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One Who Sticks Closer than a Brother  by Lindelea


Chapter 40. And Wake Me with the Morning Light

For long moments Pippin had watched the silent healer-King bending over his cousin.

For long moments Elessar had crouched close, one hand on Tolly’s forehead, the other for the most part enveloping Tolly’s hand in his. He’d roused only slightly when the teakettle of near-boiling water had arrived, but had quickly bent back to his task.

Now he lifted his head; he breathed deeply, opened his eyes, and turned to meet Pippin’s hopeful look. ‘It is Tolly who was nearly banished from the Shire, along with Ferdibrand, for conspiring to keep your son from you.’ It was not a question.

‘Aye,’ Pippin said, grieved anew at his own foolish, unthinking anger. ‘I nearly banished them, when all they were doing was trying to prevent a scandal.’

‘And Tolly whom you sent to escort the murderous ruffians to the Bounds, the ones who took Farry and meant him grievous harm.’

‘Aye,’ Pippin said again. ‘And he misunderstood his orders, and so he knew great horror at witnessing their deaths, when it was supposed to be but a simple hanging, quickly over with.’ He struck at his thigh with his fist. ‘Again, because of my anger...’

‘But not unthinking anger, that time,’ Elessar said. ‘You had a very real reason for grief, believing your son tormented and torn to pieces by those... wargs of men. And Mayor Sam had a hand in what happened to the ruffians. He thought only to give them bitter food for thought to chew over on the long journey to the Bounds, and did not realise the potential harm to Tolly, even unto my faithful Rangers...’

‘How do you know this?’ Pippin breathed, leaning against the door.

Elessar smiled faintly. ‘I have read deeply,’ he said. ‘I saw, first, in Tolly’s dreaming the most recent ruffians, the malefactors who were rightly brought to their doom, and long may they sit in the Halls of Mandos, contemplating their evil deeds! ...but that was not the root of the trouble to his spirit. No, it was that some other Men with whom he had dealings, that he led safely out of the Shire, might have shown the ruffians safe passage into the Shire. I had to delve deeply in his heart and memory to find those others, to know and understand their story... He had the right of it, you know.’

‘The right of it?’ Pippin said, blinking, striving to understand and follow this rather remarkable conversation.

‘They were not ruffians, those two he led safely out of the Shire,’ Elessar said.

‘He is ever truthful,’ Pippin said with a nod. ‘If he determined that they were not ruffians, then I would be obliged to believe him, as I did.’

‘But not when your son was directly involved,’ Elessar reminded, and the Thain had the grace to blush and mutter low, ‘No.’

‘Not only is Tolibold truthful, but he is intensely loyal,’ Elessar said, looking back to the still face on the pillow.

‘He is a loyal Took,’ Pippin agreed.

‘So much so, that when he perceived that injustice would be done, should he follow orders, he took matters into his own hands...’

Pippin wrinkled his nose in puzzlement. ‘That scarce sounds loyal,’ he pointed out.

‘Ah, but he was, and continues so,’ Elessar said. ‘Loyal to those who were his friends, and more--he owed them his life.’

‘Loyal to the Men he set free?’ Pippin said. ‘Not to the Tooks?’

‘Or the Thain?’ Elessar said, divining his thoughts. ‘Ah, but had he determined that they meant any harm, he’d have turned them over to be hanged without more than regret over what had been, and old friendship gone to ashes. Yes, his loyalty to you is still strong; strong enough to save you from having the deaths of innocents laid at your feet... and mine.’

Pippin’s head was spinning, and Elessar gave him time to chew over his thoughts by shuffling to the hearth where the teakettle steamed, and bringing it and a basin to the bedside. He poured water into the basin and laid it aside. He then brought out a pouch from under his cloak, and from that pouch two leaves.

He breathed upon these, and then he crushed them, and though they were some hours from having been cut, their fragrance was released in sudden freshness. Casting these into the water, he lifted the basin and held it before the dreaming hobbit.

Pippin straightened as the living essence filled the room, a freshness as of newly mown, dewy grass sparkling under cool sunlight. Closing his eyes, Pippin could almost hear the droning of bees in the flowers... and then he heard the King speak again.

‘Awake, Tolibold, son of Haldibold,’ Elessar said. ‘Walk no more in dreams, but awaken once more to life, to duty, and yes, even to joy...’

Holding his own breath, Pippin saw Tolly’s breast rise, fall, and rise again in deepening breaths.

The King nodded and turned towards Pippin, holding out the basin, and the hobbit hurried forward to take it. Elessar drew his hood over his head, shrouding his face in deep gloom, and rose from his knees to a crouch. ‘Call in his loved ones,’ he said. ‘He will be rousing soon. Have them feed him well, and let him rest, and on the morrow they may carry him home again.’

Pippin nodded. ‘Wait for me in the stables,’ he said, and Elessar chuckled.

‘Of course. You and I are supposed to be elsewhere, are we not? We must lurk in hiding until darkness falls once more, and then spirit ourselves to where they suppose us to be!’

‘O aye,’ Pippin said, ‘but we shall feast well; and at least in the stables you may hold your head up high!’

Elessar chuckled again, and opening the door he started to slip out, only to be arrested by Tolly’s wife and brothers. ‘Please,’ Meadowsweet said, pulling at his sleeve. ‘Please, let me see him...’

The cloaked figure bowed silently, gesturing to the room, where Pippin still stood holding the basin.

‘Er, ah, come in!’ Pippin said. ‘He’ll be wakening shortly.’

‘Shortly!’ Mardi said, striding into the room and hurrying to Tolly’s bedside, to take up a hand. ‘Why,’ he said, his face lightening, ‘his hand is warm again...!’ And brushing the back of his hand against Tolly's forehead, he added in wonder, ‘The fever’s broken!’

‘Tolly?’ Meadowsweet said, right behind Mardi, and taking her husband’s hand from Mardi’s, she pressed her lips to Tolly’s fingers. ‘Tolly, dearest?’

‘What is that lovely aroma?’ Freddy said, coming in with Hilly. ‘Like fresh-baked bread, and honey...’

But Hilly was silent, struck with a sudden recognition. He knew that freshness, that living fragrance, from his time at the Lake. ‘Athelas,’ he whispered. ‘But I thought...’ He looked at Pippin consideringly, but thought the better of speaking his suspicion. A son of Elrond, indeed...

Tolly moved his head on the pillow, and opened his eyes. ‘But it is late,’ he said, his eyes going from Meadowsweet to the window, ‘and surely you have let me sleep through second breakfast!’

And Meadowsweet gave a cry of joy and threw herself on him, kissing him and weeping and hugging all at once, and his brothers’ voices rose in a babble; but looking from Tolly to the doorway, Hilly saw that the cloaked figure was gone.

‘But we--we would offer our thanks,’ he said to Pippin.

‘Here,’ Pippin said, handing him the basin with its still steaming contents. ‘I’ll carry your thanks to him, personally, and if you’d have a grand feast sent out to the stables, I’ll see to it that he eats before he goes back to where he is supposed to be.’

‘And no one the wiser, I hope,’ Hilly said.

‘Aye, exactly that,’ Pippin said with a keen look, followed by a nod of satisfaction. Hilly might have guessed the healer’s identity, but he wasn’t going to tell anyone about it.





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