Chapter 40. Flee Now, Vanish, Yield Now, You Sorrows

Pippin awakened to hear Merry crooning an old tune, one he'd often sung to soothe his young cousin to sleep on the long, wearisome journey from Rivendell southward, before the Fellowship was broken on the rocks of Parth Galen.

'Merry?' he whispered. The song broke off.

'Hullo, Pip,' his cousin said, cheerful tone belied by the shadows under his eyes. 'Feeling better?' The warm, dry cloth was removed from his forehead and replaced with a cool, wet one.

'No,' Pippin said honestly. 'It hurts.'

'What hurts?' Merry asked, instinctively lowering his voice.

'Everything,' Pippin groaned. Every bone and muscle in his body felt as if he'd been dipped into a river and then pounded flat, much like a piece of clothing washed in one of the places where they camped along the Anduin.

'A little athelas is in order, I think,' Strider's voice came. 'It is a stubborn fever, and we have let it run its course for long enough.'

'What are you doing here, Strider?' Pippin asked, confused, but the light hurt his eyes and he closed them again.

'We'll talk about that when you're feeling better,' the king answered. Pippin heard a teakettle begin to whistle, then the sound of water poured into a basin. He heard a rustling sound, as of dried leaves being crushed between the palms of someone's hands, and then a living scent reached his nostrils, bringing clarity to his thinking. The pounding in his head subsided, and the soreness in his muscles began to fade. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, to see Strider smiling at him and holding a basin before his face.

'Breathe deeply, that's it, Pippin,' the Ranger said. But... he wasn't a Ranger now, was he? As the fog began to clear, Pippin remembered. Strider was... Elessar... king of Gondor and of the North-kingdom, of which the Shire was a part.

'Elessar?' he said, to be rewarded by a smile from the king and a sigh of relief from Merry.

'He's remembering,' said a heavily-accented voice, and Pippin blinked, trying to focus on the figure by the door. White teeth smiled from a dark face, and he remembered the king of Haragost.

'Ha'alas,' he said. 'You're here, as well?'

'Indeed, my friend,' the Southron said, advancing into the room.

'We never finished our game of Kings last night,' Pippin said.

'That is correct,' Ha'alas said, refraining from pointing out that the game in question had been suspended nearly a week earlier. 'We did not.' He sat down in one of the chairs by the bed. 'But I do not feel quite up to the challenge this day, if you will excuse me, Thain Peregrin.'

'Pippin,' the hobbit corrected firmly, and the king of Haragost smiled.

'Pippin, of course,' he said, taking the small hand in his own, cool now, no longer burning hot as it had been through the last few nights. He had learned much of this little one with the big deeds, listening to the fever dreams when he took a turn at watching. It was no fluke that one of his race had vanquished the Dark Lord.

'I have some broth here,' Elrohir said, entering with a tray.

'Broth?' Pippin said in surprise. 'That's for sick folk!' He started to sit up, only to have Elessar and Ha'alas hasten to support him and prop pillows behind him.

'I know,' Elrohir said, 'but the cook made it especially for you, and will be broken-hearted if you do not at least try a taste.'

Pippin shot him a shrewd glance. 'I thought Elves were supposed to be truthful.'

'Of course,' Elrohir said gravely, but he was betrayed by the twinkle in his eye. 'However, Mayor Samwise did tell me he would be sorely grieved if you did not honour his efforts.'

'Samwise!' Pippin said, surprised. 'Samwise, cooking in your kitchens?'

'Yes, I do believe he is trading recipes with our cooks. We have become quite enamoured of Mayor Samwise's famous mushroom soup, to be completely honest, and he is learning to make lembas*, though why he should desire that recipe is a puzzle.' While talking, the son of Elrond settled the tray on Pippin's lap, skillfully tucked a serviette under the hobbit's chin, and proffered a spoon with a flourish.

'My thanks,' Pippin said, receiving the spoon with dignity. He dipped it into the broth, raised it to his mouth, and closed his eyes in delight. 'Yes,' he said, 'that is Sam's cookery.'

Samwise himself came in a bit later, beaming to see the bowl empty.

'Good broth, Sam; you haven't lost your touch.'

'Good to know,' Sam answered. 'I can always take up cooking if I grow weary of being Mayor.' He dug in his pocket. 'O by the way, I have something of yours.'

'What's that?' Pippin said, and then his eyes widened as the Mayor produced the seal of the Thain. 'Where did this come from?' he asked.

'You gave it to an elf lord, who rode to the Great Smials and showed it to Reginard to persuade him to send your sister here, for Ferdibrand's sake.'

'I did, did I? Very thoughtful of me.' Pippin said, eyes narrowing.

'Ferdi thought so,' Sam said with a smile.

'How strange that I don't remember doing that,' Pippin said.

'Well, I did ask if you had any objections when I drew it off your hand, and you said nothing...' Sam said.

Ha'alas laughed. 'Is this how Halflings conduct business?' he asked.

Pippin twinkled at him. 'Off with his head, eh, Ha'alas?'

'No, no, we would simply... throw him to the dogs,' the king of Haragost said. 'Except that there will be no more of that when I return. Elessar and I have been talking about... more civilised methods than those employed by my father.'

'I've been meaning to ask you,' Merry began, and stopped.

'What is it, my friend? Do not fear insulting me. I am learning to make allowances.'

'Very kind of you,' Merry said dryly. 'I was wondering why you paid reparations for Celandine and her family, when slavery is a common practice amongst the Haradrim.'

'Ah,' Ha'alas nodded wisely. 'It is the Law, you see,' he said, and then remembering that these unenlightened ones were not familiar with the Law by which his people lived, he added, 'Slaves are taken in battle, when a stronger people conquer a weaker one. Celandine and her family were taken by stealth and treachery, very dishonourable.'

'Honour is all,' murmured Pippin, and the young king turned to him with a smile.

'Yes,' he said, 'exactly.' He turned his gaze to Elessar. 'But we are learning new ways,' he said. 'Ha'alassar came against us with an overwhelming force, and yet he did not make slaves of us, rather, he offered us friendship.' Elessar nodded and smiled as the young king continued, 'I think that the two kingdoms, together, as friends, will be stronger than master and slave would be.'

'You have the right of it, my friend,' Elessar said, and the king of Haragost bowed slightly.

'Honour is all,' Ha'alas repeated, 'and you allowed us to keep ours. I have indeed learned much, and I intend to share this new learning with my people, and may a long friendship grow between our kingdoms.'

'Hear, hear,' Pippin said, raising his mug of water in a toast. 'To friendship.'

***

The Thain fell asleep soon afterwards, and Merry stretched. 'Why don't you take some rest, have a nap yourself?' Elessar asked him.

'I am well,' Merry said.

'Seems as if I've heard that before,' the King said dryly.

'No, really, I am,' Merry insisted, extending his right hand.

Elessar took it, raising an eyebrow. 'Warm,' he commented.

Answering the young king of Haragost's questioning look, Elessar explained, 'He helped to slay the Witch King, you know, and his sword arm tends to bother him when he is ill or worried.'

The young king nodded, yet again impressed by the little folk his father had deceived him into thinking simple-minded animals.

'As you see, I have not been worrying overmuch, though there seems to be much to worry over, at the moment,' Merry said. 'Somehow it is hard to worry, among Elves.'

'What is it that worries you, my friend?' Elessar asked quietly.

Merry nodded towards the bed. 'He, mostly,' he said. 'I had persuaded him to seek your counsel, before we were distracted by events...'

'My counsel?' Elessar prompted, when Merry paused.

'Strider...' Merry began, and the King nodded encouragingly. 'Your offer of the Westmarch is a great gift,' he said. 'But...'

'We will scour the land of ruffians and set up outposts along the new Bounds. You need not worry about the safety of the Shirefolk,' Elessar said.

Merry sighed. 'That is a relief,' he said, 'but not the whole solution.'

'Tell me,' Elessar said. 'If it is this difficult for you, think of what you are sparing Pippin.'

Merry nodded, tightened his lips and narrowed his eyes in thought, and then his face relaxed as he sighed and shrugged the tension from his shoulders. 'Strider, Pippin is trying to oversee the Shire in the same way my father watched over Buckland,' he said. 'He is doing more than any Thain has ever done, and the land and the people are prospering. His own father watched over Tookland only, ruled that land with an iron fist, which I suppose would be easier than what Pip's doing. He is letting the Shirefolk govern themselves, as hobbits were meant to, and only steps in when there is a problem; and he ensures care for those who have none to care for them.'

'An admirable endeavour,' Elessar said gravely.

'Yes, but Tookland, or Buckland, are small fish compared to the entire Shire,' Merry said. 'And now...'

'And now I am adding the Westmarch to his burden,' Elessar said in slow realisation.

'A burden that he is already staggering beneath,' Merry said soberly. He raised a hand to forestall further comment from the King. 'And if you were to withdraw your offer... He already feels as if he is failing in his duty to the Shire. To lose the Westmarch, because of his own inadequacies, real, or fancied...' He shook his head. 'I think it would break him.'

The King considered long in the silence that followed. Finally, he leaned forward and said, 'You asked for my counsel. This is what I advise...'

***

Author's note: Some time after writing this story, I was made aware that the Elves did not lightly share lembas with mortals -- it was very unusual that the Nine Walkers received lembas among their supplies, from what I've read -- and so Sam "learning to make lembas" is probably not very likely.

***

Notes from original posting

Notes to Readers:

Thanks for the reviews! Very helpful, quite motivating.

Am posting today's chapter a few hours early; hope nobody minds. :)

Hai, it certainly is a good thing that Frodo approves! Hostile in-laws can be quite a challenge to overcome.

Xena, Ha'alas is a scary guy, coming from the background he comes from. Still, they might have got him away from his father's influence in time. And hobbits have to be a good influence, too. Yum, I think I'll have a pina colada as well, just leave the rum out of mine (am a wine drinker, but stronger spirits give me headaches).

Look for a new chapter to this story, if ff.net agrees, in two days. Angst forecast: Angst seems to be easing off just a bit.

Look for the newest chapter to "Flames", in case you are following that story, on the morrow. (Flames is finished, by the way, and I find the ending very satisfying even though I hated to end it!) Thank you for your patience.