And here we see more of the Faramir influence on young Master Took. ;-)

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Chapter 10 - Love Letters in the Gondorian Style

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The first thing Pippin did when he returned to the Great Smials was tear around the many rooms in search of a good bottle of ink.  Upon achieving this task, he quickly retreated to his bedroom, heading directly towards the small desk in the corner.  The drawers was not lacking in parchment, as Pippin had rarely written anything when he had permanently resided in that room.  He grabbed several sheets and a quill, dipped the quill in the nearby ink bottle, and let it hover above the paper as he thought of where to begin in his first letter to Diamond.

Dear Diamond, he began, pausing for a moment before scratching out what he had written.

“Too average,” he muttered.

He started again.  My fairest Diamond...

“Ugh.”  He made another scratch-out.

Dearest darling Diamond...

Pippin squinted at what he had just written.  “Why, that borders on mockery.”

This time, after he had marked out the words, he crumpled the paper up and tossed it over his shoulder.  He sat back with a deep sigh, pressing the nib of the quill between his lips and staring at the fresh paper in front of him.

“I wonder how Faramir would have done this...”

Pippin knew that his Gondorian friend would frequently write to his wife whenever duties sent him away from home.  When Pippin, Merry, and Estella had traveled to Gondor on one occasion, they had convinced the lady Éowyn to show them some of those letters; the two hobbits had not been surprised to find that the letters were often filled with long, eloquent declarations of love.  Pippin had asked Faramir how he managed to come up with so many complex ways of saying “I love you” to his wife, to which the Steward had replied:  “When a man is in love, he finds that he will never tire of praising his lady in some way.”  Having been then been married for nearly two years, Merry had cast a glance at Estella and smiled knowingly at this; but Pippin, though he had been willing to take Faramir’s word on the matter, had not entirely understood that concept.  Now, however, he understood it all too clearly.  There were countless things he could say about Diamond, about how much he loved her and how lucky he was to have her love him in return.

If only he could find a starting point.

Pippin conjured up the memory of those few letters Éowyn had been willing to shown him, recalling the lines that Faramir had used as openings.  These salutations had varied slightly, but most of them had simply read:  “My dearest Éowyn.”

Smiling with satisfaction, Pippin once again set quill to parchment, carefully penning the words “My dearest Diamond...”

* * *

Diamond didn’t usually get excited when the post arrived in the afternoon, but over the past few days, she could often be found lurking in the doorway as letters were handed out.  She was rewarded on one particular day when her father called out her name.

After he had pulled her aside, Feldigram waved the enveloped at her awkwardly.  “Ah... this came in from the Great Smials, Diamond, and it’s addressed to you.”

Diamond hurried forward, but before she could take the envelope, Feldigram pulled it away, staring at it with furrowed brows.

“This is from Peregrin Took.”  Diamond nodded, and she was reaching out for the envelope when Feldigram continued gently, “He does know that you can’t read, doesn’t he?”

A blush rising in her cheeks, Diamond replied, “Well, actually, Dad...  You- you remember all that time that Pippin and I spent together while he was here?  Well see, when he found out that I couldn’t read, he decided to... well...”

Feldigram raised his eyebrows.  “He taught you how to read?”

“As much as he was able; he only had a few weeks, after all,” she replied, her voice shaky.  “I’ve still got a ways to go, but he says I made excellent progress in that short time.”  She grinned at her father suddenly before taking the envelope from his hands and quickly retreating down the hallway to her room.

She closed her bedroom door and locked it, then sat down on the bed and regarded the envelope with trembling fingers.  Her eyes were immediately drawn to the seal on the back - it was the image of a flowering tree.  Making a mental note to inquire about that tree, she carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of parchment that was inside.

My dearest Diamond,

I know it has only been one week since I saw you last, but those days have passed like an eternity.  I miss seeing your smile and hearing your laugh.  I feel strangely colder without being in your presence, and I wish more than anything to be able to hold your hand again.

I miss your blue eyes, your dark hair, your fair skin.  I miss seeing you blush every time I tried to compliment you.  In fact, I can almost see you blushing now as you read this letter.  I know you think I exaggerate whenever I praise you in some way, but believe me when I say that in my eyes you are the most radiant thing this side of the Sea.

Not that I am only interested in your beauty, of course.  You are talented, smart, kind, and patient - actually, my cousin Merry once said that any girl who fell for me would have to have a great amount of patience, so I am very glad that you are possessed of this.

Forgive me, I seem to be rambling now. I find it difficult to put down on paper what it is that I feel about you, and it took me some time just to figure out where to begin.  But there is one thing that I can say and write with absolute certainty--

I love you, Diamond.  I love you, and I miss you terribly.  I am eagerly awaiting the day when I can see your beautiful face again, but until that time, I shall have to be content with a letter correspondence.

I know that this letter probably bored you somewhat, but please forgive me.  It is only my first attempt at a love letter, after all.

Ever yours,

Pippin

P.S.  I will be leaving the Smials in a few days, so if you want to write me back, then send the letter to my address at Crickhollow in Buckland.

P.P.S.  I love you.

Diamond wiped away a stray tear that had escaped her eye while reading Pippin’s letter.  His eloquence had surprised her, and she had indeed been blushing through most of the reading.

A strange giddiness filled Diamond as she read the letter again.  She hadn’t expected reading the words “I love you” to be quite as incredible as when she actually heard them; but just the knowledge that Pippin had written it exhilarated her.  It also heightened her longing to see him again, and to hear his gentle voice.

But like him, she would have to be content with merely a letter correspondence.

Smiling, Diamond moved to the floor and reached under her bed, where she kept spare parchment and pencils for her artwork.  She pulled out a paper and quill and set about writing a letter of her own.

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