HMP: Yes, do try and forget the pink oliphaunt. I want poor Frodo's house
to live! He's been through so much already, I don't think he'd very much
enjoy his home being sat on. Although, then the Hobbits would believe
Samwise when he said he's seen an oliphaunt. . .
To everyone else: La, but I do love all of you so! Thanks for your reviews! *sniff, sniff* *tear, tear*
Disclaimer: Do you think I own LotR any more than anyone else on this site? If you think even upon the edge of that thought, then you are a bigger fool than. . .than. . .me!! Muah ha. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Pippin's head was fuzzy. His stomach felt as if it was constantly churning and flopping around. His vision was blurred, and his mouth tasted of. . .well, he couldn't quite place it, but it was not the most pleasant taste in Middle Earth. He tried to sit up, but at the moment it seemed to be a bit of a challenge. So he lay his head back down onto the. . .rock? Well, he wasn't in the mood to wonder about the rock that he was laying his head upon. As long as there was something there, it really didn't matter.
He felt his eyelids close over his eyes. Normally, darkness would have discomforted him, but at the moment, he liked it. Then he felt a shadow pass over him, and the feeling of eyes staring down at him. He looked up. A large, bulky figure loomed above him. He would have cried out, but he was in no mood. So, he simply stared back up at the figure, hoping it would either walk away or say something, so that he could get back to resting. After about five minutes, neither of them moved, so he sighed and closed his eyes again. A sharp pain passed through his side. This time he did cry out, and sat up in shock, clutching his side.
"W-What did you do that for?" he managed to get out between gasps.
"Are you hungry?" came the gruff reply. Without giving him a chance to answer, a plate of food was dropped before him. Pippin glanced up at the man, then tentatively picked up the plate. He sniffed the food, stifling a grimace. It wasn't the most appetizing stuff he'd ever seen, but now that he thought about it, he was rather hungry. Who knew how long he'd been unconscious for. . .
And now that he thought about that, he didn't even know where he was. Pippin sighed. Not again. He'd already been through this once. Why did he have to go through it again? Wasn't once enough? Pippin slammed down the plate of food and stood. The figure reached out and shoved him back down. What was going on? Who was this person?
"What do you want from me?" Pippin whimpered. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"Don't talk," the man said softly. "You'll find out in good time."
"But. . .my friends. . .Merry. . .Iris. . .what happened to them?" Pippin asked. "Did you hurt them? Who screamed? What's going on?!"
Pippin gasped aloud as another kick met his side. "I said don't talk!" the man growled. "Your friends are perfectly fine. . .or were. Once Iris gets a hold of that Merry you talk about. . ."
"What?"
The man chuckled. "You don't think she and her father kidnapped you two for no reason, do you? Why, if you hadn't fallen right into their laps, they would have found you anyway."
"But what did they want with us?"
"You are Peregrin Took, are you not? And your friend, he is Meriadoc Brandybuck?"
Pippin hesitated. "Yes. . ."
"Then they wanted what any other no good ruffian wants: money. And, living near the Shire as they did, they knew how wealthy your families were, you in line to be the next Thain, he one of the wealthiest Hobbits in Buckland." Another chuckle. "They were going to find you, put you up for ransom and kill you once they go the money."
Pippin went pale. "Then. . .who was that. . .that man they killed?"
"Probably the one man who knew what they were up to, and the only man who tried to stop them. Those two. . .they don't like it when things get in their way."
Pippin was silent for a moment. "But. . .who are you?"
The man knelt down next to him. Pippin scrambled back a few feet. A small smirk appeared on the man's face, now visible in the firelight. "My name is Will. I believe we have already met once before." Pippin's eyes widened as he looked the man over. It was the man from the bar, who had gotten angry because he had taken some food. But now that he looked, Will didn't seem all that mean. He had a pale face, with dark gray eyes and sandy blonde hair, made darker by dirt and rain. Not an old man, but not a young one either, there were thin lines around his eyes and on his forehead.
"You. . .you made us stay at the Prancing Pony," Pippin said softly, "to pay for the food I took. A bit of an overreaction, if you ask me."
"I did it on purpose," Will told him. "I had to keep you there, so that I could get you away from Iris."
"Why didn't you take Merry, too?" Pippin asked.
"I thought Merry had stayed in the room with you," Will explained. "When I saw you by yourself, I knew it was too much of a risk to go after Iris and Merry. So, I took you, and with your help, perhaps we can track them and get your cousin as well?"
"You want my help?" Pippin said. "I. . .I don't know. . .I'm only a Hobbit. . .what could I do?"
"Hobbits have an interesting way of keeping themselves hidden," said Will. "No doubt Iris will use that to her advantage. But now that I have you, I can do the same, and you can find your cousin."
Pippin's head was spinning. It didn't make sense, but at the same time it did. He wanted to help Will find Merry. . .but what if Will was lying? Why would Iris do such a thing? Pippin thought she loved Merry. . .he knew Merry loved her. . .and he knew that he loved her, which didn't make things any simpler. But if he helped Will, wouldn't he be letting her down? No. . .he didn't even know what she wanted from them, unless Will was telling the truth.
"But. . .there are a few things I don't understand."
"What would those things be?"
"Well. . .there was. . .this warg, and--"
"Oh, that. That was me. I set the warg on you, thinking maybe I could distract Iris long enough to get the two of you away. But, alas, she's far too good a fighter. I took my warg's body and. . .well, what else would I do with a dead warg?"
"You buried it?"
"No, I ate it."
Pippin cringed, giving a sickening glance to the plate of food that had been given to him. "Also. . .um. . .well, why would Iris. . .you know. . .if she knew she was going to kill him anyway?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh. . .never mind."
Will gave him a suspicious glance. "What happened?"
"Well. . .um. . .Iris and Merry. . .they. . ." Pippin coughed, looking away, blushing slightly. Lowering his voice, he said, "See. . .they slept together."
"Oh. . .well, that question I cannot answer. Maybe she does love him. I don't know. A thief's mind works in mysterious ways, Peregrin."
"Pippin."
"What?"
"I prefer Pippin. . .um. . .if you please." Will gave him an amused look and chuckled to himself, before standing and fetching a blanket. He tossed it to Pippin.
"Here, get some rest," he said. "I'll wake you up when it's time to go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Ok, now to find out what's happening to Merry! Gah, is the suspense killing you? No? Oh well. . .it killed the warg! PAH HA HA HA. . .ha. . .hum. . .ok, well, please review.
To everyone else: La, but I do love all of you so! Thanks for your reviews! *sniff, sniff* *tear, tear*
Disclaimer: Do you think I own LotR any more than anyone else on this site? If you think even upon the edge of that thought, then you are a bigger fool than. . .than. . .me!! Muah ha. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Pippin's head was fuzzy. His stomach felt as if it was constantly churning and flopping around. His vision was blurred, and his mouth tasted of. . .well, he couldn't quite place it, but it was not the most pleasant taste in Middle Earth. He tried to sit up, but at the moment it seemed to be a bit of a challenge. So he lay his head back down onto the. . .rock? Well, he wasn't in the mood to wonder about the rock that he was laying his head upon. As long as there was something there, it really didn't matter.
He felt his eyelids close over his eyes. Normally, darkness would have discomforted him, but at the moment, he liked it. Then he felt a shadow pass over him, and the feeling of eyes staring down at him. He looked up. A large, bulky figure loomed above him. He would have cried out, but he was in no mood. So, he simply stared back up at the figure, hoping it would either walk away or say something, so that he could get back to resting. After about five minutes, neither of them moved, so he sighed and closed his eyes again. A sharp pain passed through his side. This time he did cry out, and sat up in shock, clutching his side.
"W-What did you do that for?" he managed to get out between gasps.
"Are you hungry?" came the gruff reply. Without giving him a chance to answer, a plate of food was dropped before him. Pippin glanced up at the man, then tentatively picked up the plate. He sniffed the food, stifling a grimace. It wasn't the most appetizing stuff he'd ever seen, but now that he thought about it, he was rather hungry. Who knew how long he'd been unconscious for. . .
And now that he thought about that, he didn't even know where he was. Pippin sighed. Not again. He'd already been through this once. Why did he have to go through it again? Wasn't once enough? Pippin slammed down the plate of food and stood. The figure reached out and shoved him back down. What was going on? Who was this person?
"What do you want from me?" Pippin whimpered. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"Don't talk," the man said softly. "You'll find out in good time."
"But. . .my friends. . .Merry. . .Iris. . .what happened to them?" Pippin asked. "Did you hurt them? Who screamed? What's going on?!"
Pippin gasped aloud as another kick met his side. "I said don't talk!" the man growled. "Your friends are perfectly fine. . .or were. Once Iris gets a hold of that Merry you talk about. . ."
"What?"
The man chuckled. "You don't think she and her father kidnapped you two for no reason, do you? Why, if you hadn't fallen right into their laps, they would have found you anyway."
"But what did they want with us?"
"You are Peregrin Took, are you not? And your friend, he is Meriadoc Brandybuck?"
Pippin hesitated. "Yes. . ."
"Then they wanted what any other no good ruffian wants: money. And, living near the Shire as they did, they knew how wealthy your families were, you in line to be the next Thain, he one of the wealthiest Hobbits in Buckland." Another chuckle. "They were going to find you, put you up for ransom and kill you once they go the money."
Pippin went pale. "Then. . .who was that. . .that man they killed?"
"Probably the one man who knew what they were up to, and the only man who tried to stop them. Those two. . .they don't like it when things get in their way."
Pippin was silent for a moment. "But. . .who are you?"
The man knelt down next to him. Pippin scrambled back a few feet. A small smirk appeared on the man's face, now visible in the firelight. "My name is Will. I believe we have already met once before." Pippin's eyes widened as he looked the man over. It was the man from the bar, who had gotten angry because he had taken some food. But now that he looked, Will didn't seem all that mean. He had a pale face, with dark gray eyes and sandy blonde hair, made darker by dirt and rain. Not an old man, but not a young one either, there were thin lines around his eyes and on his forehead.
"You. . .you made us stay at the Prancing Pony," Pippin said softly, "to pay for the food I took. A bit of an overreaction, if you ask me."
"I did it on purpose," Will told him. "I had to keep you there, so that I could get you away from Iris."
"Why didn't you take Merry, too?" Pippin asked.
"I thought Merry had stayed in the room with you," Will explained. "When I saw you by yourself, I knew it was too much of a risk to go after Iris and Merry. So, I took you, and with your help, perhaps we can track them and get your cousin as well?"
"You want my help?" Pippin said. "I. . .I don't know. . .I'm only a Hobbit. . .what could I do?"
"Hobbits have an interesting way of keeping themselves hidden," said Will. "No doubt Iris will use that to her advantage. But now that I have you, I can do the same, and you can find your cousin."
Pippin's head was spinning. It didn't make sense, but at the same time it did. He wanted to help Will find Merry. . .but what if Will was lying? Why would Iris do such a thing? Pippin thought she loved Merry. . .he knew Merry loved her. . .and he knew that he loved her, which didn't make things any simpler. But if he helped Will, wouldn't he be letting her down? No. . .he didn't even know what she wanted from them, unless Will was telling the truth.
"But. . .there are a few things I don't understand."
"What would those things be?"
"Well. . .there was. . .this warg, and--"
"Oh, that. That was me. I set the warg on you, thinking maybe I could distract Iris long enough to get the two of you away. But, alas, she's far too good a fighter. I took my warg's body and. . .well, what else would I do with a dead warg?"
"You buried it?"
"No, I ate it."
Pippin cringed, giving a sickening glance to the plate of food that had been given to him. "Also. . .um. . .well, why would Iris. . .you know. . .if she knew she was going to kill him anyway?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh. . .never mind."
Will gave him a suspicious glance. "What happened?"
"Well. . .um. . .Iris and Merry. . .they. . ." Pippin coughed, looking away, blushing slightly. Lowering his voice, he said, "See. . .they slept together."
"Oh. . .well, that question I cannot answer. Maybe she does love him. I don't know. A thief's mind works in mysterious ways, Peregrin."
"Pippin."
"What?"
"I prefer Pippin. . .um. . .if you please." Will gave him an amused look and chuckled to himself, before standing and fetching a blanket. He tossed it to Pippin.
"Here, get some rest," he said. "I'll wake you up when it's time to go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Ok, now to find out what's happening to Merry! Gah, is the suspense killing you? No? Oh well. . .it killed the warg! PAH HA HA HA. . .ha. . .hum. . .ok, well, please review.
