Chapter 84. As Useless as Gold

'Legolas,' Gimli said urgently, bending close. 'Take one of their horses, ride for the King.' When the elf didn't respond, he said under his breath, 'Mithril coat or no, we do not know what damage that blade might have done.' The elf's eyes met his, and he added, 'You'd be quicker'n any of us on a pony.'

'Pippin?' Ferdi said unbelievingly, tears still on his face.

'All's well, cousin,' the Thain whispered, but his head fell back on the elf's arm. 'Cold,' he said, closing his eyes.

The dwarf held out his arms and the elf transferred his burden to them, then Legolas removed his own cloak to wrap it around Pippin. 'We'll go back to that last inn,' Gimli said. Legolas nodded, rose, and with a swift motion he caught one of the false guardsmen's skittering horses and was off at a gallop.

'Turn the waggons around!' the dwarf shouted. 'We'll go back to the inn!' The hobbits sprang to comply. Ferdi sent Tolly off on the Thain's pony at a gallop, back to the inn to prepare for their arrival, and from there to the Smials, to inform the steward of the attack. Using the post ponies kept at each inn along the way, the message would pass quickly.

'Load the bodies onto the second waggon,' Gimli ordered. 'The King will want to see them.' Still bearing the Thain, he climbed up on the seat of the first waggon, Ferdi beside him to take the reins. The hobbit slapped the reins and shouted to the ponies, tickling them with the whip as they slowly gathered speed, until he estimated they were proceeding at their best pace. Half the archers trotted along beside and after the waggon, bows in hand, ready to shoot at the slightest provocation.

Behind them, the second waggon was loaded with its grim additional cargo, false guardsmen's horses tied on behind. Another Took jumped to the seat of this waggon, and soon it followed the first, surrounded by its own group of grim-faced archers.

***

Legolas covered the distance to the Ferry in a fraction of an hour, pushing the guardsman's horse to its utmost limits. He pounded past the line of waiting waggons, pulling up at the Ferry landing, horse shuddering and blowing hard. The landing had been extended further into the River, allowing one of the large ships to tie up and unload from the end of the dock, while the Ferry could pull in to one side. Great ships notwithstanding, it was still twenty miles further to reach Buckland by way of Brandywine Bridge, and Ferry traffic must needs continue.

To his dismay, the elf saw that the Ferry was partway across the River, on its way to Buckland.

'Call it back!' he ordered the hobbits on the near side.

'It's near halfway across!' one Ferry worker protested. ' 'Twon't take that long to finish the job and come back. There's folk over there been waiting longer'n you have.'

'Call the Ferry back!' was all the elf said, and the hobbits quailed before his face and voice, the worker who had at first protested fumbling for the horn at his belt and raising it to blow a great blast. The Ferry paused midstream, and all the hobbits on the western side waved frantically. The Ferry began to retrace its way.

'I must walk my horse,' Legolas said, 'but I will be ready to depart as soon as the Ferry reaches the landing.' He spoke softly to the staggering beast and led it in slow circles, one eye on the Ferry's approach.

Scarcely had the Ferry docked and the hobbits laid down the planks to join it to the landing, that Legolas led the horse onto the Ferry, saying, 'Cast off! Make all speed for Buckland!' He stroked the horse's lathered neck, murmuring soft words in a language the Ferry-hobbits did not know, then said to one of the hobbits, 'He has run hard, and will need to be walked when we reach the opposite shore. Will you take him?' The hobbit, finding it difficult to look into the stern face of the elf, nodded and reached out for the reins. He would rather brave this enormous horse, which seemed tame enough at the moment, aye, barely on its feet, than dare to refuse the request.

'Hold the Ferry when we reach Buckland,' the elf ordered. The hobbits nodded assiduously.

Before the Ferry had tied up, Legolas sprang onto the landing and was racing for the King's pavilion, shouting.

'Who was that?' the hobbit holding the horse's reins said.

'I don't know, one of the Fair Folk, but not the one that came with the ships,' another answered. 'That one was merry and laughing, and this... this one is tall and terrible.' He shuddered. 'You had better start walking that horse before he comes back.' The other nodded and moved quickly to comply.

Inside the pavilion, consulting with Fargold, Elessar heard a voice calling. 'Aragorn!'

'Legolas?' he said, rising.

Captain Fargold answered, 'Sounds like... but...'

They heard the elf demanding of the guardsmen at the entrance, 'Is the King within?' and barely had he received an answer than Legolas was thrusting his way in.

'Aragorn!' he gasped. 'The hobbits...'

'What is it, Legolas?' the King snapped.

'Treachery--the hobbits were attacked on their way to Buckland. Pippin--'

Elessar turned to Bergil. 'I want a dozen guardsmen mounted on the fastest horses,' he said. 'First saddle my own horse, and one for Legolas.'

'Yes, Sir,' Bergil said, and was gone.

The King turned back to the wood elf. 'We'll meet them at the Ferry landing,' he said.

'Do you have athelas?' Legolas said urgently.

Elessar smiled grimly. 'Always,' he said. 'I sent for a fresh supply after healing Meriadoc.' A guardsman held his cloak out to him and he quickly muffled himself against the bitter chill outside, nodding to the elf to take the cloak that another guardsman was holding out.

As they reached the landing, they saw Bergil approaching, mounted, leading two horses behind him, more guardsmen following, and all quickly gathered at the Ferry.

'The Ferry can take only four at a time,' the King said to his guardsmen. 'Follow us, we'll be riding down the Stock road, to...'

'To the first inn, the Blue Goose,' Legolas said. 'That's where they were taking him.'

The King turned to one of the hobbits waiting for the Ferry. 'Go to the Hall, tell the Master that the Thain's been injured; he'll find us at the Blue Goose in Eastfarthing.'

'Yes, Sir,' the hobbit made a quick bow and raced for the Hall. The King, Legolas, Bergil and another guardsman led their horses onto the Ferry; the King nodded to the Ferry-hobbits to cast off.

'Make the best speed you can,' Elessar said, and the Ferry-hobbits threw themselves into their work.

Reaching the other side, they leapt into their saddles and raced past the staring line of hobbits, down the Stock road towards Tuckborough.

***

'There's the inn!' one of the archers shouted, pointing ahead.

'Good,' Gimli said. 'The King ought to be here soon; they'll have travelled much faster than we could.'

As the waggons pulled up before the Blue Goose, Pippin opened his eyes, saying, 'Ferdi!'

'I'm here, cousin,' Ferdibrand said, bending closer.

Pippin gestured slightly to the archers, who'd moved to form a protective screen around the waggon as soon as they'd stopped. 'Don't let them shoot the King or his guardsmen -- the real guardsmen,' he whispered.

' 'Twill be difficult,' Ferdi said, 'but I'll try to restrain them.' To Gimli he said, 'Come now, let's get him in where it's warm.'

The innkeeper met them, face grey with shock and worry, wringing his hands. 'Is the Thain...?'

'No, not quite,' Pippin opened his eyes to say, and the innkeeper stepped back again, all bustle now.

'Bring him this way, Sirs,' he said, leading them past his staring family and hired hobbits, straight to the best room where a fire blazed brightly on the hearth and one of the beds was already warming with flannel-wrapped heated bricks.

Gimli laid his burden down upon the waiting bed, unwrapping the elf's cloak from around Pippin. As he reached to remove Pippin's own cloak, the hobbit feebly stayed his hand.

'We have to see what that sword did,' Gimli said, hands gentle for all the gruffness in his voice.

'No,' Pippin shook his head. 'You said... the King is coming?'

'Aye, lad,' Gimli nodded, trying again to pull away the cloak, but Pippin did not loose his hand.

'I know what it feels like,' the Thain whispered. 'Feels as if I've been split in two.' He gasped for breath. 'Let's maintain the illusion that I'm in one piece, just a bit longer, shall we?'

He closed his eyes and added, 'We'll wait for Strider. Perhaps his athelas will help.' After a few more gasping breaths, he said, 'Ferdi?'

'I'm here,' Ferdi repeated, bending closer. 'Let us examine you, cousin, we can try to ease you.'

Pippin did not seem to hear him, but said again, 'Ferdi?' Then, incredibly, he chuckled. 'Seems a terrible irony, to have been sick near to death all these years, miraculously healed, and now struck down by a ruffian's sword, in my own land, over something as useless as gold.'

'Pippin,' Ferdi pleaded, 'Save your breath.'

The Thain's eyes opened. 'What breath?' he asked. 'Think of the time I could have saved everyone, had I died in my own bed, rather than here... Where is here? Where's Diamond?' He looked about him, trying to sit up, but hands forced him back and he soon gave up the attempt.

'You're not dying!' Ferdi snapped. 'Lie down!'

'Could have fooled me,' Pippin whispered, and his eyes closed again as he struggled for air.