Just to be With You
15:
Wedding Day Jitters
“You
look awful,” Pippin stated, as he entered Merry’s room.
“Thank
you, Pippin,” Merry angrily replied. “As always, I am indebted to your
encouragement.” As cranky as he was, Merry knew that his cousin was right. He
was a mess. He had the shakes, and his brow was beaded with sweat.
Pippin
sat on the bed. “Cheer up, Meriadoc. This is your wedding day! You’re supposed
to be happy!”
“I am
happy. I’m just terribly nervous at the same time.”
“No
shame in that, Mister Merry,” said Sam, also entering the room. “I don’t know
how I managed to say my vows at my wedding.”
Merry
groaned. “You’re making it worse! Why did I agree to have such a large
ceremony? We should have just had it here at Crickhollow, or at Bag-End, with
just a few close friends.”
“We
don’t have ‘just a few close friends’,” Pippin pointed out. “Besides, you’re
the future Master of Buckland. It would be an outrage for you not to have a
huge wedding at Brandy Hall.”
“I
should have taken your approach, Pip, and threatened to hold the wedding in
Rohan if I couldn’t have it my way.”
“Then
you would have been stealing my idea. You know I don’t stand for that sort of
thing.”
Merry
sat next to Pippin on the bed, and put his head in his hands. Sam sat on his
other side, and patted his back.
“There
now, Mister Merry,” said Sam. “It isn’t all that bad.”
“Would
you stop calling me that, Sam?” Merry grumbled. “We’ve been friends for long
enough for you to drop the ‘Mister’.”
With
a degree of discomfort, Sam replied: “Sorry, Merry. But I meant what I said.
You’ll get through this just fine.”
“Of
course he will!” Pippin cried. “Merry, you took on the Witch-King! You lead us
through the Old Forest and Fangorn. You were head of our conspiracy. You’ve
made it through many a thing worse than marriage.”
Merry
noticeably brightened. “You two are right! I’m a knight of the Mark, an esquire
to the King of Rohan. I think I can handle getting married!” He grinned at
them. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,
cousin. Now up you get. We have a wedding to get to.”
* *
* * * *
Estella
had opted to prepare at Brandy Hall itself, or perhaps more correctly, she had
been bullied into doing so. Esmeralda wanted to help with the preparations, and
so did Pimpernel, Pervinca and Diamond. Estella had corset strings pulled, hair
twisted and flowers pinned everywhere.
“I
never realised getting married was such a hassle,” she muttered.
“You
have no idea,” laughed Pervinca, the most recently married of the ladies
present. “Diamond, take some advice, and don’t ever get married.”
“Oh,
my baby Stella, you look so beautiful,” Rosamunda cried. Though present in the
room, she had done very little in the way of preparing her daughter. The other
hobbitesses had not allowed her to. Rosa wiped a tear away. “I am so proud of
you.”
“Do
stop crying, Mother,” Estella joked. “I’m sure you will be doing enough of that
at the ceremony itself!”
“We
all will,” said Esmeralda. “It will be such an honour to have you as a
part of the family, Estella – officially, anyway, since I suppose you always
have been a part of the family.”
“Where
are Pearl and Rosie?” Diamond asked.
“Rosie
was setting Ellie down for a nap before the ceremony, and Pearl is dressing
Peridot and Petunia,” Pimpernel replied. “Last I saw, they looked so adorable
in their little dresses.”
As
a result of much begging and pleading, Pearl’s two daughters had been allowed
to be flower-girls at the wedding. At nine and six, there was nothing more
exciting to them than being to play what their uncle assured them was the most
important role in the ceremony.
“There,
finished,” Pervinca declared. She stepped back to admire their handiwork.
“Well, Stella, you don’t look too bad, but you’ll do to marry Meriadoc.”
Esmeralda
laughed, and playfully slapped her niece’s arm. “This is no time for jokes,
Pervinca. She looks like a princess, and more than worthy of marrying
Meriadoc.”
“May
I see for myself?” Estella asked.
Pimpernel
led her to a looking-glass. Estella gasped when she saw her reflection. She
hardly recognised herself. The Took sisters had given her the dress as a
wedding present, a pale green gown, with images of their name-sake flowers and
gems embroidered into the hems. Her red-brown curls were piled onto her head
and dotted with more flowers. Around her neck she wore the necklace that Merry
had given her almost seven years earlier.
Seeing
herself in the mirror made Estella realise that she really was getting married.
It had been like a dream before, and she had almost convinced herself that was the
case, but now she had to accept that it really was her wedding day. And it
terrified her.
She
gripped Pimpernel’s arm. “Pim, what if something goes wrong?”
“Relax,
Stella, everything is under control,” Pimpernel soothed. “Father, Berry and
Uncle Sarry are at the ballroom right now making sure ever is perfect.”
“Well,
what if Merry changes his mind?”
Diamond
regarded her friend in concern. She pulled Pervinca aside, and hissed, “What’s
wrong with her? She was so happy only moments ago, and now she’s almost
expecting the sky to fall.”
Pervinca
smiled knowingly. “It’s perfectly normal. A bit of pre-wedding nerves – happens
to everyone. No one seems to be able to accept that sometimes things really can
be perfect.”
Diamond
screwed up her nose, still to young to be considering marriage seriously.
“Sounds silly to me. Stella, stop complaining! Everything will be fine.”
Pervinca,
Esmeralda and Pimpernel had to laugh. Diamond had sounded so much like Peregrin
when she had said that. But it had an effect on Estella, and she calmed down a
lot.
There
was a knock on the door, and Pippin called through, “Are you decent? Can we
come in?”
Diamond,
who was closest to the door, opened it and allowed Pippin, Merry and Sam
inside. Their mouths fell open when they saw the appearance of Merry’s bride.
“Stella,
you look absolutely beautiful!” Pippin cried. Merry was too dumb-struck to
speak. With a grin, Pippin lifted Estella’s hand and kissed it. “Are you sure
you don’t wish to change your mind and marry Merry’s far more attractive
cousin?”
That
was enough to break Merry from his trance. “Oh, no you don’t Peregrin! She’s
mine, so keep your grubby hands away.”
Pippin’s
grin widened. “Well, you can’t blame me for trying.”
“Peregrin!”
Esmeralda scolded, laughing. “You lads look wonderful as well.” She placed her
hand on Merry’s cheek and her eyes started to tear up. “My baby boy is all
grown up now.”
“Honestly,
Mum,” Merry laughed, “I hope you won’t be this bad during the ceremony. You
have to give me away, and I don’t want you blubbering while you do it.”
“Meriadoc,
is that anyway to speak to your dear mother?” She smiled at him, and placed a
kiss on his cheek. “I shall try my best, but I can make no promises. I think you
should also worry about your Uncle Paladin. He’s supposed to be conducting the
whole event, and he loves you like a son. Don’t be surprised if he has
trouble.”
“Uncle
Pippin!” a small voice cried.
Peregrin
was nearly knocked backwards as young Petunia Burrows projected herself into
his arms. Her elder sister followed her into the room more calmly, with her
Mother and younger brother close behind.
“The
girls wanted to see their ‘Auntie Stella’,” Pearl explained, with a smile.
Estella
smiled at the young lasses. “Just look at you two! The prettiest lasses in the
whole Shire! Your mother had best keep an eye on you at the wedding – there may
be some lads there that will try to steal you away.”
Peridot
screwed up her nose, but Petunia’s eyes widened in horror. She clung tightly to
Pippin. “Uncle Pippin, you won’t let anyone steal me away, will you?”
Pippin
kissed the young girl’s forehead. “Not for a good many years yet, Pet.”
“Would
you look at the time!” Sam cried. “I’d best be getting Rosie. I shall see you
all at the ceremony.” He left the room to find his wife and daughter.”
“We
should all be getting to the ceremony,” stated Pimpernel.
She
went to the cradle in the corner of the room and picked up her own daughter,
Garnet. Pervinca took Petunia from Peregrin’s arms. As appointed witness, it
was his duty to escort the marrying couple to the ceremony.
He
held out his arm to Estella. “Shall we, Mistress Bolger?”
She
giggled, but winked at Merry. “Thank you, Master Took.”
Diamond
shook her head and made her way to Merry’s side. “Well, come on then, Master
Brandybuck. Let’s get you married.”
* *
* * * *
A/N:
Sorry this chapter was rather short, but I had to keep it separate from the wedding
chapter itself, otherwise it would end up far too long!