Ch. 19
Rosie had stopped crying, now beyond tears, even. Legolas had been singing a similar lament in Elvish. Gandalf had his head bowed, and had Pippin not seen the tear fall from under the hood, he may have mistaken him for asleep.
Aragorn stood back from the group, smiling the grin of a man afraid to display his emotion. Elrond had his hands folded in front of him, and he was staring at the floor. Merry stood away from the group, unsure of how to show his feelings. Frodo was sobbing, not making a noise. Gandalf put his arm around the shaking Hobbit. Gimli made a noise somewhere along the lines of a whimper, and covered it with a sniff.
"Well, I think we should give Sam and Rosie some peace," said Gandalf. "Come on, out, all of you."
Once outside of the hall, Aragorn bowed his head and left, reaching for his sword next to the door. Legolas tapped Gimli, and they grabbed their weapons and followed the king of Gondor.
Pippin pulled Gandalf aside. Once out of earshot of anyone, he asked, "Why did Merry get better, when Sam only got worse? When I did the spell wrong, I made Merry better, and now Bilbo's alive again, but Sam---"
"No, Pippin."
"No, what?"
"Bilbo is not alive."
"Gandalf, I may have been smoking, but I haven't lost my mind, and I saw him."
"No." Gandalf looked rather pained. "What you see is Bilbo--- in a sense." Gandalf paused, considering his words, then continued very quickly. "When you performed the spell wrong, you took the life out of Sam and it entered Merry and Bilbo's spirit."
It took a moment for this statement to sink in due to the speed at which it was said. He felt, however, as though he were missing something. The thought was shaken from his mind in a second.
"Bilbo's a ghost?"
"No," snapped Gandalf. "Well, not really. He was on a higher plane before the spell. A ghost never gets to the higher plane."
"So, he can't touch anything. He's just--- there."
"Yes." Gandalf now had a veil of pain behind his eyes. Neither spoke for a moment. Pippin could imagine how he felt. While he'd thought Merry might die, he was so upset. Not only was Merry Pippin's drinking and smoking partner, but the hobbits were best friends. Gandalf and Bilbo's relationship was along those lines.
Pippin cast around for a subject change to ease the hurt in the old wizard. In the process, he realized they were not done with the current subject. He realized what he'd missed.
"Gandalf---" Pippin's voice quivered and he felt like he may cry.
The anguish vanished at once from Gandalf's face. It was readily replaced by a steadying grimace. He knew what Pippin had come upon.
"I--- I took the life out of Sam." Pippin was dizzy, now that the realization had hit him full on. "If he dies, it's my fault. I killed my friend, I killed Sam, I--- I'm a murderer."
Rosie had stopped crying, now beyond tears, even. Legolas had been singing a similar lament in Elvish. Gandalf had his head bowed, and had Pippin not seen the tear fall from under the hood, he may have mistaken him for asleep.
Aragorn stood back from the group, smiling the grin of a man afraid to display his emotion. Elrond had his hands folded in front of him, and he was staring at the floor. Merry stood away from the group, unsure of how to show his feelings. Frodo was sobbing, not making a noise. Gandalf put his arm around the shaking Hobbit. Gimli made a noise somewhere along the lines of a whimper, and covered it with a sniff.
"Well, I think we should give Sam and Rosie some peace," said Gandalf. "Come on, out, all of you."
Once outside of the hall, Aragorn bowed his head and left, reaching for his sword next to the door. Legolas tapped Gimli, and they grabbed their weapons and followed the king of Gondor.
Pippin pulled Gandalf aside. Once out of earshot of anyone, he asked, "Why did Merry get better, when Sam only got worse? When I did the spell wrong, I made Merry better, and now Bilbo's alive again, but Sam---"
"No, Pippin."
"No, what?"
"Bilbo is not alive."
"Gandalf, I may have been smoking, but I haven't lost my mind, and I saw him."
"No." Gandalf looked rather pained. "What you see is Bilbo--- in a sense." Gandalf paused, considering his words, then continued very quickly. "When you performed the spell wrong, you took the life out of Sam and it entered Merry and Bilbo's spirit."
It took a moment for this statement to sink in due to the speed at which it was said. He felt, however, as though he were missing something. The thought was shaken from his mind in a second.
"Bilbo's a ghost?"
"No," snapped Gandalf. "Well, not really. He was on a higher plane before the spell. A ghost never gets to the higher plane."
"So, he can't touch anything. He's just--- there."
"Yes." Gandalf now had a veil of pain behind his eyes. Neither spoke for a moment. Pippin could imagine how he felt. While he'd thought Merry might die, he was so upset. Not only was Merry Pippin's drinking and smoking partner, but the hobbits were best friends. Gandalf and Bilbo's relationship was along those lines.
Pippin cast around for a subject change to ease the hurt in the old wizard. In the process, he realized they were not done with the current subject. He realized what he'd missed.
"Gandalf---" Pippin's voice quivered and he felt like he may cry.
The anguish vanished at once from Gandalf's face. It was readily replaced by a steadying grimace. He knew what Pippin had come upon.
"I--- I took the life out of Sam." Pippin was dizzy, now that the realization had hit him full on. "If he dies, it's my fault. I killed my friend, I killed Sam, I--- I'm a murderer."
