HMP: I'm back, I'm back! It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? And yes,
more adventure! Huzzah!
Disclaimer: Merry and Pippin and Tom Bombadil and all the places named in this fic are not mine. They're Tolkien's.
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Merry took off his jacket and placed it around Fidell's shoulders. The boy was now sitting against the tree Pip had been sleeping under. He was trembling violently, and his eyes were constantly looking about, as if expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and scare them to death.
Pippin stood, taking Merry aside. "Is he alright? He looks terrible."
Merry shrugged. "I dunno, Pip. He really doesn't look good. . ."
"Merry?"
"Hm?"
"Where. . .where do you suppose Iris is?"
There was a long silence. Pip knew that Merry had been thinking about that already. Finally, he shook his head. "I dunno."
And Merry walked back over to Fidell. Pip stayed where he was, watching as Merry tried talking to Fidell. The boy only shook his head, refusing to speak at all. He looked like he was terrified, though by what there was no knowing. Merry sat back a bit and stood, returning to Pip's side.
"He doesn't want to talk," Merry said. "I think we should let him sleep for a while, and then try again in the morning."
"What about home, Merry?"
Merry cast him a dark sidelong glance. "What about it?" Merry brushed past him, gathering fallen branches for firewood. Pippin turned, his jaw almost dropped.
"What do you MEAN, 'What about it'?!" Pip cried. "Merry, you said we could go home now! You still want to go home. . .don't you?"
Merry sighed. "Of course I do, Pip, it's just I think Fidell needs our help right now. We can't just leave him. He's our friend."
Pippin was at a loss for words. Here they were, two days from home, and Merry didn't care. They should help Fidell, that much was certain, but Pip didn't want to get involved in any more adventures. He'd had his fill for quite a long time. All he wanted now was to go home to a nice cozy fire and an ale.
Merry fed the campfire and settled down beside Fidell. Pip lay down on the other side of Merry and turned over, away from the fire, pulling his jacket close around him. There, he drifted into a miserable sleep.
* * *
"Pip, get up." A sharp kick to his side pulled Pippin out of his already light slumber. He groaned, turning over to find Merry hovering over him. In a moment, the Brandybuck was gone. Pippin sat up groggily, staring across the dead fire to where Fidell sat, still wrapped in Merry's jacket. He looked a bit better, but not much. Pippin stood and went to where Merry was fixing breakfast.
"Is he going to talk today?"
Merry shrugged. "If he can. But we can't force anything out of him, Pip."
"I know, I know."
"You want me to talk. . .don't you?" came a raspy voice. The two hobbits looked over to see Fidell staring at them, listening to their conversation. Merry glanced at Pippin briefly.
"Only if you would like to," he said. "We have all the time to wait for you."
"Don't you want to go home?" Fidell asked.
Pippin almost replied with an immediate "Yes!", but Merry cut him off. "Of course, but if you're in need, we'll be more than willing to help you first." Pippin's face fell. There was no way out of it now. Fidell sighed.
"A few hours after you two left, Iris and I were on our way back to Bree. As far as we knew, Will and Byrn were still in the barrow where we left them. We stopped after it got dark and made a camp in a small cave." His eyes turned to meet Pippin's. "The same cave Will and I brought Pippin to after kidnapping him at the Prancing Pony. In the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of shouting. Iris was awake and was arguing loudly with two people that I couldn't see. But I knew who they were. It wasn't long before daggers were drawn and I went to help Iris, but Byrn surprised me and bloodied me up pretty badly. I was rendered unconscious, and when I woke again, I was alone. I don't know what happened. I didn't know what to do, except to find you two. I travelled back to the barrow and then down the path you two left on. And here I am."
Merry was silent for a moment. "They took Iris."
Fidell nodded. "But I don't know where. Or why."
"What are we supposed to do, then?" Pippin questioned. "We don't have any idea where to even begin to look."
Merry stood and began to pace. Pippin hated when he paced. It meant he was planning something, and although under normal circumstances this would be an exciting thing, as Merry always thought of the best plans, Pippin now felt that it would only lead to further danger. Possibly even death, the way things were looking. He didn't want to die. He wasn't sure, however, if he could say the same for his cousin.
After a moment, the pacing ceased. "There can only be one reason why Will and Byrn would take Iris. Revenge. And they've most likely taken her somewhere that neither Pippin or myself would even think to look. Fidell, you're going to have to think of every place they could have possibly gone to, and we'll simply have to check them all."
"By the time we reach her, Mer, she could be -" Pip began to protest.
"Dead?!" Merry snapped suddenly, rounding on him. "I know that, Pippin, but at the moment there's nothing else we can do, unless you would like to think of a better idea!"
Pippin shrank back under his friend's harsh glare. "N-no. Sorry."
Merry's face softened. "No, I'm sorry, Pip. I didn't mean to yell at you." He sighed. "Well, we better get started. There's no time to lose."
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A/N: An update, an update, a real update!! Aren't you proud of me? *sounds of no one reading any longer* Aw shucks. . .Well, if anyone does happen to cross by this story, please leave a review so I'll know that I'm not sitting here, telling myself a story. . .
Disclaimer: Merry and Pippin and Tom Bombadil and all the places named in this fic are not mine. They're Tolkien's.
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Merry took off his jacket and placed it around Fidell's shoulders. The boy was now sitting against the tree Pip had been sleeping under. He was trembling violently, and his eyes were constantly looking about, as if expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and scare them to death.
Pippin stood, taking Merry aside. "Is he alright? He looks terrible."
Merry shrugged. "I dunno, Pip. He really doesn't look good. . ."
"Merry?"
"Hm?"
"Where. . .where do you suppose Iris is?"
There was a long silence. Pip knew that Merry had been thinking about that already. Finally, he shook his head. "I dunno."
And Merry walked back over to Fidell. Pip stayed where he was, watching as Merry tried talking to Fidell. The boy only shook his head, refusing to speak at all. He looked like he was terrified, though by what there was no knowing. Merry sat back a bit and stood, returning to Pip's side.
"He doesn't want to talk," Merry said. "I think we should let him sleep for a while, and then try again in the morning."
"What about home, Merry?"
Merry cast him a dark sidelong glance. "What about it?" Merry brushed past him, gathering fallen branches for firewood. Pippin turned, his jaw almost dropped.
"What do you MEAN, 'What about it'?!" Pip cried. "Merry, you said we could go home now! You still want to go home. . .don't you?"
Merry sighed. "Of course I do, Pip, it's just I think Fidell needs our help right now. We can't just leave him. He's our friend."
Pippin was at a loss for words. Here they were, two days from home, and Merry didn't care. They should help Fidell, that much was certain, but Pip didn't want to get involved in any more adventures. He'd had his fill for quite a long time. All he wanted now was to go home to a nice cozy fire and an ale.
Merry fed the campfire and settled down beside Fidell. Pip lay down on the other side of Merry and turned over, away from the fire, pulling his jacket close around him. There, he drifted into a miserable sleep.
* * *
"Pip, get up." A sharp kick to his side pulled Pippin out of his already light slumber. He groaned, turning over to find Merry hovering over him. In a moment, the Brandybuck was gone. Pippin sat up groggily, staring across the dead fire to where Fidell sat, still wrapped in Merry's jacket. He looked a bit better, but not much. Pippin stood and went to where Merry was fixing breakfast.
"Is he going to talk today?"
Merry shrugged. "If he can. But we can't force anything out of him, Pip."
"I know, I know."
"You want me to talk. . .don't you?" came a raspy voice. The two hobbits looked over to see Fidell staring at them, listening to their conversation. Merry glanced at Pippin briefly.
"Only if you would like to," he said. "We have all the time to wait for you."
"Don't you want to go home?" Fidell asked.
Pippin almost replied with an immediate "Yes!", but Merry cut him off. "Of course, but if you're in need, we'll be more than willing to help you first." Pippin's face fell. There was no way out of it now. Fidell sighed.
"A few hours after you two left, Iris and I were on our way back to Bree. As far as we knew, Will and Byrn were still in the barrow where we left them. We stopped after it got dark and made a camp in a small cave." His eyes turned to meet Pippin's. "The same cave Will and I brought Pippin to after kidnapping him at the Prancing Pony. In the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of shouting. Iris was awake and was arguing loudly with two people that I couldn't see. But I knew who they were. It wasn't long before daggers were drawn and I went to help Iris, but Byrn surprised me and bloodied me up pretty badly. I was rendered unconscious, and when I woke again, I was alone. I don't know what happened. I didn't know what to do, except to find you two. I travelled back to the barrow and then down the path you two left on. And here I am."
Merry was silent for a moment. "They took Iris."
Fidell nodded. "But I don't know where. Or why."
"What are we supposed to do, then?" Pippin questioned. "We don't have any idea where to even begin to look."
Merry stood and began to pace. Pippin hated when he paced. It meant he was planning something, and although under normal circumstances this would be an exciting thing, as Merry always thought of the best plans, Pippin now felt that it would only lead to further danger. Possibly even death, the way things were looking. He didn't want to die. He wasn't sure, however, if he could say the same for his cousin.
After a moment, the pacing ceased. "There can only be one reason why Will and Byrn would take Iris. Revenge. And they've most likely taken her somewhere that neither Pippin or myself would even think to look. Fidell, you're going to have to think of every place they could have possibly gone to, and we'll simply have to check them all."
"By the time we reach her, Mer, she could be -" Pip began to protest.
"Dead?!" Merry snapped suddenly, rounding on him. "I know that, Pippin, but at the moment there's nothing else we can do, unless you would like to think of a better idea!"
Pippin shrank back under his friend's harsh glare. "N-no. Sorry."
Merry's face softened. "No, I'm sorry, Pip. I didn't mean to yell at you." He sighed. "Well, we better get started. There's no time to lose."
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A/N: An update, an update, a real update!! Aren't you proud of me? *sounds of no one reading any longer* Aw shucks. . .Well, if anyone does happen to cross by this story, please leave a review so I'll know that I'm not sitting here, telling myself a story. . .
