TITLE: A Light In Dark Places

AUTHOR: Anso the Hobbit

BETA: Marigold

CHARACTERS: Pippin and Merry

RATING: G

TIMELINE: March 1419, Minas Tirith

DISCLAIMER: Characters and places are not mine, they belong to JRR Tolkien,

NOTE: Written for Marigold’s Challenge #3. Based on the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” by Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema. Some of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie. As there are no Houses of Healing scenes in the Theatrical version of the film, I suppose Pippin would be the one to give Merry a tour of the Minas Tirith as there would be at least a day or two between the battle of the Pelennor Fields and riding to battle at the Black Gate. The title is taken from something Galadriel says to Frodo when giving him the star glass.

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“Pippin,” Merry said, squinting against the sunlight that stabbed his eyes and tugging on his cousin’s mail covered arm to make him stop both his talking and walking. “What`s that tower there?” For good measure, Merry pointed with a gauntlet-covered hand to the high tower on the top of the Citadel.

 

“It`s where the beacon is.” Pippin answered, and gleefully continued, “You can see half of Middle-earth from up there!”

 

Merry, a true Brandybuck, and thus not very fond of heights, did not like what his cousin told him. “You`ve been up there? Whatever for?” Merry stopped short in the middle of the street, making a wagon on it`s way to the Citadel turn abruptly so as not to bump into the hobbits.

 

“Merry!” Pippin said, dragging his cousin away from the wagon. He gave the driver an apologetic look, and shoved Merry further away. The driver returned Pippin`s look, and continued up the winding street.

 

Merry had been craning his neck trying to get a good look at the tower. “Pip? What did you go up there for?” He asked again.

 

“Come, Merry, I`ll show you the view. It’s incredible. There`s nothing like it in the Shire. We’ll even do it the easy way and take the stairs.” Merry just eyed him at this. There was another way? Pippin tugged on Merry`s sleeve, and together they started climbing the steep stairs and gateways up to the tower. Pippin was giving Merry a tour of Minas Tirith, and they were spending the day walking about the White City while Aragorn, Gandalf, and the others decided upon what their next move should be.

 

Coming up the seemingly endless flights of steps, Merry turned and looked down; the town seemed impossibly small beneath them, and he felt himself swaying from side to side a little. The Citadel, and the lodgings they shared, were at the topmost levels of the City. But even though Merry knew he was at the top of the City, he did not really feel the distance down to the Pelennor to be that great, as he could not actually see the massive battlefield when walking in the streets. Viewing the scenery from a window was not the same as standing at the edge of a cliff looking down.

 

“I see it perfectly well from here.” Merry had stated, when they came to the bottom of the very last staircase up to the topmost guard post and the beacon.

 

“Come on, Mer! Just a bit higher and we’ll be at the top.” Pippin was getting impatient. Merry fidgeted and he climbed reluctantly and slowly after Pippin.

 

“It`s very nice, Pip. Can we go down now?” Merry muttered, slowly edging backwards until he reached the wall of the guards little shelter. The two Men on duty looked at him in amusement. Merry ignored them and fought back the urge to grab Pippin away from the edge, realising that if he were to do such a thing the tale might make it to the Guard’s mess and Pippin would be embarrassed. He was a Guard of the Citadel now after all.

 

“Merry?” Pippin said, noticing that Merry was not beside him. He stood, fascinated, staring out over the City and the Pelennor Field beneath it, and to the lands beyond. “Are you bothered being so high up?” He knew that his cousin was not too fond of climbing trees and being in high places, but he had never understood that Merry was actually afraid of being high up before. That`s because you`ve never been this high up with him, he thought, remembering Merry´s reluctant tree climbing in the Shire. Pippin turned back to Merry. “It`s all right. We can go down.”

 

“No, no. I´m all right.” Merry said, not wanting to be a bother, and as Pippin seemed to like to be up here, he would be with him. They had been separated for too long for Merry to let his cousin get out of his sight even for an hour if he could prevent it.

 

Merry remembered that Pippin hadn`t answered his earlier question, and again wondered what Pippin had been doing up there. Before Merry could ask him, Pippin joined him near the wall and took his arm.

 

“Come, Merry.” Pippin said, leading his cousin down towards the Citadel again. “You’ve gone pale, and I could use something to eat.”

 

*****

 

Sitting on a sunlit bench in the Citadel`s garden, with no bottomless drop within his view, and a lavish picnic spread before him, Merry regained the colour in his cheeks. The importance of eating eventually over and done with, the two cousins sat in silence for a while.

 

“Pippin.” Merry finally said, quite sternly. “Why won`t you answer my question? What were you doing up so high? Those stairs were dangerous.” Merry edged closer to Pippin and laid a hand on his shoulder, deep blue eyes looking gently but firmly into the green depths of Pippin`s eyes. Pippin was hiding something, of that much he was certain.

 

 “I just don’t want you to be worried, Merry” He knew that look of Merry’s though, and was as unable to withstand it now as when he had been a child. He sighed. “All right, Merry, but really, I had to do it, so don’t be cross.” If Merry thought the stairs were dangerous, he should have been with me when I climbed up the secret way, Pippin thought and plunged into the story of why he had climbed up to the beacon, carefully leaving out exactly how he had got there. As he regaled Merry with a tamer version of the tale, he couldn’t help but remember the frightening truth.

 

 

*****

 

“Peregrin Took, my lad, there is a task now to be done. Another opportunity for one of the Shire-folk to prove their great worth. You must not fail me.” Gandalf said, urgently and a bit loud to be heard over the clamour of the soldiers running through the City.

 

Pippin nodded, understanding. He had known and trusted Gandalf his whole life, and would do what he could. 

 

“Lord Denethor would not approve of this, but it is imperative that we muster all alliances we may.” Gandalf said, peering intently into his eyes to make his statement clear.

 

Pippin had struggled doggedly up the mountainside. It was a dangerous road to take, but as his orders did not come from Denethor it was the only way. Pippin was not a little afraid, he was terrified. There was the possibility of failing to either get up at all or of getting to the top and failing to light the beacon and then there was the problem of climbing back down again. What if someone saw him? He could be shot if a guard or someone else saw him climbing up to light the beacon. Then there was the climbing itself. He was not used to scaling mountains, and Pippin tried to watch his step closely as he climbed the steep rocks and cliffs.

 

Halfway up he slipped, and for a few seconds Pippin thought he was going to fall all the way down to the Citadel again, but his flailing hands caught hold of a jutting rock and he managed to save himself, feet dangling. Getting a firm hold with his hands, and finding sure footing, Pippin shoved all thoughts about anything else than keeping his feet under himself away, and continued his wearisome climbing.

 

Finally! The beacon was within reach. Pippin calmed his racing heart and climbed onto the pile of wood, reaching for the everburning fire that would light the oil soaked wood

 

After setting the beacon ablaze, Pippin hurried down from the burning pile, almost losing his footing on the slick wood, and singeing his foot hair. He stood for a moment at the bottom of the beacon and watched the signal fire grow steadily stronger. He breathed hard, sweat beading his brow, and Pippin absentmindedly brushed a hand over his face. There! Atop that mountain! A new beacon was lit! Someone had seen his work, and was spreading the word. Pippin sighed in relief and hoped that the beacons would be lit all the way to Rohan and send Merry to him.

 

Now for the climbing down! Gandalf had told him to hurry, and Pippin was not sure how he was going to get himself down, but he slowly sat down before turning around to climb backwards down the steepest parts just beneath the beacon. It had been a difficult climb up, and it looked like the journey down was not going to be any easier.

 

It took him an hour or so, but he finally reached the streets, and was happy to see that Gandalf was waiting for him as his very limbs were shaking from his effort.

 

“Well done, my lad!” Gandalf praised him, and helped an exhausted Pippin to sit upon Shadowfax. Pippin beamed, the praise from Gandalf already making the frightening errand seem well worth the danger and effort. “Now for another matter! The Captain Faramir is in need of our help.” Nazgûl could be heard nearby, and Pippin shuddered at the thought of them while Shadowfax bore them to the City Gates.

 

*****

 

“Denethor was not very pleased  though. He and Gandalf had a rather loud discussion about it later. I don´t know if Denethor knew it was me that lit it.” Pippin said.

 

“So that is how King Theoden knew that that he was needed!” Merry exclaimed. “It was you!” Merry enveloped Pippin in a tight hug. “It was you, Pip. Had you not lit the beacon, I would still have been in Edoras, and you would have been here. Thank you!” Merry was beside himself, exclaiming over Pippin with great joy.

 

“Easy, easy Mer.” Pippin soothed, stroking Merry`s curls and hugging him back. He was thrilled, excited and overjoyed himself that they were together again.

 

“I hoped that lighting the beacon would make the difference.” Pippin said. He had hoped that if they saw the beacon in Edoras that Merry would ride out with the Rohirrim and that they finally would be together again. 

 

“You changed the course of the whole war, do you know that?” Merry said, tears in his eyes. “Had you not lit the beacon, Rohan would not have come to Gondor`s aid. If you had not lit the beacon, the soldiers of Gondor would not have had any hope of winning this battle, I think. My brave Pip!”

 

Merry released Pippin and stood to get a better look at the looming mountain and the tiny tower on the top of it, thinking about what Pippin just had told him. Pippin had climbed up there, but not used the stairs, Merry mused. It was quite a distance to the top. Merry remembered that it had taken them quite a little while to get up to the beacon by the stairs…

 

“You climbed the side of the mountain to get up there!” He said, suddenly realising what his cousin had done. His knees felt weak and he sat down again, staring at Pippin in disbelief.

 

“Thank the Valar that you didn’t fall and break your neck! And that you had your elven cloak! You might have been seen otherwise.” Merry said with emphasis.

 

Underneath his cloak Pippin was now wearing the uniform of a Guard of the Citadel, but he had not yet sworn his service when he lit the beacon and that meant that he had been wearing his everyday clothes, clothes that would be clearly visible against a mountainside.

 

“Fool of a Took!” Merry said, with a twinkle in his eyes, repeating Gandalf`s words from Moria. “That was a dangerous journey, Pip! You could have been hurt! Even killed!”

 

“Yes, but I had to get up there the secret way, or else I could have been caught and the beacon maybe never lit and you would still be in Rohan!” Pippin said, scooted closer beside his Merry and looked up at the mountain and the tower.

 

Merry drew his cousin into a hug again. “I`m glad you did it though.”

 

“Yes.” Pippin agreed. As long as he and Merry were together again, all the horrible things that happened were all worth it.

 

Pulling back a little, Pippin asked “Did you see the last beacon in Edoras, then?”

 

“Yes. Aragorn saw it first and came running like mad to the Golden Hall, telling the King that the beacons of Minas Tirith were lit.” Merry said reaching for the apple tarts and choosing one for each of them. There was another tale to be told.

 

*****

 

As if out of nowhere Merry saw Aragorn come running up to the Golden Hall. Curious about what was going on Merry followed Aragorn inside.

 

“The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!” Merry heard Aragorn shouting.

 

Inside the great Hall the King, Éomer, Éowyn and other important looking people were gathered about a table. There had been an expectant silence, then King Thèoden had straightened, squared his shoulders and gently but firmly said:

 

“And Rohan will answer!”

 

*****

 

“Theoden and Éomer gathered all their Men and we set out in a hurry. Merry proceeded to tell Pippin about the long journey to Dunharrow, and the mustering of Rohan`s allies.

 

“It was incredible, how the old King could set alight the courage in his people!” Merry said, eyes shining bright with fond memory. He shuddered with the memory of the battle, the King`s death and the Witch-king, sad that he would never sit beside Theoden and talk of the Shire as the King had wanted to do. So much had happened in the days that had passed since their parting at Edoras.

 

“But now you´re here. You´re here” Pippin finally said, as if he had not had Merry around for a full day and night already.

 

“I`m here, and so are you, ernil i Periannath.” Merry teased, both tears and laughter in his eyes.

 

THE END