Chapter Eight: Brothers

"Now what did you bring back for me and my brother," Frodo asked those gathered, "and don’t tell me that you ate it all on the way back here!"

They all looked at him rather confusedly for a moment, then Aragorn and Gandalf smiled, and Pippin threw himself at Faramir, and for the second time that day, the man had to hurriedly accept a hobbit into his arms.

"Welcome to the family, Faramir!" the tween enthused, hugging him tightly.

The Steward gladly returned the hug and smiled. "Thank you very much. I am honored to have been adopted into such a worthy family."

"Now, as to what we were speaking of..." Frodo said when his cousin broke away.

"Yes, of course," Pippin said and dug into his pockets to bring out a bag of Frodo’s favored treats.

The Ring-bearer looked at his other cousin and raised an eyebrow. "You actually trusted him to carry these back?"

Merry shrugged. "His fingers were already very sticky with them so we thought it best."

Frodo smiled and hugged Pippin and kissed his head quickly. "Thank you, my dearest ’squeak. You are too good to me."

"Don’t be taking them all now, Mr. Frodo," Sam cautioned when his master dug his hand in. "You don’t want to spoil elevenses."

The elder hobbit popped one into his mouth. "Just this one, Sam," he promised.

Pippin looked around the room and then at his cousin. "Just what were you two doing on the floor anyway?"

A pained expression quickly crossed Frodo’s features, but he was spared from answering right away when Faramir spoke. "You aren’t the first one to come running at me today."

When they all worried it was not in the same manner of Pippin’s rush, Frodo looked up at their king. "We were actually discussing for a good part how much Faramir loves you, Aragorn."

The king smiled. "I have been very blessed to have such a good man stand by me as Steward."

They all know there was much left unsaid and Sam looked long at his master, as did Merry. Frodo evaded both their glances. "Why don’t you get elevenses ready, please, Sam?" he asked. "You can help him, Merry and Pippin, please." The two older hobbits looked ready to rebel, but then left to go into the kitchen. Frodo knew very well he was not free, but given only a momentary reprieve. Rose and Arwen left also. Pippin squeezed his cousin around the waist in silent support and joined them as did Faramir and Aragorn.

"This won’t do, my young hobbit," Gandalf said quietly.

Frodo squirmed for just a moment, then defiantly looked up at his friend.

"That won’t do, either," the wizard said in the same quiet voice but which now contained a hint of menace.

The Ring-bearer looked away. "I don’t want them worrying over me all the time."

"And you think saying nothing of your troubles is going to help that? They love you too much, to let you go that easy. We all love you too much, including your new brother."

Frodo looked back at his friend who was now smiling. Gandalf knelt and opened his arms and the hobbit gladly buried himself in the wizard’s robes and arms. He breathed deeply. "You smell like Bilbo, with all that pipeweed."

"I wish I could make it all better for you, Frodo," Gandalf said softly with gentle strokes to his curls. "We all do."

"I just wish it would stop hurting."

"One day it will."

"When?"

"I don’t know, my dear hobbit. But you are loved by more than you know and your healing does indeed await you."

"Here or will I have to leave again?"

"It will come where it has been prepared to come."

They were silent for a while and Frodo closed his eyes and concentrated just on feeling his friend’s touch and love instead of what he knew in his heart Gandalf’s words meant. "Bilbo used to do that, when sometimes I’d crawl into his bed or he’d crawl into mine, after I had dreamed of my parents and he’d hold me and murmur to me and stroke my curls, and after a while, wipe my tears and tell me how much he loved me and how glad he was that I had come to stay with him."

"You have always been greatly loved, Frodo, and always will be."

"I know."

Gandalf raised his friend’s chin and waited until Frodo looked up at him. "Then can you trust in that love to hold the shadows back as it always has before?"

The Ring-bearer looked away. "I’d rather not have all those I love leave the sunlight. They’ve stood far too long in the darkness with me and for me already."

"And yet they’d rather leave the light, then leave you alone in the dark. Don’t you realize by now, my dearest, most stubborn hobbit, that they’d rather be where you are, if it meant you could join them where they are? Sam carried you up the Mountain, don’t you think he wants to carry you back down too? That we all want to? How can they be happy in the bright, if they know you are still lost in the black? Didn’t Bilbo gladly come to your side and bring you back to the light whenever you needed? Hasn’t Sam?"

Frodo looked at his friend for a long, into eyes so loving and bright. Gandalf saw a decision be made and he let go the troubled Ring-bearer. He stood and held out his hand which Frodo took and let himself be guided into the dining room where the table was just done being set. No one had sat down yet and they all looked up at him as he entered.

He let go of Gandalf’s hand and stood returning their gazes and did not shy away from the love and concern he saw there. "I’m sorry. I...I had a dream and it frightened me, but Faramir was able to help me."

Pippin came over to hug him tightly, wordlessly, knowing words would not be adequate. Frodo hugged him back and kissed his head and whispered, "I love you, my ’squeak."

"I love you, too."

Merry was next and gave and received the same embrace, kiss and heard the murmured, "I love you, Merry mine."

"I love you, too."

And Sam came and that embrace was the tightest and longest, and none heard what was said, but saw the many silent tears and the tender kisses to brow and head.

They sat down then. Elevenses was subdued at first, but the love was a palpable separate force spread out over them all and it was enough to slowly cheer them. Pippin began to tell jokes that had Frodo smiling softly.

Throughout the rest of the day, the tween did all he could to strengthen the fragile peace within his cousin and the others all gently added their own efforts, as though they could build a clear structure around Frodo that no storm could ever harm him again, but one through which they could be with him. The peace did build throughout the day, helped by a snowball fight and rest stops to enjoy more sweets. Though Sam feared his master would have a sore stomach by the nighttime, he held back from restraining him from eating so many treats since he saw the happiness build until it overflowed into laughter and groans from one of Pippin’s jokes and the tears in everyone’s eyes were happy ones.

Not wishing to be outdone by his younger cousin, Merry formed another conspiracy and this one was to get him, Pippin and Sam to sleep with Frodo, the better to watch over him, for they had not forgotten Aragorn’s words that the Ring-bearer needed constant watching. So as to not make his cousin suspicious, he crawled into Bilbo’s bed first, the only one big enough for all four of them to sleep relatively comfortably and fortunately the one Frodo already used when one or both of his cousins visited. If the elder hobbit was surprised to see Merry already in bed, he said nothing as he crawled in himself. Almost nonchalantly, Merry hit him in the back with a pillow. Frodo turned and looked at his cousin who smiled. He tossed the pillow back and was hit from the other side by Pippin who had entered quietly. The three cousins looked at each other and a smile shared by the three of them grew on all their faces and suddenly a free-for-all pillow fight between them was in progress, such as had not been since they were child and tweens. It was just the outlet they all needed. Sam entered the room now, seemingly drawn by the joyous squealing that overflowed from the room, and watched his master’s features glow as Frodo knelt on the bed and lobbed pillow after pillow after his cousins and was similarly assaulted by them. His worries that his master might overexert himself faded as he smiled to hear them all laugh, especially Frodo who was laughing harder than he had for months.

"Come on, Sam!" he cajoled. "You have to have some fun, too!"

Sam smiled. "You’re having enough fun for both of us, me dear," he said. Their eyes met and Frodo smiled and Sam’s heart skipped a beat just to see the beauty of that, then the elder hobbit went back to the game.

The gardener’s smile faltered when Frodo suddenly let out a loud howl. He twisted around so fast on the bed that his legs got tangled in the sheets and he nearly fell. He caught himself, then turned a mock-enraged look on his youngest cousin.

"Peregrin Took!" he roared. "No one said anything about tickling!"

Pippin beamed at his beloved cousin with his most innocent smile. Frodo fell on him and reached under his arms and soon he had the tween squirming and squealing in delighted fits. That abruptly ended when Frodo twisted around again as he fought off Merry’s attack of tickling the bottom of his feet just as Pippin had moments before. Frodo threw himself at Merry’s stomach then, both howling with laughter as Merry doubled over, trying to stop his cousin from reaching him, but Frodo’s fingers still found their way in. Sam’s smile reasserted itself as he watched his dearest friend be so happy.

"Help me, Sam!" Frodo cried when he fell under another of Pippin’s attacks. "Save me!"

Sam watched the melee for a moment more to decide the best way to defend his master. He settled on the most simple and direct approach and sat on his master’s feet, crossed his arms and gave Merry and Pippin his most fierce frown. That stopped the two of them for the space of three quick heartbeats, then they glanced at each other and launched themselves at the stocky hobbit, both of them reaching for either side of Sam’s neck where it connected with his shoulder. The look of shock and horror that the two had unerringly gone to the gardener’s vulnerable spots and rendered him incapable of defending his master was almost comical as he toppled over.

Frodo smiled. "I’m sorry, Sam," he said as he fought off another attack. "I had no idea they still remembered where you were ticklish!"

Pippin momentarily had his cousin captured. "Do you surrender?"

"Never!" Frodo cried and threw himself at both of his cousins. They all went down, squealing, in a tangled mass of limbs.

All the loud noises had brought a small audience to the door, unnoticed at first by the four combatants. Arwen and Rose smiled; Aragorn, Gandalf and Faramir softly laughed. As they watched Frodo gained the advantage for the moment over his cousins. He knelt over them victoriously, but it was very short lived as he lost his balance when he was pulled back down.

Pippin looked up then and belatedly saw that they had an audience. "Gandalf! Aragorn! Faramir! Come join us!"

"Yes, do!" Frodo seconded. "But on my side! I’m being overwhelmed!"

"Then Queen Arwen has to be on our side," the impetuous Took said. He looked at the Elven lady eagerly as Sam stared at him aghast for such audacity.

Arwen laughed softly. "I thank you for the invitation, Master Peregrin," the Elf said gracefully, "but I must decline."

"But I will not," Aragorn said and waded into the fray with a large smile.

"And I must defend my brother against these terrible assaults as well," Faramir said.

The hobbits squealed in delight and Arwen laughed as Pippin and Merry crawled over all their king and his Steward, trying to find a vulnerable spot with Frodo defending them as best he could, all of them laughing in unvarnished delight.

Gandalf and Rose watched the melee with glad hearts as well. Frodo would be exhausted by the end, but they were all happy and relieved to see him so joyful, so radiantly alive. The light that shone from him was nearly blinding if one stared right at it. From where Sam sat they could tell from his loving smile and gaze he was doing just that.

When it was all over, Gandalf and Aragorn returned later and saw the four hobbits cuddled up, asleep against Frodo. All still had smiles on their faces, the largest of them gracing the eldest.

"For an only child, Frodo certainly has a lot of brothers," the wizard remarked with a smile. The cloaked Maia placed his hand against Frodo’s brow and brush at his curls. "Remember this day," he murmured into his ear.

Frodo mumbled in his sleep and nuzzled closer to Merry who was nearest him. The younger hobbit tightened his protective hold around his cousin.

"May they all remember the joy of this day as they make their way through the dark that remains," the wizard murmured.

"Such love shined against the Shadow that tried to overwhelm it before, but failed," Aragorn said. "May such a failure happen again."