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A Friend´s Hug  by Golden

This story was written for Marigold´s Challenge 43. The Challenge was to write a story that includes doing something creative such as art, dance or music.

Also three elements that had to be included were given.

Mine were: A tapestry, Arwen, A field hand

A Friend’s Hug

  Beta by Marigold

With big, astonished eyes Pippin followed the tall, light-footed elf that led Merry and him to their guest quarters in Rivendell, so that they could refresh themselves and rest.

The fears of the last weeks still ran deep and the worry over Frodo lay heavy, but in this moment Pippin’s mind was overwhelmed breathing in the beauty and peace of this place, like someone dying of thirst would swallow a drop of water.

In front of a big, white door they halted and the elf, whose name was Elrohir and who had introduced himself as a son of the elven lord Elrond, opened the door and invited the two Hobbits to enter.

Pippin’s eyes grew even bigger. A beautiful, light filled room lay before him. The walls were pure white, tapestries in light green colours decorated them and the sunlight danced upon them through big windows and laid a golden veil over everything.

In one corner of the room were two intricately decorated beds, as well as matching night tables and a washstand made out of pure marble.

A table and chairs were in another corner of the room. A richly decorated vase with yellow-white shimmering flowers was standing in the middle of the table, as well as a bowl filled with fresh, juicy looking fruits, a jug and two small cups. An arched shaped door led onto a sunny balcony over which trailing wild vines were climbing.

Another door led into a room from which hot steam and the smell of wild camomile and flowery soap was penetrating.

Excited, Pippin looked inside. “Merry! A bath!”

Two tubs built into the floor, complete with small steps that led down into the steaming water awaited them. Soft towels and bathing gowns, as well as hobbit sized garments made of silk and velvet also lay ready for their use on two chairs.

Pippin next ran over to the table and grabbed an apple then made ready to climb up on one of the beds, but a sharp “Pip! No!” coming from Merry, who already saw in his mind the clean white bed dirty with muddy footprints, made him stop.

Instead he turned, and dashed to Elrohir. For a moment Merry feared his demonstrative cousin was actually going to throw himself about the elf’s legs in a grateful embrace, but Pippin managed to restrain himself to an enthusiastic “Thank you!” before he once more switched his focus and ran out on the balcony, calling over his shoulder, “Merry! Have you seen this view?”

Merry smiled at a bemused Elrohir in apology. “He is a bit overwhelmed right now.”

Than he bowed before the elf. “ I too am very grateful for your generous hospitality. Many thanks.”

Elrohir responded to this with his own bow. “I hope you have everything you need Master Meriadoc. Freshen up and rest. I will send someone later that will escort you and Master Peregrin to the evening meal.”

With these words the elf left the room and the Hobbits were by themselves.

Merry had his hands full to calm his cousin down, but after at least some of his hunger and thirst was stilled and he had had a nice, hot bath Pippin was sound asleep in seconds, as soon as his head touched the soft pillow.

Merry stroked Pippin’s still wet curls and tucked him in, before he lay down in his own bed. His last thought, before sleep claimed him, was for Frodo; that somewhere in this beautiful place he was fighting to survive.

*********************************

Some time later there was a knock at the door. Merry jerked and sat up in the bed. “Come in.”

A bright blond elf entered, smiled at Merry and gave a small bow. “Master Pheriannath, the evening meal is prepared. Do you wish to dine in the hall or should I arrange to bring it to your room?”

Merry looked into the ageless face and returned the smile. “We will eat in the hall, thank you.”

The elf, whose name was Mindor, bowed again and with the words, “I will wait in the corridor for you and your young friend,” he left the room.

Merry looked at Pippin, who still was sound asleep and climbed out of his own bed to wake him. Gently he stroked his cheek. “Pip…Pip dearest, wake up.”

Pippin opened one green eye a crack and stretched. “ What Mer? Le´ me sleep,” he murmured.

Merry grinned, bent down to Pippin’s ear and whispered, “Dinner is served!“

That had the desired reaction. Fast as lightning Pippin was up, dressed and waiting at the door. “Come on Merry, hurry up, I am starving!”

The dinner was a feast. Pippin and Merry sat together with Elrohir and his twin brother Elladan and Sam joined them too, bringing news of Frodo.

“Mister Frodo is as well as possible considering what happened. He is in a deep sleep, but the Lord Elrond says he seems a bit better than he was. He is in good hands with the Lord Elrond.”

This wonderful news gave the Hobbits a good appetite. Laughing, they managed to eat unbelievable amounts and Pippin entertained the elven brothers with little stories from the Shire.

Then suddenly he grew silent and stared open mouthed at a point behind Elladan.

The elf turned around and smiled. “Arwen! Sisterheart, come and join us!”

“Merry, Pippin, Sam, this is Arwen, our little sister!” he introduced the stunning elf maiden. “Arwen, these are Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took and Samwise Gamgee of the Shire. They accompanied the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins on his hard journey.”

Arwen curtsied to the three Hobbits. “I am delighted to meet you my friends.”

Merry rose from his chair and bowed. “ The pleasure is all mine, milady.”

Sam, who suddenly wished that his own manners weren’t so plain, copied Merry a bit clumsily and whispered with his face red, “ Pleased to meet you.”

Pippin just continued staring at Arwen with an open mouth.

Merry poked him in the side. “Pippin, where are your manners!”

Pippin lowered his eyes, blushed and moved a bit nearer to Merry. “Uhm…Hullo…” he said quietly and blushed even more.

Merry and Sam blushed too, but due to the poor manners their young friend was showing.

However the elves seemed to be amused rather than insulted; they laughed and started again to ask questions about the Shire.

Merry and Sam were relieved that Pippin’s behaviour wasn’t taken as an offence and now it was Merry who happily answered all the questions. Sam made a shy remark now and then and Pippin…

Pippin was uncharacteristically silent and only stuttered a brief answer when he was directly spoken to.

His gaze wandered from time to time to Arwen. But always when she looked back at him he quickly studied his plate, as if it were the most interesting thing on Arda.

After dinner the Hobbits excused themselves and went back to their rooms. They still felt tired and exhausted from their journey.

Merry studied his little cousin from the side. “I didn´t know you were that shy Pip. Even more so than our good Sam.”

Pippin turned red and snapped at Merry, “I am not shy Meriadoc. Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Oh I don’t know. It was just a thought,“ Merry said, smiling.

**************************************************

In the next days Arwen noticed more and more that the youngest of the Hobbits seemed to be uncomfortable in her presence.

He joked around energetically with her brothers, but as soon as she neared he grew silent. When she greeted him he only mumbled a small, “Hello,” and hid himself halfway behind Meriadoc. When she asked him at meals to pass something to her, he either stiffened and didn’t react at all and it was Merry who fulfilled Arwen’s request, or he grabbed at the desired object too hastily and knocked over glasses and dishes.

On the third day after the Hobbits arrival, they got a message that Frodo was coming to a crisis. Elrond was growing more concerned – if he could not find the shard of the evil blade soon, Frodo would succumb.

Merry and Pippin joined Sam at Frodo’s bedside, taking it in turns to hold his good hand and speaking to him.

Pippin told his elder cousin all the new jokes that he had heard and made an effort to put on a cheerful face, hoping to also cheer up the other two worried Hobbits.

After some time, Bilbo came to the room, as he had done often on the previous days. The younger Hobbits had been surprised and overjoyed to see him and Bilbo felt the same, but they had all been too concerned for Frodo to have a proper reunion yet. That could only come when Frodo had passed his crisis, one way or the other.

Half an hour later Pippin left the room with the excuse he needed to use the privy. In truth he just could no longer bear to look at Frodo’s seemingly lifeless and pale body and at the sad, scared eyes of Merry, Sam and Bilbo.

He couldn’t laugh anymore; it was so exhausting to act cheery, when he was so unhappy. However he also didn’t want the others, especially Merry, to see him cry. He knew that would make Merry worry even more.

He looked around and finally crept behind a floor length tapestry that hung not far from Frodo’s room. He couldn’t contain his tears any longer, and curled into himself and sobbed.

Soon he felt empty. His eyes burned and his tears seemed all used up, but inside his heart still wept loudly with worry and fear for his beloved cousin.

Arwen stopped before the small bump in the tapestry and the hairy feet that were visible. Worried, she bent down.

“Can I do something for you, Master Perian?” she asked.

“No,” the voice of the Hobbit said, distorted by the thick fabric of the tapestry. But Arwen recognized it as the voice of young Peregrin.

She sat down on the floor next to the tapestry.

For some time it was silent, than Arwen spoke up, “ Master Peregrin, would you allow me to ask a question?”

It took Pippin a while to answer, but finally he said, “Yes.”

“Why do you feel uncomfortable around me? Did I do something to upset you?”

The tapestry moved and Pippin’s green eyes looked at Arwen from behind it in astonishment. Arwen noticed that he had been crying.

“N..no..milady..” he stuttered. “It..i..is j..just…you are s..so…beautiful…”

Arwen blushed slightly. “Thank you for such a nice compliment, Master Peregrin.” She smiled at him. “Do you think that we could become friends?”

Pippin nodded shyly. “That would be nice.”

Arwen smiled and held out her hand to him. “Hello, I am Arwen. How nice to meet you, Peregrin.”

Grinning, Pippin shook her hand and replied, “It is my pleasure to meet you, Lady Arwen. And please call me Pippin. All my friends do.”

“I will gladly do so, Pippin. Would you allow me to ask you another question?”

Pippin nodded.

“Why are you sitting behind this tapestry?”

Pippin looked down.

“I…Frodo.. I wanted… I just couldn’t… and…” He fell silent.

Arwen laid a gentle hand on Pippin’s shoulder and the Hobbit continued, “I didn’t want Merry to see…for him to see that…” Again he fell silent.

Arwen continued for him. “You didn’t want Meriadoc to see you crying?”

Pippin nodded. “He already has so many worries because of Frodo…and if he saw me cry, then he would worry about me too.”

Arwen looked softly at the Hobbit. Pippin played with the tassels of his scarf. His whole body seemed tense under his worry for his cousins.

Arwen stood up and held out her hand to the Hobbit. “Come,” she said, I’d like to show you something.”

Pippin followed the elf princess through the many levels and corridors of Rivendell and finally they stopped in front of a door with golden decorations.

Arwen opened the door and together they stepped into the room behind. Pippin looked around with wide eyes. The whole room was a work of art.

Paintings and embroideries were hanging on the walls, beautiful figurines of wood, stone and clay stood on the many shelves.

Near one of the several, big windows stood an easel with a canvas on it. On a table near the wall were many little cans of colour. Paintbrushes, a hammer and other graceful looking tools that Pippin didn´t know the names of were lying on another shelf near the table.

“This,” Arwen began, “is my little sanctuary. When I am sad or angry or tense, and also if I am happy or perhaps long for something, then I come here and let my emotions create art. It helps me to relax and to bring my thoughts in order.”

Arwen took a damp cloth out of a cupboard with something wrapped inside. She gave it to Peregrin. “Here, open it.”

Pippin did so and looked at a damp, brown lump.

Questioningly he looked up at Arwen.

“It is clay,” Arwen explained. “You can form the most beautiful things out of it.”

She showed Pippin an elegant figure of a horse made out of clay.

“You made that?” Pippin asked with awe in his eyes. “It is perfect! How did you learn to make something so beautiful?”

“A very good friend, who worked as a field hand on a farm owned by my uncle, showed it to me a long time ago, when I was a child. Why don’t you try it?”

“I..I..don’t know, if I can make anything like that….” Pippin murmured.

Arwen took the clay out of the Hobbit’s hand. “First you have to throw the clay against the floor, hard, so that you don’t have air inside it,” she said and in the same moment she demonstrated and the clay landed with a loud bang on the floor.

Pippin jumped.

Arwen picked up the clay again and gave it back to Pippin.

Hesitantly he lifted up his hand and let the clay fall out of it.

“Very good,” Arwen encouraged, “and now again.”

Pippin repeated the procedure, already with more enthusiasm.

With every throw the bang grew louder and Pippin started to feel more relaxed, as if the fear that he carried within would ease out of him a bit more every time the clay touched the floor.

********************************************

Arwen looked at the small figure in her hand. “It is beautiful, Pippin.”

“It is an eagle, “ Pippin said, bashful. “ I would like that…. that you keep it. I made it for you.”  

“For me? Arwen smiled. “Thank you, Pippin!“

In a sudden burst of emotion Pippin wound his arms around the legs of the beautiful elf maid. “I want to say thank you,” he murmured and than jerked back, embarrassed. “Oh..I am sorry. I didn’t want to be impolite.”

Arwen knelt down and hugged the Hobbit. “It is all right Pippin. You may hug me. We are friends now, remember. And Pippin, promise me something….do not hide your fears away from Merry. Talk to him. That will help both you and him.”

She felt the Hobbit nodding and gently stroked the red-brown curls of her new, young friend.

 

- The End -





        

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