AN: Wow, my first ever serious Lord of the Rings fanfic. Be so proud of me!
Flame's welcome, but don't bother unless you have a valid point you'd like
to make.
Summary: A tragedy occurs in the Shire - someone has murdered Merry Brandybuck! Who was it?
Spoilers: Umm. all three, I think.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, sorry.
The Shire was in an uproar, particularly the Brandybuck clan. Something had happened in their midst, and Hobbits were coming from all over the Shire to find out if the rumours flying around were true. What they were faced with as they crossed the river to see the crazy, boat-loving Hobbits on the other side was not only shocking, but also incredibly depressing.
Multitudes of sad Brandybucks, clad in only black, greeted them and led them to the scene of the terrible crime. The sight made Samwise Gamgee cry out softly, and his wife Rosie sob. Peregrin Took, clad also in black, was kneeling over the pale, motionless figure of a Hobbit. He was crying openly, and through his sobs, only a few words could be interpreted. "Merry Brandybuck. The first Hobbit ever to be intentionally killed by another in the Shire. Why?"
As Pippin moved slightly, Sam got a good look at the destruction. Merry's face had lost all it's colour. His clothes were coated in blood, from the three deep slashes across his chest and stomach. His arms were also covered with smaller slashes, as though they had been raised to protect him. A blood-coated short sword lay by the body, either having inflicted these deadly wounds, or used in self-defense.
Sam dropped to his knees by Merry, and took the younger, sobbing Hobbit in his arms. "What happened to him, Pippin?" He asked softly. "Who. who did this to him?" No one else spoke. They were all awaiting the answer, wanting to know who had done this. After all, Pippin /was/ his cousin, closest friend and roommate. If anyone had any clue, it'd be him.
Shaking uncontrollably, but calming down enough in Sam's arms to answer, Pippin slowly began to tell all he knew. "I. I don't know. I hadn't seen him since last night. We were at the party, doing pretty much the same thing as usual. Drinking, laughing, singing, dancing, generally being the life of the party. We were going to go home together, but then he decided to stay behind and talk to (flirt with) his girlfriend, Samia. He just never returned."
Sam looked down at the ground as Pippin recounted the events, more tears coming to his eyes. He could have been comforting Pippin, he should have been comforting Pippin. But he was too affected himself to do any more than simply hug the younger Hobbit and have a bit of a cry. An older Hobbit approached them, placing one hand on Pippin's shoulder and another hand on Sam's shoulder. "You need some sleep." He whispered. "Go on. You don't need to see any more of this; it's too much for you."
Slowly, Pippin and Sam got to their feet and trudged back to the Hobbit- hole Pippin used to share with Merry. It was true, they couldn't bear to look at the terrible mutilation any longer. "Goodbye, Merry." Pippin whispered, as he turned to take one last look at the mourners. "I may not be very clever, and I might not always do things right, but I can promise you I will find whoever did this to you and make sure they pay dearly for it."
AN: Please forgive the shortness, the next few chapters will be a lot longer to make up for it. Review, please!
Summary: A tragedy occurs in the Shire - someone has murdered Merry Brandybuck! Who was it?
Spoilers: Umm. all three, I think.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, sorry.
The Shire was in an uproar, particularly the Brandybuck clan. Something had happened in their midst, and Hobbits were coming from all over the Shire to find out if the rumours flying around were true. What they were faced with as they crossed the river to see the crazy, boat-loving Hobbits on the other side was not only shocking, but also incredibly depressing.
Multitudes of sad Brandybucks, clad in only black, greeted them and led them to the scene of the terrible crime. The sight made Samwise Gamgee cry out softly, and his wife Rosie sob. Peregrin Took, clad also in black, was kneeling over the pale, motionless figure of a Hobbit. He was crying openly, and through his sobs, only a few words could be interpreted. "Merry Brandybuck. The first Hobbit ever to be intentionally killed by another in the Shire. Why?"
As Pippin moved slightly, Sam got a good look at the destruction. Merry's face had lost all it's colour. His clothes were coated in blood, from the three deep slashes across his chest and stomach. His arms were also covered with smaller slashes, as though they had been raised to protect him. A blood-coated short sword lay by the body, either having inflicted these deadly wounds, or used in self-defense.
Sam dropped to his knees by Merry, and took the younger, sobbing Hobbit in his arms. "What happened to him, Pippin?" He asked softly. "Who. who did this to him?" No one else spoke. They were all awaiting the answer, wanting to know who had done this. After all, Pippin /was/ his cousin, closest friend and roommate. If anyone had any clue, it'd be him.
Shaking uncontrollably, but calming down enough in Sam's arms to answer, Pippin slowly began to tell all he knew. "I. I don't know. I hadn't seen him since last night. We were at the party, doing pretty much the same thing as usual. Drinking, laughing, singing, dancing, generally being the life of the party. We were going to go home together, but then he decided to stay behind and talk to (flirt with) his girlfriend, Samia. He just never returned."
Sam looked down at the ground as Pippin recounted the events, more tears coming to his eyes. He could have been comforting Pippin, he should have been comforting Pippin. But he was too affected himself to do any more than simply hug the younger Hobbit and have a bit of a cry. An older Hobbit approached them, placing one hand on Pippin's shoulder and another hand on Sam's shoulder. "You need some sleep." He whispered. "Go on. You don't need to see any more of this; it's too much for you."
Slowly, Pippin and Sam got to their feet and trudged back to the Hobbit- hole Pippin used to share with Merry. It was true, they couldn't bear to look at the terrible mutilation any longer. "Goodbye, Merry." Pippin whispered, as he turned to take one last look at the mourners. "I may not be very clever, and I might not always do things right, but I can promise you I will find whoever did this to you and make sure they pay dearly for it."
AN: Please forgive the shortness, the next few chapters will be a lot longer to make up for it. Review, please!