And Drink To Me Yet
Chapter 7 - Questions Lead to Another Door
"That's impossible!" Gimli thundered, "Even Aragorn wouldn't do something like that!"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Pippin leaned back against the soft cushions of his chair. He could still see it, Merry sprawled across the floor in a bloody heap, and Aragorn... Aragorn... "There is nothing else truer than Merry in that room and the pain I saw in the prince's eyes."
Legolas lifted his bowed head, seeming to awake from some dark meditation. "It does not fit; we are missing something."
"How so?" Gimli grunted, twirling his ax to remain calm. Pippin leaned forward; whatever wisdom their Elven friend had to offer would prove insightful.
"Friends, this man is not Aragorn."
"What?!?" Gimli slapped himself on the forehead with a resounding thunk. Pippin leaned back with a resigned sigh as well. What was that supposed to mean?
"Please, friend, do not speak in riddles," he moaned, "Tis too late at night!"
Legolas brushed away his companion's exasperation with a wave of his hand. "It is the truth! We will all consent that this man is not Strider, will we not?" The others nodded thoughtfully. "Then we must confess also that he is no longer Aragorn. He is Elessar now."
"In name, perhaps, but really now..." Gimli struggled to put his and Pippin's thoughts to words. Legolas banged his fist on the table and rose, eyes dancing angrily.
"Nay! This is much more than that!" Pippin started to hear the Elf speak so harshly. Gimli fell silent as well, and they both gazed respectfully at Legolas, trying to see things as he did. The fair Elf calmed himself and continued. "I've seen it before. Aragorn was but a man, and you consent that men are easily corrupted."
The others nodded while Legolas wearily seated himself again. "Aragorn loved power too much, he allowed it to go to his head. He would not rest, he had to have more power, he had to be in control of more lives." There was pain in Legolas' eyes as he spoke. "We have lost our friend; he is now another."
Pippin hung his head in grief as Legolas' fell silent, but Gimli squinted one skeptical eye at the two by the table. "Can it truly be only that?"
"What else can it be?" Pippin looked toward him, half-hoping there could be another explanation.
Gimli furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure just yet, Master Hobbit, but I intend to find out. There's got to be something else influencing Aragorn's mind. And lads, I figger if we learn what it is, we can fix it and get our old chum back!"
Legolas looked skeptical, but deep in his heart, Pippin hoped that Gimli was right.
The morning came none too soon; Pippin hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He opened his eyes, hearing a creak of floorboards. Turning his head slightly, he spotted Waen stepping silently across the room toward his bed. He rose onto his elbow, watching her. Waen noticed as he rose, and with a smile hastily reached his side. "Good morrow, Master Pippin."
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" the girl frowned, head tilting slightly to the left and causing her hair to fall sideways in a golden wave.
Pippin sat up, pushing the covers back; he was still dressed from the night before as, he noted with a quick glance, was Waen. Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, he pat the space beside him. "You wouldn't wake me up this early for nothing."
"You weren't asleep." Waen answered playfully, seating herself. Pippin nodded with a half-smile, consenting. Her young face, he noticed, was pale, as though she also hadn't slept. Her eyes as well lacked their usual radiance, and her overall appearance was slightly weak. Pippin's lips dropped into a concerned frown; Waen looked very unlike herself.
"Where were you last night?"
Waen looked down at the hands she had just folded in her lap. "I spoke awhile with Draug. He's really very nice, rather kind and whatnot despite his appearance. Then he was bringing me back to the room when his sister approached us. Alataestel, you know." Waen's voice dropped a little, a soft smile flitting across her face. "Poor dear, she was hearing noises and had fled her room in terror. She came running to Draug, sobbing with fear and throwing herself into his arms. He gathered her up to bring to his mother, but pointed me back toward our rooms. I tried to follow his directions, truly," here a smile spread across Pippin's face as a slight flush of color raced across Waen's, "but I found myself in the wrong place. I sought help in a room..." her voice trailed off.
Pippin's hand instinctively reached out and clasped Waen's. Walking into rooms was apparently a dangerous thing in Aragorn's palace. Though Waen was speaking of the night before, Pippin held her slim hand tightly, trying to defend her from whatever she had seen. She didn't seem to notice, lost for the moment in her own thoughts.
At last she seemed to return to the present. She looked up, eyes meeting Pippin's again. "It took me the rest of the night to find my way back."
"What was in the room?" Pippin's voice was hushed, expecting the worst. Waen gave him a cryptic smile.
"I think you'll recognize it." She gently removed her hand from his, reaching into the folds of her robes to draw the object forth.
((Yey! Lovely cliff hanger chapter that will make you all suffer as you wait expectantly for the next one! Love you all!!! XD))
Chapter 7 - Questions Lead to Another Door
"That's impossible!" Gimli thundered, "Even Aragorn wouldn't do something like that!"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Pippin leaned back against the soft cushions of his chair. He could still see it, Merry sprawled across the floor in a bloody heap, and Aragorn... Aragorn... "There is nothing else truer than Merry in that room and the pain I saw in the prince's eyes."
Legolas lifted his bowed head, seeming to awake from some dark meditation. "It does not fit; we are missing something."
"How so?" Gimli grunted, twirling his ax to remain calm. Pippin leaned forward; whatever wisdom their Elven friend had to offer would prove insightful.
"Friends, this man is not Aragorn."
"What?!?" Gimli slapped himself on the forehead with a resounding thunk. Pippin leaned back with a resigned sigh as well. What was that supposed to mean?
"Please, friend, do not speak in riddles," he moaned, "Tis too late at night!"
Legolas brushed away his companion's exasperation with a wave of his hand. "It is the truth! We will all consent that this man is not Strider, will we not?" The others nodded thoughtfully. "Then we must confess also that he is no longer Aragorn. He is Elessar now."
"In name, perhaps, but really now..." Gimli struggled to put his and Pippin's thoughts to words. Legolas banged his fist on the table and rose, eyes dancing angrily.
"Nay! This is much more than that!" Pippin started to hear the Elf speak so harshly. Gimli fell silent as well, and they both gazed respectfully at Legolas, trying to see things as he did. The fair Elf calmed himself and continued. "I've seen it before. Aragorn was but a man, and you consent that men are easily corrupted."
The others nodded while Legolas wearily seated himself again. "Aragorn loved power too much, he allowed it to go to his head. He would not rest, he had to have more power, he had to be in control of more lives." There was pain in Legolas' eyes as he spoke. "We have lost our friend; he is now another."
Pippin hung his head in grief as Legolas' fell silent, but Gimli squinted one skeptical eye at the two by the table. "Can it truly be only that?"
"What else can it be?" Pippin looked toward him, half-hoping there could be another explanation.
Gimli furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure just yet, Master Hobbit, but I intend to find out. There's got to be something else influencing Aragorn's mind. And lads, I figger if we learn what it is, we can fix it and get our old chum back!"
Legolas looked skeptical, but deep in his heart, Pippin hoped that Gimli was right.
The morning came none too soon; Pippin hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He opened his eyes, hearing a creak of floorboards. Turning his head slightly, he spotted Waen stepping silently across the room toward his bed. He rose onto his elbow, watching her. Waen noticed as he rose, and with a smile hastily reached his side. "Good morrow, Master Pippin."
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" the girl frowned, head tilting slightly to the left and causing her hair to fall sideways in a golden wave.
Pippin sat up, pushing the covers back; he was still dressed from the night before as, he noted with a quick glance, was Waen. Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, he pat the space beside him. "You wouldn't wake me up this early for nothing."
"You weren't asleep." Waen answered playfully, seating herself. Pippin nodded with a half-smile, consenting. Her young face, he noticed, was pale, as though she also hadn't slept. Her eyes as well lacked their usual radiance, and her overall appearance was slightly weak. Pippin's lips dropped into a concerned frown; Waen looked very unlike herself.
"Where were you last night?"
Waen looked down at the hands she had just folded in her lap. "I spoke awhile with Draug. He's really very nice, rather kind and whatnot despite his appearance. Then he was bringing me back to the room when his sister approached us. Alataestel, you know." Waen's voice dropped a little, a soft smile flitting across her face. "Poor dear, she was hearing noises and had fled her room in terror. She came running to Draug, sobbing with fear and throwing herself into his arms. He gathered her up to bring to his mother, but pointed me back toward our rooms. I tried to follow his directions, truly," here a smile spread across Pippin's face as a slight flush of color raced across Waen's, "but I found myself in the wrong place. I sought help in a room..." her voice trailed off.
Pippin's hand instinctively reached out and clasped Waen's. Walking into rooms was apparently a dangerous thing in Aragorn's palace. Though Waen was speaking of the night before, Pippin held her slim hand tightly, trying to defend her from whatever she had seen. She didn't seem to notice, lost for the moment in her own thoughts.
At last she seemed to return to the present. She looked up, eyes meeting Pippin's again. "It took me the rest of the night to find my way back."
"What was in the room?" Pippin's voice was hushed, expecting the worst. Waen gave him a cryptic smile.
"I think you'll recognize it." She gently removed her hand from his, reaching into the folds of her robes to draw the object forth.
((Yey! Lovely cliff hanger chapter that will make you all suffer as you wait expectantly for the next one! Love you all!!! XD))