We learn that Pippin has a hobby in this chapter and I have to confess that I was inspired about this by a couple of stories by Pearl Took.

10

Everyone was up early on the last day of Forelithe.  All the children were almost too excited to eat, almost but not quite.  Rose managed to get the ones going to the fair to sit still at the table long enough to get a good solid first breakfast into them.  The meals between this one and tea or an early supper would be eaten out of hampers in the wagons.

Once everyone was done with eating, Rose and her oldest two lasses quickly cleared the table and washed the dishes.  Sam, Pippin and Frodo-lad packed the food hampers and the travel packs of each person going to the fair into one of the two wagons they were taking.  They had decided to take both Sam’s wagon and Pippin’s..  This way they could spread out and, if any disputes between children arose, those involved could be separated.  Also, they had items that they needed to take to be entered into judging in various categories.  Diamond had sent two needlework pieces to be judged as well as the first gown set she had made for Sapphire for the sewing judging.  Rose was sending jam and Sam had vegetables to enter as well.  There were a couple of craft items that Pippin had brought that he didn’t say who they were be entered for.  Sam had his suspicions but he kept them to himself.

The children were divided not quite evenly between the two wagons.  Sam, who had the larger wagon, took Elanor, Rose, Pip-lad, Faramir and Bandobras.  Peregrin had Frodo-lad, Merry-lad and Goldilocks.  It was agreed that it would be wise to keep she and Faramir far apart for a day or two.  Merry-lad was not happy with the arrangement since his two partners in crime were in the other wagon and no plotting could be done.

-----

As they traveled, the children talked about several things.  Elanor was very interested in Bandobras and his sister and how they were settling into life at the Great Smials.  “That place has always been so overwhelming to me,” she confessed.

Bandy nodded his agreement.  “It’s loud,” he stated.  “There are always people about and you’re almost never alone.  I still don’t think I fit in.”

“You’re fitting in just fine,” said Faramir.  “And things will only get better when people see that you’re now the second son of the Thain.  Well, you will be, anyway, as soon as harvest is over.”

Bandobras looked down at his hands.  “I may be,” he mumbled, “but I still can’t make myself call him da, even if he’s being one for me.”

“What do you call him then?” asked Rosie-lass, joining the conversation.

“I’ve been calling him Uncle Pippin, but I can’t do that once the ‘doption’s final.”

“I’d thought he could do something like you Gamgees do and call him Pip-dad and mum could be Mummy-deedee or De-mum.”

Ellie shook her head.  “That just doesn’t sound right to me, Faramir,” she said.  “I think they need names that sound like they’re fit for the Thain’s children to call them by.  Have you thought about the elvish names for dad and mum?”

Both lads shook their heads.  “I’m not even sure what they are.” said Faramir.  You’re the elvish expert.”

“Ada is the equivalent of dad and nana would be mum.  Those sound good and no one else in the Shire would be using them so they’ll always know it’s one of you calling them.”

The lads looked at each other.  “What do you think?”

Bandy got a serious look on his face and was quiet for a long moment.  “I like it,” he finally said.  “I think I could use these.  It’s nothing near what I called Mum and Dad but it means the same thing.  Yes, that works.” 

Both lads smiled at the older lass.  “Glad that’s finally solved,” said Faramir, with a sigh.

-----

The trip was a fairly quiet one.  The only disturbances were some moping on Merry-lad and Pippin-lad’s parts that they and Faramir could plan no mischief.  Even Faramir and young Pippin couldn’t plot since the older Gamgee lasses were right there to hear their plans.  Goldilocks was grumpy that she had to be separated from Faramir.  She knew that she had behaved badly the day before but she was mad that she couldn’t spend time with the lad she adored as much, or more than she loved her brothers.

-----

They arrived at the Chalk and Cheese Inn just before teatime.  Once they stowed their bags in the rooms they had been given, they gathered in the common room to share tea along with the other travelers there for the fair and locals curious to see the Thain, the Mayor and their children.

“I wonder when Merry will get here?” Pippin asked as he enjoyed his second cup of tea.

“I’m guessing he’ll get here either very late this evening or early tomorrow.  I have faith that he’ll get here in time to hear my wonderful opening speech,” said Sam.

-----

The combined Took and Gamgee party was just finishing their dinner when the Brandybucks walked into the common room.

Merry saw to it that his family had all they needed before he took a mug of the inn’s house brew and came to join his friends.

He grabbed a chair, turned it backward to the table and straddled it.  He placed his mug on the table and folded his arms on the back of the chair.  

“So, what’s the whole story here?” he said, looking intently at Pippin.

“What do you mean?” asked his cousin.

“You know what I mean,” answered Merry.  “You and Diamond adopting.  So tell me the whole thing.”

“I pretty much put it all in the letter I sent you.  Diamond’s parents thought that Bandy and Ruby would be better off being raised with other children and they thought Di and I could give them a better life than they’d have in Long Cleeve.  Also, they would not constantly be reminded of losing their parents.”

Merry nodded.  “That’s pretty much just what you said,” agreed Merry.  “I just wanted to hear it straight from you.

“So, how are things working out with them?  I know Mum said that the first several months after Frodo’s parents died, he was a little terror.  He was rebellious and didn’t want to listen to anyone.  He kept telling people that they weren’t his parents and he didn’t have to do what they said.  I hope you haven’t had that problem.”

Pippin had a smile on his face.  It seemed that over the last several years, people had forgot that Frodo Baggins was not a perfect paragon of virtue.  He could be as moody and stubborn as any hobbit, maybe even more so than most, but most people seemed to forget that and remember him for his time as head of the Baggins family and Deputy Mayor of the Shire.  

When Pippin came out of his revery, he answered Merry.  “Oh, we’ve had our moments already.  Bandy’s got an issue with calling Di and I mum and da so he’s trying to think of something to call us instead.”

At this point, Faramir spoke up. “We solved that one on the way here,” he told the adults.  “Ellie helped us.  What do you think of your children calling you ada and mum nana?”

Pippin thought for a brief moment before answering.  “That sounds wonderful,” he said.  “No one else in the whole Shire uses those terms.”  Here he gave Merry a hard look.  “Don’t even think about it,” he ordered his older cousin.

Merry raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.

There was general laughter at this exchange.

-----

Though the fair didn’t officially open until noon, most people were there much earlier.  Many came to turn in items for judging or to set up booths and stalls for selling various goods and, of course, food.

Sam made sure that his vegetables and Rosie’s canned goods got to the proper places for their respective judging while Pippin took Diamond’s sewing to the tent were handcrafts were displayed and judged.  He also took the other items he’d brought.  One of these items was a yarn wallhanging made in a style similar to the way one would make a rug, but obviously meant as a picture since the image was of a mountain meadow with a lake at its center.  The other item was a small blanket for an infant that had been knitted from the finest Tookland wool yarn.  When the hobbit matron who was organizing the area asked him for a name to put with the two items, he merely said to use the initial P and the last name Took.  He refused to say who had done the work but promised that, if either item should win, he would get the ribbon to its rightful recipient.  There was no way anyone would argue with the honesty of the Thain so she accepted the items and listed them as he had asked.  She assumed that one of his sisters had done the work since it was well known that he and all three of his siblings shared the first initial P.

-----

As they walked to the open square at the center of the fair where the opening speech would be given, Faramir asked Pippin about the mystery items he’d just sent to judging.

“so, Ada, who really made the blanket and the picture?”

“You know, I really like the sound of ada.  It sounds so dignified.”

“You’re avoiding me,” said Faramir in his best imitation of his Uncle Merry.

“All right,” said Pippin.  “I’ll make a deal with you.  If the items win a first place, I’ll tell you who made them.”

Faramir thought about this for a moment.  He knew there had to be a loophole that would get Pippin out of answering but he couldn’t see it clearly, so he accepted the offer and the shook hands on it.

-----

As the sun reached her highest point in the sky, Sam took his place on the platform set up for the opening ceremonies and the announcement of judging winners.  The livestock and pony sale would also be held there on the last afternoon of the fair.

“Welcome, everyone!” Sam called to all the assembled hobbits.  “It is with great joy that I greet those of you from the farthest corners of the Shire.  I especially want to thank the Thain and the Master of Buckland for gracing us with their presence.”  There was general applause at this announcement.

“It is with great joy that I declare the Free Fair of 1438 open.  Everyone enjoy yourselves.”

As soon as he had finished, Sam rejoined the Master and the Thain as well as all the children to begin making their rounds of the fairgrounds.

-----

One of the first treats the children received were candied apples.  Faramir refrained from following through on his first thought and did not rub his in Goldilocks’ hair as revenge for her prank of a few days earlier.  He knew she was repentant and he also wanted to continue to enjoy the fair.

The group tried, at first, to take turns seeing things that would interest one part of the party or the other.  The lads wanted to see the animals, the lasses wanted to see the handicrafts and the adults wanted to see the animals and the farm goods and to possibly do some dealing with the farmers.

It was finally agreed that there would be more peace and more accomplished if the split up.  Elanor was entrusted with the lasses while the lads stayed with their fathers.  Frodo-lad agreed to keep an eye on the younger ones if the adults got distracted by business.

So the afternoon passed till teatime.

-----

Tea was had in a large tent where many of the wealthier families gathered to be served a true tea.  Most of the fairgoers grabbed a cup and a bite at one of the food venders.

As they ate, the children shared what they’d seen and gave their parents an ever-growing list of things they wanted.  Even Bandy was gleefully giving Pippin a list.  Pippin was overjoyed that his new son was willing to ask him in the same way that Faramir did.  Things were starting to look much brighter.

-----

Since the three adult hobbits were alone with their children, they decided to make it an early evening and skip the dancing that took place each night of the fair.  As the sun sought her bed, they saw to it that the children also sought theirs.

The adults didn’t wait much time before following the youngsters.  Tomorrow would be another busy day, so, after a mug to cap off the day, they too went to bed.

-----

For a good bit of the second day of the fair, Pippin left his lads in Merry’s care.  He said that he had something he needed to do and that it would be best done without the help of the two young Tooks.  If Merry knew what his cousin was doing, he didn’t say a word.

While Merry took the children on a tour of many of the food stands and booths selling various baubles, Pippin spent the morning wandering through the pony sale.  He was looking for possible ponies for his two lads.  He’d planned for a long time to get one for Faramir this year but now he was considering getting a second one for young Bandobras.  He did not make any purchases at the time.  He wanted to discuss it with Merry and get his opinion on any mount he might buy.

-----

By the time the group met together for tea, the lads still had hands ad faces sticky from various sweets they’d sampled and their pockets were full of toffies and other candy.  None of them were that interested in tea but their fathers knew that their appetites would return by the time supper was served.

Rather than take a formal tea as they had the day before, Merry and Pippin simply purchased drinks from one of the food vendors and found a shade tree to relax under for a while.  As the adults rested and talked, the lads distracted themselves with a game of marbles.

-----

“So, what were you looking at this morning,?” asked Merry.

Pippin stopped playing with the piece of grass he’d been twirling in his fingers and looked over at his cousin.  “I was looking at ponies,” he answered.

“Oh, any reason for that?” Merry asked.

“I’d been thinking about getting one for Faramir this year and I wanted to see what the pony sellers here had to offer.  Now I’m wondering whether or not to get one for Bandy as well.”

“Would you like my opinion?”

“Sure,” said Pippin, “since I’m certain you’re going to give it to me whether I ask for it or not.”

“How much training has Faramir had with ponies?”

“Not that much,” Pippin admitted.  “I’d hoped that he could start learning when he got his first pony.”

Merry gave his cousin a serious look.  “That’s not how we learned, is it?  Do you think that that is the smartest thing to do?”

“No, it’s not how we learned to handle ponies.  I lived on a farm and had to start learning about all the farm animals while I was still a faunt.  You grew up at the Hall where pony breeding and training was a part of your everyday life.  Your lads have had that same background.  The Smials aren’t like that.  We have a stable with several ponies but we tend to have hired hobbits to care for and work with them.  A few of us do most of the caring for our mounts, but we are a much rarer breed in the Tooks than in the Brandybucks.”

“I’d say,” advised Merry, “that, no matter what you decide, Bandy is still a bit young to have his own pony.  Perry got his when he was Faramir’s age; and he’d grown up as I had, caring for them from the time he could walk and talk.  Faramir’s had no real training in handling a pony and I’d guess that the same is true of Bandobras.  What I would suggest is that you let them both visit me at the Hall for a bit later this Summer so that I could work with them on what they’ll need to know.  They can also get some practice in when you’re there for Yule.  I’d say then that next year Faramir would be ready and Bandy could get his the following year.

“I’m also willing to sell you a couple of our finest ponies at a good price.  A win-win situation for all involved.  I make a little money and send two of our best to a good home.  You get excellent ponies for your lads at a bargain price and, as long as you don’t choose geldings, you get a chance to improve Tookland’s meager pony stock.”

“You know, I always hate it when you’re right,” Pippin answered, “but you’re right.  They could learn a lot by visiting you, and I have to admit that I’ve wanted to get my hands on some of your fine pony flesh.  We have good, sturdy Shire stock in Tookland but we could do with a bit of that Rohan breed you’ve brought into your stock.

“You win.  When I get home, I’ll talk to Diamond about bringing Faramir and Bandobras to visit you for a while in Wedmath and early Halimath.”

-----

The third day of the fair, the children all were a little subdued.  They knew that this was the last day.  This was the day when they would buy the presents they wanted to take home to the members of their families who couldn’t come.  It was also the day when they would see who won the various judgings their parents had entered.

The next morning would see the Tooks and Gamgees heading back to Hobbiton and the Brandybucks making a straighter trip back to Buckland.

-----

Their first stop this day was at the vegetable judging.  They all congratulated Sam when they saw that he had taken first in potatoes and beans and second in cucumbers.

Next they checked on Rose’s canned goods.  Her blackberry jam had won first place and her canned peaches won third.

They learned in the handcrafts tent that Diamond’s sewing project had placed second.  Pippin claimed her red ribbon and said that she’d be happy with that.  The wall hanging that Pippin had entered for some anonymous Took had placed fourth.  Pippin looked a little crestfallen at that but his spirits picked back up when he saw that the blanket had taken a first place.

After he had claimed the ribbon, Merry looked at him and asked, “Now, are you going to say who you entered those for?  You looked more upset over the fourth place and more pleased with the first than you were about even Diamond’s second.”

Pippin shook his head.  “You’ve already figured it out so I’m not going to say a word.”

“What…?  When…?  How…?”

Pippin rolled his eyes at Merry’s reaction.  “All I’m going to say is think about who spent a lot of time in bed recovering from one illness or another as a child.  Then think about who had to learn to use a broken hand after the battle at the Black Gate.  I think that will answer your question.”

“I had to relearn using my hand too,” said Merry, “but I did things like squeezing yarn balls and picking up pebbles and lifting progressively heavier objects.  I didn’t have to do anything that a lass does.”

“Well, first of all, I enjoy doing things like this.  I can focus and think more clearly when my hands are mindlessly busy.  I also had to regain dexterity as well as strength in my hand.  Doing detailed work helped with that.  I just don’t make a habit of telling people about it.  The only reason I entered these things is that Diamond suggested it.  She said that the work was as good as Mum’s had been and she could tell who I got my talent from.”

Merry just shrugged and didn’t say anything.  There were things he just didn’t want to dwell on.

-----

That evening, the midyear feast was held.  All the major families had at least a few members there and many of the lesser families had representation as well.

As soon as most of the eating was done, Sam got up to give his closing speech.

“I hope that everyone had a wonderful time at this year’s fair.”  There were cheers all around.

“I also hope that you will join us again next year for another three days of celebration of the things that make the Shire what it is.  Also, don’t forget that in two years, at the Overlithe, we will hold the first ever Shire Games.  So, if you fill like you have the fastest pony or are the best with a bow or at throwing stones, plan to take part and show us your skills.  Until next year, may the Shire be ever blessed.”

-----

“So, you’re really going to do it?” said Merry as soon as Sam joined them at their table.

“I thought it made sense when you two suggested it last year.  We need to know who has skills that might be needed to protect the Shire.  Yes, Strider provides the Rangers to help guard the Bounds but we need to be able to provide for our own defense as well.  It’s part of that independent streak that we hobbits have.”

“Stubborn, too,” answered Pippin.

“That would be Tooks,” answered Sam.

All three friends laughed at that.

-----

At the end of the evening, the three hobbits gathered their sleepy children and headed back to the inn for one last night.

As he carried his small daughter, Sam heard her mumble, “Ride with Faramir tomorrow.”

“We’ll see, sweetling,” her dad answered.