Diamonds of the Earth

A/N: I feel like I'm cheating, as this does not take place in the Shire, and is not from the point of view of one of the Shire-folk, but it is about hobbits, and in the interests of keeping things neat I'm posting this drabble here in "Postcards From the Shire." :)

It had been easy for Gimli to underestimate the hobbits at first, what with their laughter and jests, their gentle love of friends and food and nature. It had been easy for him to mistake their reluctance to fight for weakness, the uninhibited joy they so often found in life for hopeless idealism.

Their resilience had been a surprise to some members of the Company, their unquenchable spirit something to give others strength, their presence a blessing sorely missed.

Now Gimli knew hobbits better. Now he knew they were strong, stronger than the hardest diamonds found deep in the earth.