A/N: I know it's been aaaages since I updated; but don't blame it on me, blame it on my stupidity…. I accidentally DELETED a WHOLE 2k-word chapter, and to re-write it is grueling torture, plus getting stuck in the hospital for a week doesn't really help. More on that later… so I re-wrote a whole new different chap…this one's waay shorter…by about a thousand words… anyway it was a really dramatic chapter earlier on, but I hope this one will be a little more lighthearted…This little baby here is more of an 'establishment' chapter, an introduction to these 'pretty little entanglements'… ohohoho… man that's snazzy… Remember, pleeeeze R&R… nobody wants to read lousy crap, rite?
A/N: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THE LOVELY REVIEWS!!!!!!! ~~~ :D:D:D *sniffles*
Katie Weasly-Saidee Erickson: thank uu!!! Yea it was kinda long but hey! I shortened this one just for ya… enjoy! ^^
Sarah Christine: mmmuah, sweetie. Thank youz!! Anyway having Pippin all emotional was sooo evil of me, wasn't it? I had great fun writing that…
Potter Head: here you go! Hope u enjoy this one…
ChristiChristiTheOneEyedDog: the image of Billy-Boyd-as-Pippin being all suave and hot is tantalizing, innit? :D I heard that he's gonna do a romantic comedy soon. Smile, girl.
szhismine: thank u so much!~ yeah, Pippin's cute, funny, AND he sings?! unfortunately I haven't made this so much of his chapter, but more of him will come, promise…oh and we'll get our revenge on the man and his stuuupid pony.
The Akai-Sakura: domo arigatou ne! ^^ don't worry, I won't torture Pippin too much.. ;)
FST: Yesss, very complex story, yesssss, precioussss…
Fallenhearts: Merry's got a big role in this story as well, so just hang in there…:D
Disclaimer:
All I own right now is my brain. Which is sadly embarrassing. Oh and the other two hobbits I'm introducing. The rest are Lord Tolkien's, hiss preciouss hobbitsess…
Summary:
it's the prequel to my 1st chapter, before Pippin got high on his not-very-successful-wedding night. Actually, decades ago before that happened... My story starts all the way back when the hobbits were only roughly 16 years of age…
Chapter 2 - Friends
Poppy always knew where to look for Pippin, or Merry for that matter. As they do for her. That is, if they were separated, of course, which was a rare occasion. Lily-Rose was also constantly hovering about her dearest sister, who was barely 2 years older than she was. The four always seemed to amuse eachother and never tire for their company even after a decade of close friendship ties. They would often go over to one another's houses and dine with their family, or they would be up to a little mischief, pilfering fresh strawberries from ripen crops. One way or the other, the four would spend their time gaily, and have inexhaustible fun together. It was a grim thought, nonetheless, when sometimes they would just know what the other was thinking or doing, having being so accustomed with their quirks and traits. Some of the other hobbit-folk would find it indeed queer, and some of their friends would always tease them; for they seemed so much like blissful couples of holy matrimony. Well, of course they weren't. Poppy and the other lads would just chuckle the thought away, while Lily-Rose would flush pink, and plaster a bashful grin over her reddened face.
Married pairs? The mere thought of it was ridiculous.
Poppy Headstrong was a lass with deep, golden curls that crowned her head, and was blessed with fair skin, and an intense pair of cherry-red lips. But above all, she was dignified for owning the most ethereal pair of aquamarine eyes; clear as the summer sky it may seem, but deep was its blue; so much so that they looked almost surreal, and have never faltered. They beamed when she was happy, and glowed furiously still when she wasn't. Poppy would always speak her mind, unlike the other reserved maidens her age, and stands adamant to what she believes in. She was a great friend to her companions, but she could be extremely protective of them as well; just as a mother hen is to her chicks. She held a petite and adorable figure, cheery and high-spirited. Her features may seem dull to certain hobbits, but she carried her looks with such carefree flair that made her the spite of many other lasses. A few lads have tried courting her, but Poppy is as stubborn as a rock- she hated it; thinking the act of wooing a lass was simply silly or plainly vulgar. "Or my name isn't Headstrong," she proclaimed.
Lily-Rose however, was almost completely contradictory to her sister; the other hobbits would even doubt the thought of her being a distant relation. She was pretty nonetheless, but shy and coy, and she rarely spoke, except when the occasion warrants it. Unlike her sister, she had light, fair curls that bounced when she trotted, she kept a pair of big, round grey eyes but fine, pursed lips that had a pink tint. She was no taller than her sister, nor any braver or as outspoken, but she also had a fine trait: a sweet little curved dimple denting her right cheek. Lily-Rose being naturally timid, she rarely smiled to company; but when she did, her dimple would show and she would seem to glow, and look far more beautiful than her sister sevenfold.
Lily-Rose loved her sister dearly, and so she followed her almost everywhere she went. That, and of course, because she would deem the attention and company from a certain hobbit…
She was zealously keen on Meriadoc Brandybuck; but she had heeded no word of it to anyone, except to her trustworthy sister. That night, in their bedroom, Poppy could only giggle at the sight of the eager, dreamy Lily-Rose who would talk obstinately about Merry. "Pop, he's got such a charming smile!" exclaimed Lily, standing on her bed. Then she would breathe out a long, wistful sigh, her eyes lost in the thought of his endearing smirk, and altogether she would collapse on her pillows, sprawled over with a beaming smile. "Don't you agree?" said a muffled voice from the pillows. To others Lily-Rose may seem reserved and modest, but to her sister she was all but. She could be such a comic relief sometimes. "Yes, he's got the most charming smile in all of the Shire, yes, he has those irresistible, debonair eyes, and I already know he's got the wit and charm to sever any lass off her legs and leave her permanently disabled and yet still melting in awe and admiration.", she finished, pressing on to each sarcastic syllable of her last few words. A short silence fell in the room, but the voice from within the pillow answered again. "You forgot the bit about his lovable laugh," reprimanded Lily, now cupping her chin with one hand, her smoky eyes looked straight into Poppy's, a little grin hidden behind her tucked lips. "Oh yes, how could I." Poppy rolled her eyes, glared a menacing yet weary look at her little sister, who was chuckling away, her glazed eyes lost in thought, probably of her knight in shining armour coming to sweep her off her feet.
Alas with a sudden change into a worriedly expression, Lily darted a glare back at her sister. "…You don't think he fancies any other lass, do you?" nibbling anxiously at a finger."I doubt it. He would've told me by now if he had. Don't worry your little head, Lil. You'll hurt yourself if you do," assured Poppy, paying little attention to Lily-Rose's sudden concern. "But what if…he won't tell you the lass he fancies? Do you think…", biting her lower lip, with a little laughter in her eyes, "…it could be me?" and suddenly Lily burst out squealing and buried her head into the pillow. Not ten seconds after that, a serious grim shadowed Lily's once cheery face and she shot a look directly into Poppy's eyes once more. "What if he fancies you, Poppy?"
At the mere thought of this Poppy looked up at her sister. Her expression was held seriously for a brief moment, then she exploded into bubbles of unreserved, continuous laughter. A fearful gloom seized her little sister's hazy eyes still. With that her expression turned solemn again. "My dearest Lily-Rose, if that were ever to happen, I'll give you blessing to choke me to a miserable death, so he wouldn't have any choice but to love you instead." Poppy smiled grimly. "Even in the slightest chance he ever did, you know I'm not keen on him, so it'll never happen. You should stop thinking so much." And with that, she disheveled her sister's fair hair and placed a kiss on her forehead, and blew the lanterns out, creeping lamely onto her bed. The siblings were left lost in thought under their covers, Lily probably already dreaming of her precious prince. Poppy thought for a while about what her sister had said, thinking of the possibility of a similar consequence happening to her. "But what if Pippin…" she trailed off, lost, and eventually found her way into a deep, yawning slumber.
* * *
"She fancies you, you know," Pippin nudged his cousin, the both of them lying on the plain glade in the night sky.
"Who fancies me?"
"Lily-Rose of course! She always has that dreamy look when you're around," raising an eyebrow, he gave a mocking glance at Merry. "She's a pretty lass, Merry, you cheeky little thing. I'm proud of you," he mockingly congratulated his cousin, giving him a pat in the shoulder. "Oh stop it Pip. It's not like I'm going to marry her."
"Well don't you fancy her? She's such a lovely lass,"
"I know she is… It's just that I might have someone else in mind."
"Oh?" Pippin suddenly shot up and giving his Merry an accusing glare. "And you didn't tell me? Wait, it's that green-eyed lass down the lane, isn't it? I knew it! Or is it the other one, her neighbour, with long, dark hair? She's pretty too. Or maybe its-"
"Forget it, Pip. I won't tell you." His voice monotonous and reprimanding.
"But why not?" the other whined.
"I want to see how long you can go on with it and torture yourself guessing who the lass is," he smirked. Pouting his lips, Pippin gave Merry a prim, evil glare and turned away. "Have it your way, cousin, I'll find out who she is one way or another." Long moments of silence passed by, and finally, Pippin propped up, looking straight into Merry.
"Is it Poppy?"
"You're still thinking about that? Wow that torture thing is working better than I expected."
"Well is it?" Pippin pressed on.
"Of course not! She's our friend. One of our bestest friends."
"Of course she is."
"You don't want to fancy a close friend of yours."
"Of course you don't."
"it's just wrong."
"Of course it is."
"Yup, it's not right."
"Nope, not right at all."
And with that, knitting their eyebrows, they both fell into a long awkward silence.
* * *
"Poppy's friend is coming by to visit next week," Merry strained and cleared his throat, trying to break off the unsettling moment.
"Who?" Pippin inquired indifferently.
"Daisy or Diana or something like that."
"Oh," Pippin answered, disinterested.
~end of chapter 2~
* * *
A/N: mmm…and so from here onwards it starts. Things will get messyyy….Lily-Rose is so much like ur default fangirl, isn't she? Mwahahaha.. anyway, yeah, R&R, (don't flame please!!!!) a lot more coming into the next chapt. See ya then… :)