Chapter 95. Healed

Mayor Samwise overslept himself the following morning, what with the fireworks and the feasting and talking long into the night. The hobbits had been fascinated with the Thain's tales of the Great War, and the stories had flown thick and fast, with Eomer, Faramir, Eowyn, Legolas, Gimli, Elessar, and even Arwen pitching in. Sam, to his own surprise, had been in the middle of things, answering questions, telling about his experiences. It gratified him to tell once again about Mr Frodo, and to have eager listeners besides his own children.

Now he arose and dressed hurriedly. He was to ensure that the Thain enjoyed a hearty breakfast this morning. He walked briskly to the Thain's rooms and tapped lightly on the door. At Diamond's invitation, he stuck his head in, but to his dismay the bed was empty. 'Is Pippin here?' he asked.

'I thought he was with you,' Diamond said. 'He was gone when I awakened.'

'No, I haven't seen him,' Sam answered. 'I was just coming to fetch him.'

Young Faramir came in from the other room, buttoning his shirt, and no, he had not seen his father, either.

From the corridor behind Samwise came Legolas' voice. 'Looking for Pippin?'

The Mayor swung round with a feeling of relief. 'Yes, we were to breakfast together, where is he?'

Gimli frowned at the elf's side. 'We haven't seen him,' he growled.

'Perhaps he went for an early morning ride with Merry,' Legolas suggested.

A walk out to the stables showed Merry's pony gone, but Pippin's in its stall enjoying its own breakfast. Sam talked to the stable hobbits, only to find that the Thain had been in earlier, and gone again.

Walking out, the search party saw Merry on his pony, just returned from his ride. The King and Bergil were standing beside his pony, deep in conversation.

'Have you seen Pippin?' Legolas asked as they came up to the little group.

'He ought to be at breakfast now,' the King said thoughtfully. 'Who was to breakfast with him today?'

'I was,' Sam said ruefully.

'And he's obviously not with you,' Bergil said.

'Obviously,' Sam answered.

'Let me put my pony away and we'll have a look around,' Merry said. He was as good as his word, and after a quick consultation, Pippin's friends scattered to look about the Hall.

Meeting again at the main entrance to the Hall, all had to report no sign of the missing Thain. 'He must have taken himself off for a walk,' Merry said, 'though he ought to have been back by now.'

Delicious smells were wafting from the great room and its adjoining kitchens: bacon, sausage, eggs, bread fresh from the oven, fruit tarts, other foods. Sam's stomach rumbled loudly enough for the others to hear.

The King laughed. 'Well,' he said, 'There's no need for the rest of us to miss breakfast. We can corner him later. It is more pleasant to hunt on a full stomach.'

Entering the great hall, the group of searchers saw the Thain seated at one of the tables, halfway through a generous plateful of breakfast, chatting with Ferdibrand Took who had obviously just sat down to eat.

'Where have you been?' Diamond said, pouncing upon her husband.

Pippin looked up with a smile. 'Eating, of course.' He gestured to the plate. 'I'm on my seconds, already.' He rose to seat his wife. 'Sit down, my love, let me get you something.' He looked about at the others. 'Sit down, everyone! Time to eat!'

The Thain soon returned with an army of servers bearing plates, cups, eating utensils and platters of food. He urged generous portions on everyone, including Eomer and Faramir, who had joined the group, then sat down and accepted a fresh cup of tea from a server.

'O, your food has gone cold, Sir,' the server said, spiriting away his plate and returning with a fresh one.

'That's all right, I was on my second plateful as it was,' Pippin laughed, then, looking down at the new plate, picked up his fork. 'On the other hand...' he said.

'You have your appetite back!' Diamond said, hope brightening her face.

'Is that what it is?' Pippin answered with a grin. 'All I know is, I woke up this morning hungry enough to eat my bed... but decided that breakfast sounded much better.'

'I pronounce you cured,' Aragorn intoned.

'Many thanks, old friend,' the Thain responded, but he sobered, and the other followed his thoughts.

'We'll be starting to pack up today,' Elessar said. 'It is high time the King returned to Gondor.'

'When will you be leaving?' Pippin asked. 'Not that I'm trying to hurry you on your way, or any such thing.'

The King chuckled. 'I plan to re-issue my edict on the last day of March,' he said. 'I have already sent out messengers, throughout Buckland, to announce the ban. Any Men caught within the Bounds after the First will be subject to the penalty.'

Samwise nodded soberly, his eyes meeting Bergil's. 'Are you going back to Gondor with the King?' he asked. 'Or will you be staying at Fornost?'

Elessar leaned forward, before Bergil could answer, to say, 'The Master of Buckland has given me permission to place an outpost across the East Road from the Gate of Buckland.' Technically, this was outside the Shire, but the King had asked permission for courtesy's sake. 'Bergil will command that outpost as the King's liaison with the Shirefolk.'

Congratulations were showered upon the Guardsman, who said, 'See? You shall see more of me than you thought.'

'Good,' Sam said firmly.

Legolas finished his breakfast and rose, saying to Ferdibrand, 'Are you coming, cousin?'

'I was just waiting for you,' Ferdi answered, and the two excused themselves to the others and walked off.

'The elf is teaching him how to throw a knife,' Gimli rumbled. 'Seeing that he will not be able to pull a bow for some time yet.'

'A good skill for a bodyguard,' Elessar nodded.

'He's not a bodyguard,' Pippin protested.

'O that's right, I had forgotten, he's your chancellor.'

'That's right,' the Thain nodded, satisfied.

'What I was wondering...' Bergil mused.

'What?' Pippin prompted.

'How does a... chancellor... get a mark like the one he has about his neck? I greatly doubt he had to fight off a rogue quill.' Bergil had noticed the fine white scar, faded with passage of years, but still visible, when he had lifted Ferdibrand after the ruffians' attack.

'It is an old matter,' Pippin said quietly. 'Some Men thought to teach him how to dance at the end of a rope. Old Merimac, Merry's uncle, was barely in time to interrupt the lesson.'

'I thought hanging was unknown in the Shire,' the King said grimly.

'It is,' Pippin answered. 'Only a very few know of it, those who stood against the ruffians who infested the Shire during the War of the Ring, and they don't care to spread the tale. When they die, the knowledge will die with them.'

'He stood against the ruffians?' Prince Faramir asked.

'There were some who did,' Merry said. 'The Tooks kept them out of Tookland completely, you know. Hobbits are not just fat little jolly people who sit about eating and singing all the time, you know.'

'I suspected as much,' Eomer said.

Pippin continued, 'The few survivors who bear such marks... well, people are simply too polite to ask about them.'

'And so the Shire remains...' Elessar said.

'Untouched? Well, relatively untouched,' Pippin said. 'The People will learn the old tales, now, but you may be sure that we will not go into more detail than is absolutely necessary. There is no need to fill their heads and hearts with dark thoughts.'

They finished their breakfast and scattered to their assorted tasks.