Chapter 45. Ah! Now I See, as I Go to the Marriage

Welcome!' Pippin called to the first of the coaches to drive up in front of the smials at Greenholm. He opened the door to greet his wife, handing out baskets of sleeping hobbit twins to eager helpers gathered to greet the arrivals. Diamond stepped down, followed by Faramir, who Pippin greeted with amazement and joy ('You're back at last! I thought you were in danger of abandoning the Tooks and becoming a Dwarf!') and Merigrin and Forget-me-not (who for the sake of convenience was often referred to as "Ruby"). Reginard stepped down next, to receive a hearty welcome from the Thain.

'You're looking well, Regi,' he said.

'I'm a whole new hobbit,' the steward answered, thumping his chest. He turned to hand down his own wife, who held her babe close since the little one had been fussy for the last mile or two.

'Did you bring the rest of the family?' Pippin asked, quirking an eyebrow.

'Coming behind in a waggon,' Regi said succinctly. 'With Ferdi and Nell's children, and a minder or two... if they haven't taken the waggon apart, that is.' Pippin looked to see a waggon crammed full of cheering hobbit tweens, teens and children, slowly easing down the steep hill, driver grimly holding on to the brake. 'Looks as if he'd like to let loose, get to the bottom swiftly, have it all over with.'

Pippin laughed, and Regi added, 'Where are Fastred and Leotred? I thought they'd be here to greet us.'

'They didn't want to take any chances,' Pippin said. 'You know it's bad luck to see the bride the day before the wedding.'

'I should say we've used up the entire stock of bad luck to be found anywhere in the Shire,' Regi said.

'Ah, but we used quite a bit of good luck to get past it,' Pippin answered.

'That makes sense, somehow, which worries me,' Reginard said, and Pippin laughed again, then sobered to see the look on the steward's face. Regi was staring as Ferdibrand approached, hand in arm with Pimpernel, walking slowly with the aid of a stick.

'Ferdi! You're up and about!' the steward said.

'Reginard, good to see you,' Ferdi answered with a smile. 'They wouldn't be having the wedding were I not up and about... I am told it is my duty to dance with each of the brides in turn.' He smiled at his Nell, patted her arm. 'I have my wife's permission, of course.' Turning back to Reginard, he said, 'But you are much improved, it seems, from the last time I saw you.'

Regi shot a questioning look at Pippin; the Thain shook his head.

'How do you know?' Regi asked bluntly.

Ferdi laughed. 'I still have ears, Regi. There's more life in your voice. You sound well.'

Though Ferdi's eyes had seemed to look right into the steward's, Regi had shifted his weight slightly and now the eyes were looking just past him.

'It's true, then,' Regi said heavily, and Ferdi's eyes came back to him again as he spoke.

'Of course it's true,' he answered. 'Who would jest about such a thing?'

'What about the ent draught?' Regi asked.

'No ent draught left, I'm happy to say,' Ferdi said jauntily. 'It's just as well; the stuff would probably kill me before it cured me.' Just then the waggonload of children pulled up and swarms of Nell and Ferdi's children suddenly surrounded them, generating too much noise and confusion for any further conversation to be heard.

Waggon after waggon arrived, coach after coach, until the smials at Greenholm were bursting and tents had to be put up to house the overflow. From the top of the Downs, the arriving guests could see bright pavilions just outside the Bounds, where other wedding guests were lodging until the morrow.

Near sunset, Pippin said to Samwise, 'Ah, this looks like your party.' Sam called to Frodo, and the two stepped forward to be ready to greet the Gamgees. Mistress Rose, Elanor and Rosie-lass were especially effusive in their greetings, hugging Frodo for a long time, exclaiming over him, while the younger Gamgees mobbed their father.

'And Fas and Leot...?' Mistress Rose said.

'Inside, of course, so as not to catch the slightest glimpse of the lasses,' Samwise said.

'O Sam, but that's just an old superstition.'

'Seems as if we can use all the luck we can get,' Sam said quietly, giving his wife a long hug. She looked sharply at him, but he merely shook his head with his "tell you later" look, and she let the matter drop.

***

The wedding day dawned bright and promising as the laughing hobbits hiked up the Great East Road, through the cleft that led up onto the Far Downs, followed by Men and Elves and a single dwarf. At Pippin's insistence, Ferdi rode pony-back up the hill, dismounting only when they reached the flower-strewn meadow where the wedding breakfast picnic would take place.

King Elessar and Queen Arwen, the Crown Prince and the little Princesses, an honour guard of the finest King's Men, the Thain, the Master, the Mayor and their families, the King of Haragost, Cirdan the Shipwright and many of his elves, the sons of Elrond, Gimli, and Legolas, and many more mingled in a jolly crowd upon the green as course after course was served and wine and ale flowed freely. Songs were raised, stories told, jokes prompted laughter, blessings were spoken.

As the Sun approached the highest point of her journey through the autumn sky, Pippin refilled Ferdi's glass and helped him to his feet. 'A toast!' the chancellor shouted, holding his glass high. The crowd quieted. 'Laugh long!' he said. 'Live long!'

'Hear, hear!' Gimli shouted.

'I'm not finished yet!' Ferdi shouted good-humouredly. Everyone laughed, then obediently quieted again. 'Should I start over?' Ferdi called.

'No!' several hobbits shouted.

'Very well, then,' Ferdi said sternly. 'Heed my words.' He waited until stillness reigned, and only the sound of the wind disturbed the silence. 'Love forever!' he shouted at last, lifting his glass high, drinking to the couples who were about to be married. With a shout of acclamation, the rest of the crowd followed suit.

Mayor Samwise gave his wife's hand a squeeze as they picked their way to the flowery hollow where the Thain waited. Soon a laughing crowd of hobbits carried their daughters to them, setting them down, flower crowns adorning their heads tipped awry. Rose quickly straightened them again, kissing each daughter's cheek, tears sparkling in her eyes. 'Go with grace,' she said.

'And you, Mum,' Rosie-lass and Elanor said in unison, then turned to hug their father, finally ending one on each side of him, each holding a hand.

Thain Peregrin turned to them, saying, 'Are we ready?'

'No,' Mayor Samwise said. 'What father is ever ready to give his daughters away?'

'Dad!' Elanor said, shocked, and he smiled down at her. 'Ah, Ellie,' he said. 'To think that just yesterday Mr Frodo was dandling you on his knee...' Looking back to Pippin, he said, 'We're ready as we'll ever be.'

The Thain nodded and took his place. The crowd of guests found places surrounding the brides and their parents. The hobbits stood to hear the vows, of course, but all the Big Folk politely sat themselves down so as not to impede anyone's sight.

Last came Fastred and Leotred, Ferdi between them, walking slowly to favour Ferdi's healing leg. They had argued over which of them he would stand up with at the wedding, and he had solved the problem by airily proposing that he stand with them both... 'That's why I'm so valuable to the Thain, you know,' he'd added with a twinkle in his eye. 'I am so good at proposing solutions to problems.'

They stopped before Samwise, Rose, and their daughters. 'We're ready,' Pippin said, to give Ferdi a clue as to where he was.

'Hullo, Nell, 'tis a fine day to be wed,' Ferdi said to the air, turning his face towards Elanor as she answered him.

'Yes, indeed, Uncle Ferdi.'

He held out his hand, and Sam put Elanor's hand into his, and then Ferdi guided her hand in the general direction of Fastred, finding his hand held ready, placing Elanor's hand into her love's. 'There,' he said. 'Did I get it right? We're not about to marry Nell to Leotred, are we?'

'No, Ferdi,' Elanor laughed. 'Not hardly!'

'Now for you, Rosie-my-lass,' Ferdi said. 'Speak up, girl!'

'I'm here,' Rosie said, laughing through her tears. He found her hand and safely delivered it into Leotred's with a sigh. 'There's a job well done,' he said. Fastred pressed his stick into his hand, and Ferdi limped to where he'd heard Pippin speak.

'Right here,' Pippin said in a low voice, to guide him, and he stopped beside the Thain, turning to witness the wedding vows.

A small bird chased a larger one across the sky, and Fastred squeezed Elanor's hand. 'Merlin?' she whispered. He nodded. Somehow, it seemed a good omen.

The Big Folk listened to words, new to them, that the hobbits had heard at wedding after wedding for as long as they could remember, as the four hobbits repeated solemnly after the Thain, promising...

'...to seize each moment, to live to the fullest the love that's between us...'

'...to refuse no joy set before us...'

'...that each day might be a golden coin to add to the treasure trove of our love...'

Elladan felt eyes upon him. Turning his head slightly, he found Elrohir regarding him quizzically. He smiled, nodding significantly as the vows reached their end.

'...until I've drunk the last drop in the cup, and no more days remain to me... as long as life shall last, until I take my last breath of the sweet air.'

The vows came to an end, and there was a long silence as all pondered their meaning. Arwen leaned against her husband's arm. 'Such a lovely ceremony,' she whispered, and he smiled back at her, remembering the choice she had made to be with him.

'As long as life shall last...' the Thain repeated solemnly, then smiled. 'Ladies and gentlehobbits, Big Folk and Little Folk alike, allow me to present to you two new families of the Shire!'

Fastred met Elanor's gaze and squeezed her hand as a cheer went up. They had each left a family behind and joined into something new, something that had never been before... their own family, to endure... forever.

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Notes to Readers from original posting:

Thanks for the reviews! Very helpful, quite motivating.

I cannot believe it, the wedding is here! Are we ready?

Admin Notes: The next (and final) chapter in this story takes place four years after the wedding. It is an epilogue showing how the Warden of the Westmarch is finally established. Think of it as a glimpse into the future... the next story begins three years after the wedding, so if you decide to continue along this timeline with me, please don't be confused by the leap forward and then back... Speaking of the next story, it is called "Truth" and will be posted alternating with "FirstBorn", in the same way "Merlin" and "Flames" have been posted. Handy, for each of the stories to have a sequel...

Those critical thinkers who have noticed but not yet pointed out that Rosie-lass is over-young to be marrying (if you do the calculations, she's not reached the age of thirty yet), well, her parents are in agreement that this is the best thing for her, considering that what she went through caused her to grow up quickly... and she and Leotred have become so attached. We grew up next to a farm where the couple had married in their teens and celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Imagine that. I do believe that Leot and Rose might have a similar story to tell... I have not figured out where in the story to shoehorn this information, so have left it out but thought I'd address it here in these notes, for those who look at timelines and think about these things. ("Hey, the youngest I've seen a hobbit-lass married is age 31 or 32. What gives with Rosie-lass?")

O, and by the way, I am now posting new chapters simultaneously to ffnet and www.storiesofarda.com. So if ffnet has a bad day, hopefully you can still get your update of the continuing saga...

Notes to reviewers:

Bookworm, something like that might be planned for Ferdi in a future story. Who am I to give away plot points?

Xena, thanks for the encouragement. The sequel to this story skips over Pippin's time in Gondor, though it remains possible that a story might yet come of that. The Muse won't say, she merely sips her pina colada and firmly directs me back to "Truth" and "Shire", the two stories currently under construction.

FantasyFan, you *did* review chapter 44! I just now saw it in the ffnet list. For some reason it never made it to my mailbox and I wondered if you were again beset by power woes or Real Life or somewhat. Glad to see you here. Your review brought a smile. I love the in-depth analysis and the encouragement is very welcome. The writing is still not flowing as smoothly as it did, but at least it is flowing.

Hai, another review that did not make it to my mailbox. Such a nice surprise! Yes, I do hope the Muse will let me know what happens to Pippin and his family in Minas Tirith. In "At the End of His Rope" I had Sam and Rose leave for the White City and wasn't going to write the journey or their stay, simply keep writing of events in the Shire until their return. But Things Happened... and those chapters wrote themselves in "Rope"... We can only hope.

Aemilia Rose, thanks for the encouragement. I still have to take a deep breath before settling down to write Legolas and Gimli, but so far they have cooperated nicely with being written. Whew.

Look for the epilogue to this story, if ff.net agrees, in two days, after which you will begin to see chapters of "Truth", the sequel.
 
Look for the next chapter to "FirstBorn" (sequel to "Flames"), in case you are following that story, and if ffnet agrees, on the morrow. Thank you for your patience.

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