Moria's Revenge, Chapter 4: Worried
Disclaimer: I wish.
A/N: I would like to thank Pip Morgan and Race Skylark for beta-ing this for me. She is a God-sent sounding board for my weird ideas, and helps me make comprehensible sentences while still making them say what I want.
**** Merry ran through the pine trees. His heart hammered in his chest. Ahead of him, he could catch glimpses of his elusive cousin and hear snatches of cheerful laughter as they played a game of chase. Yet no matter how hard Merry tried, he could not get any closer to Pippin. He felt a sense of forboding, he knew that something terrible would happen if he did not find Pip. Then the carefree sounds of mirth his cousin had been making changed. Merry heard soft sobbing echoing back to him. //I have to find Pip!// Merry was now aware of another prescence, another entity that also hunted his cousin, but with almost tangible malice rather than Merry's loving concern. And it was fast. Faster than Merry, who was sinking into the snow, unable to move faster than a crawl, now unable to move at all. A shreik ripped through the forest.
"MERRY! HELP ME, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLE-"
"....please, Meriadoc, wake up. Come along, little one, open your eyes..." Merry's eyes snapped open. Strider loomed above him, shaking his shoulder gently.
"Strider! Pippin! Have Legolas and Gimli..." Strider shook his head sadly.
"No, Merry. They they have not returned. I woke you up to spare you from whatever torment the dream world had devised for you. You were yelling loud enough for Elrond back in Rivendell to hear you!" Merry looked around himself for the first time, and saw that Frodo, Sam, and Boromir were all staring at him with concern from around the camfire that kept the night's shadow at bay.
"I- I'm sorry for bothering you. It was just a nightmare." Merry rolled away from Strider. He did not feel like talking to anyone at the moment. How could they understand what he was going through? Strider was always scolding Pippin for one thing or another, Sam was just Frodo's servant, Frodo was Pippin's friend, but lacked the bond that Merry shared with his young cousin, and Boromir... well, Boromir might understand. He had been a great friend to the two youngest members of the Fellowship, and had never raised his voice to either of them, except in play.
"It was not 'just a nightmare' Meriadoc. Don't think that we don't know what you're suffering right now. We all loved Pippin..."'
"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY!" Merry yelled at Aragorn. Frodo, Sam and Boromir immediately rose from their places and were by his side in an instant. "Pippin's not dead yet, so don't refer to him like he is gone forever." Merry added quietly.
"Oh, Merry." Aragorn pulled the sobbing hobbit to him as he realized what he had just said. "I am sorry, I really did not mean..."
"I know you did'n mean anything by it, Strider. I'm sorry for getting upset..." "No, little one, you have nothing to be sorry about." Aragorn assured him. Frodo leaned over and hugged Merry tightly.
"I know it's hard for you, Merry-dear. It's hard for all of us. But you need your rest. Staying awake fretting about Pip isn't going to make him come back any faster."
"Let's all get some rest, Mister Merry. It's gettin' to be right late, and we'll be needin' our energy on the morrow." Sam added. Merry looked as if he wanted to retort, but a wide yawn cut him off. Aragorn chuckled.
"It seems that you cannot even convince yourself that you are not sleepy, Meriadoc." Then he said to Boromir, "I will take first watch. You get some sleep too." In a lower voice so the hobbits would not hear he added, "Stay close Boromir. I have a feeling that there will be some more bad dreams to deal with tonight." Boromir nodded gravely and took Merry from Aragorn. He settled himself on the bedroll, with Merry's head on his chest.
Merry listened to Boromir's strong heartbeat. It made him feel safe, knowing that nothing could touch him. A stab of guilt pierced his mind. Because Boromir was with him, it meant that The Tirithean was not with Pip. Pip who really needed him. Pip who was lost somewhere in the wild, with naught but an incredibly tiny sword between him and the terrors of the night. Merry's disturbing train of thought was cut short by a movement at his back. Frodo plopped himself beside Merry and snuggled into his cousin.
Boromir watched the halflings in bemusement. What were they doing? his question was soon answered as Sam joined the pile by wrapping Boromir's free arm around himself, and instantly falling asleep. //Oh well. At least I will know if one of them is disturbed by a nightmare.// So, with his arms full of hobbits, Boromir drifted off to sleep.
Aragorn gazed down on the quartet sadly. He wished with all of his heart that he could do something to bring Pippin back. There was so much he needed to say. After the fall of Gandalf, he swore to himself that he would never put off conversations that needed to be had. And now he realized that one of those conversations was with Pippin. //You most likely think I hated you, Peregrin. I know I was short with you, sometimes, and that your innocence was largely wasted on me, but oh, I promise that if you are returned with your naivete and youth intact, I will appreciate it.//
*** Gimli followed about three paces behind Legolas. //Fool elf. If he does not look up from the backtrail soon, he is going to run into a tree.// Legolas did not look up, and as the dwarf had predicted, his shoulder hit a fir with a loud thud. Gimli hid his smirk as the sounds of muffled cursing drifted back to him. //I should not be getting as much enjoyment out of this as I am.// Gimli thought. //But that elf needs to admit that he is forming personal attachments to members of 'lesser' races. Even if he denies it to himself, he is very worried about Pippin. Dragon's Teeth, I'M worried about that rascal, this quest would have been unbearably serious if not for the young hobbits' enthusiasm. "The doom of all races" be damned, I'm not going to give up on Pippin until he is either found or avenged!//
By this time the two trackers had reached the pine thicket, and Gimli had to close the gap between himself and Legolas in order to keep together. Legolas was lost in his own musings. //I do hope that Pippin is in here somewhere. It would not be at all hard to get lost in this tangle, and Pip is such a small thing that his head would barely clear the undergrowth.// The thought of Pippin wandering around lost, and likely thinking that the others had aboandoned him pained the elf more than he wanted to concede. His heart twisted every time he thought of it. //This is shameful for a prince of the Greenwood. It is shameful for any elf. It will only have been for a few hours, mere moments compared to my lifetime, and Pippin will soon forget his fear when you find him.// But even with these thoughts, the elf could not assure himself. He still felt for Pippin, and wished he could take away the little one's fear by finding him.
Legolas stopped so suddenly that Gimli ran into him. After straightening themselves out, Legolas pointed to a patch of ground a few feet ahead. The ground was clearly churned up, as if a struggle had taken place, and although Gimli's senses could not detect it, Legolas could smell the distinct tang of blood, fear, and (he shuddered) orc. Things were certainly not looking well for Pippin.
Gimli started to survey the area. he pointed out to Legolas a clear trail of iron shod footprints leading south.
"...and see how the plants are flattened, Master Elf? It would appear that something was dragged away."
"My heart is troubled by this, Master Dwarf. It seems I should have been keeping a closer eye on our young charge."
"Do not fault yourself, the blame is on all of us." Gimli was rather suprised. //Just when you think you've heard it all...an elf admitting an error! Gloin will get a kick out of this when I get back.// "But," Gimli added, "we will not get nearer to rescuing young Peregrin by dwelling on our oversights. What is our course of action? Do we go back to the others? Do we go on in hopes of finding the orcs that took him? For although it would be more prudent to go against the abductors with a greater force, my mind chafes at the thought of the trail going cold. It is already early evening. I think we have until daybreak tomorrow before we must head back to meet the others in time for noon tomorrow."
"I agree, Ma- Gimli." Legolas corrected himself. He was grudginglly coming to respect the dwarf, and 'Master Dwarf' was beginning to strike him as slightly mocking. "but let us follow the trail until we find what has become of Pippin. A few might go unoticed where our comany would be soon found out." So the pair headed off south, following what they believed to be the trail of Pippin and his captors.
~~~~
Disclaimer: I wish.
A/N: I would like to thank Pip Morgan and Race Skylark for beta-ing this for me. She is a God-sent sounding board for my weird ideas, and helps me make comprehensible sentences while still making them say what I want.
**** Merry ran through the pine trees. His heart hammered in his chest. Ahead of him, he could catch glimpses of his elusive cousin and hear snatches of cheerful laughter as they played a game of chase. Yet no matter how hard Merry tried, he could not get any closer to Pippin. He felt a sense of forboding, he knew that something terrible would happen if he did not find Pip. Then the carefree sounds of mirth his cousin had been making changed. Merry heard soft sobbing echoing back to him. //I have to find Pip!// Merry was now aware of another prescence, another entity that also hunted his cousin, but with almost tangible malice rather than Merry's loving concern. And it was fast. Faster than Merry, who was sinking into the snow, unable to move faster than a crawl, now unable to move at all. A shreik ripped through the forest.
"MERRY! HELP ME, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLE-"
"....please, Meriadoc, wake up. Come along, little one, open your eyes..." Merry's eyes snapped open. Strider loomed above him, shaking his shoulder gently.
"Strider! Pippin! Have Legolas and Gimli..." Strider shook his head sadly.
"No, Merry. They they have not returned. I woke you up to spare you from whatever torment the dream world had devised for you. You were yelling loud enough for Elrond back in Rivendell to hear you!" Merry looked around himself for the first time, and saw that Frodo, Sam, and Boromir were all staring at him with concern from around the camfire that kept the night's shadow at bay.
"I- I'm sorry for bothering you. It was just a nightmare." Merry rolled away from Strider. He did not feel like talking to anyone at the moment. How could they understand what he was going through? Strider was always scolding Pippin for one thing or another, Sam was just Frodo's servant, Frodo was Pippin's friend, but lacked the bond that Merry shared with his young cousin, and Boromir... well, Boromir might understand. He had been a great friend to the two youngest members of the Fellowship, and had never raised his voice to either of them, except in play.
"It was not 'just a nightmare' Meriadoc. Don't think that we don't know what you're suffering right now. We all loved Pippin..."'
"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY!" Merry yelled at Aragorn. Frodo, Sam and Boromir immediately rose from their places and were by his side in an instant. "Pippin's not dead yet, so don't refer to him like he is gone forever." Merry added quietly.
"Oh, Merry." Aragorn pulled the sobbing hobbit to him as he realized what he had just said. "I am sorry, I really did not mean..."
"I know you did'n mean anything by it, Strider. I'm sorry for getting upset..." "No, little one, you have nothing to be sorry about." Aragorn assured him. Frodo leaned over and hugged Merry tightly.
"I know it's hard for you, Merry-dear. It's hard for all of us. But you need your rest. Staying awake fretting about Pip isn't going to make him come back any faster."
"Let's all get some rest, Mister Merry. It's gettin' to be right late, and we'll be needin' our energy on the morrow." Sam added. Merry looked as if he wanted to retort, but a wide yawn cut him off. Aragorn chuckled.
"It seems that you cannot even convince yourself that you are not sleepy, Meriadoc." Then he said to Boromir, "I will take first watch. You get some sleep too." In a lower voice so the hobbits would not hear he added, "Stay close Boromir. I have a feeling that there will be some more bad dreams to deal with tonight." Boromir nodded gravely and took Merry from Aragorn. He settled himself on the bedroll, with Merry's head on his chest.
Merry listened to Boromir's strong heartbeat. It made him feel safe, knowing that nothing could touch him. A stab of guilt pierced his mind. Because Boromir was with him, it meant that The Tirithean was not with Pip. Pip who really needed him. Pip who was lost somewhere in the wild, with naught but an incredibly tiny sword between him and the terrors of the night. Merry's disturbing train of thought was cut short by a movement at his back. Frodo plopped himself beside Merry and snuggled into his cousin.
Boromir watched the halflings in bemusement. What were they doing? his question was soon answered as Sam joined the pile by wrapping Boromir's free arm around himself, and instantly falling asleep. //Oh well. At least I will know if one of them is disturbed by a nightmare.// So, with his arms full of hobbits, Boromir drifted off to sleep.
Aragorn gazed down on the quartet sadly. He wished with all of his heart that he could do something to bring Pippin back. There was so much he needed to say. After the fall of Gandalf, he swore to himself that he would never put off conversations that needed to be had. And now he realized that one of those conversations was with Pippin. //You most likely think I hated you, Peregrin. I know I was short with you, sometimes, and that your innocence was largely wasted on me, but oh, I promise that if you are returned with your naivete and youth intact, I will appreciate it.//
*** Gimli followed about three paces behind Legolas. //Fool elf. If he does not look up from the backtrail soon, he is going to run into a tree.// Legolas did not look up, and as the dwarf had predicted, his shoulder hit a fir with a loud thud. Gimli hid his smirk as the sounds of muffled cursing drifted back to him. //I should not be getting as much enjoyment out of this as I am.// Gimli thought. //But that elf needs to admit that he is forming personal attachments to members of 'lesser' races. Even if he denies it to himself, he is very worried about Pippin. Dragon's Teeth, I'M worried about that rascal, this quest would have been unbearably serious if not for the young hobbits' enthusiasm. "The doom of all races" be damned, I'm not going to give up on Pippin until he is either found or avenged!//
By this time the two trackers had reached the pine thicket, and Gimli had to close the gap between himself and Legolas in order to keep together. Legolas was lost in his own musings. //I do hope that Pippin is in here somewhere. It would not be at all hard to get lost in this tangle, and Pip is such a small thing that his head would barely clear the undergrowth.// The thought of Pippin wandering around lost, and likely thinking that the others had aboandoned him pained the elf more than he wanted to concede. His heart twisted every time he thought of it. //This is shameful for a prince of the Greenwood. It is shameful for any elf. It will only have been for a few hours, mere moments compared to my lifetime, and Pippin will soon forget his fear when you find him.// But even with these thoughts, the elf could not assure himself. He still felt for Pippin, and wished he could take away the little one's fear by finding him.
Legolas stopped so suddenly that Gimli ran into him. After straightening themselves out, Legolas pointed to a patch of ground a few feet ahead. The ground was clearly churned up, as if a struggle had taken place, and although Gimli's senses could not detect it, Legolas could smell the distinct tang of blood, fear, and (he shuddered) orc. Things were certainly not looking well for Pippin.
Gimli started to survey the area. he pointed out to Legolas a clear trail of iron shod footprints leading south.
"...and see how the plants are flattened, Master Elf? It would appear that something was dragged away."
"My heart is troubled by this, Master Dwarf. It seems I should have been keeping a closer eye on our young charge."
"Do not fault yourself, the blame is on all of us." Gimli was rather suprised. //Just when you think you've heard it all...an elf admitting an error! Gloin will get a kick out of this when I get back.// "But," Gimli added, "we will not get nearer to rescuing young Peregrin by dwelling on our oversights. What is our course of action? Do we go back to the others? Do we go on in hopes of finding the orcs that took him? For although it would be more prudent to go against the abductors with a greater force, my mind chafes at the thought of the trail going cold. It is already early evening. I think we have until daybreak tomorrow before we must head back to meet the others in time for noon tomorrow."
"I agree, Ma- Gimli." Legolas corrected himself. He was grudginglly coming to respect the dwarf, and 'Master Dwarf' was beginning to strike him as slightly mocking. "but let us follow the trail until we find what has become of Pippin. A few might go unoticed where our comany would be soon found out." So the pair headed off south, following what they believed to be the trail of Pippin and his captors.
~~~~