Author's note: Sorry for the slight delay. My muse attacked me with
inspiration for another story.
***
Six members of the Fellowship sat dejectedly round the table in the main room. No one spoke. Reyalla had left some time ago, saying she would see to horses and ponies for their journeys. She had refused to accept that not one of them would be leaving while Pippin was her prisoner, and they had refused to accept she meant him no harm.
"What are we going to do about Pippin?" Merry asked at last.
"There's nothing we can do," Aragorn said, "Lady Reyalla will make sure we leave."
"But we can't leave him here," Frodo protested.
"I said we would leave," Aragorn responded, "I never said we couldn't come back afterwards." The other five nodded in agreement to his plan. Aragorn decided that this wasn't the time to tell them his plan didn't involve the hobbits coming back. If he told them he would never get them to leave without an argument that would reveal their plan to Lady Reyalla.
Perhaps when they were away from here he would be able to convince them to remain away. It would be easier for him to find Pippin if he came back on his own, or perhaps with Legolas.
As the company sat in silence again, Aragorn's thoughts went to Pippin. He remembered the limp body in his arms and was afraid for him. Whatever that spell had been it was obviously some torture worse than the other pains.
His thoughts also went to the old man he'd seen. He knew it couldn't be Gandalf, since Gandalf would never do anything as terrible as this. But still there was a doubt in his mind. He'd find an answer to that question when he came back on his own.
"Someone's coming," Legolas said, and moments later Aragorn heard it. Two sets of footsteps approaching. He rose to his feet, waiting for whatever would come in. The door opened.
"Pippin!"
The moment Pippin stepped inside, Merry rushed to him and flung his arms round him. The woman who had come with him closed the door behind him.
"Are you alright?" Frodo asked anxiously. Pippin nodded. Once the surprise of seeing his friend was gone, Aragorn noticed that Pippin seemed to be wearing a dress. Maybe it would be better not to ask.
"Why are you wearing a dress?" Merry apparently had other ideas.
"It's the only thing they gave me to wear," Pippin said, looking rather embarrassed about the whole thing.
"Has she hurt you?" Aragorn asked.
"No, not since. . ." Pippin broke off, and rubbed his chest nervously at the point where the symbol had been burned on.
"Do you want me to take a look at that?" Aragorn asked.
"It doesn't hurt," he said sharply. More sharply than he would normally have spoken to a friend.
Pippin let Merry lead him to the table and sit him down. Aragorn noticed he was strangely distracted, but he didn't appear to be in any pain. There was an awkward silence. Aragorn wasn't sure if he should ask Pippin what had happened, and it seemed the others felt the same way. If she had hurt him in ways other than physical pain it would be better that he talk about it in his own time.
At last, Pippin spoke.
"She says she's sending you home tomorrow." There was no need to ask who 'she' was. "And she said that I could come and say goodbye."
"We're not going to leave you, Pippin," Aragorn said.
"You have to. I have to stay."
"Why?" Merry asked.
"Because she's done something to me. I don't know what it is, but it scares me, and the only way to learn what she's done is to stay here."
"She may do worse things."
"She won't hurt me."
"You believe that?" Legolas asked in a tone which suggested he didn't.
"I know it. She won't hurt me."
"We don't know what she's capable of doing."
"She's capable of doing a lot," Pippin said, "but she won't. She won't hurt me." Aragorn heard the absolute certainty in his tone, and for a moment almost believed it himself. Then he remembered what Lady Reyalla had done to him. She was clearly capable of magic, and Pippin was under her spell.
"I just. . . came to say goodbye."
"Please, Pippin, think about this," Merry protested.
"Goodbye, Merry. I hope I'll see you again. I hope I'll see all of you again." Pippin stood, and hugged each of the hobbits, smiled at the others, and then walked slowly to the door. There were tears in Merry's eyes as he watched Pippin leave.
"Why was he acting so strangely?" he asked once the door had closed.
"A spell probably," Aragorn replied. "We will come back for him, he's clearly not safe here."
Aragorn didn't mention that if Pippin was under a spell he might not be willing to come. That meant he couldn't let the hobbits come back. They wouldn't agree to what might be necessary to get him to leave.
***
Author's note: Sorry it's a little shorter than I would have liked, but I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.
***
Six members of the Fellowship sat dejectedly round the table in the main room. No one spoke. Reyalla had left some time ago, saying she would see to horses and ponies for their journeys. She had refused to accept that not one of them would be leaving while Pippin was her prisoner, and they had refused to accept she meant him no harm.
"What are we going to do about Pippin?" Merry asked at last.
"There's nothing we can do," Aragorn said, "Lady Reyalla will make sure we leave."
"But we can't leave him here," Frodo protested.
"I said we would leave," Aragorn responded, "I never said we couldn't come back afterwards." The other five nodded in agreement to his plan. Aragorn decided that this wasn't the time to tell them his plan didn't involve the hobbits coming back. If he told them he would never get them to leave without an argument that would reveal their plan to Lady Reyalla.
Perhaps when they were away from here he would be able to convince them to remain away. It would be easier for him to find Pippin if he came back on his own, or perhaps with Legolas.
As the company sat in silence again, Aragorn's thoughts went to Pippin. He remembered the limp body in his arms and was afraid for him. Whatever that spell had been it was obviously some torture worse than the other pains.
His thoughts also went to the old man he'd seen. He knew it couldn't be Gandalf, since Gandalf would never do anything as terrible as this. But still there was a doubt in his mind. He'd find an answer to that question when he came back on his own.
"Someone's coming," Legolas said, and moments later Aragorn heard it. Two sets of footsteps approaching. He rose to his feet, waiting for whatever would come in. The door opened.
"Pippin!"
The moment Pippin stepped inside, Merry rushed to him and flung his arms round him. The woman who had come with him closed the door behind him.
"Are you alright?" Frodo asked anxiously. Pippin nodded. Once the surprise of seeing his friend was gone, Aragorn noticed that Pippin seemed to be wearing a dress. Maybe it would be better not to ask.
"Why are you wearing a dress?" Merry apparently had other ideas.
"It's the only thing they gave me to wear," Pippin said, looking rather embarrassed about the whole thing.
"Has she hurt you?" Aragorn asked.
"No, not since. . ." Pippin broke off, and rubbed his chest nervously at the point where the symbol had been burned on.
"Do you want me to take a look at that?" Aragorn asked.
"It doesn't hurt," he said sharply. More sharply than he would normally have spoken to a friend.
Pippin let Merry lead him to the table and sit him down. Aragorn noticed he was strangely distracted, but he didn't appear to be in any pain. There was an awkward silence. Aragorn wasn't sure if he should ask Pippin what had happened, and it seemed the others felt the same way. If she had hurt him in ways other than physical pain it would be better that he talk about it in his own time.
At last, Pippin spoke.
"She says she's sending you home tomorrow." There was no need to ask who 'she' was. "And she said that I could come and say goodbye."
"We're not going to leave you, Pippin," Aragorn said.
"You have to. I have to stay."
"Why?" Merry asked.
"Because she's done something to me. I don't know what it is, but it scares me, and the only way to learn what she's done is to stay here."
"She may do worse things."
"She won't hurt me."
"You believe that?" Legolas asked in a tone which suggested he didn't.
"I know it. She won't hurt me."
"We don't know what she's capable of doing."
"She's capable of doing a lot," Pippin said, "but she won't. She won't hurt me." Aragorn heard the absolute certainty in his tone, and for a moment almost believed it himself. Then he remembered what Lady Reyalla had done to him. She was clearly capable of magic, and Pippin was under her spell.
"I just. . . came to say goodbye."
"Please, Pippin, think about this," Merry protested.
"Goodbye, Merry. I hope I'll see you again. I hope I'll see all of you again." Pippin stood, and hugged each of the hobbits, smiled at the others, and then walked slowly to the door. There were tears in Merry's eyes as he watched Pippin leave.
"Why was he acting so strangely?" he asked once the door had closed.
"A spell probably," Aragorn replied. "We will come back for him, he's clearly not safe here."
Aragorn didn't mention that if Pippin was under a spell he might not be willing to come. That meant he couldn't let the hobbits come back. They wouldn't agree to what might be necessary to get him to leave.
***
Author's note: Sorry it's a little shorter than I would have liked, but I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.
