Pippin Musing 5: A Winter Passing
The Shire Late Winter 1434 (Shire Reckoning)
Pippin stared uncomprehending at the gray day turning into an impenetrable black night. He was sitting in a large chair before a fire in the smial but he did not feel the warmth of the blaze. He felt as if he had turned to stone like one of Bilbo's trolls. He could not believe his father was gone and cursed himself because he should have known the end was near. Paladin had become weaker with every winter for years and, just a month ago, Pippin saw death on his father's face one night when Pippin had been going to get Faramir a cup of water and Paladin was awakened by a pain in his side. Yesterday his father clutched his arm and collapsed in the great room.
He would be Thane now. That was not as incomprehensible as it would have seemed before the quest. His adventures taught him a lot and he had taken over most of his father's duties but he would miss Paladin's counsel. The responsibilities were now his alone and there was no one to help him. Maybe he could ask Merry for advice as he had done so often in the past.
Since then, Peregrin sat in a trance in this chair and watched the drizzle. It had been an unusually warm and wet winter, with more rain than snow. This past week had been particularly warm. The misting rain and the fog were thick and shrouded both sound and light. He felt a small, warm weight on his lap. His father's little brown-striped cat, Berry, curled up in his lap and began to purr. He scratched the cat on his head and the little animal purred even louder. Then four-year-old Faramir came into the room and curled up in the chair beside him.
"Daddy," he asked, "Momma said you didn't come to dinner because you miss Grandpa Paladin."
Pippin managed to choke out a yes and put an arm around his son, pulling the child to him. Both the cat in his lap and little Faramir smelled clean and warm and he remembered sitting next to his father in this chair while Paladin read to him-. The heat from the fire finally began to make an impression and both he and Faramir went to sleep. He woke up some time later when Diamond came in the room, kissed him on the forehead, and took Faramir off to bed. Her voice startled him when she came back in the room.
"Pippin," she said gently, "You will feel better if you get a good night's sleep.
He kissed her and agreed. That night he dreamed of spring and, in the morning, he woke to crisp, blue skies.
Pippin stared uncomprehending at the gray day turning into an impenetrable black night. He was sitting in a large chair before a fire in the smial but he did not feel the warmth of the blaze. He felt as if he had turned to stone like one of Bilbo's trolls. He could not believe his father was gone and cursed himself because he should have known the end was near. Paladin had become weaker with every winter for years and, just a month ago, Pippin saw death on his father's face one night when Pippin had been going to get Faramir a cup of water and Paladin was awakened by a pain in his side. Yesterday his father clutched his arm and collapsed in the great room.
He would be Thane now. That was not as incomprehensible as it would have seemed before the quest. His adventures taught him a lot and he had taken over most of his father's duties but he would miss Paladin's counsel. The responsibilities were now his alone and there was no one to help him. Maybe he could ask Merry for advice as he had done so often in the past.
Since then, Peregrin sat in a trance in this chair and watched the drizzle. It had been an unusually warm and wet winter, with more rain than snow. This past week had been particularly warm. The misting rain and the fog were thick and shrouded both sound and light. He felt a small, warm weight on his lap. His father's little brown-striped cat, Berry, curled up in his lap and began to purr. He scratched the cat on his head and the little animal purred even louder. Then four-year-old Faramir came into the room and curled up in the chair beside him.
"Daddy," he asked, "Momma said you didn't come to dinner because you miss Grandpa Paladin."
Pippin managed to choke out a yes and put an arm around his son, pulling the child to him. Both the cat in his lap and little Faramir smelled clean and warm and he remembered sitting next to his father in this chair while Paladin read to him-. The heat from the fire finally began to make an impression and both he and Faramir went to sleep. He woke up some time later when Diamond came in the room, kissed him on the forehead, and took Faramir off to bed. Her voice startled him when she came back in the room.
"Pippin," she said gently, "You will feel better if you get a good night's sleep.
He kissed her and agreed. That night he dreamed of spring and, in the morning, he woke to crisp, blue skies.
