Chapter 52. Still Waters, Running Deep

Elrohir then became aware of a tugging at the hem of his tunic, a tugging that grew ever more insistent, and Diamond’s voice to match, calling his name. He looked down to see her upturned face, streaked with tears, mingled fear and frustration to be read there.

At once he knelt, that they might see eye-to-eye. ‘Diamond,’ he began.

 ‘Where is he taking him?’ Diamond demanded. ‘What did you say to him?’ For of course she had not understood the quick exchange.

 ‘There is athelas in the House of Healing,’ Elrohir said. ‘The hands of the King...’

 ‘...are hands of healing, yes, I know,’ Diamond said impatiently. ‘But...’

Elladan understood suddenly, and went at once to one knee. ‘But you must be with him, of course,’ he said.

 ‘He’s walking alone into the darkness,’ Diamond said, and her eyes filled once again with tears. ‘No friendly voice, no song to sustain him, no hand holding his...’

 ‘The King,’ Elrohir began, but his brother overrode him.

 ‘He yet lives, Diamond,’ Elladan said. ‘Estel seeks to save his life.’

Diamond said nothing, only bowed her head. The sons of Elrond exchanged glances, but whatever might have been said was interrupted by a hail from below.

 ‘Samwise,’ Elrohir said under his breath, and rising he gave Diamond’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning to descend the bank to the waiting hobbits.

***

 ‘Such a to-do!’ one of the ragged Men said to the other, not long after Denethor took horse and galloped away. ‘Guards gone: one run off down the river, one riding off, grown hobbits scattered... Now’s the perfect time!’

 ‘No,’ the other said unexpectedly. ‘Didn’t you hear? It won’t be long before this country is crawling with guardsmen searching for the little princess. We’d better make ourselves scarce. The Queen is watching the young hobbits for all she’s worth, and those sons of Elrond are about. There’ll be another day for our plan.’

 ‘But...’ the first Man said, frustrated.

The other silenced him with a blow. ‘Another day,’ he hissed. ‘Now come along!’

***

Clutching the little princess close, Hilly kicked for all he was worth—which wasn’t much, considering his legs were heavy and numb from effort and the chill of the water. It would be so easy to stop struggling, just to let the water carry them along. He was so very weary... but he was a Took, stubborn as they come, and so he forced his legs to kick, and again, and yet again!

Just when he thought there were no more kicks left to him, he realised that the insistent pull of the water had ceased. He had reached the eddy. The shore was not far off, and attainable. Just a few steps away, perhaps... He lifted his head, gulped air, stared with strangely dimming eyes, seeing dark shadows that might be trees rearing upon a bulk of land; he felt with his numbing toes for the bottom—and went under, sinking, weighed down by burden and exhaustion, crumpling at last in defeat in still, deep water.

***

Halfway to the City the King met the vanguard of the search party, mounted knights led by Denethor.

 ‘Have you found her?’ the guardsman cried, before recognising the burden Elessar bore.

 ‘Not yet,’ Elessar said, shifting Pippin in his arms to a more upright position. The hobbit was barely conscious, his breathing shallow and uneven.

 ‘A full company is marching double-time behind me,’ Denethor said. ‘We’ll find her, my Lord.’

 ‘Very well,’ Elessar said, though his heart was wrung with grief. The guardsmen would walk the riverbanks in hopes of finding the body, that Arwen might hold little Liriel for a last time... Thrusting the thought away, he forced out the words, ‘Carry on,’ and urged the elf-horse into a gallop once more.

***

 ‘The leg is broken,’ Elrohir affirmed, sitting back after completing his examination. ‘Master Merry had the right of it. We’ll splint it before I try to lift you. Now let me look...’ He coaxed Sam’s hand away from his side, pulling back the Mayor’s coat, and gave a low whistle.

 ‘They call it a healing balm,’ Merry said lightly, his hand tightening on Sam’s, ‘but it doesn’t look all that healing, in this light.’

Sam winced as Elrohir delicately eased a shard of glass from his side.

 ‘Not too deep,’ Elrohir murmured, ‘but others might have gone deeper. I don’t want to move you just yet. I think we had better work out as much of the glass as possible before I carry you up the bank.’

 ‘Not too deep?’ Sam echoed, exchanging glances with Merry. ‘You could have fooled me.’

***

Black stillness was disrupted by violent motion and then brilliant sunlight. Hilly gasped as his head broke the surface of the water. He struggled feebly, feeling himself carried along, the water foaming around him. They were in the current again...?

But no, he was being hauled into shallower water, strong arms gripping him much as he in turn gripped the little princess. Next he knew, he had been plonked onto the bank, an unlikely fish caught by a lucky fisherman, and Bergil was prying the princess away from him, hanging her over his arm, pounding gently on her back to force the water out of her.

Hilly himself went into a coughing fit, and then he was thoroughly sick, his body rejecting the water he’d swallowed as the river battered and bounced him along. While he was thus busied he heard a choking gasp and a weak cry that became thin sobbing, growing stronger, and the low murmur that was Bergil, soothing.

At last he was able to look up, to see the guardsman cradling the toddler, who was calling plaintively for her mother.

 ‘Bergil,’ he rasped, throat sore from his recent exertions.

 ‘Hilly,’ the guardsman replied, and then turned back to the toddler. ‘There-there. All’s well. You’re safe. We’ll take you to your mama soon.’

 ‘I thought you said only a fool would jump in the river with mail on,’ Hilly said, sitting up with an effort.

 ‘Call me a fool, then,’ Bergil said. ‘I saw you at the bottom of the pool, and it didn’t seem a good time for niceties.’ He looked at his dripping mail in dismay. ‘The armourer will be quite put out.’

 ‘He’ll probably make you oil it yourself,’ Hilly said, ‘that is, if you don’t want to be consumed by rust.’ He attempted to rise, and groaned as his tormented muscles refused to obey him.

 ‘Hold fast,’ Bergil said. ‘The King and half the garrison will be here soon, searching, and I’m sure someone will be more than happy to bear you back to the City.’

***

Diamond watched as Elladan joined his brother at the bottom of the slope. There was nothing else for her to do; Elladan had promised to send her and Farry back to the City on the first horse that appeared. Apparently the King had decreed that no hobbits should wander without a guard detail, and so she could not begin walking back, without even Hilly’s escort.

She swallowed a sob, staring at Hilly’s bow and quiver on the riverbank. She could only surmise that he’d gone into the water after the princess, and been swept away. No Took would abandon his bow... She covered her eyes, counting the losses of the day: little Liriel, faithful Hilly, Pippin...

There was a crashing in the trees behind her and she turned, seeing Denethor approach, leading Men and horses. He bowed. ‘My lady Diamond,’ he said. ‘The Queen said to look for you here, that shouts had been heard in this direction.’

Diamond caught her breath as she realised that, despite all that had happened, only a short time had passed, relatively, and the Queen did not yet know that her little daughter had been lost in the river.

 ‘In the river,’ she said, her whisper echoing her thought. The guardsman blanched, catching her meaning, and then setting his face in a grim mask, he turned to snap orders to the knights following him.

 ‘Is there aught else, my lady?’ Denethor said, turning back as the knights mounted to begin the search downriver.

 ‘Yes!’ Diamond snapped. ‘I need to get to the City at once, and Farry...’

The guardsman nodded, remembering Pippin, gasping in the King’s arms. He called one of the knights back, ordering him to take Diamond on his saddle, stop at the picnic grove for little Faramir, and ride back to the House of Healing at best speed.

 ‘If you please, my lady,’ Denethor said, and Diamond held up her hands, that he might lift her to the saddle.

 ‘Thank you,’ she said.

It was not far to the grove, where Queen and young hobbits waited. Farry jumped up at the sight of his mother sitting before the knight, one question tumbling over another as he ran to them, stopping short of the giant prancing hoofs.

 ‘What news, Heladan?’ Arwen said, her eyes wide and anxious.

 ‘No news as of yet, my Lady,’ the knight said. ‘The Ernil i Pheriannath has been taken ill, it seems, and I am to carry his family to him.’

Diamond stared miserably at the Queen, dropping her eyes when Arwen turned to her, for she could not face that penetrating gaze. She busied herself with settling Farry securely, and at Arwen’s soft, “Grace go with you,” she merely nodded her head, not daring to look up.

The Queen’s gentle hand fell away and the next thing Diamond knew, the powerful horse was bearing them swiftly through the trees, as they rode securely held between Heladan’s steadying arms.