Merry and Pippin
Note: Umm, does anybody even read what I write up here? Probably not. Oh well, if somebody chances to glance up here, here's a riddle for you. A dozen royals gathered 'round, Entertained by two who clown. All of them had servants ten, Though none of them were also men. The lowest servant sometimes might Defeat the king in a fair fight. A weapon stout, a priceless jewel, A beat of life, a farmer's tool. What the heck am I talking about?? Review, and I'll tell you the answer next chapter.
~ Chapter VII- A Contemplating Captive and the Cat got away with a Tongue~
Merry watched through the barred window of his cage as Pippin wordlessly sat down a tray laden with food a few feet (or meters, if you're feelin' scientific. I'm not. Stupid biology!!) away. His brother slowly removed the cakes and sweets that littered the tray before placing it within his reach. Pippin quickly glanced around before tossing the delicious looking morsels into a bush. Merry, being, of course, a hobbit, was greatly appalled.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy, Pip?" He cried with dismay. "Is it poisoned, or something?" Pippin didn't speak; he merely shook his head and stared at Merry with piercing eyes.
"Then give it here. I'm starving!" (Merry hadn't eaten in well over an hour, you know.) Merry shivered as he once again caught Pippin's mournful gaze. Why wasn't he talking? Usually the trouble with Pippin was getting him to shut up! It was clear from his expression that he wanted to tell Merry something, so why wasn't he talking? But Pippin just stared with clear blue eyes that were as sad and mysterious as the ocean.
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FIVE DAYS LATER
The sight of his brother enraged Merry. When Pippin wasn't bringing food, he sat silently beside the cage, as if he was guarding his brother. Merry hadn't seen Gollum for three days, when he had found the discarded food in the bush...
TWO DAYS EARLIER
Gollum came out of his mushroom house to check on the fattening process of his next meal. A faint breeze was blowing (a fairly common occurrence in Autumn) and the scent of spoiling desserts was blown to Gollum's super sensitive sniffer. A faint growl emerged from deep within his throat, and he grabbed Pippin in his rage. The voiceless hobbit was dragged into the house. A black eye and many bruises later, the muted halfing limped out. He had tears in his eyes.
TWO DAYS LATER (AGAIN)
After that day, Pippin had quickly devoured all of the food Gollum generously rationed out, with the exception of bread, water, and the mushrooms pulled tight from the witch's house, right in front of him. He gobbled it all up, no matter how Merry protested. He had tried everything he could think of, but nothing stopped the gluttonous Shireling. He remembered the one-sided conversation from yesterday...
{"I can't believe you, you traitor! I'm here because of you! I could have been safely home with Mom, but no! I came after you! And you have the nerve to steal my food! You're no brother of mine! You're nothing but trouble. I bet you're what drove Bilbo over the edge and got us here in the first place! Well, you just see if I ever help you again...}
Yes, it was harsh, hateful even, but hobbits take food very seriously. Merry would have apologized in a second, if Pippin had just said he was sorry. Was the younger hobbit just too ashamed to talk to him? Merry was hungry and mad, and in no mood to think of it at the moment. So instead, his thoughts wondered elsewhere...
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(COOL FLASHBACK-Y TYPE SEQUENCE)
"Merry, come here for a second, please." Arwen called quietly. Both hobbit lads had been playing hard at rock throwing, and little Pippin had curled up under a tree for a nap a few moments ago.
"What is it, Mom?" Merry asked, wondering if he was in trouble.
"I want to tell you something very important, so listen well. Many years ago, when I was living in Rivendell with my father, some very strange things happened. One dark and stormy night, an elderly woman came into Rivendell with an old donkey. She said that her donkey had stepped on a thorn and couldn't carry her to an inn, so she needed a place to whether out the storm until morning. I offered her a place in my house. When morning came and the old woman was getting ready to leave, I went to the donkey and pulled the thorn out of its hoof. As they were heading out, the woman offered to give me a rose for my kindness. It was the only thing of worth she had, and I told her that couldn't accept it. It seemed wrong to take away the only thing she had. I wasn't looking to get paid when I let her stay, and I told her that. She instantly changed into the great Elven sorceress Galadriel, and her donkey into the mighty stead Shadowfax. To repay me, she told me that if I, or any of my decedents, were ever in need, I could call on her for help."
"Wow! So you can call on her any time you want? That's great!" Merry had mused, thinking of all the things he could ask for from the Great Galadriel.
"Oh, no! You must never think that! You can only call upon her one time, and she might not be able to come immediately. And there are things she cannot do. There are limitations to all magic. For one thing, she can't raise the dead, nor kill anyone. And even if she is unable to help you, she is not obliged to come again. Do you understand, Merry?"
"Yes, Mom. Only call her once, might not be able to help. How do you get her to come?"
"There is a spell that she taught me, that will summon her. Now remember, only use it if you are in danger and you are sure that there is NO other way out. Now, the spell goes like this..."
(UN-COOL FLASHBACK-Y TYPE SEQUENCE)
Merry had thought about using the spell, but decided to wait. He could do it later, and another method of escape might present itself. Those types of spells were dreadfully useful to have available, and he wasn't about waste it unnecessarily.
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Pippin watched his brother look onto him with disgust. He met his brother's gaze with an apologetic look. It was the only thing he could do. If only Merry knew how much he wanted to speak, to warn him! But Gollum's spell had taken away his voice for that very reason. Pippin moaned, but no sound came out. He was a captive (he wasn't caged or chained, but he couldn't leave his brother, so the bonds were there just the same), he was scared, and his stomach hadn't ached this much since Uncle Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday. Since he couldn't hide Gollum's food, he had to eat it himself to keep it from Merry. How ironic, that a hobbit would despair because he was forced to eat, but that's what was happening to Pippin. He knew every mouthful brought him closer to death, and every bite he swallowed stuck in his throat. The only thing that kept him from throwing up was that every bite he ate was one less to fatten up Merry. Pippin had decided to save Merry from becoming hobbit-soufflé, even if it cost him his own life in exchange...
_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+
Bum, bum, buuuuuum! What's gonna happen? You know, when I don't get reviews, I feel sad, and when I feel sad, it makes bad things happen to good characters. Not a good thing, considering the last line of this chapter. So, it would be in your best interest to review, ok? The Moral- When Old people need a place to stay on a dark and stormy night, it's probably in your best interest to be nice.
Never pet a burning dog!! ~Enovajay ethay ategrey iterwray
Note: Umm, does anybody even read what I write up here? Probably not. Oh well, if somebody chances to glance up here, here's a riddle for you. A dozen royals gathered 'round, Entertained by two who clown. All of them had servants ten, Though none of them were also men. The lowest servant sometimes might Defeat the king in a fair fight. A weapon stout, a priceless jewel, A beat of life, a farmer's tool. What the heck am I talking about?? Review, and I'll tell you the answer next chapter.
~ Chapter VII- A Contemplating Captive and the Cat got away with a Tongue~
Merry watched through the barred window of his cage as Pippin wordlessly sat down a tray laden with food a few feet (or meters, if you're feelin' scientific. I'm not. Stupid biology!!) away. His brother slowly removed the cakes and sweets that littered the tray before placing it within his reach. Pippin quickly glanced around before tossing the delicious looking morsels into a bush. Merry, being, of course, a hobbit, was greatly appalled.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy, Pip?" He cried with dismay. "Is it poisoned, or something?" Pippin didn't speak; he merely shook his head and stared at Merry with piercing eyes.
"Then give it here. I'm starving!" (Merry hadn't eaten in well over an hour, you know.) Merry shivered as he once again caught Pippin's mournful gaze. Why wasn't he talking? Usually the trouble with Pippin was getting him to shut up! It was clear from his expression that he wanted to tell Merry something, so why wasn't he talking? But Pippin just stared with clear blue eyes that were as sad and mysterious as the ocean.
*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^
FIVE DAYS LATER
The sight of his brother enraged Merry. When Pippin wasn't bringing food, he sat silently beside the cage, as if he was guarding his brother. Merry hadn't seen Gollum for three days, when he had found the discarded food in the bush...
TWO DAYS EARLIER
Gollum came out of his mushroom house to check on the fattening process of his next meal. A faint breeze was blowing (a fairly common occurrence in Autumn) and the scent of spoiling desserts was blown to Gollum's super sensitive sniffer. A faint growl emerged from deep within his throat, and he grabbed Pippin in his rage. The voiceless hobbit was dragged into the house. A black eye and many bruises later, the muted halfing limped out. He had tears in his eyes.
TWO DAYS LATER (AGAIN)
After that day, Pippin had quickly devoured all of the food Gollum generously rationed out, with the exception of bread, water, and the mushrooms pulled tight from the witch's house, right in front of him. He gobbled it all up, no matter how Merry protested. He had tried everything he could think of, but nothing stopped the gluttonous Shireling. He remembered the one-sided conversation from yesterday...
{"I can't believe you, you traitor! I'm here because of you! I could have been safely home with Mom, but no! I came after you! And you have the nerve to steal my food! You're no brother of mine! You're nothing but trouble. I bet you're what drove Bilbo over the edge and got us here in the first place! Well, you just see if I ever help you again...}
Yes, it was harsh, hateful even, but hobbits take food very seriously. Merry would have apologized in a second, if Pippin had just said he was sorry. Was the younger hobbit just too ashamed to talk to him? Merry was hungry and mad, and in no mood to think of it at the moment. So instead, his thoughts wondered elsewhere...
*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^
(COOL FLASHBACK-Y TYPE SEQUENCE)
"Merry, come here for a second, please." Arwen called quietly. Both hobbit lads had been playing hard at rock throwing, and little Pippin had curled up under a tree for a nap a few moments ago.
"What is it, Mom?" Merry asked, wondering if he was in trouble.
"I want to tell you something very important, so listen well. Many years ago, when I was living in Rivendell with my father, some very strange things happened. One dark and stormy night, an elderly woman came into Rivendell with an old donkey. She said that her donkey had stepped on a thorn and couldn't carry her to an inn, so she needed a place to whether out the storm until morning. I offered her a place in my house. When morning came and the old woman was getting ready to leave, I went to the donkey and pulled the thorn out of its hoof. As they were heading out, the woman offered to give me a rose for my kindness. It was the only thing of worth she had, and I told her that couldn't accept it. It seemed wrong to take away the only thing she had. I wasn't looking to get paid when I let her stay, and I told her that. She instantly changed into the great Elven sorceress Galadriel, and her donkey into the mighty stead Shadowfax. To repay me, she told me that if I, or any of my decedents, were ever in need, I could call on her for help."
"Wow! So you can call on her any time you want? That's great!" Merry had mused, thinking of all the things he could ask for from the Great Galadriel.
"Oh, no! You must never think that! You can only call upon her one time, and she might not be able to come immediately. And there are things she cannot do. There are limitations to all magic. For one thing, she can't raise the dead, nor kill anyone. And even if she is unable to help you, she is not obliged to come again. Do you understand, Merry?"
"Yes, Mom. Only call her once, might not be able to help. How do you get her to come?"
"There is a spell that she taught me, that will summon her. Now remember, only use it if you are in danger and you are sure that there is NO other way out. Now, the spell goes like this..."
(UN-COOL FLASHBACK-Y TYPE SEQUENCE)
Merry had thought about using the spell, but decided to wait. He could do it later, and another method of escape might present itself. Those types of spells were dreadfully useful to have available, and he wasn't about waste it unnecessarily.
*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^
Pippin watched his brother look onto him with disgust. He met his brother's gaze with an apologetic look. It was the only thing he could do. If only Merry knew how much he wanted to speak, to warn him! But Gollum's spell had taken away his voice for that very reason. Pippin moaned, but no sound came out. He was a captive (he wasn't caged or chained, but he couldn't leave his brother, so the bonds were there just the same), he was scared, and his stomach hadn't ached this much since Uncle Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday. Since he couldn't hide Gollum's food, he had to eat it himself to keep it from Merry. How ironic, that a hobbit would despair because he was forced to eat, but that's what was happening to Pippin. He knew every mouthful brought him closer to death, and every bite he swallowed stuck in his throat. The only thing that kept him from throwing up was that every bite he ate was one less to fatten up Merry. Pippin had decided to save Merry from becoming hobbit-soufflé, even if it cost him his own life in exchange...
_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+_=_+
Bum, bum, buuuuuum! What's gonna happen? You know, when I don't get reviews, I feel sad, and when I feel sad, it makes bad things happen to good characters. Not a good thing, considering the last line of this chapter. So, it would be in your best interest to review, ok? The Moral- When Old people need a place to stay on a dark and stormy night, it's probably in your best interest to be nice.
Never pet a burning dog!! ~Enovajay ethay ategrey iterwray