Merry came running into the garden where Frodo and Sam were planting. "Pippins gone!" he panted, out of breath.
"What?" Frodo asked getting up.
"Pippins gone!" Merry repeated. "He left a letter. He's gone and it sounds like he's going to kill himself"
"What was in that letter? Did he say where he was going or why he left?" Sam asked.
"No, it doesn't say where he's going…" Merry hesitated. How much of the letter did he want to share? It was private, he didn't want everyone knowing. "It didn't say why," he lied.
"We've got to go find him," Frodo said at once.
"But where?" Merry said with exasperation. "He's not in the shire. He knows I could find him anywhere in the shire. Outside the shire though he could be anywhere! I haven't seen him all day. I just now found the letter. He might have left last night, or at latest early this morning. That's almost a day head start"
Sam said "Well, he's probably gone some place he knows, some place he's already been"
"But there are a lot of places we went on the quest!" Merry almost yelled. "How are we supposed to check them all"
"Gandalf," Frodo said. "We can write to Gandalf and have him contact Gondor and Rohan, and Lothlorien. And we can go to Bree and Rivendell ourselves. We'll find him Merry"
So the hobbits scribbled a quick note to Gandalf explaining, packed a few supplies, and set off toward Bree.
Pippin was indeed in Bree. He had ridded Ronan, the horse he had after the quest, and gotten there just at sunset. He planned on spending the night there. What he hadn't planned on was getting extremely drunk, but he was doing that now anyway.
"And I left him a letter and left," he said to no one in particular. The bartender was listening with a look of pity on his face. A group of five women were also listening closely.
"What are you going to do now?" one of them asked.
"I'm heading for Rivendell," Pippin said, his words slurring together. "I think the elves would be a suitable last sight"
The women gasped. One said "You're going to kill yourself"
Pippin looked at her and blinked hard a couple of times. When her face swam into view there were two of her. "You're very beautiful you know," he said.
"Thank you," she replied blushing.
"And yes, I'm going to kill myself," Pippin answered as he gulped down more ale.
"Why?" one of the other girls asked.
Pippin tried to look at her but couldn't bring her into focus. "Why not? I've got nothing else. Merry made life worth living and now he's out of my life and its worthless." "How are you going to do it?" one of them breathed.
"Well," said Pippin slowly with great care, "I was thinking about drowning myself, but there's no water to speak of. I thought about falling on a sword or something like that, but I'm too much of a coward. So now I'm thinking I'll throw myself off a tower." He drank more ale. "Or I could try and drink myself to death," he said holding up his now empty goblet. He turned to the women. "It was nice meting you all," he said looking some in the eye and others where he thought their eyes must be if he could see properly. He gave a small wave and left for his room. The woman who he had called beautiful got up and followed him. "What are you doing?" Pippin asked her.
"Walking with you," she replied casually.
"Why?" Pippin asked, not looking at her.
"Why not?" she said. "You're in no condition to be alone. I'm just making sure you get back alright"
"What difference does it make if I get back alright? I'm killing myself remember? What does it matter if someone stabs me on the way! They'd be doing me a favor!" Pippin said angrily.
"I'm just trying to help," the woman said. She knew he was drunk and she wouldn't get mad at him.
"I know," said Pippin, "but you can't help me. Its too late"
"I'll still do what I can," she said determinedly.
Pippin pulled her down slightly and kissed her. He broke the kiss after just a couple seconds and said "Do you want to keep me company tonight"
"Yeah, okay" she said.