A week after Pippin's birthday, a sizable party set out from Buckland. They took the East Road till it met up with what had once been known as the Greenway. Here they turned north toward the rebuilt city of Annuminas.
Along with Pippin, Diamond and young Faramir there were Merry Brandybuck, his wife Estella and their children Peridoc, Simbelmyne (who was called Mindy since she was named for the evermind flower of Rohan), and Theodoc ( who was barely a year old). There were also a few other members of both the Took and Brandybuck families who were curious enough about the king and his court to follow their family heads out of the Shire.
Of course, not everyone was planning to spend the entire summer at the northern court. Merry planned to return home just before the Lithe Days celebration. He then planned to go back north to accompany Pippin home at summer's end. As far as Pippin knew, everyone else planned to return with Merry. That would give Pippin and Diamond two months to spend in service to and visiting with the king.
-----
They arrived on a clear and sparkling morning in early Forelithe and were greeted warmly by Aragorn and Arwen.
"Welcome to the seat of the Northern Kingdom," said Aragorn in formal greeting.
All the hobbits looked around, all but Pippin, Merry and their wives, seemed a bit overwhelmed by the size of everything. "I do hope Strider remembered to have some furniture made to our size," said Pippin.. He wanted to put everyone at ease and assure the other hobbits that they would be well accommodated in this city of men.
-----
Over the next three week, the hobbits not only grew accustomed to their new surrounding, they came to truly appreciate the hospitality of the King. Many of them were not looking forward to returning so soon to the Shire. But, on the designated day, all of them arrived early to take their leave of the King and Queen.
There were many exchanges between Aragorn and the hobbits--invitations to visit, promises to return and even a few gifts given and received. While all this was taking place, Merry had a quiet word with Pippin.
"I'll be back in late Wedmath to bring you back to the Tooks," said Merry. He was trying to keep his words light, but he was concerned about his best friend.
"I'm sure Strider will be ready to be rid of us by then," came the flip reply. "Besides, if I stay away too long, the Tooks may get fed up with their wandering Thain and replace me. Then Regi'd have to come all the way up here just to kill me. You know how much he does not want to be Thain. I mean, the way he fell all over himself in relief and joy that I returned after the war was embarrassing. I don't want to put him, or me, through that again."
"Why, don't you come back with the rest of us today." There, it was said. Now Pippin would either give him a straight-forward answer, or he'd be evasive. But Merry was good at reading even a Pippin who was being less than honest.
Pippin looked down at where his toe was drawing circles in the dust for a long moment. Then he looked back at Merry, and that look spoke more than any words could. "It's complicated," he said. "I feel like, as long as Aragorn is here, I owe him my service. I did swear an oath, after all." Here he gave a little smile. "Also, there are some things I need to discuss with our King. Things that I can't talk to anyone else about, not even you, dear Merry."
"I think I know where this is going," said Merry. "Just remember, dear cousin, that even Strider doesn't have all the answers; and, unless a thing is meant to be, even the best people cannot make it happen."
"I know," came the solemn statement. "I just want to hear what he has to tell me, that's all. If there's anything else that can be done, I want to know so I, I mean we, you know who I mean, can decide if we want to do any more. It's a dream, Merry, and I don't want to let go." By now his eyes were swimming and he could say no more.
Merry reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "I know." he said. "I'll see you in a couple of months. Just promise me you won't do anything too reckless."
Pippin nodded but said nothing till he was back with the others, where he bid everyone farewell and safe journey.
-----
About a week after the other hobbits had departed, Aragorn and Pippin sat on the king's private terrace sharing a mug or two of ale.
"I've been giving some thought to our conversation several weeks ago," said Aragorn, setting his mug down and fixing his small knight with an intent look. "Is there a reason why Diamond and you have decided that now is the time to bring this problem back before me?"
Pippin looked a bit crestfallen. "If it is something you don't want to be bothered with, you can just say so and I will not bring it up again. I did not mean to be a nuisance."
"You are not being a nuisance, Peregrin. I just want to understand what your motivations are.
"Let's be honest. You have a tendency to be impulsive. I just want to be sure that you have thought this through, because the things we may have to try this time are much more risky than those herbs were. I want to know that you and your wife are committed to this course and are willing to accept the risks to yourself and any children that might be conceived through the means I plan to try."
"Yes, we are committed," answered Pippin. "It has been so difficult the last few years. You cannot even imagine. Fary wants a brother, or a sister, so bad. He asks us all the time why Uncle Merry and Aunt Stella have three children while we just have him. I can't tell my six-year-old the truth. He's far too young to know all about the bees and the blooms, much less what can go wrong with either the bee or the flower." This last statement caused Pippin to blush a bright red.
Aragorn couldn't help but smile. He found the hobbits' euphemism for intercourse quaint and charming. He also knew that it was taking all of Pippin's courage and resolve to discuss this with his king.
"Very well," he finally said. "In that case, I want to meet with both Diamond and yourself to discuss what I plan to try and what the results could be. I will meet you both here at tea time tomorrow."
"Yes, Aragorn. We will be here. And thank you!" With the discussion over, he drained his mug, rose, made a bow to his king and left.
-----
The evening had been a pleasant one. Dinner had been both delicious and abundant, and the company had been enjoyable. Now, though, the evening had wound down to it's end and Pippin and Diamond had retired to their guest suite.
"You seem a lot more relaxed, my love," said Diamond as she turned back the coverlets on their large bed.
"We are to meet with Aragorn tomorrow for tea," He answered, coming out of the little changing alcove and taking a good look at his wife for the first time since they had returned to their rooms. "Is that a new nightdress?" he asked.
Diamond blushed and smiled shyly at her husband. "Is the king going to help us?" she asked.
"He said he would do his best, but not to get our hopes up. He also said that what he may have to try could be even more unpleasant than those horrible herbs he gave me the last time.
"Now," he said, trying to turn the conversation to something a little more interesting, at least in his opinion, "where did you come by that lovely piece of clothing, and what is it made of?" He reached out a curious hand and ran it down the sleeve of the gown.
"It's made of satin," answered Diamond. "Arwen helped me pick it out. She also helped me find a few other things, but you'll have to wait to see those." she grinned in a way that could match Pippin's cheekiest look.
"Satin, you say. I think I might like this better than your usual linen things. Come here and let me see for sure."
"Hm," she said, stepping closer. "Who knows, maybe we won't need more help from the king. Maybe all it will take is for you to get a look or two at my new nighttime wardrobe."
"It's not the new nightclothes that interest me," said Pippin as he leaned in to give his wife a thorough kiss, "it's what's inside them that I want to see more of. Now, I wonder what will happen if I just give this little string right here a little tug?"
Diamond gave a tiny gasp as she felt the slick material start to slide over her shoulder.
Pippin allowed his kisses to follow the path of the slipping fabric. "This is as fun as opening a Yule present," he said, pausing to allow Diamond, as well as himself, to catch her breath.
"Let's see what happens if I do this," he said, giving a slight pull on the material near her elbow. He smiled delightedly as one of Diamond's creamy breasts slid free of it's confinement. Quickly he began to taste this sweet new offering even as one hand began to caress and knead the other one through the satin.
"Aaahhhh," Diamond breathed out. "That feels so incredible," she gasped. "Your fingers...that material...." Words failed her.
Pippin managed to pull his mouth away from it's pleasant task to look into his wife's eyes. "Perhaps we should continue this in bed," he whispered. All Diamond could do was nod and allow herself to be guided over to their large bed.
"Now, where was I?" asked Pippin once they were settled. "Ah, yes, I believe I was unwrapping this lovely present." With that he returned to slowly pealing away the gown from his wife's body and giving her as much pleasure as he could with kisses and touches.
Once he had completely removed the slippery, smooth material, he lay looking at his lovely bride of almost ten years. He sighed, but it was a sigh of mixed emotions and Diamond sensed it immediately.
Propping herself up on one elbow, she leaned in and gave him a long, searching kiss. Drawing back, she asked, "What is bothering you, dearest? You seem to be enjoying yourself immensely, and, to be honest, so am I."
She caught his quick glance downward toward his own bits, but she did not react. "Tell me, love. After all, we are in this together. I want you to get as much out of these moments as I do."
Pippin sighed again and fell back onto his pillow. "It's not working," he finally said. His voice had a flatness to it that masked nothing of the sorrow he was obviously feeling.
Diamond was now forced to look down at her husband's still-flaccid member. Inwardly, she was disappointed to see that all their activities had had no effect on him despite having had quite an effect on her. Outwardly, she smiled softly at him and began walking her fingers lightly across his chest.
"I think I might be able to do something about that," she said, bending over to kiss her way from his lips down to his tiny, but hard, nipples. As she did so, she allowed her fingers to skitter, almost spider-like, over his stomach.
The combination of sensations caused him to let out a gasping giggle. "That tickles," he managed to say.
"That's part of my plan," she said, lifting her head to look him in the eye. "You tickle me all the time. It's rare for me to have you so completely at my mercy."
Eagerly, she returned to kissing her way down his abdomen. When she reached his navel, she gave a little flick of her tongue that made him twitch all over. At the same time, her fingers had reached their final destination. Gently, but firmly, she took his maleness in hand and began to stroke it.
"Yes," he whispered. "I think that's doing it." He began to pant.
After only a very short time, he reached down to stay her hand. "If you want to get as much out of this as I am," he was able to say, "we'd better change positions."
As quickly as they could in their aroused states, they moved so that he could enter her. After only a few thrusts, he gasped her name and collapsed against her. She held him close and whispered sweet endearments in his ear.
Sadly, they both knew that, if he had released any seed at all, the amount was small and unlikely to be adequate to get her with child.
There was nothing either one of them could say. Neither one would ever admit their frustrations. They loved each other too much to let this problem push them into saying, or doing, anything that could hurt the other one.
Without a word, they cuddled close together. Pippin wrapped his wife in his arms. He knew he was the luckiest hobbit in the world to have someone who would love him so unconditionally and not worry so much about his virility.
Diamond snuggled close to her husband. She knew that she was blessed with a wonderful hobbit who loved her enough to go through so much to give her what she wanted; not once, but twice now.
-----
Sometime before dawn, Diamond awoke to find Pippin lying there just staring at the ceiling. She turned to look at him more closely. "You know," she finally said," I love you. No matter what happens; no matter what Aragorn tells us, I will always love you."
"I know," he whispered. "I just wish there was more I could do for you. I wish I could show you how much you and your love means to me."
"You already have," she answered. "You have loved me enough to give me a beautiful son, despite the risks to yourself. You love me enough to try to do almost anything I ask of you. I have no doubt of your love."
When Pippin turned to take her in his arms, Diamond could see that his eyes were bright with unshed tears.
-----
The following afternoon, they met with Aragorn, but not in the palace. They met instead at Annuminas' houses of healing. They were very much like their counterparts in Minas Tirith, but on a much smaller scale. Aragorn's Northern capital would probably never be as large as his Southern.
"I took the liberty," said Aragorn, as they were all seated at a table in a room that looked like it was used for meetings of the healers and others who worked in the houses, "of inviting the chief healer to this meeting. I felt that he might have some ideas to contribute, and he needs to be aware of what we are doing. Some of the things we may need to try are risky, and I want all the well-prepared help I can get if something should go amiss."
Both hobbits nodded toward the healer.
"My name is Armond," the man said, "and I promise to be as discrete and as helpful as possible in this matter."
"Thank you," they both answered.
"Now, so that I can be sure that everyone here is working from the same point of reference, let's make sure we all know what we are trying to achieve. Our goal is to achieve a pregnancy through a union between the two of you. Correct?" said Aragorn.
Both hobbits nodded.
The King continued. "We were successful in doing so seven years ago by the use of an herbal combination that has been used for such things as this in Gondor for many years. However, that particular set of herbs has been known to cause serious problems for men who used it more than a few months. It is much too risky to try them again, especially since we have no idea what they might do to a hobbit. Therefore, we must come up with something equally affective but totally different than we used before.
"I have taken the liberty of discussing this in advance with Armond and he has given me several suggestions. The one I want to try first is a combination of herbal mixtures, but very different from the one we used before."
"That doesn't sound so bad." said Pippin.
"Are we going to have to abstain for a week again this time?" asked Diamond. This had been the worst part of their efforts the last time for her. Even though her husband was not able to perform at the level of most others, she still enjoyed their intimate moments. She was not looking forward to having to go without for a week again.
"Actually," said Armond, entering the discussion for the first time, "we think that abstaining for two weeks would be preferable this time. That will allow for the first of the herbs to be at full strength. Also, it will allow us to see if there are any undesirable effects from these herbs before we start to allow the use of the herbs that must be taken right before intercourse."
Diamond could only glare at the healer. She knew that there was no way to avoid this part of the process. If Pippin could take the concoctions and potions they were planning to give him, the least she could do was take this minor inconvenience with good grace.
Pippin squeezed his wife's hand under the table. She looked at him and saw the smile gracing his face. She could only smile sweetly back at him. Finally she was able to give a nod of acceptance toward the healer and the king.
-----
The two weeks passed very slowly for Diamond. She did her best to remain cheerful for Pippin. She knew that it did nothing to help him if she was moody and snappish.
He had his own problems to deal with. The first herbal mixture was very unpleasant to take, and the first several doses seriously unsettled his stomach.
"This is it," he announced one morning, after struggling to get the latest dose down. "Whatever happens, we are not trying again. If we get pregnant this summer, wonderful. If we don't, we accept what we have and be happy. I can't take much more of this horrible stuff. It tastes almost as bad as orc liquor, it makes me feel ill for several hours after taking it, and it has caused me to lose my appetite. What's the point of being on holiday if I can't eat?"
"We can quit, if you want to," said Diamond. She put her arm loosely about her husband's shoulders. "I don't want you miserable all the time. It isn't worth all that. Yes, I want another child as much as I ever did, but seeing you like this is making me doubt that it's the right thing."
"No," said Pippin returning her hug with more firmness. "I want to do this. I really do. I'm just having a bad moment is all. These herbs are making me overly emotional. I'll get through it. It's only for a few weeks. I can handle it that long."
-----
The day that the two-week abstinence was over Aragorn asked Pippin and Diamond to meet him in his quarters.
"I wanted to talk to both of you before we proceed to the next step. We are going to add a second herbal mix that is to be taken no more than an hour before you plan to have intercourse." He really was trying to be as detached as possible. There were times when he couldn't believe he was actually talking about sex with someone other than his wife. "Now, Diamond, you are not to touch these herbs under any circumstances. They could have a negative effect on you. Pippin, I said you had to take them no more than an hour before, but you cannot take them less than half an hour before. That is a fairly narrow window, so you may want to do some pre-planning. I know that isn't fun; but getting pregnant is your goal, and you already know there are sacrifices that have to be made.
"There are some other things I want you to know before you start taking these herbs. They can have some very bad side-effects, especially when taken with the other ones I've been giving you. If you notice that you are having any changes in vision or breathing, let me know as soon as possible. Also, if you notice your heart racing, come straight to me--I don't care what time it is. Lastly, and this sounds funny, but it is very serious; if you have an erection that won't subside, no matter what you do to relieve it, send Diamond to get me."
The two hobbits giggled at this last warning, but it was nervous giggling.
"There is one other thing," added Aragorn. "I don't know if it will help or not, but it was suggested by the resident herbalist that you might want to start eating more fruit and also start adding more garlic to your diet. He said that these things often help with these kinds of difficulties.
"Well, garlic isn't going to make me any more attractive to my wife," said Pippin. "How am I supposed to get her pregnant if she can't stand to be close to me. Besides, we don't use as much garlic as you do in the South."
"You'll get used to it," answered the king. "You may even find you like garlic."
"We'll put up with just about anything for the time being," said Diamond. "This is our last best shot, and we have to take it."
-----
That night as they were getting ready for bed, Pippin took the first dose of the herbs. He had to dissolve them in hot water and drink them like tea. All Diamond could do was watch as her husband struggled to swallow the bitter mixture. She rubbed his back as he worked to keep them down.
When his stomach had settled somewhat, he looked at her. "Well," he said, "I guess we go to bed now and see what comes up." He managed a little smile as Diamond smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
-----
"You know," said Pippin, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, "I never thought I'd feel this awkward about anything like this after our wedding night. It should be totally natural by now, but all this preparation and planning rather takes the pleasure right out of it.”
Diamond began to giggle. “I’ll do my best not to take this too personally,” she said. “I do have to admit that this is not how I imagined any children I would have would be conceived. So much for romantic fantasies.”
She took the opportunity to lean over and kiss her husband on the tip of his nose.
Pippin quickly turned the tables on his wife. He rolled over, taking Diamond with him so that he was now looking down into her flushed and smiling face.
After this things progressed rather rapidly to the conclusion both of them had been hoping for.
-----
“Well, we really can do this,” Pippin said as he held his wife close. “I wasn’t sure there at first.”
“I know,” was Diamond’s sleepy reply. “I have to admit I kept waiting for something strange to happen, after everything Aragorn and that healer warned us about. I think I could get used to this, just as long as you don’t start doing anything like trying to go at it for hours, or anything odd.”
“I have to admit that that one warning scared me a little. I can’t imagine going for hours without release. The thought of the pain is enough to bring tears to my eyes, not to mention that it certainly has a deflating effect on certain bits.”
At last able to laugh at their situation a little, they both were able to relax and fall asleep in each other’s arms.