Ch. 3 -- A Celebration of sorts

"Rosie--" Gilly cried out. She wasn't watching where she was going and her foot turned on an uneven patch of road. "Blast!" Gilly screamed as she tripped over her skirt.

Rosie stopped mid stride and turned around, all she saw in front of her was Gilly Hilldweller in a tangled heap in the middle of the road. "Gilly!" Rosie laughed, "what are you doing girl?"

Gilly grumbled and looked up, her left cheek was smeared with dirt and one of her combs had snapped in half. "Staying inside for the rest of my Hobbit life!" Gilly pushed herself up so she was sitting on her knee's. "I've ruined my dress and now my Mother will kill me!"

Rosie looked at her friend and tried not to laugh, though it was very difficult. She walked back over to Gilly, "come on." Rosie said, "stand up, let's have a look."

Gilly rolled her eyes and made a big deal of standing up.

"Don't roll your eyes Gilly, it's not very lady like."

"Then don't provoke me." Gilly shot back.

"It's not too bad," Rosie said ignoring Gilly's comment.

"Not too bad," Gilly sighed, "I'm destined to failure Rosie. I'll never be married at this rate!"

"I thought you were never going to get married."

Gilly brushed her tangled hair out of her face, "yes, but if I don't my parents will be humiliated. I'll be the black sheep of the family! The child they lock up and pretend doesn't exist!"

"Gilly!" Rosie seized Gilly's shoulders. "Stop being so dramatic." Rosie's eyes twinkled, "I doubt your family wouldn't lock you up."

"Some help you are Rosie Cotton," Gilly shook her fist angrily, "you've got your bloody pick from any lad in the Shire and probably elsewhere!"

Rosie blushed, "please Gilly."

"It's true, and all I have is..." Gilly paused, "two left feet."

It was Rosie's turn to rolled her eyes, "come off it Gilly. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were feeling sorry for yourself."

'So what if I am?' Gilly thought, 'I've got every right to be.'

"Well," Rosie said, finally changing the subject. "If you don't mind postponing seeing Gandalf until later, I could mend your dress and do something else with your hair."

"Really?" Gilly's face broke into a wide smile.

"Of course!" Rosie slung her arm around Gilly's shoulder. "What are best friends for?"

"You really expect me to go out like this!" Gilly yelped. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her dress was mended and spotless. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head and curls framed her face. She looked just how her Mother wished she would and Gilly couldn't stand the fact.

"That's the general idea," Rosie said, tugging on Gilly's arm.

"They'll laugh at me!" Gilly replied.

"We'll be late!"

"Please I couldn't bear it," Gilly replied, trying to twist out of Rosie's grasp.

"Not this time Miss Hilldweller, you're not getting out of this one so easily!" by this time Rosie had managed to pull Gilly all the way to the front door. Now was the trouble of getting it open. "Must you always make things so difficult?"

"Yes!"

"For everyone?" Rosie finally grabbed the door knob and pushed open the door. "Please Gilly," Rosie said sweetly, "do this for me. It would be such a shame if you hid out away from everyone. All your friends."

That was exactly the problem. All of Gilly's friends would find great amusement in making fun of her.

Almost as if Rosie had read Gilly's thoughts she spoke. "Don't worry, I will make sure that if Merry or Pippin utter one word against you, they'll get what's coming to them."

Gilly couldn't help but to laugh. "You would?"

"I'd give it to them myself if no one else was willing to."

The two friends laughed and Gilly almost felt better. Gilly wrapped her arm around Rosie's shoulders. "Lets go then, I can't wait to see this."

About halfway to the festivities, someone come up behind them.

"Pardon me ladies--" Merry began

"--if you say one thing Meriadoc Brandybuck I swear I'll..." Gilly's sentence drifted off, when she realized Merry hadn't recognized her.

"If you don't mind..." Merry began, but when Gilly turned around and he saw who she was his mouth dropped open in surprise. He blinked a few times, trying to see if his eyes were playing a trick on him. "Gilly? Gillian Hilldweller?"

Gilly's face flushed, "don't call me that," she said narrowed her eyes and turning her mouth down into a frown.

"Never thought I'd see the day..." Merry murmured, still staring at her.

Gilly was about to tell him exactly where he could go and how he could get there when Merry suddenly turned.

"Pip!" He cried out, "Pippin! Come here!"

"Oh no!" Gilly exclaimed, "no way am I being made a spectacle."

"Gilly Hilldweller!"

Gilly's face fell and she closed her eyes at the sound of her mothers voice. Matilda strode up to her daughter and took her by the shoulders -- not tight enough to hurt but tight enough to make Gilly uncomfortable.

'Here it comes', Gilly thought gloomily, 'just the thing to make my night all the better.'

But instead of starting in on her daughter, as Gilly had assumed she would, Matilda pressed her lips to her daughters cheek in a kiss.

"My Gilly!" Geoffrey charged through the crowd.

"Please--" Gilly began, but her father's tight hug cut her off.

"Let her alone Geoffrey," Matilda said, swatting her husbands shoulder, "she's embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? Whatever for?"

"Not used to all the attention I gather," Matilda said happily. She took her husbands hand and pulled him away, saying something that was lost in the din of the crowd.

"You wonder why I'm embarrassed," Gilly muttered.

"Look at her Pip!" Merry said triumphantly.

Rosie slipped a protective arm around Gilly's shoulder. "Really Meriadoc ," she began coldly. "Peregrin," she acknowledged Pippin icily. "You act as if you've never seen a hobittess in a dress before."

"Never seen Gilly in a dress, that's certain." Pippin said with a stupid grin on his face.

Gilly balled her fists, she was just about ready to strangle Pippin when Rosie made some excuse about a drink and pulled Gilly away.

When they finally made it to the refreshment table Rosie burst into giggles.

"What's so funny?" Gilly demanded, finding no humor in the situation.

Rosie tried to catch her breath, but that only made her giggle louder -- which only made Gilly angrier.

"Really Rosie, do tell."

"Should have seen their faces!" Rosie finally managed, her face flushed with mirth.

"I did," Gilly said, she furrowed her brow and tried to look angry, but with all the laughter and joyful music it was really very hard to scowl.

"Oh," Rosie grabbed two mugs of ale, "such games you'll play."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gilly demanded. Rosie suddenly saw someone she knew and waved, leaving Gilly alone with her mug. "Rosie!" Gilly cried out, but she was already gone.



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