Author's note: Two reviews, both from the same person. Thank you, but I'm
afraid I don't watch Pokemon, so I haven't a clue what you're on about. I
think it was mean to be a compliment.
***
Pippin shivered beside the small fire. His clothes were soaked through with icy water from falling in the river, and now they were reluctant to dry. Near him men were talking quietly in common. They had come to the conclusion early on that he wouldn't be able to understand, and he hadn't bothered to correct them. So he sat by the fire, dripping wet, with his hands and feet bound and a blindfold over his eyes, listening.
"I don't see what the point of bringing this one back," one of the men said, "What will a child know about anything?" Pippin guessed they were talking about him. They must have mistaken him for a human child.
"I don't know," another replied, "I've known some inquisitive children."
There was a laugh, and a third man spoke, "Now then, Caylith, you keep quiet about that and I'll keep quiet about what happened at Osgiliath this spring."
The second man, Caylith, spoke again, "I think I know a few more things about you than you do about me, Faramir."
"Ah, but do you want people to know about last September?"
Caylith laughed, "I surrender."
Their cheerful banter reminded Pippin of how he had been able to laugh and joke with Merry and Frodo before any of this began. Thinking of Merry made him feel like there was a gaping hole in his heart. For the last few years they hadn't been apart for more than a few hours at a time. Now Pippin was faced with the possibility of never seeing him again and he didn't think he could bear it. He sobbed, tears wetting the blindfold.
One of the men came to his side and began rubbing his back in a calming way. "Ssh," he murmured, "it's alright." Pippin recognised the voice as Caylith's.
"He's terrified," Caylith said, mistaking Pippin's shivering for fear, "can we not unbind his hands? It's not as though he could run away with his legs bound."
"Do it," Faramir said. Caylith cut the ropes that held Pippin's arms behind his back and then removed the blindfold. He smiled at Pippin in what was supposed to be an encouraging way. There were only three men by the fire. There had been more when he had been taken prisoner, and Pippin wondered where they were now.
He rubbed some life back into his hands, and Caylith watched curiously, looking at the marriage band. He took Pippin's left arm gently and lifted it so that they all could see the metal band around it.
"What do you suppose this is for?" he asked.
"It looks like a manacle," Faramir said.
"But there's no place for the chains to attach." Pippin supposed there was a similarity between the band and a manacle, only in this case the chains were the invisible bonds of love. It still sickened him to hear it describe as such, and yanked his arm out of Caylith's grip.
"Fierce little thing, isn't he?" Faramir said with a laugh. Pippin glared at him, and lay down, pulling his wet cloak around him in the feeble hope of gaining some warmth. With Merry foremost in his mind, Pippin closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
***
Merry slept fitfully that night, dreaming of Pippin as Pippin dreamed of him. He kept waking and finding the bed empty beside him. For a moment he couldn't remember why, then the memory hit him. Pippin was gone. He had left in the middle of the night without warning. Even Merry hadn't suspected anything. It wasn't as though they hadn't discussed the possibility of leaving, finding their way northwards. But in their plans it had always been the two of them. Now Pippin had gone off on his own, leaving Merry behind.
Had he done something or said something wrong? He didn't think he had. But he must have done, or why else would Pippin leave him? Merry would start crying again, until sleep crept over him once more.
He was woken in the morning by Acs carrying in a tray with his breakfast on. As Merry pulled himself out of bed and went to the table, Acs began going through the cupboard. Eventually, Merry's curiosity overcame his depression.
"What are you looking for?" he asked.
"Something warm for you to wear today," came the reply.
"Why?"
"Because you can't stay stuck inside all the time, it's not good for you."
After breakfast, Acs took Merry out of the palace and down to the beach it was built next to. A cold wind was blowing in from the sea, and Merry was glad of the thick cloak Acs had found. He stood near the edge of the water, sand between his toes and looked out towards the horizon. Guards hovered a discrete distance away.
The last time he had come here was in the summer with Pippin. They had played in the water, splashing each other like children. Merry cried, remembering how it had felt to lie in the sand beneath the warm sun, arms round each other. He didn't know if he could cope with being alone.
"I'm sorry, Merry," Acs said, seeing him upset, "I thought you might enjoy the change. Maybe we should go back." Merry didn't really care, wherever he went it would be somewhere Pippin wasn't.
"Come on," Acs put a gentle hand on Merry's shoulder and steered him away from the beach. The sand sloped away from the water in a ridge. Grass grew on the top of the ridge, and the land became wooded. The palace of Ethrin was built amongst the trees. The stone towers could be seen for miles around above the woodland. It was a nice place, but so different from the holes and houses Merry had grown up with in the Shire.
They went through the main palace gates, and the guards on either side didn't stop them. Acs left Merry as they came to the doors of the rooms he had shared with Pippin and Merry went in alone.
A man was sitting waiting for him in one of the larger chairs. Merry saw who it was through tear-blurred eyes, and gave a hasty bow. King Elmas waved him to a seat.
"You know what I've come to talk to you about?" King Elmas asked. Merry nodded. "Did Pippin speak to you about leaving?" Merry shook his head. "Then we must assume he was taking by force."
"By whom?" Merry asked, suddenly afraid. His mind conjured up images of Pippin tortured and beaten by an unknown enemy.
"Northern men have been seen in our kingdom, coming as spies. It's possible they have taken Pippin."
"Why? What could they want with Pip?"
"Information. But the question you should be asking is what Pippin was doing out at night, in a position to be captured."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that he might have gone out specifically to meet these northern spies. He could have been giving them information about the positions of our armies. He could be helping them prepare an invasion."
"No!" Merry protested, "He wouldn't do that!"
"Then what was he doing?"
"I don't know."
"He always told you everything. I refuse to believe that you don't know the truth about whatever plot he is involved in, which means you must also be involved."
"There is no plot," Merry said.
"Then tell me what Pippin was doing." Merry couldn't answer, because he honestly didn't know. Unfortunately, King Elmas wasn't going to accept that.
"Until you are willing to give me the truth, I will have to consider you my enemy," he said. He stood and walked to the door. "You will find things go much better for you if you co-operate." With that he left and Merry heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.
***
Author's note: I really am mean, leaving both Merry and Pippin prisoners. I guess you'll have to come back for the next chapter if you want to know what happens. Please tell me you want to know what happens.
***
Pippin shivered beside the small fire. His clothes were soaked through with icy water from falling in the river, and now they were reluctant to dry. Near him men were talking quietly in common. They had come to the conclusion early on that he wouldn't be able to understand, and he hadn't bothered to correct them. So he sat by the fire, dripping wet, with his hands and feet bound and a blindfold over his eyes, listening.
"I don't see what the point of bringing this one back," one of the men said, "What will a child know about anything?" Pippin guessed they were talking about him. They must have mistaken him for a human child.
"I don't know," another replied, "I've known some inquisitive children."
There was a laugh, and a third man spoke, "Now then, Caylith, you keep quiet about that and I'll keep quiet about what happened at Osgiliath this spring."
The second man, Caylith, spoke again, "I think I know a few more things about you than you do about me, Faramir."
"Ah, but do you want people to know about last September?"
Caylith laughed, "I surrender."
Their cheerful banter reminded Pippin of how he had been able to laugh and joke with Merry and Frodo before any of this began. Thinking of Merry made him feel like there was a gaping hole in his heart. For the last few years they hadn't been apart for more than a few hours at a time. Now Pippin was faced with the possibility of never seeing him again and he didn't think he could bear it. He sobbed, tears wetting the blindfold.
One of the men came to his side and began rubbing his back in a calming way. "Ssh," he murmured, "it's alright." Pippin recognised the voice as Caylith's.
"He's terrified," Caylith said, mistaking Pippin's shivering for fear, "can we not unbind his hands? It's not as though he could run away with his legs bound."
"Do it," Faramir said. Caylith cut the ropes that held Pippin's arms behind his back and then removed the blindfold. He smiled at Pippin in what was supposed to be an encouraging way. There were only three men by the fire. There had been more when he had been taken prisoner, and Pippin wondered where they were now.
He rubbed some life back into his hands, and Caylith watched curiously, looking at the marriage band. He took Pippin's left arm gently and lifted it so that they all could see the metal band around it.
"What do you suppose this is for?" he asked.
"It looks like a manacle," Faramir said.
"But there's no place for the chains to attach." Pippin supposed there was a similarity between the band and a manacle, only in this case the chains were the invisible bonds of love. It still sickened him to hear it describe as such, and yanked his arm out of Caylith's grip.
"Fierce little thing, isn't he?" Faramir said with a laugh. Pippin glared at him, and lay down, pulling his wet cloak around him in the feeble hope of gaining some warmth. With Merry foremost in his mind, Pippin closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
***
Merry slept fitfully that night, dreaming of Pippin as Pippin dreamed of him. He kept waking and finding the bed empty beside him. For a moment he couldn't remember why, then the memory hit him. Pippin was gone. He had left in the middle of the night without warning. Even Merry hadn't suspected anything. It wasn't as though they hadn't discussed the possibility of leaving, finding their way northwards. But in their plans it had always been the two of them. Now Pippin had gone off on his own, leaving Merry behind.
Had he done something or said something wrong? He didn't think he had. But he must have done, or why else would Pippin leave him? Merry would start crying again, until sleep crept over him once more.
He was woken in the morning by Acs carrying in a tray with his breakfast on. As Merry pulled himself out of bed and went to the table, Acs began going through the cupboard. Eventually, Merry's curiosity overcame his depression.
"What are you looking for?" he asked.
"Something warm for you to wear today," came the reply.
"Why?"
"Because you can't stay stuck inside all the time, it's not good for you."
After breakfast, Acs took Merry out of the palace and down to the beach it was built next to. A cold wind was blowing in from the sea, and Merry was glad of the thick cloak Acs had found. He stood near the edge of the water, sand between his toes and looked out towards the horizon. Guards hovered a discrete distance away.
The last time he had come here was in the summer with Pippin. They had played in the water, splashing each other like children. Merry cried, remembering how it had felt to lie in the sand beneath the warm sun, arms round each other. He didn't know if he could cope with being alone.
"I'm sorry, Merry," Acs said, seeing him upset, "I thought you might enjoy the change. Maybe we should go back." Merry didn't really care, wherever he went it would be somewhere Pippin wasn't.
"Come on," Acs put a gentle hand on Merry's shoulder and steered him away from the beach. The sand sloped away from the water in a ridge. Grass grew on the top of the ridge, and the land became wooded. The palace of Ethrin was built amongst the trees. The stone towers could be seen for miles around above the woodland. It was a nice place, but so different from the holes and houses Merry had grown up with in the Shire.
They went through the main palace gates, and the guards on either side didn't stop them. Acs left Merry as they came to the doors of the rooms he had shared with Pippin and Merry went in alone.
A man was sitting waiting for him in one of the larger chairs. Merry saw who it was through tear-blurred eyes, and gave a hasty bow. King Elmas waved him to a seat.
"You know what I've come to talk to you about?" King Elmas asked. Merry nodded. "Did Pippin speak to you about leaving?" Merry shook his head. "Then we must assume he was taking by force."
"By whom?" Merry asked, suddenly afraid. His mind conjured up images of Pippin tortured and beaten by an unknown enemy.
"Northern men have been seen in our kingdom, coming as spies. It's possible they have taken Pippin."
"Why? What could they want with Pip?"
"Information. But the question you should be asking is what Pippin was doing out at night, in a position to be captured."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that he might have gone out specifically to meet these northern spies. He could have been giving them information about the positions of our armies. He could be helping them prepare an invasion."
"No!" Merry protested, "He wouldn't do that!"
"Then what was he doing?"
"I don't know."
"He always told you everything. I refuse to believe that you don't know the truth about whatever plot he is involved in, which means you must also be involved."
"There is no plot," Merry said.
"Then tell me what Pippin was doing." Merry couldn't answer, because he honestly didn't know. Unfortunately, King Elmas wasn't going to accept that.
"Until you are willing to give me the truth, I will have to consider you my enemy," he said. He stood and walked to the door. "You will find things go much better for you if you co-operate." With that he left and Merry heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.
***
Author's note: I really am mean, leaving both Merry and Pippin prisoners. I guess you'll have to come back for the next chapter if you want to know what happens. Please tell me you want to know what happens.