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The Letter  by Antane

“What were you talking about, Gandalf?” Pippin asked as they sat down for first breakfast and began to eat.

“A man must have some secrets,” the wizard said with a wink at Aragorn and Arwen over the tween’s head..

“But you’re not a man, you’re a wizard.”

Aragorn smiled. “All the more reason to keep them then.”

Pippin knew he was being teased by all the other smiles. He whispered to Merry to help him, but his cousin shrugged his shoulders. “You can just make a wizard give up his secrets, ’squeak dear, like you used to whenever I tickled you enough.”

A light went off in the tween’s eyes. Gandalf’s brows bristled and his eyes narrowed. “I am not ticklish, Peregrin Took,” he rumbled dangerously.

“That’s not Frodo said.”

“What did or didn’t I say?” came a voice at the threshold.

They all looked up from their meal. Frodo was still holding ‘Sam-bear’ and the brightness from

his unexpected visitor still lingered faintly around him, augmenting his own light.

“Gandalf said he wasn’t ticklish,” Pippin said, “but I know that’s not true, since you told me that you had tickled him once.”

Frodo smiled as he sat down and thanked Sam softly for the porridge that he brought over to him. “Yes, he is, but not very for all that. You and Merry are much easier to tickle than he is.” They were all heartened when he ate several large spoonfuls in succession and a large mouthful of milk which left a white mustache around his upper lip. “Now, you silly Took, why were you even talking about that?”

“We were watching you sleep, and Gandalf bowed, and I asked why he was bowing to you and he said he wasn’t, but you were the only other one in the room, besides the rest of us, of course, but he wasn’t bowing to any of us, but right in your direction, but he said it wasn’t you.” Pippin took a deep breath and once he let it out, a long swallow of milk.

“Well, I can assure you that it wasn’t to me either.”

“That’s just what he said, but he won’t tell anyone who it was, saying he needs to keep his secrets.”

“Well, then, I suppose you should let him. You should know better than trying to get any sense out of a wizard.”

Gandalf’s eyes flickered dangerously in Frodo’s direction, but he rejoiced inwardly that Este’s peaceful effect still lingered within his friend.

“Humph,” was all Pippin said that anyone could understand. The rest he murmured under his breath until Merry kicked him under the table.

“I know who he was bowing too,” Aragorn said, “but I’m not going to tell either.”

“You know?! Then tell us!”

The king regarded with his smallest guard with a completely straight face. “I’m sorry, Pippin, but a man must have some secrets.”

Pippin threw his hands up in the air, while the others smiled or laughed softly.

“There’s no help for it, Pip,” Merry said. “Strider’s whole life has been a secret. You won’t be getting anything out of him.”

“And he was raised by Elves who can be just as secretive as wizards,” Frodo added, continuing to make short work of his breakfast, so much so that Sam’s heart dared to hope that he would be offering his master seconds, which was almost unheard of since they had come off the Mountain.

“Quite right,” Arwen added with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Why won’t anyone tell me!”

“Pippin, don’t wail like that!” Merry admonished. “You’re a knight of Gondor and you are in the presence of your king and queen and steward.”

The tween reddened and blushed in shame. “I’m sorry, Aragorn, my lady, Faramir.”

“It’s quite all right, my dearest guard,” Aragorn assured. “I’m sorry if we tormented you too much.”

“Besides you already know the answer,” Gandalf said.

“No, I don’t!”

“Didn’t Aragorn tell you earlier that Frodo has many guardians, visible and invisible?” He took a long swallow of a honeyed drink that was a favorite of his, just to draw out the suspense some more. “I was bowing to one of them.”

Frodo’s eyes widened. “Truly? I dreamed... You mean, she was really here?”

“She was, or more to the point, you were really there.”

The Ring-bearer’s face grew most thoughtful.

“Who is she and where was he?” Pippin asked.  He sighed.  "I know, I know, more secrets."

Gandalf smiled. “I’m afraid so. But fret not, all will be revealed in time.”

The tween groaned.

No one said anything else, though Merry was just as curious.  Sam watched his master’s face carefully. Frodo’s body still sat in the chair, but his spirit was far away and from what Arwen had told them earlier, Sam thought he could guess where. After a while, Frodo become aware of his beloved guardian’s gaze. They looked at each other for a long time and read each other’s hearts once more, seeing fear and hope and love mirrored in one’s another eyes. Sam took his master’s maimed hand and was glad to feel it, real, warm and solid, when it closed around his and the smile on Frodo’s lips reached his eyes. It was a sad smile in some ways, but a loving, happy one too. It would linger long in Sam’s memory.





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