A Hobbit in Need 4
Grand carriages, of what seemed to be filled with food, chairs, tables and gifts, rolled through the gates of Buckland. They were draped and covered with brightly coloured clothes and ropes. The knights on horseback waved at the Hobbits as they passed. Some soldiers that were on foot gave the young hobbit children that danced and twirled about them some of the cakes they had been given for their rations. The little Hobbit children laughed and sang as they darted about the singing knights.
The carriages moved on as quickly as the horses could pull them with their tired legs and at the end of the long lines of carriages, there were King Elessar himself with his beloved and beautiful Queen Arwen. Behind them rode Legolas and Gimli. Of course Gimli was ridding on the back of Legolas's horse, as he couldn't ride to save his life (even if he did say that dwarfs were natural born riders and sprinters…very dangerous over short distances). Faramir rode beside them on a chestnut horse wearing the light armour of a prince of Ithilian and Eowyn rode on Shadowfax. Elessar had a red cloak about his shoulders that hid the rest of him from view. Even as the King of the People of Gondor, he was still the same old ranger with straggly hair, muddy boots and grubby clothes to Merry and Pippin.
The minute that Aragorn saw the two hobbits he got down from his horse and smiled at the sight of his small friends. Pippin jumped about, ran directly at the kneeling Aragorn and then threw himself directly at the King. Aragorn caught him and embraced his excited young hobbit friend. "Aragorn!!!!!!" Pippin shouted as he ran at the king. Merry did the same but not as crazily as Pippin had seemed. They had not seen each other in a few years and had only sent letters to each other, telling of the happenings in their part of Middle-Earth. The hobbits had longed for a very long time to get on some ponies and ride down to Gondor themselves but had never found the time to do such a thing.
Aragorn let go of them both, "My! You two haven't changed a bit! Still the energetic Hobbits you were and always will be." He smiled and laughed as Queen Arwen stepped up from behind him. She still was the same beauteous flower that the hobbits remembered from Rivindell. They bowed deeply to her and she gave them both a small hug. The two hobbits welcomed Legolas and Gimli with wide open arms for they had not seen neither Legolas or Gimli in a long time and it seemed like an age of Middle-Earth since their last meeting.
"So this is the Shire." Said Gimli. He had never been to good with hellos… or even good byes for that matter. The hobbits laughed as they now knew that this was still the same old Gimli who was one of their dearest friends.
And last but not least the two hobbits eyes fell on Faramir and Eowyn who stood side by side. Faramir to Pippin seemed in perfect health and this made him happier than ever to see him and ran towards the Prince of Ithilien, yelling as Faramir welcomed him with open arms and then was promptly knocked off his feet by the young Thain as he laughed. Merry and Eowyn laughed as Pippin hugged Faramir, "If you don't mind master hobbit I would like my husband back in one piece." Merry walked over to her and she stopped laughing. Eowyn kneeled down so she was his height and hugged him, smiling widely, "I have missed you so much Merry. Edoras doesn't seem the same." Merry smiled as he knew she was just teasing him because she knew he missed Rohan.
When Faramir finally got back on his feet he separated Merry and Eowyn, "Excuse me but that is my wife and if you want one kindly go and get your own." Faramir put a possessive arm round Eowyn who just rolled her eyes.
"What brings you all here?" Pippin was egger to know. As he always was when it came to the old members of the fellowship. Pippin loved asking questions. Something that he probably inherited from his father Paladin.
"Why to pay homage to the Thain of Tuckbourgh and the Master of Buckland of course. Why else do you think we came?" Aragorn laughed. Merry and Pippin had recently been named Thain and Master as both their fathers had stepped down and had passed the titles to their sons. Pippin had recently written to Faramir and Eowyn about it and they probably told Aragorn before the letter they sent had reached him.
"And also we came just to see you. It's been nearly three years since you left Ithilien and Pala was beginning to wonder what had happened to his hobbit uncles." Said Eowyn who spoke proudly of her first-born son Paladin. He had been named after Pippins father as both Faramir and Eowyn had decided that one Pippin was quiet enough. Pippin had been extremely proud when he had heard about them wanting to give their first child a hobbit name. He'd been even more proud when they had asked himself and Merry to sugest names. Pippin and suggested Rosa for a girl and Tolman for a boy whereas Merry suggested May for a girl and Sedric for a boy. It had been Merry's turn to write a letter in which he sent their suggested names. At the time he had mentioned Pippins father, Paladin, and how he had had a small accident involving a few market pigs ropes getting caught around his foot and dragging him nearly all the way to Hobbiton. Neither Merry nor Pippin had every expected that 2 months later they would get a letter back saying that if the baby was to be a girl it would be called RosaMay but if the baby was to be a boy then it would be Paladin.
Paladin, The heir to the Princehood of Ithilien, was born in the City of Minus Tirith on the 12th Winterfilth (AN: that's the 12th October, my b day :P) in the year 1423 by Shire reckoning. Merry and Pippin had been there at his birth and had also been there at his naming ceremony. They had been honoured at the fact that the tiny new prince was to carry a hobbit name but Faramir and Eowyn surprised them yet again and made them Paladins Guardians. This meant that if anything was to happen to the both of them that Paladin was to go to the Shire where he would be raised by Merry and Pippin but that was if he was under the age of 18 autumns old. Paladin was the most beautiful baby and was a wonderful mixture of Rohanian and Gondorian features. He mainly looked like his father but he had his mothers eyes most defiantly which where a rich blue colour but they had streaks of brown in them. Merry and Pippin visited nearly every year or just whenever they could. Paladin was now 5 autumns old and was a wonder to behold.
"Is he here?! Is Pala here?!" said Pippin, jumping up and down excitedly. He loved the boy dearly as did Merry. He was a humours boy and also very smart and curious. He was always getting into trouble for asking the wrong people the wrong things or ending up somewhere he shouldn't. "Of course he is. You wouldn't expect us to leave our 5 autumn old son on his own and anyway Pala has never been to the Shire. But I am sorry to inform you that even Pala needs a little sleep and is having his nap."
Pippin seemed disappointed but perked up when Eowyn promised that Pala wouldn't be asleep for very much longer. The White Lady unfortunately had to go and gently wake up her son leaving them to their greetings.
Merry ushered them all into Brandyhall and once they were all inside, Merry asked them what they were doing so far away from all their homes. "We are on our way to Hobbiton," Aragorn informed them, "and we would like you both to come with us. Along with all the hobbits from your part of the Shire."
Pippin gave them a confused look (one he was famous for), "Whatever for?" Before Aragorn or Faramir could answer Gimli said, as if the hobbits were being ridiculous, "For a feast my dear lads! A Feast of the Fellowship. Dear Samwise told us all a lot about the party field on Bilbo's 111th birthday." Gimli shifted in his seat and his barley visible face, went from that of a happy and content dwarf, to something that looked surprisingly like that of a child telling a teacher an embarrassing secret, "And we know that the anniversary of the forming of the Fellowship is sometime off yet. But em.......We couldn't wait." Gimli again shifted in his chair while both Legolas and Aragorn along with Faramir tried as best as they could to stifle back their laughter.
Merry did nothing but chuckle and shake his head, "My friend. You need not be ashamed to be so eager to see us. For we would have done the-." Merry then suddenly remembered about Kim and how he had left her without even asking to be pardoned. He feared that she would think him rude and never speak to him again. He turned to Pippin, who seemed to know what his cousin was worrying about, "Do not fret your pretty little head Merry," Aragorn could hold his laughter back no longer and burst out laughing nearly in fits, Legolas and Gimli followed suit as well as Faramir, "I directed Kim to the library and I said that we would come and find her after we had talked a while with our friends. She understood perfectly." Pippin watched as a look of relief came over his older cousin's face. Merry rested in his chair, took out his pipe, filled it with pipe-weed and lit it.
Kim strolled through Brandyhall. She had already been to the library that Pippin had directed her to and she had got some books about the Brandybucks family history out to read in the Mid-summer sunshine. She had told the old hobbit that looked after the library to tell the young masters that she would be outside reading when they came to find her. She wanted to walk about a bit and explore Buckland while she had a chance, for she did not know when or whether she would be taken back to her own time any time soon.
She had spent so much of her life behind closed doors and windows doing nothing but reading and studying. Never did she go outside to play and do the things that kids her age did although her father did try and encourage her to go outside. But now she no longer wished to stay indoors. She wanted to be out in the sunshine while it still shone bright in the Shire. The place she had spent years dreaming about. She picked a spot underneath an old Oak tree that was in full view of one of the doors of Brandyhall. This was so that when Merry and Pippin came out to look for her, she would be easily spotted. She rested one of the books on her lap and began to read looking up now and then to take in the beauty of the Shire that surrounded her. At one point she must have dosed off because she was awoken by a soft voice that sounded sweet, warm and it tickled her ear.
She then heard voices trying to decide which way was best in hopes that she would wake. She heard Pippin's happy little twittering voice in the background, "I could tickle her. (AN: this line was inspired by something one of the dwarves said in my local panto that I was part of which was snow white and the seven dwarves)" She then heard a voice that had to be Gimli's because it sounded as deep as an echo in a mine, "Don't be silly Peregrin!" She tried not to laugh when she heard Pippin give a small moan of disappointment. She heard the soft voice chuckle.
The soft voice tickled in her ear again, but this time she could hear what it said, "I know you're awake. There's no point in trying to fool me Kimothy Bucklerose." She then knew that it was Merry. She giggled and opened her eyes to find Gimli, Pippin, Merry, Aragorn and Faramir looking down on her. She smiled at them all and yawned. "Please don't say that the mere sight of us bores you Kim." Said Pippin sarcastically as he smiled at her. Merry was a bit surprised, as he didn't think that Pippin was capable of sarcasm. He had always thought that as his job.
Kim laughed and sat up while trying to dislodge a piece of grass from her curly hair, which she was still not used to. Merry stood up from his kneeling position beside her and dusted off the knee's of his breeches. He then held out his hand to her, which she took gracefully, and he helped her up. Merry noticed how slender her fingers were and the softness of her skin. Again he realised that he was holding her hand and quickly let go of it after he had helped her up. He cleared his throat, "Kim, I'd like you to meet King Elessar. A former Ranger, member of the Fellowship and now the King of Gondor. Aragorn, I'd like you to meet Kimothy Bucklerose. Who is now some what widely known as Kim." Kim giggled under her breath at Merry. She then walked forward and curtsied nearly down to the ground in front of Aragorn.
"It is a pleasure and an honour to met you King Elessar." Aragorn bowed in front of this new hobbit-lass, "Please call me Aragorn as the others do. For only my servants call me by my title and only my friends call me Aragorn." He smiled at her. She bowed her head and seemed to blush. "Then it is a great honour to be called one of your friends Aragorn." Merry then turned her towards Gimli, "And this is Gimli son of Gloin. He is also of the Lonely Mountain." Kim's eyes widened. How could she have been so stupid as to have said she had come from the Lonely Mountain.
Gimli took her hand and brought her knuckles onto his forehead. He then gave her back her hand and smiled, "It very nice to meet you and I will inform you that any friend of Merry and Pippin's here, is a friend of mine." His smile widened until it nearly stretched his whole face. "That is wonderful to know master dwarf. Then it is true what my father has said." Gimli's face became scrunched up with questioning, "Oh? And what has he said?" Kim laughed slightly, "He said that dwarfs can be a kindly and loyal race. No matter what the elves say. No offence if you are friends with any elves." She smiled at Gimli and he smiled back. Accepting the compliment.
"And this strapping young man is My Lord Faramir the Prince of Ithilien." Chirped Pippin but he promptly starting giggling when he saw the look on Faramirs face. The young captain turned his attention to Kim and his took her hand and kissed it in a very gentlemanly way. Kim decided right there and then that he was indeed a person of great kindness and he seemed to have a gentle yet commanding presence about him. He was exactly like he was described in the books. "Wonderful to meet you Kimothy."
"And you Lord Faramir." Said Kim back and gave a small bow.
"We just came out here to tell you that we are going to Hobbiton for a large celebration in the party field and we all would love for you to come. It would be great! Give you a chance to get to know some people." Pippin gave her a look that made his eyes seem to plead for her to come. Kim looked down at her dress, then looked at the fine attire that they were wearing and then at her dress again. She hadn't had it on for that long and it already had dirty great marks all over it. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, "I would love to come, " Pippin seemed to beam with happiness, but that quickly disappeared when Kim spoke again "but look at me. I'm a mess. I'm not fit to go just to the Green Dragon let along a grand feast." She suddenly felt like Cinderella but then Aragorn stepped in, "There is no need to worry. I can have one of my Queen's Ladies in Waiting to make you a dress for the occasion. It can be made in one of the wagons they are travelling in on the way. They are leaving ahead of us so they can get things ready. I'm sure it will be finished by then."
Kim bowed her head in thanks, "That would be wonderful. Thank-you." Pippin began smiling like a Cheshire cat as Merry, Kim and himself started to walk towards one of the wagons Aragorn had told them to go to and have Kim's dress made. "I wonder if Ruth will accept my offer to go to the celebration with her? I do hope so." And without another word, Pippin just started walking away from Merry and Kim. They both laughed when it became clear to them the he was a love-struck hobbit and there was no point in talking to him as they wouldn't get an answer or even any sense out of him.
"Who's Ruth?" Kim asked as she watched Pippin move very quickly towards Brandyhall as if he was in an awful hurry. "Diamond Took of Long-Cleave but really ever since I can remember Pippin has called her Ruth or Ruthie. I have not a clue as to why but that is another mystery of Pippin which I will never be able to solve." Kim laughed softly. Merry seemed to know always how to make her laugh and smile. "Kim?" Merry sounded nervous and tense all of a sudden. "Yes?" "Would you em... I was wondering...I was thinking..well."
"Merry whatever it is just say it." Merry stopped and turned to face Kim, "Well I was wondering if you would like to go to the celebration with me. As....my.....date." He hung his head and turned a deep shade of red and he muttered, "That is if you aren't' going with anyone else that it." There was quiet then he heard the sound of Kim laughing, "The only hobbit lads I know are you and Pippin." She paused and started to turn red herself, "I would love to go with you Merry." Merry's head shot up and he smiled. He then offered her his arm, which she took straight away. He escorted her to the wagon were her dress was made ready for the grand occasion.
I just absolutely loved this chapter and I hope you like it to. Please review