Merry was visiting Sam and Rosie when the news came in; in the garden outside he was holding young Primrose while little Frodo chattered absent-mindedly to him, begging him to join in the game with his siblings. Elanor, a true lady, was watching from her seat bemusedly while keeping a close eye on the smaller children in case they fell and needed comfort; Rose and Goldilocks had at first attempted to copy her to appear mature, but then found the lure of fun too hard to resist. Pippin was with his and Merry's namesakes while they begged for tales of adventure and triumph, and occasionally he would look up at Sam and Merry so as to join in the conversation.

Everything was happy and peaceful - and for good reason too, for there was much to celebrate: while Pippin had managed a proposal of marriage to Diamond (a successful one at that), Merry and Estella were overjoyed to be expecting their first babe in the upcoming Spring.

"Daddy! Who is that coming up the path?"

Sam raised his head at Daisy's question and frowned when he didn't recognize the hobbit approaching the smial at a rather fast pace; he had tied a horse to a fence nearby and was rushing to meet them.

Merry, however, let out a small noise of recognition. "Ah! Not to worry, it's just someone from the hall; one of the servants. They're probably bringing a message - I'll go and see."

Ignoring the whine of protest that Primrose gave as he lifted her off his lap, Merry weaved his way through the large group of children, giving Pippin a nudge with his knee good-naturedly and grinning to himself; that smile soon faded, however, when he saw that the servant who had arrived was looking rather worn-out and grim.

"Master Merry!" He panted heavily, starting to pull him back down the path desperately. "You must return to Brandy Hall...it's the Mistress!"

All colour fled Merry's cheeks. "What? Estella? What's happened? Tell me!"

The shorter hobbit swallowed thickly, clearly about to say something unpleasant. "There's been an accident, sir; the Mistress and Lady Diamond of Long Cleeve were riding, and...and the ponies must have been spooked, for they reared and threw them off." He cast a look over Merry's shoulder at Pippin, who was watching with a puzzled look. "Lady Diamond is fine, thank goodness, but...well, I think it would be in you and your cousin's best interests to return as soon as possible."

There was absolutely no question for it, of course; after a panicked and subdued goodbye to Sam and Rosie - the children watching quietly - Merry and Pippin were gone.


The whole journey home had been quiet; Merry and Pippin had not spoken a word even to each other, their minds occupied with getting home to their lasses to make sure that they were safe and sound. Pippin, however, did wish that they would speak for he was filled with dread at the thought of something terrible happening to his betrothed; they were only young, he worried, and to lose her would possibly break him.

When he entered the hall, Pippin was relieved to see Diamond waiting for them; though she looked nervous and slightly worse for wear, there was no doubt that she was not suffering any long-term injuries - in fact, she was stood waiting for them to arrive, and the moment she saw Pippin she reached her arms out for him.

Relieved, Pippin had to slightly stoop as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're okay," He breathed heavily. "Lord, Di, I was so worried...but you're fine..."

"Yes," She agreed, and it was then that he realized she was close to tears. "Yes, I'm fine, but Estella...Oh God, Pippin...there was so much...it happened so quickly," She tried to explain, and he nodded in understanding. "One minute the ponies were as calm as anything, and the next they were throwing us off; we're so lucky that we weren't too far away, and that there were others keeping an eye on us from the hall."

Though extremely glad to learn that she was alright, he had to ask - for Merry's sake. "Diamond? Is Estella...well..."

Diamond looked away in an almost guilty way. "I believe so; it's just that...that we're not sure about the baby."

The baby. Pippin tried not to feel sick at the thought of the situation; if the baby was harmed or even lost (he shuddered at this) then this posed a risk for Estella too, and if Merry were to lose both in just one day...there was no telling what that kind of grief would do to a hobbit, even one as strong as Merry.

"This is all my fault," Diamond sniffed sadly, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. "It was my idea to go riding in the first place - if I hadn't suggested it, then Estella and the baby would both be safe."

"It's not your fault," Pippin tried to assure her softly, holding her tighter in his arms. "No one can be blamed; you didn't know that the horses would get spooked and do that, and neither did Estella. Please don't blame yourself." He took a deep breath. "All we can do is hope that they'll be okay."

Please let them be.


"Master Merry-"

"How is she?" He interrupted quickly, straightening up; he towered above the female hobbit who had exited the room, and yet he had never looked more like a tween then he did in that moment of vulnerability. "Is she...Is she..."

"She's alive," She told him slowly, trying to give him a small smile - but there was more to come, judging by the sad gleam in her eyes. "She's luckily not too injured...but the baby...I'm afraid that the babe is lost. I'm so sorry; we did all that we could, but it wasn't enough."


She was half-asleep when he entered; quietly, so as to not disturb her, he had shut the door and simply stood on the spot for a few moments while watching his wife as she focused her eyes on sky outside the window.

She was still his Estella; the same fair brown hair, the same pale skin with pink cheeks and dark blue eyes with long lashes. Even in that moment she was still the lass he knew and loved - even with the tear tracks streaking down her face, and the small scratches on her shoulders and neck from the fall, and in an odd way she was still the same beautiful wife he had left that morning with his cousin's fiancée.

But now there was no swell on her stomach - no kicking, living babe to mark the beginning of their family, no babe he would hold in his arms and call 'son' or 'daughter', or to go on to become the new Master of Buckland after him.

When her eyes flickered over to him, dull and somewhat emotionless, he did not attempt a smile or grin; instead he stepped forwards to sit on the bed beside her. She did not object when he linked their fingers together, nor did she squeeze back in any way.

For a moment they shared a small look; it was a look of heartbreak, pain, sorrow - it was more painful than being injured by the Witch King of Angmar, though in a different way, and there was nothing that could have possibly been said.

Finally, Estella looked away and let out a great shuddering breath. "I'm so sorry, Merry."

"It's not your fault," He told her softly and sincerely, voice threatening to crack. "It's not. It...It happens sometimes, and there is nothing to be done; I'm thankful that you are okay though."

"It's not okay, Merry!" She gritted out, snapping her head around to glare at him weakly. "I am not okay, and this whole situation isn't either! None of this is okay, and you know it! If only I hadn't been so stupid as to suggest going for a ride - not only did I put myself at risk, but Diamond too...and now the baby is gone."

Merry tried not to flinch at her tone, or her harsh words; he was in no way prepared to hear such things. "Stell, how were you to know that the ponies would rear? Besides, you took Snowfell - she is one of the calmest ponies in the stables by far...It is not your fault."

And he truly believed that it wasn't; not only because he trusted her and knew that these things happened, but also for his own personal reasons. He had told her them before, of course, but he decided that perhaps it would be best to just remind her so that she knew his words were true.

"My mother lost many babes before I was born," Merry told her quietly, giving her small hand a squeeze in his. "How she had the strength to carry on, I do not know, but what I do know is that such troubles made them so much more thankful for my health when I arrived, and that I was so much more dearer to them." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I love you, Estella, and this is in no way your fault - nor was it my mother's when she miscarried before me."

Estella finally gave a small squeeze back with her weak fingers. "So you are not disappointed in me?"

"Disappointed?" He repeated, surprised by such a description. "Disappointed only in the...the loss of our babe, Stell, but not in you; you're strong and I know that we will be able to get through this together, no matter how impossible it seems now. And - when the time is right - we will try again and everything will truly be alright again."

And she was there, wrapping her arms around him and crying steadily into his torso as she curled into him. "I love you, Merry, so much.."

"And I love you too," He repeated, voice finally cracking - and that was it. He, too, was starting to cry as he cradled her to him, burying himself into the softness of her curls and allowing the smell of home to envelop him comfortingly as his feelings finally poured out.

Though the journey ahead looked long and miserable, at least he had her to support him through it.


Over a year later in the Summer, Merry was about to lose his mind when the healer entered the hall to announce the news.

"Congratulations, Master Brandybuck! You have a son!"

Cheesey ending, but the idea will be expanded upon in due time. Just didn't want to end it on a totally depressing note.