Chapter 6
Diamond's Family
Merry awoke early the next morning. He sat up in bed, wondering what time it was. He looked out the window. There was some sunlight, but little. It was maybe a little before seven. Merry got out of bed. He quietly crept up to Pippin's room and peeked in. The bed was empty. Merry walked in and looked around, "Pippin?" he called. He walked to the kitchen; maybe he was eating breakfast, "Pippin?" Pippin wasn't there either. Merry walked outside, "Pippin!" he called. He walked to the stables. There he found Pippin, securing the saddle on his pony. Pippin glanced at Merry, but didn't say anything.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Pippin hopped on his pony. "Diamond's," he said indifferently.
Merry waited for Pippin to explain a little more, but Pippin was silent. He slowly began to ride away. Merry ran after him, "Pippin! Cousin!"
Pippin kept riding.
Merry stopped, "Fine! Go to Diamond's! Leave!" Merry shouted, full of both anger and pain. "I don't care!" he screamed, his voice cracked a little as he did so. Merry watched his cousin reach the main road, "Pippin! I'm sorry! Pip!" he shouted in last attempt, "Pip!"
"O no! Where is he going?" Pervinca asked running out from the house.
"To see Diamond of Long Cleeve," Merry said Diamond's name as if it pierced his tongue.
"O, Pippy..." Pervinca said softly to herself, her eyes glazed a bit. She sighed, "Come on, Merry, let's get some breakfast."
***
Pippin rode slowly down the rode in a light gallop. He was in deep thought about this morning's incident. In fact, he was so entranced, that at one moment he noticed that he was on the wrong road, and he found that he had been so for twenty minutes. "Come on Pip, don't let him get to you," he found himself saying, "He doesn't care about you. If he did, he wouldn't of took an entire day to come and apologize." Pippin looked ahead and saw that Diamond's home drew near. He wondered if she were home, or if she was, that she would even be awake, for it was only eight o' clock.
Pippin lead his pony to the stables; he walked up to the front door, but before he could knock, the door swung open.
"Pippin!" exclaimed a surprised Diamond. She threw her arms around him, embracing him in a rather constricting hug.
When she released her grip, Pippin chuckled lightly, "Well, good morning to you too."
Diamond lead him into the house. Her hand clenching Pippin's wrist, she hurried to a room, with a stumbling Pippin tripping behind her. They stopped at the doorway of a small and somewhat messy room.
"This is my room," she said proudly.
"O, it's very--" but before Pippin could complete what he was about to say, Diamond dragged him down the hall to another room. In this room sat a hobbit girl that looked a little older than Diamond, but she was much shorter. She brushed her long, curly brown hair, sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. Her room was much cleaner then Diamond's.
"This is my sister, Amethyst's room."
Amethyst smiled shyly at Pippin, "Hullo," she said softly.
"Hullo, how are--" but again Pippin was cut short by Diamond, as she lead him to the next room. This room's door was shut.
"This is my parent's room," she said in a harsh whisper, "Father's still asleep, but my mother is in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Would you like to meet her?"
"Of course I--" again Diamond ran off, still dragging him behind. She lead him down the hall, around the corner, and into the kitchen. In the air, drifted a heavenly smell, that Pippin's stomach immediately noticed, and told him so by making a small growl. In the kitchen, there was a small, plump hobbit woman who stood at the stove cooking. She turned around and smiled at Pippin.
"Mother, this is Pippin."
"Of course! Hullo, dear,"
Pippin said nothing, expecting Diamond to run off again, but this time she didn't, "O... Hullo."
"Will you be staying for breakfast?"
"If you will have me."
"Of course! What a silly thing to say! We would be honored to have such a fine guest."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Pippin politely, "But I must say, that it is I who has the great honor to be invited to eat such a fine meal."
Diamond's mother blushed, "O, what a charming young man."
Pippin smiled, "Well, I'm sure--" Diamond was off again, and Pippin struggled to stay on two feet as she lead him down the hall again. He nearly tripped and fell over when Diamond unexpectedly stopped. Pippin looked. A hobbit man stood before them. It was Diamond's father; Pippin recognized him from the night of his birthday party. He looked grumpy, sleepy, and upset. He looked angrily at Pippin, and Pippin's smile slowly faded away.
"Good morning, Father. This is Pippin, remember him?"
"I do," he said in a low grunt.
Pippin held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Sir."
Diamond's father starred at the hand, then slowly, he embraced it in a firm handshake. He looked Pippin in the eyes angrily, and Pippin felt small, even though he was nearly a foot taller than he.
"What are you two doing, running around the house this early," he asked Diamond, yet his eyes still remained locked with Pippin's.
"I was just giving Pippin a tour of our home," said Diamond.
He raised an eyebrow, "Really?" Now his eyes seemed to travel up and down Pippin's body, examining him carefully, inch by inch. He cracked a small smile and nodded; Pippin didn't know whether this smile was a good sign or a bad sign, but Pippin nervously smiled back. Diamond's Father turned, and walked away.
Diamond signaled for Pippin to draw closer. She whispered in his ear, "I think he likes you."
Pippin's eyes widened in complete surprise, "What? Really?" he half shouted.
She nodded.
"It... it just doesn't seem that way."
She giggled childishly, "That's just the way he is."
Pippin blinked a few times, "O... OK..."
"OK!" Diamond suddenly exclaimed, "On to the dining room!"
And they were off again.
Diamond's Family
Merry awoke early the next morning. He sat up in bed, wondering what time it was. He looked out the window. There was some sunlight, but little. It was maybe a little before seven. Merry got out of bed. He quietly crept up to Pippin's room and peeked in. The bed was empty. Merry walked in and looked around, "Pippin?" he called. He walked to the kitchen; maybe he was eating breakfast, "Pippin?" Pippin wasn't there either. Merry walked outside, "Pippin!" he called. He walked to the stables. There he found Pippin, securing the saddle on his pony. Pippin glanced at Merry, but didn't say anything.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Pippin hopped on his pony. "Diamond's," he said indifferently.
Merry waited for Pippin to explain a little more, but Pippin was silent. He slowly began to ride away. Merry ran after him, "Pippin! Cousin!"
Pippin kept riding.
Merry stopped, "Fine! Go to Diamond's! Leave!" Merry shouted, full of both anger and pain. "I don't care!" he screamed, his voice cracked a little as he did so. Merry watched his cousin reach the main road, "Pippin! I'm sorry! Pip!" he shouted in last attempt, "Pip!"
"O no! Where is he going?" Pervinca asked running out from the house.
"To see Diamond of Long Cleeve," Merry said Diamond's name as if it pierced his tongue.
"O, Pippy..." Pervinca said softly to herself, her eyes glazed a bit. She sighed, "Come on, Merry, let's get some breakfast."
***
Pippin rode slowly down the rode in a light gallop. He was in deep thought about this morning's incident. In fact, he was so entranced, that at one moment he noticed that he was on the wrong road, and he found that he had been so for twenty minutes. "Come on Pip, don't let him get to you," he found himself saying, "He doesn't care about you. If he did, he wouldn't of took an entire day to come and apologize." Pippin looked ahead and saw that Diamond's home drew near. He wondered if she were home, or if she was, that she would even be awake, for it was only eight o' clock.
Pippin lead his pony to the stables; he walked up to the front door, but before he could knock, the door swung open.
"Pippin!" exclaimed a surprised Diamond. She threw her arms around him, embracing him in a rather constricting hug.
When she released her grip, Pippin chuckled lightly, "Well, good morning to you too."
Diamond lead him into the house. Her hand clenching Pippin's wrist, she hurried to a room, with a stumbling Pippin tripping behind her. They stopped at the doorway of a small and somewhat messy room.
"This is my room," she said proudly.
"O, it's very--" but before Pippin could complete what he was about to say, Diamond dragged him down the hall to another room. In this room sat a hobbit girl that looked a little older than Diamond, but she was much shorter. She brushed her long, curly brown hair, sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. Her room was much cleaner then Diamond's.
"This is my sister, Amethyst's room."
Amethyst smiled shyly at Pippin, "Hullo," she said softly.
"Hullo, how are--" but again Pippin was cut short by Diamond, as she lead him to the next room. This room's door was shut.
"This is my parent's room," she said in a harsh whisper, "Father's still asleep, but my mother is in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Would you like to meet her?"
"Of course I--" again Diamond ran off, still dragging him behind. She lead him down the hall, around the corner, and into the kitchen. In the air, drifted a heavenly smell, that Pippin's stomach immediately noticed, and told him so by making a small growl. In the kitchen, there was a small, plump hobbit woman who stood at the stove cooking. She turned around and smiled at Pippin.
"Mother, this is Pippin."
"Of course! Hullo, dear,"
Pippin said nothing, expecting Diamond to run off again, but this time she didn't, "O... Hullo."
"Will you be staying for breakfast?"
"If you will have me."
"Of course! What a silly thing to say! We would be honored to have such a fine guest."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Pippin politely, "But I must say, that it is I who has the great honor to be invited to eat such a fine meal."
Diamond's mother blushed, "O, what a charming young man."
Pippin smiled, "Well, I'm sure--" Diamond was off again, and Pippin struggled to stay on two feet as she lead him down the hall again. He nearly tripped and fell over when Diamond unexpectedly stopped. Pippin looked. A hobbit man stood before them. It was Diamond's father; Pippin recognized him from the night of his birthday party. He looked grumpy, sleepy, and upset. He looked angrily at Pippin, and Pippin's smile slowly faded away.
"Good morning, Father. This is Pippin, remember him?"
"I do," he said in a low grunt.
Pippin held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Sir."
Diamond's father starred at the hand, then slowly, he embraced it in a firm handshake. He looked Pippin in the eyes angrily, and Pippin felt small, even though he was nearly a foot taller than he.
"What are you two doing, running around the house this early," he asked Diamond, yet his eyes still remained locked with Pippin's.
"I was just giving Pippin a tour of our home," said Diamond.
He raised an eyebrow, "Really?" Now his eyes seemed to travel up and down Pippin's body, examining him carefully, inch by inch. He cracked a small smile and nodded; Pippin didn't know whether this smile was a good sign or a bad sign, but Pippin nervously smiled back. Diamond's Father turned, and walked away.
Diamond signaled for Pippin to draw closer. She whispered in his ear, "I think he likes you."
Pippin's eyes widened in complete surprise, "What? Really?" he half shouted.
She nodded.
"It... it just doesn't seem that way."
She giggled childishly, "That's just the way he is."
Pippin blinked a few times, "O... OK..."
"OK!" Diamond suddenly exclaimed, "On to the dining room!"
And they were off again.