Night fell silently, the small taverns full of men still celebrating the
downfall of Sauron, unaware the in the main citadel another war was being
waged but this battle was private, a matter for those to deal with that
could.
In a small side room away from the main hall Gandalf stood silent, his
fingers knitted together in thought, his mind running over what Sam had
told him.
"Gandalf, if Frodo has made a bargain with Sauron there is little we can do, the power of the Rings are fading, they no longer have the strength to force Sauron out of hiding as once they did." Gandalf looked up to meet the closed eyes of Lord Elrond.
"There must be something we can do, I will not abandon Frodo to His will, we have fought him off before we can do it again." Aragorn looked to Gandalf, his grey eyes ablaze.
*To me they look for permission, guidance, but there is none that I can give* Gandalf breathed deeply and looked up to answer them.
"Frodo has not told us himself what has happened, I fear that, as Lord Elrond has said, there is little we can do. Before we make any moves I advise caution, if Sauron has gone to such lengths to secure Frodo there is little that he will not do to protect him from us. Watch Frodo, watch his actions and his words, for out loud he will tell us nothing that will not be relayed to the Dark Lord but perhaps he will tell us without him realising it." Watching the faces of his friends he saw acceptance and frustration follow each other over their hearts.
*I can only hope that he will be able to save himself before he needs our aid*
Moving away from the Wise Aragorn turned toward the door that led to the main chamber where the Hobbits slept. Feeling a light touch brush his arm he turned to face Legolas.
"Aragorn, I felt him there, it was if he were behind a bright light, just an echo, but there. He is growing stronger, and yet I feel no danger, nothing immediate, more a warning of something that could come to pass if we do nothing now."
The elf's eyes were bright, urgent. Aragorn looked back to the window where Gandalf and Elrond stood, speaking in hushed tones.
"I feel it also, but I know that this is not our battle anymore, the fight is Frodo's, they have seen it too" He said motioning to Lord Elrond and Gandalf. "If we try to interfere the situation will become worse by our intervention, now we must watch and wait."
"If we do nothing, when the time comes, Frodo may not be able to ask for our help." Legolas whispered
"Let us hope then that that time never comes" Aragorn answered, turning away he opened the door and entered the main hall, the warm air rushing in to him, firelight flickering on to the faces of the Hobbits as they talked by the fire, their faces more animated than he has seen them for days, their voices hushed as they saw Aragorn walk toward them.
"You should try to rest, especially you Sam." Aragorn knelt down looking in to their faces, Pippin looked away *still he feels guilty but Pippin will have to come later*, Sam was his main worry, the gardener was pale, dark circles etched into his skin, despite what he had told them something had happened last night, maybe, that he did not remember.
"I will, I will it is just hard to sleep knowing that Mister Frodo is in danger."
"Sam, Frodo is safe for now, he is resting as you should be. We are trying to understand what is happening, but until we do I need to ask you to take care of him." Aragorn said, reaching down he clasped Sam's shoulder in his hand and met his eyes. "He needs you, now more than ever, Sam, when he returns to the Shire, watch him, until he tells you what has happened there is little we can do. We all care about Frodo but now only Frodo can help himself."
Standing slowly Aragorn looked in to their faces one more time, *For all of their ignorance of battle this war could not have been won without them*
"Rest now" With those words Aragorn turned away and left the hall, his footsteps fading in to the darkness.
Sam looked down to his hands, the skin was still unmarked, turning them over he felt two eyes watching him. He looked up to find Pippin staring at them.
"Mister Pippin?"
"Do they still hurt Sam? I'm sure it would hurt me if . that had happened to me."
Sam looked down at his hands again, the smooth skin crinkled when he bent his fingers and smoothed when he opened them.
"No, they don't, Mister Pip."
Reaching over Pippin grabbed Sam's hand in his own and turned it over.
"You know Sam, this should have happened to me, I should be punished..if it wasn't for me Frodo would still be safe and none of this would have happened to you."
"Pip!" Merry grabbed Pippin and pulled him away. He had been watching the two talking and felt a sliver of fear run through him when Pippin spoke.
"Mister Pippin, t'werent none o' your fault what happened to my hands, you couldn't have done anything bout."
Pippin pulled away quickly from his cousins restraining arms, jumping up he turned to face Sam.
"Not that, what happened last night.If I hadn't broken the Seeing Stone then you would never have."
"Pippin that's enough!" Merry shouted, his dark eyes angry as he looked on his cousins face.
"Wait a second, I don't understand what you saying Mister Pippin, nothing happened last night I just had a few nightmares is all, I think that with all the shock and everything." Sam looked from Merry to Pippin and back again, fear building in his mind. Like bubbles rising from underneath a deep lake, thoughts and memories started to come back to him.
"Sam." Merry looked at the gardener, the blood began to drain from his face leaving it a ghostly white, his eyes went blank and his hands started to tremble.
"Sam! Pippin go and get Gandalf and Elrond" Pippin turned to look at Merry.
"What did I say?" Merry looked up to his cousin, blank fear and confusion were written over his features.
"Pip now!" Merry screamed, Sam let out a terrified scream and collapsed. Turning Pippin ran for the far door and pounded on it, hearing footsteps coming he moved out of the way. The door opened and Gandalf looked out.
"Peregrin, what is wrong?" Looking up she saw Merry by the fireside holding on to a limp Sam, whispering a low curse Gandalf turned and motioned to the elf Lord. Pippin watched as Gandalf and Lord Elrond hurried to Sam's side.
"What did I say?" A slow tear slid down his face and fell to the floor, turning he heard a voice whisper in his ear
*Sleep little one, your night is near*
Pippin felt his eyelids grow heavy but turned to the far doors that led out to the gardens he saw a small shadow, moonlight fell on it's face for an instant, before sleep claimed him Pippin called to the shadow.
"Frodo?"
"Gandalf, if Frodo has made a bargain with Sauron there is little we can do, the power of the Rings are fading, they no longer have the strength to force Sauron out of hiding as once they did." Gandalf looked up to meet the closed eyes of Lord Elrond.
"There must be something we can do, I will not abandon Frodo to His will, we have fought him off before we can do it again." Aragorn looked to Gandalf, his grey eyes ablaze.
*To me they look for permission, guidance, but there is none that I can give* Gandalf breathed deeply and looked up to answer them.
"Frodo has not told us himself what has happened, I fear that, as Lord Elrond has said, there is little we can do. Before we make any moves I advise caution, if Sauron has gone to such lengths to secure Frodo there is little that he will not do to protect him from us. Watch Frodo, watch his actions and his words, for out loud he will tell us nothing that will not be relayed to the Dark Lord but perhaps he will tell us without him realising it." Watching the faces of his friends he saw acceptance and frustration follow each other over their hearts.
*I can only hope that he will be able to save himself before he needs our aid*
Moving away from the Wise Aragorn turned toward the door that led to the main chamber where the Hobbits slept. Feeling a light touch brush his arm he turned to face Legolas.
"Aragorn, I felt him there, it was if he were behind a bright light, just an echo, but there. He is growing stronger, and yet I feel no danger, nothing immediate, more a warning of something that could come to pass if we do nothing now."
The elf's eyes were bright, urgent. Aragorn looked back to the window where Gandalf and Elrond stood, speaking in hushed tones.
"I feel it also, but I know that this is not our battle anymore, the fight is Frodo's, they have seen it too" He said motioning to Lord Elrond and Gandalf. "If we try to interfere the situation will become worse by our intervention, now we must watch and wait."
"If we do nothing, when the time comes, Frodo may not be able to ask for our help." Legolas whispered
"Let us hope then that that time never comes" Aragorn answered, turning away he opened the door and entered the main hall, the warm air rushing in to him, firelight flickering on to the faces of the Hobbits as they talked by the fire, their faces more animated than he has seen them for days, their voices hushed as they saw Aragorn walk toward them.
"You should try to rest, especially you Sam." Aragorn knelt down looking in to their faces, Pippin looked away *still he feels guilty but Pippin will have to come later*, Sam was his main worry, the gardener was pale, dark circles etched into his skin, despite what he had told them something had happened last night, maybe, that he did not remember.
"I will, I will it is just hard to sleep knowing that Mister Frodo is in danger."
"Sam, Frodo is safe for now, he is resting as you should be. We are trying to understand what is happening, but until we do I need to ask you to take care of him." Aragorn said, reaching down he clasped Sam's shoulder in his hand and met his eyes. "He needs you, now more than ever, Sam, when he returns to the Shire, watch him, until he tells you what has happened there is little we can do. We all care about Frodo but now only Frodo can help himself."
Standing slowly Aragorn looked in to their faces one more time, *For all of their ignorance of battle this war could not have been won without them*
"Rest now" With those words Aragorn turned away and left the hall, his footsteps fading in to the darkness.
Sam looked down to his hands, the skin was still unmarked, turning them over he felt two eyes watching him. He looked up to find Pippin staring at them.
"Mister Pippin?"
"Do they still hurt Sam? I'm sure it would hurt me if . that had happened to me."
Sam looked down at his hands again, the smooth skin crinkled when he bent his fingers and smoothed when he opened them.
"No, they don't, Mister Pip."
Reaching over Pippin grabbed Sam's hand in his own and turned it over.
"You know Sam, this should have happened to me, I should be punished..if it wasn't for me Frodo would still be safe and none of this would have happened to you."
"Pip!" Merry grabbed Pippin and pulled him away. He had been watching the two talking and felt a sliver of fear run through him when Pippin spoke.
"Mister Pippin, t'werent none o' your fault what happened to my hands, you couldn't have done anything bout."
Pippin pulled away quickly from his cousins restraining arms, jumping up he turned to face Sam.
"Not that, what happened last night.If I hadn't broken the Seeing Stone then you would never have."
"Pippin that's enough!" Merry shouted, his dark eyes angry as he looked on his cousins face.
"Wait a second, I don't understand what you saying Mister Pippin, nothing happened last night I just had a few nightmares is all, I think that with all the shock and everything." Sam looked from Merry to Pippin and back again, fear building in his mind. Like bubbles rising from underneath a deep lake, thoughts and memories started to come back to him.
"Sam." Merry looked at the gardener, the blood began to drain from his face leaving it a ghostly white, his eyes went blank and his hands started to tremble.
"Sam! Pippin go and get Gandalf and Elrond" Pippin turned to look at Merry.
"What did I say?" Merry looked up to his cousin, blank fear and confusion were written over his features.
"Pip now!" Merry screamed, Sam let out a terrified scream and collapsed. Turning Pippin ran for the far door and pounded on it, hearing footsteps coming he moved out of the way. The door opened and Gandalf looked out.
"Peregrin, what is wrong?" Looking up she saw Merry by the fireside holding on to a limp Sam, whispering a low curse Gandalf turned and motioned to the elf Lord. Pippin watched as Gandalf and Lord Elrond hurried to Sam's side.
"What did I say?" A slow tear slid down his face and fell to the floor, turning he heard a voice whisper in his ear
*Sleep little one, your night is near*
Pippin felt his eyelids grow heavy but turned to the far doors that led out to the gardens he saw a small shadow, moonlight fell on it's face for an instant, before sleep claimed him Pippin called to the shadow.
"Frodo?"