Disclaimer: AU Story. Based on Shirebound's wonderful drabble, "Grace";
much thanks for her permission. The characters and settings continue to
belong to Tolkien. But the plot is mine and I very much hope that you enjoy
it. ^^
Aemilia Rose: My fanfiction hero! Thank you very much and I hope you continue to enjoy :-)
Shirebound: I'm so pleased you like Pippin's "outburst". Five minutes worth of rambling...that's my kind of writing. Heh, I'm only writing the one- liners for you now!
MagicalRachel: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! *sends over jelly beans for comfort* Glad you liked the 'Pippin-verse'! I am so relieved it didn't overwhelm. Yay and thank you!
Bookworm2000: Aw, Sam's turn will come around, I promise. He shall see the light! Thank you for your lovely comments and hope you enjoy.
Warning: Little bit of movieverse at the end; I am a self-confessed softie for that scene in The Two Towers and thought I would pay homage to it here. :-)
~ Chapter Four ~
"He's awake?" Merry cried, leaping up from his perch on the hilltop.
At first, the soldier was too breathless to speak, but he managed to choke out the rest of his message after a few gulps of air,
"King Elessar bids that you leave your post...he says that...Lord Frodo has asked for you."
As the last word left his lips, the hobbit was away, running as fast as his short legs would allow him. Light was spilling from the east and the sky burned clear and white overhead. Merry stumbled past a gathering of sentries, who called out to him.
"Hoy! Master Meriadoc! Why do you leave your post?"
"Frodo's awake! He's alright and he's awake!"
He rushed past their expressions of rising joy, down the slopes by the waterfall and onto the pasture beyond. He ran through the clusters of tents and pavilions to the one he had returned to every day after his watch. There was a crowd assembling outside it and a thrum of excited voices buzzed in the air. Merry dived into the nearest opening of legs, pushing his way through to the king's side.
"Aragorn!" he cried, "Can I see him? Is he well? Please, Aragorn-"
"Merry?"
The man smiled down at his friend's astonished face, yet it was not he who had spoken. Aragorn pushed the hobbit gently forward, where he found himself pulled down into Frodo's arms.
"Oh, Merry, your face," he kept laughing, "If so many people went to so much effort to bring me home, will you at least honour me with a smile!"
His cousin burst into both laughter and tears, giggling himself into a frenzy while tears poured down his face. Bright eyes gazed back at him that had been closed for an eternity. The world began revolving again and the sky lit up with a thousand stars. Awake! Awake! Merry squeezed Frodo with all his might until there was a little gasp and he was forced to draw away. Though the bones in his face were now prominent behind the skin and his eyes were hollowed like dark pathways, Frodo felt warm to the touch and the light within him was rekindled. He no longer looked so wan or sickly. Life burned in every fibre of him.
"You're the silliest hobbit I know!" Merry exclaimed at last, producing another chuckle from Frodo, "Taking off with Sam into the wilderness and sorting out dark purposes all by yourselves. I mean, honestly, you're as bad as Bilbo!"
"Wonderful!"
Pippin chose that moment to come storming into the tent in much the same way as his cousin, only pausing to take in a breath and stare in awe at Frodo. Then he lunged forward and took the frail figure in a warm embrace. The largest smile in the world was plastered over his face.
"Oh, Frodo, you're a marvel! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Whatever for, Pip?"
"For coming back, of course! You're safe and you'll never go away again..." he pulled away a moment, grinning at his companions, "There's a hundred thousand things we need to tell one another. We have met the most extraordinary people and seen even more extraordinary places."
Though eager to give full response to this, Frodo's throat felt raw and there was a vague sense of something missing...something very wrong and out of place, though for the life of him he could not think what. If only things would stop jumbling inside his head and he could understand what all the fuss was about. But he was exhausted. All he knew was that his cousins were beside him, which meant that only joy could fill his heart. So he gratefully accepted Pippin's words as if they were wine, drinking up every wondrous sound.
"...Oh, it was good enough for any story, you should have seen it! All the ents marching towards Isengard. It was frightening but well worth it. They went up to the dam that Saruman made and- Merry, go on, you tell it better than I do."
"Alright then. Well, the ents just tore off the barricades and pulled away the boulders as if they were just the odd piece of fallen rock. And the water poured out in this great cascade. Everything white! Treebeard, who we were still clinging to, had to move very fast- fastest I've ever seen him- to avoid getting swept away! Then, afterwards, of course..."
Frodo's mind wandered slightly. He did not mean to stop listening. Truth to tell, he was amazed by all that they had achieved and it certainly was good enough for any story. But there was still that annoying nagging thought at the back of his mind. Something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong. It was as if...Frodo could hardly explain it himself. Part of him that he was sure had been there before was gone. A great hole gaped in the recesses of his mind. The memory of a ringing voice...
*You will be lost without me...*
He snapped back to reality at the sound of a sharp cry. Merry and Pippin were staring at him. What on earth- then Frodo sluggishly realised that it had been his own voice. But that voice had been so clear! He was trembling now and he put a hand to his brow. There was a deeply uncomfortable feeling that the crowd was watching him with saucer eyes.
"I'm sorry," he gasped, "I don't know where that came from. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...both of you, please, stop looking at me like that. I'm alright, honestly."
Merry shook his head firmly, breaking out of his trance and saying,
"No. _We're_ sorry, Frodo. You've only just woken up and we shouldn't be berating you with our tales so soon. Come on, Pip, if we go now then we can leave him on a cliffhanger."
Pippin's dark expression instantly brightened and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! We can berate you later, can't we, Frodo?"
"I would love to be berated," the hobbit laughed. Merry winced at the sound. It was so thin and hoarse. He had not noticed it in all the excitement of his arrival. But he quickly retreated along with Pippin. Aragorn snapped out of his own reverie and shut his parted lips only to open them again in order to explain the need for Frodo's peace. The crowd backed away at once, nodding and acquiescing to the idea. Soon, the pavilion was left empty again. Only Aragorn remained behind to tend to Frodo.
"Forgive me," he said, "I did not mean for things to go so awry. Do you wish to be alone?"
"No!"
The man took a step backwards, startled at the vehemence of the reply. Frodo was shaking so badly now that he could hear the patter of the bed shuddering on the grass. He gazed up beseechingly at the king.
"No, I am glad you let them come," he said, voice quieter now, "To see so many faces is marvellous. Though I do not understand what's come over me..." There was the shimmer of waves in the ocean of his eyes, "What is missing, Aragorn? I feel as if a part of me is torn in two and yet I cannot remember why or how."
Aragorn knelt but did not attempt to take his friend's hand as he may have done in the past. In as gentle a tone as he could muster, he said,
"Frodo, the Ring is gone."
There was a frightening flash of emotions that passed over Frodo's face one after the other. First confusion, realisation and then pure horror. His hand went instinctively to his neck, grasping frantically for the chain. Aragorn watched the scene in misery. There was nothing under sun nor moon that he could do to aid Frodo's suffering. There was nothing that could have prepared him for the pain of its loss.
When he looked again, he saw that the hobbit was staring down at his maimed hand. It had grieved and puzzled the Fellowship. The finger had been cut clean in two- taken with one swipe of some blade or weapon. Frodo regarded it for a long while, blanching heedlessly. He swallowed hard.
"It was taken from me. I am glad of that."
"Glad?" Aragorn could not help but exclaim. Frodo did not look up this time.
"I could not have destroyed It," he answered calmly, "It had possessed me beyond recall. Yes...yes, I am glad It is gone."
Then, as sudden thought shook him to the core. He felt bitterly ashamed that his mind had been too wrapped up in the Ring to even remember his dearest friend.
"Sam. Sam, where is he?"
Aragorn nodded across to the other bed and was relieved to see a smile coil over Frodo's features.
"Samwise the Brave," he murmured under his breath.
"What was that?" the king asked.
Frodo grinned at him.
"That's my Samwise the Brave. He survived everything and held on for my sake. Samwise the Brave...Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam..."
~
Forgive me if the chapter confused- that is my huge failing, but I really wanted to get across Frodo's dizziness and bewilderment upon waking. I'm sorry, I'm so pretentious...
Aemilia Rose: My fanfiction hero! Thank you very much and I hope you continue to enjoy :-)
Shirebound: I'm so pleased you like Pippin's "outburst". Five minutes worth of rambling...that's my kind of writing. Heh, I'm only writing the one- liners for you now!
MagicalRachel: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! *sends over jelly beans for comfort* Glad you liked the 'Pippin-verse'! I am so relieved it didn't overwhelm. Yay and thank you!
Bookworm2000: Aw, Sam's turn will come around, I promise. He shall see the light! Thank you for your lovely comments and hope you enjoy.
Warning: Little bit of movieverse at the end; I am a self-confessed softie for that scene in The Two Towers and thought I would pay homage to it here. :-)
~ Chapter Four ~
"He's awake?" Merry cried, leaping up from his perch on the hilltop.
At first, the soldier was too breathless to speak, but he managed to choke out the rest of his message after a few gulps of air,
"King Elessar bids that you leave your post...he says that...Lord Frodo has asked for you."
As the last word left his lips, the hobbit was away, running as fast as his short legs would allow him. Light was spilling from the east and the sky burned clear and white overhead. Merry stumbled past a gathering of sentries, who called out to him.
"Hoy! Master Meriadoc! Why do you leave your post?"
"Frodo's awake! He's alright and he's awake!"
He rushed past their expressions of rising joy, down the slopes by the waterfall and onto the pasture beyond. He ran through the clusters of tents and pavilions to the one he had returned to every day after his watch. There was a crowd assembling outside it and a thrum of excited voices buzzed in the air. Merry dived into the nearest opening of legs, pushing his way through to the king's side.
"Aragorn!" he cried, "Can I see him? Is he well? Please, Aragorn-"
"Merry?"
The man smiled down at his friend's astonished face, yet it was not he who had spoken. Aragorn pushed the hobbit gently forward, where he found himself pulled down into Frodo's arms.
"Oh, Merry, your face," he kept laughing, "If so many people went to so much effort to bring me home, will you at least honour me with a smile!"
His cousin burst into both laughter and tears, giggling himself into a frenzy while tears poured down his face. Bright eyes gazed back at him that had been closed for an eternity. The world began revolving again and the sky lit up with a thousand stars. Awake! Awake! Merry squeezed Frodo with all his might until there was a little gasp and he was forced to draw away. Though the bones in his face were now prominent behind the skin and his eyes were hollowed like dark pathways, Frodo felt warm to the touch and the light within him was rekindled. He no longer looked so wan or sickly. Life burned in every fibre of him.
"You're the silliest hobbit I know!" Merry exclaimed at last, producing another chuckle from Frodo, "Taking off with Sam into the wilderness and sorting out dark purposes all by yourselves. I mean, honestly, you're as bad as Bilbo!"
"Wonderful!"
Pippin chose that moment to come storming into the tent in much the same way as his cousin, only pausing to take in a breath and stare in awe at Frodo. Then he lunged forward and took the frail figure in a warm embrace. The largest smile in the world was plastered over his face.
"Oh, Frodo, you're a marvel! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Whatever for, Pip?"
"For coming back, of course! You're safe and you'll never go away again..." he pulled away a moment, grinning at his companions, "There's a hundred thousand things we need to tell one another. We have met the most extraordinary people and seen even more extraordinary places."
Though eager to give full response to this, Frodo's throat felt raw and there was a vague sense of something missing...something very wrong and out of place, though for the life of him he could not think what. If only things would stop jumbling inside his head and he could understand what all the fuss was about. But he was exhausted. All he knew was that his cousins were beside him, which meant that only joy could fill his heart. So he gratefully accepted Pippin's words as if they were wine, drinking up every wondrous sound.
"...Oh, it was good enough for any story, you should have seen it! All the ents marching towards Isengard. It was frightening but well worth it. They went up to the dam that Saruman made and- Merry, go on, you tell it better than I do."
"Alright then. Well, the ents just tore off the barricades and pulled away the boulders as if they were just the odd piece of fallen rock. And the water poured out in this great cascade. Everything white! Treebeard, who we were still clinging to, had to move very fast- fastest I've ever seen him- to avoid getting swept away! Then, afterwards, of course..."
Frodo's mind wandered slightly. He did not mean to stop listening. Truth to tell, he was amazed by all that they had achieved and it certainly was good enough for any story. But there was still that annoying nagging thought at the back of his mind. Something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong. It was as if...Frodo could hardly explain it himself. Part of him that he was sure had been there before was gone. A great hole gaped in the recesses of his mind. The memory of a ringing voice...
*You will be lost without me...*
He snapped back to reality at the sound of a sharp cry. Merry and Pippin were staring at him. What on earth- then Frodo sluggishly realised that it had been his own voice. But that voice had been so clear! He was trembling now and he put a hand to his brow. There was a deeply uncomfortable feeling that the crowd was watching him with saucer eyes.
"I'm sorry," he gasped, "I don't know where that came from. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...both of you, please, stop looking at me like that. I'm alright, honestly."
Merry shook his head firmly, breaking out of his trance and saying,
"No. _We're_ sorry, Frodo. You've only just woken up and we shouldn't be berating you with our tales so soon. Come on, Pip, if we go now then we can leave him on a cliffhanger."
Pippin's dark expression instantly brightened and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! We can berate you later, can't we, Frodo?"
"I would love to be berated," the hobbit laughed. Merry winced at the sound. It was so thin and hoarse. He had not noticed it in all the excitement of his arrival. But he quickly retreated along with Pippin. Aragorn snapped out of his own reverie and shut his parted lips only to open them again in order to explain the need for Frodo's peace. The crowd backed away at once, nodding and acquiescing to the idea. Soon, the pavilion was left empty again. Only Aragorn remained behind to tend to Frodo.
"Forgive me," he said, "I did not mean for things to go so awry. Do you wish to be alone?"
"No!"
The man took a step backwards, startled at the vehemence of the reply. Frodo was shaking so badly now that he could hear the patter of the bed shuddering on the grass. He gazed up beseechingly at the king.
"No, I am glad you let them come," he said, voice quieter now, "To see so many faces is marvellous. Though I do not understand what's come over me..." There was the shimmer of waves in the ocean of his eyes, "What is missing, Aragorn? I feel as if a part of me is torn in two and yet I cannot remember why or how."
Aragorn knelt but did not attempt to take his friend's hand as he may have done in the past. In as gentle a tone as he could muster, he said,
"Frodo, the Ring is gone."
There was a frightening flash of emotions that passed over Frodo's face one after the other. First confusion, realisation and then pure horror. His hand went instinctively to his neck, grasping frantically for the chain. Aragorn watched the scene in misery. There was nothing under sun nor moon that he could do to aid Frodo's suffering. There was nothing that could have prepared him for the pain of its loss.
When he looked again, he saw that the hobbit was staring down at his maimed hand. It had grieved and puzzled the Fellowship. The finger had been cut clean in two- taken with one swipe of some blade or weapon. Frodo regarded it for a long while, blanching heedlessly. He swallowed hard.
"It was taken from me. I am glad of that."
"Glad?" Aragorn could not help but exclaim. Frodo did not look up this time.
"I could not have destroyed It," he answered calmly, "It had possessed me beyond recall. Yes...yes, I am glad It is gone."
Then, as sudden thought shook him to the core. He felt bitterly ashamed that his mind had been too wrapped up in the Ring to even remember his dearest friend.
"Sam. Sam, where is he?"
Aragorn nodded across to the other bed and was relieved to see a smile coil over Frodo's features.
"Samwise the Brave," he murmured under his breath.
"What was that?" the king asked.
Frodo grinned at him.
"That's my Samwise the Brave. He survived everything and held on for my sake. Samwise the Brave...Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam..."
~
Forgive me if the chapter confused- that is my huge failing, but I really wanted to get across Frodo's dizziness and bewilderment upon waking. I'm sorry, I'm so pretentious...