*Author's Note- um, Hi everybody! I am really sorry about the mixup with
Chapters 3 and 4. I can't fix Chapter 3, but it ends as Diamond spends the
night at Estel's hole. Thanks to everyone who is R&R! May your gardens be
blessed with the best reaps for 13 years, in Shire fashion!
The day of the Festival came all too soon. Ruby and I spent the night before rushing around the house, crumpling my hair into tighter curls, pressing my dress so that it was free of wrinkles, and practicing weaving my hair into curls and coils around my head. The end result, when crowned with a wreathe of roses, was absolutely lovely, and as I set out for the Party Field the next morning, with my cloak wrapped around me for warmth, I waved goodbye to Ruby happily.
The Party Field was overrun with girls, laughing, giggling, pointing. I thought I was going to be sick. There were even some lads roaming around, seeing which girls they might want to try for after the Festival was over. I felt like a fraud, all fancied up. I pulled my cloak around my dress even tighter, and the cheery mood that I had come there with was gone.
I found Estel quickly, or rather, she found me. She was so excited about the party, mainly the food.
"The best bakers from the Shire have been hired for the birthday cake, and the same for the wedding cake. Fresh greens, and taters! O-la, and the sweetest cheeses and milk from the Eastfarthing, goat and cow both. Broths and stews, and the ales!" At that, Estel's stomach complained, and she excused herself to the spread that had made itself so approachable to a horde of hobbits already indulging themselves.
I decided to go down the hill, to where most of the activity was. I started out walking, but the steep slope caused me to break into a run.
That is, until I ran straight into an unwitting hobbit. The impact sent me to my feet, but the hobbit stayed on his, and helped me up, to my embarrassment.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck, miss. Pleased to meet you, and make your acquaintance," he bowed genteelly, and I had to laugh, thinking of Mrs Teagrass. He cocked an eyebrow, and I repressed my laugh.
"Diamond of Long Cleeve, sir. Are you this Meriadoc the Magnificent that everyone seems to be talking about?" He grinned mischievously, and nodded.
"Of course, Diamond. Meriadoc the Magnificent is what everyone's been calling me since Saruman's been gone, that's for sure. Magnificent, however, is more than I can say for my cousin, Pippin." He laughed. His face was splashed with sandy freckles, which were the same color as his unruly curls. His green eyes shone, and he looked more like a hobbit child than a war-hero. "More than you can say about me, what Merry?" Another hobbit came out of a nearby tent, eating an apple. His hair was somewhat darker than Merry's, but his eyes were just the same, and he had, if possible, even more freckles.
"This is Diamond of Long Cleeve, Pippin. She was just saying as to how handsome I am, which is when I then commented on yourself." I gasped, in mock insult. I had already come to feel as if these two were life-long friends, or brothers.
"I assure you, Pippin, I did nothing of the sort. Merry is nice, but certainly not handsome," I smiled, blinking my eyelashes femininely. Fortunately, Merry and Pippin both saw that I was not flirting, and they laughed.
"Well, thank you kindly, Diamond. Now that my self-esteem has been boosted tremendously, and my ego has swelled-"
"Merry, your ego is always swelled. Quite honestly, if the Dark Lord himself had come and thrashed you into the dirt, I say that you would think yourself the most honorable hobbit in all of Middle-Earth," I giggled, and Merry shot me a swarthy look, so I coughed right away.
"Diamond, are you the only one of your family here? An only lass in a family of brothers, or an only child? Are your sisters all married off, or are they too young to walk?" Pippin started counting off the options on his fingers, and I smiled.
"No, I have only sisters. One is married, one is most likely here, but she is such a ninny that you might want to hide if she came near, and another, like myself, is not married, but- never mind." I had started to tell them about the vow, but I decided against it.
"Diamond! Diamond, oh there you are! Did you see the food?" Estel came running towards me, her apron pockets stuffed with sweets and small cakes. I smiled, and waved.
"Oh my. Hello," Estel saw Merry and Pippin, and grew very quiet.
"Don't worry about her. That is Estel, my very best friend, but she becomes shy around the lad-folk. She is perfectly fine otherwise," I smiled, and Estel blushed to the tips of her ears, and everyone laughed again. It seemed as if Merry and Pippin were intoxicated with laughter, because it seemed to be in the very breath they expired.
"Well, well. Hello, Peregrin, Meriadoc. You seem to have found quite a treasure, here," Radamund Proudfoot, Emma's husband, said. He put his hand to my cheek, and I shuddered away. Pippin stepped forward, hand to his belt instinctively. I suppose he never quite got over having a sword, and still felt like he had one at his call.
"No need to worry, Peregrin. I have a wife, which is more than the both of you can say," he laughed. I felt anger surge through me.
"You only have my sister because you bought her! You didn't marry because she wanted you, but because you were so cold-hearted that you didn't care if you caused her misery!" I snapped. Radamund jumped back, Pippin stared at me admiringly, and Merry applauded. "You will regret that, miss." Radamund skulked off, and Estel put her hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, Di. He can't do anything to you. He is just full of hot air, as they say." She smiled, and I smiled back.
"Still, I didn't like the way he touched you, Diamond," Pippin frowned, and he moved towards me. I wondered why Pippin was being so protective.
The day of the Festival came all too soon. Ruby and I spent the night before rushing around the house, crumpling my hair into tighter curls, pressing my dress so that it was free of wrinkles, and practicing weaving my hair into curls and coils around my head. The end result, when crowned with a wreathe of roses, was absolutely lovely, and as I set out for the Party Field the next morning, with my cloak wrapped around me for warmth, I waved goodbye to Ruby happily.
The Party Field was overrun with girls, laughing, giggling, pointing. I thought I was going to be sick. There were even some lads roaming around, seeing which girls they might want to try for after the Festival was over. I felt like a fraud, all fancied up. I pulled my cloak around my dress even tighter, and the cheery mood that I had come there with was gone.
I found Estel quickly, or rather, she found me. She was so excited about the party, mainly the food.
"The best bakers from the Shire have been hired for the birthday cake, and the same for the wedding cake. Fresh greens, and taters! O-la, and the sweetest cheeses and milk from the Eastfarthing, goat and cow both. Broths and stews, and the ales!" At that, Estel's stomach complained, and she excused herself to the spread that had made itself so approachable to a horde of hobbits already indulging themselves.
I decided to go down the hill, to where most of the activity was. I started out walking, but the steep slope caused me to break into a run.
That is, until I ran straight into an unwitting hobbit. The impact sent me to my feet, but the hobbit stayed on his, and helped me up, to my embarrassment.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck, miss. Pleased to meet you, and make your acquaintance," he bowed genteelly, and I had to laugh, thinking of Mrs Teagrass. He cocked an eyebrow, and I repressed my laugh.
"Diamond of Long Cleeve, sir. Are you this Meriadoc the Magnificent that everyone seems to be talking about?" He grinned mischievously, and nodded.
"Of course, Diamond. Meriadoc the Magnificent is what everyone's been calling me since Saruman's been gone, that's for sure. Magnificent, however, is more than I can say for my cousin, Pippin." He laughed. His face was splashed with sandy freckles, which were the same color as his unruly curls. His green eyes shone, and he looked more like a hobbit child than a war-hero. "More than you can say about me, what Merry?" Another hobbit came out of a nearby tent, eating an apple. His hair was somewhat darker than Merry's, but his eyes were just the same, and he had, if possible, even more freckles.
"This is Diamond of Long Cleeve, Pippin. She was just saying as to how handsome I am, which is when I then commented on yourself." I gasped, in mock insult. I had already come to feel as if these two were life-long friends, or brothers.
"I assure you, Pippin, I did nothing of the sort. Merry is nice, but certainly not handsome," I smiled, blinking my eyelashes femininely. Fortunately, Merry and Pippin both saw that I was not flirting, and they laughed.
"Well, thank you kindly, Diamond. Now that my self-esteem has been boosted tremendously, and my ego has swelled-"
"Merry, your ego is always swelled. Quite honestly, if the Dark Lord himself had come and thrashed you into the dirt, I say that you would think yourself the most honorable hobbit in all of Middle-Earth," I giggled, and Merry shot me a swarthy look, so I coughed right away.
"Diamond, are you the only one of your family here? An only lass in a family of brothers, or an only child? Are your sisters all married off, or are they too young to walk?" Pippin started counting off the options on his fingers, and I smiled.
"No, I have only sisters. One is married, one is most likely here, but she is such a ninny that you might want to hide if she came near, and another, like myself, is not married, but- never mind." I had started to tell them about the vow, but I decided against it.
"Diamond! Diamond, oh there you are! Did you see the food?" Estel came running towards me, her apron pockets stuffed with sweets and small cakes. I smiled, and waved.
"Oh my. Hello," Estel saw Merry and Pippin, and grew very quiet.
"Don't worry about her. That is Estel, my very best friend, but she becomes shy around the lad-folk. She is perfectly fine otherwise," I smiled, and Estel blushed to the tips of her ears, and everyone laughed again. It seemed as if Merry and Pippin were intoxicated with laughter, because it seemed to be in the very breath they expired.
"Well, well. Hello, Peregrin, Meriadoc. You seem to have found quite a treasure, here," Radamund Proudfoot, Emma's husband, said. He put his hand to my cheek, and I shuddered away. Pippin stepped forward, hand to his belt instinctively. I suppose he never quite got over having a sword, and still felt like he had one at his call.
"No need to worry, Peregrin. I have a wife, which is more than the both of you can say," he laughed. I felt anger surge through me.
"You only have my sister because you bought her! You didn't marry because she wanted you, but because you were so cold-hearted that you didn't care if you caused her misery!" I snapped. Radamund jumped back, Pippin stared at me admiringly, and Merry applauded. "You will regret that, miss." Radamund skulked off, and Estel put her hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, Di. He can't do anything to you. He is just full of hot air, as they say." She smiled, and I smiled back.
"Still, I didn't like the way he touched you, Diamond," Pippin frowned, and he moved towards me. I wondered why Pippin was being so protective.