Chapter Seven
Rowan POV
Pippin was next to this little fountain. So was I, but I wasn't drinking out of it. I was looking in it and trying to braid my hair, but I finally quit in frustration because it was too tangled. Merry was still sleeping.
"I was trying to tell you, but would you listen to me? No." Pippin says. I looked up at him.
"Shut up, Pippin."
"No."
I suddenly realize how loud we were talking, and I motioned Pippin to lower his voice. "Lower your voice." I said. Pippin nodded right after he looked at Merry, who was dead to the world. We sat in silence for a while before we heard,
"Hello?"
It was Merry. He was up and looking around. I don't think it scared Pippin much because he saw Merry, but it scared me half to death and I jumped, resulting in me falling off of where I was sitting.
"Treebeard?" Merry called. "Where has he gone?"
Pippin spoke up. "I had the loveliest dream last night." He said. "There was this large barrel, full of pipeweed. And we smoked all of it. And then you and Rowan were sick."
Merry and I just looked at Pippin. "It would only be in a dream that I smoke pipeweed." I said.
"I know." Pippin shrugged his shoulders. I just sat there, confused for a moment, and then walked over to Merry, who wasn't looking very happy at the "you and Rowan were sick" statement. "I'd give anything for a whiff of Old Toby." Pippin said it dreamily. There was groaning, which made the three of us jump. I screamed, and grabbed Merry's arm. Okay, so I'm not as brave as my mother, or my father. I mean, at least they had the guts to walk up to some trolls and try to steal their meat. And then jack a ring (the same one we're trying to destroy, thank you very much) from some weird creature named Gollum who didn't seem all too pleasant. I mean, Bilbo wasn't too brave, but from what Mother told me is that he was the one that led her into the dragon chamber, and told her it was going to be alright.
"Did you hear that?" Merry said.
"I wish I had a walking stick right about now." I muttered.
"Why?" Merry asked.
"Because. I'd be taking off."
Merry rolled his eyes and walked forward, me behind him. There was more groaning. "There it is again! Something's not right here. Not right at all."
Suddenly, there was an Entish groan. From Pippin. Merry and I looked at him.
"Pippin...?" I said.
"You just said something... Treeish." Merry said.
"No I didn't." Pippin said quickly. "I was just stretching." It happened again, and it looked like he grew. Merry walked forward, because I had let go of his cloak and was silently heading for the water. Pippin drank some more that he had in the bowl.
"You're taller." Merry said.
"Who?" Pippin asked.
"You!"
"Than what?"
"Than me!"
"I've always been taller than you."
"Pippin. Everyone knows I'm the tall one, you're the short one."
Pippin laughed dryly. "Please, Merry. You're what? Three-foot-six? At the most? Whereas me, I'm pushing 3'7"." Pippin grew again. "3'8"!" he drank some more of the water.
"Three-foot-eight." Merry whimpered. Pippin looked at him. "You did something." Pippin just shrugged and put the pan with the water down. I could tell Merry couldn't stand it anymore, and he grabbed one of the things filled with water.
"Merry, don't! Don't drink it!" Pippin said. Merry ran off with it and began drinking out of it. "Merry! No, Treebeard said that you shouldn't have any."
"I want some!" Merry snapped. I just sat there, watching Merry fend off Pippin every time he stopped to take a drink.
"He said it could well be dangerous!"
Merry fended off his younger cousin again while I just sat back and watched. They stopped between some tree roots, and then Merry screamed.
"It's got my leg!"
"Merry!" Pippin yelled. I watched with wide eyes, wanting to help them but I didn't know how. Plus I didn't want to be eaten by trees. Then, as soon as it happened, the two were gone. I heard Pippin's muffled scream. I think he said help. Then, Treebeard came into view.
"Away with you." He said. "You should not be waking. Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water." Pippin popped out first, Merry after him, both of them pale as the moon and scared half to death. "Go to sleep. Away with you. Come. The forest is waking up."
I ran over to them, and then we were grabbed by Treebeard and we began to leave. "It isn't safe. The trees have grown wild and dangerous. Anger festers in their hearts. Black are their thoughts. Strong is their hate. They will harm you if they can." Look, I know he just made a point, but I don't think that harm is the right word here. I think the right word here is eat. "There are too few of us now. Too few of us Ents left to manage them."
"Why are there so few of you when you have lived so long?" Pippin asks. "Are there Ent children?"
"Bru-ha-hroom. There have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years."
"Why is that?" Merry asked.
"We lost the Entwives."
"Oh, I'm sorry. How did they die?" Pippin asked.
"Die? No. We lost them. And now we cannot find them." How do you lose something that can walk around and be almost a hundred feet tall? This tree is weird. "I don't suppose you've seen Entwives in the Shire?"
"Can't say that I have." Merry said. "Rowan?"
"No. Last time I saw something that was really tall walking was that Balrog." I say.
"You, Pip?"
"What do they look like?" Pippin asked.
"I don't remember now." Treebeard said. I bet they looked like him, just curvier. And no beard. At least I hope they didn't have a beard. That would just be weird.
Aragorn POV
We stopped, and let our horses rest.
"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld." Gandalf said. "There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Théoden is now very strong."
Éowyn POV
"My lord," I held my uncle's hand. "Your son... He is dead. My lord? Uncle?" I felt the tears well up as my uncle just sat there, uncaring. He looks at me. "Will you not go to him?" I ask. "Will you do nothing?"
Aragorn POV
"Be careful what you say." Gandalf warned. "Do not look for welcome here." We rode forward.
Éowyn POV
I sat at Théodred's side. It was scary. He was so pale. I keep thinking he's going to open his eyes, ruffle my hair, and then ask for food. I keep thinking that he's going to be walking around, and then look at me and say, "Why the long face?"
But he won't, and he never will again. I kissed his hand.
"Oh, he must have died sometime in the night." Came a drawling voice behind me. "What a tragedy for the king to lose his only son and heir." It was Wormtongue. He stood over me. I look at him, and he sits on the bed. "I understand. His passing is hard to accept. Especially now that your brother has deserted you."
That's a lie.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Leave me alone, snake!" I snapped as I was standing up and backing away.
"Oh, but you are alone." He drawls. "Who knows what you've spoken to the darkness in the bitter watches of the night when all your life seems to shrink." He walked up to me, and around me. "The walls of your bower closing in about you. A hutch to trammel some wild thing in. So fair. So cold." He places a hand on my cheek, and I shut my eyes. "Like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill." His hand moves down, and my eyes open.
"Your words are poison." I spat, and left. I stormed out the doors and looked out at the mountains. I looked out into the distance and saw three riders. Our flag that was flying at half-staff was flung off the pole by the wind, and drifted down and away from me. I just watched, feeling so helpless. I mean, I know I'm not, but I just couldn't help hearing Wormtongue's voice in my head. I knew his words were false. But when he said them, they were like sharp daggers. My brother hasn't deserted me. I know he hasn't. He never would. He was forced to leave because of Wormtongue. Wormtongue made him an outcast. He exiled him. My brother didn't leave.
And I knew he'd come back if he could.
