Chapter 93. Another Naming Day

Two days later, Merry met Samwise on his way to the great room for second breakfast. The Master wore a broad smile, and slapped the other on his back. 'What a beautiful spring day!' he grinned.

'It's misting,' the Mayor answered.

'Isn't it wonderful?' Merry said.

The Mayor nodded with a grin of his own. 'Just perfect for growing things,' he said. 'Gentle enough to moisten the earth, not hard enough to wash away the topsoil.'

Merry put a hand on Sam's arm. 'Thank you,' he said simply.

'Whatever for?' the other said in surprise.

'For being there... it must have been hard for you to have to deal with Shadow again.'

Samwise shook his head. 'You don't know, Merry... I deal with Shadow every day, myself, just not the same way that you do.' He sighed. 'The memories will never go away. I just have to pluck them out like the weeds they are, not let them choke out all the beauty of the garden.' He brightened. 'And you know it is the Mayor's duty to open celebrations in the Shire.'

'And you do it so well,' Merry laughed. 'Now that you have the knack of it, I hope you'll go on being Mayor for a good long time.'

Samwise chuckled, and the two reached the great room, where many of the Brandybucks were already sitting, eating, and chatting. Not a lot of the Big Folk were there; they had not adapted the custom of six meals a day, though there was some sort of duty roster amongst them to ensure that the Thain did not miss a single meal. At the moment, Bergil was sharing second breakfast with Pippin and Legolas.

'Don't get up,' Merry told Bergil. 'Hard enough to get up and down from the floor as it is.'

Bergil grinned and bowed from his seated position. 'We saved you some breakfast,' he said.

'And plenty more in the kitchen, Sir,' Nasturtium Brandybuck said, bustling up to them with a platter. 'Eat hearty, we've a busy day ahead of us!'

'Yes, Auntie,' Merry said meekly, and the others laughed.

'You have him well trained,' Bergil said.

'Perhaps,' Nasturtium said thoughtfully. 'But I must tell you, it took a long time and a lot of work... ' She smiled. 'Nothing like my Merimas, I tell you, now there's a lad...' she bustled off, still singing the praises of her favourite nephew.

'Miri's naming day,' Pippin said. 'I'm glad Diamond and the children were able to come for the occasion.'

'Where is Diamond?' Merry asked.

'I sent her back to bed. The babe was up much of the night,' Pippin explained. 'We've various Brandybucks taking turns walking the halls with little Joy this morning so that her mum might catch up on her sleep a bit.' His eyes twinkled. 'Besides, she did not need to sit with me to make sure I eat second breakfast; I believe it's Bergil's turn to do that.' He laughed at the others' expressions, and winked at Legolas.

Bergil said, 'So what are you giving little Miri for her naming day, Pippin?' He ducked as all the hobbits shushed him vigorously.

'You mustn't tell ahead of time,' Mayor Samwise said. 'It spoils the gift.'

'Ah,' Bergil said. 'So what if two people give the same thing?'

'It makes a double dose,' Merry said easily. 'And since all the gifts are good wishes, you can never have too many.'

'She'll be the first hobbit to have Big Folk attend her naming day,' Pippin mused.

'And probably the last, as well,' Bergil said. When the others looked at him curiously, he said, 'The King will put his edict back into effect for Buckland on the last day of March, you know.' He sighed, and Sam patted his shoulder.

'We can still meet at the Bridge, you know, lad,' he said.

'Of course,' Bergil said, forcing himself to speak cheerfully. He did not want his own troubles to mar this special day for his friends.

***

The great room was full to bursting as Big Folk and hobbits and an elf and a dwarf gathered for the celebration of little Miri Brandybuck's birth.

Merry entered, carrying little Miri, Estella by his side with little Sarry's hand in hers. They moved to stand by the great hearth, and as all eyes turned to him, the Master of Buckland raised his voice to speak the traditional words.

'It has been a month and a day since this new hobbit graced the Shire with her presence,' he said, 'and we gather now to welcome her to the family and to write her name in the Book.' He shared a smile with Estella, then gave a nod to Legolas.

There was a soft murmur of "welcome", and then Berilac came forward slowly, step by painful step, supported on either side by his faithful assistants. When he reached the hearth, he laid down a prism, of the sort hobbits like to hang in the window to catch the light and make rainbows on the floor to amuse the little ones. 'Welcome to the family,' he said. 'I give the gift of light, that her world may be ever bright.'

Merimas and Pansy came forward with a loaf of bread. 'Welcome to the family,' he repeated the greeting, and his wife added, 'We bring bread, that she may never know hunger.'

The Thain stepped up, a coil of rope over one shoulder. He laid it down upon the hearth and, straightening again, grinned at the Master and Mistress and their new daughter. 'I bring a gift of rope, extra long, twisted by Mayor Samwise himself, that she may never come to the end of it.' He looked at Sam. 'I have never forgot the sage advice the good Mayor once gave me...' Half the hobbits in the room joined in as he continued, ' "I always like to keep a bit of rope handy." ' He looked about him in mock astonishment. 'O, you've heard him say it, as well, I gather.'

'No,' Merry said, 'but they've heard you quote him often enough.' There was a ripple of laughter; Pippin bowed deeply to the Master and Mistress, then to the Mayor, and went back to stand with his own family.

One by one the relations and friends stepped up with their greeting and their gifts, wine for joy, flowers for beauty, honey that life might be ever sweet, oil that Miri might live off the fat of the land, and more. Many of the gifts were clever, and laughter was sprinkled amongst the more serious presents.

Meliloc Brandybuck, visiting from Tuckborough with his wife Pervinca, stepped forward with a small bowl filled with white crystals. 'Salt,' he said, after his greeting, a twinkle in his eye. 'That she would never be spoiled.'

Pippin snorted softly. Meliloc gave the same gift at every naming day. Ah, well, what he lacked in imagination, he made up for it in patience and good humour with his mercurial wife.

A hush fell amongst the hobbits as the first of the Big Folk stepped forward. King Eomer went to one knee before the Master and his family, looking the proud parents in the eye, gazing again in wonder at the tiny mite of life held in Merry's arms. From his boots, he took two finely crafted knives, and laid them on the hearth amongst the other gifts. 'I give her two blades,' he said, 'one, that her wit might always be sharp, and the other, that she might defend herself against any fear.' Merry nodded in understanding, a gift perfectly in character for the daughter of a Knight of the Mark.

Gimli the dwarf stalked to the hearth, Legolas by his side. From a leather bag that hung from his neck, he took a sparkling red jewel. 'Welcome, little one,' he said. 'I give the gift of friendship. Whenever her eyes look upon this, may she remember friends both near and far away.'

Legolas placed a fine chain beside the jewel, saying something in his own tongue, then smiling at the child Merry held. 'Welcome,' he said. 'I give the gift of grace, that she might walk in blessing all of her days.'

Several more of the Rohirrim stepped up with gifts, and quite a few guardsmen, who had been enjoying the hospitality of the Hall these past months. Finally, King Elessar stepped forward with Arwen.

Arwen knelt before the hobbits, the King beside her, hand on her shoulder. 'Welcome to the world,' she said, and her husband smiled. She presented a butterfly, delicately carved from wood and so skillfully painted that it appeared to have alighted for the moment on her hand, ready to flit away at the slightest breath. 'We give the gift of wonder, that the world might always appear fresh and new to her eyes.'

After the last gift was given, Berilac was helped forward again with a sparkling crystal glass filled with water. 'Welcome to the family,' he repeated. 'I bring water, that she may never know thirst, or drought, that the rain that falls into her life may be ever sweet and refreshing, that all her sorrows may be quickly washed away.'

He gave the glass to Estella, who held it up to the light, then extended it to her husband. Merry dipped his thumb into the water, stroked it gently over the babe's forehead, kissed the wet spot tenderly. 'Welcome to the family, my lass,' he murmured. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, and he chuckled. He held her up for all to see and said, 'We welcome Míruiniël!'

The hobbits began to cheer, and were swiftly joined by the guardsmen and the Rohirrim, and an elf, and a dwarf. Baby Miri was startled at the noise, but not frightened. She stared in wonder at the bright cloths being waved by the cheering crowd, and as the cheers settled down, she gave a great yawn. A chuckle ran around the room, and then there was a chorus of welcome.

'Go ahead, Miri,' Merry said, smiling down into his daughter's sleepy eyes. 'You get yourself a good nap. Eating and sleeping and buckets of love, that's what makes a hobbit babe grow.'

The musicians struck up the first tune, and hobbits and Big People mingled in a circle dance. The singing, dancing, feasting and laughter continued far into the night, until the large log on the hearth burned down to coals, glasses of the Hall's finest were handed around to all the guests, and Miri's naming day was concluded with a toast and a final song of blessing.