Fall in the Shire, a beautiful time of year, but very chilly in the night.
That's why Merry had built a fire in his and Pippin's room before bed. But
now the fire was dwindling and there was hardly any light in the room. As
Merry shifted in his bed he looked over for Pippin.
"Pippin?" He didn't see the usual lump in the bed nor did he hear the grunt he would always receive if he disturbed the younger hobbit's sleep. Merry wasn't alarmed but he wanted to know where his cousin was, so putting on his robe, he staggered sleepily out of their room and down the hall to the kitchen. Pippin was always hungry and a bottomless pit when it came to midnight snacks and he was sure he would find him in there.
When he got to the kitchen he noticed nothing unusual nor did he see anything that told him Pippin had been there. He decided to look in the pantry just in case. But there was no sign of him. Upon walking out of the pantry and in to the kitchen, he looked over to the coat rack and noticed something alarming. Pippin's cloak was gone, but not just any old cloak, the one he received with his soldiers garb in Minis Tirith. He never wore it unless they traveled to Gondor. This frightened Merry and he sped around back to the bedroom.
Flinging open Pippin's closet he saw that his whole uniform was missing and even his sword.
"Oh, Pippin what now?!" He cringed. Merry turned to his own closet and dressed himself as fast as he ever had. Then taking his own weapon he scrambled to the front door and out into the chilly night air. He shivered at the contact of his feet to the cold damp ground. He scanned the yard and garden, and then ran to the small stable where he kept their two ponies. He was grateful to hear two whinnies when he abruptly flung the stable's door open. Pippin had not gone far, both ponies where stalled and a little spooked at his sudden appearance. Merry hurried to Stybba's stall and opened it wildly pulling the pony out and jumping on his back. "Now, Stybba, Pippins gone missing, your going to have to help me alright?" Stybba neighed and smoothly trotted out of the stable door.
It was very late and darkness had engulfed the county side. Merry was very worried. Pippin had not run off in quite a while. When he did he would find him under a tree very near the hole. But Pippin was nowhere near the hole this time. It was cold as well and Stybba was very much against galloping over hills and through any sort of forest so late in the night, but he complied with all Merry's requests of him.
When Stybba reached the top of the second hill, he stopped. The wind was getting up and it blew at Merry's cloak and his curly hair. The moon was very bright and if Pippin was near it shouldn't be hard to spot him. He was about to dismount Stybba and go on foot through the woods, when he heard faint yelling across the field in front of him. His eyes scanned the field with hope, and then he saw a little black figure very far at the other end of the field in the moonlight. It was wielding a sword wildly at a low branch of a lone tree.
Yelling at it's green leaved foe in anger, as if avenging a lost friend.
Merry Kicked at Stybba and he bolted toward the sight. When the pony reached the spot where the "battle" raged, he stopped and let Merry hop off. Trying his best not to startle Pippin he slowly approached and softly spoke his name.
"Pippin." Pippin heard and dropping his arms to his side he turned to look at Merry. Merry braced himself to look into Pippin's eyes, not knowing what he would see.
When he looked he saw grim surprise as if he had just mistaken a funeral for a party.
"Merry?" He whispered. A thick cloud of sadness hung between them. Merry was sure this was some sort of terrible aftershock of that horrible war. He didn't want to make it worse.
"Pip, I don't think Treebeared would be very happy about you killing this tree's limbs.
"Merry don't you see!?" Pippin gasped.
"It's no tree, it's a monster, and I'm killing it!" And he began to whack again at the tree's limbs. Merry was very confused and watched his war clad cousin mutilate the limbs for a moment. Then stepping closer he whispered to him.
"Pippin, what monster?" Merry backed up when Pippin turned.
"Why Merry the one that wanted to kill you." Pippin was obviously surprised that his elder cousin did not remember the horrid flying creature that nearly killed him in battle, the one whom Pippin had never seen but shuddered when he was mentioned; the creature that nearly took Merry away from him forever. Merry understood and reached out his hand to take Pippin's sword.
"Pippin, he is dead, I killed him. You won't need this, you don't need it now"
Pippin pulled back. "No! I see him!" Pippin started to sniffle and tears appeared in his green eyes. " Almost every night, I see him!" He backed up and plopped onto the ground with a heavy thud and many tears. "I couldn't save you Merry, I was inside, and I didn't even fight." Merry sat down next to him.
"Pip, they wouldn't have let you."
"No, I could sneak the Palantir, I could sneak out of there too and fight as well!"
Pippin collapsed and sobbed into Merry's chest.
"Pippin, the creature did not kill me, I killed him. Don't you believe me?"
"Yes, but what's to stop him from plaguing my dreams so?" He sniffed.
"Pippin, do you trust me?" Pippin looked up to Merry his little green eyes shown with nothing but trust. "Yes I do."
Merry took Pip's fingers and placed them on the inside of his wrist lightly. Pippin looked down at his fingers that felt Merry's pulse.
"I suppose there is a better way of showing you." Merry said. He then pulled Pip's hand away and placed it on his chest. Pippin felt Merry's heart throbbing in his chest with his desperation. "Now, you can proclaim to your dreams that I'm alive and the creature is dead!" Pippin cracked a small sad smile.
"I will, and I have. Can we go home now Merry?"
Merry finally smiled and picked Pippin up and sat him on Stybba, who carried them both back to the hole.
When Merry had made sure Pippin had a snack and was securely in bed, he replaced all Pippin's battle tools and closed the closet door, to find Pippin unable to get comfortable.
"What now cousin?" Merry laughed.
"I can't sleep, can you read to me."
Merry smiled glad to get such a peaceful and innocent request from his little cousin, who had to grow up to fast.
"Pippin?" He didn't see the usual lump in the bed nor did he hear the grunt he would always receive if he disturbed the younger hobbit's sleep. Merry wasn't alarmed but he wanted to know where his cousin was, so putting on his robe, he staggered sleepily out of their room and down the hall to the kitchen. Pippin was always hungry and a bottomless pit when it came to midnight snacks and he was sure he would find him in there.
When he got to the kitchen he noticed nothing unusual nor did he see anything that told him Pippin had been there. He decided to look in the pantry just in case. But there was no sign of him. Upon walking out of the pantry and in to the kitchen, he looked over to the coat rack and noticed something alarming. Pippin's cloak was gone, but not just any old cloak, the one he received with his soldiers garb in Minis Tirith. He never wore it unless they traveled to Gondor. This frightened Merry and he sped around back to the bedroom.
Flinging open Pippin's closet he saw that his whole uniform was missing and even his sword.
"Oh, Pippin what now?!" He cringed. Merry turned to his own closet and dressed himself as fast as he ever had. Then taking his own weapon he scrambled to the front door and out into the chilly night air. He shivered at the contact of his feet to the cold damp ground. He scanned the yard and garden, and then ran to the small stable where he kept their two ponies. He was grateful to hear two whinnies when he abruptly flung the stable's door open. Pippin had not gone far, both ponies where stalled and a little spooked at his sudden appearance. Merry hurried to Stybba's stall and opened it wildly pulling the pony out and jumping on his back. "Now, Stybba, Pippins gone missing, your going to have to help me alright?" Stybba neighed and smoothly trotted out of the stable door.
It was very late and darkness had engulfed the county side. Merry was very worried. Pippin had not run off in quite a while. When he did he would find him under a tree very near the hole. But Pippin was nowhere near the hole this time. It was cold as well and Stybba was very much against galloping over hills and through any sort of forest so late in the night, but he complied with all Merry's requests of him.
When Stybba reached the top of the second hill, he stopped. The wind was getting up and it blew at Merry's cloak and his curly hair. The moon was very bright and if Pippin was near it shouldn't be hard to spot him. He was about to dismount Stybba and go on foot through the woods, when he heard faint yelling across the field in front of him. His eyes scanned the field with hope, and then he saw a little black figure very far at the other end of the field in the moonlight. It was wielding a sword wildly at a low branch of a lone tree.
Yelling at it's green leaved foe in anger, as if avenging a lost friend.
Merry Kicked at Stybba and he bolted toward the sight. When the pony reached the spot where the "battle" raged, he stopped and let Merry hop off. Trying his best not to startle Pippin he slowly approached and softly spoke his name.
"Pippin." Pippin heard and dropping his arms to his side he turned to look at Merry. Merry braced himself to look into Pippin's eyes, not knowing what he would see.
When he looked he saw grim surprise as if he had just mistaken a funeral for a party.
"Merry?" He whispered. A thick cloud of sadness hung between them. Merry was sure this was some sort of terrible aftershock of that horrible war. He didn't want to make it worse.
"Pip, I don't think Treebeared would be very happy about you killing this tree's limbs.
"Merry don't you see!?" Pippin gasped.
"It's no tree, it's a monster, and I'm killing it!" And he began to whack again at the tree's limbs. Merry was very confused and watched his war clad cousin mutilate the limbs for a moment. Then stepping closer he whispered to him.
"Pippin, what monster?" Merry backed up when Pippin turned.
"Why Merry the one that wanted to kill you." Pippin was obviously surprised that his elder cousin did not remember the horrid flying creature that nearly killed him in battle, the one whom Pippin had never seen but shuddered when he was mentioned; the creature that nearly took Merry away from him forever. Merry understood and reached out his hand to take Pippin's sword.
"Pippin, he is dead, I killed him. You won't need this, you don't need it now"
Pippin pulled back. "No! I see him!" Pippin started to sniffle and tears appeared in his green eyes. " Almost every night, I see him!" He backed up and plopped onto the ground with a heavy thud and many tears. "I couldn't save you Merry, I was inside, and I didn't even fight." Merry sat down next to him.
"Pip, they wouldn't have let you."
"No, I could sneak the Palantir, I could sneak out of there too and fight as well!"
Pippin collapsed and sobbed into Merry's chest.
"Pippin, the creature did not kill me, I killed him. Don't you believe me?"
"Yes, but what's to stop him from plaguing my dreams so?" He sniffed.
"Pippin, do you trust me?" Pippin looked up to Merry his little green eyes shown with nothing but trust. "Yes I do."
Merry took Pip's fingers and placed them on the inside of his wrist lightly. Pippin looked down at his fingers that felt Merry's pulse.
"I suppose there is a better way of showing you." Merry said. He then pulled Pip's hand away and placed it on his chest. Pippin felt Merry's heart throbbing in his chest with his desperation. "Now, you can proclaim to your dreams that I'm alive and the creature is dead!" Pippin cracked a small sad smile.
"I will, and I have. Can we go home now Merry?"
Merry finally smiled and picked Pippin up and sat him on Stybba, who carried them both back to the hole.
When Merry had made sure Pippin had a snack and was securely in bed, he replaced all Pippin's battle tools and closed the closet door, to find Pippin unable to get comfortable.
"What now cousin?" Merry laughed.
"I can't sleep, can you read to me."
Merry smiled glad to get such a peaceful and innocent request from his little cousin, who had to grow up to fast.