Chapter 31: Reunions and Proposals

Pippin and Merry's heads snapped immediately upward, and in a flash Pippin had taken to climbing the tree with Merry quickly on his heels. They climbed so fast that it was a wonder they did not fall out of the tree, but in an incredibly short amount of time they had reached the branch of the tree where the initials were carved and sure enough there was Diamond.

"You...You're alive!" stuttered Merry still unable to comprehend it.

She nodded sheepishly, and said, "You were never supposed to think I was dead."

"But we did," said Pippin, still staring at her in wonder.

"I'm so sorry, you must both hate me. I mean, I caused all of this. I helped to destroy our wonderful Shire. My home, our home. So many memories of here I have destroyed in the fire and cruelty of Isengard. I am so ashamed of myself..."

"It was not your fault," said Pippin, surprising both Diamond and Merry.

"But it was..."

"No! You don't understand. Gandalf told me that Saruman can manipulate the weak-willed's mind so that they cannot remember anything from their past. They become a lifeless soul devoid of any memories. That is what happened to you, and therefor you did not do it of your own freewill. It wasn't your fault. If it was anyone's fault it was ours for not letting you accompany us and causing you so much torture and pain," explained Pippin.

Diamond looked at him with tears in her eyes, and then moved forward and pulled them both into a tight embrace. "I have missed you both terribly, and I don't know how I withstood being away from you," she said happily.

"You must promise me something though," said Pippin suddenly.

"Sure, anything," she replied.

"You have got to stop dying on me!" he replied laughing heartily.

Merry laughed as well, but he was still quite distraught. "At least you survived, Diamond. It was hard enough to learn that both you and Estella were gone. I still cant believe she didn't make it..." said Merry tears glistening in his eyes. He took one last look at Diamond and Pippin before climbing slowly down the tree.

"Wait Merry!" Diamond called after him, following him down the tree.

"What?" he said softly.

"Estella isn't dead! I thought you knew because I wasn't. She is at her home in a hidden room in her cellar. Just move aside the barrels of ale and you'll find it."

Merry looked at her for a moment, as if taking the time to comprehend what she had just said. Then, he smiled at her and with a wink he was running as fast as he could towards Estella's house.

Diamond climbed back up into the tree, and when she reached the branch she stopped and ran her fingers over the initials. "When did you do this?" she asked suddenly.

"The day we formed the conspiracy," he said, drifting off into the memory.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" he said, coming out of the daydream suddenly.

"Why did you do it?"

"Well...I suppose...it's just..." He stuttered on like that for a few more moments before stopping to think about it silently.

"If it takes you this long to come up with a reason then there can't be a very good one," she said softly.

"That's not it at all!" he said quickly. "It's just hard to put into words. Love is such a fickle thing. In one simple moment you can go from being on top of the world to wishing that you were simply dead and burried in your grave. It can be steady and constant like the rising and setting of the sun every day or it can be as inconstant as the ever-changing moon. I suppose I thought that if I couldn't tell you how I felt in person that I would have to show you."

She looked at him for a moment, taking in the sheer beauty of his words. Then she moved closer, and took his hand in hers and said, "There are other ways to show that you love someone you know." And with that she pressed her lips to his and as he had said only moments before, Diamond felt as if she was on top of the world.

When at last she broke the kiss, Pippin whispered, "I love you so much."

"And I you."

Merry ran quickly, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. "She's alive!" he thought happily to himself. "Why didn't I realize that if Diamond were alive then Estella would be?"

He tore through the fields and down the road, wondering to himself how incredibly silly he must look dressed in the armor of Rohan in such a state. When at last he reached Estella's house he tore down the stairs making quite a large racket. Once in the cellar Merry moved the barrels aside just as Diamond had said to and found the entrance to the hidden room.

Merry stepped inside, and looked around. The room was empty. His heart suddenly dropped from its high, as he walked towards the mural that caught his eye on the wall. It was beautiful. He reached up to touch it when suddenly he heard a soft voice from behind the dresser on one side of the room.

"Merry?"

He turned to find a rather unnerved Estella peering out from behind the dresser, with her hair a complete mess and her eyes rather bloodshot.

"Estella!" he cried happily, rushing towards her and pulling her into a tight embrace. "When did you get here?" she asked him, tears of joy now in her eyes.

"A few days ago. We retook the Shire, and went to rescue you from the Lockholes but they said you were dead. Pippin took off in reckless agony and I followed him all the way back to the tree on the edge of Farmer Maggot's farm..."

"Diamond went there to look at the initials again!" cried Estella.

"Yes, we saw her there and she told me that you were here. Why were you hiding?"

"I thought that you were one of Sharkey's men that had found where Diamond and I were hiding because you made so much noise coming down the stairs," Estella replied.

"I am sorry I startled you Estella!" said Merry grasping her hand.

"It's alright," replied Estella.

Suddenly Merry felt the ring on her right finger and held up her hand, looking at it.

"You are wearing it on your right hand," he said curiously. "Why?"

"Because I wanted you to put it on my left hand yourself," she said, looking into his eyes.

Merry smiled sincerely at her, and dropped onto one knee. He looked up at her happily and said, "Estella Bolger, will you marry me?"

"With all of my heart!" she cried as he slipped the ring onto its rightful finger.

"It's about time," said Pippin jokingly from the door. Diamond was smiling too, her hand tightly entwined with Pippin's.

"Well, I didn't know we had an audience," said Merry bowing.

"What's that?" asked Pippin suddenly looking at the mural. "It's beautiful!"

"Estella did it," said Diamond. "She worked on it while we were all away. When we escaped from the Lockholes and came back here, I saw it and that's how I got my memory back. If it weren't for that mural I would never have remembered anything. I owe her everything!"

"It's the least I could do for such an amazing friend," replied Estella. "We never would have escaped if it weren't for you, Diamond."

"By the way," said Pippin, looking up at them. "How did you escape?"