17: Promises Fulfilled

S.R. 1419 

Pervinca froze as she heard the cheers echo down the halls of the Great Smials. She had not heard such a happy sound in a long while, but that was not what shocked her. It was what had been cried before the cheers.

“Did they just say what I think they said?” Pearl whispered. In her arms, she held her month-old son, Peregrin; named after the uncle none thought would ever return.

Pervinca did not answer. She remained completely still waiting for they cry to be repeated.

“It’s Peregrin! Peregrin has returned!”

Without acknowledging Pearl, Pervinca ran from the room and out of the Smials. She had to see for herself.

Outside, she did not see her brother, only a very tall hobbit in strange clothes, surrounded by Tooks. But then he turned, and she knew him. His eyes widened and his smile widened. He pushed his way through the crowd to his dearest sister.

“Pervinca!” Pippin cried, gathering her into a hug.

“Oh, Pippin! You came back!” Pervinca sobbed onto his chest. How had he gotten so tall? When she had last seen him, he was a few inches shorter than her, much to his displeasure, but now he must have been over four foot high.

“Come on, Vince, stop that blubbering,” Pippin laughed, but his own eyes were clouded by tears. Anyone who did not know them would have suspected that he was the elder from the way that he was trying to comfort her.

“I had almost given up hope,” she whispered.

“How could you? I promised to come back, and you know I never break my promises.” He smiled. “Any of them.”

Pervinca gasped. “Sam? And Merry and Frodo?”

“They’re all fine. I left them back at Bywater, but now is not the time for stories, I’m afraid.”

“Aye, son!” cried Paladin. “It is time we taught these ruffians what the Tooks are made of, once and for all.” The crowd of Tooks cheered. “I will need a few good archers to come with me and rid the lands south of here.”

“The rest of you lads should come with me to Bywater!” Pippin announced.

The crowd was soon moving about. Hobbits went back into the Smials to collect weapons, and more came out with them. Pervinca saw that Everard and his brother, Reginard, were going with Pippin, while Pearl’s husband, Orlando and Everard’s father, Adelard, were readying to leave with Paladin.

Pervinca ran over to her brother and caught his arm. “I want to come with you! I can shoot just as well as any lad.”

But Pippin shook his head. “If you think I came all this way just to see you get hurt, you are very mistaken.”

“But…”

“Listen to Pippin, Vinca,” said Everard, hugging her from behind. “We shan’t be too long.”

“I know you want to see Sam and Merry,” said Pippin, “but you have to stay here for now, where I know you’ll be safe.” Pippin kissed his sister’s forehead and mounted his pony. “Let us go! We don’t want that Brandybuck to start the battle without us!”

The Took army cheered again, and began marching in two different directions, some with Peregrin, Everard and Reginard, and others with Paladin, Orlando and Adelard. Pervinca was left standing outside the Smials, with only a few other lasses and a gaffer or two. Soon, they had left too, and Pervinca was alone. Her face became stern, and she marched in the direction of the stables.

Fortunately, since there had not been enough ponies for all, the Took armies had not taken any. Only Pippin, Paladin and a few others, who had been appointed as officers, were mounted. Pervinca found her grey pony, Storm, in his stall.

“Feel like a trip to Bywater, Stormy?” she asked, as she saddled the beast. Storm whinnied. He was ready for action.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a voice demanded.

Pervinca turned to see Pimpernel standing in the stable doorway, with an angry look on her face. But Pervinca was not fazed. Leading Storm, she pushed her way passed her sister.

“I’m going to Bywater, Pim,” she stubbornly answered. “I don’t wish to be left behind again. And I want to see Sam. I need to see that he’s really all right.”

“I know where you’re going, and that isn’t what I meant.” Pimpernel smiled, looking like a true Took. “I meant, what do you think you’re doing leaving without me?”

“Pimpernel!”

“Look, little sister, I have just as much right to go as you, if not more. My Berilac is out there – goodness knows where – and I need to find him.”

Pervinca smiled back. “Well, a little company would be nice. You should get Cherry ready.”

Pimpernel motioned outside the door. “She already is. I saddled her while you were standing like a lost soul outside the Smials.”

Pervinca laughed. “Pimpernel Took, you have certainly surprised me.” She mounted Storm. “Now, let’s get going!”

Pimpernel had taken the liberty of telling Pearl where they were going, and asking her to keep it secret for as long as she could. Pearl probably would have come with them if she had not had her baby son and young daughters to look after.

The Took sisters set a fairly good pace, but they did not wish to catch up with Peregrin. Despite being younger than them both, he was bound to send them home if he found out that they had followed. As they rode, they reacquainted themselves with the land around them. For the good part of a year, they had been prisoners in their own home.

“Animals,” Pimpernel cursed, as they passed what had once been a line of ancient and beautiful trees. All that was left was a row of ugly stumps.

“Have yo noticed that the destruction gets worse the closer we get to Hobbiton?” Pervinca commented. “I didn’t think Lotho had it in that much for Frodo.” Pimpernel simply nodded.

Within an hour or so, Pervinca noticed that they were getting very close to Bywater. She thought that she could hear shouting on the breeze. “Hurry up, Pim. The battle’s started without us!”

“Battle? Pervinca!” Pimpernel cried, urging her own pony on to catch up with Pervinca and Storm.

Pervinca did not look back. She kept on riding straight towards Bywater. When she arrived, the battle had indeed started. A barrier had been set up, but many ruffians had scaled it, and were viciously attacking the hobbits behind.

It did not take Pervinca long to find Samwise. “Sam!”

“Miss Pervinca?” Sam had never forgotten the sound of her voice. He turned to see her riding up on a grey pony, and was suddenly reminded of Merry’s stories about the Lady Éowyn of Rohan.

“Sam! Watch out!” Pervinca cried, seeing a large, cruel looking ruffian approaching Sam from behind.

Sam turned and blocked the blow that the Man had aimed at him. However the ruffian had the advantage of surprise over Sam, and bore down on the hobbit. Pervinca cried out again. She had to do something! Sliding off Storm’s back, she bent to pick up a large stone from the ground, and let it fly.

Pervinca had been taught how to throw and shoot by her Uncle Bilbo, and her aim was rarely off. The stone hit the Man on the side of his head. He roared in pain, and focussed his attention on Pervinca, who had thrown another stone. He completely ignored Sam, which was his undoing. Sam ran the ruffian through with his sword, but unfortunately, his body fell right on top of Sam.

Pervinca ran to the fallen Man and pushed his body away. She was relieved to find Sam still breathing. The ruffian’s knife had nicked his forehead, causing a small cut, though it had bleed profusely. However, from the way Pervinca was fussing, one would have thought it was a mortal wound.

“Oh, Sam! You’re bleeding!”

“Oh, just a scratch, and nothing worse than I’ve had on my journey,” Sam assured her, though he winced a little.

“Just a scratch? You have blood all over your face! Let me see.”

“Miss Pervinca, I’m fine!”

Pervinca would hear none of it. Around them, the battle seemed to have been won, so she decided that Sam was in more danger of bleeding to death than of being attacked. She ripped off part of her skirt and wiped the blood away from his face.

“Gracious, Sam. Fancy finding you here,” she joked, tears glimmering in her eyes. He took her hand in his own and held it tightly. Pervinca burst into tears and threw her arms around him.

“There, there, now, Miss Pervinca,” he soothed. “What will Master Everard think if he sees us like this?”

Pervinca laughed. “He will understand. Did Pippin tell you that we’re engaged?”

“He did indeed. Probably the best news I heard the whole time I was away.”

“I wanted to wait until Pippin came back to hold the wedding. I suppose that helped me believe that he would be back.” She smiled at the hobbit that had once captured her heart. “I also wanted you to be there.”

He smiled back. “Just tell me the date – when you’ve decided on one – and I’ll cancel anything else I have planned. Even a meeting with the King!”

“The King?”

“I think the stories will have to wait until another time, Miss Pervinca. There’s too much to do ‘round here first.”

Tears welled up in Pervinca’s eyes again. “Oh, Sam, I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you so much.”

“And I you, Miss Pervinca. I still have it.”

“Still have what?”

Sam shook his head, and mock-scolded her. “Miss Pervinca, how could you forget?” He retrieved from his pocket a small wooden box.

Pervinca gasped, recognising it. “That’s the box I gave you after Bilbo’s party!”

“That it is. It’s travelled with me to Mount Doom and back. I threw my pots and pans into a pit in Mordor, but this I could not part with.”

Pervinca could not begin to tell him how much that meant to her, but the look on his face told her he already knew. “Thank you, Sam.”

“Well, well, Pervinca. I should have expected to see you here,” a voice laughed. Sam and Pervinca looked up to see Merry and Pimpernel walking towards them. Merry had also grown significantly, and had a makeshift bandage around his left arm, and Pimpernel was smirking.

“Master Gamgee, I an pleased to see that you have remained a normal height,” said Pimpernel. “I think that having my brother and cousin challenge the Bullroarer is quite enough.”

Pervinca embraced Merry. “What happened to your arm?”

Pimpernel laughed. “He tripped over the body of a ruffian, after the battle.”

Merry scowled. “And Pimpernel has not yet grown tired of reminding me of it, nor telling others.”

“You are not alone in your shame, Mister Merry,” Sam admitted. “Miss Pervinca had to save my life.”

“Samwise the Brave had to be rescued by a lass?”

Pervinca looked at Sam. “Samwise the Brave?”

Sam blushed. “Like I said before: now is not the time for stories.”

“Pervinca Took!” Peregrin’s angry voice cried. “And Pimpernel! Of all the…! What did I tell you to do? Don’t you ever listen?”

“Not to our younger brother,” Pimpernel replied. “And don’t look so forlorn! I am the one who is going to be in the most trouble. After all, I’m supposed to be the responsible, older sister.”

Everard and Frodo were with Pippin. Pervinca saw that Frodo had remained a normal height along with Sam. Obviously something different had happened to Merry and Pippin.

“Welcome home, Frodo,” she greeted. “It’s so good to see you back. I had hoped we would meet at a more pleasant occasion, but, what can you do?”

“Just seeing you again is pleasant enough, cousin,” he replied, smiling sadly.

Pervinca wondered what could have been bothering him, and then she saw that he was missing a finger on his right hand. So many stories that need to be told.

“Are you all right, Sam?” Frodo asked.

“Yes, fine, Mister Frodo,” Sam answered. “Miss Pervinca just felt the need to fuss over me.” He bowed to Everard. “Master Everard, I must congratulate you on your engagement. You are one of the luckiest lads in the Shire.”

“I know,” Everard replied. He gazed fondly at Pervinca. By riding into battle, she had just proven again why he loved her.

Standing with the five lads that she loved most in the world, Pervinca felt happier than she ever had before. It did not matter than he dress was torn, or that the stench of death hung in the air. Pippin had fulfilled his promises, and she had them all back. Everything would be fine.

* * * * * *

A/N: Only one chapter to go, which will be set many years ahead of this one. We should all know that the families of Took and Gamgee do actually come together, and this story would not be complete without making a reference to that. By the way, thanks go to Pippinfan for suggesting Pervinca’s role in the Battle. Originally, I was going to have her come into it after the battle, but Pippinfan convinced me to give the lass a bigger role. And the idea of Pervinca throwing rocks was her idea too!