As was only proper, Saradoc had invited the Thain and his family to Brandy Hall to greet the King. Paladin, Eglantine, their daughters and sons-in-law, together with the grand-children, Freddy Bolger and Reginard Took, were all lined up outside the Hall as the party arrived. Legolas chuckled as Gimli slithered off his pony's back, in contrast to the grace of the three Elves. The Master bowed and Esme swept into a low curtsey as Aragorn dismounted and greeted them.

      "Master Saradoc! Mistress Esmeralda! At last, one of my ambitions has been fulfilled." He raised her. "I have longed to meet you both for many years."

       "The feeling has been mutual, your majesty. We so enjoy receiving your letters and almost feel that we know you - if that is not disrespectful."

       "Not at all. I'm sure you've been curious about the disreputable individual who took your son and his cousins off into the wild."

       "They all speak of you with deep love, sire."

       "You raised two of the most remarkable beings and helped to make them who they are. That is quite an achievement."

       "Thank you, sire. We have always looked upon Frodo as our son, since the death of his parents. It was an honour to raise them." Saradoc called Paladin and Eglantine. "This is Thain Paladin and his wife." Pippin watched the meeting between his beloved parents and his King with a lump in his throat.

       "Ah yes. I have long wished to meet the parents of my smallest - and hungriest - knight."

       Eglantine laughed. "I hope he doesn't eat you out of house and home when he comes to Gondor, your majesty." Aragorn chuckled.

       "We have to re-stock the palace kitchens every time, but it is well worth it."

       Beregond and Bergil were greeted with cries of recognition and received with gratitude by the Thain and his Lady especially, knowing how they had befriended Pippin in the White City.

       Estella and Diamond came forward and curtseyed and Aragorn was thrilled to see that both lasses were pregnant. He congratulated the prospective fathers but was unable to resist a little teasing.

       "I see you two have finally managed to do something useful! See what a little absence can do?"

       Merry introduced the two additions to the party, and it turned out that Saradoc and the Steward knew each other slightly, having met in Bree several times. Everyone seemed delighted to welcome them, and soon the more formal greetings were abandoned for those between friends. Young Primula found herself raised and embraced by the King, who smiled at her in recognition.

       "The lovely Mistress Primula, I presume? You were named after Frodo's mother, I believe?"

       "Yes, sire. My mother was only five when she died but she remembered her well."

       "And who is this?" The King looked down as a tiny hobbit lass patted his leg.

       "That is Persimmon, my daughter, sire. I do apologise........" Pervinca was horrified to see her saucy little girl clasp the King's leg.

       Frodo laughed. "This little one is very cheeky and demanding. Now, madam," he addressed the child, "This is Lord Estel, who is my very dear friend." They had decided not to refer to Aragorn as King in the hearing of the young children in case they blurted out his true identity to the rest of the Shirefolk.

       "Fo's fwiend? Then my fwiend too," she declared, increasing her grip.

       "I am more than flattered, little blossom," Aragorn laughed, and swung her up into his arms. "Mistress Pervinca, there is no need to apologise for one so delightful. She knows what she wants, do you not?" He smiled at the child who clung trustingly round his neck and she nodded vigorously, her auburn curls bouncing. She showed no fear of the tall Men and Elves. "I think this little lady will be another adventurous and curious Took."

       Tarondor was carrying Peridot, Pimpernel's youngest, and the two little girls enjoyed surveying the company from their vantage points as everyone moved into the Hall.

       Inside, Pervinca claimed the youngest member of the Took family from the nursemaid. Her second son was only three weeks old, his sleepy old-young face almost hidden by the shawl.

       "Have you decided on a name yet?" Frodo asked, stroking the petal soft cheek with one finger.

       "Yes, we've named him after Sam." Pervinca was the picture of proud motherhood.

       "What was that?" said Sam in shocked tones. "You can't do that! Er.......I mean........it means 'Half-wise' and I don't think it would be proper to saddle a child with that sort of a name, beggin' your pardon, Miss Pervinca. Besides, he's gentry and I don't think naming him after a gardener is quite............" He tailed off and looked helplessly to Frodo for support, which was not forthcoming.

       Pervinca gave him a positively wicked smile. "Sam?" she said sweetly. "If you mention the word 'proper' I shall lock you in the cellar! You're a dear friend, a hero and part of the family, and Ev and I are proud to name our son after you. I don't care what the name is supposed to mean. To me it means loyalty, love, friendship and courage, and if he grows up to be half the hobbit you are I shall be very, very proud." She was pleased to see Sam turn the colour of a ripe tomato at this.

       "Quite right!" Everard said. "Officially he is Perhael, but among his family and friends he will be Sammie. And if any interfering busybody has anything to say about it, I shall take great pleasure in giving them a kick in the pants!"

       Frodo and Aragorn laughed, but were very moved by this gesture of love towards Sam. Pervinca saw the tears glittering in the King's eyes and turned to him. "This means a lot to you, doesn't it, sire?"

       Aragorn swallowed. "Yes, it does. Both Frodo and Sam went through things no-one should ever have to bear, and it warms my heart to see them both given the credit they deserve, particularly in their own land."

       Sam peered at the infant. "Since you put it like that, and since Frodo is giving me that look, then I can only say I am flattered and honoured that you would name your child after me. He's a bonny little lad." He found himself holding the baby, who opened his eyes and gave him an appraising look. "There, my hinny. I'm your uncle - and your namefather apparently. You'll be a fine lad too. What do your brother and sister think of you?"

       Young Abelard shrugged. "He's alright I suppose, but I wanted a puppy."

       Aragorn laughed. "Which would certainly have surprised your parents! I think you'll find he is just as much fun when he has grown a bit." The child remained unconvinced.

       "He doesn't do very much, except eat and sleep and cry."

       "And pooh!" added Persimmon with all the superiority of an older sister no longer in need of swaddling, and the entire company collapsed in hysterics.

       Aragorn was delighted to meet Freddy Bolger at last. "You showed great courage in leading the resistance against Saruman's ruffians, Master Fredegar. I am sorry you had to suffer so much at their hands and I hope it has not coloured your view of the world of Men."

       Freddy had been nervous at the prospect of meeting the King, but he soon realised that there was nothing to be afraid of. "No, sire. Those ruffians were not truly representative of Men. Some of them were half-orcs, according to Merry, though I don't want to think about how that may have been achieved. As for what I went through - it wasn't pleasant, but others experienced a lot worse. I think the Black Riders were the most terrifying. Ordinary Men or orcs are only mortal, but those.........."

       "The Nine were indeed the most terrible of the servants of the Dark One, and I can understand why you feel as you do. However, they, like their dark master, are gone from Middle-earth, and your valiant brother-in-law helped to destroy their leader."

       "We're all very proud of Merry - of all of them. And it is an honour to meet you at last, sire."

       Frodo was pleased to see his cousin Reginard again. "Reggie! You're not using your stick?"

       "No, I only need it when the weather is cold and damp. That is the only time my leg gives me any trouble."

       "What happened to your leg, Master Reginard?" Aragorn asked, settling himself on a couch with Persimmon snuggled in his lap.

       Reggie and Frodo explained about the accident which had left him with a badly smashed leg, and how the doctor and the healer had managed to save it. Aragon nodded and asked a few questions. Then he smiled.

       "I can give you a list of the treatments for the pain and stiffness, and there are some exercises which will help. You were lucky to keep the leg though. I have seen such injuries cause the loss of the limb, and worse. I will say it again - hobbits are remarkable."

       "I owe our healer a great deal. She insisted that the doctor try to save it when he was all for removing it."

       "It would be nice if more of the Shire doctors came to study in Gondor. The young one from Hobbiton was a very good pupil at the Houses of Healing." Aragorn looked up as Faramir sat beside him, baby Perhael in his arms. "I have often wondered how he would have dealt with Frodo's illness if he had been in the Shire at the time. I am certain he would have been more sympathetic than his father, who sounds rather old-fashioned."

       Esme asked the question which had been in her mind for a long time. "If you had been here when Frodo was ill, could you have cured him, sire?"

       Aragorn sighed and pondered the question. "I might have been able to alleviate some of the pain and possibly helped a little with the despair, but I do not believe that I could have cured Frodo. It took a far greater effort than any human agency could provide. Frodo was healed by the Grace of the Valar and the intercession of Gandalf and the Lady Galadriel." He looked at Frodo, his face deeply serious for a moment. Then the mood lifted and he laughed. "To see Frodo well again is a miracle I never thought to witness and I marvel at it constantly. To watch him eating breakfast this morning was a joy."

       "Speaking of food.......," murmured Pip, "........I'm hungry."

                                                                          *************

       The guests were shown to their rooms. Saradoc had ordered some rebuilding the previous year, and the rooms in the new wing were larger. Beds and chairs there were the right size for Men and Elves, and Aragorn suspected that Merry and Frodo had helped with the cost. Merry was now very wealthy with his stipend from Rohan and both he and Pip were almost as rich as their fathers. Frodo tried to refuse the wealth Aragorn wished to bestow on him, but when the King would permit no refusal he had sighed and accepted. He used a lot of his money to help others, to rebuild the Shire and to ensure than everyone had a roof over their heads and enough food on the table. Aragorn knew the Sackville-Baggins holdings, pipeweed plantations and other investments had passed to Frodo following the discovery of Lotho's murder. Sam had told him that when the roof blew off the grange at Frogmorton, and the winter's supply of grain for several villages was threatened, Frodo paid for it to be replaced. He had also offered shelter and a home to Ted Sandyman's wife and family, not even charging rent until the woman was able to earn a living, and he was paying for the first Shire school to be built. The King smiled and shook his head to clear the tears in his eyes. Frodo was the dearest, kindest and most amazing soul in Middle-earth and if he lavished every bit of wealth in the Two Kingdoms on the small hobbit it would still not be enough for all he had endured.

      Aragorn washed and changed his clothes and stepped out into the corridor, joining his fellow travellers.

       "It seems strange to be somewhere so .........so safe," murmured Tarondor. I know Pippin is carrying his sword and is serving as your bodyguard while you're here, but it is most odd to be in a place where the dangers of life seem not to intrude."

       "Life among hobbits is a joy. They experience such pleasure from the simple things in life - food, ale, pipeweed, song, the beauty of the land - but to assume that they themselves are simple is to underestimate them. Those four had never left the Shire before but they set off without question when they knew what Frodo held. All of them endured injury and physical trials which would have finished most of us, and my greatest fear was that Frodo would not live, for that deadly thing almost destroyed his soul."

       Faramir nodded. "Pippin was almost crushed by a troll and Merry helped to kill the Witch-King. I suspect few Men coud have endured such danger."

       Legolas agreed. "I believe the ability of those two to survive such things may have been increased after their stay in Fangorn Forest. The ent-draughts strengthened them and gave them greater ability to fight off physical and spiritual injury. Their stay in Fangorn and the meeting with Treebeard was no coincidence. It was the will of the Valar."

       "You are right, mellon nin. Those ent-draughts worked wonders. Hobbits are tough anyway and whatever Treebeard gave them made them even tougher - as well as making them grow. They are now the tallest hobbits in history." Aragorn grinned. "I must say, it didn't affect their appetites - unless it made them even greater!"

       "Merry was saying something about hobbits inventing the smoking of pipeweed. I did not realise the hobbits were responsible for that. How very wise of them!" said Halboron.

       Aragorn laughed helplessly for several minutes, to the astonishment of his cousins. "Gandalf always said the hobbits would sit on the edge of destruction and discuss such things. Yes, they did perfect the art of smoking, and the cultivation of the best strains of pipeweed. They love to discuss their history. Just don't get them started on family history and relationships. Poor Boromir never did grasp the importance of knowing the third cousin of one's second cousin twice removed!"

                                                                          ************

       Tarondor and Halboron had never seen so much food. The banqueting hall was impressive and all the tables were full of the most appetising dishes they had ever seen. Aragorn was seated between the Master and the Thain, and what made the meal even better was the friendship and gentle humour which had sprung between them all. Esme found herself seated between the Steward of Gondor and one of the Queen's brothers, while Eglantine sat next to the Steward of Arnor and Prince Legolas. Pippin was excused guard duty at the table and sat with Beregond and his son, Merry and Frodo sat with Halboron and Gimli, Elrohir was chatting with Pearl and Freddy and Sam and Legolas shared a deep discussion about plants.There was no ceremony or obvious protocol - Aragorn had warned his cousins that the hobbits did not allow such petty considerations to come between them and a good dinner. However, they did all stand and face West before seating themselves, to the surprise of the Northern Rangers.

       "I did not realise that hobbits followed this same custom," Tarondor whispered to Eglantine as they sat down.

       "We never used to do this, but Merry and Pippin always observed the Standing Silence after their return, and it seemed right somehow. We also feel that we have Men and Elves and the Valar to thank for our lads' safe return and it is the least we can do to show our gratitude."

       After a wonderful mushroom soup they tucked into great joints of roast beef with many different vegetables, golden roast potatoes and parsnips, batter puddings and gravy, followed by rhubarb crumble with cream. All was served on the finest china, with the best silver cutlery and fine crystal goblets. The visitors were very impressed with the quality of the wine, a rich, fragrant Southfarthing Red. After the meal they drank an excellent plum brandy and the Men and hobbits smoked their pipes.

       Saradoc rose to speak, formally welcoming his guests. "Your Majesty, my Lord Stewards, Lords of Imladris, friends, welcome to Buckland. It has long been a dream of mine to meet you all, and to see you here, well-fed and content, makes us very happy. We have been exchanging letters, my lord Aragorn, since my son returned home, and I feel I know you and can think of you as a friend. Having met you, I can understand why they all set off with you, because you inspire trust and confidence. You took great care of them and your pursuit of those foul uruk-hai was a deed which deserves to be famous. It would have been easy to place other considerations before the lives of two hobbits, but you did not, and for that we are all supremely grateful. When our wanderers returned, all changed, they were insistent upon one thing - that the King was the finest Man in Middle-earth and uniquely suited to the task of uniting the Free Peoples. Your concern for the welfare of the Shire, and your love for our travellers, has touched us deeply.

"Welcome to you all, my lords. As we hobbits say, may you always have enough to eat and drink, enough weed for your pipes, and may the hair on your toes never grow thin!" He bowed and sat down to laughter and applause.

       Aragorn smiled and answered the bow, but he saw that Paladin also wished to say something, so he indicated that he wished to hear the Thain before responding.

       "My lord Aragorn, and all our friends, thank you for paying us this visit. As usual, my brother-in-law has made a wonderful speech and said almost everything I would wish to - which is one of his most irritating habits, I may add. I have to confess that I was perplexed and worried when my son and nephew disappeared, and thoroughly speechless when they returned with tales of far-flung places, fantastical creatures and more adventures than old Bilbo Baggins. Not to mention the fact that both of them appeared to have grown a good ten inches! But, as Saradoc says, the one thing all four of them were agreed on was that the King was a special individual, and now we have met you we agree wholeheartedly. I want to thank you for looking after them - as much as you could in the circumstances - and for your continued concern for the Shire. Only one thing - we can no longer say 'When the King comes back' when we mean something which will never happen. Perhaps we should change it and say 'When Sam Gamgee forgets how to grow taters'!" There was much loud laughter at this. "Sire, this is a very proud day for all of us and I thank you all for doing us so much honour."

       Aragorn stood, bowed to Paladin and then gazed at the assembled hobbits for a moment. "Master Saradoc, Thain Paladin - my friends - I shall not make a long speech since I can see you will suffer severe neck strain if you have to look up for too long, and the Bree-folk did name me Longshanks for a reason! I think I speak for us all when I say that the welcome afforded us today has been overwhelming. I have travelled in many lands but I have never received such a genuinely warm welcome. I've never been so well fed either! Gandalf once said that hobbits are remarkable creatures and I soon came to learn he was right. No-one has had a greater impact on the future of Middle-earth than those four hobbits who left the Shire so bravely and who were unfortunately so changed by events. I wish they could have retained their innocence but thankfully all have come through and are very strong characters. When Merry and Pippin suggested we give Sam a surprise for his birthday we were only too happy to join the fun. That's another thing about hobbits - they have helped me to rediscover a sense of mischief I did not know I had. So here we are, and thank you so much for allowing us to visit the Shire. And if all the food and drink is this good you may not be able to get rid of us. Perhaps we should move the capital here!"

       "That calls for another brandy!" chuckled Saradoc and handed the decanter to Aragorn. The pipeweed jar went round again and soon everyone was chattering like old friends. Conversation flowed easily with everyone relaxed and animated. It was easy to be comfortable in the presence of hobbits and the visitors immersed themselves in the jollity. Aragorn and his brothers talked of life in Rivendell, Faramir shared anecdotes of his childhood with his much-admired older brother, Legolas and Gimli told of their work in Ithilien and the Glittering Caves and Bergil and his father were full of interesting stories of the courts of Gondor and Ithilien.

       It was late when the party broke up and began drifting towards their rooms. The arrangement was for the visitors to stay for another full day and night before travelling on to Hobbiton.

       "Does Rose know about this?" Sam asked Merry.

       "We didn't tell her everything but we told her to expect some tall guests. Can you imagine how furious she'd be if we gave her no warning at all? I can't see her allowing Aragorn to sleep in a tent in the garden!"

       Frodo sniggered. "No indeed. The tea towel would be over-used, certainly! Although, knowing our Rose, I should imagine she has some suspicions about the identity of some of the guests."

       "I doubt she knows about Faramir and the King though. And she doesn't know about Tarondor and Halboron at all. Won't she be surprised?"

       "Flummoxed, I should think. Although she will rise to the occasion, I've no doubt."

       "I have already discovered one thing about this visit," Tarondor admitted to his hosts before they departed for their beds. "I shall need a larger size in belts and clothing by the time I leave this wonderful land."

       "Just don't send us your tailor's bill then!" quipped Pippin quickly, and no-one laughed louder than the Steward of Arnor, unless it was the King himself.