Chapter 83. All that Glitters

On the third day of the New Year, Ferdi stuck his head in at the door of the Thain's study. 'You expecting a dwarf?' he asked. 'We've found one on the doorstep.'

Gimli stepped from behind him, and Pippin greeted him with enthusiasm. 'Gimli!' he said. 'We expected you a day earlier!'

'Just which inn was it, that was supposed to have the best beer on the Stock road?' Gimli grumbled. 'Tried them all, but I cannot say any one was better than the rest.'

'You stopped at every inn?' Pippin asked.

Legolas laughed. 'I do believe we will have to welcome him to the family, cousin,' he said. Gimli looked at the elf blankly, and Legolas hastened to explain. 'That seems to be the term of address around here. Everyone calls everyone else "cousin".'

'Well, that's assuming you're a member of the family, cousin,' Pippin corrected.

'You've been adopted by hobbits?' Gimli rumbled.

'O no,' Pippin answered as the elf laughed. 'He adopted us.'

'Ah,' said the dwarf. 'It was only a matter of time.' He took the glass of ale that the steward poured, sipped appreciatively, and sat down, resting his axe beside him. 'That's better. I just might adopt you myself.' He eyed Regi. 'Cousin.'

The elf and the dwarf became a common sight about the Great Smials and Tuckborough, either singly or together, finding themselves showered with invitations to dinner and tea, hearing many stories about their young friend Pippin and his growing-up years that they'd not heard, even on the long trek from Rivendell to Parth Galen, when stories were a good way to pass the time while the route ahead was being scouted, or weather held them up, or danger forced them into hiding.

Legolas added many songs to his collection, hobbit songs of hearth and table, garden and path, glade and stream and meadow, and sang his own songs to appreciative listeners.

Two weeks after Gimli's appearance, a pony post rider from Buckland rode into the courtyard of the Great Smials, bearing a message from Master to Thain.

Pippin read through the message, then put it down on the desk. 'The unloading is nearly finished,' he said quietly. 'The fleet will sail in a week, Merry thinks.' He turned to his steward. 'Is the gold weighed, and ready?'

Regi nodded. 'We were able to fill two waggons,' he said. ' 'Twill take a six-pony team to pull each, they're that heavy.'

'Two waggons,' Pippin said slowly. 'Perhaps, with Buckland's gold, 'twill be enough.'

'I guess it will have to be,' Regi said, ever practical.

Pippin turned to Ferdibrand. 'What's your plan for getting it to Buckland?'

Ferdi steepled his fingers. 'I've been thinking on it. What guarantee do we have that there are no ruffians in the Shire? A lot of Men have passed in, Rohirrim driving wains, guardsmen, why not others...? And Men are worse than dwarves when sick with the desire for gold.'

Gimli nodded to him. 'I thank you for that, I think.'

'It is possible, that if ruffians have heard that the Thain plans to pay for the food with gold, they might set an ambush on the Stock road, once you get to the woods,' Ferdi continued.

'All too likely,' the Thain agreed.

'So we will have an ambush of our own,' Ferdi said.

'What do you mean?' Regi asked.

'We'll have two waggons on the road, a small escort, but the bulk will be walking in the woods to either side, archers, ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble,' Ferdi said.

'As long as you lead them, Ferdi,' Pippin said. 'At least you didn't shoot the King's guardsmen when you encountered them, but kept a cool head.'

'On second thought...' Ferdi said.

'What?'

'Two waggons, with an escort, might draw attention. I think we shall have the entire escort in the woods, cover over the gold with tarpaulin, and a layer of firewood,' Ferdi said. He was hoping that a couple of waggons of firewood would pass without comment at this time of year, and after some debate, the Thain upheld his suggestion.

It was decided that Ferdi would drive the first waggon, Gimli would drive the second. Pippin would ride alongside, to answer any queries from passers-by. Tooks seeing the Thain would not think twice about the waggons of firewood, simply concluding that he was delivering wood to some needy Tookland gaffers or widows. The dwarf's presence would not be all that remarkable, as dwarves were occasionally to be seen on the road between Stock and Tuckborough.

Legolas, however, would draw attention and remarks, so he would be with the archers in the woods, who would be walking beside the road, spread out so that they would be slightly ahead, and slightly behind the waggons.

They would travel slowly, stopping at the Crowing Cockerel overnight, for gold made a heavy burden, even for six-pony teams. The Cockerel was the only inn big enough to accommodate the size of the escort Ferdi proposed, as well.

Pippin blessed the icy January weather which kept most hobbits inside, though it made for a miserable journey. The archers marched along the road as long as they remained in open country; there was not much point in walking to the side with no concealment at hand. Once they reached the edge of the woods, near the end of the first day's journey, they melted into the underbrush, surprisingly hard to see in their dark, earth-toned cloaks, even with the trees bare of leaves in the wintry woods.

They met very few along the road, and these were in such a hurry to get out of the chill that they did not stop to exchange pleasantries. Muffled up in his heavy wool cloak, Pippin doubted that they even recognised their Thain as they passed him, and with Gimli cloaked as well, they might not notice the dwarf's beard, merely thinking him a booted Bucklander driving homewards.

The first day went uneventfully, and they were all glad to warm themselves at the Crowing Cockerel, with food and drink and roaring fires. Ferdi detailed hobbits to take turns watching over the waggons through the night, but none came near, and in the morning, the Thain breathed a sigh of relief. Half the journey was done, and if this day went as quietly as the last, well, he could turn his face homewards with two waggons full of the last of the food to be unloaded, instead of worrisome gold.

'Or two waggons full of archers,' Ferdi said. 'You wouldn't make them walk all the way back, would you?'

Pippin laughed, pushing his breakfast plate away. 'You're right, Ferdi, I ought to have thought of that myself. People come before food. All these regular meals are turning my head.'

'You'll just have to keep at it, then, until you get used to it,' Ferdi said, while Legolas hid a smile.

Pippin had decreed that they would drive the gold to the western Ferry landing, to be loaded on a ship from there. No need to go all the way round by way of Brandywine Bridge, to Buckland, after all. The gold might be too heavy for the Ferry, but one of the great ships wouldn't have the same trouble, and loading it onto a ship would go much the same as offloading had gone, he didn't wonder.

The second day of travel went much as the first had done. Legolas, Gimli, and Ferdibrand conspired to stop at each inn along the way, so that they had  brief, warming rests along with second breakfast, elevenses, and a late nooning. They had left the last inn behind and been driving slowly for nearly an hour, only about two more hours of slow driving to the River, when four tall figures on proud horses appeared ahead of them, approaching at an easy trot. Legolas, watching from behind a screen of brambles, stiffened, then relaxed as he recognised the guardsmen's uniforms.

The leading black-and-silver figure reined his horse to a stop as they drew up to the lead waggon, and dismounted. The Thain pulled up his pony next to the waggon, and the guardsman bowed gracefully.

'The King sent us to escort you the rest of the way,' he said.

'Did Strider have any message for us?' the Thain asked, and at the other's hesitation he looked more keenly at the other.

'I don't know you,' he began. 'You're not--' but before he could finish the thought, the guardsman swept his sword from the scabbard and thrust with deadly accuracy at the hobbit's heart, knocking him from the saddle. The other three Men spurred forward, swords out; one fell at a stroke from Gimli's axe, and the other three, including the leader, were quickly cut down, pierced with arrows that flew from behind trees at each side of the road.

With a cry of grief, Ferdi threw himself from the waggon seat, but Legolas was quicker, seeming to come out of nowhere, to kneel by the Thain, lifting him gently. Hobbits emerged from the woods to crowd around with stricken faces.

'Stand back!' the elf ordered tersely. 'Give him air!' It seemed incredible that Pippin was still breathing after that stroke, but Legolas could see the chest rise and fall, ragged edges of the cloak fluttering.

Pippin opened his eyes and gasped, 'Legolas...'

'Don't try to talk,' the elf said softly, fingers pulling back the slashed fabric to expose what must be a gaping wound.

Only... there was no gaping wound, no rush of bright life's blood, rather a gleam of a different sort, as if light itself had been captured and lay beneath the torn wool.

Legolas felt his own breath catch in his throat. 'Mithril...' he breathed. 'Frodo's mithril coat.'

'Aye,' Pippin whispered, fingers going to his breast, sore and battered from the force with which the sword had struck him down. 'Mayor Sam pressed it upon me before we left Bag End. He thought it might be a good thing to wear with Men loose in the Shire.'