A/N: There's no Pippin in this chapter. That's a first unless I'm mistaken.
There will be more of him in the next chapter though, that is, if anyone is
reading this fic.
Merry turned back to see his tormentor. No more than a shadowy patch, but still holding the same fear it had the first time he had seen it. He began scrambling backward, trying desperately to get up but moving too fast to actually succeed. The spirit stayed where it was. Merry backed up until he hit the door of the hobbit hole and pushed into it, hoping to vanish through it.
It suddenly opened and arms grabbed him and dragged him from his nightmare. The door slammed but the shadow broke through and dissipated into the air. Merry felt as though the air was poisoned with the presence of the spirit, it lasted for only a moment but that moment stretched over an eternity. He heard a chuckle in his ear and he jumped and stared in fear at the place where the voice had come from but there was nothing there.
The moment passed and the air was cleansed. Merry stared at his surroundings. He was breathing heavily out of fear and exertion. He was in a fine Hobbit hole, not furnished as lavishly as Bag End of course, but still very fine.
"Master Brandybuck!" said a female voice in front of him. Merry jumped and faced her.
"Wh- wh- who are you?" he asked.
"Oh, Dreadfully sorry sir, my name is Bella and this is my brother Hal." She indicated to another Hobbit on the other side of Merry who bowed his head respectfully. Merry smiled vaguely at them both but it quickly fell from his face.
"H- how did you know to pull me away?"
"Father felt it and he knew what it meant, we've-" She stopped abruptly and regained herself "Then we heard the horses thundering over the roof and I looked out of the window and saw you so we dragged you inside."
"And I am truly thankful for it, but Frodo and Sam, they are still out there!" He said, rising to his feet. He swayed and Bella steadied him.
"Please," she said, "Come sit in our Living room and rest."
With Bella's help, Merry made his way into the warm living room, just to the left of where he had been sitting. A small fire was burning; giving off almost no smoke and in a seat just to the side of it was an elderly Hobbit. He looked as though he had once been a fine strong lad but time had dragged at him and he was certainly no longer in any shape to do physical work. He peered at Merry from under an unruly mop of white hair. Bella steered him into a seat facing her father, who raised his head to look him directly in the eye. It was a stern stare, no doubt it had seen through many a child's lie.
"Master Brandybuck?" he said in quiet disbelief. His voice was surprisingly strong. "You shouldn't go a-mixing yourself up in such things."
"Believe me, it's the last thing I want, but I don't have a choice, I must continue."
"And we've no thought of stopping you, but you must know what you are facing. Now, I don't claim to understand what you've done in the past, no doubt you've faced danger before, but every danger is different and as I always say, you must know your enemy!"
Bella smiled fondly at her father and offered to make tea. Everyone wanted one so she went into the kitchen to make them.
"Is there anything you can tell me about, whatever it is?" There was no answer, Merry looked up at the old Hobbit and saw him with his head in his hands.
"We lost a family member to it." Said Hal, getting up from his seat across the room "My sister to be more precise, just a year older than Bella. It took her while she was sleeping, we don't know how nor why, but it did. She was missing for a week before they found her, though they didn't mean to. A group of Shiriffs went to investigate a new forest that's sprung up just a mile away. I seen it, horrible and dark, looms over you like it would swallow you whole if it could and it's surrounded by thorny bushes, brambles at a first look but the thorns are bigger and harder and if any fruit grows on it, it won't make no jam. None that I'd eat anyroad.
"It was on them bushes that she were found, I watched them take her off them. She look as though she ran straight into them and she weren't clumsy like that. She looked different once they got her off, I don't mean dead, she were plainly that, but that ain't what struck me. She looked older, like how mum looked when she were on her deathbed. She were only twenty-two but she looked more 'an eighty." Hal broke off and stifled the tears that were fresh in his eyes "Anyroad, I don't think that anyone what gets in that forest will ever get out again, not alive."
"I'm sorry to hear of your loss," said Merry after a pause, "But I cannot leave Pippin." Bella re-entered the room with a tray full of cups of tea. She handed one to her father and offered one to Merry, who took it gratefully and began sipping the hot liquid.
"You are continuing then?" Said Bella after a moment of sipping at her mug. Merry nodded and put down his cup, he wasn't going to push his luck and he had drunk quite a lot for someone in his condition. "Well then," continued Bella, "You'll want to know where the forest is then?" Again, Merry nodded. "Right then," said Bella and she explained to Merry how to get there.
There was a great ruckus at the door. Hal looked over expectantly to his father who shook his head. Hal rose and went to the door, he opened it. In fell a slightly reddened and wheezing Frodo, closely followed by Sam, he looked as though he would much rather be carrying Frodo rather than him having to make his own way everywhere. A pony came to a halt halfway into the doorway, skidding a little and spreading dirt onto the tidy tiles of the hallway.
"Have you.. Seen.. A Hobbit.. Pass by?" said Frodo inbetween gasps. "He would have just.. Fallen from his horse." Hal ushered them in and checked outside before he shut the door. Two ponies were huddled awkwardly in the hallway next to the hat stand. Hal took their leads and put a hand on their trembling bodies and whispered soft mumblings to them to calm them.
"I'm here Frodo, I'm here." Said Merry, standing up from the chair that was obscuring him from sight and laying a hand on his cousin's arm. Frodo jumped and then drew Merry into a tight hug.
"Don't you EVER do that again!" he said into Merry's shoulder in very much the same way as a mother would after her child has just climbed down from the top of the tallest tree in the garden.
"Believe me, if I have anything to say about it, I won't!" said Merry.
Frodo pulled away from Merry and Sam stepped in and drew Merry into his own embrace then quickly moved away again, almost embarrassed. Merry smiled at them both but his face soon hardened.
"You wish to leave?" said Frodo, reading his cousin's face like a book. Merry nodded solemnly. "Then we shall be off!"
Merry turned back to see his tormentor. No more than a shadowy patch, but still holding the same fear it had the first time he had seen it. He began scrambling backward, trying desperately to get up but moving too fast to actually succeed. The spirit stayed where it was. Merry backed up until he hit the door of the hobbit hole and pushed into it, hoping to vanish through it.
It suddenly opened and arms grabbed him and dragged him from his nightmare. The door slammed but the shadow broke through and dissipated into the air. Merry felt as though the air was poisoned with the presence of the spirit, it lasted for only a moment but that moment stretched over an eternity. He heard a chuckle in his ear and he jumped and stared in fear at the place where the voice had come from but there was nothing there.
The moment passed and the air was cleansed. Merry stared at his surroundings. He was breathing heavily out of fear and exertion. He was in a fine Hobbit hole, not furnished as lavishly as Bag End of course, but still very fine.
"Master Brandybuck!" said a female voice in front of him. Merry jumped and faced her.
"Wh- wh- who are you?" he asked.
"Oh, Dreadfully sorry sir, my name is Bella and this is my brother Hal." She indicated to another Hobbit on the other side of Merry who bowed his head respectfully. Merry smiled vaguely at them both but it quickly fell from his face.
"H- how did you know to pull me away?"
"Father felt it and he knew what it meant, we've-" She stopped abruptly and regained herself "Then we heard the horses thundering over the roof and I looked out of the window and saw you so we dragged you inside."
"And I am truly thankful for it, but Frodo and Sam, they are still out there!" He said, rising to his feet. He swayed and Bella steadied him.
"Please," she said, "Come sit in our Living room and rest."
With Bella's help, Merry made his way into the warm living room, just to the left of where he had been sitting. A small fire was burning; giving off almost no smoke and in a seat just to the side of it was an elderly Hobbit. He looked as though he had once been a fine strong lad but time had dragged at him and he was certainly no longer in any shape to do physical work. He peered at Merry from under an unruly mop of white hair. Bella steered him into a seat facing her father, who raised his head to look him directly in the eye. It was a stern stare, no doubt it had seen through many a child's lie.
"Master Brandybuck?" he said in quiet disbelief. His voice was surprisingly strong. "You shouldn't go a-mixing yourself up in such things."
"Believe me, it's the last thing I want, but I don't have a choice, I must continue."
"And we've no thought of stopping you, but you must know what you are facing. Now, I don't claim to understand what you've done in the past, no doubt you've faced danger before, but every danger is different and as I always say, you must know your enemy!"
Bella smiled fondly at her father and offered to make tea. Everyone wanted one so she went into the kitchen to make them.
"Is there anything you can tell me about, whatever it is?" There was no answer, Merry looked up at the old Hobbit and saw him with his head in his hands.
"We lost a family member to it." Said Hal, getting up from his seat across the room "My sister to be more precise, just a year older than Bella. It took her while she was sleeping, we don't know how nor why, but it did. She was missing for a week before they found her, though they didn't mean to. A group of Shiriffs went to investigate a new forest that's sprung up just a mile away. I seen it, horrible and dark, looms over you like it would swallow you whole if it could and it's surrounded by thorny bushes, brambles at a first look but the thorns are bigger and harder and if any fruit grows on it, it won't make no jam. None that I'd eat anyroad.
"It was on them bushes that she were found, I watched them take her off them. She look as though she ran straight into them and she weren't clumsy like that. She looked different once they got her off, I don't mean dead, she were plainly that, but that ain't what struck me. She looked older, like how mum looked when she were on her deathbed. She were only twenty-two but she looked more 'an eighty." Hal broke off and stifled the tears that were fresh in his eyes "Anyroad, I don't think that anyone what gets in that forest will ever get out again, not alive."
"I'm sorry to hear of your loss," said Merry after a pause, "But I cannot leave Pippin." Bella re-entered the room with a tray full of cups of tea. She handed one to her father and offered one to Merry, who took it gratefully and began sipping the hot liquid.
"You are continuing then?" Said Bella after a moment of sipping at her mug. Merry nodded and put down his cup, he wasn't going to push his luck and he had drunk quite a lot for someone in his condition. "Well then," continued Bella, "You'll want to know where the forest is then?" Again, Merry nodded. "Right then," said Bella and she explained to Merry how to get there.
There was a great ruckus at the door. Hal looked over expectantly to his father who shook his head. Hal rose and went to the door, he opened it. In fell a slightly reddened and wheezing Frodo, closely followed by Sam, he looked as though he would much rather be carrying Frodo rather than him having to make his own way everywhere. A pony came to a halt halfway into the doorway, skidding a little and spreading dirt onto the tidy tiles of the hallway.
"Have you.. Seen.. A Hobbit.. Pass by?" said Frodo inbetween gasps. "He would have just.. Fallen from his horse." Hal ushered them in and checked outside before he shut the door. Two ponies were huddled awkwardly in the hallway next to the hat stand. Hal took their leads and put a hand on their trembling bodies and whispered soft mumblings to them to calm them.
"I'm here Frodo, I'm here." Said Merry, standing up from the chair that was obscuring him from sight and laying a hand on his cousin's arm. Frodo jumped and then drew Merry into a tight hug.
"Don't you EVER do that again!" he said into Merry's shoulder in very much the same way as a mother would after her child has just climbed down from the top of the tallest tree in the garden.
"Believe me, if I have anything to say about it, I won't!" said Merry.
Frodo pulled away from Merry and Sam stepped in and drew Merry into his own embrace then quickly moved away again, almost embarrassed. Merry smiled at them both but his face soon hardened.
"You wish to leave?" said Frodo, reading his cousin's face like a book. Merry nodded solemnly. "Then we shall be off!"