IN PERFECT HARMONY

A/N - The Challenge for 33 was to write a story about a Coming-of-Age and the elements I had to include were a strange contraption, a lace-up bodice, and a pouch full of money.

Many thanks to Dreamflower for all of her ideas for this story and for her quick beta of this chapter, Marigold for her beta, and to SlightlyTookish for letting me borrow something from her AU that will appear later in the story.

CHAPTER ONE

1 Blotmath, S.R. 1426

Pippin was quite content.

Tonight had been the first time that he, Merry, and Estella had eaten dinner at Crickhollow in almost a week. Saradoc and Esmeralda had insisted that the three of them stay for dinner after helping to bring in and stack the last of the autumn harvest, something with which all able-bodied Brandybucks worked right along side the servants in order to bring in.

Of course, Esmeralda had made certain that her son, his wife, and her nephew brought back to Crickhollow a fair portion of the harvest. After all, no mother would want her son to starve.

As was their custom, Merry, Estella, and Pippin had all contributed to the evening’s meal. Estella had made Merry’s favourite succulent apple-glazed pork roast and some bubble-and-squeak. Merry had made his specialty, Buckland sage cheese and parsnips, as well as some stewed lettuce with some of the green Brandywine tomato chutney that they had brought from Brandy Hall on top. Pippin’s contributions had been mushrooms – not only fried mushrooms and onions, but also Bilbo’s stuffed mushrooms. There had been plenty of buttermilk bread left from the luncheon earlier in the day. And for pudding, a golden warden pear stewed in honey and spices for each of them and gooseberry custard.

Crickhollow was a wash of golden light from the hearth and sconces dancing around the room to the joyous music of the roar of the fire and the laughter of the hobbits as they relaxed after such a fine meal, safe and snug from the cold weather outside.

Yes, indeed, thought Pippin. Life is good.

The only thing that would have completed his happiness was if Diamond were here as well. But it would be another year and a half before Diamond would even be of age, and so Pippin would have to wait at least until then before he could bring Diamond back to Crickhollow as his wife. Then things would truly be perfect.

As Merry and Estella continued chatting, Pippin’s thoughts wandered to the Northfarthing, and to Diamond, trying to imagine what she was doing this night, wondering if she was missing him as much as he was missing her. And remembering the last time he had seen her beautifully bright, sprightly face, shining with a love for him as radiant as his own love for her. Well, whatever she is doing, Pippin thought, as he looked at the dancing lights, I hope that Diamond is as happy and content as I am at this moment.

Just then, there was a sharp knock at the door.

Merry and Pippin exchanged wondering glances. They usually did not receive visitors so late at night, now that Merry and Estella were married and Pippin was betrothed.

“You don’t suppose Sam and Rosie have arrived with the children already, do you?” asked Merry.

“I should not think so. They’re not due to arrive until luncheon tomorrow,” replied Estella.

Every year since the four Travellers had returned, Merry had dressed in his livery and blown the Horn of the Mark in Buckland at sundown on the second day of Blotmath to commemorate when he had sounded the horn to rally the Shire to fight the Ruffians in the Battle of Bywater. And every year, Sam and Pippin were right there at his side, Pippin in the livery of Gondor and Sam in the finery he had received in Minas Tirith. Afterward, there were bonfires and much feasting throughout Buckland.

It was a bittersweet moment for Sam, Merry, and Pippin. As much as they were thankful that the Ruffians had been routed and the Shire saved, they could not help but miss the fourth hobbit member of their fellowship, and wonder if he could hear Merry’s horn sound all the way across the Sea.

Sam and Rosie had always made the trip to Buckland to commemorate the occasion, and this year would be no different.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out!” said Pippin. He crossed the room in four long strides and opened the door. It was not Sam and Rosie.

“Mr Pippin! Thank the stars you are here! I was afeared you would be up at the Hall tonight. Oh, Mr Pippin, you must come quick, sir!” cried a middle-aged hobbit, tipping his cap to Pippin.

“Tarry?” Pippin asked in alarm, ushering the freezing cold hobbit inside. “What is it? Has something happened to Diamond?”

Tarry Saddler worked for Diamond’s father and was the swiftest messenger Bandigard North-Took had to send. If Diamond’s father had sent him to get Pippin this urgently, then something must be terribly wrong with Diamond.

“Aye, sir. I’m afraid it is Miss Diamond.” Tarry paused to blow on his hands to warm them up.

“I’ll go get you some tea,” Estella said, disappearing quickly into the kitchen. Merry came over and stood next to Pippin to lend support if needed, his arms crossed in front of him.

“Miss Diamond … she’s powerfully sick, Mr Pippin. She and Miss Gemma were riding their ponies across the moors and Miss Diamond’s pony stumbled over a rock and threw Miss Diamond,” Tarry began to explain.

Pippin gasped. His eyes widened and he leant an arm against Merry for support. “How bad is she? Did she break anything?” he asked urgently.

“Nay, sir. ‘Tweren’t the fall,” Tarry reassured him. “She just took a bad turn on her ankle is all, but she couldn’t get back up on the pony. And Miss Gemma, well she’s just too little to lift her older sister up. So Miss Diamond and Miss Gemma had to walk their ponies back.”

“I’m afraid I do not understand then, Tarry. Surely Mr Bandigard did not hasten you to get me for a sprained ankle, especially in this weather,” said Pippin, confused.

“I wish it were, sir. But you see, it started raining when Miss Diamond and Miss Gemma were still making their way across the moors. ’Twere a bitter rain that would drive the cold right through a body. Well, Miss Diamond, I’m afraid she caught a chill. Of course, Mistress Tulipa had Myrtle make up some willow-bark tea for her straightaway and sent me for the healer.”

“And?” Merry urged. By the tightening of Pippin’s grip on his shoulder, Merry could tell that Pippin was becoming more anxious by the moment. “What did the healer say?”

“She left some powders and instructions for Miss Diamond, but the chill set in her lungs, Mr Pippin.” Tarry paused a moment and gulped hard. “She’s done caught the Winter Sickness.”

All of the colour drained immediately from Pippin’s face as he fought to stay upright. His Diamond … his precious Diamond… He licked his lips and barely managed to whisper. “How bad is it?”

Instead of answering, Tarry looked nervously at the floor and fingered his cap nervously. “You’ll come straightaway, won’t you Mr Pippin?”

Pippin nodded numbly. “I shall leave directly.”

Estella came back in at that moment, carrying a tray with a cup of hot tea and a couple of roast pork sandwiches for Tarry.

“Much obliged, Mistress,” he said politely before gratefully grabbing the tea.

“Estella, Diamond’s caught the Winter Sickness and it’s very bad. Could you please pack some sandwiches for Pippin and me?” Merry asked.

Pippin regained himself and turned abruptly to Merry. “Oh, no, Merry! You cannot! Are you forgetting? Tomorrow is the second of Blotmath – you have to blow the Horn of the Mark!”

“And Sam is coming,” Estella reminded him.

Merry sighed. He had forgotten about that. And as much as he wanted to be there for Pippin, he had to blow his Horn of Rohan at the ceremony tomorrow at sundown. “Well, I can help you pack at least. Come on.”

Pippin nodded. “Thanks, Merry. I want to leave immediately.”

“You don’t mean to go all the way to Long Cleeve, do you, Pippin?” Estella asked, surprised. “It’s so cold out! And with your own history of getting ill …”

Merry glanced at Pippin. Estella did have a point. Pippin had been born early for a hobbit and as a result had been extremely tiny. Ever since Pippin was a mere faunt, he had had breathing troubles that would make him wheeze or give him a cough. Merry couldn’t count the number of times that he had been summoned to Whitwell or later, to the Great Smials because Pippin was fighting for his life. It seemed that every chill that Pippin had caught had gone straight to his lungs and turned into the Winter Sickness.

“I don’t care if I catch a chill or even the Winter Sickness itself, Estella! I have to be with Diamond! Besides, I’ll be fine,” Pippin reassured her with a smile. “You know I haven’t had a bout of Winter Sickness since we came back. Those Ent draughts healed my lungs. I’ll be fine.”

The very thought of Pippin catching the Winter Sickness again made Merry weak in the knees. He didn’t think he could bear sitting through that again, watching his dearest cousin fight for his life. Although Pippin was probably right about the Ent draughts, there was still a part of Merry that worried.

“Perhaps Estella’s right, Pip. Perhaps you should at least wait until morning, when you’re better rested and it’s not so cold out.”

“Merry! I’ll not rest a moment knowing that Diamond needs me!” Pippin exclaimed.

“No doubt that is true. However, I’m also sure that Tarry could use with a good night’s sleep after his long journey before going back to Long Cleeve with you,” Merry said.

Pippin looked from Merry to Tarry, who was sitting at the table draining the last of his tea from his cup and eating the last of the roast pork sandwiches. Merry did have a point.

“Besides, you will be able to make better time with Tarry’s pony well rested,” Merry added. “And this way, you won’t make Estella or me worry about you so quite so much.”

Pippin frowned. Why did it have to be so far to Long Cleeve? He wanted desperately to be by Diamond’s side. He needed to be there. But Merry did have a point. At last, Pippin sighed in defeat.

“Fine. We’ll leave at first light then,” Pippin said, turning toward his room to pack.

That night, sleep did not come to Pippin. As soon as dawn came, Merry saddled the ponies while Pippin and Tarry ate an early first breakfast.

Pippin gave Estella a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye and accepted the sack of provisions she had packed.

“Take care of yourself, Pip,” said Merry as he hugged his younger cousin. “And take care of that lass of yours.”

Pippin nodded and mounted his pony, Nibbles. “I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight with you, Merry, but I have to go.”

“I know you do, Pippin,” Merry said through misty grey eyes. “I’ll come as soon as I am able after the ceremony.”

“Give my apologies to Sam and Rosie.” With that, Pippin rode off to his Diamond, followed closely behind by Tarry.

IN PERFECT HARMONY

A/N - The Challenge for 33 was to write a story about a Coming-of-Age and the elements I had to include were a strange contraption, a lace-up bodice, and a pouch full of money.

Many thanks to Dreamflower for all of her ideas for this story as well as her quick beta of this chapter, Marigold for her beta read, and to SlightlyTookish for letting me borrow an element from her AU that will appear later in the story.

CHAPTER TWO

In the flashback sequence, Pippin is 13, Diamond is 8, Hale is 14, and Helinand is 12 (8, 5, 8 1/2, and 7 1/2 in Man years).

4 Blotmath, S.R. 1426

Pippin had been on many long journeys before, including in foreign lands where each step he took was fraught with a fear more powerful than any he had ever felt in the Shire. But never had he been filled with as much fear on a journey as he was now.

The Winter Sickness. The very name sent shivers down his spine, shivers totally unrelated to the bitter cold and swirling winds around him. He had told Estella that he didn’t care if he caught a chill or the Winter Sickness itself, he had to be with Diamond. It was the only truth that Pippin knew as he rushed mile after mile to be with her.

If anything happened to her …

No, Pippin could not bear to think of such things. He would not *allow* himself to. Diamond was a strong, sturdy lass. She did not have the same breathing troubles that Pippin had been plagued with most of his life. She would be fine. It was silly of him to fret so.

But, no, it was not silly of him. Bandigard North-Took had sent Tarry Saddler to Pippin. And Bandigard North-Took was not a hobbit known for overreacting. No, if Diamond’s father had sent his messenger with an urgent message to fetch Pippin in the middle of such bitter weather, then Diamond’s condition must be serious.

Poor Tarry … he must be chilled to the bone, being sent so far in weather such as this. As if to emphasise this point, the grey-haired messenger began coughing at that very moment.

Pippin sighed deeply with frustration. Why did Long Cleeve have to be so far away? Even riding his pony as swiftly as he had, it had been a three-day journey. Now that they were just a few hours away, Pippin was even more anxious to reach Diamond.

He clicked his tongue to his bay pony. “Come on, Nibbles. Please go faster. Fly like the wind.” The very image of his pony running so swiftly brought to mind a horse he dearly wished were able to carry him to his Diamond’s side right now. But Shadowfax had departed with Gandalf and was across the Sea.

Gandalf … Pippin missed him sorely. What would he think to see Pippin now, betrothed to be married and rushing to be at the side of his intended during a grave illness? Perhaps he would have been able to help make Diamond well. Or even better, the healing hands of the King, Aragorn. As it was, they would have to rely upon the abilities of Mistress Tulipa. She was an able healer, but still…

Pippin leant forward in his saddle to coax more speed out of Nibbles. Diamond simply had to get better. He had known her almost his entire life, from the time she was a baby, and she had steadily grown in importance to him until now … life would be unbearable without her.

As the miles passed and the wind blew steadily colder, Pippin’s thoughts were filled with memories of Diamond; there were so many of them, from the time Pippin was a young lad.

Of course, Diamond was just another baby at first, nothing of much interest to a young lad. When his family would visit the North-Tooks, Pippin had been far more interested in playing with Diamond’s older brothers, Halinard (who usually was called “Hale”), who was a year older than Pippin, and Helinand, who was a year younger than Pippin. But as he got older, Diamond began following her older brothers around and would join in their games. She wasn’t like most lasses, afraid to get her dress soiled or to climb a tree. Pippin could still recall the first time she had joined them. That was when he had first noticed that she was different from other lasses.

The Sun shone brightly as Diamond ran down the path that wound through one of the gardens at her home in North Cleeve. ”Where are you going?” the eight year-old lass shouted after her brothers and cousin.

“We’re going down to that old elm tree to show Pippin the new swing Father made for us!” fourteen year-old Hale shouted back.

At the mention of the swing, Diamond’s eyes lit up. “Wait for me! I’m coming, too!” she cried with glee. Her long dark brown curls bounced around her as she ran down the path as quickly as her little legs would carry her, so light on her feet that it seemed she was barely touching the ground.

“All right, you may come along, Diamond. But I don’t want to hear you complain about your legs getting tired or about how hot it is,” said Helinand, smiling at his little sister’s infectious excitement.

“I won’t,” she promised. Diamond skipped ahead of Helinand and Pippin and began to sing happily a made-up song in a sweet, clear voice that sounded to Pippin like tiny silver bells.

Pippin turned to Helinand and raised an eyebrow questioningly. He wanted to enjoy spending time with his distant lad cousins whom he rarely got to see.

“It will be all right, Pip. Diamond might be too little to climb the tree, but she’ll be happy just sitting below it on the swing watching us climb. You’ll see.”

Pippin sighed in resignation and continued down the path. “Come along, Dickon.” The black and white sheepdog, a birthday present from Cousin Bilbo a couple of years before who went wherever Pippin went, trotted happily by Pippin’s side, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

It’s not that Pippin objected to playing with lasses, after all, he had three sisters whom he played with all the time. But they were all older than him and knew how to climb trees or play grown-up lad and lass games like marbles, find-the-hobbit, and archery. Diamond wasn’t much older than a faunt, and most lasses, especially her age, would start to complain when their dresses got soiled or when it got too hot.

Ah, well. Helinand said it would be all right. From farther ahead, Pippin heard the unmistakable silvery laughter of the little lass and watched as she paused to stick some flowers in her hair. He chuckled quietly to himself, ready to give her a chance.

Much to Pippin’s surprise, Diamond did not complain that she was tired or about the heat the whole way down to the elm tree. Hale and Helinand were right – Uncle Bandigard had made them a very nice swing. The seat was made of oak so that it would be really strong and the ropes it hung from were extra thick so there would be no chance of it breaking while a little hobbit was swinging high up in the air from it.

All four of the children took turns on the swing, trying to see who could go the highest, Diamond laughing in a laugh that reminded Pippin of music. When it was Pippin’s turn on the swing, he found it a lot of fun to feel the wind on his face as he swung higher and higher into the air. But in the end, Hale went the highest, although they all had just as much fun.

Then it was time for the lads to do one of Pippin’s favourite activities – climbing a tree.

As the three lads began to climb the great tree, Diamond began to play with Dickon underneath its branches. When he was half-way up the tree, Pippin heard Diamond begin to sing again and paused to look at his little cousin and his dog. It was mesmerising. The way they moved back and forth in play, Diamond so light on her feet in her bright yellow dress and buttercups in her sunlit hair, and Dickon dashing in quick circles around her, it reminded Pippin of a sprightly dance. She looked more like a faerie than a little lass.

“Come on, Pip!” urged Hale from beneath him. Pippin shook his head to bring himself back to his senses and began to climb again. When all three lads were safely up in the branches of the tall tree, they began to discuss what to play first.

“Let’s play find-the-hobbit!” suggested Hale.

Helinand and Pippin grinned widely at him and nodded.

“Helinand, you’re the youngest, so you count first,” Hale said. Being the oldest, he usually took charge of their little group when they played, but not in a bossy sort of way.

“But I’ll always be the youngest! I always have to count first!” he cried from the branch he was standing on.

Pippin laughed at his poor cousin’s plight. With three older sisters of his own, he knew full well just how unfair it could be at times being the youngest. “That’s all right, Helinand. I’ll count first this time.”

Helinand flashed a wide, toothy smile at Pippin in appreciation – and then darted higher up the tree to hide.

It was worth it to have to count first in order to see Helinand so happy. Pippin turned toward the middle of the tree and leant his head on its trunk while he closed his eyes and counted, both arms wrapped carefully around the tree.

When he reached one hundred, he shouted, “Ready or not, here I come!” and began searching for them. First he looked below him to make sure Hale and Helinand had not tried to trick him by going to a lower branch, but they were not there. Nor had they cheated by climbing out of the tree. The only ones on the ground were Dickon and Diamond, still dancing about and singing merrily. So then Pippin lifted his head up and looked above him, squinting in the bright sunlight as he tried to look through the elm’s many branches.

At last he saw what he was looking for – a bare foot with dark brown curls on it poking out from a branch thick with green leaves just three feet above him. Pippin grinned quietly and reached up to the next branch with his right hand, planted his right foot against a knothole on the tree’s trunk and climbed higher as quietly as cat, careful not to disturb any of the branches or leaves.

“Got you!” he cried, tagging Hale’s foot with his hand.

Hale yelped in surprise. “Blast! I didn’t even hear you or see you coming, Pip!”

Pippin broke out in a great peal of laughter. “That’s what everybody always says!”

So it was Hale’s turn to hide his eyes and count next.

One of the things Pippin enjoyed about playing with Hale and Helinand was that they liked to climb trees almost as much as he did. While most hobbits did not like heights and so did not climb trees, climbing trees seemed to be practically in the Tooks’ blood. But back at the Great Smials, where Pippin’s family now lived, there weren’t many lad cousins near Pippin’s age to climb trees with. Of the Great Smials cousins, the one Pippin was closest to was Ferdibrand, and he was seven years older than Pippin and played more with the tweenagers than with Pippin now. His favourite cousin, Merry, was afraid of heights and never wanted to climb trees. Pippin usually either had to climb trees with his sisters, which wasn’t nearly as much fun, or climb by himself with Dickon running in circles beneath the tree, waiting for Pippin to return to his senses, come down from the tree, and start playing with him again. And while Pippin did enjoy climbing trees with Frodo when he came over from Bag End, Frodo was old, already thirty-five, and sometimes a lad wanted to climb trees and play lad-games with lads his own age.

Pippin was having a grand time playing in the tree with Hale and Helinand. They took turns hiding their eyes and counting, laughing and praising each other on their good hiding spaces. And when they tired of playing find-the-hobbit, they rested and chatted for a while about the goings on in Tookland and in North Cleeve.

They were careful to keep an eye on Diamond. When she and Dickon had got tired from their dancing, Diamond had gone back on the swing for a while, interrupting her singing once in a while to laugh in delight. But she had eventually tired of the swing and was now busying herself by gathering daisies and sticking them in Dickon’s fur. Pippin laughed at his poor dog, having to suffer such an indignity. But, just like Pippin, Dickon was laughing, too, as Diamond tucked a daisy behind his ear and continued to sing to him.

When they had caught up on what was happening in the rest of the Shire and were completely rested, Hale, Helinand, and Pippin began to swing upside down from the tree’s branches, seeing who could swing from the highest one.

Diamond came wandering back to the tree and looked up at her brothers and distant cousin. “Mum says that if you do that, all of your blood will rush to your head and you’ll get dizzy.” She looked up into Pippin’s Tookish green eyes and pondered. “If you get dizzy while hanging upside down from a tree, does the sky start tilting and spinning around like the ground does?”

She began spinning herself around and around like a top as quickly as she could until she fell to the ground to demonstrate what she meant. She fell right into a pile of leaves and looked up, a crooked smile on her face as she tried to make sense out of a world that wouldn’t stay still.

Her hair was covered with leaves from the pile she landed on and she had a little smudge of dirt on the tip of her pointy nose. She looked like a faerie from a woodland realm, all covered in green leaves and yellow flowers. Just like in some of the stories Pippin had read. Dickon came over and licked her face, making her close her eyes and giggle. By the time the impromptu face washing was over, the world had stopped moving beneath her.

Diamond stood up and tested her footing to make sure it was solid again. “Can I climb, too?”

Pippin looked up at Hale and Helinand doubtfully. It was one thing for their little sister to join them at the tree, where she had proven to be surprisingly good, but quite another for her to actually be able to climb the tree.

The two brothers exchanged glances and grinned down at their sister.

“Sure you can, Diamond!” said Hale. “Just be careful. We’ll come lower so we can help you.” They were quite a way up in the tree at the time, with Pippin a couple of feet below them.

“Has she ever climbed a tree before?” Pippin asked Hale.

“No, but it will be interesting to see if she can do it!” he grinned in reply.

“You stay right here,” Diamond told Dickon, pointing a finger of one hand at him and petting him with the other. Dickon sat and wagged his tail at her as if he understood.

Diamond looked at the tree appraisingly, trying to figure out the best way to climb up. Pippin silently climbed lower until he sat on one of the branches closest to the ground, just a little above her head. Diamond looked nervously up at him, her bright greenish-blue eyes wide. Now that she had decided to try to climb the tree, she wasn’t sure how to go about it.

“Hold onto that branch right there with your right hand,” he instructed her gently, turning himself to get a better look at the part of the trunk in front of Diamond, “and put your right foot on that bump.” Although he could have got out of the tree and helped her from the ground, he knew just how important it would be to her to feel that she had climbed the tree all by herself. Hale and Helinand stopped climbing down when they saw that Pippin was taking care of their sister, although they did not resume their play. They stayed where they were, ready to help if needed.

Diamond nodded slowly and then reached her hand up for the branch. When her right foot was on the bump, she looked up at Pippin again. He rewarded her with a warm smile.

“Good! All right, now, put your left hand in that small knothole and pull yourself up until you can get your left foot on top of that bump over there.” Pippin could feel his heart beating as he concentrated on trying to give her the proper directions while reassuring her at the same time. He’d never tried to help a lass up a tree before, let alone one who was looking at him with such trust.

When her hand was on the knothole, Diamond pulled herself up as Pippin had instructed and held onto the tree. She looked up at him again for what to do next.

“That’s excellent, Diamond,” Pippin grinned. “Now you just keep doing that, putting your hands and feet wherever you can gain purchase, your right hand and foot next. There’s another knothole over there,” he said, pointing.

Diamond gave a half-smile as an answer and looked back at the tree, reaching up to the knothole with her right hand. Pippin didn’t tell her where to put her right foot; he let her find a spot that seemed comfortable to her. Holding on tightly with her hands and left foot, she pulled herself up until the toes of her right foot were digging into another knothole.

“That’s very good. Now keep coming,” said Pippin, reaching down with his right arm. “My hand is right here.”

Diamond continued to do as Pippin had instructed. It wasn’t as difficult as she had imagined, but it did require some concentration. And it was a bit scary not being on the ground anymore or having anything solid underneath any of her but her toes. But before she knew it, she was up to Pippin and reaching for his hand.

Pippin grabbed hold of Diamond’s hand gently but firmly and pulled her up to the branch where he was seated.

“You did it!” he exclaimed, hugging her quickly with pride and reassurance. “You’ve climbed your first tree! Well done!”

Diamond held onto the tree trunk with one hand and hugged Pippin back with her other arm. When they released each other, the two cousins were grinning widely at each other. Diamond was beaming with pride, her cheeks rosy red from the effort as well as a little embarrassment at getting such high praise from her cousin.

From up above, Hale and Helinand whooped and cheered enthusiastically, offering congratulations of their own.

“Now we can all play in the tree!” exclaimed Helinand.

“Wait until Mother and Father hear about this!” cheered Hale.

“I’m not sure if Aunt Holly will like it, but Uncle Bandigard will be thrilled!” beamed Pippin.

Diamond turned pink right to the tip of her pointed little nose. Then she looked down. The ground was so far away! And poor Dickon, left all alone down there, looked so little! It made her a little dizzy just thinking about how high up she was, but dizzy with excitement, not fear.

She wanted to climb higher.

Pippin showed Diamond how to grab branches and pointed out some of the best spots for putting hands and toes in order to climb higher.

The four cousins played in the tree until it was time for elevenses.

Pippin smiled at the memory and sighed. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked around him at the dark moors of the North Farthing.

How he wished he could climb a tree with Diamond again right now. It was one of the things they still enjoyed doing together even after all these years, much to Merry’s puzzlement.

The smile faded on Pippin’s face as he thought of Diamond, sick in bed with the Winter Sickness. He desperately hoped that she was nowhere near as badly ill with it as he used to get before the Ent draughts. Pippin’s chest ached, like there was a gaping hole in it threatening to steal his Diamond away from him.

Just when the ache was becoming too much for Pippin to bear, a familiar and most welcome smial came into view. Pippin and Tarry continued on in silence.

At last, they came to the front door of the smial, where Bandigard and Hale stood grimly waiting for them. Pippin dismounted and handed the reins to the stablehand.

Pippin embraced Diamond’s father and then her brother quietly.

“I’m glad you’ve come, son,” said Bandigard. “Diamond’s been waiting for you.”

To be continued

CHAPTER 3 - ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

Challenge 34 - Write about someone taken unawares by something or someone and a beloved doll, an eagle, and a dance.

In the flashback at the Great Smials, Pippin is 22 years old and Diamond is 17 years old (14 and 11 in Man years). In the flashback at the Greenfields, Pippin is 28 years old and Diamond is 23 years old (18 and 14 ½ in Man years).

Thanks to Dreamflower for betaing this chapter (including smacking me over the head with the book to remind me that something was movie!verse rather than canon) and finally getting it through my thick head that one of my sentences meant the opposite of what I had intended, Marigold for her beta on this chapter, and to SlightlyTookish for letting me borrow an element from her universe that will appear in a subsequent chapter.

Pippin followed Bandigard into the sitting room of the warm smial, where he gave Diamond’s mother a quiet embrace, not missing the worried expression in her blue eyes.

“How is she, Holly? May I see her now?” Pippin asked in a trembling voice, biting his lip while he looked toward the door to Diamond’s room.

“Pippin! Thank goodness you are here! Please, take your cloak off and come warm yourself before you catch the Winter Sickness, too,” Holly said as she reached out her hand for Pippin’s snow-covered Elven cloak. She handed it to their maidservant, Myrtle, and then steered Pippin toward the hearth.

Pippin automatically held his hands up before the roaring fire, barely noticing the warmth as it returned to his hands and face. Despite no longer being in the brutal cold outside, a shiver ran down Pippin’s spine as the oppressively still atmosphere he knew only too well as belonging to a place where someone is seriously ill wrapped itself around him. The usually cheerful smial was oddly silent when Diamond’s younger sister, Gemma, who was normally a chatterbox, entered the room.

Before Gemma could shut the door, Pippin heard a rasping cough so horrible that he winced as the aching sound of Diamond’s cough pierced his heart.

“Hello, Pippin.” Gemma’s voice was subdued as she greeted him, her blue eyes flat, as she sat in a chair beside her mother. She looked tired and careworn, much older than her twenty-five years.

“Gemma. How is she?” Pippin asked, searching her eyes for the answer.

“Not very good, I’m afraid. We thought it was only a cold at first. We both had the sniffles and a cough after getting caught out on the moors in the rain for such a long time. Mother sent for Mistress Tulipa straight away, of course, and she gave us some powders and tonics. I was better after a few days, but Diamond … Diamond’s cough got worse, not better, and she began to complain of a powerful ache in her chest. ”

Pippin closed his eyes against her words. “She’s not wheezing … is she?” He dreaded the answer. He’d had the Winter Sickness enough times when he was little that he was quite familiar with all of its symptoms… the cough, the horrible wheezing with each painful breath … He vividly remembered shaking with the chills, even as his chest was wracked with pain as he tried to breathe. The healer had even said it was a miracle that he had survived on two occasions. If anything like that happened to Diamond… it was impossible to imagine life without her.

“Aye, she wheezes, though not all the time,” Helinand confirmed, having just come in from helping to put up the ponies. “Hullo, Pip.”

“And her fever is not as high as it was yesterday,” added Holly. The hope in her voice sounded forced to Pippin.

Pippin’s head turned up sharply in alarm at her words, his voice was weak and pained. “Her fever was very high?”

Bandigard nodded slowly. “She never complained, though, other than when Mistress Tulipa asked her what was paining her. She just kept asking for you whenever she had a spare breath. That’s when I sent Tarry to fetch you.”

Pippin licked his lips nervously. “May I see her now?”

Bandigard opened the door to his daughter’s room and reached up with his arm to put it around Pippin as he led him into the dimly lit, stale room. Pippin stood frozen in the doorway and gasped.

On a bed, propped up on a high mound of pillows lay Diamond. So worried had he been about Diamond having the Winter Sickness that Pippin had completely forgotten about her sprained ankle, which was propped up on another pillow. He only spared a moment to look at her carefully wrapped ankle, though, as all of his attention was focused on how the Sickness was taking its toll on his future bride.

His lovely Diamond was pale with faint purple shadows under her eyes. He could barely see any of the light of her spirit that always seemed to shine around her. And he could sense none of the lyrical sprightliness and curiosity about the world that he had fallen in love with. Only a worn, tired body helpless against such a devastating illness.

As she leant forward in a horrible coughing fit, Pippin saw that Diamond’s beautiful hair was all in a tangle and flattened in the back from many days spent in her sickbed. He watched in horror as she kept coughing and coughing, the pain of it echoing inside him as he felt the sharp tug at his chest of each cough.

When she finally stopped coughing, she wiped her mouth with a blue handkerchief and slumped back onto the mound of pillows, trying to catch her breath. After a couple of minutes, she turned her head toward the door to see who had entered the room during her coughing spell.

“Pippin!” she gasped breathlessly in a faint voice. Despite the excruciatingly sharp pain in her side that it caused, Diamond took a deep breath of relief and exhaled with a smile. It was the first deep breath she had managed to take in many days and it had been worth the price.

Diamond held her arms out to Pippin in invitation. He glanced briefly at Bandigard, still standing just within the room. When Bandigard inclined his head slightly in assent, Pippin was across the room in an instant. Once seated on the edge of her bed, he took her gently in his arms and looked down at her thoughtfully. Pippin moved one of his hands so that it held the side of her face, and then closed his eyes and pressed his lips delicately to her forehead, giving her a kiss filled with all of his love. As he had hoped, he felt a surge of golden energy pass through his lips and into Diamond.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” Bandigard said, clearing his throat. He took one look at the first ray of sunshine he had seen on his daughter’s face since she became ill and felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a satisfied smile. Now that Pippin was here, Diamond had a much better chance of surviving. He closed the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar for propriety’s sake, and went back out into the sitting room.

Relief swept through Pippin as he held Diamond in his arms. As much as he hated to admit it, Pippin knew that deep down he had been worried that he would arrive too late and Diamond would already be … but he would not think such a dreadful thought now. Diamond was terribly ill, but she was alive and he was holding her, feeling the unnatural warmth of the fever that still plagued her.
She had grown thinner since he last had held her, no doubt caused by the Sickness. Pippin could clearly recall how little he would eat no matter how much his mother or Merry pleaded with him when he had the Sickness. And Pippin could tell that Diamond was weaker; despite embracing him with all of her strength, Pippin knew he could easily break her physical hold on him with the slightest of efforts. But her hold over his heart, that would never be broken.

Pippin reached for the cup of lukewarm tea on the nightstand beside Diamond’s bed and held it to her lips so she could drink some. He’d wager anything that the tea Mistress Tulipa had given her was dandelion.

“Lay back against the pillows, dearest. You must rest if you are to grow strong again,” Pippin urged her tenderly. He brushed the side of her face lightly with his fingers and then guided her shoulders gently back against the pillows. “You have given me such an awful fright, let me just look at you for a while.”

Diamond smiled at him and did her best to look better than she felt. She did not like seeing the worried crease between Pippin’s eyebrows, nor the way his lips were pressed into a thin line as he tried to assess her health, or rather lack of it. And his eyes were filled with a pain that clearly said she had not fooled him for a minute. He knew exactly how miserable she was.

Of course, Diamond had always had a face that made it easy to read precisely how she felt. When she was happy or excited, as when Pippin proposed to her, her eyes were a bright, vivid green that melted into the prettiest shade of blue Pippin had ever seen. When Diamond was calm and content, her eyes were a serene blue-green that always reminded Pippin of how tranquil the Sea looked the time Faramir took him there the last time he served Aragorn down South. But when she was angry, her eyes turned a tempestuous green that reminded Pippin of a violent storm. Fortunately, he had only seen her eyes look like that once in his lifetime. Pippin knew all of the various shades of Diamond’s Tookish-Baggins eyes. But never had he ever seen her eyes look as they did now.

Diamond had once told him that her eyes turned blue when she was ill or extremely tired, but he had never seen it for himself. It had been so long ago that she had told him, in fact, that he had quite forgotten about it and so was taken completely by surprise when he saw her pale blue eyes that held not the slightest trace of Took in them. In fact – and this was horribly frightening - they were exactly the same tired, faded blue that Frodo’s had been after the Quest when he was having his anniversary illness at Weathertop.

“I’m so glad you came, Pippin, dearest,” Diamond sighed with a slight cough. “Seeing your face again is better than any powder or tonic Mistress Tulipa could ever give me.”

“How could I stay away once I knew you were so ill?” Pippin asked, brushing Diamond’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Besides, Bandigard North-Took is not someone to be taken lightly, and I would prefer to stay in his good graces since I intend to marry his daughter,” he added lightly with a slight chuckle.

“It won’t be easy. You shall have to work very hard over the next year and a half to stay in his good graces then,” Diamond replied teasingly.

“Hmmm… being good has never been easy for me, but I shall do it if I must,” Pippin sighed dramatically. “Even though a year and a half is a very long time.” Although Pippin grinned at her to try and keep her spirits up, on the inside he was frowning. Seeing Diamond so dangerously ill had made him realise just how much he wanted to marry her and make her his right now. He did not want to have to wait a year and a half until she came of age. “Rest, Diamond. Rest so you can grow strong again and come back to me.”

Diamond nodded in reply as she tried hard to steady her breath.

Pippin continued to brush his hand soothingly against Diamond’s warm cheek until her eyes slipped closed and her laboured breathing grew softer, more rhythmic as she began drifting off to sleep.

“Stay with me,” Diamond uttered in a voice heavy with sleep.

“Always,” Pippin purred softly into her ear with velvety softness. “My heart and my love shall never leave you, though my body may be called to Gondor in service of the King. And even then, you shall accompany me to Gondor if you’d like so we will not be parted. But if I must leave you here in the Shire while I go serve the King, I shall always come home to you, my dearest.” He gently stroked the dark brown ringlets that framed her face. “However, I am going to stay right here by your side until you are all better and have regained your strength. Now sleep and dream of the wonderful life we will have together.”

Pippin began to softly sing “A Hush Upon the Moors” to help lull her to sleep. It was a favourite lullaby in the Northfarthing that Diamond had taught him years ago. Diamond smiled a sleepy smile and then drifted off into slumber, her thoughts filled with Pippin and the life together that awaited them.

Once Diamond was asleep, Pippin edged off the bed and sat in a chair next to Diamond’s bedside. It was a hard, wooden chair that was uncomfortable after so many days of riding a pony in icy cold winds, but he ignored the ache in his back and his leg as he watched Diamond sleep. Now that she was asleep, he listened to the steady rumble of her breathing as her body struggled to rid itself of the fluids that had built up in her lungs.

Diamond looked so peaceful and vulnerable in her sleep, like a small child. And even though he’d heard it said that Diamond was rather plain, to Pippin, she was the most incredibly beautiful creature he had ever seen. There was something magical and otherworldly about her; she had the charm and the silvery laugh of the faerie blood carried on a soothing breeze that made him smile every time he was in her presence. Even now when she was fraught with illness, Pippin still felt happier and more complete in her presence. He could see past her sickbed and feel Diamond’s magic pulling at his heart and mingling with his as they gambolled together in a world without sickness, where every day was a day for exploring the trees and the rivers and the grass which tickled the bottoms of their feet as they laughed and danced and made clear, sweet music together. Diamond’s magic was not the sort of magic Gandalf had; it was better.

There was a slight knock at the door. Pippin shook himself out of his fanciful thoughts and answered.

“Come in.”

Diamond’s mother pushed the door open the rest of the way with her foot and entered, carrying a large tray that she placed on the chest of drawers. “I thought perhaps now that you had seen her, you would be ready for some nice hot soup and sandwiches and some tea.” She poured a cup of tea and handed it to Pippin.

“Thank you, Holly. Something hot would be most welcome.” Pippin agreed, sipping at his tea and eating while Holly went over to look at her daughter.

“She’s sleeping peacefully now,” Holly noted with satisfaction, tucking the covers more firmly around Diamond’s shoulders before sitting in a chair on the other side of Diamond’s bed.

Pippin nodded, his mouth full of a bite from the sandwich, and gazed around Diamond’s room as he continued to eat. It was an ordinary room, much like his sisters’ rooms in the Great Smials. The walls were painted a cheery yellow and the windows and door were trimmed in white. There was a small writing desk in one corner of the room, and on it were a flute, a tambourine, and a bullroarer*. It looked like the chair Pippin was sitting in belonged in front of the writing desk. Above the desk was a shelf with some of Diamond’s treasures, including, as Pippin noted with a small grin, a small stuffed sheep with bluish-green eyes that could only have been made by his mother.** Against the desk, Diamond’s bow and quiver of arrows were propped, as well as her golf club. Pippin continued looking around the room and was surprised to see an old rag doll that had obviously been well loved sitting on top of the chest of drawers.

“I never thought of Diamond as the sort to play with dolls,” he commented, gesturing toward the chest of drawers. “In all those years growing up, I never once saw Diamond with a doll. She was always out and about playing in a garden or by a stream or climbing a tree, not playing with dolls.”

Holly knit her brows together in puzzlement and then looked in the direction Pippin had indicated.

“Ah!” Holly’s blue eyes lit up as she laughed quietly, so as not to disturb Diamond. “That was my doll when I was a little lass! She was given to me by my father, Dudo Baggins, when we went to the fair at Michel Delving one year. I loved that doll and used to carry her all around. I gave Sweet Pea - that’s what I named the doll - to Diamond for her fifth birthday, but she would not play with her. As you said, Diamond much preferred playing outdoors, even when the other lasses were playing with their dolls. But she kept Sweet Pea on her chest of drawers so she could look at her fondly. She said she fancied she’d give Sweet Pea to her own daughter one day.”

Pippin’s cheeks reddened a little at that comment, but he was fascinated by the story. Even though Diamond did not play with dolls, she still knew a treasure when she saw one.

They talked a little more while Pippin ate, but always their thoughts were of Diamond.

“I have never seen Diamond ill before, though she has seen me when I was ill once, at Overlithe,” Pippin commented.

“I remember. That was the year there was an outbreak of Spotted Fever at the Great Smials.”

Pippin nodded. “I must have been about twenty-two at the time. It was very lonely, since so many were ill. About the only ones I got to see were Mother and our healer. I did not even get to see Merry; Father had sent a Quick-Post messenger to Buckland to tell Uncle Saradoc and Aunt Esme not to come for the holiday, since Merry had never had Spotted Fever and all of the Great Smials was under quarantine.”

It had been a terrible outbreak of Spotted Fever and everyone who had been at the Great Smials when the first case was discovered was quarantined and forced to stay there since they had been exposed to it and the last thing anybody needed was for there to be another outbreak somewhere else in the Shire. While Bandigard and Holly North-Took along with their four children had already arrived for the Overlithe celebrations, Saradoc Brandybuck had fortunately been detained on some business at Brandy Hall.

“Frodo did not come either as I recall,” added Holly. “I was quite disappointed, although it was for the best, of course.”

“Yes. Frodo had never had Spotted Fever either, growing up in Buckland as he did,” replied Pippin. “I was ever so grateful for Diamond’s company.”

A look of confusion crossed Holly’s face.

“But how could you have seen Diamond then? She had not caught the Spotted Fever and was kept away from those with it while we were there.”

A sudden thought struck Pippin and he reddened. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to tell you. You see, although my parents and the healer had kept everyone else from entering my room to see me, including Diamond, she found a way around it. She would sit outside the window of my bedchamber, which was kept open to help purify the air, and she kept me company from there. That way, she was not exposed to the contagion, but we could still talk.”

“I see,” said Holly, her mouth pressed into a thin line for a moment before smiling once again. “Well, I suppose no harm came from it, and I’m glad she was able to relieve you of some of the boredom of being confined to a sickbed.”

Pippin reflected back upon that time, easily recalling how miserably bored he had been until Diamond surprised him by showing up outside his window. They had talked about so many things, about how they wanted to go on adventures, just like some of their ancestors had done, and how much they both enjoyed exploring outdoors and climbing trees. Diamond had made fun of his spots, standing on her tiptoes with her fingertips on the windowsill trying to count them all, which had made Pippin laugh as he cracked one joke after another in an effort to make her lose count (she did). They had compared musical instruments, too, seeing who knew how to play more of them (Pippin did, though Diamond had said that was not fair since he was five years older) and singing all of their favourite songs while Diamond danced outside Pippin’s window. Pippin had taught Diamond a few songs from Tookland and Diamond had taught Pippin a few songs from the Northfarthing. And they discussed their plans for the future.

”Do you want to be the Thain and the Took?” Diamond had asked Pippin.

He shrugged his shoulders, although she could not see that. “Nobody’s ever asked me that before. It’s not as though I have a choice in the matter.”

“Mayhap you don’t have a choice, but you might have your preferences,” she commented.

The question caught Pippin by surprise, and so he had to think about it a moment. He had not even discussed how he felt about becoming the Thain and Took with Frodo. Other than his father, he had only discussed it with Merry, as they were in much the same position, since Merry would one day become the Master of Buckland. And so he was amazed when he heard himself begin to explain.

“Well, I can’t say that I really know what all of being the Thain and the Took entails, but from what Father tells me of it, it does not seem as bad as we had thought, although we still miss living on the farm in Whitwell,” Pippin sighed. “But I think I would feel the same way Father does, I’m happy to help the other Tooks and hobbits out as long as nobody starts treating me differently. I don’t want any special privileges; I just hope everyone will start seeing that I can do more than just play games and sing songs. ‘Fool of a Took’ – that’s what Gandalf, the Wizard, calls me. I want to earn their respect.”

“Oh. That’s important. But I have never seen you as a fool. You like to laugh and find the fun in life, just like I do, but you have got your more serious side, too, Peregrin Took,” Diamond said. They were silent for a few moments while Diamond thought about what Pippin had said. “I won’t treat you any differently, Pippin. You’ll always just be Pippin to me.”

“Thanks.” Pippin grinned sheepishly. It was so easy to talk with Diamond, even though she was only seventeen years old. Perhaps it was because she was so much like him, though she usually was more constant than he was and did not make herself appear a fool.

Holly could see that Pippin was deep in thought, and so she took the empty tray and left the room quietly, leaving the door open behind her.

Diamond’s condition changed little over the next few days. She would wake, coughing and struggling to breathe, and once the coughing fit was over and she had regained her breath, then she and Pippin would hold hands and talk together. Mistress Tulipa came every day to check on her and leave more tonics and powders.

Sometimes, Bandigard, Holly, or one of Diamond’s siblings would force Pippin to go lie down and get some sleep in the guest room he was staying in while they watched over Diamond. Pippin hoped that Merry would arrive soon. Of course, with Sam and Rosie coming for a visit for the anniversary of the Battle of Bywater, Merry would not have been able to leave immediately after the ceremony, but surely he would arrive soon.

After several days, Diamond’s fever finally broke and she was able to rest a little more comfortably, although the pains in her chest and side were worse than ever. She turned restlessly and coughed often, even in her sleep. Her breathing was still laboured and Pippin could still hear her wheezing.

Pippin did not leave her room often, and sometimes even took his meals in there. But he stopped taking his meals in Diamond’s room rather abruptly, after an accident. One day, when Pippin had finished eating the beef stew and rosemary bread that Gemma had brought to him, he rose to put the tray on the desk to get it out of his way. Unfortunately, he knocked into the golf club, which fell painfully right on top of his foot. Somehow, he managed to save the empty tray and put it on top of the desk. Hopping up and down while holding his injured foot, Pippin swore quietly under his breath so he would not wake Diamond, who miraculously was still sleeping.

Stupid golf club.

Why did the Bullroarer have to go and invent such an idiotic game with such heavy clubs that could land on an unsuspecting hobbit’s foot? Pippin was very glad that he had never taken up the sport, which was much more popular here in the Northfarthing than it was in Tookland.

He looked at Diamond again and smiled. Leave it to Diamond to grow up playing golf and learning archery rather than playing with dolls. And she was quite good at both sports, although he was better at archery, as he proudly pointed out to her whenever they took out their bows and arrows for a contest. But in golf, she was much better.

Pippin justified this in his own mind by thinking that it was only natural for Diamond to be better at golf. After all, the game of golf was invented by the Bullroarer himself, and so naturally all North-Tooks learnt how to play the game. There was even a golf tournament held each year at the annual celebration held in honour of the Bullroarer and the defeat of the Goblins at the Battle of the Greenfields in Shire Reckoning 1147 when Goblins from the Misty Mountains invaded the Northfarthing. During the battle, the Bullroarer had charged at their leader, Golfimbul, and knocked off his head with a club. The Goblin’s head flew through the air for one hundred yards and went down a rabbit hole, which is how the game of golf was invented.

Ever since they had moved to the Great Smials, Paladin and Pippin, on behalf of the Thain and the Took, had attended the annual celebration. Not only did they go to the celebration in order to show the support of the Thain and the Took, but also because the day before the celebration was the eagerly anticipated one day of the year when the Thain (or his representative) trained the hobbits of the Northfarthing as part of his duty to keep the Muster ready for battle. Now that Paladin himself was the Thain and the Took, it was more important than ever for Pippin, as next in line to inherit the titles, to attend.

Of course, Pippin had always been anxious to attend anyway, since it had provided him with a splendid opportunity to visit with Hale and Helinand. But more and more each year, Pippin had found himself looking forward to seeing their younger sister, Diamond, again. Why, if memory served, she had even scored an eagle and won the golf tournament for her age bracket when she was only twenty-three and won a ribbon! Pippin had not even bothered to enter the golf tournament that year, instead entering the archery tournament where he won first place.

Ah, yes… how could he ever forget? That had been an especially hard year for Pippin, as it had been the year the Quest began. It had been rather difficult not to tell Diamond that he was going to be going away and did not know if or when he would be returning, especially while they danced together at the festivities after the tournaments were over…

As much as Pippin enjoyed playing musical instruments, he would have been perfectly content this time to let others play while he danced with Diamond. As it happened though, when the musicians heard that Pippin was there, they asked him to honour them by playing a couple of tunes with them, to which he consented. While Pippin played his violin with the other musicians during the Bullroarer’s Wheel, a lively circle dance that was a favourite in these parts, he watched the dancers whirling about before him, especially one dancer in particular. Pippin was fascinated as he watched Diamond dance with her brother, Helinand.

Diamond was once again wearing a vivid blue dress with a light blue bodice trimmed with white lace. Her dark brown curls entwined with wild flowers danced in the air to the same rhythm that Diamond herself was keeping. And her brilliant eyes sparkled with joy and pleasure as she threw her head back in silvery laughter at the merriment and joy of the dance. She was so light on her feet that it seemed as if she were dancing on air. None of the other hobitesses could hold a candle to her, especially when it came to dancing.

Pippin did not think it possible, but being here with Diamond today had almost allowed him to forget the serious task ahead of him. For Merry had heard from Sam – Frodo was making plans to leave the Shire on The Birthday. That only gave them not quite three months to prepare everything for their plan. And none of them could tell anyone about their conspiracy, lest it be foiled and thus put Frodo in even more danger.

These last few years had been wonderful, as he learnt just how special it could be to not only enjoy the company of his best friends, Merry and Frodo, but also to enjoy the company of a young lass, even one as young as Diamond. For although Diamond was five years younger than he, they had felt themselves growing closer and closer as they got older. Pippin could tell Diamond anything, and oft times, he did not even need to speak in order for her to understand how he felt.

As agreed, when the dance ended, Pippin hopped off the bandstand and joined the dancers for the next song, the Rose and Briar, which was a slow four-step traditionally played in honour of the Thain and the Took. Pippin immediately went to Diamond and looked at her questioningly; her shining eyes gave her answer for her. They locked their hands into the proper dancing position and gazed at each other for a moment. Pippin sighed deeply at the feel of Diamond’s hand in his; waiting for the proper beat of music, and then began to move in time to the rhythm. Diamond followed him gracefully, a vision floating in front of him that made him forget about all of the other hobbits dancing around them. Everything was happening so fast, and they were so young, especially Diamond. Why, she was not even old enough for Pippin to be able to hold her properly by her waist as they danced.

They whirled around the dance floor as the music continued. Pippin saw his father pass by, a knowing smile on his face as he danced with the elderly Widow Thistle Goodbody.

It was hard for Pippin to believe that in just a little while, he would be hurting his father and mother so much, leaving the Shire without so much as a note as to where he was going or when or if he would return. He sighed deeply again, but this time with heavy thoughts rather than with pleasure.

“Pippin, what is it?” Diamond asked.

“Hmm?”

“What troubles you?”

“Oh. It is nothing. I was just thinking of some plans Merry and I are making.” It was best to lie as little as possible. That way, there was less chance of slipping up. Hopefully, she would leave it alone now instead of asking another question.

“What plans?”

Like that one.

“Er… we’re just trying to plan something for Frodo’s birthday,” Pippin said as matter-of-factly as he could. Something special like how to make him let us get him safely out of the Shire to wherever it is he’s going.

Pippin forced a smile onto his face and tried to concentrate on Diamond and the music to which they were dancing.

Diamond looked sceptically at Pippin, but did not ask any more questions of him as she lowered her voice. “It is not like you to fret so quietly over something like that. Usually, you want to tell me all about it and see if I have any ideas. So I take it that this is something more serious, and not a normal birthday surprise, although it is a surprise for Cousin Frodo.”

Pippin focused on schooling his face, carefully steadying his voice before he spoke. It was not easy to do when he knew he would be leaving her soon without knowing if or when he would return. He wanted so desperately to be able to share this with her, but it was imperative that he did not, for her own safety as much as Frodo’s. “Diamond …”

“No, Pippin,” she interrupted. “Tell me no more of your explanations. I can feel your hands tightening around mine. Whatever this secret is, I think it is not your own to tell, and it is clearly very important, or it would not pain you so much. So let it remain a secret. I trust you thoroughly and know you will do what is right, no matter how difficult it is.”

Pippin gave a silent gasp, his hands tightening around Diamond’s once more as he led her from the dance floor. She followed behind him without question, willing to go to wherever he would lead her.

He did not stop walking until they stood alone by the rippling stream next to the archery range where Pippin had competed earlier in the day. Diamond turned to face Pippin and waited patiently.

Pippin opened his mouth and took a deep breath, as if about to speak, and then turned toward the stream and closed his eyes again as he slowly exhaled. There was so much he wanted to tell her, not only about their plans to protect Frodo; but also about how much he cared for her and did not want to leave her.

As far as they knew, Gandalf was going to meet Frodo and Sam and go with them as they left the Shire. But what dangers lurked that had his cousin so frightened that he refused to speak of it to anyone? And why was he so intent upon winding up all of his affairs and lying about it if he thought he would be coming back? That made no sense if he was indeed planning on returning. And not only did Merry and Pippin have to worry about whether Frodo would allow them to go with him, but also whether Gandalf would allow them to do so. And that was a real concern, for Gandalf was not a sentimental wizard known for falling for Pippin’s or Merry’s charms. If not, then of course they would follow through on their contingency plans to follow along behind, all alone, which would be horribly frightening. Just how far was Gandalf taking Frodo anyway? Would he be going as far as Rivendell, as Sam had hinted to them? That would be a worry, since it was so far away and none of them knew how to get there except for Gandalf. What if something happened to him? Who would guide them on their journey in the unknown land then? What perils awaited them? Pippin did not know, but he was certain that whatever they were, he, Merry, and Sam would be there, ready and willing to face them in order to protect Frodo and bring him safely back to the Shire where he belonged. Yet, what if something unforeseen happened along the way and Pippin were not able to return and see Diamond again?

A single tear glistened on Pippin’s cheek, his voice too choked up to respond to her. Would it be right to tell her how he felt, when he would soon be leaving and possibly would never return? Should he share such a thing with her when it might hurt her, just because it might make him feel a little better? Especially when she was so young? He wanted to make her happy, not sad.

Her hand gently closed around his arm, “Please, Pippin, do not tell me anything,” she whispered, rubbing his back soothingly with her other hand. “I understand all that I need to know.”

The conspiracy to protect Frodo, leaving the Shire, not knowing if he would ever return, his feelings for Diamond… it was all too much and he was overcome by the surge of his own emotions. In that moment, Pippin checked all of his resolve and allowed his frustrations at the situation to spill forth freely down his cheeks. Hesitantly, he pulled Diamond to him and embraced her awkwardly, unsure how she would react to this rather uncousinly embrace. When she returned the embrace, the warm music of her soul trilled through him. Pippin tightened his hold on Diamond, releasing all of the tension and fear that had been mounting inside of him as he held onto her like a solid rock that would steady and protect him from the winds of change.

“We are so young, Diamond,” Pippin choked out at last. “I am young. I have not even come of age yet. And this…” He shook his head, unable to continue; his eyes tightly shut as he rested his head on top of her shoulder and tried to breathe. He would not jeopardise her or Frodo by telling her anything, no matter how much it hurt.

Diamond embraced him more tightly with one arm while she reached her other hand up to softly soothe the back of his head. She ran her hand tenderly through his curls that looked almost golden in the light of the setting sun.

“Peregrin Took,” Diamond began, gazing far off into the distance at a hidden vision, “you must say nothing. You must believe in yourself, for you are not as impulsive as you think. You would not do whatever it is you must do unless you had thought it out carefully. I do not know what dark thoughts haunt you, but when the time comes, you will do what is right.”

Pippin raised his head up from her shoulder to look at her, his green eyes bloodshot and glistening with tears, his mouth pulled into a frown as he drank in all of the faith she had in him. He needed her.

“Diamond, please forgive me,” Pippin said in the barest of whispers. Pippin raised one hand behind Diamond’s head until he was holding it steady, lowered his lips to hers, and then hesitated, searching her eyes. Finding what he needed in them, he kissed her tenderly, feeling a warm golden energy pass between their lips.

Despite knowing what was about to happen, Diamond’s eyes opened wide in shock at first at the sensation, but then she pulled Pippin’s head down closer to her, and gave him what strength she could. The calming reassurance of her embrace spread through him. It was as if there was a shining golden light surrounding them, cloaking them from the world’s troubles.

Suddenly, Pippin recovered himself and pulled away from her.

“I’m sorry, Diamond! I’m so sorry! I should never have done that!” he cried out in anguish.

Diamond looked at him in confusion.

“I had no right to take such liberties with you, especially at your age!”

“Peregrin Took! That is the first time that I have ever heard you act like the ‘Fool of a Took’ that you claim to be!” she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. “Are you daft? That was not the kiss of some wild hobbit trying to take liberties from an unsuspecting lass!” Diamond put a finger gently under his chin and raised his head up so that their eyes met. She continued in a warm, gentle voice. “ You needed that kiss, and I was glad to give it. Young I may be, but not so young that I do not know I love you.”

Pippin’s eyes widened as the meaning of her words hit him. It was more than he could bear to remain silent any longer. “Diamond, lass, I did not mean to say anything to you yet, but I love you as well. Your spell over me will never be broken. Although I am older than you, I have never loved a lass before and find the sensation quite overwhelming, especially now when … dearest Diamond, I love you with all of my heart and I fear... Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Pippin. You must do whatever it is that must be done. Do not fret about me. Your strength and courage is needed elsewhere right now and I would not keep you from this secret you must fulfil, no matter what happens. My love for you will never falter.” Pippin could see in Diamond’s expression that she saw something beyond his sight.

“Thank you,” he whispered, a sense of relief flooding through him, his conscience much clearer about leaving the Shire and her behind to protect Frodo.

No other words were spoken as Pippin and Diamond walked back to the festivities where the other hobbits were still dancing. Paladin and Pippin returned to Tuckborough early the next morning, and Pippin did not see Diamond again until after his return from the South after the Quest.

As Diamond lay in her sickbed sleeping, it still amazed Pippin that she had been so wise and understanding back then, when she had barely entered her tweens. Diamond truly was magnificent and he could not wait to make her his wife.

*A bullroarer is a musical instrument made of a small flat slip of wood tied to a string that makes a booming, humming noise when twirled rapidly.

**See Chapter Four of “Testaments of the Past,” at = http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterview.asp?sid=4747&cid=19446.

- To be continued -

CHAPTER FOUR - HOPE TURNS TO NEW FEAR

A/N – This chapter was written for Marigold's Challenge #35, where the theme was to write a hobbity story that includes any sort of creature such as a dragon, unicorn, or even a hippogryf or a gargon.  The elements that I had to include were a valuable piece of jewellery, a deep, dark, scary ravine, and a document/missive or letter from King Elessar (included in the course of Chapters Four and Five).

Finally! At last, I get to use the element that SlightlyTookish so graciously allowed me to borrow from her starverse. I’m sure you can guess what element it is! I am absolutely thrilled that she let me use it in this story and cannot thank her enough.

I was extremely fortunate when writing this chapter – not only were Dreamflower and Marigold there for me, as always, with their suggestions and phenomenal beta, but SlightlyTookish also betaed this chapter, providing me with her insight not only into her starverse, but serving as beta and giving me lots of great suggestions. And last but certainly not least, I had countless discussions with the amazing beyond belief Elanor, who was my muse in shaping my idea of Pippin’s and Diamond’s relationship. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of them. (I rewrote this last sentence to put it into active voice. My poor betas! Not only did they have to put up with my love for the passive voice, but with more “shimmer and glow” than you could imagine. LOL!)

Lastly, I give a long overdue thank you to Professor Tolkien, for allowing me to play in his amazing world. All of the unbelievably wonderful characters in this story are his; all the average characters are mine. I’m sure you know the difference.

CHAPTER FOUR - HOPE TURNS TO NEW FEAR

Pippin pressed his ear softly against the partially closed door to Diamond’s room and listened. Only when he heard the murmurs of two hobbitesses speaking was he satisfied. Good, she was awake. He rapped his knuckles lightly on the door and waited, only popping his head inside her room when given leave to do so by Diamond’s mother, Holly, who was sitting in the chair beside Diamond’s bed knitting. Both Holly and Diamond turned toward him, a lovely smile upon Diamond’s face.

“I do hope I am not interrupting anything, but I was wondering if you were well enough for another visitor.” There was a light in Pippin’s voice that Diamond had rarely heard since Pippin had come to her side during her illness. It relieved her to hear it.

“Even if I were not stuck in this bed, I should always be glad of a visit from you.” Diamond’s eyes shone as she gazed at her intended, ignoring the persistent pain in her side.

“Well, I am relieved to hear you say that, otherwise I should worry that you had come to your senses after all and decided not to marry me,” Pippin chuckled. “However, the visitor I meant was not me, although I still do mean to come and sit by your side.”

“I believe this particular visitor is the one we have been expecting, is it not?” Holly asked him, gathering her knitting needles and wool. Diamond turned to her mother with a wondering expression, and was met with an unreadable grin.

Instead of answering Holly’s question, Pippin merely opened the door fully so they could see the visitor.

“It is indeed, Cousin Holly,” replied a grinning Meriadoc Brandybuck. “How are you, Diamond?” he asked. His grin upon seeing Holly’s reaction was replaced by an expression of concern as he turned toward Diamond.

Despite his best efforts and Pippin’s warning, Merry still jumped a little at the sight of her eyes. They did indeed look like Frodo’s had when he had been so dangerously ill on the anniversary of his stabbing at Weathertop. Pippin placed a reassuring hand on Merry’s shoulder, a meaningful glance passing between them. Merry quickly regained himself and forced a smile onto his face as he looked again at Diamond.

“Merry!” Diamond’s enthusiastic greeting was interrupted as she put her hand over her mouth and coughed.

“I think I shall leave you young-folk alone for a while,” Holly said as she rose and moved toward the door. “It is good to see you again Cousin Merry; I shall go get you a cup of tea to help remove the chill after your long journey. And I believe I will check on Myrtle while I am at it and see if that chicken soup will be ready soon.”

Merry nodded in acknowledgment as she left and sat down in her vacated chair while Pippin claimed the chair on the other side of the bed. Pippin leant his head down and gazed intently into Diamond’s eyes, brushing the side of her face gently with the back of his hand. The painful sound of her wheezing broke his heart as he pressed his lips gently against her forehead with a feather-light kiss.

“It is good to see you again, Merry, but I do not think you came here just to see me. Unless I am very much mistaken, you have come as Pippin’s visitor as much as mine, and for that, I am most grateful. It will ease my worries to know that you are here for Pippin.” Diamond’s voice was serious, her troubled gaze never leaving Pippin as she searched his eyes for answers. It was only a couple of days ago that Mistress Tulipa had said that Diamond’s fever had broken and that she was resting more comfortably. However, the pain in her chest and side was still there, especially when she tried to take a deep breath and the coughing and wheezing had not eased.

Diamond’s statement was not a question, but a fact that needed no answer. And so Merry kept silent. He was not going anywhere as long as Pippin needed him; there would be time enough for talk.

After a moment, Diamond turned again toward Merry and gave him a thin smile. “How is Estella? And how was the ceremony? I am sorry Father sent Tarry to pull Pippin away before you blew the horn of Rohan.”

“Estella is quite well, thank you. She’s quite fond of you and said for me to be sure to tell you that she sends you her best wishes for a speedy recovery. She also sent you these.” Merry withdrew from an inner pocket three tiny muslin pillows with colourful ribbons stitched onto them at one end and handed them to Diamond, who held them up to her nose and inhaled.

“Mmmm… peppermint and lavender. How lovely!”

“And wintergreen. They are from our medicinal herb garden. Hopefully, they will relieve some of that congestion.”

Diamond gave him a warm smile of appreciation. “No doubt they will. How thoughtful of Estella! When did she ever find the time to make them?”

“Actually, Estella had help in making them from Rosie. While Sam and I were busy with the Battle of Bywater ceremony, Rosie and Estella made the pillows. Rose said ‘Helping hands make short work,’ and it seems to be true,” said Merry. “They specifically had me get some muslin, saying that the rough open weave of the fabric would allow more of the scent to reach you.”

“My mother has told me that as well,” agreed Diamond, inhaling the clean refreshing fragrance of the pillows again. “I shall have to ask Father to bring quill and paper later so I can write notes to them.”

“Best have a posthobbit take the notes to Rosie and Estella. With as long as Merry took to get here, it would take an age before he delivered them!” Pippin teased, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “What took you so long, Merry? Were you stopped by a large fire-breathing dragon?”

Merry rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation and scowled at his cousin. “No, Pippin, I was not stopped by a large fire-breathing dragon, although if I had met one, I would have told it where it could find you. Leave it to you to think of such dramatic fancies.” It was a relief to see Pippin joking a bit;, he must be so worried over Diamond. “Here, Estella sent this for you, though you do not deserve it.” He tossed Pippin a little packet.

Pippin’s eyebrows knit in confusion as he caught the packet. But once he began to open it and saw what it contained, he chuckled lightly. “It seems I shall have my own post to send with the posthobbit. Estella is a wonder!”

“What is it, Pippin?” Diamond asked, trying to see the little packet in his lap. But Merry responded before Pippin could.

“Peppermint and ginger tea, one of the best things to calm nerves and aid a delicate stomach. Did Pippin not tell you he suffered from such tribulations?” Merry grinned with satisfaction at Pippin, before turning serious and addressing Diamond once more. “I apologise, Diamond, but I had to attend to the Bywater ceremony first, as you know, but left soon after. Now, don’t you fret,” he commanded, seeing the look on Diamond’s face. “Sam and Rose promised that they would stay with the children and have a nice, long visit with Estella, just as if Pippin and I were there.”

“Well then, what kept you?” repeated Pippin.

“I am coming to that, dear cousin, if you would be patient,” Merry said. “It was not as cold on my journey it was when you came here, Pip, and so some of the snow had melted and then frozen over the road, making it very icy. I had to go slowly in order to be careful lest Stybba slip and fall and break his neck.”

“You should have waited for better weather!” gasped Diamond while Pippin nodded quickly in agreement.

“Diamond is right. After all, what would I tell Estella if anything had happened to you because you were coming here to sit with me?” Pippin added.

“The truth, I suppose,” Merry admitted. There is nothing you could tell her that would keep her from being angry with you. She’d probably make you do the washing up and scrub the floors every day until Diamond married you and finally took you off her hands.”

Pippin gave Merry a wry smile as he thought of Estella’s no-nonsense approach to dealing with upsetting situations. “No doubt you are right,” he had to agree. “I am glad you went slowly then, even though it delayed your arrival.”

“Well, that was not the only cause of my delay,” Merry replied. “You see, it was almost dusk on the second day of my journey when Stybba whinnied and reared. Of course I pulled him up and drew my sword and quickly left the road to investigate. I was looking down a deep, dark ravine by the side of the road, making sure nobody was hiding there, when I spotted them. Some poor hobbits whose waggon had overturned.”

Both Diamond’s and Pippin’s eyes widened in surprise and Diamond shivered. Without thinking, Pippin pulled the covers tighter around her. “Were they hurt?” he whispered.

Merry shook his head. “They were most fortunate. But it was only a tweenaged lad and his mother, and they had been stuck there so long that they were practically frozen. They had tried and tried, but they could not right their waggon and get it and their draft-pony back up onto the road by themselves. So, I told them I would be back with help as soon as possible and went off as quickly as I could. I do not know how Stybba managed not to slip, the way he was galloping.” Merry shuddered and looked far off, as if he were remembering the experience. “Anyway, I found help, and we got them out, but it took the better part of a day to do it.”

“Thank goodness they were all right,” Diamond said faintly, relief etched upon her face.

“I suppose we must excuse you for your delay then, since you did a good deed.” His eyes brightened with a sudden gleam of amusement. “Then again, you probably are making the whole thing up just to excuse your dilly-dallying. No doubt you really stopped in an inn and were partaking of some of their best ale.”

Merry smiled sarcastically at Pippin. “That would be more in keeping with something you would do, Pip.” The smile died on his lips as he became more thoughtful. “Besides, I would not joke about something like that.”

Pippin became serious at Merry’s words. “No, Merry, I do not suppose you would. It was good that you came across them when you did.” His eyebrows furrowed in concern for other hobbits travelling the road. “Is anything being done so that this sort of accident doesn’t happen again at that spot?”

“Yes, the locals started building a wall straightaway,” Merry replied. “Hopefully, this sort of accident will not happen again.”

“I will write to Father and he will make certain that it does not happen again,” Pippin said.

Merry and Pippin remained in Diamond’s room visiting for a long while, even when Holly entered and helped her daughter manage a bowl of soup. The two of them took turns telling stories about each other, not a few of which were most embarrassing to Pippin. But it was worth it – anything to try to cheer Diamond and keep her mind off the Sickness. Every time that they began to say that they should leave and let her rest, she begged them to stay.

“Please, stay! I can rest ever so much better listening to the two of you and seeing my Pippin cheered up again. I promise I will rest.”

And so Merry and Pippin stayed by her side even as she rested. When Diamond woke up, she asked Merry again about the Battle of Bywater celebration, and so Merry began to regale them with every single detail he could remember of the festivities. Pippin tested his memory by asking for specific details about what certain hobbits or hobbitesses wore to the celebration, and Merry proved equal to the task by recalling the fashions in exact detail. With Merry there to help comfort not only Diamond but Pippin as well, the tension eased in Pippin’s shoulders as the day progressed.

It wasn’t until Gemma entered the room carrying a cup of dandelion tea for her sister that Pippin realised the afternoon was drawing to a close. “I have strict instructions from Mother for you to drink your tea while it is warm,” she said. Gemma waited for Pippin to help Diamond sit up before handing the cup of tea to her sister.

“And,” Gemma added, “Mother says it is high time that you two leave Diamond alone so she can get her rest. She also said that between your having journeyed so far,” she nodded at Merry, and then at Pippin as she continued, “and your spending so many hours in here fretting over Diamond, the two of you need to get some rest as well before dinner and that Merry owes her a long visit after that.”

Merry and Pippin exchanged surprised glances. Pippin opened his mouth to protest, but closed it after a moment, resigned to his fate. Merry, who was tired out from his journey and therefore glad of Holly’s order, chuckled lightly, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at Pippin. “It looks like I needn’t have worried about you after all, Pip. You are well taken care of here.”

Pippin bent down and gave Diamond a soft kiss on her forehead. “Sleep then, my dearest, dearest lass. I shall be back as soon as I am able,” he whispered. Reluctantly, he followed Merry out into the sitting room, where Gemma had left them steaming hot cups of tea.

The next few days passed by in a similar fashion: Diamond fighting to regain her health while Pippin and the others tended to her and tried to make her as comfortable as possible.

Merry’s visit was like a breath of fresh air in the smial haunted by the blackness of a serious illness that had hovered over one of its most beloved. Ever respectful of Diamond’s family and Pippin, Merry stayed mainly in either the sitting room or the kitchen, chatting with whomever of his cousins seemed most worried. During the afternoons when the cold weather was not as oppressive, he would coax one of them, usually Hale, Helinand, or Gemma, into getting some fresh air with him. Rarely was he able to convince Holly, or even less, Pippin, to leave Diamond’s side.

But Pippin was comforted by Merry’s presence nonetheless. Just his being there was a source of strength for Pippin as the days went by and Diamond’s health failed to continue to improve. In fact, unless it was his imagination, it seemed to Pippin that her health was worsening again, a fear which appeared to be confirmed when Mistress Tulipa began to keep an even closer watch on Diamond once again.

After Diamond had endured a particularly bad night coughing and trying to breathe through the congestion in her lungs, Mistress Tulipa had chased everyone out of the room while she examined Diamond for an unusually long time the next day. Merry and Pippin gathered in the sitting room with Diamond’s entire family to wait, sensing that something was wrong, but waiting for the Healer’s confirmation. Hale’s arm was around Gemma, who leant against the chair her brother sat in. Holly sat between her husband and her younger son, Helinand, one white-knuckled fist grasping the hand of each of them closest to her. Pippin risked an apprehensive glance over to Merry, but found no comfort in the way Merry looked sadly down at his folded hands in his lap.

Finally, Mistress Tulipa left Diamond’s room and looked at the solemn faces before her.

“I am afraid that Diamond has developed an infection in her lungs,” she announced grimly.

With a gasp, Holly turned pale as she held a hand to her mouth while holding onto Bandigard for support with her other hand.

“Are you sure, Mistress Tulipa?” Bandigard asked anxiously, licking his lips as his eyes pled with her to be wrong just this once. “Could there not be some other explanation?” Silently, he thought of his older brother, Heldigard, who, like Diamond, had been recovering from the Winter Sickness until a lung infection had set in and taken his life at the tender age of twenty-six.

Pippin did not have to search his memories of anyone else to know just how serious a lung infection from the Winter Sickness could be. So did Merry. The two of them met one another’s eyes, and shuddered.

“I wish I were mistaken, Bandigard, but I have seen enough of the Winter Sickness and its troubles to know a lung infection when I see one. Diamond’s cough is much worse. It is no longer just water she is coughing up from her lungs. The darkened colour leaves no doubt.”

Paling instantly, Pippin’s heart leapt into his throat and stopped beating, his fingernails digging into the wooden armrest of his chair.

Hale stared at Mistress Tulipa, his brows knit together in confusion. “Darkened?” he repeated.

“From the blood,” Pippin replied in a faint lifeless voice. “Diamond’s coughing up blood.”

They all turned to look at him in surprise, and then to Mistress Tulipa for confirmation, who nodded before speaking.

“I shall continue to do what I can for her, of course, but…”

Merry did not leave Pippin’s side for the rest of that horrible day or night. He stayed with Pippin, reassuring his cousin with an encouraging glance or a supportive hand upon his shoulder. Helping Pippin as he watched his Diamond shiver with chills, her lips slightly blue as her breathing grew more laboured.

It was heartbreaking for all of them to watch her condition deteriorate.

One cold, frosty day was as bleak as the next, each with Diamond looking as pale as the fallen snow.

A silvery light shone through the window in Diamond’s room; it was two weeks after Merry had arrived, and Pippin was sitting beside Diamond while Merry helped Hale and Helinand with some smial task; Pippin couldn’t remember which one, but it was probably being done just to give Diamond’s brothers something to do to take their minds off their sister’s declining state.

It was quiet and cheerless in the sombre room, Diamond less responsive than she had been only a week ago.

Pippin reached for her small, fevered hand and held it in his larger one, still stunned at how frail it had begin to feel. And then he leant down and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. When only the palest of shimmers was created by their touch, a great hollow swelled inside him, tearing at where his heart had been.

“I have fought in battles, bested a troll and Ruffians. I even helped to save Faramir’s life, yet I am powerless to help you,” he whispered aloud to her in a dove-soft voice. “You, who mean everything to me. It may not be visible to most, but to me, who has eyes to see, it is clear that your light is growing more dim.”

His other hand went to her cheek and stroked it gently.

“I am not complete without you, my precious Diamond. I have not been since that day we first declared our love for each other, when you became the keeper of the other part of my heart, and even more so upon my return. The discordant world was suddenly filled with song again the moment I saw you in the garden.”

Pippin closed his eyes tightly, as the memories of that glorious day rushed forth in his mind…

After the Ruffians had been routed; it was decided by the Thain, the Master of Buckland, and the new Deputy Mayor that the newly returned hobbits who had learnt so much on their travels into the South should visit each of the Farthings. They wanted to make certain not only that all of the Ruffians were indeed vanquished, but also that the inhabitants all knew how to protect themselves in the future. While Frodo, Merry and Pippin visited all four Farthings, Sam had remained behind when they visited the Northfarthing, as his father was on the mend from a brief illness. them. Her heart raced anxiously. First to emerge was Merry, followed a few paces behind by Frodo. They looked so magnificent! More soldierly than any hobbit she had ever seen, although there seemed to be a touch of sadness about them, too. And Merry, was it her imagination or had he grown taller since last she saw him? side of the road. smial is just ahead of us, see? I don’t know about you, but I am quite ready for some tea!” Of course, being a seasoned traveller, Merry was always looking about him for any lurking trouble, and so did not turn his head back to look at his younger cousin, and so missed the sudden radiance that illuminated Pippin’s face as his cousin saw something he obviously had been looking for. smial for him. Merry, who had turned to see what Frodo was on about, was stunned to see his younger cousin’s behaviour. He was even more shocked when his eyes followed after Pippin and he saw Diamond running to meet him. smial, suffering their knowing smiles and gentle teasing.

And so it was that Pippin, Merry, and Frodo rode through the Northfarthing without their trusted friend, Sam. They stopped at towns and villages along the way to verify that the Ruffians had indeed fled and telling everyone that they would meet at a specified time at the Greenfields for training. Until then, Pippin, Merry, and Frodo had arranged to stay with Frodo’s first cousin, Holly, and her family, as they usually did when visiting this area of the Shire.

It was shortly before afternoon tea one sunny day, and Diamond was still in the east garden, where, as she later told Pippin, she had been every day for the last few days, finding every excuse imaginable to be there, in anticipation of their arrival.

At last, she heard the clip-clop of three ponies trotting up the lane. Since her father and brothers were already inside the smial, she knew it had to be

Finally, Diamond calmed her nerves and schooled herself enough to look behind Frodo at the last member of their party.

Frodo and Merry had been chatting amiably with Pippin as they travelled through the long lane and noting observations about some of their friends living here in North Cleeve. But as they got closer, Pippin began talking even less as all of his thoughts centred on someone he would soon see again for the first time since they had declared their love for each other almost two years ago.

“You’re being uncharacteristically silent, Pippin!” Frodo noted, turning around in his saddle to look at his usually quite talkative cousin. Even in the days after the destruction of the Ring, Pippin could always be counted on for jovial conversation.

But Pippin was not even looking at Frodo, let alone paying any attention to him. Instead, Frodo noted with interest that Pippin’s gaze was turned not on the road that lay before them, but to the garden that lay by the

“Come, Pippin! Stop your dawdling!” Merry shouted back to him. “Cousin Bandigard’s

Frodo, however, saw Pippin shining like a beacon brighter than ever. He followed Pippin’s gaze and saw Diamond running toward them, her face shining with a radiant glow equal to Pippin’s. Frodo arched one eyebrow with keen insight and chuckled quietly to himself.

“Come along, Merry,” Frodo grinned with amusement, his eyes twinkling brightly. “I believe Pippin has something of greater importance to attend to than tea just now, but I am certain he will be along directly. Won’t you, Cousin?” Frodo said pointedly to Pippin and took hold of the reins to Pippin’s pony.

Pippin’s eyes widened, but then he realised that it should not be a surprise that Frodo should read the situation so quickly. He grinned widely at Frodo and nodded his thanks to him before dismounting Nibbles and bolting off towards Diamond, barely aware that Frodo had taken the reins of his pony and was leading it to the

Merry’s mouth dropped open as comprehension dawned upon him. The air was filled with a great peal of laughter as Frodo looked at Merry gaping after their clearly smitten younger cousin.

Pippin felt nearly overcome and he was filled with more joy and sorrows than he could contain. He felt his senses sharpen and his heart beat like a pounding drum the nearer he came to her. Yet, gazing at Diamond, who stood shining before him like the Sun on the mist, he realised with a pang that having seen so much evil and horror, he had lost something precious along the journey. He had carried home a great burden of darkness.

And yet, Pippin desperately wanted to share his journey with Diamond - he had seen so many strange and wondrous things that any Took would be curious to hear. He wanted her to understand how it had changed him, though he wondered if the song within her heart only for him would fade as her ears were filled with the echoes of the dark voices of the rest of the world that now lurked within his soul. He did not want those evils to touch his Diamond nor to taint her brilliant song.

His heart was torn asunder.

He came at last to the garden, and there Diamond stood, waiting. Out of the darkness of his thoughts he looked at her; and the music of her spirit shone in her face. Their hearts were once more complete; their spirits united in perfect harmony.

She spoke no word, but filled with love Pippin came to her and took her hand, and straightaway their song was upon him, so that they stood thus for what seemed an eternity, staring into each other’s eyes.

As the Sun began to slide toward the western sky, Pippin folded Diamond into his arms and she rested her head on Pippin’s heart. They remained there for how long they knew not.

Diamond tensed. She felt something strange stir within her as she listened to Pippin’s heart; she sensed the conflict within Pippin and read in him some sense of the darkness that Pippin had seen and the evil voices he had heard, of his dread of how that discord would not be as one with the melody in her heart.

Quietly raising her head, Diamond looked softly up into Pippin’s eyes and whispered, "I understand, but you are still my Pippin. I shall always love you."

A wave of grateful relief flooded through Pippin as he felt the melodic song of her understanding flow through him. They kissed but once, a warm kiss filled with love and constancy, both of them bathed in the brightness of their love for one another and the gift of their faerie blood.

When they reluctantly broke their kiss and held each other at arm’s length, Diamond could feel that Pippin's spirit had been lightened.

Pippin finally found his voice, and said, "We have seen so much; there is so much to tell you. Wonders and evils I did not know even existed. But no wonder brighter than you."

Diamond smiled at the compliment, and tightened her hold on Pippin’s hand. “Do not worry about such things for now, my love,” replied Diamond. “There will be time enough for the telling of wonders. Ever since you left, I have felt so empty. For now, all I want is to hold you and know that all is right in our world again.”

And so they continued to hold each other for a while longer before going to join the others inside the  smial, suffering their knowing smiles and gentle teasing. 
 

The sudden presence of a warm hand on his shoulder brought Pippin back to the grim present. Without needing to turn to see whose hand was upon him, Pippin stared straight ahead at Diamond who was sleeping restlessly, her life dwindling before his eyes. He could not bear it anymore.

“Merry…”

“Don’t.”

“Merry…” he repeated.

“Don’t say it, Pip,” Merry commanded.

“But Merry…” he implored, and this time Pippin did turn to look up into Merry’s sad grey eyes.

Merry put a finger to Pippin’s lips to still him before sitting on the edge of Diamond’s bed to face him.

“Pippin, she will get better. I do not need your gift of the Took Sight to see that,” Merry smiled thinly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he removed his finger from Pippin’s lips. “I have sat at your bedside looking into the pale, thin face of my favourite cousin, a cousin whom I was sure would not survive the night, more times than I care to count.”

Merry looked pointedly into Pippin’s hopeless eyes. “I have loved you so much since the day you were born, you silly Took. Each time I sat there watching you die before my eyes, I knew that a part of me was dying, too, and that I would not survive if you were to leave me. And each time, your father or Frodo would tell me that you would make it and that I had to believe, and so I fought to believe in you.”

The tears spilt unchecked down Merry’s cheeks. “You never let me down, Pip.”

All of the pain and worry that had been consuming Pippin since his arrival at North Cleeve came coursing to the surface as he heaved himself into Merry’s waiting arms and finally broke down as he wept into Merry’s embrace.

“It is so difficult!” Pippin sobbed.

“I know it is, Pippin, but she needs your strength and your courage now,” said Merry.

“At least when we were at the Houses of Healing, Gandalf and Aragorn were there, and so I knew there was hope for you!”

“I felt the same when I finally arrived at the Field of Cormallen, though I saw three sorely hurt hobbits laid out on cots before my eyes.” Merry smiled. It was not normal for Pippin to hold his feelings in check for so long, and Merry was glad that Pippin was finally letting them out. “But, Pippin, Gandalf and Aragorn are not the only ones with the magic to heal. We each have some of it inside of us, some of us more than others.”

Pippin lifted his head from Merry’s shoulders and wiped away his tears, as he tried to puzzle through what his cousin was saying. He glanced quickly at Diamond, his eyebrows knitting together as a thought struck him that he was surprised he had not considered before.

Merry nodded his head and smiled at Pippin, who bolted outside so quickly that he did not even bother to put on his jacket.

“May they work their magic for you, Pippin,” Merry whispered after him.

Outside the dark smial, Pippin stared up into the clear, cold black night at the endless field of bright stars. His breath came out in great puffs like smoke, his heart racing as he anxiously sought what he needed so desperately.

If ever he needed such a special gift, now was the time.

And there they were.

The two most beautiful stars he had ever seen, twinkling brightly in the night sky before him. They seemed to grow even closer the more intently Pippin gazed at them.

Pippin spoke no words. None were needed. These stars were a gift to him from Gandalf when Pippin was very young and were tied to him. He knew that they could sense his need, and hoped that they would help Diamond as they had helped him.

to be continued

CHAPTER FIVE A/N – This was originally written for Marigold's Challenge #35, in which the elements I had to include were a valuable piece of jewellery, and a document/missive or letter from King Elessar

Another inclusion of SlightlyTookish’s stars! Thank you so much, Jen, for letting me to borrow them!

The Stars appear in these stories:

“Stars and Sniffles” - by SlightlyTookish

“The Stars Will Light Your Way” - by SlightlyTookish

“Upon the Wings of an Eagle” - by SlightlyTookish

“Unaligned” - by SlightlyTookish

“Wishing on the Stars” - by Marigold

And thanks to Dreamflower for letting me borrow her lullaby that she wrote in “At Crickhollow" - by Dreamflower

I'm just borrowing things left and right in this story!

And what would a story be without great beta readers? You have no idea how much Dreamflower, Marigold, and SlightlyTookish do to improve my writing. My hobbit hat is off to the three of you once again!

CHAPTER FIVE

It was Pippin’s love that made his twin stars effective. Gandalf had said so. The stars would watch over everyone Pippin loved. Since Pippin loved Diamond, they should be watching over her now. It wasn’t that the stars had to decide whether or not to help Diamond; they were bound to Pippin and to look after him and his loved ones.

Pippin told himself that over and over again as he stared up at the twinkling brightness. Studying them as they sparkled in greeting, Pippin smiled at the familiar reassurance he always felt whenever the twain blessed him with their warm light.

But as much faith as he had in his stars, one question kept rolling around in Pippin’s mind - would the stars would be able to “reach” her and help draw Diamond back to the path of recovery the same way they had for him several times?

Diamond’s life was now hanging by a thread, her fever had returned and her breath grew ever fainter. Pippin felt so lost that he had forgotten all about his stars. Thanks to Merry’s reminder, Pippin now reached out in hope to the only light that could lead Diamond through the darkness that had descended upon her.

“They are your own pair of stars and you shall always be able to find them when you need to,” Gandalf had said. “They will be there to guide you when the world turns dark around you, or when you feel lost or alone. And when you are surrounded by sunshine, still your stars will remain, though they may be hidden by the brighter light of happier times. They will never abandon you.”*

Ah, but then, Gandalf had always been there to call down the stars whenever Pippin needed them, and even once for Merry. Now Gandalf was gone, across the Sea with Frodo. And Pippin lacked the power to call them down the way Gandalf had.

Gandalf, I cannot do this without you, Pippin thought as he gazed at his stars, hoping that somehow Gandalf would sense his need.

“You gave me a most wonderful and unexpected gift that night when you bound the stars to me, Gandalf,” Pippin began, closing his eyes in hope and deep concentration. “You said that they would always be there whenever I needed them. They are far more than a mere magic trick of yours to amuse an ill child and I would not abuse my privilege, so to speak. But, Gandalf, I am desperate.”

The stars seemed to grow nearer, as if they were watching Pippin more closely.

“A wanderer finds his way through the darkest of nights by following the stars.”*

Pippin had not actually heard Gandalf speak the words, but he somehow knew in his heart that the wizard had said them from wherever he was across the Sea.

Pippin smiled through his grief as he felt the familiar presence of their warm glow fill his hands. Gandalf, the Kindler of Light. Somehow over the great gulf that separated them, he had heard Pippin, sensed his troubles and found a way to reach out to him. But then, Pippin had always felt as if he had some special connection with Gandalf. It should not be a surprise that the wizard was still able to send the stars to him. But still, Pippin found himself in awe of the magic his dear friend could wield.

Carefully, Pippin closed his fingers protectively around the silver beams of light.
Pippin thought for a moment.

“After your blessings at the Field of Cormallen, I would not seek your aid for anything less than a grave situation. My Diamond shines with an inner fire that gleams with more radiance even than the Simarils. Yet now her light has grown so dim, that I fear it shall be extinguished without your help.

“Without her, I would be more than alone. Without my Diamond …” Pippin paused, overcome with his love for her.

“Diamond must be the most foolish of all Tooks to be in love with me, but for some reason that mystifies me, she has given her love to me. Our hearts are bound together and I can feel in mine that her spirit has wandered far. The enchantment that surrounds her is all but spent. Without her, my life would be empty of all music; my spirit would wither and fade away. If her heart should stop, then mine shall die with it,” Pippin whispered faintly into the silence of the cold night air.

“When Gandalf bound you to me, he gave me a gift dearer than any hobbit had a right to receive … more of the grace of … of the Valar.” Pippin gulped at the word so foreign to his tongue as his fisted hands pulsed with the glow of his stars. “I know all too well that it is not so easy to return to the waking world, but please, let Diamond have the strength to find her way back, as I did more than once with your guidance… and as Merry did at Cormallen when you helped guide him back from the Shadow of the Black Breath.”

Pippin sighed deeply. “Help our love and our bound hearts be strong enough to bring her back.”

Instinctively, Pippin opened his hands a slightly, but that was all his stars needed. Pippin watched, his heart pounding in his dry throat as the brilliant sparkle that he had been holding a moment ago left his hands and flew through the air to the nearby smial, where they disappeared.

The next thing Pippin saw made him gasp with unfathomable hope. The faint glow of the candles that lit Diamond’s room was replaced by a brilliant shimmer that illuminated her entire room, spilling out the window and bathing the sparkling snow around it in a warm glow.

Pippin bowed his head, tears flowing unheeded down his cheeks, as he watched the stars’ warmth melting into the clean, white snow.

When he had recovered himself, Pippin headed back to the warm smial and Diamond’s now bright room to wait and hope. The only sound heard in the clear, cold night was the sound of Pippin’s feet as they quickly crunched through the deep snow.

*****

Diamond felt as if a heavy weight lay upon her, suffocating her as it stole all of the air from the shadowed garden where she lay. She was all alone, yet she had not the energy to move, remaining in the darkness, drifting into a timeless and veiled sleep.

She wandered far as she slept, yet she continued under the starless sky. She was lost in the cold, trying to find a light through the gloom. Diamond turned to listen when she heard echoes of voices that whispered to her through the silent oblivion. But whenever she tried to reach for them, they disappeared, and she was alone once more in the dark silence.

The nothingness swelled around her as she lingered in the dim garden where time had no meaning, her head resting against an old elm tree. Her thoughts were as tangled as the roots around her, gnarled and formless. But then she heard a familiar lullaby sound faintly in the distance above her. She tuned her ears towards it, trying to follow.

Pippin.

The music grew steadier, filling her with a sense that only by climbing could she escape the Darkness and reach Pippin, who would lead the way back to the light. She reached her hands up against the tree, and held tightly wherever she could gain purchase. The tree seemed to glow with an inner heat that warmed her palms wherever she placed her hands, as if she could feel its very heart. Diamond felt its life coursing through her. She tried to steady her breathing as she climbed. Whenever she held paused, the lullaby would fade, waiting patiently for her, yet urging her to follow up the tree to its uppermost boughs illuminated by two beads of light.

Diamond’s heart grew lighter the higher she climbed. She was above the consuming Darkness. Higher and higher she climbed. And as she did so, her path became brighter, lit with two small spheres that somehow reminded her of Pippin and gave her comfort.

Suddenly, she felt the old elm tree change. From the two beams of light, she could tell that it was now the mighty oak on the edge of that secluded pond at the Great Smials that Pippin had shown her, Hidden Hollow. It had become their favourite haunt, and they would often go there with one of Pippin’s sisters, who were always considerate in giving their younger brother enough privacy to be able to court their cousin.

Diamond gazed up into the branches of the oak and smiled with a lightness she had not felt since she fell asleep under the smothering weight in the garden. High above her, almost lost in the blinding light of the stars, was Pippin.

“Come along then, Diamond,” he sang to her, his voice lilting with the tune of the lullaby.

She reached up, trying to grasp his outstretched hand, but found that she was not high enough yet.

“I have waited for you all these years, Diamond, waiting for you to catch up. And so I always shall,” Pippin said with a smile. The closer Diamond got to Pippin, the more blinding the shining stars around him were. They were so bright she could not even see where the light of the stars ended and the glow that always surrounded Pippin began.

Diamond felt the warmth flow down from Pippin as he extended his hand to her.

“Pippin…”

“Diamond, I have seen that same Darkness. I have been there and felt it as it tried to consume me,” Pippin began. “But always what brought me out of that Darkness were thoughts of my connexions. And always, shining like a beacon was you, Diamond. You led the way with your enchanting song that enthralled my soul and captured my spirit.”

Diamond startled as she listened to the intensity in Pippin’s voice. She had heard this speech once before.

“Follow my voice, lass,” Pippin urged, climbing a little higher. “It is not much farther.”

Diamond nodded up at him, and struggled upward.

“I have watched you ever since you were a little lass, singing and dancing with a lightness that I had never seen before, only felt inside me,’ he said softly. “Watching you, I saw my own spirit in your eyes, heard my own tune in your sprightly voice,” Pippin gazed down at her intently as she continued to climb toward him.

Her ears thrilled as she listened to Pippin’s voice, expressing what her own spirit had felt in seeing him.

“Diamond, we have played together since we were children. For most of my life, you have been my fountain of infinite joys and possibilities, fresh and bubbling with laughter. And now that I have come of age here in our blessed Shire, your constancy and strength of spirit fills my heart with a love more grand than the highest peak in Middle-earth. I know that my love for you will never fade or wither. Even when we are in the Winter of our years, our song shall play as strong as ever, with your strength and wonder as its centre.”

Pippin hesitated for a moment, licking his lips as though he were trying to steady his nerves. “Diamond, will you not do this hobbit the honour of becoming his wife. Will you be my very own lass?” he whispered into her ear, his voice filled with passionate as she finally approached him.

He held his hand out to her once again. Diamond looked up into Pippin’s eyes and gasped. For his eyes shone more than ever, filled with the twinkling brightness she had been following out of the Darkness, like two stars guiding her to happiness.

Finally, Pippin was a mere breath away. “Aye, my very own lad,” she whispered back, reaching for his hand, and grasping it firmly, felt the two magical spheres it held whose light shone as one. “I will marry you, Pippin.”

Diamond lifted her chin toward Pippin. He lowered his head to hers and pressed his lips firmly against hers. The shimmering light of their bonded hearts blazed as brightly as the stars Pippin and Diamond still held within their tightly joined hands.

And then the world went black.

*****

Diamond opened her eyes and blinked at the strange light in her room. The lit candles were nearly spent, yet her room shone brighter than it had at noon.

She managed to turn her head a little, and gazed into Pippin’s adoring face, smiling as he stroked her cheek with a gentle hand.

Yet, it was Pippin’s other hand that caught her attention. She could feel that it was joined with hers. Diamond looked down at their hands and smiled. Their joined hands shone brightly, streaks of light escaping into the room and illuminating it with a silvery light equal to their hearts.

Diamond turned their hands over between them in utter awe.

“Welcome back,” Pippin whispered to her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“You came for me,” Diamond said faintly.

Pippin nodded, a soft chuckle escaping him. “Always. But you were so far away that Merry needed to rekindle my hope, remind me that all was not lost.”

Diamond smiled weakly at him, and then turned to look appreciatively at Merry.

“Your family is in the sitting room. I’m afraid it’s been a long night, and they all fell asleep,” Merry explained. “We told them that we would keep watch over you so they could rest and see you in the morning.”

It was only then that Diamond raised her head slightly and looked out the window, realising for the first time that the Sun had not yet risen.

“Rest, my very own lass,” Pippin coaxed in a soothing voice. “You will need all of your strength in the coming weeks.

Diamond coughed softly, relieved that it did not hurt as deeply as it had before.

Pippin pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed her with the lightness of a dove’s breath. And then he gently sang to her the old lullaby from her dreams until she fell back asleep:

Evening has fallen, the Sun’s in the West.
The nightbirds are calling, the Shire is at rest.
Peaceful the night and gentle the breeze,
In cot and in smial, the folk take their ease.
High above the Stars are kindled,
Kith and kin within are nestled,
Safe from harm
In loving arms,
Find slumber deep,
Fall into sleep,
May joy find all your dreams,
May only joy find your dreams… **

Merry looked out the window at the Sun’s first pale lights. He motioned toward it with his chin.

“Gandalf is not here, so I shall say it for him,” Merry said quietly. “It is nearly morning. You know what that means, Pip.”

Pippin nodded and turned his and Diamond’s joined hands over one last time, awed by the sight of the bright light of his stars held fast between them. And then he carefully opened their hands, and watched as the stars danced in the air about him for a moment before floating toward the window. Pippin watched as they twinkled in farewell, and then escaped to join their cousins in the fading nighttime sky.

“Good night, and thank you for visiting,” Pippin whispered after them, in the proper way his parents had taught him so long ago.*

When Diamond woke again, her mother and father were sitting beside her, both of them with relieved smiles glowing on their faces.

*****

“Good morning, my little one. Your fever has broken,” Holly said with a grin.

Diamond's breathing was steadier and came easier as she smiled back at her parents. She had turned the corner and was beginning to recover.

The days ahead stretched out long and cold, yet filled with light and happiness as Pippin watched Diamond’s health slowly return. Her breath remained raspy at times, and her cough still plagued her.

But the gentle blush had returned to her cheeks and the ache in her side that had pained her at every breath was gone. Her teeth no longer chattered with a chill so deep that it gripped her soul. Slowly, as Pippin stayed by her side, Diamond began to resemble a fresh bloom in the Spring again.

Foreyule was now upon them. The purity of the new month shone brightly through the window into Diamond’s room, bathing it in a light that swept the grim old month away.

With Pippin at her side, Diamond watched from the window as Merry played in the snow with Gemma, Hale, and Helinand, all wrapped securely in many layers of clothing against the crisp outdoor air. They had formed teams of two, each one hiding behind a wall dug deep into the snow, armed with a mountain of snowballs as high as Caradhras itself. It was to be Merry’s last day with them. Now that Diamond was doing so much better, he planned on riding back to Buckland in the morning, saying that he had been away from Estella long enough.

Pippin fidgeted, his thoughts far away from the snowball fight, mulling over how best to ask Diamond the one question that had plagued him ever since he knew she would recover.

The combatants continued their battle outside. Diamond’s brothers were no match for Gemma and Merry. Diamond laughed gaily as Helinand brushed snow out of his eyes after being pounded with a snowball by his youngest sister.

The sound of Diamond’s laughter filled Pippin, like silver bells chiming with joy. He turned to face her, entranced by the golden lustre that silhouetted her against the window, making her sparkle like the new snow. Her radiance took Pippin’s breath away.

“What is it, Pippin?” she asked, sensing his uneasiness.

“I do not know where to start,” Pippin gave an uneasy laugh. “I am so very glad that the danger has passed, Diamond. Sitting here beside you, worrying so that I would lose you, your illness reminded me of just how fragile life is and how blessed I am to have found you.”

Diamond tucked a lock of her hair behind one of her ears as she bent her head down and blushed at the compliment.

Pippin fidgeted with one of his sleeves. “Please forgive me; I am so very bad at expressing how deeply I love you.” He chuckled softly, amused by his own failings.

“It was so very difficult to leave you and go on the Quest with Frodo, especially when we had just declared our love for each other. We did not know what dangers we would face, Merry and I, when we agreed with Sam to go out into the unknown world in protection of Frodo.” Pippin’s words began to come easier to him. “We saw wonders more spectacular than any you could imagine, met friends as loyal and true as the best hobbit. In all the foreign lands we dwelt, strangers treated us like adults, every one of us. Even me.”

“Lord Elrond was the only one who questioned my youth, entertaining thoughts of trying to send me back, if you can believe it, as if that would have worked,” Pippin scoffed. “Well, and then there was Bergil, but I soon set him straight.” Pippin paused as he recalled the way his dear young friend had questioned his age, mistaking him for a young child.

“War was terrible in that dark land that ate all hopes, more horrible than you can imagine. I saw first hand just how quickly life can be snuffed out and families torn asunder. Merry fought bravely alongside the Rohirrim. You would not have recognised him as he staggered before me after helping to slay the Witch King. He looked so old and haggard. Frodo and Sam … it is good that you did not see them as they were when first brought back after destroying the Ring. I was unconscious at the time, and am told that they were much improved in appearance by the time I awoke. But even then they were so thin and worn they barely resembled hobbits.” Pippin shuddered at the memories.

Diamond said nothing, all of her attention focussed on Pippin as she gazed at him, her eyes mainly green once more.

“We crossed so many foreign lands, often hungry or thirsty, marching on though we thought we could go no further. We were buried in snow so deep that it would make this seem as a light dusting, and then buried in a cave that almost killed Gandalf.” Pippin’s eyes filled with tears as he thought of his dear friend. “I saw Lord Denethor burn himself alive before my eyes, his hands … as if glued to the Seeing Stone that stole his sanity. It was only by the province of Beregond’s timely arrival and Gandalf that Faramir was not killed by his own father on that funeral pyre. And the war…” His eyes looked past her to sights from long ago.

Pippin inhaled deeply and heaved a great sigh.

“I was may not have been of age, but I was not treated as a child. I was treated as a member of the Fellowship, and then as a soldier with duties and responsibilities to perform, even being hailed as a prince of hobbits, or Halflings, as they called us. Nobody asked how old I was or if I had come of age.” He looked intently into her eyes, taking hold of both her hands and grasping them firmly but gently in his.

“Diamond, I do not want to wait to marry you, although I would wait longer than an Elf’s lifespan if I had to. After having been on the Quest and been treated as an adult for so many years before I came of age in the Shire, age just does not mean as much,” he said. “I do not hold much stock in ages determining when someone is an adult. I do not care that you are but thirty-one. What really counts is the hobbit you are inside, not some age that custom sets forth. I could not bear it if I lost you. Every moment we have is precious and I want to spend them all with you beside me as my wife. May we not ask your father’s permission to marry as soon as possible?”

Tears filled Diamond’s eyes. A large lump in her throat made it impossible for her to speak, and so she merely nodded at Pippin, squeezing his hands to make sure he understood.

When they approached Bandigard about marrying early, Diamond, her Baggins stubbornness taking over, was adamant that she loved Pippin and would not wait an additional year and a half to marry him.

After what Diamond and Pippin had been through during Diamond’s nearly fatal brush with death, Bandigard was understanding and realised how much this had distressed the young couple.

“Aye, the two of you are of one mind, and of one heart,” Bandigard said.

Bandigard stood with his hands joined behind his back and deliberated, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet. “Thirty-two,” he said decisively. “When you are thirty-two years old, then you may get married, Diamond. Though you have proven yourself to be mature and I have no doubt that you will be a good and loving husband to my Diamond, Pippin, Diamond is still recovering from her illness and is not fit to travel yet. She should be much better by the Spring.”

“Do you have a specific date in mind?” Holly asked.

Pippin and Diamond glanced at each other and beamed with delight.

“We do not want to wait a single day more than we have to before we wed,” Pippin said enthusiastically. “We will get married on Diamond’s birthday then. The twenty-eighth of Astron.”

Pippin felt someone come up behind him and clap him on the shoulder.

“Ha! If I know Pippin, which I do, he only wants to get married on Diamond’s birthday so it will be one less date for him to have to remember!” laughed Merry, dripping fresh snow all over him as he hugged Pippin to him fiercely. “I should have expected naught else from a pair of Tooks!”

Gemma, Hale, and Helinand came alongside their sister and embraced her just as enthusiastically.

“It looks like I really do need to get back to Crickhollow straightaway then,” said Merry. “Estella will want to make the place ready for your welcome, Diamond, though what you ever did wrong to get stuck with this cousin of ours for the rest of your life, I’ll never know.”

Everyone hugged each other joyfully. Holly called Myrtle over and bade her bring wine and sweets for a celebration.

“Merry!” Pippin began. “If you are still intent on leaving for Crickhollow tomorrow, would you please bring some letters back with you? It is urgent that they be delivered as soon as possible, and you will be the closest. I must leave for Tuckborough to tell Mother and Father.”

Merry nodded. “Now that would be a celebration I would like to see. I am sure your mother will really appreciate your giving her only five months in which to plan a wedding fit for the future Thain.”

Pippin’s ears burned to their very tips. “I had not thought of that.”

Everyone laughed at his discomfiture.

*****

Aragorn and Arwen were seated at the table, enjoying their midday meal with Faramir, Gimli, and Éowyn. Normally, Legolas was with them, as it had become something of a tradition for them to take their midday meals together as much as possible. However, Legolas was visiting Éomer in Rohan, and so would not be joining them this day.

Just as the roast beef was being served, the door opened and Legolas entered; a wide grin on his face as he surveyed his friends’ astonishment at seeing him return so much earlier than expected.

“Legolas?” said Aragorn, furrowed his eyebrows in wonder as he looked more carefully at the Elf’s visage. “The news from Rohan must be good, indeed, for an Elf to grin with all of the glee of a child.”

“I haven’t seen a grin like that on your face since we went to the shore with Imrahil. Out with it, Elf!” barked Gimli. “What says Éomer?”

Faramir and Éowyn exchanged a glance, and Éowyn shrugged her shoulders.

“The news from Rohan is better than good,” Legolas began. “We have had word from the Shire.”

Legolas took an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Aragorn. “The Gondorian messenger’s horse came up lame. Fortunately, he was still riding with the messenger bound for Rohan at that point, and so the Rohirrim messenger took his messages and promised to see them through to Gondor.” Legolas beamed. “There was a message just like it for Éomer.”

“Trust an Elf to keep us all in suspense!” Gimli growled.

“Is it from Merry?” Éowyn asked, filled with hope.

A light shone in Aragorn’s face as he broke out into a great peal of laughter and smiled broadly. “It seems that you will be making that journey to the Shire sooner than anticipated Faramir. We are all invited to a wedding. My knight is getting married sooner than anticipated.” He handed the letter to Faramir.

Faramir read the letter and grinned. “It will be a pleasure, my lord.” He held the letter out for one of the others to read, and Gimli reached for it quickly.

“Well, it does fit right in with the Tookish sense of urgency to act without waiting,” Gimli howled with laughter.

“Hobbits are amazing creatures,” Aragorn reminded him.

“I do not understand. Merry said that Pippin would have to wait until Diamond was thirty-three years old and had come of age before they wed,” Éowyn commented, passing the wedding invitation to Arwen after reading it.

“Trust that rascal to find a way around the rules,” Gimli replied.

“It is the enchantment of his Tookish blood,” beamed Legolas. He was rather proud of the fact that he had known Pippin was in love before anyone else, even the other hobbits. Of course, he had kept Pippin’s secret, which he understood was not to be divulged until sometime after the hobbits had returned to the Shire. “Perhaps I will accompany you on your journey, Faramir.”

“You are not going anywhere without me, laddie,” growled Gimli. “Besides, I suppose now I will have to deliver those special wedding rings Peregrin had me make in person. Only a Took would have ordered wedding rings four years in advance.”

Faramir looked at his wife, questioningly. “Éowyn? Would you like to come along as well? You have been saying how you much you missed Merry and longed to visit with him again.”

Éowyn’s grey eyes smiled in answer. “It has been far too long since I have seen my shield brother!”

“Then it is settled. You four will journey to the Shire to attend the wedding,” Aragorn said. “Faramir, you may of course bring with you your choice of the Men, although there is little doubt but that young Bergil would like to accompany you. You are ordered to personally deliver the King and Queen’s best wishes to their knight and his lady in their married life together. Once the celebrations have concluded, and all of the hobbits have digested what will no doubt be a feast larger than any of us have seen, it would be an opportune time for Faramir to deliver the King's decree to the entire Shire.”

*From “The Stars Will Light Your Way” - by SlightlyTookish.

**From “At Crickhollow” - by Dreamflower.

To be continued.