1 Chapter 6
Aragorn, Faramir, Legolas and Robyn were making their way to the old school house. The others had been told to stay behind in case anything was discovered. They tried to make Robyn stay behind. They had obviously underestimated exactly how much Robyn had learnt from Michelle.
The old school house was a derelict building that looked like it might have been a school, but what it really used to be was a mystery to everyone. It was in the Northwest most corner of the City. All the buildings, in that area, were empty, except for the occasional squatter.
"What if we're too late?" Robyn whispered.
"We won't be." Said Legolas.
"We're here." Aragorn said. They were standing outside an old, tall building. It was very dirty and very worn. There was a doorway, but no door. They went in.
It was just as dirty, if not more, on the inside. The remains of furniture were scattered across the floor. Dust and cobwebs covered ever surface, much to Robyn's discomfort.
"Um, remind me why I'm doing this." She said, nervously.
"To find your mother." Said Faramir, irritably. "But if you want to go back-"
"No, I'm fine." She lied. 'Please, please, please, no spiders! Please!' She only had one weakness, and that was spiders. To her own surprise, let alone his, she grabbed Legolas' arm. She looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry."
"It's alright."
They searched the building from top to bottom, but they found nothing. Robyn felt like crying again. She was so sure she was right. It all pointed at this building, yet there was nothing.
They were about to leave when something caught her eye. A table in the corner had had some of the dust wiped off it. She walked over to it, to have a closer look.
"Wait." She called. She was at the back, so they hadn't noticed that she'd stopped. They turned to look. She searched the table and found a piece of paper. She knew what it was, even before she unfolded it and read it.
Warm, but not warm enough.
Try a bit closer to home.
"We were right then, but she's been moved." Said Faramir.
"We?" she said, indignantly. "Um, excuse me, I think you'll find I was the one who figured it out, thank you very much. But still, we'd better get back to the Palace. Maybe they've heard something. We've been gone quite a while."
They made went back to the Palace, but nothing had happened there.
"Well? Did you find her?" said Tracey, anxiously, as Aragorn entered the room.
"No, it was a false alarm." He said. "But, another note was left for us."
"What did it say?" said Merry.
" 'Warm, but not warm enough. Try a bit closer to home.' But we don't know what it means." Said Robyn. "I'm so confused. I was sure I had it. Why would they move her?"
"To get a reaction like this." Said Legolas. "This is exactly what they want. They want to confuse us, throw us off the trail."
"And they've succeeded." Said Aragorn. "I don't know what to do, now."
"I think she's still in the City." Said Robyn. "It said 'Try a bit closer to home.' So I think they've moved her to a different place, but still in the City."
"But, where do they mean by 'home'?" said Tracey. "Do they mean here or Robyn's house?"
"Here, I guess. I've been staying here for a while, and they know it."
"Well, maybe we should just start looking around."
"Yeah, let's just randomly start raiding people's houses." Said Becky. "That's a great idea, Tracey. Well done."
"Well, at least I'm coming up with ideas."
"Now isn't the time to argue." Said Robyn. "My mom could be dead, shut up Legolas, it's the truth, so this really isn't helping at all. We need to think. We solved the first riddle, surely we can work this out."
"We need to eat first, especially you, Robyn." Said Aragorn. "You haven't eaten today, and that doesn't help you think clearer."
"I'll go and tell the cook to sort some food." Said Legolas. He walked out of the room, only to return a few seconds later.
"I know Elves are quick, but bloody hell, Legolas!" Said Pippin.
"No, this was outside the door." He held up another piece of paper.
"I hope this person know what I will do to them when I find them." Said Robyn. "And I will find them." She was getting very fed up with all these stupid pieces of paper, with pointless riddles on them. Legolas read it out.
Maybe you were right the first time.
You don't look very hard, do you?
Perhaps you should try again.
"Your having a laugh, aren't you?" said Robyn. "After all that, she IS at the old school house. But, we searched it from top to bottom. Every single room. There was no one there."
"It don't think it would harm us to have one more look, would it?" said Faramir. "If this is true, then we might find her. And if we all go, then more people will be able to look."
"All right then." Said Aragorn. "But we will eat first. Once we have rested a while, we will go back and have another look around. Don't worry, Robyn. A short delay won't do too much."
~*~*~*~*~
"Well, have you made a decision?" *SMACK* "Don't ignore me!"
"Why should I answer you?" *SMACK*
"Because I am in charge. So, you do what I say. Have you made a decision?"
"Yes… neither." *SMACK*
"That wasn't an option."
"T-take me, instead."
"And where's the fun in that? No, I want to know who would you chose. I want to see where your loyalties lie." *SMACK* "I said DON'T ignore!" *SMACK*
"Piss off." *SMACK*
"It think it's time someone took a time out." *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* "She won't give us much trouble, for a while."
"I thought point of this was not to harm her, just to cause her pain. She can't give us an answer now! What if they get here before she wakes up again?"
"She'll come to in a few hours. We've got plenty of time. And, if that does happen, we just take both of them. Sorted. Now, get some paper."
Aragorn, Faramir, Legolas and Robyn were making their way to the old school house. The others had been told to stay behind in case anything was discovered. They tried to make Robyn stay behind. They had obviously underestimated exactly how much Robyn had learnt from Michelle.
The old school house was a derelict building that looked like it might have been a school, but what it really used to be was a mystery to everyone. It was in the Northwest most corner of the City. All the buildings, in that area, were empty, except for the occasional squatter.
"What if we're too late?" Robyn whispered.
"We won't be." Said Legolas.
"We're here." Aragorn said. They were standing outside an old, tall building. It was very dirty and very worn. There was a doorway, but no door. They went in.
It was just as dirty, if not more, on the inside. The remains of furniture were scattered across the floor. Dust and cobwebs covered ever surface, much to Robyn's discomfort.
"Um, remind me why I'm doing this." She said, nervously.
"To find your mother." Said Faramir, irritably. "But if you want to go back-"
"No, I'm fine." She lied. 'Please, please, please, no spiders! Please!' She only had one weakness, and that was spiders. To her own surprise, let alone his, she grabbed Legolas' arm. She looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry."
"It's alright."
They searched the building from top to bottom, but they found nothing. Robyn felt like crying again. She was so sure she was right. It all pointed at this building, yet there was nothing.
They were about to leave when something caught her eye. A table in the corner had had some of the dust wiped off it. She walked over to it, to have a closer look.
"Wait." She called. She was at the back, so they hadn't noticed that she'd stopped. They turned to look. She searched the table and found a piece of paper. She knew what it was, even before she unfolded it and read it.
Warm, but not warm enough.
Try a bit closer to home.
"We were right then, but she's been moved." Said Faramir.
"We?" she said, indignantly. "Um, excuse me, I think you'll find I was the one who figured it out, thank you very much. But still, we'd better get back to the Palace. Maybe they've heard something. We've been gone quite a while."
They made went back to the Palace, but nothing had happened there.
"Well? Did you find her?" said Tracey, anxiously, as Aragorn entered the room.
"No, it was a false alarm." He said. "But, another note was left for us."
"What did it say?" said Merry.
" 'Warm, but not warm enough. Try a bit closer to home.' But we don't know what it means." Said Robyn. "I'm so confused. I was sure I had it. Why would they move her?"
"To get a reaction like this." Said Legolas. "This is exactly what they want. They want to confuse us, throw us off the trail."
"And they've succeeded." Said Aragorn. "I don't know what to do, now."
"I think she's still in the City." Said Robyn. "It said 'Try a bit closer to home.' So I think they've moved her to a different place, but still in the City."
"But, where do they mean by 'home'?" said Tracey. "Do they mean here or Robyn's house?"
"Here, I guess. I've been staying here for a while, and they know it."
"Well, maybe we should just start looking around."
"Yeah, let's just randomly start raiding people's houses." Said Becky. "That's a great idea, Tracey. Well done."
"Well, at least I'm coming up with ideas."
"Now isn't the time to argue." Said Robyn. "My mom could be dead, shut up Legolas, it's the truth, so this really isn't helping at all. We need to think. We solved the first riddle, surely we can work this out."
"We need to eat first, especially you, Robyn." Said Aragorn. "You haven't eaten today, and that doesn't help you think clearer."
"I'll go and tell the cook to sort some food." Said Legolas. He walked out of the room, only to return a few seconds later.
"I know Elves are quick, but bloody hell, Legolas!" Said Pippin.
"No, this was outside the door." He held up another piece of paper.
"I hope this person know what I will do to them when I find them." Said Robyn. "And I will find them." She was getting very fed up with all these stupid pieces of paper, with pointless riddles on them. Legolas read it out.
Maybe you were right the first time.
You don't look very hard, do you?
Perhaps you should try again.
"Your having a laugh, aren't you?" said Robyn. "After all that, she IS at the old school house. But, we searched it from top to bottom. Every single room. There was no one there."
"It don't think it would harm us to have one more look, would it?" said Faramir. "If this is true, then we might find her. And if we all go, then more people will be able to look."
"All right then." Said Aragorn. "But we will eat first. Once we have rested a while, we will go back and have another look around. Don't worry, Robyn. A short delay won't do too much."
~*~*~*~*~
"Well, have you made a decision?" *SMACK* "Don't ignore me!"
"Why should I answer you?" *SMACK*
"Because I am in charge. So, you do what I say. Have you made a decision?"
"Yes… neither." *SMACK*
"That wasn't an option."
"T-take me, instead."
"And where's the fun in that? No, I want to know who would you chose. I want to see where your loyalties lie." *SMACK* "I said DON'T ignore!" *SMACK*
"Piss off." *SMACK*
"It think it's time someone took a time out." *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* "She won't give us much trouble, for a while."
"I thought point of this was not to harm her, just to cause her pain. She can't give us an answer now! What if they get here before she wakes up again?"
"She'll come to in a few hours. We've got plenty of time. And, if that does happen, we just take both of them. Sorted. Now, get some paper."