Gift From Gondor
by North-took

"Where did all these boxes come from?" Diamond asked after tripping over one. Aside from the strange markings on the lids, they seemed only common wooden packing crates similar to those used by Brandy Hall for the transport of their famous brandy.

Pippin was seated atop one box, a large open book beside him. "They're from Faramir," Pippin said without looking up from his book.

Diamond raised an eyebrow. She assumed Pippin referred to Faramir of Gondor, and not their son Faramir Took. "All of these boxes contain books?" she asked skeptically. A quick count put the number of boxes at over two dozen. Books were expensive and precious things - even the Tooks were only able to afford a few hundred volumes for the Great Smials library and it was the finest in the shire - surely only a handful of the boxes actually held books.

"Every one," Pippin confirmed.

"Books of Elvish poetry?" Diamond asked hopefully. There was something about the sorrow-tinged verses of the firstborn that stirred her soul when Pippin read them to her.

"No," Pippin shook his head as he turned a page. "These largely concern Numenor and the Exiles."

Diamond thought she would have preferred the poetry, but kept quiet. The books were a gift to her husband from Pippin's distant friends, and one he apparently found pleasure in.

"Were you aware that the first king of Numenor � Strider's ancestor - was Lord Elrond's brother?"

Diamond absorbed this information. "That makes Queen Arwen is his first cousin?"

"Removed many, many times." Pippin looked up at his wife. "Elros Tar-Minyatur died in the Second Age."

Trying to envision that family tree gave Diamond a headache.

Guessing her thoughts, Pippin smirked at her, more impish boy than father and Thain. "Be glad our family tree doesn't extend quite that far. Imagine how many people we'd have to address as 'cousin'!"