Chapter 1, Treasured Memento

“Are ye sure, Mr. Pippin?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Pippin replied. “We have to do this now--before the sun rises any higher and melts away the snow.”

Together he and Degger stood atop the roof of Great Smials overlooking the western hills and dales covered in a thin blanket of white down. The clear blue sky gave the impression of a bright summer day...until the bare trees and late-Foreyule snow came into one’s view.

Degger shivered a bit as he watched the thirteen year old sit down on his shovel. “I don’t know ’bout this, Mr. Pippin,” he said resignedly before straddling his own shovel.

“Stop snivelling, Degger,” Pippin taunted the older teen. “This is going to be fun!”

“Its cold!” Degger grimaced at the icy feel of the cold metal against his bum...and other important parts.

Pippin laughed, “You’re supposed to put your coattails and cloak between you and the shovel, Degger.”

Pippin waited for the lad to get situated before starting the count. “Ready?”

Degger nodded, wincing as he did so, still unsure of what fix awaited them at the bottom of the hill. When it came to cavorting with Pippin, trouble was almost always inevitable.

“One....two....” Not taking the chance of Degger’s nerves getting the better of him, Pippin suddenly gave his friend a push from behind. “Three!”

Both lads wailed as they glided down the western slope of Great Smials; past Aunt Gerdie’s gabled window, past Uncle Addie’s shuttered window, past Cousin Ferdinand and Aunt Sage’s window...down, down they went. Being the lighter of the two, Pippin flew past Degger just as they reached the bottom. Out of nowhere, a huge lump covered in snow appeared in Degger’s path. Pippin didn’t remember seeing it from his vantage point on top of the roof.

Pippin shouted over his shoulder, “Watch out for that--”

Too late. Behind him, Pippin heard a dull thud and a grunt of pain immediately afterward.

“--rock...”

Using his feet to come to a stop, Pippin abandoned his shovel where it lay, heading back to see about his friend. As he drew near, Pippin saw Degger lying in a foetal position while groaning miserably.

“Are you hurt bad?” Pippin asked, kneeling down in the snow beside Degger.

Degger replied with more groaning, then finally spoke. “I’m all right I guess, but I don’t think I’ll ever have children.”

Relieved that Degger would eventually be fine, Pippin sat back on his heels. “I’m sorry, Degger--I didn’t see that lump of rock from the roof. I suppose the snow stuck to it in such a way to conceal it.”

“I’ll be all right, Mr. Pippin,” said Degger, slowly rising to a sitting position.

“Want to do it again?” Pippin asked enthusiastically.

“No, thank ye--not even if a dragon was chasin’ me,” Degger replied wryly. “I’m a Greenhill, Mr. Pippin, not a Took. We Greenhills weren’t meant for so much adventure at once.”

Pippin laughed then went to fetch his shovel when he heard Degger gasp behind him. “What is it?” he asked upon his return.

“Look!” Degger held in his hand the silver pocket watch that his father and brother had used before their deaths. The lid had been lost long ago, so without it the protective glass of the timepiece had been shattered, going from the centre of the face to the upper left portion of the watch; most likely obtained from the force of hitting the rock.

Pippin again sank to his knees in the snow, almost sick to his stomach. “Degger...I am so sorry.”

Pippin had only seen Degger’s watch on a few occasions, as Degger rarely took it outside of his quarters. Moreover, Pippin was only seven at the time when they found the lad in an alley at Michel Delving, yet over the years Pippin had come to understand just how much Degger cherished the pocket watch he inherited from his dad.

Degger sighed, however, inside, his heart was breaking. “It’s not yer fault, Mr. Pippin. Somethin’ told me t’ put it away b’fore I came outside, but I didn’t listen.”

Pippin spoke with kindness to his friend. “Let’s go show it to my father--he’ll know what to do.”

Inside the Smials, the lads found Paladin where he usually could be found: in his study. Unfortunately, he was also conducting a meeting, so Pippin and Degger sat on the bench in the hallway until it ended. For fifteen minutes they waited patiently before Uncle Addie and the Thain stepped through the doorway. Neither hobbit looked especially happy nor did they speak to one another, and both walked in separate directions. Pippin and Degger shrugged their shoulders but said nothing, as they were well accustomed to the differences between the two relations. Addie most likely attended the meeting for Paladin’s sake alone. Once the room had cleared, except for the Thain-in-training, Pippin went inside, eager to greet his father.

“Hullo, Papa!” said Pippin walking up to his father’s desk with Degger at his side.

Paladin leaned back in his chair, rubbing the sore muscles in his neck. “Hullo, Pippin--what brings you and Degger here? No trouble, I hope.”

“Why do you always think I’m in trouble, Papa?”

Paladin gave a weary smile while tussling his son’s hair. “Because you usually are.”

“Well,” Pippin answered proudly, “this time I’m not. But there is a sort of trouble with something that belongs to Degger, and I think it is in need of repair. His pocket watch is broken.”

Genuinely shocked at the revelation, Paladin asked, “How? What happened?”

“Show it to him, Degger,” said Pippin.

Degger dug into the same pocket of his topcoat that the watch occupied before the accident. “Mr. Pippin says ye can patch it up.”

Paladin whistled at the damage when he saw the splintered glass of the watch. Figuring things may have been jarred inside, he shook it a bit to see if he could hear anything loose. “It definitely needs to be repaired and touched up,” he said after hearing something clanking about, “but I can’t do it. I don’t know how to repair watches.” Paladin watched the hope in Degger’s face fall. He then added, “But I do know someone in Tuckborough who does. Pippin, see if Matt will drive you lads to town this afternoon--I don’t believe he is busy with anything else. Look for Robin Tooter--he owns a watch and jewellery shop not far from the clothier.”

“Will you come to town with us?” asked Pippin.

“I can’t, Pip, and you know it.” Paladin waved his hand over the heaps of books and documents on his desk. “I have a stack of work to do here.” Paladin drew his son close and tousled his hair. “I would love nothing better than to go to town with you--you know that!”

Paldin then looked at his son with a critical eye. “Might I ask how Degger’s watch met such a demise--or should I want to know?”

Pippin gave a sideways glance to Degger, who said nothing. “You don’t want to know, Papa,” Pippin answered. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Would it have anything to do with the snow outside?”

Pippin pressed his lips together as if weighing a decision. “It might.”

“Pippin-lad, you are simply going to have to find less treacherous means of amusing yourself. You cannot continue on in precarious play and then drag Degger in along for the ride or else you can expect things like this to happen. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Papa.”

Pippin watched his father’s eyes suddenly look past his shoulder and toward the doorway. Pippin followed his father’s gaze to the matron standing in the doorway. “Hullo, Momma,” Pippin smiled, giving his best impression of innocence.

Eglantine entered her husband’s study with a wry grin on her face. “And what sort of nonsense have you been up to, young hobbit?”

Slightly offended, Pippin asked, “Why does everyone always think I’m up to something--or in trouble? What if Degger is the one up to something this time?”

“I wouldn’t believe it,” replied Eglantine, teasing her son. “Degger is such a quiet lad, well-spoken of. He could never be a nuisance.”

By this time Pippin knew his mother was having a jest, so he added his two pence. “I’ll have you know, Momma, that Degger forced me to eat freshly baked biscuits from the oven right after second breakfast. How do you like that for mischief?”

“For some reason, I find Degger forcing you to do anything quite hard to believe,” Paladin said while he laughed.

Degger spoke in a small voice. “I did tell Mr. Pippin this mornin’ that Mistress May would be disappointed if he didn’t eat at least one biscuit. It was her first batch o’ the day an’ she wanted our opinion.” He then added a bit more seriously, “Mistress May doesn’t let just anyone test her batches.”

“See!” Pippin folded his arms in triumph. “I told you Degger twisted my arm! At least somebody round here values my opinion.”

Both Paladin and Eglantine rolled their eyes before sharing a laugh. Eglantine took her son in her arms then kissed his honey-brown curls. “We value you opinion, all right?”

Initially, Pippin blushed at being cuddled by his mother in front of the other lads. He was thirteen now and there was a certain decorum a teen-aged lad must maintain in the presence of another teen-aged lad. However, Pippin would never pull away from his mother’s affections, and on a certain level he still enjoyed it.

“It is almost time for elevenses,” she spoke in Pippin’s ear before releasing him from her hold, “I want you to take Degger to your room so you both can wash up and meet us in the dining room.”

“Yes, Momma,” answered Pippin, then looked over toward his friend. “Come along, Degger--we have to wash up for elevenses.”

The grown-ups patiently waited for the children to disappear into the hallway before taking their own conversation over to the couch.

“Is everything in place?” Paladin asked Eglantine, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Eglantine nodded with a sly expression of her own. “Pippin will be so surprised! Not only will Merry be here on Mersday, but I expect Frodo to arrive tomorrow round teatime. I have also received a reply from Rosamunda in Budgeford--Freddy will escort his sister Estella to Great Smials so that she can be here for Pervinca’s graduation and he for Pippin’s. Unfortunately, they must start their return on Sunday so they can spend the Yuletide with their family back in Budgeford.”

“That is to be expected, I suppose. I know Pippin misses Merry, and I am sure Merry misses him. Merry will also be delighted to see how well his former student has been doing,” remarked Paladin. Pleased with all the good news, Paladin prompted for yet more. “And what about him--the former student?”

Eglantine sighed. “I haven’t received a response from Clara Bunce yet as to whether she and Heather will be here. I hope neither one is ill.”

“Perhaps the Post was delayed with the snowfall we got overnight.” Paladin wasn’t worried just yet. “Let’s give it until tomorrow. I will proceed with arranging their accommodations as if we know that they are coming. After all, Mrs. Bunce must realise how important this is to Degger.”

“Are their gifts ready?” Eglantine asked Paladin, her hazel eyes now shining with joy.

“They will be,” he answered with grin, “but even better, the lads were here on errand before you arrived. Degger managed to break the glass piece on his pocket watch--not a bad break, mind--it should be easy enough to replace. I didn’t venture too far in asking how it happened, and Pippin knows to tell me if he’s gotten himself into a pickle. Besides, seeing that neither lad was injured I decided to let the matter rest. I am reluctant to discipline them so close to their graduation unless it is for something serious. Oh--I have given the lads permission to ask Matt to drive them to town this afternoon to repair Degger’s watch.”

“I am sorry to hear about Degger’s pocket watch! But...what shall I say?” said Eglantine.

“Yes--what fortune!” Paladin smiled, “I should hate to think of prying the lad’s fingers off that beloved watch of his with a crow bar in order to do what we need.”

“Paladin?” Eglantine softly sighed, laying her head on her husband’s shoulder.

“What is it, love?”

“Our babies our growing up.”