A/N: This is the final part. Thanks to everyone who has been reading! And thank you to Pipwise for the beta :)

March 29

Pippin did not recall falling asleep, but when he woke he discovered Merry sprawled beside him, still in a deep slumber. Blinking in the bright midday sun, he glanced around and found Gandalf sitting nearby and watching him closely.

“Good morning,” Gandalf said, “or should I say, good afternoon. You and your cousin have slept long.”

“Hullo, Gandalf,” Pippin replied with a smile. “Is it really the afternoon already?”

“It is indeed, and I am under strict orders from Aragorn to give you your medicine as soon as you wake,” Gandalf replied, nodding to three mugs lined up in a row on a nearby tray. He handed the first to Pippin, who cringed at the tonic’s smell but gulped it down nonetheless. The next two mugs followed immediately, and by the time Pippin was finished with the third he felt exhausted, and settled back wearily against his pillow.

“I feel so tired all the time,” he said, frowning a little.

“You need plenty of rest, as does Merry,” Gandalf replied. “Between the nightmares and his worry for you, I don’t suppose your cousin has slept well in many days.”

Pippin turned to look at Merry. His cousin was still in a deep sleep, his breathing steady, and looked more peaceful than Pippin could remember. Hesitantly Pippin touched the back of Merry’s hand, and was relieved to feel warmth there, instead of icy cold. “I hope Merry will be all right, Gandalf. He frightened me terribly,” he admitted.

“I know,” Gandalf replied. “I believe your cousin frightened himself. But it was a very wise idea to allow Merry to hold your stars, Pippin. My only disappointment is that I did not think of it first,” he added with a wink.

Pippin laughed a little, stopping only when his chest began to ache. “I knew that if anything could warm Merry’s arm, it would be my stars.”

“Oh, they did more than that, my lad,” Gandalf said. “Your stars helped drive away the lingering Shadow.”

A thoughtful look crossed Pippin’s face. “But, Gandalf, Merry wasn’t holding the stars for very long. How could the Shadow leave so quickly?”

“Your cousin is strong, and has been fighting it on his own since he helped to destroy the Witch King,” Gandalf explained. “If the war had been over then, and Merry allowed to heal properly in Minas Tirith amongst his friends, I do believe the Shadow would have disappeared quickly.”

Gandalf sighed heavily, his heart full of regret. “But there was another battle to fight, and we did not have time to spare. And so your cousin was left alone with his worry, in a city full of fear and doubt, and the Shadow lingered within him.”

“Poor Merry,” Pippin whispered, stealing another glance at his still-sleeping cousin. “I suppose hearing about me must have made things worse.”

The wizard nodded. “Merry believed that his worst fears had come true. The Shadow took advantage of this and increased its hold over him until your cousin was so firmly entrenched in its grasp that it was not enough merely to see you wake up, he had to be certain that you would truly recover.”

“And the stars helped him to do that?” Pippin asked, still struggling to understand.

“In a way, yes,” Gandalf replied. “Just as they helped lead you back to us. The stars serve as guides but they cannot work alone. They require something more, something deeper: friendship and love, which give a person hope, and make him want to live. While you were wandering in dreams, Pippin, your friends were waiting by your side. Somehow I think you were able to sense that, and this brought you hope, enabling you to follow the stars back to us.

“A similar thing happened with your cousin,” the wizard continued. “The Shadow was driven away not only because of the stars’ presence, but because of your desire to bring comfort to Merry. That you were quite capable of looking after him, wounded as you are, no doubt helped your cousin to see that, perhaps, you would be well again.” Gandalf smiled, his eyes twinkling. “His hope increased, and Merry soon grew determined to be free of the Shadow, allowing the stars to chase it away.”

“So we needed to work together, the stars and Merry and I,” Pippin mused thoughtfully. “Is that how you knew it would work, Gandalf? Sending the stars to find me, I mean.”

Gandalf considered this for a long while, his brow furrowed in thought. “I believed that somehow the stars would find you, and that, with your cousin’s help, you would cease your wandering and return to us. I did not know for certain, however, it was merely my hope. Some might have called it a fool’s hope,” he added with a wink.

Pippin smiled, though his eyes looked troubled. “I suppose it was just a few days ago when I thought that everything would end terribly, and that I would never see anyone ever again. And now Merry is here, and feeling more like himself, and soon Frodo and Sam will wake up.” He wiped at his eyes where sudden tears had sprung. “It all seems so strange and wonderful at the same time.”

“I do not doubt that it does,” Gandalf replied gently. “And it is certainly a bit overwhelming for you as well.” He smiled as the hobbit nodded in agreement.

“Remember, Pippin, that your friends are here, and that in hardly any time at all you will be up and about, and wreaking havoc across the camp,” he continued, shaking his head wearily at the thought.

Pippin could not help but grin. “That is something to look forward to. I really do miss getting underfoot, you know.” His expression turned serious and he searched the wizard’s face with anxious eyes. “Gandalf, how are Frodo and Sam? Are they alone and confused now, while they sleep?”

“No, Pippin,” Gandalf said. “They are both recovering remarkably well, considering how they have suffered, though it will be some time yet before they are ready to wake. But they are not wandering as you were. When I sit with them I sense healing, and peace.”

“Good,” Pippin replied, visibly relieved. “I wish I could visit them now. It might seem silly but I like to think that my stars are watching over them now, since I cannot.” He shrugged a little, suddenly uncertain, but Gandalf nodded in agreement.

“I am certain that your stars watch over everyone you love,” the wizard said with a smile.

“That’s a lot of work for two small stars, but I’m glad. And soon enough I’ll be able to see Frodo and Sam myself.” Pippin’s stomach rumbled loudly. “But for now I think I shall eat and then I would very much like a bath,” he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he ran his fingers through his matted, tangled curls.

Laughing, Gandalf stood. “I suspected that you would be hungry after missing all of your morning meals. Let me find Aragorn and ask him if you cannot have a bit more to eat than broth today, and if you may have a bath. And then I think I shall visit with Frodo and Sam for a while.”

“Say hello for me, please,” Pippin requested, his smile turning wistful.

“I certainly will, my lad,” Gandalf promised, and patted Pippin’s hand gently before leaving the tent.

*

After a meal and a bath that soothed his bruised body, Pippin felt remarkably better, and spent the rest of the afternoon holding court to a steady stream of well-wishers, both dear friends and acquaintances alike. Although he was cheered by the company, especially when Merry left for a time to visit with Frodo and Sam, Pippin found himself thoroughly exhausted by the early evening, and dropped off to sleep just after supper.

When Pippin woke once more the tent was dark and quiet. Merry was again asleep beside him, tucked close into his side, and when Pippin looked across the tent to the other cot he was amused to find Gimli there, snoring lightly with the covers tucked beneath his beard.

Smiling, Pippin turned the other way. The tent flap was tied back, letting in the cool, fresh air, and Pippin could see Gandalf standing just outside, his face turned toward the dark, star-filled sky.

Somewhere in that sea of lights was his pair of stars, of that Pippin was certain, and he studied the sky closely, searching for them. A fool’s errand, he thought to himself, and could hardly suppress the laughter that bubbled in his chest. Merry and Gimli did not stir, but Gandalf turned. Seeing that Pippin was awake, the wizard soundlessly ducked inside the tent, claiming the chair beside Pippin’s cot as his own.

Pippin smiled in greeting before focusing his attention once more on the night sky. His eyes roamed over the stars, still searching for his, and a couple suddenly glistened, dazzling him with their light. Studying them closely, Pippin watched as they sparkled, shining brighter and brighter until they winked at him, and he knew with certainty that they were his stars.

Pippin tugged on Gandalf’s sleeve and pointed. “Do you see them, Gandalf? My stars, do you see them?” he hissed.

Squinting, Gandalf turned and looked up. “There they are,” he said, smiling as he saw the stars twinkling brightly.

“I did not expect to find them so easily tonight, with all the other stars around,” Pippin admitted.

“They are your own pair of stars and you shall always be able to find them when you need to,” Gandalf said. “They will be there to guide you when the world turns dark around you, or when you feel lost or alone. And when you are surrounded by sunshine, still your stars will remain, though they may be hidden by the brighter light of happier times. They will never abandon you.”

Wide-eyed, Pippin stared at his friend, thinking over all that had been said. “Truly, Gandalf?” he whispered in wonder.

“Yes, Peregrin,” Gandalf replied with a kind smile.

Pippin smiled back as silent tears dripped down his face. “I should like that,” he said, and they both turned once more to gaze up at the dark sky lit with thousands of tiny lights.

High above them a pair of stars shone brightly, and winked.

(The Star-verse continues in "Upon the Wings of an Eagle" and "Unaligned" (located in my 'Postcards From the Shire' collection), both of which are posted here at Stories of Arda)