Chapter two: Let us go, you and I, when the night is spread out against the
sky
Our company descended from the many stairs which led to the dwellings of the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim, and I lagged behind a bit, so I could keep an eye on Pippin, who was walking at the rear. He had been crying again, I could tell. I wondered what was going on. Was it something the Lady had said to him? Or maybe the lament the elves had sung made him sad.
We descended more steps. Pippin and I walked silently side by side. His hand brushed past mine, and he quickly withdrew it. Some sort of tension grew between us, but it was nothing negative. On the contrary. But it was nothing I could explain, for I never felt anything like it. I had the urge to take his hand in mine, and it was almost as strong as the temptation to put the Ring on when Nazgûl were close.
Bilbo once told me not to yield to temptation, but I saw no harm in this. All I wanted to do was to comfort him. I fumbled for Pippin's hand and took it in mine. His hand felt cold and clammy, and I squeezed it reassuringly. He looked at me surprised and startled, but let me anyway.
Sam was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. He shot an empathic look at our entangled fingers and looked at me suspiciously. Pippin let go of my hand and ran forward to catch up with Merry.
Isn't it odd how Sam manages to disturb every moment of peace I have? It's becoming rather frustrating. He immediately started jabbering about how the elves let Gandalf's fireworks out of their song. The fireworks were probably the only thing that Sam really knew about Gandalf. I'm not claiming that I knew Gandalf, but there was more to him than just his fireworks.
'Mr. Frodo?'
'Hm? Yes, Sam, I'm listening, please continue.'
Occasionally I did catch a word of what he was saying; familiar names like 'Mr. Bilbo' and 'Gandalf', but to be honest: I wasn't listening at all. Sam wasn't known to me for saying anything significant.
That night I slept soundlessly, partially due to the elven magic that protected these borders. When I woke up, I felt peaceful, almost.
The other hobbits were still sleeping, but Aragorn was already up and about, cleaning the last stains of orc-blood from his sword.
'Good morning, Frodo.' He said when he noticed me watching.
'Hullo, Aragorn.' I greeted him
I stood up, put on my jacket and cloak, and took Sting with me.
'Where are you going?' Aragorn asked
'Oh, I'm just going to take a walk in the forest.'
'As long as you don't get lost.'
'No, I'll just follow the river.'
I strayed into the woods, wondering at the beauty and magnificence of this forest. I'd never thought I'd ever find a landscape more beautiful than the Shire, but these woods were simply enchanting. The morning sun was being reflected on the surface of the river on my right-hand side. The path I walked was covered in golden leaves and the singing of elves could be heard everywhere.
I sat down on a sun-illuminated spot and closed my eyes, feeling like I could sleep forever. But before long I woke up to the sound of running feet, and if I was not mistaken, according to the noise they made-
'Mr. Frodo!'
Noooo.
I sighed. 'What is it, Sam?'
'Where were you?'
'What do you think?' I answered irritably
Sam sat down too, closer to me than I liked. I shifted uncomfortably.
'What were you doing, Mr. Frodo?' he asked studying my face intently
'Sleeping.'
'Oh well, you can sleep on, Mr. Frodo. Your Sam'll watch over you.'
And that's just the reason why I won't be able to sleep again.
'No, I think I'll go back and check on the others.' I stood up quickly and walked back alongside the river at great speed. I felt Sam's eyes prying in my back. What was wrong with him?
When we arrived at our camp, most people were gone. Legolas and Gimli had departed earlier that morning. Aragorn, Merry and Pippin had gone too. Boromir was cleaning his clothes and armour. I set my feelings of disappointment aside and started a conversation with Boromir. I listened to stories about his youth, his father and brother, Gondor, the White City. anything for not having to talk to Sam.
By the time Boromir fell silent the rest of the company minus Legolas and Gimli had gathered round the fire. We ate a little together and I slept early and soundlessly.
The next day I went for a walk in the woods again, and this time I walked further until I fell asleep somewhere. It took Sam an hour longer than yesterday, but still, he found me. Tomorrow I would have to find a different path to prevent him from finding me.
The night was still spread out against the sky when I woke up. I took my gear with me and exited the camp quietly. Unfortunately, I tripped over Pippin's feet when he moved in his sleep. I hoped he hadn't noticed, but he sat up and asked:
'Where are you going, Frodo?'
'Be still. I'm trying to escape Sam, so don't tell him which way I went.' Pippin grinned.
'Can I come with you?' he asked after a moment of hesitation, in which I had already turned my back on him.
A jolt of happiness rushed through me as I turned to him again.
'Come on, Pip. But be careful not to wake the others.'
Pippin and I set out in an other direction than the one I usually took, and we sought for a path Sam would have difficulty to discover. Pippin came up with the brilliant idea to cross the water, for Sam couldn't swim. We folded up our cloaks and held them over our heads as we crossed the stream.
Halfway through, Pippin lost grip of the bottom and fell headfirst into the water. I laughed and helped him up.
'Not funny!' Pippin said indignantly
'Yes it was!'
Pippin gave me a little shove, causing me to fall in too. Fair enough. We laughed some more and half walked-swam to the other bank. By the time the sun reached it's highest point in the sky, we stopped at a sunlit clearing. When Pippin hung his cloak on a low branch to dry, water was still dripping from it. I laid my cloak, jacket and chemise in the tall grass to dry. I wondered whether Mithril would rust, for I was still wearing the corslet Bilbo gave me. But according to the fact that it was a precious metal, I didn't think it would. Still, I took it off and laid it with the rest of my garments to dry. I lay down in the tall grass too, and studied the sky. It was steely-blue and occasionally a white or grey cloud would drift by. Pippin sat down next to me, and at length he lay down with his head on my bare stomach.
~*~*~*~
I listened to Frodo's light breathing and noticed he was asleep. I raised my head to look at him. He looked, with his elvish-like beauty more at his place here, in Lothlórien than in the Shire. The Ring of Power gleamed innocently in the sun, on its fine silver chain around Frodo's neck. I reached out to touch it, but when only an inch parted my finger and the Ring, I heard Gandalf's voice inside my head. 'Fool of a Took!' I withdrew my hand quickly.
He was right, one could never know indeed what would happen if I touched anything. and it would be very foolish indeed to touch an object of such great evil. I lay my head on Frodo's chest again. The day wore on, but I couldn't sleep. Frodo must've been exhausted, he slept all the time. I sat up and stroked the dark curls out of his face. Frodo rolled onto his side.
'Pippin?' he asked sleepily
I decided to play a little prank on him, like I used to do all the time back in the Shire.
'No, Mr. Frodo, it's Sam.' I imitated Sam's accent
Frodo gasped, bolted upright and crawled away, only to turn around with a half annoyed, half amused look on his face when he heard me laughing.
'Pippin, will you never do that again? You scared me to death!'
'Sorry,' I snickered
Dusk deepened, and we set out to find the path to our camp again. We crossed the river without falling in this time, and wandered the path on the other shore. Suddenly, Frodo halted.
'What is it?' I asked
'What do you make of that?' Frodo asked, pointing out a small figure running along the path in our direction.
'Sam.'
'Just what I thought.'
We walked on, the threat of Sam drawing nearer every step we did. I just started wondering what Frodo was up to, when he pulled me behind a tree. The sound of Sam's feet could now be heard clearly. Frodo peered around the trunk of the tree, and turning back, he looked at me.
'Kiss me.'
'What?!'
He grabbed the back of my head and pulled my face towards his, planting his lips on mine. His other hand slid around my waist as I felt his lips part. Despite the fact that I was overcome with surprise, I closed my eyes and decided to enjoy the moment. Frodo ran his tongue across my lower lip. I opened my mouth and our tongues touched.
When I heard feet halt in front of us I put my arms around him too and moved my hands up and down Frodo's back. I heard Sam gasp and Frodo deepened the kiss. The sound of walking feet slowly moved away and I assumed Sam had gone. I opened my eyes and drew back. Frodo's eyes fluttered open. I raised an eyebrow and asked him why he had done that.
'What do you think?' he asked, and he smiled
So he had just used me to scare off Sam. Even though I had known it was because of that, I still felt a bit disappointed. I had hoped there was more to it than that. You just kissed your 22 years older cousin, are you crazy? Well, were not that close family. I mean, my great-grandfather was his grandmothers brother. You fool, did you really think there would be another reason? Don't you think he didn't realize that? He was just playing with you! But what about that thing three days ago, when he had just grabbed my hand on an impulse.? Are you blind? Didn't you see that Sam was waiting at the bottom of the stairs? He's playing with you, mark my words.
Frodo tried to grab my hand again, but I put it in my pocket in an ostentatious way. Frodo asked me what was wrong.
'What do you think?' I said, using the words he had used on purpose.
Frodo pretended he didn't understand why I said that.
Play on, Frodo.
~*~*~*~
Our company descended from the many stairs which led to the dwellings of the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim, and I lagged behind a bit, so I could keep an eye on Pippin, who was walking at the rear. He had been crying again, I could tell. I wondered what was going on. Was it something the Lady had said to him? Or maybe the lament the elves had sung made him sad.
We descended more steps. Pippin and I walked silently side by side. His hand brushed past mine, and he quickly withdrew it. Some sort of tension grew between us, but it was nothing negative. On the contrary. But it was nothing I could explain, for I never felt anything like it. I had the urge to take his hand in mine, and it was almost as strong as the temptation to put the Ring on when Nazgûl were close.
Bilbo once told me not to yield to temptation, but I saw no harm in this. All I wanted to do was to comfort him. I fumbled for Pippin's hand and took it in mine. His hand felt cold and clammy, and I squeezed it reassuringly. He looked at me surprised and startled, but let me anyway.
Sam was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. He shot an empathic look at our entangled fingers and looked at me suspiciously. Pippin let go of my hand and ran forward to catch up with Merry.
Isn't it odd how Sam manages to disturb every moment of peace I have? It's becoming rather frustrating. He immediately started jabbering about how the elves let Gandalf's fireworks out of their song. The fireworks were probably the only thing that Sam really knew about Gandalf. I'm not claiming that I knew Gandalf, but there was more to him than just his fireworks.
'Mr. Frodo?'
'Hm? Yes, Sam, I'm listening, please continue.'
Occasionally I did catch a word of what he was saying; familiar names like 'Mr. Bilbo' and 'Gandalf', but to be honest: I wasn't listening at all. Sam wasn't known to me for saying anything significant.
That night I slept soundlessly, partially due to the elven magic that protected these borders. When I woke up, I felt peaceful, almost.
The other hobbits were still sleeping, but Aragorn was already up and about, cleaning the last stains of orc-blood from his sword.
'Good morning, Frodo.' He said when he noticed me watching.
'Hullo, Aragorn.' I greeted him
I stood up, put on my jacket and cloak, and took Sting with me.
'Where are you going?' Aragorn asked
'Oh, I'm just going to take a walk in the forest.'
'As long as you don't get lost.'
'No, I'll just follow the river.'
I strayed into the woods, wondering at the beauty and magnificence of this forest. I'd never thought I'd ever find a landscape more beautiful than the Shire, but these woods were simply enchanting. The morning sun was being reflected on the surface of the river on my right-hand side. The path I walked was covered in golden leaves and the singing of elves could be heard everywhere.
I sat down on a sun-illuminated spot and closed my eyes, feeling like I could sleep forever. But before long I woke up to the sound of running feet, and if I was not mistaken, according to the noise they made-
'Mr. Frodo!'
Noooo.
I sighed. 'What is it, Sam?'
'Where were you?'
'What do you think?' I answered irritably
Sam sat down too, closer to me than I liked. I shifted uncomfortably.
'What were you doing, Mr. Frodo?' he asked studying my face intently
'Sleeping.'
'Oh well, you can sleep on, Mr. Frodo. Your Sam'll watch over you.'
And that's just the reason why I won't be able to sleep again.
'No, I think I'll go back and check on the others.' I stood up quickly and walked back alongside the river at great speed. I felt Sam's eyes prying in my back. What was wrong with him?
When we arrived at our camp, most people were gone. Legolas and Gimli had departed earlier that morning. Aragorn, Merry and Pippin had gone too. Boromir was cleaning his clothes and armour. I set my feelings of disappointment aside and started a conversation with Boromir. I listened to stories about his youth, his father and brother, Gondor, the White City. anything for not having to talk to Sam.
By the time Boromir fell silent the rest of the company minus Legolas and Gimli had gathered round the fire. We ate a little together and I slept early and soundlessly.
The next day I went for a walk in the woods again, and this time I walked further until I fell asleep somewhere. It took Sam an hour longer than yesterday, but still, he found me. Tomorrow I would have to find a different path to prevent him from finding me.
The night was still spread out against the sky when I woke up. I took my gear with me and exited the camp quietly. Unfortunately, I tripped over Pippin's feet when he moved in his sleep. I hoped he hadn't noticed, but he sat up and asked:
'Where are you going, Frodo?'
'Be still. I'm trying to escape Sam, so don't tell him which way I went.' Pippin grinned.
'Can I come with you?' he asked after a moment of hesitation, in which I had already turned my back on him.
A jolt of happiness rushed through me as I turned to him again.
'Come on, Pip. But be careful not to wake the others.'
Pippin and I set out in an other direction than the one I usually took, and we sought for a path Sam would have difficulty to discover. Pippin came up with the brilliant idea to cross the water, for Sam couldn't swim. We folded up our cloaks and held them over our heads as we crossed the stream.
Halfway through, Pippin lost grip of the bottom and fell headfirst into the water. I laughed and helped him up.
'Not funny!' Pippin said indignantly
'Yes it was!'
Pippin gave me a little shove, causing me to fall in too. Fair enough. We laughed some more and half walked-swam to the other bank. By the time the sun reached it's highest point in the sky, we stopped at a sunlit clearing. When Pippin hung his cloak on a low branch to dry, water was still dripping from it. I laid my cloak, jacket and chemise in the tall grass to dry. I wondered whether Mithril would rust, for I was still wearing the corslet Bilbo gave me. But according to the fact that it was a precious metal, I didn't think it would. Still, I took it off and laid it with the rest of my garments to dry. I lay down in the tall grass too, and studied the sky. It was steely-blue and occasionally a white or grey cloud would drift by. Pippin sat down next to me, and at length he lay down with his head on my bare stomach.
~*~*~*~
I listened to Frodo's light breathing and noticed he was asleep. I raised my head to look at him. He looked, with his elvish-like beauty more at his place here, in Lothlórien than in the Shire. The Ring of Power gleamed innocently in the sun, on its fine silver chain around Frodo's neck. I reached out to touch it, but when only an inch parted my finger and the Ring, I heard Gandalf's voice inside my head. 'Fool of a Took!' I withdrew my hand quickly.
He was right, one could never know indeed what would happen if I touched anything. and it would be very foolish indeed to touch an object of such great evil. I lay my head on Frodo's chest again. The day wore on, but I couldn't sleep. Frodo must've been exhausted, he slept all the time. I sat up and stroked the dark curls out of his face. Frodo rolled onto his side.
'Pippin?' he asked sleepily
I decided to play a little prank on him, like I used to do all the time back in the Shire.
'No, Mr. Frodo, it's Sam.' I imitated Sam's accent
Frodo gasped, bolted upright and crawled away, only to turn around with a half annoyed, half amused look on his face when he heard me laughing.
'Pippin, will you never do that again? You scared me to death!'
'Sorry,' I snickered
Dusk deepened, and we set out to find the path to our camp again. We crossed the river without falling in this time, and wandered the path on the other shore. Suddenly, Frodo halted.
'What is it?' I asked
'What do you make of that?' Frodo asked, pointing out a small figure running along the path in our direction.
'Sam.'
'Just what I thought.'
We walked on, the threat of Sam drawing nearer every step we did. I just started wondering what Frodo was up to, when he pulled me behind a tree. The sound of Sam's feet could now be heard clearly. Frodo peered around the trunk of the tree, and turning back, he looked at me.
'Kiss me.'
'What?!'
He grabbed the back of my head and pulled my face towards his, planting his lips on mine. His other hand slid around my waist as I felt his lips part. Despite the fact that I was overcome with surprise, I closed my eyes and decided to enjoy the moment. Frodo ran his tongue across my lower lip. I opened my mouth and our tongues touched.
When I heard feet halt in front of us I put my arms around him too and moved my hands up and down Frodo's back. I heard Sam gasp and Frodo deepened the kiss. The sound of walking feet slowly moved away and I assumed Sam had gone. I opened my eyes and drew back. Frodo's eyes fluttered open. I raised an eyebrow and asked him why he had done that.
'What do you think?' he asked, and he smiled
So he had just used me to scare off Sam. Even though I had known it was because of that, I still felt a bit disappointed. I had hoped there was more to it than that. You just kissed your 22 years older cousin, are you crazy? Well, were not that close family. I mean, my great-grandfather was his grandmothers brother. You fool, did you really think there would be another reason? Don't you think he didn't realize that? He was just playing with you! But what about that thing three days ago, when he had just grabbed my hand on an impulse.? Are you blind? Didn't you see that Sam was waiting at the bottom of the stairs? He's playing with you, mark my words.
Frodo tried to grab my hand again, but I put it in my pocket in an ostentatious way. Frodo asked me what was wrong.
'What do you think?' I said, using the words he had used on purpose.
Frodo pretended he didn't understand why I said that.
Play on, Frodo.
~*~*~*~