Pippin stood on the balcony and sighed. Sure Rivendell was lovely, but he was bored and it was raining. Merry and Sam were sitting with Frodo and Gandalf, but he'd been too restless and had left when Gandalf had told him sternly to calm down and let Frodo rest. Bilbo was off somewhere talking to some elves and Pippin didn't know where Strider was and besides, he could be quite scary at times. Pippin thought back to the Prancing Pony in Bree and shuddered at the memory.
It didn't help that he knew that he was about to start on a dangerous quest - oh why had he elected to go along? He knew the reason though, he couldn't bare the thought of being left behind, that would have been unbearable! But he was scared - not that he would admit it. He stared back out at the sheets of rain and sighed once more, it reminded him of the first day of travel from Bree to Rivendell, he didn't think he'd ever been more wet in his life, well apart from the time when he and Merry had accidentally fallen into the pond at the bottom of the garden…
Thinking of the Shire turned out to be a bad idea - he was terribly homesick andhe was annoyed to findhimself scrubbing at his eyes in an vain attempt to stop his tears, not that it really worked. He didn't fit in here. He would only cause problems for the Fellowship, he should just leave now before he mucked everything up like he usually did.
Tired, lonely, homesick, bored and hungry, Pippin ventured out into the rain and wandered around the gardens of Rivendell, finally huddling down between in a corner between a bench, a plant pot and a wall. His thoughts turned to the Fellowship - Merry, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Strider, or Aragorn as he was supposed to call him now, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir. Legolas seemed so perfect to Pippin's eyes, Gimli so strong and Boromir so brave - he had stood up to Aragorn. They wouldn't feel homesick, they were all concentrating on the job at hand, they weren't pathetic and weak like him. Tucking his knees up to his chest and pillowing his head on his arms, Pippin attempted to choke back a sob.
He was startled to discover someone wrapping a warm cloak around him, which was larger than he was and looked up into Boromir's face. The man offered Pippin a hand which he took and allowed the man to pull him to his feet and he promptly stumbled from the weight of the cloak. When had it gotten so dark? Without realising it, Pippin had fallen asleep and he was soaked through to the skin. He had also missed both dinner and supper and his stomach was telling him so. Pippin quickly regained his footing and tugged the cloak tighter around him, not looking at Boromir. What was the man doing even bothering to spend time with him? He quietly followed the man out of the courtyard and back towards the last Homely House where he could see Merry standing at the top of the steps. As soon as Merry caught sight of Boromir and Pippin he came running down the steps. "Pippin! Where have…" Merry stopped questioning at a subtle shake of the head from Boromir, which Pippin failed to notice, and began to fuss over Pip instead. "Come on, lets get you inside, you're soaked through and you're freezing Pip," Merry told him and it was only then he was ushering Pip into the house that he suddenly thought and turned around and called out a "Thanks!" to Boromir, who acknowledged him with a nod of the head. Thanks? What is he thanking Boromir for? Probably that he found me before I got into some serious trouble and he had to get me out of it or made all of us hobbits look bad…
Pippin dumbly let Merry guide him back to his room, each of the hobbits having been given a separate one and obediently got changed into a dry set on clothes. He absentmindedly put Boromir's cloak on the chair in the corner. "Are you hungry Pip?" Merry asked. "You missed both dinner and supper." What Merry didn't add was the 'I was worried' on the end of the sentence, but he didn't need to, Pippin heard it anyway. I'm just being a burden again… Pippin just shook his head, willing the tears which had started to well up in his eyes not to fall. "No, I'm kind of tired though, I think I'll just go to bed."
"Oh, ok," Merry sounded disappointed and Pippin couldn't fathom why. "I'll see you in the morning then, Pip. Sleep well." Merry left the room without a backward glance and Pippin felt guilty at his cousins disappointed tone. No Pippin! It's better this way! He glumly climbed into the massive bed and pulled the covers tight around him, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. I'm being a bother already, I should just leave tonight, they wont need me on this quest, I should just go back to the Shire where I belong and be my usually bothersome, always-in-trouble self there. At least at home I can't cause too much damage… But before he left, Pippin realised that he'd have to return Boromir's cloak.
He determinedly picked up the cloak and went and went out into the corridor… he had no idea where then man on Gondor's room was. It was now getting quite late and not many people where about, but Pippin started walking down the corridor anywhere. Luckily for him he came across an elf fairly quickly. "Erm, excuse me?" Pippin started and continued when he was acknowledged, "but could you happen to point me in the direction of Boromir of Gondor's rooms please?" The elf soon set him in the right direction and two minutes later found Pippin knocking on the mans door.
Boromir opened it dressing in his leggings and nightshirt and Pippin suddenly realised how late it was and started to stammer. "Sorry… it doesn't matter… it can wait until the morn…" he trailed off, realising he had intended to be out of Rivendell by the morning.
Boromir just looked at him quizzically and Pippin felt the tears start again… what was wrong with him? It had seemed like he had done nothing but cry today and when he tried to do something right and return the cloak he ended up messing it up…
"Don't worry about it," Boromir reassured him and Pippin realised that it was the gentlest tone he had ever heard the man use. Pippin just shook his head and wordlessly held out the cloak, intending to get back to his own room as quickly as possible.
"Sorry if it's still a bit damp," he choked out and he turned to flee once Boromir had taken hold of the cloak.
He was stopped in his tracks by Boromir's quiet "Pippin." Pip felt compelled to turn around, but he kept his eyes fixed on the ground. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Pip found himself admitting and was instantly mortified. He was even more mortified when he felt tears begin to drip again. "I want to go home," he admitted, crying quietly. He was surprised to be engulfed in strong arms and he was carried into Boromir's room. "I mean, it's not like I can do any good, I'm always in the way and people have to come looking for me, why did you come looking for me? I'm not worth it, I always get into trouble, I'm no help to anyone…" Pippin stopped babbling when Boromir put one finger against his lips.
"Shush," Boromir sat down on his bed , Pip still in his arms and snagged an extra cover, which he tucked around Pippin's shoulders. "It's too cold to be walking around the halls of Rivendell dressed as you are Master Took, Boromir told him lightly. Pippin just nodded. "And I know how you feel in some respects, I'm homesick too, but I have to fight for my city and for Gondor."
Pippin looked at him, awed. "You… homesick?" he stuttered.
Boromir nodded, somewhat sadly. "Yes… the quest is going to be difficult, for all of us, yet you are not worthless… and we go to save the Shire and all of Middle Earth… I predict that you will be a great comfort of the journey… and that your presence will be greatly needed."
"But I always get into trouble…" Pippin told him sleepily.
"Just wait and see, we each have a part to play in this journey," Pippin closed his eyes as Boromir said this and as he drifted off towards sleep, his last thought was, yes he's brave, but maybe he's more compassionate than I thought.
Indeed, we all did have our part to play, Pippin mused as he helped rebuild the Shire after the last Battle with Sauruman. I suppose I did bring him some comfort in a way… and he was more homesick than I was and if my presence helped him, well his helped me.
It seems unfair that he had to lay down his life to save mine, but he would do anything to protect his city… that's the Boromir I know -brave, strong, proud, loyal… and a good comforter. The rest of the Fellowship seemed surprised when I bonded with Boromir, especially so quickly, but they didn't know about that night, when he told me I was worthy of this quest and that people had set out to look for me, apparently Strider, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli were all out searching for me too, because they were all worried and they had had to threaten Merry, who was the first to notice i was missing, before he would stay inside. I'm proud to be in the service of his city.
Boromir was my protector, my shield on the journey of the Fellowship and his memory will always be honoured in my mind, in my mind he can do no wrong. He was always guiding me and was willing to help Merry as well, because he realised how me and Merry are almost inseparable - he understood, he and his younger brother were extremely close and Faramir is so much like him.
It was an unlikely bond I suppose, a man of Gondor and a hobbit, but it was a strong bond. I could rely on nobody more than I could rely on Boromir during that quest, he protected me and Merry and gave the ultimate sacrifice… and it all started because he shared what I considered to be my weakness - I was homesick, even before we started our journey. That night forged a special friendhip, he was my first really friend outside of the Shire, yes I made many more on the quest, but none are as special as the friendship I shared with Boromir.
I wonder if he's still homesick now, or if he's found peace in the Valar. As he said, we all had our own part in the journey… and we've fulfilled them. Hey, I sound so grown-up!