Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Man of Quality Chapter 16

It was dawn, and a new day was beginning. Birds chirped and the aroma of the many kitchens cooking breakfast filled the air.

Aragorn woke with a start as he heard shuffling within the bed he was sitting next to. Frodo had slept through most of the night without complaint of pain. Shifting in his seat, dropping his feet from the bed to the floor, the King of Gondor leaned forward to peer at his patient. “Well, hullo Frodo,” Aragorn spoke softly, feeling the hobbit’s forehead and along his cheeks before pulling his hand away. “How do you feel this morning?”

Those enormous blue eyes blinked a couple of times, looking around before turning them back to his friend after a slight yawn, then “I think hungry,” Frodo said hoarsely. “And thirsty,” he again replied as he tried to clear his sticky, dry throat.

The King smiled. He marveled at how well physically the hobbits recovered, but he knew mentally this incident had set Frodo back. It was just a couple months since the Ring had been destroyed, and the beginning of Frodo’s and Sam’s period of recovery. Aragorn retrieved a cup from the dresser after pouring water from a pitcher. “Here, let me help you sit up,” the King said, as he slipped a large hand beneath Frodo’s head and shoulders, then guided the cup to the little parched mouth.

Frodo drained the cup without a second thought, but winced when he was settled back onto his pillows, his hands instinctively guarding his abdomen. The hobbit closed his eyes and when he opened them again, Aragorn was in his line of sight. The King’s face had a solemn look, almost guilty. Frodo set him straight. “It was not your fault. You did what you had to do to save your kingdom from the enemy.”

“But at what cost? To find my wife prisoner and with child. Eowyn, Sam, Pippin and yourself hurt in the process? I cannot forgive myself. Not this time.”

“You forget, I am the one who needs not to forgive myself, not the King,” Frodo tried to jest, but found that Aragorn was not going to give in easily this time. He was berating himself without just cause and it was Frodo’s turn to get through to him. “Well then, I blame you for felling me down the stairs, as well as torturing me out on the veranda. Not to mention the excruciating pain you put me through while you cleanse my wounds and having to take your awful tasting medicines. I am sick of it, and quite frankly your attitude toward the whole situation,” Frodo continued all the while as the King’s face had gone from self absorption to outright red with either embarrassment or anger. Frodo was going to continue and quieted when Aragorn placed a hand upon the hobbit’s lips.

“Are you done? Or will I have to place you under a sleeping spell?” Aragorn demanded. Frodo smiled beneath the fingers, nodding his head in response to the first question. The hobbit’s smile was contagious and the King also found himself smiling. “You are a worthy opponent, Frodo Baggins.”

“Is he up? Frodo!” a smiling, bouncing blond haired hobbit known as Pippin came into the healer’s room, finding himself right beside his prone cousin. His arm was in a sling, his overcoat slung over his shoulders for warmth.

“Pippin, I told you stay with me,” Meriadoc Brandybuck clucked like a mother hen. “You need not overtax yourself so soon. Frodo needs his rest too,” he finished, also finding himself at Frodo’s sickbed.

Tentatively, Pippin touched his elder cousin’s shoulder, “Frodo…”

“It is all over now, Pippin,” Frodo comforted, seeing his youngest cousin on the brink of tears. “I heard how brave you were as well as foolish, my young cousin,” he said with a serious tone. “If and when we see Uncle Paladin, I will have a lot to answer for and that includes any bodily marks found upon you.”

“Well, you know the legend of the Tooks, and that includes our foolishness. If Da tries to come down on you, I will just remind him of his own foolish mistakes,” he choked.

Frodo raised his arm bringing it around Pippin’s neck, hugging him fiercely. Pippin climbed onto the bed mindful of his cousin’s abdominal wound. The young Took was finally able to let out all his pent up emotions.

It was this burst of emotions from Pippin that seemed to signal to everyone that the last 48 hours were finally over. There was not a dry eye in the room.

A week later brought a banquet and a celebration to honor those who risked their lives in the rescue of the hostages, especially the newly pregnant Queen of Gondor.

The King waltzed into the banquet hall with his Queen hanging onto his left arm. Both were dressed in royal blue, silver coronets balanced on each dark head. They were led to the head of the main banquet table, where they stood next to Faramir and Eowyn to the Queen’s left and on the King’s right sat Pippin, Frodo, Merry and Sam followed by Legolas and Gimli. Gandalf sat next to Eomer. When Aragorn and Arwen sat, the guests followed suit.

Paiges were filling the guests cups with proper ale and spirits. After all had been filled, Aragorn stood and raised his glass. The hall became quiet as those grey eyes roamed familiar faces. He cleared his throat and began to speak, “Welcome honored guests and friends of Gondor. We are gathered tonight to pay respect and honor those who were injured and those who lost their lives in the recent attack against your King and your city. Those that have departed us into the hereafter will sorely be missed. Let us bow our heads in a moment of silence,” Aragorn said. After a brief prayer in Sindarin, he raised his head and resumed his speech. “To those that were injured trying to rescue our hostages,” Aragorn looked particularly fondly at Pippin after this remark, “We owe many thanks and quick healing,” he continued as he smiled and drank from his cup.

“Here, here!” the gathered audience replied and also drank from their goblets with their King.

There would not be a day from that moment on that Faramir was ever treated differently and was an honored member of the “Fellowship”. He had definitely showed his quality as a man and his fealty to the new King remained as loyal as it had always been.

As for Frodo, Faramir and he grew closer as friends, mending a friendship that had a rocky start.