Chapter Two: An Interesting Confrontation

Diamond wrapped her warm, knit, wool shawl about her shoulders, grabbed her ornately carved walking stick, and slowly made her way down the wooden stairs, quietly, so she wouldn't disturb Gabrielle. She then made her way through the doorway, onto their front porch, and started to ask her mother," Mother, what in heaven's name is going on out here?!"

She then looked up and realized who her mother was attempting to get off of their lawn. They were hobbits, no doubt about that, but some of them were wearing the strangest things. All of them appeared to be somewhat intoxicated and slightly cross. The two tallest of the group were wearing mail shirts and carried shields and sheathed swords. All of the hobbits except for these two were singing some sort of a drinking song (she recognized the tune because her father sang tunes similar to these when coming back from the Green Dragon Inn). The taller (and younger, by the looks of it) of the mail shirt-wearing hobbits was yelling at her mother and was apparently explaining why they were there.

"Come off it, miss! We just got finished fighting a bloody War!" the young hobbit said.

"Watch your language. That is a lady you are talking to!"  His friend harshly whispered to him.

"Yes, I'm a gentlewoman and I would be 'gentle' to you if you weren't so insistent on ruining my lawn!" her mother shouted angrily back.

"Mother, leave the gentlemen alone I'm sure they meant no harm, I mean after all, they just fought a war. That is what you said, isn't it?" Diamond said to the loud mouthed soldier. She also added, "I'm so sorry for what my mother has said, in case she might have offended you or anything and—" Diamond just then realized who the younger looking hobbit was. It was Pippin. She managed to stammer his name out before her mind froze, her mouth stopped working, and she fainted.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KILLED MY BABY, YOU MONSTER!!!!!!!!! YOU UNCARING PERSON! TO TAKE THE LIFE OF A MOTHER'S OLDEST DAUGHTER IS JUST PLAIN CRUEL!!!!!!! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!" her mother screamed at the now frightened Took.

"Mother, what is going on out here? I heard you and Diamond and—" Gabrielle paused when she saw Pippin.

She had just gotten outside and was wondering the same thing Diamond was wondering a few minutes ago, "Are you the person who did this to Diamond?! Because if you are then this will be the second time that you have been responsible for hurting her, and believe me if Mother doesn't kill you, then our father will."

She then paused, but only for a fraction of a second, "Hey! Your family still thinks that you are dead! If you don't go over there right now then I shall make you because trust me your sisters look absolutely awful in black and they need to know that you are alive!"

Pippin was so flabbergasted by what these women were saying about him that he was speechless. What Diamond's mother had said was so cruel and what Gabrielle said he couldn't even understand because she was talking so fast. But Meriadoc Brandybuck, his friend, finished his thoughts for him.

"What in the Shire are you talking about? What did he ever do to this young woman that you should despise him for?" he said to Diamond's mother and Gabrielle.

"Well," said Gabrielle, "He obviously doesn't tell you much, now does he? For your information he is the person responsible for making Diamond crippled. He—" and she went on too tell Merry (for that was what he was called) about the tragic event that occurred when Diamond was 11 years old," So don't you dare blame any of this on her!"

"I'm horribly sorry for upsetting you miss, but I didn't mean any harm. Pippin is usually a little daft, even I'll admit that, but it wasn't his fault that your sister fainted. She just saw him and stuttered . . ." Merry trailed off.

"Is that what happened? Well, in that case Mother I don't know what you're so worried about. She's fainted dozens of times before." and to Pippin she added," I'm so sorry for yelling at you."

At that instant, Diamond decided to wake up from her 'peaceful' slumber and see where all of the loud noises were coming from. She opened her eyes and saw that her mother was standing over her. Whimpering. Gabrielle was accepting an apology from Pippin. She also saw that the drinking songs had stopped. "Mother, why are you crying? I'm not dead." Diamond said clearly.

Everyone on the lawn stared at her in awe. Pippin looked extremely surprised, but oblivious. Merry looked surprised and relieved. Gabrielle looked as happy as ever to see her sister awake and was about to introduce her to the young man that she had just been arguing with (Merry, not Pippin). Diamond was mainly wondering what was going on, why Gabrielle was awake, and who these people were on their front lawn along with Merry and Pippin. She could have sworn that she was extremely quiet when walking down the stairs so as not to wake Gabrielle up.

"What are you doing down here Gabrielle?" Diamond asked, completely puzzled by this whole affair.

"Explaining to this young 'soldier' how you broke your leg. I got a little worried for you after I had heard what they had been shouting." Gabrielle said rather defiantly for a young girl of 16.

"Well then I guess I should thank you Gabrielle, so thank you." Diamond told her sister. "Now as for you," she said looking at Merry and Pippin, "what exactly are you doing on our lawn at this time of night?" Diamond said in a rather irritated voice.

"We've just saved the Shire from mass destruction. Or in Pippin's words, 'We've just finished fighting a bloody war'. We've won the battle of Bywater against 'Sharkey' and his minions. We were very tired so we decided to walk home after a very hard day of fighting. Since your lawn looked more comfortable than the battlefield, we decided to rest here before heading to Buckland. If we have caused you any inconvenience or lost you any sleep, complain to Pippin because he was the one who insisted on visiting the Green Dragon before heading home." Merry said with great clarity and alacrity.

Diamond on the other hand was quite speechless. I've never heard anyone talk like that around the Shire before. He probably learned it when he was on his journey. Yes, that's it. He expresses himself very different from Pippin. In fact, they are almost the opposite. It is amazing that they are best friends. Diamond thought to herself before saying—

"No, you didn't cause us any inconvenience, you just lost us about an hour of sleep, and you lost my mother her patience," she said smiling. "But we really must get back to sleep. Feel free to sleep on the lawn for tonight, but only for tonight. If my father finds you, you might as well be dead. Good night." Diamond added to the kind, yet obnoxious soldiers. At that she, her mother, and Gabrielle, walked back into the house.