User:Belsaia/en/Marlutar/story

	Master of Storytelling honorary title bestowed by Oakheart on May 25, 2021

~ Pipe weed grower, musician & father ~

was born on a farm in Micheldelving in the year 1356 of the Shire era. That's where I grew up and spent my youth and teenage years. I don't want to say much about them here, because they weren't much different from those of all hobbits. It was only towards the end of my time as a Tween that there were some drastic changes. I had just turned 29 when I traveled with my father several times to visit relatives in Bree. Father wanted to open up a new market for his pottery here and this required several negotiations with the Breelander hobbits.

As it was a four-day journey from Micheldelving to Bree and back again, we usually spent one to two weeks in Bree. I had to run various errands for my father. Otherwise I had the day off. One of these errands took me to old Krummbein in Staddle. I can't remember what I had to do there, but that's where I met and fell in love with my Lilie. We used almost every free minute to see each other, go for walks together and talk. When we had to travel back to the Shire, not only Lilie but also I was deeply saddened. For the next quarter of a year, I feverishly awaited the day when we were told we were going back to Bree. On the very first day in Bree, I asked my father for time off and set off to visit my Lilie. That evening, we were both overwhelmed by the joy of seeing each other again, but as Lilie's parents were in the living room the whole time, we could only talk to each other. And occasionally hold hands furtively under the table. We saw each other every day after that, but we were never alone for long. On the penultimate day of our stay, we went for a long walk through the fields of Staddle. On the way back, we were surprised by a heavy thunderstorm. And we sought refuge in Gammie Boggs' barn ...

To cut a long story short, a year later we were still tweens, but suddenly we were also new parents. Of course, there were long evenings of reproaches, lectures and discussions. From both sides! We were far too young, a decent hobbit doesn't do that. What should people think and so on and so forth. But in the end, our parents agreed to the wedding. Father-in-law Krummbein wanted to give us a small but beautiful farm in Staddel, which belonged to him but which he couldn't manage himself, at a very reasonable price. My father gave us the money we needed.

It wasn't always easy in the early years. Also because our little daughter, Sebranda, had a little sister. But today we are proud of our girls and they are happy about their young parents. That was probably also the reason why they practically begged me to play in the chapel with my mother and niece Sebylla. I didn't want to know about it at first because I was afraid that playing music alongside my work in the fields would be too much and I wouldn't have time for my wife. But Lilie, the best of all women, just said I shouldn't worry about it and besides, I could always tell her the latest news from Bree, which is certainly more exciting than always philosophizing about the quality of the pipeweed. I couldn't argue with that.

We've been playing regularly in Bree for three years now and Lilie is always happy to hear the gossip from the town. The girls have since moved out and now live with my mother on the Bree hill. We usually only see each other at the weekends and on concert evenings, but that's probably normal when the children grow up. The latest pipe weed breeds are selling so well that we no longer have any money worries. And apart from the farm and the music, Lilie and I also have more time for each other now that the children are out of the house.