[Manardariel]

Tim was having a wonderful time. Lara and Minna Fields, sisters he´s known forever, had invited him, Dode and Ilberic over for a picnic, along with a charming girl he did not know. They were sitting in the sun by a group of trees, eating fruit and cakes, laughing. Tim turned his atention from the sisters to the new girl.

“So,” he said. “Who is this charming lady? Why haven´t we met before?”
The girl turned a sweet shade of rosé, and looked up, as their gaze met.
“I´m Lilly Boldger, from Waymoot.” She smiled, her white-and-blue checked dress quivering slightly.
“And how well the name suits you! Lillies are such beautiful flowers, I must say!” Tim grinned at her, sitting up straight. Dode groaned from the side, but Tim ingored him. This was a wondeful opportunity for some fun, before he´d be seperated from girls for who-knew how long. “Miss Boldger- would you like to go for a little stroll. There´s a charming little creek nearby, and I´ve seen a beautiful there sometime ago. She was almost as pretty as you are...” The girl blushed some more, getting up. “You jest....” They walked a few paces, speaking of this and that. Tim found out she was a distant cousin of the Field-sisters; “as am I!” he laughed. She was a sweet, charming lass. While they walked, Tim picked her some field flowers, and presented the bouqué to her. She smiled some more. Tim felt exitement, a quick heartbeat. This was going wonderful. He liked Lilly, a lot- her shyness and inncence appealed to him more than anything. Well, expect for. No, he wouldn´t think of Laura now. She was so different. He´d focus on this sweet lass whose hand was shyly gliding into his. As they walked back, their eyes hooked in each other. Tim leaned forward, barely knowing what he was doing. Her eyes were beautiful, and those lips...

When he returned back to the Tookhouse, Tim was in an expetionally good mood. He hummed a merry little tune as he walked through the sitting room, into the hall. There, he was, once again, grabbed by Melody. “Tim! Where have you been! Stealing some innocent girl´s heart I expect..”
“Ask no questions and I shall tell no lies, Melody.” Tim casually replied, rolling his eyes at his sister. “And why to you care, anyway? You don´t ahve to baysit me anymore, you know-”
“Because,” Melody hissed impatiently, “there was an important meeting about your journey, which you missed! Honestly, Tim...”
“Okay, okay, skip the lecture. Damn! why can´t they tell me earlier...” Great. Just perfect. Now he was also in trouble with Paladin, not to mention the other travelers. “I´ll talk to Paladin right away.”

He wanted to walk over into the study, but suddenly someone walked into his way.
“What d´you want in here, Hardbottle?” Josh Brandybuck. Now what did he want from him?
“For your information, that´s Bracegirlde. And what do you think I want in there? Marry a goat?! No, I want to talk to Paladin. About the trip...”