Queen of the Swords & Lord of the Rings (a LOTR fanfic)

Part 3 - To Love - Chapter 1 - Victorious Feast

To Love - Chapter 1

Laughter could be heard coming from a flooded room. Esme could only assume it was Merry and Pippin. Esme peeked her head through the door and smile at the sight of her friends. The two halflings were wading in water, arms filled with various foods and a barrel of what Esme could only assume to be some pipeweed for smoking.

"Esme!" Pippin cried when he caught sight of the Elf-maiden, "come and join us in a victorious feast!"

"And enjoy a joyful smoke of Longbottom Leaf," Merry piped in.

"How could I even say no to such a proposal," Esme smiled, before helping the pair gather more edible and non-soaked food in their arms before heading outside to find a dry spot. Esme led them to some stone walls near the south gate. After setting the food down, the three of them relieved themselves of their heavy drenched cloaks and some outer clothing, seeing the opportunity to dry themselves in the warm sun.

Settling down, they began to feast on the various fruits, vegetables and breads before them. the meal was filled with joyous chatter and loud laughter as the three friends shared stories together. Merry and Pippin proceeded to tell her of their adventure since they had been separated. They told her how the Uruk-Hai carried them over their shoulders and how they fed them some disgusting brow. They also recalled just how they escaped them that one night when some riders came and attacked the Uruk-Hai. Esme sat there intently as she listened to them talk. She was intrigued when she heard of how they came to meet Treebeard and how they have been with him ever since.

"That sounds like you both have had a great adventure," Esme said once they finished. "They will be the greatest stories to tell when you get back to the Shire." The two's faces feel at the sound of their old home and Esme knew they were homesick.

"I don't think we will see the Shire again, Esme." Esme frowned.

"Now, Master Brandybuck, what on Middle Earth gave you that idea? Don't you dare lose hope you two. Frodo and Sam will get to Mordor and everything will be as peaceful as the world once was."

"How are you so sure, Esme?" Pippin asked with fear in his eyes.

"Because, Pippin," Esme said gently, "I believe in Frodo, Sam and in you two. You hobbits are always so surprising." Merry and Pippin were silent as they pondered over Esme's words. "Now enough fretting, let's continue on with our feast." And after a few bites of some delicious toast, Merry and Pippin were back to their cheerful selves that Esme loved. But Esme could not help but notice an air around them that hinted they have seen many things on their journey and that has distinguished some of their childlike innocence.

After some urging from the two, Esme relented as she began to tell her story. It was daunting for her to tell them of Boromir's death and she had to fight back tears as she told them of his memorial.

Then she continued to tell them of their time hunting the Uruk-Hai down, sparing some detail of the long and tiresome event. She told them how they had met with the Riders of Rohan, who were the ones to bring down the Uruk-Hai. With a frown, she told them what happened when they reached the site of burnt bodies, and how Aragorn managed to find their tracks.

Esme told them how they met Gandalf, to which the two had already met. And so Esme continued to tell them of Rohan and how Gandalf and Saruman fought for King Theoden's soul, and how they were fleeing to Helm's Deep as Saruman's army approached them.

"We were a few miles away from the Deep when we were attacked by scouts riding Wargs. All soldiers with horses fought as the civilians fled for Helm's Deep." Esme frowned at the memory. "As I was fighting, a Warg ran past me with Aragorn getting dragged along by his hand that was stuck. I was on top the Warg, trying to help get Aragorn's arm free, but the Warg ran over a cliff before I could free him, sending the both of us into the water below."