Loving Allegra
Chapter One: The Party
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Lord of the Rings besides Allegra and Mithfalien.
New Author's note: This story has been dormant for almost an entire year! Can you believe that? Well, I'm back, and I intend to get somewhere this time. And I've revamped a LOT of the story, too, mostly the romance between Allegra and Pippin. After not having written anything on it for a long time, then coming back and reviewing all I'd done with their relationship, I just didn't like it. To me, there was too much slapstick, pushing over, falling down comedy that was complete crap and needed to be taken out (such as Allegra shoving Pippin out of the bed at Bree. Not cool.) Furthermore, I thought that their relationship could grow at a slower, more normal rate than it did before. Besides the mushy stuff, I also tried to go back and be a little more descriptive with just about everything, since I felt that it sounded too close to the movies, and no one wants that. So without much more talking, I bid you read Loving Allegra: Take Two.
Original Author's note: I have several things to point out before you start reading. I went in the back of my book and found timelines, dates and whathaveyou, and figured out the ages of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin at the time of the party. Frodo was 33 (duh), Sam was 21, Merry was 19, and little Peregrin Took was only 11. Seventeen years pass from the time of Bilbo's party, making Frodo 50, Sam 38, Merry 36, and Pippin 28. Just so there's no confusion.
The day had finally come. Bilbo Baggins was today eleventy-one, and he was throwing an extravagant party to which all his family and very best friends were invited. An hour earlier he was greeting guests at the back gate, but now he was taking the time to tell a tale to the children of his adventures sixty years before, as he often did. He really had their attention by now as he reached the climax of his story.
"...But they spent so much time arguing the whether-tos and the why-fors, that the sun's first light crept over the tops of the trees and...poof!" the small children gasped, "they were all turned to stone!" Bilbo Baggins finished his story and sat back to admire his handy work. The children begged him all at once to tell them more, but Bilbo simply answered with, "That's all for tonight." A disappointed groan issued from the group of hobbit children, who got up, a few at a time, and left to find other things to do.
"Did that really happen, Mr. Bilbo?" asked ten-year-old Allegra Burrows, her big brown eyes staring up at him.
"It certainly did," he replied with a smile.
"My mummy says you make them up," said Allegra.
"Does she, now?" asked Bilbo with a merry laugh, amused by the child's carelessness.
"I don't listen to anything she says, though," said Allegra honestly. But then her expression changed from confidence to worry. "Those things really happen to you, right? You really did fight a dragon?"
"I did indeed," he reassured her with an affectionate smile.
"I don't think I'll ever go on an adventure," she sighed.
"Oh, you might yet, you're only thirteen," said Bilbo.
"I'm ten," muttered Allegra sadly. "I'm too small for any of that stuff anyways."
"Now look here, lass," said Bilbo getting down on his knee and putting a comforting hand on Allegra's shoulder. "If there's one thing I've learn on all of my adventures, it's to never give up. Just because you're smaller than everyone else doesn't mean that you can't make a difference."
"I guess so," said Allegra with a half smile.
"That's the spirit," said Bilbo with a chuckle, getting up and patting Allegra on the head. "Run along now and have some fun, won't you?"
"Okay," said Allegra with a smile. She turned away from the kind old man and followed the music to the tables and benches where all her family's friends sat and chatted with one another. In the middle, people were dancing and singing. Allegra was heading toward them when she was caught by her vest, making her come to an abrupt halt. She looked up and saw the smiling eyes of Gandalf, the local wizard.
"I waited around all afternoon and not a single hug or hello," he said with a smile.
"I looked for you, but I couldn't find you!" cried Allegra wrapping her tiny arms around his waist. "I missed you!" Gandalf was very popular with the younger hobbits, but Allegra had grown especially fond of him. He didn't come around very often, but when he did, he took some time out of his schedule to teach her a little Elvish, or show her maps of the world.
"All you needed to do was follow the fireworks. I'm usually the one standing under them," he said.
"I guess I was too busy listening to Mr. Bilbo's story," she said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about that," he said patting her dark curls with one of his large hands. "Why don't you find Frodo and wish him happy birthday?" He lowered her to the ground and waved goodbye to her with a smile. Allegra waved back and ran towards the people that were dancing. She found Frodo, who was dancing in the middle of the group, and tugged on the back of his pants. He looked down at her and grinned.
"Well, hello!" he said with a smile. "What can I do for you, Allegra Burrows?"
"I just wanted to say happy birthday," said Allegra, trying to speak loudly over the music, but right in the middle, the song stopped, and the words 'happy birthday' rang out clear. Her cheeks turned brilliant red as everyone looked at her and sighed one big 'awwww!'" Allegra mumbled a goodbye and ran away, accidentally plowing into Meriadoc Brandybuck. They both toppled over, taking young Peregrin Took down with them. They were her two best friends. They did almost everything together. Merry was nineteen, not even into his tweens yet, and Pippin was still only eleven. Despite the age gap, they were as inseparable as bread and butter.
"Hi," said Allegra cheerfully.
"Get off! You're smashing my leg!" squeaked Pippin. Merry shoved Allegra off him and got up, freeing Pippin's leg.
"Sorry," said Allegra.
"It's alright," said Merry.
"What're you guys doing?" she asked.
"We're getting a firework and-," Pippin started to say. Merry elbowed him in the ribs, making him cry out.
"What do you want a firework for?" asked Allegra.
"To shoot it off, of course," said Pippin, receiving another sharp jab from Merry.
"You can't do that, you'll get in trouble!" cried Allegra.
"No we won't," said Merry.
"And how are you supposed to get to that cart with people watching?" she asked.
"That's just our trouble, we've been waiting a whole hour to do it, but haven't got a chance. There's too many people around," said Merry.
"Want to help?" asked Pippin, getting elbowed again.
"No thank you, I'm going to watch Gandalf," Allegra said.
"You're no fun," said Pippin.
"At least I'm not stupid," said Allegra.
"I'm not stupid!" cried Pippin.
"Yes you are," said Merry.
"You're supposed to be on my side!" said Pippin.
"Come on, Pip. If she doesn't want to help, it doesn't really matter," said Merry as he began to walk away.
"Fine...see you later then!" said Pippin loudly as if it were a comeback.
"You're pathetic, Pippin," said Allegra. He stuck his tongue out at her as he walked away with Merry, both eyeing the cart of fireworks. Allegra hurried over to the small group of people that were watching as Gandalf sent off the fireworks. She squeezed to the front of the crowd so that she could see clearly. When he had run out, he went back to the cart he'd brought to fetch some more. He returned with an armful of brightly packaged fireworks. He picked one out, stuck the end into the ground, and sent it off with a touch of his staff. It exploded far over their heads into blue streaks, which seemed to spread over all of Hobbiton. The crowd responded with laugher and cheering. The fireworks went off in all shapes, sizes, and colors for nearly a quarter of an hour before a huge explosion went off from one of the tents near by. Allegra heard the unmistakable cries of Merry and Pippin. They'd actually done it! The blast of red and orange quickly assumed the shape of a great dragon with fiery eyes and wings. It descended quickly on the party, looking as if it might swoop down and eat a hobbit or two. Not knowing that the dragon was not real, the partygoers became frightened. Several tables were over turned by the flood of people trying to avoid the dragon's teeth, knocking food and drink everywhere. The firework dragon swooped low over the crowd, went past it, exploding with a great bang in the distance, showering the landscape with red and orange lights. When the crowd realized that it was not a real dragon, they laughed and cheered. Allegra directed her attention to the burnt tent where Merry and Pippin were grinning with blackened faces. They were soon seized by the ears and drug off to do the dishes. Allegra made her way over to the dishwashing tent with a smug smile on her face.
"Don't say anything," said Pippin flatly.
"You guys look horrible," said Allegra, almost laughing.
"Yeah, well, it was worth it," said Pippin.
"I told you you'd get caught," said Allegra.
"You aren't always right, you know," said Pippin, getting irritated.
"Sure I am. Name a time that I wasn't right," said Allegra. Pippin opened his mouth for a second, and closed it as if he forgot. He did this a few times before muttering something. "What was that?" asked Allegra.
"I can't think of any...But I'm sure if I thought about it long enough, I'd find at least one time you were wrong!" said Pippin not wanting to admit defeat.
"Shut up you guys, you're giving me a headache!" shouted Merry.
"No need to yell," said Allegra, putting her small hands on her pudgy little hips.
"What?!" shouted Merry again.
"Why's he talking so loud?" whispered Allegra.
"He can't hear very good since that fire work went off," said Pippin uncomfortably. "I hope that's not permanent..." They could hear the partygoers crying for a speech from Bilbo. He reluctantly got up in front of them and stood on a crate. Allegra, Merry, and Pippin were mostly ignoring him as he addressed each branch of his family tree and his friends. Allegra was getting bored watching Merry and Pippin wash dishes, so she directed her attention to Bilbo. A strange look had washed over his face, sort of uncomfortable.
"I regret to announce that this is the end. I'm leaving now. I bid you all a fond farewell. Goodbye," he said. And with that he disappeared into thin air. Allgra's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Guys, guys! Did you see that?!" she cried, tugging on Pippin's shirtsleeve so hard that it was beginning to hurt his arm.
"See what?" cried Pippin, wrenching his arm free.
"Mr. Bilbo disappeared!" she hissed.
"He what?" cried Pippin.
"He disappeared!" she said.
"Allegra! Allegra!" she heard her mother's voice call over the crowd, who was making quite a lot of noise. Her parents emerged out of the crowd with scared looks on both their faces. "Allegra, we're leaving." Peony Burrows said.
"But mom," Allegra started to say.
"Come on, now," she said, seising her daughter's tiny hand and pulling her towards home. Allegra waved goodbye to Merry and Pippin. Pippin waved back with a strange, almost sad expression. Merry hadn't noticed.
Allegra never forgot Bilbo Baggins's eleventy first birthday. Afterwards, people constantly spoke of it, mostly because no one had seen hide or hair of Bilbo Baggins since. It had been seventeen years, and still people occasionally spoke of it, though the potency of the story had almost completely worn off.
Allegra was now twenty-seven and her father had decided that she should start learning his trade of blacksmith. He was growing old and couldn't manage it anymore, and since he had no sons to take over for him, Allegra was the next best thing. Allegra protested (and so did her mother) but in the end, Allegra decided that she should take it up for her family's sake. The job lasted from nine in the morning to seven at night. She wished that her predecesor hadn't made the hours so long. She totally loathed it, and felt that she was locked up in a cage. However, throughout the years, Allegra had grown stronger and more independant. Most of the time it didn't bother her so much to be alone. She could consentrate on the task at hand, and she worked much quicker. But for the past few weeks, Allegra had begun to feel worn like a an old pair of socks. Her hammering arm was getting weaker, and sometimes it fell asleep. She found herself getting winded at odd times, and on most days, mostly towards the end of her shift, tears welled up in her eyes and threatened menecingly to fall. During these times, she became so horribly nostolgic that her heart seemed to ache. She never had any time to spend with Merry and Pippin. She missed them so much that when Pippin started coming into the forge by himself in the afternoons, she looked forward to it so much that she lost her focus a couple times and ended up hurting herself somehow.
"Why do you have to work so much?" asked Pippin in the place of a greeting as he entered the forge. Allegra's heart flipped in her chest. Thank the powers that be for Peregrin Took. Even if he is a neusence, Allegra thought happily at the sound of his voice. It was almost five o' clock, and the summer sun was just beginning to consider setting. Allegra was busy making horseshoes and hardly bothered to look up at him. Although she was glad to see him, she knew that if she opened her mouth, something aweful would come out. Worse yet, she was afraid to cry in front of him. Although most Hobbit girls would cry in front of the Hobbit boys simply for attention, Allegra would sooner stick a hot poker in her eye than cry in front of one of her best friends. "I mean you're in here...what, ten hours every day?"
"Yeah," muttered Allegra. He can't see me cry, she thought to herself, over and over again as she gritted her teeth together behind her lips. It would be akward.
"So why do it?" Pippin asked. Allegra was irritated to find that she was getting rather annoyed at him. Be gentle, don't be scathing, she thought with a mental wince.
"So I can get money for my family," she said, a little irritated. He asked most of the same questions every time he came to visit her. She wondered what the point was of asking the same questions every day. Didn't he have better things to do? Like socialize with Merry? It was weird enough not seeing them together out in public. Don't think such things. You're happy that he's here, remember?
"Working is over-rated. Just steal from Farmer Maggot," said Pippin walking around and poking at all Allegra's tools that hung on hooks near her workstation.
"Well, unlike you, Peregrin, I'm not an unemployed idiot," said Allegra, giving him a very snide, annoyed smile that accidentally twitched in the corners as she dunked the hot metal into a barrel or water, making a loud hissing noise. "And leave my tools alone," she barked. Pippin put down the old tongs and shoved his hands in his pockets. Why do you do it, Allegra? She asked herself miserably. He's done nothing to you.
"I may be unemployed, but I'm not an idiot," he said after a pause, taking one of his hands out of his pocket and fidgeting with a discarded nail. Allegra chuckled and rolled her eyes as she began to heat up another strip of metal with the tongs. "I'm not!"
"Yes you are, and you should know that by now since everyone tells you so," said Allegra.
"Well that's nice," he said a little saddly. Allegra hated herself for snapping at him. After all, he was always so nice to her...even if he wasn't the smartest Hobbit in the Shire. He picked up a thin sheet of metal and looked at it curiously. "What's this?" he asked.
"A semitar blade," she said. "Put it down, though, you're going to hurt yourself." He set the blade down carefully and hovered over her shoulder as he watched her pound the metal into a horseshoe shape. "So what do you want?" asked Allegra looking over at him. His face was closer to hers than either of them was comfortable with. Pippin stood back and looked into his friend's eyes. They were glossy with tears and bloodshot from exhaustion. He paused, forgetting what he was about to say, as he stared into Allegra's distraught face. Allegra looked away quickly and cleared her throat, hoping he hadn't seen that she was about to cry.
"We're all heading down to the Green Dragon for a drink and maybe a song or two...do you want to come?" he asked gingerly.
"I've got work to do, Pippin," said Allegra, her voice cracking.
"Can't you just blow off work for a couple hours and come relax a bit?" he asked hopefully.
"No," she lied. She felt terrible. She desperately wanted to go to the Green Dragon with him, but she still had a few more horseshoes to go. Allegra caught the disappointed look on his face out of the corner of her eye. I'm sorry, Pippin, she thought, but could not bring herself to say it.
"Oh, and Merry and I are going to raid Farmer Maggot's crop tomorrow morning, and we wanted to know if you'd come," said Pippin, his voice a little dejected. "But I guess you've got to be here, so..."
"I can go if I can't get out of the hole before work. Have you got a pair of pants and a shirt I can wear?" asked Allegra.
"Sure," said Pippin.
"Good, because we all know how bad it can go in a skirt," said Allegra. They both thought back on the only time Allegra went on a raid in a dress. She kept getting her skirt caught on corn stalks, and she tripped a few times. They were almost caught, and it was a pure stroke of luck that Allegra's parents had friends over for dinner in the garden so she could sneak into the house with a ripped dirty dress, unnoticed.
"So I'll see you in the morning?" he asked with a hopeful edge to his voice.
"Sure, Pippin," said Allegra, her voice cracking again. Pippin nodded and walked backwards out of the forge for a moment, perhaps waiting to see if she looked up at him, then turned around and left. Allegra lifted her head and watched Pippin walk back up the road, looking at his dragging feet with his hands shoved in his pockets. He kicked a stone up the road as he walked. She sighed. Why does he want to spend so much time around me? She wondered saddly. I'm sweaty, I'm sooty, and I probably smell horrible...how does he stand it? Allegra wiped her singed, sweat soaked bangs out of her eyes with the back of her leather gloves. One more shoe to go, and she could go home and have supper. She was so sick of banging on hot metal all day. Her eyebrows were almost gone from leaning over a fire all day long, her hair was slightly singed and even caught fire once the week before when she accidentally left it down leaving a horrible burnt spot towards the ends on one side. If she cut her hair, it would look masculine, but if she left it alone, it would look disgusting. She had burn scars on her arms and one on her foot where a drop of hot liquid metal had scorched the hair clean off. It never really grew back. And, sometimes, the worst of all her ailments, she had a ringing in her ears from all the pounding of her hammer and chisel, and at times it would grow so loud that she couldn't sleep at night.
"I'm going to stand up for myself and tell dad that I'm going to quit being a blacksmith," said Allegra angrily to herself as closing time creeped up on her. "This is ridiculous. It's a man's job, anyway." She put out the fire and threw down her tongs and hammer. "But how will we survive? Maybe I'll do like Samwise Gamgee and care for people's gardens for money," she thought aloud. She hung her leather apron and gloves on the hook by the entrance and left, leaving the half finished horseshoe lying on the floor where it had fallen with a great heavy clank.
It usually took her almost an hour to walk home, which could be very unpleasant when one is exhausted and hungry. The sun sank swiftly behind the horizon, and as it did, Allegra could hear hoof beats ahead. She looked up just in time to see Gandalf flying down the road on horseback as if he were leaving Hobbiton. Allegra was so shocked that she forgot to be happy to see him. He didn't seem to even notice that he'd almost knocked her down.
"Wonder where he's going in such a hurry," mumbled Allegra. She continued on her way, assuming that Gandalf was probably at Frodo's...but what an urgent way to leave... She though for a moment of going up to Bag End and seeing if there was anything wrong. But afraid of sticking her nose where it didn't belong, Allegra continued on her way home. When she reached the hole in which she lived, she could already smell her mother's potato stew. She sighed as she entered.
"Oh, good, you're home," said her mother. "Can you set the table?"
"Sure," said Allegra, trying to sound cheerful. The same questions and the same answers every single day, without fail. Allegra wanted more than anything for things to change, and she didn't care how.
"How was work?" asked her mother, a note of annoyance in her voice. She did not want Allegra to be a blacksmith any more that Allegra herself did. It also made the Burrows family look a little odd, which was most undesirable among Hobbits. Peony Burrows did not want her daughter to be the next Bilbo Baggins.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth, trying to sound cheerful. "Same old same old."
"You should let me cut your hair, it looks awful with that burnt spot on the ends," said her mother. This made Allegra feel like crying again, but she fought the tears, as she was accustomed to do. "After dinner, maybe."
"Sure," sighed Allegra. "Actually, mum, I'm not hungry," Allegra said, her voice cracking as it had been doing all day. "I think I'll just go to sleep."
"Is there something wrong?" asked her mother.
"No, nothing," Allegra lied.
"Well if you're going to bed, let me cut your hair. Sit down in a chair and I'll find the scissors," she said, waving her hand jerkily towards one of the chairs as she bustled through the house trying to find a pair of scissors. Allegra slumped down into the chair and waited for her mother to come back. "Here we are. I can't cut your hair if you slump like that, you know," she said as Allegra sat up. Her mother snipped away, almost randomly. Clippings of charred hair fell into Allegra's lap and onto her shoulders. "There. That'll be easier for you at work, I daresay."
"Thank you," said Allegra as she got up and made her way down the hall into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled faintly. Her hair barely touched her shoulders. Tears accidentally sprang forth from her eyes, and left a clean trail in the soot on her cheeks. She grabbed the washcloth in the basin and wrung it out. She scrubbed her face carefully and furiously, every inch of it. She dried her face off on the hand towel and looked in the mirror again. She smiled back at the Allegra before her father handed her the family business, though she was still crying.
She padded down the hall and into her room where she undressed and put on her fresh clean nightgown. She slipped under the bedclothes and dried her eyes, trying to concentrate on the soft cool sheets rather than the ringing in her ears as she drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow, she would resign from being a blacksmith. No more burnt hair and horse shoe making. She couldn't go back. As much as she loathed throwing in the towel, she knew that it had to be done. Simply the thought of never going near that grate or the anvil again seemed to lift a great weight off Allegra's chest. She felt better already.