Chapter 7. As Long as Life Shall Last

When Merigrin Took reached the Bywater market square it was much too late. The tables were deserted, the chairs and benches pushed back. Crumpled serviettes lay where they had been thrown down, scattered over the tabletops. Half the plates had already been cleared away, and hobbits were methodically stacking the remainder and bearing them to the Green Dragon and the Ivy Bush for washing.

Meri sank down on a bench, wishing he were not too old for tears. He’d run and walked all the way from the Great Smials in hopes of reaching Bywater before the wedding breakfast ended, but it was a long way for a young hobbit on foot. He wondered what his father had said when he’d been discovered missing, and what his punishment should be. The fact that the mother bird was sitting in the nest, obviously sitting on eggs, was hardly compensation for this disaster.

He was aware of someone calling his name only when one of the workers nudged him. ‘Pay attention to your elders, boy!’ she said sharply, and with a courtesy to the tall hobbit standing before them she returned to the business of clearing away.

 ‘Meri?’ the Master of Buckland said, a quizzical look on his face. ‘What are you doing here alone?’ His pony nuzzled at his sleeve, and he absently stroked the velvety nose.

 ‘I got left behind,’ Meri said with a sniff. Truth be told, he was so very tired and footsore he wasn’t sure he could have walked to Hobbiton and then up the Hill, even had he been in time.

 ‘That’s easily remedied,’ Meriadoc said with a grin. ‘No use the both of us being in trouble. Come, I’ll give you a ride to the wedding.’

 ‘Thanks, “Uncle” Merry!’ Meri said, brightening. He jumped up, ignoring the stiffness in his feet, and Meriadoc lifted him to the saddle, settling behind him.

 ‘Here we go,’ Meriadoc said cheerily. He cocked his eye at the Sun. ‘Not much past noon,’ he added. ‘We might even catch up to them before the ceremony begins. Let us try, at any rate.’ He clucked his tongue and the pony moved out, his head bobbing wearily with the rhythm of his walk. Meriadoc made a chirping noise and the pony’s head lifted; he broke into a slow trot. ‘That’s it, lad,’ Meriadoc encouraged. ‘Not long now, and you can have a nice rest.’

They trotted through Bywater, down the stretch of road to Hobbiton, and through Hobbiton. As they reached the Hill they could see the last of the crowd ascending ahead of them. Seeing more of his own kind ahead, the pony pricked his ears and tackled the slope with a will.

They reached Frodo and Fastred, following the crowd. ‘Hullo!’ Fastred called in surprise. ‘What happened? We’re supposed to be the tail, you know.’

 ‘I know; sorry about that,’ Meriadoc said. He spoke softly to the pony, unfamiliar words though they sounded to Merigrin as if he ought to be able to understand them. Of course! Uncle Merry was always talking about the Rohirrim and how their language resembled hobbits’. A longing stirred within the teen, a resolve began to form within him. Someday he’d see Rohan and all its wonders! The pony nodded its head and moved past Frodo and Fastred, catching up the last of the waggons and ponies at the rear of the singing crowd. Merigrin heard Meriadoc join the song, and he lifted his own voice in the joyful chorus.

Hobbits were waiting at the top of the Hill to take the ponies. Meriadoc slid down and steadied Merigrin as he jumped from the saddle. ‘Thanks, Uncle Merry!’ the young Took said, and winding through the crowd he found his family and slipped into place with his brothers. Meriadoc grinned. If only it were so easy! Taller than the surrounding hobbits, he searched until he found Estella, and slipping through the throng he took his place at her side. Her eyes widened when she saw him, but she was precluded from speaking as Pippin raised his voice.

We are gathered here to witness the joining of two souls, two spirits, two hearts... two families into one that never existed before this moment.

Is there any here who can raise an objection to this union?

The Thain waited the requisite three breaths, sweeping the crowd with a keen glance, before he smiled.

Frodo hardly knew what was said. His eyes were fixed on Daisy’s. His hand held hers, o how right it felt in his grasp. He thought he could stand here forever, just looking and holding... She smiled up at him and lifted her chin proudly, speaking the responses clearly. He found himself standing straighter as well, wanting to shout the words, to laugh them in his delight.

...to seize each moment, to live to the fullest the love that's between us...

Just beyond him, Ferdibrand heard a sharp intake of breath. He knew that sound; his own Nell had made it often enough in their marriage. He squeezed his wife’s hand, released it, and stepped to the side. ‘Nell?’ he asked quietly, for this was his pet name for Sam’s eldest; his own wife was invariably “My Nell”.

 ‘I am well, Uncle Ferdi,’ she returned in a whisper, but couldn’t suppress another gasp.

...to refuse no joy set before us...

 ‘Perhaps we ought to lie you down, lass,’ he said so low that no one heard but Elanor. ‘In any event, the bright Sun is hurting my head. Would you show me to the smial?’

She was instantly solicitous, as he expected, taking his arm and leading him through the crowd.

...that each day might be a golden coin to add to the treasure trove of our love... Fastred, standing at the front of the crowd to witness the vows, did not see his wife leaving the Party Field with the Thain's chancellor.

...until I've drunk the last drop in the cup, and no more days remain to me... as long as life shall last, until I take my last breath of the sweet air.

There was a moment of silence when the vows were complete, a time for all the participants to ponder anew the depth of the meaning of the words.

Forever, Frodo whispered to his true-love.

Beyond forever, Daisy whispered back with a grin. She squeezed his hand and he returned the squeeze. He would never let her go.

'As long as life shall last...' the Thain repeated solemnly, then smiled. 'Ladies and gentlehobbits, allow me to present to you a new family of the Shire!'