She Said All the Right Things
Chapter Four: Save Our Shire
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
A/N: And now for my final post for awhile...*sob* enjoy, and I'll write a bunch more for you all while I'm away...
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Estella listened in shock to their story. She had never expected to hear something so heart-wrenching, that had happened to her four friends. They had gotten caught up in affairs to save the whole of Middle-Earth, affairs that she wished she could have been a part of. She had a wandering spirit, though she had never left the Shire. The thought of there being more to the world than this perfect little corner called the Shire intrigued her.
"So...may I ask again why you wouldn't let me come?" she said to Merry, still rather bothered.
"Because you'd have died. Do I need to say it again?" he answered, serious. She sighed.
"I stood a better chance of dying by staying here, Meriadoc Brandybuck!" she cried, fed up with his attitude. He jumped a bit, then stood. He was taller than her.
"I watched thousands of people get killed. I watched the uncle of a good friend be slain by a winged monster and its master! I saw blood, I saw death, I saw hate, and I saw fear. I helped a woman kill a supposedly un- killable creature, the same creature that killed her uncle! As a result I nearly died! Tell me; what would you have done in the face of all this? Fight, or run, or die?" he asked, raising his voice. She stood as well, her empty blue eyes staring up at him with a strange look in them.
"I would have fought, Merry. I would have fought, and you know why? Because I wouldn't want my friends to die because of my cowardice. The thought of betraying the only people I love would be more than enough for me to fight. I would never run, I have never run from anything, and I never will. And as for death...death is just another part of life. If I would have died, at least it would have been doing something for the greater good. Dying here would be a meaningless death. Nothing would come of it. So I would fight, Merry, and die, maybe. But I would never run away. Not for those I love." she said, a finality in her tone that made them all listen to her every word.
Merry was surprised by her words. She had always been a very quiet, but now...she was a totally different hobbit. Everything that had happened to her seemed to have taken a toll on her mind. Suddenly he remembered something.
"Did you say that you're wanted for theft, murder, and refusal to obey orders? What's gotten into you, Est-- Dolly?" he asked, remembering to call her by her alias.
"What does it sound like? I don't have to tell you, you know. You didn't seem to think you had to tell me anything when you left on your little trip. So, for now, I'd prefer to keep the horrible thoughts out of my head. Please don't mention it again." she said, a far-off gaze in her eyes. Something horrible had happened, they could see that whatever it was haunted her.
"You must be exhausted. Do you want me to show you to a bedroom?" Frodo asked, concerned. She looked dead on her feet. Smiling to him, she went over and hugged him.
"It is good to see you again, dear Frodo. The Shire was so dreary without you gone. And you are lucky that you weren't here. Thank you for being so kind." she said, quiet. He nodded.
"This way. I think you've been through enough to get a good night's rest. We could all use it." he said, leading her off down the hall. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they came to the room she would use. Frodo turned to her.
"Merry is worried about you. Don't be too hard on him, please, Dolly. What we all need right now is a better understanding and tolerance of things that have happened. Perhaps you should think about everything, and then make your decision. Do you still have a place in your heart for Merry? If not, then you must tell him. Because there is still a place in his heart for you. Goodnight, Estella, and may you wake to a brighter morn." he said, leaving her. She sighed.
"Goodnight, Frodo..." she whispered, tears running down her face. She went in, laid down, and immediately fell asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Merry laid down in bed that night, all he could think about was freeing his home from the horrible Men. He had heard some slaves talking...the Tookland was still un-touched by Saruman's evil. Perhaps he and Pippin could ride there, gather them, and get them to help. Yes, that is what they could do. The hobbits of Tookland could be ferocious if need arose, and they would help to rinse the evil from the Shire if they knew Pippin still lived.
"I will not let the ones who tormented Estella and her family get away with it. She has been through too much pain..." he whispered, silent tears falling. He fell into an uneasy sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Estella woke up to silence, and of her own free will, for once. She was used to being beaten and screamed at when she got woke up, and never having near enough sleep. She sat up, and when she looked down at the end of her bed, a single dress lay there. Where had it come from? She pulled it toward her and examined it. It was green, emerald green, and made of silk. She smelled it; lavender. Suddenly, she knew where it had come from.
"Frodo...this is your mother's dress! I saw it in a picture on your wall...why would you let me wear this?" she breathed, to herself. She put it in the closet, next to the bed, and went to the dresser. There were clothes for boys in there, and she picked out a pair of pants and a shirt. The shirt was white, and the pants brown, and she wore a brown overcoat. She looked in the mirror. 'I look like a male! This is going to freak them out!' she thought, going out to the kitchen.
"Good morning, everyone!" she laughed, walking in. They all stopped to stare. She smiled.
"I'm tired of wearing dresses. Otherwise i'd never wear this, it's too big. But i'd like an outfit like yours, Pippin. The clothes of a warrior would suit me well." she said, amused.
"And why do you say that?" he asked.
"You'll see....you'll see. Merry, when were you planning on telling me?"
"Telling you what?" he replied.
"About your little scheme. You're going to Tookland, and this time, you're not leaving me behind. I'm coming with you, whether by your will or not." she said, abrupt. He knew this would be another argument.
"You cannot go, Dolly. It is too dangerous." he said, simply.
"You are not my father! I am no child, Merry. If I wish to go, there is nothing you can do to stop me. You'll decide how much i've changed when you see me fight for my home. The home you left for months, leaving everything behind." she replied, angry.
"I will lend her Sting. She can go with us. Sam, let me use your sword; you stay here. We start out out after breakfast. Dolly, you'll ride aside me." Frodo broke in. Merry stared at him in shock.
"Frodo, are you mad?" he cried.
"She wants to go, Merry. She can, if she thinks she'll be of help. 'Stella, are you sure?" Pippin asked. She nodded.
"You'll see why i'm in so much trouble soon enough. I am no longer innocent Estella, you know. Well, let's eat breakfast and be on our way. We must save our Shire!" she said, smiling.
A/N: Namarie to you all, and I'm off to see Secret Window!
Chapter Four: Save Our Shire
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
A/N: And now for my final post for awhile...*sob* enjoy, and I'll write a bunch more for you all while I'm away...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Estella listened in shock to their story. She had never expected to hear something so heart-wrenching, that had happened to her four friends. They had gotten caught up in affairs to save the whole of Middle-Earth, affairs that she wished she could have been a part of. She had a wandering spirit, though she had never left the Shire. The thought of there being more to the world than this perfect little corner called the Shire intrigued her.
"So...may I ask again why you wouldn't let me come?" she said to Merry, still rather bothered.
"Because you'd have died. Do I need to say it again?" he answered, serious. She sighed.
"I stood a better chance of dying by staying here, Meriadoc Brandybuck!" she cried, fed up with his attitude. He jumped a bit, then stood. He was taller than her.
"I watched thousands of people get killed. I watched the uncle of a good friend be slain by a winged monster and its master! I saw blood, I saw death, I saw hate, and I saw fear. I helped a woman kill a supposedly un- killable creature, the same creature that killed her uncle! As a result I nearly died! Tell me; what would you have done in the face of all this? Fight, or run, or die?" he asked, raising his voice. She stood as well, her empty blue eyes staring up at him with a strange look in them.
"I would have fought, Merry. I would have fought, and you know why? Because I wouldn't want my friends to die because of my cowardice. The thought of betraying the only people I love would be more than enough for me to fight. I would never run, I have never run from anything, and I never will. And as for death...death is just another part of life. If I would have died, at least it would have been doing something for the greater good. Dying here would be a meaningless death. Nothing would come of it. So I would fight, Merry, and die, maybe. But I would never run away. Not for those I love." she said, a finality in her tone that made them all listen to her every word.
Merry was surprised by her words. She had always been a very quiet, but now...she was a totally different hobbit. Everything that had happened to her seemed to have taken a toll on her mind. Suddenly he remembered something.
"Did you say that you're wanted for theft, murder, and refusal to obey orders? What's gotten into you, Est-- Dolly?" he asked, remembering to call her by her alias.
"What does it sound like? I don't have to tell you, you know. You didn't seem to think you had to tell me anything when you left on your little trip. So, for now, I'd prefer to keep the horrible thoughts out of my head. Please don't mention it again." she said, a far-off gaze in her eyes. Something horrible had happened, they could see that whatever it was haunted her.
"You must be exhausted. Do you want me to show you to a bedroom?" Frodo asked, concerned. She looked dead on her feet. Smiling to him, she went over and hugged him.
"It is good to see you again, dear Frodo. The Shire was so dreary without you gone. And you are lucky that you weren't here. Thank you for being so kind." she said, quiet. He nodded.
"This way. I think you've been through enough to get a good night's rest. We could all use it." he said, leading her off down the hall. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they came to the room she would use. Frodo turned to her.
"Merry is worried about you. Don't be too hard on him, please, Dolly. What we all need right now is a better understanding and tolerance of things that have happened. Perhaps you should think about everything, and then make your decision. Do you still have a place in your heart for Merry? If not, then you must tell him. Because there is still a place in his heart for you. Goodnight, Estella, and may you wake to a brighter morn." he said, leaving her. She sighed.
"Goodnight, Frodo..." she whispered, tears running down her face. She went in, laid down, and immediately fell asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Merry laid down in bed that night, all he could think about was freeing his home from the horrible Men. He had heard some slaves talking...the Tookland was still un-touched by Saruman's evil. Perhaps he and Pippin could ride there, gather them, and get them to help. Yes, that is what they could do. The hobbits of Tookland could be ferocious if need arose, and they would help to rinse the evil from the Shire if they knew Pippin still lived.
"I will not let the ones who tormented Estella and her family get away with it. She has been through too much pain..." he whispered, silent tears falling. He fell into an uneasy sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Estella woke up to silence, and of her own free will, for once. She was used to being beaten and screamed at when she got woke up, and never having near enough sleep. She sat up, and when she looked down at the end of her bed, a single dress lay there. Where had it come from? She pulled it toward her and examined it. It was green, emerald green, and made of silk. She smelled it; lavender. Suddenly, she knew where it had come from.
"Frodo...this is your mother's dress! I saw it in a picture on your wall...why would you let me wear this?" she breathed, to herself. She put it in the closet, next to the bed, and went to the dresser. There were clothes for boys in there, and she picked out a pair of pants and a shirt. The shirt was white, and the pants brown, and she wore a brown overcoat. She looked in the mirror. 'I look like a male! This is going to freak them out!' she thought, going out to the kitchen.
"Good morning, everyone!" she laughed, walking in. They all stopped to stare. She smiled.
"I'm tired of wearing dresses. Otherwise i'd never wear this, it's too big. But i'd like an outfit like yours, Pippin. The clothes of a warrior would suit me well." she said, amused.
"And why do you say that?" he asked.
"You'll see....you'll see. Merry, when were you planning on telling me?"
"Telling you what?" he replied.
"About your little scheme. You're going to Tookland, and this time, you're not leaving me behind. I'm coming with you, whether by your will or not." she said, abrupt. He knew this would be another argument.
"You cannot go, Dolly. It is too dangerous." he said, simply.
"You are not my father! I am no child, Merry. If I wish to go, there is nothing you can do to stop me. You'll decide how much i've changed when you see me fight for my home. The home you left for months, leaving everything behind." she replied, angry.
"I will lend her Sting. She can go with us. Sam, let me use your sword; you stay here. We start out out after breakfast. Dolly, you'll ride aside me." Frodo broke in. Merry stared at him in shock.
"Frodo, are you mad?" he cried.
"She wants to go, Merry. She can, if she thinks she'll be of help. 'Stella, are you sure?" Pippin asked. She nodded.
"You'll see why i'm in so much trouble soon enough. I am no longer innocent Estella, you know. Well, let's eat breakfast and be on our way. We must save our Shire!" she said, smiling.
A/N: Namarie to you all, and I'm off to see Secret Window!