A/N: I know some of you guys are bad about reviewing, because I do it, too.
But it would really mean a lot to me if you would just try and put in a
few words about what you think when you finish reading. Please and thank
you!
Disclaimer: Do I look like an English professor from Oxford? Didn't think so.
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All four of the Hobbits turned to see Tillen standing just outside the gate, staring furiously up at them. He jumped the fence and began approaching Orin slowly.
"You treacherous fool!" he snarled. "I put my faith and trust in you, even when I find out about your little crush, only to find you here, conspiring with those that I have clearly told you are not to be trusted! Traitor!!" Tillen snapped his fingers, and the four Hobbits that had chased Piper appeared, each one taking hold of one of them.
The one that held Piper brought her forward, until she was about a foot away from Tillen. He grinned evilly. "Well, I'll show you what happens when you betray me, Orin." He turned his attention to Piper. "Good-bye, my dear."
Orin watched in horror as Tillen produced a knife out of his pocket, and, raising it up in the air, prepared to kill Orin's love. He struggled with all his might, finally wrenching himself free just as the knife went plunging down. He ran and tackled Piper out of the way, and out of her captor's hands.
"Are you all right, love?" Orin asked, sitting up and caressing her face. Piper's eyes went wide.
"Look out!" she cried, but it was too late. Tillen had grabbed one of Orin's shoulders and drove the knife deep into his back. Orin tensed in pain, his eyes widening. Tillen stood, backing away, a look of satisfaction upon his evil face. Orin collapsed, Piper catching him before he hit the ground, her eyes filling with tears.
"Orin?" she said softly, her voice quavering.
His eyes flickered open slightly, and he smiled, placing a hand on her cheek. "Go rescue Frodo, Piper. He needs you. . .just as I needed you. Thank you. . .for being my friend. I love you, Piperiona Took. Don't forget that. Promise me."
"I won't, Orin, I promise," she stammered, removing his hand from her face and interlacing her fingers with his.
He smiled brighter, then closed his eyes. His chest stopped moving. His hand became heavy and slowly colder. Piper stared down at him, hardly able to believe it, tears running down her face. She stood and looked at Tillen angrily, a sudden rage consuming her.
"You bastard!!" she screamed, rushing at him. One of the four Hobbits who had chased her held her back. She continued to scream at him. "I'll kill you!! You better pray to Elbereth that this Hobbit doesn't release me, or I swear you'll be dead before you hit the ground!"
Tillen looked around at the other Hobbits on the lawn. They were all staring at him with mixed anger and disbelief. Finally realizing that he was in over his head, Tillen turned on his heel and ran down the lawn, jumped over the fence, and rushed towards his home. The Hobbit released Piper and she fell to her knees, sobbing.
Pippin, who had also been let go, went to her and knelt beside her. She turned and he embraced her consolingly. "It's all right," he whispered. "We'll get him, Piper, don't worry."
Piper nodded, trying to calm herself down, before turning and glaring at the four Hobbits who had helped Tillen. "Why don't you just go find your 'master'?" she snapped. "I'm sure you're all very proud of him for what he did!"
The Hobbit who had held her shook his head. "We never expected him to do such a thing. I mean, Orin was his brother and had never done anything wrong in his life. He was a good soul." He went to her and knelt on the other side of her. "My name is Fynn Bolger, and those are my brothers, Fulbright, Frye, and Forbes."
"Wait a second, I remember you!" Pippin said suddenly. "You were the group of Hobbits I listened to at the tavern in Waymeet! You know what Tillen has done!" He laughed happily. "This could not be any better!"
"What are you talking about, Pip?" Merry asked.
"We now have proof against Tillen!" Pippin cried, jumping to his feet. "These four know what he has done before to other lasses, and we have all witnessed him commit murder, AND, using all of that evidence, Piper's story will surely be believed! Where's Bilbo? We must go to the Thain at once!"
* * *
The seven young Hobbits and Bilbo hurried up the staircase to the Thain's floor. They were now in the Great Smials of Tuckborough, having traveled most of the previous night and that day to get there. Bilbo led the way, with Piper just behind him. She was still full of vengeful rage towards Tillen and no longer fear. Now, not only was a filthy, disgusting Hobbit, but he was a murderer as well.
Bilbo rapped hurriedly on the Thain's office door. They waited a moment, and then the door opened. The Thain, named Ferumbras, looked over the large group a second, a bit startled, before spotting Bilbo at the head of the group.
"Bilbo Baggins! What brings you here?" he asked jovially.
"Nothing very good, I'm afraid," Bilbo replied, shaking his head. Seeing the grave looks on everyone's faces, Ferumbras motioned for them to come inside. They entered, Piper a little tentative. She had never been very keen on telling the Thain about what happened, and though she was trying to be brave, she felt it was far harder than she had ever imagined.
"Sit, sit," Ferumbras said, waving a hand towards two seats in front of a large desk, which he now went and sat behind. Bilbo sat in one of the chairs, Piper in the other. The rest of the group stood behind them, except for Pippin, who knelt next to Piper's chair. Ferumbras was silent a moment, then spoke, "What business have you? Good news or no, it must be dealt with. So, let's have it."
Bilbo glanced sidelong at Piper. "You see, sir, there is this Hobbit, a Proudfoot, who recently had his Coming of Age - "
"Dear Bilbo," Ferumbras interrupted, chuckling to himself. "Hobbits. . .Proudfoots. . . are Coming of Age every day. You surely do not expect me to remember them all?"
"No, no, of course not," Bilbo continued. "This one's name is Tillen Proudfoot. He moved into a Hobbit Hole in Bywater, where this young girl - " He nodded to Piper. "-Has been working for the past three weeks."
"There is no law against that."
"What about when something goes wrong?"
"What went wrong?"
Bilbo hesitated, thinking. "Now that you mention it, I never really was told what happened." He turned to Piper. "I'm afraid you must tell him, my dear."
Piper's hands trembled slightly, but she sighed and, with her eyes downwards, began to tell her story, from the beginning. She started with the day she met Frodo, and moved into her first day at Tillen's home. "- and tonight, Tillen came to Bag End with a bunch of helpers, and he. . .he. . .killed his brother."
Ferumbras had stood and was looking out of a window to the gardens below. His eyes were filled with sorrow and frustration from her tale. How could it be true? Was there really such an awful Hobbit as Tillen Proudfoot running loose in the Shire? And why was an innocent Hobbit like Frodo Baggins placed in jail, awaiting a sentence of exile or death? He sighed, turning back to face them.
"This Tillen Proudfoot shall be arrested and taken to trial immediately," he said. "I will go and discuss the matter with Mayor Whitfoot immediately. Piper, you must recall your story one last time, I'm afraid, for the court. As soon as Tillen's sentence is decided, I will make sure that Frodo is released."
Piper smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Also, you shall need a lawyer, someone to represent you in court," Ferumbras told her.
Pippin jumped up. "I'll do it!" All eyes turned to him.
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A/N: Just one quick thing, to those who read this, I'd like to advertise my other story "Fighting for Love". It's another romance, mainly from Pippin's POV. Please go r&r! Thank you!
Disclaimer: Do I look like an English professor from Oxford? Didn't think so.
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All four of the Hobbits turned to see Tillen standing just outside the gate, staring furiously up at them. He jumped the fence and began approaching Orin slowly.
"You treacherous fool!" he snarled. "I put my faith and trust in you, even when I find out about your little crush, only to find you here, conspiring with those that I have clearly told you are not to be trusted! Traitor!!" Tillen snapped his fingers, and the four Hobbits that had chased Piper appeared, each one taking hold of one of them.
The one that held Piper brought her forward, until she was about a foot away from Tillen. He grinned evilly. "Well, I'll show you what happens when you betray me, Orin." He turned his attention to Piper. "Good-bye, my dear."
Orin watched in horror as Tillen produced a knife out of his pocket, and, raising it up in the air, prepared to kill Orin's love. He struggled with all his might, finally wrenching himself free just as the knife went plunging down. He ran and tackled Piper out of the way, and out of her captor's hands.
"Are you all right, love?" Orin asked, sitting up and caressing her face. Piper's eyes went wide.
"Look out!" she cried, but it was too late. Tillen had grabbed one of Orin's shoulders and drove the knife deep into his back. Orin tensed in pain, his eyes widening. Tillen stood, backing away, a look of satisfaction upon his evil face. Orin collapsed, Piper catching him before he hit the ground, her eyes filling with tears.
"Orin?" she said softly, her voice quavering.
His eyes flickered open slightly, and he smiled, placing a hand on her cheek. "Go rescue Frodo, Piper. He needs you. . .just as I needed you. Thank you. . .for being my friend. I love you, Piperiona Took. Don't forget that. Promise me."
"I won't, Orin, I promise," she stammered, removing his hand from her face and interlacing her fingers with his.
He smiled brighter, then closed his eyes. His chest stopped moving. His hand became heavy and slowly colder. Piper stared down at him, hardly able to believe it, tears running down her face. She stood and looked at Tillen angrily, a sudden rage consuming her.
"You bastard!!" she screamed, rushing at him. One of the four Hobbits who had chased her held her back. She continued to scream at him. "I'll kill you!! You better pray to Elbereth that this Hobbit doesn't release me, or I swear you'll be dead before you hit the ground!"
Tillen looked around at the other Hobbits on the lawn. They were all staring at him with mixed anger and disbelief. Finally realizing that he was in over his head, Tillen turned on his heel and ran down the lawn, jumped over the fence, and rushed towards his home. The Hobbit released Piper and she fell to her knees, sobbing.
Pippin, who had also been let go, went to her and knelt beside her. She turned and he embraced her consolingly. "It's all right," he whispered. "We'll get him, Piper, don't worry."
Piper nodded, trying to calm herself down, before turning and glaring at the four Hobbits who had helped Tillen. "Why don't you just go find your 'master'?" she snapped. "I'm sure you're all very proud of him for what he did!"
The Hobbit who had held her shook his head. "We never expected him to do such a thing. I mean, Orin was his brother and had never done anything wrong in his life. He was a good soul." He went to her and knelt on the other side of her. "My name is Fynn Bolger, and those are my brothers, Fulbright, Frye, and Forbes."
"Wait a second, I remember you!" Pippin said suddenly. "You were the group of Hobbits I listened to at the tavern in Waymeet! You know what Tillen has done!" He laughed happily. "This could not be any better!"
"What are you talking about, Pip?" Merry asked.
"We now have proof against Tillen!" Pippin cried, jumping to his feet. "These four know what he has done before to other lasses, and we have all witnessed him commit murder, AND, using all of that evidence, Piper's story will surely be believed! Where's Bilbo? We must go to the Thain at once!"
* * *
The seven young Hobbits and Bilbo hurried up the staircase to the Thain's floor. They were now in the Great Smials of Tuckborough, having traveled most of the previous night and that day to get there. Bilbo led the way, with Piper just behind him. She was still full of vengeful rage towards Tillen and no longer fear. Now, not only was a filthy, disgusting Hobbit, but he was a murderer as well.
Bilbo rapped hurriedly on the Thain's office door. They waited a moment, and then the door opened. The Thain, named Ferumbras, looked over the large group a second, a bit startled, before spotting Bilbo at the head of the group.
"Bilbo Baggins! What brings you here?" he asked jovially.
"Nothing very good, I'm afraid," Bilbo replied, shaking his head. Seeing the grave looks on everyone's faces, Ferumbras motioned for them to come inside. They entered, Piper a little tentative. She had never been very keen on telling the Thain about what happened, and though she was trying to be brave, she felt it was far harder than she had ever imagined.
"Sit, sit," Ferumbras said, waving a hand towards two seats in front of a large desk, which he now went and sat behind. Bilbo sat in one of the chairs, Piper in the other. The rest of the group stood behind them, except for Pippin, who knelt next to Piper's chair. Ferumbras was silent a moment, then spoke, "What business have you? Good news or no, it must be dealt with. So, let's have it."
Bilbo glanced sidelong at Piper. "You see, sir, there is this Hobbit, a Proudfoot, who recently had his Coming of Age - "
"Dear Bilbo," Ferumbras interrupted, chuckling to himself. "Hobbits. . .Proudfoots. . . are Coming of Age every day. You surely do not expect me to remember them all?"
"No, no, of course not," Bilbo continued. "This one's name is Tillen Proudfoot. He moved into a Hobbit Hole in Bywater, where this young girl - " He nodded to Piper. "-Has been working for the past three weeks."
"There is no law against that."
"What about when something goes wrong?"
"What went wrong?"
Bilbo hesitated, thinking. "Now that you mention it, I never really was told what happened." He turned to Piper. "I'm afraid you must tell him, my dear."
Piper's hands trembled slightly, but she sighed and, with her eyes downwards, began to tell her story, from the beginning. She started with the day she met Frodo, and moved into her first day at Tillen's home. "- and tonight, Tillen came to Bag End with a bunch of helpers, and he. . .he. . .killed his brother."
Ferumbras had stood and was looking out of a window to the gardens below. His eyes were filled with sorrow and frustration from her tale. How could it be true? Was there really such an awful Hobbit as Tillen Proudfoot running loose in the Shire? And why was an innocent Hobbit like Frodo Baggins placed in jail, awaiting a sentence of exile or death? He sighed, turning back to face them.
"This Tillen Proudfoot shall be arrested and taken to trial immediately," he said. "I will go and discuss the matter with Mayor Whitfoot immediately. Piper, you must recall your story one last time, I'm afraid, for the court. As soon as Tillen's sentence is decided, I will make sure that Frodo is released."
Piper smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Also, you shall need a lawyer, someone to represent you in court," Ferumbras told her.
Pippin jumped up. "I'll do it!" All eyes turned to him.
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A/N: Just one quick thing, to those who read this, I'd like to advertise my other story "Fighting for Love". It's another romance, mainly from Pippin's POV. Please go r&r! Thank you!
