Chapter 61. Best of Both Worlds

The door to the small (or large, from a Hobbit's perspective) stone cottage opened, revealing a slender woman with silvering hair, pulled back in a bun as Tolly remembered her from years past when none of her hair had been silver but dark as a moonless night. He also noticed a length of shining chain peeping out between the edge of her bodice and the graceful arc of her throat, and knew it for what it was: an Elf jewel beyond price, presented to a small child by a grateful Elven King.

Her voice was music – some grace bestowed by the Elves? – as she smiled upon her visitors, looking from the hobbit to the tall, hidden figure at his side. 'Gentlefolk,' she said in greeting. 'How may I be of service to you?'

'Elf-friend, you already have been of great service, to the old Thain, to the Tooks, and to myself,' Tolly replied with a deep bow.

Her eyes widened; she gasped and eased herself to one knee to see eye-to-eye with the hobbit. 'Tolly?' And then puzzlement deepened the light creases already visible on her brow. '...but how could I ever have been of service to the Thain? I have lived in the Bree-land for much longer than Peregrin has been Thain!'

'The old Thain,' Tolly emphasised. 'Thain Paladin, that is. For your family sent along the waggons of wood belonging to the Thain and the Tooks that the ruffians would have "gathered" in the name of Lotho. And you raised your sons with kindness and pity for others, such that they saved the life of a Tookish messenger that the ruffians captured and mistreated, then buried alive and left for dead.'

She swayed at this news, and at this sign, Tolly moved forward to steady her even before Legolas could respond. He was tall for a hobbit, and well-muscled by the nature of his duties, enabling him to hold the fainting woman upright until he felt her regain her senses and straighten in his arms, whereupon he withdrew his support and stepped back again.

Her face was distressed, and tears stood in her eyes. 'I never knew! O Tolly,' and she suppressed a sob. 'They told us... They said they were going to march you off to the Lockholes, and they were gone several days, and so we thought...'

'And the boys never told you, for your own safety,' Tolly said. 'They watched the ruffians from cover, too young and small to intervene, and then they saw the Men strike me with a shovel and roll me into the pit they'd forced me to dig, along with all the refuse they'd forced me to collect, and shovel dirt over me to hide my grave from the casual eye...'

The woman was weeping freely now, and Tolly pulled out his pocket-handkerchief and held it out to her. 'Take it,' he urged when she hesitated. 'It's clean.'

'It's not that,' she whispered. 'O Tolly, how can you be so kind and forgiving when... we left you for dead?'

'You didn't leave me so,' Tolly said. 'Not knowingly.'

'How can you bear to associate with Men at all?' she said, tears still running down her cheeks. 'I'd heard that the Tooks nowadays shoot any Men who set foot in the Shire, and though I could not understand such hard-heartedness and ruthlessness, after hearing your story, I can begin to imagine...' 

'Not all Men,' Tolly said quietly. 'Not all Men are ruffians, nor does every Man who enters the Shire pursue an evil purpose.' At these words, he saw her put her hand to her throat, briefly take hold of the silver chain of the necklace hidden beneath her clothing, and then hastily let it go again, pressing her hand to her heart instead.

'Yes,' he said with a nod. 'Your sons retrieved your treasure...'

'I thought...' she said, and gulped. 'I thought they hired a Hobbit, one of the Shire-folk, drew him a map, perhaps; waited for him outside the Bounds.'

'I was part of the muster that caught your sons inside the Shire,' Tolly said. He smiled grimly. 'And true, I nearly shot them out of hand, but that one of them stopped me by calling my name. And the rest...' he shrugged.

Her eyes widened with fear, and she blanched and looked up at Tolly's cloaked-and-hooded companion. 'And so,' she whispered. 'Do you bring a Kingsman to arrest them? For the penalty stands, as I know to my sorrow. For the Kingsmen arrested an Edict-transgressor only a month or so ago at The Prancing Pony, and took him away to his doom.' She stifled a sob, not for the lawbreaker but born of dread, anticipating a similar fate for her sons.

And Legolas reached up and slowly drew back his hood from his golden head, smiling down at the upturned faces, and said, 'My little Windflower, I am no Guardsman, come to arrest your sons. No, but I have come to take you home again, if that is your wish.'

Tolly pulled the ribbon-bound rolls of vellum from under his jacket and held them out to her. 'And I have come to bring you the Thain's pardon and blessing,' he said. 'Mistress Anemone,' the Thain's messenger continued, speaking formally (the more casual "Annie" would not be appropriate at this moment, he deemed), 'the documents I bring, signed and sealed by Thain Peregrin himself, the son of Thain Paladin, proclaim you and your sons Shire-folk as well as Shire-friends; and furthermore, your sons are hereby declared heroes of the Shire. And lastly, as Shire-folk, you and your descendants are granted the freedom of the Shire, from now and henceforth!'

(And to be honest, he sighed a little in relief after delivering this speech, and if he hadn't given his pocket-handkerchief to Annie bare moments ago, he'd have taken it out and wiped his brow in relief for getting it right without stumbling too badly. Tolly was normally a hobbit of few words, and so he had practised and practised this speech, from the moment Pippin had told him what to say, back home in the Thain's study, and at odd moments all along the journey from the Great Smials to the woodcutters' door.)

In a more casual tone, Tolly added, 'The Thain would've like to have presented these documents to you and your sons himself, but he had other pressing matters of business and could not get away at this time.' For, of course, Pippin always spent the middle weeks of March in Buckland. Whatever it was he did there seemed to be more important than anything else he might do, including honouring these Shire-friends. Tolly gave a mental shrug and, drawn by movement on Anemone's part as she cautiously extended a hand towards him, fixed his attention more firmly on the matter at hand.

Still staring in wonder at Legolas, Annie accepted the three scrolls from Tolly's hand almost without seeming to notice. Then she looked back to Tolly with a quick-indrawn breath, but her eyes immediately returned to the fair face of the Wood Elf like a moth to flame. 'My Lord Prince,' she whispered.

Legolas, still smiling, reached out and took her wrists (for her hands were full) and raised her to her feet. 'And I,' he said, holding her arms gently and gazing into her bewildered eyes, 'come with messages from two Kings.'

'Two...' she echoed, but seemed unable to speak further.

'Early this morning, I delivered King Elessar's message to the Rangers' post in Bree, informing them of his full pardon of your sons for crossing the Bounds of the Shire to recover your family's property,' he said. 'And similar messages were recently sent to every guardpost in the North-lands with the same information. Moreover, should your sons wish to travel to the South in future, they will find that this news has travelled ahead of them, for once the King reaches Gondor, he will see to it that messages are sent to all the guardposts in the South-lands as well.'

(For Legolas knew that the royal party, which had left the North-lands nearly two months earlier, had stopped off at Edoras, thus extending their travel time between the two kingdoms.)

'Full pardon,' she whispered, and suddenly her face was shining with hope and joy. 'O my Prince, full pardon!'

'But I have another message for you, from Lord Celeborn and King Thranduil,' Legolas said. 'For after cleansing the evil from Mirkwood, they set aside a portion of Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of Greenleaves, and gave the land to the Woodmen and the Beornings.'

Annie nodded uncertainly. 'We have heard rumours of such over the years,' she said. 'But never anything strong enough to warrant the long, uncertain journey, over mountain passes and beyond the Great River.'

'The rumours are true,' Legolas said, his smile brightening. 'And your little house falls within the new territory, and my people have rebuilt what had fallen and restored what was damaged in preparation for your homecoming, you and your kin... But only if you wish to return.'

'O my,' she breathed. Legolas released his hold on her, and holding the scrolls from the Thain in one hand, she lifted her other hand to her throat, grasping the chain and pulling the jewel free and clasping it in her hand, almost unconsciously. 'It is my heart's desire...' she whispered. 'But it is so far...'

'In another month, the higher passes will be free of their snows, and my father will send an honour guard to guide you and bring you safely home, along with any of your kin that may wish to accompany you,' Legolas said. 'And I have asked his leave to lead the party.'

Overcome, Anemone thrust the scrolls at Tolly, who took them. Then she sank once more to her knees, seized one of the Wood Elf's hands in hers and laid a fervent kiss there. 'O my Prince!' she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

There was a shout from the path leading into the Chetwood, and two Men came pounding down the path, axes in their hands. They vaulted the gate leading to the small front garden and stopped, arrested by the sight of Legolas, who had pulled his hand free of Anemone's grasp and thrown back his cloak, revealing mithril mail; and somehow his image had transformed from Tolly's merry companion to that of an Elf-lord, tall and commanding.

'What – What're – What're you...?' one of the Men stuttered, then stood silent and staring beside his dumbstruck brother.

'Little Windflower,' Legolas said, and his eyes moved from the Men to their mother once more, and he gently raised her to her feet.

As if the movement broke the spell they were under, one of the Men said, unbelieving, 'Tolly?'

'Here I am!' Tolibold said cheerfully. He brandished the scrolls and said, 'I've brought you some good news!'

'Good news!' the brothers said in the same breath.

But their mother interrupted, saying to all and sundry. 'But where are my manners? Please, come in! The Highday feast is ready! And there's plenty for all!'

Indeed, good smells of baking bread and simmering stew were wafting from the open door. Tolly's stomach chose this moment to rumble, and rather loudly at that.

And all of them, Took, Wood-elf Prince, Woodmen, and their mother, laughed at the sound, and Annie gladly ushered the guests and her sons into the small (or large, from a Hobbit's perspective) cottage and closed the door behind them.

***