Flowers, Gems And Estella - Chapter XXVII
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Merry and Estella sat upon the crest of a green hill, a short distance from the Brandybuck abode – below them ran a gentle brook, beside which they had sunned themselves minutes before. Dipping their toes into the water, the scene had quickly turned into one of mischief, when Merry had roguishly splashed Estella, who splashed him back for it. The end result was two thoroughly soaked hobbits, and they now lay upon the grass, the bright sun overhead warming their clothes and spirits.
“That one,” Merry said suddenly, pointing upward at the blue expanse, painted over with white splotches of clouds, “That looks like an Ent – most likely Quickbeam, if I had to name it specifically.”
“And Ents, what are they?” Estella asked, looking to his face with a questioning look on hers. She had heard Merry speak of many things foreign to her that day. “And this Beren and Lúthien you spoke of in your letter, who are they?”
Merry chuckled. “One matter at a time, my love – am I to explain the world to you, or will you not leave will enough alone and admit that they are things unaware to you?” He had a bright smile on his face as he said this. “I have only begun to touch upon the telling of my journeys beyond the borders of the Shire – there is much more still, you see. Now, where shall I begin?”
Estella sighed, sensing that even if she had a hundred years to listen to Merry’s tale, she might never hear the end of it. “Tell me about Beren and Lúthien – that sounded like a good tale.”
“Very well,” Merry said, and cleared his throat dramatically while Estella laughed, “This happened long ago, long before we hobbits had colonized the Shire – perhaps long before hobbits even existed along the banks of the Great River, I’m not sure. But – and you have heard of Elves, right?” Estella nodded. “Well, there were once kingdoms all across the lands, even in these lands, our own Shire, once called Eriador – and in these kingdoms lived Men. Great and wise kings ruled over the lands, and there was long ago a land called Beleriand, no longer in existence. This was long before the kings of today, before Gondor and Rohan even existed – there lived a prince of Men, named Beren. One evening, while he was out walking, he came upon a grove, and within he saw the sight of a beautiful elf maiden, Lúthien, singing as she danced about in the moonlight.”
“And it was love at first sight?” Estella said, getting ahead of herself.
“Well, yes – but being an elf, she was immortal, whereas he was not, and while he would die and go to the halls of the Valar, she would live forever, for Elves are bound to the earth, and suffer as it does – only when the earth ends will they truly die. And being strong and handsome, I suppose, Lúthien loved Beren also, and swore to give up her immortality for him.”
“Did she ever?” Estella said, her voice carrying an excited tone, eager to hear the story.
“Now, just wait – Lúthien’s father was a great king of Elves, and when Beren met with him, the king would allow him his daughter’s hand only if he retrieved the last Silmaril from Morgoth. The Silmarils, you see, were jewels, and the Elves valued them highly, for they contained the light of the two trees of Valinor – by this time, though, there was only one left, and the trees had long since been destroyed, by Morgoth himself actually. So Beren, blind with his love for Lúthien, took on Morgoth, and did manage to capture the Silmaril – but he himself died afterwards, in battle against the great wolf Carcaroth.”
Merry saw a great sadness leap into Estella’s eyes when he said this, and her mouth contorted, as if she were about to sob, her eyes slowly watering over. “But, you see, Lúthien pleaded to the Valar to bring him back, for she would rather die than wander the earth forever, without him – the Valar pitied her, and agreed to let him live again, but only if she would forsake her immortality, and die with him also.”
Merry finished the tale, looking up at the clouds and watching their wispy forms slide by him in the sky – beside him, though, he heard a soft sob emit from Estella, and looked to see two silent tears run down her cheek.
“Estella my dear, what’s wrong?” he said, rising up upon his elbow to face her.
Estella wiped her eyes, smiling brightly even through her apparent sorrow – she laughed almost heartily as she spoke. “No, it’s alright – I’m not sad. That was just – a nice story. Don’t think I’ve heard better.”
“I apologize if it upset you –”
“It didn’t, really!” Estella, and she was truly was laughing here, “It was touching, and now – well, I understand what you meant in your letter, and I – I thought it was very thoughtful of you.” She leaned closer to him, wiping her joyful tears on his sleeve as he moved his arm to embrace her round the shoulders.
“Would you like to hear about the Ents?” Merry said softly, attempting not to ruin the weight of the moment.
“Yes, very much so,” Estella said, raising her head from Merry’s sleeve – her eyes were dry now, but were still rimmed with red, her cheeks shining while still slightly wet.
“Well, I suppose, when you wandered into the Old Forest, was there a queer feeling about the place, almost as if –”
“As if the trees were moving about, and watching you with their eyes?”
“Yes! Then I suppose you know what I’m talking about – well, I’ve suspected often that those tree really are able to move, and talk with one another, and watch you with sinister eyes. But when Pippin and I entered Fangorn Forest – after we were captured by orcs, I told you of that – I actually met a tree that could walk and talk, and had eyes with which to see like you and I do. Not a tree, really, but an Ent, different from a tree – they are the ones to keep the trees in line, though I suppose there aren’t any in the Old Forest, the trees in there are quite roguish. His name was Treebeard, the one that we met, and he cared for us and kept us safe from danger – the Ents, you see, are very old, and have been on this earth for a long time, and will no doubt be here for many more years. There are so old – and mind you, long ago the females Ents, or the Entwives, went away – well, they are so old, or at least Treebeard was, that it had passed from his memory what the Entwives even looked like! I mean, they must look something like an Ent, as apposed to a hobbit or an orc, right?”
“Well, I guess I would think so,” Estella said, nodding as though she didn’t completely understand what he spoke of, “But that’s so sad, to never know the companionship of another.” Her eyes held a downcast look in them as she spoke.
“You’re not going to start crying again, are you?” Merry asked, a mischievous smile on his face.
Estella too laughed. “No, of course not! I think I’m all right now.”
It was several more minutes before either of them spoke again – Merry, as if he had been contemplating this matter deeply, spoke at last. “Estella, you’re planning on attending the Harvest Festival in September, right?”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it,” she said, nodding.
“Well, I was wondering – I mean, of course we’ll see each other there. You’ll probably come there with Celandine, and Doderic and Ilberic, but I was wondering, if you would – if you might want to come with me?”
Estella was confused. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I mean, you – if you wanted to – you could come as my – companion, if you will.”
“You mean – like as your date?”
“Well – yes, I guess if you want to say it like that, if that’s really the best wording for it – I mean, it’s okay, between you and me –”
“I’d be delighted to.”
“You would?” he said, smiling, “Oh, okay – I mean, you don’t have to spend a great amount of time with me, if you wanted to just talk with other friends most of the time –”
“But you’re one of my friends, are you not?”
“Well, yes, I suppose I am – but –”
“Is there some other matter upon which you wish to speak?” Estella said, looking at him earnestly.
Merry stopped short of his words, contemplating them further. “Well, yes – you see, my parents don’t exactly – know, about our relationship – I don’t even know if they’ve ever really met you, even before our love.”
“Are you saying you haven’t even told them?”
“Well – what about you? Have you written home to your parents and told them of myself?”
Estella had to admit that she hadn’t. “Well, have you told them anything at all? It wouldn’t be a good idea to just spring this thing on them when they’re not expecting it.”
Merry sighed. “I have told them, somewhat, about us – I mean, after the party, they questioned me where I had been, when I was with you that time – so I said that I had been with a lass, which was not a lie – but not the whole truth. I said little more on the subject, for – well, I needed time to think it over, of how to tell them.”
“To think the relationship over, right?”
“Oh no, not at all! No, I do not need to think this over. I have never been surer about anything in my life, than about this,” he said tenderly, taking her hand in his, “But my point is, it is a delicate matter, and needs to be handled carefully.”
“Sounds logical, I suppose – and I shall meet them at the Harvest Festival?”
“That’s what I getting at – though they are away at the Great Smials at the moment, my parents shall be returning next week, and I would like to invite you to meet them then.”
“Oh? Like a dinner party?”
“Yes, but I wish for it be an intimate gathering – and I only planned on inviting you.”
“You mean, no one else – Celandine and her brothers wouldn’t be coming?”
“If you wish to invite them, it would be alright – but forgive me for saying that it was not my intention.”
“Well, I suppose it’d be fine – I would like to meet them, and to have them meet me. If it is necessary, then, to have their blessing – well, then I suppose we shall just have to have it. Yes, perhaps Celandine needn’t come – it would make it seem too causal an occasion. I’m sure she’ll be alright with it.”
“Wonderful – and you will attend the Harvest Festival with me as well?”
“I already said I would,” Estella said, smiling and laughing at the same time.
“Then I suppose it’s settled. Shall we adjourn back to the hole?” he said, preparing to stand.
“Oh, we don’t have to,” Estella said, and remained sitting, “It’s nice to just sit here and be near each other.”
“Whatever pleases my lady love,” Merry said, and sat down once more next to Estella.