1 Chapter 9
"What do you mean, where's Robyn?" cried Faramir.
"Exactly, what I said. Where is she?" replied Tracey.
"She should be here!"
"Well, she's not."
"OK, just calm down. We can't do anything if we're stressed out." Said Aragorn. "She's probably outside or something."
"I hope, for your sake, she is!" Said Faramir. He ran outside and called her, but he got no answer. He turned to Aragorn, when he gave up shouting.
"If anything, she should have been watched the most! It's her mother that's gone missing, so they are very likely to want her too! If anything's happened to Robyn, I will hold you responsible!" he cried.
"You're here too!" Aragorn said, defensively. "And anyway, she's your granddaughter. You should have been watching her more closely."
"Shut up! Both of you!" said Legolas. "This isn't helping" They are both gone now. Something has to be done. Let's look around properly, out here. Maybe there is some kind of hut or something."
"Legolas is right." Said Aragorn. "Spread out. Look at, behind and under everything." They searched, thoroughly. There was a lot more to the schoolhouse than had first met the eye. It had a large garden (it was more like a jungle, now) and an outhouse. They checked everywhere, but they found nothing. They were all ready to give up, when Pippin spotted something.
"What's that?" He was pointing a sort of trapdoor at the side of the house. They all walked over to it. It was the doors to the basement of the building. It had once been chained up and padlocked, but they lay useless in the long grass around the doors.
"Looks promising." Said Merry. "It just hope it's what we're looking for." They opened the doors, and found a steep stairway that was lost in darkness.
"Anyone one got a light?" said Sam.
"Now is not the time for smoking, Sam." Said Pippin.
"I meant as in a torch."
"I knew that."
"I'll have a look inside. There's got to be something." Said Faramir. He soon came back with what looked like the leg of a table.
"Give it here." Said Gimli. "I don't trust any of you to light a fire properly. Leave it to the expert." And he soon had it alight.
"Being a dwarf doesn't give you the right to boast." Said Tracey, as they started to descend down the stairs.
"You do." He said.
"Yes, but I'm a woman. It's one of my jobs, along with nagging, cleaning, drinking and having children."
"So, that's the reason we have women." Said Pippin.
"You will deeply regret saying when we get out of here, Peregrin Took."
"Shut up!" said Faramir. "Just watch where you are going, and look out for any rooms on either side." At the bottom of the stairway was a long corridor. It had a couple of doors either side, but each room was only small and they were all empty. They reached the end of the corridor and went both left and right.
"What do we do, now?" said Tracey.
"Half go one way, half go the other way." Said Aragorn.
"We want to go with Strider!" cried the hobbits, at the same time.
"I think that's decided then." Said Tracey, trying not to laugh. The looks on the hobbits' faces were a picture.
"We'll meet back here. If you find them, send someone to me. And we'll do the same if it's the other way around." Said Aragorn, and then they separated.
Whether it was the same both sides, was a mystery to both parties. But, on the right, there were some steps and two more corridors. The left-hand corridor was narrow, but the right-hand one was fairly wide.
"Split again?" said Faramir.
"I guess so." Said Legolas. "You two go that way, Tracey come with me. If you find anything, give us a yell." Legolas and Tracey went to the left and Gimli and Faramir went to the right.
The left-hand corridor only had three doors. Each room was identical, cold and damp. But the third room was slightly different. It was occupied.
"Michelle?" Legolas ran over to the heap on the floor and rolled it over. It was Michelle. She was covered in bruises and her head was bleeding. "Tracey, go and tell Faramir, then go and get Aragorn!" But she stood still. "NOW!" She came back to her senses and ran from the room. He turned back. "Michelle, can you hear me? Michelle, its Legolas. If you can hear me, say something!" He got no reply, so he picked her up and left the room. As he did so, Faramir came running down the corridor.
"Is she OK?" he said, anxiously.
"No. We have to get her to the Houses of Healing, and quickly!" They ran back up the steps and met the hobbits, Tracey and Aragorn, who had Robyn, also unconscious. They went back up the first corridor, up the stairway and into the garden. As they went around the side of the house, they saw two figures running down the driveway. Faramir and Aragorn ran after them.
"Clare?" said Faramir, astonished.
"Becky?" said Aragorn, once they'd caught up with them. "I thought your sister was ill."
"Well, at least you believed us. But you had to be so bloody smart, didn't you?! They weren't ready! You weren't meant to find them yet. They're not dead!"
"But Michelle will be, in a minute!" said Legolas. "And you will be if you come near either of them again!"
"That won't be a problem." Said Aragorn. "Legolas. Get Robyn and Michelle to the Houses of Healing. Whoever wishes to go with him, do. But Faramir, I'm afraid I need you to help me escort these two, back to the Palace. You can go once they're there."
The Hobbits and Tracey went with Legolas, and Gimli went with Faramir and Aragorn.
"What do you mean, where's Robyn?" cried Faramir.
"Exactly, what I said. Where is she?" replied Tracey.
"She should be here!"
"Well, she's not."
"OK, just calm down. We can't do anything if we're stressed out." Said Aragorn. "She's probably outside or something."
"I hope, for your sake, she is!" Said Faramir. He ran outside and called her, but he got no answer. He turned to Aragorn, when he gave up shouting.
"If anything, she should have been watched the most! It's her mother that's gone missing, so they are very likely to want her too! If anything's happened to Robyn, I will hold you responsible!" he cried.
"You're here too!" Aragorn said, defensively. "And anyway, she's your granddaughter. You should have been watching her more closely."
"Shut up! Both of you!" said Legolas. "This isn't helping" They are both gone now. Something has to be done. Let's look around properly, out here. Maybe there is some kind of hut or something."
"Legolas is right." Said Aragorn. "Spread out. Look at, behind and under everything." They searched, thoroughly. There was a lot more to the schoolhouse than had first met the eye. It had a large garden (it was more like a jungle, now) and an outhouse. They checked everywhere, but they found nothing. They were all ready to give up, when Pippin spotted something.
"What's that?" He was pointing a sort of trapdoor at the side of the house. They all walked over to it. It was the doors to the basement of the building. It had once been chained up and padlocked, but they lay useless in the long grass around the doors.
"Looks promising." Said Merry. "It just hope it's what we're looking for." They opened the doors, and found a steep stairway that was lost in darkness.
"Anyone one got a light?" said Sam.
"Now is not the time for smoking, Sam." Said Pippin.
"I meant as in a torch."
"I knew that."
"I'll have a look inside. There's got to be something." Said Faramir. He soon came back with what looked like the leg of a table.
"Give it here." Said Gimli. "I don't trust any of you to light a fire properly. Leave it to the expert." And he soon had it alight.
"Being a dwarf doesn't give you the right to boast." Said Tracey, as they started to descend down the stairs.
"You do." He said.
"Yes, but I'm a woman. It's one of my jobs, along with nagging, cleaning, drinking and having children."
"So, that's the reason we have women." Said Pippin.
"You will deeply regret saying when we get out of here, Peregrin Took."
"Shut up!" said Faramir. "Just watch where you are going, and look out for any rooms on either side." At the bottom of the stairway was a long corridor. It had a couple of doors either side, but each room was only small and they were all empty. They reached the end of the corridor and went both left and right.
"What do we do, now?" said Tracey.
"Half go one way, half go the other way." Said Aragorn.
"We want to go with Strider!" cried the hobbits, at the same time.
"I think that's decided then." Said Tracey, trying not to laugh. The looks on the hobbits' faces were a picture.
"We'll meet back here. If you find them, send someone to me. And we'll do the same if it's the other way around." Said Aragorn, and then they separated.
Whether it was the same both sides, was a mystery to both parties. But, on the right, there were some steps and two more corridors. The left-hand corridor was narrow, but the right-hand one was fairly wide.
"Split again?" said Faramir.
"I guess so." Said Legolas. "You two go that way, Tracey come with me. If you find anything, give us a yell." Legolas and Tracey went to the left and Gimli and Faramir went to the right.
The left-hand corridor only had three doors. Each room was identical, cold and damp. But the third room was slightly different. It was occupied.
"Michelle?" Legolas ran over to the heap on the floor and rolled it over. It was Michelle. She was covered in bruises and her head was bleeding. "Tracey, go and tell Faramir, then go and get Aragorn!" But she stood still. "NOW!" She came back to her senses and ran from the room. He turned back. "Michelle, can you hear me? Michelle, its Legolas. If you can hear me, say something!" He got no reply, so he picked her up and left the room. As he did so, Faramir came running down the corridor.
"Is she OK?" he said, anxiously.
"No. We have to get her to the Houses of Healing, and quickly!" They ran back up the steps and met the hobbits, Tracey and Aragorn, who had Robyn, also unconscious. They went back up the first corridor, up the stairway and into the garden. As they went around the side of the house, they saw two figures running down the driveway. Faramir and Aragorn ran after them.
"Clare?" said Faramir, astonished.
"Becky?" said Aragorn, once they'd caught up with them. "I thought your sister was ill."
"Well, at least you believed us. But you had to be so bloody smart, didn't you?! They weren't ready! You weren't meant to find them yet. They're not dead!"
"But Michelle will be, in a minute!" said Legolas. "And you will be if you come near either of them again!"
"That won't be a problem." Said Aragorn. "Legolas. Get Robyn and Michelle to the Houses of Healing. Whoever wishes to go with him, do. But Faramir, I'm afraid I need you to help me escort these two, back to the Palace. You can go once they're there."
The Hobbits and Tracey went with Legolas, and Gimli went with Faramir and Aragorn.