Chapter 24. Picnic by the Spring

They rode to a spot Merry remembered from tweenage visits to the Smials, where an ice cold spring trickled from a hillside, and the woods opened into a grassy clearing.  Merry and Sam spread their cloaks upon the grass and eased Pippin down. Sam handed him the saddlebags. 'Here, earn your keep,' he told the Thain.

Pippin set out luncheon whilst the other two hobbled the ponies and removed the saddles and bridles. Socks immediately began to explore the clearing, snatching mouthfuls of grass as he went. Pippin laughed as the old pony suddenly went to his knees, then down to the grass for a glorious roll. 'Feels good, doesn't it, old lad?' he called. 'I could almost go for a good roll, myself!'

'Here,' Merry said, handing him a buttered bun. 'Your humble servant,' he said with a bow.

Pippin sighed and bit into the roll, cocking a mischievous eye up at his cousin. 'It's taken time,' he said between bites, 'but you're shaping up nicely.'

'Now this looks familiar,' Merry said, picking up a bottle of golden liquid.

Samwise deftly lifted it from his hand. 'Looks as if they packed some of the Hall's finest,' he said. 'Of course, we'll have to taste it carefully, make sure it's fit for the Thain's palate.'

'By rights you should leave it all to the Mayor and me,' said the Thain. 'After all, you can bathe in it when you get home.'

The Master shuddered. 'I'd hate to think of the waste,' he said. 'Very well, we'll share it out as equally as we can. Plenty more where that came from.'

They ate and drank and talked over old times while the ponies grazed. The talk ran low, and petered out, and they simply sat in companionable silence, enjoying the sunshine. Pippin fell asleep, and Merry sat looking down at his cousin. In sleep, the lines of pain and strain smoothed away and they might be at some anonymous campsite in Hollin, accompanying Frodo on the Quest. He half expected Strider and Legolas to come out of the woods, toting a deer between them, and young Pippin to jump up with a joke.

Pippin woke as suddenly as he'd slept, looking up into Merry's eyes. 'Well, cousin,' he laughed. 'What is it? Have I turned green?'

'Red, rather,' Merry said. 'You've had a bit of sun today. It's good for you. Even a hobbit oughtn't spend too much time underground.'

'Feels good,' Pippin said, stretching. 'I haven't had a holiday in ever so long.'

'All work and no play...' said Mayor Samwise.

Pippin fixed him with a bright eye. 'You're one to talk,' he said. 'All you ever do is play. This festival and that celebration...'

'Ah, it's a difficult job, but somebody's got to do it,' the Mayor said placidly.

'So you're going to go for Mayor again, eh?' Pippin said. 'Good. I'd hate to have to train in a new one.'

'Especially when you've got the present Mayor only half trained, as it is,' Merry laughed.

Pippin nodded solemnly. ' 'Tis a long, drawn-out endeavor. But he's coming along nicely, as is the Master.'

'And how about the Thain?' Merry asked casually.

'O, he's about the same,' Pippin said slowly. He picked a thick blade of grass, held it between his thumbs, and blew hard. With a little adjustment, he finally achieved the raucous sound he'd been after. 'They keep telling me how well I'm doing, they keep seeing improvement, they say...' He looked from Merry to Sam. 'I'm holding my own, I think.'

'The leg looks fine,' Samwise said. 'Just looking at you, sitting, one would never know there's a problem.'

'O aye,' the Thain said. 'We work very hard at that, half the morning each day. Keep those muscles built up, keep the leg from withering away. At least we can give the illusion, riding about Tookland on Socks' good legs, that there's naught much wrong with the Thain.'

'Pippin...' Merry began.

'Keep your pity to yourself,' Pippin said sharply. 'I don't need that kind of help.'

Merry shook his head. 'You misunderstand me, cousin. You need pity about as much as Buckland needs water. No, I wanted to apologize for... compromising your position when the New Smials caved in. If I hadn't rushed in, empty-headed...'

'You? Empty-headed?' Pippin interrupted.

'Hold your tongue, this is hard enough as it is!' Merry said. '...to the rescue of my young cousin... well, I muddled things but good, and I'm sorry. I'll try to be more level-headed in future.'

'Fine,' Pippin jerked his head in a nod. 'You do that, cousin.' Then he held out his hand to Merry. 'Shake on't.' Merry gave him his own hand, and Pippin took it and shook gently, then suddenly pulled Merry to him for a fierce hug.

'You silly Brandybuck,' he said. 'We cousins have to stick together. Don't go all stiff and proper on me now.'

Mayor Sam sat smiling at the reconciliation. When he judged the hug was at an end, he spoke up. 'Anybody want to help me put this bottle of Buckland's best out of its misery?'