Peppy arrived at the house in Overhill. The smell of freshly tanned leather overpowered the smell of the pine trees in the surrounding forest. He remembered standing here for the first time: Amorey took him to see the house in Overhill where she had grown up. She had shown him her room and the toys she played with as a young lassie. Most of them were still there at the time.
But the house was empty then. Dust and cobwebs had started to gather on the inventory and no sound was heard but the creaking of the floorboards as Peppy and Amorey inspected the house looking for clues. They found a pipe. A pipe, Amorey said, her father would never leave without. Her parents were missing at that time and Peppy solemnly promised to help look for them, wherever they would be. “As soon as I find your father I will ask him for your hand in marriage.”, were his words.
Today the house looked different: a fresh coat of paint on the door, the chimney smoking and signs of recent crafting activity, like little strips of leather scattered all around the place together with pieces of cloth and yarn. The smell of freshly baked pies struggled to reach Peppy’s nostrils but the scent of the leather was ever-present. Amorey’s parents had reappeared in far away Lothlorien, safe and alive, and now they had reoccupied their old home in Overhill.
With his heart beating in his throat, Peppy gathered courage and knocked on the door. After what seemed an eternity, the door was opened by a rather big, pipe smoking hobbit, who raised an eyebrow when he saw the lad at the door. They stared at one another without saying anything until he spoke: “You must be that lad Peppy. You finally came.”
“I am, sir. I am sorry but I..”
Gerebaldo Took, Amorey’s father, was standing in front of him and Peppy was flustered and lost for words. He had to restrain himself from running away.
“Wait, come in first and meet the wife.”
The door opened widely and Peppy stepped inside. No cobwebs, no dust, everything was very clean and the smell of the pies was now more apparent. The booming voice of Gerebaldo echoed through the burrow as he called out “Lullabella, we have a visitor!”
But he did not offer Peppy a chair which made the lad more uneasy then he already was.
“Peppy, you have made our daughter very unhappy. You have hurt her very much.”
Peppy was fighting to hold back his tears but could not prevent one or two descending his cheeks.
“I know”, he replied with a tiny voice, “And I feel so sorry for that!”. He could no longer hold back and cried openly. “I am so sorry for her, for little Peregin, for all the misery I have caused! I never meant it to be that way!”
Gerebaldo listened in silence, then after a while said “But I have learned that you are with her again and she is happy again... Yes, you nod now, but how do we know that you will not leave her again?” and then a roaring “Lullabella!!”, which startled Peppy and made him shiver.
“I realise it was a big mistake, sir, and knowing what I know now I will never leave her ever again.”
“And what was it that you did not know before and know now?”
At that moment a female hobbit entered the room, drying her hands with a slip of her apron. “Peppy, is that you?”
Peppy looked up: that hair, that face! It was like looking at another Amorey, but older. Lullabella saw the lad and walked towards him and with tears welling up in her eyes she hugged Peppy. It was a long hug and Peppy carefully placed his hands on her shoulder blades until she let go again. It felt like a warm and well-meant token of appreciation, this hug. Lullabella then stood next to her husband and looked up at him and then at Peppy again.
Gerebaldo uttered a small cough and then said: “Peppy lad, you’ve done some silly things which, to be honest made me want to look you up and give you a good thrashing but..”
Lullabella took her husbands arm and slightly shook her head: no, love!
“But.., I say, our daughter loves you more then anything else, so that you know! And she is happy now as long as you will be with her. Don’t ever, ever hurt her again, Peppy, and we will be fine for now.”
Gerebaldo uttered a muffled grumble and fell silent.
Peppy tried to find the right words and said:
“Sir and m’am, I made a terrible mistake and I am more sorry then words can express. I know now, that Amorey did not hate me, she never did, she loved me and she missed me, just like I loved and missed her. I missed her terribly much and while trying to cope with that I did some other regrettable things too that caused unrest and hurt feelings of others. Amorey and I now know how deep our love goes, how we actually have no existence, no purpose without each other. I will always love her and let nothing or no-one bring us apart again. I love your daughter, my Amorey, my everything! I love my son, your grandson Peregrin, I will never forget him as long as I live and breath.”
Peppy held his breath and waited. There was more he had to say, he realised.
Lullabella openly cried but with a smile on her lips. Gerebaldo rubbed one eye, muttered something sounding like “hmm, dust in my eye.”
Peppy coughed behind his hand, straightened his back and said in a clear voice:
“Master Gerebaldo Took, sir, and Miss Lullabella Sweetrose-Took, I am asking you for the hand of your daughter Amorey in marriage.”
Another hug from Lullabella nearly made Peppy lose balance, but it caused also a feeling of relief. He had finally asked that so important question.
Gerebaldo regaining his posture, smiled now and replied:
“Well, since you have proposed to her, what, three times? Four? You’d better do the honorable thing and keep your promise and marry her. You have our blessing! Welcome to the family, Peregrin Bristlebrush!”
The handshake that followed nearly crushed the bones in Peppy’s hand, but it was a warm and well-meant gesture. Peppy felt relieved and ever so happy. He wanted to return to Amorey as soon as he could, to tell her about the meeting with her parents, but he was pushed into a chair and fed pie until his belly started to ache. He politely refused the offer of a pipe stuffed with the finest Old Toby, as he had never taken up the habit of smoking, but the smell of Gerebaldo’s lit pipe, pleased his senses.
After many hours he stood outside the burrow again, feeling very relieved and imbued by the feeling of deep love for his Amorey. Nothing was in the way of the wedding anymore now, it would all be fine and magical. Avornbelt, his pony, had to find the way back home by himself as his rider was with his head firmly in the clouds. Amorey and Peppy would be married with the blessing of her parents. And Peppy knew for sure, that the blessing of his parents would have been with them too.
