Pippin woke up to the sound of a muffled cry, and got out of bed. It was
still dark outside, but he heard footsteps outside his door. He opened the
door a crack, and saw Sal hurry past, buckling fortune at his side as he
went. Even from where he stood, Pippin knew there was something strange
about him, and hurried out after.
It was probably not the wisest thing to do, but if something was wrong with Sal then someone ought to try and speak to him, and it would take too long to wake the others. He grabbed his cloak from a hook and went through the round door of Bag End which Sal had left open in his haste.
Pippin caught a glimpse of Sal heading down the road, walking fast. The hobbit had to run to follow. Sal left the road almost immediately, and Pippin scrambled across the countryside after him. It didn't take long for Pippin to regret following him, as he was worn out and there was no sign of Sal anywhere. It was as if he had disappeared.
Pippin stopped and looked around him, breathing hard, when suddenly Sal stepped out from behind a tree. Pippin was so surprised he jumped backwards and almost fell.
"Why are you following me?" Sal asked, angry in a way Pippin had never seen him before.
"I thought something was wrong and I just wanted to help," Pippin replied.
"I don't want your help!"
"Then what do you want? Why are you just leaving in the middle of the night?"
"I need some time alone, that's all," but Sal refused to look Pippin in the eye as he spoke.
"It didn't look that way earlier. You were perfectly happy to be with your friends. What's changed?"
"Just leave me alone, Pip! You don't understand! As long as you're near me, you're in danger!" This only served to confuse Pippin, and make him more determined to reach the truth. It wasn't a good idea to arose a hobbit's curiosity.
"From you? I know you, Sal, and I know you'd never hurt any of us."
"That's the problem!" He turned to walk away but Pippin grabbed hold of his arm. He would never have stood a chance of stopping Sal, so there was no reason for what Sal did next. He spun round, bringing his fist up to contact with Pippin's jaw. The force knocked Pippin backwards, and he fell hard on the ground, winded, his head striking the rocks forcefully.
For a moment the scene froze. Sal stared down at Pippin, looking almost as shocked as Pippin was. This was nothing like the man Pippin knew. Then a moment later Sal was gone, running as fast as he could away from the fallen hobbit.
Pippin got to his feet slowly, clinging to a tree for support. By the time the world had stopped spinning Sal was nowhere to be seen. His jaw ached and his head throbbed. The only thing to do was head back to Bag End and tell the others what had happened.
***
Elessar woke when he heard the door open then close. It was still dark, but the sky outside the window was beginning to lighten with dawn. Curious, he crossed to the door, careful to keep his head bowed. He'd learned early on the mistake of standing straight in a hobbit hole. Stepping out into the long hallway, he saw Pippin standing by the door. He was leaning on the wall for support, and even in the darkness Elessar knew something was wrong.
He hurried to Pippin, kneeling down so he could look him in the face. A dark bruise was forming on chin, and there was blood in his hair.
"What happened? Who did this?"
"Sal," Pippin said quietly. Unwilling to believe it, yet unwilling to think of Pippin as a liar, Elessar led him into the kitchen and began heating some water over the fire so that he could clean the cut on his head.
"Tell me everything that happened." Pippin did, starting from waking up and ending with his return home. Elessar carefully cleaned the shallow cut, listening to each word. As he listened, it seemed that something cold had settled in his stomach and was growing, freezing his insides. Not Sal. Sal wouldn't act like this.
"Why would Sal do this?" Elessar asked, more to himself than Pippin.
"He has betrayed you." He looked up to see Parlond standing in the doorway. He was surprised that he hadn't heard Parlong, he must have been so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't been paying attention.
"I've known Sal years, I know him better than anyone else," Elessar said, "He would never betray me."
"He said we were in danger," Pippin said, but Parlond didn't seem to be listening.
"I saw him come into that room with the orcs. He wasn't a prisoner!"
"You don't know him like I do!" Elessar stood. "Take care of Pippin," he told Parlond, "I'm going to find out what's going on." He left, desperate to find Sal just so that he could prove Parlond was wrong. He hadn't believed Sal a traitor even when he had proclaimed it, he wouldn't believe it now. There had to be some other explanation for this.
Sal's trail was easy to find and follow, with the sky growing pale in the east. Elessar ran, knowing Sal had a good advantage. He had to run quite a way, but was confident from the trail that he was gaining.
He cleared a small group of trees, and saw Sal ahead of him, climbing a steep slope. Tired and breathing heavily, Elessar followed. Sal glanced back, and Elessar knew he saw him, before disappearing over the brow of the slope.
When he reached the top, Sal was there, looking down a sheer drop with a stream below. He had trapped himself. He turned to look at Elessar with uncharacteristic anger.
"Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" he demanded.
"What are you talking about Sal?" Elessar asked, walking slowly towards him. Sal stepped back along the top of the slope.
"Why couldn't you have just let me go?"
"Why can't you tell me what's wrong?"
"Because you wouldn't listen."
"Of course I'd listen, you're my friend."
"You didn't listen to Parlond when he told you."
"What are you saying, Sal?"
Sal sighed, and looked at Elessar with a sadness immeasurable. "He told you that I had betrayed you, and you wouldn't listen. You're so certain you know me, so certain that I'm a good person, a good friend. You would never even consider the possibility that I might. . ." He broke off, and looked away. Elessar needed him to continue, but dreaded where the conversation might take him.
"Might what?"
"Kill you." The cold dread that had been dwelling inside him since Pippin told his tale rose now to fill him. He couldn't believe what Sal was telling him, but there was something about the way he spoke that told him it was the truth. It wasn't like last time when Sal's eyes had been filled with grief even as he claimed he hated him. This time there was only sincerity.
"I see it in my nightmares and I know it will happen. My sword, my hand, your blood. I see you die by my own hand, and I can't bear it. And I know that you won't believe it possible. I will kill you, and you will go to your grave not believing that it was me who did it. Who killed you."
"You're talking of what hasn't happened as though it has. You haven't hurt me."
"But I. . ." Sal broke off, a look of panic growing on his face. "Elessar, run!" He didn't. Instead he took a step towards his friend, an arm out to try and calm him. "RUN!" Sal shouted. Elessar put a hand on Sal's arm, but Sal pulled sharply away, his other arm coming up in a totally unexpected blow.
Elessar fell backwards, and looked up to see Sal drawing fortune, his eyes burning with red fire. He understood. He had barely enough time for the realisation to hit him before Sal came on the attack.
He rolled sideways as Sal swung downwards with fortune, getting to his feet as he did so. He pulled Anduril from its sheath, parrying a blow from fortune. They fought a short while, Elessar always defending, never attacking. He couldn't keep this up though, sooner or later he would make a mistake and die because of it. But he couldn't attack. He couldn't kill Sal.
He ducked a blow and brought his foot up into Sal's legs. The kick sent Sal over. He fell onto the ground, fortune beneath him, and rolled down the steep slope he had only recently climbed. Elessar stood and watched as he rolled down, landing in a painful heap at the bottom. He lay unmoving, fortune in two pieces at his side.
***
Author's note: Is he dead? Am I that evil? Review and I'll let you know. *Ducks behind the sofa to avoid wrathful reviewers*
It was probably not the wisest thing to do, but if something was wrong with Sal then someone ought to try and speak to him, and it would take too long to wake the others. He grabbed his cloak from a hook and went through the round door of Bag End which Sal had left open in his haste.
Pippin caught a glimpse of Sal heading down the road, walking fast. The hobbit had to run to follow. Sal left the road almost immediately, and Pippin scrambled across the countryside after him. It didn't take long for Pippin to regret following him, as he was worn out and there was no sign of Sal anywhere. It was as if he had disappeared.
Pippin stopped and looked around him, breathing hard, when suddenly Sal stepped out from behind a tree. Pippin was so surprised he jumped backwards and almost fell.
"Why are you following me?" Sal asked, angry in a way Pippin had never seen him before.
"I thought something was wrong and I just wanted to help," Pippin replied.
"I don't want your help!"
"Then what do you want? Why are you just leaving in the middle of the night?"
"I need some time alone, that's all," but Sal refused to look Pippin in the eye as he spoke.
"It didn't look that way earlier. You were perfectly happy to be with your friends. What's changed?"
"Just leave me alone, Pip! You don't understand! As long as you're near me, you're in danger!" This only served to confuse Pippin, and make him more determined to reach the truth. It wasn't a good idea to arose a hobbit's curiosity.
"From you? I know you, Sal, and I know you'd never hurt any of us."
"That's the problem!" He turned to walk away but Pippin grabbed hold of his arm. He would never have stood a chance of stopping Sal, so there was no reason for what Sal did next. He spun round, bringing his fist up to contact with Pippin's jaw. The force knocked Pippin backwards, and he fell hard on the ground, winded, his head striking the rocks forcefully.
For a moment the scene froze. Sal stared down at Pippin, looking almost as shocked as Pippin was. This was nothing like the man Pippin knew. Then a moment later Sal was gone, running as fast as he could away from the fallen hobbit.
Pippin got to his feet slowly, clinging to a tree for support. By the time the world had stopped spinning Sal was nowhere to be seen. His jaw ached and his head throbbed. The only thing to do was head back to Bag End and tell the others what had happened.
***
Elessar woke when he heard the door open then close. It was still dark, but the sky outside the window was beginning to lighten with dawn. Curious, he crossed to the door, careful to keep his head bowed. He'd learned early on the mistake of standing straight in a hobbit hole. Stepping out into the long hallway, he saw Pippin standing by the door. He was leaning on the wall for support, and even in the darkness Elessar knew something was wrong.
He hurried to Pippin, kneeling down so he could look him in the face. A dark bruise was forming on chin, and there was blood in his hair.
"What happened? Who did this?"
"Sal," Pippin said quietly. Unwilling to believe it, yet unwilling to think of Pippin as a liar, Elessar led him into the kitchen and began heating some water over the fire so that he could clean the cut on his head.
"Tell me everything that happened." Pippin did, starting from waking up and ending with his return home. Elessar carefully cleaned the shallow cut, listening to each word. As he listened, it seemed that something cold had settled in his stomach and was growing, freezing his insides. Not Sal. Sal wouldn't act like this.
"Why would Sal do this?" Elessar asked, more to himself than Pippin.
"He has betrayed you." He looked up to see Parlond standing in the doorway. He was surprised that he hadn't heard Parlong, he must have been so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't been paying attention.
"I've known Sal years, I know him better than anyone else," Elessar said, "He would never betray me."
"He said we were in danger," Pippin said, but Parlond didn't seem to be listening.
"I saw him come into that room with the orcs. He wasn't a prisoner!"
"You don't know him like I do!" Elessar stood. "Take care of Pippin," he told Parlond, "I'm going to find out what's going on." He left, desperate to find Sal just so that he could prove Parlond was wrong. He hadn't believed Sal a traitor even when he had proclaimed it, he wouldn't believe it now. There had to be some other explanation for this.
Sal's trail was easy to find and follow, with the sky growing pale in the east. Elessar ran, knowing Sal had a good advantage. He had to run quite a way, but was confident from the trail that he was gaining.
He cleared a small group of trees, and saw Sal ahead of him, climbing a steep slope. Tired and breathing heavily, Elessar followed. Sal glanced back, and Elessar knew he saw him, before disappearing over the brow of the slope.
When he reached the top, Sal was there, looking down a sheer drop with a stream below. He had trapped himself. He turned to look at Elessar with uncharacteristic anger.
"Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" he demanded.
"What are you talking about Sal?" Elessar asked, walking slowly towards him. Sal stepped back along the top of the slope.
"Why couldn't you have just let me go?"
"Why can't you tell me what's wrong?"
"Because you wouldn't listen."
"Of course I'd listen, you're my friend."
"You didn't listen to Parlond when he told you."
"What are you saying, Sal?"
Sal sighed, and looked at Elessar with a sadness immeasurable. "He told you that I had betrayed you, and you wouldn't listen. You're so certain you know me, so certain that I'm a good person, a good friend. You would never even consider the possibility that I might. . ." He broke off, and looked away. Elessar needed him to continue, but dreaded where the conversation might take him.
"Might what?"
"Kill you." The cold dread that had been dwelling inside him since Pippin told his tale rose now to fill him. He couldn't believe what Sal was telling him, but there was something about the way he spoke that told him it was the truth. It wasn't like last time when Sal's eyes had been filled with grief even as he claimed he hated him. This time there was only sincerity.
"I see it in my nightmares and I know it will happen. My sword, my hand, your blood. I see you die by my own hand, and I can't bear it. And I know that you won't believe it possible. I will kill you, and you will go to your grave not believing that it was me who did it. Who killed you."
"You're talking of what hasn't happened as though it has. You haven't hurt me."
"But I. . ." Sal broke off, a look of panic growing on his face. "Elessar, run!" He didn't. Instead he took a step towards his friend, an arm out to try and calm him. "RUN!" Sal shouted. Elessar put a hand on Sal's arm, but Sal pulled sharply away, his other arm coming up in a totally unexpected blow.
Elessar fell backwards, and looked up to see Sal drawing fortune, his eyes burning with red fire. He understood. He had barely enough time for the realisation to hit him before Sal came on the attack.
He rolled sideways as Sal swung downwards with fortune, getting to his feet as he did so. He pulled Anduril from its sheath, parrying a blow from fortune. They fought a short while, Elessar always defending, never attacking. He couldn't keep this up though, sooner or later he would make a mistake and die because of it. But he couldn't attack. He couldn't kill Sal.
He ducked a blow and brought his foot up into Sal's legs. The kick sent Sal over. He fell onto the ground, fortune beneath him, and rolled down the steep slope he had only recently climbed. Elessar stood and watched as he rolled down, landing in a painful heap at the bottom. He lay unmoving, fortune in two pieces at his side.
***
Author's note: Is he dead? Am I that evil? Review and I'll let you know. *Ducks behind the sofa to avoid wrathful reviewers*