Watch the Clouds Go Sailing By

Watch the Clouds Go Sailing By



Watch the Clouds Go Sailing By

A/N: In my original copy of LotR, Merry did not get married (Appendix C – Family Trees), but in my new one, it says that he marries Estella Bolger (Fatty’s sister). This marriage is not mentioned in Appendix B – Tale of Years (while Pippin’s marriage to Diamond is), so I have not used it, ie, Meriadoc is a bachelor in this story. Oh, and so as not to get them mixed up with Sam’s sons Merry and Pippin, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took will be referred to by there full names. Similarly, Sam’s wife will be called Rose, and his daughter will be caused Rosie, to avoid confusion there.

Chapter 2

"Uncle Peregrin! Uncle Meriadoc!" Goldi cried.

Peregrin Took looked at the young hobbitess. Uncle Peregrin? Only Sam’s children call me that! Golden hair…hmm… "Elanor?"

Goldi shook her head. "No, Uncle Pippin, it’s me, Goldilocks!"

"Goldilocks!?!" all three male hobbits exclaimed.

"Little Goldi! When did you grow up?" asked Meriadoc Brandybuck.

Goldi giggled. Why do people always say that? She looked at the young hobbit, who had originally found her. Uncle Pippin called him "Son", that must mean…

"You remember Faramir, don’t you Goldi?" said Peregrin. Faramir said nothing. He seemed too shocked to speak.

"Of course I do," Goldi stammered. She could hardly believe that this handsome young hobbit had been one of her closest childhood friends. "How could I forget the person that got me into trouble so many times when I was little?"

Faramir grinned mischievously, and any doubts Goldi has were instantly gone. That was the grin that used to follow the phrase, "Oh, come on, Goldi. No one will find out!" Goldi blushed slightly. Forget when she had grown up, when had Faramir grown up?

"Look at you, Goldi!" said Meriadoc. "You really are your mother’s daughter. Lucky you. Good thing you don’t look like Sam." He laughed.

"I didn’t know that you were here," Goldi admitted.

"We decided to come early. Diamond is already at Bag End, but we wanted to stop by The Ivy Bush, first. I suppose we should have invited Sam along. Oh, well."

Diamond was Peregrin’s wife, and therefore, Faramir’s mother. She was fairly close to Rose, so would most likely be helping Rose with the party organisation.

"Goldi! Goldi!" called Lily from not too far away.

Faramir noticed the look of horror that passed over Goldi’s fair face. She did not want Faramir, Peregrin and Meriadoc to meet Lily. No doubt Lily would flaunt herself all over Faramir, embarrassing herself, and Goldi, in the process.

"There you are, Goldi!" Lily ran over. She immediately eyed Faramir. "And just who might this be? Trying to hide a handsome young hobbit from me again?"

"Lily," Goldi said, through clenched teeth, "this is my Uncle Peregrin, Uncle Meriadoc, and Peregrin’s son, Faramir. Faramir, Peregrin, Meriadoc, this is my…friend, Lily Noakes."

"Okay, so he’s your uncle’s son, that makes him your cousin. So, in that case, you won’t mind if I take him, right?"

Faramir did not even try to hide the look of pure disgust on his face. Goldi elbowed him the side, but fortunately, Lily didn’t notice.

"Uh…no, Peregrin isn’t actually my uncle. He’s just a good friend of my father." Out of the corner of her eye, Goldi could see Faramir mouthing Thank you! She winked to him.

Lily pouted. "Well, if you are not going to share him, then I will be off. Good bye." She walked off in a huff.

Faramir let out a relieved breath, and then he and Goldi started laughing. Goldi felt like it was almost like old times again: laughing and fooling around with one of her closest friends. But something was different. The way Faramir looked at her unnerved her, but she was aware that she was gazing at him in the same way. Can I be falling in love with Faramir Took? Goldi shook her head to clear all such thoughts. Of course I’m not falling in love with him. Why…why that would be like falling in love with Pippin or Merry!

"Well, she seemed like a nice young lass," said Peregrin, with a half smile. He took a large swig of beer from his mug. "Ahhh, that hits the spot."

"I am really looking forward to Merry’s party," said Faramir.

"Ah, I still remember my thirty-third birthday party," sighed Meriadoc.

"No, you don’t. You drank too much beer, and passed out!" Peregrin pointed out. Meriadoc smiled sheepishly. "Let’s just hope Merry isn’t too much like you, Meriadoc."

"Touche, Peregrin." Meriadoc drained his mug. "Well, that shall do for me."

"You are becoming boring in your old age, Meriadoc! But you are probably right."

"Wait for a moment," said Goldi. "I will get Daisy, then we can all go together. You are staying at Bag End, aren’t you?"

"Of course!" Faramir draped an arm over Goldi’s shoulder. She could feel a red tinge creeping over her cheeks. "I would never miss the chance to spend time with my best friends. How are Merry and Pippin, by the way?"

"Same as always. Foolish and irresponsible."

"Hahaha! Just like us!" cried Peregrin, laughing.

Goldi smiled. "I’ll be right back."

Goldi searched through the crowd for her younger sister. She found Daisy, surrounded by several young hobbit men, offering her everything from jewellery to farmland in exchange for her love. Daisy giggled and told all of them she was flattered. She delighted in the attention, but she had enough sense to know that these hobbits were probably lying.

"Goldi! Come and meet my new friends!" Daisy called, with a giggle, when she saw her sister. The hobbits’ attention was diverted to the elder of the two Gamgee girls, for it was common knowledge that Goldilocks Gamgee was one of the prettiest girls in the Shire.

"Not now, Daisy," said Goldi. "We are leaving. Uncle Peregrin, Uncle Meriadoc and Faramir are here, and we are going home to Bag End."

Daisy sighed heavily. "Well, if we must. Good bye!" She waved to her band of admirers, and they all begged her and Goldi to stay. Goldi dragged her younger (and sillier) sister over to Peregrin, Meriadoc and Faramir.

Meriadoc laughed in shock. "Surely this is not Daisy?"

"Uncle Meriadoc!" Daisy hugged him. "It has been too long since I saw you last!"

While Goldi, Pippin and Merry were favourites of the Tooks (since they spent much of their childhood in Tuckborough, visiting Faramir), Daisy – and to a lesser extent, Primrose – had always been Meriadoc Brandybuck’s favourite "nieces".

Meriadoc laughed again (his nickname "Merry" had not only been a shorted version of his name). "True, Daisy. Very true. You must visit me at Brandy Hall more often!"

Daisy then noticed Faramir. "Faramir! My goodness, look at you."

"I would prefer to look at you," said Faramir, taking Daisy’s hand and kissing it. Daisy blushed furiously, then giggled. Against all her will, Goldi started to feel jealous, but this was quelled when Faramir winked slyly to her. Goldi remembered that (along with getting his Gamgee friends into trouble), Faramir enjoyed teasing the younger Gamgee girls.

"Faramir!" Goldi scolded. He grinned at her.

"Come on, everyone!" called Meriadoc. "I’m sure Sam is waiting for us!"

Faramir and Goldi smiled at each other, then followed Meriadoc and Peregrin out of The Ivy Bush, with Daisy in close pursuit.

 
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Sorry this chapter was pretty boring. It’s a kind of filler chapter. The next one will be more interesting, I promise!