Magnificent

2: Nightmares

To say that Estella approved of Diamond moving to Crickhollow would have been an understatement. She had squealed like a tweenager, before gathering her closest friend in an embrace.

Merry was also happy about the idea of having Diamond live with them. He understood how close she was to his wife. In fact, Estella had once told him that Diamond was her Pippin. The two had been locked up together for several months – Estella, because of her rebel activities with Fredegar and his band, and Diamond, because of her refusal to marry Lotho Sackville-Baggins. However, unlike Estella, Merry suspected that there may have been some sort of ulterior motive for Pippin’s offer to Diamond.

He was not the only one to suspect it either. When Peregrin told his closest sister, Pervinca, she raised an eyebrow. “Diamond’s coming to live with you?”

“Yes,” Pippin returned. “She’s Estella’s best friend. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, little brother.”

Similarly, when Diamond announced to her eldest brother, Isemgard, that she had been asked to move to Crickhollow, he asked, “And who made you the offer?”

“Pippin did. Peregrin Took, the Thain’s son,” she explained. “Please don’t think I’m being ungrateful to you and Violet, but I sometimes feel like I’m imposing on you, and it would be nice to get out on my own.”

“I see.” Isemgard smiled to himself. The prospect of his baby sister marrying the son of the Thain was a good one indeed.

Many of the hobbits who had been involved in the making-over of Crickhollow remained in Buckland to help Diamond move in. One of the rooms had already been prepared for her visits, and she chose that as her bedroom. Her belongings simply had to be moved in.

Sam and Rosie had to return to Hobbiton, since Rose’s due date was drawing near and they wanted to be home for the delivery. Pearl and Orlando also went home, to Pincup in the South Farthing, but Folco, Fredegar, Melilot, Pervinca and Everard all stayed, and Pimpernel, Berilac and Celandine all lived in Buckland anyway. Three of Diamond’s brothers, Isemgard, Vigo and Hildibard, came from Long Cleeve with their families (the second eldest, Fosco, was unable to come because his wife was expecting their second child). They were all pleasant lads and got along well with Diamond’s new friends.

“This is a lovely house,” Vigo commented to Merry, as he was given a tour. “Quite a nice set up for two married couples to live in.” He smirked at Meriadoc.

“Ah, so I see I am not the only one to suspect that my dear little cousin may have other reasons for inviting your sister to live here,” Merry laughed. “Diamond is a sweet lass. I would approve of her as a bride for Pip.”

“And I know my brothers and myself would approve of Master Peregrin, though I suppose they are both too young just now to consider anything too seriously.”

Youngest brother, Hildibard had had a similar talk with Pervinca and Everard (Everard and Hildi had become fast friends when it was discovered that Hildi’s wife, Topaz, was a cousin of Everard’s on his mother’s side). Everard chuckled. “And here we all were thinking that Peregrin didn’t have a hope of settling down after Sancho started courting Celandine.”

Any talk about Peregrin and Diamond’s future life together was not discussed while the pair were around. They were, in fact, the only ones who believed that there was nothing suspicious about Diamond’s move.

Isemgard, Vigo and Hildibard stayed for one night to make sure that Diamond was able to settle in. Everard invited them all to Tookland, as he was leaving the next day with his wife and daughter. They all accepted his invitation, and were all off early the next morning.

“Well, Diamond,” said Merry, “are you ready to face living here without anyone to protect you from us?”

“I have Stella,” Diamond returned, with the same grin that Merry’s face bore. “Now, do you suppose we could start on breakfast? I’m famished!”

* * * * * *

Merry woke with a start. He grinned down at Estella’s curls. Her head was rested on his chest and her breaths tickled him just a little. Merry could remember a time, early in their marriage, when it had startled him to find Estella sleeping so close. It was not the fact that there was someone sleeping so close, it was the fact that it was not Pippin, Frodo or Sam. Merry had become accustomed to having them near to him, and to find someone else there had been a shock.

It had taken some time, but now he loved waking up to Estella’s sweet scent. To find her snuggled close to him. He would not trade it for anything else in the world.

A cry broke his train of thought, and he realised that was what had woken him. Merry’s brow crinkled in worry, making his scar more noticeable. It seemed Pippin’s nightmares had started again.

Ever since he woke from his unconscious state after the final battle, Pippin had not been able to sleep with the bed sheets too tightly wrapped around him. If they ever managed to cover his head, he would wake screaming and crying, suffering nightmares that took him back to the terror of being trapped beneath the corpse of a troll. Part of the reason he had come to live at Crickhollow was because Merry knew what made Pippin so terrified. He had not told his family all the details of what had happened, and it had frightened them to find him whimpering whenever his head was covered.

Merry climbed out of bed. Pippin’s nightmares had not worried him for a good while, but that did not mean they had ceased completely. Merry suspected they would plague him for the rest of his life.

“What’s wrong, Merry?” Estella mumbled, half-asleep. He had woken her as he climbed out of their bed.

“Nothing, Stella, I think Pippin just had a nightmare,” he replied. “Go back to sleep.”

The cry was repeated, and Estella sat up straight in bed. “That’s not Pippin, it’s Diamond!”

Merry smiled sheepishly. “I thought it sounded a little odd.”

Estella offered him a sympathetic smile, as she climbed out of bed herself. “Now you go back to bed, Master Meriadoc. I shall see to Diamond.”

Merry gave in to his dear wife, and made himself comfortable again.

Estella pulled her gown on before making her way towards Diamond’s room. Like Pippin, Diamond occasionally suffered from nightmares, and they tended to be caused by sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Estella remembered the first time that Diamond had come to stay at Budgeford. The younger lass had woken the entire family up by screaming and sobbing in the middle of the night.

Diamond’s brothers had been staying the previous night, and Isemgard and his wife, Violet, had stayed in Diamond’s room. That must have given some element of familiarity, since Diamond had been fine that night.

“Di, it’s Stella,” Estella called softly, as she lightly rapped on the door to Diamond’s room. “Is something wrong?”

The only reply was a whimper, so Estella pushed the door open. Diamond was huddled in a corner, wrapped in the bed linen. Estella ran to her side.

“Sorry if I woke you, Stella,” Diamond whispered.

“Merry woke me, actually,” Estella assured her friend. “He heard you cry out and thought it was Pippin.”

Diamond gave her an odd look. “Why would he think that?”

“Pippin has nightmares a lot, too. At least, he used to. They aren’t so bad anymore.” Estella stroked Diamond’s hair. “Was it because you don’t know this place very well?”

“Yes. When I woke up, and I didn’t know where I was, I worried that I was back at Bag-End with Lotho, or in the Lockholes.” She shuddered. “I don’t know which would be worse.” Because the blood of Bullroarer Took flowed in her veins, Diamond had been chosen by Lotho Sackville-Baggins, former “Chief” of the Shire, to be his wife and bear his children. Her refusal had earned her a one-way ticket to the Lockholes.

“There’s no need to worry, Di. You’re safe. This is your home now. No one is going to hurt you.” Secretly, Estella was worried how Diamond would react if they ever took her to visit Sam and Rosie at Bag-End. The pleasant hobbit-hole held some awful memories for her.

“What does Pippin have nightmares about?” Diamond asked, after a moment or two in which neither lass spoke. True to her family name, Diamond could not keep quiet for long.

“He doesn’t like having the covers over his head, but to be honest, I don’t really no why. I suppose something must have happened to him.”

Estella eventually managed to coax Diamond to sleep. On her way back to her own bedroom, Estella pondered at Diamond’s question. What had happened to Pippin to make him so terrified of having his head covered?

Merry groaned as she climbed back into bed. “Is Diamond all right?”

“She is now,” Estella replied. “Just waking up in a strange place, it frightened her.” Estella twisted the bed covers in her hands. “Merry, why doesn’t Pippin like to have the bed sheets over his head?”

Merry, now very much awake, fidgeted. “Well…he…uh…”

“Is it something that happened when you two were taken by those horrible goblins?”

“No…” Merry sighed. He knew that there was no way he could hide anything from Estella. He had hoped that he, Sam and Pippin could keep some of the more frightening parts of their journey a secret from their loved-ones. “He was crushed by a troll.”

“A troll?”

Merry nodded. He regretted what he had said the moment he saw the look of horror on Estella’s face. “Remember how we told you Pippin was injured during the final battle? That’s how. He killed a troll, and as a reward for that, it fell on top of him. Everyone thought he was dead, but he’s stronger than he looks, and proved them all wrong. So now, whenever he can’t move, or his head is covered, it takes him back to being pinned beneath that filth.” He could feel the dampness of her tears on his chest. Merry kissed his wife’s forehead. “Stella, please don’t tell anyone else about this. I don’t think that Pippin wanted anyone to know, and I certainly wish I hadn’t told you. There are some things from our journey that I don’t want to tell you about. I don’t want you to have to worry about them. Promise me you won’t ask me anything like that again.”

Estella nodded. “I promise.”

* * * * * *

The next morning, Diamond found Pippin in the garden. He greeted her warmly. “Good morning Diamond, did you sleep well?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “I tend to have nightmares when I stay at unfamiliar places. I stayed with Freddie and Mel while we were fixing this place up for you.”

“You’ve stayed here before, though…”

“That was a different room.” Diamond had stayed at Crickhollow after one of Merry and Pippin’s infamous parties during the Great Year of Plenty. She had fallen asleep in the sitting room, on Pippin’s shoulder.

Pippin looked at her sympathetically. “Nightmares are not an easy thing to have to live with. I hope that you feel better now.”

She nodded. “Estella heard me crying, and came to comfort me. She told me you have nightmares too. Is that true?”

“We all do,” Pippin replied in a quiet voice. Diamond had never heard him sound like this before. “I think Frodo’s were the worst. Merry seems to be able to cover his, and I don’t know about Sam’s.”

“I dream that I’m in Bag-End, and Lotho’s coming to force me to marry him, or that I’m in the Lockholes, and they’re going to starve me to death.” Diamond looked Pippin straight in the eye. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and now she needed to know what made Pippin wake in a cold sweat. “What are your nightmares about?”

Pippin looked back at her. “I dream about being suffocated by blood and crushed by a pile of corpses.”

Diamond gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry…I had no idea. You never told us…”

 “Some things a better left unsaid, Diamond. I hope that I will not have the need to be so blunt with you again, but just remembered that it was you who asked.” Then Pippin smiled, and almost returned to his cheery self. “Shall we go and wake Merry and Stella now?”

As she watched Pippin walk back into the house, Diamond could hardly believe she had been talking to the same hobbit. It seemed there was much she did not know about his journey, but she would make it her business to find out as much as she could, however long it might take her.

* * * * * *

A/N: I should have warned you all at the beginning that this one probably won’t be so happy as its prequel. All of the main hobbits in this story have been through a lot, and that can’t be ignored. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a little angsty. I promise I’ll put something cheerful in the next chapter!