Chapter 11

Waiting for me on the other side of the door was Pippin. He grinned and drew me into a strong embrace. I laughed, and hugged him back, weaving my hands in his hair. He lifted me to him, and buried his face in my neck. I laughed again.

"What's going on?" I asked him quietly. He was all dressed up, and I had a feeling something was amiss.

"You'll see. But first, come with me, I need to talk to you. It can't wait." He answered, and when he released me, I noticed Arwen had silently slipped away. I shook my head. They had planned this all out ahead of time apparently...

Instead, I walked hand and hand with Pippin back to our rooms. When we were inside, he shut the door, and turned to look at me. His face was showing so many emotions, I couldn't separate them into individuals, and it was like he was gazing at me for the first time in years, not days.

I blushed, for no reason in particular and stood there, and my hand went reflexively to my stomach.

"I thought I'd lost you, both of you. What were you thinking?" He asked, voice pained. "I thought you were gone...you were so cold, and your lips were blue. I thought I'd never get to see my son."

"I'm so sorry, Pippin. I didn't mean to get lost...I...it just happened." I answered back, brows furrowing.

"But why? You've been so careful since you got back, I thought you'd changed. And then my cousins come back here without you, and tell me you threw yourself from the cart. THREW yourself from the cart. I couldn't believe it. And I'd like to know why." He continued, coming closer, and putting his hands on my shoulders.

I flinched, and frantically tried to think of what I could say to him...because I couldn't tell him the truth, obviously. At least, not yet. Instead, my traitorous mouth refused to say anything, and I just stood there, silent. I looked down at the floor.

Then he pulled me into another embrace, and his hand cupped the back of my head. I sighed, and leaned into him, hoping he wouldn't ask me again.

"I'm sorry. I was just so scared when I found you. And then you wouldn't wake up, just laid there, until Gandalf came and helped us. I don't even think we'll ever find out how he traveled so fast." Pippin continued.

"I'm ok now, Pippin. The baby is fine too. I don't feel any different than I normally do... other than tired. But I'll be fine. Now, tell me, what's going on? Aragorn and Arwen were...well, conversing in elvish in front of me, and they never do that to anyone unless they don't want you to know what they're saying. AND Gandalf let me get up way to easily. So I have a hunch they just wanted me somewhere else for a while..." I started, and would have continued, but Pippin kissed me.

So I kissed him back, and shut up. When he stopped, he laughed and commented, "You don't miss anything, do you? And here they thought they had you fooled."

"But why? What's going on?" I asked again. I don't like being tricked, even if it is for a good reason. I stepped back, and stared at Pippin. He began to blush under my gaze. Oh no...

"Well, um... when Frodo and Merry came back without you...my aunt Esme, you've met her, Merry's mum, well, she thought um... That we, I mean that we all needed to know a particular um... fact about you, in order to ensure that we looked our hardest to find you and well..." He started.

"Oh no! She didn't...oh... and just who was in the room when she disclosed the fact that I'm pregnant?" I asked, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. I covered my eyes with my hand, and sat down on the bed.

Pippin continued, coming to kneel in front of me, "No one, just Merry, Frodo and I."

I groaned, great. Frodo knows. "So, what's that got to do with what's going on now?" I asked.

"Well...er... After Merry and Frodo knew, word somehow got out, when Gandalf was in earshot...which I think ratifies the fact that Arwen and Aragorn got here so quickly... And well...now, they er, want to..." But just then he was interrupted back a loud rapping sound on the door.

"Peregrin Took, not another word!" A voice said loudly. A voice I recognized as...Oh great...I smiled. And Pippin jumped up as the door opened.

Arwen strode in, and behind her were two other elleths and Merry's mum. Who promptly took hold of Pippin, and ushered him out the door, he looked back, and tried to say something, but Arwen shut the door too fast.

Then they all turned their attention on me, and I blushed. They broke into laughter, and Arwen started speaking rapidly in her native tongue. Her friends nodded, and moved to my dresser. Then she leaned down, and whispered something to Esme, and she went over to the tin on the night table, taking the lid off with a pop.

"No fair. You know I don't speak that much elvish, Arwen. Now would someone please tell me what's going on?" I said huffily. She smiled at me.

"We're here to get you ready." Arwen said simply.

"For what?" I asked suspiciously, talking with elves was tricky.

Instead, Arwen looked at Esme, who answered, "That's not important. We're just having a bit of a gathering, and we thought we'd help dress you up a bit. Not that there's anything wrong with what you're wearing now...but still..." She said, then came over and ushered me into a chair.

"But I still don't get it. I don't understand..." I continued, as one of the elves, a tiny wisp of a thing came over to me and quickly loosed my hair from its ponytail, and began separating the strands. Her twin joined her, and together, they began to braid and weave my hair into tiny braids and tassels.

Then Arwen came over, with the silver chain I had received today, and deftly suspended it across my forehead, creating an elegant headdress, before tucking the silver and crystal flower above one of my ears. Aunt Esme, popped some earrings in, and one of the elleths shook out a leaf green dress, mumbling some words in elvish as she did so.

Arwen stepped back, and glanced at me quickly before bidding me to change into the new dress. I looked at her like she was mad. "Are you feeling alright, Arwen?" I asked quietly, giving her a knowing look.

She smiled, "It's alright. We'll turn away if you'd like, though we do already know," She said quietly, putting a hand on my shoulder. I blushed, and asked them to turn around.

Then I scrambled out of the dress I was wearing, and pulled the new one on. "You can turn around now, " I mumbled, and Esme quickly did up the back for me. Then one of the elleths clasped the necklace with my ring on it around my neck.

I sighed, and resisted the urge to bat their hands away from me, instead I said, "I feel like a mannequin. Now will someone please tell me why you went to all this trouble?" I asked, reaching up tentatively to gently touch my hair.

They all glanced at each other, and once again, I got the feeling of being left out in the dark. But Esme nodded, and Arwen said, "Tonight we're having a banquet, just a small one of course, in honor of your impending marriage, and to celebrate the approaching birth of you're first child."

"WHAT?" I shouted. But instead of flinching like I would have liked her too, she just looked at me calmly and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

I swallowed, my face flushing brilliantly, and I said between clenched teeth, "I don't want everyone to know I am pregnant. That is why I didn't tell anyone." I shot a look at Esme, but she took it with a smile.

Arwen's brow furrowed slightly, "Why?"

"Because I just DON'T want people to know I'm pregnant. I know what they'll think. And I don't want to do that to Pippin, and his family."

"You speak as if their knowing would be a bad thing," One of the elves commented, and the other added with a nod, "In Lorien, it is considered to be an omen of good fortune, and luck. If the bride is with child." Arwen nodded as well, but Esme didn't add anything.

"But I'm not in Lorien any more, am I?" I said, and my eyes started to prick with certain tears. I reached up and pinched my earlobe to stop from crying. "Here it'll be seen as a disgrace, and serve only as a gossip starter."

"Why do you care so much what others think? When I first met you, you went against everything that was considered standard, and proper. Look at what you've accomplished. You were the representation for all of Middle Earth's women, you escaped death more than once, and you rode with some of the best warriors of the third age. What happened to the Merna I used to know?" Arwen asked, gazing at me intensely.

I swallowed and answered, "She made a stupid mistake and got herself pregnant, before running from her fears, and going into hiding to disguise her shame." I sniffed, and whipped a hand across my eyes, to stem the tears.

"You have done nothing wrong. And I, myself am thrilled to know that you are anticipating a baby." Arwen continued smiling, "You have no need to hide from your friends. A baby brings joy, not sorrow." She reached out to touch my face, and said again, "Do not hide your joy from those who only wish to share it, and bring you happiness."

I hiccuped, and laughed. "I don't know why I'm acting so strange. And you're right, I shouldn't care so much what others think." I said, wiping my eyes.

"Besides, I'm sure word's getting around that you've got a very strong arm...Ahem." Esme added with a laugh.

"Oh! I didn't hit him that hard!" I exclaimed, and hiccuped again. And again, great, just what I needed.

But they all just laughed, and Arwen pronounced, "Well, you're ready, and I'm hungry, so why don't we head to the great hall, hmm?" I nodded, and reached up to pat my hair, and they started to file out of the room. But I hung back, peering in my mirror.

I was very engrossed in thought, and I rested a hand on my stomach for good measure. Arwen was right. I shouldn't care what other's would think, but I did. I really did. And here I was, all laced into beauty, and ready to go down to a banquet in my honor...and yet, something felt off...like this wasn't what I was supposed to be doing.

I frowned at my reflection, and suddenly a vision of what I used to look like came unbidden to me...

The short hair and dull eyes...the faint frown lines around my mouth...soon to be etched there permanently... And then I gasped, and looked down... and my feet were tiny, and smooth, and my black flip-flops made just a thin line on them.

I choked back a startled scream, and felt for the livery that I knew was on my head, in my curly hair... but all I felt was the short coarse hair I had seen in the mirror...though it felt sticky, and matted in the back...

Where was that silver chain on my forehead? Or the silver and crystal flower by my ear?

I frantically felt my stomach, but the bulge that had come to be so familiar to me now, was also gone, my stomach was flat and even. And the material of my leaf green dress felt more like that of a thick sweatshirt... Oh no...

Oh no no no no nooooooooo! I began screaming and couldn't stop, I looked up frantically for the mirror, for my REAL reflection, but all I could see was blackness, all around me, then to my left side I noticed a blur of yellow...

I stared at it, willing it to focus as the tears welled up in my eyes... And the words 'BEWARE WET FLOOR' formed on the surface of yellow plastic. I let out one last dire scream of horror and then let the blackness envelop me...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Author: If you have not read Sorrow Fills the Hearts of Many, this chapter's ending will NOT make much sense to you. I suggest you read the first second chapter of Sorrow Fills the Hearts of Many, and it should fill you in. To the rest of you: Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa! Review and I'll be nice and post soon!

And to those of you who continue to steal my main character...ahem (You know who you are)! He's mine :cough: and I'd appreciate it if he be returned to me... :Laughs manically:

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