Sam faced the morning with a heavy heart. No one at Bag End had gotten much sleep. Rosie and Sam had piled all the children into their great bed, and together the family had battled the dreams that plagued them all night long. Now, just as dawn was breaking across the ruins of the Free Fair, Sam sat on the doorstep of Bag End with a scone and a cup of tea, contemplating the day ahead.

The scone was delicious, but it sat like lead in his stomach as he turned over in his mind the things he must do that day. He must stop by at the mill and see how the identification of the dead was proceeding; he must find a better place for the wounded than the banquet tent; he must rally the Hobbits to the dreadful task of clearing away the remains of the Show Tent, and very likely the rest of the Free Fair. Sam couldn't imagine that anyone would want to continue the entertainment now. And finally, Sam must find out what had happened. From his vantage point at the archery contest, Sam had seen no immediate reason for the Show Tent to catch fire in the first place. Something dreadful had happened, and the Gaffer and who knew how many other Hobbits were dead because of it.

He had sat on the doorstep quite long enough, Sam decided. With a groan, he struggled to his feet, all of his muscles screaming in protest. He stumped back inside and sat down with pen and paper. Not for the first time, he thanked Mr. Bilbo Baggins for teaching him his letters. He needed all the help he could muster now. Carefully, he wrote four copies of a letter to be sent to the Shirriff-houses in each Farthing; all the Shirriffs were to come to Hobbiton. For good measure, he recalled half of the Bounders as well. The borders of the Shire had been fairly peaceful these past nine years, and the self-sufficiency and practicality of the Bounders would be of more use in Hobbiton right now. Finally, he wrote one last letter to Thain Paladin II asking him to send a delegation from Tuckborough and informing him of the strange fate that had befallen his son.

As he was writing, he heard a soft sound at the doorway. He looked up, and there was Rosie, still in her nightgown. "Hello, Sam," she said softly. Sam got up from the table and took her gently in his arms.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm bruised all over, and I feel as if I'd gotten a bad sunburn, but we're both here, and the children are all alive," Rosie said.

"Are the children asleep?"

"All of them, yes," Rosie smiled a little. "It was a hard night, so I'm going to let them sleep as much as they want today. I'm going to ask my mother to stay with them."

"Your mother?" Sam asked, puzzled. "What are you going to do?"

Rosie was serious again. "I'm going down to the banquet tent. From what you've told me, they need all the help they can get down there, and I do need to find out about Pippin and Estella."

"You're right," Sam sighed. "They're terribly short-handed. But you're only barely walking yourself. Shouldn't you be resting with the children?"

"I couldn't rest," Rosie told him. "Better that I be doing something useful. At the very least, I can change bandages and fetch water."

Sam knew better than to argue with Rosie. Instead, he kissed her gently, and she disappeared back into the house to get dressed and face the day.

Merry sat on a bench in the banquet tent holding Pippin's hand. Diamond Took lay curled on a blanket on the ground at his feet. Fredegar Bolger had found a corner nearby where he could rest. The three had been spelling each other all night, waiting for word of Estella and hoping that Pippin would wake. So far, there had been no change. Many had died during the night, and every time a body had been carried out of the partitioned area where the most serious cases were being treated, one of their party had run to look. Estella had not come out. Merry reasoned that this was good news, in a way. Estella must still be alive, no matter how sick or injured she was.

A hand on his shoulder startled him a little. When he looked up, Rosie Gamgee was standing there, Elanor clinging to her skirts. Without a word, Rosie put her arms around Merry and held him for a while. Merry shook, and his eyes burned, but he carefully did not cry. As long as he held out hope, he would not cry any more tears. Finally, he looked up.

"Thank you," he said to Rosie. "What's Elanor doing here? I'd have thought she'd be at home."

Rosie smiled. "She insisted on coming with me. She didn't want to leave my side this morning."

"I don't want to lose my Mamma," Elanor explained softly.

"She was a very brave lass yesterday," Rosie told Merry. "She carried your little namesake out of the tent all by herself."

"That was well done," Merry said solemnly to Elanor. "A brave little lass like you has earned a day to stay with your Mamma." Elanor smiled and hid her face in Rosie's skirts.

Rosie ran a hand through Pippin's hair. "You will find Sam or me if there's any change?"

"Of course," Merry said.

Rosie smiled at him. Then she bent down and took Elanor's hand. "Come on, Elanor," she said. "We're going to go help the healers now." Merry watched them make their way through the rows of the wounded, then turned back to his absent cousin.

At Merry's feet, Diamond stirred. For a moment, she couldn't remember why she was sleeping on the ground instead of her large soft bed in the Great Smials. Then she coughed, and the dry, rasping pain of it brought back a flood of horrible memories. She sat up, still in her sweaty, burned dress of the day before, and saw Merry sitting, holding Pippin's hand. Pippin lay still and silent, just as he had all night long. Diamond hauled herself up to sit on the bench beside Merry.

"It wasn't a dream after all," she said softly. Merry shook his head. "It seemed so far away for a moment," she told him. "I wanted to believe that I had just had a nightmare about the tent burning down and that when I woke, Pippin would be there to hug me and tell me how silly I was for having bad dreams like that. But it really happened."

"How are you feeling?" Merry asked.

"I hurt all over, but I'm not feeling quite so sick any more. I think that sleep did me a world of good. Has Pippin woken up at all?"

Merry shook his head again. "He just lies there staring off into nowhere; or, he did until I closed his eyes so they wouldn't dry out. He breathes still, so he's not dead, but he doesn't hear or see anything of this world. He's gone off into some dream world."

"I know," Diamond said. "I saw it, in the tent. He was kneeling on the ground, just staring. I think he knew me for a moment, and then he was just . . . gone. He didn't say a word. Oh, Merry, what if he never comes back?"

Merry put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think like that, Diamond," he said. "He's got to come back. I came back after I fought the Witch-King. Strider brought me back with athelas. Maybe we can find some athelas in the woods somewhere and brew up a batch. Or maybe we can get Sam to cook up some of his special mushroom soup and let him smell that."

Diamond tried to smile through the tears that threatened to fall. "I'll cook it myself if it'll bring him back," she said. Then she turned away to cough, not as violently as the day before, but painful to a throat still tender and burned.

Merry held her while she coughed and cried. "I'm going to get whoever did this to you," he said softly.

Out at the Fairgrounds, Sam was giving the latest contingent of Shirriffs and Bounders their orders. They were to clear away ruins, but save any small odds and ends that they found so that they might be returned to their proper owners. Dead animals were to be laid out so that anyone who had lost a valuable pony could make a note of it. Sam supposed that there was enough of a treasury in Hobbiton to pay at least a little compensation to the owners of the ponies killed in the fire. The Shirriffs were also to keep an eye out for any clues as to what had caused the fire. Or who . . . the thought had been in the back of Sam's mind all morning. He couldn't prove it to anyone, but he could not let go of the suspicion that the fire had been set.

Rosie and Elanor walked up and down the aisles of the wounded. Rosie carried a pail of water, and Elanor had a cup. Those of the wounded who were conscious had been crying for water, and Rosie and Elanor had been assigned to bring it to them. Usually a friendly, talkative child, Elanor had been silent for a very long time, handing the cup full of water to injured Hobbits and watching them with wide, scared eyes as they drank. Rosie worried about that. Elanor should not have to walk among the injured like this, but she refused to leave her mother's side.

Toward the end of one row, they found another Hobbit sitting in a corner, in a trance similar to Pippin's, only somewhat lighter. The half-grown lad seemed at least dimly aware that there was a world around him, even if he was not entirely in it at all times. He didn't seem to want any water, and Rosie was about to move one, but Elanor tugged at her skirt.

"I know him, Mamma," she said.

Rosie looked down at her daughter, surprised to hear her speak. "Who is he, sweetheart?" she asked.

"He showed me the way to crawl out of the tent when I had Merry-lad."

Rosie stared at the lad. "That was very kind of him," she said at last.

"Will he get better, Mamma?"

Rosie smiled at Elanor. "I think it would help him get better if you thanked him for saving you and Merry-lad."

Elanor put her arms around the stunned youth. "Thank you for showing me how to get out," she said, "and I hope you feel better soon and can go back to your Mamma and Dad." She turned to look at Rosie. "Did I do all right?"

Rosie took her hand. "You did just fine. I'm sure he heard you and it will help him get better much faster. Now, let's keep going. There's lots more people wanting water."

"All right," Elanor said, and they continued their slow journey through the tent.

Fredegar Bolger ducked into the banquet tent and found Merry and Diamond. "Here," he said. "I've brought something to eat while we're waiting." He set a plate filled with bread, cheese and sliced peaches on the bench between Merry and Diamond. They stared at the food for a moment. It felt a little disrespectful to think of something as ordinary as eating while they waited to learn what had become of Estella. Finally, Merry pushed the plate towards Diamond.

"The peaches might help your throat," he said. Diamond picked up a peach slice and ate it listlessly. The cool fruit did soothe her throat a little, and she ate another slice. Soon Merry and Fredegar had begun to pick at the food as well. They remembered that they had not eaten since the fire, and they were suddenly hungry. They had just finished the plateful when the Widow Rumble emerged from the partition and made her way over to them.

They stiffened as she approached, terrified of her news and wanting it at the same time. Fredegar clutched Merry's hand, and Diamond laid her hand on Merry's shoulder. Widow Rumble stopped and seemed to fumble for words.

"I'm still old-fashioned," she said at last. "What I've got to say oughtn't to be said to men, even her brother and her husband. Will you come with me, Mistress Took?"

Diamond flashed a quick, weak smile at Fredegar and Merry. "It'll be all right," she said. "I'll tell you everything." Then she got up and followed Widow Rumble through the curtain.

"Oh, Pip," Merry said. "I do wish you were here with me right now." He stroked his fingers through Pippin's filthy curls. Pippin had seen him through some of the greatest trials of his life, and his absence now made Merry feel even lonelier.

Fredegar gazed blankly at Pippin's still form. "Did you ever see anything like it?" he asked Merry. "On your Travels, I mean?"

"I didn't exactly see it," Merry answered. "I think I lay like this for some time after . . . after one of the battles. But this is different. I was wounded in that battle, and Pip, well, he's a little reddened and a lot dirty, but he doesn’t seem to be wounded. Strider healed me, but I don't see what we could heal on Pippin."

"I wonder if he can hear us," Fredegar mused. Merry shrugged, and they sat in silence for a while and waited.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of skirts. Fredegar and Merry jumped up as Diamond hurried back down the aisle to them. Her face was an unreadable mix of emotion.

"Estella's alive," she said. Merry let out the breath he'd been holding and sagged against Fredegar. Diamond smiled and took their hands. "She had a piece of glass stuck in her head -- they think it's a bit of a preserve bottle that exploded -- and they had a hard time getting it out, and it was infected, and she was so very sick all night. But Widow Rumble says the fever's broken now, and the infection will heal." Diamond stopped and took a deep breath. Fredegar squeezed her hand.

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked. "What else?"

Diamond looked straight into Merry's eyes. "Estella lost the baby," she said softly. "Widow Rumble said it was probably the shock and the infection, and she nearly bled to death."

"Is she all right?" Merry asked.

"Yes. They've stopped the bleeding," Diamond said. "But, Merry . . . Widow Rumble said she'd most likely never have another child."

Merry's knees suddenly felt like jelly, and he sat down on his bench. "She's alive," he said. "Estella's alive. That's all that matters right now. When can I see her?"

"Later," Diamond said. "She's asleep right now. She was awake for a few minutes and asked for you. Widow Rumble will fetch you when she wakes." Merry nodded, then sank his head into his hands and wept.

Sam had stopped off at Bag End for a quick noon dinner. He was deep in thought, trying to plan the investigation and run it at the same time, when he noticed little Frodo-lad playing with blocks in a sitting room. The child piled the blocks high, then smashed the tower, with a cry of "Bam! Pop, pop, pop!" Sam watched for a few minutes, as the germ of an idea formed in his mind. He went to Frodo-lad and squatted next to him.

"What's 'Bam! Pop, pop, pop?'" he asked.

"The tent," Frodo-lad explained. "Inside, it goes Bam! Pop, pop, pop!"

Old Lily Cotton carried Merry-lad in, freshly washed. "It's what he heard in the tent," she said. "My Rosie explained it to me. The fire started when the barrels of cordial for judging exploded, Bam! And then the bottles of pickles and preserves exploded from the heat, pop, pop, pop."

"And people saw this?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yes. Quite a lot of folk saw the preserves go, and I reckon one or two must have seen the cordial barrels."

Sam jumped up and squashed his bread and cheese into a sandwich. "Thank you, Mistress Cotton," he said, "and thank you, Frodo-lad. You've just put an idea into my head!"

He set off at a run, then slowed as he neared the banquet tent. He was a little uncertain if it was appropriate to go in just then, but the two people he needed most were inside. Fredegar Bolger and Merry Brandybuck were smart and trustworthy, and far more practiced with their letters than Sam. He could think of no better assistants for this important job, but he hated to pull them away from their vigil.

As he stood and tried to screw up his courage to go inside, the tent flap opened, and the Widow Rumble escorted Fredegar and Merry out. She saw Sam and nodded a greeting. "Good day to you, Mr. Mayor," she said. "Can you do something with these young gentlehobbits? They've done nothing at all for the past day but sit and worry, and if they don't have something to do, they'll worry themselves sick, and I can't have that, not with all the hurt ones already."

"Thank you kindly," Sam said. "They're just the ones I was looking for." Widow Rumble nodded and returned to her nursing duties. Sam turned to Fredegar and Merry. "Have you had news?" he asked.

"Estella's alive," Fredegar said. "She lost the baby, and she's still sick, but she'll live. Although they said . . . well, they said she'd never have children." Sam sucked in a breath in shock and put a hand on Merry's shoulder.

"It's all right," Merry said. "Estella's alive, after all. And we'll enjoy your children all the more. I'm perfectly happy to be Uncle Merry to them, and I wouldn't trade it for all the gold in Gondor. Now, what was it you wanted to see us about?"

"Right," Sam said. "I want to find out everything about this fire. It shouldn't have happened, see? But it did. I need you to help me find everyone who was in or near the tent who can possibly talk. Ask them what they saw, and write it down. I have a feeling that if we ask enough people, we might find someone who saw it start."

"I think we'd be honored to do that, Sam," Fredegar said slowly. Merry nodded in agreement.

"Good," Sam said. "Let's meet back here at the banquet tent at sundown. Then we can go in and see Mistress Estella and Mr. Pippin again, and that'd do my heart a world of good."

As dusk spread over Hobbiton, Sam returned to the banquet tent. Merry and Fredegar appeared several minutes later. Merry collected the notes they had written and glanced at them quickly in the fading light. His face told a sad story.

"Right off the top, it looks like we have sixty-seven dead, as of an hour ago," he said. "Not a few of them children. And there's about two hundred hurt bad enough to be in the tent." Fredegar and Sam winced. This was a blow that Hobbiton and the Shire would feel for a long time.

"On the other hand," Fredegar put in, "we did find out some interesting things about the start of that fire. The cordial barrels exploded, everyone agrees on that, and one or two people saw them go."

"But what made them explode?" Sam asked. "Barrels don't just explode into balls of fire for no reason. Was there a cookfire nearby, or a blacksmith's booth?"

"No," said Merry, his face hardening. "I walked all around the Fairgrounds. The Show Tent was at the very end, and the cookery judging stands were at the far end of the tent. There was nothing beyond them. And that means one of two things. Either someone wandered around back and dropped a pipe on some hay --"

" -- Or the fire was set," Sam finished grimly. The three stood in silence for a moment, trying to comprehend such a crime. "I can't think about that now," Sam said at last. "It's too big for my poor old mind. Let's go inside. I haven't seen Mr. Pippin since they took him away yesterday."

Diamond greeted them wearily. There had been no change in Pippin's condition. Sam gazed down at his comrade lying still and silent. Pippin looked as if he were deeply asleep, only the rise and fall of his chest indicating that he lived. Sam frowned. There was something familiar about this strange trance. He could have sworn that he had seen something like it a long time ago, but he was too tired and careworn to think about it.

Rosie approached them, carrying Elanor on her hip. Both of them looked exhausted. Sam kissed Rosie and gave Elanor a long hug. Rosie pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's been a long day," she said. "We're all worn out from work and grief. I think it is time to go home. Diamond, will you come and stay in Bag End?"

"But what about Pippin?" Diamond asked.

"He doesn't look like he's going anywhere," Rosie said firmly. "If anything happens, I'm sure someone will come find you. The best thing you can do is sleep, and you'll do that better in a bed." Diamond started to argue, but found herself yawning. She agreed to go to Bag End. Rosie turned to Merry,

"Estella's awake," she said gently. "She asked for you. Go in and see her."

Merry started, then looked at Sam. "Go on," Sam said. "I'll see you in the morning." Merry hurried back to the partition. He stopped at the curtain, took a deep breath to calm his trembling, and went in.

Estella was sitting up, in a pile of pillows and blankets that the folk of Hobbiton had lent to the seriously wounded the day before. Her head was bandaged, and she was terribly pale, except for dark smudges under her eyes. But she was Estella, and she was awake and she knew him. Merry was at her side in three long strides. He knelt down beside her cot and took her in his arms, feeling her shudder against his chest.

"Merry," she said in a small voice, "I lost my baby."

"I know," he said. She leaned against him and wept, and he buried his face in her singed curls and felt his own tears come again. They mourned together as night fell over the Shire.