Forgotten Roads: Part II



A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update chapter five.. dealt with a small bout of writer's block this past week and haven't written anything at all. I finished reading LOTR and fretted for a few days trying to figure out how I was going to end this thing, and I came up with a good enough idea for now, which means I can write :) I won't let myself write if I have any sort of problem with what I'm working on. I'm just a dork like that.

Oh. Also. To the person who reviewed (whose name I forget) who was confused about the POV.. it's both Pippin and Diamond (if you hadn't figured it out yet). It switches back and forth. I didn't specify, because I didn't think it would be necessary. I like writing from multiple characters points-of-view, I always have and I write better that way. When I wrote X-Files fanfic (and posted it here) people left reviews telling me that specifying who was speaking wasn't always necessary and easy enough to figure out. That's why I didn't. So yeah.. sorry if I was confusing :)

ANYWAY. That said, on with the story. Finally, we've got a bit of problem-like stuff.. wooo. Want to finish Chapter Five tonight. I bet I can ::grins confidently::

A/N (again): I wrote that last paragraph like.. three days ago. And I finished writing and editing chapter five today. Yeah, I suck.




Forgotten Roads
by Ani Ledger




[Chapter Five]

I missed him.

I tried not to think about the past week too much, but whenever anyone asked how my trip had been, my thoughts almost immediately and automatically turned to Pippin. Of course, Pippin himself had been the most... eventful part of my week, but I didn't want to say anything to anyone.

My mother asked me several times what was wrong with me, and each time I told her nothing was wrong. And it wasn't completely a lie. Nothing was wrong, truthfully, because... because Pippin loved me. Because I loved him too. And even though I wouldn't see him for a long time, I knew that much.

But I still missed him. Just not to the point of being completely miserable.

--

She'd been gone for nearly a month.

I went back home for a while, and found that I was more bored there than in Buckland, even if Diamond wasn't in Buckland anymore. So I went to stay again with Merry, like I usually did. It was almost to be expected. Pippin gets bored at home, Pippin goes to stay with Merry. My parents decided not to object to it, because it meant that I wouldn't bother them.

I sat on the hill, alone, and sighed. I stared out at the road, wondering when I'd see Diamond again. I missed her. Sure, it was fun hanging around with Merry, but he was with Lily some of the time, and I was alone and bored.

In my hands was a sheet of paper. I promised Diamond I'd write, but I didn't know what to say. I sighed again and started to write.

Dear Diamond,
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner, but I haven't had much to say. I still don't have much to say, but I promised I'd write you, so here goes nothing.
I went back home with my sister. That lasted about a week. I was bored nearly to tears, with nothing to do besides help out around the house or spend quality time with my parents and sisters (which I'm sure you can guess are definitely not my favorite things to do). I went back to Buckland, and found that I'm nearly as bored here as I was at home. On my way back here, I toyed with the idea of changing my destination to Long Cleeve, to come surprise you, but decided that the Northfarthing was a bit far. Plus, I'd probably get lost before I got there. I know how to get from the smials to Buckland, and how to get to Hobbiton, but aside from that... let's just say I don't have the best sense of direction.
This is likely one of the longest letters I've ever written (I don't write very many), and I'm out of things to say. Come visit again soon!

I wasn't sure how to end it, so I just signed my name. I read over it and put it away. I'd mail it when I went back to town.

--

Diamond! You've got a letter! my younger sister called.

I stopped what I was doing immediately and ran inside the house. I couldn't think of anyone who'd be writing me a letter besides...

I cried. I wasn't surprised, but I was excited. I sat down at the kitchen table and read the letter.

My sister eyed me quizzically. Who's Pippin? she asked, sitting at the table. I ignored her, reading the words and laughing to myself. It was so good to hear from him, and--

Who's Pippin? Rosemary repeated, and I looked up.

He's... oh, Rosemary, can you keep a secret? I asked. Rosemary was only a few years younger than I was, closer to my age than any of my other siblings, and I told her almost anything. Although I trusted Rosemary more than any of my family, I still hadn't told her about Pippin.

Of course I can, she replied. I knew that already. She kept all of my secrets. Not that I had all that many.

Well... I met someone in Buckland, I said.

A lad? she asked with a grin.

Yes, Rosemary, I replied, smiling back. He's the cousin of Lily's... friend, I said, withholding the bit about Merry and Lily. And he's a few years older than I am. We spent most of the week together, because Lily was... busy a lot.

Did he kiss you?

Yes, Rosemary, I said, smiling again and blushing.

Rosemary giggled. And was he a good kisser?

At that, I simply smiled, folded the letter, and went to write Pippin back.

--

Dear Pippin,
It was good to hear from you. I haven't had much to write about either, but since you wrote to me I must write back. I'm glad you wrote. I've missed you.
I haven't talked to my parents about visiting Buckland again. I don't know if they'll let me again so soon. I want to come so badly though. I'm afraid of their answer, so I can't ask for a while. I haven't even told my parents about you. I doubt they'd let me come again--or often--if they knew about you. The only person I've told is my younger sister Rosemary, but I know she won't say anything to them.
I hope to see you sometime soon. Until I do, I will write to you. I'll write as soon as I know anything, or as soon as I have something interesting to tell you.
Yours, Diamond.

--

I asked one day, a few weeks later. I decided I'd ask her when I could go visit Lily again. I'd written to Lily, and she'd said I was welcome whenever I wanted to come. Rosemary talked me into asking Mother about it. Since I told her about Pippin and me, it was almost all she talked about. She wanted to know everything about him, and it was likely that she wanted me to see him again as much as I did.

Yes, Diamond? she replied. She was half-distracted, and working in the garden. It could either be a very good time to ask her when I could go back to Buckland, or a very bad time. But I'd waited long enough. I hadn't seen Pippin in a month and a half, and I'd only heard from him once.

I have a question to ask you.

What, Diamond? She stood up and looked at me, sounding a little exasperated.

Well... first of all... when you were my age, did you ever go visit your cousins or anything?

Not very often, no, my mother replied, wiping her hands on her apron.

Well... I've been wanting to go back to Buckland to visit Lily again. I had so much fun the last time I was there. It was nice to see Lily, and I made some friends there. Do you think I can go back?

Oh, Diamond... she sighed. It was hard on your father and me the last time we let you go out there. I don't know--

Please don't say I'm too young, mother. I'm not too young. I'm twenty-one years old, and--

I know you're twenty-one. And I know you feel grown up, but Diamond, you really aren't. You're still just--

A tween. I know, I know. But--

I can talk to your father, but I don't know. Neither of us are very comfortable with you travelling alone.

I sighed. If she talked to my father, he'd definitely say no. But at least we could give it a try.

---

Autumn was unusually warm. I spent my days outside. Merry apparently realized he'd been ignoring me for the past few months and made an attempt to spend some more time with me. When he was at Lily's, though, I went up to the hill (alone, of course) and read.

One day in October, as I was sitting up on the hill trying to finish my book, I couldn't concentrate on the words. I closed the forgotten book and stared up at the clouds drifting across the sky. My mind wandered. I hadn't heard from Diamond since July, about a month after she left. I'd only gotten the one letter. I'd written three times, but never got anything in return. I missed her, but I was beginning to wonder. Maybe I didn't mean as much to her as she meant to me. Maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe, I thought, I should just forget about her.

I stood up. Forgetting about Diamond would be hard to do. I could try, but I couldn't make myself any promises.

Merry and I were going to Hobbiton for the week to visit our cousin Frodo Baggins. It had been a while since we visited so it gave me something to look forward to, and something else to think about. Frodo lived at Bag End. He'd inherited his home from his uncle, sixteen years ago. Sixteen years... it was hard to believe old Bilbo had been gone that long already. I was young then, but I remembered Bilbo's eleventy first birthday as clearly as it had happened six months ago. Frodo missed Bilbo greatly, we knew, and he worked hard to keep Bag End the same as always. But it seemed lately like something troubled Frodo. No one knew what--a long forgotten secret it was to everyone but Frodo Baggins himself.

The day Merry and I arrived in Hobbiton was considerably cooler than it had been. Firey-colored leaves fell from the trees. The sky was clear and blue, but a cold wind came in through the north, reminding us that winter was nearing. Summer was over, and maybe the change of seasons would help me not to think of the hot summer days I spent with Diamond.


----





A/N: The month thing.. yeah. I can't find my Return of the King book, so I don't know the names of the months in the Shire.. but they call September in FOTR September, and so on, so I am too, because I don't feel like figuring things out. Heh.

And also.. chapter six will not take as long to be up... I promise. I have half of it written already, at least, in my notebook--I use my notebook to write while at school--so I just need to type it up and shine it up a little, and then I shall post it. Check back soon!