Merullyra Flintwater - A Pippin Took love story

Finding your feet - chapter 1

It was as peaceful a day as any other in the Shire as Mallyra Flintwater of Michel-Delving wondered down to the Bagend market. The sky was a pale blue like that of a newborn baby’s eyes and the tree’s rustled gently in the winds which rolled through the hills of the shire. She wore a baggy white shirt with frilled sleeves and a laced up corset around her waist. She had her shirt tucked in long brown trousers. Her brown hair blew around freely in the breeze, sometimes blowing into her blue eyes. She came to the gates of the market and looked up. The archway was made of sandstone and the wooden doors were pinned open with rope. On top of the Archway were two stone dragons that stood on separate pillars. As she entered the market she saw loads of unfamiliar faces all smiling back at her which warmed her heart slightly. Being new in Hobbiton, she knew it would be hard for her to make friends seen as she didn’t wear dresses like the other girls she saw. Some of them looked at her and laughed amongst their friends, others just smiled and carried on with their day. The stalls were filled with fresh fruit and meat of every kind imaginable, people laughed and cheered with each other whilst they sat outside the nearby pub. Eventually she came to the bread stall which she had been searching for. ‘Driam’s of Hobbiton’ she sighed with relief. The selection of bread was unreal to her eyes!  Back in Michel-Delving there was only one mill which was run by the Bullroarers, they baked fresh loaves for Mallyra and her family everyday but they always made the same. Here there was: fresh, seeded, malted, cinnamon, hazelnut, Regit root and loads of other fruit breads which she had never heard of. Suddenly she heard shouting from around the corner which made her turn on the spot. ‘WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU BOYS!’ an old man groaned as he chased two hobbit boys, about her age, out of his shed. One of them was holding a grey sack of potatoes and the other was just running for his life... Straight towards her! She didn’t have time to move, her only reaction was to flinch. He didn’t see her until they collided. ‘Excuse us sir!’ he stammered as he tried to get back to his feet, constantly looking over his shoulder in the direction he came. Mallyra blew her hair out of her face looking a little flustered. The stall owner helped her to her feet before cursing at the boys who were nearly out of sight, ‘FOOL OF A TOOK! Are you alright lass? You took quite a fall there... you look like you’ve never been here’ Mallyra looked up at the man, ‘ah I’ll be fine and no I’m new around here, my family moved into a hobbit hole down the road. I’m from Michel-Delving.’ She sorted her hair out and brushed the dirt from her knee’s ‘say... who were those boys?’ she asked trying to remember their faces. The stall owner smirked at the thought. ‘They lassie, were Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Pain in the rear ends the both of them, always nicking stuff from my stall.’ He placed some loaves back in the box that had fallen when Mallyra was knocked over. She picked up a loaf and paid the owner before beginning her walk home. On the way, she stopped and pulled out her drawing pad from her satchel. She found her pencil and walked up a small hill where she had seen a nice spot under a tree to sketch what she saw. She remained in peace for at least half an hour before she gained more than birds for company. ‘what you doing there?’ she heard a voice from the tree above her. She looked up to see the same guy she had run into not less than half an hour ago. ‘And why should I tell you good sir after you ran into me earlier without saying sorry?’ she smiled up at him.  He looked at her, confused, ‘you? I thought you were a... I mean you dress? Ah I’m sorry. ‘ He went to sit up but he lost his balance, leant sideways and fell straight off the branch he was perched on. With a thud he landed on an unexpected Mallyra. She quickly shoved him off her and shuffled sideways. ‘we’ve got to stop meeting like this fine sir’ she laughed as he brushed his hair out of his face while he sat up in the grass. He had long brown wavy hair and dark blue eyes which swirled and twinkled with laughter and fun. He wore a long blue coat and a silver waistcoat; he also had a blue a white striped scarf wrapped round his neck. He looked across at her and stuck out his hand. ‘now for a formal introduction’ he joked ‘hello, I’m Peregrin Took but my friends call me pippin, haven’t seen you round here before’ she accepted his hand shake and replied,‘ I’m Mallyra Flintwater.. well my full name is actually Merullyra, but my family call me Ra, and I don’t think you will have, seen as I just moved here’ they shook hands warmly again before pippin began to question her. ‘So where are you from?’ Ra smirked at him ‘I’m from Michel-delving pippin, can I call you that?’ he returned the smile ‘yeah sure, that’s a long way to move. Do your family do anything?’ he asked inquisitively but ra looked at him shocked. ‘excuse me?!’ she said with alarm. Realising what it must have sounded like, pippin quickly explained, ‘I meant are they bakers, farmers, that sort of thing you know?’ he looked relieved as Ra relaxed. ‘ seen as we’ve just moved, they’re setting up I guess but back in Michel-Delving my mum was a potter so I think she’ll be doing that again’ Ra smiled at Pippin and looked around as she stood up. She walked over to the edge of the hill and admired the view. Pippin toddled up behind her and looked across the valley. Ra took a deep breath and sighed. ‘I miss my village, the people, the smell, my old room in our hobbit hole.’ She started to walk in the opposite direction. Pippin stood in thought before shouting after her , ‘you fancy exploring?’ Ra stopped in her tracks. ‘where?’ she asked, still not looking at pippin. ‘I don’t know’ he confessed. A smile grew across Ra’s face as she turned. ‘ I know a place we could find’ she smirked. Pippin looked worried at first because of the look on her face but decided he’d let it go. ‘Where have you got in mind?’ he finally asked. Ra looked north into the forest of Halflings. She stuffed her drawing pad into her satchel and smiled up at pippin. ‘Are you ready for and adventure Master Took?’ pippin gulped at her. ‘I guess so?’ he answered looking worried.