Chapter 39. Of Draughts and Dreams

Hilly poked his head in at Ferdi and Nell’s door. No healer was in the sitting room, so he walked softly into the short corridor leading to the bedrooms. ‘Hullo?’ he called cautiously. No healer answered. He gave a superstitious shudder. Had Nell and Woodruff disappeared, after Ferdi? Was the room bewitched?

In the big bed, Ferdi stirred and sat up, not sure what had wakened him. ‘Nell?’ he said, blinking sleepily. ‘Nell, my own?’ He bent his head to lay a gentle kiss upon her lips. She sighed and smiled in her sleep, and Ferdi eased his arms around her, deepening the kiss. After all, the children weren't awake yet... 

Hilly heard the soft words and pushed open the door. ‘Ferdi!’ he cried.

 ‘What in the—what are you doing here?’ Ferdi said, releasing his wife and sitting up again, dumbfounded. ‘Don’t you know how to knock at a door?’

 ‘Ferdi, you’re awake! You’re well! You’re awake! You’ve not disappeared after all!’ Hilly was babbling in his excitement.

 ‘Have you lost your wits?’ Ferdi demanded, putting protective arms about Nell again.

Pimpernel wakened, and seeing her situation, gave a glad cry and threw her arms about Ferdi, burying her head in his shirt and bursting into tears, sobbing his name over and again.

Ferdi shot a furious look at Hilly and set at once to soothing his wife. ‘There-there, Nell, my love. All’s well.’ To Hilly he hissed, ‘Get out!’

Even had Hilly wanted to, he’d have been impeded, for Tolly had come up behind him, and now he pushed into the room, exclaiming, ‘Ferdi!’

 ‘Have you come for your half-witted brother?’ Ferdi snapped. ‘Or is it the latest fashion to come visiting without knocking, before the break of day?’

 ‘You’ve been ill,’ Tolly countered.

 ‘I’ve never been better!’ Ferdi said. ‘Naught but a cold, it was, and put right by a good night’s sleep...’

Nell’s sobs took on an hysterical note and Hilly’s eyes widened, even as he tumbled over his words trying to make things clear.

 ‘You’ve been very ill,’ Tolly said firmly, his voice rising above Hilly’s. ‘We’d given you up, as a matter of fact.’

Ferdi diverted some of his attention to Nell, patting and soothing her back, trying to hush her so that he could hear and be heard, though the explanations coming from both Hilly and Tolly weren’t making much sense.

 ‘Given me up,’ he said, ‘go on with ye, now! You’re having me on!’ He didn’t listen to Hilly’s breathless explanation about the sleeping draught, rather eyed Hilly narrowly. ‘This is one of your jests, isn’t Hilly? Admit it now. You’ve laid a wager that you can get me to believe this nonsense...’

 ‘You know I don’t wager anymore,’ Hilly said.

 ‘No more than the price of a mug down at the Duck,’ Ferdi said. ‘A lot of effort for such a small wager, I’d agree.’ He turned to Tolly. ‘Or was it your idea?’

Struck dumb by this conclusion on Ferdi’s part, Tolly just stared, and when Woodruff pushed him from behind he gave way without a word.

 ‘Ferdibrand Took!’ the healer scolded. ‘Where were you? What were you about, getting out of the bed when you’ve been so seriously ill these past...’

 ‘Have you all taken leave of your senses?’ Ferdi said in outrage, rearing himself up to his full sitting height. Nell clung all the more, and his arms tightened round her as worry came into his face. ‘Come now, love,’ he soothed. ‘You’ll make yourself ill...’

Woodruff stepped forward briskly, hauled Pimpernel from Ferdi’s embrace, and gave her a shake. ‘This is not helping things,’ she said firmly. ‘Nell, take hold of yourself this instant!’

Nell gulped and blinked back tears while Ferdi began to bluster at Woodruff’s tone.

Reginard spoke from the doorway. ‘You must be yourself again, Ferdi, it seems, for you’re turning the place on its head as you have the knack of doing.’

 ‘They’ve all lost their wits,’ Ferdi defended. ‘Either that or this is some colossal piece of foolery. Was it all Pippin’s idea? I wouldn’t put it past him.’

Regi crossed his arms and strove for an even tone. ‘There are hobbits combing the Smials for you, Ferdi. You disappeared from your bed whilst your watcher was elsewhere, and...’

 ‘Watcher!’ Ferdi said. ‘What need have I of any watcher!’ He thumped his chest. ‘Solid!’

 ‘Your watcher was elsewhere,’ Regi continued, ‘and so the healers were understandably concerned, thinking you wandering in your sleep...’

 ‘Sleepwalking!’ Ferdi said. ‘O this is rich!’

 ‘...after you disappeared from your bed without a sign...’ Regi said.

 ‘I went to find some breakfast!’ Ferdi said. ‘A hobbit gets hungered, after all, going the night through without food... and I do believe I missed eventides and late supper, for the last I remember was laying myself down after tea...’

 ‘You missed a deal more than that,’ Tolly said. ‘The sleeping draught...’

Ferdi turned a sceptical eye on Woodruff as these words penetrated his self-righteous fury. ‘Sleeping draught!’ he echoed angrily. ‘You foisted off a sleeping draught on me!’

 ‘No, my love,’ Nell whispered, ‘rather, it was I who did so.’

Ferdi gave his wife a reproachful look. ‘Nell, my own,’ he said gently. ‘You ought not to listen to the healers when they start spouting such nonsense as “it’s for his own good”...’

 ‘They tried to stop me,’ Pimpernel defended. ‘But I made sure you drank it all before they could interfere.’

 ‘You made sure...’ Ferdi said, his voice trailing off in his amazement.

 ‘It was the ruffian’s healing draught,’ Hilly said, and then cleared his throat. ‘I mean, Jack’s draught—you know, Ferdi, the Man who lost himself in the Shire and nearly was taken for a ruffian.’

 ‘Jack’s draught,’ Ferdi said, unconsciously echoing Hilly’s emphasis. He took a deep breath, his brows knitted in thought. ‘The sleeping draught... you slept for two days!’

 ‘You slept for a week, more, actually,’ Woodruff said.

 ‘They had to give you water and broth through a pony tube,’ Nell said.

Ferdi’s hand went to his throat. ‘Pony draughts,’ he said in wonder. ‘Is that why my throat feels so... deucedly odd?’

 ‘Let me take a look,’ Woodruff said automatically, but her erstwhile patient fended her off.

 ‘I think I’ve had quite enough of healers, thank you,’ he said sharply. Clearing his throat, he said, ‘I’m perfectly well. You ought to be able to see that just by looking at me.’

 ‘Well then, Hilly,’ Reginard said. ‘If you’ll attend me, I’ll have a few final instructions for you while I’m finishing that letter to the Thain. It looks as if you and Posey will be able to depart this very morning for the Lake.’

 ‘You’re taking Posey to the Lake?’ Ferdi said.

 ‘He is,’ Regi answered for Hilly. ‘And you, cousin, are staying here, where I can keep you under my eye. No traipsing off into the Wilds for you, not for some time! You owe it to your wife, for all the trouble you’ve given her these past days, to sit at home and become thoroughly bored.’

 ‘Have I been a deal of trouble to you, Nell?’ Ferdi said softly with a worried look for his wife.

 ‘O Ferdi,’ she whispered, and threw her arms about his neck once more. Woodruff spoke to Tolly in a whisper, and he nodded and left abruptly. Regi took Hilly’s arm and walked him out of Ferdi’s apartments. Not long after, a whirlwind of little hobbits descended upon Ferdi and Nell in a flurry of hugs, and Woodruff excused herself with barely a word, and with more than a little satisfaction.

***

 ‘A sleeping draught,’ Merry said, holding the cup in his hands.

 ‘You’re sure about this, cousin?’ Pippin asked for a last time. Now was not the time to go into Merry’s hiding the pain of his arm from those who loved him.

In answer, Merry lifted the cup in a toast, brought the cup to his lips, and drained the golden liquid. He lowered the cup with a sigh. ‘Better than the Hall’s finest,’ he said. ‘What do you put in this stuff, anyhow?’

 ‘It’s my father’s special recipe,’ Elrohir responded with a smile.

 ‘A little of this, a little of that,’ Elladan added.

 ‘He was an excellent brewer,’ Merry said. ‘You could bottle this stuff and sell it in the Shire at a nice prof—’  He broke off with a wide yawn.

 ‘That’s it,’ Elessar said softly. ‘Lie back against the pillows. The bath was relaxing, was it not? And now you’re in a soft bed, warmly wrapped, and you’re feeling drowsy...’

Pippin felt his eyelids start to close, and he hadn’t even had a relaxing bath or any of the rest. He pinched himself, to meet Elessar’s knowing smile. ‘I know that trick,’ he mouthed. ‘It’s the same one you pulled at Cormallen, when you wanted me to rest.’

Elessar paid him no heed. His eyes returned to Merry’s as he continued to intone, ‘...very drowsy. You’re sleepy, are you not? Close your eyes now, and rest. That’s right. Deep breaths, in... out... in... out...’

Merry’s eyes drooped closed, and he sighed deeply. Estella bent to brush his forehead with her lips. ‘Good night, my love,’ she said. ‘Dream well. I’ll keep watch.’