Memories:

A Pippin and Merry Love Story

by Kori Lewis

Pippin:

Ever have a dream pass before you and realize it is reality only to have it end as a nightmare? It happened to me. This story won't be the red book, as I asked Frodo and Sam not to include it, but it is true.  You all know about Diamond, and don't get me wrong. I do love her very much, but that is not the same.

It all started in the Shire when I was in my mid tweens. Merry was coming up on his coming of age party and I had relocated to Brandy hall to help him plan for the festivities.  Frodo was there, as was Sam (which was odd. I had no clue as of yet that Sam had been hired to spy on Frodo and that Merry had known about the ring for years). Sam had brought Rosie Cotton as his date and Frodo a young Hobbitess named Sabrina. Merry had no inclination at all about romantic ventures, but even though that is what he said, we knew it not to be true. We knew him long enough to know his interest in young Estella Bolger was not as Fatty's friend.  Even Merry's father had noticed it and that's why he tried to put a party together where Stella and Merry would be thrown together a lot. Stella didn't mind as she quite enjoyed Merry's company. She was barley 29 and did not think of courting quite yet, unlike her mother and Merry’s who planed to get them together.

Stella had brought her friend to the party. From the instant I saw her I was stunned. Her name was Corina. She was very beautiful in anyone's standards. She looked a lot like Stella, although I only noticed that in the later years. She had long flowing hair (curly of course) that was as dark as midnight. Her eyes were a green that sparkled. Her skin was slightly tanned, as Stella and her liked to play outdoors despite their "high" social status.  They even came to Hobbiton just to help the Gamgees with their work.  I had never seen her before however.

Corina and I got along great, as anyone would expect.  I eventually asked her out a year later and we dated for three years. Those were the happiest moments of my life before the war of the ring.  We were very much in love, and Stella and Merry helped us get away for period of times by distracting our parents.  My parents had wanted me to marry someone from a higher family (it seemed they too had their sights on Miss Bolger, but she would have nothing to do with it). That is why we did what we did.

By now you are wondering what did we do? Well, shortly before I left on my journey we were married. Merry was there, as was Sam. Frodo had no idea until afterwards about the marriage but he approved of it. We were married by an out of town minister who really didn't know the shire politics very well.  We lived in Crickhollow for a while, a house owned by Merry. My parents were quite angry but they later forgave me. It was only a few months when I had to leave. I never knew that would be the last time I would be able to hold her in my arms for a period of time.

The next time I saw her was at the Battle of Bywater. Merry and I were leading the battle when I saw her, fighting along side the rest of the Brandybucks. She had escaped Merry's notice because he would not let her go. I didn't know till later that Merry had fallen for her too and she in fact was the one he thought of, not Stella when he was in the battles. I never faulted him for that. It was hard not to. Not with Her.

She was fighting when I came beside her and killed the man who tried to kill her. She smiled at me and kept on fighting. We fought for a while side by side, till the battle was nearly over. It was then that the dream we had been living became the nightmare. She was stabbed, mortally. There was no way she could live. Merry even tried out of love for her and me. But it was useless. She lay in my arms, blood pooling around her waist slowly and we spoke of our memories as the battle was cleaned up. She looked up with green eyes and then told me about the one thing she had left me to remember her by. And then she died.  She was all I knew of true love at that time, and it was hard on me.

It was even harder on Merry, who had never told her. She knew of course. Stella had t0ld her.  Corina left me a note, knowing that She would somehow never get to explain it to me.  Eventually I forgave him after I realized what she meant when she said his love for me was stronger then his love for her. I was his best friend and cousin and He felt attempting to show his love for her would ruin something he didn't want ruined. I would have done the same to him.

Now we are both married. Diamond and I care for baby Faramir now, along with Lela, The daughter I had with Corina. Lela doesn’t remember her true mother and thinks Diamond as her "mum" but sometimes I glance at her and see her mother shining though in those green, deep green eyes. Those are what capture you, the eyes.

Merry married Stella, more out of familial duty then anything else. It hurt me sometimes to see how much he hurts, especially when he sees my daughter, the image of her mother. But sometimes it hurts me more to see Stella give Merry so much love and not being given any back. Merry cares about her deeply, but as with me, he knows there will be no other green eyed lady who won our hearts so long ago. I have been able to move on, but He is still moving along, being tugged in two different directions. He almost went with Frodo to the Havens, but then Frodo convinced him to come back. Someone needed to take care of Buckland. Perhaps in a time Merry will heal and turn his attention to the one person who loves him more then anything, Stella. 

As for me, I shall never forget my first love, and shall always remember Corina when I look at my daughter, but I will live on, as she would want me too.

Pippin Took

Thain of the Shire

Merry:

Pippin asked me to write about this, although I do not know his reason. I was mainly a bystander in this situation, so I am sure what to write of it.

The story itself started the day of my party when I was coming of age. Becoming thirty-three was a big thing and my family had decided to have a large party for me, although it would not even closely match the greatness of my cousin Frodo’s. My Father had invited almost the entire Shire to the party, especially young unmarried girls. He thought it was time for me to settle down and start thinking of a family while I trained to take his job when he died.

Fredeger Bolger was there as well as my cousins (and best friends) Frodo and Pippin. Sam, who I would only know really well later, had also been invited since I thought he might us well participate since he was in our schemes with Frodo. Fatty, as Fredeger was called before the war, had brought along his sister Estella and her friend Corina. Stella and I had been friends for a while, only three years apart in our age. My father had noticed our friendship and he, along with numerous members of my family including Frodo, started hinting that I should continue my relationship with her. Of course for a while I ignored it but after awhile it got to me and I actually had to think about it. It didn’t seem that bad after I already liked Stella a lot, and having her as a girlfriend would be a plus. So that night I planed on asking her. Fatty had already given me permission to do so, so everything was set up for it. However once I saw Corina my plans were forgotten.

I can’t say my love for her was at first sight, like Pippin’s was, but it was close enough. I can’t really explain my love for her either. It wasn’t because I was attracted to her since Stella looked almost the same, only instead of the bright green color of Corina’s, her eyes were a bright blue. It was much more deeper then that. It was more then infatuation and she was all I could think about during the day. The only one who I ever told about the love I had for Corina was Stella and if you asked her she would be able to explain it better.

The problem with the situation was Pippin. He had fallen even harder then me for her, and she had likewise fallen for him. It was one of those true love stories. I tried to be as happy for them as much as I could. Half the time I felt jealous that Pippin had won her heart but the other half of the time I felt guilty for being in love with one of my best friend’s true love. Estella helped me though it, allowing me to talk to her about it. I never saw how much it hurt her to see me being in love with her best friend till later when it was too late to repair all the damage it caused. But she wanted it that way, willing to be my friend and confident because of the love she had for me.

There were times when Estella and I had to make excuses for Pippin and Corina so they could be together. While the Tooks never held to the class system that seemed to run some of the shire they did believe that their son should marry someone of high standing, like Estella. Estella of course wanted no part in a romance with Pippin and he with her. They couldn’t see each other in a romantic sense but only as sister and brother. Not to mention Estella thought despite the long distance in the blood line, the cousinship was still a little too close to her liking. Corina was a wealthy Bucklander but she was still not as high as Estella in social ranking due to the isolationist practices of her parents. Corina’s parents were looking for someone such as Frodo although I am sure they would not have minded Pippin so much if they had known that he was the future Thain of the Shire.

Four years after my party Corina and Pippin got married. Sam and I stood up with Pippin and Estella and Pippin’s sister Pearl stood up for Corina. It was a beautiful summer day and the wedding was wonderful although it broke my heart to see Corina married to someone else, even if it was Pippin. The ceremony took place underneath a willow tree and the minister who performed the vows commented that it was the most wonderful selection for a wedding. It would have been better if we had told our families about it. Corina’s family took it well after they learned whom she married but the Tooks did not take it as well. My Aunt Eglantine and Uncle Paladin were upset that their only son would not tell them about his wedding. They later forgave Pippin but there were a few weeks were we were afraid we had created a division in the Took family.

The two moved to a cottage I owned known as Crickhollow. I later sold it to Frodo but he told the young couple to stay there since he was lonely being alone (we didn’t believe that was the true reason as we were already planning on accompanying him to Rivendell). It was happy there while it lasted.

We left for Rivendell with Frodo that September and Corina and Estella meet us before we left. I made Estella promise she would take care of my parents and of Corina and she did. She cried and told me that she had a feeling that this journey would be more perilous and longer then I thought it would be. I later learned she was right. She knew even then about the ring, having followed me the day I found out Bilbo had it. I hugged her goodbye and waved to Corina who was still in Pippin’s arms, the two wrapped in a last hug of love. But then they didn’t know it would be the last they had

While we were away, Corina’s face haunted me in a way. I never stopped thinking of her during the day. But at night when it was cold and dark, it was Stella I though of. She was a comforting reminder of home and I would sit and think of how she was too kind to me. Corina was my love, but every thought of her brought the feeling of betrayal to Pippin. I felt I had betrayed him by loving the same women. I was his best friend. It was not meant to be that way.

When we returned, we were forced to fight for our land. Pippin had gathered the Tooks and I had brought some of the Brandybucks together and Farmer Cotton brought together Hobbiton and we revolted. I blew my horn, a gift from Eomer, king of Rohan, and the battle began.

Unbeknown to Pippin and myself, Corina had managed to get into the battle herself. Pippin found her first when she was about to be stabbed by a man. The two fought along with each other, trying to protect the other one. I’m sure Pippin planned on having a talk with his wife later, but that was never to be. Corina was stabbed and she sank to the ground in Pippin’s arms. I tried to save her, but in the end I failed. She spent her last moments in Pippin’s arms telling him about what she left behind. I felt like my heart had been ripped out that day. Not only did I loose the one I loved, but I lost a friend as well. I almost lost Pippin as well. He spent the hour after Corina’s green eyes closed clinging to her body and kept whispering for her to come back. It was Frodo who finally got Pippin to come to the Cottons and get cleaned up and sleep. No one could get him to eat. I barely could get myself to eat.

All I could think about was how I failed Pippin, I failed Corina, and I failed Stella. Half of me said that it wasn’t my fault but the stronger side said it was. The stronger side won many times but the other side always held out for some reason. I did not have the thought that Corina’s death was my fault taken away for many years. In fact only Pippin could have told me otherwise and for a while he too thought it was my fault.

The next day we had went to Bag End and Sarumen and Wormtongue met their demise. We then all traveled to Michel Delving to release prisoners. Freddie (as we now call him since he no longer is "fatty") and Stella had both been imprisoned. Stella had taken the brunt of it for her brother, though he never knew. She had become quite thin and was too weak to walk on her own, so I had to carry her to Crickhollow where Frodo decided we all would live for a while till Bag End was completed being renovated. She instantly saw what was wrong and told me it wasn’t my fault. Stella is like that. She always wants to make you feel better.

Pippin was a wreck after Corina’s death. He locked himself in his room and hardly came out. He only came out to eat when Stella forced him to. Most often she used his daughter Lela and how she needed Pippin to be healthy. Lela was a perfect replica of her mother, green eyes and all. There were times looking into those eyes I started to cry I missed Corina so much. Stella took care of Lela, using the maternal part of her she has yet to use again.

Corina left both Pippin and I notes. I never saw Pippins, but I can still remember what mine had said. She had kn0wn about my love for her and had made sure to tell me it was not because of Stella. Another thing She told me that has stuck in my mind is that she believed a stronger love was there for me if I only look around. She said that that was why I never tried to ask her out even when she wasn’t with Pippin. I wouldn’t know till later what she meant.

Pippin got better and even fell in love again. Her name was Diamond and she is the best thing Pippin could have. She knows his moods and allows him some mischief but still knows when to pull him back. They just had a baby named Faramir, after the steward of Gondor. He is very adorable and has already proven himself his father’s son. Lela adores him and Pippin and her have settled into a nice little family of four.

I married Estella a year after Pippin and Diamond got married. It was more for getting my father off my back about getting married then it was for love. Everyone knew that including my father. I remember Freddie coming up to me before the wedding and giving me "the warning" that every father and brother of the bride give. I realized later he really meant what he said since he knew I already had hurt his sister in a way. I had never recognized her concern for me as love, but as something a friend does. She loved me even more then I loved Corina and everyday of our marriage she had to wonder if I even could love her a little back.

Corina’s memory still affects us but the feeling of having your heart taken out has worn away to just memories. I learned to love again and found Corina was right. There was a stronger love out there and that’s the love between Stella and me. It wasn’t an overnight love but one that grew into something that could never wear away. It had never accorded to me that you could love more then one at same time like I did. I don’t know if Stella realizes I love her, but I hope she does.

Hopefully Pippin has forgiven me for what I did. I still feel guilty about loving my best friend’s wife. Hopefully Stella has forgiven me as well for all the pain I put her though. Now it is her blue eyes that haunt my days, not Corina’s green.

I hope this account is detailed enough for Pippin and whatever reason he has need for it. I’m glad I admitted it once and for all what has laid on my heart for many years.

Merry Brandybuck

Master of Buckland

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