Those Left Behind

Pippin goes to the inn to get roaring drunk.  It wasn’t always like this.  Before, when he was young, he drank lightly and happily, without ever really loosing control.  Now though, drinking is a serious affair and Pippin is so far gone that he begins to tell stories.  The others at the inn laugh, pour more ale and encourage him without really believing a word, even though every word is true.  When Pippin is so far away that he comes back crying, Merry materializes out of the shadows, slings his cousin’s arm over his shoulders and helps him stumble from the inn, leaving the laughter behind.  Merry can only carry Pippin so far these days and they fall to the ground beside the path.  While Pippin sobs tears of ale into his arms, Merry looks up at the sky and wonders where Frodo is.