Chapter Thirty Three

Adelard and Paladin walked the outskirts of the town looking for a secluded area so they could speak freely. While they searched, they idly talked of everyday Shire happenings.

Paladin puffed on the loaned pipe as he shuffled along the path with his cousin, “Yes, Pimpernel will become a tween this coming year. Addie, they’re growing up so fast.”

“I can see that.” Adelard agreed. “It seems like only yesterday we were hoping beyond hope that your baby boy would survive his first week and then his first month...and now how old is he--nine?”

“Not quite,” Paladin smiled, “he’s a very precocious eight-year-old!”

Adelard grinned at his friend. “I daresay that if your lad weren’t so hard on Tina, you’d find an excuse to have another four children!” Both hobbits laughed at the notion.

“You’re probably right--someone has to keep up with The Old Took!”

“Ah! Over there!” Adelard nodded in the direction of the blacksmith’s tool shed. Paladin could barely make out the dark the silhouette of a large rock and a small barrel next to the shed.

The two friends sat down, grunting with their weary bones’ displeasure. “All right, Paladin,” Adelard let out a sigh, “out with it!”

Paladin rested his head back against the shed. “The question is....where do I start?”

“Try the beginning.”

Before starting, Paladin made Adelard promise not to tell a soul, but he was only going through the motions. He knew he could trust Adelard. When he was finished, he saw Adelard’s brow wrinkled in concern.

“I don’t know why I continue to feel hostile towards Sara. Maybe I do, but do you suppose I'm just being...jealous?”

Adelard looked at his cousin, “You do have yourself in a fine pickle, Paladin. I could have told you this would happen, but do I blame you? No. I must say that what you did was beyond the call of any father. Yet when you opened your heart to Merry you unwarily opened it to the pain of letting him go.” He reached over and patted Paladin’s hand, seeing his tears glistening in the moonlight. “And I know you feel this pain deeply.”

“I just don’t want to see Merry hurt again,” Paladin wiped the tears away.

“I know that, Paladin, but the lad will be fine. He needs to find his way to his own father. If you don’t let him you’ll only be seen as standing in his way.” Adelard’s expression became far away, “Before Niola died, she lay in my arms. I cried and told her I didn’t want her go. I was being selfish, Paladin. She was suffering and in pain, and all I could think about was how I could keep her from leaving this world.” Adelard reached over again to Paladin’s hand and whispered, “let him go!”

Paladin wiped his eyes again with his handkerchief. “I never imagined it would be this difficult.”

“It wouldn’t be difficult if you didn’t love the lad. Difficult you say? Yes, and what a road Sara will have to tread!” Adelard shook his head. “I never for one moment thought he--”

“Thought what?”

Both Paladin and Adelard jumped to their feet, peering into the darkness to find....Gillie standing nearby. 

Adelard was quicker than his younger cousin was. He none too gently shoved Gillie up against the side of the tool shed and was nearly sorry he did so. Gillie was extremely drunk. “What have you heard?“ Adelard watched as Gillie slumped into a heap on the stone.

“I heard enough!” Gillie staggered to his feet eyeing the barrel he just sat on, “The two of you slinking off into the dark so you could keep the barrel of ale all to yourselves!” Both hobbits winced at Gillie’s breath.

Paladin wasn’t convinced, “What else have you heard?”

“I heard enough!” Gillie was angry in his drunken haze, “I heard you (he pointed his finger onto Paladin’s chest) say that you didn’t know Sara’s road would be difficult! Then I heard you say--” But Gillie never finished his sentence; as he turned toward Adelard, he fell unconscious into his arms.

Adelard laid the drunken hobbit on the ground, “Well, perhaps we have nothing to worry about!”

Paladin helped his cousin with Gillie, “No, but I know my sister, Opal, and he will have something to worry about when she sees him like this!”