Disclaimer: Nothing. I own nothing.
AN: I've looked. You can't buy Hobbits on Ebay. It's very depressing. (
Pippin did not awaken until late the next day. Sam sat by his side as the hours passed, and sat by his side, caring for him as though he were his lost master Frodo. Sam and Rosie had come to the conclusion that Pippin was conscious, and they agreed that to awaken him would be cruel. He smiled at the sleeping Hobbit, and brushed a brown curl from his face. "He reminds me so much of Frodo," Sam whispered to himself, "and in a way, he also reminds me of myself. I loved Frodo, and he loved Merry. And now we have both lost those people special to us. But it is different. I have Rosie, and Elanor, and all my other children. With my family, I could never be alone. But Pippin. Pippin had no one except Merry. Sure, he had lots of friends, but no one close." (AN: I want you people to reread that paragraph, notice the part where Sam said he loved Frodo, and get our mind out of the slashy gutters. It is possible to love in a non-romantic way, and that is the way I see Sam as loving Frodo. *kicks 'Contemplation' under her bed* Ignore that.)
Pippin awakened to hear these softly whispered words, and looked up at Sam. "Sam, who am I trying to kid? You're right. Without Merry I'm just a nothing. A nothing."
Sam shook his head quickly, laying his hand on the younger one's shoulder. "No, Pippin, that's not true. You're a lot more than that. You and Merry were individuals, not just a Pippin-and-Merry or a Merry-and-Pippin."
Tears came to Pippin's eyes. "No. No, we weren't. We were one and the same. Hello there, Merry-and-Pippin. How are you this fine day, Merry-and-Pippin? Oh tell me a story, sing me a song, do a dance for us, Merry-and-Pippin. Will you marry me, Merry-and-Pippin?"
Sam tried not to laugh at his friend's exaggeration. "It's not quite that bad.."
"Yes it is." Pippin replied, a tear slowly trickling down his cheek. "The last one actually happened once. I felt so. I don't know. Me and Merry were telling a story, a very funny story, and this little Hobbit-lass, no older than twelve looked up at us and said, 'Merry, Pippin, will you marry me?'. We asked her jokingly if she really wanted both of us, or couldn't decide which one was cuter and she said, 'Well, I think Merry is cuter, but if you have Merry, you have to have Pippin. You two are a set.'"
Sam was silent for a moment. He had never known just how much people grouped Merry and Pippin together. "Come on." He said finally, changing the subject. "You are going to eat, whether you like it or not."
*
At that moment, two horses were being ridden into the Shire from two opposite directions, and a Dwarf was walking in from a third direction. The two horses and the Dwarf met up, all three happy to see each other, but with very solemn expressions. The first was a flaxen-haired elf, Prince of Mirkwood, Prince Legolas. The second, the King of Gondor - King Aragorn. And the third, was Gimli, son of Gloin, who has no real title. They greeted each other with the same solemness that was written on each of their faces.
"Aragorn. Gimli."
"Legolas. Aragorn."
"Legolas. Gimli."
Aragorn heavily dismounted his horse. Legolas leapt to the ground neatly and gracefully. Gimli simply stood there. They looked at each other for a moment, wondering what to do next. Legolas made the first move of the three, throwing his arms around Aragorn in a rather unroyal manner. Aragorn was rather taken aback at first, and was about to inquire about the informal greeting by his comrade, when he realised that it was not only happiness to see his old friend that compelled the elf to do this, but also sadness at the loss of another friend. "Oh, Aragorn." Legolas whispered, holding back tears. "What's wrong with me? It's not as terrible as all this, so why is it that I'm so. upset?"
Aragorn was unsure what to do, what to say, how to act. He hadn't really had much experience with Elf Princes like Legolas clinging to him in tears. In fact, he'd never really had anyone cling to him in tears before. No one except a small child once, and that was different. The child was only very young and had skinned her knee. Legolas was about three thousand years old, so not young, was suffering from emotional pain, and not physical. Oh, and was male. For some reason, an adult male clinging to him was slightly different from a young female. "Calm.down, Legolas?" He soothed awkwardly, patting the Elf on the back. "It's.alright?"
"But it's not." Legolas whispered, pulling away from Aragorn, much to the King's relief. "It's too late for poor Merry. And Pippin. Poor, poor Pippin." Legolas wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his robe, and looked up at the sky, blinking a few times, and trying to compose himself. It was difficult, considering the empathy he felt for poor Pippin and the inner turmoil that the Hobbit was surely suffering.
Pippin and Sam walked over to the Elf, the Man and the Dwarf at that moment. "Your Highness, Your Majesty.." Pippin greeted them softly as he bowed to Legolas and Aragorn. "And Gimli."
Sam bowed to the three guests, but said nothing. Aragorn motioned for them to rise. "Do not be so formal." He told them. "For when I am here, I do not come as the King Aragorn of Gondor. I come as Strider, the Ranger who befriended four Hobbits as they went on the most dangerous quest ever to be successfully completed."
"And I," Legolas continued, "Come as not Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, but as simply Legolas. Legolas the Elf who accompanied the same four Hobbits on the same quest."
Sam looked up at the two royals, and offered a half-smile. "Greetings, Aragorn and Legolas, and welcome to our humble village. I am very sorry that you had to come in such a grim time for us. Come, you came at just the right time. Tomorrow is the funeral. Let us show you where you will be staying. And where you can keep your horses."
Sam led the trio to the stables and the inn, which had had a few rooms specially built for Big People. Pippin trailed along behind, very slowly and weakly. Legolas moved slowly to stay in step with the Hobbit. "I know what you are going through, young one." He told Pippin quietly.
"Do you?" Pippin asked sadly. "I thought Elves were immortal."
"Elves are immortal. But I was the only one of my family to stay behind as opposed to going over the Sea. My entire family left me. Some of them understood that I loved this place. Others didn't, and spoke foul of me. Not the best way to leave a family member, with cruel whispers about him." He paused. "Some Elves frown upon any sort of relationships with Men and Dwarves. Nearly all Elves frown upon homosexuality. So when I refused to go with them to the Havens, you can guess what they all immediately thought."
Pippin looked at Legolas wide-eyed. "Your own family?"
Legolas nodded. "My own family were saying those sort of things about me. As soon as they got the idea into their heads, even if I had changed my mind, I would have been told to stay here anyway. I have a few family members who are very discriminative, who would leave their own brother behind if they suspected he might have homosexual tendencies."
Pippin paused, shifting slightly. "Umm. do. I mean. are.."
Legolas laughed gently. "You mean, do I have homosexual tendencies?"
Pippin blushed a deep shade of red, looking at the ground. "Yes."
The Elf shook his head. "No. I don't. The real reason I stayed behind was because I have a certain affinity with this place. I love it, and I would never leave it."
AN: I've looked. You can't buy Hobbits on Ebay. It's very depressing. (
Pippin did not awaken until late the next day. Sam sat by his side as the hours passed, and sat by his side, caring for him as though he were his lost master Frodo. Sam and Rosie had come to the conclusion that Pippin was conscious, and they agreed that to awaken him would be cruel. He smiled at the sleeping Hobbit, and brushed a brown curl from his face. "He reminds me so much of Frodo," Sam whispered to himself, "and in a way, he also reminds me of myself. I loved Frodo, and he loved Merry. And now we have both lost those people special to us. But it is different. I have Rosie, and Elanor, and all my other children. With my family, I could never be alone. But Pippin. Pippin had no one except Merry. Sure, he had lots of friends, but no one close." (AN: I want you people to reread that paragraph, notice the part where Sam said he loved Frodo, and get our mind out of the slashy gutters. It is possible to love in a non-romantic way, and that is the way I see Sam as loving Frodo. *kicks 'Contemplation' under her bed* Ignore that.)
Pippin awakened to hear these softly whispered words, and looked up at Sam. "Sam, who am I trying to kid? You're right. Without Merry I'm just a nothing. A nothing."
Sam shook his head quickly, laying his hand on the younger one's shoulder. "No, Pippin, that's not true. You're a lot more than that. You and Merry were individuals, not just a Pippin-and-Merry or a Merry-and-Pippin."
Tears came to Pippin's eyes. "No. No, we weren't. We were one and the same. Hello there, Merry-and-Pippin. How are you this fine day, Merry-and-Pippin? Oh tell me a story, sing me a song, do a dance for us, Merry-and-Pippin. Will you marry me, Merry-and-Pippin?"
Sam tried not to laugh at his friend's exaggeration. "It's not quite that bad.."
"Yes it is." Pippin replied, a tear slowly trickling down his cheek. "The last one actually happened once. I felt so. I don't know. Me and Merry were telling a story, a very funny story, and this little Hobbit-lass, no older than twelve looked up at us and said, 'Merry, Pippin, will you marry me?'. We asked her jokingly if she really wanted both of us, or couldn't decide which one was cuter and she said, 'Well, I think Merry is cuter, but if you have Merry, you have to have Pippin. You two are a set.'"
Sam was silent for a moment. He had never known just how much people grouped Merry and Pippin together. "Come on." He said finally, changing the subject. "You are going to eat, whether you like it or not."
*
At that moment, two horses were being ridden into the Shire from two opposite directions, and a Dwarf was walking in from a third direction. The two horses and the Dwarf met up, all three happy to see each other, but with very solemn expressions. The first was a flaxen-haired elf, Prince of Mirkwood, Prince Legolas. The second, the King of Gondor - King Aragorn. And the third, was Gimli, son of Gloin, who has no real title. They greeted each other with the same solemness that was written on each of their faces.
"Aragorn. Gimli."
"Legolas. Aragorn."
"Legolas. Gimli."
Aragorn heavily dismounted his horse. Legolas leapt to the ground neatly and gracefully. Gimli simply stood there. They looked at each other for a moment, wondering what to do next. Legolas made the first move of the three, throwing his arms around Aragorn in a rather unroyal manner. Aragorn was rather taken aback at first, and was about to inquire about the informal greeting by his comrade, when he realised that it was not only happiness to see his old friend that compelled the elf to do this, but also sadness at the loss of another friend. "Oh, Aragorn." Legolas whispered, holding back tears. "What's wrong with me? It's not as terrible as all this, so why is it that I'm so. upset?"
Aragorn was unsure what to do, what to say, how to act. He hadn't really had much experience with Elf Princes like Legolas clinging to him in tears. In fact, he'd never really had anyone cling to him in tears before. No one except a small child once, and that was different. The child was only very young and had skinned her knee. Legolas was about three thousand years old, so not young, was suffering from emotional pain, and not physical. Oh, and was male. For some reason, an adult male clinging to him was slightly different from a young female. "Calm.down, Legolas?" He soothed awkwardly, patting the Elf on the back. "It's.alright?"
"But it's not." Legolas whispered, pulling away from Aragorn, much to the King's relief. "It's too late for poor Merry. And Pippin. Poor, poor Pippin." Legolas wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his robe, and looked up at the sky, blinking a few times, and trying to compose himself. It was difficult, considering the empathy he felt for poor Pippin and the inner turmoil that the Hobbit was surely suffering.
Pippin and Sam walked over to the Elf, the Man and the Dwarf at that moment. "Your Highness, Your Majesty.." Pippin greeted them softly as he bowed to Legolas and Aragorn. "And Gimli."
Sam bowed to the three guests, but said nothing. Aragorn motioned for them to rise. "Do not be so formal." He told them. "For when I am here, I do not come as the King Aragorn of Gondor. I come as Strider, the Ranger who befriended four Hobbits as they went on the most dangerous quest ever to be successfully completed."
"And I," Legolas continued, "Come as not Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, but as simply Legolas. Legolas the Elf who accompanied the same four Hobbits on the same quest."
Sam looked up at the two royals, and offered a half-smile. "Greetings, Aragorn and Legolas, and welcome to our humble village. I am very sorry that you had to come in such a grim time for us. Come, you came at just the right time. Tomorrow is the funeral. Let us show you where you will be staying. And where you can keep your horses."
Sam led the trio to the stables and the inn, which had had a few rooms specially built for Big People. Pippin trailed along behind, very slowly and weakly. Legolas moved slowly to stay in step with the Hobbit. "I know what you are going through, young one." He told Pippin quietly.
"Do you?" Pippin asked sadly. "I thought Elves were immortal."
"Elves are immortal. But I was the only one of my family to stay behind as opposed to going over the Sea. My entire family left me. Some of them understood that I loved this place. Others didn't, and spoke foul of me. Not the best way to leave a family member, with cruel whispers about him." He paused. "Some Elves frown upon any sort of relationships with Men and Dwarves. Nearly all Elves frown upon homosexuality. So when I refused to go with them to the Havens, you can guess what they all immediately thought."
Pippin looked at Legolas wide-eyed. "Your own family?"
Legolas nodded. "My own family were saying those sort of things about me. As soon as they got the idea into their heads, even if I had changed my mind, I would have been told to stay here anyway. I have a few family members who are very discriminative, who would leave their own brother behind if they suspected he might have homosexual tendencies."
Pippin paused, shifting slightly. "Umm. do. I mean. are.."
Legolas laughed gently. "You mean, do I have homosexual tendencies?"
Pippin blushed a deep shade of red, looking at the ground. "Yes."
The Elf shook his head. "No. I don't. The real reason I stayed behind was because I have a certain affinity with this place. I love it, and I would never leave it."