Thanks for the feedback, Le Rouret! I'm very glad you're liking how I'm writing Estella.

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Chapter 6 - A Rain of Petals

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The ceremony was held in front of the mallorn tree in the Party Field at sunset, when small prinpicks of starlight were just beginning to appear in the sky. Sam and Rosie had wanted a small wedding with only close friends and family members attending, but many others had decided to show up for the occasion, and it looked as though their modest little wedding was going to be the Shire's biggest social event of the year.

As Deputy Mayor, Frodo would be presiding over the ceremony. He stood directly in front of the mallorn, with Sam at his left and Merry and Pippin beside Sam. Sam's trembling hands were tightly clutching the small parchment where he had written the vows he would be telling Rosie that evening. Occasionally, his eyes would dart towards the path that Rosie would soon be walking down. When Merry saw the wide-eyed look his friend wore, he grinned broadly.

"I thought we'd already decided that there was nothing to worry about, Sam," he whispered.

Sam jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "W- well, it's n- not really about being nervous, j- just about being..."

"Excited?" Pippin finished for him.

Still shaking, Sam returned his friends' smiles and nodded quickly.

Quite suddenly, all other conversations in the field were silenced by Rosie's approach. She remained still for a moment, seeming to be overwhemled by the number of hobbits gathered in front of her. But then she locked eyes with Sam, and a smile lit up her face. She had a sort of glow about her that had nothing to do with the white dress she wore.

Rosie made her way slowly down the path, which was simply a stretch of grass that had been covered with flower petals, as was the tradition. In front of her walked Marigold and Estella, both wearing simple but comely dresses of pale lavender. Estella's dark brown locks were sprinkled with several tiny flowers the same shade as her dress. The smile that graced her lips was for once not mocking or mischevious, but sincere and delighted. It was a smile that did wonders for Estella's already attractive face.

Merry gulped deeply at the thought.

It took him a moment to notice that Frodo had begun speaking. He tore his gaze away from Estella and focused on Sam and Rosie, who didn't seem at all aware of anyone else around them but each other.

"You've both written your vows to each other," Frodo said. "Now it is time for you to say them aloud. Rose, please give your vows to Samwise."

Rosie needed no paper to refer to; Merry suspected that she had spent a long time committing to memory what she was to say. Tears of joy shining in her eyes, Rosie smiled and spoke. "They told me I was a fool for waiting, that there was no hope of you ever returning to me. But if there is one thing you have taught me, Samwise Gamgee, it is that there is always hope. My heart never doubted that you would always come back to me, for you have always been my constant, and I vow that my love for you will be just as unwavering."

As Rosie was speaking, Merry found his gaze wandering back to where Estella stood, watching the ceremony with that same beautiful smile. The dwindling sunlight illuminated her face - her small nose, her elegant eyebrows, her sparkling brown eyes. Her eyes! Her wonderful, vibrant eyes that seemed to tease and challenge him whenever they fell upon him - as they were doing at that very moment.

Blushing, Merry quickly turned away, hoping his gaze had not been upon her for very long. He found that Rosie's vows had ended, and Frodo now looked to Sam.

Though his angle was such that he couldn't see Sam's face, Merry knew his friend would be in tears by now. And though this was true, when Sam spoke, his voice was perfectly steady. "Many times during my travels, when all seemed dark and hopeless, I would look to the sky and see the light of a single star. So bright and beautiful was that star that it kept alive even the smallest shreds of hope within me. And whenever I saw it, I always thought of you, of the light in your eyes. Of all the stars I have seen and will ever see, you are the brightest and most beloved to me."

Smiling, Frodo spoke once more. "As Deputy Mayor of the Shire, it is my honor to name you Samwise and Rose Gamgee. May your union be forever blessed."

With that, he took Rosie's left hand and placed it in Sam's right. Their hands clasped, and as Frodo released them, all of the hobbit children in attendance ran to the pathway, grabbed a handful of petals each, and threw them into the air. It was a tradition that was said to give the marriage hope and good fortune.

Soon it seemed that Rosie could no longer contain herself. As flower petals rained down upon all in attendance, she leaped forward, throwing her arms around her husband. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist in response, pulling her closer to him. Merry could now see Sam's shining face, and never before had he looked happier.

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It was several hours after sunset, and the celebration had not died down in the least. In the center of it all were Sam and Rosie, who had never been more than an arm's length apart from each other throughout the evening. The newlyweds were now dancing; Sam held Rosie close, her head resting against his shoulder. He gazed down lovingly at his wife, who wore a smile that shined with serenity. Estella thought that her friend had never looked more beautiful.

It took Estella a moment to realize that she had been joined. She turned to find Merry was now sitting next to her, regarding her with that same, strange smile he had worn while looking at her during the ceremony. Though the smile was quite unnerving to her, something about it made Estella's heartbeat quicken ever so slightly.

But she revealed none of this to Merry. "Might I ask what you are gaping at, Master Meriadoc?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Merry's smile slowly disappeared, and his manner became more serious. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I had no right to say that, and I hope you can forgive me."

Estella's eyes widened in surprise, and she was for once at a loss for words. Whatever she had been expecting from him, and apology certainly wasn't it. After a moment, she forced out a laugh and replied, "Oh, you shouldn't worry about that. I was feeling a bit stressed, as I'm sure you can understand."

The smile returned, brighter this time, and he spoke again. "But you should still let me make it up to you." Much to her horror, he took her hands, stood, and dragged her to the patch of grass where many other hobbits were dancing.

Her eyes wide, Estella stammered, "N- no, Merry, y- you don't understand, I can't--"

"Can't dance?" Merry exclaimed, a look of mock-astonishment on his face. "Nonsense! Anyone can dance!" Ignoring her pleas, he placed one of her hands on his shoulder, rested his own on her waist, and held her other hand in his. He then began to move about more or less in time with the music, his steps not exactly graceful, but always with a strange sureness that only Merry could posess.

About halfway through the first song, Estella gave up her protests and allowed Merry to guide her across the soft grass that served as a dance floor. By the end of that song, she had even given up on being grumpy, and found herself laughing at her partner's comments.

"Ah, that's five," he announced suddenly sometime during the second song.

"Five what?" Estella inquired as Merry extended his arm and twirled her about.

When he pulled Estella back to him, Merry leaned in and whispered, "I've been keeping count - you've stepped on my feet five times."

"I have not!" she exclaimed, smiling despite herself.

Merry laughed as he leaned down, dipping Estella towards the ground. "You're not quite as graceful as I first suspected," he commented with a sly grin.

"I do believe I warned you about my poor dancing skills, Mister Brandybuck," she replied as he pulled her back up.

"Surely you are aware that I was never one to heed warnings, Mistress Bolger."

They then realized that the music had changed and was now much slower. For a moment, the two simply stood awkwardly in front of each other. Finally, Merry gave Estella a small smile and spoke.

"Would you honor me by granting my feet more opportunities to be stepped on?"

The rational part of Estella wanted to refuse him immediately. But that part of her was overruled, and before she was even aware of her actions, she smiled, gave Merry a small courtsey, and stepped into his arms once more.

Much to her surprise, she felt a strange warmth from being so close to him, a certain something that made her feel comfortable and secure. She rested her forehead on Merry's shoulder, and when she knew no one could see her face, Estella smiled.

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I hope you liked the wedding... I wanted to make it as "hobbity" as possible. Any suggestions on how to improve it would be greatly appreciated. Also, I know the vows might have been a bit drawn-out and cheesy, but I just didn't have the heart to cut any of it out... perhaps I'll find a way to fix it later on. :-P