Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

A Took by Any Other Name  by Lindelea

Chapter 3. Breakfast in Bed

When Diamond returned, Pippin was still asleep. Esmeralda’s arms encircled him as she crooned an old Tookish lullaby. She looked up, her eyes shadowed, though she sang to the end of the song.

 ‘There now, my lad,’ she said softly. ‘Thy sweet love is here now, just as the song says, to weave thee pleasant dreams.’

Somehow they managed to exchange places without wakening Pippin. He sighed as Diamond gently stroked his hair, and murmured her name.

 ‘I’m here, my love,’ she said, settling back against the pillows. ‘Sleep yourself out, my sweet. Breakfast is keeping.’ Ossilan had said last night that healing sleep was more important than food, the first day, and that Pippin would sleep much of the time, wakening only when his body demanded sustenance, likely to fall asleep as soon as need was satisfied.

 ‘Mmmm,’ Pippin said. He brought up one arm to circle Diamond and then he was quiet once more.

 ‘If he dreams...’ Esmeralda began, and stopped.

 ‘Yes?’ Diamond said, looking up from Pippin’s face.

 ‘Old songs are best,’ Esmeralda said cryptically, the Tookish lilt very strong in her voice. ‘They bring with them a feeling of safety. Perhaps they take him back to the time when he was a small lad...’

 ‘What sort of dreams...?’ Diamond began, but Pippin’s aunt held up a restraining hand.

 ‘Later,’ she whispered, and with that she eased herself out of the room.

Not long after, servants spirited away the breakfast trays, breathing that they would bring freshly cooked hot food in an hour or so. Pippin didn’t seem troubled by dreams now. Indeed, he slept peacefully for the better part of an hour. Diamond was dozing, herself, when she felt his arms tighten again. She blinked herself to wakefulness, ready to begin singing away any fearful phantom of sleep. But no, Pippin was awake, gazing earnestly into her face, though he smiled when her eyes met his.

'Hello, my love, are you hungry?' she asked.

'Somehow I will never look at food in quite the same way,' he answered.

'Well, you still need to eat. Ossilan says you should stick to soft foods for a few days, as long as your jaw is sore.'

Pippin reached up slowly to rub at his bruised and aching chin. 'Yes, I think some porridge would go well, about now.'

'I thought you hated porridge!' Diamond said.

'I do. I thought I'd get it out of the way, first thing, so that you won't push it on me when I tire of broth and custard,' he replied.

Diamond laughed. 'I don't think there's anything at all wrong with you,' she said.

'Who said there was?' he demanded. Chuckling, his wife kissed the tip of his right ear and went to find him some breakfast.

When she returned to report that breakfast would follow close behind her, she found him sprawled on the floor beside the bed. ‘What in the world...?’ she gasped, and then she was grasping at her protruding belly as a twinge seized her.

The servant entering a moment later dropped her tray in consternation at seeing Diamond bent over, hugging herself, while a groaning Pippin tried ineffectually to reach for her. Breakfast, Pippin’s first and Diamond’s second, splattered in all directions.

The sound of running feet mingled with the servant's breathless apologies and soon Merimas Brandybuck skidded into the room, falling over the serving lass who’d automatically bent to pick up the broken crockery. More thudding feet were heard: the servants he’d dispatched to fetch Healer Ossilan and Mistress Esmeralda when he’d heard the crash.

 ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,’ came from the heap of Merimas and serving maid, while Diamond sank into the chair next to the bed, head bent forward as she gasped for breath.

 ‘What in the world is going on here?’ Ossilan bellowed from the doorway, and Pippin looked up, leaving off his entreaties to Diamond to speak to him.

Merimas and serving maid fell silent.

 ‘Well?’ the old healer demanded, sweeping the occupants of the room with a steely gaze.

 ‘I... I fell,’ Pippin said meekly.

 ‘You... fell,’ Ossilan said darkly, advancing to his patient and creaking to his knees. He looked up at Diamond. ‘Mistress? Is it well with you?’

Diamond nodded, though her head remained bent and her curls, cascading free from their net, hid her face.

 ‘What are you doing, falling?’ Ossilan said, turning his attention back to Pippin. ‘If you’d stayed in the bed...’

 ‘I fell out of the bed,’ Pippin said. ‘I needed... I mean, I wanted... I mean...’ He cast an agonised glance at the serving maid and if his face had not been covered with purpling bruises Ossilan would have sworn he was blushing.

Ossilan swung on the maid. ‘Out with you then!’ he said sharply.

 ‘But sir! I need to clear away...’ the unhappy serving lass said.

 ‘Out!’ Ossilan barked.

Merimas, climbing to his knees, took the lass by the elbow and hauled her to her feet as he gained his. ‘Come along then,’ he said. ‘You’d best fetch a bucket and brush to scrub up the spilled food...’ Still talking, he urged her to her feet and out of the room, closing the door firmly behind them.

 ‘Diamond?’ Pippin said plaintively.

Head still bowed, Diamond shook her head.

Ossilan frowned. Evidently the young mistress was beyond speech. ‘Is it that you’re having more pangs?’ he said.

Diamond nodded and then shook her head again. What was it to mean... yes and no?

 ‘You had pangs, but they’ve stopped?’ Ossilan hazarded.

Another nod, but still her head remained bowed. Well, if birth was not imminent, Ossilan could turn his attention to Pippin, perhaps not as urgent a case, though from the desperation with which the hobbit was clutching at the healer's arm, perhaps it was...

Without further ado he got his shoulders under Pippin’s arm, pushing upright until he could lift the injured hobbit back onto the bed. From there it was a simple matter to ease Pippin’s discomfort with the aid of a bedpan made ready for a bedridden patient. In truth Ossilan hadn’t expected the Took to be able to leave his bed for some days yet.

Business taken care of, patient tucked up and covered bedpan carried away by a passing servant he’d hailed from the doorway, Ossilan turned his attention to Diamond again. She sat quite still in her chair, head still bowed, and she hadn’t said a word.

 ‘I’m sorry, love, I really am...’ Pippin said in his distress, reaching a hand towards his wife.

Diamond only shook her head.

Ossilan gently laid his hands upon her distended abdomen, but felt no ripple of contractions, nor even any movement of the babe within. ‘Diamond?’ he said quietly.

 ‘Please, love,’ Pippin said, reaching further. Ossilan quelled him with a glare. All they needed was for the hobbit to fall out of the bed again.

Diamond raised her head, finally, her cheeks flushed and her eyes overflowing. She opened her mouth to speak, but gave a shuddering gasp instead and bent her head once more to hide her face. Ossilan realised she was weeping and laughing at one, and he took her shoulders and shook her gently. ‘Come now, lass,’ he remonstrated.

 ‘S-s-s-sorry,’ she whispered brokenly. ‘S-s-sorry.’ She gasped for breath. ‘Can’t—can’t seem to—s-s-stop...’

And then Esmeralda was there, clucking like an old mother hen with ruffled feathers, gathering Diamond’s scattered curls and tucking them neatly out of her way again. She put an arm around Diamond and urged her out of the chair, glaring at Ossilan and Pippin to preclude them from speaking.

 ‘There-there, lass,’ she said, rolling the words from her tongue as if they were in the heart of Tookland. ‘Time for you and me to take a turn about the garden. A little fresh air for the babe is what I’m thinking.’

 ‘Fresh air,’ echoed Diamond in a whisper.

 ‘Fresh air,’ Esmeralda said firmly, with a jerk of her chin. ‘And you—!’ she said, fixing Pippin with her sternest look. ‘You stay in the bed! You’re not too old to take over my knee...’

He was too old, rather, grown-up, married, and about to be a father. Nevertheless, Pippin looked down and muttered, ‘Yes’m,’ just as if he were still a careless tween, and Esmeralda shook a finger at him just as if the years had rolled away in truth.

 ‘See that you do!’ she growled, and then in a voice of lilting sweetness, she crooned and cosseted Diamond from the room.





<< Back

Next >>

Leave Review
Home     Search     Chapter List