A/N: I'm getting back into the swing of things. The story is going to get
more
exciting from here I hope, so I should be updating a lot more often.
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Although, I was able to do one of my crazy Tolkien rants today that I love so much. And Dominic Monaghan was spotted in a city not too far from where I live recently. That put a bit of sunshine into my day.
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"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Pippin's eyes shot open at the sound of this scream. He sat up, looking around frantically. The sound had come from Merry's cell. Pippin ran to the door, trying to see into the cell across from him. The door was open part of the way, which meant someone was inside besides Merry and Iris.
'Oh no,' he thought. 'What if it's Will in there? Or Byrn?'
"Merry!" he shouted, without thinking. It was silent for a moment. Then, someone appeared at the door of his cell. It was Fidell. Pippin perked up a little bit. "Fidell! Fidell, what's going on? Get me out of here! I have to help Merry!"
Fidell didn't reply, but fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Pippin quickly pushed it open and ran into his friend's cell. As soon as he entered, Fidell was behind him, holding his arms behind his back and keeping him where he was. Nearby, Byrn held Iris and in front of the four of them, Merry was lying on his stomach on the ground, Will standing over him. However, everyone's attention had been interrupted when Pippin had shouted.
"So, you decided to interfere?" Will snapped at the Took. He turned and strode over to him. Pippin's breath caught in his chest when he saw a dagger in the Man's hand. He tried to control his nerves. He had to be brave. . .This proved difficult, however, when Will snatched his hair and held the dagger to his throat. "I could kill you right here, Pippin. It would be very easy. One flick of this knife and you'd be dead. You know that, don't you?"
Pippin gulped, nodding anxiously.
Will snickered. "But, perhaps I will spare you, if you have a good enough reason to live. Enlighten me, young Hobbit. Why should I spare your life?"
"I. . .I - " Pippin was lost for words. This caught him quite off guard. But he had to think of a reason. . . "I haven't done anything wrong!"
Will's grin only grew. "Haven't you? You're perfect, then? Never lied? Never, ah. . .stolen?" With that word, his eyes narrowed and the pressure on Pippin's throat grew. "Never cheated?" And grew. "Never killed nobody?" And grew. "Never betrayed no one?" And grew. Pippin almost found it too dangerous to even breathe. Will was inches from his face now, waiting for an answer. "Well, Pippin? Have you?"
"N-no," Pippin stammered, practically inaudible. The pressure loosened. "No, I haven't. I don't recall ever lying to anybody. The only thing I've stolen is a carrot from Farmer Maggot's field. I've never had anything to cheat on and - " Pippin glared at Will. "I've never killed anyone."
"That leaves you with betrayal, Halfling," Will sneered.
Pippin stopped. His heart was almost beating out of his chest. He couldn't tell Will the truth. Merry was only a few feet away, and watching him intently. Something suddenly dawned on him. Did Merry know? That look in his eyes. . .Pippin glanced at Iris. The look in hers. . .it matched his. They were telling him to tell Will the truth. The truth was so difficult. . .
"I. . .I. . ." Pippin sighed, averting his eyes. "I. . .have betrayed someone."
"Who?" Will asked.
"Merry."
"How?"
"I. . .did something I shouldn't have. And I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway. And I never told him."
"What did you do?"
Pippin hesitated. "I k-kissed Iris. Twice. Once in the forest after Byrn disappeared and again in the Prancing Pony, during a fight in the tavern."
Will grinned again, applying more pressure again. "Ah, so you're not that innocent, eh? Then I have no reason to spare you - "
"No! Leave him alone!" All eyes now turned to Merry, who was slowly getting to his feet. His voice was hoarse and he was holding his side. Will spun around to face him, an outraged glare painting his face. He stalked over to the injured Hobbit.
"And why should I listen to you?" he snarled.
"Because," Merry said, his voice low with anger, "it doesn't matter what he's done. All he wants to do is go home, and I should have let him. It's my own fault for keeping him here. He has nothing to do with this."
"Of course he does," Will spat. "Who do you think we're going to blame for your death?"
Merry stared. "W-what?"
"You heard me," Will snapped. "Why do you think Byrn captured you in the first place? He was working with me. We're going to kill you and put your body somewhere for another Hobbit to find. Then, we'll hide with that one - " He nodded towards Pippin. " - in the Overbourn Marshes, until the reward for your murderer goes up to a wonderfully high amount." He went behind Merry, grabbing his forehead to force his head backwards and holding the dagger to his throat. "And you know what happens then? We turn him in. We collect the reward. And we leave him there, to face his sentence." Will's voice fell to a harsh whisper. "Do you know what that sentence will be, Merry?"
Merry swallowed, breathing heavily. "Death."
Will snickered. "Exactly. And we'll have enough money to pay off our debts, so that we won't have to live on our toes anymore. We won't have to worry."
"But why us? What did we do?" Merry asked between breaths.
"Nothing," Will replied. "You did nothing. However, you were just fortunate enough to be born into two of the richest families in the Shire. And you living in Buckland, it was inevitable that you'd have to cross the Ferry. So, it was a perfect way to capture you, and kill you and collect our reward. Satisfied?"
"But why did you kidnap Pippin? What did that accomplish for you?"
"That is simple. To throw you off. While you thought that Byrn was taking you to look for Pippin, in reality he was taking you here. Meanwhile, I told Pippin that we were going to rescue you from Iris and Byrn, saying that they were the real bad guys. I was going to bring him here from Tom Bombadil's, but unfortunately things went a bit sour. Enough talking. Your time is up, Merry."
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A/N: Uh-oh, here come's trouble. Sorry. Anyway, please review! You know you want to. . .
exciting from here I hope, so I should be updating a lot more often.
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Although, I was able to do one of my crazy Tolkien rants today that I love so much. And Dominic Monaghan was spotted in a city not too far from where I live recently. That put a bit of sunshine into my day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Pippin's eyes shot open at the sound of this scream. He sat up, looking around frantically. The sound had come from Merry's cell. Pippin ran to the door, trying to see into the cell across from him. The door was open part of the way, which meant someone was inside besides Merry and Iris.
'Oh no,' he thought. 'What if it's Will in there? Or Byrn?'
"Merry!" he shouted, without thinking. It was silent for a moment. Then, someone appeared at the door of his cell. It was Fidell. Pippin perked up a little bit. "Fidell! Fidell, what's going on? Get me out of here! I have to help Merry!"
Fidell didn't reply, but fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Pippin quickly pushed it open and ran into his friend's cell. As soon as he entered, Fidell was behind him, holding his arms behind his back and keeping him where he was. Nearby, Byrn held Iris and in front of the four of them, Merry was lying on his stomach on the ground, Will standing over him. However, everyone's attention had been interrupted when Pippin had shouted.
"So, you decided to interfere?" Will snapped at the Took. He turned and strode over to him. Pippin's breath caught in his chest when he saw a dagger in the Man's hand. He tried to control his nerves. He had to be brave. . .This proved difficult, however, when Will snatched his hair and held the dagger to his throat. "I could kill you right here, Pippin. It would be very easy. One flick of this knife and you'd be dead. You know that, don't you?"
Pippin gulped, nodding anxiously.
Will snickered. "But, perhaps I will spare you, if you have a good enough reason to live. Enlighten me, young Hobbit. Why should I spare your life?"
"I. . .I - " Pippin was lost for words. This caught him quite off guard. But he had to think of a reason. . . "I haven't done anything wrong!"
Will's grin only grew. "Haven't you? You're perfect, then? Never lied? Never, ah. . .stolen?" With that word, his eyes narrowed and the pressure on Pippin's throat grew. "Never cheated?" And grew. "Never killed nobody?" And grew. "Never betrayed no one?" And grew. Pippin almost found it too dangerous to even breathe. Will was inches from his face now, waiting for an answer. "Well, Pippin? Have you?"
"N-no," Pippin stammered, practically inaudible. The pressure loosened. "No, I haven't. I don't recall ever lying to anybody. The only thing I've stolen is a carrot from Farmer Maggot's field. I've never had anything to cheat on and - " Pippin glared at Will. "I've never killed anyone."
"That leaves you with betrayal, Halfling," Will sneered.
Pippin stopped. His heart was almost beating out of his chest. He couldn't tell Will the truth. Merry was only a few feet away, and watching him intently. Something suddenly dawned on him. Did Merry know? That look in his eyes. . .Pippin glanced at Iris. The look in hers. . .it matched his. They were telling him to tell Will the truth. The truth was so difficult. . .
"I. . .I. . ." Pippin sighed, averting his eyes. "I. . .have betrayed someone."
"Who?" Will asked.
"Merry."
"How?"
"I. . .did something I shouldn't have. And I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway. And I never told him."
"What did you do?"
Pippin hesitated. "I k-kissed Iris. Twice. Once in the forest after Byrn disappeared and again in the Prancing Pony, during a fight in the tavern."
Will grinned again, applying more pressure again. "Ah, so you're not that innocent, eh? Then I have no reason to spare you - "
"No! Leave him alone!" All eyes now turned to Merry, who was slowly getting to his feet. His voice was hoarse and he was holding his side. Will spun around to face him, an outraged glare painting his face. He stalked over to the injured Hobbit.
"And why should I listen to you?" he snarled.
"Because," Merry said, his voice low with anger, "it doesn't matter what he's done. All he wants to do is go home, and I should have let him. It's my own fault for keeping him here. He has nothing to do with this."
"Of course he does," Will spat. "Who do you think we're going to blame for your death?"
Merry stared. "W-what?"
"You heard me," Will snapped. "Why do you think Byrn captured you in the first place? He was working with me. We're going to kill you and put your body somewhere for another Hobbit to find. Then, we'll hide with that one - " He nodded towards Pippin. " - in the Overbourn Marshes, until the reward for your murderer goes up to a wonderfully high amount." He went behind Merry, grabbing his forehead to force his head backwards and holding the dagger to his throat. "And you know what happens then? We turn him in. We collect the reward. And we leave him there, to face his sentence." Will's voice fell to a harsh whisper. "Do you know what that sentence will be, Merry?"
Merry swallowed, breathing heavily. "Death."
Will snickered. "Exactly. And we'll have enough money to pay off our debts, so that we won't have to live on our toes anymore. We won't have to worry."
"But why us? What did we do?" Merry asked between breaths.
"Nothing," Will replied. "You did nothing. However, you were just fortunate enough to be born into two of the richest families in the Shire. And you living in Buckland, it was inevitable that you'd have to cross the Ferry. So, it was a perfect way to capture you, and kill you and collect our reward. Satisfied?"
"But why did you kidnap Pippin? What did that accomplish for you?"
"That is simple. To throw you off. While you thought that Byrn was taking you to look for Pippin, in reality he was taking you here. Meanwhile, I told Pippin that we were going to rescue you from Iris and Byrn, saying that they were the real bad guys. I was going to bring him here from Tom Bombadil's, but unfortunately things went a bit sour. Enough talking. Your time is up, Merry."
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A/N: Uh-oh, here come's trouble. Sorry. Anyway, please review! You know you want to. . .
