Legacy. by hennethgalad

Chapter 1

    Peregrine Took, Thain of The Shire and Counsellor of the North Kingdom, climbed the stairs of the watchtower, that the Rangers who had built it called Tol Baranduin. It was across the Brandywine from the Shire, and north of the Old Forest, to guard against what few remnants of the dark days lurked in the hidden places. Few hobbits had yet seen the tower, and fewer still had climbed it, but Peregrine Took was a Guard of Minas Tirith, and had grown accustomed to high places. And from Tol Baranduin he hoped to see the whole of the vast encampment of King Elessar, and, better still, the arrival of Elladan and Elrohir from Minas Bruinen, the elven city springing up on the lip of Rivendell. Imladris was no more, a museum, where solemn visitors marvelled at the past. But with the sailing of the last ship, the spirit had gone from the valley, and the brethren, unleashed, were building for the elves who had appeared from across the north, and south, emerging from places hidden even from the wise. Of course, most had sailed west, but still enough remained, and Peregrine longed to see them in their formal procession, riding openly along the Road, as Glorfindel had once done.

   But when at last he reached the top, all thought of elves and processions left his mind, for sitting there on the stone flags, hunched and miserable, was Eldarion, Prince of Gondor and Arnor, son to the King Elessar and the Queen Arwen Evenstar. Achas the deerhound lifted his long nose, thumped his tail once on the floor and yawned hugely, then laid his nose on his paws and closed his eyes. Eldarion glanced up at Peregrine, then looked down again. Peregrine was astonished, this was a time of joyful celebration, he could not imagine what troubled the youth.
   'I say, whatever is the matter, Eldarion ? Are you unwell ?'
   'Pippin... Do you mind if I call you Pippin ? I know you are old and wise and Thain and all that but...'
   Pippin held his hands up 'If any of my friends ever calls me Peregrine, I know that I have done something wrong. So, you are not angry with me ?'
   Eldarion looked up, he was still pretty rather than handsome, yet to finish growing; his chin was small, but his eyes were enormous, grey as a Noldor, as the saying went, though the Noldor themselves were all gone. Pippin smiled kindly and sat down, as far away from the enormous Achas as he could. Eldarion smiled dryly, then his face settled back into misery. Pippin had an idea 'Do you miss Gondor ?'
   Eldarion looked at him with the polite incomprehension the young bestow upon the blundering old. Pippin shook his head 'Forgive me, but I hate to see anyone unhappy on such a fine day, especially one I am fond of. Please tell me what the matter is, and even if I can do nothing to help, I will listen sympathetically.'
   'You will laugh.'
   'I shall not ! I promise you.'
   'Very well. But... you will think...'
   'Why not tell me what your trouble is, and save yourself the effort of guessing how I shall react ?'
   Eldarion sighed and looked down. In a quiet voice he said 'I feel as one who has come to a party, like Bilbo’s birthday party, but the day after. I have missed everything. The guests I longed to see have departed, the music has ended, and it is my privilege' he almost spat the word 'to help clear up the mess.'
   Pippin was silent, he had never considered the boy, now almost a man, and how he would feel; there was nothing left to do, the enemy was defeated, Elessar (Strider !) was king, here was his heir, they were living happily ever after...
   'But it is not merely that there is nothing for me to do, though that is bad enough, it is... They are all gone ! Everyone I wanted to meet, Elrond, Gildor Inglorion, Glorfindel, Galadriel, Haldir, Mithrandir, Radagast...' his voice choked, Pippin stretched out his small hand, the youth was close to tears 'They might have waited to see me !' he wailed, and then the tears came.
   To his horror, Pippin found himself in tears, weeping with Eldarion instead of comforting him. 'I don’t know, I mean, I knew them, a little, and I miss them terribly. It might have been worse if you'd known them, especially since you are so young.'
   'But that’s just it, I'm so young ! They could have stayed a few years, you know what they, the elves that is, what they say, they do not even count the years, it, time, passes so differently for them. But no, they all just left. I feel...' he buried his face in his hands. Pippin put out his hand and patted the arm of the weeping youth, and thought quickly. Who could he call ? Old Strider was busy, he was always busy, and Arwen, well, Pippin had never lost his shyness of the daughter of Elrond. With that, he knew what to do. He would find Elladan and Elrohir, they were practically elves, they would cheer the boy up.

   The pavilion was crowded, Pippin looked anxiously at the backs of legs and wondered what to do, then saw a vaguely familiar face in a guards uniform; it was a soldier he had eaten with in Minas Tirith, in another time, another world, it sometimes seemed. He caught the eye of the soldier, who was delighted to be recognised.
   'The Prince of the Halflings ! Master Took !'
   'Thain of the Halflings, in fact, but yes, welcome to the borders of our dear Shire ! But please, it is urgent that you tell one, at least, of the sons of Elrond to hurry to the top of the tower, Eldarion is... is upset.'
   The guard looked startled, then serious. He nodded, stood to attention for an instant and was gone. Pippin looked about for a moment, decided there was no more he could do, and hurried back to Eldarion.

   To his astonishment, Elladan was already there, with Achas' head on his lap, stroking the long ears. Eldarion was blowing his nose, and smiled up at Pippin. 'Thank you for trying, but Elladan came while you were away.'
   'Peregrine Took, I grieve for the loss of your father, but I congratulate you on your accession to the title of Thain. I know you will serve your people as well as you have served us all.'
   Pippin blushed and bowed, then realised that Eldarion was blushing too. 'I say, Pippin, I should have said all that, please do not tell my mother I was rude to you !'
   'My dear boy, I was the rude one, intruding upon your moment of grief for those we have lost. You take life more seriously at seventeen than I do at forty seven, and are to be rather praised than blamed !'
   Elladan spoke then 'Is that what troubles you ? Do you mourn today while all about you rejoice ? I have known such days myself, missing my mother while the dancing swirled around me. Let your tears flow, Eldarion, they will ease your heart, and do no harm.'
   'No, alas, it is worse than that. I am almost ashamed to speak of it to you, who have lost all, even your mother...' he fell silent and looked away, Pippin felt a lump in his own throat; for the passing of his own father was a raw wound within him.
   But Elladan smiled 'The elf with no arm does not sneer at the elf with no hand, nor mock their pain. Come, what troubles you ? You are among friends, speak freely.' The son of Elrond smiled at Pippin, who thought back to his own youth and almost glowed with pride. Eldarion looked at him, then turned to Elladan.
   'It is... I feel that I have missed everything. And everyone ! What is there left now for me to do ? Oh ! Why am I not an elf ? Why can I not take a ship into the west ? Half my family is there, and I shall never see them...' the tears rose again, and he bowed his head. Achas whined and unfolded his limbs, towering over poor Pippin, who shrank back against the wall. But the hound ignored him, thrusting its long nose into Eldarion's dark hair. Eldarion let out a low whine of his own, and put his arms around Achas, who pawed at him and thumped his tail on the floor.

   There was laughter on the stairs, and Elrohir put his head above the parapet with a cheerful cry, followed by Meriadoc Brandybuck, Master of Buckland for four years.

 'Brother ! Why Pippin ! What fun ! And Eldarion, and the mighty Achas ! And here we are with wine, and, if I know hobbits (and I do !) food in that basket.'
   Merry grinned and waved the big basket in the air, as Pippin and Elladan rose to their feet. Eldarion smiled, and stood himself, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.
   'Did you bring goblets, Merry ?' said Elrohir, 'I knew if I did not, you would not. Let us be uncouth, this one time, and drink from the bottle. The prince will not mind roughing it with us old travellers.' His laughing eyes looked from one to the other as Eldarion blushed and looked down. 'What ? Have I said the wrong thing again ? I can go and get some goblets easily, and far more swiftly than you, my brave hobbit !' he grinned down at Pippin. But Eldarion stood up straight and smiled at Elrohir.
   'It would be my honour to drink with you all, if you do not mind an untried boy tagging along.'
   Elrohir put his head back and narrowed his eyes, then sat down and pulled the cork from the bottle 'Merry.' he said, and Merry started, then sat down and opened the basket. They all sat then, save Achas, the hound stuck its nose into Merry's basket until Eldarion called it back, when it sat at last, curled up beside him.

   They ate and drank, and Elrohir soon had Eldarion laughing, and at last the son of Aragorn and Arwen spoke freely of his sense of loss and disappointment at the world which had passed away almost before his eyes were opened, and his sense that there was nothing to win, no enemy to defeat, and no purpose to his life save sitting on a throne listening to dull disputes.
   Elladan tried hard to explain that now there was peace, Eldarion was free to make his own purpose, and that, furthermore, by the time Eldarion took the throne, he would be much older, and far readier to sit, and far more interested in the disputes he would have to settle. But Pippin, who still found such things tedious himself, looked doubtfully at Merry, and Elrohir saw their faces and nodded slowly. At last he sat back and took in a great breath, then let it out slowly. 'I have a notion.' he said. They turned to him expectantly, and he smiled 'But I shall need the permission of the Thain of the Shire.'
   They turned then to Pippin, who gaped at Elrohir 'I... My... Whatever for ? I mean, of course ! Name it, and if I can...'
   'Thankyou, my lord Thain. Then, by your leave, and with your company, I would take Eldarion to Bag End.'
   They were silent, wondering why, other than to see the home of Bilbo, Frodo and now Samwise. But Elladan sucked in a breath, then smiled warmly at his twin. Eldarion looked from one to the other, half-puzzled, half hopeful. The sons of Elrond rose to their feet and the others stood beside them. Merry looked up at the tall elves 'You mean now, this very afternoon ?'
   Elladan nodded 'Yes, we can take one of you each, and change horses at Frogmorton.'

   It was a wild ride, though the few hobbits on the Road heard the whoops of Eldarion in plenty of time before the three tall horses pounded into view. Pippin thought back to the long walk with Frodo and Sam, in that other world, and looked at Eldarion, far ahead now, his young blood relishing the speed of their passing. They bolted down a pie each at Frogmorton, the hobbits easily eating portions as large as the Big Folk.
   And at last, as the sun set behind them, turning the clear summer sky into a fading sweep of pastels, garlanded with delicate grey clouds, the familiar slopes of Hobbiton appeared as the first lanterns were lit, and there was the Hill, and Bag End, and Eldarion slowed his horse to a walk as the brethren caught up with him, and Elladan said 'Into the field here.'
   They comforted the horses, as the birds sang in the hedgerows, and Elrohir took out a silver flask. Merry, who had keen eyes, looked at the flask and said 'Surely that is the flask of Glorfindel !'
   Elrohir smiled wistfully 'Yes, it was his parting gift to me. Drink now, in memory of our blythe friend !'

   They felt the miruvor sweep away their tiredness, and the fading light brightened around them. But Elladan strode away across the field, and Pippin looked at him in astonishment, there was nothing there but...
   Beside him, Merry said softly 'Oh ! Of course !' and Pippin finally understood why they had galloped halfway across the Shire. Even Eldarion had grasped Elrohir's plan.
   'The Mallorn ! You have brought me here to see the Mallorn !' he cried, and ran after Elladan. But Elrohir walked slowly beside the hobbits 'Let him face it alone' he said softly 'It is the legacy of his great grandmother, the lady Galadriel herself. It will mean more to him than... than I can say.'

   Pippin looked up at the golden flowers, and thought of Lothlorien; his heart filled with pain and joy, until the tears flowed from his eyes. Elladan stood by Eldarion, one arm around his shoulder, and Pippin remembered his history: that these elves were not wholly elven, but sprung from the House of Hador, and of Beor, the children of Tuor and of Beren Erchamion.        

   And as the light faded around them, it shone yet among the golden leaves, spreading an elven light upon their faces, and Pippin knew that Eldarion himself understood what the sons of Elrond would say to him, not with words, but by being with him, beneath the last Mallorn Tree to be blessed by Galadriel. For here they stood, the living fabric of their great houses, woven together into the finest creations of their mighty forebears, sharing a moment of peace and fellowhip under the majestic canopy. The future stretched before them, unknown and full of possibilities. Pippin heaved a great sigh, he knew he had spent too long reading the old books and writing more books, instead of living his life. It seemed the smell of ink was forever in his nose. He looked at Eldarion, for whose sake they had come, but his young eyes were shining as he turned to them and smiled. For a moment, Pippin thought he could imagine Dior, held to be the most beautiful living creature while wearing the Nauglamir, as a stranger briefly smiled at him through the eyes of the son of Arwen and Aragorn. He almost pitied Eldarion, with such weight upon his thin shoulders, but Eldarion was smiling.
 

   'I see it. I see the bitter and the sweet. I would have everything as it ever was, yet if that were so, then the world would be finished, for no new thing could be. And we here' he bowed to the hobbits 'saving your presence, my lords, but we here are new things, neither elven nor mortal, but something new, something between. And I cannot regret my own birth ! Nor yours, my dear uncles ! I must accept time, and change, and look to the future, to my future. You are right, Elladan, my father will live long, I have many years ahead of me, I may do... I may do anything ! Who knows, there may yet be a troll to slay, or... or anything !'
   But Merry grinned 'If you are in need of a quest, there is something that I have been considering...'
   They looked down at him in astonishment, all save Pippin, who, though he did not know the plan, did know Merry, and grinned himself 'Well,' said Merry 'Sauron hoarded mithril. He must have kept it in Barad Dûr. Mordor is empty now, well, the northern part anyway. All that mithril, just waiting to be dug up...'
   Elrohir laughed delightedly, Elladan put a hand over his eyes, but Eldarion looked at Merry with eyes and mouth round 'By the stars, I did not think of that !'