Disclaimer: Not even writing about Gandalf makes them mine.
Did a slight rewrite. I knighted Pippin in my 2nd story.
Thanks to my beta, Persnickety, Katelin-dear, and Bobbi
Nayen-Yes, one of the things I hate is that they have to get separated. :'- ( But, as Frodo says "forever bound by friendship and love"
Hobbit's soul-LMAO. That's for clearing up what "great" meant. I'm really glad you think so! Thanks for reading. FF.net being what it is sent me your second review...hmm...30 times? LOL.
Xena-As always, thank you for you comments. I'm really glad you liked how I portrayed Legolas. I was really worried he wasn't "elf" enough. Yeah, poor Pippin. I don't think any of them will ever be the same.
LOTR Board Comments-
It may have been long, but it was a good chapter!! :)-Dinledhwen (glad you think so, thank you!)
Indeed, a very good chapter-Peregrine (thank you!)
A very good chapter-suzie sheelf (thank you!)
well done!-Silivren Ithildin (thank you!)
Chapter 7: Gandalf
"Perhaps if you speak to him, Gandalf. He looks up to you, you know. I'm sure he's spoken to the others, but whatever they said didn't seem to comfort him," Gimli pleaded to Gandalf as the two made their way through the city.
"Hobbits. They used to worry about nothing, but where their next meal was coming from. Are you quite sure he needs my help?"
"Yes. He seems quite upset about something. Even Boromir, in death, senses something. He visited the hobbit in a dream."
"Really now? Most unusual. I fear young Peregrin is the one most changed by all this and that disturbs me."
"Indeed. It upsets me, too. He seemed a most merry fellow. Now, however, he smiles less then usual and hardly ever laughs anymore."
Gandalf stopped. "Yes. That is troublesome. I shall have a talk with the lad. Thank you, Gimli, for coming to me."
Gimli nodded before heading off.
"Peregrin Took, you shall be the death of me, yet again," he mumbled to himself as he set off in search of his wayward hobbit.
Gandalf searched all over the city, stopping only occasionally to ask if anyone has seen the Gondorian Knight. He was just about to give up when he found the young hobbit sitting in the courtyard underneath the white tree.
"I might have known you'd be there," he said as he came up behind Pippin.
The hobbit jumped about a foot in the air as the sound of the wizard's voice. "Gandalf! You scared me, you know?"
"Yes, but I would expect a member of the Gondorian army to be a little less relaxed."
Pippin leaned against the tree. "Denethor released me from his service, if you'll recall."
Gandalf sat next to him. "He may have but I doubt Faramir or Aragorn would let you get away with leaving that easily. You were knighted after all."
"You're probably right about that. Least of all Faramir. He says he can never thank me enough for what I did for him. He wants to keep me around forever I wager. Just to pull him out of the fire, although hopefully it won't be a real one again."
"I take it you don't feel the same way." Gandalf looked down at Pippin. He'd known the hobbit since the day he was born. He, aside from Merry, Sam and Frodo, had noticed the change in him more then the others.
"No, I don't. I owe my life to his brother."
"And Faramir owes his life to you."
"Gandalf, what good was I in all this? I mean, aside from saving Faramir, which I wouldn't have had to do, mind you, if Boromir had lived. All I did was cause trouble! I helped kill Boromir in a sense and I know I killed..." Pippin stopped. He seems to struggle with what he would say next.
"Killed? You killed no one, but those that you needed to kill. Believe me when I say that the death of Orcs isn't as tragic as a mans."
"It's my fault, Gandalf," Pippin said in a low voice, "It's my fault you died. Even though you came back. You never would've fallen, if it weren't for me."
Gandalf stared in silence at Pippin. He hadn't thought of the guilt the young hobbit would have after his falling. Indeed, it seemed no one had. "Peregrin Took, stop that nonsense. Don't you remember a thing I've told you over the years? Some things are meant to happen. I was meant to fall."
"Gandalf, you can't mean that! You can't say you never, not even once, blamed me for it all." Pippin looked up at Gandalf, his eyes pleading with the wizard for the truth.
"Never, Pippin. I needed to fall. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have become the White Wizard and where would we be then? Indeed a lot of things wouldn't have happened. As upsetting as it is, you and Merry needed to be kidnaped. We needed the Ents help. That is something only the two of you could get. Everything happens for a reason, Peregrin, never doubt that. Have you ever spoken to the others about this?"
Pippin shook his head. "No, not even Merry. Gandalf, were you looking for me?" He looked up at the wizard again.
"Yes, yes I was. Gimli sent me after you. He was quite worried."
Pippin smiled. "That was nice of him. We'd best not tell Legolas though."
"No. That would lead to more problems then I can take at the moment. Now, stop changing the subject. Why didn't you tell the others of you're feelings?"
Pippin shrugged. "I didn't want to burden them with it. They all seemed too busy and worried."
"It's made them more worried, you keeping it all inside, Pippin. Never doubt your friends. Remember that, and you'll be happy all your years."
Pippin was silent. He stared out over the courtyard.
"Well, I'd best be going now. A wizard's work is never done." Gandalf rose to his feet.
"Thank you, Gandalf," Pippin said in a small voice. He too, rose. "Thank you."
Gandalf lowered himself onto one knee so he was eye level with Pippin. "I'm always there for you, Peregrin, even when I'm not." He pulled him into a tight hug. "Remember that," he whispered.
Gandalf rose once again and headed off. Where, Pippin didn't know, but he knew that wherever the wizard was headed, he'd be doing good. "I'll try, but I don't know how easy it will be to keep such a promise," he whispered, more to himself then anyone else. He sat down and leaned against the tree again. He was still tired, but found himself unable to fall asleep.
"I wonder who will try to help me, next?" he muttered to himself.
Up next: Faramir
Did a slight rewrite. I knighted Pippin in my 2nd story.
Thanks to my beta, Persnickety, Katelin-dear, and Bobbi
Nayen-Yes, one of the things I hate is that they have to get separated. :'- ( But, as Frodo says "forever bound by friendship and love"
Hobbit's soul-LMAO. That's for clearing up what "great" meant. I'm really glad you think so! Thanks for reading. FF.net being what it is sent me your second review...hmm...30 times? LOL.
Xena-As always, thank you for you comments. I'm really glad you liked how I portrayed Legolas. I was really worried he wasn't "elf" enough. Yeah, poor Pippin. I don't think any of them will ever be the same.
LOTR Board Comments-
It may have been long, but it was a good chapter!! :)-Dinledhwen (glad you think so, thank you!)
Indeed, a very good chapter-Peregrine (thank you!)
A very good chapter-suzie sheelf (thank you!)
well done!-Silivren Ithildin (thank you!)
Chapter 7: Gandalf
"Perhaps if you speak to him, Gandalf. He looks up to you, you know. I'm sure he's spoken to the others, but whatever they said didn't seem to comfort him," Gimli pleaded to Gandalf as the two made their way through the city.
"Hobbits. They used to worry about nothing, but where their next meal was coming from. Are you quite sure he needs my help?"
"Yes. He seems quite upset about something. Even Boromir, in death, senses something. He visited the hobbit in a dream."
"Really now? Most unusual. I fear young Peregrin is the one most changed by all this and that disturbs me."
"Indeed. It upsets me, too. He seemed a most merry fellow. Now, however, he smiles less then usual and hardly ever laughs anymore."
Gandalf stopped. "Yes. That is troublesome. I shall have a talk with the lad. Thank you, Gimli, for coming to me."
Gimli nodded before heading off.
"Peregrin Took, you shall be the death of me, yet again," he mumbled to himself as he set off in search of his wayward hobbit.
Gandalf searched all over the city, stopping only occasionally to ask if anyone has seen the Gondorian Knight. He was just about to give up when he found the young hobbit sitting in the courtyard underneath the white tree.
"I might have known you'd be there," he said as he came up behind Pippin.
The hobbit jumped about a foot in the air as the sound of the wizard's voice. "Gandalf! You scared me, you know?"
"Yes, but I would expect a member of the Gondorian army to be a little less relaxed."
Pippin leaned against the tree. "Denethor released me from his service, if you'll recall."
Gandalf sat next to him. "He may have but I doubt Faramir or Aragorn would let you get away with leaving that easily. You were knighted after all."
"You're probably right about that. Least of all Faramir. He says he can never thank me enough for what I did for him. He wants to keep me around forever I wager. Just to pull him out of the fire, although hopefully it won't be a real one again."
"I take it you don't feel the same way." Gandalf looked down at Pippin. He'd known the hobbit since the day he was born. He, aside from Merry, Sam and Frodo, had noticed the change in him more then the others.
"No, I don't. I owe my life to his brother."
"And Faramir owes his life to you."
"Gandalf, what good was I in all this? I mean, aside from saving Faramir, which I wouldn't have had to do, mind you, if Boromir had lived. All I did was cause trouble! I helped kill Boromir in a sense and I know I killed..." Pippin stopped. He seems to struggle with what he would say next.
"Killed? You killed no one, but those that you needed to kill. Believe me when I say that the death of Orcs isn't as tragic as a mans."
"It's my fault, Gandalf," Pippin said in a low voice, "It's my fault you died. Even though you came back. You never would've fallen, if it weren't for me."
Gandalf stared in silence at Pippin. He hadn't thought of the guilt the young hobbit would have after his falling. Indeed, it seemed no one had. "Peregrin Took, stop that nonsense. Don't you remember a thing I've told you over the years? Some things are meant to happen. I was meant to fall."
"Gandalf, you can't mean that! You can't say you never, not even once, blamed me for it all." Pippin looked up at Gandalf, his eyes pleading with the wizard for the truth.
"Never, Pippin. I needed to fall. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have become the White Wizard and where would we be then? Indeed a lot of things wouldn't have happened. As upsetting as it is, you and Merry needed to be kidnaped. We needed the Ents help. That is something only the two of you could get. Everything happens for a reason, Peregrin, never doubt that. Have you ever spoken to the others about this?"
Pippin shook his head. "No, not even Merry. Gandalf, were you looking for me?" He looked up at the wizard again.
"Yes, yes I was. Gimli sent me after you. He was quite worried."
Pippin smiled. "That was nice of him. We'd best not tell Legolas though."
"No. That would lead to more problems then I can take at the moment. Now, stop changing the subject. Why didn't you tell the others of you're feelings?"
Pippin shrugged. "I didn't want to burden them with it. They all seemed too busy and worried."
"It's made them more worried, you keeping it all inside, Pippin. Never doubt your friends. Remember that, and you'll be happy all your years."
Pippin was silent. He stared out over the courtyard.
"Well, I'd best be going now. A wizard's work is never done." Gandalf rose to his feet.
"Thank you, Gandalf," Pippin said in a small voice. He too, rose. "Thank you."
Gandalf lowered himself onto one knee so he was eye level with Pippin. "I'm always there for you, Peregrin, even when I'm not." He pulled him into a tight hug. "Remember that," he whispered.
Gandalf rose once again and headed off. Where, Pippin didn't know, but he knew that wherever the wizard was headed, he'd be doing good. "I'll try, but I don't know how easy it will be to keep such a promise," he whispered, more to himself then anyone else. He sat down and leaned against the tree again. He was still tired, but found himself unable to fall asleep.
"I wonder who will try to help me, next?" he muttered to himself.
Up next: Faramir