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Chapter Eight
Ali woke up the next morning and turned over onto her side, finding that Pippin had already gotten up. She wondered why, considering that hobbits didn't like to get up before 9:30 at least. Ali sighed, got up and began getting dressed in her clothes that she wore yesterday. She would have to go out and scavenge some clothes from somewhere or somebody.
Ali went out the room and headed for the kitchen. She could guess that everybody would be there, knowing that they love their food. Just as Ali expected, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo were sitting around the kitchen table, eating their breakfast.
"And so she awakes," Sam said, smiling.
"Of course," Ali smiling, bowing slightly. "I couldn't let you three eat all the breakfast and not leave any for me.
"Oh, we wouldn't have done that, Ali," Pippin said.
Ali just grinned and sat down in the chair next to him. "I was just teasing, Pippin. What happened to your humor? Did the Orcs take it when they kidnapped you that one time?"
"Now that IS a serious topic we shouldn't be talking about," Pippin commented.
"Yeah, he's probably still shaking from seeing Treebeard," Frodo said. "Don't talk to it indeed."
"Well, I would be scared, too, if I suddenly saw a tree come to life when I thought it couldn't," Ali said.
"Well, somebody at least agrees with me," Pippin grinned and kissed Ali on the cheek.
Ali blushed slightly and everybody laughed at her. She'd never felt so happy in her life. But a shadow seemed to keep with her as she sat with the others eating breakfast. And it was because of Merry. She didn't know why he was acting all mad that she was here, and she wanted to know why.
"Where does Merry live?" Ali asked suddenly.
"He lives up there in Buckland. Why do you want to know that one, Ali?" Pippin asked.
Ali shrugged. "I just wanted to go up there and talk to him, is all."
"I don't think this is a very good time to be up there talking to Merry," Frodo said. "He's not very happy that you're here in Middle Earth and not where you're supposed to be."
"But why? He was so upset when I left for my own place. And now he's angry and not happy to see me again," Ali said. "I thought we were friends."
"I thought we were all friends, but he's just that way. You know how he is, Ali. Once he gets an idea into his head, he sticks with it," Pippin said.
"But the two of us should talk about it with each other. We're not going to get everything settled if we don't talk with each other," Ali protested.
"Hey, let's not think about it for the moment. You'll have plenty of time to talk with Merry. Let's think of other happy things," Sam said, changing the subject.
Frodo nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. What do you say, Ali?"
Ali sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I just don't like to see him upset, is all."
"None of us do, trust me, Ali," Pippin assured Ali.
Ali smiled sadly at Pippin. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. All of you are. But excuse me, I'm going to go take a walk outside."
She stood up and turned to go. Pippin stood and followed her out.
"Ali, can I take a walk with you?" Pippin asked, catching up with Ali.
"Sure, since you're already here and you'd probably come with me anyway whether I wanted you to or not," Ali answered, smiling slightly.
Pippin smiled in return. "I was hoping you were planning to walk all the way to Buckland."
Ali laughed and shook her head. "No, I wasn't. I don't even know how to get there."
"That's a good point."
"But I could still go around and ask for directions," Ali said, teasingly.
"You wouldn't dare, would you?" Pippin looked horrified.
"I was just teasing you, Pippin," Ali said, laughing.
Pippin breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good, or I'd would've gone to get Frodo and Sam to come help me find you."
"Maybe." Ali continued walking in silence, thinking. She wasn't much in the mood of talking. Pippin seemed to have sensed this and didn't comment any more on anything. After a few moments, Ali turned to Pippin.
"Pippin, how big is the Shire?"
"Well, you know what? I don't really know. It's pretty big in my reckoning. But it's really small compared to places like Gondor and Rohan," Pippin said.
Ali nodded. "It's small, but comfortable, isn't it?"
"That's how we hobbits like it, small and comfortable. I wouldn't want it to be huge and strange, full of strangers," Pippin exclaimed.
"Yeah, you've got a point there. My town's not huge, but it's not small either," Ali said.
"Yes, I've been there. I think a hobbit would live quite comfortably in your town. Your town doesn't have any adventures or do anything unexpected," Pippin commented.
"Now you're sounding like Frodo," Ali said, laughing.
"Just a little bit," Pippin winked. "He IS my cousin, after all?"
"Are you serious? You two are related?" Ali asked, surprised.
Pippin nodded. "Distantly, though. Twice removed on his mother's side."
"That's cool. That'll be cool that we'll be related when I marry you," Ali said, smiling.
"Speaking of marriages, when are we going to plan our marriage?" Pippin asked.
Ali shrugged. "I don't really know. I haven't really thought about it. I didn't even know we were getting married."
"Right." Pippin turned to Ali and kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Ali will you marry me?"
Ali stared down at Pippin. "You really want to marry me?"
Pippin nodded. "Yes, I do. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
Ali stood there in shocked for a few moments thoughtfully. Did she really want to marry Pippin and live with him for the rest of her life? She loved Pippin with all her might and couldn't imagine herself being with anybody else. But for some reason there was something inside her that kept telling her to wait for a while and see if she felt differently later. Not like she was going to change her mind, but she was only seventeen, after all. Maybe when she turned twenty.
"Could I think about it for a while?" Ali asked.
Pippin gave a small smile. "Of course. I didn't expect you to make a decision right here now. Tell me what your decision is when you reach it."
Ali nodded, relieve. "I'll do that, I promise."
Pippin nodded in satisfaction and stood up. The two of them took hold of each other's hands and started off on their walk again. So many decisions she had to make and so many things she had to get done. Ali didn't know how she was going to do all.
Plus, other than the problems here with Merry and the like, Ali couldn't help but think about her parents back home. Were they angry with her? Are they trying to find out where she is? Have they given up on searching for her?
Ali didn't know but she wasn't going to ruin her time with Pippin. This was HER moments, and not her parents. She would think of something to do with them later. Ali put her mind back into the present with Pippin.
Author's Note: Yes, a little short, but I had to write something. I hope you all like the story so far. I don't know about you, but I think this story's getting a slow start here, but maybe that's just me. Maybe it's because its me and it's taking me forever to write get it going. But I hope you all like it just the same and keep reading and I'll keep writing. Ok, I'll shut up now. And I know you all love that review button.
Chapter Eight
Ali woke up the next morning and turned over onto her side, finding that Pippin had already gotten up. She wondered why, considering that hobbits didn't like to get up before 9:30 at least. Ali sighed, got up and began getting dressed in her clothes that she wore yesterday. She would have to go out and scavenge some clothes from somewhere or somebody.
Ali went out the room and headed for the kitchen. She could guess that everybody would be there, knowing that they love their food. Just as Ali expected, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo were sitting around the kitchen table, eating their breakfast.
"And so she awakes," Sam said, smiling.
"Of course," Ali smiling, bowing slightly. "I couldn't let you three eat all the breakfast and not leave any for me.
"Oh, we wouldn't have done that, Ali," Pippin said.
Ali just grinned and sat down in the chair next to him. "I was just teasing, Pippin. What happened to your humor? Did the Orcs take it when they kidnapped you that one time?"
"Now that IS a serious topic we shouldn't be talking about," Pippin commented.
"Yeah, he's probably still shaking from seeing Treebeard," Frodo said. "Don't talk to it indeed."
"Well, I would be scared, too, if I suddenly saw a tree come to life when I thought it couldn't," Ali said.
"Well, somebody at least agrees with me," Pippin grinned and kissed Ali on the cheek.
Ali blushed slightly and everybody laughed at her. She'd never felt so happy in her life. But a shadow seemed to keep with her as she sat with the others eating breakfast. And it was because of Merry. She didn't know why he was acting all mad that she was here, and she wanted to know why.
"Where does Merry live?" Ali asked suddenly.
"He lives up there in Buckland. Why do you want to know that one, Ali?" Pippin asked.
Ali shrugged. "I just wanted to go up there and talk to him, is all."
"I don't think this is a very good time to be up there talking to Merry," Frodo said. "He's not very happy that you're here in Middle Earth and not where you're supposed to be."
"But why? He was so upset when I left for my own place. And now he's angry and not happy to see me again," Ali said. "I thought we were friends."
"I thought we were all friends, but he's just that way. You know how he is, Ali. Once he gets an idea into his head, he sticks with it," Pippin said.
"But the two of us should talk about it with each other. We're not going to get everything settled if we don't talk with each other," Ali protested.
"Hey, let's not think about it for the moment. You'll have plenty of time to talk with Merry. Let's think of other happy things," Sam said, changing the subject.
Frodo nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. What do you say, Ali?"
Ali sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I just don't like to see him upset, is all."
"None of us do, trust me, Ali," Pippin assured Ali.
Ali smiled sadly at Pippin. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. All of you are. But excuse me, I'm going to go take a walk outside."
She stood up and turned to go. Pippin stood and followed her out.
"Ali, can I take a walk with you?" Pippin asked, catching up with Ali.
"Sure, since you're already here and you'd probably come with me anyway whether I wanted you to or not," Ali answered, smiling slightly.
Pippin smiled in return. "I was hoping you were planning to walk all the way to Buckland."
Ali laughed and shook her head. "No, I wasn't. I don't even know how to get there."
"That's a good point."
"But I could still go around and ask for directions," Ali said, teasingly.
"You wouldn't dare, would you?" Pippin looked horrified.
"I was just teasing you, Pippin," Ali said, laughing.
Pippin breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good, or I'd would've gone to get Frodo and Sam to come help me find you."
"Maybe." Ali continued walking in silence, thinking. She wasn't much in the mood of talking. Pippin seemed to have sensed this and didn't comment any more on anything. After a few moments, Ali turned to Pippin.
"Pippin, how big is the Shire?"
"Well, you know what? I don't really know. It's pretty big in my reckoning. But it's really small compared to places like Gondor and Rohan," Pippin said.
Ali nodded. "It's small, but comfortable, isn't it?"
"That's how we hobbits like it, small and comfortable. I wouldn't want it to be huge and strange, full of strangers," Pippin exclaimed.
"Yeah, you've got a point there. My town's not huge, but it's not small either," Ali said.
"Yes, I've been there. I think a hobbit would live quite comfortably in your town. Your town doesn't have any adventures or do anything unexpected," Pippin commented.
"Now you're sounding like Frodo," Ali said, laughing.
"Just a little bit," Pippin winked. "He IS my cousin, after all?"
"Are you serious? You two are related?" Ali asked, surprised.
Pippin nodded. "Distantly, though. Twice removed on his mother's side."
"That's cool. That'll be cool that we'll be related when I marry you," Ali said, smiling.
"Speaking of marriages, when are we going to plan our marriage?" Pippin asked.
Ali shrugged. "I don't really know. I haven't really thought about it. I didn't even know we were getting married."
"Right." Pippin turned to Ali and kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Ali will you marry me?"
Ali stared down at Pippin. "You really want to marry me?"
Pippin nodded. "Yes, I do. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
Ali stood there in shocked for a few moments thoughtfully. Did she really want to marry Pippin and live with him for the rest of her life? She loved Pippin with all her might and couldn't imagine herself being with anybody else. But for some reason there was something inside her that kept telling her to wait for a while and see if she felt differently later. Not like she was going to change her mind, but she was only seventeen, after all. Maybe when she turned twenty.
"Could I think about it for a while?" Ali asked.
Pippin gave a small smile. "Of course. I didn't expect you to make a decision right here now. Tell me what your decision is when you reach it."
Ali nodded, relieve. "I'll do that, I promise."
Pippin nodded in satisfaction and stood up. The two of them took hold of each other's hands and started off on their walk again. So many decisions she had to make and so many things she had to get done. Ali didn't know how she was going to do all.
Plus, other than the problems here with Merry and the like, Ali couldn't help but think about her parents back home. Were they angry with her? Are they trying to find out where she is? Have they given up on searching for her?
Ali didn't know but she wasn't going to ruin her time with Pippin. This was HER moments, and not her parents. She would think of something to do with them later. Ali put her mind back into the present with Pippin.
Author's Note: Yes, a little short, but I had to write something. I hope you all like the story so far. I don't know about you, but I think this story's getting a slow start here, but maybe that's just me. Maybe it's because its me and it's taking me forever to write get it going. But I hope you all like it just the same and keep reading and I'll keep writing. Ok, I'll shut up now. And I know you all love that review button.