I had a previous reviewer point out that it was not Paladin’s father who was Thain before he. I haven’t fixed this mistake on the earlier chapter, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was contradicting myself when I mentioned Ferumbras being Thain in this chapter. I’ll go back and fix that mistake eventually.
I was able to get quite a bit a writing done over the weekend – I’ve got half of chapter fifteen already done, so hopefully updates will occur more often.
Larner – Pippin will receive courage and wisdom from unexpected places – and a few expected ones as well, as I hope we’ll see in the next few chapters. Thanks!
Grey Wonderer – Thanks! I hope the relationship isn’t moving too slowly, but I don’t think it’d be realistic if they fell in love at first sight.
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A Light In Dark Places – Chapter VIII
Pippin wandered through the halls of the Smials, passing by open rooms with members of the Took family within each – little pictures of daily life flashed before his eyes each time he looked into a different room. Mothers tending to the needs of their children, changing diapers and brushing hair – small lads wriggled as they were forced into uncomfortable articles of clothing, their mothers with words of comfort to calm their restless spirits. Husbands and wives enjoyed the company of one another, as each sat in plushy chairs before the circular windows through which dim afternoon sunlight shone through. Older hobbits lay in their soft featherbeds, enjoying a short daytime nap – the atmosphere was making Pippin sleepy as well, but it reminded him that no matter what might happen to their Shire – famine and hardship – the cycle of life would continue, much as it ever had in the Smials.
Finally, he reached his destination, the carved oak door of his father’s study – he prepared to knock on the door, but his father’s voice within stopped him. “Come in Peregrin,” he heard him say, and sighed before entering the room.
“Ah, there you are,” his father said from his place behind his wide desk, “Sit down please.” He pointed to one of the armchairs, which Pippin placed himself in, feeling very much like he was one of his father’s subjects being counseled on the importance of responsibility, though such a lecture was not one that he had never heard in his lifetime.
“Whatever it is, Father, I didn’t do it – I’ve left Pervinca alone, no animals in her bed or anything –”
“No, that’s nothing to do with why I’ve called you in here – though there is the matter of the frog that was found in the kitchen yesterday,” he said with a suspicious eye.
“Hmm, no wonder that soup tasted strange,” Pippin said to himself, “Then why am I here?”
Paladin sighed. “You are aware, of course, that you’re almost of age, my son.”
“So you wanted to talk to me about marriage then?”
“Not necessarily,” Paladin said, hopeful to ease into his intended conversation, “But it is one of the duties that comes with the Thainship, and one that you will be required to uphold.”
“Not all are required to uphold it,” Pippin said cattily – it wasn’t that he was completely opposed to the idea of the marriage, but he’d gotten quite sick of being lectured about his future duties as Thain.
“True, but not all will someday take on the most prestigious title of the Shire – someday, everyone will look to you for leadership.”
“I bet Merry doesn’t get chewed out like this,” Pippin said, leaning his arms lazily over the sides of the chair.
“And I bet your friend Meriadoc most likely does get chewed out like this, since it is important that he take the title of Master of Buckland – therefore, it if just as important that he find a future wife as it is to you.”
“Merry’s never had any trouble in that department, though.”
“Never mind the details of Meriadoc’s personal life, for he is not the subject of our discussion,” Paladin said, straining to keep his voice steady as his annoyance became greater, “I called you here to talk about you – can we not speak to one another in a civil manner?”
“Fine,” Pippin sighed.
“I noticed that you’ve been spending some time with a lass – one of Fastolph’s daughters, I believe.”
“Diamond? You want to talk about her?”
“Not her in particular, but she may come up in our discussion. Have you given any thought to the matter of marriage at all?”
Pippin shrugged. “In passing, I suppose it’s not that bad – I mean, it’s something I’m going to have to do someday, so any objection to it is worthless.”
Paladin sighed, attempting to release his anger silently before discharging it in other ways. “This Diamond lass – what exactly do you think of her? In what opinion do you hold her?”
Again Pippin shrugged. “She’s all right, I suppose – keeps to herself, but she has her reasons – likes to read, so she’s real smart.”
“Yes, I know many of those things from Fastolph.”
“Are you asking if a possible marriage between us is imminent?”
“No, of course not – I know you well enough to know that’s not possible. But I spoke with Fastolph, and he seems supportive of the idea that it would be most helpful to the bonds of our families for you to marry one of his daughters.”
“Would it, now?”
“I doubt you have any interest in a union between yourself and one of his elder daughters.”
“Amethyst and Garnet? Yeah, you can pretty much mark them out as unavailable and unattainable.”
“Well, no one’s expecting you to get married right away if it is not your wish – there is time yet, but I want only for you to consider this prospect.”
“Father?”
“Yes?”
“A question?”
“If you wish.”
“Did your father ever give you this talk – did he call you into his study several times a week to discuss the importance of marriage with you? Did he push you to marry Mother at all, or were you just lucky and he went easy on you?”
Paladin smiled tightly. “I would like to say that my youth was similar to yours, that I was pressured to marry, almost from the day I was born. However, I have no such experience – you know, of course, that my father, your grandfather, was not Thain before I. Instead it was a distant cousin of ours, Ferumbras III, who held that title, and because there were no other male Tooks, I took up the position after he. I had not expected to become Thain, and I was certainly not born into it. Before then, I was merely a farmer, like most other hobbits. To be in the position you are in now, I can barely imagine what it is like. But when I was your age, like you, all I wanted to do was enjoy my youth. I had friends, like you do, and I was no stranger to vegetable thievery. My sisters annoyed me, and I annoyed them back, but we all grew out of that eventually,” he said, smiling as he reminisced, “I remember I was quite good friends with Saradoc Brandybuck – I suppose it is only right that you should be friends with his son – and together we would torment my sisters, for he had no sisters of his own to annoy, and we always saw his brother Merimac as being too young to be around us. My sister Esmeralda hated him for all the pranks he played on her – it’s a mystery to me still why she married him. I remember refusing to speak to him when I knew that he fancied her.”
“But he was your best friend!”
“Oh, we got over it eventually – when I saw that he truly loved her, I suppose I forgave him for abandoning me.”
“He abandoned you?”
“Not too often, mind you, but often enough for me to get annoyed – I pretended for some time that I didn’t know of it, and that he wasn’t in love with her. For that meant that he would marry her, and he would soon have no more time for me, his best friend – we thought of that as the metaphorical nail in the coffin, the end of our immature and juvenile youth. We swore never to marry.”
“But you did.”
“He had his duties, just as you and Merry do. That is another thing that separates you and I – my best friend and I grew up together, knowing that he would be in a greater position of power than I would. The best I could hope for was to be a farmer, while he was to be Master of Buckland.”
Pippin’s face fell as he considered his father’s words – his youth, and Merry’s as well, were slipping away from them, every day a little more.
“Just because you marry doesn’t mean you have to give up your friendships. Don’t think too much on my words,” Paladin said, “I too was young once, and can understand your frustrations – you’ll find your way.”
“My way?” But Paladin would say no more, and Pippin took this as a cue to exit the room, making his way to the library, perhaps to find Fosco or Diamond.