365

mar.29.22

She held his arm; the hobbit wanted to show her a cool picnic spot by the lake and under a tree, before the others bombarded them with their childish behaviors. Pippin and Merry loved to cannonball in the lake, but Frodo wanted a few quiet moments with Lullaby.

He liked the way her arm looped his; it made him feel strong and brave, that he could protect her from the world. She was dressed in a pale green long shirt overtop of a black tee and a pair of cutoff pants; she held her heeled boots in her hands, walking barefoot beside him.

Frodo smiled at her as they walked the trail. "Now you're a real hobbit," he said. "No shoes."

She glanced down at her toes; they'd been painted blue when she got here, but now the paint was wearing off. Her heeled boots were also starting to wear and tear; the tan leather had faded to grey, and was also wearing thin. Aside from the black tee she wore, everything had come from Hobbiton. "I guess I could be." She smiled back at him. "So, I thought you said we were going swimming with Pippin, Merry, and Sam."

"We are...." Frodo exhaled. "Merry and Pippin are loud and splash a lot, and Sam said he'd join us after watering his garden. I thought we'd leave a bit earlier, and have a few moments of peace, before it gets ruined with the shenanigans of Merry and Pippin."

"I hope they won't hold a grudge; they might feel left out if they fund put we left early," Lullaby explained.

"They shouldn't. They're usually pretty good about things like that," Frodo assured.

They climbed the grassy hill that led toward their spot at the lake: a single large tree with a rope over the water, and branches big enough to have benches on the shore. Frodo stopped once he spotted two striped towels laying on the shore – one red and one blue.

Merry looked up from where he was about to dive from a branch high up. He pointed as he exclaimed, "Pip! It's Lullaby and Frodo!"

Pippin floated along the top of the water, looking like a frozen starfish. At Merry's words, he lifted his head, his body slowly sinking. "About time you joined us!" he shouted.

Frodo exhaled then. "I guess they beat us."

Lullaby chuckled and took his hand. "Guess so." They made their way down the grassy hill; once along the shore and under the tree, Frodo took the red blanket from the basket he carried, laying it down on the sand. He also had two towels, and inside the basket was orange cookies, fresh summer fruits, and iced tea that had been sweetened and brewed in jars. He set the basket up behind the blanket.

"Took you long enough, Baggins," Pippin teased.

"And I didn't know you'd be here already, Took," Frodo replied.

"How's the water?" Lullaby asked. She stepped into the water, letting it come to her ankles. It felt refreshing, but not too cold.

"It's perfect!" Merry suddenly cheered and yelped as he did a cannonball off of the branch, landing in the water with a massive splash; Lullaby laughed as the water came to her knees, and Merry resurfaced, shaking out his wet hair. He blinked the water from his eyes. "C'mon, Taylor! Come join us!"

"In a bit," she called. "I'm going to wait until Sam gets here." She stepped back on to the beach, sitting on the red blanket.

Frodo sat beside her. "Sam would be sad if we all started swimming without him."

"Agreed."

It was then that Merry and Pippin pointed to the top of the hill, laughing. Frodo and Lullaby turned; Samwise Gamgee was using his towel as a sled and was sliding down the grassy hill. He stopped on the sand gently, beside Lullaby.

"Did I miss out?" he asked breathlessly.

Lullaby shook her head. "Not at all."

"Now you guys can join us!" Pippin called.

Lullaby looked at Frodo. "So much for a quiet moment, huh?"

"I guess." He met her eyes. "I'm sorry."

She hugged his arm. "Don't be. It's okay."

"Are you chicken, Baggins?" Pippin called, followed by him and Merry making chicken noises.

Frodo suddenly stood up and rushed into the water; Pippin tried swimming away from Frodo, and Merry giggled and laughed like a kid.

The sight made her laugh.