Tongue Tied
Recaptured – Chapter 129

Author: Llinos
Beta: Marigold

"Is all righted My Mer!" Pippin had looped his bound hands around in front of Merry and held him tightly as he was lifted up onto Shadowfax. "You don't go needing be cryering My Mer, please don't be cryering not no more. You got stop now, please." Pippin squeezed tightly and buried his face into Merry's trembling shoulder, surprised at first when he met unyielding metal beneath the ragged shirt, until he realised Merry was wearing Frodo's mithril shirt.

Merry heaved several deep breaths and looked down at his shaking hands. He could not manage to stop trembling, no matter how many times he bit his tongue to try and wake up. For this had to be a cruel dream from which he would soon be woken with another blow or shock. How could it be that Pippin had managed to find him in this chaotic nightmare? That he had found Mr Smagnude to help him, confirmed that it must be a dream.

It seemed a long time to Merry since he had been able to feel safe and he had been expecting, even seeking, death for what felt like an eternity, yet it was less than a day since he had been snatched by the fell beast. Perhaps, he reasoned, now that he was very close to death, this was a vision to ease his passing. It would be a relief to die, Merry decided and he thanked the Overheavens that he had been allowed one small glimpse of Pippin again, even if seeing his cousin was not actually real.

"My Mer?" Pippin whispered in his ear, "Say things at We. You are more safely now and We and Smag gotted you. Promsis Mer, Promsis true!"

Merry tried to speak, his mouth opened and his jaw worked, but no sound would come from his throat. He drew another deep breath and managed to swallow the sob that was welling up inside, reducing it to a couple of small hiccups, and turned to look at Pippin with a bewildered and worried frown. Even if this were a vision, Pippin should not mindspeak to him, not even within the deepest, most secret sanctum of his soul, the places where only Pippin had ever been, Merry knew that was forbidden and dangerous at the moment.

"Try to go do some littlel speakering at We My Mer," Pippin pleaded. Merry's agitation and silence was frightening him. "Just go say 'We Pip' at We."

Merry shook his head frantically and put his hand over Pippin's mouth as if to silence him. Pippin took hold of the hand in surprise, looked at it and kissed an angry looking abrasion on the palm and gently placed it back at Merry's side.

'Why could Merry not speak?' Pippin wondered.

'Why was Pippin mindspeaking?' Merry thought, close to panic.

Just then Smagnu interrupted their one sided conversation, "You ready Little Pips?" He asked gruffly, "Erm Horse?" He addressed Shadowfax with what passes as polite for an Uruk, not actually daring to lay a hand on the Lord of the Mearas, "Got to go now!"

Shadowfax nodded his noble head up and down as if he agreed with the plan and started smoothly forward with Smagnu falling into step beside him.

They had not travelled ten paces when a voice rang out across the courtyard, making the escapees freeze in horror.

"Peregrin Took! What did I tell you?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Legolas could still hear the anxious voices around him, they were mostly concerned with Mithrandir who remained unconscious and, from what the elf could make out, barely breathing.

But Legolas was reluctant to pull himself away from the fascinating place that the silver-sapphire trail of light had led him and it was taking most of his concentration to remain there. The elf was puzzled.

Clearly the shimmering argent flavoured azure beam was Mithrandir, Legolas would know him anywhere, but the rather crude splurge of muddy blue that seemed to have attached itself to the wizard was a mystery but it did not seem threatening or of evil intent, just a little slow and baffled. The elf listened carefully.

'Now you have your pot filled with the stew?'

'gloop ug… mugg…'

'No please try not to eat it, I know you're hungry and it's got real meat in it – well ratflesh – but do restrain yourself – this is important.'

'pugsh'

'Good! Now listen, you must go over there… yes to the big door… and knock and tell them you have special food for the halfling. Understand?'

'gluug ig bog ung gah!'

'No I don't think they'll hit you, be polite and cringe if you see a fist coming – yes I know you're very good at that Boggin.'

'bloggin'

'Yes, I'm sorry, Bloggin. I do have trouble remembering your name, I have a lot else to think about at the moment.'

Gradually, as he listened to the intercourse between the two, the elf came to realise that he had made an initial mistake. It was not the muddy blue that was seated in Gandalf's consciousness, but the other way around. Also, if Legolas had thought before that the hobbits' grasp of mindspeak was limited, he was swiftly revising that view as he listened to the little blue thing talking to the wizard. What in Middle-earth could it be?

Mithrandir was hiding his consciousness in another being, but what that creature was Legolas could not tell. But as he began to rejoice at the realisation that the wizard was alive, dimly, voices began to intrude upon his thoughts again.

'Would you like to practice what you have to say?'

'sluurol ik balg glup ma?'

'Yes - I think you should.'

'ougt plowd?'

'Yes, say it out loud, no one's listening to you and I want to make sure you've got it right.'

"knock! knock!" Bloggin began.

'You do not need to do the sound effects." It seemed to Bloggin that his mind was laughing at him.

'glup plog ig!'

'Yes I know what I said, but...'

"Peregrin Took! What did I tell you?" Bloggin made everyone, including himself, jump with shock as he suddenly shouted across the courtyard at the rump of a receding horse. The little orc dropped the stew with a clatter and slapped both hands across his mouth in horror, afraid that more angry words would bellow out of his interfering brain, drawing attention, and possibly danger, to his presence.

The horse paused for a moment and the two small riders turned to see where the big voice that sounded so familiar had come from. But all they saw were several orcs milling about and one very small and scruffy orc staring at them with its hands clasped over its mouth.

As it was, most of the orcs around him snorted in derision, deciding the small creature was obviously demented, while a few others snarled and invited him to "fug off!"

Bloggin's mind, on the other hand, spluttered with annoyance. 'You were not supposed to say THAT out loud.'

'gloooop blugg!'

'Did I?'

'gup!'

'Well it's done now.' His contrary mind sighed, 'you'd better get after them – quickly now.'

The horse had started up again and Bloggin had to run as fast as his small legs would pump. "Wait, please Sirs, please!" Bloggin caught up with the boots of the great Uruk just as they were leaving the confines of the courtyard. "Cap'n! It-it's me – it's Bloggin!"

"Bloggin, what the fug are you doing here?" Smagnu looked around frantically, expecting to see the White Wizard as well.

"What go happerningned… happynering… happenings?" Pippin finally managed, "Where go be Gandalf he?"

"I don't know, Sir Little Pip Sir," Bloggin gasped, "But I got a message in me 'ead an' it says I gotta come wiv yer. I dun't know why – but I dursn't like to argufy wiv me 'ead. It gets quite cross wiv me if'n I does!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Legolas snapped to with a shudder. He could no longer ignore the insistent clamour of pleas for him to awaken. Éowyn was calling to him out loud and Gimli was even trying to awkwardly touch his mind again.

'LEgOlAs! LEgOlAs! hEaRest tHoU voIcE oF I moRe!'

'Gimli I hear you! I could not speak before as I was listening to Gandalf.'

'GanDAlf lIEs hErE wIthOuT sEeiNG noR WAkiNg frOm dEEpesT SLumBEr'

'Gimli I can hear you if you speak out loud – and probably understand you much better!'

"Aye, sorry laddie, I was forgetting." Gimli saw Faramir frown as Éowyn nodded at him with a smile. The Lady had obviously also been following the silent conversation. "You say Gandalf was speaking to you?"

'Not to me, but I felt his mind speak to another.' Legolas fell silent as he felt something else move on the edge of his thoughts. 'I must not say more.'

Gimli looked up at Aragorn, who was still tending to Gandalf. "His mind lives, Legolas has heard Gandalf, although he will not say where he is or what he is doing."

"Can you ask him more?" Aragorn looked hopefully at the elf. "It is critical for our strategy. I cannot tell for sure how long this truce will last or how long I should want it to last. The enemy is regaining strength, even as we are."

"No my Lord Aragorn," Éowyn had also been listening carefully to Legolas, although she had not dared to speak in his mind for fear of attracting unwanted attention. "Something draws near again to his thoughts. Wherever Gandalf has gone, Legolas fears to direct that presence towards him and if he were to mention Gandalf's whereabouts or reasons, he might do that."

Éowyn gasped and reached out for Gimli, who took her hand, while Aragorn quickly moved to her side and took her other. Faramir scowled and kicked at an innocent weed that had managed to grow through the gap in the canvas floor and avoid being trampled so far. "What is it Éowyn?" Aragorn saw a pang of hurt in her eyes, before she bit down to renew a resolve.

"Legolas is in peril, not I!" Éowyn pulled away and went to the elf. "Do you not sense it Gimli?"

"I do," the dwarf agreed, "he is standing guard over… over… I don't know. Something in his mind that he must protect."

"A pathway," Éowyn added, "Gimli we must stop listening, we are helping it. Let Legolas manage this alone."

"But what is it?" Faramir asked wishing yet again that he were privy to these strange unspoken conversations. "What has found him now?"

"I'm not certain," Éowyn spoke in a hushed and cautious whisper, "but it is something very powerful, possibly the Dark Lord Himself."

"But what exactly is he guarding?" Faramir persisted.

"He seems to be watching over something… I don't know," Gimli shook his head as if to see the image more clearly, "a colour, I'm not sure but I think it's a muddy shade of blue."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Frodo was breathing hard, panting to try and catch his errant breath, "Thi…sss… this way! Come on Ss…ssam… We have to hurry…"

Samwise did his best, but somehow Frodo had found a hidden reserve of energy all at once and was keeping just ahead of him all the time. "Please Mr Frodo, slow down a little, you'll be burning yourself right up if you go so fast and besides…" Sam sank down onto the rocks, his body finally giving up the race in protest, "We'll never catch up with that Gollum, he goes at a fair lick at the best of times."

Frodo looked back and, seeing Sam slumped down on the rocks, halted and came back with a sigh, "We ha-ss to, Sam. You doesn't underss-stands." Frodo was still puffing as he spoke, his words sounding sibilant and harsh against the cold morning mist. "It'ss… it's ess-ssential we catch up. You doess…n't… doesn't know what it'll do!"

"No!" Sam's voice suddenly took on an air of authority, "you just sit yourself down here and get your breath or you'll be in no state to catch anyone or anything, if you take my meaning." Realising that his master was about to protest, Samwise caught hold of Frodo's arm and forced him down beside him on the ground. "I ain't going to argue with you Mr Frodo, but you told me to watch out for something odd – well in so many words you did – and this seems very odd to me."

"Let go of us!" Frodo tried to pull his arm free so he could stand again, but Sam was too strong and easily held him in place. "Sam, S…ssam! You doesn't ss-sees it! It's as-as if an endlesss silver strand iss…is entwined around uss.." Frodo fretfully ran his hands around his neck, "…and st-sstrangling us! But that'ss why S-ssam it'ss leading us on and on to find… find…"

"No! Frodo, stop!" Sam clutched at Frodo's shoulders and shook him until his eyes focussed once more on his surroundings. "Listen to yourself! You sound like him, what's happened to you? It's that Gollum – he's got inside you and now you're not thinking straight!"

"He'ss not inside me…" Frodo's eyes started to glaze again, "We're… we… I mean I-I'm in him… that is I see and hear… Sam! Hold me… Stop me… Please Sam!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Too many orcsess! Too many my Precious, Sméagol can't catches the orcsess – not without the Precious." Gollum peered over the edge of a rocky precipice watching the stragglers and reinforcements of Sauron's army make their way towards the Black Gate. "What musst we does?" The creature drew back and sat on his heels, rocking back and forth. "We's got to get The Pippin!" He wrung his hands in a strangling motion, a growing habit with every mention of the hated name. As much as Gollum had feared and revered Frodo as Master of the Precious, he loathed and detested the very mention of Pippin's name. "He not even finded the Precious! Why doess It go to The Pippin! Orcsess not kill The Pippin, Shelob – She not eating The Pippin! We knows why! The Precious is saving The Pippin for Sméagol! The Precious wants Sméagol to kill The Pippin dead as dead as dead!"

Gollum looked again at the terrain below him again. "Why does we runs and runs? The Pippin is coming! We knowses it! We feelsess the Precious on his scrawny necksess." Once more Gollum turned to perch on his heels and whispered into the air, "Masster feels It too and we knows what he thinks. Masster iss hates The Pippin too. He wantss the Precious all for hiss-owns-self." He looked up as if speaking to someone, "Doessn't you Masster? You wants to wrings The Pippin by the throats and break off hiss heads! Then takes the Precious off his silly, silly little neck. We knows why, Masster – doessn't we!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Nooooo! Sam! Sam! We can't… We musstn't!"

"What Mr Frodo? Mustn't what?" Sam still held Frodo by the shoulders, "Don't be afraid Frodo, I won't let you hurt Pippin."

"B-but Sam, it's the only way to get It back in one piece!" Frodo's eyes rolled involuntarily as a wave of dizziness swept over him, "Pippin won't be able to let It go! We can't destroy the Ring unless It is whole again. I'll have to take It from him. I'll have to force him to give It up! Sam he won't let It go. He's only young, he'll never be able to fight Its power."

"Well Mr Frodo," Sam held the shaking shoulders firmly, forcing Frodo to look him in the face, "There's only one solution. You'll have to give your Ring to Master Pippin!"

Frodo suddenly calmed and went immobile in Sam's grasp. His face took on an air of confident tranquillity, more shocking to Samwise than his frantic Gollumesque ravings had been. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards and he spoke softly, "Dearest cousin he may be, but – give him my Ring? I'd kill him first or die myself trying."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Majdi Rann watched as the Uruk slung the halfling over his shoulder and stalked across the courtyard, then the man slammed the door and made his way quickly back to Phunnie's chamber. The Mouth of Sauron stood in the centre of the room while the rest of his servants clad him in his full armour, save the helm. "Master," Majdi bowed respectfully, "the halfling is despatched to Barad-dûr; an Uruk Captain came for it."

"So, at last, something is done as I have ordered." The Mouth snarled the words, "What of the other? The halfling held by the Wizard?"

"That too," Majdi reported. "The Uruk Captain took both with him. One he had already, seated upon the whiteskins horse, he placed the other with it and took them together."

"My orders have been executed with uncommon haste," the Mouth's face twisted into a cruel sneer, "I wished to inspect the newly captured halfling, why was it sent forth without informing me?"

"Master," Majdi bowed low again. "The Uruk Captain claimed he had orders. The halfling had been placed in his keeping, I assumed this was done with your authority and that the Uruk was Lord Sauron's messenger."

"Fool!" The Mouth spat the word, "When did I leave this room to issue such an order? How would a messenger arrive so rapidly from Barad-dûr? There is something amiss in this transaction!"

"I will stop them." Majdi turned for the door but his exit was halted by a signal from his Master to the other servants who leapt forward and barred his way.

"Hold!" The Mouth snapped in anger, "If this has gone awry, you shall be the one to take the news to Lord Sauron, not I."

Majdi turned again, a sinking feeling in his belly that his instinct about the odd little halfling having a devastating effect on his life was beginning to come about and not in a good way. "Master, I was sure the messenger was in earnest, how else would he have known of the halfling or where he was to be taken?"

"That is not my concern or yours," the Mouth waved his hand as he walked past Majdi to the door, "your concern is to do my bidding and mine alone. If you have caused the halflings to escape your head will pay the price. I shall question these fools myself to see what has occurred, attend me."

As they stepped out into the courtyard, they were greeted by a tumult of noise from the other side of the square. Orcs were shouting at one another and swords were being drawn as accusations flew thick and fast.

"Yer took it off yerself, yer stinking lump o' pus!"

"Yeah an' you'd be sayin' dat to keep the fuggin finger offun yer own carcass!"

"I'll take yer fuggin skull offun your stinking neck yer scum-suckin' piece o' crap!"

"An' I'll stick that sword up yer bleedin' arse if yer tries!'"

"'Ere you!" A mighty Uruk grabbed the little orc that had let Bloggin out in all innocence, "you were s'posed to be in charge o' the prisoners! "What the fug 'appened to that little rat what we put in 'ere? Eh! Eh!" The Uruk shook the small orc until his eyes were crossed more than usual and he could barely answer, even if he had anything to say.

"Put it down you fool!" The Mouth, followed by his anxious entourage, strode over to the melee. "Put it down and hold it still so it can speak." The terrifying man loomed over the little orc, making it wet itself in terror. "Speak quickly – who took the halfling?"

"D-d-d-dun't know M-m-mm-m-mast-t-t-ter!" the small orc still shook although the Uruk no longer was the cause, fear alone had taken over. "it-t-t-t…it gotted out on it-itself! Honest! Lord… Master… Y-y-your Worshipfulness!"

"How the fug could it!" The Uruk clouted the little orc across the head, "Yer must've let it out! How did it get out on itself?"

"M-m-magic Sir?" The orc scrabbled on the ground where it had landed, feeling around for a gnarled tooth that had fallen out with the clout. "It gotta be. I woodunt o' dared to let it out… I'd be too scardified of you S-s-sirs. It gotta be magic!"

"Cursed idiots!" The Mouth spun round to his servants, "kill all of these fools, then get after the wretched halflings and bring them back! Take as many of these stupid orcs as you need, but do not fail me again, I shall expect you back here in an hour with two halflings and as many heads as you need to hew to get them. Fail or flee and I shall have you hunted down and kept alive for as long as possible." The Mouth spoke no more, but, with an imperious swish of his long cloak, strode back to the sanctuary of the General's quarters.

The Mouth's servants knew well what he had meant. A lingering death in the Tower of Barad-dûr was a far worse fate than they would deal out to the squabbling orcs in the courtyard. They bowed as their Master left then, drawing swords to despatch the doomed creatures, they spun around, blades glinting in the early morning light. Not an orc was to be seen.

"We must make haste!" Vimta Ludd was the next in line to Majdi and in fact coveted his superior's position. "Come Rann… where is Rann?"

The other two servants looked all about, but, just as silently and mysteriously as the orcs, Majdi Rann had apparently vanished into thin air.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Oi! You pair o' scum-licking lice!" Smagnu snarled at his prisoners, "shut yer fuggin' noise or I'll shut it fer yer." As Shadowfax started his poised trot. Bloggin ran at the Uruk's feet, frantically trying to keep up, but they were still passing through the massed orc armies and consequently going quite slowly.

Pippin's jaw dropped in indignation as he looked down at the Uruk, but then closed as he followed the great beast's gaze to the legions of orcs all around them and he saw the reason for his Uruk's coarse reprimand. Pippin had been so wrapped up in Merry that he failed to notice the thousands upon thousands of eyes following their progress as Shadowfax skilfully manoeuvred a path through the gawping mass of troops awaiting orders to stream back through the Black Gate and rip the waiting army to shreds. "Shhhh, hush My Mer…" Pippin tried to sooth his distraught cousin again. "Is you hurted? Is you thirsteries? Is you too much sadness? We does know what you is too happery and get We Smag back at you."

"We Smag is just being so much rude at We for pretendering" Pippin reassured his distraught cousin, wondering if that were the cause of his worry. "Not don't but meaning nothing at We."

Pippin was baffled at the lack of sound from Merry but, apart from that, he was so ecstatic to see him again, especially as he appeared to be more or less all in one piece, he could barely stop himself from bouncing up and down with sheer delight. Instead he pressed his palm into Merry's face and nuzzled into the warm neck in front of him, muttering over and over, "My Mer… got you go safe now… safe now…" Pippin seemed to miss the irony of his words as, travelling through Mordor with an Uruk and a small orc, pushing their way through a massive enemy army in the direction of Barad-dûr on a quest to destroy the Ring of Power in Mount Doom, was not a particularly safe position to be in, but, in his joy at being reunited with Merry, Pippin was not considering the future at that moment.

Nevertheless, danger claimed them once more as several orcs surged forward trying to grab at the odd little imps. Most of Sauron's soldiery were filled with bloodlust and all of them were hungry. But either Shadowfax sidestepped their attempts or they finished up on the end of Smagnu's fist or boot. "Gerroff! You filthy rat-spawn – these ain't fer the likes o' yer!"

After a few casualties had occurred and the Sergeants, angry at the disturbance in their ranks, had wielded their whips to good effect, the harrying ceased and the clamouring orcs fell back in the wake of the white horse and its strange burden.

Eventually they reached the outskirts of the massed orc battalions and Pippin grabbed tightly to Shadowfax's mane, "Shadowingfaxes please you go stop now littlel minutes. We got go see roundabout if My Merry not be so good yet he!"

Shadowfax pulled up abruptly at the hobbit's words, so much so that Smagnu ran into the back of the horse. "Whass! Little Pip, what you up to now?"

"You got lifting We downs Smag," Pippin explained, "We got see what My Merry getting on with he. Onerly for not a minute. And as well…" Pippin nodded towards Bloggin, "We not knowed why you got bringing your that one orc Boggin, but he gone go run out of legs soon."

"Bloggin?" Smagnu regarded the small orc, who was obviously grateful for the respite and was sitting on a rock puffing and panting, trying to get his breath back. "He's no bother and I couldn't leave him behind. Besides, he makes a fair pot of stew." Smagnu was honestly not too sure himself why he had let Bloggin tag along, but it had seemed like the natural thing to do, but Little Pip was right, the orc would soon run out of stamina. In fact he had always planned to get a horse for himself once they were safely inside the Black Gate, now it was even more imperative.

Smagnu looked warily around and then led the way to the lee side of a hill that would shelter them from most prying eyes and some of the cold. "You wait here then Little Pips," he lifted first Pippin down and then Merry, looking critically at the latter with squinting eyes. "What do you think is wrong with him Little Pip? I think he can see now anyway."

"We think My Merry go scattercakes in he heads, Smag." Pippin waited while the Uruk untied his wrists and then he gently ran his hand over his cousin's cheek, "How you go get such big hurt on you face My Mer? Did you go fall down? No – you got hit someone on you. Don't be upsetting you all again… Sorry We… Sorry Merry!" Pippin realised with dismay that he had made Merry tearful once more and drew him down to sit beside him on the ground, hugging and patting the trembling, sobbing hobbit.

Pippin tugged at Smagnu's coat, "You go got some poppy Smag?"

"Your wizard said you weren't to have any." Smagnu shrugged at the halfling, "I don't know why, but thass what he sayed."

"You not got let Gandalf go bossing We round and he not even be here, Smag," Pippin put on his best exasperated tone, "and We only needs it give My Mer. Think it make he go bettrer?"

"No," Smagnu eyed New Little Pip critically, "I think it make he go sleep!"

"Well it make We go bettrer anyhow." Pippin was never one to miss a chance, "You go got some then?"

"Urum! Scusing your pardon, Mr Pippin Master Sir," Bloggin had been following the exchange with interest and now his mind was urging him to say something, "I dursn't thinks you ought to give Master New Little Pip no poppyjuice. Seems like to me he already got some in him and more might do him real badly, if you're 'scusing me for saying so, Mr Pippin Sir."

Pippin eyed the little orc suspiciously, "We thinks you go talkering too much at Gandalf. What he go say at you when you did that ridering with he?"

"Nothing, your Honour Mr Pippin Sir! He just… I dusn't know why." Bloggin was still confusingly at odds with his own mind, which was currently informing him not to let Peregrin Took take, or feed to his cousin, any variety or form of opiate, especially that obtained from Papaver Somniferus, commonly known as the poppy flower.

Bloggin paused and banged his hand on his head a couple of times as if to make it work better. "No," he informed Pippin, "me 'ead still saying yous twos not to take none o' that poppy even if'n the Cap'n's got some." He looked worriedly up at Smagnu then back to Merry and Pippin, "If yer pardon me mouth fer sayin' what's in me head, Your Worships."

"Well I ain't got none, nohow," Smagnu decided it best to put the decision to rest once and for all. In fact he had a small supply but he agreed with Bloggin that New Little Pip looked like he had already been dosed with poppy and more was not going to help. "Look Little Pips, you wait here, I saw some horses back there," Smagnu nodded in the direction they had come from, "I'll have one, no trouble. There's only 3 or 4 orcs tending 'em and they look a good lot an' all."

"You want We come help at you Smag?" Pippin offered helpfully, "You need We go and kill some orcses at you Smag?"

"I'll manage," Smagnu asserted, looking down at the tiny hobbit, slightly bemused at his offer, "You just wait here and don't get into any trouble."

"What 'bout me Cap'n?" Bloggin offered, "I can do summat."

Smagnu considered this offer and decided it was only slightly less ludicrous than Little Pip's. He drew a long bladed knife from his boot and handed it to Bloggin. "I know yer more used to handling a ladle, but if yer can stand guard on these two, that'd be a big help."

"Yus, Cap'n!" Bloggin saluted and took the knife, adopting a guarding stance in front of the two hobbits as the Uruk vanished around the hill in pursuit of transport.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You! Phunnie, get me a contingent of orcs – good ones." Vimta Ludd had taken command now that Majdi was missing and finally managed to track down the General. "Quick as you can. We've got to get after those halflings. There have been dire mistakes made over this and I don't intend to suffer the consequences."

"Well it weren't my fault," General Phunnie was most anxious not to attract any blame over the matter of the missing halflings, especially as the men's boss had already ordered the execution of those involved. "I wasn't even there, it was your friend, Majdi Rann what handed him over."

"If you weren't there how do you know that?" Vimta too was not planning on being blamed. "You were in charge of the prisoner, even if you were not there at the time."

"Well Major Spicku was on gaol duty at the time," Phunnie decided, "It must have been the other halfling that got ours, I'll see he's sent to you at once."

"No!" Vimta was more anxious to get the halflings back than to attribute blame amongst the orcs. He could not care which one got blamed or which heads were hewn as long as it was not his. "Just get me a contingent of orcs to go after them – now!"

Phunnie hurried off to find anyone that he could plant the blame on and send off after the cursed halflings. "Oi! You Spicku, get over here."

"General," Spicku saluted, nervous that he knew what was coming, "Sair!"

"We need a contingent to go after those halflings you let escape." Phunnie confirmed his subordinate's fears.

"Yer mean that one what we locked up in the cell?" Spicku asked, even though he knew the answer. "Your one must've rescued it."

"No," The General was having none of this, "I kept mine safe enough. Yours must've been the one that escaped."

Spicku rattled the bars of the cage to show how solid they were, "'ow'd it get out then?"

"Dunno Major, but it did an' all." Phunnie was desperate not to be held responsible for this mess. "See I'd looked after the one what I got, but your little rat, must've got in 'ere an' rescued it."

"See – they do say that these little ratlings is magic," Spicku had heard the rumours like most of the orcs. "They can change shape an' they can spellbind an orc just by lookin' at 'im."

"Yeah!" Phunnie agreed, "'cause the one what did the rescue – your one, he had this great Uruk wiv 'im an' he was the one what took the other orf out of 'ere!"

"See an' I knows they got this elvish weapon on 'em." Spicku looked uneasily at the other orcs to make sure none of them were laughing, but none were, "I 'eard it's so powerful that the Great One Himself wants it!"

"I got a taste o' that meself!" Phunnie rubbed at the cut on the back of his hand, "Nearly 'ad me fuggin' arm off it did."

Well – I ain't goin' after it!" Spicku declared, "You can put a knife in me 'eart right 'ere an' now – but that's powerful magic an' I ain't meddlin'!"

"None o' the orcs'll go after 'em." Phunnie agreed, "Yer can only kill us once an' then yer ain't gonna get none left to go arter 'em noways!"

It was gradually dawning on General Phunnie and Major Spicku, along with the rest of the assembled orcs, that they would sooner part company with their heads, than go after the enchanted and mysterious little imps who obviously wielded some great magic and were also, worryingly, wanted by the Great Lord Sauron. Phunnie would have ordered his underlings to go in his stead but he knew the orcs were badly spooked now. Orcs were very suspicious of magic of any kind, and he would have a mutiny on his hands and probably a knife in his back, if he tried to order them.

"I ain't gonna sort it with the bosses out there, neither." Phunnie jerked a thumb back towards where Vimta and his cohorts were saddling up their horses and preparing to set off. "They can just fug off and find their stinking little rats on their own."

"Yeah right!" A general mutter of approval for Phunnie was taken up and the orcs gradually melted away, each to his own business, whilst the Major and the General slammed and locked the door and sat down on the trestle with their boots resting on the long bench table.

"Grog?" Spicku offered amiably, drawing out his flask and offering it to Phunnie.

"Don't mind if I do, Major." Phunnie took the flask and slurped down a long draught. "Glad we got that sorted. Trolls, dragons, wizards or Nazgûl, even decapitation I can handle." Phunnie wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, "But them little hobbit things! Gonna steer well clear of them from now on."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Merry?" Pippin pulled himself back a little so that he could look at the distraught hobbit again once Smagnu had left, "You see where you go be? And you not so much sadness when you get your Pippin back at you now!"

Merry sniffed and made an effort to regain his composure. He stared hard at Pippin and shook his head, putting his hand over Pippin's mouth once more.

Pippin gently pulled the hand away and patted it. "Why you go doing that on We mouths? It go bad for We speakering at you."

Bloggin suddenly felt compelled to say something again, "P'raps, Mr Little Pip Sir, p'raps he dun't know what you're saying! Mebbe he's thinks you are… are um… mindspeaking. But what that is, dun't ask me."

Pippin frowned at Bloggin and tried to explain to the simple creature. "It not be that. Listen Boggin, he thinkering go downside upwise and My Mer not knowed what happerning no more. He just… mmmuu…mmmeemm…"

Merry slammed his hand to Pippin's mouth again, a panic-stricken look upon his face.

"No, see," Bloggin tried once more, "he thinks you is talking in your head."

Pippin looked at Bloggin, his message sinking in at last, and then looked back at Merry. "No it good My Mer." Pippin frowned "We not talkering in We heads. Pippin talkering out in We's mouths – it's truth! See We whispering somethings at you – like this, soft and soft. Promsis Merry – it be good. Pippin's talkering words go higgle and piggle and We not knowering why."

Merry looked bewildered by this and tried to speak again, but nothing came. He clutched his arms around his legs and rocked to and fro, his head resting on his knees as Pippin sat beside him and stroked his hair. "It go be all right Merry, everythings is all right now."

Gradually Pippin dragged his cousin's arms away from his knees and lifted his chin up and smiled at his dear Merry, drawing him into a long gentle embrace. "Please trying to say somethings at We, My Mer." Pippin whispered, "maybehap you is – hungeringly… hungerly…" Pippin took a breath and bit his lip with concentration, "hungry!" he finally managed, "See what We's gots."

He rummaged in his britches' pocket and brought out a sticky twist of paper. "Gandalf gived We these and they go be bit older now but We saving some for My Merry all of this times. Pippin go 'membering what they is My Merry's most favours!" With some difficulty Pippin managed to detach one gooey sherbet lemon from the rest and popped it in Merry's mouth.

Merry blinked with surprise. His emotions had been fluctuating between tears of shock and relief and fear at Pippin's apparent mindspeaking. But he was now beginning to realise that Pippin was just talking very strangely and that perhaps he was not going to die after all. He began to suck on the sweet in his mouth, the sharp lemon flavour bringing back happy memories of peace and The Shire and Pippin and Frodo and Sam and Bilbo. Sherbet lemons had always been a Bilbo specialty and he would dole them out to small cousins with a constancy that made parents despair of their children's teeth.

"No crunchering now!" Pippin warned. To crunch a sherbet lemon was a heresy, they must be sucked until the lemon shell finally broke down, releasing the sharp, sweet sherbet inside. To crack it open with your teeth before the sweet was fully sucked was to spoil the whole effect. "You always do go crunchering Merry."

"Don't!" Merry protested.

"Do!" Pippin rejoined.

"Don…ant… I- I…" Merry realised that subtly Pippin had managed to trick him into speaking again. "Pip? Pippin!"

"Is all right Merry love. We knewed you go talkering soon for your Pippin."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: I'm so, so sorry! And so is my friend and beta Marigold. She just had to go and get married and, just to complicate things, discover two weeks before the wedding that she had the wrong visa to get married with. Getting the right visa meant she had to fly back to LA and apply there as it has to be obtained from your last American address! Of course I had to go with her.

While this meant we also managed a jolly hobbit moot, it also, along with Christmas, New Year, family commitments, helping to arrange her wedding, etc. poor ol' Recap got abandoned again. I'm thinking of reporting myself for gross fic neglect – there must be a law!

Please forgive me and, if you do, I promise the next one will be hard on the heels of this.

Abject grovelling for forgiveness over, on to the Q&A:-

Latanya Kassidy: wow! I just spent a few days reading this entire story and I must say I will be very upset if you do not finish it.
Llinos: Hi Latanya, I admire your persistence. I too will be upset if I don't finish this story, so I'd best try and keep us both happy.

Pip4
It's going to be interesting to see how it will work out with Smagnu trying to protect them and then have Majdi try to save Merry.
Llinos: Yes I'm a bit worried about that too. I hope Majdi doesn't do anything silly.

Sam: One question though. I don't have time to re-read this story right now but so far, Frodo has carried the Ring and so has Pippin. But did Sam still carry it after Frodo was captured?
Llinos: Yes – the point at which we meet Frodo and Sam is just after Sam has given the Ring back to Frodo and is looking for clothes for him. Chapter 74 Recaptured II frodosam
Sam This brings me, finally, to my question. Is Merry ever going to carry the Ring?
Llinos:"Ah that I cannot tell" quoth she, "For that is not yet History!"

Heather: Hey I read this ages ago and used to review but have been away for a while. Just reread both sections and would very much like another chapter to read as I'll miss reading it.
Llinos: Thanks for coming back and reviewing again, and I'm happy to oblige – one new chapter – as ordered.

Kookaburra: Hi Llinos! Amid all the holiday hubbub I've finally gotten a chance to catch up on Recap.
Llinos: Hi Kooks, I've had the same probs with writing it – but you know that:)

Tazmyn: YES! They're back together! Was this worth the long, LONG wait? I'd think so. It definitely earned lots of reviews!
Llinos: It's the reviewers that keep me writing.

Baylor: Once again, I'm impressed at your use of original characters. Bloggin and Smagnu are like old friends now,
Llinos: Well anytime they can help out I'll send them over. Bloggin can make you some stew and Smagnu can rip off any heads you don't like.

Marigold Cotton: Another wonderful chapter that has left me anxious and on the edge of my seat to see what happens next!
Llinos: Now then – you know as much as I do – which isn't much!

pipinheart: Merry, I feel so sorry for him, he has been through so much...
Llinos: You're making me feel guilty, like it was my fault.

Arte : In regards to my friends, they were really into it until I mentioned the number of chapters... then their enthusiasm dwindled.
Llinos: Just tell them it's lots of little stories – just a large anthology.
snips v. nicely written long review for space
Arte: Is this a long review? I think so. That mean's you'll write faster, right? Please do! I have to admit, I'm as hooked on this story as Pip was on that poppy. Don't keep us waiting this time, I beseech you!
Llinos: Yes – and thank you. And yes I will write faster – you're right!
PS: Yes, his name is Grutfley, although Merry calls him Grumpfly.

Tash: I also had to laugh at Flatnose and Pip, misunderstanding each others' nonsense LOL! A little difficult to decipher, admittedly, but very fun!
Llinos: Oh but easier to read than to listen to. Poor Flatnose.
Tash (your own little Pip)
Llinos: For those who are wondering, I do an RP with Tash in which she plays Pippin and I play Merry and an Uruk called Nagash who is quite sweet and lovable once you get to know him.

melilot hill: I had to read this chapter twice, because the first time I was so eager I kept skipping parts :)
Llinos: I always do that too. I'm a slow reader and I like to know the end so I can take my time getting there. Wish I knew where this story was going to end. You got a palantír I could borrow?

ziyal: aw...poor Merry...he has been through so much! And now a rescue? I cannot believe it!
Llinos: I could hardly leave him to be devoured by the dragon – I do not want to be hung from the Black Gate by my fingernails by a horde of angry readers!

Breon Briarwood: Oh my, now we have Gandalf mind speaking to Bloggin? Where will it all end?
Llinos: Well as long as Bloggin doesn't notice, it should be all right!

auntiemeesh: I won't be happy until I know that Merry and Pippin are together again. They've been separated and damaged too many times, they need a break!
Llinos: Ah! You've been listening to Marigold too much – she keeps saying that. When this is over, you can send them on a nice little cruise to Hawaii, where they can hang out and build sandcastles and go surfing. How's that?

dwina: I saw the link to this on M.E.N. and thought I would take a look. I'm so glad I did. I'm relieved there was a synopsis of what I'd missed because this is a great story! I hope to start from the beginning over Christmas vacation because I don't want to miss a word. Thanks!
Llinos: Hello dwina. Gosh, your review made me realise that I haven't updated since before Crimble! (hangs head in abject sorrow and shame)

Hai Took: SQUEE! I couldn't believe there was a new chapter! I've actually gone through and read it twice.
Llinos: Good! That means I can count you as two readers?
Hai Took: As ever I'm on the edge of my seat and waiting as patiently as I can manage!
Llinos: I'm so sorry to have kept you this long – I really hope the edge of your seat wasn't too uncomfortable. Feel free to yell at me if I leave you in a precarious position again.

Blossom: I imagine Gandalf will be non too pleased, Pip will have to really turn on his Tookish charm.
Llinos: Ah but Gandalf's in no position to have a go at him just now, what with being disembodied in a small orc!
Blossom: Continuing with this will make up for not having a LOTR film to watch at the cinema this year
Llinos: Blush – don't deserve that compliment – but thanks ever so.
Blossom: but hey, there isn't a piece of work you're involved in that I don't love – even if MR had some decidedly icky bits!
Llinos: Oh yes – MR was icky – but it's finished now. Have you read Eastgate btw?
Blossom: Go feed the knitted ones some more and then keep writing...
Llinos: Feeding knittedhobbits is an endless and thankless task – but I shall (feed and write that is).

Samwise The Strong: Waiting room? There's a waiting room? Why doesn't anybody tell me these things!
Llinos: Of course there's a waiting room – it's regulation for fics over 30 chapters with months in between updates.

Scarlet Angel4: Thank you for FINALLY updating! I thought I was gonna pass out when I checked today and saw that there was an update!
Llinos: Gosh I'm feeling bad about this.
Scarlet Angel4: MR er... wait... whoops! Habit!
Llinos: Opps – I thought you said 'hobbit' there for a mo. Ah at least I'm off the hook for that! Although you may still nag me for Eastgate if you wish.

Dreamflower: Now, more soon! (Marigold, don't put your stickses away!)
Llinos: Hey – no fair – it was Marigold getting married and making me fly to LA that made me late in the first place. PS I've confiscated her sticksess.

zarquin: And Merry has finally seen Smag, who is the coolest character ever:o)
Llinos: Smag Rocks!

Lindelea1: I love Snoggin. Absolutely do. Wonder if he's anything like that Queensland Blue Heeler they had up for adoption over at the Humane Society...
Llinos: Okay – now I have a question. What's a Queensland Blue Heeler? "Snoggin"! ha ha!