There had been much joy and celebration and feasting and song and laughter in Brandy Hall that night. The Brandybucks stayed up well into the middle night to welcome home the travellers, and the celebration might have lasted until the dawn had not the Master shooed everyone off to bed at last.

'Peregrin and Meriadoc are to meet Merimac in Stock, after breakfast, and he will expect them to be punctual!'

'They had better be, then!' someone shouted. 'I'd rather face a hundred ruffians than come late to a meeting with Merimac!' The great room erupted in laughter, and the Brandybucks began to disperse.

Saradoc and Esmeralda walked the lads to their rooms, pausing for a last embrace at the door. Esmeralda wordlessly held her son for a long moment, and when she looked up, he was smiling down at her. 'I know, Mother,' he said. 'I know.' She smiled and released him.

'I will see you at breakfast.' The familiar words brought tears to her eyes, tears of joy and of wonder, for she'd thought she'd never have occasion to say them again. Then, catching her scamp of a nephew in a great yawn, she scolded. 'Be off with you! It's past your bedtime!'

Saradoc laughed and added, 'You'd better heed your aunt, or she's likely to take you over her knee.'

'At least I have mail to protect me this time,' Pippin laughed. He kissed his aunt and disappeared into his room.

***

Sometime between the middle night and dawn, the Master of Buckland awakened with the feeling that something was not right. He lay in bed, listening to his wife's peaceful breathing, wondering what had awakened him, then noticed that the door was ajar, the soft illumination from the watchlamps in the corridor shining through the open space.

He arose quietly from the bed and crept to the door. Pushing it further open, he saw nothing at first, but looking down the corridor, he saw his son Merry place his hand on yet another doorknob, hesitate, then turn the knob and open the door slowly, only to shake his head and turn away.

'Meriadoc!' he called softly, but his son did not seem to hear him, instead turning away to walk slowly to the next door. As he was moving forward, wondering what to do, Pippin slipped past him, to take Merry's arm, speaking in a low, but cheerful voice.

'There you are, cousin!'

Merry turned haunted eyes to him. 'Dark,' he said. 'It's so dark, and I cannot find the light.'

'I know just where to find it,' Pippin said, urging Merry back towards his own room. His eyes met Saradoc's, and he shook his head slightly. Saradoc followed the two, watched as Pippin led his cousin to the bed, eased him down, pulled up the covers, all the while talking cheerful nonsense softly enough that no other sleepers might be roused.

'I see the trouble,' he said. 'The watch lamp has gone out.' Saradoc moved to light the watch lamp, and Pippin said, 'Light the other lamps as well, will you, Uncle?' The Master complied. Pippin laid his hand on Merry's shoulder under the coverlet. 'Stay,' he said, 'Rest here a moment, Merry.'

The other did not respond, but Pippin nodded, still smiling, and turned away from the bed. 'Build up the fire,' he said to Saradoc, then left the room. He soon returned with the lamps from his own bedroom, which he proceeded to light, and with the cheerful fire and all the lamps, the room was soon as brightly lit as possible.

It hardly seemed likely, but Merry's eyes had closed and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully again. 'He was never completely awake,' Pippin murmured to Saradoc. 'He should be able to sleep the rest of this night.' He sighed, then patted his uncle on the shoulder. 'Go, seek your own bed. Your son is well, now.'

Saradoc returned slowly to his own bed, knowing that Merry might be many things, but he was most definitely not well.

***

In the morning, Ilberic Brandybuck hailed Pippin as he entered the great room where a breakfast feast was being laid.

'I suppose you want that pony of yours back, cousin!'

'My pony?' Pippin said. 'Socks?'

'Yes, that's the one,' Ilberic laughed. 'Aunt Essie put him in my charge, and I will be glad to hand him back to you. He's all fire and very little sense.'

'He has a great deal of sense, with sensible people,' Pippin retorted. 'Obviously he found you wanting!'

'Hah,' Ilberic rejoined, clapping his hand on the other's shoulder. 'Come out to the stables. He wants an outing before breakfast each day, or he'll kick out his stall, and the Master takes a dim view of such things.' Laughing, the two exited the Hall.

The Brandybucks sat down to breakfast, talking and laughing. Merry showed no sign of the interrupted night, as animated as the rest of his relations.

'Where's Pip?' he asked Doderic, who sat nearby.

'Out with that rascal of a pony of his,' Doderic answered. 'Ilberic thought he'd be stuck with the beast forever; he is very glad to see Pippin back safe!'

'And that reminds me, cousin,' Berilac said. 'You'll find your own Bright Nose in fine fettle. I groomed him to within an inch of his life this morning, and as long as he hasn't laid himself down in the straw again, he'll gleam like the Sun herself, on rising, when you ride him out to meet my father.'

Merry laughed. 'That is good news!' he said. 'I missed the lad.'

'Well he hardly missed you!' Doderic laughed. 'Berilac has spoilt him shamefully, and unless you treat him like a king and a prince together he'll hardly speak a word to you, I fear.'

'I will forgive Socks all the stalls he's kicked out,' Saradoc said, 'if any of his foals turns out to be as fast as the sire.'

'You bred him?' Merry said.

'Ahem,' Saradoc cleared his throat. 'As a matter of fact, he took the matter into his own hands... hoofs... whatever.'

'There's not a fence that will contain that pony, if he does not want to be contained,' Doderic said amongst the general laughter. 'Starlight was one of the dams; she threw a foal as black as a shadow in the middle night, and...' he looked at his cousin. 'Merry?'

A faraway look had come over the other's face, and he did not respond to the question.

'Is aught amiss, Son?' Saradoc asked softly. Merry shook his head, attempted to smile, but he put down his fork and did not eat any more.

Pippin breezed in then, kissing his aunt and apologising for his tardiness. 'That Socks!' he said proudly. 'He's got as much spirit as he ever did! Threw me off the first time I mounted, but he soon remembered me.'

He looked at Merry's plate and said, 'But you shouldn't have waited for me, cousin! Look at that, what a shame, your food's gone cold!' He gestured to a server, picking up Merry's plate. 'Here, bring a fresh plate at the same time you bring mine, will you?'

When the food was brought, under Pippin's relentless onslaught of cheer Merry picked up his fork and once again began to eat.

Saradoc met Esmeralda's eyes, and she nodded. She would prevail upon her brother the Thain, for Pippin to spend as much time at the Hall as possible.

Most of the occupants of the Hall followed the twain down to the Ferry landing. The Travellers made a bright and brave sight, in their shining mail, leading their ponies. Doderic and Ilberic had groomed the beasts until they shone, one as bright as flame, the other the colour of smoke in a pale sky.

At the Ferry landing, the lads embraced the Master and Mistress a last time. 'We won't be back until the Shire is scoured clean!' Pippin laughed.

'But as they are no match for us, we'll be back well in time for Yule,' Merry added. 'A New Year, and a fresh beginning.'

Saradoc nodded--he certainly hoped so--and stepped back from his son. 'Stay well,' he said.

'We will!' Pippin answered, and turned to lead his restless pony onto the Ferry. 'Coming, Merry?'

'I'm right behind you,' Merry said. He hugged Esmeralda again, then said, 'I'm expecting a Yule feast with all the trimmings.'

'You'll get it!' his mother smiled, and stepped back as he turned to go. Saradoc's arm found her waist, and they stood together, watching the Ferry all the way across the River, watching as the lads led the ponies off on the other side, watching... until the knights mounted their ponies and rode out of sight, under the shadow of the trees on the far side.