked loaf of good hobbit bread, and an excellent vintage of Old Winyards. It was the last of a particularly good year, and Belladonna had raised both eyebrows when she'd seen Donnamira making off with it—but of course once Donnamira explained that it was for Goldberry, Bella had nodded approvingly, and even helped her prepare the rest of the food.
"What an excellent picnic!" Goldberry said as they started to eat. "But you've brought so much!"
Donnamira cast a critical eye over the food. "Well, perhaps," she conceded. "I suppose I could give the rest to Master Tom, if I see him."
Goldberry laughed. "But I think he shall not have any of the strawberries."
"Or the wine!" Donnamira poured another glass full for each of them. "Where is Master Tom, anyway? I half expected to find you with his poor bedraggled hat again!"
"Oh, he has visitors of his own, a pair of Elven hunters. I imagine they are off teasing poor badgers and singing Tra-la-la-lally to the clouds and the wind in the trees." Goldberry shook out her hair and lay back on the blanket to bask in the sunshine. "And that is fortunate for us, for we have some peace and quiet."
Donnamira hummed in agreement, sipping at her wine, and very nearly lay down to join Goldberry—but the sight of Goldberry's long golden hair fanning out over the grass reminded her of something very important. "Oh, but I nearly forgot! It was my birthday last week, and I've brought you a present!" She dug into the hamper again. It took a moment to find the gift; it wasn't very big. She'd bought it from the Dwarves the last time she and Bella had visited the Blue Mountains so Bella could spend some time with her friend Dís, and Donnamira had spent a very pleasant week learning the names of all the gemstones the Dwarves had at hand (which had to be nearly all of them, there had been so many!) and making friends with the Dwarf that had bartered her a golden emerald-crusted comb in exchange for several pounds of Shire honey. "Here it is!"
Goldberry sat up and unwrapped the comb carefully, and held it up so the gems glittered in the sunshine. "Thank you, Donnamira! I shall treasure it.
"Now come here, let me kiss you properly."
