Chapter 41. I Have Enough

'Ferdi, my love, it is time to awaken.'

Ferdibrand stretched as best he could, considering one leg was attached to the ceiling, encountering a familiar warm softness snuggled close against his side.

'Nell?' he whispered.

'I'm here,' she said, and he felt a kiss dropped upon his cheek as the warm softness moved and stretched beside him. 'There's an Elf standing here, looking at us with the sweetest smile on his face, and a tray of delicious food in his hands.'

'No one has ever called me "sweet" before,' Elrohir said.

'Ah, but you are,' Pimpernel said, and the smile on the face of the son of Elrond grew brighter. There was something about these halflings...

'I can smell the "delicious" part,' Ferdi said. 'I'll have to take your word about the sweetness of the smile.'

'It is very sweet,' Elrohir said. 'I have it on good authority.'

Of a wonder, Ferdi laughed.

***

When Pippin awakened, he was alone with Merry and Sam. No elves and no kings were dancing attendance upon him, a refreshing feeling.

'Welcome back to the world,' Samwise said when he saw Pippin's eyes open. Merry turned to the bed to add his greeting.

'What time is it?' Pippin yawned.

'Nearly breakfast,' Merry said. 'You've shown your usual cunning, in getting up just in time for a meal.'

'It seems I've heard that one before,' Pippin said.

'No doubt,' Merry answered.

'How's Ferdi?' Pippin asked next.

Merry smiled. 'He's better,' he said.

Pippin heaved a sigh of relief. 'Somehow, I never thought I'd hear those words, spoken about Ferdibrand, ever again.'

Merry patted his arm, for the same thought had gone through his mind. 'Thank you for thinking to fetch Pimpernel here to the Havens,' he said.

'You're welcome,' Samwise answered, then added, 'I mean, you ought to remember your manners, Pippin, and say "You're welcome" to your cousin.'

'You're welcome,' Pippin said obediently, and Sam grinned.

'As long as we are here alone,' Merry said, abruptly changing the subject, 'there's a matter of business we need to discuss...'

Pippin immediately sobered, warily regarding his cousin. 'Business?' he said. 'You mean, the Westmarch?'

'Among other things,' Merry said. 'I talked to Elessar yesterday...'

'And he is withdrawing his offer of the Westmarch?' Pippin asked bleakly. His thoughts were all too plain to the other two.

'Not at all,' Merry hastened to reassure him, but he didn't look reassured. 'Pip, there's got to be a way to manage this,' he added.

Pippin sighed.

Sam put a hand on his other arm. 'Why do you think the King appointed three of us as Counsellors to the North-Kingdom?' he asked reasonably. 'The load would be too heavy for one hobbit to bear, and he knows it.'

'What am I to do?' Pippin asked. 'Confine myself to the Tookland, give up the rest of the Shire, hope some other misbegotten hobbits will stand forth to watch over the areas outside of Tookland?'

'Nothing so drastic,' Merry said practically. 'Although I already watch over Buckland, so that's one less thing for you to worry about.'

'And I watch over the area between Bywater and Michel Delving, you know,' Samwise contributed.

'When you're not off gallivanting all over the Shire, opening festivals,' Pippin said dryly.

'There is that,' the Mayor admitted.

'In any event, Pip, you don't have to carry the weight of the Shire upon your shoulders alone,' Merry said.

'No,' Pippin said. 'It's just that I've become too dependent on Ferdibrand over the years, his memory and his good sense.'

'Yes, he really ought to have been Thain instead,' Merry said practically, then grinned at Pippin's look of surprise.

'The thought had crossed my mind,' Pippin confessed.

'Well, it's all moot, for you're Thain,' Sam said.

'Yes, your father passed it down to you, a lovely inheritance,' Merry said lightly. 'A piece of furniture might have been nicer, an antique table, perhaps, though it would require regular dusting and waxing.'

Pippin did not smile at this scrap of nonsense; rather, he sighed. 'I just don't know how I'm going to cope without Ferdi,' he said.

'What do you mean?' Merry asked in surprise. 'He's getting better, I tell you.'

'I've still lost him,' Pippin said. 'He's still the best choice to manage the Westmarch, and I could hardly take the post away from him after all he's gone through.'

'O Pip,' Merry breathed, and then he couldn't speak for a moment.

'What?' Pippin asked curiously, then began to feel stirrings of alarm, looking at his cousin's face. 'What is it, Merry?'

'Pippin...' Merry began slowly, 'the reason Ferdi turned his face to the wall in the first place was not because he'd been so badly hurt that he wished to die...'

He was silent for the space of a few breaths, while Pippin waited and Sam nodded encouragingly.

Finally, he went on. 'It was because he felt that he was no longer of use to anyone... You are still planning for him to be Warden of Westmarch?'

Pippin was surprised. 'Of course! He doesn't need eyes to listen to hobbits and make decisions! His ability to listen and sift truth from error has always been his greatest strength, in any event.'

'You ought to tell him that,' Merry said seriously. 'I think it would mean a great deal to him.'

'I will!' Pippin said, throwing back the bedcovers, only to be forestalled by the other two.

'Not so fast,' Sam said, and Merry added, 'I meant that you should tell him as soon as you're allowed to get up.'

Pippin rolled his eyes. 'You're not going to sing that song again, are you?' he said in exasperation. 'The fever's gone; I'm well, really I am.'

'Strider said he wanted to look you over,' Merry said, and Pippin snorted.

'Honestly, you'd think he'd leave off that healer foolishness once he became King,' Pippin grumbled.

'We're not finished with our business yet,' Samwise reminded Merry, recalling him to the topic at hand.

'O yes, that's right,' Merry said. 'Now, Pippin, let us suppose Ferdi had died...'

'Let us not,' Pippin said fervently.

'We are only supposing,' Merry said firmly, as if reassuring a child. Pippin frowned, but Merry went on undaunted. 'Whom would you have chosen to watch over Westmarch in his dearth?'

'You did say "dearth" and not "death", I hope,' Pippin said irrelevantly.

'I did,' Merry answered. 'Who would it be?'

Pippin thought hard. 'Reginard is not well enough,' he mused, 'and I cannot strip myself of all my own counsellors, not if I expect to do right by the Shirefolk...'

Sam and Merry waited. Elessar had advised them to let Pippin talk his way through the problem, in order that he might be able to own the solution. The King had expressed his confidence in the Thain's ability to do so, if the others just kept him on the path and didn't allow him to wander too far down any side trails...

'Everard,' he said finally.

'Everard?' Merry asked. Everard was chief engineer at the Smials, knowledgeable in all aspects of digging and delving. Hobbits came from all over the Shire to submit their plans to him, for advice; for he had a knack for knowing how to make a project go as quickly and safely as possible to its completion.

'Everard,' Pippin said, his tone growing more confident. 'He's actually run things a few times, when neither Reginard nor myself was available for one reason or other, and done a fine job. He has a good head on his shoulders, not just when it comes to digging in the dirt.'

'Everard,' Samwise said thoughtfully.

'I think it could work,' Merry nodded.

'What do you mean?' Pippin asked.

'If Ferdi weren't available to be Warden of the Westmarch, overseeing the final, comprehensive survey, managing the new territory and its settlement, Everard would be a competent substitute,' Merry said. 'He could even delve a new smials in the Tower Hills in his spare time; that would give him a welcome diversion from the burden of administration.'

'But...' Pippin said.

'For of course, Ferdi would not be available to manage the Westmarch, were he to stay in the Smials as your assistant,' Samwise put in smoothly.

Pippin stared at them open-mouthed, and then remembered to close his mouth again. 'How long have you two been thinking on this?' he demanded.

'Not at all,' Merry said quietly. 'You did all the thinking yourself. We're just following along.'

'But...' Pippin said again, and this time they let him continue. 'But would Ferdi stand for it? Would he be content to give up the Westmarch, stay in the Great Smials, go from being master back to assistant again?'

'Why not ask him?' Samwise said softly.

Pippin nodded. 'I shall,' he said. He took a deep breath. 'You know, I think I begin to see a light at the end of the darkened tunnel.'

*** 

Notes from previous posting:

Thanks for the reviews! Very helpful, quite motivating. Tried to post this chapter hours ago but could not access ffnet for some reason.

Am feeling better, thank you for the good wishes. Got a postcard from the Muse, enjoying Hawaii. At least she's talking to me again, even if at a distance, in postcard-sized snippets.

Welcome back, Bookworm! You are no longer submitting anonymous reviews, congratulations! Just think, five chapters... good thing I've started updating every other day or it might have been more. Yes, Ferdi's eyes... but at least he's alive.

Hai, you get to hear the results of Elessar's advice in this chapter, I think.

FantasyFan, ffnet ate one of your reviews? I grieve. I might have gotten it in my mailbox, will have to check. (I do read my reviews first thing every morning, just before writing time starts. Or, for the last few days, revising time... but I did manage to write a chapter of a new story this morning, so perhaps the Muse is ready to return.) Thanks for the kind words, appreciate the thoughtful review.

runaround, no, I'm happy to say you're wrong about the Southron. He's spent a lot of time in Elessar's company, and quite a bit of time with hobbits (the whole journey upriver with Celandine, after she got over her seasickness, as well as several days in Buckland, in addition to the weeks he's been at the Havens since the battle).

Xena, I wondered if anyone would question Elessar not using athelas earlier. In olden times, and even now some doctors recommend letting a fever run its course, not trying to reduce temperature unless the patient is in great discomfort (i.e. headache) or goes into seizures. The fever is the body's way of fighting... Glad you liked the chapter.

Aemilia Rose, I see you back there, raising your hand. Hold your peace, we haven't got to the questions at the end of the chapter yet.

Dana, thanks for the raft of reviews! It is always nice to find them waiting for me.

Look for a new chapter to this story, if ff.net agrees, in two days. Angst forecast: Angst seems to be easing off just a bit.

Look for the newest chapter to "Flames", in case you are following that story, on the morrow. Thank you for your patience.