Fic: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream, Chapter 10
10/19
Authors:: Piplover, Lindelea, Auntie Meesh, Slightly Tookish, Cathleen, Dreamflower, Rosietook, Ariel, Pearl Took, Budgielover, and Gryffinjack
Summary: A plot against the newly crowned King leads to possibly deadly consequences for his smallest Guardsman; and disturbing questions arise for the new Steward to answer, as the entire Fellowship rallies around. Written as a group story by the PippinHealers mailing list.
Genre: Hurt-comfort
Rating: PG-13 for angst and some violence
Warning: An OC character death and mention of drug abuse
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Prologue: Piplover
Chapter 1: Lindelea
Chapter 2: Auntie Meesh
Chapter 3: Slightly Tookish
Chapter 4: Cathleen
Chapter 5: Dreamflower
Chapter 6: Rosietook
Chapter 7: Ariel
Chapter 8: Piplover
Chapter 9: Lindelea
Chapter 10: Dreamflower
Pippin fell…
And fell…
And felt strong arms about him. A familiar hand on his brow. Long, gentle fingers, a cool palm.
Frodo.
He gasped, and then gave a sigh, and with a movement of confidence leaned into the welcome embrace.
'Frodo,' he tried to murmur. He could not hear his own voice. His eyes remained closed. If he was to speak, it was too much work to open his eyes.
'Fro…' it came out that time, a raspy whisper, scarcely audible, except to the loving ears that strained to hear.
'Easy Pip, I’ve got you. Hush, now dearest. You’re going to be all right now.' Even as Frodo spoke, he cast an inquiring glance at Aragorn, who nodded. Frodo felt the tension leave his body at the confirmation that his words were, indeed, true.
'You--you caught me,' came the whisper. 'He said you’d catch me.'
Frodo buried his face in his cousin’s sweaty curls, his tears of relief mingling with the dampness there. 'Who said that, Pippin-lad?'
'Boromir,' was the unexpected reply.
A shiver ran through Frodo. How close had his cousin come to leaving the bounds of Arda? He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the fallen Boromir, for watching over Pippin one more time.
He looked up. 'We need to let the others know that Pippin is out of danger.'
Gandalf nodded, and slipped from the room.
Through the window, pale dawn was peeping.
Aragorn leaned over the two hobbits, making no attempt to separate them, and took Pippin’s wrist. The pulse was still a bit thready, but stronger than it had been, and growing calmer. He felt the clammy brow, but no fever was present.
'Peregrin, I need you to open your eyes,' he said gently.
Obediently, Pippin’s eyelids fluttered open. There was a brief glimpse of dark eyes--the green nearly swallowed up by the blackness of the apples of his eyes.
He quickly squinted them shut. 'Too bright!' he whispered urgently.
Frodo looked alarmed. 'What’s wrong with his eyes?' he asked.
Aragorn nodded. 'It is one of the effects of the belladonna. It will make his eyes very sensitive to light for several hours. But he needs rest and natural sleep. By the time he wakens, he should be over the worst of it.'
With a sigh of relief, Frodo dropped another kiss on top of Pippin’s head.
The door opened, and Legolas ushered Merry and Sam in. The hobbits rushed to Pippin’s side.
Merry looked at Frodo. 'Frodo?'
'He’s going to be all right, Merry, he really is.'
Merry gave a sob, and Sam put a comforting arm around his shoulders, for Frodo was still holding on to Pippin.
Aragorn looked at them. 'I think Pippin will sleep the better for your presence,' he said, and patted the covers next to his small patient. That was all the encouragement the others needed to clamber up alongside and arrange themselves around Pippin and Frodo.
The other healer, who had been watching quietly, looked up at this. 'My Lord King-' he said diffidently, hesitating to object to the King, of all people, but perplexed at this breach of the usual way of things.
Aragorn looked at him, and shook his head. 'Men may rest better alone; not so hobbits. Let us close the shutters, and leave them to their well-earned rest.'
The healer turned and pulled the shutters inward, and soon the room was cool and dark. Men, Elf and Dwarf began to file out of the room, but Gandalf sat down in the chair by the bed, and to Aragorn’s inquiring look, said 'I will abide here until they all awaken.'
Once the door had closed behind them, Aragorn turned to look at Legolas, Gimli and the other healer. 'Do any of you know where Lord Faramir might be?'
*****
Targon tossed and turned in his cot in the barracks. He’d had three nights of amazingly deep and trouble-free slumber, before he’d given his pouch of sleeping powder to young Sir Pippin. Perhaps he should not have given it all to him so impulsively, but the lad had looked so weary, and Targon well knew what kinds of things must be keeping his small friend awake.
But Targon was feeling very restless now. Since his friend Eldil in the Fourth Company had given him the powder, he’d thought that he would easily come by more. But he’d had no chance since then to find Eldil. And his friend had not told him the name nor location of the apothecary who’d provided the powder.
Just then, there was a good deal of commotion in the corridor. Targon and a few of the others who had retired for the night got up to go see what the problem was.
A number of guardsmen were gathered there, talking excitedly.
'I’ve seen the hobbits in their cups before,' Borondir was saying, 'and they have never acted like that! Nor have I ever seen any of them so much the worse for drink that they passed out!'
'But what else could it have been?' responded Hador. He was clearly distressed.
'We shall have to wait, I suppose, for Meldil to return. He was the one who carried our little halfling prince to the Houses of Healing!'
Targon suddenly felt his heart drop, and the world spin around him. 'Something is wrong with the Ernil i Pheriannath?' he asked.
Immediately several voices clamored to tell of the events in the tavern that evening, but the ringing in his ears and the fear that gripped his soul kept him from understanding the half of it. Was it his fault? Perhaps what was helpful to a Man for sleeping was poison to a halfling? Should he say something? But to whom?
Suddenly, the call of 'Attention!' caused every mouth to shut with a snap and every spine to straighten.
Striding up the passage were Captain Beleg, another guardsman, Artamir, and Beregond, whom few had seen since the Last Battle.
'Listen up you lot!' Beleg’s face was as angry as any of the Men in the Third Company had ever seen it. 'Beregond has a commission from the Steward to search these barracks. And all of you are to produce your salt pouches immediately!'
Targon swallowed. He hesitated only long enough to take a deep breath, before saying firmly, 'Excuse me, sir, but that will not be necessary! I think that I know what you are looking for.' He had no doubt that he was in serious trouble. But none of that mattered if he had caused harm to befall his dear little friend.
***
None of the King’s companions had any idea of where the Lord Faramir had taken himself, but a few questions of a nearby guardsman--Adrahil, his name was, and it was he who had gone to fetch the King in the first place, soon revealed that the Steward had gone about the business of investigating where that Haradric poppy could have come from.
King Elessar drew in a deep breath of relief. He was exhausted, and needed rest, but he would not have been able to do so if the matter of the poppy had not been taken in hand already. Still, perhaps he should seek Faramir out; see if he had learned anything yet…
Legolas looked at Aragorn, and then exchanged a meaningful glance with Gimli.
'We’ll see you to your rest, mellon nin,' the Elf said firmly.
The weary healer gave no argument this time.
Beregond had wasted no time in taking Targon to see the Steward.
Faramir studied the pale and troubled face of the Guardsman before him. 'So you believed this to be a harmless sleeping powder?'
'So my friend Eldil informed me. It--it helped to keep the nightmares away, my Lord.'
'How many days had you been using it?'
'Three, my Lord Steward. I slept deeply, and though I had vivid dreams, they were not unpleasant--though I could not remember them later.'
'Why did you give the powder to Sir Peregrin?'
'Because--because he looked as though he needed it more than I. I hated to see him looking so wan and tired.' Targon hesitated briefly, and swallowed, continuing, 'I feared very much what might have happened if he should grow so weary as to fall asleep on duty.'
Faramir nodded. It would have been dreadful. Now that the War was ended, Elessar had made it clear he wished to mitigate the more severe punishments that had been put in place over the past few generations. But he had not yet time to do so. To have to administer a public flogging to the Ernil i Pheriannath, beloved cousin of the Ringbearer, would have been little short of a disaster. He did not believe the King could have brought himself to do it. And that would have been a different sort of disaster.
The sooner they were able to change the laws, the better.
'What were you told by your friend when he offered you this ‘sleeping powder’?'
The questions went on…
*****
Gandalf sat and watched the sleeping hobbits, monitoring their dreams, and taking care that their slumber this day would be pleasant and undisturbed. It was not a thing he could do on a regular basis--bad dreams, like good ones, served a purpose. To suppress them completely could cause further problems later on. But on this occasion, the Wizard felt they needed as much undisturbed rest as they could.
And he would nudge Peregrin to be the first to awaken. He needed to talk to the foolish young Took about what had occurred, without interference from the others.
*****
Targon was pale and exhausted by the time the Lord Steward finished his questions.
Faramir sat quietly for a few moments, contemplating the notes he had taken. Then he looked up. 'Targon, you are relieved of duty until this investigation has been completed. You are assigned to help in the Houses of Healing for now. Do not say anything to anyone about what has happened. You are dismissed.'
As Targon left the room, Faramir went to the door and summoned Beregond, who, with Captain Beleg had been waiting outside the room.
'Beregond, I need you to find Eldil, of the Fourth Company, and bring him to me.'
Beregond nodded. 'Yes, sir!' It was very good to be occupied in helping Lord Faramir find out what had happened to Pippin. But he could not help being concerned about the hobbit, or about his friends. How far had this drug spread? And where was it coming from?
*****
Pippin’s eyes fluttered open, and then closed once more. Even the dim light of the shuttered room was nearly too much. He gave a slight wriggle, snuggling closer in to his cousins’ slumbering bodies. He could not quite remember what had happened--he’d been sick somehow--but it was very comforting to be here between Frodo and Merry, with Sam’s gentle snores just the other side of Frodo. What had happened? He tried to cast his mind back…
'Peregrin Took.' Gandalf’s voice was gentle but firm. 'I know that you are awake.'
'Yes, Gandalf,' he whispered, keeping his eyes closed.
'Why did you not tell us of the troubles you were having sleeping? Why did you take such a chance of taking an unknown sleeping powder?'
'I didn’t want to be a bother. Everyone has their own worries. They don’t need to be plagued with mine.' He was still whispering, for he didn’t want to wake the others, but also because it hurt to admit this.
'My dear young Took,' said Gandalf, 'how does it make you feel when the others respond in that manner to your concern for them?'
Pippin’s eyes shot open in dismay. He had never thought of it that way!
Next
Authors:: Piplover, Lindelea, Auntie Meesh, Slightly Tookish, Cathleen, Dreamflower, Rosietook, Ariel, Pearl Took, Budgielover, and Gryffinjack
Summary: A plot against the newly crowned King leads to possibly deadly consequences for his smallest Guardsman; and disturbing questions arise for the new Steward to answer, as the entire Fellowship rallies around. Written as a group story by the PippinHealers mailing list.
Genre: Hurt-comfort
Rating: PG-13 for angst and some violence
Warning: An OC character death and mention of drug abuse
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Prologue: Piplover
Chapter 1: Lindelea
Chapter 2: Auntie Meesh
Chapter 3: Slightly Tookish
Chapter 4: Cathleen
Chapter 5: Dreamflower
Chapter 6: Rosietook
Chapter 7: Ariel
Chapter 8: Piplover
Chapter 9: Lindelea
Chapter 10: Dreamflower
Pippin fell…
And fell…
And felt strong arms about him. A familiar hand on his brow. Long, gentle fingers, a cool palm.
Frodo.
He gasped, and then gave a sigh, and with a movement of confidence leaned into the welcome embrace.
'Frodo,' he tried to murmur. He could not hear his own voice. His eyes remained closed. If he was to speak, it was too much work to open his eyes.
'Fro…' it came out that time, a raspy whisper, scarcely audible, except to the loving ears that strained to hear.
'Easy Pip, I’ve got you. Hush, now dearest. You’re going to be all right now.' Even as Frodo spoke, he cast an inquiring glance at Aragorn, who nodded. Frodo felt the tension leave his body at the confirmation that his words were, indeed, true.
'You--you caught me,' came the whisper. 'He said you’d catch me.'
Frodo buried his face in his cousin’s sweaty curls, his tears of relief mingling with the dampness there. 'Who said that, Pippin-lad?'
'Boromir,' was the unexpected reply.
A shiver ran through Frodo. How close had his cousin come to leaving the bounds of Arda? He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the fallen Boromir, for watching over Pippin one more time.
He looked up. 'We need to let the others know that Pippin is out of danger.'
Gandalf nodded, and slipped from the room.
Through the window, pale dawn was peeping.
Aragorn leaned over the two hobbits, making no attempt to separate them, and took Pippin’s wrist. The pulse was still a bit thready, but stronger than it had been, and growing calmer. He felt the clammy brow, but no fever was present.
'Peregrin, I need you to open your eyes,' he said gently.
Obediently, Pippin’s eyelids fluttered open. There was a brief glimpse of dark eyes--the green nearly swallowed up by the blackness of the apples of his eyes.
He quickly squinted them shut. 'Too bright!' he whispered urgently.
Frodo looked alarmed. 'What’s wrong with his eyes?' he asked.
Aragorn nodded. 'It is one of the effects of the belladonna. It will make his eyes very sensitive to light for several hours. But he needs rest and natural sleep. By the time he wakens, he should be over the worst of it.'
With a sigh of relief, Frodo dropped another kiss on top of Pippin’s head.
The door opened, and Legolas ushered Merry and Sam in. The hobbits rushed to Pippin’s side.
Merry looked at Frodo. 'Frodo?'
'He’s going to be all right, Merry, he really is.'
Merry gave a sob, and Sam put a comforting arm around his shoulders, for Frodo was still holding on to Pippin.
Aragorn looked at them. 'I think Pippin will sleep the better for your presence,' he said, and patted the covers next to his small patient. That was all the encouragement the others needed to clamber up alongside and arrange themselves around Pippin and Frodo.
The other healer, who had been watching quietly, looked up at this. 'My Lord King-' he said diffidently, hesitating to object to the King, of all people, but perplexed at this breach of the usual way of things.
Aragorn looked at him, and shook his head. 'Men may rest better alone; not so hobbits. Let us close the shutters, and leave them to their well-earned rest.'
The healer turned and pulled the shutters inward, and soon the room was cool and dark. Men, Elf and Dwarf began to file out of the room, but Gandalf sat down in the chair by the bed, and to Aragorn’s inquiring look, said 'I will abide here until they all awaken.'
Once the door had closed behind them, Aragorn turned to look at Legolas, Gimli and the other healer. 'Do any of you know where Lord Faramir might be?'
*****
Targon tossed and turned in his cot in the barracks. He’d had three nights of amazingly deep and trouble-free slumber, before he’d given his pouch of sleeping powder to young Sir Pippin. Perhaps he should not have given it all to him so impulsively, but the lad had looked so weary, and Targon well knew what kinds of things must be keeping his small friend awake.
But Targon was feeling very restless now. Since his friend Eldil in the Fourth Company had given him the powder, he’d thought that he would easily come by more. But he’d had no chance since then to find Eldil. And his friend had not told him the name nor location of the apothecary who’d provided the powder.
Just then, there was a good deal of commotion in the corridor. Targon and a few of the others who had retired for the night got up to go see what the problem was.
A number of guardsmen were gathered there, talking excitedly.
'I’ve seen the hobbits in their cups before,' Borondir was saying, 'and they have never acted like that! Nor have I ever seen any of them so much the worse for drink that they passed out!'
'But what else could it have been?' responded Hador. He was clearly distressed.
'We shall have to wait, I suppose, for Meldil to return. He was the one who carried our little halfling prince to the Houses of Healing!'
Targon suddenly felt his heart drop, and the world spin around him. 'Something is wrong with the Ernil i Pheriannath?' he asked.
Immediately several voices clamored to tell of the events in the tavern that evening, but the ringing in his ears and the fear that gripped his soul kept him from understanding the half of it. Was it his fault? Perhaps what was helpful to a Man for sleeping was poison to a halfling? Should he say something? But to whom?
Suddenly, the call of 'Attention!' caused every mouth to shut with a snap and every spine to straighten.
Striding up the passage were Captain Beleg, another guardsman, Artamir, and Beregond, whom few had seen since the Last Battle.
'Listen up you lot!' Beleg’s face was as angry as any of the Men in the Third Company had ever seen it. 'Beregond has a commission from the Steward to search these barracks. And all of you are to produce your salt pouches immediately!'
Targon swallowed. He hesitated only long enough to take a deep breath, before saying firmly, 'Excuse me, sir, but that will not be necessary! I think that I know what you are looking for.' He had no doubt that he was in serious trouble. But none of that mattered if he had caused harm to befall his dear little friend.
***
None of the King’s companions had any idea of where the Lord Faramir had taken himself, but a few questions of a nearby guardsman--Adrahil, his name was, and it was he who had gone to fetch the King in the first place, soon revealed that the Steward had gone about the business of investigating where that Haradric poppy could have come from.
King Elessar drew in a deep breath of relief. He was exhausted, and needed rest, but he would not have been able to do so if the matter of the poppy had not been taken in hand already. Still, perhaps he should seek Faramir out; see if he had learned anything yet…
Legolas looked at Aragorn, and then exchanged a meaningful glance with Gimli.
'We’ll see you to your rest, mellon nin,' the Elf said firmly.
The weary healer gave no argument this time.
Beregond had wasted no time in taking Targon to see the Steward.
Faramir studied the pale and troubled face of the Guardsman before him. 'So you believed this to be a harmless sleeping powder?'
'So my friend Eldil informed me. It--it helped to keep the nightmares away, my Lord.'
'How many days had you been using it?'
'Three, my Lord Steward. I slept deeply, and though I had vivid dreams, they were not unpleasant--though I could not remember them later.'
'Why did you give the powder to Sir Peregrin?'
'Because--because he looked as though he needed it more than I. I hated to see him looking so wan and tired.' Targon hesitated briefly, and swallowed, continuing, 'I feared very much what might have happened if he should grow so weary as to fall asleep on duty.'
Faramir nodded. It would have been dreadful. Now that the War was ended, Elessar had made it clear he wished to mitigate the more severe punishments that had been put in place over the past few generations. But he had not yet time to do so. To have to administer a public flogging to the Ernil i Pheriannath, beloved cousin of the Ringbearer, would have been little short of a disaster. He did not believe the King could have brought himself to do it. And that would have been a different sort of disaster.
The sooner they were able to change the laws, the better.
'What were you told by your friend when he offered you this ‘sleeping powder’?'
The questions went on…
*****
Gandalf sat and watched the sleeping hobbits, monitoring their dreams, and taking care that their slumber this day would be pleasant and undisturbed. It was not a thing he could do on a regular basis--bad dreams, like good ones, served a purpose. To suppress them completely could cause further problems later on. But on this occasion, the Wizard felt they needed as much undisturbed rest as they could.
And he would nudge Peregrin to be the first to awaken. He needed to talk to the foolish young Took about what had occurred, without interference from the others.
*****
Targon was pale and exhausted by the time the Lord Steward finished his questions.
Faramir sat quietly for a few moments, contemplating the notes he had taken. Then he looked up. 'Targon, you are relieved of duty until this investigation has been completed. You are assigned to help in the Houses of Healing for now. Do not say anything to anyone about what has happened. You are dismissed.'
As Targon left the room, Faramir went to the door and summoned Beregond, who, with Captain Beleg had been waiting outside the room.
'Beregond, I need you to find Eldil, of the Fourth Company, and bring him to me.'
Beregond nodded. 'Yes, sir!' It was very good to be occupied in helping Lord Faramir find out what had happened to Pippin. But he could not help being concerned about the hobbit, or about his friends. How far had this drug spread? And where was it coming from?
*****
Pippin’s eyes fluttered open, and then closed once more. Even the dim light of the shuttered room was nearly too much. He gave a slight wriggle, snuggling closer in to his cousins’ slumbering bodies. He could not quite remember what had happened--he’d been sick somehow--but it was very comforting to be here between Frodo and Merry, with Sam’s gentle snores just the other side of Frodo. What had happened? He tried to cast his mind back…
'Peregrin Took.' Gandalf’s voice was gentle but firm. 'I know that you are awake.'
'Yes, Gandalf,' he whispered, keeping his eyes closed.
'Why did you not tell us of the troubles you were having sleeping? Why did you take such a chance of taking an unknown sleeping powder?'
'I didn’t want to be a bother. Everyone has their own worries. They don’t need to be plagued with mine.' He was still whispering, for he didn’t want to wake the others, but also because it hurt to admit this.
'My dear young Took,' said Gandalf, 'how does it make you feel when the others respond in that manner to your concern for them?'
Pippin’s eyes shot open in dismay. He had never thought of it that way!
Next