Chapter 5

To Be By His Side

The light of all the candles burned brightly in the large great hall of Tuckborough. All about the large gathering of Tooks, from first cousins, to very distant cousins and their guest, was loud laughter, cheers and celebrations. Servants catered in large trays of food and fine delicacies and wines and in the far background a few fiddlers played softly for the diners.

Their somber guest sat quietly taking in the Tooks' merriment and good cheer. Even with their bright smiles and laughter did little to change the mood of the young master of Buckland.

Merry's eyes wondered frequently over to his cousin, whose attention was solely upon the young and beautiful, Miss Diamond Took. He noticed the soft gentle touch that she caressed upon his cousin's arm, and her big blue eyes that never glanced anywhere but upon the one she endeared herself to. Her delicate laughter drew every eye upon the young couple that sounded like magical music that lightened every heart. Pippin was lost in it and falling deeper into her spell.

Husbands sat with their wives, and lads sat next to lasses, and to Merry's right was a shy lass that was one of Diamond's sisters. But for Merry, he barely noticed her at all and only thanked her for passing the mushrooms.

Pearl, Pippin's eldest sister and her husband sat on the other side of Merry and was talking and laughing about their children and there wonderful dreams coming true of another child that would be born sometime soon.

When the main course was presented to the guests, Paladin stood and clanged his glass to gain every ones attention and said, "If you please, I have a wonderful announcement to make to you all this evening."

Pippin who sat to his father's right snapped his head over quickly to his father. He knew the only announcement that he could possibly speak of was what he told his father earlier in the morning. Looking at his father with dread, panic and fear of what he was going to announce, he tried in vain to stop him. Pippin looked over at his cousin and his heart sunk to his toes.

"Today, my son has made me very proud by announcing his intention to wed Miss Diamond Took of Long Cleeve and they are planning their wedding upon the last day of harvest."

The crowd that was gathered around the table awed and clapped their hands, and Merry sat in complete shock staring at his cousin in disbelief. Pippin slowing turned his guilty eyes over towards Merry and for an instance he wished he could have disappeared. He looked at Merry with a pleading expression in the hopes that he could some how forgive him for not telling him first. He saw in his cousin's eyes a hurt that went really deep. It crushed Pippin to his heart.

Merry was so angry when they spoke in the stables and so against marriage, that he could not find the words to tell him. He had only just proposed to Diamond last evening when he asked her to be his wife. He tried many times to gently tell him, but Merry would not listen or even try to understand how he was feeling.

Pippin was not expecting to see Merry this day, and after his proposal to Daimond the night before, he was so happy and excited that he could not wait to tell his father. It was during first breakfast that Pippin could not hold his joyful news to himself. However, he did not expect his father to announce this so soon.

Merry lowered his eyes from his cousin's pleading stare and sat motionless in his chair. Pippin wanted to immediately go to him and explain, but he could not. When the meal ended and he saw his cousin rise from his seat, Pippin rushed to go to him. However, before he could leave the table, he and Diamond were surrounded by well wishers and hand shakers.

By the time, he got himself away from the crowd, Merry was gone. Looking around the corners of the great hall, Pippin could not find him.

xxx

Walking into the stables, Merry approached the stall where he placed Snowclad, but she was not where he had left her. Looking around, he caught the glimpse of a long white tail just on the other side of the farthest stall.

When Merry reached his pony, he stood staring at her in disbelief. She had her head resting upon Pippin's black stallion that he had gotten from Aragorn in Gondor. Merry shook his head and went over to her.

"Not you too, Snowclad!" he commented and took her bridle to moved her away from Pippin's pony.

When he tried to remove Snowclad from that stall she was in, she reared up in front of Merry and pranced back to the stallion. Merry's angry voice shouted out calling to her to obey him.

Merry did not notice that someone stood behind him and watched him trying to control his pony.

"Haven't you gentled her yet, Merry?" asked Pearl.

Merry snapped around to see Pippin's eldest sister directly behind him.

"No," he said shaking his head. "Nor would I. She has a spirit of her own that should never be broken and I would never take that away from her."

"But yet, Merry, you make her obey your will," Pearl commented.

"That is different, Pearl, Snowclad and I are friends, and she looks to me as her master," Merry spoke and then added. "She obeys because she knows I care for her."

"And Pippin cares deeply for Diamond and he also cares deeply for you," added Pearl trying to get Merry to understand.

"Well you could have fooled me on that one, Pearl!" snapped Merry angrily and he turned away from Pearl to pet his pony's long white mane.

"He wanted to tell you the second he saw you, but you would not listen to him, Merry. Your angry words stopped him." She paused a moment before she added. "Pippin did not know our Da was going to announce his engagement this early. I guess Da was just so joyful of this news."

Merry turned back to Pearl still feeling the pain that Pippin had abandoned him. "He is making the biggest mistake of his life, Pearl, and you know it as well as I do!"

"Sometimes Merry, being wild and free becomes lonely, empty and meaningless and sometimes it is your heart that needs to be full filled. When you are traveling back to Buckland and find yourself alone, it may give you something to think about."

From behind Pearl, Merry saw Pippin enter the stables and he immediately turned his back upon him and walked back to his pony. Merry could almost feel Pippin's deep sigh that seemed to come from the very root of his soul while he stood there just watching him.

Pearl turned and walked over to Pippin giving him a hug to encourage him and then left the stable.

For the longest time Pippin just stood in the stables waiting for Merry to tend his pony and watched him as he took her to her own stall and began to bush her.

When the silence became unbearable, Pippin was the first to speak.

"Merry, I know all the things we talked about that we would do together, we still can. I am always here for you, Merry, any time you need me and I always will be. I am sorry that I did not tell you sooner. I felt that I had more time in which to do so. I have failed you yet again," said Pippin while he lowered his eyes to the straw under his feet and waited for Merry to respond.

Thick tears filled Merry's eyes and the pain he felt thinking Pippin could so easily betray and abandon him for someone in a skirt came to the surface. While he gently stroked his pony with a brush and thinking about how his cousin felt, he knew in his heart that Pippin was just being Pippin and that he would never change. He seemed to stop in mid-motion and rested his head against her neck remembering the bond that they shared together that no one could possibly break it. Placing the brush back upon its hook in her stall, Merry turned around to face his cousin. Seeing Pippin standing before him with his eyes cast downward, he slowly approached him. Merry reached his arms out to Pippin and tightly hugged him and he took in a deep breath when he felt his cousin's arm go around him. "I'm sorry too, Pip. I was only thinking of my own self."

The two pulled away and looked at each other face to face. Merry broke out in a chuckle to lighten the tension they both were feeling and wiped his tears from his eyes, "I am happy for you, Pippin. I wish you all the very best. I truly mean that."

"Thank you, Merry. It is just what I needed to hear. You'll stand by my side at my wedding, won't you? I could not get married unless you do," stated Pippin.

"I'll be there for you, Pip. How could I not?" added Merry and hugged his cousin again and patted him firmly on his back.

"How about a good strong ale to toast the both of you!" added Merry.

"Oh, I was thinking more than just one ale would do," Pippin laughed. "Perhaps even three of four of them would be in order, after all one should celebrate such an occasion with his closest of dearest friend and family!"

The two turned both arm in arm and laughed while they headed back into the Great Smial.

xxx

The week at Tuckborough was just what he needed to think clearly again and to regain his strength and determination. It was time to go back to Brandy Hall and face whatever awaited him there. If his parents were so inclined that he should court Miss Broadbelt, then he would for just a time. But he knew in his heart that he would never marry her and soon turn the tables to his own end.

Merry kicked Snowclad sharply for a bolt of speed to race to the gates of Great Smial, showing off to the lads who were preparing their ponies for the race. They stood with their months wagging at the magnificence and speed of the white pony.

Snowclad reared at Merry's sharp halt and turned to waved to Pippin and Diamond who also stood to watch him. Pippin chuckled at Merry's prowess and put his arm around his intended and kissed her cheek and then raised his arm towards his cousin to wave him a fond farewell.

During his travel through the country side of the Shire and enjoying the quietness and beauty that surrounded him, Pearl's words came back to him and he cast them aside thinking that for him that he would never face loneliness, emptiness or meaningless of his life. He loved his freedom to come and go at his will and with Snowclad their adventures were only just beginning. Together with his pony that possibility was endless.

Merry sighed when he left the town of Stock and roamed the country side within its boarder knowing the bridge was just over the next few hills and he would enter into Buckland. His quietness of the rolling green hills soon exploded with loud thudding of many pony hooves while lads raced their ponies around him and disappeared over the next hill.

Merry sat and watched him shaking his head and knowing that even at their best they would never over take Snowclad.

"Let's show the lads just what they are in for!" said Merry and he kicked his pony soundly. With a great bolt of speed, Snowclad raced after them.

Cresting the hill and down again into its valley and then up another, Snowclad over took the lads and their ponies and Merry waves to them as he passed them. Marveling at his pony and her unique speed that she possessed, he waited until he was out of their site before he turned her to travel down a quieter dirt path.

He immediately noticed a thick black puff of smoke coming from in an old cottage that no one should have been occupying and then the smoke suddenly disappeared. This made Merry curious and he lead his pony over to it.

Climbing from his pony's back, he tied her to the closest tree. Thick patches of overgrowth covered the yard and made the entry to the cottage difficult to traverse.

The front door was partly opened and sat grounded in the dirt because of its broken hinges. Stones were missing here and there to the front wall of the small cottage and it looked beyond all hope of what could be repairable. Merry could not imagine who would try to make this old cottage their home, perhaps the poorest of a hobbit family and his heart fell for them in their endeavor.

Walking through the door, Merry's eyes immediately caught a view of a long filthy skirt of a female lying upon her back on the floor just inside the large hearth. Black soot spewed from the chimney and cascaded in a thick puff of smoke. The lass rolled and pulled herself from the hearth coughing and choking trying to catch her breath. She was covered from head to toe and looked to be a dark shadowy form.

Merry rushed to offer his assistance and help the poor lass.