Gondor, S.R. 1430

She felt Kelleghêr's eyes watching her vaguely annoyed. He stirred in her lap as she sighed and looked back down on his bright hair and bright eyes that stared back at her questioningly.

'Mama?'

Kiearâ shrugged slightly, feeling muffled.

'There's not much to say…' she murmured uncertainly.

Kelleghêr looked far from convinced, and he gave her a disapproving look just to prove it. She chuckled in spite of herself at such a forced stern look coming from such a sweet face in her mind.

It was remarkable, as she continued to study her son's face, how much more similar he was to Pippin than to herself. He had all the curiosity of any outlandish hobbit in his eyes. But Kelleghêr was stubborn, a streak and trait all his own. The one thing Pippin had not been was stubborn. Yes, he had been determined if he had to be but not stubborn. Kiearâ nearly smiled at the thought.

'Mother!' He said it with more force, pulling on her sleeves when she would not respond right away. The one thing Kelleghêr wanted was answers; he was immensely interested in everything.

She heard herself sigh again.

After hesitating a moment, she murmured, ' The King wouldn't let your father come here once I moved back is all.'

Kelleghêr's blue eyes crinkled in thought. He seemed confused.

'The King? Aragorn you mean?' he was silent a moment. Looking up at her, his eyes bright with puzzlement. ' Then why…but why wouldn't he? Let my father come here, I mean? Why not? If he wasn't bad then why not?'

Kiearâ wasn't sure how to answer that. What to say? That Aragorn thought he had been doing what was right and there really was not much way to change it. How to explain it all…that she had no grudge against Aragorn, he had let her and Pippin be for almost three years before Pippin's own people had taken matters into their own hands. But how to tell Kelleghêr that? She wasn't sure. She had always naturally planned to tell him about his father, and the same held true for Primoúl, her three-year-old daughter asleep in the other room.

Holding his face in her hands she kissed him atop the head and asked, 'If I tell you do you promise not to ran amuck telling whoever you first meet?'

He nodded wide-eyed.

She shook her head.

'It is not a great secret Kelleghêr, just not widely known for certain reasons I suppose.'

Kelleghêr just waited on her lap for her to continue.

Well there wasn't much other way to say it, so she assumed she had just tell him, since he was asking.

'Your father is a hobbit from around the northern reaches of the King's domain. I met him down in Gondor during the War of the Ring, right before Aragorn became King actually. His name is Peregrin Took.' She left it at that. It had come out easier than she would have thought. She felt pleased with herself oddly.

Kelleghêr looked…pleased also.

Feeling that she had been had, she asked, 'Why do you look so fine about this? Did someone already tell you?'

She couldn't think of whom, unless either Vërtainir or Marcie had decided that someone should tell the boy.

He shook his head.

'No. It just makes me feel better to know.'

She nodded. She could understand that.

Jumping off her lap Kelleghêr made for the door just as energized as before.

Turning back to her he called, 'At least it explains some things.'

Startled, she started to respond but he was gone before she could think of a proper enough response.