MIZPAH. ᶠᵃʳᵃᵐⁱʳ [REWRITTEN]

iii. pippin's magic mushrooms

𝐢𝐢𝐢.

THE FELLOWSHIP travels quite the distance throughout the day, only stopping to rest in the evening as twilight falls. The two hobbits who had been bickering all day--namely, Merry and Pippin-- found some mushrooms on the road and are begging Gandalf to let them cook them. Eventually the wizard relents and they make camp near an outcropping of large stones, starting a small fire as the chill of the night begins to set in. Luckily, the old man assures them, it's unlikely anyone will spot the fire as they're tucked in between a crevice of mountains.

Y/N and Aragorn build a fire in a comfortable silence, moving together with practiced movements. Déjà vu suddenly overwhelms her senses and she looks down, a small smile crossing her face. Next to her, Aragorn lets out a quiet, amused scoff. She looks up and realizes he's having the same sensation as he looks at her fondly. "Feels familiar, doesn't it?" he says.

"Only last time, there weren't two overactive hobbits, one grumpy dwarf, and a tragic elf-prince," she teases, drawing her knife and striking a rock across the blade. A spark jumps, quickly catching onto the wood, and they watch as small flames start to dance across the kindling.

"Finally," Gimli puffs as the others start to gather around the glowing fire. "It's about time." He turns to Merry and Pippin. "Now, lads, where are those mushrooms you've been going on about?"

The hobbits glance at each other. Legolas raises his eyebrows, retrieving a wrapped package from his...actually, she isn't sure where he had been stashing it away. "Lembas," he informs them, and promptly takes a bite. Gimli scowls at him, while Merry and Pippin look interested.

"How many have you got in there, Mr. Legolas?" Pippin asks, eyeing the elf's cloak. Sam Gamgee--she had learned he was the hobbit hiding in the bushes--crosses his arms.

"D'ya want me to cook those mushrooms or not, Pippin?"

"Right, right." The hobbit hands them over quickly and Frodo hovers over Sam's shoulder, looking unsure if he trusts Merry and Pippin's judgement on whether the mushrooms are safe to eat or not (which is fair, she supposes.)

Huffing, Legolas wraps his lembas up primly and packs it away to who-knows-where. Gandalf and Aragorn light their pipes, the former wearing a pensive expression as he stares into the fire. Leaning back against the rocks, she watches Boromir accept a mushroom from Merry, ruffling the younger one's hair affectionately. The man doesn't look up to return her gaze, and soon she turns her gaze away.

She's already tired of this petty silent treatment. Because really, the fact that those three years of her "disappearance" weren't all sunshine and rainbows should not have been that much of a shock for him. She understands it might not be easy to accept, especially since she's sure he still sees her as the innocent little girl he met all those years ago. But neither of them are children anymore, and this world is too harsh for their hands to have remained stainless and souls innocent. The quicker he accepts that she has changed, the easier this quest will be.

She winces guiltily. The thought was much harsher than she thought herself capable of towards Boromir.

At that moment, someone sits down next to her quietly. Turning to look, she doesn't try to hide how her eyebrows raise in surprise. There sits Legolas Thranduilion stiffly, an odd expression on his face as he nibbles on a mushroom.

She shifts awkwardly. "Prince Legolas, I don't--"

"There's no need for titles," he interrupts, still not looking at her.

"Legolas, then." She rubs her eyes. "Look at me, will you? Or am I just talking to your..." She tosses a begrudging look at his head. "...stupidly nice hair?"