They Will Gnaw One Another With Words (Ailments - "Headache")
Title: They Will Gnaw One Another With Words
Author: Huinárë
Characters/Pairing: Grima, Saruman
Rating: PG-ish?
Warnings: Verbal and physical abuse. Well, anyone who's been following this trainwreck will know it's not going anywhere lighthearted.
Book/Source: LotR
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tolkien. No profit reaped by myself, aside from a wealth of intellectual giddiness.
28 August
Gríma’s head still hurt. He eyed Saruman unhappily, finally asked, “Why do you hate me?”
“You, Worm? I hate them.”
“Don’t call me that,” Gríma ventured, tensing.
But Saruman’s earlier ire had been replaced by smoke. He responded languidly, “Don’t act like one. I struck you to discover whether those merciful fools would do anything other than simper at us. Besides, we are traitors; someone must strike a traitor.”
“Who’s to strike you then?” Gríma said before he could stop himself.
Saruman gave him a strange look, one which evoked a still stranger sense of pity. “Mandos knows.”
______________ NOTES
In case it’s not apparent to people outside my head, this takes place shortly after Gandalf, the hobbits, et al run into Saruman and Gríma in the chapter “Many Partings.” Saruman behaves particularly badly there, hitting Gríma and stealing from Merry, which I read as mainly a failed attempt to piss Gandalf off.
Author: Huinárë
Characters/Pairing: Grima, Saruman
Rating: PG-ish?
Warnings: Verbal and physical abuse. Well, anyone who's been following this trainwreck will know it's not going anywhere lighthearted.
Book/Source: LotR
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tolkien. No profit reaped by myself, aside from a wealth of intellectual giddiness.
28 August
Gríma’s head still hurt. He eyed Saruman unhappily, finally asked, “Why do you hate me?”
“You, Worm? I hate them.”
“Don’t call me that,” Gríma ventured, tensing.
But Saruman’s earlier ire had been replaced by smoke. He responded languidly, “Don’t act like one. I struck you to discover whether those merciful fools would do anything other than simper at us. Besides, we are traitors; someone must strike a traitor.”
“Who’s to strike you then?” Gríma said before he could stop himself.
Saruman gave him a strange look, one which evoked a still stranger sense of pity. “Mandos knows.”
______________ NOTES
In case it’s not apparent to people outside my head, this takes place shortly after Gandalf, the hobbits, et al run into Saruman and Gríma in the chapter “Many Partings.” Saruman behaves particularly badly there, hitting Gríma and stealing from Merry, which I read as mainly a failed attempt to piss Gandalf off.