Ithilien, May of 1425

Pippin took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the fresh air of Ithilien. It was thick with the smell of flowers, many of which did not grow in the Shire. Pippin loved the month of May, the flowers in bloom, the warmth in the air, the promise of a whole long summer ahead. It was his favourite month of all.

As he walked through the garden he could hear voices speaking. They were too far away for him to be able to hear what they were saying, but his keen Hobbit ears had no problem identifying the voices. They belonged to Merry, his best friend, and Éowyn, the lady Merry served. Presumably they were out for a walk in the garden while discussing affairs, both of them liked it better outdoors than indoors.

Pippin continued his walk through the gardens, enjoying the scenery around him. He had never imagined there could be a place as green and rich of plants as the Shire, but he had been found wrong on his long journey. Ithilien was filled with the loveliest plantlife Pippin had ever seen and he had to admit there was not a garden in the Shire, not even one of Sam's, which could measure up with the castile garden of Ithilien.

He strolled through the paths of the garden for quite some time, enjoying his morning off from duty. He whistled a cheerful melody as he walked and felt like singing and dancing for joy. It was just something about the month of May which made him so full of energy and merriment. His mother always said Pippin became a foal jumping with energy this time of year, and the simile was a pretty accurate description.

As he had followed one of the paths almost all the way to its end he stopped and listened for a noise. He could hear footsteps approaching, the steps of someone taking a shortcut through the plants. He knew those footsteps well and knew that it was Merry before his cousin even stepped into sight. Merry however seemed to be in his own world and nearly collided with Pippin before he noticed him.

"Oh, sorry Pip!" he said and smiled apologetically. "I didn't see you there."

"Hard to see anything when you're walking through the bushes" Pippin remarked. "What are you doing taking these shortcuts through the garden, aren't you supposed to be with the lady this morning?"

"I just parted with her; we took a walk through the gardens while we talked."

"Doesn't your Friday repertoire go on until luncheon?"

"We took an early one. Pippin it's nearly 11:30."

Pippin's eyes went wide.

"Oh no! I'm supposed to be in service of Lord Faramir during the meal! I'm going to be late!"

He hurried back the same way he had arrived, but after a few paces he stopped and turned. He gave his best friend a questioning look.

"Merry are you feeling alright?"

"Why would you ask?"

"I don't know, there's just something…"

"There's nothing wrong with me, hurry or you'll be even more late!"

Pippin took a few more steps, then turned around again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Well if you need me… you know where to find me. You know you can just come and get me."

"I promise I will" Merry said. "You're not my best friend for nothing. I love you, you know that. Take care of yourself Pip; I'll see you later on!"

Pippin nodded and ran off to get to the dining hall in time. Merry watched after him until his cousin could neither be seen nor heard anymore, then he slowly followed the path Pippin had been walking until it came to its end. It led to an opening in the garden gate and he stepped out on the street outside, following it to a hilltop he knew not far from there. He sat down on it and overlooked the surroundings. It was beautiful, especially in this bright shining sun. It was his cousin's favourite time of the year; normally Merry would agree it was quite a special time. But not today. Today he did not feel like things were beautiful or that life was a wonderful gift. Most people would not be able to tell he was not cheerful, but he could never fool Pippin.

He sat on the hilltop a while but felt restless. He needed to clear his thoughts, but he would never be able to do so here, there was too much serenity surrounding him. He got up and walked to the nearest stable where he asked to borrow a horse, preferably a small one. The stableman gave him a suspicious look but the Hobbits were known in Ithilien and when Master Holdwine commanded something it had to be done.

Merry was given a small brown horse, a bit too big for him but he decided it would have to do. His only other option was to go back through the gardens to the castile and get his own Hobbit pony, and that animal was a bit too small for him. He led the pony out onto the street and mounted.

He knew he did not want to stay amongst people, he wanted to get away, so he steered the horse through the streets and urged it on to a gallop once they reached open land. The fast pace of the horse made him feel like he could fly away and leave all his troubles behind, and the rhythmic thumping of the hooves had a calming effect on him. He drove the animal on and let his mind wander, confident in his own ability to control the beast.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not pick up the scent until it had gotten far too strong for his liking. He wrinkled his nose. He had never expected to smell this again. He shortened his reins and the horse slowed down, trotting nervously as it too had picked up the smell.

Merry gulped and felt his heart beating a mile a minute when creatures emerged from all around him. Where had they come from? He glanced at the river nearby and decided to head for it; if only he got into the water he could let the stream carry him further away from them. But he had to act quickly, they were coming closer.

Orcs.

XX
XX

Éowyn looked out the window at the sun which had begun to near the west. Down in the kitchens preparations were being made for dinner to be served which had awakened her awareness to something. She let the light curtain fall back over the window and looked down the hall as she heard small foots approaching. One of the Hobbits.

It turned out to be Pippin, on a break from his duties and in a hurry to find his other ceremonial outfit in time for dinner. He managed a bow to her on the move as he passed. Éowyn turned in the direction he was heading and stopped him with her voice.

"Master Peregrin, where is Master Holdwine?"

Pippin took the time to stop and turn to talk to her.

"With you" he pointed out. "He accompanies you to dinner on Fridays."

"If he were with me I wouldn't need to ask. I have not seen him since this morning; I was hoping you could tell me where to find him."

"I'm sorry milady" Pippin said. "But I have been on duty all afternoon and didn't expect to see him. He will turn up momentarily, when has Holdwine ever been late?"

"He was late half an hour ago" Éowyn said. "Now he is missing."

"Missing?" Pippin walked up to her. "Surely you are exaggerating. Perhaps he ran into difficulties and got delayed. Trust me Lady Éowyn, if he is not here on time he has reason for it."

"So you're not worried?"

"Absolutely not. Milady, if there was some harm to him I would know. Perhaps he went riding and his horse went lame? Or he got stung by a bee in the gardens and went to the medics? Or perhaps he is out on the streets and stuck in a crowd."

"You're right" Éowyn said. "Foolish of me to wonder. I just never thought I'd see the day a Halfling arrived late for a meal."

"I shall see you both at dinner" Pippin said reassuringly. "But now I really must run along. Milady…"

He hurried off down the hall and went to the chambers he shared with Merry. There he quickly changed out of his more casual daytime clothes and into the ones he wore when he served Lord Faramir at dinner and supper.

While folding his other clothes he cast a glance at Merry's bed and noticed that his ceremonial clothes were not laid out on the bed. So Merry had returned and changed his clothes, that meant he was on his way to Éowyn right this minute. But Pippin couldn't resist the urge to open his friend's closet and see for himself that Merry's daytime outfit hung there as it should.

But when he opened the closet he found the evening clothes. Pippin slammed the closet doors shut. Merry should have been by around four to lay out his evening clothes, obviously his friend had not been in the room for many hours. A glance at the clock on the wall told Pippin he would be late again but nonetheless he went down to the stables instead of to his Lord's chambers.

He asked the stableman if Master Holdwine had been by to fetch his pony, but was told that he hadn't. In fact none of the riding animals had been used at all this day, they were all out in the pastures. Pippin went over to the pastures to see if Merry's sturdy Hobbit pony was there or if he had been taken out for a bareback ride. But both ponies were in the pastures, Merry had not been there to ride.

Pippin could still not shake the feeling that something was wrong. He walked towards the gardens and asked one of the soldiers he met if he had seen Master Holdwine. The soldier told him he had seen him in the gardens, but that was before luncheon. Pippin decided to look through the gardens anyway.

The castile garden of Ithilien was large and would take well over two hours to search for one Hobbit alone. Walking around calling Merry's name would only scare people for no reason. Merry was not missing; he was simply nowhere to be found at the moment. He would show up eventually. Instead of shouting his cousin's name Pippin whistled a tune as loud as he could. He only whistled half the tune, hoping to hear Merry whistle the rest of it back. But no response came.

By now Pippin was supposed to be in the dining hall with Lord Faramir but if he was late as he was then he might as well be a little more late. He ran out through an opening in the garden wall and hurried down the streets of the city. He stopped in a town square and asked the nearest bystander if he had seen the other Hobbit.

"Not for many hours" the man said.

"Where did you see him?"

"On the other end of town. Heading for Marrow Stableman's stables."

"Did he ride out?"

"If I knew that I would have told you he rode out, Master Perian."

Pippin thanked him for the information and ran as fast as he could through the streets. He didn't know why, but it felt important that he found Merry right away. Not knowing where his cousin was gave him a sense of uncertainty which he was far from familiar with.

He found the stable the man had directed him to and also Marrow, the stable owner. A quick glance around the stables told Pippin there weren't any ponies there, but perhaps the man had some idea where Merry had gone to.

"Excuse me good sir" he said. "I am looking for my friend. Have you seen him?"

"Indeed I have" Marrow said. "I lent a horse to… Master Perian earlier today. Still expecting him to return it."

Pippin rolled his eyes. Master Perian usually meant that the person had no idea which Hobbit he was talking to.

"Did you see which way he was heading?"

"No, but I think he was going out for a long ride."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's been over three hours since he left and I'm still waiting for the horse to return."

"Okay. Thank you."

Pippin went back to the castile the fastest way he knew. He ran into the dining hall where dinner was about halfway through. He walked as fast as he could down the hall while still keeping the composed and worthy appearance which was required by him. He reached Faramir's table and got into his position by the steward's chair.

"Master Peregrin, how kind of you to join us" Faramir said.

"My apologies, Lord Faramir" Pippin said. "But my lord--"

"Quiet now" Faramir said. "Do not show up late and then begin to make excuses. Silence while I'm eating."

Pippin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what to do. Faramir's voice was calm and composed as always, it sometimes made Pippin uncomfortable that the steward's voice never betrayed whether he was upset or not. But a glance over at the Lady Éowyn told him Merry had not ridden directly to the castile stable and rushed to his duties, there was no Hobbit standing behind the White Lady's chair. Pippin decided it was worth troubling the steward.

"My Lord Faramir, I am concerned for my companion. Master Holdwine went riding at mid-day and has not yet returned."

Faramir glanced over at his wife. No Hobbit served her this evening. He had not given it much thought when neither Hobbit had been present, but now that Pippin was back he was struck with how unordinary it was. Pippin could sometimes arrive late, although tonight he had set himself a new record, but Merry was always on time. He leaned back in his chair to talk to his servant more easily and sipped some wine.

"Alright" he said. "You have my attention. Where do you suppose Master Holdwine is?"

"I don't know. But it worries me, to be honest. It is not like him to stay away for so long, especially without packing something to eat! I'm worried he might have fallen and hurt himself, or that something happened to the horse and he is forced to walk back."

"One thing at a time" Faramir said. He waved his left hand and a soldier appeared. "Search through the castile, the gardens and the city. When you find Master Holdwine have him sent to me. Right away."

"Yes my lord" the soldier said.

"Before we assume that he has gotten into some trouble we should make sure that he is missing in the first place" Faramir said to Pippin.

Pippin kept in a sigh. Merry was not in the area, if he was he would be in this very room. He glanced over at the spot where his cousin was supposed to be standing right now but had to look away. Éowyn looked up from her meal and noticed that one of the Hobbits had arrived. She turned her head to see if Merry had arrived without making any sounds to disturb her but there was no Halfling standing behind her.

XX
XX

"We only have an hour or so of light!" Faramir said to his soldiers as he hurried down the corridor. "Spread out and search! Find out which way the Halfling took, then follow in his tracks! Find him! I want him here by sundown!"

Pippin swallowed hard as he hurried by his lord's side. He had to run to keep up with him, Faramir was in a hurry. The soldiers went off in their different directions but Pippin stayed by Faramir's side. He had been ordered not to join the search, in case Merry came back. By now they knew for sure that he had never returned from his ride, and people were beginning to worry.

"Don't you worry" Faramir said in a reassuring voice and stopped to let Pippin catch his breath. He placed a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder. "We'll find him."

Pippin nodded. Of course they would find him; there was not a doubt in his mind. He only wished they would find him sooner rather than later.

"I just miss him, that's all" he said to the man. "I'm not worried; I just want him by my side. We haven't been together in a few hours and well…"

"Well what?"

"He seemed distraught when I last saw him. And he talked funny."

"How do you mean?" Faramir asked and kneeled to get in level with his companion.

"He said that I'm his best friend and that he loves me, just out of the blue. Not that it was any news to me but it was an odd conversation to just throw it in. I think he went riding to clear his head of something."

"Whatever it was he ought to have cleared it by now" Faramir said and rose again. "Come Master Peregrin. Keep me company while we wait for news."

XX
XX

The soldiers returned when the sun set and Ithilien went dark. They did not have Merry with them. Faramir ordered them to go down to every house and ask around for anyone who might have seen the Hobbit, and to have guards posted at every door should he return. Pippin paced back and forth in Faramir's throne room, unable to sit down and take it easy while his cousin was still not home. There was no sight of Éowyn; Faramir and Pippin were alone. Faramir watched the Halfling pace for a while before he spoke.

"Merry knows how to take care of himself out in the night" he reminded Pippin. "He is not lost, he will return tomorrow. I am sure of it."

"I haven't spent a night without him near for five years" Pippin said. "I'm sorry; I just can't relax and go to bed when he is out there somewhere. Even if he is fine."

"You're not doing him much good pacing a hole in my floor."

"Faramir where is he? Why would he be gone for so long?"

"All I can tell you young Master is that when he returns you need to be in a good shape to greet him. Go to your chambers and get some sleep, you will be of much more use when you are rested. That is an order, Peregrin my friend."

With a sigh Faramir watched his favourite esquire retread to his lonesome chambers. He knew he was not much use either without a good night's sleep, but he couldn't bring himself to retreat. He stayed on his hard throne, wondering where his wife's esquire might have gone to. In the back of his mind he was sure that Merry had ridden for a few hours and then his horse had gotten injured, perhaps stepped on a sharp rock, and now it took him a while to get back. And Merry would know that he would be unable to make it back before dark, so he would find himself a good spot to set up camp rather than continue walking. His men had only been out searching for little more than an hour, Merry might still have two hours advantage to them. Sooner or later the Hobbit would return.

XXX
XXX
XXX

Closing note: Well this is the beginning of my new series. The first out of around 30 chapters. Most of them will be around this length, it's not going to be monster length. I hope you will follow me down the line. In this story I am trying things I haven't tried before and I'm working a lot on exploring character feelings and situations. I have also tried to make it like real life in that the same subjects can come up more than once; I hope that doesn't make it repetitive! Most importantly this is my first try at a story that knowingly contradicts Tolkien's appendix which makes me really nervous. But just so that you know, anything that goes against Tolkien is written that way on purpose so don't bother pointing out errors to me.

Anyways, there will be around 30 chapters plus an appendix as time goes by, with stories that didn't really fit in to the rest of it all but that I wanted to jot down anyhow. I hope you will be with me throughout the story. Let me know what you thought of the first chapter!