Chapter Twelve
The morning dawned clear and bright for the visitors of Minas Tirith. Pippin thought that this represented perhaps great events that would happen during this day. He woke around ten or so, and Diamond was already up, reading The Lord of the Rings again. Pip rolled over to look at her.
"Like the book?"
"Aye. Frodo knows how to tell a story."
"Runs in his family..."
"Are you just saying that because you're related to him?"
"Perhaps."
Diamond got out of bed and rummaged through her belongings. She pulled out a white cotton shirt embroidered with flowers, and a long tan skirt. "Does this look okay?" she asked, holding it up.
"I suppose, any real occasion fer which yer dressin' up?"
"Not really." She then proceeded to go through Pip's belongings and pull out a tan pair of trousers, with a light yellow sweater and a green cloak. "Yes...this will do," she was muttering to herself.
"Diamond, what're ye doin'?"
"Something..."
Pip got up and took the clothes that she had picked out for him. "I'm going to go bathe," he said. "Haven't had a decent one since I left the Shire."
"Right...meet me back in here. I took a bath last night."
"Aye."
Pip wandered through the halls, and he came upon Merry looking slightly frazzled, who also was carrying clothes with him. "Merry? Ye all right?"
Merry looked to Pip. He tried to speak, but was unsuccessful. Finally he managed to choke out, "I'm getting married."
"Merry!" he said hugging his old friend. "I'm so happy for ye!"
"She asked me though," he said. "Is that bad?"
"No, that just means ye weren't readin' her signs right," Pip said. "Speakin' o' signs, Diamond's actin' mighty peculiar this mornin'."
"I'll never understand the female race," Merry said sadly. "Anyway, I'm off to bathe."
"As am I. Do ye happen to know where the room is with the baths? I remember Aragorn telling me about them...but that's about it."
"I believe they're not far from here," said Merry, and he and Pip began roaming the corridors once more.
They came upon the baths in the next hallway. There were seven giant tubs, each filled with steaming water, and having various soaps beside them. Merry and Pip each claimed one as their own.
"Diamond an' I were talking about our wedding las' night," Pip told Merry. "She wants to have it here."
"Well it is a quite nice place..." Merry said. "I wouldn't mind having mine here meself, but I'm sure Estella will want to wait."
"Yes, probably. Though as they confuse me so, we might be totally off."
"Indeed."
They finished bathing, and Pip put on the clothes Diamond had picked for him. He then turned to look at Merry. He was almost wearing the same thing, save his sweater was pale red instead.
"How peculiar," Pip said thoughtfully. "Diamond picked these clothes out fer me this mornin'..."
"Why, Estella picked these out fer me!" Merry exclaimed.
They looked at each other seriously. "They're up to somethin'," Pip said. "Wonder what..."
"We'd best find them and find out," said Merry. "I'll see ye at breakfast."
"Aye."
They went their separate ways to return to their rooms. Pip entered his to find Diamond wearing an entirely different outfit than she had been earlier. It was a flowing white gown, with a hair band made of flowers that Pip was sure could only be found in the Shire. "Diamond?" she asked.
She handed him a brown vest that matched the trousers he was wearing. "Ye'd best be changin', Pip, lest ye intend to get married in that."
Pip was taken aback. "Today?"
"Pip, I've been in correspondence with Arwen for almost a year now. Do ye remember when Aragorn sent ye that letter not long after we met?"
"Aye."
"I got his address, and told him who I was, and how I intended to marry ye someday."
"Ye intended to marry me all the way back then?"
"Aye," said Diamond. "He put me in correspondence with his wife, and we began planning things. She was to have the gown and yer outfit ready around this time, when Aragorn intended to announce his plan to make ye counsellors. I knew about yer trip way before ye did. Anyway, after I became friends with Merry and saw his longing for Estella - which I don't know how you missed it - I started speaking with her about planning his as well. Which I must say, worked out quite nicely."
Pip's mouth was wide open. "I don't know how ye plan these things...how did ye even know Estella and Merry would get along?"
"Trust me, from the way they looked at each other, ye could tell."
Pip was left speechless.
"Well, if ye'd just put that on, and this nice white shirt," she said, handing him a shirt, "Then I suppose we can go get married now."
All Pip could say was, "Aye."
The morning dawned clear and bright for the visitors of Minas Tirith. Pippin thought that this represented perhaps great events that would happen during this day. He woke around ten or so, and Diamond was already up, reading The Lord of the Rings again. Pip rolled over to look at her.
"Like the book?"
"Aye. Frodo knows how to tell a story."
"Runs in his family..."
"Are you just saying that because you're related to him?"
"Perhaps."
Diamond got out of bed and rummaged through her belongings. She pulled out a white cotton shirt embroidered with flowers, and a long tan skirt. "Does this look okay?" she asked, holding it up.
"I suppose, any real occasion fer which yer dressin' up?"
"Not really." She then proceeded to go through Pip's belongings and pull out a tan pair of trousers, with a light yellow sweater and a green cloak. "Yes...this will do," she was muttering to herself.
"Diamond, what're ye doin'?"
"Something..."
Pip got up and took the clothes that she had picked out for him. "I'm going to go bathe," he said. "Haven't had a decent one since I left the Shire."
"Right...meet me back in here. I took a bath last night."
"Aye."
Pip wandered through the halls, and he came upon Merry looking slightly frazzled, who also was carrying clothes with him. "Merry? Ye all right?"
Merry looked to Pip. He tried to speak, but was unsuccessful. Finally he managed to choke out, "I'm getting married."
"Merry!" he said hugging his old friend. "I'm so happy for ye!"
"She asked me though," he said. "Is that bad?"
"No, that just means ye weren't readin' her signs right," Pip said. "Speakin' o' signs, Diamond's actin' mighty peculiar this mornin'."
"I'll never understand the female race," Merry said sadly. "Anyway, I'm off to bathe."
"As am I. Do ye happen to know where the room is with the baths? I remember Aragorn telling me about them...but that's about it."
"I believe they're not far from here," said Merry, and he and Pip began roaming the corridors once more.
They came upon the baths in the next hallway. There were seven giant tubs, each filled with steaming water, and having various soaps beside them. Merry and Pip each claimed one as their own.
"Diamond an' I were talking about our wedding las' night," Pip told Merry. "She wants to have it here."
"Well it is a quite nice place..." Merry said. "I wouldn't mind having mine here meself, but I'm sure Estella will want to wait."
"Yes, probably. Though as they confuse me so, we might be totally off."
"Indeed."
They finished bathing, and Pip put on the clothes Diamond had picked for him. He then turned to look at Merry. He was almost wearing the same thing, save his sweater was pale red instead.
"How peculiar," Pip said thoughtfully. "Diamond picked these clothes out fer me this mornin'..."
"Why, Estella picked these out fer me!" Merry exclaimed.
They looked at each other seriously. "They're up to somethin'," Pip said. "Wonder what..."
"We'd best find them and find out," said Merry. "I'll see ye at breakfast."
"Aye."
They went their separate ways to return to their rooms. Pip entered his to find Diamond wearing an entirely different outfit than she had been earlier. It was a flowing white gown, with a hair band made of flowers that Pip was sure could only be found in the Shire. "Diamond?" she asked.
She handed him a brown vest that matched the trousers he was wearing. "Ye'd best be changin', Pip, lest ye intend to get married in that."
Pip was taken aback. "Today?"
"Pip, I've been in correspondence with Arwen for almost a year now. Do ye remember when Aragorn sent ye that letter not long after we met?"
"Aye."
"I got his address, and told him who I was, and how I intended to marry ye someday."
"Ye intended to marry me all the way back then?"
"Aye," said Diamond. "He put me in correspondence with his wife, and we began planning things. She was to have the gown and yer outfit ready around this time, when Aragorn intended to announce his plan to make ye counsellors. I knew about yer trip way before ye did. Anyway, after I became friends with Merry and saw his longing for Estella - which I don't know how you missed it - I started speaking with her about planning his as well. Which I must say, worked out quite nicely."
Pip's mouth was wide open. "I don't know how ye plan these things...how did ye even know Estella and Merry would get along?"
"Trust me, from the way they looked at each other, ye could tell."
Pip was left speechless.
"Well, if ye'd just put that on, and this nice white shirt," she said, handing him a shirt, "Then I suppose we can go get married now."
All Pip could say was, "Aye."