Ch. 9 –Forest



Gilly fled into the forest, tears streamed down her cheeks. she tripped over an upturned stone, fell to her knees and stayed there.

They meant to do it, they really meant to. Gilly was to be married and not even to a man of her own consent.

Gilly pushed herself to her feet and touched her fingers to her stinging left cheek. Her mother had struck her...Gilly sobbed and tripped again. She wiped her face and glanced around the forest, it had always managed to make her feel better but this time she wasn't certain anything could make her feel all right. She sniffled again and made her way deeper into the forest, she hung her head and kicked a stone.

"Ouch!" A voice cried out and Gilly started.

"Oy," a familiar voice said, "is that you Gilly?"

Gilly turned around and darted behind a tree, wiping the tears from her face.

"Gilly?" Merry wondered, she heard him tromping over twigs and dried leaves. He stuck his head around the tree, "boo!" He said pulling a face. Gilly turned from him again and leaned against the tree. Merry furrowed his brow, he swung around to the other side of the tree and Gilly turned around again. Merry reached out and touched Gilly's shoulder. "What's the matter?" He asked softly.

Gilly felt so stupid! Why did she have to cry in front of Merry! When they were children he would have teased her endlessly for it, but now...he wasn't laughing. He was patting her shoulder and leading her over to a fallen tree where they could sit down.

When they sat down, Gilly's face flushed with shame and she pulled away, turning from Merry again. She brought her knee's up to her chin.

"You," Merry paused, "you could talk to me, you know," he said softly. "If, if you wanted. If it would make you feel better."

Gilly rested her chin on her knee's. She was silent and for a moment Merry thought she hadn't heard him until she spoke: "I've really done it this time."

"What do you mean," Merry asked.

"They..." Gilly sniffed, "they want me to get married."

Gilly felt fresh tears stinging her eyes again, she felt so angry with herself. Why did she have to be acting like such an fool. Lot's of Hobbit girls got married and didn't make a fuss, in fact some rather liked it. Gilly didn't understand why she was having such a hard time accepting the fact that she was no longer a little girl and was growing into a woman.

'Haven't done much with yourself', a cynical voice in Gilly's head scolded her, 'have you? Messing around, getting into trouble, flying off, making yourself the most unwanted girl in all the Shire!' Gilly sobbed, it was true. It was all true!

Gilly took a deep breath, doing her best to pull herself together. She brushed her fingers across her cheeks.

"Do...do you think I'm a nice girl Merry?"

"What?" Merry exclaimed, "of course I think you're a nice girl, not many would put up with the likes of me and Pippin!"

"No," Gilly whispered. "I meant a girl you might..." 'think to marry?' Gilly paused, closing her eyes. "Do you think I'm pretty Merry?" She blurted, burying her face in her hands, her face flushing an impossible red.

Merry opened his mouth, "uh...well," he faltered. Merry blushed from his toes to the roots of his curly hair, "s-sure you are Gilly." He looked away and ripped a chunk of bark off the fallen tree. He reached over and plucked a wild flower from the base of the fallen trunk, he held it out to Gilly. He knew it was silly and she'd probably smack him for it but he figured he'd give it to her anyways. He heard girls liked that sort of thing.

Gilly turned and looked over at Merry, he was holding out the saddest flower she'd ever seen. It was small and its stem and petals were drooping, but the very gesture made Gilly burst into tears all over again.

What was she doing! She wasn't supposed to cry! Flowers weren't supposed to make girls cry!

Merry wracked his brain for something else, something to make Gilly feel better. It suddenly came to him, but he wasn't sure if he should do it. Then he squared his shoulders took a deep breath -- leaned over and kissed Gilly on the cheek.

Gilly stopped crying and blinked.

Merry pulled away, he glanced at Gilly quickly before they both looked away. She wasn't crying, but Merry didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Gilly reached up to touch the place where Merry had kissed her. This was something new, no one had ever kissed her before. Was that really the fuss Gilly heard other girls going on about?

'I don't think those are they kisses those other girls were talking about', Gilly realized. 'Well', she told herself, 'he was just doing it to make you feel better'. That thought didn't make Gilly any happier. She sighed and felt depressed all over again.

Merry was stricken --

She was angry! She hated him! She wanted to punch him right in the face!

-- but when Merry stole a look at Gilly she didn't look angry, she didn't even look like she wanted to hit him, she looked sad.

'If he just wanted to make me feel better', Gilly thought to herself, 'then why is he looking at me like that?'

"What are you looking at Meriadoc Brandybuck?" Gilly wondered, breaking the silence.

"Oh!" Merry exclaimed, "oh uh nothing." Gilly's face fell. "I mean, nothing much," Merry added quickly, 'just stop talking!' His mind shouted, 'or you really will end up making her hate you!' "I meant..." he mumbled the last word unintelligably.

Gilly made a face, that wasn't exactly the answer she'd be looking for. Usually Hobbit's didn't look at other Hobbit's like that for nothing.

'That was exactly the answer she wanted to hear', Merry consoled himself.

Gilly's eye brows drew together angrily.

Or perhaps not.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Merry insisted.

Gilly looked at him.

"I meant to say -- you look really nice in, that --er, your dress." Merry blurted. 'I did?'

'He did?' Gilly wondered.

'Oh bugger', Merry cursed himself. He was just about to say something else when another voice broke into the forest.

"Oy!" Pippin cried out, "Merry? Where are you?"

Merry sighed at his friends wonderful timing.

"It's all right," Gilly said, "I think I'll just take a walk."

Merry looked at her without speaking for a moment, then he climbed off the log and made his way over to Pippin who was crashing through the brush loudly.



Let me know what you think, but no flames please!