For Marigold's Challenge 39. Write a story based on an assigned quote from another book.

My assigned quote was:

"In the exultant crowd were still to be seen haggard faces, men with bandaged limbs and heads or hobbling on sticks and crutches. The richly coloured native costumes were most of them worn to rags. But their wearers had the faces of creatures plucked from despair to be lifted to heaven."

From "The Lost Prince" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings and all its characters and settings belong to the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson. I'm just borrowing them. Please don't sue me. A turnip is worth more than I am.

Beta by Llinos and Marigold.

Triumphal Entry

by Garnet Took

As soon as the barrier was pushed away, Aragorn entered into and began ascending the streets of Minas Tirith. Beside him walked Frodo and Sam in their honoured places as the Ringbearers. Both hobbits found themselves staring in open-mouthed wonder at the sheer size of the City and the number of people lining every street and leaning out of many windows trying to get a glimpse of their new King.

A few steps behind, Pippin walked with the returning men of the Third Company with whom he had marched to the Black Gate. Unlike the other two hobbits, Pippin was not overwhelmed by the size of the City, though the number of people was a bit of a surprise. He had not guessed that so many would be there to greet them in a city that had been almost empty only six weeks ago.

Following the Gondorian Guards were the ranks of the Rohirrim. In this group was Merry. Like Pippin, he was impressed with the changes he saw in Minas Tirith just since he had departed to be with Frodo, Sam and Pippin at Cormallen.

Pippin scanned the crowd closely. The many bright colours worn by the residents of Gondor were at first dazzling until he looked a little closer and saw that many of the costumes were worn and threadbare.

"I wonder," he muttered to himself, "how long it has been since these people had reason to dress gaily and celebrate anything." He glanced quickly down at his own uniform of sombre black and silver. These were the colours all too fitting for the City these last many years. Between the darkness of Sauron and Denethor's increasing madness, it seemed impossible that anything bright and cheerful could still exist here. "I'm glad they still have their bright clothes, even if they are tattered with age and disuse."

As they continued up through each successive circle, Pippin studied the faces in the throng intently. He saw many of the soldiers both of Gondor and of Rohan who had survived the siege and the battle of the Pelennor Fields. These men, with their arms bandaged or splinted and held in slings, or their heads wrapped tightly in white bands to protect a healing wound, stood proudly among the crowd. Also he saw many who valiantly stood leaning on crutches as they dutifully kept a wounded or broken leg from touching the ground. He found himself wincing in sympathy for all these men, but the ones that truly broke his heart were those with only one leg to stand on or one arm to raise in a triumphant greeting to their King.

"Thank goodness the four of us came through in one piece - well except for poor Frodo and his finger. I can't imagine how hard life is for some of these people. But I'm sure Strider will see to it that they all have a place in his realm."

Finally, as they were passing through the sixth circle, very near to the Houses of Healing, Pippin saw one of the people he had been looking for all along. There with the herbmaster and the chief healer, stood Bergil.

Pippin knew he could not break ranks to greet his friend, as much as he wanted to, so he satisfied himself with a nod and smile.

-----

That evening, all four hobbits sat together at the feast to welcome King Elessar to his City.

"You know," said Pippin, to no one in particular, as he looked at his heaping plate, "this is more food, I think, than I had the whole time I was here during the siege."

A short time later, as toasts were being made to many things, Pippin stood up, raised his glass and said, "May today be the beginning of a bright future for this place; a future that we have only seen a glimpse of in the brightness of this City, the fragrance of her flowers, the richness of her food, the sweetness of her wine and, most of all, the beauty and warmth of her people."

There was a long second of silence as he resumed his seat, and then as one the assembled quests erupted with shouts of "Huzzah!" and "Hear! Hear!".

The End. 

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and no money is being made from this. Please don't sue me. A turnip is worth more than I am.

In Fangorn Forest

by Garnet Took

"I'm sorry," said Merry.

"Sorry? For what?" asked Pippin, looking up from the blade of grass he'd been turning in his fingers.

"For not protecting you. I should have been able to get us away from those vile orcs. Instead of looking out for you, I go and get myself hit over the head and end up unconscious for most of the journey." He found himself unable to meet Pippin's steady gaze. He kept his eyes downcast and looked at his hands clasping and unclasping in his lap.

"I didn't know that it was your appointed job to look out for me," said Pippin. "I thought we were in this together--looking out for each other."

"Well, yes, we are. But it should have been my place, as the oldest, to keep you safe. I knew that we were in danger, running off the way we did, but I didn't try to stop you. I just followed after you shouting my fool--head off and drawing attention to us. I should have dragged you back to camp and waited for Strider and the others."

"Did it ever occur to you, Meriadoc Brandybuck, that I might have known exactly what I was doing. I knew I shouldn't have run off, too; and I thought myself about dragging you back, too. Let's get this one fact straight first: we were both really stupid. That makes us even there.

"Now, about this idea that you have that I need looking after. I may not have studied the maps like Frodo and you did, but I did pay attention to what was said as we walked and in camp. I'm young, Merry, not naive. And besides, what was I supposed to do, wait till you were coherent enough to come up with a plan to get us away? I did what I had to. I seized a chance when it was presented, just like you would have. I used my head--and I know that may have come as a shock--but I did, and I tried to think of everything I could to give us any chance to escape, or be rescued."

Pippin earnest words forced Merry to look at him at last. "I guess I know that you've grown up during all this, but I just can't get used to it. I'm so used to looking out for you that I can't quite break the habit. I must have sounded very ungrateful just now. I am glad you were there and able to think as quickly as you were. You really were quite clever. Maybe it's time I stopped thinking of you as a child. Just don't forget, I'm still the older."

"I'll never be able to forget that," said Pippin, finally breaking into a smile. "You do look ever so much older than I do, after all."

Merry could only smile and shake his head.

I wrote this almost five years ago but never posted it here.  After a long time away, I'm back and ready to start posting again.

WARNING!  This story contains character death.  

I own none of the characters or settings in this story.  They all belong to the Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinema.  Please don’t sue.  You’d get more out of a turnip.

What if…

1.

Sam.

Sam stood at the Crack of Doom.  In his hand he held the fate of the world in the form of a small gold ring.

“Well, Master,” he said aloud, though there was no one near to hear him, “I made it.  It cost me everything.  I don’t know what happened to most of the fellowship.  I wish Merry and Pippin were here with me, but they’re there with you in that far away place that living eyes can never see.  Gollum killed Merry while Shelob got poor Pippin.  There sacrifice allowed me to escape and make it here.  Now it is up to me to do what must be done.  I don’t want to though.  I want to take this ring and undo all the harm that's been done.  But that can never be.”

Slowly, with a trembling hand, Sam holds the Ring above the fire…and lets it fall.

The world shook but Sam made no move.  “I’ll be with you soon , Mr. Frodo,” he said and sank to his knees as the cavern collapsed around him.

-----

2.

Merry.

“I’m here.  I actually made it.”  Merry weighs the Ring in his hand.  “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes you can.”  The voice is weak but unmistakable.  Pippin lies barely conscious just behind where Merry stands,  with Gollum standing over him; a stone still in the evil creature’s hand.

“Quickly, Merry,” Pippin whispers just as his eyes drift closed.

Gollum drops his stone and charges toward the hobbit standing on the brink of the fire with the Precious in his hand.

Merry takes a quick, calming breath.  He holds the Ring, still on its chain over the shear drop.  Just as Gollum makes a grab for it, he lets it go.

Gollum’s wail as he falls echoes in Merry’s mind for the rest of his life.

Days later, when Merry awakens at Cormallen, he realizes that the end did not justify what he had done.  In the end the evil of the Ring had tempted him, and he had given in.  Taking Gollum’s life that way had not made everything right.  It had not saved Pippin, or even avenged his loss.  Even though the Ring was gone, the taint of it would darken Merry’s heart forever.

-----

3.

Pippin.

Slowly, on hands and knees, Pippin makes his way to the edge of the Crack of Doom.  He fumbles weakly to remove the chain from around his neck.  The Ring’s weight has become unbearable.

Gollum never got a last chance to attack his prey.  Before he could reach the hobbit, the Ring, chain and Took have all toppled over the edge.

“This is how it must end,” Pippin thinks aloud as he falls into the abyss.  “I will miss this life.  I hope all those of the Fellowship who still live will remember me with kindness and forgive my weakness here at the end.  Good bye.”