The next morning, I awoke in a hole and in a bedroom that I did not
recognize, having slept in a bed that was unfamiliar. I sat up, but
dizziness overwhelmed me, and I had to put my hand to my aching head.
Where in the Shire can I be? I thought. I was not at Emma's hole, nor at Peridot's, Ruby's, or Estel's. A terrible feeling of displacement came over me, and I closed my eyes, still sitting straight up in bed.
"Oh Pim! She's awake! Get Pippin, and Pearl, they'll want to see her. And Mum and Da while you are gone, if you can find them. Goodness knows where they would be, either at the apothecary's, or the relative's, or sound in their own beds!" I heard footsteps as this "Pim" went to go fetch the mentioned hobbits, and the one that spoke went to my bedside.
I opened my eyes, and saw a hobbit, not much older than Peridot, standing beside me. Her hair was the same auburn as Pippin's, but her eyes were blue, and her skin was more pale than the sanguine Pippin. She looked genuinely relieved that I had awoke.
"Hello," I said tentatively. I watched her every movement, every flicker of her eyes, every twitch at the corner of her mouth. Ruby had taught me how to read other hobbits' thoughts and emotions by their facial expressions alone. It was a talent I utilized often, to tell friend from foe.
"Well, it's a good thing you are awake, Diamond. Pippin's been worried sick, Mum and Da have been awake all night, Pearl has found solace only in the reading of poems and sagas, as for myself and Pim, we've slept a good deal, but please, mind that little. You don't know how Pim and I flew, well I don't suppose we literally flew, but our feet scarce touched the ground, so fast did we run through the Great Forest, looking for you. That was where you were found, you know. The Great Forest, on the outskirts of Tuckborough. Lor bless the moonlight last night, because we saw your body laying there, all cold and still in that light. Goodness knows, we thought you were dead, but not Pippin. Pippin knew sure as nothing that you were still alive, so he brought you home. That's where you are, weren't you wondering? Great Smials of Tuckborough. You're in the home and hospitality of Thain, you are. Yes ma'am, the Thain himself, although we just call him Da." She smiled, and pressed my hand to her cheek. Either her cheek was incredibly chilled, or my hand was, but something told me that this girl was not cold at all, because her face was beginning to glow, whether from the temperature of the room, or the pace of her speech, I know not.
"Thank you, miss. You have just told me more than I ever had hoped to have time to inquire about, but pray-tell, what is your name?" The girl laughed, and she shook her head.
"Lor have mercy on me! Naught's worse than my memory, and Mum says my manners are just as bad. My names Pervinca, but most just call me Vinca, like most call Pimpernel, Pim. I'm Pippin's next-to sister, if you follow. It would be Pearl, Pim, me and then Pippin, as age goes. Pippin's quite the handful, and whatever made him fall in love with you, I can't quite reckon." I must have unwittingly gestured that I was offended, because her eyes swelled in an almost horror, and she shook her hands back and forth. "Please, Diamond! Don't take offense! I didn't mean any harm, and certainly didn't mean to be rude. I was just meaning that Pippin doesn't usually take interest in girls like you. Of course, Pippin is just now coming of the age where he would take an interest in girls, but he has hinted that he was more interested in a feminine, and if I may say so, "sissified" sort of lass. You have proven yourself to be more than a bit capable of defending yourself, and your honor."
"My honor? My honor, oh Vinca, what happened to me?" I grabbed her hand, and blood rushed to my head. I could only fear the worst, after remembering the last moments of my conscious state that night.
"Your honor was defended, I should hope. There were no, er, signs, to suggest otherwise. Pippin found you utterly asleep scratched her head, and in the pause, as she was thinking, five hobbits came into the room., and nothing more. What happened to Otho, though, beats me. He just disappeared!" Vinca scratched her head, and as she did so, five hobbits ran into the room. This startled me more than a bit, and my hand flew to my breast as I caught my breath from the shock.
By process of elimination, and from what Vinca told me earlier, I could tell who was who before they introduced themselves. Obviously, the oldest two were the Thain and Mrs Took, the tallest daughter, and the one with a book still in her hand was obviously Pearl, the only girl left had to be Pim, and then there was Pippin.
The Thain ran up to me, and shook my hand. That was a bit odd, considering as how the most influential hobbit in Tuckborough was treating me as if I were a hero or was famous.
"Good morning, lass. Good morning to you! You cannot imagine how glad we are to see you up and about, especially Pippin, isn't that right, lad?" Pippin blushed and looked down to his feet. The Thain chuckled heartily, and I was amazed at the joviality in this hobbit. I would have thought that the pressure of such a role in the Shire would have made him a quiet, sad, wrinkled old hobbit, but no, not the Thain! I couldn't help but ask him about this, and the whole room burst into a fit of laughter, even me after a time, even though mine was more nervous than blithe, and I didn't know why I was laughing in the first place. The Thain put his hand on my shoulder, and his wrinkle-free face beamed down on me.
"Oh my dear Diamond. I do nothing anymore. Thainship is merely a title now, and unless we were to have another battle or great war like we haven't seen since the days of Sharkey and his men, then there is nothing for me to do that would cause me trouble. The very worst I have seen lately was a squabble between two farmers who both thought they owned the same hen! That was all very simple, of course, seeing as how Eglantine here just cooked the hen, and they shared it as a stew. Besides," he winked at me, "it takes much more than what the Shire has to offer to give even the oldest of Tooks a wrinkle!" Eglantine, his wife, clasped me to her bosom, and cried. I didn't know a Took could cry so much, but when I asked Pippin about it later he smiled and told me that she was really a Banks by birth, and they were always a histrionic clan.
"My dear girl, you are a part of this family now, and if there is anything you need, I would be happy to be as a mother to you. What a shame, to lose your parents at such a young age! I had a friend once, such a nice girl, Foxberry Banks, so well, actually she was my second-cousin once removed, I think, but she lost her parents in a tragic accident. Forgive me, but I can't remember what happened to them! All I remember is that it was tragic, and that Foxberry came to live with us-" The Thain put his hand on Eglantine's shoulder.
"Dear, I doubt that Diamond wants to hear the story about the fire-" All children of the Thain turned to him almost at once and gave him a look that would have scared Sharkey himself straight out of the Shire. The Thain put his hand to his mouth, realizing his err, but too late.
"That was it! A fire, one of the worst my whole family's ever seen! Oh, how the trees burned, the sky turned black-" Pippin motioned to me to leave the room with him. I nodded slightly, and slipped off of the edge of the bed, still in my pink gown. As I walked out, Pim nudged my foot slightly and winked. I shook my head, wondering if all Tooks were this quirky.
Where in the Shire can I be? I thought. I was not at Emma's hole, nor at Peridot's, Ruby's, or Estel's. A terrible feeling of displacement came over me, and I closed my eyes, still sitting straight up in bed.
"Oh Pim! She's awake! Get Pippin, and Pearl, they'll want to see her. And Mum and Da while you are gone, if you can find them. Goodness knows where they would be, either at the apothecary's, or the relative's, or sound in their own beds!" I heard footsteps as this "Pim" went to go fetch the mentioned hobbits, and the one that spoke went to my bedside.
I opened my eyes, and saw a hobbit, not much older than Peridot, standing beside me. Her hair was the same auburn as Pippin's, but her eyes were blue, and her skin was more pale than the sanguine Pippin. She looked genuinely relieved that I had awoke.
"Hello," I said tentatively. I watched her every movement, every flicker of her eyes, every twitch at the corner of her mouth. Ruby had taught me how to read other hobbits' thoughts and emotions by their facial expressions alone. It was a talent I utilized often, to tell friend from foe.
"Well, it's a good thing you are awake, Diamond. Pippin's been worried sick, Mum and Da have been awake all night, Pearl has found solace only in the reading of poems and sagas, as for myself and Pim, we've slept a good deal, but please, mind that little. You don't know how Pim and I flew, well I don't suppose we literally flew, but our feet scarce touched the ground, so fast did we run through the Great Forest, looking for you. That was where you were found, you know. The Great Forest, on the outskirts of Tuckborough. Lor bless the moonlight last night, because we saw your body laying there, all cold and still in that light. Goodness knows, we thought you were dead, but not Pippin. Pippin knew sure as nothing that you were still alive, so he brought you home. That's where you are, weren't you wondering? Great Smials of Tuckborough. You're in the home and hospitality of Thain, you are. Yes ma'am, the Thain himself, although we just call him Da." She smiled, and pressed my hand to her cheek. Either her cheek was incredibly chilled, or my hand was, but something told me that this girl was not cold at all, because her face was beginning to glow, whether from the temperature of the room, or the pace of her speech, I know not.
"Thank you, miss. You have just told me more than I ever had hoped to have time to inquire about, but pray-tell, what is your name?" The girl laughed, and she shook her head.
"Lor have mercy on me! Naught's worse than my memory, and Mum says my manners are just as bad. My names Pervinca, but most just call me Vinca, like most call Pimpernel, Pim. I'm Pippin's next-to sister, if you follow. It would be Pearl, Pim, me and then Pippin, as age goes. Pippin's quite the handful, and whatever made him fall in love with you, I can't quite reckon." I must have unwittingly gestured that I was offended, because her eyes swelled in an almost horror, and she shook her hands back and forth. "Please, Diamond! Don't take offense! I didn't mean any harm, and certainly didn't mean to be rude. I was just meaning that Pippin doesn't usually take interest in girls like you. Of course, Pippin is just now coming of the age where he would take an interest in girls, but he has hinted that he was more interested in a feminine, and if I may say so, "sissified" sort of lass. You have proven yourself to be more than a bit capable of defending yourself, and your honor."
"My honor? My honor, oh Vinca, what happened to me?" I grabbed her hand, and blood rushed to my head. I could only fear the worst, after remembering the last moments of my conscious state that night.
"Your honor was defended, I should hope. There were no, er, signs, to suggest otherwise. Pippin found you utterly asleep scratched her head, and in the pause, as she was thinking, five hobbits came into the room., and nothing more. What happened to Otho, though, beats me. He just disappeared!" Vinca scratched her head, and as she did so, five hobbits ran into the room. This startled me more than a bit, and my hand flew to my breast as I caught my breath from the shock.
By process of elimination, and from what Vinca told me earlier, I could tell who was who before they introduced themselves. Obviously, the oldest two were the Thain and Mrs Took, the tallest daughter, and the one with a book still in her hand was obviously Pearl, the only girl left had to be Pim, and then there was Pippin.
The Thain ran up to me, and shook my hand. That was a bit odd, considering as how the most influential hobbit in Tuckborough was treating me as if I were a hero or was famous.
"Good morning, lass. Good morning to you! You cannot imagine how glad we are to see you up and about, especially Pippin, isn't that right, lad?" Pippin blushed and looked down to his feet. The Thain chuckled heartily, and I was amazed at the joviality in this hobbit. I would have thought that the pressure of such a role in the Shire would have made him a quiet, sad, wrinkled old hobbit, but no, not the Thain! I couldn't help but ask him about this, and the whole room burst into a fit of laughter, even me after a time, even though mine was more nervous than blithe, and I didn't know why I was laughing in the first place. The Thain put his hand on my shoulder, and his wrinkle-free face beamed down on me.
"Oh my dear Diamond. I do nothing anymore. Thainship is merely a title now, and unless we were to have another battle or great war like we haven't seen since the days of Sharkey and his men, then there is nothing for me to do that would cause me trouble. The very worst I have seen lately was a squabble between two farmers who both thought they owned the same hen! That was all very simple, of course, seeing as how Eglantine here just cooked the hen, and they shared it as a stew. Besides," he winked at me, "it takes much more than what the Shire has to offer to give even the oldest of Tooks a wrinkle!" Eglantine, his wife, clasped me to her bosom, and cried. I didn't know a Took could cry so much, but when I asked Pippin about it later he smiled and told me that she was really a Banks by birth, and they were always a histrionic clan.
"My dear girl, you are a part of this family now, and if there is anything you need, I would be happy to be as a mother to you. What a shame, to lose your parents at such a young age! I had a friend once, such a nice girl, Foxberry Banks, so well, actually she was my second-cousin once removed, I think, but she lost her parents in a tragic accident. Forgive me, but I can't remember what happened to them! All I remember is that it was tragic, and that Foxberry came to live with us-" The Thain put his hand on Eglantine's shoulder.
"Dear, I doubt that Diamond wants to hear the story about the fire-" All children of the Thain turned to him almost at once and gave him a look that would have scared Sharkey himself straight out of the Shire. The Thain put his hand to his mouth, realizing his err, but too late.
"That was it! A fire, one of the worst my whole family's ever seen! Oh, how the trees burned, the sky turned black-" Pippin motioned to me to leave the room with him. I nodded slightly, and slipped off of the edge of the bed, still in my pink gown. As I walked out, Pim nudged my foot slightly and winked. I shook my head, wondering if all Tooks were this quirky.