Meriadoc Brandybuck had never suffered so much for one kiss before, but then again, never had one kiss been so worth the price he had paid. Estella had clobbered him good for kissing her against her will, but he still took a small satisfaction in the fact that he had had her first kiss.

He refused to feel guilty about it, even if kissing someone who didn't want to kiss you wasn't exactly nice, per se. Estella's mouth had been more hot, more delicious and sweet than he had expected. He liked it. He wanted to kiss her again, and it irked him, for some reason he did not fully comprehend, when he saw her kissing Angelica with a fervor for kissing that he had not suspected she possessed.

Merry wasn't sure why he wanted to kiss Estella again, when he wasn't particularly sure he even liked her. Tonight when Pippin had kissed him in the garden, he had wanted so badly to play with Pip the way they used to, but something held him back. It wasn't really Angelica -- Merry knew that she would not have minded in the least. Therefore, it had to be something deep inside himself, telling him that is just would not be fair somehow.

But not fair to who?

Without exchanging many more words, Merry and Pippin had joined the other two Hobbits in the bed. Pippin lay on the far side of Angelica, and Merry squeezed himself in between the two girls. Angelica wriggled her back against his, but Estella scooted as far away from him as she could manage. This saddened him. He really had been doing a lousy job in their little deception, he thought. It was just not working out. The selfish pleasure he had wanted from it tasted bitter.

What if, Merry thought as he lay there, listening to the breathing of the others grow even with sleep, he tried to win her affections in earnest? Maybe he was just drunk, still, but would it be so bad if he pursued her more honestly? Wait, it wasn't exactly honest if he didn't feel anything for her, but if he could get her to love him, it would really solve a lot of problems. Besides, the game would end when they reached Ithilien anyway.

He slept very little. Just before dawn, Merry rose and crept out of the room, leaving the other three asleep in the bed. There was no evidence of Frodo. Merry supposed he had bunked in with Bilbo. Merry skidded down the steps into Elrond's gardens just as the sun was beginning to rise.

It did not take him long to find what he was looking for, tall purple chrysanthemums. Carefully he began to gather a bouquet of the finest blooms. He spent a long time considering the best of them, and became so involved in deciding what other flower he might add to the bouquet to make a nice contrast that he didn't realize that someone was standing behind him until that someone cleared his throat.

Very slowly Merry turned around to face Lord Elrond, looking up nervously at the tall, frowning Elf. His instinct was to throw the flowers down and to run, and he only just barely stopped himself from doing so. He reminded himself that this was not Farmer Maggot and Elrond wasn't going to try to mow him down with a scythe or sic a big dog on him… although it was unfortunately very easy to picture Elrond wielding a scythe, he did not have one with him in the garden this morning, and Merry was relatively sure that Elves did not have dogs.

“Good morning, Master Meriadoc,” said Elrond in a stern voice.

“Good morning, Lord Elrond,” Merry said in a strangled voice.

“What have you there?”

Merry shuffled the hand with the flowers behind his back. “Errr... nothing?”

Elrond’s frown grew even more pronounced. “Really.”

“Nothing, that is, except these flowers...” Merry hesitantly revealed the flowers again, wondering who he thought he was fooling.

“I see that.”

“They’re...for you!” Merry offered the bouquet to Elrond.

“How very generous of you, Meriadoc, to offer me my own flowers,” Elrond said, lifting an eyebrow. His frown stayed the same, but his eyes glinted with what Merry sincerely hoped was amusement. He did not take the flowers. “Was that truly what you intended?”

“Not so much, no,” Merry said, shifting from foot to foot.

“Tell me that they were not intended for any Elf at all,” Elrond said.

“They weren’t.”

“Excellent. Perhaps instead you would like to give them to Estella Bolger.”

“That was rather what I had in mind,” Merry confessed.

“I am glad to hear that. Now, would you like to pick any more of my flowers, or may I continue my morning stroll in peace?”

Merry considered the bouquet for a minute, then turned around and plucked one more chrysanthemum. That rounded out the bouquet nicely, and with that in hand, he set off back down the path towards the palace, leaving Elrond shaking his head. His next stop was the kitchen, the location of which he knew well from his previous visits to Rivendell. There was usually little of interest to be had in Elrond’s kitchen, but on the plus side, they were almost always empty, and therefore easy to ransack.

It would have to be fruit for breakfast, he supposed, but he did also find something that looked like a pastry and didn’t taste like lembas, so he pocketed some of those as well and headed back upstairs. Good thing he wasn’t trying to charm Pippin with this. It would never have worked. It was a good thing Sam had never set his heart on Pippin, either, being one of the best cooks in the Shire.

There was a small terrace at the front of their room, but it was devoid of tables and chairs, so Merry spread a spare blanket on the marble floor and set up the food on it. He also had nothing to put the flowers in, so he wound up having to pile the lovely blooms in a heap next to the food. It was far from perfect, but it would have to do. He went into the bedroom. Pippin, Angelica and Estella were all where he had left them.

For a moment Merry stood looking up at Estella, who lay slumbering on the edge of the bed. She looked so peaceful in sleep, without the obsessions that plagued her dancing in her eyes and driving her to such hare-brained schemes as the one they had committed themselves to. Merry moved her long, curly hair out of her face, stroking it softly. Would she try to kill him with a pillow again if he kissed her awake?

He decided not to risk it. Gently he put his hand on her shoulder and shook her. “Estella. Estella, wake up,” he whispered.

“Mmmm. Pippin?” She opened her eyes.

“I wish you’d stop saying that every time I wake you up.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

Merry frowned. “Yes, that’s much better.”

Estella yawned. “What do you want, Meriadoc?”

“I have a surprise for you.”

She stared at him, looking slightly alarmed. “What sort of a surprise?”

“A nice one, I promise. Come and see.”

Slowly Estella got out of the bed, looking at Merry warily, as if she expected him to leap on top of her person at any moment. He held out his hand to her and she took it. He felt her fingers tremble as he led her out onto the terrace. Merry watched her face as she observed what he had set out on the blanket. The alarm and suspicion melted into delight, and it felt deliciously satisfying.

“You...did this for me?” Estella gasped. He nodded. “But, why?”

“Just part of our...agreement,” he said softly.

“But no one’s up to see it. All that pretending to be in love, it’s just supposed to be in front of Pi-- uh, in front of the others.”

“Well...that was only part of it,” Merry admitted. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I was...”

“Rude. Boorish. Rotten and terrible,” Estella said, putting her hands on her hips and frowning.

He raised his eyebrows. “I was going to say drunk.”

“That too,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” Merry said as sincerely as he could manage. He meant it, but he was already feeling his ire beginning to rise.

“Thank you, Merry,” Estella said after a moment. “No one’s ever done anything this nice for me before.”

Merry grinned. “Sit down, then. Let’s eat.”

Estella grinned back and they plopped down on the blanket. She dished out two large portions of the fruit salad and picked up one of the pastries. She started to hand it to Merry, but stopped suddenly, looking past him with a rapt expression.

“Ohh, breakfast!” said Pippin.

Merry buried his face in his hand, not wanting to watch as Estella passed his breakfast over to his cousin. This really was a lost cause.

“Good morning, Pippin,” he heard her say. “I suppose you’ll have to fight Merry for this, because its his.”

Merry lifted his head, surprised, but he took the pastry before she could change her mind and took a huge bite from it. “Sorry, Pip,” he said with his mouth full.

“Oh, there’s plenty of fruit, at least,” Pippin said amiably as he and Angelica joined them, sitting down on the blanket. “You could have brought us some plates, Merry.”

“Here, just put it on one of these big leaves,” said Angelica. “That’s what Legolas does.”

“That’ll work.”

“So much for our private, romantic breakfast,” Merry said, winking at Estella. She giggled. Pippin stared at them, his cheeks stuffed with fruit.

“Oh!” said Angelica, freezing, “Are we interrupting?”

Pippin swallowed and jumped to his feet. “Sorry! We should go. Maybe Elrond has more pastries.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Estella aid, grabbing the leg of Pippin’s trousers and pulling him back down onto the blanket.

“But beloved, don’t you wish to be alone with me?” Merry asked, teasing. He saw a blush begin to creep into her cheeks.

“Well, of course, I do,” Estella huffed, “But we can’t be rude to Pippin.”

“I’m used to Merry being rude,” Pippin said cheerfully. He reached over and snatched the other half of Merry’s pastry from his hand.

Before Merry could think of another reason why he and Estella should be left alone, a booming voice rang out from inside the bedchamber.

“Hobbits! Are you here?” Gimli called.

“On the terrace, Gimli!” Pippin called back. A moment later the Dwarf strode onto the verandah, followed by Legolas and Ciendriel.

“Oho! Serving breakfast, I see,” said Gimli. He sat down next to Angelica and helped himself to what remained of the fruit. “Don’t mind if I do.”

“Help yourself,” said Merry defeatedly.

“I wanted you all to know,” Legolas said calmly, “That Ciendriel’s map has been found.”

“That is has!” said Gimli cheerfully. Merry noticed that he had fruit in his beard.

“That’s wonderful,” said Angelica excitedly, then she narrowed her eyes. “Did Haldir have it?”

Merry knew that Angelica still didn’t like the Marchwarden. He could not truly blame her. Haldir had treated her fairly miserably.

“No,” said Ciendriel, “He didn’t. I owe him an apology for that.”

The female Elf looked truly aggrieved that she had unfairly accused Haldir of taking her property. Legolas reached out and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

“We will be able to proceed with your journey as originally planned,” Legolas continued. “First to Ithilien to the house of Faramir, then on to the region of the cave. We may leave tomorrow at dawn. Is this agreeable to everyone?”

“Brilliant plan, my dear Legolas!” said Gimli.

“Yes, you agreed to it last night,” said Legolas.

Merry looked around at the other Hobbits. “Fine by me.”

“Great!” said Pippin.

“As you wish, Legolas,” said Angelica.

“But we only just got to Rivendell!” Estella cried. Everyone looked at her. “I mean... that’s fine with me.”

“Perhaps Merry can spend today showing you around,” Angelica suggested smoothly.

“I’d be pleased to,” Merry said before he knew he was going to say it. He found that it was true. He did want to spend the day with her.

“Then its settled,” said Legolas. “We’ll leave at dawn tomorrow.”

“I’m afraid that will be impossible,” said a voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Erestor standing in the door frame. Legolas looked at him questioningly.

“What do you mean, Erestor?” he asked softly.

“Lord Elrond has sent me for you. He will explain everything. You are to come with me... immediately.”

Expecting them to follow, the Chief Advisor turned and left.