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A New Reckoning  by Dreamflower

CHAPTER 46

In the ballroom, Fredegar sat with Estella, Rose and Marigold, as they anxiously awaited word of what happened. Only a few of the truly determined were still attempting to dance; the attendees had broken up into various small groups, talking and speculating. Fredegar wished he had gone with the others to the encampment, but he had decided that he could not allow the lasses to be completely abandoned.

They looked up to see Angelica Baggins approaching. Freddy stood up with a little bow and yielded his seat to her. Estella raised her eyebrows. Freddy was always polite, but not usually with quite so much alacrity. Well, well, well.

Freddy introduced her to Marigold and Rose, whom Angelica had known by sight but had never met. She and Estella were somewhat acquainted already through their mutual friend Melilot Brandybuck.

Estella was pleased to note that Angelica acknowledged the introductions with no sign of condescension. Estella quite liked Rosie and Mari, and was prepared to bristle on their behalf.

They talked a bit about the evening, trying to avoid the questions uppermost in their minds. Freddy and Rose explained as best they could the meaning of some of the titles that the guests of honor had received. Angelica began to have some vague notion of what Frodo must have endured. She blushed to think how presumptuous she had been. She should never have listened to her father on this. But she did not regret her conversation with Frodo. She would never forget it.

Just then, Frodo, Pippin and Merry re-entered the ballroom. All eyes went up to them. Freddy noticed immediately that Merry and Pippin were wearing their swords, which they had not been when they left.

Frodo and Pippin descended the stairs and went to speak to Eglantine.

Merry stood on the landing, and his eyes roamed the room, observing the various groups. He was looking for some type of behavior that would clue him in. Over there, by the sideboard with the ale. Clovis and Cado Banks seemed to be sharing a private little joke. Merry’s eyes narrowed, and he studied them more closely. No, wait. Surely it could not be this easy. Aha!

Grimly he descended the stairs. The look on his face deterred the curious from approaching him.

The Banks brothers, more than a bit tipsy, were having a secret celebration of their cleverness. They did not even see Merry until he stood in front of them. He backed them up against the sideboard.

They paled at the sight of his grim and menacing smile.

“Hullo, Clovis. What happened to your buttons?”

Clovis cast an involuntary look down at his jacket, and his eyes widened in panic.

The brothers tried to scramble away, but Merry shot out a hand and grabbed a fistful of Clovis’ shirtfront. He pulled Clovis forward and brought his knee up sharply into his groin. Clovis let out a yell and Merry let go. He sank to the floor moaning.

Cado was trying to get away, but Merry was too quick for him. He held him up as he had his brother. Merry could feel Frodo and Pippin pulling at him, but he paid no attention.

“Merry, what are you doing?” yelled Frodo.

Merry’s knee shot up again, and he flung Cado away.

“Keeping a promise,” he answered with satisfaction.

He turned to see Frodo and Pippin staring at him, appalled. “Frodo, you will find a match for those buttons on Clovis’ jacket.”

His eyes met Eglantine’s. She smiled. “Well done, Merry.”

Throughout the room was silence, broken only by the moans of the brothers. Hobbits stared in shock, looking at one another in amazement, wondering what had caused this violence.

Across the room, Clodio gaped. He could not summon up the indignation he needed to confront anyone on his sons’ behalf. All he could do was to wonder what the foolish wretches had done now. This could not bode well for him. Beryl was sobbing into his shoulder; he absent-mindedly patted her on the head, and wondered what would go wrong next.

Dago Bracegirdle edged his way unnoticed out of the ballroom. If he hurried, he could be back in Hardbottle by morning, collect his profits from their hiding place, and head out of the Shire by way of Sarn Ford. Hopefully it would take a few days for the assembly to realize he had gone. Thank goodness he was not hampered by a wife and children like poor Clodio. Dago wished he had never heard of Sackville-Baggins or Sharkey.

“Eglantine,” said Frodo, “we need to find out exactly what these two were up to, and why.”

“Why don’t you escort them to the Thain’s study? You can question them there.”

Frodo and Pippin helped the Bankses to their feet. They flinched if Merry came near them. Frodo looked at Merry reproachfully, but Merry was unrepentant. “I daresay I didn’t harm them half so much as they deserved,” he said, almost regretfully.

The assembled hobbits watched them leave the room, speculation on many faces, fear on a few. Estella’s face was thoughtful, and her eyes were troubled.

________________________________________________________

The stars gave Legolas plenty of light as he moved through the fields, his Elven eyes alert for any sign; about twenty feet to his right, Gimli was also searching, and about the same distance to his left was Samwise, accompanied by the little apprentice healer. Just a few moments before, they had been hopeful. He had come across a bit of cloth caught upon a bramble. It was possible that it had torn from her skirt. They were searching even more slowly and carefully now.

“Legolas! Sam! I have found her!”

Legolas darted to Gimli’s side, to see him kneeling by the small battered form.

The Dwarf looked up at his friend. “Oh, the poor wee lass,” he said.

It was hard to recognize her as the lass who had been so impertinent to him a few days before. He put a hand out to her. “She lives. Gimli, mellon nin, once more you have saved a hobbit’s life.”

Sam and Viola were instantly at their side. Viola began to examine her. “One of you needs to fetch Mistress Lavender and the others.” Sam darted off.

“She has had a blow to her head, and her legs are broken. I think she has broken ribs as well. What could have happened to her?”

Legolas pointed to the hoof marks in the ground around her. “I think she had an encounter with the runaway horses. It is a miracle she was not trampled. I think she must have somehow been kicked aside instead.”

Sam came running back. Targon, Paladin, Reggie and Lavender on his heels. “The others are on their way, too,” he puffed.

At the sight of his daughter, Reggie gave a great cry of grief, and would have launched himself upon her if Paladin and Sam had not restrained him. Oh, this was all his fault! If only he had been more of a father to her, none of this need have happened!

“Steady, now, Mr. Reggie,” said Sam. “Let the healer do her work.”

Paladin hugged his sobbing cousin tightly.

The other searchers soon converged on the spot, and watched Lavender and Viola as they looked at their patient.

“I cannot do anything for her in this spot. But we need to move her very carefully indeed, with no jostling. She has three broken ribs, and none of them seem to have pierced a lung, but if we don’t move her with utmost care, that could change. We also need to be careful with her legs. The left leg is a clean break, but I very much fear that the bone in the right leg may be shattered. The blow to her head is not much more serious than that to the Man Danulf, but I do not want to wake her up. She will be in great pain when I do.”

“Would a sling work?” asked Targon, as he removed his surcoat.

Moving very carefully, Lavender directed the Men as they gently lay the lass’s broken body upon the surcoat. Targon and Borondir took it up at either end very slowly, and they began to head back, moving cautiously. Anwynd took a torch and went directly in front, to warn them of any roughness of the ground.

“I think,” said Lavender, as she walked along with one hand on the patient, “that we should go directly to the Smials where I can treat her in her own bed.”

Paladin nodded. He was supporting the still distraught Reggie, who walked along in a daze. “Someone should let them know we are coming, and I suppose they should notify her mother and sisters.”

“I’ll go,” said Saradoc.

________________________________________________

As they escorted the hobbling Clovis and Cado into Paladin’s study, Pippin turned to Merry.

“What did you think you were doing in there?”

Merry’s eyes flashed. “I told these two ten years ago that if they ever put a toe out of line again that I knew about, I would do my very best to see that they did not pass their stupidity on to another generation. I don’t think I succeeded. They will probably recover. Besides, Uncle Paladin gave us authority to deal with them.”

Frodo turned to his cousin. “I think you might have let us know what you suspected. I wish you had not acted on your own. And I certainly do not think that little display was what Paladin had in mind.”

Merry shrugged. “I think they will at least be cooperative.” Frodo and Pippin continued to stare at him. He sighed. “All right, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. But would you have let me do it if I had?”

“No.” said both his cousins at the same time.

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

Pippin rolled his eyes, and Frodo sighed. Then all three cousins turned to the brothers, who shrank at the sudden attention.

Frodo held his hand out, and displayed the shiny buttons that had so obviously come from Clovis’ jacket. “Do you want to tell me about these?” he asked gently. He lifted his blue eyes to stare at them sadly and their hearts sank. Those eyes would see through any lie they cared to tell.

And somehow, they did not think they could avoid telling the truth either.

_________________________________________________

Alone in the apartment, Hyacinth paced in a fury. The stupid little chit, to steal in the first place, and then to run away. She was going to bring nothing but disgrace to the family. Maybe Reggie would not find her. That would probably be the best thing all around. Still, there would be talk. There was always talk.

Why did everything always go wrong? Her life had seemed so promising, when she married Reggie, knowing he was next in line after Paladin. But then Peregrin was born, and everything had gone wrong since.  If only she had known, she'd never have married Reggie in the first place.

 





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