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It Takes a Took  by Dreamflower

CHAPTER 9

“Well, Diamond, what do you think of their story?” Lavender asked her apprentice thoughtfully.

“It sounds incredible, Mistress Lavender, but I do believe them. They were too solemn and serious for it to be anything but the truth.” Actually, Diamond felt that was an understatement; they fairly screamed of melancholy and sorrow, which was understandable, if the world Outside had done such horrid things as they had told of.

“They could be mad.”

Diamond knew that the healer did not mean this. It was a test. “Both of them? The exact same madness? And if they were mad, they would not have resisted telling us. They would have included every detail in an effort to convince us.”

“Very good. No, they are not mad. And yes, they did keep a lot back from us. You are right; I believe them also. Which eases my mind a great deal on several scores.”

Diamond looked at her questioningly.

“First of all, it means that young Peregrin should heal fairly quickly. And second of all it means that my good friend Poppy made a wise decision to go and seek out the King, and to try and learn of some of these healing methods in the South. I had feared she had gone on a wild goose chase, and would return with nothing to show but a wasted year. I am glad to know that she was right. I just hope we will be able to use some of what she learns. Unfortunately we do not have any talking trees in the Shire to make healing draughts for us.”

Diamond smiled. She was fairly sure that her mistress was being humorous.

“Well, lass, we have a lot to do yet today, and other patients to see. We had better get busy.”

______________________________________________

Merry and Pippin were just finishing up a lovely tea, when there was a rap on the door.

Merry looked at Pippin, and raised a brow.

“She said I could have visitors again after tea, right?”

Merry nodded, and called out “Come in.”

It was Paladin.

“Father!” said Pippin with a smile.

“Uncle Paladin!”

Paladin gave Merry a pat on the shoulder, and leaned over to kiss Pippin on top of his curly head. “How are you feeling, son?”

“It still hurts like mad, but it’s only been a couple of days yet. Otherwise I’m fine! It’s good to see you, Father.”

Paladin gave his son and nephew a mischievous look. “I thought you might be a bit bored. Frodo and Samwise are visiting with your mother and sisters until suppertime, so they will be otherwise occupied--” He drew a pair of dice out of his pocket. “--therefore we don’t need to worry quite yet.”

Merry and Pippin grinned at one another delightedly. Paladin liked to indulge in games of chance from time to time, but Eglantine did not approve. She especially did not approve of him encouraging their son and their nephew to wager. Frodo did not approve of gambling, either. But for a while they would be safe from Eglantine’s lectures and Frodo’s disapproving looks.

Merry quickly moved to allow his uncle to have the chair. “How are we going to work this, Pip?” He glanced about the room, and then went over and removed a tray from the tea trolley and placed it across Pippin’s lap. Then he sat at the foot of the bed.

“Now I know a couple of wealthy lads such as yourselves--” Paladin chuckled “--can afford higher stakes. But I think that we will limit this to coppers?”

They nodded. The money was only a way to keep score, after all.

_________________________________________

In addition to Pippin’s mother and his sisters, Pippin’s aunts, Primrose and Peridot were in the family sitting room. Sam had found himself a spot somewhat out of the way, and was observing his friend visiting with his kin. He was still a bit upset from the healer’s questions, but he had put a good face on it, and seemed to be getting over it.

“Samwise,” said a soft feminine voice at his elbow.

He turned to look, and saw Pippin’s eldest aunt. He did not know her well at all, though they had met last spring. “Miss Primrose.” Her gaze was fixed on Frodo, and he was surprised to see she had tears in her eyes.

“Are you all right?” he asked, concerned, and unsure what to make of it.

“He looks so much like his mother.” She sounded wistful.

“You knew Mr. Frodo’s mother?” Sam did not know why he should be surprised, as they would have been of an age.

“Oh yes, Primula Brandybuck was my very dearest friend.” She shook her head. “It’s hard to see her son like this. He has suffered a great deal, hasn’t he?”

Sam nodded. “More than anyone will ever know,” he said softly. But he was heartened to hear Frodo laugh at something his cousin Pimpernel told him. Beside him, Primrose smiled, too.

______________________________________________

Merry was winning. He usually won. The room was wreathed in pipe-smoke, and the little pile of coppers on Merry’s corner of the tray had grown alarmingly. Pippin had been entertaining his father with a tale of an evening they had spent in Minas Tirith, learning a game played with cards, which had numbers and pictures painted on them. “Strider and Faramir and Gimli thought it was immensely funny that we had never seen such things before, but once we learned the game they didn’t find it funny at all. Merry cleaned them all out.” He sniggered. He’d not done so badly himself.

Merry smirked. “The luck of the Brandybucks.”

“Which lasted until you made the mistake of teaching the game to Legolas,” laughed Pippin.

“Oh, well, he’s an Elf,” Merry said dismissively.

Paladin laughed. “It sounds fascinating. It sounds like something I might like to learn how to play.”

“Well, we brought a deck of the cards back with us, but it’s at Crickhollow,” said Merry. “Maybe the next time you are in Buckland we can teach you. I imagine Da would not mind learning the game as well.”

“So the Brandybucks can double their luck?” Paladin laughed.

Just then there was a rap on the door. With the ease of long practice, all signs of the game vanished, coppers into Merry’s pocket, dice into Paladin’s, and Merry quickly put the tray back on the trolley. “Come in,” called Paladin.

It was Diamond. “I’ve brought your evening medicine, Pippin. Good evening Thain Paladin and Merry,” she added politely.

She flapped a hand at the smoke, and putting the tray with the medicine down on the nightstand, she went over and opened the window. “Let’s get a bit of fresh air in here, shall we?”

“You remind me of Legolas,” Pippin giggled.

Merry snorted. Paladin looked puzzled, but said nothing when Merry shook his head.

“Legolas?”

“Our Elf,” answered Pippin, with a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

Merry laughed. “You know, you’re right, Pip!”

Diamond looked taken aback. “Now I know you’re making fun of me!” She suspected some kind of joke, but couldn’t for the life of her see what it might be. “How could I remind you of an Elf?”

Pippin caught Merry’s eye, and they both burst out into a guffaw.

Paladin shook his head. “Lads, lads! It’s hardly polite not to share the joke!”

“Oh,” said Pippin, “it’s just that he was such a fresh air fiend! Why, he’d come into a room that had a bit of nice honest leaf smoke, and the first thing he’d do is open a window.”

“And even outdoors, he always made it a point to sit upwind,” added Merry with a grin.

“He sounds a very sensible person,” said Diamond with a smile, hands on her hips. “I wish that I could meet him.”

Pippin looked at her intently. “I’m very sure that you will some day.”

Unaccountably, she blushed, and looked away. She looked at Paladin. “Thain Paladin, please see that he takes his medicine,” and then she left, but not without a quick backward glance at her patient.

Pippin grinned, and put both hands behind his head.

“I’d say you’re making progress, son,” said his father mildly.

“I’ll say!” added Merry.

They decided not to resume the game. Supper arrived soon, and with it Frodo and Sam. Paladin took his leave.

They enjoyed their meal and a smoke, and then Pippin’s friends helped him get ready for sleep. Pippin downed his medicine; he noticed that there was chamomile in with the willow-bark again.

Merry and Sam took their leave. Merry looked at Frodo as though he were going to give him some last minute instructions, but at the expression on Frodo’s face, he shut his mouth with a snap.

______________________________________________

It must have been sometime after the middle of the night. Pippin woke for some reason he could not understand. He turned his head, to see Frodo laying next to him.

His cousin’s face was peaceful, yet sorrowful. Pippin could see the tracks left by tears. His hand was clasped around the Queen’s jewel, and a very faint glow peeked between his fingers. In the moonlight, Frodo looked like a statue carved out of the marble they used in the White City, except for his inky dark hair. Pippin felt his heart wrung by the sight.

He sighed and closed his eyes, but the image remained, and a cold touch of fear for his cousin.





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