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Keep Alive the Memory  by Celeritas


Chapter Seven

When Kira came out to play a few days later, she was lugging around a large, heavy leather bag.  Tom looked at her with suspicion.  “What’s in there?”

“Er… I hope you don’t mind; I brought my book along for when I’m resting.  I’ve found it helps.” 

“Helps what?” said Tom, but Kira did not reply. 

Indeed all of Kira’s friends seemed a bit put out that she now needed to rest more often.  But then again she was just barely recovered; they could not expect her to play too much.  At least they did not begrudge her rest time. 

A little while before they parted ways for luncheon they took a break together in the late spring sunshine.  Even Kira surreptitiously drew the hem of her dress away from her crippled foot to let it soak in the warmth. 

“We’ll have an Overlithe this year,” said Tom.  “Do you think you’ll be able to make it to town more than one day this year, Kira?” 

She shrugged.  “Depends on how well Mum thinks I am.  Do you have something planned already?” 

“Maybe.  Dad said he’d give me a little more spare change this year.  I might be able to bet on ponies.” 

“Oh, dear,” said Daffodil. 

“Well, I don’t have any plans yet,” said Kira.  “Though Mother did say that if I kept on getting better she might let me manage the cart on my own.  Fair days are always so hectic.” 

We’ll be entertaining relations,” said Roly.  “They pinch my cheeks.” 

“It’s very amusing,” said Daffodil.  Roly shot her a look. 

“If I can wander around I’ll go with you, Tom, so long as you don’t spend too much time at the races and don’t have anything horrendous planned.  Say,” a sudden thought had come to Kira, “do you think the Free Fair gets any folk from Buckland?” 

Tom shrugged.  “I don’t see why not.  Why?” 

“Nothing, it just occurred to me that I might get to see Kerry again.” 

“Who?” 

“The fellow that taught me to read.  I’d introduce you all to him; he’s a lot nicer than most people his age.” 

“No, that’s quite all right, Kira,” said Daffodil. 

“Bucklanders are awfully strange, you know,” added Roly. 

“Maybe,” said Kira, thoughtfully tracing the binding on her leather bag.  Her stomach rumbled.  “I think that’s the sign for lunch,” she said.  “I’ll see you all this afternoon if Mother doesn’t want me to do too much weeding.”  She stood up, heaved the sack onto her shoulder, and walked away. 

“Are you sure she’s acting quite normal, Daffodil?” Tom said. 

*  *  * 

If Kira was not acting normal, she herself did not realise it.  Perhaps she was out of sorts from the stabs of pain that still came from her right foot, but other than that she felt quite settled.  Midyear’s day was less than a month away, and she wanted to be in perfect condition for that, so she rested and read more often.  It was a wholly marvellous thing, that reading could make her so oblivious to the concerns around her, and could make time pass so well when it needed passing. 

The more she thought on it, the more she became convinced that the Free Fair was an important enough affair that the Master of Buckland would attend it and, therefore, so would his son.  He would be very pleased with her progress, she decided.  She could understand what was happening more easily and envision the Travellers’ adventures as they happened, and she did not need to concentrate quite as hard as she read. 

And if reading made time pass by quickly, Kira must have read a lot, for before she knew it tents were being set up around town and outside of it, to the point that she could see them and all the other preparations for merriment from her window.  Thanks to her mother’s care and the book, she had completely recovered from the ordeal at the Lockholes—why, she had hardly felt a thing getting her stitches out two weeks prior.  And the arrangements for reading outside seemed to work fine, though at times Kira was tempted to “rest” longer than was strictly needed.  If her friends did not like that she was reading around them, they gave no sign of it. 

In the meantime the Proudfoots had preparations to make.  The Free Fair was one of the best opportunities Mother had, with so many hobbits attending and so much food required to feed them all.  And there would be many from farther away that might not have as big a market as Michel Delving’s, so in the advancing weeks they made cuttings of herbs and hung them to dry.  One day had been spent gathering some of the longer cuttings, weaving them into braids and wreaths, and then tracking them to the kitchen ceiling.  One of these bundles would fetch a hefty price at market and could last a family several months.  The entire hole was filled with the scent of the outdoors for weeks afterwards. 

And as for the fair itself—ah, that was the best part of all!  Mother had told her that they could go to the Free Fair every single day if Kira was up to it, which made Tom near ecstatic.  And Mother said that she could mind the cart all by herself if she wanted.  It was going to be the most exciting fair Kira had ever been to, she decided.  Now all she could do was wait. 

*  *  * 

The Free Fair had turned Michel Delving from a town into a regular metropolis.  Tom’s family was making a few extra pennies by renting the land above their home for tents.  The entire marketplace had been cleared out for the express purpose of displaying and judging goods, whether handiwork, agriculture, or livestock.  The first thing in the morning on Lithe 1, Kira and her mother entered one of their wreaths, as well as a few fresh samples, to be judged among the other herbs.  But their own selling was relegated to the hills just outside town on the western side of the Ash, where most of the other food-sellers had taken up shop. 

Kira helped her mother all morning in the busy traffic of the Fair, and after a brief luncheon was given a few farthings for extra food and set off to meet Tom in the Event Field.  She had forgotten how many hobbits could be crowded into such small streets as she crossed the river on the West Road Bridge and wended her way north. 

When she arrived at the field it was ten minutes before the first event, and Tom was skulking around the betting tables.  “No tricks today,” said Kira, “or I’m going straight back to Mother.  And that includes betting.” 

Tom displayed a copper coin.  “What if my brother gave this to me and told me to?” 

“Your brother also told you to try smoking, and we both know how that turned out.” 

“No, he dared me to.  And I have Father’s approval anyway.  He’s entered one of his, you know—Aster—and if I were a few years older I’d be riding her.  This is my brother’s and he asked me to bet it for him.” 

“Is he riding, then?” 

Tom nodded.  Then he walked up to the nearest table, explaining that he was entering the coin for his brother, and placed the money on his father’s pony.  He was handed a little slip of paper in return.  “Say, can you read this?” he said when he returned to where Kira was waiting. 

She took the slip from him and peered at it.  “All it says is that—hey, you placed two pennies on Aster, not one.” 

Tom snatched the slip out of her hand.  “So what if I did?  It’s my own money, after all.” 

“You little—” she spluttered.  “Fine, then, I’m going back to Mother.” 

“Oh, come, Kira!  I can do what I want with my money.  And besides, Aster’s a good pony.  She should win.  What does this say the odds are on her?”  He handed the slip back to her. 

“One for and seven against.  What does that mean?” 

Tom hesitated.  “It means I make a lot of money if she wins.” 

“And if she loses?” 

“Then I’ll have to get more money.” 

“Oh, you’re hopeless, Tom.  Just don’t expect me to share any of my food with you when you go hungry because your dad finds out what you’re doing.” 

“He won’t care—well—if he does, I won’t ask you for anything.” 

“Not even if I get a mushroom pie from that stand Roly loves?” 

“Not even—”  Tom faltered as he realised the full import of Kira’s question, but was mercifully saved from committing himself by the emergence of the ponies from the stable half-built, half-dug into the hill across the field.  All the hobbits milling about either found a seat in the benches behind them, or pressed closer to the ropes marking off the course.  “At least watch the first race with me,” said Tom.  “You’ve never seen one before?” 

Kira shook her head.  Tom waved as his brother paraded by on Aster. 

“Pah, they’ve entered a Buckland pony this time,” said Tom as another pony and rider went past. 

Kira strained her eyes after the retreating animal, noting that, if there was a Buckland pony at the fair, surely there were also Buckland hobbits.   “How can you tell?” 

“He looks prettier than all the others—horsier, I should say—and he’s got that smug expression on his face.” 

Kira looked at Tom dubiously. 

“He looks as if he knows exactly what’s going on.” 

“If you say so,” said Kira. 

As the ponies were lining up, an officious-looking hobbit ducked under the ropes and made his way to a small platform at the centre of the field.  Once there, he stood still and held up a hand until the crowd had quieted to something near a lull.  He cleared his throat.  “On behalf of all the hobbits of Michel Delving and the White Downs area, and as part of my duty as Mayor of the Shire, I would like to welcome one and all to the one thousand five hundred and fourteenth Free Fair of the Shire and the one hundred and twentieth since the Troubles.  This is traditionally the part where I am supposed to say something about the sharing of food, farming, handiwork, tales, friendship, and beer.  But with so many familiar faces about, and so many folk eager to get to the first event, I do not think I could say anything that any of you have not already heard.”  There was much cheering at this.  “Therefore, I shall keep this speech short.  Let the Fair begin!”  The crowd cheered again as Kira heard the blast of a trumpet and the race began. 

Tom was the ultimate race spectator, rooting his brother on as the ponies thundered past.  After the fifth turn, however, Kira began to get bored.  “How many more times do they have to do this?” 

“I don’t know; I’ve lost track,” Tom shouted over the din.  The ponies went by again; the one from Buckland was leading. 

“This is stupid.  All they’re doing is going in circles.” 

“But it’s so fast and exciting!”

And noisy.  I should have brought my book over from the herb stand.” 

“It’s not that bad, is it?” 

“I’m going over to the stables to see what other animals they have there.  You can meet me there when you’re done.” 

“Fine, then.  I’ll see you later.” 

By the time Kira had reached the stables the race was over, anyway.  It was just as well; apparently only competing animals were stabled there anyway.  There was not much to see.  However, after five minutes Tom was still nowhere in sight.  She decided he must have wanted to watch the next race and wandered around the stable hill. 

She was sitting on a rock on the hill’s opposite side and looking at some of the wild clover in bloom when she heard two voices below her.  Quickly she pressed herself behind the rock and listened. 

“…don’t care if it’s tradition; they’re still Outsiders and they shouldn’t be coming in,” said one of the voices.  Kira peered up from the rock to see it was the Mayor, wearing the same waistcoat she had bumped into her first day at market.  She did not recognise the hobbit next to him. 

“I’m sure you understand that the only reason most Outsiders never enter the Shire is because of the King’s good graces.  But we’ve always had dealings with the Dwarves, and the King’s laws don’t apply to them anyhow.  Why exactly are you so bent against Outsiders?  We have hobbits from Bree come in every Fair.” 

“Hobbits are a different story.  Of course the Breeland hobbits should come in, provided that they leave their outlandish manners behind while they’re here.  But these aren’t hobbits we’re talking about—these are Dwarves.  And make no mistake about it, Outsiders are the first sign of trouble.” 

“I will remind you, sir, that it was Men that started the Troubles, and none of the other races.  I do not see why we should not let Dwarves in, when they have always been peaceable and friendly to us.” 

The walkers were passing out of hearing.  Kira crept behind them to follow. 

“I don’t even care so much about letting them in,” said the Mayor.  “We can’t do much about the comings and goings of Dwarves, nor whom they visit.  It’s more the matter that they’re all coming to such a large, hobbit-sanctioned festival that’s been around nearly as long as the Shire has, and using it for their own gain!” 

“And how exactly are the Dwarves profiting from this?” 

“Well, they’re allowed to set up their tents on our land, and they eat our food for free while at the Fair, and—” 

“You know full well that the grocers and meat-stands can charge them for food if they wish.  And why, pray tell, if you object to the Dwarves, did you not oppose their coming last Overlithe?” 

“I did not know that I would be re-elected.  Now that I truly know I have the support of the Shire I can make decisions more confidently.” 

“So I suppose we’ll have to rely on our local smiths all the time from now on, if you have your way?  What if the Town Hole’s clock breaks down?  Who will repair it?” 

Before the Mayor could answer, the hobbits turned around the base of the hill, and caught sight of Kira out of the corner of their eye.  They both watched her while she made every attempt to appear that she was not, in fact, eavesdropping.  She got a good look at both their faces. 

“What are you doing here?” said the hobbit that was not the Mayor.  Seeing his face, taken together with his accent, made Kira realise that this had to be Kerry’s father, the Master of Buckland.  “You should be off playing with your friends.  If something happened to you here, no one would notice for a long time.” 

Kira mumbled something and crawled back to the rock, where she had left her crutch for fear it would make noise.  As she was leaving, she heard the Mayor say, “I’ll talk to the Thain about this.” 

“He’ll agree with me, you know,” said the Master. 

“You and your Families always agree about these sorts of things.  But being descended from the Travellers doesn’t make…” 

*  *  * 

When Kira got back to the stables, there was still no sign of Tom.  However, since a number of the races were over more of the stalls were filled, both with ponies and those hobbits tending to them.  A sudden idea seizing her, Kira walked from stall to stall, seeing if she could find the Buckland pony.  She knew that chances of seeing Kerry there were very slim, but maybe someone would know where he was. 

Indeed, when she found the stall there was someone there, a girl about Kira’s age, brushing down the pony’s fur.  For a few moments Kira stood there, unsure of what to say. 

Finally the lass put her brush down.  “He’s a nice pony, isn’t he?” 

Kira nodded.  “Did he win?” 

“Of course he won!  Didn’t you see?” 

“No, I got bored after the fifth lap, so I left.  I thought he would, though.”  So Tom had lost his money after all.  “Did you bring him all the way over from Buckland?” 

“Yes.” 

“So you’re a Brandybuck, then?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you know someone over there by the name of Kerry?” 

“Kerry?  He’s my brother.  My name is Merina.  How do you know him?” 

“I spent last winter in Buckland, and he taught me to read while I was there.  Is he here?” 

“No, he’s back home.  Dad thought it’d be a good idea for him to try and manage the Hall while we were gone.  Are you Kira, then?” 

“Kira Proudfoot.”  She held out her hand for Merina to shake. 

“He told me all about you while you were in Buckland, and he asked me to talk to you if I saw you here.  Are you still reading?” 

“Yes, I’m reading out of the Red Book at Undertowers.  They let me take it home.  I got hurt about a month ago, and you wouldn’t believe how much it helped get my mind off things.” 

“Where are you in the tale now?” 

“Oh, it’s positively awful!  Boromir just tried to take the Ring from Frodo, and Frodo very nearly revealed himself to the Enemy, and now he’s about to leave for Mordor with nobody to look after him!” 

“No one?” 

“Not unless someone figures it out before he takes off.  I don’t know—I knew I should have brought the book with me.” 

“Let’s talk about something else, Kira.  I don’t want to give away any of the story.” 

“You’ve read the book, then?” 

“Not all the way through, not by myself.  Dad’s read all of it to us, though.  He used to say it’s the most important thing for a hobbit to know.  But are you here all alone?” 

“Oh, no, Mother’s selling herbs right now and she gave me the afternoon free.  I was supposed to be with my friend Tom, but he’s gotten caught up on all the races.  I told him to meet me here when he was done, but he hasn’t yet.” 

“Well, I haven’t seen much of the fair yet—most of today’s been for getting our tents set up and readying the ponies.  If you’ll help me finish currying this one, and your friend hasn’t stopped by yet, you could give me a tour.” 

“Actually, that’s what Tom was supposed to be doing—I haven’t seen much of the fair either.” 

Merina smiled.  “Then I suppose we’ll have to explore it together.” 

“I should like that very much, Merina.  Thank you.” 

*  *  * 

Merina was exceedingly helpful and showed Kira how to brush the pony down, and with two doing the work of one it took very little time to finish tending him.  Then they walked around the stables once more in search of Tom, but he was not there.  Kira looked across the track and thought she could make out his shape cheering on the next event.  Deciding that he was a lost cause for now, she resolved that if he wanted to find her, he should have to go looking. 

So Merina and Kira explored the Free Fair together.  The marketplace was a regular chaos, with knowledgeable-looking hobbits examining fifty different entries of the same variety of wheat.  Kira could not for the life of her tell the difference.  Throughout the morning more entries had poured in, and she was surprised to see the number of herb samples that her mother was now competing with.  She rubbed a leaf off one of the sprigs of thyme and laid it on her tongue.  “Mum’s tastes better,” she muttered. 

“Does your mother grow herbs?” said Merina. 

Kira nodded. 

“What does your father do?” 

“Oh, I think he farmed—but he died before I was born.” 

“How awful!  What happened?” 

Kira felt her mouth go dry.  “I—I’m not exactly sure.” 

“Well, I suppose you couldn’t remember—but how do you manage?  How does your mother?  Do you live with family?” 

“No, it’s just us.  We’ve always managed—I can’t remember anything otherwise.” 

“Hum,” said Merina.  She looked at Kira and shrugged.  “Let’s look at the livestock they’ve entered,” she said, and walked over to the place that had been roped off to keep all the animals that were being judged.  Kira had to struggle to keep up, but it was not far and Merina stopped once she got there. 

The two lasses held their noses as they passed the cattle and swine, but they spent extra time around the ponies and horses and Merina tried to guess which ones would win.  There were some chicks hatching when they stopped by the small animals, and each girl got to hold an egg as the chick broke free.  Kira was sorely tempted to buy one, but she knew she couldn’t keep it, and she would need the money for food anyway. 

They found the mushroom pie stand set up not too far from the Oak Barrel, and bought and ate one each.  Then it was back to the marketplace to look at the lace, stitching, and quilting displays. 

“Let’s see if we can find the Gardner quilt for this year,” said Merina. 

“How can you tell?” said Kira. 

“Ah—here it is!”  Merina pointed to a patchwork quilt hanging up in the back.  “See, look at the centre square.  What colour is it?” 

“Grey,” said Kira.  “No—it’s green.  Green-grey, I suppose—how do they do that?” 

“You’d have to go over the Sea to find that out—that’s one of the Lórien cloaks—Sam’s, I think.  They put a tiny piece of it in every one of their quilts.” 

“A Lórien cloak?”  Kira looked over at Merina, but there was no sign of mirth in her face.  “That can’t be!”  Merina returned her look, and Kira turned her eyes away, though from time to time she still sneaked a look back to see if Merina was joking.  She had to be… 

They toured the various stands set up on the outskirts of town (all the dry goods had been removed to the storage tunnels) next, and by the time they reached the grocers sections Kira was exhausted.  She begged Merina’s leave and decided she would stay at her mother’s stand for the rest of the day. 

Alas for her when they arrived, Tom was already there, sitting in Kira’s little stool behind the stand and looking none too pleased.  Mother also had a frown on her face.  After hastily introducing Merina to her family and friend (neither of whom seemed particularly happy when they heard her last name), Kira said goodbye to her newest acquaintance and prepared to face the imminent storm. 

“Kira,” said her mother, “I thought you were going to spend the afternoon with Tom.” 

“I was.  But then he started betting on ponies, and I got bored, and he said he’d meet me.  I was at the stables for at least three quarters of an hour, Tom.” 

“No, that can’t be.  I looked for you.” 

“But you did stay longer than the first race.” 

“I only watched two more.  Then I went over and looked for you.  That couldn’t have been longer than fifteen minutes.” 

Kira thought a moment.  “Oh.  Well, I was still at the stables—just behind them.” 

Mother stepped in.  “Children, please stop squabbling a moment.  Kira, what exactly were you up to?” 

“I was waiting for Tom, but I got bored and decided to have a look around.  And then I saw the Mayor and the Master of Brandy Hall come up from behind the hill, talking, and I had to listen.  Do they let Dwarves into the Shire over the Fair, Mother?” 

Tom started and glared at Kira.  Mother ignored Kira’s question.  “And after that?” 

“Well, when I got back to the front of the stables there were more ponies stabled, and I wanted to see the Buckland one, and I met Merina.” 

“And you decided to spend your afternoon in the company of a Brandybuck—and not one of your cousins, mind you—who you’d only met a few minutes before, instead of trying to find Tom and playing with someone you trusted?” 

“What was she going to do, Mum?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, Kira, but you still don’t know her that well.  You have to be careful around folk that live close to the Bounds.” 

“I’m sorry, Mother.  I won’t leave Tom behind again.  But I can still talk to Merina, can’t I?  We are friends—at least, I think we are.” 

“Well, you’ve already made her acquaintance, so it’d be rude to cut her now.  But do be careful when you’re around her!  Now, are you up to helping sell, or did this new friend of yours tire you out too much?” 

“No, I am tired, Mother.  Do you mind if I sit down and read?” 

“Not if it helps you feel better.  Tom, would you please get up?” 

Tom rose from the stool, and Kira sat down, pulled the heavy tome out of the leather bag, and began to read. 

After a few minutes Tom wandered away from the stand, probably in the direction of the Event Field.  But his face was troubled, and every few steps he glanced back and Kira, who was lost in the world contained on her lap. 

*  *  * 

Kira continued reading long enough to learn that Frodo was not going to gallivant off to Mordor alone, and then decided she was rested enough and helped her Mother until the stand closed around five o’clock.  They had made more than enough money for a Lithe 1, and market activity was dying down in anticipation of the dancing in the Event Field that night.  Mother did not wish to attend, as much because Kira was tired as because she did not want her daughter to cement her friendship with Merina just yet. 

Mother had said only one night at the Fair, anyhow, and they had decided that that would be tomorrow, Midyear’s Day, when the Mayor provided a feast for all the hobbits attending.  Roly and Daffy had already told her that they were going to be there, so Kira would not lack for company.  And hopefully there would be enough lantern light after the late sundown (if Mother permitted her to stay that late) that, should her friends want to dance, or socialise with any of the children they normally did not see, Kira could continue reading.  When Kira got home, she and Mother had dinner, and then Kira went straightaway to bed and did not awake until well into the next day’s morning. 





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