Chapter 4
Robyn went down to breakfast, the next morning, feeling very rested. The day before, she had been tired and irritable, but now she felt more open to negotiation. The hobbits, Gimli, Legolas and herself were staying in the Palace as Aragorn's guests. The girls had offered to put her up, but she wanted to stay at the Palace so that she could find out any advances immediately.
"Anything?" She said. Nobody answered her. "What's happened?"
"We got another one." Said Aragorn. He handed her a note. This one read:
Tick, tock.
Time is running out.
Maybe she isn't that special.
You won't mind if we kill her, then.
"Aragorn, we can't wait any longer! There has got to be some way of tracing this! We can't just let her die!"
"Robyn, understand, please. We don't know who has taken her, who is sending these, where Michelle is or why she's there! If we had just one answer to any of those questions it would help, but we don't!"
"Then we need to think. The easiest one to work should be who has taken her, what has she done to make someone want to kill her?"
"She was involved in destroying the Ring." Said Aragorn. "But, we wiped out all of Sauron's followers."
"She won custody of you." Said Legolas. "Maybe Paul has suddenly decided to take revenge."
"Why after all this time though?" said Pippin. Robyn looked confused.
"Paul who?" said Robyn. Everyone stared at her.
"She didn't tell you?" said Merry.
"Tell me what?"
"About your father, and the trial and what Legolas did to him. She didn't tell you any of it?" said Pippin.
"No, I was never really that interested."
"Well, I think it can wait for now." Said Legolas, quickly.
"What did you do, Legolas?" she said.
"It really doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. Tell me."
"Well, he started on me, so I knocked him out."
"And?" said Merry. Legolas sighed. He knew there was no way out of this.
"He proposed to Michelle, so I tied him upside-down to the fountain in the Square." Robyn burst out laughing. She didn't know who her father was or what he looked like, but the image she had in her head was very funny. "But, I've matured now. I've grown up."
"It was only 15 years ago." Said Aragorn. "That's like a nanosecond in an Elf's life."
"Shut up. You're not helping." Robyn was still laughing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll stop now." She said, but she was still giggling and wiping away the tears. "OK, I'm calm. So, what else has she done? It sounds, to me, like she was a bit of a rebel."
" 'A bit' is an understatement." Said Sam.
"Anyway, what has she done?"
"The only other thing I can think of is her and Legolas." Said Aragorn. "But we don't need to go into that."
"But the only person who would want revenge from that would be Legolas." Said Robyn. "It hasn't got anything to do with anybody else."
"If only Elves thought the way you did." Said Legolas. "Elvish families are very close." He explained. "Even more so than Michelle and yourself. If one person is hurt, then sometimes others in the family feel it is there duty to take revenge, if the victim doesn't want to."
"If your family has done anything to my daughter, I swear I will kill you all!!!" said Faramir.
"We haven't done anything!" he squealed. "When I was at home, all my family were with me. None of them left Mirkwood, so it couldn't be that! It isn't them, I promise! Well, I hope. No! I promise, it's not them!!!"
"I don't think they would do that." Said Aragorn. "I have met Legolas' family, many times, and I am sure they wouldn't do such a thing." Faramir sat down, but he wasn't completely satisfied.
"Well, that got us nowhere." Said Robyn. "Why is my mom so damn perfect?" Merry and pippin had to muffle their laughs. That was the funniest thing they had ever heard. Robyn glared at them. "What is so funny?" she hissed. She wasn't going to hear a bad word against her mother.
"Nothing." Said Merry, timidly. 'She is TOO much like Michelle.'
"Good. Anyway, as I was saying, why can't she offend people more often? It would life make so much easier."
"She offends people every time she opens her mouth." Muttered Faramir. Only Legolas heard him and he had to stop himself from laughing, so that Robyn didn't shout at him, too. There was silence for a couple of minutes, but it was broken, suddenly, by Robyn.
"Mom, where are you?" she cried, and ran from the room.
Robyn went down to breakfast, the next morning, feeling very rested. The day before, she had been tired and irritable, but now she felt more open to negotiation. The hobbits, Gimli, Legolas and herself were staying in the Palace as Aragorn's guests. The girls had offered to put her up, but she wanted to stay at the Palace so that she could find out any advances immediately.
"Anything?" She said. Nobody answered her. "What's happened?"
"We got another one." Said Aragorn. He handed her a note. This one read:
Tick, tock.
Time is running out.
Maybe she isn't that special.
You won't mind if we kill her, then.
"Aragorn, we can't wait any longer! There has got to be some way of tracing this! We can't just let her die!"
"Robyn, understand, please. We don't know who has taken her, who is sending these, where Michelle is or why she's there! If we had just one answer to any of those questions it would help, but we don't!"
"Then we need to think. The easiest one to work should be who has taken her, what has she done to make someone want to kill her?"
"She was involved in destroying the Ring." Said Aragorn. "But, we wiped out all of Sauron's followers."
"She won custody of you." Said Legolas. "Maybe Paul has suddenly decided to take revenge."
"Why after all this time though?" said Pippin. Robyn looked confused.
"Paul who?" said Robyn. Everyone stared at her.
"She didn't tell you?" said Merry.
"Tell me what?"
"About your father, and the trial and what Legolas did to him. She didn't tell you any of it?" said Pippin.
"No, I was never really that interested."
"Well, I think it can wait for now." Said Legolas, quickly.
"What did you do, Legolas?" she said.
"It really doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. Tell me."
"Well, he started on me, so I knocked him out."
"And?" said Merry. Legolas sighed. He knew there was no way out of this.
"He proposed to Michelle, so I tied him upside-down to the fountain in the Square." Robyn burst out laughing. She didn't know who her father was or what he looked like, but the image she had in her head was very funny. "But, I've matured now. I've grown up."
"It was only 15 years ago." Said Aragorn. "That's like a nanosecond in an Elf's life."
"Shut up. You're not helping." Robyn was still laughing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll stop now." She said, but she was still giggling and wiping away the tears. "OK, I'm calm. So, what else has she done? It sounds, to me, like she was a bit of a rebel."
" 'A bit' is an understatement." Said Sam.
"Anyway, what has she done?"
"The only other thing I can think of is her and Legolas." Said Aragorn. "But we don't need to go into that."
"But the only person who would want revenge from that would be Legolas." Said Robyn. "It hasn't got anything to do with anybody else."
"If only Elves thought the way you did." Said Legolas. "Elvish families are very close." He explained. "Even more so than Michelle and yourself. If one person is hurt, then sometimes others in the family feel it is there duty to take revenge, if the victim doesn't want to."
"If your family has done anything to my daughter, I swear I will kill you all!!!" said Faramir.
"We haven't done anything!" he squealed. "When I was at home, all my family were with me. None of them left Mirkwood, so it couldn't be that! It isn't them, I promise! Well, I hope. No! I promise, it's not them!!!"
"I don't think they would do that." Said Aragorn. "I have met Legolas' family, many times, and I am sure they wouldn't do such a thing." Faramir sat down, but he wasn't completely satisfied.
"Well, that got us nowhere." Said Robyn. "Why is my mom so damn perfect?" Merry and pippin had to muffle their laughs. That was the funniest thing they had ever heard. Robyn glared at them. "What is so funny?" she hissed. She wasn't going to hear a bad word against her mother.
"Nothing." Said Merry, timidly. 'She is TOO much like Michelle.'
"Good. Anyway, as I was saying, why can't she offend people more often? It would life make so much easier."
"She offends people every time she opens her mouth." Muttered Faramir. Only Legolas heard him and he had to stop himself from laughing, so that Robyn didn't shout at him, too. There was silence for a couple of minutes, but it was broken, suddenly, by Robyn.
"Mom, where are you?" she cried, and ran from the room.