Disclaimer: I don't own anything Lord Tolkien created. *sigh*
Ch 17 Friendships
Merry sat on a chair in the reception of the hospital. He was still in shock over what had happened, he thought that maybe he could have done something that could have helped Pippin but he had just sat there and watched him drown. On the way to the hospital Legolas had tried to convince him that there was nothing he could have done but he knew there must have been something.
A man in a white coat came up to him.
"Your friend's going to be fine. He is still a little cold but he'll be okay in a few hours. We want to keep him here just for the night, just to be safe."
Merry nodded.
"Are you alright? I hear you were at the scene." The Doctor asked concerned.
"I'm fine, just look after my friend. Please. What about Legolas the man that was with him? Is he alright?"
"Your other friend is fine although he wants to stay with Pippin. I see no problem with it. He was a very brave man, he could have been seriously hurt."
Merry smiled, he knew exactly how brave Legolas was, if it hadn't have been for him Pippin would have been dead and he would have still been in a trance. He owed Legolas so much, the thought of what he could have lost was almost too much. He wished he could go and tell Pippin just how sorry he was. All his life he had tried to look out for his cousin and this is what he had done.
**
Gimli was making his way through the town as quickly as he could. He wanted to be well out of the way of the Police station. Another night in there would be too much for him. That place was like his worst nightmare.
His only thought now was to get back to his friends if he could find them they might have some chance of escaping. He wished he knew where Legolas or Aragorn were, they were two of the best trackers he knew and could surely find a way home. He had never like the Elf very much but he wished he was with him now, at least he wouldn't be so alone that way.
Gimli made his way through the town trying not to get noticed too much, he wondered where his friends would go, there must be someone he knew in the town. There were hundreds of people around but sooner or later he'd have to find someone from the Fellowship even if it was just one of the Hobbits. The loneliness was starting to make him a little uneasy, he was used to travelling with the Company or with his fellow Dwarves but never alone, especially in a place he didn't know.
Everything here was so new and he was only just beginning to realise how strange it all was. From inside his cell he didn't see a whole lot. To him this whole thing was a little too much and he wasn't enjoying it at all. He wondered if there was anything good in this world at all. So far it wasn't very nice and he was unsure as to whether he wanted to see any more of it. Gimli wondered if any of the Fellowship were thinking the same thing.
A huge crowd of people pushed past him in a rush to get across a road, everyone here seemed to be going so fast and none of them were at all polite.
Gimli wondered if any of the people that walked past him knew where his friends were, someone must have seen them after all he was certain that they would look odd in a place like this.
"Excuse me madam." He approached a woman who was trying to get a taxi. "Excuse me."
"What." She replied sharply.
"I was wondering if you had seen anybody looking a little out of place around in the past few days. You see, I'm lost and I need to find my friends."
"Huh? No I haven't seen anyone odd. that's not true actually, this whole place is odd to me."
"Well, these people."
He could have finished the sentence but the woman hadn't been listening and was now getting into the black taxi. Gimli was getting irritated that he couldn't find his friends. He wandered through the town for a while hoping to find something that might help him. There was nothing. There were plenty of signs around but he didn't understand what they meant. Besides he didn't know where he wanted to go.
Something on one of the signs caught his attention. It was just one letter and that letter was "H". Gimli knew he had seen something like that before but he didn't know where. Even though he had no idea what it meant he decided that it was his best shot and he decided to follow the sign and go to this place called "H".
The letter "H" was actually pointing to the local Hospital. The same Hospital where Legolas, Merry and Pippin were.
**
Gandalf was still walking through the streets but he had just discovered something that he thought would be very useful in his time in this new land. It was something that he was very familiar with. A magic shop.
As a Wizard Gandalf was very good at working spells and knew a lot about the art of magic. Although he was sure that the spells performed in this place were very different to those in Middle Earth he might be able to make some sense of their magic. After all he was a very skilled Wizard and could conjure up pretty much anything given the chance.
He might be able to find something that would later prove useful.
Gandalf entered the magic shop and was confronted with a shopkeeper wearing a very fake looking magician's hat. If the situation hadn't been so serious Gandalf would have laughed, the man looked so ridiculous.
"How can I help you Sir?" The man asked politely.
"I am not yet sure. May I look around and see if you have what I need?"
"Of course Sir. May I help you find something? Perhaps you have something that you wish to make or do. I am very knowledgeable in the art of magic."
"I'm sure you do but I just don't know what I'm looking for. You see I need something to send me and my friends home and I'm not sure you will have what I need."
"Well Sir if you tell me what you think you need perhaps I can help. What about some chicken feet, or perhaps a crystal ball?"
"No. I don't think that's what I want. Although I don't suppose you have a Palantier?"
"As a matter of fact we do. We got a stock in just the other day."
The man disappeared into a back room and Gandalf heard him searching around. The fact that the man had even heard of a Palantier had surprised Gandalf and as far as he was aware there were only a few in existence and this man said he had a stock. Gandalf was just beginning to get suspicious of the man. He was wondering whether this place was genuine. In Middle Earth all the supplies he needed were always there and he never needed to fetch them himself but these were desperate times and he needed something to help him find the rest of the Fellowship.
The man came back and was carrying a small box. Gandalf presumed that there was something inside because the man treated it very carefully, he hoped it wasn't the Palantier.
"They even come gift wrapped." The man smiled.
"Can I see it?" Gandalf asked knowing that the whole thing was a scam. It was way too small to be real.
Them man nodded and opened the box. Gandalf had been right it was a fake that was easy to see.
"This isn't real." He said impatiently, he didn't like being tricked especially at a time like this.
"Of course not, it's a toy. You do know that there is no such thing as a real Palantier right? It's just a film."
Gandalf didn't know what to say.
"What do you mean it's not real? And what's a film?"
"You know. The Lord of the Rings. You know it's not real?"
"What did you say? How do you know about Sauron? Are you a spy for him?"
Gandalf suddenly seemed to grow in size and the shopkeeper sank down to the floor and pressed up against the sales desk. He had never seen anything like it. The whole shop went dark and there was a sound of thunder in the background. The shopkeeper felt so small and although he wanted to run something glued him to the spot.
At the shopkeeper's fear Gandalf stopped the noise and the terrifying sight and came back to normal size. He didn't think a spy of Sauron would be so scared of him, after all he wasn't that powerful, especially in this place.
"Get up." He demanded the man.
The shopkeeper did as he was told and stood to face the Wizard. There was still fear in his eyes but more respect than anything else.
"What did you mean "it's just a film"?" Gandalf asked him.
"I mean that it's not real, it's make-believe. Are you part of one of those cults that think it's all real? I've heard of your kind."
"What? There's no cult. I'm part of the sacred Fellowship, chosen by Lord Elrond of Rivendell. Everything about it is perfectly real I can assure you. Now, I am searching for my companions, they are alone here and Frodo has the Ring. I need to know that it's safe. If I can get the right things perhaps I can find them through magic."
The shopkeeper looked disbelievingly at the Wizard and didn't know what to say.
"Did you hear me? I need some ingredients." Gandalf said again in hope of getting the shopkeeper to come out of his daze.
The man nodded his head not really understanding what was going on. None of this made any sense to him but he thought it best to go along with this stranger. He looked pretty strong and could probably hurt him if he wanted to.
"What type of things do you want? We have a wide range of products that might be useful. Do you have a price range?"
At this last question Gandalf looked threateningly at the shopkeeper.
"Of course, everything in the shop is free to you." He smiled, hoping not to upset the Wizard again.
Gandalf searched around the shop hoping that he could find something that would help him find the rest of the Fellowship. He knew how dangerous it was to wait any longer. From what he had seen this place was not designed for warriors and he couldn't begin to imagine the damage his friends could cause in this place.
**
Boromir was sat at the table eating a wonderful dinner with Maria who turned out to be a great cook. Boromir wasn't surprised at this as many women in Gondor were good cooks. He ate his dinner and every now and then glanced over to the beautiful women on the other side of the table.
Even now he couldn't believe his luck. This woman had rescued him and the invited him back to her home. On top of all that he thought he had finally found a woman that he wanted to marry. His father wouldn't like it, especially seeing as she wasn't noble. He didn't need to get his father's permission anyway, not if he stayed in Salisbury. This thought hadn't occurred to him before but now it was a strong possibility. It wouldn't be so bad stayed in the City, he had Maria and that was all he really needed.
Boromir wondered if the rest of the Fellowship were having such a good time, he couldn't see anything wrong with this place at all, apart maybe from the police and coloured dragons that patrolled the place.
He had tried to help Frodo before, tried to relieve him of the Ring but the Hobbit had refused. Frodo didn't want his help then so why should he want it now? The Hobbit had a chance to get rid of his burden and he didn't take it. Boromir felt the anger building up inside him again and he had to take a few deep breaths to stop him stabbing out at something.
"I need to leave soon. I have to find my friends. You do understand right?"
Boromir told Maria. She nodded and they continued to eat their dinner in silence.
Ch 17 Friendships
Merry sat on a chair in the reception of the hospital. He was still in shock over what had happened, he thought that maybe he could have done something that could have helped Pippin but he had just sat there and watched him drown. On the way to the hospital Legolas had tried to convince him that there was nothing he could have done but he knew there must have been something.
A man in a white coat came up to him.
"Your friend's going to be fine. He is still a little cold but he'll be okay in a few hours. We want to keep him here just for the night, just to be safe."
Merry nodded.
"Are you alright? I hear you were at the scene." The Doctor asked concerned.
"I'm fine, just look after my friend. Please. What about Legolas the man that was with him? Is he alright?"
"Your other friend is fine although he wants to stay with Pippin. I see no problem with it. He was a very brave man, he could have been seriously hurt."
Merry smiled, he knew exactly how brave Legolas was, if it hadn't have been for him Pippin would have been dead and he would have still been in a trance. He owed Legolas so much, the thought of what he could have lost was almost too much. He wished he could go and tell Pippin just how sorry he was. All his life he had tried to look out for his cousin and this is what he had done.
**
Gimli was making his way through the town as quickly as he could. He wanted to be well out of the way of the Police station. Another night in there would be too much for him. That place was like his worst nightmare.
His only thought now was to get back to his friends if he could find them they might have some chance of escaping. He wished he knew where Legolas or Aragorn were, they were two of the best trackers he knew and could surely find a way home. He had never like the Elf very much but he wished he was with him now, at least he wouldn't be so alone that way.
Gimli made his way through the town trying not to get noticed too much, he wondered where his friends would go, there must be someone he knew in the town. There were hundreds of people around but sooner or later he'd have to find someone from the Fellowship even if it was just one of the Hobbits. The loneliness was starting to make him a little uneasy, he was used to travelling with the Company or with his fellow Dwarves but never alone, especially in a place he didn't know.
Everything here was so new and he was only just beginning to realise how strange it all was. From inside his cell he didn't see a whole lot. To him this whole thing was a little too much and he wasn't enjoying it at all. He wondered if there was anything good in this world at all. So far it wasn't very nice and he was unsure as to whether he wanted to see any more of it. Gimli wondered if any of the Fellowship were thinking the same thing.
A huge crowd of people pushed past him in a rush to get across a road, everyone here seemed to be going so fast and none of them were at all polite.
Gimli wondered if any of the people that walked past him knew where his friends were, someone must have seen them after all he was certain that they would look odd in a place like this.
"Excuse me madam." He approached a woman who was trying to get a taxi. "Excuse me."
"What." She replied sharply.
"I was wondering if you had seen anybody looking a little out of place around in the past few days. You see, I'm lost and I need to find my friends."
"Huh? No I haven't seen anyone odd. that's not true actually, this whole place is odd to me."
"Well, these people."
He could have finished the sentence but the woman hadn't been listening and was now getting into the black taxi. Gimli was getting irritated that he couldn't find his friends. He wandered through the town for a while hoping to find something that might help him. There was nothing. There were plenty of signs around but he didn't understand what they meant. Besides he didn't know where he wanted to go.
Something on one of the signs caught his attention. It was just one letter and that letter was "H". Gimli knew he had seen something like that before but he didn't know where. Even though he had no idea what it meant he decided that it was his best shot and he decided to follow the sign and go to this place called "H".
The letter "H" was actually pointing to the local Hospital. The same Hospital where Legolas, Merry and Pippin were.
**
Gandalf was still walking through the streets but he had just discovered something that he thought would be very useful in his time in this new land. It was something that he was very familiar with. A magic shop.
As a Wizard Gandalf was very good at working spells and knew a lot about the art of magic. Although he was sure that the spells performed in this place were very different to those in Middle Earth he might be able to make some sense of their magic. After all he was a very skilled Wizard and could conjure up pretty much anything given the chance.
He might be able to find something that would later prove useful.
Gandalf entered the magic shop and was confronted with a shopkeeper wearing a very fake looking magician's hat. If the situation hadn't been so serious Gandalf would have laughed, the man looked so ridiculous.
"How can I help you Sir?" The man asked politely.
"I am not yet sure. May I look around and see if you have what I need?"
"Of course Sir. May I help you find something? Perhaps you have something that you wish to make or do. I am very knowledgeable in the art of magic."
"I'm sure you do but I just don't know what I'm looking for. You see I need something to send me and my friends home and I'm not sure you will have what I need."
"Well Sir if you tell me what you think you need perhaps I can help. What about some chicken feet, or perhaps a crystal ball?"
"No. I don't think that's what I want. Although I don't suppose you have a Palantier?"
"As a matter of fact we do. We got a stock in just the other day."
The man disappeared into a back room and Gandalf heard him searching around. The fact that the man had even heard of a Palantier had surprised Gandalf and as far as he was aware there were only a few in existence and this man said he had a stock. Gandalf was just beginning to get suspicious of the man. He was wondering whether this place was genuine. In Middle Earth all the supplies he needed were always there and he never needed to fetch them himself but these were desperate times and he needed something to help him find the rest of the Fellowship.
The man came back and was carrying a small box. Gandalf presumed that there was something inside because the man treated it very carefully, he hoped it wasn't the Palantier.
"They even come gift wrapped." The man smiled.
"Can I see it?" Gandalf asked knowing that the whole thing was a scam. It was way too small to be real.
Them man nodded and opened the box. Gandalf had been right it was a fake that was easy to see.
"This isn't real." He said impatiently, he didn't like being tricked especially at a time like this.
"Of course not, it's a toy. You do know that there is no such thing as a real Palantier right? It's just a film."
Gandalf didn't know what to say.
"What do you mean it's not real? And what's a film?"
"You know. The Lord of the Rings. You know it's not real?"
"What did you say? How do you know about Sauron? Are you a spy for him?"
Gandalf suddenly seemed to grow in size and the shopkeeper sank down to the floor and pressed up against the sales desk. He had never seen anything like it. The whole shop went dark and there was a sound of thunder in the background. The shopkeeper felt so small and although he wanted to run something glued him to the spot.
At the shopkeeper's fear Gandalf stopped the noise and the terrifying sight and came back to normal size. He didn't think a spy of Sauron would be so scared of him, after all he wasn't that powerful, especially in this place.
"Get up." He demanded the man.
The shopkeeper did as he was told and stood to face the Wizard. There was still fear in his eyes but more respect than anything else.
"What did you mean "it's just a film"?" Gandalf asked him.
"I mean that it's not real, it's make-believe. Are you part of one of those cults that think it's all real? I've heard of your kind."
"What? There's no cult. I'm part of the sacred Fellowship, chosen by Lord Elrond of Rivendell. Everything about it is perfectly real I can assure you. Now, I am searching for my companions, they are alone here and Frodo has the Ring. I need to know that it's safe. If I can get the right things perhaps I can find them through magic."
The shopkeeper looked disbelievingly at the Wizard and didn't know what to say.
"Did you hear me? I need some ingredients." Gandalf said again in hope of getting the shopkeeper to come out of his daze.
The man nodded his head not really understanding what was going on. None of this made any sense to him but he thought it best to go along with this stranger. He looked pretty strong and could probably hurt him if he wanted to.
"What type of things do you want? We have a wide range of products that might be useful. Do you have a price range?"
At this last question Gandalf looked threateningly at the shopkeeper.
"Of course, everything in the shop is free to you." He smiled, hoping not to upset the Wizard again.
Gandalf searched around the shop hoping that he could find something that would help him find the rest of the Fellowship. He knew how dangerous it was to wait any longer. From what he had seen this place was not designed for warriors and he couldn't begin to imagine the damage his friends could cause in this place.
**
Boromir was sat at the table eating a wonderful dinner with Maria who turned out to be a great cook. Boromir wasn't surprised at this as many women in Gondor were good cooks. He ate his dinner and every now and then glanced over to the beautiful women on the other side of the table.
Even now he couldn't believe his luck. This woman had rescued him and the invited him back to her home. On top of all that he thought he had finally found a woman that he wanted to marry. His father wouldn't like it, especially seeing as she wasn't noble. He didn't need to get his father's permission anyway, not if he stayed in Salisbury. This thought hadn't occurred to him before but now it was a strong possibility. It wouldn't be so bad stayed in the City, he had Maria and that was all he really needed.
Boromir wondered if the rest of the Fellowship were having such a good time, he couldn't see anything wrong with this place at all, apart maybe from the police and coloured dragons that patrolled the place.
He had tried to help Frodo before, tried to relieve him of the Ring but the Hobbit had refused. Frodo didn't want his help then so why should he want it now? The Hobbit had a chance to get rid of his burden and he didn't take it. Boromir felt the anger building up inside him again and he had to take a few deep breaths to stop him stabbing out at something.
"I need to leave soon. I have to find my friends. You do understand right?"
Boromir told Maria. She nodded and they continued to eat their dinner in silence.