Chapter 14. Tremors

Meliloc Brandybuck had come out to the stables in search of the pony post rider on duty. As he passed Socks' stall, his attention was caught by the fact that the pony did not charge the half-door as usual, nodding greetings and whickering demands for a treat. Worried that the Thain's favourite might be sickening of something, he stepped up to the door to investigate. The pony's calm, wise-eyed gaze met his, and he saw that Socks was carefully standing over a small huddled form in the middle of his stall. A muffled sniffle was heard from the miserable ball of young hobbit.

'Farry? Faramir?' he said, opening the half door and stepping in. He patted Socks' neck and bent down. 'Faramir, are you hurt?'

'No,' came the muffled reply.

Meliloc put out a gentle hand to unbury the face from the arms. 'Come, Faramir,' he said. 'Poor Socks is afraid to stir foot for fear of stepping upon you, and he cannot eat his breakfast.' He noted the bloody and bruised knuckles and the beautiful shiner blooming over the right eye. Wincing in sympathy, he helped the lad up, saying, 'Come with me.'

Meliloc led him to the trough of freshly drawn water, half filling a handy bucket and taking up a cloth from the pile of clean grooming cloths. He wet the cloth, folded it, placed it against the swelling eye. 'Here, soak your hands in the bucket,' he said. 'Now, tell me what happened.'

The lad shook his head.

'Come, lad,' Meliloc urged. 'I'm a Brandybuck, the secret's safe with me. D'you think I'd tell anything to a Took?'

Faramir smiled in spite of himself.

'There's a lad,' Meliloc said. 'Tell me what the problem is.'

'Romy... one of the town lads...' Meliloc nodded encouraging. 'He said that my Da's a hopeless cripple. He said that a cripple can't be Thain.'

Meliloc managed to keep his voice calm and even. 'I hope you made him eat his words.'

Faramir raised his chin defiantly. 'I did,' he said. He smiled grimly. 'I bloodied his nose for him. Think I broke it.'

'Good lad,' Meliloc said. 'Listen to me, now,' he said urgently. Faramir fixed his good eye on Meliloc's face. 'Your Da's legs aren't what makes him Thain,' he said. 'You know that. And your Granda' governed from his bed that whole last year, before your Da became Thain.' The lad nodded.

Meliloc rose, leaving a hand on the lad's shoulders. 'You go to the kitchen, get a bit of beefsteak for your eye,' he said. Faramir nodded. 'And stay out of your parents' way until I've talked with them... say, after teatime.' Faramir nodded again, and Meliloc walked back to the Smials in deep thought.

***

Pippin's eye was caught by the sight of a pony cantering out of the yard. 'Pony post going out?' he asked.

Reginard looked up, 'O aye,' he answered. 'Meliloc's sending news of Pervinca's babe off to the Hall. The newest Brandybuck was born this morning.' He smiled. 'Seems you're an uncle.'

'What is it?' the Thain asked.

'A lass, fine strong child, good lungs, I hear.'

Pippin smiled. 'I hope she runs Pervinca as ragged as my sister did our parents,' he said. He frowned again. 'Did you read Meliloc's message?'

The steward shook his head. 'No, he'd sealed it. It's just personal business, after all.' He could see the Thain was unsatisfied, but the message was gone now and the damage, if any, was done. Meliloc had been in Tookland nearly a year, surely he understood the value of discretion by now.

***

The lone Brandybuck himself came, bearing a tray of elevenses to the Thain's study, receiving congratulations with a beaming smile.

'Prettiest lass I've ever seen,' he said, 'takes after her mother rather than me, I'm happy to say.'

'What's her name to be, then?' Ferdibrand asked, taking a sandwich from the tray.

'I understood that there was no rush here in the Smials to pick out a name. We're weighing the matter carefully,' Meliloc answered with a grin.

'Can't agree on a name, more likely,' Reginard snorted.

Meliloc turned an innocent gaze on him. 'My wife and I are in perfect harmony,' he said.

'O aye, so long as you dance to her tune,' Regi said. 'She's been spoiled all her life. Someone ought to have given her a gift of salt on her naming day.'

'That's my lady wife you're talking about,' Meliloc said quietly, and at a look from the Thain, Reginard dropped the subject.

'What brings you from your wife's side on this happy day?' Pippin asked, taking a stuffed egg and devouring it neatly in two bites.

'Just thought I ought to give you a warning,' the Brandybuck said. 'I ran across Faramir earlier on. He'd been fighting.'

'Ah,' the Thain nodded. 'Did he win?'

Meliloc smiled. 'Sounds as if he gave as good as he got. Just thought you'd like to know ahead of time, he's got the most beautiful shiner you've ever seen.'

The Thain nodded, sipping at his tea, then wiping his hands to pick up a paper from his desk. 'Right. I'll warn Diamond so it's not a shock to her, remind her not to fuss over the lad.' He looked down at the paper, then up at Meliloc. 'Any idea what the fight was about?'

'O, a typical disagreement amongst the lads, I don't suppose,' Meliloc said casually. To his relief, the Thain did not pursue the matter. 'Well, then, I must return to my lovely wife.'

As he was exiting the study, he heard the Thain mutter, 'Better you than me...'

***

Estella entered the Master's study to find Merry frowning over a paper at his desk.

'I heard the pony post came,' she said.

'Yes, Meliloc's first was born, a fine strong lass.'

'So why the frown?' Estella asked, coming behind her husband to rub his shoulders and read the note he held. 'Why does he have to write so small?'

'Lots of news to tell, I don't wonder,' Merry said. 'Looks as if he's bottled himself up for weeks, and only managed to burst out now.' He sighed. 'You know how the Tooks are. He probably didn't dare send anything out until he had a legitimate reason to write.'

'I've never heard you speak ill of Pippin!' Estella said, shocked.

'He's a Took, surrounded by Tooks, for all he was raised by Brandybucks,' Merry said. He handed the note to Estella and rubbed his eyes.

Estella quickly scanned the contents, with a sharp exclamation. 'Lost the use of his legs!' she said, 'and he never sent word.'

'Just like him,' Merry said. 'He might send word if he were dying, but then again, we might only find out when the invitation to the memorial arrived.'

'Are you going to Tookland?' Estella asked.

Merry shook his head. 'No,' he said. 'I wouldn't be welcome. Pippin has to fight his own battles, I can't be running over to Tuckborough every time trouble rears its head. He knows it as well as I do. He's Thain, and I'm merely Master of Buckland.'

'You won't go?' Estella said, more softly, hands resting still on his shoulders.

Merry reached for her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. 'I'll drop everything to go the minute he sends for me, you know that,' he said. Her only answer was a sigh.