Chapter Ten - Shadows from the Past

Pippin slowly sat up and made his way out of the bed. It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning. Lilas was already up and dressed--knitting again in the sitting room. “How long have you been up?” he asked, his voice husky with more sleep than he wanted.

Lilas paused in her stitching, “Not long. I think we’re late for breakfast.”

“I think we are, too.” Still in his nightshirt, Pippin sat down in the couch across from Lilas.

“Pippin?”

“Hmm?”

“What were ye dreaming about last night?”

Pippin made an attempt to evade the issue. “Lots of things.”

Lilas put her knitting aside. “Did any o’ them have t’ do with ye being away for so long?”

“Perhaps.”

“Do ye have dreams like that a lot?”

“Sometimes.”

Lilas stood up, tossing her knitting onto her chair, “Fine! Be like that.”

Pippin sat deep thought as his wife made her way to the little room in the back. He could hear her again. Fortunately, he knew his wave of nausea would pass easier than hers would.

He sat on the couch thinking about his sister Pimpernel and her husband, Hilfred. Pippin laughed to himself to think that she and his brother-in-law actually hated each other before they formed a warm friendship. Then out of the blue, Hil began to court his sister. Soon after that, love blossomed and eventually Hilfred asked Paladin for his daughter’s hand in marriage. It all seemed so natural to Pippin; friendship, courting, marriage, children. Not for him though. For him it had been children then marriage. The friendship and courting were markedly absent. Perhaps neither one would ever develop. The resentment may always be near at hand, but Pippin wanted to at least try to be affable towards Lilas. He wasn’t used to all this fighting and indifference. Pippin learned during the War to make the best of life--in spite of what his circumstances were. He arose from where he sat; once again taking the bell out to the hallway he arranged to breakfast in his quarters…with his wife.

* *

With a deep sigh and a quiet little belch, Pippin pushed away from the table a bit. He and Lilas shared a soothing breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hot buttered mushrooms. Pippin observed with wonder that Lilas was still going strong; she had just cleaned the egg platter and spooned the last of the mushrooms onto her plate. He had forgotten just how much a pregnant hobbit could put away.

“Shall I order more?”

Looking around at the empty platters, Lilas actually considered his offer, then relented, “No…I think I’ll save room for luncheon.” She looked up with a grateful smile, “Thank ye.”

Pippin retrieved his pipe from the mantelpiece and lit it. “It was about the Dark Lord,” he said, puffing on his pipe, then sat back down at the eating table.

Lilas had no idea what her husband just revealed to her, but she understood that it must have had something to do with his dream. “A dark lord? Ye saw one in yer dream?”

“I met him,” was Pippin’s simple answer. “Through a seeing-stone.”

“And ye now have night terrors over it? It must’ve been horrible.”

“It nearly killed me--among other things.” Not far from the truth, but he wanted to see what her reaction would be.

Lilas was speechless. “I’m sorry--to bring up dreadful memories like that. Ye don’t have t’ talk about it anymore if ye don’t want t’.”

Pippin blew out a couple smoke rings; Lilas watched them float up towards the ceiling then dissipate. “Lilas, if we’re going to be together--or perhaps even be friends, then we need to get to know one another. Right now, we’re complete strangers.” Then she listened as he continued on with his account, “When I saw the Dark Lord, it felt as if pure evil was penetrating my very soul. The words last night that you said I spoke to you--were spoken to me by Sauron.” Pippin shuddered at the not too distant memory. “It was Gandalf who called me back.”

Lilas realized there was more to his night terrors than what he was revealing here. “Pippin,” she began, “I’m a simple lass from Hobbiton. I don’t know what ye or Mr. Merry did yonder, but I do see that it was somethin’ bigger than me--bigger than Hobbiton, even. I’d like t’ hear it all.” She took notice of an unnerved expression on his face and said, “When ye can.”

There was a long silence as Pippin decided if he would be able to speak further of the other atrocities he experienced on his Journey. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Who is it?” he called.

“Your ever-loving sisters--its past Elevenses--now open up!”

Pippin recognized the voice of Pimpernel. He winked at Lilas to show he was about to have a jest. “Ever-loving sisters? Since when are my sisters ‘ever-loving’?” Pippin stood up and went to open the door.

“We have always been nothing but loving towards you, Pippin--you know that,” Pimpernel smirked as she walked past her brother. “Gracious me, he’s still in his nightshirt, Pearl! Are you ready, Lilas?”

“Loving to be bossy,” murmured Pippin. “Where are you lasses going?” he said aloud.

“We’re stealing Lilas away for the day,” answered Pervinca. “A lass’s outing--no lads allowed.”

Pippin grinned mischievously, “Then why do Hilly and Brody get to go along?”

Pervinca chuckled at her brother, “Well, Pippin, if you think you can nurse them better than us, then here!” She handed her baby son over to him.

Lilas rose up from her seat, grabbing her knitting bag. “They’re taking me t’ see the midwife. Will ye be all right while I’m away?”

“Of course I’ll be fine, Lilas,” he said, cuddling his sister’s baby. “We lads will have a fine day, too. I’m going to teach them how to blow smoke rings, drink a pint, and filch apples from the larder without mother knowing about it. You know--lads stuff.”

“No you won’t--give me back my son,” Pervinca teased, gently taking Brody back in her arms.

The girls started to leave when Pimpernel lingered behind a moment. “Gelbrin and Tilby are with their nurse in the north garden--it would be nice if their uncle spent some time playing with them this morning.”

“As I said,” Pippin smiled for effect, “smoke rings, pints, and apples.”

Pimpernel laughed, “Just keep them away from too many apples!”

* * *

“No, Gelly, we’re not playing Shirrifs and Ruffians today.” Pippin carried three-year-old Tilby in one arm while holding the hand of the six-year-old walking beside him down the hallway in the Smials.

“Why not?”

“First, because you always get to be the shirrif,” answered Pippin, “Second, because last time we played that game, you tied me to a tree and then left me.”

“It was an ac--ac--”

“Accident,” Pippin helped the boy.

“Yes--an accident, Uncle Pippin,” the boy explained, “Momma called me and Tilby in for lunch.”

“Well, either way, no more trussing. Uncle Pippin doesn’t like it, all right?”

“All right,” Gelly gave in. “Then what are we going to play?”

Pippin thought to teach the boys a game he learned in Gondor while in the company of Bergil. “Do you have a penny with you, Gel?”

His nephew shook his head, “Momma makes me put them away.”

“Very well, then, we’ll share,” Pippin dug into his pocket, pulling out several coins. “Here, take two,” he said, holding his palm in front of Gelbrin, and then told Tilby to do the same. He next set his younger nephew on the ground, then dug into his pockets for two more pennies for himself. “Let’s go to my quarters; we need more room and a sort of wall to play this game.” Off they headed to Pippin’s room.

* * *

The hallways resonated with the chatter of five women strolling at an easy pace from one end to the other of the Smials. Lilas was overjoyed that she was getting to know each of the Took sisters and her mother-in-law.

Pearl was inspecting Lilas’ efforts in knitting. “Before you know it, you’ll be finished with the baby’s blanket. What will you start next?”

“Haven’t thought about that yet,” she answered. “Does a baby need more than one blanket?”

“Yes, he will--that is, if the baby is a he,” said Pearl. “But leave us a few things to make for your baby.”

“I believe Lilas is ready to learn how to stitch a baby’s sweater,” piped in Eglantine. She knew that Lilas was trying very hard to please her, so she also felt a bit of encouragement would go a long way with the lass.

“Do ye think so?” Lilas’ eyes became wide with enthusiasm.

As the quintet entered Pippin’s and Lilas’ quarters, Pimpernel was shocked at the sight before her. “Gelbrin and Tilbrith Brownfield!”

Gelly froze mid-toss when he heard his mother’s voice. Tilby didn’t see the harsh look on Pimpernel’s face. “Wait, Momma--Tilby try again!” Then the three-year-old let the copper coin fly from his hand.

His cousins, standing in a half-circle around the young brothers and eagerly watching the coin replied in unison, “Aw!” Tilby’s penny landed the farthest from the wall.

“What are they playin’?” Lilas thought the game looked familiar, but couldn’t see around Pervinca.

“You lads both know that I don’t approve of you tossing pennies, don’t you?” Pimpernel admonished her sons. “Let us go and find Miss Morella.” She looked apologetically at her sisters and mother, “I’m sorry, but I don’t care for my boys playing the same games that the ruffians did; standing around all day and doing nothing except making life miserable for hobbits and tossing pennies.”

Pippin didn’t understand his sister’s reprimand until she mentioned ruffians. As she left with her children he called out to her, “I’m sorry, Pim. I didn’t know.”

“Delia…April,” Pearl called to her children. “Will…Juniper. You children go to the playroom--read a book or find something quiet to do.”

“Yes, Mum.”

Young Juniper, the same age as her cousin Tilby, looked up at her mother and smiled, “I got pennies, Mummy. I winned it from Uncle Pippin.”

Pearl smiled at the one penny in her daughter’s palm. “You have one penny, my dear, and you won it from your uncle.”

Juniper put her hands on her hips, “That’s what I said!”

“I’d better go, too,” Pearl followed her youngest out of the room.

Pervinca explained to her brother, “Pim doesn’t want her boys to take on any of the ruffians’ habits. She has her reasons, and I agree with her.”

“But I didn’t learn the game from any ruffians,” Pippin replied, defending himself. “I learned it from a friend when I lived in Minas Tirith. I understand, though.”

“Pippin,” Eglantine joined in, “how many pennies do you have left?” With a wry smile, Pippin pulled out the insides of his empty pockets.

Once Eglantine and Pervinca had left Lilas in capable hands, Lilas began unpacking her bag onto their eating table. “What’s all of that?” Pippin gawked at the array of vials.

“Chamomile and Ginger to add t’ my tea, and something called Passionflower--”

“I think I know that one’s purpose!”

Lilas laughed, “No--it’s for when I can’t sleep. The midwife gave them t’ me.”

“I didn’t know you were having trouble sleeping.”

“I haven’t so far,” she said. “I told her I was askin’ for me, but it was ye I had in mind. It’s for when ye have more night terrors.”

Pippin was touched by his wife’s thoughtfulness. “I don’t think I’ll ever need any, but thank you.”