Magnificent

A/N: Big thanks to my new (and wonderful ^-^) beta-reader, powerwriter, for looking through this chapter for me. Though I try to check through my stories myself, there are always at least a few mistakes that slip by!

3: Sharing Secrets

Diamond’s plan to discover the details of Pippin’s adventure was not going particularly well. It was difficult to find a chance to speak to him alone, and she did not wish to ask anything with Merry or Estella present. Getting answers out of Pippin himself was going to be hard enough.

Finally, after a fortnight of failed attempts, Pippin announced after elevenses one morning, that he was heading into Bucklebury to pick up some bread and flour. After he had left the room, Diamond told Merry and Estella that she was going to go with him. She slipped from the house, and found Peregrin readying his grey pony.

“Would you like some company?” she called.

Pippin looked up, startled. “Diamond! Where did you spring out from?” He grinned. “I would never pass up the offer of a riding companion. Get Freckle ready and I’ll meet you at the gate.”

Freckle was Diamond’s pony from Long Cleeve. The pony seemed to be settling into her new home as well as her owner was, becoming fast friends with Estella’s black mare, Onyx.

Pippin was waiting patiently when Diamond rode up. She grinned at him, and they started towards the road.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Pippin,” she said. “Your pony – Mithrandir – what does his name mean? Where did you come by it? Quickbeam is easy enough to understand. He’s the fastest beast I’ve ever seen.” Quickbeam was Merry’s pony, a chestnut stallion with a fiery temper.

“Actually, Quickbeam was named after a good friend of ours. He was about the same colour too.” Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he added, “Quickbeam is an Ent.”

“Oh, I see.” Diamond remembered the walking, talking tree-men from Merry and Pippin’s stories.

“Mithrandir was named after another friend, or, at least, a name for one of our friends. Do you remember Gandalf?”

Diamond nodded. Though she had never personally met him, the wizard was infamous in the Shire.

“Mithrandir was what some of the elves and the people of Gondor called Gandalf. I believe it means ‘Grey Wanderer’.” Pippin patted his pony’s head. “So, I thought it would be a perfect name for this little fellow, though I don’t think old Gandalf was too pleased about having a pony named after him, even one so fine as this.”

Diamond laughed. “Indeed, I can imagine he would not be.” She became serious again. “What happened to Gandalf?”

“He left with Frodo and Bilbo. From what I’ve heard, he came from the Undying Lands originally. I suppose he would have been happy to go back.”

“Pippin, why haven’t you told Estella and I about everything you and Merry went through on your journey?”

Pippin gave her a small smile. “Perhaps we should go to Bucklebury later, if you want that question answered.”

When Diamond nodded, he sighed and pulled Mithrandir to a halt. They were probably about half a mile from Crickhollow, with fields on either side. They settled onto the grass next to the road and let the ponies graze. Diamond waited patiently for her question to be addressed.

Finally, Pippin cleared his throat. “Most folk don’t know the full story of our adventure. Generally, that’s because most of them wouldn’t believe us anyway. But for those who would believe it – our friends, family – we wanted to save them the worry. That other morning when I told you about my nightmares – Merry told Estella about them the night before, and it really upset her. That is why we have not told everything.”

“Does anyone know the full story?” she asked.

“Sam, obviously, but I don’t know that he told Rosie. Merry and I have both told our fathers, and only because they knew we were holding back, and demanded a full explanation. My mother and Aunt Esmeralda are easy enough to fool, but you can get nothing past Father and Uncle Sarry.” Pippin plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers. “Fredegar knows a lot too.”

“But you told Freddie about your adventure the same time as you did Estella and I!”

“Yes, but once you lasses were asleep, we had another talk. Fatty’s not one to be fooled too easily either.”

“What about your sisters?” Diamond offered.

“Pim and Pearl know just as much as everyone else, and Pervinca only knows a little more.”

“Did it make you feel better to tell someone?”

This question caught him off-guard. Pippin had never though of that, because, usually, when the more painful details of the journey were discussed, it had been Merry doing most of the talking. Pippin only added comments when he thought Merry had left something important out.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I haven’t actually told anyone myself.”

“My sister-in-law says it can make you feel better about something if you share it with another.”

“Did it work for you?” Pippin was referring to Diamond’s experience as the reluctant bride-to-be of Lotho Sackville-Baggins, as well as her imprisonment for refusing him.

She smiled sheepishly. “I haven’t told anyone the full story either. That’s why I asked you if it helped.”

“Well, I got the idea that it made Frodo feel better, writing things down. Perhaps your sister-in-law is right. Shall we swap stories?”

“If you don’t mind. And maybe we shouldn’t tell Merry and Stella about this. You said she was upset when Merry told her about your nightmares, and I’m sure there are worse things you have to tell.”

“There may be, or there may not, depending on what you think.” Pippin took a deep breath. “Well, if I was to tell you the full story, we would be here for days. How shall we work this?”

“We could organise a time to exchange stories. Once a week? Twice?”

“Let’s make it twice, and at this time, right after elevenses. We can tell Merry and Estella that it’s to let them have some private time.”

Diamond giggled. “A perfect plan, Master Took. Shall we begin today?”

“I don’t see why not.”

And so, Pippin and Diamond would slip out from Crickhollow, twice a week, right after elevenses. Sometimes they would sit and talk in the gardens at Crickhollow; other times they would take their ponies to a secluded part of Buckland.

It took a few weeks, but eventually, they knew about each other’s most painful memories. Pippin told Diamond about his mistake in Moria that had caused the fall of Gandalf, the death of Boromir while he had protected his ‘little ones’, the full extent of the capture by the orc troop (including Grishnák’s pawing), the palantír, the near loss of Merry, the pyre of Denethor and, of course, the final battle in front of the Gates of Mordor. On more than one occasion, Diamond burst into tears. She understood why he had wished to keep some of the story from those he loved.

In turn, she told him about her time in the Lockholes (something which Estella, Fredegar and the rest had euphemised themselves), and worst of all, Lotho’s attempt to force himself upon her.

As painful as the recollections were, both Peregrin and Diamond had to admit talking had made a big difference. Their nightmares had decreased in occurrence and severity, they generally felt happier, but most of all, they had developed great trust for each other. Without even realising, they were beginning to fall in love.

* * * * * *

“There you are!” Merry cried, poking his head into the study. Pippin was seated at the desk and appeared to be writing a letter. Merry had seen very little of his cousin of late. Pippin and Diamond disappeared together, quite frequently, and both Merry and Estella were beginning to suspect something was going on (of course, their guess was very far from the actual truth). Merry had finally decided to ask Pippin what was going on.

“Hullo, Merry,” Pippin greeted.

“Are you writing to Pervinca again?” Merry asked.

Peregrin and Pervinca had always been close, but now that he lived in Buckland, while she was still in Tookland, they did not see each other as often as they might have liked. They had, thus, taken to letter writing to keep in touch, writing to each other at least twice a week.

“Oh, no, this one is for Beregond and Bergil,” Pippin replied as he signed the letter.

“You’re sending letters to Gondor?”

“Ithilien, actually, but Gondor too. I’ve sent a few to Strider…I mean, King Elessar.” Pippin regarded his cousin. “You haven’t sent any letters to Éowyn or Éomer?”

Merry blushed a deep shade of red. It was simply not something he had thought of doing. He greatly missed his friends from outside the Shire, but had never thought of writing to them.

Pippin grinned. “My dear cousin, Meriadoc; you mean to tell me that you have not sent a single letter to any of our dear friends?”

“I send letters to Sam all the time,” Merry replied, in a small voice. “And Pervinca and Ev sometimes, too.”

 “Merry, that hardly counts. In comparison to Éowyn or Aragorn or Éomer, Sam lives just next door.” Pippin chuckled. “Now I understand why everyone asks how you are faring. I thought they were trying to give me something to write about – you know how short my letters can be. But they were actually asking because they didn’t know!”

“I suppose you wrote to Faramir and Aragorn before our last visit, and that’s why they knew we were coming, while Éomer didn’t.” Merry felt a complete fool.

“That’s right, cousin. I assumed you would have let your dear friend, the King of the Mark, know.”

“Well, no one has written to me either,” Merry tried to reason.

“Meriadoc, think about all the important business our friends have to attend to. They can’t be expected to remember to write to a forgetful little hobbit who can’t remember to write to them!” Pippin handed a pen, ink well, and sheets of paper to Merry. “Start writing. The messengers leave from Bree every second Thursday, and you have to send them from Buckland the Monday before for them to get there in time.”

Merry laughed at his own foolishness, before putting quill to paper. He had a lot of catching up to do. Besides, he had completely forgotten what he had come to speak to Pippin about anyway.

* * * * * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. First I had no time to write, thanks to study, but then when I did have the time, writers’ block struck! Fortunately, I seem to be over it now (this chapter ended up being completely different from the original attempt of it too!)