Chapter 13

Fireside Tales and Moonlight Dances

The dawn broke in golden beams through ragged purple clouds, but as they took their morning meal of bread, fruit and cheese the clouds scudded away. Pippin watched Boromir for any further signs of distress, but this morning it seemed he had shaken off whatever it was that had disturbed him, and he seemed eager to start the day.

As they journeyed on Merry and Pippin gave Boromir a full accounting of the Scouring of the Shire. Although their friend had heard the tale he had not yet gotten it first-hand from the hobbit heroes, and many details that had been left out or only sketchily covered was filled in.

“I wish I could have been here to assist you,” he said. “To think that my own kind would do such terrible things in this kindliest of places! If such a black deed were ever to be repeated, be sure I will be there at your side. While I live, let no Man be so foolish as to cause the Shire any distress! My home lies in Gondor, yet it also is here. One thing I do not understand, though: Why has the King not placed an Emissary here? Were such an office to exist, the chances of Men invading the Shire would be far slimmer. Why, ‘tis no more than common sense and good statesmanship!”

“Well,” Pippin said, “Actually that is my post as Thain. You see, the Tooks are much like the line of Stewards.”

“Yes; I do understand that, yet it makes sense, at least to my mind, that the King should send an Emissary to stand by the Thain. With a Man posted as your assistant, the rest of the Shire would see that Men are to be accountable for their actions, and that as Emissary his presence would be a symbol of fealty and good will.”

“I had not thought of it like that,” said Merry. “You may have a point!”

“Well, at any rate,” Boromir said, “whatever the King’s reason for not posting an Emissary, I’m sure it is a good one.”

“And I’m sure you are right,” agreed Pippin. “I am equally sure we shall be in Whitfurrows by tomorrow, and in a timely enough manner to restock our roving larder! We shall stay at the Robin’s Nest Inn tomorrow night. They have a tasty steak and kidney pie there, and the ale is quite good.”

That night they pitched their tents on a small hillock covered with wildflowers. After eating around the fire, Boromir and Pippin turned to face the West as was their custom. Pippin was tempted to ask Boromir about his disturbing dream, but having had such dreams himself, thought it best to leave his worries unspoken. If Boromir wanted to speak of it he would listen, but being familiar with such woes himself, he knew it was best to wait until his friend was ready to speak of it.

There were few trees, so the open sky afforded them a broad view of the moon and stars. There they spread their blankets and lay on their backs, rather like the spokes of a wheel with their feet outermost, and compared notes on the names of the constellations, and how in the Shire a constellation had one name with a story behind it while in Gondor it had another. Faro and Theo loved the new stories and names, asking question after question of Boromir. Often Merry and Pippin exchanged smiling glances, recalling their friend’s patience with them on the quest. The hours passed swift and pleasant, and that night Pippin was relieved to note the shadow on Boromir had retreated. Yet he wondered what it was that had so disturbed his friend.

They woke just before dawn, and as the sun rose, they looked all around them in wonder. Heavy dew had settled on the field of flowers, and the myriad colors of the petals seemed to have been sprinkled with the dust of diamonds as the sun hit the dewdrops. The air was fragrant. Butterflies, like winged jewels, flitted and floated through the air, and the little company sat in their wagons for some time just to watch the scene before setting off once again.

And so their journey went on, to Whitfurrows, where they were glad to find bath and bed and market at which to purchase more supplies. Restored, they were on their way before noon the next day towards Frogmorton, with another two nights beneath the stars between the towns. At Frogmorton Merry and Pippin showed Boromir the place where they had been arrested, and they secured rooms at the Floating Log. Frogs-legs were the specialty there and were to the liking of all the travelers, the dish being new to Boromir. The hobbits were amused with his appetite for them, and Estella remarked that she had at last seen Boromir eat enough to satisfy her. They replenished their supplies yet again, for Faro and Theo were at that age when young hobbits consume thrice their weight a day, seemingly. Estella and Diamond made a point of buying mutton and mushroom pies as well as a deep, wide basket full to the brim with blackberry tarts.

The last camp before they turned towards the Three Farthing Stone was a leisurely two-day affair off the main road some way, under the shade of three great oaks. Here the youngsters pleaded for stories of the Fellowship, and there was plenty of time to accommodate them.

“Just fancy that, Faro,” said Theo. “Walking and walking for leagues and leagues, climbing that horrid mountain, fighting goblins!”

“Yes! And slaying dark creatures: orcs, and troll, and even a Black Rider...” Theo kicked him, and looking at the faces of the grown-ups he hastily amended, "and visiting Elves!"

“I should remind you, lads,” Pippin said, “Gandalf was fond of reminding me it was no hobbit walking-party, and he was right. It was very uncomfortable, very dangerous and exhausting. There were times I thought I might simply collapse, so tired I could almost sleep on the march.”

“And frightening, too,” added Merry. “Also, we missed a lot of meals, I can tell you.”

“Well, I imagine it was all those things, especially frightening, for a hobbit,” Faro said.

“Yes,” said Theo, “but I wager Uncle Bom wasn’t frightened, him being a warrior and all.”

Merry, Pippin and Boromir exchanged glances. The three shared a small smile, and then Boromir said, “Oh, but I was frightened, not a little, and not seldom, either.”

“But, Faro,” Pippin said, “like you, I thought Boromir could never be frightened at first. But then…”

“What?” Faro asked, eyes wide.

“Yes, tell us!” Theo added.

“Well, we had come down from Caradhras,” Pippin said. “That was when we began to hear them: the Wargs.”

Even though they had heard the stories before, the young ones gasped appreciatively. “Oh, yes,” Merry said, “Their howls were enough to freeze the blood. We hardly dared sleep, or even stop to rest for long. We did not know what to do or which path to take. Boromir wanted to go by way of the Gap of Rohan, but Gandalf said that would take us too close to Isengard. It was Gandalf who wanted to travel through Moria.”

“No one could make up their minds what we ought to do,” Pippin said. “That was when we heard the Wargs howling. Gandalf asked who would wish to travel in the dark with those foul creatures on our trail, and I shall never forget…”

“What, what?” asked the youngsters.

“As I remember, we listened to one particularly long, chilling howl. There was a very long silence, when no one made a single sound, and then Boromir said suddenly, ‘How far is Moria?’”

Boromir laughed, “Aye, looking back now, that was rather comic, was it not? But at the time, please believe me when I say I was very frightened. That your fathers have told you I was brave, I doubt not. However, mind you to remember that one must first know fear to know bravery. If not, then what may seem a brave deed is in fact probably foolishness, for only a fool walks knowingly into danger without fear.”

“Even so,” Merry said, “Boromir killed many Wargs, afraid or not. Some will tell you that Men are slow, due to their size, but do not believe it! His sword rivaled even Aragorn’s for speed and accuracy. We would not have got far without him.”

“And for that we are very grateful, dear Boromir,” Diamond said.

“’Twas nothing,” Boromir said. “I was happy to be of service, as a matter of honor as well as fealty. Besides, I had grown rather fond of Merry and Pippin, not a little, and in a very short time. I saw straight away that they were not only loyal but also brave in their own way, to insist on going with the Fellowship. But I confess it was a bitter thing to see them suffer hardship and danger, and I wished to do all I could to guide them in the right direction and to keep them safe. They nearly froze on Caradhras, and Pippin in particular frightened me half to death.”

“Here, here!” Merry said, “Pippin fell ill on the way down. But that is another story.” Yawning hugely, Merry continued, “It is high time we got some sleep! We shall rest here for another day before we finish our journey. We should be able to make the Three Farthing Stone by day after tomorrow, and then it’s on to Bag End.”

“Bag End,” Boromir said. “I have pictured it in my mind many times. Why, I can almost see the door of it, bright green, with a brass doorknob in the exact middle. So often have I thought of Frodo and Sam setting out, with young Pippin in tow!” Boromir heaved a sigh, his brow knitted, as if something weighed heavily on his mind.

I know what you are thinking, you great goose, Pippin thought; you are wishing you might have mended things between yourself and Frodo. And so do I, though I know Frodo would only laugh, and tell you he understood more than you think. But should I tell you this, you would never believe me, thinking I only wanted to smooth things over for you. I wonder if that is what your bad dreams are about? When you say ‘monstrous’, are you accusing yourself? If only you could have talked with Frodo! He could have set things straight for you and eased your burden. But at least there is still Sam. Best you talk the matter over with Sam; he will know what to say. Good old Sam. He will never understand that he is wiser than he allows.

But he only said, “Yes, we should all turn in. I need to rise early, to check my snares for rabbits. And tomorrow, Boromir, you shall do the cooking! Diamond and Estella have yet to sample your rabbit stew!”

The following day they spent walking, telling tales and sharing songs. The snares had yielded a generous catch, and while Boromir cooked, the hobbits went berry picking, bringing back a basket full of the wild fruit. These they stewed over the fire and served over toasted bread, sparing the blackberry tarts for a picnic at the Three Farthing Stone. They had found a little spring where they could bathe in the cold, clear water, and that night Pippin danced with Diamond under the stars as Merry sang a sweet love song to Estella. The youngsters found the whole affair quite uninteresting, and before the song was done they had fallen asleep leaning against Boromir on either side. Boromir sat very still, so as not to wake them, watching the two couples with a wistful smile. No one saw or heard him as he turned his face skyward and whispered, “Oh, Ruby, how I miss you.”

Later, as the rest of the little company slept, Boromir found his mind wandering back to Bree and thinking of Saro Ferny with her mop and bucket, smiling wistfully at him as he handed out treats to the children of the poor, and thinking of those warm hazel eyes, he fell into a peaceful sleep.