Wet Hobbits and Black Riders
Chapter Four
Stealthy feet made little sound on the wooden floor, carefully stepping over the floorboard near the door that always creaked loudly. The cloaked figure furtively swept up apples, cheese and bread set out on the table in the kitchen. Listening anxiously for any sound that would signal the household was not still abed, the figure crept to the back door and slipped quietly away into the grey-shadowed dawn.
*****
Dionesia Stooptoe looked around her kitchen and sighed at the evidence that someone had stolen through the room before her. It wasn't even light out yet but her son Dom had already risen, and left the house for his fields, taking food to last the day. This had been his habit every day for nearly four weeks, ever since Halmeth and Periwinkle had returned to the farm from their wedding trip. He left before anyone else got up and stayed away until long after nightfall, stubbornly avoiding nearly everyone in the household.
Dionesia decided it was not going to continue. She wasn't going to let Dom become an absentee son. She had heard what happened at the wedding, for the kiss shared between Dom and Peri had been much remarked on. But fortunately, it was regarded as a joke, because of Peregrin Took's antics and Peri's skillful diversion.
Dionesia had suspected her son harbored feelings for his brother's wife, but she'd had no idea they were deep enough to drive her usually reserved Dom to such a public display of passion. Well, Dom couldn't avoid his own mother forever. She wouldn't allow it. Her mind made up, she pulled a light shawl about her shoulders against the dawn chill and headed for the fields Dom had taken as his own.
*****
She found him standing in the midst of ripening, tan pipe weed, scanning the sky anxiously. It was cloudy and looked as if it might rain. That could spell disaster, for the leaf was nearly ready to harvest and wet leaf would rot in the drying sheds.
The harvesting crews were due to arrive next week. Dionesia prayed the rains held off until then.
She walked up to Dom and put her hand on his arm. He looked down, startled. "What are you doing out here, Mam? Is something wrong back at the house?"
"No." She pressed her hand against his heart. "There's something wrong in here." Dionesia saw his face was drawn with care and weariness.
"Mam, don't." he whispered, sensing immediately his mother knew his secret. "It hurts too much." Dom turned aside. Her hand fell away.
"And so it will, if you continue to feel sorry for yourself." Dionesia said briskly. If one approach won't work, she thought to herself, try another.
"We are a family. You are part of that family. Unless you are planning to give up your land and move away," she glanced at him and nodded, satisfied with his expression of utter shock at the idea. "Then you will have to find some way to make peace with your feelings, with Periwinkle, and with your brother."
Dionesia drew her shawl closer about her shoulders for the wind had picked up and the clouds thickened. "Now, I expect you home for supper at the usual time. You will sit down with the rest of the family and I want this matter to have been resolved. Do I make myself clear, lad?" She looked sternly at her son, hoping this was the right tone to take. She was terribly afraid that her family was about to be permanently divided.
Dom looked at the threatening sky for a long time, his fists clenching and unclenching as if a silent battle were being fought inside him. Dionesia became increasingly nervous.
Finally, Dom looked at her ruefully. "How do you always know the right thing to say, Mam? You're right. I have been feeling sorry for myself." He took a deep breath. "I'll talk to Hal and Periwinkle today."
"Good." His mother said, careful not to let her relief show, and turned to walk back to the house. "Just one more thing," Dom called. She stopped. "What does Da think about all this?"
Dionesia paused and said, "Oh, your father wanted to arrange a marriage for you, to focus your attention back where it belonged. We'd settled on Amaryllis Bogbean, but I told him I'd give you one more chance to set things right, first." She took a folded sheet of paper out of her apron pocket and displayed it to Dom's horrified gaze. "I assume I won't have to send Amaryllis this invitation to visit?"
Her point made, she again turned to leave. But as she did, Dionesia thought she heard her son mutter something under his breath. It sounded like, "Ruthless, utterly ruthless. I never had a chance."
Smiling, Dionesia slipped the piece of paper back into her pocket. She'd known her shopping list would come in handy.
********************
Though the clouds lingered, the rains still held off, for which Dom was grateful. He had still a great deal to do before the fields were fully ready to harvest. And then his mother had descended on him and delivered her ultimatum. He couldn't really blame her after he had essentially disappeared these past weeks-but Amaryllis Bogbean! That just wasn't fair.
He decided to try to find Hal first. He thought it would be easier to talk things out with his twin, although Hal had been quite angry and unwilling to accept his apology at the wedding. Dom suspected only Periwinkle's presence had prevented Hal from coming to blows with him. Maybe they should have had it out then and there, not let this lie festering between them.
Dom grimly acknowledged he was probably going to have to let Hal get in at least one free punch. More than that, though.. Well, he would just take it one step, or blow, at a time.
He thought Hal might be making some repairs to one of the drying sheds in preparation for the harvest, so he headed in that direction.
As he rounded the low, thatched roof building, however, he bumped into the person he was least prepared to meet. His sister-in-law. He had to grab the basket of eggs she was carrying to save it from tumbling to the ground.
"Oh, Dom!" Peri cried. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"That's all right. No harm done. See?" Dom restored the basket to her where she clutched it protectively. He knew Peri had taken enthusiastically to life on the farm, still finding fun in a variety of chores she had never experienced before. He noticed she looked fresh and pretty with her dark curls arranged loosely at the back of her neck, dressed in a light green gown with a white kerchief about her throat.
Dom felt his heart twist inside his chest. This innocent, charming beauty would never be his. He simply had to face up to it. He looked into her gray eyes, eyes that questioned his growing silence. But now that the time had come, he could not find the courage to speak.
Peri said hesitantly, "Dom, have I done something to make you angry? You are never around. And Hal won't talk about it when I ask him if there's something wrong between you." She gazed at him anxiously. "I feel like I'm the cause of it somehow, that I've brought trouble into the family."
"I just want everyone to be as happy as I am," she sighed.
Dom began to feel like the most insensitive clod in the Shire, leading this generous-hearted girl to believe she had done something wrong. He again tried to speak, but his throat closed up and no sound emerged.
Something seemed to occur to Periwinkle for her eyes widened and she said, "You aren't upset about that kiss at the wedding are you? You apologized for that already. I think you just got a bit carried away. I was a little embarrassed, but flattered, too, and not at all angry. Please tell me you haven't avoided your entire family for weeks over such a little thing" she pleaded.
Dom choked over the description of the most perfect kiss of his life as "such a little thing." "Ah, you certainly put things in perspective, lass." Dom said ruefully. "It wasn't the kiss, Peri, it was the very real feelings behind it."
He looked at her steadily and knew he had to be honest with her. "I loved you from the moment I saw you last year. But I'd never been in love before and I wanted to be sure. Besides, I thought I had all the time in the world." Peri's expression was one of stricken sympathy, fading into something Dom dreaded-pity.
He doggedly continued his confession. "I came home, meaning to return and sweep you off your feet, but I was delayed. And Hal was the one who went back to Great Smials to win your heart. I don't blame him. You are obviously very happy with each other, and I never told you how I felt."
He took a deep breath. "So there it is. If you cannot face being in same household with me, I'll build a house for myself somewhere on my own land and try not to bother you." He made the offer impulsively, prompted by the real pain he saw in her face over this cursed tangle. But he would do it if she asked.
Dom was terrified to see a tear begin to trickle down her cheek. Now what had he done? Mam would have him married to Amaryllis Bogbean inside a week, at this rate.
"Dom, I am sorry. I never knew." she cried. "You were so serious and intent with all your plans for the future when we met. I was impressed. I knew you were someone I could trust, that I could have absolute faith in."
She said this gently because she knew it was not what he wanted to hear. "Then Hal came and he made me laugh and feel very special. I needed that. Living with my parents is.let's just say that many times I felt like the grown-up because of all of their absurd foolishness." She smiled. "Hal convinced me they were finally old enough to look after themselves and that I must enjoy being a young maid in love. How could I resist him?"
Dom watched her as she spoke. It was clear she was simply and completely happy. He must make certain that no regret or imagined guilt clouded that joy.
Now she looked at him and said quietly. "When I was little, I made up an imaginary big brother. In my daydreams, he looked out for me, took an interest in my hopes, taught me how to swim or ride a pony. Later, he even gave me advice on how to manage my parents." She blushed a little. "I suppose that sounds quite strange, but it made perfect sense at the time."
"I don't need a protector anymore, but I would like to have you as a brother all the same." Peri offered her hand to Dom. "Can you not find a way to peace, my dear friend?"
Domfast closed his eyes and desperately wished that calm would replace the passionate longing that raged in his soul. Why was he required to yield up what others enjoyed without effort or price? He struggled to quell his resentment and the bitterness that loomed in its wake.
She offered him nothing but peace and friendship. So be it.
But first, he would have a token of what he sacrificed.
He took her hand. Slowly, so she could stop him at any point, he brought it, palm up, to his lips. His eyes on hers, he pressed his lips sensually to her palm, then gently nipped the fleshy pad beneath her thumb. Her breath caught and her eyes closed. They remained thus for several moments.
Her fingers one by one fell away from his grasp. So, too, his hope of love returned slipped away from him like a dying spirit.
But in that moment, some dispensation of grace-unearned and unlooked for- was granted to him. He did not realize it yet, but a small measure of peace began to grow in him. A delicate transmutation was begun, from anguished yearning to unshakeable devotion.
Somewhere he found the strength to smile at her, and mean it. "I promise to be the very best big brother you could wish for, imaginary or otherwise." After a moment, his smile deepened, grew mischievous. His likeness to his twin was never more pronounced.
"In fact, I can offer a whole host of brotherly services-from tickling to pulling hair to putting frogs in your bed. You've given me a whole new purpose in life-sister!" With that, he bent down and picked up a handful of mud from a puddle formed under the nearby the water pump.
Peri began to back up warily. "You wouldn't dare," she said with certainty.
"Oh, wouldn't I? I'm sure Hal has mentioned some of our past exploits." Smiling all the while, Dom stalked Peri as she retreated across the farmyard toward the house. "It's a wonder we survived our teens and tweens." He formed the mud into a squishy ball and began tossing it messily between his hands.
Peri eyed the large glob, then caught sight of Dom's intent expression. Clutching the egg basket, she picked up her skirts and ran the exact moment the mudball left Dom's hands.
Splat! The whitewashed wall of the chicken house now sported a muddy splotch the size of a dinner plate. Dom's laughter followed Peri as she fled in giddy excitement, her heart gladdened by the sound.
**************************************
After his encounter with Peri, Dom did not feel ready to confront Hal just yet. Dom continued to inspect the fields and decided on where the harvest should begin.
So it was late afternoon by the time Dom neared the vicinity of the drying sheds again, where he still thought Hal was to be found. The clouds continued to gather in the sky and the air was humid and heavy with moisture. Dom stopped for a moment, breathing heavily in the heat and wiped his face with his handkerchief. He might not want it to rain before he was ready to harvest the pipe weed but he would welcome the break in temperature a storm would bring.
He finally spotted Hal standing beyond the drying sheds next to the duck pond. Hal was talking with someone who looked vaguely familiar. The figure was not a farmhand. He was too richly dressed for that. The bright green expanse of his waistcoat over his broad belly was visible even this far away.
Lotho Pimple, er, Sackville-Baggins. What a delightful surprise.
Dom saw Lotho and Hal shake hands and finish their conversation as Dom drew near. Lotho noticed Dom and his satisfied smile thinned a bit. Lotho had little use for Dom since he forced Lotho to disgorge the full amount of profits for the Longbottom Leaf Lotho had sold last year. The feeling was entirely mutual and Dom did not bother to move out the way when Lotho came toward him.
"You should cultivate a more cooperative attitude, Domfast. Your brother found collaboration far more profitable than confrontation." Lotho said. Then in a lower voice Hal would not hear, he hissed at Dom. "The day is coming, sooner than you think, when nobodies like you will accept whatever terms I offer and be grateful for the favor."
Lotho was broader but Dom was taller and he deliberately loomed over the shorter hobbit. He leaned close to Lotho and said in a conversational tone. "Did you know you left your handkerchief the last time you were here? I've been using it to train my dogs to follow a scent. You remember my dogs. You didn't get along too well, did you? Maybe you ought to leave before they get here." Dom let out a piercing whistle. Barking was heard in the distance.
"Fool! You will pay for every slighting remark, just you wait." Lotho looked nervously in the direction of the barking.
"You're the fool if you wait. But, it's your funeral." Dom whistled again. "It will be an interesting training exercise for the lads." With that, Lotho turned and hurried off to his pony trap. Dom last saw him whipping the poor pony into a gallop as the cart clattered off down the road from Stooptoe Hollow.
Dom turned, chuckling and walked over to where Hal stood by the pond with a puzzled look on his face.
"Was that you whistling for the dogs?" Hal asked. "You know that Da penned them up today because Old Mistress Grubb is coming to visit Mam and she always sneezes around the dogs."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember that." Dom agreed, a glint in his eye. "But never mind. Why were you talking to Lotho and what was he so happy about?"
Hal looked smug. "Lotho and I are going into partnership with each other. We agreed that I would send off three-quarters of the yield on my fields to his new southern markets. The prices he's getting are remarkable! He's giving me very generous terms."
"Dom, with the profit, I can build Peri a new house of our own. I can support her on my own, in the way she deserves." Hal was excited and wanted badly for his brother to approve his new scheme. Hal knew the land and knew pipe weed, but did not have much luck in the business end of things.
Deep down, Hal knew he did not have the patience to think through all the details, or the ability to see two or three moves ahead in a negotiation. But Hal would not admit such a thing to his father or brother. He desperately wanted to succeed in a business deal on his own. So when Lotho made his offer, Hal was sure now was his chance to get in early on a good thing.
Dom's reaction was nothing like Hal expected. "You addle-pated fool! Did our brangle with that sidewinder last year teach you nothing?" Dom was furious. "Oh, no. I forgot. I stayed home to clean up that mess. You ran off to Great Smials and romanced Peri for the entire planting season. How were you supposed to know that Lotho's word is worthless?"
Hal grew angry in his turn. "Lotho explained that you refused to believe that he took a loss on that deal last year. He told me he made up the difference for us out of his own pocket just to satisfy you. He has given fair prices to others. He is also buying farms of his own and wants my advice on how to run them."
Dom snorted and rolled his eyes at this load of bilge. "Lotho always could talk rings around you, Hal. You had something he wanted and he's using you to get it. I don't know what he's after, but don't you trust him. Get out of this before it's too late."
Hal's bluster suddenly grew cold. He looked at his brother with narrow- eyed suspicion. "I know what this is about. It's about Peri. I knew you had feelings for her, but I never thought you'd stoop this low, Dom."
"What are you talking about?" Dom could not stop a guilty flush creeping up his neck. Here was the "discussion" he'd promised to have with Hal but it wasn't happening under the best conditions. Still, what link could Hal see between his feelings for Peri and his well-founded distrust of Lotho Pimple?
"You can't have her for yourself so you'll undermine me with her in any way you can. Like ruining this chance I have to provide for her on my own, without using Da's money or living in Da's house." Hal said fiercely. "Well, I won't stop the deal with Lotho. And I won't have you interfering with my wife!"
Without warning, Hal aimed a blow at Dom's chin. It was like getting whacked in the head with a block of wood. Little sparks of light exploded in Dom's vision.
"Well, I knew I had to give him one free punch", thought Dom, as he was knocked helplessly back with a great splash into the pond. Ducks, complaining loudly, took flight in protest at the intrusion.
Dom sank almost to the bottom of the shallow pond. He surfaced, covered in lilly pads, and wiped streaming water and wet curls out of his eyes. When he focused, he was startled to see Periwinkle had arrived. She evidently was not happy with her husband.
"Hal, how could you?" she wailed. "I sent you to find Dom and make peace with him! Not attack him!" She poked her finger in Hal's chest to emphasize each word. Hal backed up along the bank with hands outspread protesting his innocence.
Peri paid no attention. "Dom has done nothing wrong. You are brothers, act like it. In fact, you can just join him!" Peri pushed on Hal's chest with both hands, but her feet became entangled in her skirts and she began to overbalance.
Instinctively, Hal reached out to steady her, enfolding her in his arms. But Peri's forward momentum could not be overcome and both of them toppled into the water.
Dom tensed, ready to help if they did not surface right away. But in a moment or two, the pair broke water sputtering and coughing. Hal hauled Peri upright and pulled her hair out of her eyes. "Peri, sweetheart, talk to me. Are you alright?" Hal shook Peri a little, but she was caught between choking on swallowed water and laughter. She could only shake her head helplessly.
"Dom, help me." Hal called anxiously. "I think she's drowning. Peri, please don't die. I didn't mean to hit him. I mean I did mean it, but I'll be sorry for it if you want me to."
Dom, well aware Peri's plight was not life-threatening, couldn't help but notice Hal's real anxiety and deep affection for Peri. He steeled his heart against the little lash of pain in that realization and waded over to support his brother. "She's fine, Hal. She just needs to get her breath back. It would help if you weren't holding her quite so tight."
Finally, Peri found her voice. "I'm all right, dear. Just a bit soggy is all. Ugh." She put a hand to her dripping hair and gave a shiver of distaste. "Now I know what ducks do in ponds besides swim around. I'm getting out of here."
Hal gave Peri a hand up onto the bank, where she stood wringing out her sopping skirts. Dom carefully averted his gaze, for her dress clung in all the right places. Fortunately the day was hot and there was no chance the wet hobbits would take a chill.
Hal was about to join her, but she said without looking up from her ablutions. "Don't you dare come out of there until you make peace with your brother."
"But, Peri." Hal protested. Dom wondered if Hal knew he sounded about ten years old.
"Don't 'but Peri' me, Halmeth Stooptoe." Peri straightened and put her hands on her hips. Dom and Hal were alarmed to recognize their mother's stance and tone in Peri's attitude. Dionesia was training her daughter-in- law well. "Talk to him." She gestured to Dom.
"Don't you think you are getting off easy, either, Domfast. You should have come to Hal long before this." Peri even copied Dionesia's foot tapping, which meant patience with any wrongdoer was quickly running out. "Come now, get on with it. Apologize, both of you."
Dom had sunk into the water up to his neck under Peri's scrutiny. He breathed out heavily, making bubbles in the water. He knew his was the heavier debt and he really should go first. "Hal, I apologized for what happened at the wedding. That really was poorly done. But I can't help what I feel. Who could keep from loving Peri?" He checked and Hal was listening, at least. But it was the future that Hal was most interested in.
Dom accomodated him. "Peri has a yen for a brother. I've promised to be one, a good one. But that's all. I'll not betray your trust." He said seriously. "You're my twin. I'd rather cut off my right arm than sully the bond between us."
Hal said nothing, searching his brother's face as if weighing his sincerity. Dom withstood the scrutiny. Finally, Hal stuck out his hand. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry for hitting you. Mostly."
"Hal!" Peri warned.
Hal laughed. "Alright, brother. We'll put it behind us. Harvest is going to be busy enough, without this hanging over our heads."
"Aye, that it is." Dom agreed and shook Hal's hand firmly. Hal clapped Dom on the shoulder affectionately. It felt good to be easy with one another again. Neither of them mentioned Lotho.
The brothers headed for the pond's edge. They stopped, open-mouthed when their father appeared on the bank.
Ivo saw them in the pond and Peri, soaking wet on the shore. "What are you two young fools doin' taking a swim in the middle o' the day? We've got too much work to do for ya to be lollygaggin' around. It may be hot, but there's no time for paddlin' about."
Ivo looked at Peri, "Lass, ye'd best be headin' back to the house to change afore ye catch yer death. I don't blame ya, I know it's these two rascals that led ye astray."
"But Da," the brothers protested. Dom cringed. Now they both sounded ten years old.
"I don't want to hear anymore. Now get out of there." Ivo said impatiently. "Come on, out with ya," he said when neither brother moved.
"How about a hand out, Da? The mud's terrible thick on the bottom and it's hard to get up there." Hal said, holding out his hand. In for a penny, in for a pound, thought Dom and held out his own hand to his father.
Peri looked as if she would say something, but she simply shook her head and put both hands over her face. Then peeked through her fingers.
"Oh, alright." Said Ivo, coming to the edge of the pond. "Ya must both be getting weak in yer old age." He gave a hand to each of his sons, and, in the end, was only mildly surprised to find himself flying off the bank and landing with a mighty splash in the water.
Hal and Dom collapsed with laughter when their father popped up like a cork, sputtering and shouting imprecations against ungrateful, underhanded offspring.
Peri, looking virtuous, came to the bank and announced. "I am going back to the house. If you know what's good for you, you'll wash up in the barn before you come to Dionesia's table smelling of duck---pond."
A half-hour later, all three Stooptoe men were trudging back to the house when there was a great crack of thunder. They stopped and looked at each other, sighed, kept walking. Torrents of rain began to pour down. Wet hobbits, indeed.
***************
It was well past midnight and the rain and thunder had stopped long ago. But something woke Dom out of a sound sleep. He listened. The house was silent, but there was something not right.
He pulled on his trousers. There was still no sound, but a feeling of dread was thick in the air. Prompted to go outside by some sense he could not name, even though fear clutched at him with cold fingers.
He went out to the front step of the house. Finally he heard it, hoofbeats. Not the light sounds of a pony, but the distant thundering of large horse. It grew closer. It was coming across the fields that faced south, towards Sarn Ford, and the southern bounds of the Shire.
Dom felt his insides turn to water. A monstrous black beast, with red flashing eyes, easily cleared the fence that surrounded the front yard of Stooptoe Hollow. Despite his fear, he could not move. The animal, he supposed it must be a horse, though it did not look like any he'd ever seen, came straight for him.
At last he ventured a glance at the nameless horror that was mounted atop the beast. It was black upon black upon black. Dom could make out no features at all. With a wild cry, he dropped to his knees and the horse swerved around him.
A foul stench of death and decay swept over Dom. He was overcome. This was surely the Enemy Sam spoke of, come to the Shire. Dom despaired as he slid hopelessly into darkness. What hope did Sam, or any hobbit, have against this horror?
Fresh from victory against the Rangers that guarded Sarn Ford, the cry of the Nazgul echoed across the Southfarthing as it headed for Bag End, and the Ringbearer.
Chapter Four
Stealthy feet made little sound on the wooden floor, carefully stepping over the floorboard near the door that always creaked loudly. The cloaked figure furtively swept up apples, cheese and bread set out on the table in the kitchen. Listening anxiously for any sound that would signal the household was not still abed, the figure crept to the back door and slipped quietly away into the grey-shadowed dawn.
*****
Dionesia Stooptoe looked around her kitchen and sighed at the evidence that someone had stolen through the room before her. It wasn't even light out yet but her son Dom had already risen, and left the house for his fields, taking food to last the day. This had been his habit every day for nearly four weeks, ever since Halmeth and Periwinkle had returned to the farm from their wedding trip. He left before anyone else got up and stayed away until long after nightfall, stubbornly avoiding nearly everyone in the household.
Dionesia decided it was not going to continue. She wasn't going to let Dom become an absentee son. She had heard what happened at the wedding, for the kiss shared between Dom and Peri had been much remarked on. But fortunately, it was regarded as a joke, because of Peregrin Took's antics and Peri's skillful diversion.
Dionesia had suspected her son harbored feelings for his brother's wife, but she'd had no idea they were deep enough to drive her usually reserved Dom to such a public display of passion. Well, Dom couldn't avoid his own mother forever. She wouldn't allow it. Her mind made up, she pulled a light shawl about her shoulders against the dawn chill and headed for the fields Dom had taken as his own.
*****
She found him standing in the midst of ripening, tan pipe weed, scanning the sky anxiously. It was cloudy and looked as if it might rain. That could spell disaster, for the leaf was nearly ready to harvest and wet leaf would rot in the drying sheds.
The harvesting crews were due to arrive next week. Dionesia prayed the rains held off until then.
She walked up to Dom and put her hand on his arm. He looked down, startled. "What are you doing out here, Mam? Is something wrong back at the house?"
"No." She pressed her hand against his heart. "There's something wrong in here." Dionesia saw his face was drawn with care and weariness.
"Mam, don't." he whispered, sensing immediately his mother knew his secret. "It hurts too much." Dom turned aside. Her hand fell away.
"And so it will, if you continue to feel sorry for yourself." Dionesia said briskly. If one approach won't work, she thought to herself, try another.
"We are a family. You are part of that family. Unless you are planning to give up your land and move away," she glanced at him and nodded, satisfied with his expression of utter shock at the idea. "Then you will have to find some way to make peace with your feelings, with Periwinkle, and with your brother."
Dionesia drew her shawl closer about her shoulders for the wind had picked up and the clouds thickened. "Now, I expect you home for supper at the usual time. You will sit down with the rest of the family and I want this matter to have been resolved. Do I make myself clear, lad?" She looked sternly at her son, hoping this was the right tone to take. She was terribly afraid that her family was about to be permanently divided.
Dom looked at the threatening sky for a long time, his fists clenching and unclenching as if a silent battle were being fought inside him. Dionesia became increasingly nervous.
Finally, Dom looked at her ruefully. "How do you always know the right thing to say, Mam? You're right. I have been feeling sorry for myself." He took a deep breath. "I'll talk to Hal and Periwinkle today."
"Good." His mother said, careful not to let her relief show, and turned to walk back to the house. "Just one more thing," Dom called. She stopped. "What does Da think about all this?"
Dionesia paused and said, "Oh, your father wanted to arrange a marriage for you, to focus your attention back where it belonged. We'd settled on Amaryllis Bogbean, but I told him I'd give you one more chance to set things right, first." She took a folded sheet of paper out of her apron pocket and displayed it to Dom's horrified gaze. "I assume I won't have to send Amaryllis this invitation to visit?"
Her point made, she again turned to leave. But as she did, Dionesia thought she heard her son mutter something under his breath. It sounded like, "Ruthless, utterly ruthless. I never had a chance."
Smiling, Dionesia slipped the piece of paper back into her pocket. She'd known her shopping list would come in handy.
********************
Though the clouds lingered, the rains still held off, for which Dom was grateful. He had still a great deal to do before the fields were fully ready to harvest. And then his mother had descended on him and delivered her ultimatum. He couldn't really blame her after he had essentially disappeared these past weeks-but Amaryllis Bogbean! That just wasn't fair.
He decided to try to find Hal first. He thought it would be easier to talk things out with his twin, although Hal had been quite angry and unwilling to accept his apology at the wedding. Dom suspected only Periwinkle's presence had prevented Hal from coming to blows with him. Maybe they should have had it out then and there, not let this lie festering between them.
Dom grimly acknowledged he was probably going to have to let Hal get in at least one free punch. More than that, though.. Well, he would just take it one step, or blow, at a time.
He thought Hal might be making some repairs to one of the drying sheds in preparation for the harvest, so he headed in that direction.
As he rounded the low, thatched roof building, however, he bumped into the person he was least prepared to meet. His sister-in-law. He had to grab the basket of eggs she was carrying to save it from tumbling to the ground.
"Oh, Dom!" Peri cried. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"That's all right. No harm done. See?" Dom restored the basket to her where she clutched it protectively. He knew Peri had taken enthusiastically to life on the farm, still finding fun in a variety of chores she had never experienced before. He noticed she looked fresh and pretty with her dark curls arranged loosely at the back of her neck, dressed in a light green gown with a white kerchief about her throat.
Dom felt his heart twist inside his chest. This innocent, charming beauty would never be his. He simply had to face up to it. He looked into her gray eyes, eyes that questioned his growing silence. But now that the time had come, he could not find the courage to speak.
Peri said hesitantly, "Dom, have I done something to make you angry? You are never around. And Hal won't talk about it when I ask him if there's something wrong between you." She gazed at him anxiously. "I feel like I'm the cause of it somehow, that I've brought trouble into the family."
"I just want everyone to be as happy as I am," she sighed.
Dom began to feel like the most insensitive clod in the Shire, leading this generous-hearted girl to believe she had done something wrong. He again tried to speak, but his throat closed up and no sound emerged.
Something seemed to occur to Periwinkle for her eyes widened and she said, "You aren't upset about that kiss at the wedding are you? You apologized for that already. I think you just got a bit carried away. I was a little embarrassed, but flattered, too, and not at all angry. Please tell me you haven't avoided your entire family for weeks over such a little thing" she pleaded.
Dom choked over the description of the most perfect kiss of his life as "such a little thing." "Ah, you certainly put things in perspective, lass." Dom said ruefully. "It wasn't the kiss, Peri, it was the very real feelings behind it."
He looked at her steadily and knew he had to be honest with her. "I loved you from the moment I saw you last year. But I'd never been in love before and I wanted to be sure. Besides, I thought I had all the time in the world." Peri's expression was one of stricken sympathy, fading into something Dom dreaded-pity.
He doggedly continued his confession. "I came home, meaning to return and sweep you off your feet, but I was delayed. And Hal was the one who went back to Great Smials to win your heart. I don't blame him. You are obviously very happy with each other, and I never told you how I felt."
He took a deep breath. "So there it is. If you cannot face being in same household with me, I'll build a house for myself somewhere on my own land and try not to bother you." He made the offer impulsively, prompted by the real pain he saw in her face over this cursed tangle. But he would do it if she asked.
Dom was terrified to see a tear begin to trickle down her cheek. Now what had he done? Mam would have him married to Amaryllis Bogbean inside a week, at this rate.
"Dom, I am sorry. I never knew." she cried. "You were so serious and intent with all your plans for the future when we met. I was impressed. I knew you were someone I could trust, that I could have absolute faith in."
She said this gently because she knew it was not what he wanted to hear. "Then Hal came and he made me laugh and feel very special. I needed that. Living with my parents is.let's just say that many times I felt like the grown-up because of all of their absurd foolishness." She smiled. "Hal convinced me they were finally old enough to look after themselves and that I must enjoy being a young maid in love. How could I resist him?"
Dom watched her as she spoke. It was clear she was simply and completely happy. He must make certain that no regret or imagined guilt clouded that joy.
Now she looked at him and said quietly. "When I was little, I made up an imaginary big brother. In my daydreams, he looked out for me, took an interest in my hopes, taught me how to swim or ride a pony. Later, he even gave me advice on how to manage my parents." She blushed a little. "I suppose that sounds quite strange, but it made perfect sense at the time."
"I don't need a protector anymore, but I would like to have you as a brother all the same." Peri offered her hand to Dom. "Can you not find a way to peace, my dear friend?"
Domfast closed his eyes and desperately wished that calm would replace the passionate longing that raged in his soul. Why was he required to yield up what others enjoyed without effort or price? He struggled to quell his resentment and the bitterness that loomed in its wake.
She offered him nothing but peace and friendship. So be it.
But first, he would have a token of what he sacrificed.
He took her hand. Slowly, so she could stop him at any point, he brought it, palm up, to his lips. His eyes on hers, he pressed his lips sensually to her palm, then gently nipped the fleshy pad beneath her thumb. Her breath caught and her eyes closed. They remained thus for several moments.
Her fingers one by one fell away from his grasp. So, too, his hope of love returned slipped away from him like a dying spirit.
But in that moment, some dispensation of grace-unearned and unlooked for- was granted to him. He did not realize it yet, but a small measure of peace began to grow in him. A delicate transmutation was begun, from anguished yearning to unshakeable devotion.
Somewhere he found the strength to smile at her, and mean it. "I promise to be the very best big brother you could wish for, imaginary or otherwise." After a moment, his smile deepened, grew mischievous. His likeness to his twin was never more pronounced.
"In fact, I can offer a whole host of brotherly services-from tickling to pulling hair to putting frogs in your bed. You've given me a whole new purpose in life-sister!" With that, he bent down and picked up a handful of mud from a puddle formed under the nearby the water pump.
Peri began to back up warily. "You wouldn't dare," she said with certainty.
"Oh, wouldn't I? I'm sure Hal has mentioned some of our past exploits." Smiling all the while, Dom stalked Peri as she retreated across the farmyard toward the house. "It's a wonder we survived our teens and tweens." He formed the mud into a squishy ball and began tossing it messily between his hands.
Peri eyed the large glob, then caught sight of Dom's intent expression. Clutching the egg basket, she picked up her skirts and ran the exact moment the mudball left Dom's hands.
Splat! The whitewashed wall of the chicken house now sported a muddy splotch the size of a dinner plate. Dom's laughter followed Peri as she fled in giddy excitement, her heart gladdened by the sound.
**************************************
After his encounter with Peri, Dom did not feel ready to confront Hal just yet. Dom continued to inspect the fields and decided on where the harvest should begin.
So it was late afternoon by the time Dom neared the vicinity of the drying sheds again, where he still thought Hal was to be found. The clouds continued to gather in the sky and the air was humid and heavy with moisture. Dom stopped for a moment, breathing heavily in the heat and wiped his face with his handkerchief. He might not want it to rain before he was ready to harvest the pipe weed but he would welcome the break in temperature a storm would bring.
He finally spotted Hal standing beyond the drying sheds next to the duck pond. Hal was talking with someone who looked vaguely familiar. The figure was not a farmhand. He was too richly dressed for that. The bright green expanse of his waistcoat over his broad belly was visible even this far away.
Lotho Pimple, er, Sackville-Baggins. What a delightful surprise.
Dom saw Lotho and Hal shake hands and finish their conversation as Dom drew near. Lotho noticed Dom and his satisfied smile thinned a bit. Lotho had little use for Dom since he forced Lotho to disgorge the full amount of profits for the Longbottom Leaf Lotho had sold last year. The feeling was entirely mutual and Dom did not bother to move out the way when Lotho came toward him.
"You should cultivate a more cooperative attitude, Domfast. Your brother found collaboration far more profitable than confrontation." Lotho said. Then in a lower voice Hal would not hear, he hissed at Dom. "The day is coming, sooner than you think, when nobodies like you will accept whatever terms I offer and be grateful for the favor."
Lotho was broader but Dom was taller and he deliberately loomed over the shorter hobbit. He leaned close to Lotho and said in a conversational tone. "Did you know you left your handkerchief the last time you were here? I've been using it to train my dogs to follow a scent. You remember my dogs. You didn't get along too well, did you? Maybe you ought to leave before they get here." Dom let out a piercing whistle. Barking was heard in the distance.
"Fool! You will pay for every slighting remark, just you wait." Lotho looked nervously in the direction of the barking.
"You're the fool if you wait. But, it's your funeral." Dom whistled again. "It will be an interesting training exercise for the lads." With that, Lotho turned and hurried off to his pony trap. Dom last saw him whipping the poor pony into a gallop as the cart clattered off down the road from Stooptoe Hollow.
Dom turned, chuckling and walked over to where Hal stood by the pond with a puzzled look on his face.
"Was that you whistling for the dogs?" Hal asked. "You know that Da penned them up today because Old Mistress Grubb is coming to visit Mam and she always sneezes around the dogs."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember that." Dom agreed, a glint in his eye. "But never mind. Why were you talking to Lotho and what was he so happy about?"
Hal looked smug. "Lotho and I are going into partnership with each other. We agreed that I would send off three-quarters of the yield on my fields to his new southern markets. The prices he's getting are remarkable! He's giving me very generous terms."
"Dom, with the profit, I can build Peri a new house of our own. I can support her on my own, in the way she deserves." Hal was excited and wanted badly for his brother to approve his new scheme. Hal knew the land and knew pipe weed, but did not have much luck in the business end of things.
Deep down, Hal knew he did not have the patience to think through all the details, or the ability to see two or three moves ahead in a negotiation. But Hal would not admit such a thing to his father or brother. He desperately wanted to succeed in a business deal on his own. So when Lotho made his offer, Hal was sure now was his chance to get in early on a good thing.
Dom's reaction was nothing like Hal expected. "You addle-pated fool! Did our brangle with that sidewinder last year teach you nothing?" Dom was furious. "Oh, no. I forgot. I stayed home to clean up that mess. You ran off to Great Smials and romanced Peri for the entire planting season. How were you supposed to know that Lotho's word is worthless?"
Hal grew angry in his turn. "Lotho explained that you refused to believe that he took a loss on that deal last year. He told me he made up the difference for us out of his own pocket just to satisfy you. He has given fair prices to others. He is also buying farms of his own and wants my advice on how to run them."
Dom snorted and rolled his eyes at this load of bilge. "Lotho always could talk rings around you, Hal. You had something he wanted and he's using you to get it. I don't know what he's after, but don't you trust him. Get out of this before it's too late."
Hal's bluster suddenly grew cold. He looked at his brother with narrow- eyed suspicion. "I know what this is about. It's about Peri. I knew you had feelings for her, but I never thought you'd stoop this low, Dom."
"What are you talking about?" Dom could not stop a guilty flush creeping up his neck. Here was the "discussion" he'd promised to have with Hal but it wasn't happening under the best conditions. Still, what link could Hal see between his feelings for Peri and his well-founded distrust of Lotho Pimple?
"You can't have her for yourself so you'll undermine me with her in any way you can. Like ruining this chance I have to provide for her on my own, without using Da's money or living in Da's house." Hal said fiercely. "Well, I won't stop the deal with Lotho. And I won't have you interfering with my wife!"
Without warning, Hal aimed a blow at Dom's chin. It was like getting whacked in the head with a block of wood. Little sparks of light exploded in Dom's vision.
"Well, I knew I had to give him one free punch", thought Dom, as he was knocked helplessly back with a great splash into the pond. Ducks, complaining loudly, took flight in protest at the intrusion.
Dom sank almost to the bottom of the shallow pond. He surfaced, covered in lilly pads, and wiped streaming water and wet curls out of his eyes. When he focused, he was startled to see Periwinkle had arrived. She evidently was not happy with her husband.
"Hal, how could you?" she wailed. "I sent you to find Dom and make peace with him! Not attack him!" She poked her finger in Hal's chest to emphasize each word. Hal backed up along the bank with hands outspread protesting his innocence.
Peri paid no attention. "Dom has done nothing wrong. You are brothers, act like it. In fact, you can just join him!" Peri pushed on Hal's chest with both hands, but her feet became entangled in her skirts and she began to overbalance.
Instinctively, Hal reached out to steady her, enfolding her in his arms. But Peri's forward momentum could not be overcome and both of them toppled into the water.
Dom tensed, ready to help if they did not surface right away. But in a moment or two, the pair broke water sputtering and coughing. Hal hauled Peri upright and pulled her hair out of her eyes. "Peri, sweetheart, talk to me. Are you alright?" Hal shook Peri a little, but she was caught between choking on swallowed water and laughter. She could only shake her head helplessly.
"Dom, help me." Hal called anxiously. "I think she's drowning. Peri, please don't die. I didn't mean to hit him. I mean I did mean it, but I'll be sorry for it if you want me to."
Dom, well aware Peri's plight was not life-threatening, couldn't help but notice Hal's real anxiety and deep affection for Peri. He steeled his heart against the little lash of pain in that realization and waded over to support his brother. "She's fine, Hal. She just needs to get her breath back. It would help if you weren't holding her quite so tight."
Finally, Peri found her voice. "I'm all right, dear. Just a bit soggy is all. Ugh." She put a hand to her dripping hair and gave a shiver of distaste. "Now I know what ducks do in ponds besides swim around. I'm getting out of here."
Hal gave Peri a hand up onto the bank, where she stood wringing out her sopping skirts. Dom carefully averted his gaze, for her dress clung in all the right places. Fortunately the day was hot and there was no chance the wet hobbits would take a chill.
Hal was about to join her, but she said without looking up from her ablutions. "Don't you dare come out of there until you make peace with your brother."
"But, Peri." Hal protested. Dom wondered if Hal knew he sounded about ten years old.
"Don't 'but Peri' me, Halmeth Stooptoe." Peri straightened and put her hands on her hips. Dom and Hal were alarmed to recognize their mother's stance and tone in Peri's attitude. Dionesia was training her daughter-in- law well. "Talk to him." She gestured to Dom.
"Don't you think you are getting off easy, either, Domfast. You should have come to Hal long before this." Peri even copied Dionesia's foot tapping, which meant patience with any wrongdoer was quickly running out. "Come now, get on with it. Apologize, both of you."
Dom had sunk into the water up to his neck under Peri's scrutiny. He breathed out heavily, making bubbles in the water. He knew his was the heavier debt and he really should go first. "Hal, I apologized for what happened at the wedding. That really was poorly done. But I can't help what I feel. Who could keep from loving Peri?" He checked and Hal was listening, at least. But it was the future that Hal was most interested in.
Dom accomodated him. "Peri has a yen for a brother. I've promised to be one, a good one. But that's all. I'll not betray your trust." He said seriously. "You're my twin. I'd rather cut off my right arm than sully the bond between us."
Hal said nothing, searching his brother's face as if weighing his sincerity. Dom withstood the scrutiny. Finally, Hal stuck out his hand. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry for hitting you. Mostly."
"Hal!" Peri warned.
Hal laughed. "Alright, brother. We'll put it behind us. Harvest is going to be busy enough, without this hanging over our heads."
"Aye, that it is." Dom agreed and shook Hal's hand firmly. Hal clapped Dom on the shoulder affectionately. It felt good to be easy with one another again. Neither of them mentioned Lotho.
The brothers headed for the pond's edge. They stopped, open-mouthed when their father appeared on the bank.
Ivo saw them in the pond and Peri, soaking wet on the shore. "What are you two young fools doin' taking a swim in the middle o' the day? We've got too much work to do for ya to be lollygaggin' around. It may be hot, but there's no time for paddlin' about."
Ivo looked at Peri, "Lass, ye'd best be headin' back to the house to change afore ye catch yer death. I don't blame ya, I know it's these two rascals that led ye astray."
"But Da," the brothers protested. Dom cringed. Now they both sounded ten years old.
"I don't want to hear anymore. Now get out of there." Ivo said impatiently. "Come on, out with ya," he said when neither brother moved.
"How about a hand out, Da? The mud's terrible thick on the bottom and it's hard to get up there." Hal said, holding out his hand. In for a penny, in for a pound, thought Dom and held out his own hand to his father.
Peri looked as if she would say something, but she simply shook her head and put both hands over her face. Then peeked through her fingers.
"Oh, alright." Said Ivo, coming to the edge of the pond. "Ya must both be getting weak in yer old age." He gave a hand to each of his sons, and, in the end, was only mildly surprised to find himself flying off the bank and landing with a mighty splash in the water.
Hal and Dom collapsed with laughter when their father popped up like a cork, sputtering and shouting imprecations against ungrateful, underhanded offspring.
Peri, looking virtuous, came to the bank and announced. "I am going back to the house. If you know what's good for you, you'll wash up in the barn before you come to Dionesia's table smelling of duck---pond."
A half-hour later, all three Stooptoe men were trudging back to the house when there was a great crack of thunder. They stopped and looked at each other, sighed, kept walking. Torrents of rain began to pour down. Wet hobbits, indeed.
***************
It was well past midnight and the rain and thunder had stopped long ago. But something woke Dom out of a sound sleep. He listened. The house was silent, but there was something not right.
He pulled on his trousers. There was still no sound, but a feeling of dread was thick in the air. Prompted to go outside by some sense he could not name, even though fear clutched at him with cold fingers.
He went out to the front step of the house. Finally he heard it, hoofbeats. Not the light sounds of a pony, but the distant thundering of large horse. It grew closer. It was coming across the fields that faced south, towards Sarn Ford, and the southern bounds of the Shire.
Dom felt his insides turn to water. A monstrous black beast, with red flashing eyes, easily cleared the fence that surrounded the front yard of Stooptoe Hollow. Despite his fear, he could not move. The animal, he supposed it must be a horse, though it did not look like any he'd ever seen, came straight for him.
At last he ventured a glance at the nameless horror that was mounted atop the beast. It was black upon black upon black. Dom could make out no features at all. With a wild cry, he dropped to his knees and the horse swerved around him.
A foul stench of death and decay swept over Dom. He was overcome. This was surely the Enemy Sam spoke of, come to the Shire. Dom despaired as he slid hopelessly into darkness. What hope did Sam, or any hobbit, have against this horror?
Fresh from victory against the Rangers that guarded Sarn Ford, the cry of the Nazgul echoed across the Southfarthing as it headed for Bag End, and the Ringbearer.