Author's Note: I managed to get a hold of a computer so I could post this part! This part has probably got a lot of factual errors, since I haven't had access to the appendix while writing, but I hope you can disregard with any such errors. One error is intentional; the mentionings that Merry and Pippin's fathers both died somewhere between the last part and this one. I know that they actually died sooner, that Merry and Pippin inherited their titles after their deaths, but I chose to disregard from that while writing this series. At first I had actually planned on Saradoc catching the flu while helping out at Crickhollow in the flu chapter, but it felt like a cruel way to kill him off. Plus it seemed unfitting to have huge celebrations for Merry and Pippin inheriting their titles when their fathers would have just died. So I changed that, and had them die a little later instead.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Merry's children.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
"Get the Master!" Mosco Boffin said under gritted teeth to Ponto Bracegirdle. "Get the Thain! Or the shirriffs! Get somebody!"
Ponto obeyed and leaped up on the back of his pony, storming off toward Brandy Hall. Mosco gripped his walking stick as if it were a sword he was prepared to draw, and eyed the suspicious strangers on the boat. None of the Big Folk were allowed to enter the Shire, it was the law of king Elessar, which meant that this party either didn't know and needed to be informed, or did know and meant to cause trouble.
Mosco put more probability to the latter. Onboard the boat floating down the Brandywine were seven men, out of which six were clad in armour, and one woman. Mosco found it unlikely that one would travel with armoured men if one did not intend on causing any trouble and the sight of the soldiers reminded him far too much of when the Shire had been sieged. And the armour looked strangely familiar, Mosco was sure that it could not be anything good about it. He hoped Ponto would ride fast and get help. The other Hobbits by the bank stood as frozen, nobody had thought to hide and it was clear that none of them would be of any help.
The man without armour threw Mosco a rope which he caught out of a reflex. They were nearing the docking area, but Mosco didn't plan on aiding them in any way. Truth be told he didn't know if the Big Folk were forbidden by law to pass on the Brandywine, so as long as they stayed on it he could tell himself that all was in order.
"Send for the Master of Buckland" the man said. "And the Thain. Send word to the Mayor that he should come. Now tie that end up."
Mosco didn't move, but another Hobbit, apparently frightened by the armoured men, hurried up and obeyed the order. Mosco swallowed hard and regretted having sent for any of the three which the man wished to see. It was obviously a trap of some sort, he had come to harm the Thain, Master and Mayor. Mosco debated whether or not to get up on his pony and ride to stop the three from walking into the trap, but the long legged man spoke to him again and interrupted his inner debate before he could make up his mind.
"You do know where to find the Master, Thain and Mayor?" he asked. "Start looking at Brandy Hall, then check--"
"I know where to find them" Mosco cut the stranger off, offended by the suggestion that he would not.
"Then go fetch them."
"They are already sent for, sir" the Hobbit who had secured the rope said. Mosco glared at him. Imbecile.
"Good" the man said as the boat reached the shore. He stepped onto the small docks and walked ashore. The woman followed him but the soldiers stayed on the boat, appearing to be at ease but it was clear that they were all on guard.
"At least the Master and the Thain, I don't think we sent for the May--"
"Quiet" hissed Mosco and gave the youngster a death glare.
"Then send for the Mayor" the man demanded.
Mosco glared at him. He did not trust this fellow one little bit, and it was obvious that the Master and Thain had been led into the trap thanks to Mosco's own stupid decision to send Ponto after them. He was not going to let them have the Mayor as well. Mosco had just made up his mind to send the way too helpful young Hobbit to stop the Master and Thain from arriving, but before he could he could hear ponies arrive in a gallop. He turned and saw five ponies approaching, and he recognised the Master's mearas pony among the five. He looked over at the Big Folk and then back at the approaching ponies. He took a deep breath. It was too late now to try and stop the confrontation, but somehow he wasn't worried. After all, Meriadoc the Magnificent had defeated the tyrants of the Shire before, and people spoke of even greater foes conquered by him, seven men would not be too much for him to take. At least Mosco hoped so.
The five ponies came closer, four large ones and one small. Mosco gulped when he saw that not only was young Éowyn Brandybuck with the party, riding on her own little pony, but Aramac Brandybuck was sitting in front of his father in the saddle. Couldn't the children be spared of what was to come, he wondered. With the Master and Thain were also Ponto Bracegirdle and Fredegar Bolger, looking far more pale and worried than their companions. The group had been out riding when Ponto had found them, and they had apparently seen no need to send Fredegar or Ponto back to Brandy Hall with the children. Mosco didn't know it, but the reason why they were out riding in the first place was to keep Éowyn and Aramac out of the way at the Hall, and Théodoc would have been with them if he hadn't refused so blankly. They had tried to convince the six year-old to come riding with them but he didn't want to, he had never even been on the back of a pony on his own. Eventually Merry had given in and allowed him to stay.
The party of five ponies halted ten yards from the docking area, and the Master and Thain dismounted their ponies in what seemed like a perfectly planned motion. Aramac was lifted from Stybba's back by his father who did not take his eyes from the intruders. Mosco smiled slightly. Now these big folks would find out whose land they had trespassed. The Thain and the Master knew how to deal with obnoxious Big Folk and would surely let this one know that he was on land forbidden to him.
The Master and Thain stared at the intruders as if they couldn't believe their eyes. The six soldiers on the boat stared back at them, ready to draw their swords. The man who had stepped off the boat took a step closer to the Hobbits and Mosco summoned his courage and stepped in between the intruder and the two Hobbits he was aiming for, determined to make up some of the damage he had caused when sending for the Thain and Master. The man stopped. Mosco gathered some more courage and glared at him with a challenge in his eyes, but the man didn't seem to notice. His eyes were on the Thain and the Master and their eyes were on him. The still silence seemed to last forever, at least Mosco thought so, but in reality it lasted only a couple of seconds. Then, to everyone's surprise, the stillness was broken by the Master and the Thain.
Meriadoc and Peregrin slowly walked up to the man with solemn looks on their faces. Mosco backed out of the way and gaped as the two simultaneously fell down on one knee a few yards from him, put their right hand to their heart and bowed their heads. The man looked at them Mosco thought he heard him chuckle but he wasn't sure.
"All hail Elessar King!" said Meriadoc.
"We are your most humble servants, my liege" said Peregrin.
Mosco felt his jaw drop and he stared at the two Hobbits kneeling on the ground, the man they were kneeling before and his company. The other Hobbits around him seemed to be as surprised as he was. He didn't know what shocked him more, the way the Master and Thain had greeted this trespassing stranger or the claim that it was the king of Gondor and Anor who was standing before them. Finally he landed on the latter.
"The king?" he said and quickly fell to his knees.
The man only chuckled and walked the remaining distance to the two Hobbits, and then kneeled before them like they had to him. He put a hand on each of their knees and they looked up at him with smiling faces. He noticed that Pippin was wearing his Gondorian armour and that they were both clad in their Elf capes.
"I see you have not forgotten how to greet a king" he said to them in a soft voice. "But have you forgotten how to greet a very old friend?"
Then he pulled the two into a hug, and Mosco couldn't believe his eyes. Meriadoc and Peregrin hugged the man back and Mosco could hear Peregrin laughing. Then the two broke from the embrace and looked with joyous eyes at the man. It occurred to Mosco and the surrounding Hobbits that the stranger was clad in the same type of cape as the Master and Thain, and they wondered how they could have failed to notice that before. It also dawned on Mosco where he had seen the soldiers' armour before. It was the same armour as worn so often by Thain Peregrin!
"My dear young Hobbits… My heart has longed for such a sight, it is wonderful to see you two again!"
"I never thought I would see you here" Meriadoc said.
"I never expected to come, Master Meriadoc" said the man.
"Folco!" Meriadoc said to a Hobbit standing nearby. "Ride to Hobbiton and Bag End, find Mayor Samwise and tell him to come to Buckland. It is urgent, tell him that! And make sure he gets up on his horse, otherwise he may decide to do the weeds first, or maybe have a pint of ale or two! This is important, make sure that he gets on his pony!"
The Hobbit quickly mounted his sturdy little pony and rode off as fast as he possibly could, spooked by the scene he had just witnessed.
"You will stay for a while, won't you?" Peregrin asked the man.
"My dear Master Peregrin, my dearest esquire, if I could do as my heart wished I would stay. But unfortunately I cannot."
"Yes you can" the other Hobbit said.
"I cannot, Merry."
"I thought you would never come to the Shire" Peregrin said. "I thought there was a law against it now."
"There is" the man said. "However folly it may be to pass a law to forbid yourself to visit your dear friends, Pippin. But that law is for your protection."
"We know" Pippin nodded. "But you can feel free to break it at any time Strider, Merry, Sam and I will only be happy if you do! Break the law as often as you please, you will always be most welcome in our homes!"
"Fool of a Took, I cannot break the laws I have set myself!" Strider laughed. "And as of yet I have not. I never intend to."
"But you're here in Buckland" Merry said.
"I am" Strider nodded. "I have come to correct something which should have been corrected some time ago. Something which I should have realised sooner."
"What?"
"Indeed I am a fool of a Strider for not having realised before" the man laughed. "As often as I receive letters from you, I should have noticed it. You Pippin have often written about the differences between Tookland and Buckland, and you Merry often asked me questions about history and given me details of your own. Yet it has not occurred to me until this spring that Buckland is beyond the borders of the Shire."
"I understand" said Merry. Then he smiled. "And I'm glad. However I suspect you have come to change that. I know you Elessar King, or at least I tell myself that I do. You have come to pass a law to protect Buckland as well."
"Buckland should be part of the Shire."
"Don't do it just yet!" Pippin said. "At least wait for Sam."
"Wait longer than that" Merry said. "Stay here for a while. Stay in Buckland with us for a week at least before you forbid yourself from ever coming back! We shall find you room at Brandy Hall, or you can sleep under the stars if you like that better."
The man laughed.
"Offering a bed of grass to a king?" he asked. "I am glad to see you still see me as Strider first and Elessar second, Master Meriadoc, in your company I shall always be Strider! I have not forgotten what it is like to spend a night under the stars though I can't deny that it has been a while. I shall accept your offer, I would much like to spend a few days with my fellowship members!"
"We can go out hiking!" Pippin suggested. "Spend a few days on foot, like we used to! Then you can sleep under the stars, we can all sleep under the starts together once more. We can show you the Shire!"
"He still cannot pass the Brandywine, Pip" Merry pointed out. "But if wander you wish Strider, then wander we shall. Buckland offers some pretty beautiful places to walk in, if I may say so myself."
"We can make plans later." Strider said. "There will be plenty of time for that. Now rise you two, I will not have you stand on your knees before me like this, I wish to see you standing straight!"
"Thy wish is our command, my lord!" Pippin said, and rose and bowed. "I am still your esquire and at your command."
Strider smiled and was about to answer the Hobbit wearing the same armour as the soldiers on the boat, when his eyes fell on the little child standing next to Merry, grasping his father's cape and looking at the stranger with big eyes. Strider had just been about to rise to his feet, now he instead leaned closer to the child.
"Never before have I seen a Hobbit child so close" he said to Merry, who had risen as well. "Is this your Théodoc, Merry?"
"No, Théodoc is at Brandy Hall" Merry said. "This is my younger son. I've told you about him, have I not?"
"You have" Strider nodded. "But you never told me his name."
"I named him Aramac" Merry said. "After you." He bowed. "I hope that it was alright for me to do so, I wish not to offend you."
"Offend me? What greater honour can you give a friend than to name your child after him? It is my privilege to have given this lad his name."
Merry lifted Aramac up into his arms, and Aragorn rose. He looked at the child with fascination, and Aramac looked right back at him with big, round eyes full of curiosity that won over the fear he felt. Most Hobbit children had a fear for the Big Folk, but not Aramac, at least not as much as the others. His father often spoke kindly of the race of men, he knew they weren't all dangerous. Still they were a little bit frightening, Aramac had never seen anybody taller before in his life.
Aragorn noticed that Pippin reached out his hand to a young Hobbit lass, who ignored the offered hand and walked right up to the long legged man. She stopped before him and looked up at him. She was not the least bit afraid of this man, she had seen her father and uncle hug him and talk friendly to him, and anybody that they liked she liked as well.
"I like you" she told him.
Aragorn chuckled.
"You look like you can stride pretty far with those legs!" she added.
"Now watch what you say!" Merry gasped, embarrassed by his daughter's comment, but the long legged fellow only laughed.
"That's why they call me Strider" he said. "But my name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And you must be Éowyn, daughter of Meriadoc."
"Indeed" she said.
"She is lovely, Merry" Aragorn said.
"Although a bit free spoken" Merry said, blushing with fatherly pride over the praise from his old friend. "I apologise."
"Her eyes notice" Aragorn said. "The lady Éowyn would be honoured if she could see the child you named after her."
"I wouldn't have named her after anybody else, Aragorn" Merry said.
"My brother is named after you" Éowyn said and eyed the stranger. "If you are Aragorn. You don't look like my brother."
"My legs are a bit longer" Aragorn laughed.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go join your uncle Fatty" Pippin suggested to Éowyn, hoping to get her out of the way before she said something inappropriate. "I'm worried Foxie might run off if you don't hold his reins for me. Can you do that for me?"
Éowyn answered by giving him a hug and then ran over to Pippin's pony to make sure it didn't run anywhere. Pippin doubted that it would anyway, Fatty was more than capable of holding the pony on his own, but by asking Éowyn to look after the beast he had gotten her out of the way easily. Merry put Aramac down on the ground.
"Go to your uncle Fatty" he told him and the lad agreed, but didn't take his eyes off the big stranger whose name he'd gotten his own from.
Pippin and Merry's eyes fell on the woman in Aragorn's company, who stood on the docks watching the scene with a smile of serenity. She was very fair, originally she had been one of the fair folk, but now she had become a mortal to be with the one she loved. Neither Merry nor Pippin had seen her prior to hers and Aragorn's wedding, they couldn't remember her from the party in Rivendell, but they could tell that she was different now from when she had been an Elf. Her face was still incredibly fair, but the stars in her eyes were no longer there and it seemed as if her ears were no longer pointy. Her figure was not what it had been either, she had given birth to seven children since her wedding, but she could still be mistaken for a young maiden. She was the queen Arwen, and Merry and Pippin walked up to her and bowed deeply.
"Mae govannen, lady Undómiel!" Merry said.
"All hail Queen Arwen!" Pippin said.
Arwen smiled and Aragorn could be hear chuckling. The surrounding Hobbits were once again shocked to finds out who they were looking at, and one or two fell down on their knees like Merry and Pippin had done. Arwen paid no heed to the surrounding hobbits. She reached out her hands and placed one on Merry's head and the other on Pippin's.
"Thank you" she said.
"I hear you have been practicing the Elvish tongue" Aragorn said to Merry. "It is a pleasant surprise."
"How else would one greet the lady Undómiel if not in her own tongue?" Merry asked.
Arwen said something to him in Elvish, the surrounding Hobbits could not understand a word she said. Merry did not understand it all either but he understood enough to be able to answer her and bow again. He then said something else which sounded like a question, and the lady answered him and smiled.
"Very well then" Merry said in Common Speech. "As you wish, my lady. But we will grieve not having you as our guest."
"We shall see each other again" she said. "And then we shall dine together. Though not here. In the East"
"We shall be looking forward to that day" Pippin said.
"Perhaps one day with the lady's permission I can give your name to a daughter of mine, as I've named a son after Aragorn" Merry said and bowed.
"An honour would it be for me, Master Perian."
"I'm sorry Sam won't get to see you" Pippin said. "He would have loved to meet you again, my lady."
"I shall see Master Samwise. Before we return to Minas Tirith." Arwen said. "Farewell now, Periannath. Until we meet again."
She raised her hand as a sign of goodbye, then stepped back onboard the boat. Aragorn untied the rope and threw it to one of the soldiers.
"Namárië" said Merry and Pippin in unison.
"Namárië" answered Arwen.
They watched the boat sail up the Brandywine and drift from their sight. For a few moments they all stood in silence, then Merry and Pippin turned to Aragorn.
"You must be hungry" Merry said.
"It's almost time for afternoon tea" Pippin added.
"I will have to go find you a room at Brandy Hall, but not before a meal" Merry said. "We should go to Crickhollow for now. The hole is empty this summer, but there is still food for plenty there, and we can talk in private."
It had been decided this summer that they would not live at Crickhollow. Merry still hadn't found a mare to his liking to start his breeding and had no real reason to go there other than to see Pippin, and it had become clear that it would not be a pleasant summer living with Estella and Diamond under the same roof. It seemed as if their friendship had come to an end, Estella was angry with Diamond for what she had said last summer and Diamond could not get past her once good friend kissing her husband. The two got along, but barely more than that, and three months in the same hole would only lead to quarrels. With sadness in their hearts Merry and Pippin had decided to stay at the Hall and the Smials. They saw each other as often as they could, Pippin was gladly helping Merry teach Éowyn to be a great horsewoman, and several times a week they went out riding. But still the two missed living together during summer, and were discussing how they could end the seeming silent feud between their wives.
"Mosco!" Merry said, spotting the Hobbit who had been observing the whole scene with watchful eyes. "When Mayor Sam arrives, tell him that we are at Crickhollow. Tell him to go there right away, or we shall have left before he arrives."
Mosco nodded and bowed, happy to have some task. He was still nervous and edgy, not to mention shocked by the scene he had witnessed between this stranger and the two most respected Hobbits in the Shire.
Merry grabbed Stybba's reins and Pippin took Fox's from Éowyn. They would walk to Crickhollow, even if it took a while, for there was no horse for Aragorn to ride. Merry lifted Aramac up in Stybba's saddle and started walking, followed by the others. Fatty was very uneasy, but followed anyway out of lack of better things to do. Plus, Crickhollow was where he lived now during a few months a year, looking after the place during winter when Merry and Pippin weren't there. If this stranger was going to be there he wanted to see what was going on. Either way it was better than being at Brandy Hall at the moment. Éowyn led her pony Rayhim up next to her father and every now and then glanced over at the long legged man walking next to her uncle Pippin.
"So long since I've seen the Shire…" Aragorn said, looking around. "And I've never crossed its borders before."
"You still haven't" Pippin pointed out.
"I haven't walked the meadows of Buckland either."
"I hope you will like what you see" Pippin smiled.
"I hope you won't find Crickhollow too small" Merry said. "For a Hobbit it's very nice, but I'm afraid it wasn't built for Big Folk."
The small company made their way to Crickhollow and let the ponies out in the pastures. Pippin quickly decided that they should eat outside. The members of the fellowship were well used to eating their meals sitting on the ground, and it was easier for Aragorn than to crouch inside. Plus the July sun shone brightly above their heads and it was far too beautiful a day to waste it being inside. Fatty was quite displeased with the arrangement, but didn't object since he preferred having it that way to having the long legged stranger inside, king or no.
Merry and Fatty disappeared inside to find something to eat and Pippin and Aragorn sat down in the grass. Éowyn and Aramac ran off to play and Pippin kept a watchful eye on them as they ran around.
"Where is your son, Pippin?" Aragorn asked.
"He's with my wife at the Great Smials" Pippin said. "But I will send word that she comes to Brandy Hall with him. I want them both to meet you. Where are your children, are they in Minas Tirith?"
"Three of them are in Bree" Aragorn said. "The rest are in Rivendell, under the care of Elladan and Elrohir."
"I wish I could have lots of children…" Pippin said.
"You have been given other gifts instead."
"I suppose. But there's no use in grieving for what can't be done anything about. And as long as nothing stops me from trying to have children I shan't complain." With a grin he rose and called for Éowyn, who had disappeared from sight. "I do wish she would stay where I can see her" he said and shadowed the sun with his hand. "She is just as active as her mother Estella, she never keeps still for long!"
"So full of life" Aragorn said with a warm smile. "It does my heart good to be among carefree Hobbits again."
"Then keep away from Merry's oldest son, Théodoc!" Pippin said. "He's so serious one might take him for a man!"
Aragorn laughed.
"Surely it's not that bad?" he said.
"He's a little too serious for a Hobbit. And too shy."
"That will pass."
Pippin called for Éowyn again, and she came running from behind the stables. She was told to stay in sight and keep an eye on her brother, and then Pippin sat down again. Merry and Fatty came outside, carrying trays filled with food and wine bottles, but they had to take three turns before all the edible goodies were outside. Éowyn and Aramac hurried over to have what was called afternoon tea but in this case seemed more like a grand supper.
"Only the best for Elessar King" Merry said and bowed.
"And for his esquires" Aragorn replied. "Now sit and eat, Meriadoc, and no more talk of kings and their esquires for now. If I shall stay here in Buckland I wish to stay as your friend and companion, not as your king."
"Then let it be so" Merry said and sat down.
For an hour the group devoted their attention to eating, with a few interruptions for speaking. After the meal was completed the fellowship members laid stretched out on the grass, watching the clouds pass by on the otherwise blue sky and thinking about old times. Fatty still sat up, keeping an eye on his niece and nephew while his brother-in-law smoked his pipe and thought about things that had been together with his two friends. At first Fatty eagerly listened to the conversation, hoping to hear about the War and what his friends had been up to during that time, but soon he let his mind drift. The three old friends were talking about pipe weed, not their old adventures, and Fatty wasn't very interested in the subject. All he needed to know was that the pipe weed would be in his pipe when he wanted to smoke, then the rest didn't matter.
After a while Aragorn took the pipe from his mouth and lifted his head to look at Merry, who had been silent for a while.
"Merry? Is something wrong?"
"Why would something be wrong?"
"You haven't said anything for a while now. And you keep looking at the sun as if wondering how much time has passed."
Merry sat up.
"Well Strider, to be honest I've been thinking that I should be getting back to Brandy Hall. I've been waiting for Sam to get here but I'm starting to think I should leave no anyway. I'm getting uneasy."
"Go" Pippin said.
"I promise I'll find a room for you while I'm there" Merry said to Aragorn and thoughtfully sucked on his pipe. "I am sorry for thinking about leaving, it is not good manners. But I do think I should be getting back to the Hall."
"There's no rush, Merry" Aragorn said. "Not on my part."
"Go" Pippin said again and Merry rose.
"I apologise for heading off" he said to Aragorn. "I'm not being very social or hospitable. I hope you can forgive me. You see, my wife is having a child as we speak, and I'm getting anxious to get back to the Hall and see how she is doing."
"Then what are you sitting here for, go!" Aragorn said and sat up as well. "You should not be here, you dear old fool."
Taking that as a blessing, Merry whistled for Stybba who came to the gate in the pastures and patiently waited as his master saddled him. Fatty looked away, uneasy at the reminder of the child being born at the Hall. It was queer enough for him that his good friend Merry was enjoying the pleasures of marriage with his sister, knowing that his sister was having Merry's child at that very moment made him very uncomfortable. Fatty wasn't married himself, but he knew enough about it to long for other topics when the marriage between his sister and good friend was brought up. How Merry could seem to put Estella's current situation out of his mind was a mystery to him, but then again a lot of things concerning Merry were mysteries to Fatty.
Fatty wished it could have been as when the first three children had been born. Those times he hadn't known about it until Merry had sent word that he was an uncle, and Fatty had liked that arrangement. This time he had been recruited by Merry and Pippin to help keep the children out of the way, even though they had failed with Théodoc. Théo had eventually been sent off to the Great Smials to be under Diamond's care, but that had happened after they had ridden out.
Merry waved to them as he rode off on Stybba, leaving Éowyn and Aramac under the care of their uncles. Fatty was in truth their only uncle, Pippin was their cousin once removed, but the children didn't seem aware of that fact, and if they were they didn't care. To them he was uncle Pippin, their closest adult family member aside from their parents.
"The carefree nature of Hobbits…" Aragorn mused. "One could never have guessed until he mentioned it that he is having a child as we speak."
"If it had been my child you would have known" Pippin said and finally sat up as well. "I wonder where that sluggard Sam is! How long has it been? He should have been here by now unless he stopped along the way to have afternoon tea at some inn. Typical, some Hobbits think of nothing but food."
"Indeed they don't" Aragorn laughed.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
Merry hurried inside the Hall and began by finding a room for Aragorn. It had to be the room with the highest ceiling in the Hall, preferably above ground, and the bigger the bed the better. Luckily Merry had a room fitting for the job. He had never thought Aragorn could come visit, but he'd hoped for Legolas to come together with Gimli, and Legolas would need a bigger room as well. His first year as Master of the Hall he had ordered for such a room to be built, preferably close to the master bedroom. All he had to do now was to find someone who could prepare the room for its noble guest. He was greatly surprised to run into his mother on his way to find someone who could fix the room up.
"Mother!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here, I thought you'd be with Estella."
"There you are Merry" she said. "I've been wondering when you'd show up, and I am not the only one."
"Are you free? Good, I need you mother." He grabbed her by the arm and led her toward the larger room. "You know the room I had built? The one which has a larger bed and higher to the ceiling?"
"Yes."
"I need you to prepare it for a most noble guest. King Aragorn has come, and he will be staying at Brandy Hall for a week."
"But Merry the king has--"
"No he hasn't, not yet. And it saddens me that he's ever going to. But he will let it be for a week and during that time he will be shown all the hospitality we can offer! I need you to prepare that room for a king but more importantly for a member of the family!"
"Merry, pardon me for interrupting, but can I say something on the subject of family?" Esmeralda asked.
"Yes mother, but first tell me, how is Estella?"
"She is doing fine, if you would let me finish Merry, she has been moved to the master bedroom now. The child was born hours ago Meriadoc, had you only given me a chance to tell you I would have."
"Hours ago?"
"This one was in a hurry to greet the outside world" Esmeralda said. "Less than an hour and a half after the birth started it was over. I have never seen such a rush before, this child is going to be adventurous as a Took mark my words!"
"One hour? That's all it took?"
"Yes, one hour and roughly thirty minutes."
"Oh my! It's been hours since then!"
"It surprises me a little that you've been gone for so long."
Merry didn't reply. He hurried off toward his and Estella's bedroom and stormed inside. There he found Estella, curled up on her side looking at a sleeping child. She seemed to be angry or upset, probably because Merry hadn't come yet, and she didn't look up at him when he came storming inside.
"Oh Estella…" he said and hurried over to her. "The baby!"
"How kind of you to join us" Estella said. Whatever sarcasm or sadness was in her words Merry didn't notice them.
"Estella, you will not believe this!" he said. "Guess who's come to Buckland? Strider has come!" The name brought on no reaction. "Strider, Estella! King Elessar! Aragorn, it is Aragorn who has come… My dear old friend, our king! I've been spending the day with him, he's going to stay here for a week Estella! I never even realised how the time flew by, it was so nice to spend time in his company again! And it was most important that he was greeted correctly and given something to eat."
"More important than coming to see your son?"
"Son? It's a son?"
"Yes" Estella said and kept her eyes on the baby. "A son, one whose father was not here to see him until hours after his birth."
"Oh Estella…"
Merry sat down on his side of the bed and looked at the baby. He had expected it to be a daughter, he had been completely sure that it would be a daughter, and it had turned out to be a son instead. And somehow it seemed so obvious that it would be a son.
"I didn't know it was over so soon…"
Estella kept her eyes on the baby and not its father and didn't reply to his comment. She was very emotional right after having a baby, and when Merry had not been there to look at the child she had been very upset. It had seemed to her as a form of punishment for what had happened between herself and Pippin a year ago even though she deep down knew that it was a foolish thought.
Almost a year had passed since the night when Diamond had found out she was barren and Estella and Pippin had kissed. Even though the incident was now behind them it still pained Estella's conscience. She knew that it had hurt Merry more than he had let on, and she hated herself for having done that to him. She had put their happiness at stake that night, and even though it had ended well things had not been smooth for a while after the kiss. Merry had withdrawn from her for a while, having not come to her at night for pleasure or even as much as kissed her. It had pained Estella more than she could say and she had feared that she would lose him, but she hadn't known what to do to make things better. Pippin had told her to leave Merry alone for a while and let him go through what he needed to go through, trusting that Merry would return to her when he was ready. It had taken him a month, on the night of September 22nd he had returned to her. He hadn't been completely comfortable, she had noticed that, but she had been thrilled nonetheless. She remembered that night very clearly, how she had wept and over and over again told him how much she loved him. It seemed to have worked on him, finally he had chuckled in her ear and told her to be quiet. For once she hadn't obeyed, she had kept on saying how much she cared for him until he had whispered that he loved her too.
Things had been different for Diamond and Pippin. Their problems had been faced head on on the same night they were brought up. Pippin had sat on their bed long into the night with Diamond in his arms, gently soothing her as she wept. They had talked that night, talked about everything that was bothering her, everything that was bothering him and tried to find solutions to their problems. Diamond had also been told of the kiss, and though devastated she had been Pippin had managed to make her understand that it had not meant anything romantic. They had gone through quite an ordeal that night but greeted the morning with no old problems in their backs. When they finally went to sleep that night they were holding each other tight, they had solved all of their problems to the best of their ability and after that night their marriage had only been stronger.
Estella finally looked at Merry instead of the baby and wondered what he was thinking. She also wondered what name he had chosen for the child. Estella had a name of her own in mind, she wanted to name their new son Saradoc after Merry's father who had passed away last November. But Merry had no doubt already a name in mind after one of his friends, probably the one who had come to the Shire now.
"Earlier today I decided what the child's name would be" Merry said. "If the child had been a daughter."
"It's a son."
"I know. I have no name for him."
"You will soon enough. I know you, Meriadoc."
"We can figure that out later…"
"If you say so."
"A son… He is lovely. Mother says he will be as adventurous as a Took!"
"Tooks? Why not adventurous as a Brandybuck? You've surely proven yourself no stranger to adventure!"
"But I am half Took myself" Merry said with a grin. "And the baby has Took blood in him from both my side and yours. I do believe that we might be having a rather adventurous little hobbit on our hands!"
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
Estella was woken up that night by Merry gently shaking her awake. He had left after only spending half an hour with her and the baby and she had fallen asleep shortly after. Now he was back, and apparently eager for her to wake up.
"What is it, Merry?" she asked without opening her eyes. She was tired and in pain and only wanted to sleep.
"Open your eyes Estella" he said. "The king is here to see you."
Estella quickly opened her eyes and sat up in bed, ignoring the sharp pain that came with the motion.
"The king? Merry I cannot see the king! Not in this state, not now, think of how inappropriate that would be!"
"He wants to see the baby and its mother" Merry said. "Estella this man is a very good friend of mine, I owe him my life. He won't harm you and he won't say or do anything inappropriate. He just wants to meet you."
"I cannot tell the king no" Estella said and looked miserable. "But look at me Meriadoc, I look affright!"
"You look marvellous" Merry said and kissed her cheek. He lifted the baby from the crib and smiled at his son. "We will be back soon."
Cradling his little son he left the bedroom and went to the room which had been prepared for Aragorn. There he found Strider, Pippin and Sam. Pippin immediately rushed over to look at the new-born.
"Your third son!" he said. "What's his name, father Meriadoc?"
"He doesn't have a name yet" Merry said with a proud smile. He kneeled down in front of Aragorn, who was seated in a for a Hobbit large chair and held the baby up for him to see. "Your majesty wished to see my new-born child!"
"Master Perian, I must say I have never seen a child so small before" Aragorn said and carefully lifted the baby over to his own arms.
"They don't come much bigger, sir" Sam said. "Hobbit children are small compared to yours, if you follow me."
"So tiny…" Aragorn mumbled and looked at the child who was fast asleep. "He looks like one could break him just by looking at him!"
"Oh, but he is much stronger than that" Sam objected. "Strong fathers have strong children, mark my words!"
"And adventurous fathers have adventurous children" Merry said. "I think this one will be quite the Took."
"Who are you naming him after?" Pippin asked Merry.
"Haven't I told you already that we haven't got a name for him yet?" Merry asked and stood up. "Have you not yet learned to listen, Peregrin?"
"If I could have had just one more son I would have named him Boromir" Pippin said. "Faramir and Boromir, suiting names for brothers!"
"It would be Boromac for him" Merry said, looking at his son. "But I don't think that will be his name."
"A child should be given a name within a week" Aragorn said. "You have seven days to discuss the matter with your wife."
"Speaking of my wife, I believe she is expecting you" Merry said. "She's a little shy, but that will pass."
"I cannot blame her for being shy at this time" Aragorn said. "Let he be. I shall see her when she's up and about again."
"Very well then" Merry said and bowed. "I shall give the word to her. To be quite honest she will be pleased to hear she won't have any visitors tonight."
He left the baby under their care and went back to the master bedroom and found that Estella had gone back to sleep. He smiled and woke her up again by gently shaking her arm. She woke with a start.
"Merry! Is the king--"
"Relax" he said. "Strider says he'll see you in a day or two, when you're up and about again. You go back to sleep. Just lay down first, I don't think it's very comfortable for you to sleep sitting up like this!"
"Where's the baby?"
"He's in safe keeping. Now lie down and go back to sleep, love…"
Estella nodded and followed orders. Merry left her and returned to his friends and son.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
Estella met Aragorn two days later, when she was back on her feet. She had wanted to get back outside as soon as possible, not wanting to miss out on a minute of sunlight more than she had to, and Merry had agreed on taking her outside if she promised to take it easy. He had his arm around her waist to support her, even though she didn't need it, and together they slowly made their way to the meadow by Brandy Hall where Aragorn was finding himself surrounded by polite and helpful Hobbits wanting to be of some aid to their king. When he saw Merry approach with Estella he rose and asked the surrounding Hobbits to give them a moment. Pippin and Sam stayed, but remained seated by the wooden table instead of standing up.
"Merry, should the baby really be outside" Pippin asked, filled with worry. "He's only a few days old!"
"It's just sun and fresh air, it won't do him any harm" Merry said. "As long as he's not in any direct sunlight for too long."
He and Estella stopped in front of Aragorn and Estella curtsied to the best of her current ability. She then looked up at this tall majestic figure who was their king, but also a brother to Merry. His face was stern yet friendly, he was unshaven and that made her uncomfortable, she had never seen anybody with that kind of facial hair. The only facial hair she'd seen at all was the long beards of the dwarves and wizards. But she saw that he had kind eyes, and a smile lurking in the corner of his mouth and even though she couldn't yet understand why Merry loved him as a brother she could see why he trusted him. If this man was on your side it seemed as if you would make it through most tough spots. He somehow seemed both majestic and rugged at the same time.
"My lord…" she said.
Aragorn bowed slightly for her.
"Madam."
"This is Strider, Estella!" Pippin said, more or less bouncing up and down in his seat with joy. He loved introducing Aragorn to people, and was still waiting for Diamond and Faramir to come by so he could introduce them. They would bring Théodoc with them, who had not yet seen his youngest brother, and Pippin was looking forward to their arrival which would hopefully be sometime soon. He longed for his own son now that he saw Merry's youngest.
"Estella, darling, I would like you to meet king Elessar of Gondor and Anor" Merry said and glared at Pippin who had completely ignored formalities in his quick introduction. "Known by many other names which I do not know even half of, but you have heard of him as Aragorn son of Arathorn."
"And Strider!"
"Yes Pippin, and Strider" Merry sighed. "Strider, this is my wife Estella."
"Pleasure to meet you" Aragorn said.
"Likewise, my lord."
"You may call me Strider if you wish, Estella. Estella…" Aragorn said thoughtfully as if he had never heard the name before. "As your husband said, I have many names. When I lived in Rivendell I was called Estel."
"That sounds like Estella" Pippin noted.
"Estel means hope." Aragorn looked from Estella to Merry and the to the baby. "Hope and merriment… Those are two good matches in a marriage."
Merry grinned at that comment and hurried off to see to it that lunch was served out by their spot. When he came back he found that the baby had made its way to Pippin's arms and Estella was seated next to him, keeping an eye on the little one. Merry sat down on her other side and declared that food was on its way.
"Estel and Estella and Strider and what not… Have you found a name for him yet?" Sam asked and glanced at the baby.
"When we do you will know."
"Rosie and I have decided that if our next one is a lad we'll name him Bilbo" Sam proudly announced.
Estella looked away. Rose was pregnant yet again, she would have another baby in three months which was why she hadn't come to be Estella's midwife. It seemed as if poor Rose would never get any rest, Primrose could not have been more than a year when this next child announced that he or she was on its way. This could only mean that Rose hadn't spoken with Sam as she had promised Estella to, and it made Estella angry. She knew how weary her old friend was and she had been there to deliver Primrose. She had noticed that her friend did not have her strength the way she used to and that the birth had been more difficult for her than it should have had to be. And after the baby was born she was far too weak, she didn't regain her strength the way Estella knew she had done before. She wondered how much more her friend could take and how long it would be before she dared to speak to Sam about it. Estella only hoped she would bring the matter up with her husband before she had wrecked her health completely. Despite what Estella had said to her at Primrose's birth she knew that Rose was no longer in her prime. She should not be having a baby once a year, it was neither good for her nor the children.
Sam's declaration that the son he was possibly having in three months would be named Bilbo had brought on a name debate in which Pippin and Sam named one friend after the other and Merry modified them to Brandybuck names and saw that they weren't fitting so they were discarded. Their human friend just smoked his pipe and let the Hobbits entertain him with their efforts to find a good name.
"Does it have to end with mac or doc?" Pippin finally asked. "He only needs a name like that if he's going to be the Master of Buckland and you already have an heir and a second son to take over the title if something should happen."
"You shouldn't speak that way" said Aragorn.
"I'm just curious. Why not just name him Legolas and then make sure Théo or Aramac takes over Buckland?"
"I don't like changing traditions" Merry said.
"Traditions? Old Rory had four brothers out of which none of them had names that ended with mac or doc!" Pippin pointed out.
"You're not going to change my mind, Pip. I like it when the names end with mac or doc, it's a tradition I intend to keep even if my great grandfather Gorbadoc did not. Besides, it helps people accept the queer parts I put before the doc or mac!"
"Like 'Ara'" Strider said.
"For a Hobbit that is queer" Merry said. "Pardon me Aragorn, but that's the way it is. Aramac is easier for them to accept than Aragorn."
"Sméadoc" Pippin suggested with a mischievous grin.
"That's not funny, Pippin!" Sam angrily said. "I won't have you even joke of such names for Merry's child!"
"Well he was a Hobbit once, wasn't he?" Pippin said, then shrugged his shoulders. "Just name him after your father Merry. That's what I would do if I were you. It's a good name and it would honour your father!"
"You said earlier that if you had another son you would name him Boromir" Merry pointed out. "Not Paladin after your deceased father." Pippin's father had passed away two months after Merry's, having been ill for quite some time.
"I think it's a good idea, Merry" Estella said, happy that the suggestion had come up. "Saradoc is a good name for a Hobbit."
"I'm not sure…" Merry said and looked at the lad in Pippin's arms. "I don't think he looks like a Saradoc."
"Fine then" Estella sighed.
If Merry noticed the irritation in her voice he didn't show it. He turned his attention back to his friends and continued the debate on what to name the little one. Five Hobbits came over with plates filled with food for the group, and the name debate continued over lunch, even though the eating slowed down the pace of the discussion.
"I don't see why you have to name him after someone you know, Merry" Aragorn finally said, when the meal was close to completed. "Look at Sam, he hasn't named all of his children after friends of his."
"Sam has nine children" Merry pointed out. "There are only so many friends you can name your children after, you know…"
"Yes, good old Sam still holds the lead by five" Pippin said. "Six, in a few months. He'll have a whole fellowship more than I do."
"All I am saying is that it's a wonderful idea of you to name your children after friends of old" Aragorn said. "But if you cannot decide on who to name him after then give him a name that wouldn't seem so queer by Buckland standards."
"That would only cause more problems" Pippin said. "Then there are no limitations! Now we can at least limit it to about twenty different name suggestions!"
Merry nodded thoughtfully. Aragorn had a point, maybe he didn't have to name his youngest son after a friend. Maybe he could even name him after his father? Estella seemed to like that idea. He wasn't very keen on giving his child a typical Buckland name though, he wanted his children to have names with special meanings. Éowyn, Théodoc and Aramac all did, this one shouldn't be any different. Naming his youngest son Saradoc after his father would be a nice way to honour his father, but Merry didn't think it felt right together with the names of the other three.
The discussion of baby names died out, and instead the Hobbits got a full report from Aragorn of the doings and happenings of their fellowship members Legolas and Gimli since the last time the Hobbits had heard from them. It took quite a while for him to tell them everything, for he was constantly interrupted by mainly Merry or Pippin asking a question or commenting on something Aragorn said. Estella soon lost track of what they were really talking about, half of what the long legged man said seemed to incredible anyway. Who had ever heard of a dwarf and an Elf being friends? She knew that there had been one of each in the fellowship, but them being great friends was just too unbelievable.
She lifted up the baby from the basket he had laid in under the table while they ate, and wondered what kind of life he would lead. Would her mother-in-law ever have been able to imagine what kind of life her son would lead when she held him in her arms when he was a baby? She couldn't even picture Merry as a child, she wondered what it was like to see your son grown up and befriend kings and lords.
Merry's life was truly filled with friends. Pippin especially, but the other members of his fellowship as well. Not to mention the humans in Rohan, and someone called Treebeard and others who Estella had forgotten about by now. Every story he told seemed to be filled with comradery, friendship filled every part of his life and there seemed to be nothing he treasured more. He had said to her once that good friends are your family, and family are your friends. Family and friends, the two are synonymous. She had never fully understood what he meant by that, and she still didn't, but seeing him with this human friend of his made Estella feel like she could one day understand.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
Aragorn stayed in Buckland for a week, often out walking with Merry, Pippin and Sam. Everywhere he went Hobbits stared at him, this long legged fellow who was their king, and who walked around with three Hobbits as if they were good friends. His visit to Buckland would be discussed in years to come, and as it usually goes the story would get better each time. As the Hobbits were so proud of their heroes, Merry and Pippin especially, the Hobbits of Buckland, who were the first to tell the stories and spread the word, would eventually change the relationship between the man and the Hobbits. A hundred years after king Elessar visited Buckland the Hobbit children would hear the story of the human king who was a servant to Meriadoc the Magnificent and Thain Peregrin. The Master of Buckland would correct the story whenever it was told in his presence, for he knew how the real relationship had been, but it was no use and after several years he finally gave in. In truth the Hobbits weren't altogether interested in the true version of the story, it made a much better fireside tale if the noble human was a humble servant to the Hobbits. And it added further to the glorification of Meriadoc, and Peregrin who was in fact a servant and esquire to the king and not the other way around.
As Arwen had predicted she would see Samwise before hers and Aragorn's return to Minas Tirith. A ceremony was held by the riverbank a week after Aragorn's arrival to Buckland in which three things of importance took place. A large number of Hobbits had gathered, Pippin had guessed one gross under his breath to Merry, and on both sides of the riverbank there were Hobbits watching the ceremony. Thain Peregrin was clad in his armoury from Gondor, looking like a juvenile version of the soldiers onboard the boat, and Master Meriadoc wore his Rohan armour. Unlike his cousin he rarely wore the armoury, only for special occasions, and seeing him clad in it always gave the Hobbits a sense of solemn feast. The two, and Mayor Samwise, also wore their grey Elf cloaks, and the same cloak was worn by the king as he said farewell to his friends and led the Hobbits through the three events of the ceremony.
Firstly Aragorn declared that from that day on, taking effect when he lifted his foot from Buckland's ground, Buckland would belong to the Shire and be protected by all the same laws. Authority over this Gondorian province was given to Master Meriadoc and the Brandybucks, though the Master of the Hall he would still answer to his king has before. The king also apologised for not having passed this law in the past, to which a weeping Master of Buckland replied that he wished the law had never been passed at all.
Secondly there was an unexpected event, a part of the ceremony that had not been planned. Samwise expressed his embarrassment that he had not sworn his service to any king, as Peregrin had to Elessar and Meriadoc to Éomer, to which Aragorn had laughed and declared on the spot that from that day forward Sam's oldest daughter Elanor, the only Gamgee present aside from Samwise himself, would be an honorary maid to queen Arwen. Sam accepted that solution, content with letting his daughter be sworn to duty of the royal family in his place. What Elanor thought of it all was never found out, but she only visited Gondor once in her life and served the Queen in person only for a few months.
Thirdly the youngest member of the Brandybuck family was given his name. It was an old tradition that a child would have his name giving ceremony a week after the birth, a ceremony executed by the Master of Buckland, the Thain or the Mayor. They each had one third of the Shire as their district for this task and Meriadoc had given his own son Aramac his name as Buckland was part of his region. However, the Thain, Master and Mayor all worked in replacement of the king and as he was now present king Elessar himself gave the little one his name.
Comradoc Brandybuck was the name given to him, although less than a week later he was called Cordy and would be known under that name most of his life. It was Meriadoc who had chosen the name, not after one of his friends but all of his friends. Comradoc as in comrade, a name that was his own homage to friendship.
Before he stepped onboard the boat Aragorn turned to Merry.
"You have been most generous and hospitable, Master Perian" he said.
"I would never greet a brother with anything less."
"I have something for you in return. I know you are planning on breeding ponies, but haven't find a mare that's fine enough yet. I cannot offer you a mearas, but if you will accept instead a pony from Minas Tirith then that pony will be waiting for you at the Prancing Pony two months from today."
"I shall gladly accept such a gift, though it was no way needed" Merry said and bowed. "Thank you Aragorn."
Aragorn nodded and hugged his old friend. He then hugged Sam and Pippin and kissed Diamond and Estella's hands before he turned and walked onboard the boat. He held up his hand to his friends as a sign of goodbye.
"Namárië" he said.
"Namárië" echoed the three left on the shore.
With tears in their eyes Merry, Pippin and Sam stood on the docks and watched Aragorn and Arwen sail down the Brandywine never to return to the river. Neither one of the four fellowship members knew how long it would be before they would meet again.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
Please leave a review! I appreciate it very much when you do! I will have the next part up as soon as I can, but since I don't have Internet at home it might be a while… The next part will be more dramatic than this one.