Notes to Readers:
Announcement: Here begins Jodancingtree's contribution. This story was in great
danger of being scrapped, or neatly (but unsatisfyingly) wrapped up in as few
chapters as possible, when she convinced me to let her try to save it. And save
it she did! She steamed off the ugly wallpaper, painted the walls in subtle
shades, moved the furniture about and recovered a couple of pieces, put up
drapes she sewed of material of her own choosing, and came up with what you
will see, from here on to the end. (All this to say, she took material that did
not work, revised and edited and re-wrote, and made it work. Thanks, Jo!)
Thank you for the comments! Reviews are very motivating and give me insights
into the stories that make me dig deeper in writing, which I probably wouldn't
do were I the only one reading these stories...
Xena, we have all the ingredients of a disaster, and several directions for the
plot to go, so we hope to keep the readers guessing. I am fairly sure you will
not get bored.
Miriel, Yes, the kid does
have a conscience after all! Guess a day or two of clean living with upright
souls is rubbing off. And you are right about the story being only half done...
FantasyFan, Why thank you! You'll be happy to know that there is quite a
confrontation to come...
Ff.net and other factors permitting, expect to see the next chapter two
days from this posting. If you cannot access ff.net, try www.storiesofarda.com. You can leave
reviews there, as well (thanks Miriel and FantasyFan!), and there is a
"reply" feature where an author can reply to a review right there
rather than within the text of the story. I have also discovered the
"author alert" feature. Amazing place, that SoA.
The next chapter of "Truth" will be added on the morrow, if ffnet
agrees.
Enough admin notes. Let's get to the story.
***
13. Facts and Fabrications
Pippin was breathing as well as he ever did these days, now that he was calm.
Ossilan had persuaded him to drink one of his bitter herbal concoctions, and
though he kept a sharp eye on the Thain, the healer nodded slightly to Merry in
reassurance.
Everard had caught his breath and was sitting in a comfortable chair, sipping
at a restorative glass of brandy.
Hildibold Took, who'd ridden with Pippin to Buckland as his escort, had been
called into the room. Now he sat at attention, wondering what the commotion had
been about.
'Let's go over it once more,' Merry said.
Pippin's relief had quickly turned to anger, and his eyes were snapping as he
turned back on Everard. 'Yes, let us do,' he said tightly. 'Why was no one
aware until now that Faramir was missing?' Hilly sat straighter. Missing? He
wondered at the Thain's icy calm.
Everard had an engineer's meticulous mind, and he laid out the story with
precision. 'The details are sketchy at best, Sir, but this is what we know. On
the morning you left for Buckland, Farry told Diamond that he'd been invited to
spend the day with Ferdibrand's family. That evening, Ferdi sent word to
Diamond, via Tolly, that you had told him to take Farry on to Buckland; that
you thought he'd be punished sufficiently by the delay; that the lad would
spend the night in Ferdi's quarters in order not to disturb her with their
early departure. He left early the next morning, before anyone was about. Only
Tolly saw him go.'
'He said I had-' Pippin echoed, at a loss for words.
'Where was Reginard?' Merry asked.
'I had sent him to Tookbank, on a business matter,' Pippin said, 'and Everard-'
'I was in Michel Delving, consulting on the new diggings there,' Everard put
in.
'I left Ferdi in charge at the Smials, and Tolly was to assist him,' Pippin
concluded.
'Sounds as if the Fox was left in charge of the henhouse,' Berilac said grimly.
'When Reginard returned from Tookbank, Tolly told him that Ferdi had left that
morning with Faramir, per your orders, to take the lad to Buckland.'
'I cannot believe it of Tolly, nor Ferdi either!' Pippin exclaimed angrily, but
he nodded in growing conviction as Everard continued.
'These are facts, Pippin, not fabrications. I am telling you what happened in
your absence. Farry's been gone since the day you left, and no one the wiser,
save Ferdi and Tolly, until your message arrived this afternoon.' Everard saw
the Thain's fingers tighten on the mug he held until his knuckles shone white
through the skin.
'What did Tolly say when the truth came out?' Merry asked, getting back to the
meat of the matter.
'He spun some wild yarn about Farry running away and Ferdi following him,
giving Tolly to understand that he'd take the lad on to Buckland when he caught
him, to keep Diamond from worry.'
Pippin nodded. He'd been reassured that they were still keeping Diamond from
worry, difficult as it was. Tolly would be escorted to Woody End to await
questioning, as Reginard aniticpated that Pippin would travel there to collect
his son. While speculation would undeniably arise amongst the Tooks of the
Great Smials, hopefully no one would connect Tolly's arrest with Faramir's
supposed departure days earlier, at least not until they got to the bottom of
the matter and had Faramir safely back with his parents.
'But Ferdi took him to Woody End instead,' Berilac mused. 'Why would he do
that, and not send word?'
'What if Tolly and Ferdi were in league with ruffians, who'd offered them gold
in return for their services?' Everard said, remembering Regi's words.
'Preposterous!' Pippin hissed. 'Ferdi? Tempted by gold? I'd sooner say the Sun
would arise from her rest in the West!'
'Perhaps he's lost his wits,' Merry murmured. 'He's always been a bit daft.'
'And what of Tolly? You're his brother; what do you have to say? Would he be
tempted by gold?' Hilly quailed as the Thain swung around to glare at him;
Pippin's anger crackled in the air like the sparks that jump from a woollen
blanket on a cold day.
'I'd say no,' Hilly answered slowly. He'd been listening in numb horror as the
story unfolded.
'But for what fact?' Merry pressed, hearing the hesitation in his tone.
Hilly ducked his head. 'He wagered heavily on the pony races this year, and
lost,' he said reluctantly. 'I cannot imagine that he would conspire to pay off
his debts...'
'Honour is all,' Everard said bleakly, and Pippin nodded. The Tooks valued
their honour above all else, and debt was disgrace.
'Tolly would follow Ferdi's lead,' Pippin said slowly. 'Ferdi might be able to
convince him, somehow, that this could be done in a way that hurt no one; why,
if they did not deliver the lad into the hands of the ruffians, but kept him
hid at Woody End, he'd be in no danger, and they could blame the ruffians for
the trouble.'
'Why involve ruffians at all?' Merry asked.
'Someone would have to receive the gold; if it were ruffians, who would think
to question hobbits? Give Farry a sleeping draught and he'd not remember
anything – folk would assume the ruffians had taken him by force from Ferdi,'
said Everard. He'd been thinking the matter through on the long ride to
Buckland. 'Just let Ferdi and Farry be found, asleep and bound, after the gold
is paid out, and there'd be no reason to suspect hobbits.'
Pippin looked at Everard in astonishment. 'You don't sound like a hobbit at
all!' he said. 'That's the type of talk you'd hear from a renegade Man, or a
Ranger describing a ruffian's actions...'
'But would Ferdi do such a thing?' Berilac asked. 'And would his sister allow
it?'
'He's always been a fool of a Took,' Merry said, 'from the first time I met
him. He'd take wild chances, and do things that defied convention and common
sense. I suppose it's possible that he's gone completely round the bend.'
'His mother went mad, and died raving,' Everard said heavily.
'Yes, after that terrible day...' Merry swallowed hard, thinking of Stelliana,
holding her young son tightly, watching the burning stables fall in on her
husband and brother-in-love. 'Ferdi lost everything that day, father, mother,
uncle...'
Ferdi's father had been pulled from the fire and continued to linger in
bitterness, crippled by his injuries. In truth, though, the laughing father of
Ferdi's childhood was dead, gone forever after that terrible day. Merry had not
seen much of Ferdibrand thereafter.
'He didn't lose his sister,' Pippin said. 'Evidently he's staying with her as
we speak.'
'Something went wrong with the plan,' Everard continued, 'and Farry was injured
by a fox. I assume Ferdi sought refuge at his sister's to give the lad a chance
to heal. Perhaps he would have pretended to be waylaid by ruffians on his way
from Woody End to Buckland. We might never have known otherwise, had not the
Thain sent for his son.'
'Well, we certainly have this seam neatly sewn up,' Berilac said dryly. 'Tried
and convicted, without a word of testimony on their part.' Merry shot him a
quelling glance.
'They'll have their say,' Pippin said, his face grim. 'But if they've conspired
to keep my son from me, I want them banished from the Shire.' His voice shook
with emotion as he remembered the fear of having lost his son, and further, his
fear for Diamond on her hearing the dreadful news.
Merry nodded. He would be hearing the case, as Pippin was an injured party. 'I
hear you, cousin,' he said softly. 'I hear you.' There was little doubt in his
mind, after reading Ferdi's note and hearing Everard repeat Tolly's words,
about the outcome of this case.
