Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to J.R.R.
Tolkien. Please, read and review!
I woke up the next morning with the sun shining on my face and Estella still sleeping, leaning on my chest. I smiled sleepily and shifted, sending piercing pain up my back. Sleeping sitting up against a tree isn't the most comfortable thing to do. Estella heard my intake of breath at the pain and woke too.
"Did I hurt you?" She asked fearfully, sitting up quickly and putting some space between us.
"I think there's a twig in my back." I moaned, reaching back there with my hand to see. Estella let out a little laugh and rubbed her eyes. She then realized where she was.
"Oh no! My father is going to kill me!" She cried, leaping up quickly and shaking the various pieces of grass from her hair.
I leapt up too, apologizing. "I'm sorry Estella, I shouldn't have let you fall asleep."
"It's not your fault Merry." She said, looking apprehensively at her house. "I have to go back." Her voice wavered for a moment with a hint of fear, but she quickly masked it.
I was alarmed by her behavior. "What's the matter, Estella?" I asked, taking her hand.
She looked down at our clasped hands. "Nothing." Her hand lingered there for a moment, and then she pulled it away gently.
"Remember, I'll be here if you need anything." I promised, not liking the way she was acting.
"ESTELLA!" A voice bellowed from her house.
She started shaking in fear. "I have to go."
"Will I see you sometime today?" I asked her quickly.
"No." She said flatly.
"Then tonight?" I asked hopefully.
"Maybe." She said, then fled back to her house.
I watched the house, worrying about her. Something wasn't right.
That night I wandered back to the weeping willow late at night. Pippin had asked me where I had been going, and I wouldn't tell him. I just explained everything would reveal itself in due time. I don't think Pippin was happy with my answer, because before I left I found him sulking on the couch.
She was sitting there hugging her knees to her chin as I approached. "Hi." She grinned softly. In the moonlight I could notice bruises dotting her arms and face. I started to say something, but she stopped me. "Just get my mind off today." She begged me. "Let's not talk about it."
I obliged, unwillingly. But it seemed that was what she needed, just someone to talk to. Every night we met underneath that weeping willow. Her bruises and cuts kept getting worse and worse. I tried to confront her about it, but all she would do was avoid the subject and move on to something else.
I tried to make her laugh, but it became more and more rare to hear that wonderful laugh of hers. Some nights she wouldn't show any emotion, but I'd sit there and talk to her all the same. Every night I offered her the option of going to my house where she could be safe or going back to her own house. She always chose her own house, which disturbed me. What if one night, I came here and she couldn't? What if she was maimed so back she couldn't make her way out here? A beautiful creature like Estella shouldn't be treated like that; nobody should be treated like that.
Knocking came from my door that jarred me from my memories. Estella made a move to get out of bed, but I stopped her. "I'll get it." I announced as I took away her finished plates.
"Thank you love." I heard her say as I walked into the kitchen, dropped the plates off, and then answered the door.
Well, didn't really answer it. It was open and the company was coming in as I got there. "Pippin!" I exclaimed. He looked up at me and grinned.
"Have you gotten second breakfast ready?" He asked, looking over my shoulder to the kitchen.
"No, we just finished first." I laughed. Pippin scowled. Then his face lit up.
"Estella!" He exclaimed, waving to my wife. I turned around to see her wrapped up in a shawl and hugging it closely to her body as she entered the kitchen behind me.
"Hello Master Took." She called from the kitchen. "I have some bread ready, and some cheese if you're hungry." She offered, grinning.
"Ah, Estella you know exactly what to say to cheer up an old Took like me." Pippin grinned as I followed him to the kitchen.
"And why exactly do you need cheering up?" Estella asked.
"The reason why I came over here." He said, stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth. "Delicious bread, Estella." He said to her. He then turned to me. "Those Goodbodies are out there building a new house, but they keep arguing about every little thing." Pippin rolled his eyes. "I tried to settle it, but they demanded the Master of Buckland." He took a swig of ale. "That's where you come in."
"So I have to go and sort out this mess that the Goodbodies have gotten themselves into?" I sighed wearily.
"Apparently. They can't do any thinking of their own." Pippin laughed. "Thank you for the bread and cheese, Stelly, but I've got to go." He said, leaning over and pecking her on the cheek. She playfully winked at him.
"Later Merry! We'll have to have dinner together sometime. We are both so busy now we don't have any time to get into any mischief any more." He laughed as he put on his coat and opened the door.
"Bye Pippin." I said, giving him a look of reprimand. Estella smiled approvingly. "We'll have to plan mischief when Estella least expects it." Pippin laughed as he closed the door. Estella playfully elbowed me in the ribs.
"You better go get dressed, sweetheart. You know how the Goodbodies can get if they are left waiting." I nodded in agreement.
I went back to the bedroom and looked around for my vest, which usually goes missing anyway. I could hear Estella moving around the kitchen and my memories again flooded back to me. This was a disturbing memory though, one I didn't like.
That night was the last night we met under the weeping willow. She was sitting there when I got there, but to my horror her left arm was securely in a sling. I fell to my knees beside her.
"What happened?" I asked, my hand raising to slowly stroke her cheek.
Her eyes were red from crying. She looked at me with pleading eyes but didn't utter a word.
I tried again. "Who did this to you?"
She looked up at the moon and sighed. "I can't say. If I do, it'll only get worse." Fear filled her eyes.
"Why do you allow this to happen? Somebody shouldn't be allowed to do this to you."
"You don't understand." Estella said, her voice becoming flat and uncaring.
Anger flared up in me at her words. "Then make me understand!" I demanded. "You don't deserve this."
She shook her head. "Yes, I do."
"Who told you that?" I demanded, stroking her soft curly brown hair.
A few beats of silence past. "My father." She whispered softly, finally confiding in me.
"That's not true. Estella, you're wonderful. You know deep down you don't deserve this."
Estella looked back at me with hardness in her eyes. "I'm not perfect."
"Nobody is, and that's no excuse to beat someone." Her eyes flew up and met mine as I said that sentence.
"I have no where to go. No where to hide."
"Yes you do." I said, squeezing her good hand. "My home is always open to you."
"You don't want to do that." Her eyes widened. "What if he found out?"
"You can't hide from your father forever, Estella."
"I know." She looked down at the ground. "But I wish I could. I don't think I'm strong enough." Looking up, her fearful gaze slammed into mine. "Will you help me Merry?"
"Yes." I nodded eagerly.
She withdrew from my intended embrace. "Why?"
Now it was my turn to wrestle with my feelings. I finally came up with an honest answer. "Because I love you and I don't want to see you hurt like this." I said, meaning every word I said. I could feel a hot blush on my cheeks, but I kept eye contact with her.
"Oh, Merry." She whispered, her voice quavering. "If only you knew how long I've loved you." She finished her sentence leaning in towards me and placing her lips delicately on mine.
A smile crossed my face as I remembered our first kiss. Then I hugged my wife good bye and ran out the door, adjusting my jacket as I left to go assume my duties of Master of Buckland.
She waved to me from the window, and I smiled and waved back.
Little did I know what would happen to her when I was gone.
I woke up the next morning with the sun shining on my face and Estella still sleeping, leaning on my chest. I smiled sleepily and shifted, sending piercing pain up my back. Sleeping sitting up against a tree isn't the most comfortable thing to do. Estella heard my intake of breath at the pain and woke too.
"Did I hurt you?" She asked fearfully, sitting up quickly and putting some space between us.
"I think there's a twig in my back." I moaned, reaching back there with my hand to see. Estella let out a little laugh and rubbed her eyes. She then realized where she was.
"Oh no! My father is going to kill me!" She cried, leaping up quickly and shaking the various pieces of grass from her hair.
I leapt up too, apologizing. "I'm sorry Estella, I shouldn't have let you fall asleep."
"It's not your fault Merry." She said, looking apprehensively at her house. "I have to go back." Her voice wavered for a moment with a hint of fear, but she quickly masked it.
I was alarmed by her behavior. "What's the matter, Estella?" I asked, taking her hand.
She looked down at our clasped hands. "Nothing." Her hand lingered there for a moment, and then she pulled it away gently.
"Remember, I'll be here if you need anything." I promised, not liking the way she was acting.
"ESTELLA!" A voice bellowed from her house.
She started shaking in fear. "I have to go."
"Will I see you sometime today?" I asked her quickly.
"No." She said flatly.
"Then tonight?" I asked hopefully.
"Maybe." She said, then fled back to her house.
I watched the house, worrying about her. Something wasn't right.
That night I wandered back to the weeping willow late at night. Pippin had asked me where I had been going, and I wouldn't tell him. I just explained everything would reveal itself in due time. I don't think Pippin was happy with my answer, because before I left I found him sulking on the couch.
She was sitting there hugging her knees to her chin as I approached. "Hi." She grinned softly. In the moonlight I could notice bruises dotting her arms and face. I started to say something, but she stopped me. "Just get my mind off today." She begged me. "Let's not talk about it."
I obliged, unwillingly. But it seemed that was what she needed, just someone to talk to. Every night we met underneath that weeping willow. Her bruises and cuts kept getting worse and worse. I tried to confront her about it, but all she would do was avoid the subject and move on to something else.
I tried to make her laugh, but it became more and more rare to hear that wonderful laugh of hers. Some nights she wouldn't show any emotion, but I'd sit there and talk to her all the same. Every night I offered her the option of going to my house where she could be safe or going back to her own house. She always chose her own house, which disturbed me. What if one night, I came here and she couldn't? What if she was maimed so back she couldn't make her way out here? A beautiful creature like Estella shouldn't be treated like that; nobody should be treated like that.
Knocking came from my door that jarred me from my memories. Estella made a move to get out of bed, but I stopped her. "I'll get it." I announced as I took away her finished plates.
"Thank you love." I heard her say as I walked into the kitchen, dropped the plates off, and then answered the door.
Well, didn't really answer it. It was open and the company was coming in as I got there. "Pippin!" I exclaimed. He looked up at me and grinned.
"Have you gotten second breakfast ready?" He asked, looking over my shoulder to the kitchen.
"No, we just finished first." I laughed. Pippin scowled. Then his face lit up.
"Estella!" He exclaimed, waving to my wife. I turned around to see her wrapped up in a shawl and hugging it closely to her body as she entered the kitchen behind me.
"Hello Master Took." She called from the kitchen. "I have some bread ready, and some cheese if you're hungry." She offered, grinning.
"Ah, Estella you know exactly what to say to cheer up an old Took like me." Pippin grinned as I followed him to the kitchen.
"And why exactly do you need cheering up?" Estella asked.
"The reason why I came over here." He said, stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth. "Delicious bread, Estella." He said to her. He then turned to me. "Those Goodbodies are out there building a new house, but they keep arguing about every little thing." Pippin rolled his eyes. "I tried to settle it, but they demanded the Master of Buckland." He took a swig of ale. "That's where you come in."
"So I have to go and sort out this mess that the Goodbodies have gotten themselves into?" I sighed wearily.
"Apparently. They can't do any thinking of their own." Pippin laughed. "Thank you for the bread and cheese, Stelly, but I've got to go." He said, leaning over and pecking her on the cheek. She playfully winked at him.
"Later Merry! We'll have to have dinner together sometime. We are both so busy now we don't have any time to get into any mischief any more." He laughed as he put on his coat and opened the door.
"Bye Pippin." I said, giving him a look of reprimand. Estella smiled approvingly. "We'll have to plan mischief when Estella least expects it." Pippin laughed as he closed the door. Estella playfully elbowed me in the ribs.
"You better go get dressed, sweetheart. You know how the Goodbodies can get if they are left waiting." I nodded in agreement.
I went back to the bedroom and looked around for my vest, which usually goes missing anyway. I could hear Estella moving around the kitchen and my memories again flooded back to me. This was a disturbing memory though, one I didn't like.
That night was the last night we met under the weeping willow. She was sitting there when I got there, but to my horror her left arm was securely in a sling. I fell to my knees beside her.
"What happened?" I asked, my hand raising to slowly stroke her cheek.
Her eyes were red from crying. She looked at me with pleading eyes but didn't utter a word.
I tried again. "Who did this to you?"
She looked up at the moon and sighed. "I can't say. If I do, it'll only get worse." Fear filled her eyes.
"Why do you allow this to happen? Somebody shouldn't be allowed to do this to you."
"You don't understand." Estella said, her voice becoming flat and uncaring.
Anger flared up in me at her words. "Then make me understand!" I demanded. "You don't deserve this."
She shook her head. "Yes, I do."
"Who told you that?" I demanded, stroking her soft curly brown hair.
A few beats of silence past. "My father." She whispered softly, finally confiding in me.
"That's not true. Estella, you're wonderful. You know deep down you don't deserve this."
Estella looked back at me with hardness in her eyes. "I'm not perfect."
"Nobody is, and that's no excuse to beat someone." Her eyes flew up and met mine as I said that sentence.
"I have no where to go. No where to hide."
"Yes you do." I said, squeezing her good hand. "My home is always open to you."
"You don't want to do that." Her eyes widened. "What if he found out?"
"You can't hide from your father forever, Estella."
"I know." She looked down at the ground. "But I wish I could. I don't think I'm strong enough." Looking up, her fearful gaze slammed into mine. "Will you help me Merry?"
"Yes." I nodded eagerly.
She withdrew from my intended embrace. "Why?"
Now it was my turn to wrestle with my feelings. I finally came up with an honest answer. "Because I love you and I don't want to see you hurt like this." I said, meaning every word I said. I could feel a hot blush on my cheeks, but I kept eye contact with her.
"Oh, Merry." She whispered, her voice quavering. "If only you knew how long I've loved you." She finished her sentence leaning in towards me and placing her lips delicately on mine.
A smile crossed my face as I remembered our first kiss. Then I hugged my wife good bye and ran out the door, adjusting my jacket as I left to go assume my duties of Master of Buckland.
She waved to me from the window, and I smiled and waved back.
Little did I know what would happen to her when I was gone.