CHAPTER 30

It was the last evening in Hobbiton. In the morning, all would leave for Tuckborough.

Sam escorted Esmeralda and Pearl down to the Gaffer’s, where Rose was staying with Marigold, in order to make leaving easier on the morrow. Esmeralda said they wanted to talk to the lasses some more about what they might expect. Although Sam had been surprised, since he could not imagine what more they could wish to say that they would not have said already, he eagerly agreed for the chance to spend more time with Rosie.

Merry and Pippin had made up a party to go down to the newly re-opened Green Dragon in Bywater. This was something they had looked forward to for a long time, and they had made some very special arrangements with the innkeeper, old Toby Harfoot, weeks ago, even before they knew that they would be having guests. Not only had they brought along Freddy, Legolas and Gimli, but they had persuaded Targon and Éothain to allow a couple of the Men to come along; so they had with them as well Danulf for the Rohirrim, and Artamir for the Gondorians.

Aside from the purely natural desire to socialize and consume ale, the cousins had other motives. Their fathers had asked them to help get everyone away from Bag End, so that they could talk privately with Frodo. Merry and Pippin assumed it had to do with politics, and were glad to oblige. This was also a chance to show Men in a positive light. Although no one else had the nerve to confront them after Gil Chubb had done so, there were will plenty of dark looks cast their way from some of those who had suffered under Sharkey. And the cousins were hoping to give Fredegar a good evening out. They would keep close watch over him for any signs of distress.

The place had already begun to fill up when Merry and Pippin led their oddly assorted party inside. There was sudden brief silence, and then the equally sudden buzz of speculation.

They had no trouble finding a large table near the center of the room. Merry, Pippin, Freddy and Gimli took their chairs; Legolas sat down easily and gracefully on the floor next to Gimli. After only a second’s hesitation, Artamir and Danulf also sat on the floor. It put them at just the right height for conversation with their smaller friends. After a moment Toby himself came over with a pitcher of ale and seven tankards, giving Merry and Pippin a wink as he did so. Legolas, Artamir and Danulf took up their drinks with a chuckle, the tankards looking like teacups in their larger hands.

Artamir looked at Pippin wryly. “Getting back at us, are you, for all those nights in Minas Tirith--”

“Sitting in giant chairs with our toes dangling--”said Pippin.

“And drinking out of mugs the size of buckets!” finished Merry.

There was laughter around the table, drawing even more attention in the crowded room. A few of the other hobbits had left when they came in, but not many. Most of the others were watching out of the corners of their eyes. There was suspicion on a few faces and open hostility on one or two, but most held nothing more than frank and avid curiosity.

Just then they were approached by two sturdy young hobbits wearing wide smiles and carrying their ales.

“Tom! Jolly!” Merry and Pippin rose to introduce them to those at the table. “Fellows, these are two of Sam’s future brothers-in-law, Tom and Jolly Cotton. Tom’s also betrothed to Sam’s’ sister Marigold.” Merry made the introductions. Freddy, of course, knew them already. The Cotton brothers were not at all abashed at meeting a Dwarf and two Men, but Legolas did make them blush and stammer a little bit.

About that time Toby came back to their table with a fresh pitcher of ale, and gave Merry and Pippin a questioning look. They grinned and nodded.

The innkeeper raised his voice and called for attention. “Everyone! The next round of drinks is on Mr. Meriadoc Brandybuck and Mr. Peregrin Took!”

This announcement was greeted with cheers. Someone called out “Mr. Pippin! How about a song?” This cry was taken up with enthusiasm by several people, until Tom called out:

“I’ve a better idea! Why don’t we hear from the visitors? I’m sure they know many a fine tale or song we’ve never heard!” There were several shouts of agreement at this idea.

Merry and Pippin laughed.. “Well, fellows,” said Merry, “who’ll go first?”

Legolas shook his head. He preferred to go last.

Gimli snorted. “I’ll go first then, laddies!” He stood up on top of his chair. “Master Samwise is rather fond of this piece:

     The world was young, the mountains green;

     No stain yet on the Moon was seen,

     No words were laid on stream or stone

     When Durin woke and walked alone.

     He named the nameless hills and dells;

     He drank from yet untasted wells;

     He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,

     The world was fair, the mountains tall,

     The world was fair in Durin’s Day…”

As he chanted, the hobbits in the crowded room listened raptly, carried into a time and place long ago and far away. Merry and Pippin found themselves remembering the mines of Moria and the great city of Dwarrowdelf, and the first time they had heard Gimli speak this piece.

     …There lies his crown in water deep,

     Till Durin wakes again from sleep. (1)

Gimli gave a bow, and hopped down from the chair.

“Whew! That’s a right corker, that is, Mr. Gimli,” said Tom. “I can see why Sam was so taken with it."   The other hobbits seemed to agree. There was applause all around.

Now Danulf stood up. The hobbits all quieted and craned their necks up at him, not quite sure what to expect.

“Éomer King ordered a song made at Edoras, to honor our Holdwine Meriadoc. This is part of it.”

Merry gave a little moan and blushed scarlet. He started to slide down in his seat, but with a grin, Pippin and Freddy each grabbed an arm and pulled him back up.

“You won’t escape that easily, cousin,” said Pippin with a chuckle. “Sit up and be praised like a Rohirrim should!”

Merry shot his younger cousin a glare, but it had no effect on the young Took except to make him grin even harder.

Lifting his chin, Danulf began to declaim in a firm voice:

     Hearken now and hear of the holbyltlan, little people out of legend,

     Small in stature yet stout-hearted , they rode to the rescue of Rohan.

     In the darkest of days, war was wont to loom upon the land;

     Now from the North came Meriadoc Saradoc’s son, strong and sturdy.

     For love of the lord of the land, Théoden, kind and kingly,

     He promised and pledged his faith and fealty.

     With Éowyn Éomund’s daughter who bore him to battle,

     He followed his lord through death and destruction,

     And with his sword-sister, shield-maiden most valiant,

     He helped her to fell the foul dwimmerlaik with his blade bespelled

     Striking the sorcerer to save his sword-sister

     Upon the bloody battlefield before the great gates of Mundberg

     In the last desperate defense of his liege and lord.

As Danulf finished, he gave a nod. The hobbits all applauded, and there were some cries of “Hurrah! Three cheers for Captain Meriadoc!” and “Meriadoc for the Shire!”

As Danulf sat back down upon the floor, Artamir arose. “I guess that it is my turn now.” He turned and gave a mischievous look to Pippin, who suddenly feared that the story of the troll might be forthcoming. “There is a new song in Gondor, now very popular, called ‘The Smallest Guardsman’. I do fear me that the minstrel who made it took a few liberties with the story for the sake of the rhymes, but I think that it does our good Sir Peregrin justice.” The Gondorian sat on the edge of the table and began to sing.

Pippin’s jaw dropped. He was less embarrassed than confused. In this song he did all sorts of improbable things, like ride with Gandalf when he chased away the Nazgûl or light the beacons ( “It didn’t happen that way” he muttered. “The beacons were already lit!” This earned him an elbow from Merry and a giggle from Fredegar.) To top it all off, the song had him single-handedly shoving Faramir from the pyre, and Denethor jumping from the seventh level of the city as he burned. There was a constant refrain of Ernil i Pheriannath as well. ( “It didn’t happen that way at all! And keep your elbow to yourself!”)

Artamir wound up into the refrain again of the rather catchy tune, and a lot of the hobbits had begun to sing along. (“Wonderful! Now I’ll have to listen to this all the time!”)

Freddy turned to Pippin. “I do know what you mean, Pippin. Have you heard some of the nonsense they’ve begun to sing about me?”

Jolly heard this and grinned. “Well, Captain Freddy, how about we start up a chorus of ‘How Fatty Popped the Pimple’?” This was a currently popular, raucously funny and wildly inaccurate account of a rather successful raid that Fredegar had led on one of Lotho’s leaf shipments to the South. Jolly was well aware of how inaccurate the song was, as he had been one of the raiders.

Artamir had finished with his song. Freddy’s eyes grew wide. “Shh, Jolly, not so loud…”

Merry and Pippin sniggered and Pippin said “You know, Freddy, I had been wanting to ask about that--”

Legolas had been watching this byplay with a smile. “I do believe,” he said “that it is my turn now.” He stood up with a single graceful movement and went to sit upon the table as Artamir had. The silence in the room as the hobbits watched him was profound. “I will sing you a song of the maiden Nimrodel, who bore the same name as the stream beside which she lived long ago. This is in the Westron speech, as some in Rivendell now sing it.”

            An Elven maid there was of old,

          A shining star by day:

     Her mantle white was hemmed with gold,

           Her shoes of silver-grey.

               ***

     A star was bound upon her brow,

          A light was on her hair

    As sun upon the golden boughs

          In Lórien the fair.

                ***

     Her hair was long, her limbs were white,

          And fair she was and free;

     And in the wind she went as light

          As leaf of linden-tree

              ***

     Beside the falls of Nimrodel,

      By water clear and cool,

     Her voice as falling silver fell

          Into the shining pool.

               ***

     Where now she wanders none can tell,

          In sunlight or in shade;

     For lost of yore was Nimrodel

          And in the mountains strayed.(2)

                    ***

In his fair clear Elven voice unlike any the hobbits had heard before, he unfolded the long sad story. They listened as though entranced, and when he was finished, there was no sound except for an occasional sniffle. There was not a dry eye to be seen. Several hobbits were searching for their pocket-handkerchiefs.

Legolas gave a brief nod of acknowledgement, and then turned his head to say, “I do believe that now Master Peregrin owes us a song.”

Flashing a brilliant smile, Pippin sprang to the top of the table. “Well, my lads, on a night this special there is only one possible song to sing.” And he launched into a ditty not heard in the Shire since Lotho had the inns torn down.

You can search for far and wide,

You can drink the whole town dry,

You can never find a beer so brown;

You can never find a beer so brown;

You can never find a beer so brown--

As the ones we drink in our home town!

***

You can keep your fancy ales,

You can drink them by the flagon!

But the only brew for the brave and true

Comes from the Green Dragon! (3)

***

This was greeted by loud cheers and cries of “Again! Again, Mr. Pippin!”

Pippin laughed, and reached a hand down to Merry, pulling his cousin up to stand on the table beside him.

You can search for far and wide…

_________________________________________

After many choruses of the song, and others beside, ( including, at Jolly’s instigation, the one Fredegar had dreaded ) the evening finally drew to a close. The hobbits and their friends stepped out beneath the stars. Old Toby stopped Merry and Pippin for a second. “Thank you, sirs.”

Merry smiled and shook his head. “It’s quite all right, Toby. It’s just good to have the Shire getting back to normal.”

_________________________________________

(1) From The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 4, “A Journey in the Dark

(2) From The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 6, “Lothlórien”

(3) From the film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King