Author's note: Many thanks to my reviewers, but I feel like being evil so
you won't get to find out what happens to Merry and Legolas.
***
Pippin was woken by hands gently shaking him. He opened his eyes in the early morning light to see Faramir standing over him.
"We have arrived," Faramir said. Pippin sat up and looked around. The boat was moored at a landing stage on the edge of a river, along with some larger ships. The river at this point was very wide. Only a short distance away was a walled city of white stone, with a tower rising up from its centre. Pippin knew where he was, for Boromir had often spoken of his home. This was Minas Tirith.
He looked at it closely as they came up to the gates. The gates themselves seemed to be of newer stone work than the rest of the wall. Faramir followed his gaze.
"Much damage was done by the great war," he said. He went up to the gate and said something quietly to a guard. He then waves his hand to Caylith and Mayomer who entered the city with Pippin walking between them bound.
Everywhere Pippin looked he could see evidence of new stonework among the old. Faramir was right about the damage this city had suffered. The four of them passed onwards, with Faramir speaking softly to the guards of the gates they went through. Pippin counted seven in total, before they reached the heart of the city and the white tower itself. A white tree grew beneath a fountain in the centre of the courtyard.
There were raised voices coming from a door leading onto the courtyard and Faramir stopped to listen.
"The king accepted the dwarves' offer of help because they are known to be the best stonemasons. Why do you not even listen to them?" An angry voice was demanding. One that sounded very familiar to Pippin.
"I didn't become a mason so I could have my work stolen by a bunch of half- sized barbarians with axes," another voice responded.
"They are not trying to steal your work, they are trying to improve it!" Pippin noticed he didn't deny the comment about barbarians. Faramir walked over the door where the voices were coming from. Pippin followed, needing to know if he was right about the voice. Caylith and Mayomer both waited in the courtyard.
"Take a look at what the dwarves are suggesting! If you still think you can do better come back to me then!" At that the angry stonemason stormed out. Inside the room a tired-looking man sank onto a chair.
"Give me an army of orcs any day," he muttered. Faramir stepped into the room and the man on the chair looked up. Pippin saw that he had been right about recognising the voice. It was Boromir who sat there.
"Are you certain you do not want this position?" he asked.
Faramir laughed, "It is the price you pay for being eldest." Boromir shook his head, then his gaze fell on Pippin.
"Pippin?" he said in amazement, as though he wasn't sure he could trust his eyes. A moment later he was off the chair and enveloping Pippin in a hug so tight he could barely breathe.
"We thought you were dead," Boromir said.
"I thought you were," Pippin responded, "I saw you get shot."
"An arrow wound is no match for Aragorn's healing skills." Boromir stepped back and looked at Faramir. "Why is he bound?"
"I didn't know who he was," Faramir said, "for he refused to give his name." Faramir quickly cut the ropes on Pippin's wrists with a short apology.
"Where is the king?" Faramir asked Boromir.
"Speaking with one of the spies we took prisoner," Boromir replied. He glanced down at Pippin, "He will be glad to see you."
Boromir led the way as they entered a corridor and found some stairs going down. Pippin noticed he seemed to be struggling for breath even after a short walk at a slow pace. That wasn't like the Boromir who had been with them on the quest. Pippin also noticed that he wasn't carrying his sword, which he had carried even in Rivendell. They walked along a corridor lined with doors. It reminded Pippin of the cells in Ethrin and he shuddered.
"Don't worry," Boromir said, "you will not have to be down here long." They reached a door that looked just like any of the other doors they had passed. But Boromir clearly knew it was the right one. The guard nodded to him and opened the door.
Inside the king was interrogating the prisoner. The king turned when the door opened, and Pippin stared in as much amazement as he did.
"Strider?"
"Pippin?" Strider's amazement quickly changed to delight, and he hugged Pippin. "How can this be?" Pippin took a deep breath, preparing to explain all that had happened to him, but Strider cut him off, "No, we will go somewhere more comfortable to talk."
Strider went to the door, a hand on Pippin's shoulder. But Pippin glanced back, and saw the band of belonging on the prisoner's wrist. He stopped and went back into the room, Strider watching him curiously.
"Pippin?"
"You are from Ethrin?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.
"Yes," the man replied in the same language.
Pippin turned to Strider, "Why is he a prisoner here?"
"We found him spying on our army. We think they are planning war, and need to know why." Pippin frowned at this. He didn't know King Elmas well, but he didn't think he would act like this. He wouldn't make war.
"Is King Elmas planning war?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.
"I will not answer to one who speaks to these cruel fiends as friends."
"Strider is a good and noble man!" Pippin exclaimed angrily, "More noble than King Elmas, for he at least has a reason in holding you prisoner."
"You were treated with more kindness."
"We had done nothing wrong and meant no harm to Ethrin. King Aragorn fears that you mean to make war against his land. Do you?"
"I will not tell these people anything of the king's purpose."
Pippin couldn't understand why he was being so unreasonable, but saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere. "If war comes about because of your silence," Pippin said, "I only hope your bonded one will forgive you, since no one else will." Pippin turned and left, Strider, Boromir and Faramir following, all astonished.
"What did he say to you?" Strider asked when they were out of the cell and the door locked behind them.
"He wouldn't tell me if King Elmas plans war or not. I don't think he would risk war against a country as powerful as Gondor."
"Gondor is not as powerful as she once was," Strider said, "we lost a lot of good soldiers during the war, and we are still repairing the damage done to our defences. Perhaps King Elmas sees this as his opportunity."
"Perhaps," Pippin agreed, but he wasn't truly convinced.
They left the cells and Strider took them to a room in the tower. Once the four of them were comfortable, he bade Pippin tell them what had happened to him. Pippin did so, missing out that he and Merry were now married as he wasn't sure how they would react to that. Then Strider and Boromir told him what had happened to the rest of the fellowship after he and Merry were taken by the orcs. When they had finished with these tales, Faramir told some that were of greater importance. He described what he had seen of Ethrin. To him at least it seemed like a country preparing for war. Pippin wondered if he could have missed all this while he had been in the palace. He didn't believe he could have failed to see that the king was preparing for war.
Much later, Pippin lay on the bed he had been given, thinking. Thinking of Merry, thinking of Ethrin, thinking of the war that might be coming. As he thought, he reached a decision. He got out of bed and went to the table where his dinner had been laid. He had been provided with more food than even a hobbit needed, and gratefully packed some in a bag he found in the cupboard. He pulled a blanket off the bed and then set out.
The city was empty. An occasional window showed some light, but most of the houses were dark. Pippin passed through the sleeping streets, trying to remember the way they had come in.
"How do you plan on getting across the Anduin?" Pippin spun round, startled by the voice, and saw Boromir standing watching him.
"I have to go back," Pippin said.
"I thought you might want to," Boromir said, "You love him, don't you?" Pippin nodded, rather surprised that Boromir had guessed when the others hadn't seemed to. Boromir must have caught his surprise, because he said, "I am not the same man you knew. I have changed a lot because of the war." He smiled, "I know that Aragorn wouldn't want you to go back there. You must come with me now." He put a hand on Pippin's shoulder and steered him firmly along the streets. Pippin wondered where he was taking him when Boromir guided him through a doorway and along a dark corridor. Then suddenly they reached the end. Boromir pushed open a door, and they stepped out beneath the night sky outside the city walls.
"I will take you across the river," Boromir said, "but you will have to find your way south from there." Pippin could hear the strain in his voice as he spoke and saw that he placed a hand on his side as though he was in pain.
"Why are you helping me leave if you know Strider wouldn't want it?"
"Because I know how important it is to be with the one you love." Boromir didn't expand on that cryptic comment, and Pippin decided it would be better not to ask.
They reached the landing stage, and Boromir set Pippin in one of the smaller boats. Boromir was climbing in himself when a man came up to him.
"What are you doing?" the man demanded. Boromir stepped up to him, his face clearly visible in the moonlight.
"I am on the king's business," Boromir said.
"I'm sorry, sir," the man said, backing away. Boromir was in the boat and launching her across the river before the man had a chance to change his mind.
"Will you get in trouble for this?" Pippin asked.
"Probably," Boromir replied, "but I won't mind if I get demoted."
"Why?"
"Because I was trained as a soldier, not a negotiator. In battle everything was so simple, now I'm not allowed to kill those I deal with no matter how tempting it may be at times." He gave a small laugh.
Because they were only going across the river and not travelling along it, the journey lasted only a few minutes before Boromir steered the boat to the edge of the river and made it secure to the trunk of a small tree. He helped Pippin out of the boat and then handed him something. Pippin couldn't see it clearly, but realised almost instantly what it was. It was the sword he had carried on the quest, taken from the Barrowdowns in the Old Forest.
"Good luck, Pippin," Boromir said before climbing into the boat once more. Pippin turned, and began walking south.
***
Author's note: I will let you know what's happening to the others, I promise. I just need to sort out the timeline otherwise I could end up with someone needing to get from Minas Tirith to Ethrin and I find I've only given them a day to do it. I also felt I needed to include Boromir, if only so that it meant Faramir really was free to go off being a soldier and whatever.
***
Pippin was woken by hands gently shaking him. He opened his eyes in the early morning light to see Faramir standing over him.
"We have arrived," Faramir said. Pippin sat up and looked around. The boat was moored at a landing stage on the edge of a river, along with some larger ships. The river at this point was very wide. Only a short distance away was a walled city of white stone, with a tower rising up from its centre. Pippin knew where he was, for Boromir had often spoken of his home. This was Minas Tirith.
He looked at it closely as they came up to the gates. The gates themselves seemed to be of newer stone work than the rest of the wall. Faramir followed his gaze.
"Much damage was done by the great war," he said. He went up to the gate and said something quietly to a guard. He then waves his hand to Caylith and Mayomer who entered the city with Pippin walking between them bound.
Everywhere Pippin looked he could see evidence of new stonework among the old. Faramir was right about the damage this city had suffered. The four of them passed onwards, with Faramir speaking softly to the guards of the gates they went through. Pippin counted seven in total, before they reached the heart of the city and the white tower itself. A white tree grew beneath a fountain in the centre of the courtyard.
There were raised voices coming from a door leading onto the courtyard and Faramir stopped to listen.
"The king accepted the dwarves' offer of help because they are known to be the best stonemasons. Why do you not even listen to them?" An angry voice was demanding. One that sounded very familiar to Pippin.
"I didn't become a mason so I could have my work stolen by a bunch of half- sized barbarians with axes," another voice responded.
"They are not trying to steal your work, they are trying to improve it!" Pippin noticed he didn't deny the comment about barbarians. Faramir walked over the door where the voices were coming from. Pippin followed, needing to know if he was right about the voice. Caylith and Mayomer both waited in the courtyard.
"Take a look at what the dwarves are suggesting! If you still think you can do better come back to me then!" At that the angry stonemason stormed out. Inside the room a tired-looking man sank onto a chair.
"Give me an army of orcs any day," he muttered. Faramir stepped into the room and the man on the chair looked up. Pippin saw that he had been right about recognising the voice. It was Boromir who sat there.
"Are you certain you do not want this position?" he asked.
Faramir laughed, "It is the price you pay for being eldest." Boromir shook his head, then his gaze fell on Pippin.
"Pippin?" he said in amazement, as though he wasn't sure he could trust his eyes. A moment later he was off the chair and enveloping Pippin in a hug so tight he could barely breathe.
"We thought you were dead," Boromir said.
"I thought you were," Pippin responded, "I saw you get shot."
"An arrow wound is no match for Aragorn's healing skills." Boromir stepped back and looked at Faramir. "Why is he bound?"
"I didn't know who he was," Faramir said, "for he refused to give his name." Faramir quickly cut the ropes on Pippin's wrists with a short apology.
"Where is the king?" Faramir asked Boromir.
"Speaking with one of the spies we took prisoner," Boromir replied. He glanced down at Pippin, "He will be glad to see you."
Boromir led the way as they entered a corridor and found some stairs going down. Pippin noticed he seemed to be struggling for breath even after a short walk at a slow pace. That wasn't like the Boromir who had been with them on the quest. Pippin also noticed that he wasn't carrying his sword, which he had carried even in Rivendell. They walked along a corridor lined with doors. It reminded Pippin of the cells in Ethrin and he shuddered.
"Don't worry," Boromir said, "you will not have to be down here long." They reached a door that looked just like any of the other doors they had passed. But Boromir clearly knew it was the right one. The guard nodded to him and opened the door.
Inside the king was interrogating the prisoner. The king turned when the door opened, and Pippin stared in as much amazement as he did.
"Strider?"
"Pippin?" Strider's amazement quickly changed to delight, and he hugged Pippin. "How can this be?" Pippin took a deep breath, preparing to explain all that had happened to him, but Strider cut him off, "No, we will go somewhere more comfortable to talk."
Strider went to the door, a hand on Pippin's shoulder. But Pippin glanced back, and saw the band of belonging on the prisoner's wrist. He stopped and went back into the room, Strider watching him curiously.
"Pippin?"
"You are from Ethrin?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.
"Yes," the man replied in the same language.
Pippin turned to Strider, "Why is he a prisoner here?"
"We found him spying on our army. We think they are planning war, and need to know why." Pippin frowned at this. He didn't know King Elmas well, but he didn't think he would act like this. He wouldn't make war.
"Is King Elmas planning war?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.
"I will not answer to one who speaks to these cruel fiends as friends."
"Strider is a good and noble man!" Pippin exclaimed angrily, "More noble than King Elmas, for he at least has a reason in holding you prisoner."
"You were treated with more kindness."
"We had done nothing wrong and meant no harm to Ethrin. King Aragorn fears that you mean to make war against his land. Do you?"
"I will not tell these people anything of the king's purpose."
Pippin couldn't understand why he was being so unreasonable, but saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere. "If war comes about because of your silence," Pippin said, "I only hope your bonded one will forgive you, since no one else will." Pippin turned and left, Strider, Boromir and Faramir following, all astonished.
"What did he say to you?" Strider asked when they were out of the cell and the door locked behind them.
"He wouldn't tell me if King Elmas plans war or not. I don't think he would risk war against a country as powerful as Gondor."
"Gondor is not as powerful as she once was," Strider said, "we lost a lot of good soldiers during the war, and we are still repairing the damage done to our defences. Perhaps King Elmas sees this as his opportunity."
"Perhaps," Pippin agreed, but he wasn't truly convinced.
They left the cells and Strider took them to a room in the tower. Once the four of them were comfortable, he bade Pippin tell them what had happened to him. Pippin did so, missing out that he and Merry were now married as he wasn't sure how they would react to that. Then Strider and Boromir told him what had happened to the rest of the fellowship after he and Merry were taken by the orcs. When they had finished with these tales, Faramir told some that were of greater importance. He described what he had seen of Ethrin. To him at least it seemed like a country preparing for war. Pippin wondered if he could have missed all this while he had been in the palace. He didn't believe he could have failed to see that the king was preparing for war.
Much later, Pippin lay on the bed he had been given, thinking. Thinking of Merry, thinking of Ethrin, thinking of the war that might be coming. As he thought, he reached a decision. He got out of bed and went to the table where his dinner had been laid. He had been provided with more food than even a hobbit needed, and gratefully packed some in a bag he found in the cupboard. He pulled a blanket off the bed and then set out.
The city was empty. An occasional window showed some light, but most of the houses were dark. Pippin passed through the sleeping streets, trying to remember the way they had come in.
"How do you plan on getting across the Anduin?" Pippin spun round, startled by the voice, and saw Boromir standing watching him.
"I have to go back," Pippin said.
"I thought you might want to," Boromir said, "You love him, don't you?" Pippin nodded, rather surprised that Boromir had guessed when the others hadn't seemed to. Boromir must have caught his surprise, because he said, "I am not the same man you knew. I have changed a lot because of the war." He smiled, "I know that Aragorn wouldn't want you to go back there. You must come with me now." He put a hand on Pippin's shoulder and steered him firmly along the streets. Pippin wondered where he was taking him when Boromir guided him through a doorway and along a dark corridor. Then suddenly they reached the end. Boromir pushed open a door, and they stepped out beneath the night sky outside the city walls.
"I will take you across the river," Boromir said, "but you will have to find your way south from there." Pippin could hear the strain in his voice as he spoke and saw that he placed a hand on his side as though he was in pain.
"Why are you helping me leave if you know Strider wouldn't want it?"
"Because I know how important it is to be with the one you love." Boromir didn't expand on that cryptic comment, and Pippin decided it would be better not to ask.
They reached the landing stage, and Boromir set Pippin in one of the smaller boats. Boromir was climbing in himself when a man came up to him.
"What are you doing?" the man demanded. Boromir stepped up to him, his face clearly visible in the moonlight.
"I am on the king's business," Boromir said.
"I'm sorry, sir," the man said, backing away. Boromir was in the boat and launching her across the river before the man had a chance to change his mind.
"Will you get in trouble for this?" Pippin asked.
"Probably," Boromir replied, "but I won't mind if I get demoted."
"Why?"
"Because I was trained as a soldier, not a negotiator. In battle everything was so simple, now I'm not allowed to kill those I deal with no matter how tempting it may be at times." He gave a small laugh.
Because they were only going across the river and not travelling along it, the journey lasted only a few minutes before Boromir steered the boat to the edge of the river and made it secure to the trunk of a small tree. He helped Pippin out of the boat and then handed him something. Pippin couldn't see it clearly, but realised almost instantly what it was. It was the sword he had carried on the quest, taken from the Barrowdowns in the Old Forest.
"Good luck, Pippin," Boromir said before climbing into the boat once more. Pippin turned, and began walking south.
***
Author's note: I will let you know what's happening to the others, I promise. I just need to sort out the timeline otherwise I could end up with someone needing to get from Minas Tirith to Ethrin and I find I've only given them a day to do it. I also felt I needed to include Boromir, if only so that it meant Faramir really was free to go off being a soldier and whatever.