Flowers, Gems And Estella - Chapter XXV
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Nursing a slight headache that was the result of the previous evening’s lively excursions, Mentha Brandybuck awoke to mid-morning sunlight streaming through the circular window in her room – she heard no sound within the rest of the house, imagining that the other residents were all still asleep. Most everyone had arrived at the hole after the party in a state of fatigue, nearly falling asleep while still in the pony-driven cart that took them home – Celandine and Estella, too tired to continue further, made berth there, neither of which she expected to now be awake. After washing herself thoroughly, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen she presumed to be empty.
“Oh!” she said in surprise upon seeing Estella awake and sipping a hot drink – she sat before the wide window, looking upon the green expanse, the rising sun slowly expanding over it.
“Morning,” Estella said to her in a strangely serene tone, such as one commenting on the beautiful weather and such.
“Um – morning,” she responded, slightly confused as to why Estella was up as early as she was, “Great party last night, don’t you think?”
Estella sighed wistfully to think of the events that had transpired the prior evening. “Yes, quite nice.” She sat down the now empty mug, and moved towards the door of the kitchen, pausing before Mentha, who was shocked when Estella embraced her in an immense embrace.
“What exactly was that for?” she asked once Estella released her.
“Just, to thank you – for inviting me, that’s all,” she said, and disappeared into the living room and up the stairs, Mentha looking after her, a bewildered look on her face. She shook her head, and proceeded to get herself a glass of water.
Estella had such a blissful smile on her face, her eyes lost in memories of the night before as she trumped up the stairs, barely aware of the hand resting on the wooden banister, that she completely missed seeing Celandine exit the guest bedroom and bumped into her.
“Oh!” she said, nearly falling to the floor but catching herself just in time, “Morning, Estella!” She wiped slumber from her eyes, her mouth opening wide in an enormous yawn. “Well, I can tell you’ve been up for a while – sleep any?”
“Yeah,” she said wistfully, her eyes not really focusing on Celandine, “A bit – went right to sleep when I laid down last night, I was so tired. How about you?”
“Um, me too,” Celandine said, her eyebrow raised, “Since I spent most of the whole evening dancing, and didn’t disappear halfway through the party – unlike some people – I was quite tired as well, and went right to sleep. And yourself?”
“You noticed, I guess,” she said sheepishly.
“It was fairly hard not to – I asked Fredegar, but he said nothing, told me to mind my own business, or something. Quite rude, rather.”
“So you want to know where I went?”
“And who you went with, as well.”
Estella sighed, knowing that this moment would come – it wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Celandine of professing her newfound love for Merry, quite the opposite really. But such a revelation had to considered – there was a right and wrong way to tell it, and Estella had not yet thought of the right way. Biting her lip, she pushed Celandine back into the bedroom she had just come out of, following and locking the door behind her.
“Okay, I’ll tell,” she said with a sigh, looking upon Celandine’s eager face, “I went – walking, I guess – with Merry.” Celandine’s eyebrows rose to hear this. “And he was going to – well, he was going to admit his feelings to me, which I think you had suspicions would happen, right?” She nodded knowingly – Estella now laughed to herself, remembering Merry’s bout of stuttering. “And I could tell he was nervous – and when he said it, I just – I don’t know how to explain it –”
“What? What happened?” Celandine was holding her hands as if on edge for what Estella might say next, and looked as if she were about to start biting her fingernails in anticipation. “You – you say that, did you? Because you know, you always said you didn’t – and if now you do – well, I’d be quite surprised, not to mention extremely pleased.”
Estella said nothing, relinquishing naught to Celandine but a small smile – one that increasingly grew by the minute. “Are you serious? Really?” she said in complete disbelief – a large grin broke onto Estella’s face, and she nodded.
Celandine released a great gasp, and embraced Estella a large hug, saying all the while, “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Now, you’re not just pulling my leg, are you? You really do feel the same, don’t you?”
“Of course! Do you think that’s something I would lie about?”
“Well, I don’t know about that –”
Fredegar, awoken by the squeals coming from the lasses, mostly from Celandine, trudged out of the guest bedroom, having full intentions of telling them to quiet down because there are still people in the hole trying to get some sleep – he only stood outside the room they were in though, eavesdropping on their conversation. So the evening had gone well for Estella, he commented to himself. He had often wondered when she would take interest in finding a lad to settle down with – in her youth, she was quite the stubborn thing, and whereas most lasses her age would readily associate with lads such as he, she would most often be found within their hobbit hole. It put his mind at ease to know that she now had no impediments towards socializing.
Estella seems pleased – perhaps it’s time I paid Merry a long overdue visit – just to talk. And with that he quietly prepared himself dressing in shirt and trousers, and came down the stairs without alerting Estella to his leave. Mentha and Melilot’s brother, Merimas, was in the living room, and said nothing when Fredegar bid him not tell Estella of his leave. He only nodded quietly, and returned to the thick, leather-bound book he was reading.
Fredegar arrived at Brandy Hall within the hour, noticing the servants still working to clean up the pavilion behind the hole from the previous evening’s excursions. He knocked on the door, wondering if any of the residents were able to answer it – last night’s party had been a good one, and every hand available would no doubt be needed to restore the Hall to its former state of cleanliness.
It was a couple minutes after he knocked on the thick wooden door that Merry, with a brilliant smile plastered on his face, opened the door – upon seeing Fredegar the smile faded, if only a little, pleased at seeing his friend, but perhaps expecting someone else.
“Morning,” Fredegar said brightly, pretending to be unaware of this falter, “I see you’re awake – hope you didn’t party too hard last night.”
“Oh no, I’m all right,” Merry said, rubbing slumber out of his eyes, “Just working to clean up a bit – there’s things, though, that I don’t even remember having happened.” He invited Fredegar within the Hall. “Indication of wild excursions, happening without my knowledge – my parents are rather peeved at me, though, about the broken lamp in the library, the evidence of which all points to Pippin, such as a broken bottle of ale, and a brooch,” Merry said, as he brought out from his pocket a expertly crafted brooch. Fredegar admitted to seeing it once or twice before, on the cloaks of the Travelers – it was a green leaf, with intricate silver trim about it, made of what looked to be the softest metal.
“Lady Galadriel wouldn’t be happy if she knew he dropped it – mind you, he’s already done it once before, but I think the occasion called for it,” Merry said, stroking the brooch reminiscently, remembering the shining face of the Elven queen who had given them such an exquisite gift.
“What happened – what was the occasion?”
Merry sighed – it was just another part of a long story, the end of which they still had yet to see. “Well, I know I’ve told you some of what happened to us, about the Fellowship, and Elrond. Well, it was soon after the death of Bor–” Much like when he had remembered the Battle of Pelennor, he stopped speaking, lost in melancholy thought.
“What happened?” Fredegar asked carefully, sensing the weight of the moment.
“Well,” Merry said, shaking his head as he jolted back to the present, “Pippin and I were captured by the Orcs – the horrid creatures of Mordor, I told you of them, didn’t I?” Fredegar nodded. “Lord Aragorn and his company, the elf Legolas and dwarf Gimli, were in pursuit of the Orcs, to rescue us – Pippin, in a moment of surprising genius, pulled off the brooch and threw it on the ground, to inform Aragorn that we were still alive.”
“Quite brilliant of him, I should say,” Fredegar said, “He seems to have acted somewhat mature over the course of the journey, but once he returned he was back to normal, would you say?”
“Oh yes,” Merry said, nodding, “Yes, he may have his moments here and there, but for the most part he is still the same Pippin we know and occasionally love – only much taller.”
“You’re much taller as well,” Fredegar mentioned, now inching closer to the topic he had originally come to speak of.
“Well, I don’t like to brag too much – but I must admit, I tower over quite a few hobbits since my return.”
“Yes – you towered over me quite well, I noticed, when you answered the door just earlier.”
“Well, it’s not that hard, really – I mean, seeing as how you haven’t taken any Ent draft in your lifetime. Keeps the Ents alive, and has an astounding affect on hobbits.”
“Hmm, yes – would you say that’s why your flashy smile faded when you saw me, and not, say, someone as tall as you?” Fredegar’s eyes flashed unseen by Merry. “Or was it because I was not the Bolger you wanted to see at the moment?”
“No you weren’t,” Merry said rather quickly and without thinking, then immediately began to fluster as he realized his verbal slip, “I mean, I wasn’t expecting you – I was expecting Pippin, to come and get his missing brooch!” He held the trinket up to prove his point, which soon flew out of nervous, slipping hands and under a nearby sofa. He looked after it, turning back to Fredegar and grinning sheepishly.
“Estella already told me – before she even told you, as a matter of fact,” he answered.
“Oh? So,” Merry mumbled, fingering idly with the hem of his vest, “So, you know – and –”
“And – I approve. If only for Estella’s sake – but the way I see it, it is no reason for a grudge to come between lads.”
“Oh no!” Merry said, shaking his head a little too keenly, “No, it’s no reason for you to hate me!”
“But,” Fredegar said, holding up a single finger, “I happen to know she thinks very highly of you – and if you should let her down –”
“Oh no, don’t worry!” Merry said, an almost frightened squeak to his voice, “No, I won’t let her down – on my oath, as a soldier of Rohan,” he said, holding a noble hand over his chest, “And a personal friend of his majesty Lord Aragorn, I will never willfully or fortuitously do anything to bring her harm or grief. You have my word,” Merry said solemnly, finishing with a small, respectful bow.
“Get up there, lad, you don’t need to promise me anything.” Merry rose at his bidding, smiling rather awkwardly. “Estella, like you, feared that I might not approve of this – relationship.”
“Well, I didn’t want to lose your friendship over it – after all, it’s nothing for us lads to have an argument over.” Fredegar nodded heartily and crossed his arms, agreeing with Merry’s jubilant words.