Chapter 17

OF HER WORLD AND HIS

            Frodo found her asleep, though she had managed to crawl halfway from the icy water before giving into the darkness.  She lay half sprawled upon the bank, her cheek pressed against the muddy grass, as her legs drifted weightlessly in the water.  Without looking, as he had promised her he would not, Frodo knelt beside her, turned her over, and with great difficulty brought her over to a dry patch of grass.  There he laid her atop the blanket and covered her.

            "Apryl," he breathed.  Through the blanket he could hardly make out the rise and fall of her chest.  "Apryl," he said again but received no indication that she had heard him.

            Frodo looked down the path that he had come.  The walk was not far but it would be terribly so if he was made to carry her.  She would not wake, he was certain of that, for the cold had stolen her away and the only ones who might help her, he knew, were the elves.  But the elves were at the House and the House was so very far.

            He watched her for a time, debating what to do, finally deciding to carry her for as long as his strength would allow and then use the blanket as a sort of sled, and pull her the remaining way.  As with some difficulty he lifted her in his arms and decided that she was very light for a human.

            The winding trek from the small pool to the House was a very long and tedious one.

            Merry ran down the path as fast as his legs would allow.  Sam had told him very little, but he had told him enough and the fear that had already been present with the discovery of the fever's return was now doubled at the knowledge Apryl's current condition. 

            If anyone knew the dangers of water it would be Meriadoc Brandybuck.  He had been raised on the shores of the Brandywine and though the Bucklanders did fear the water as only hobbits can they also respected it, for both its destructive abilities and beneficiary factors.  When Merry was just a lad his best friend had died in the Brandywine.  So, too, had Frodo's parents.

            Barely ten minutes had passed when Meriadoc rounded a bend in the path and nearly ran straight into his cousin.  With a yelp and at the last, Merry skipped to the side, tripped over a rock, and landed sprawled upon the ground. 

            "Frodo," Merry gasped.  "There you are."

            Apryl was cradled in Frodo's arms, with her head lolled upon his chest and her feet nearly brushing the ground.  The hobbit looked down at his younger cousin, his face as pale as death and his eyes clouded over in exhaustion and fear.

            Merry struggled to his feet.  "Is she well?"

            A gasp escaped Frodo's tightly clamped lips.  He grimaced.  "Do me kind, Merry."  He shifted the girl's weight in his arms.  "Take her for a moment.  Hold her while I catch my breath."

            Merry took Apryl in his arms, bending slightly at the sudden weight.  For a human she was not heavy, Merry had no doubts about that but she was Human and any such was heavy for any hobbit, even if Merry was full-grown and a gentlehobbit on any and all accounts.

            "Sam told me what happened," Merry said, looking down into Apryl's pale complexion.  Frodo, who was bent double in a vain attempt to catch his breath, peered over at his cousin.

            "Is he getting help?"  Frodo grinned wryly.  "I'm in need of it sorely."

            Merry smiled at his cousin.  "You're looking at him."

            Frodo's features softened.  "Come along then." 

            And together, the two hobbits managed the girl back to the House of the Elves.

*     *     *     *     *

            I don't think the Bucklanders were too fond of Cousin Frodo, for it was rare when he visited there and rarer still when he received a warm welcome.  Buckland was home to me more than it was to dear Frodo, but you can't blame him for that; I don't believe the Brandybucks are too fond of Bagginses.  They seem more pleased with us Tooks than Frodo's father's family.  Odd, when you think about it.

            "Go figure," Apryl murmured.  She stopped in the darkness, peered about until his voice came again.

            Figure what?

            She looked to her left.

            "You're a Took."

            So I am, Pippin agreed.

            She began to walk again.  "Wull . . . go figure that a Took would see how much others--say, Brandybucks, Grubbs, Bracegirdles . . . Sackville-Bagginses, even--how much they snub you."  She could feel his shrug.

            I'm not ashamed of who I am.

            She smiled.  "You shouldn't be."

            Neither should you, Apryl.

            Apryl's smile vanished.  After a moment, "I'm not, Pip."

            You don't have to lie to me.

            She didn't reply to that, partially because she didn't know how to respond.  Again, she stopped and looked around. 

            Though the air about her was still cold, the feeling was slowly coming back to her fingers so that they ached and burned.  Apryl had long ago got off the chill ash-like ground and began walking the dark planes of the nightmare world, searching hard and long for Peregrin.  After a time of wandering she had noticed a slight change in the thoughts coming to her.  She didn't know how to explain it, other than her mind seemed to tingle.  This sensation alerted her, and she wondered if it meant she was nearing Pippin, for she was desperate for his companionship, not just to hear him but to see and feel him too.

            And so she followed this tingling sensation.

            "Keep talking, Pip."

            I believe I've run out of things to talk about, Pippin said, somewhat at a loss.

            Apryl giggled.  "You, Peregrin Took, have run out of things to talk about?"

            Pippin laughed.  Amazing, isn't it?

            "Very much so."

            Several moments later:

            Apryl, can I ask you something?

            "Anything."

            Why is it I have this uncanny feeling that you know me?

            Apryl frowned.  "Because I do."

            No, no.  What I mean is, it's like you've known me all along.  You know things about me.  You call me 'Pip', even.  Only Merry and Frodo call me that.

            "I'm sorry.  I should not call you that any more if you like."

            No, Apryl, that's not it at all.

            She sighed.  "I know."

            Well?

            Apryl thought for a moment (secretly praying Pippin couldn't read her thoughts as seemed probable in this off-set world).

            Finally, she came to a decision.  "I'm not going to lie to you, Pip, alright?  But I can't tell you the entire truth either."  She could not judge his reaction so she forged ahead anyway, hoping that what she did was right and, regardless if it was right or wrong, that Gandalf would not be upset.  "Let's just say that I know of you.  I don't know you in the sense you might be thinking but I've heard of you."

            For a time, Pippin was quiet.  Finally:

            You know of me?  But how is that so?  What about the others--Cousin Frodo and Merry and Sam, even?  Do you know of them also?

            "Yes."

            How, though?  The Outside has barely heard of hobbits, how could it be possible they know of four specific hobbits?

            "I come from a far away land.  Farther even than Gandalf's traveled, I think.  Pippin, I live in a completely different world."

            And, yet, they know of us there?

            Apryl was going to put her foot in it, she just knew it.  "Not necessarily you four, but my world is vaguely familiar with the race of hobbits.  There are . . . histories.  Few in my world read them, but there are enough who do.  I'd rather not talk about it any more."

            Very well, Pippin said finally, though there was a deep suspicion in his thoughts and Apryl felt horrible down to the very core of her being.  She was going to say something that would make amends for keeping him in the dark.

            However, a sudden odd and intriguing thought came to her instead.

            "Pippin?"

            What? came the thought grudgingly and Apryl was suddenly reminded of when he had gotten upset at her for finding his furry feet amusing.

            "Are we friends?"

            There was a moment's silence, before:

            Apryl, what an odd human you are!  You ask the strangest things that ever I have heard anyone ask.  What do you mean 'are we friends?'

            "Exactly that."  She didn't understand what was so extraordinary about it.  It was a simple, straightforward sort of question.  In fact, it was a rather bold question on her part.  "Never mind," Apryl said hurriedly, horrified she had even asked it.  "It doesn't matter.  Just keep talking so that I might find you, alright?"

            But he didn't.  There came no reply until several moments later.

            Apryl, don't you think we're friends?

            "I supposed we were . . ." she replied hesitantly.

            Is your world so different that it is so difficult to tell friend from foe?       

            Apryl gave a bitter sort of laugh.  "Yes, as a matter of fact.  True friends are rare in my world.  Someone you call a friend one day may become a stranger the next or, worse, your enemy.  In my whole life--and, yes, I realize I haven't been around very long--I've had one friend that I could truly count on and always remain confident that she would be there when I needed her the most and even when I didn't . . ."  Apryl's voice trailed off as a memory suddenly tried to take a grip on her.  It had something to do with Morgainne.  She couldn't get it straight, however, for this Otherworld had the nasty habit of distorting things beyond recognition.

            How sad, Pippin mourned.

            "Hmm?  What's sad?"

            Your world.

            "Yes," Apryl mused quietly.  "It rather is, isn't it?"

*****

            Sorry for taking so long to get this out—life's been rather hectic lately.  Hopefully the next one will come sooner.  Just so you know, I'm not giving up on this.  Thanks for your patience.^^