The Brightest Star --- Caity Greenleaf 1/29/03
A cool midnight wind rushed through the valley grass in Tookland. As the last gray cloud in the night sky crawled past the moon, a blue, silvery light bathed the grass, revealing a solitary hobbit sitting on a hill overlooking the village below. At the bottom of the hill, another figure slowly walked up toward the lonely one at the top. The ethereal light was all that could tame the vibrant red of Azaelia's hair, giving her a curly crown of dark shiny tresses. The rustle of the breeze in the grass concealed the sound of her bare footsteps, and nature gave her friend no hint at her approach. As she walked closer, she noticed the fidgety tics of his neck and shoulders as his mind racked itself with worries.
Why are you pretending to watch the stars? she said suddenly.
Pippin jumped a little at the surprise of her voice, and he looked up at her with mild shock, but he was silent.
You look as if you've never seen a lass before, Azaelia said with a questioning smile, And we both know better than that.
Pippin relaxed at her knowing tone and fell back into his slumped posture, sitting with his legs laid straight in front of him on the ground. He had seen plenty of girls in the past few months, more often than not trying much harder to defend their honor than the girls were themselves. His renown in the Shire had every young thing throwing herself at his feet and although he did not think it possible, it was becoming tiresome to have bachelorettes fall at a dead faint in his path.
With a sigh, Azaelia sat down next to him, plucking at the grass between them. She knew all he wanted was to be away from females that night, but she was afraid his sitting alone in the dim moonlight would have people talking about his going nuts. Pippin never minded her friendliness. Azaelia was one of the few girls he knew from childhood that did not turn into a mound of goo in his presence. He found it refreshing to talk with a girl that would not swoon over his every utterance.
Too many lasses these days, he said as an afterthought, his head hanging down. But as melancholy was a rare state for him, he returned to his usual cheerful self a second later. I wasn't pretending, he said exuberantly, I was watching Earendil flicker just before you got here. His arm extended and with his hand he pointed at a bright dot just above the horizon. He nodded confidently at her and sighed at the beauty of his sighting.
Without a word or a funny expression, Azaelia grabbed his hand and pointed straight above them. It's up there, Pip, she whispered, as if not to let the rest of the world know his ignorance of the stars.
His eyes slowly made their way up to his finger tip and he laughed. Well, whaddya know? It's moved since a moment ago!
Azaelia smiled and shook her head. You're one Took who doesn't fool me.
I could never fool anyone even if I tried, Pippin said, But somehow fate fooled Daisy into wanting to marry me, he said, his tone implying regret.
Confused about the disquieted look in his eyes, Azaelia asked, For what reason could you be unhappy about that? Daisy's just about one of the sweetest hobbits around.
Pippin breathed deeply and threw a small pebble down the hill. That she is, and very respectable and cheery maiden, yes, but... I'm sure she doesn't really love me.
What makes you say that?
The way she proposed to me. Yes, she proposed to me, whether you believe it or not, Pippin explained quickly, not quite believing it himself. Right at the bottom of this very hill. We chased each other all over the fields and finally just fell down on the grass and she turned to me all hurried-like and said we have to get married right now or else she'll just move to Bree with her folks forever.
Azaelia gave him a strange look. That's sort of an odd way to prove how little she loves you, Pip.
Pippin shook his head, waving his hands at her misunderstanding. Right after that, he continued, Merry came walking by smoking his pipe to say hullo and the look in her eyes when he smiled at us... she looked as if she proposed too quickly... to the wrong lad.
Azaelia was taken back. You mean she loves Merry now? But she's been on top of the world for the past week, all a flutter about finding a wonderful Hobbit to marry.
It's just a show, he replied dimissively. She did love me, but now she doesn't. At this, Pippin turned his gaze from the twilit village and looked Azaelia in the eyes to make his point. I may not be the sharpest Hobbit in all the Shire, but I know she'd be happier with Merry. And I kinda wish she'd quit pretending and go off and be with him. I'd feel better to see her content and it would do my heart good to see Merry with a nice lass.
She's a wonderful girl, but she just doesn't seem to understand that she can change her mind if the thought fancies her, he said, sighing.
Deep down, though she usually managed to resist the pitifulness of this Took, Azaelia could not stand seeing him so upset by something that could be easily fixed. She always resented that one weakness on Pippin's part, and she meant to help it if possible. Azaelia tilted her head and touched his shoulder to catch his eye again. Why haven't you said as much to her? she asked, concern in her voice.
Pippin turned to her, the shame in his face weighing his gaze down to the ground. I don't wish to make her look as foolish as I am, he said sorrowfully. People will talk for years if they know about this, and she just doesn't deserve it.
Azaelia thought hard about his situation, suddenly wanting nothing more than to alleviate the burden on his heart. She stared at him as he fiddled with blades of grass, tying them in knots just as her feelings for him did the same. In all the years she knew him as a friend, she learned that his spirit was the only thing one could never dampen, and to see it finally depressed into heavy sorrow awakened a desire for him the likes of which she never entertained before. His rowdiness often turned her off to his boyish charms, and in her eyes, he never appeared to have an ounce of responsibility that she admired so much in a lad.
His journey with the Fellowship may not have changed his often times carefree spirit, but inside, he had grown up in more ways than tallness.
she said a little shakily, hoping the moonlight would stifle the blush in her cheeks, If you talk to her in secret and discuss things through, then she will go along with a plan to make it look like you were the one at fault. She waited for him to twitch at that suggestion, and when he made no protest, she loved him even more. If you announce to people that you changed your mind and she pretended to be utterly distraught, then Merry would stand up and try to comfort her... and eventually, he'll fall in love with her.
Pippin lifted his head and stared at her with amazement, and then admiration for her smarts.
She smiled thoughtfully. Sacrifice a little of your pride to preserve her honor... You and Daisy may be the only ones who will appreciate your gesture, but-
And you too, Lia, he said, tickling her with the nickname he gave her when they were children, You'll know the secret too. Maybe you'll not hate me so much as you used to.
Azaelia laughed softly. I never hated you, Pippin, she said matter-of-factly, I just hated being picked on for my ridiculous hair... but that's in the past. Things are different now.
I only picked on you because I liked touching your hair, he admitted, I always thought it was pretty.
Thank you, Pip, she said, You're sweet.
Pippin grinned at his fortune to have such a friend as Azaelia. Well, you're just about the cleverest lass I've ever been graced with. You've solved my problem in less than a wink. With that, he held her hand and kissed it gratefully. You're the best star I've seen all night.
Blushing again and hoping he did not notice, Azaelia shook her head and smiled. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. You would have figured something out whether I were here or not. Time would have led it out of you eventually.
Not for a million years, Pippin said quickly, suddenly determined to make her feel special, And certainly not as gracefully would my answer have come.
Azaelia's eyes grew brighter as he looked into them and she quickly looked away, not ready to betray her newfound love for him. It certainly is getting chilly out here-
Here, take this, Pippin interrupted, whipping his scarf off his neck.
No, that's okay, I best be headed inside now, because I'm getting very sleepy, she rambled as she stood up hastily and brushed the grass from her skirt. Good luck with Daisy tomorrow, Pip, she said as she started down the hill, walking more quickly with every step.
Pippin still sat on the hill, wondering at her behavior until he looked up at the sky and realized something.
she heard Pippin call. Lia, wait! Lia!
She stopped and looked over her shoulder as Pippin stood up and stared at her. He scratched his head comically and waved his hand at the sky. Where's Earendil again? I lost track of it... It moves around so fast.
She sighed, somewhat annoyed at his cluelessness, but she swallowed it an marched back to his side.
Is it there? he asked, pointing.
That's the moon, she said.
How about there?
Right there then?
Oh I know! It's right over there!
No, no, Pippin! she said, grabbing his hand and pointing his finger straight up above them again, almost jerking his arm out of its socket. Her head rested on his shoulder as she nearly yelled into his ear, It's over your silly head-
He cut her off with a kiss on her cheek.
She slowly dropped his arm, pulling away a little as she stared at him in shock.
You look as if you've never been kissed before, Pippin said softly, pulling her back by her hand.
Azaelia's jaw dropped a little as she reached up to touch where he kissed her.
Pippin read this silence with disappointment and he chided himself for kissing her. You don't hate me, but you don't love me either, he said gently, as if not to harm his own ears. I guess I'll always be a foolish-'
She grabbed him and kissed him on the lips, giving in completely to her love. Pippin dropped his scarf and kissed her back with surprise, but more with relish, and it felt very much like flying... something he never felt with Daisy. His heart fluttered alongside hers for a long time before she broke the kiss to speak.
I don't hate you or love you, Pippin, she breathed, playing with his hair, I adore you.
Pippin smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him warmly. He picked up his scarf and placed it around her neck to keep her warm. They kissed again and fell to the grass, laying under the stars in each other's arms for hours... because Pippin could never seem to find Earendil. The beautiful Hobbit in his embrace was too bright for him to stare at anything dimmer for very long.
