Chapter 18 - The Parting of Merry and Pippin
Melilot - Settle down! lol, anyway, yes, that was a very funny part of the movie, but then again, you know that. I purposely skipped having Merry say Pippin's name over and over again...people would have gotten bored and probably walked away.
PrincessEvenstar - lol, I'm glad I could help you get through your homework! But if you get a bad grade (which I'm sure you won't) don't blame it on me! ^_^;;
butterfly - Yes, indeed, the RotK cometh. And I agree, Lexi at Pelennor is an intriguing idea....of course there is that part with the waking of the City of the Dead. That might remind her of Frodo. Gah, the plot twists! lol
emerald of long cleeve - Hello, new friend! I'm glad you like my story, and yes, I suppose there is a handful of people out there who wonder about girls in the Fellowship. It's good to know I'm not the only one.
Warning(s): AU, angst
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. If I did, there really WOULD be girls in the Fellowship!
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The four hobbits scurried along behind Gandalf, struggling to keep up with the tall wizard's long strides. They were headed toward the stables of Edoras, having just come from a small council. Aragorn, Gandalf, King Theoden, Legolas and Gimli had been discussing what to do about Pippin's brush with Sauron. Apparently, Pippin had seen part of Sauron's plans, and Sauron knew about Aragorn. Gandalf did not seem willing to allow Aragorn to go to Minas Tirith. So, Gandalf was going instead.
He was not going alone. That much the hobbits understood. Well, except for Merry, who (by the looks of him) seemed to know exactly what was going on. Lexi was left to only wonder. Did Gandalf plan to take all of them with him? She didn't mind it much, but she wondered what kind of journey that would be. Four hobbits and Gandalf. Most likely a very unpleasant one.
"Where are we going?" someone finally piped up. Lexi raised her head. It was Pippin. He had trotted ahead to Merry's side. Merry, however, did not seem very adamant to answer.
"Why did you have to look?" Merry snapped at him, thoroughly annoyed. "Why do you always have to look?!"
"I don't know," was Pip's reply. "I can't help it."
"You never can."
Pippin stopped, his voice laced with the tears he was trying to hold back. "I'm sorry, alright?" The other three stopped as well. Meridol and Lexi stood on either side of Pippin, waiting for Merry's response. There was none. So, Pippin continued. "I won't do it again."
"Don't you understand?" Merry said suddenly, turning and going back to his friend. "The Enemy thinks you have the Ring. They're going to be coming for you, Pip. They have to get you out of here."
Lexi glanced at Meridol worriedly. Sauron thought Pippin was the Ringbearer. If he were found by the Enemy, who knows what would happen. It would be like the Uruk-hai all over again, only Lexi was sure it would be far worse. She could tell from the expression on Meridol's face that her friend felt the same way.
"And y-you're coming with me?" Pippin asked, almost hopefully. Merry gazed at him a moment, then turned and began toward the stables again. Pippin wouldn't budge. "Merry?"
"Come on!" Merry ordered sharply. Meridol touched Pippin's arm comfortingly, then hurried after the Brandybuck. Pippin sighed.
"He's not going with me, is he?" he asked.
"No," Lexi said. "I don't suppose he is." She paused. "Gandalf is taking you to Minas Tirith, to keep you out of danger, Pip. I don't suppose he'll be taking any of us, save you."
Pippin turned to her. "You must go with me, Lexi."
"Me?"
"Aye. I cannot leave you behind, not when things are beginning to get so dangerous. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."
She smiled softly. "Then I shall go with you, if Gandalf allows it."
With that, Pippin and Lexi went to the stable. There, Pippin was placed onto the majestic Shadowfax, a horse-friend of Gandalf's. Lexi was permitted to go, as well, and so it came that the four friends Meriadoc Brandybuck, Meridol Bolger, Lexi of Long Cleeve and Peregrin Took were separated. Pippin was given the last of Saruman's Longbottom Leaf as a token from Merry, and before any more exchanges could be made, Shadowfax galloped out of Edoras, bearing three riders to Minas Tirith.
Merry and Meridol ran to the watchtower as their friends rode away. They stood for a moment, until they could no longer be seen on the horizon. Meridol turned and saw Merry's shoulders shaking.
"Merry?" she questioned, almost alarmed.
He turned to her and embraced her tightly, crying into her shoulder. She held him for a few moments, until his sobs had ceased.
"What's the matter?" she inquired as he pulled away.
"We may never see them again," he said bluntly. "They could very well be killed in Minas Tirith, Meridol. Until the beacons are lit, there is no knowing whether or not we shall be joining them, and until then, it shall be as if a part of me has gone to Gondor with them."
He turned to look back out over the land. Meridol regarded him fondly for a moment, smiling softly to herself, before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek and nestling up beside him to watch the sun rise.
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A/N: Hey, hey! I kept my promise and updated quicker than normal! I really like how this chapter came out, and I hope you agree. I got into some real proper writing as it went along. I felt a bit like Tolkien. . . but his writing was far more proper and confusing. lol, well, please review!
Melilot - Settle down! lol, anyway, yes, that was a very funny part of the movie, but then again, you know that. I purposely skipped having Merry say Pippin's name over and over again...people would have gotten bored and probably walked away.
PrincessEvenstar - lol, I'm glad I could help you get through your homework! But if you get a bad grade (which I'm sure you won't) don't blame it on me! ^_^;;
butterfly - Yes, indeed, the RotK cometh. And I agree, Lexi at Pelennor is an intriguing idea....of course there is that part with the waking of the City of the Dead. That might remind her of Frodo. Gah, the plot twists! lol
emerald of long cleeve - Hello, new friend! I'm glad you like my story, and yes, I suppose there is a handful of people out there who wonder about girls in the Fellowship. It's good to know I'm not the only one.
Warning(s): AU, angst
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. If I did, there really WOULD be girls in the Fellowship!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The four hobbits scurried along behind Gandalf, struggling to keep up with the tall wizard's long strides. They were headed toward the stables of Edoras, having just come from a small council. Aragorn, Gandalf, King Theoden, Legolas and Gimli had been discussing what to do about Pippin's brush with Sauron. Apparently, Pippin had seen part of Sauron's plans, and Sauron knew about Aragorn. Gandalf did not seem willing to allow Aragorn to go to Minas Tirith. So, Gandalf was going instead.
He was not going alone. That much the hobbits understood. Well, except for Merry, who (by the looks of him) seemed to know exactly what was going on. Lexi was left to only wonder. Did Gandalf plan to take all of them with him? She didn't mind it much, but she wondered what kind of journey that would be. Four hobbits and Gandalf. Most likely a very unpleasant one.
"Where are we going?" someone finally piped up. Lexi raised her head. It was Pippin. He had trotted ahead to Merry's side. Merry, however, did not seem very adamant to answer.
"Why did you have to look?" Merry snapped at him, thoroughly annoyed. "Why do you always have to look?!"
"I don't know," was Pip's reply. "I can't help it."
"You never can."
Pippin stopped, his voice laced with the tears he was trying to hold back. "I'm sorry, alright?" The other three stopped as well. Meridol and Lexi stood on either side of Pippin, waiting for Merry's response. There was none. So, Pippin continued. "I won't do it again."
"Don't you understand?" Merry said suddenly, turning and going back to his friend. "The Enemy thinks you have the Ring. They're going to be coming for you, Pip. They have to get you out of here."
Lexi glanced at Meridol worriedly. Sauron thought Pippin was the Ringbearer. If he were found by the Enemy, who knows what would happen. It would be like the Uruk-hai all over again, only Lexi was sure it would be far worse. She could tell from the expression on Meridol's face that her friend felt the same way.
"And y-you're coming with me?" Pippin asked, almost hopefully. Merry gazed at him a moment, then turned and began toward the stables again. Pippin wouldn't budge. "Merry?"
"Come on!" Merry ordered sharply. Meridol touched Pippin's arm comfortingly, then hurried after the Brandybuck. Pippin sighed.
"He's not going with me, is he?" he asked.
"No," Lexi said. "I don't suppose he is." She paused. "Gandalf is taking you to Minas Tirith, to keep you out of danger, Pip. I don't suppose he'll be taking any of us, save you."
Pippin turned to her. "You must go with me, Lexi."
"Me?"
"Aye. I cannot leave you behind, not when things are beginning to get so dangerous. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."
She smiled softly. "Then I shall go with you, if Gandalf allows it."
With that, Pippin and Lexi went to the stable. There, Pippin was placed onto the majestic Shadowfax, a horse-friend of Gandalf's. Lexi was permitted to go, as well, and so it came that the four friends Meriadoc Brandybuck, Meridol Bolger, Lexi of Long Cleeve and Peregrin Took were separated. Pippin was given the last of Saruman's Longbottom Leaf as a token from Merry, and before any more exchanges could be made, Shadowfax galloped out of Edoras, bearing three riders to Minas Tirith.
Merry and Meridol ran to the watchtower as their friends rode away. They stood for a moment, until they could no longer be seen on the horizon. Meridol turned and saw Merry's shoulders shaking.
"Merry?" she questioned, almost alarmed.
He turned to her and embraced her tightly, crying into her shoulder. She held him for a few moments, until his sobs had ceased.
"What's the matter?" she inquired as he pulled away.
"We may never see them again," he said bluntly. "They could very well be killed in Minas Tirith, Meridol. Until the beacons are lit, there is no knowing whether or not we shall be joining them, and until then, it shall be as if a part of me has gone to Gondor with them."
He turned to look back out over the land. Meridol regarded him fondly for a moment, smiling softly to herself, before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek and nestling up beside him to watch the sun rise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hey, hey! I kept my promise and updated quicker than normal! I really like how this chapter came out, and I hope you agree. I got into some real proper writing as it went along. I felt a bit like Tolkien. . . but his writing was far more proper and confusing. lol, well, please review!