Author's note: There are hints about sex, but nothing is actually said or
done.
***
It felt as though Merry had lost all blood supply to his right arm. He didn't dare move in case it woke Pippin, who was the reason for this loss of circulation. He lay sleeping beside Merry. At least, Merry assumed he was sleeping since his breathing was steady and he lay calmly. It was too dark to know for sure.
Pippin shifted slightly, murmuring something in his sleep. He turned so his head was on Merry's chest, an arm stretched across his body. This movement allowed blood to return to Merry's hand, and he shifted himself, bringing his arms round Pippin's sleeping form.
The rest of the world seemed to have disappeared. Well, not quite disappeared. They were somewhere out there, and in the back of Merry's mind. They just weren't important anymore. It didn't matter what was happening in Gondor or the Shire, as long as Merry could lie here forever, Pippin asleep in his arms. This was all he needed. Pippin was all he needed.
He lay there, staring into the darkness, bathed in contentment. It didn't matter that the floor was hard beneath his back. It didn't matter that no light pierced the blackness that surrounded him. All that mattered was lying within his arms.
Eventually Pippin stirred again, and Merry knew by the change in his breathing that he was waking up.
"Good morning," Merry said, placing a kiss on Pippin's forehead.
"Is it morning?" Pippin asked sleepily.
"To be honest, I don't know," Merry said, "It's not important though." They lay there for some time, Merry holding Pippin and Pippin content to be held.
A while later, they heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Merry quickly pulled up the blanket that was more or less covering them so that they were completely covered when the door opened.
Acs looked at the pair of them and smiled, placing the tray down on the floor.
"Perhaps we should leave them for a moment," Acs suggested to the guard. The guard placed his torch in the holder by the door and stepped outside, pulling the door to behind him. Grinning at each other, Merry and Pippin retrieved their discarded clothes and quickly dressed. They then set to their meal.
They had already finished when the door opened and Acs entered to retrieve the tray. The guard took the torch from its holder, and turned to leave.
"May we see Legolas?" Merry asked, summoning courage from some unknown place inside him.
"That's impossible," the guard said. A moment later he was gone, leaving Merry and Pippin to wonder and fear about that last statement. Why should it be impossible?
***
"Do you think Frodo and Sam would have been bonded if they were the ones who were brought here?" Pippin asked unexpectedly.
"What makes you ask that?"
"I'm just curious."
"Well, they do care about each other enough," Merry said thoughtfully, "but I don't know if they care about each other in the same way that we do." He leaned across to kiss Pippin, but in the darkness he missed his target and they both ended up laughing.
"Sam's married now, according to Legolas," Merry said, "To Rose Cotton."
"It's difficult to imagine Sam married," Pippin commented. There was a short pause. "Frodo must be terribly jealous."
"Pippin!" They laughed again. Even a cell could be a cheerful place so long as they were together.
They had slept for a while, curled together beneath the blanket as thought they were in their bed. When they had woken they had just lain in companionable silence, occasionally sharing a few words.
Footsteps echoed outside again, and they sat up, expecting it to be Acs with their next meal. But it wasn't Acs who entered. Rather it was a group of guards. They didn't wait for the two hobbits to stand, but instead seized them roughly and dragged them to their feet. They barely had time to be surprised, as they were shoved through the door. The guards just pushed them in the right direction, occasionally grabbing them by the shoulder's and steering, instead of just telling them where to go.
Merry looked back at Pippin, who was being propelled along behind him, but a guard gave him such a violent shove he almost fell. After that he just walked along the corridors he was taken down. They climbed some stairs and entered the main section of the palace. It was the east wing, Merry realised, a part of the palace he and Pippin rarely visited, since it was where King Elmas' private rooms were.
The king was waiting in what was known as his visiting room. He was sitting on a large, carved chair raised on a dias so it dominated the room. The room itself was large enough to fit almost a hundred guests, but there was no other furniture. The whole purpose was to make visitors uncomfortable, while the king could study them at his ease.
The king was seated in the chair now, and in front of him were a group of soldiers in the livery of Ethrin. The guards forced Merry and Pippin to their knees before the king, who looked down on them critically.
"Bind them," he ordered after a moment's scrutiny. "I will not have you escaping again," he told the hobbits. The guards tied their hands behind them, so that the ropes dug painfully into their wrists. Then a long piece of rope was tied round their waists so that there was only a metre-length section between them. Both ends of the rope were long enough to be held by a guard, so that they was no chance of them getting away.
The king then strode out the room. The soldiers followed, and the guards came behind them, Merry and Pippin led on the rope. They left the palace through the main door, and the two hobbits looked in dismay at what they saw in the courtyard. Ranks of soldiers stood armed and ready.
"They're going to war," Pippin said. Moments later an order was given, and the soldiers began to march, the two hobbits prisoners in their midst. The army left the palace, and marched northwards, towards Gondor.
***
Author's note: I couldn't resist this cliffhanger. Sorry. I promise to update soon.
***
It felt as though Merry had lost all blood supply to his right arm. He didn't dare move in case it woke Pippin, who was the reason for this loss of circulation. He lay sleeping beside Merry. At least, Merry assumed he was sleeping since his breathing was steady and he lay calmly. It was too dark to know for sure.
Pippin shifted slightly, murmuring something in his sleep. He turned so his head was on Merry's chest, an arm stretched across his body. This movement allowed blood to return to Merry's hand, and he shifted himself, bringing his arms round Pippin's sleeping form.
The rest of the world seemed to have disappeared. Well, not quite disappeared. They were somewhere out there, and in the back of Merry's mind. They just weren't important anymore. It didn't matter what was happening in Gondor or the Shire, as long as Merry could lie here forever, Pippin asleep in his arms. This was all he needed. Pippin was all he needed.
He lay there, staring into the darkness, bathed in contentment. It didn't matter that the floor was hard beneath his back. It didn't matter that no light pierced the blackness that surrounded him. All that mattered was lying within his arms.
Eventually Pippin stirred again, and Merry knew by the change in his breathing that he was waking up.
"Good morning," Merry said, placing a kiss on Pippin's forehead.
"Is it morning?" Pippin asked sleepily.
"To be honest, I don't know," Merry said, "It's not important though." They lay there for some time, Merry holding Pippin and Pippin content to be held.
A while later, they heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Merry quickly pulled up the blanket that was more or less covering them so that they were completely covered when the door opened.
Acs looked at the pair of them and smiled, placing the tray down on the floor.
"Perhaps we should leave them for a moment," Acs suggested to the guard. The guard placed his torch in the holder by the door and stepped outside, pulling the door to behind him. Grinning at each other, Merry and Pippin retrieved their discarded clothes and quickly dressed. They then set to their meal.
They had already finished when the door opened and Acs entered to retrieve the tray. The guard took the torch from its holder, and turned to leave.
"May we see Legolas?" Merry asked, summoning courage from some unknown place inside him.
"That's impossible," the guard said. A moment later he was gone, leaving Merry and Pippin to wonder and fear about that last statement. Why should it be impossible?
***
"Do you think Frodo and Sam would have been bonded if they were the ones who were brought here?" Pippin asked unexpectedly.
"What makes you ask that?"
"I'm just curious."
"Well, they do care about each other enough," Merry said thoughtfully, "but I don't know if they care about each other in the same way that we do." He leaned across to kiss Pippin, but in the darkness he missed his target and they both ended up laughing.
"Sam's married now, according to Legolas," Merry said, "To Rose Cotton."
"It's difficult to imagine Sam married," Pippin commented. There was a short pause. "Frodo must be terribly jealous."
"Pippin!" They laughed again. Even a cell could be a cheerful place so long as they were together.
They had slept for a while, curled together beneath the blanket as thought they were in their bed. When they had woken they had just lain in companionable silence, occasionally sharing a few words.
Footsteps echoed outside again, and they sat up, expecting it to be Acs with their next meal. But it wasn't Acs who entered. Rather it was a group of guards. They didn't wait for the two hobbits to stand, but instead seized them roughly and dragged them to their feet. They barely had time to be surprised, as they were shoved through the door. The guards just pushed them in the right direction, occasionally grabbing them by the shoulder's and steering, instead of just telling them where to go.
Merry looked back at Pippin, who was being propelled along behind him, but a guard gave him such a violent shove he almost fell. After that he just walked along the corridors he was taken down. They climbed some stairs and entered the main section of the palace. It was the east wing, Merry realised, a part of the palace he and Pippin rarely visited, since it was where King Elmas' private rooms were.
The king was waiting in what was known as his visiting room. He was sitting on a large, carved chair raised on a dias so it dominated the room. The room itself was large enough to fit almost a hundred guests, but there was no other furniture. The whole purpose was to make visitors uncomfortable, while the king could study them at his ease.
The king was seated in the chair now, and in front of him were a group of soldiers in the livery of Ethrin. The guards forced Merry and Pippin to their knees before the king, who looked down on them critically.
"Bind them," he ordered after a moment's scrutiny. "I will not have you escaping again," he told the hobbits. The guards tied their hands behind them, so that the ropes dug painfully into their wrists. Then a long piece of rope was tied round their waists so that there was only a metre-length section between them. Both ends of the rope were long enough to be held by a guard, so that they was no chance of them getting away.
The king then strode out the room. The soldiers followed, and the guards came behind them, Merry and Pippin led on the rope. They left the palace through the main door, and the two hobbits looked in dismay at what they saw in the courtyard. Ranks of soldiers stood armed and ready.
"They're going to war," Pippin said. Moments later an order was given, and the soldiers began to march, the two hobbits prisoners in their midst. The army left the palace, and marched northwards, towards Gondor.
***
Author's note: I couldn't resist this cliffhanger. Sorry. I promise to update soon.