Fanfic Peregrin Took: My Road

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PEREGRIN TOOK: My Road
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INTRODUCTION:

Elessar tapped quietly at the open door. Pippin, sitting deep in thought, missed it. He tapped again, just a little louder.

“Yes what is it?” Pippin asked, looking up. “Oh Aragorn, do come in, I’m sorry” he said, standing up. “And now I must apologize again. I should really call you Elessar.” His voice and attention trailed off.

“You need apologize for nothing Pippin, nor stand up for me. Sit down, please.” said the King, entering. “Old habits and old friendships die hard. And that’s really what I’ve come about, though I struggled about coming at all. But I do want to check in on you and ask how you are getting on.”

Pippin sat, and after a pause stirred in his chair. “Yes, yes, don’t concern yourself about coming. A little company is probably better than sitting here brooding. Do sit down yourself” He pointed to his second chair.

Elessar took the seat and waited quietly, looking fondly but with concern at the hobbit. “Well?” he said after a time, pulling Pippin back from his musing again.

“Well, what?” Pippin asked.

“How are you getting on?”

“Well, Merry’s gone now” Pippin responded after a pause, finality in his tone, a hint of a tear forming in his eyes.

“Yes?” Elessar said, waiting. Nothing more forthcoming, he continued: “Pippin, friends are hard to lose; the closer the friend the harder. There have been few friendships in any age of this world as close as yours with Merry. Please do forgive me but I feel compelled to ask again: how are you getting on? You’ve been hidden away here three days now. I’m not the only one concerned.”

Pippin stared at him briefly, then leaning closer, said “Strider, I’ve given a good deal of thought to what’s next…how I should be ‘getting on’ as you say.” Strength grew in his voice. “I’ll be honest with you, however strange this may sound. Here is what I think.” He stood; paced slowly.

“There’s too much misunderstood,” he said. “Too many things not made clear. Too much of the road I’ve taken, often with Merry, you and the others, and too much you’ve been doing, not told properly, or told yet at all. Some of it is wonderful. But some of it, especially some more recent things, don’t bode well at all—certainly not for the future, as I see it.” He stopped and faced the King.

“But If it isn’t written down—if it doesn’t get put in order and sent out soon—if things don’t get known—they most likely never will be, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. What I think about my ‘getting on,’ Aragorn…” he paused, eyes boring into Aragorn’s half defiantly, “…is I need to be writing. Writing what should not be missed or lost and needs to be said. People need to know. They need to know more about what was, and be prepared for what’s coming.”

He stood up straight, crossed his arms and took a breath. “So what do you think of that, for how I’m going to be ‘getting on’? I don’t have many years left myself. This needs to be done!”

Elessar had straightened, tensing a little when Pippin stood, but now settled back slowly, relaxing, thinking. A hint of a smile played across his face, then broadened. “Peregrin Took,” he said. “It sounds like you are expecting an argument. But none will be coming from me.”

 

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Comments/Discussions on the above introduction can be made here:

https://thetolkien.forum/threads/peregrin-took-my-road.31336/#post-583977

I've seen few books introduced by a 'conversation'... the question is, does it work? Does it draw the reader in, to want to know more about the misunderstood past, the untold events leading to the present, the death of Merry, and why things don't bode well for the future?

If not, it needs to be changed.