Son of the Thain
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings
The Thain sat, cross legged on the ground, in much the same way as a young boy might. He winced at the thought, thinking of his own young boy, who had vanished without a trace, along with his cousins and close friends Merry Brandybuck and of course, Frodo Baggins, little more than a year ago. Of course, much had happened in that year, enough change had occurred to last the entire history of the Shire, though he wasn't sure the Shire even counted as the Shire anymore. He wondered briefly what had become of his son, and then quickly shook these thoughts out of his head. It didn't do to dwell on the past, dreams, what might have been or anything, really, especially now that ruffians had invaded the Shire and that treacherous upstart, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, had started playing chief.
For now, the best thing to do was to resist. Keeping the ruffians out of Tuckborough was a start, but they couldn't hold them off forever. He needed to get out, and perhaps take counsel with his brother-in-law, the Master of Buckland. They couldn't sit down and wait for something to happen. They had to either make a move or give in. The later was not an option in the Thain's mind. If they could only find the ruffians weak point…
Paladin's eyes widened as realization dawned upon him. Of course! The same guards couldn't stand outside Great Smials all the time. They must change shifts at some point. He would be a fool to suppose that each soldier didn't change shifts at different times, but supposing a mix up occurred as to who was replacing who outside the battlefield in the dead of night, they could perhaps get just a few hobbits out.
His heart rose in anticipation. After a moment, he realized he was grinning wildly, and quickly wiped the expression off his face. No one would take him seriously with a look like that, and the Thain always had to be taken seriously. Unless he was making a joke, of course, he thought with grim satisfaction.
He got to his feet and, desperately trying to stop himself from running, hurried back to Great Smials.
A wry smile stretched across Pippin's face as he rode forth into the fields ahead him. He laughed at the sound of Merry's horn-call which followed him, and he turned in his saddle to wave maniacally in his friend's general direction, although he well out of the eye's reach. What a sight he must be, a knight of Gondor, clad in only the finest armour, galloping forward in the green pastures, flanked by six of the finest young men. Not quite up to his standards, of course, but well above, well, say Merry's. He smiled to himself, looking forward to sharing that little joke with Frodo and Sam, with Merry within earshot, of course.
After a couple of hours, Pippin decided it was time he they slowed down, or else they might kill the ponies. He leaned back in his saddle, and tugged on the reins, and his pony slowed to a steady trot. Behind him, the others did the same.
"If we keep going for another hour," Pippin told the others breathlessly, "at the pace we're at now, we'll be a good hour's ride away from Tuckborough. I'd rather not risk camping any closer; we don't need to warn the ruffians. And it probably isn't the best idea to go charging into Tuckborough without a plan."
So they trotted for another hour, and then set up camp. They paid special attention to the ponies, knowing that if they were enough well rested, they could make the journey in just over half an hour. That evening they sat around the campfire, all eyes intent on Pippin as he desperately rummaged his brain for anything that resembled a plan.
Finally, Pippin lifted his head from his knees and stared around to circle. The light from the fire played across his face, and it seemed to his companions as if they were looking upon him for the first time. There were bags underneath his bloodshot eyes, ant his cheeks were sunken.
"Captain Peregrin? Are you alright?" one of his companions asked.
Pippin raised his head a little more. "Fine, fine" he said, as if he was talking to an annoying, over reactive matron. "Listen, I've got a plan, but I don't think you'll like it"
The council of Paladin sat round a table in the Thain's study, their eyes slanted together, foreheads creased in deep conversation. "We can't safely get more than three hobbits through, and any less is pointless," said Pearl Took, his eldest daughter.
His second eldest, Pimpernel, leaned back in her chair. "I don't know about any of this," she said. "Even if we did manage to get some hobbits out, what good would it do? We'd have no contact with them before they returned, after all. But my scouts have informed me that there has been strong disorganization amongst the ruffians recently, and I suggest we take advantage of that"
Paladin glanced between the two of them, and then surveyed the rest of his council. Adelard and his sons, Reginard and Everard, were looking desperate. Ferdibrand was looking almost angry about having the plan's flaws being pointed out. The rest were nodding in apparent agreement, with forlorn expressions on their faces, except Pervinca, his third daughter, who was always difficult to read.
"What do you think, Pervinca?" He asked, almost dreading her response.
Pervinca shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "If the whole Shire were to rise up against the ruffians, we may be able to force them out. The thing is you never know who you can trust nowadays."
"We can trust Saradoc," Paladin said, mostly to himself. He had never quite got along with the Master of Buckland unless he had to, but he couldn't deny that Saradoc was an invaluable ally.
Pervinca nodded. "Of course, if he hasn't already been dragged off to the lockholes, like poor old Will Whitfoot. We can't rely on the Master, father, or on any other hobbits in the Shire. For all we know, the ruffians decided they'd like to kill them all and we are the last hobbits left in the Shire."
Adelard regarded her with interest. "What do you propose we do?" he asked.
Pervinca chewed her bottom lip. "Other than finding out where we stand, there's nothing we can do," she replied.
Ferdibrand nodded vigorously, grasping the situation. "Then we must take advantage of the current disorganization and send three hobbits out to find out where we stand," he added.
Pearl grimaced. "Well," she said, "I suppose there's nothing for it but to carry out the plan. The question is, who can we send? At least one has to have the authority and wisdom to make decisions on the Thain's behalf, and we need to be able to trust all three of them completely. They will need to be physically strong, stealthy and quick thinking."
Everard relaxed, smiling wryly. "Well," he shrugged, "The first step is appointing their leader, and then they can probably choose the other two. I can think of one good person for the job, and if she agrees, then I offer my services."
"Vinca?" Pimpernel murmured, fixing her eyes on her little sister. All eyes fixed on Pervinca, a girl only two years above her coming of age.
"All right," Pervinca said. "I'll do it."