They stumbled over the doorstep, dripping miserably onto the stone floor of the hallway, refusing to look each other in the eye.

Diamond instantly took charge, peeling off five soaked overcoats and briskly despatching the children to a variety of rooms where warm baths and dry clothes awaited, calling promises after them that there would be fish and chips for everyone once they were warm and dry.

*****

One bath later, Merry pulled on a woollen jumper that had been laid out on his guest bed - he supposed it belonged to Mr Took. The cold and the ache of his legs were gone, but just the thought of walking back into the midst of everyone brought him to the brink of tears. Just as he was fighting back the urge to throw himself onto the bed and weep, there was a knock at the door.

In answer to his shout, his father edged into the room.

"You're taking your time my lad. Are you joining us for dinner?"

"Have you seen Goldie? Is her hand going to heal?"

"Yes, it was well tended and she'll barely have a mark to remember her adventure by. I think she's a bit disappointed at that to tell you the truth," said Sam.

Merry could bear it no longer and burst into loud sobs. His father sat himself down on the edge of the bed and pulled the youngster gently onto his knee. The whole story of the fox tumbled out.

"I didn't know what else to do," he finished. "Dad, I know it bit Goldie, but it looked at me with such trust and I tricked it and killed it."

"I know lad, I know," his father murmured, stroking his hair. "But you didn't betray that trust. It was a wild creature and it wouldn't have survived. You ended its pain. Better that surely, than leaving it to die slowly and miserably from starvation."

Merry nodded, glad that his father agreed with his decision, but still fearing that those beautiful eyes would continue to haunt his dreams.

"And I was a terrible leader. Everyone was miserable and snapping at each other on the way back."

"Well, even the king couldn't stop Legolas and Gimli from snapping at each other. It took days and even weeks for that to stop - and muddy puddles weren't the half of it. Anyway, now that everyone's all dried off and warmed up things'll look better. You'll see."

The boy snuggled closer to his father, appreciating that, at the age of 15, he was really far too big to sit on anyone's knee, but enjoying the warm safe feeling for a moment longer.

"Come on," said Sam. "Fish and chips - and if we don't go soon, Pippin will have had our share too."

"Our Pippin or Uncle Pippin?" asked Merry with a small smile.

"Oh my, we'd better hurry," laughed his father. "With two Pippins eating."