Chapter 40. Courage is Found...

Pippin had watched all the preparations as keenly as the bird whose name he bore. He had not waited to be called to Merry’s side; on the contrary, he’d gulped as little breakfast as he could manage, under Diamond’s eye, and bolted from the table. Diamond, still in her wrapper, could hardly follow him into the corridors, and as she stood to her feet, half-undecided, one of the servants interrupted her thoughts.

 ‘Your bath is drawn, ma’am.’

 ‘My bath?’

 ‘Yes, the Queen gave orders that your bath was to be drawn as you were breakfasting.’

Diamond’s eyebrow rose, and she nodded. A subtle message from Arwen, it was, to say that someone would be watching over her husband in the midst of this worrisome situation long enough for her to relax and greet the day. Although... it seemed more than a little odd to be greeting the day when properly she should be in the middle of elevenses.

Merry had just emerged from the bath, laughing and talking to Estella, as Pippin entered their suite. ‘Hullo, Pippin,’ he said cheerily. ‘I hope you didn’t miss breakfast on my account!’

 ‘It’s time for elevenses,’ Pippin said. ‘And here you are, lolly-lagging about in the bath for half the morning. Will you Brandybucks ever take leave of your unnatural fascination with water?’

 ‘It would be completely unnatural,’ Merry said, his chin in the air. ‘It was a major concession on my part to be bathing in a tub and not in the Lake this morning.’

 ‘But much warmer,’ Estella said smoothly. She was wound as tight as a watchspring but maintaining a calm exterior for fear they’d send her from Merry’s side.

Elladan emerged from the bath room. ‘At least he doesn’t splash quite as much water on the floor as certain other hobbits have been known to do,’ he said with a smile.

Pippin did not answer the smile. Fixing his eyes on Merry’s, he said, ‘Are you sure of this, Merry? It’s not as if you need to go through with this to save your life.’

Merry crossed to take Pippin in a one-armed embrace. ‘All will be well, cousin,’ he whispered in the younger hobbit’s ear, just as he’d reassured him many years ago, in other circumstances. Pippin was eerily reminded of their parting in the Houses of Healing, as he'd been about to march off to the Black Gate. Merry's words had rung brave but hollow in those circumstances, and he wondered now at the shiver that went down his back.

Elessar entered then, gesturing Merry to the bed. Merry, of course, made a joke of it, rolling his eyes and laughing as he released Pippin. ‘Healers!’ he snorted. ‘It’s all you ever think of. Bed!’

 ‘I’m in league with the chambermaids,’ Elessar said in kind. ‘As long as you’re in it, they don’t have to change the sheets!’

There followed yet another examination, unhurried, with low-voiced conversation between King and son of Elrond.

 ‘We ought to have Frodo with us,’ Merry said. ‘At least he’d be able to tell us what dastardly plots they’re hatching.’

 ‘We’re planning to eat all the teacakes whilst you’re otherwise occupied, Master Brandybuck,’ Elladan said, and shifted his grip on Merry’s arm so that Elessar could ink a careful line.

 ‘Run out of parchment, have we?’ Merry said. ‘I want to know how you’re going to stack hobbits in orderly piles in your records room.’

Pippin had remained uncharacteristically silent through the examination. At the end, Merry had loosed Estella’s hand to take his cousin’s. ‘All right, Pip?’ he said.

Pippin had swallowed hard and forced his eyes to meet Merry’s, all too aware of the healers’ scrutiny. ‘Of course I’m all right,’ he said. ‘I’m just reminded of the time Farry got into the ink and drew pictures all over himself. Why, it took days for the marks to fade...!’

 ‘You had to throw away the carpet, as I recall,’ Estella had said.

 ‘Throw away the carpet!’ Pippin had rejoined, in apparent shock. ‘My dear cousin, that was a valuable carpet! Throw it away? By no means! We used it to decorate the quarters kept for the Master of Buckland, of course!’

Elessar had subtly relaxed, and Pippin had not been sent from Merry’s side. The sleeping potion that Elrohir brought was drunk, the hobbit was sent off to sleep, and Elessar wrapped the blankets round his friend and lifted him gently from the bed, Estella still clinging to Merry’s good hand. Elrohir had disappeared once the potion was drunk, but Elladan stayed by Pippin.

Estella walked to one side, reaching high to maintain her life-grip on Merry's hand. She listened in silence as Pippin walked on the King's other side, talking lightly of the wonders they’d seen. ‘Really, Strider, I don’t know why it’s taken you so long to come North! And I hardly understand how you could tear yourself away, to go South once more.’

 ‘I’ll be alternating between South and North from now on,’ Elessar said.

 ‘Every other year with us?’ Pippin said in delight.

 ‘Not quite,’ the King said cautiously. ‘If, perchance, I’m in the midst of a quarrel with the neighbours...’

 ‘Ah, yes, you’d need to settle such disputes,’ Pippin said. ‘Wouldn’t want the neighbourhood to go downhill whilst you’re away on holiday. Whilst Jack’s away the rats will play.’

Elessar looked at him in surprise, and he laughed. ‘Yes, Bergil told me the story,’ he said. ‘We have a similar children’s tale in the Shire, you know.’

 ‘I didn’t know,’ Elessar said. ‘You’ll have to tell it by the fireside this evening.’

 ‘Yes,’ Elladan put in. ‘My younger brother does appreciate a tale before he’s sent to his sleep.’

 ‘My older brother has been known to pause in his adult affairs and settle his creaking joints to listen to children’s tales,’ the King returned affably. ‘It makes him feel young at heart.’

 ‘He must listen to an awful lot of children’s tales,’ Pippin said, eyeing the son of Elrond.

Elladan threw back his head and laughed. At last, he said, ‘I thank you for your kind compliment, Pippin... I think.’

They turned into a room that was already bustling with large folk making preparations. Pippin fought down the feeling of being insignificantly small and in-the-way. ‘Where do you want me to stand, Strider?’ he asked.

 ‘We’ve arranged special seating for you,’ the King said, laying his burden upon the table. He nodded at two Man-sized chairs set a little to one side. Samwise was already sitting upon one of the chairs, talking quietly to Elrohir.

The latter stood up to bow Pippin to the chair he vacated. ‘I have been keeping your seat warm,’ he said.

 ‘That’s very kind of you, Elrohir,’ Pippin said, climbing onto the chair. He frowned and started to add something, but Sam pulled at his arm with a wink.

When Pippin turned, the Mayor bent near and muttered, ‘If we stand upon the chairs we’ll have some sort of view; better than standing on our tip-toes next to the table, craning our chins, at any rate. But Elrohir has solemnly warned me if we make any sort of fuss we’ll be put out, to wait with the rest.’

Pippin nodded. The greatest concession had been made on Estella’s behalf, of course. A chair had been placed with its back against the table, and she stood pressed against the table on her husband’s good side, firmly holding his hand, watching as assistants bared Merry’s shoulder with its inked guide-marks, and draped lengths of fabric all around to set off the area where Elessar and Elladan would be working.

Elrohir settled on a stool at Merry’s head, fingers lightly touching the throat where the lifeblood pulsed, his eyes on the rise and fall of the sleeping hobbit’s chest. Elessar and Elladan had donned shapeless gowns to cover their clothing from spurting blood—Pippin had seen enough in the Houses of Healing after the siege of Minas Tirith to know that much—and they were scrubbing their hands at a nearby fountain where the water continually flowed, for most healers knew in those days that quantities of fresh water kept away the red swelling that otherwise too often followed injury.

At last all preparations were complete, and Elessar lifted the gleaming blade from the tray an assistant held, while Elladan stood ready to wipe away the blood of the first cut.

Sam looked away, but not just because he felt squeamish. He surreptitiously watched Pippin, mindful of Elrohir’s instructions. The Thain was breathing shallowly, his face pale, and he swallowed hard as the knife descended upon his beloved cousin.

Estella bit her lip, watching her husband’s flesh part under the smooth, soundless onslaught of the blade, but she did not look away or show signs of fainting, Elrohir was glad to see. He turned his full attention back to Merry.

A/N: Thank you to FantasyFan for invaluable technical assistance!