Chapter four: even though you're close to me, you're distant, but I can
bring you back
I was following Merry, who had stood up and ran after Pippin as soon as he had fled. Merry suddenly halted and put up his hand. Dull, thudding noises could be heard. We walked silently into the direction of the noise.
Pippin was slamming his head into a tree, while muttering something indistinguishable. Merry grabbed him by his shoulder and turned him around. Pippin looked at us in a confused way.
'Pippin, stop that, you poseur.' Merry said impatiently
Pippins eyes started to smoulder like hot coals and he lashed out at Merry, who let go of him immediately, thunder-stricken. Pippin ran off as fast as he could.
'Did he just hit me?' Merry asked
I nodded.
'Something's really wrong with him. I used to be able to tell him anything, you know.'
I set off after Pippin, but I couldn't overtake him, for his emotions gave him an incredible speed. I slowed down, panting, but I kept following his trail. I would find him, even if it would take me days.
Merry had lagged behind, or he hadn't even followed me at all. I had been tracking Pippin down for hours now, following his trail of footprints and sometimes even pieces of fabric from his cloak that had been caught in branches. I approached the river Celebrant. What was it with Pippin and rivers when he was upset? He wasn't going to drown himself, was he?
As I broke into a run again, the foreboding feeling became stronger and stronger until it turned into sheer panic.
'Pippin!' I screamed
My mouth and throat had become entirely dry, and breathing started to hurt. But I would not risk any harm to him, and there was no time to waste. Suddenly he came into view.
He was sitting solemnly and utterly lost by the riverside. I halted, leaning against a tree. My ragged breathing became distant as Pippin turned around.
Tears of anger and sorrow had stained his face, and they were still rolling down his cheeks. In some way I was relieved, for he hadn't tried to commit suicide, so I sank to my knees, trying to catch my breath.
'Frodo?' Pippin crawled towards me
'I'm alright. What happened?'
He did not answer immediately. Blood seeping from a cut in his forehead was now dripping into the corner of his eye, where it mingled with fresh tears.
'I don't know.' he lied
'I don't mind if you don't want to tell me.'
'I'm sorry.'
I had guessed long ago what it was that Merry wanted Pippin to tell me. I looked at him intently, but he avoided my gaze. I leaned in and kissed him. I felt his warm blood and cold tears on my face.
'Now I've smeared blood all over your face.' Pippin said disapprovingly as he drew back and looked at me. I shrugged.
'Come, let me get it off.' He said as he dragged me to the river to wash the blood off my face and off his own.
Darkness had crept into the forest of fair Lothlórien in the meantime, so we decided we'd better wait till broad daylight before we would try and find our way back to the camp. I sat down with my back against a tree and Pippin sat down between my legs, leaning against my chest. I ran my fingers through his thick curls.
I wondered whether the others had noticed we hadn't come back yet. Aragorn most certainly would, that was for sure. He never missed anything.
'What do you reckon will have happened to Merry?' I asked Pippin. 'He definitely hasn't followed me.'
'I don't know. Perhaps he has gone back to the camp or something.'
'Yes, perhaps.'
After a while Pippin lay down on the ground with his cloak around him. I lay down beside him and put my arms around him. The ground felt just as cold as the light of the veiled stars above us looked. It was a good thing Pippin and I had each other to keep us warm. Pippin fell asleep before the crescent moon had reached it's highest point in the sky, but as he slept he would often talk to someone in his dreams.
'. shut up. I'm not. listening. .I will not. take the. easy way.out. you cannot. make me. .no. you. cannot make me.'
And then he would toss and turn in his sleep and grip me tight as though afraid to lose me if he let go. I rested my hand on his head, and let my fingers pass through his curls. I called him by his name.
'Pippin.'
'Hm.' he said, letting me know he was listening without opening his eyes.
'What were you dreaming about?'
'Huh?'
'You were talking in your sleep.'
'Oh?' was his simple reply before he went to sit on top of me.
He bent forward to kiss me, leaning on his right elbow, and sliding his left hand down my face and throat. I knew he was doing this to distract me from the subject, and that he knew very well what I was talking about.
There was something he hadn't told me, and I had the feeling that it didn't have anything to do with me. But, considering the fact that I enjoyed this far better than heaving deep conversations I just played along with him. Sooner or later he would tell me, I trusted. I slid my hands underneath his chemise. Pippin shivered, and I smiled, knowing that my hands were -always- as cold as ice. He bit my lip teasingly in return.
It was not before the moon set behind the tree tops before we did another attempt to sleep.
~*~*~*~
The rising sun set a wisp of cloud spread across the pale blue sky ablaze in every colour between pink and gold as the nightly mists were lifted from the woods of Lothlórien. Dew glittered in Frodo's hair, and he looked so beautiful that I did not dare to wake him up.
But even as the sun rose to her highest point in the sky, Frodo still slept on. I prodded him in an attempt to wake him up.
'Frodo.'
Nothing happened.
'Frodo!'
He still lay motionless. It was time for same drastic action. I grabbed his arm and shook him.
'Wake up, Mr. Frodo, sir.'
'Very funny, Pippin.' Frodo said annoyedly after snapping his eyes open.
'Perhaps not,' I said, 'but that is not the point. It did wake you up, though.'
'That is true.'
'Don't you think it's about time we headed back to the camp?'
Frodo studied the sky and then concluded I was quite right.
By nightfall we reached the camp. The others were gathered around the fire, eating their meals.
'We were already beginning to wonder where you had gone off to.' Strider said, looking at us as though trying to read our minds.
'No need to,' Frodo said light-heartedly, 'we're back.'
He sat down between Sam and Merry, and Merry shifted a bit so that I could sit between them.
'Hey, Pip?'
'Yes?'
'I'm sorry about yesterday.'
'I'm sorry I hit you. But you should not feel sorry about anything. Everything turned out alright in the end.' I told him with a mischievous grin.
Merry mirrored my grin, knowing what I was implying. On my right, Sam was annoying Frodo with an endless stream of questions.
'Some change seems to have come over you, Mr. Frodo. Where have you been? What have you done?'
'Nothing, Sam.' Frodo said in the soft voice he always used when he was lying or holding back the truth.
I grinned again, and Merry shot me a quizzical look. When I nodded towards Sam, Merry rolled his eyes. Apparently he had been following their 'conversation' too. Suddenly Strider stood up and he announced that we would be leaving the woods of Lothlórien within a couple of days.
It was about time, considering the fact that we had been here for almost a month, though I did not look forward to leaving the safety of these woods and picking up our perilous quest again. No one did.
But it was the only choice we had. The fate of Middle-earth had been laid in our hands. So much depended on us, and the succeeding of this quest. I didn't even want to think about what would happen when we would fail, but images of a burning Shire already started to loom up from the darkness when I stared at the fire in front of me.
I wish Gandalf was still here, he would know what to do. Not that I didn't trust Strider, but it always seemed to me that Gandalf had a real plan with the Fellowship.
But thanks to you Gandalf is no more. and merely wishing he'd come back is not an option.
No. not you again.
'Pippin?'
'Hm?'
'What is wrong?'
'Nothing. I was just thinking.'
'Yes, of course.' I could tell Frodo didn't believe me, but that didn't surprise me. I have never been very convincing when lying, just like him.
Frodo grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Some fellowship members stared at us in wonder, others in a resigned way. Some were just too occupied with their food to notice. No need to explain who that would be, I guess.
Frodo and I slept, no, spent the night, more like, in his 'bed'. We had been kissing passionately for some time, and the other member of the fellowship were getting very annoyed, I believe, when Frodo slid his icy hands under my garments again, causing a rather hilarious situation.
'Aaaaah!' I gasped, startled from the freezing hands on my back.
Some people sat up.
'Are you two quite finished?' Boromir called
'Right. whose was that sickening moan?'
'Pippin, you slut!' Merry said in between a fit of hysterical laughter
'That was rather disturbing.' Legolas commented
'Honestly, what are they thinking?' Frodo exclaimed
'Do you really want me to answer that?' I asked
'Well, no. not really.'
'Then why did you ask?'
'SHUT UP!' the Company bellowed as one man
Lucky for us we were in such an understanding company who took things like these easy.
~*~*~*~
A/N: That was about it. I hope you enjoyed my new McChapter and I hope you all McSend me a nice McReview! McMoeha! I'm in such a McAnnoying mood today, but that's beside the point. Thanks to all my McReviewers! Lady Aurian
I was following Merry, who had stood up and ran after Pippin as soon as he had fled. Merry suddenly halted and put up his hand. Dull, thudding noises could be heard. We walked silently into the direction of the noise.
Pippin was slamming his head into a tree, while muttering something indistinguishable. Merry grabbed him by his shoulder and turned him around. Pippin looked at us in a confused way.
'Pippin, stop that, you poseur.' Merry said impatiently
Pippins eyes started to smoulder like hot coals and he lashed out at Merry, who let go of him immediately, thunder-stricken. Pippin ran off as fast as he could.
'Did he just hit me?' Merry asked
I nodded.
'Something's really wrong with him. I used to be able to tell him anything, you know.'
I set off after Pippin, but I couldn't overtake him, for his emotions gave him an incredible speed. I slowed down, panting, but I kept following his trail. I would find him, even if it would take me days.
Merry had lagged behind, or he hadn't even followed me at all. I had been tracking Pippin down for hours now, following his trail of footprints and sometimes even pieces of fabric from his cloak that had been caught in branches. I approached the river Celebrant. What was it with Pippin and rivers when he was upset? He wasn't going to drown himself, was he?
As I broke into a run again, the foreboding feeling became stronger and stronger until it turned into sheer panic.
'Pippin!' I screamed
My mouth and throat had become entirely dry, and breathing started to hurt. But I would not risk any harm to him, and there was no time to waste. Suddenly he came into view.
He was sitting solemnly and utterly lost by the riverside. I halted, leaning against a tree. My ragged breathing became distant as Pippin turned around.
Tears of anger and sorrow had stained his face, and they were still rolling down his cheeks. In some way I was relieved, for he hadn't tried to commit suicide, so I sank to my knees, trying to catch my breath.
'Frodo?' Pippin crawled towards me
'I'm alright. What happened?'
He did not answer immediately. Blood seeping from a cut in his forehead was now dripping into the corner of his eye, where it mingled with fresh tears.
'I don't know.' he lied
'I don't mind if you don't want to tell me.'
'I'm sorry.'
I had guessed long ago what it was that Merry wanted Pippin to tell me. I looked at him intently, but he avoided my gaze. I leaned in and kissed him. I felt his warm blood and cold tears on my face.
'Now I've smeared blood all over your face.' Pippin said disapprovingly as he drew back and looked at me. I shrugged.
'Come, let me get it off.' He said as he dragged me to the river to wash the blood off my face and off his own.
Darkness had crept into the forest of fair Lothlórien in the meantime, so we decided we'd better wait till broad daylight before we would try and find our way back to the camp. I sat down with my back against a tree and Pippin sat down between my legs, leaning against my chest. I ran my fingers through his thick curls.
I wondered whether the others had noticed we hadn't come back yet. Aragorn most certainly would, that was for sure. He never missed anything.
'What do you reckon will have happened to Merry?' I asked Pippin. 'He definitely hasn't followed me.'
'I don't know. Perhaps he has gone back to the camp or something.'
'Yes, perhaps.'
After a while Pippin lay down on the ground with his cloak around him. I lay down beside him and put my arms around him. The ground felt just as cold as the light of the veiled stars above us looked. It was a good thing Pippin and I had each other to keep us warm. Pippin fell asleep before the crescent moon had reached it's highest point in the sky, but as he slept he would often talk to someone in his dreams.
'. shut up. I'm not. listening. .I will not. take the. easy way.out. you cannot. make me. .no. you. cannot make me.'
And then he would toss and turn in his sleep and grip me tight as though afraid to lose me if he let go. I rested my hand on his head, and let my fingers pass through his curls. I called him by his name.
'Pippin.'
'Hm.' he said, letting me know he was listening without opening his eyes.
'What were you dreaming about?'
'Huh?'
'You were talking in your sleep.'
'Oh?' was his simple reply before he went to sit on top of me.
He bent forward to kiss me, leaning on his right elbow, and sliding his left hand down my face and throat. I knew he was doing this to distract me from the subject, and that he knew very well what I was talking about.
There was something he hadn't told me, and I had the feeling that it didn't have anything to do with me. But, considering the fact that I enjoyed this far better than heaving deep conversations I just played along with him. Sooner or later he would tell me, I trusted. I slid my hands underneath his chemise. Pippin shivered, and I smiled, knowing that my hands were -always- as cold as ice. He bit my lip teasingly in return.
It was not before the moon set behind the tree tops before we did another attempt to sleep.
~*~*~*~
The rising sun set a wisp of cloud spread across the pale blue sky ablaze in every colour between pink and gold as the nightly mists were lifted from the woods of Lothlórien. Dew glittered in Frodo's hair, and he looked so beautiful that I did not dare to wake him up.
But even as the sun rose to her highest point in the sky, Frodo still slept on. I prodded him in an attempt to wake him up.
'Frodo.'
Nothing happened.
'Frodo!'
He still lay motionless. It was time for same drastic action. I grabbed his arm and shook him.
'Wake up, Mr. Frodo, sir.'
'Very funny, Pippin.' Frodo said annoyedly after snapping his eyes open.
'Perhaps not,' I said, 'but that is not the point. It did wake you up, though.'
'That is true.'
'Don't you think it's about time we headed back to the camp?'
Frodo studied the sky and then concluded I was quite right.
By nightfall we reached the camp. The others were gathered around the fire, eating their meals.
'We were already beginning to wonder where you had gone off to.' Strider said, looking at us as though trying to read our minds.
'No need to,' Frodo said light-heartedly, 'we're back.'
He sat down between Sam and Merry, and Merry shifted a bit so that I could sit between them.
'Hey, Pip?'
'Yes?'
'I'm sorry about yesterday.'
'I'm sorry I hit you. But you should not feel sorry about anything. Everything turned out alright in the end.' I told him with a mischievous grin.
Merry mirrored my grin, knowing what I was implying. On my right, Sam was annoying Frodo with an endless stream of questions.
'Some change seems to have come over you, Mr. Frodo. Where have you been? What have you done?'
'Nothing, Sam.' Frodo said in the soft voice he always used when he was lying or holding back the truth.
I grinned again, and Merry shot me a quizzical look. When I nodded towards Sam, Merry rolled his eyes. Apparently he had been following their 'conversation' too. Suddenly Strider stood up and he announced that we would be leaving the woods of Lothlórien within a couple of days.
It was about time, considering the fact that we had been here for almost a month, though I did not look forward to leaving the safety of these woods and picking up our perilous quest again. No one did.
But it was the only choice we had. The fate of Middle-earth had been laid in our hands. So much depended on us, and the succeeding of this quest. I didn't even want to think about what would happen when we would fail, but images of a burning Shire already started to loom up from the darkness when I stared at the fire in front of me.
I wish Gandalf was still here, he would know what to do. Not that I didn't trust Strider, but it always seemed to me that Gandalf had a real plan with the Fellowship.
But thanks to you Gandalf is no more. and merely wishing he'd come back is not an option.
No. not you again.
'Pippin?'
'Hm?'
'What is wrong?'
'Nothing. I was just thinking.'
'Yes, of course.' I could tell Frodo didn't believe me, but that didn't surprise me. I have never been very convincing when lying, just like him.
Frodo grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Some fellowship members stared at us in wonder, others in a resigned way. Some were just too occupied with their food to notice. No need to explain who that would be, I guess.
Frodo and I slept, no, spent the night, more like, in his 'bed'. We had been kissing passionately for some time, and the other member of the fellowship were getting very annoyed, I believe, when Frodo slid his icy hands under my garments again, causing a rather hilarious situation.
'Aaaaah!' I gasped, startled from the freezing hands on my back.
Some people sat up.
'Are you two quite finished?' Boromir called
'Right. whose was that sickening moan?'
'Pippin, you slut!' Merry said in between a fit of hysterical laughter
'That was rather disturbing.' Legolas commented
'Honestly, what are they thinking?' Frodo exclaimed
'Do you really want me to answer that?' I asked
'Well, no. not really.'
'Then why did you ask?'
'SHUT UP!' the Company bellowed as one man
Lucky for us we were in such an understanding company who took things like these easy.
~*~*~*~
A/N: That was about it. I hope you enjoyed my new McChapter and I hope you all McSend me a nice McReview! McMoeha! I'm in such a McAnnoying mood today, but that's beside the point. Thanks to all my McReviewers! Lady Aurian