The Dance part three

The band had begun to play and the music wafted softly through the sweet spring air. Springtime in the Shire was lovely, and in the gardens of Great Smials, it was even lovelier. Saro stood under an arbor of fragrant jasmine that the Tooks had collected from the forest and cultivated over generations until the vines produced plentiful and wonderfully scented little star-shaped blooms.

Sam stood at the end of the garden, awaiting the bride and groom. He had rehearsed the ceremony endlessly, Rosie had told her. She watched his face suddenly brighten, and turned to see the cause.

She saw first Merry, then Pippin barreling around a corner followed closely by her sweetheart. The three were shuffling about now, laughing and smiling at each other. They looked all of twelve years old. Then they saw her, and all three dropped their jaws. She lifted a finger to her own jaw and pretended to close her mouth with her finger. They got the message, and closed their mouths.

The groom and his two witnesses ceremoniously walked down the garden path until they stood before Sam. They turned and faced back down the path in the tradition of hobbit grooms and bowed a kind of hobbit salute to the bride.

With Diamond on her left, Estella on her right and Elanor walking ahead of her strewing fragrant flower petals, Saro made her progression down the garden path. Estella smiled up at her and whispered, "See how he is looking at you? I told you that you look wonderful."

When she arrived at the end of the garden path, she and Boromir stood side by side. He looked at her, and again, she thought he looked all of twelve years old. They knelt before Sam with hands laced together and exchanged vows and rings. Sam placed traditional flower-crowns on their heads and placed the traditional kiss on the cheek of bride and groom, then bade them rise. They kissed each other and the guests began to cheer.

The kiss was a long one. As it lingered, the guests began to cheer louder and louder until they finally parted, upon which the musicians struck up a lively tune. Now chairs were cleared away, Sam took his place with Rosie; Pippin joined the musicians, taking up his violin. He cleared his throat and swallowed. His mouth was so dry that there was a little clicking sound when he swallowed, so he quickly crossed the stage and took a pitcher, which had been put there for the musicians, poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. He rubbed resin on his bow and drew it across the violin softly, then nodded to himself. He took center stage, raised the violin and began to play the introduction to his song. The musicians accompanying him took up the tune as they had rehearsed it so many times.

Boromir and Saro stood amid a circle of hobbits, who stood patiently awaiting the dance, or, as they called it, The Dance. This was yet another hobbit tradition, and no wedding was complete without it. Boromir gathered Saro to him, kissed her lips once more, then the pair just seemed to melt into a slow, graceful dance. The hobbits all around them "ooo-ed" and "aaaw-ed," impressed with the talents of both bride and groom, and enchanted by the way the two had locked eyes. They looked almost as if the world had fallen away from them.

Then Pippin lowered his violin, and in his high, sweet voice, he began to sing, his brilliant eyes lit up and sparkled, and suddenly Diamond fell in love with him all over again as he sang. He was singing for the joining of these two, true, but when one watched and listened, one could tell he was singing about that and much, much more, and this is what he sang…

When years go by and we look back on memories

Of The Dance we shared beneath the stars above,

For a little while the entire world was bright,

For a little while we could have touched the sky,

And we never knew if things would turn out right,

We never knew what the next hour might show,

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way the story would turn out, the way it all would go,

Our lives were better left to sad or happy chance.

I could have missed the pain and tears,

But then I would have missed The Dance.

Looking back upon our story,

All the joy and all the glory,

If I had known, I may have changed it all,

If I had known, I may have refused the call,

If I had known the pains and fears,

If I had known the joys and tears,

Who can say how it may have gone,

Who can say what I might have done?

Years from now when we look behind,

What will we any of us find?

And we never know if things will turn out right,

We never know what the next hour might show,

And now I'm glad that we don't know

The way the story will turn out, the way it all will go,

Our lives are better left to sad or happy chance.

We could miss the pain and tears,

But then we will have missed The Dance.

When years go by and we look back on memories

Of The Dance we shared beneath the stars above,

For a little while the entire world was bright.

For a little while we could have touched the sky,

And now I'm glad I took every single chance,

And I could have missed the pain and tears,

But then I would have missed The Dance…

His sweet, high voice fell softly, and those who knew him well caught how there was a little hitch in his voice, not enough to spoil the performance, but enough to make the song all the more touching. There was not a dry eye in the garden. Pippin put down his violin and gave a bow, then rushed to the bride and groom. They both knelt and accepted his tight embrace and brief, grasping little peck on the cheek.

"Dear Pippin," Saro smiled through her tears, "Unless I'm mistaken, you wrote that for us, did you not?"

Pippin couldn't speak, so he nodded his head and wiped away his tears of joy. Boromir knew there was much he wanted to say but couldn't, and that Pippin knew that he knew this.

Both Saro's and Boromir's arms went around him and he got a kiss on each cheek at once. It made him start laughing in that way that only Pippin had.

"Happy, happy days to you both, my dears." he whispered in their ears. He skipped back up to the stage, once more took the violin, and began to play a raucous reel. Suddenly every hobbit in the garden began to dance about the bride and groom, a way of blessing the union from everyone there.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's note: Pippin's song is based on the Garth Brooks song "The Dance." I like to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to all my reviewers, both friends old and dear and those who are new.