Divided we fall -by Cunien.

Return of the flashback!


To the end.

I won't come down unless Merry does too. came a little voice from somewhere in the branches above.

Frodo sighed wearily, and turned to look up at Merry,or the only bit of Merry that was visible - one of his feet.

How about it Merry? Are you going to be brave and come down? Frodo asked Merry's foot.

There was silence for a long time, before a voice floated down.


Merry and Pippin, although they weren't fond of heights, had found two of the tallest trees in the Shire to secrete themselves in.

You can't stay up there forever now can you?

The two little lads had refused to talk to Bilbo, so Frodo, though only a tweenager himself, had been sent as a diplomat to reason with them.

That's a shame. It looks like time for tea, wouldn't you say? There abouts anyway. I may be back later, but I won't promise anything - Bilbo helped Cook make the most delicious biscuits, and I think I shall be too full to come back again. Yes, I think he's putting the kettle on right at this moment. he lied.

There was another tense silence.
Though Frodo could not see much of his cousins, Merry and Pippin had clear views of each other from where they sat in the branches. Frodo was quite sure that a silent debate was going on above his head - he could hear no voices, but Merry and Pippin had an unnerving way of communicating between themselves just through their eyes. The odd leaf rustled past his ear every now and then, which was probably a sign of frantic hand gestures and arm waving helping the debate along.

After a while, Pippin called down, Don't be silly Frodo, we can see Bilbo from up here and he's certainly no where near a kettle.

Frodo sighed. He'd forgotten how observant his younger cousin was, and how both Pippin and Merry had a lot more experience than him when it came to reasoning and wheedling.

Farmer Maggot has gone you know. Bilbo seems to have been successful in bargaining for your lives.

Little squeaks from above told Frodo that that was probably not the best thing to say.

Has Farmer Maggot taken his dogs with him? came a timid question from Merry's tree.

It was the big wolf-like dogs that had forced them to climb such huge Oak trees in the first place. The two lads must have truly been in fear of their lives to have scaled the Oaks - it was a long way up for a hobbit.

Yes, the dogs are gone.

More leaves and broken twigs falling to the ground heralded the descent of the two hobbits. Merry plopped down first, looking around shiftily. Pippin soon joined them. Both were decorated with scratches on legs and faces, torn clothes, and Pippin's hair especially was full of leaves and debris of all kinds. This, however, was nothing new.

Frodo attempted to straighten them up a bit, before leading them over towards Bilbo.

The two rascals held hands and looked as they were being led to the gallows.

*

The ground creaked ominously beneath the feet of the Fellowship as they backed towards the cliff edge. Aragorn realised that they were probably standing only on the the frozen overhang of snow now. There the solid rock of the mountain was no longer beneath their feet.

As though confirming his suspicions, a large chunk of the ground shifted and crashed down into the darkness below, forcing Sam to throw himself sideways to avoid falling with it.

The noise of the snow giving way beneath their feet seemed impossibly loud, and once the initial crash had subsided, the echoes spread out across the mountain.

Too loud, too loud. muttered Gimli, looking up towards the dark silhouette of the mountain peak above them.

A rumble, began, up in the darkness.

The realisation hit Aragorn with the force of the avalanche that he knew was coming.

There was nothing to do. No where to run.

How heroic an end , thought Aragorn. A sense of disappointment filled him as, simultaneously, half the ledge the Fellowship stood on gave way, and the avalanche hit them.

He felt as though he were being ripped in two, falling with the collapsing ledge and being pushed backwards by the tons of crashing snow all at once.

The darkness that enveloped him was a blissful release from the endless white of snow.

*

The cliff was sheer, and in some places sheathed in ice, where water found it's way out into the side of the mountain and met the freezing air.
Frodo was surprised at the calm resolve that had settled on him. But despite this, tears still slid treacherously down his cheeks.

The climbing was incredibly hard, and he found it difficult to keep his footing in some places. Hobbits had never been keen on heights, and Frodo's eagerness to get onto solid ground once more made him hurry and take less care than he should.

Hoy. Go slowly now Frodo-lad. Don't rush, though you want to get your feet on that ledge as soon as possible. The voice was his, but the words seemed more like those of Sam, and Frodo felt a pang of horror and guilt as he realised what he'd done. Never the less, he had made his decision, and it would do no one any good if he fell to his death now.

Reaching the ledge finally, Frodo threw himself onto the thin snow covering the rock. He felt like he could never prise himself off the ground, but he remembered how high he was, and the ledge was only about a meter and a half wide, so after a while he managed to edge over to the rock wall and pick himself up. Standing, Frodo got a lovely view of the infinite darkness below him, but at least he was further from the edge here.

He closed his eyes for a moment, but the tears still squeezed themselves out.
Frodo strained to hear something of what was going on with his friends above him, but there was nothing except the pounding of his heart.

After a while though, his heart had calmed a little, but the roaring of the blood in his ears would not stop.

Frodo frowned. The noise was getting louder. It seemed to be coming from above and over a little bit. Was Gandalf using some magic against the wargs? Was that the sound he could hear?

His eyes widened as a cry floated on the slight breeze, just discernible over the intense roar. It sounded like a hobbit - Merry, or perhaps Pippin.

Frodo cried out himself as the first of the avalanche pushed itself over the cliff.
He could do nothing but curl into a ball and sob.

The avalanche cascaded over the ledge, like a strange frozen waterfall. Massive boulder-like chunks of snow rushed past him. Frodo's ledge was quite a way left from the cliff where the Fellowship had been, so the brunt of the avalanche came no where near him.

The grief was so overwhelming that Frodo didn't notice that the avalanche had stopped. The silence descended as the mountain settled into sleep once more. There was nothing to prove that the avalanche had ever happened, except the odd tiny trickle of snow that found it's way across the ledge every now and then.

One moment Frodo was sobbing in despair, curled in on himself, and the next he was hauling himself back up onto the cliff where he had left the Fellowship barely 20 minutes ago.

Deep gashes had been rent in the snow and the ground was uneven. There were no sounds of life. The wargs had gone, and so had his friends.

Frodo wavered on his feet for a moment, looking around in shock. Carefully he sat down, cross-legged. He placed his hands precisely on his folded knees and heaved a heavy, hitching breath.

The calm after the storm. Bilbo had always called it that. The tears had gone, even though you were still sad. You felt wise and tired and old. Your eyes were itchy and heavy from crying, and you felt very very still. The thing that had made you cry was still there, but somehow it had settled in you, deep inside, and there was nothing you could do about it anyway.

*

It wasn't that Frodo didn't enjoy the company of his two cousins, but he was a little disappointed when he was sent to have tea with them in the children's parlour, instead of with Bilbo and the rest of the adults.

After a while though, Bilbo came in with an offering of some large cinnamon biscuits that he had indeed made with the cook of Brandy Hall earlier that day.

Pippin fell over in his haste to greet him as he smelt the beautiful warm scent of cinnamon. The little hobbit could never resist any food containing the spice, and he always smelt of cinnamon now. The adults put it in any food that Pippin disliked (though there was very little food that Pippin disliked) to persuade him to eat up. Merry had come to the conclusion that his cousin ate so messily in his eagerness to gobble down food containing the spice that it was now thoroughly embedded in his skin and hair.

Hullo Bilbo! chirped Pippin, his eyes never leaving the warm biscuits wrapped in a red and white tea-cloth. But Merry stepped between Pippin and the biscuits, and looked up seriously at Bilbo.

You didn't tell our parents did you? About Farmer Maggot and the mushrooms, and the dogs and the trees? Because if you did Pippin's Mamma and Papa are sure to take him home right now and not stay on another week like they said they would. Merry looked very worried.

Of course I said nothing, Meriadoc. I would say that the two of you have learnt your lesson, but I'm sure you'll be raiding the good farmer's fields again soon enough eh?

Merry and Pippin grinned at each other in relief, while Frodo stifled back a laugh.

Anyway, I must get back to your parents, or they'll think that I would rather take my tea in here, and then there will be no one to sneak you some extra biscuits. Goodbye!

There were 4 biscuits, and Pervinca, Pippin's sister was sound asleep in the corner of the room. Frodo took one of the warm cinnamon biscuits, along with Merry and Pippin. They all ate in contented silence.

Wiping the crumbs from his face, Merry couldn't help but stare greedily at the last delicious biscuit.

We should probably save the last one for when Pervinca wakes up. Frodo said, trying not to smile.

Merry and Pippin looked at each other, before scrabbling for the biscuit. It turned into a bit of a scuffle, and the two cousins froze as Pervinca yawned and shifted about on the stuffed chair she was curled up on. Convinced that she was not about to wake though, Merry made a grab for the biscuit, and launched himself across the room and away from a furious Pippin.

Pippin harumphed', crossing his arms, while Frodo giggled quietly.
Merry looked down at the biscuit, and then at Pippin's little angry green eyes.

I suppose you'll want some too, Frodo?

Not me - I am as full as a hobbit can be. laughed the older cousin.

Pippin smiled and shuffled over beside Merry as he broke the biscuit in two.

You know I'll always share everything with you, eh Pip, whether I like it or not.

Me too Mer. Cept maybe the Winter sickness, because that's not nice at all. mumbled Pippin around a mouthful of biscuit.

The little hobbit leaned his head affectionately on his cousin's shoulder.

I suppose we'll always be together, won't we Merry? he asked, his eyes beginning to droop sleepily.

Yes we will Pip. answered Merry, putting his arm around his cousin.
Unless I can get rid of you somehow. he yawned.


TBC.....

Oooh - two chapters in one day! Here's where it (hopefully) gets a little more interesting!
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