AN: That last chapter probably left us with a few unanswered questions.
Isn't this fic supposed to be about the search for Merry's killer? Who
killed Merry, already? But I think the most important question at this
stage is did Pippin's talk with Legolas at the end of the fifth chapter
have any relevance to the plot, or was it a 'take up space' chapter?
Muahaha. I know all the answers. The fic IS about the search for Merry's killer. I'm getting there. Slowly. Secondly, what would be the fun in this story if I told you that now? And thirdly, yes it does have relevance to the plot. In a very strange, twisted way.
That night, Sam and Pippin stayed at the Inn with their guests. Pippin couldn't sleep, and Sam was too tired to try and make him sleep, so he paced the hallway. At somewhere near midnight, a noise caught his attention, and he stopped, listening carefully. He stood perfectly still for several minutes, and he heard a series of sounds coming from Aragorn's room. It sounded rather like voices. He inched closer to the door, listening carefully. He was able to identify the two voices - Aragorn and Legolas - but could not hear exactly what they were saying. At first he was suspicious. What was Legolas doing in Aragorn's room at midnight? He recalled the conversation he'd had with Legolas earlier that day. Had he lied? Was he really. well. like /that/ with Aragorn? No, of course not. He drove the thought from his mind immediately. If anyone had heard those thoughts, he would be severely reprimanded for them. It was after all, a King and a Prince he was thinking about.
He moved closer still to the door, and tried to figure out a few of the words. No luck. They were speaking in some form of Elvish. He still waited, and listened, though he didn't know why. He heard them occasionally make a few comments in the Common Tongue, but nothing particularly interesting. Just talking about politics and various other boring things. Something kept Pippin listening, however. Something told him that if he kept listening, he'd hear something that he needed to know. He began to tire, but came back to his senses as they said something not about politics and stuff in the Common Tongue.
"Well, good night, Aragorn." It was Legolas. "I'm assuming you'll want to be sleeping at some point soon. Poor Merry's funeral tomorrow.."
Pippin tensed. He wasn't sure what they'd do to him if they discovered him spying on them. He prepared himself for some explaining as the door handle began to twist.
"Wait, Legolas."
The Hobbit breathed a sigh of relief as Legolas released the handle and (he assumed) turned to look at Aragorn. "Yes, Aragorn?"
There was an awkward pause. "Legolas.. There's something I have to confess."
Immediately, Pippin knew he shouldn't be listening. He should go away and not listen to a single word of what was said. If Aragorn had something to confess to Legolas. in his room. at midnight. it was none of Pippin's business to listen at the door. But that little part of his brain that stopped him from leaving earlier made him keep listening. He had to know what they were talking about.
"What is it, Aragorn?" Legolas asked softly, and Pippin could only assume the elf had left the door and had gone to talk to the King.
The Hobbit was rather surprised at what he heard next. It was undoubtedly Aragorn's voice, but. it couldn't possibly be. For the owner of the voice was surely holding back tears, and Pippin couldn't imagine the King of Gondor crying. Even if it was in the privacy of his own room, in the company of a good friend.
Okay, so the fact that Aragorn and Legolas were alone together in Aragorn's room at midnight, especially following the conversation Legolas and Pippin had had was a little bit on the. unnerving side. He knew he really shouldn't think these things, but he couldn't help it.
"Legolas, it was terrible. I didn't mean to do it, really. It just. sort of, happened. I had no intention, not in the slightest."
"What, Aragorn? What didn't you intend to do that was so terrible?" The elf's calming voice was lowered to the point that Pippin had to strain his ears to hear it. He wasn't entirely sure that's what he heard, but it sounded close and made sense.
No response came for a while. Then Pippin heard Aragorn's voice again, and he was even more convinced that the King was crying. "Poor Merry. he didn't deserve such a fate. Especially not at my hands. I didn't mean to do it. it was an accident. I was walking through the Shire, and he was returning to his home. I bumped into him, and drew my sword, because I didn't know who it was. He had a sword with him, too. He didn't recognise me, but knew I was not a Hobbit, and so immediately tried to attack me. He was tired, and possibly drunk as well, but still quite a force to be reckoned with. I stabbed at him with my sword in self-defence. I hadn't noticed who it was. I, the better sword-fighter, wounded him badly, several times - but I didn't mean to. That's when we recognised each other. He was in such pain from all his wounds that he begged me to kill him, to finish him off. So I did."
Pippin was in shock. Aragorn had killed Merry? Kind King Aragorn of Gondor had murdered his cousin and best friend, Meriadoc Brandybuck? Sudden anger welled up inside Pippin. He wanted to destroy Aragorn, to make sure he suffered for what he did. On the other hand, Aragorn sounded sorry. But certain aspects of Aragorn's story sounded fishy. Why was he walking through the Shire? Why did he draw his sword on the Hobbit? Why did he badly wound the Hobbit, if he was only attacking in self-defence? Pippin was feeling a surge of mixed emotions. He wanted to tear Aragorn limb from limb, but he had no desire to sink to that level, to kill someone for whatever reason.
Legolas sounded every bit as shocked as Pippin, but without the desires to tear Aragorn limb from limb for killing his best friend. His voice did turn noticeably colder, however. "Aragorn, how could you?"
"Legolas, I didn't mean to. You must believe me."
"How could you do that to a poor, defenceless Hobbit?"
"It was an accident."
There was a silence. Finally, Legolas spoke. "I can tell when people are lying, Aragorn, and you are being truthful. It was a terrible deed you have done, however, and you are guilty of manslaughter, you know that. Or perhaps that should be hobbitslaughter"
"I do know that. But Legolas, that is why no one must know except for you. Pippin would try to kill me if he found out."
There was another silence. Finally, Legolas agreed. "I will tell no one. Do not worry. I give you my word as an elf, I will not tell a soul." Pippin was almost afraid to breathe. He shifted position slowly, and peeked through the crack in the door. He couldn't see a thing.
This slight movement appeared to have caught Legolas' sharp hearing. "Aragorn - someone is at the door."
The door opened, and revealed Pippin standing outside. Aragorn practically turned white. "Pippin - I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I didn't mean to kill anyone - especially not Merry. I would never intentionally hurt Merry. Forgive me."
Pippin's gaze was cold, as it fixed upon Aragorn, and only Legolas' gentle hand upon his shoulder stopped him from launching himself forward and seriously hurting Aragorn for what he did. "Why should I forgive you?" He asked icily. "My cousin, my best friend in the world is dead. And you killed him. Give me one good reason why I should forgive you."
Aragorn said nothing for a while. Finally, he replied. "You shouldn't. There is absolutely no reason you should forgive me. I have committed the most terrible crime against you I could. You have no reason to even considering forgiving me - except that I am truly sorry, and meant no harm against you, or your cousin." He lowered his gaze. "That is not even any reason. You should kill me. I deserve to die."
Pippin stopped, taking a step back. Legolas released his shoulder. "You deserve to die. But you shall live. For I could never kill anyone - not even you, who took away my most prized possession," he choked as he said the next few words, "my best friend, Merry. And I shall tell no one of your crime."
The three stood in silence, looking at each other for a moment. Finally, Legolas broke the silence. "You had best be going off to bed, Master Took. Tomorrow is a big day."
"Aren't you going back to your room?" Pippin asked, his original suspicion returning. Had there been some reason for Legolas' presence in Aragorn's room apart from the boring political discussion.. And then Aragorn's confession.
Legolas shook his head. "I will get caught if I go back to bed now. You probably will, as well, but you have a legitimate reason to be awake. Kind of. Not to mention, people will start to wonder if we are both seen exiting Aragorn's room at such a strange hour. People are already suspicious of our presence, and suspect we had something to do with the murder. No, if you, who has reason to be unable to sleep, is seen awake, alone at this time, people will take pity on you. If I was seen, people would wonder." He took a seat on the end of Aragorn's bed. "Besides, by this time, my absence from my room will have already been noted." Pippin remembered the Innkeeper's duty to check on each room and it's occupants at regular intervals, and briefly wondered why Legolas had not been caught in Aragorn's room sooner. As though reading his thoughts, Legolas laughed gently. "Aragorn requested that no one duck in and 'check on him' as he slept, as he required privacy. The point is, that people will have already noted that I'm not in my room, so you get the idea. If I am found here tomorrow morning, the only thing people will suspect is that the rumours about me are true. Certainly not that we've been killing people. Whereas if I am seen leaving, people will think that we've been discussing things, and get suspicious."
"I don't really see your logic." Pippin admitted. "I mean, why would you want people to think that. well. you know. the rumours are true? Not to mention, if you're found here in the morning, people will still think you've been conspiring."
"Because, Pippin, having people think that sort of thing is much preferable to having them think that you're a murderer." The elf explained gently. "And let me ask you a question - if you were a little bit suspicious of two people conspiring against you, but not very, and you saw one of them leave the other's room late at night, what would you think?"
"That they'd been conspiring."
"And what would you think if, instead of seeing one leave the other's room, the next morning you found that one of them had spent the whole night in the other's room, especially after you'd heard a rumour that at least one was."
"I'd think they'd been up to something - but not a conspiracy kind of something."
"And thirdly, when you first realised I was in here, what did you think, knowing that I was certainly not conspiring, but with the conversation that we had today fresh in your mind?
"I thought.."
Legolas and Aragorn both looked at the Hobbit.
"Okay, okay." Pippin finally agreed. "Yes, I see your point. But you'd rather people 'know' that you'd been.. Yeah, than just suspect that you'd been conspiring against them?"
Aragorn nodded, lying down on his bed. "Pretty much, yes. Because it's a lot safer to have people believe I'm cheating on my wife with some male elf than to have them believe that I'm a murderer." He paused. "For starters, I think I'm the only King who doesn't cheat on his wife."
Legolas laughed gently, then shooed the still very confused Hobbit out of the room. "He's a good Hobbit. He means well. But he's not too bright."
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't understand half of what you were saying either. But at least I caught on a little bit quicker than he did." Aragorn responded tiredly.
"You have an excuse." The elf told him. "You're stressing about the murder."
"So was he."
"You're tired."
"So was he."
"..Okay, maybe you don't have an excuse. But you did catch on quicker. That's one thing I can say for you."
Aragorn threw a random item - a pillow, it turned out to be - at Legolas. "Thank you for your vote of confidence, good Prince."
The pillow was thrown back at Aragorn, hitting him neatly in the head as the elf tsked audibly. "This is not the time for childish games, my King." He told him, almost mockingly of a mother scolding her children, as he flopped down on the bed next to the King. "You need your rest. And I. well, I need to think about stuff. And I can only think about stuff if you're asleep."
Aragorn rolled over, and looked at the elf. "Why?" He asked curiously.
"Well, what if I was thinking something derogatory about you, and I was accidentally thinking aloud, and you heard me?
The two of them laughed together for a while. "Legolas," Aragorn whispered as he drifted off into the realm of sleep, "I've missed you."
Legolas smiled at Aragorn, and nodded his agreement. "I missed you too." He told the sleeping figure.
AN: Not fair! Not fair! I wanted to have the funeral here as well, but that's expected to take absolutely forever. This bit was only meant to be short!!
Oh yeah, just because we now know whom killed Merry does not mean this is the end of the story. There is still more. We need to have Merry's funeral before this story will be over. And there is something else that needs to be revealed.
Muahaha. I know all the answers. The fic IS about the search for Merry's killer. I'm getting there. Slowly. Secondly, what would be the fun in this story if I told you that now? And thirdly, yes it does have relevance to the plot. In a very strange, twisted way.
That night, Sam and Pippin stayed at the Inn with their guests. Pippin couldn't sleep, and Sam was too tired to try and make him sleep, so he paced the hallway. At somewhere near midnight, a noise caught his attention, and he stopped, listening carefully. He stood perfectly still for several minutes, and he heard a series of sounds coming from Aragorn's room. It sounded rather like voices. He inched closer to the door, listening carefully. He was able to identify the two voices - Aragorn and Legolas - but could not hear exactly what they were saying. At first he was suspicious. What was Legolas doing in Aragorn's room at midnight? He recalled the conversation he'd had with Legolas earlier that day. Had he lied? Was he really. well. like /that/ with Aragorn? No, of course not. He drove the thought from his mind immediately. If anyone had heard those thoughts, he would be severely reprimanded for them. It was after all, a King and a Prince he was thinking about.
He moved closer still to the door, and tried to figure out a few of the words. No luck. They were speaking in some form of Elvish. He still waited, and listened, though he didn't know why. He heard them occasionally make a few comments in the Common Tongue, but nothing particularly interesting. Just talking about politics and various other boring things. Something kept Pippin listening, however. Something told him that if he kept listening, he'd hear something that he needed to know. He began to tire, but came back to his senses as they said something not about politics and stuff in the Common Tongue.
"Well, good night, Aragorn." It was Legolas. "I'm assuming you'll want to be sleeping at some point soon. Poor Merry's funeral tomorrow.."
Pippin tensed. He wasn't sure what they'd do to him if they discovered him spying on them. He prepared himself for some explaining as the door handle began to twist.
"Wait, Legolas."
The Hobbit breathed a sigh of relief as Legolas released the handle and (he assumed) turned to look at Aragorn. "Yes, Aragorn?"
There was an awkward pause. "Legolas.. There's something I have to confess."
Immediately, Pippin knew he shouldn't be listening. He should go away and not listen to a single word of what was said. If Aragorn had something to confess to Legolas. in his room. at midnight. it was none of Pippin's business to listen at the door. But that little part of his brain that stopped him from leaving earlier made him keep listening. He had to know what they were talking about.
"What is it, Aragorn?" Legolas asked softly, and Pippin could only assume the elf had left the door and had gone to talk to the King.
The Hobbit was rather surprised at what he heard next. It was undoubtedly Aragorn's voice, but. it couldn't possibly be. For the owner of the voice was surely holding back tears, and Pippin couldn't imagine the King of Gondor crying. Even if it was in the privacy of his own room, in the company of a good friend.
Okay, so the fact that Aragorn and Legolas were alone together in Aragorn's room at midnight, especially following the conversation Legolas and Pippin had had was a little bit on the. unnerving side. He knew he really shouldn't think these things, but he couldn't help it.
"Legolas, it was terrible. I didn't mean to do it, really. It just. sort of, happened. I had no intention, not in the slightest."
"What, Aragorn? What didn't you intend to do that was so terrible?" The elf's calming voice was lowered to the point that Pippin had to strain his ears to hear it. He wasn't entirely sure that's what he heard, but it sounded close and made sense.
No response came for a while. Then Pippin heard Aragorn's voice again, and he was even more convinced that the King was crying. "Poor Merry. he didn't deserve such a fate. Especially not at my hands. I didn't mean to do it. it was an accident. I was walking through the Shire, and he was returning to his home. I bumped into him, and drew my sword, because I didn't know who it was. He had a sword with him, too. He didn't recognise me, but knew I was not a Hobbit, and so immediately tried to attack me. He was tired, and possibly drunk as well, but still quite a force to be reckoned with. I stabbed at him with my sword in self-defence. I hadn't noticed who it was. I, the better sword-fighter, wounded him badly, several times - but I didn't mean to. That's when we recognised each other. He was in such pain from all his wounds that he begged me to kill him, to finish him off. So I did."
Pippin was in shock. Aragorn had killed Merry? Kind King Aragorn of Gondor had murdered his cousin and best friend, Meriadoc Brandybuck? Sudden anger welled up inside Pippin. He wanted to destroy Aragorn, to make sure he suffered for what he did. On the other hand, Aragorn sounded sorry. But certain aspects of Aragorn's story sounded fishy. Why was he walking through the Shire? Why did he draw his sword on the Hobbit? Why did he badly wound the Hobbit, if he was only attacking in self-defence? Pippin was feeling a surge of mixed emotions. He wanted to tear Aragorn limb from limb, but he had no desire to sink to that level, to kill someone for whatever reason.
Legolas sounded every bit as shocked as Pippin, but without the desires to tear Aragorn limb from limb for killing his best friend. His voice did turn noticeably colder, however. "Aragorn, how could you?"
"Legolas, I didn't mean to. You must believe me."
"How could you do that to a poor, defenceless Hobbit?"
"It was an accident."
There was a silence. Finally, Legolas spoke. "I can tell when people are lying, Aragorn, and you are being truthful. It was a terrible deed you have done, however, and you are guilty of manslaughter, you know that. Or perhaps that should be hobbitslaughter"
"I do know that. But Legolas, that is why no one must know except for you. Pippin would try to kill me if he found out."
There was another silence. Finally, Legolas agreed. "I will tell no one. Do not worry. I give you my word as an elf, I will not tell a soul." Pippin was almost afraid to breathe. He shifted position slowly, and peeked through the crack in the door. He couldn't see a thing.
This slight movement appeared to have caught Legolas' sharp hearing. "Aragorn - someone is at the door."
The door opened, and revealed Pippin standing outside. Aragorn practically turned white. "Pippin - I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I didn't mean to kill anyone - especially not Merry. I would never intentionally hurt Merry. Forgive me."
Pippin's gaze was cold, as it fixed upon Aragorn, and only Legolas' gentle hand upon his shoulder stopped him from launching himself forward and seriously hurting Aragorn for what he did. "Why should I forgive you?" He asked icily. "My cousin, my best friend in the world is dead. And you killed him. Give me one good reason why I should forgive you."
Aragorn said nothing for a while. Finally, he replied. "You shouldn't. There is absolutely no reason you should forgive me. I have committed the most terrible crime against you I could. You have no reason to even considering forgiving me - except that I am truly sorry, and meant no harm against you, or your cousin." He lowered his gaze. "That is not even any reason. You should kill me. I deserve to die."
Pippin stopped, taking a step back. Legolas released his shoulder. "You deserve to die. But you shall live. For I could never kill anyone - not even you, who took away my most prized possession," he choked as he said the next few words, "my best friend, Merry. And I shall tell no one of your crime."
The three stood in silence, looking at each other for a moment. Finally, Legolas broke the silence. "You had best be going off to bed, Master Took. Tomorrow is a big day."
"Aren't you going back to your room?" Pippin asked, his original suspicion returning. Had there been some reason for Legolas' presence in Aragorn's room apart from the boring political discussion.. And then Aragorn's confession.
Legolas shook his head. "I will get caught if I go back to bed now. You probably will, as well, but you have a legitimate reason to be awake. Kind of. Not to mention, people will start to wonder if we are both seen exiting Aragorn's room at such a strange hour. People are already suspicious of our presence, and suspect we had something to do with the murder. No, if you, who has reason to be unable to sleep, is seen awake, alone at this time, people will take pity on you. If I was seen, people would wonder." He took a seat on the end of Aragorn's bed. "Besides, by this time, my absence from my room will have already been noted." Pippin remembered the Innkeeper's duty to check on each room and it's occupants at regular intervals, and briefly wondered why Legolas had not been caught in Aragorn's room sooner. As though reading his thoughts, Legolas laughed gently. "Aragorn requested that no one duck in and 'check on him' as he slept, as he required privacy. The point is, that people will have already noted that I'm not in my room, so you get the idea. If I am found here tomorrow morning, the only thing people will suspect is that the rumours about me are true. Certainly not that we've been killing people. Whereas if I am seen leaving, people will think that we've been discussing things, and get suspicious."
"I don't really see your logic." Pippin admitted. "I mean, why would you want people to think that. well. you know. the rumours are true? Not to mention, if you're found here in the morning, people will still think you've been conspiring."
"Because, Pippin, having people think that sort of thing is much preferable to having them think that you're a murderer." The elf explained gently. "And let me ask you a question - if you were a little bit suspicious of two people conspiring against you, but not very, and you saw one of them leave the other's room late at night, what would you think?"
"That they'd been conspiring."
"And what would you think if, instead of seeing one leave the other's room, the next morning you found that one of them had spent the whole night in the other's room, especially after you'd heard a rumour that at least one was."
"I'd think they'd been up to something - but not a conspiracy kind of something."
"And thirdly, when you first realised I was in here, what did you think, knowing that I was certainly not conspiring, but with the conversation that we had today fresh in your mind?
"I thought.."
Legolas and Aragorn both looked at the Hobbit.
"Okay, okay." Pippin finally agreed. "Yes, I see your point. But you'd rather people 'know' that you'd been.. Yeah, than just suspect that you'd been conspiring against them?"
Aragorn nodded, lying down on his bed. "Pretty much, yes. Because it's a lot safer to have people believe I'm cheating on my wife with some male elf than to have them believe that I'm a murderer." He paused. "For starters, I think I'm the only King who doesn't cheat on his wife."
Legolas laughed gently, then shooed the still very confused Hobbit out of the room. "He's a good Hobbit. He means well. But he's not too bright."
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't understand half of what you were saying either. But at least I caught on a little bit quicker than he did." Aragorn responded tiredly.
"You have an excuse." The elf told him. "You're stressing about the murder."
"So was he."
"You're tired."
"So was he."
"..Okay, maybe you don't have an excuse. But you did catch on quicker. That's one thing I can say for you."
Aragorn threw a random item - a pillow, it turned out to be - at Legolas. "Thank you for your vote of confidence, good Prince."
The pillow was thrown back at Aragorn, hitting him neatly in the head as the elf tsked audibly. "This is not the time for childish games, my King." He told him, almost mockingly of a mother scolding her children, as he flopped down on the bed next to the King. "You need your rest. And I. well, I need to think about stuff. And I can only think about stuff if you're asleep."
Aragorn rolled over, and looked at the elf. "Why?" He asked curiously.
"Well, what if I was thinking something derogatory about you, and I was accidentally thinking aloud, and you heard me?
The two of them laughed together for a while. "Legolas," Aragorn whispered as he drifted off into the realm of sleep, "I've missed you."
Legolas smiled at Aragorn, and nodded his agreement. "I missed you too." He told the sleeping figure.
AN: Not fair! Not fair! I wanted to have the funeral here as well, but that's expected to take absolutely forever. This bit was only meant to be short!!
Oh yeah, just because we now know whom killed Merry does not mean this is the end of the story. There is still more. We need to have Merry's funeral before this story will be over. And there is something else that needs to be revealed.