Disclaimer: I do not intend to write this out on every page. Please refer to Chapter 1.

Chapter 3: Estella and the Elves

Estella woke, refreshed and ready to start the day. She rolled up her few things and started down the side of Weathertop. The sky turned dark grey, and rain soon fell, soaking poor Estella. She ran to the cover of the trees. There, the rain did not fall so heavily on travelers, and she was able to make her way along with very little difficulty. Within a few hours of walking, she could make out other shapes in the forest, walking quickly and quietly. Estella quieted her own steps and managed to get along side these figures. To her great surprise, it was her hobbits! Merry, Pippin, Sam, and. Where was Frodo? Surely he did not get lost along the way. Estella hurried along side them for a good portion of the day, watching them grow more and more worried.
They finally reached a place deemed fit for the night. A man that Estella had not noticed gently laid a hobbit-like figure down on the ground. It was Frodo. He made some strange sounds, and Sam rushed to his side. Merry and Pippin stood around, feeling useless. The strange man looked around them. Estella suddenly felt that he knew she was there. Luckily, he could not find her, and was distracted by Pippin inquiring about Frodo's condition. Frodo made more odd sounds that sent cold chills down Estella's spine. The man called to Sam, and bade him to hurry to find a plant that Estella had not heard of before. Once they ran off, Estella had to fight the urge to run out into that clearing, to show herself to Merry. She did not need fight it for long. Pippin, searching also for something, stumbled upon her.
"WHA-?"
"SHHHH!" Estella hissed as she put her hand over Pippin's mouth and moved them both deeper into the forest. "Be quiet, Pippin. I do not want Merry to see me."
"What are you doing out here?" Pippin whispered. "This is no place for a lady hobbit. Ringwraiths are after us."
"I know, Pippin. But Merry didn't say goodbye."
"He didn't?"
"No, Pip. He didn't. He promised me, a long time ago, to never leave without saying goodbye. And he broke his word. I'm following him, so that there was never any need to say goodbye. I'll be with him the whole time. Believe me, Pip. I know it's a crazy reason to be following a strange man and four hobbits, but it's my reason."
"Estella, you have to go back. You are a lady hobbit. You don't know enough about this stuff to be out here. Go back," Pippin whispered. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, and then went back to the clearing. Estella shook with rage.
'I don't know enough? I've gotten this far, haven't I? And I did it all by myself. I'll show you, Perigrin Took. I will follow Merry until Middle Earth ends."

With that, she started onward. She walked eastward, in the direction that the hobbits were going before. She walked night and day. She barely slept or ate. She refused to be told what to do, especially from a little hobbit man, who knew less about her than many. She finally reached what she thought was her destination. A large house stood sprawling around a rivine. She walked cautiously up to it. A large man came out of it, dressed in long robes of a dark red color. Estella suddenly became aware of the state of her dress, and blushing, curtsied low. The man held up his hand and gently lifted Estella's head.
"You are the one following Meriadoc, are you not?" he asked in a kind voice.
Estella nodded. "He is." She trailed off, not wanting to say the words on the tip of her tongue. The man smiled gently.
"Your love?" he asked, in a soft tone. Estella nodded, blushing a deep crimson. The man smiled. "I understand that you do not want him to know that you are here. I offer you a solution to your dilemma. Stay here, and keep my people company, and when the war is over, I will have my people take you to Meriadoc."
Estella shook her head. "As much as I'd love to stay, I cannot. Merry promised me once, long ago, that he would not ever leave me without saying goodbye. And he has left me, without any word at all. I desire to stay with him, until he tells me otherwise."
Elrond stood, causing Estella to gaze directly upward. "Then let him say a goodbye. I do not desire to lose such a lovely young hobbit, nor one so brave," he said. Gently, he took Estella's hand, and led her to a room. "Sleep, first. There are bed clothes on the bed. In the morning, you shall be fed and clothed. And then we shall discuss the terms of your stay here at Rivendell."
Estella was more than happy to put on a new piece of clothing and sleep. She slept for many days straight, so tired and worn out was she. When she woke, food and clothes were waiting for her, but Elrond was busy with a meeting of some sort. Estella spent the day looking around the house, gazing at the trees in all their glory. That night, she welcomed the shores of sleep, and rested comfortably.
Not all in that house were so fortunate when it came to rest and sleep. Merry tossed and turned. He could not find a comfortable position. His mind was buzzing with information. He was going on a real journey. A quest. A. thing, if you will. 'Poor Estella,' he thought. 'I forgot to stop by her house before leaving. She will never forgive me now.' Finally forgoing sleep, he started to roam the halls of the house. Deeper and deeper into the depths of the Last House he went, until he came to a door that he had not seen before. He quietly opened it. A beam of light fell across the floor to a bed in the middle of the room. Merry stepped into the room, closing the door just as quietly, and walked to this bed. In it lie a familiar face. Estella Bolger, sleeping, her dark hair fanning out around her head. Her face was one of peace and content. Merry laughed silently. 'I should have known better,' he thought to himself, and he gently leaned over the bed. 'Estella's father caused her enough pain. She would rather follow me to the ends of the earth before letting me leave without saying goodbye.' He gently kissed her brow. Estella stirred. Her pale green eyes opened.
"Merry?" she whispered, her voice still covered in sleep. Merry nodded.
"Shhh." he soothed. "I'm here now. Go to sleep, love."
"Merry, you forgot."
"I know. I know. I shall not ever again. We left suddenly, and I was so busy running and all that that I forgot about saying goodbye. After all, I rarely do. But sleep now, Estella. It's late, and I have to leave again tomorrow morning."
Estella closed her eyes, but soon opened them again. "Promise you won't leave me without saying goodbye?" she whispered. Merry nodded.
"Sleep, love." Her jade-like eyes closed, and her breathing evened out. Merry sighed, and gently kissed her brow again. He then pulled a chair up to her bedside. 'If I cannot sleep, I might as well stare at the fairest thing in this house,' he thought to himself as his head fell slowly onto her pillow. His breathing also deepened, and the two hobbits slept.