Aragorn was still unconcious, and now they had stopped for a rest, though Pippin was in serious doubts about where they stopped. They were at the border of a great wood, with trees huge and tall, and yet there was an air of mystery about them. And yet Pippin still suspected that there was more to it than the orcs let on. They were talking in hushed voices, and Ugluk looked to be in a particularly bad mood. Pippin was secretly grateful that Aragorn was out so that Ugluk would have no reason to take his anger out on him.
But his gratitude ended too soon. As soon as they had slowed to the stop, the orc carrying Aragorn dropped him with a dull thud. Though Aragorn's eyes remained shut, he moaned softly and tried to curl himself up. Ugluk barged over and seized him by his arm.
"Wake up, slime! You've had your little rest, and now you're to sit more, but any noise and you'll get it, understand? Do you, you sniveling dog?" Pippin watched as Ugluk spat out the last sentence and realized what was coming. Sure enough, Aragorn mumbled something under his breath, which Pippin was quite sure was not in the Common Speech, and yet was still an insult. Ugluk seemed to also take it that way. Lips turingin into a snarl, he immediately slammed his huge fist into the new cut on Strider's face, reopening it and starting it bleeding again.
Aragorn winced at the new bloodflow, but Ugluk seemed oddly satisfied. He again grabbed the ranger's arm and dragged him over to the nearest tree. Ugluk slammed Aragorn's torn back and bound hands into it, while two other orcs held him. The huge orc then found a long piece of cord, and used it to bind Aragorn tightly to the tree. He then got another section and rebound his legs.
"Now then. You sit tight here, right?" The orcs laughed and walked away to where someone was fighting over food. Pippin crawled toward the prone figure as fast as he could, Merry close behind him.
"Strider? Strider, are you alright?" Merry asked worriedly. Aragorn did not answer. He was currently trying to not express his opinion of the troll who was cutting off his back and sitting on his arm. "Strider? Please, let us know you're alive." Aragorn cracked open his eyes and tried to focus. Merry's face swam before his eyes, but through his haze Aragorn could tell he was worried.
"Mer-ry." Aragorn whispered, his voice raspy. When Ugluk had grasped his throat earlier it may have done more damage that he thought. "Are you…are you two-"
"Strider, do not even ask us if we are okay. You are the one who is…is hurt. Your face…" Pippin carefully ripped off a section of his sleeve and pressed it firmly to the new cut. Aragorn winced sharply and turned his head away.
"Strider, we must tend to you. It's not our fault that the orcs are picking on you. Hold still." Said Mery firmly as he pressed more cloth to the ranger's shoulder. Aragorn gasped and said softly,
"You two should not be doing this. You should be trying to escape. We are close now, to the orcs' destination. You two…" He broke off again into a coughing fit. Merry and Pippin exchanged a worried glance. Aragorn was looking very bad, and if he did not get help soon…Pippin shuddered. As they watched, Aragorn caught his breath, which quickly evened out. He took a deep breath, then grinned.
"It's not my fault they're picking on me either, you know." He said playfully to Merry, who scowled.
"Well, perhaps not entirely, but you're certainly not helping! If you keep insulting them like you do they will kill you anyway!" Merry countered. To his surprise, Aragorn broke into laughter. Merry exchanged a glance with Pippin and said, "What did I say?"
"Y-you have no idea-" more laughter "-how many times I have said that-" deep breath "-to Legolas." Aragorn choked out. Merry and Pippin both grinned and also laughed. But unfortunately, their mirth was quickly ended.
Ugluk had seemingly sensed joy and stalked over to their small group, along with two others. Aragorn immediately replaced the joy in his eyes with stone.
"Well, having fun, are you? You three are making a right little racket. We can hear it clear across the camp! That won't do. Just because we're close is no reason to get ansty. Gag him," he indicated Aragorn, "And separate them." Ugluk watched with satisfaction as the orcs first yanked Merry and Pippin away from their companion, dropping them several yards away. Then they approached the ranger with a length of dirty black fabric. Aragorn eyed it distastefully, and Pippin realized that he did not intend to make this easy.
The larger of the two grabbed Aragorn's chin and forced it to the side, exposing the back of his head and the cut on the side. The other one pulled the cloth over Aragorn's face and held it in place, while the other tied it in the back. Suddnely, the orc holding the cloth leapt back with a howl. The hobbits looked on, amazed. Apparently Aragorn had bitten his finger.
"Just get it done already!" Ugluk barked at the orc clutching his finger. Growling menacingly, he grabbed Aragorn's head and slammed it back into the tree trunk. He was instantly knocked out and hung limp in his bonds. Grinning, the orcs finished their job. Once Aragorn was securely gagged, they disappeared into the forest, evidently keeping guard from any attempt to escape. Ugluk left them with a sastisfied smile.
&&&&&&
Several hours later, Merry awoke. Looking around groggily, he realized that the sun had just gone down and the stars were appearing. He turned over and located Pippin, who was staring motionlessly at something. Merry was about to ask what was going on when Pippin answered him early.
"He still hasn't woken." Pippin murmured in a low voice. Not bothering to ask who 'he' was, Merry followed Pippin's gaze to Strider's still motionless form. He let out a sigh.
"How long have I been asleep?" Merry asked. Pippin shrugged.
"I don't know. A couple of hours, I would gues, but- wait! I think Strider's waking up!" Sure enough, Aragorn was shifting restlessly. Merry began to call out to him when he remembered the gag, and the two orcs in the woods. Instead, he silently watched as Aragorn quickly took in his surroundings. He seemed to suddenly realize that the hobbits were not beside him. Aragorn's keen gaze swept across the campsite, until it came to rest on the two of them. Pippin smiled and gave him a small wave. Aragorn nodded and settled back against the tree, wincing.
"He seems to be no worse." Merry remarked, trying to lighten the mood. Pippin said nothing, but Merry knew from all of his years of being his friend that his cousin was afraid. "Hey," he said, shaking Pippin gently. "He was not meant to die here, and neither were we. We will escape. Strider said that Legolas and Gimli were coming after us. We just have to keep hoping that they come soon."
Pippin smiled, and simply said, "I know." But at that moment, the camp was seemingly thrown into chaos. Orcs were appearing everywhere, talking quickly and taking up weapons. Merry noticed several orcs run pelting in from the dark forest, pulling out bows and shouting in their harsh tongue. "What's going on?" Pippin whispered.
"I don't know." Merry replied truthfully. Across from them, he noticed that Strider was sitting up, looking alert. Merry decided that he was also trying to find out what had seemingly frightened the orcs. Suddenly his questions were answered.
"What did the scouts say?" Behind them, one orc questioned another, who was sharpening his cruel blade.
"He saw a single horseman, probably a scout." The other one replied. The first orc looked shocked.
"Well, did he kill it? Or did he just let the Whiteskin go ambling off to tell the rest?" he fired back. Merry could see the fear in every detail of his face.
"The filth said he shot it, but he didn't wait around to see if it was alive." The orc finished with his blade and stood up. "These wretched Northerners! We should have left them behind. Can't do anything right, the devils, except run and hide back among the ones who actually fight." His companion nodded in agreement, and the two walked off.
Pippin felt his heart soar. There were people coming! Anyone who was an enemy of the orcs was sure to be some help to them. Pippin turned to Merry.
"Did you hear that? There's some sort of army coming! They can help us!"
Merry smiled. "Yes, Pippin, I heard. I wonder who they are?"
"I bet Strider would know." Said Pippin wistfully. Merry nodded, and they both looked back toward plains, each lost in his own hopes.
Suddenly a hand grabbed the backs of their cloaks and rolled them over. The hobbits shuddered as they found themselves face-to-face with Grishnakh.
"Well, my little ones, now things are a bit awkward, aren't they? Swords and whips here, horsemen with spears there. Little people should not meddle in affairs that are too big for them, hmm?" His pale eyes shone dangerously. The orc started to feel their clothes, and the Pippin had a sudden realization. Grishnakh thinks we have the Ring! He's looking for it now, when Ugluk isn't here!
As the groping continued, Pippin decided to play a game of chance.
"You won't find it that way," he said quietly. "If you really want it, you could untie our legs and we could save you a lot of time." Grishnakh stopped to look at him, and so did Merry. What was Pippin talking about? We aren't carrying anything, not like…Merry quickly understood.
"O-ho, very dangerous, little one." Grishnakh was stroking his hideous face.
"Perhaps," said Merry carefully. "But we'll do nothing and say nothing, unless you untie us." Grishnakh suddenly laughed and stood up. Behind him, Merry caught a glimpse of Aragorn. He was struggling mightily, cold fury in his eyes. Merry realized that Aragorn was trying to get to them, to protect them…
All of a sudden, Grishnakh scooped them up, one hobbit under each arm, his hands tightly clamped over their mouths. He looked around cautiously and walked quickly to the forest, right beside Strider. As they passed the ranger, Pippin caught his eye. Rapidly understanding his look, Pippin sank his small teeth into Grishnakh's hand. The orc let out a cruse and dropped the young hobbit, who tried to crawl away.
As the huge orc bent to seize Pippin again, something he did not think of happened. Aragorn's strong boots swung out and caught Grishnakh in the center of the chest. He flew backward, dropping Merry and making solid contact with an oak tree. The orc sank to the ground and did not move.
Merry lay where he was dropped, half stunned. At last, he raised his head and looked back at the ranger where he sat, breathing heavily. Merry at once understood what he had done. Aragorn had somehow turned to face them in his bonds and caught Grishnakh at the perfect time. Pippin was already kneeling next to him, looking worried. Merry crawled over, still lost for words.
"You…you saved us." He said slowly, watching Aragorn's face. The ranger did not look up, and Merry decided something was wrong. Then it hit him. The gag must be altering his breathing.
"Pippin, get that gag off of him. He's having trouble." Pippin nodded and slid the material over the ranger's head. Aragorn took several deep breaths and straightened.
"Merry…his knife. Do you see it anywhere?" The hobbit went back to the corpse and tried to find it.
"No, it's not here. I think it flew out of his pocket when he hit the tree."
"Alright," Strider said softly. "Pippin, free yourself, and Merry too, if you can." Pippin instantly complied, unwrapping the cords around his wrists and beginning to pull at the ones on his ankles.
"Strider, what's going on?" Merry questioned.
"The Rohirrrim, a legion of fighters from Rohan, are near. Now is the time to escape."
Pippin finished with his bonds and got up, beginning to fumble with Merry's. After a while, he got the simple knots undone and both of them were free. Pippin, however, was not yet done. He moved behind Aragorn and started to pull at the tight cords.
"No, Pippin, do not bother, just-" But the hobbit refused to listen to the ranger's pleas. He stubbornly kept pulling at the complicated knots that bound Aragorn to the tree. But after a little while, the hobbit faltered.
"I-I cannot get them undone." Pippin quietly stated. Merry refused to believe him.
"Let me see it." He knelt beside Pippin and pulled at the knots also. But they still refused to move.
Aragorn sensed their trouble and quickly whispered, "There is no time. You two must go now, or the fighting will come here." Pippin emerged from the back of the tree.
"We can't leave you here! They'll kill you if we're discovered missing!" he said indignantly. Hearing this, Merry worked even harder at untangling the ropes. But to his dismay, they would not budge. He slowly walked back around and stood silently next to Pippin.
Aragorn easily sensed both hobbits' hidden distress.
"It is better this way," he tried to convince them. "I would only slow you down." Suddenly Pippin burst into tears. He dropped to his knees, burying his face in Aragorn's mostly uninjured shoulder. Merry just stood, trying to stop the tears that welled up in his eyes and dripped across his face.
After a moment, Aragorn gently nudged Pippin with his head.
"You must go, little one." He murmured softly. Pippin nodded mutely and stood up. "Do either of you have any supplies?" Merry started to shake his head, but Pippin reached deep into a pocket and revealed one or two crushed wafers of lembas. "Good. Keep that, Pippin. You two should try to go north, and strike the river Entwash. There is good water, and berries too. Wait there for a while. If I do not find you in a day…retrace your steps and try to see if you can come upon a herdsman who will help you."
Merry nodded, choked with tears. He noticed that however steady Strider's voice was, there were still tracks of tears running down his face, barely visible in the darkness.
"Come here for a moment." Aragorn said quietly. As they knelt, Aragorn kissed the hobbits' foreheads and said, "Never forget: we will meet again…Whether in this world or the next."
"Strider-" Suddenly Merry's words were cut off by hideous shrieks in the dark.
"You must go. Go on, before they come here." The elder hobbit nodded and beckoned to Pippin, who stood silently. The two of them stealthily walked into the forest.
Just before they walked out of sight into the darkness, Aragorn could see Pippin turn around.
"Thank you." Were the last words he said before vanishing into the night.
&&&&&&&&&&
Well, there you go! Hope it can satisfy everyone until next time!
And many thanks to viggomaniac, Luinthien, imaginigma, lindahoyland, and Ainu Laire for being so kind and understanding about the terrible monster that is homework.
See you soon!
QueenofFlarmphgal
