Title: On the Great River

Author: Anso the Hobbit

Beta: Marigold

Characters: The Fellowship, but mostly Merry

Timeline: Lothlòrien and the Anduin, SR 1419

Note: There are quite a few quotes in the first two chapters, I apologise for that, it’s not due to laziness on my part, but rather that Tolkien writes those bits best himself.  Some of the dialogue is taken from the Fellowship of the Ring, chapter 8 ”Farewell to Lòrien” and chapter 9 “The Great River”.

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PART ONE: Summoned

“Pippin?” Merry said, reclining upon a heap of pillows in the bower the Fellowship shared while they stayed in Lòrien. “Have you seen Frodo and Sam?” He had just woken up from a nice little nap and discovered that it was drawing towards supper and he and Pippin were alone. They had been gone for some time now and Merry was starting to worry about them.

Pippin, similarly arranged, shook his head. “No, I haven`t seen them for a long while.”

“Who haven`t you seen for a long while, Pip?” Frodo asked as he and Sam entered the bower.

“You,” Merry answered, yawning before sitting up a bit more and slowly sipping a little of the refreshing water that was always set out for them in large silver ewers. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, just taking a walk.” Frodo plopped himself down beside Merry and put his head in Merry`s lap. Sam sat down beside Pippin, lost in thought it seemed.

“See anything interesting?” Merry stretched and placed his goblet on a convenient table just by.

Frodo thought a bit and shook his head. He didn`t feel like talking about what he had seen in the Mirror, he probably never would. “Oh, pretty much the usual; lovely trees, beautiful flowers, sunny glades and shadowy copses, a stream here and there. You know,” he waved his hand around, “just the Golden Wood.” Merry laughed beneath him. Everything was so beautiful that they found it difficult to put words to everything. But Merry sensed that something had happened, although he couldn`t put his finger on what it was. Frodo suddenly seemed more solemn and worried than he had done during their stay here. Oh, well, he`d talk if he wanted to.

”How about you Sam?” Pippin asked.

Sam shook his head. He would not speak of the Mirror either. At that moment Aragorn and Legolas returned from speaking to the elves and just behind them Gimli and Boromir entered, having also taken a long walk in the Golden Wood.

“Everyone ready for supper?” Gimli asked as the surviving Fellowship once again were gathered together and chatting about their day.

“Yes!” Pippin declared eagerly, and they all set to the serious business of eating. They sat on pillows or on the ground around a low table that they moved to the centre of the pavilion when they ate, but was used as storage when meals were over. The pavilion was placed near by the tree where Galadriel and Celeborn lived, and outside it was a lawn with a beautiful fountain. At night the wood glowed with a silvery shimmer, as silver lamps were lighted and hung in the trees. Elves came with food three times a day, and after the first days understood that hobbits needed to eat more often than that, so they provided bowls of fruit and small tarts and cakes in between.

Everything they were served was delicious and Merry felt himself relishing in the feeling of a full stomach and the possibility of filling up the corners if he wanted, which of course he always did. He noticed that Frodo ate heartily too and that he had lost some of that thinness that the journey so far had brought them all. Merry looked down at his own stomach and found it once again slightly protruding, nicely growing into a proper hobbit belly as was suitable for a hobbit his age. He could get used to this! They had eaten heartily in Rivendell too, but there they had been occupied with worrying about Frodo, and then preparing for the journey and Merry didn`t know for sure that he and Pippin were going as official members of the Fellowship himself until the last week before they set out. All the same they had prepared as much as they could and found some time to explore and they had also started to learn how to wield their swords and protect themselves. That training had continued during their journey and still Boromir gave them sword-fighting lessons nearly every day.

At first they had been so exhausted and numbed with grief and travel that the hobbits had slept more than they had been awake and even if he tried Merry couldn`t manage to work out the passage of time. Then, when the exhaustion diminished and the grief became bearable, their days were filled with long and quiet conversation or just walking or sitting, staring in awe and wonder at the Golden Wood. Merry felt dizzy and faint just thinking about the flets and the tree houses, but they were so beautiful that he several times had found himself scaling the stairs that wound themselves around the trees to have a better look at them and admire the construction and colours of it all. And the trees themselves! They were nothing like any he had seen before and reverently he touched them, thinking he could feel the beat of their lives under the bark beneath his hand.

The grief over losing Gandalf was still tangible and suddenly Merry felt himself tear up and quickly, so that none of the others should see, he brushed away a tear. He had spent so much time comforting Pippin or talking to Frodo that he found that he hadn`t really had time for his own grief and he felt it coming back at the most unbidden times, like now. Sam too, he could see wasn`t finished grieving over Gandalf yet. Not that any of them ever would be, but there were stages to grief, Merry knew, and he and Sam weren`t as far along as Frodo and Pippin Merry thought. His main concern was for those two and he found himself once again pushing his grief back.

“Merry?” Pippin said softly, watching his cousin intently. Merry was brooding again. His brow was furrowed in thought and had Pippin seen a tear quickly brushed away?

“Hm…?” Merry hurried to gather his composure, smiled and looked at Pippin. “Are you still eating?”

“Well, yes,” Pippin looked down at his plate, then turned to earnestly look his cousin in the face. “And you should be too. Merry, are you all right?”

“Yes of course, Pip. Why do you ask that?”

“It`s just that you`ve been so quiet tonight and I thought I saw you crying a wee bit.”

Merry sighed. He knew he couldn`t hide anything from Pippin and that Pippin would get him to talk sooner or later. “I was just thinking, is all, about the Quest and this lovely wood and everything.”

“All right, Mer.” Pippin said, humouring him.“ But tell me if you want to talk, all right?” He gave Merry a quick hug and turned back to eating.

“I will.” Merry determinedly steered his thoughts to more pleasant matters and joined in on the conversation, once the important business of eating was finished.

*****

Later that night, an elf came to summon them to Galadriel and Celeborn`s chambers where they had been the first night of their arrival. The great elven rulers lived in a talan, a house built in the tree, and its floor was as large as the deck of a great ship, so Aragorn had told them. On it was built a fair house so large that it could have been a great hall among men. It was hard going for the hobbits as the steps were made for tall elves, and even though they rested on the flets adorned around the tree on the way up, the hobbits were still quite puffed and red-faced when they finally entered the lofty chambers. Once seated, they were greeted with fair words and the elven lord spoke long. Merry found himself having trouble keeping awake, lulled by the gently flowing voice. To keep himself awake, he looked again around at the beautiful place. They were in a chamber of oval shape, in the midst of which grew the trunk of the great mallorn, now tapering towards its crown, and yet making still a pillar of wide girth. The chamber was filled with a soft light; its walls were green and silver and its roof of gold.

”Now is the time,” Merry heard Celeborn said, and he pricked up his ears. Time for what? “When those who wish to continue the Quest must harden their hearts to leave this land. Those who no longer wish to go forward may remain here, for a while. But whether they stay or go, none can be sure of peace.”

“Do we have to leave already?” Pippin whispered, nudging Merry.

“Sssh!” Merry hissed back. He knew they had to leave at some point of course, but he was suddenly sad that it was so, that they would have to leave this lovely place out of tide and time. And what was that next thing Celeborn had said? That those who wanted could stay behind for a while. Not bloody likely! Merry thought. He had set his will to follow Frodo to the end and he would not stay behind if he could help it. Lòrien was a lovely place to visit, but it was not for ever and Merry felt a stirring in him, and he was ready to continue now.

Suddenly his mind flew to the day they had arrived and Galadriel had challenged them all by showing them what they could attain if they went home. Merry had never wanted to talk about what she had shown him and neither had the others, but suddenly he longed for home, for Brandy Hall and his family there. He longed to run through the soft grass, have an ale at the inn or tend to the ponies. He thought of his parents, cousins and friends. He missed them all.

When Galadriel had shown him what he could have if he went home, he had seen a prosperous Buckland, a lovely family of his own and more gold than he could ever want to have or know what to do with, certainly enough to keep the many hobbits over which he would be Master one day well cared for and comfortable. Merry wanted all that, but he loved Frodo and he had promised to do all he could. Surely he`d see a prosperous Buckland when they came home? Surely he`d get married and have children of his own one day? Following Frodo didn`t mean that he never would have what he wanted when he got home again, now did it, and there was more chance of these wonderful things never happening if the Ring was not destroyed and so did not that mean even more that he must help Frodo, not just because he loved his cousin, but for his love for the Shire? No, if it was possible, Merry was even more resolved to help as best as he could.

The conversation now turned to where they were going. Boromir wanted to go to Minas Tirith, but Aragorn wasn`t comfortable with that. ”Beyond Lothlórien I do not know what Gandalf intended to do. Indeed I do not think that even he had any clear purpose.”

Good, Merry thought. At least someone still tries to do what Gandalf wanted. He had been the one with the most foresight among them.

” The way to Minas Tirith lies upon this side, upon the west; but the straight road of the Quest lies east of the River, upon the darker shore. Which shore will you now take?” Celeborn said, and so the discussion went on.

Merry didn`t say much, he mostly listened, trying to picture the road before them from his memory of the maps he had studied in Rivendell. He knew the Great River they talked about was also called Anduin and that it was long, so long that it went all the way to Gondor and Minas Tirith, and beyond even to the Sea. Even if they were to go by boat some of the way they would have to go by foot sooner or later. If he remembered correctly there were waterfalls and other hindrances along the waterway. But boats would travel much faster than they could manage on foot, and each day they tarried, the Darkness grew. It was in their hands to save Middle-earth, well in Frodo`s hands really, and Merry would do all he could to see to it that Frodo succeeded. Perhaps if they could somehow acquire a boat or two they could travel far and fast before any decision would have to be made about what side of the River they should journey upon.

”I see that you do not yet know what to do.” said Celeborn. “It is not my part to choose for you; but I will help you as I may. There are some among you who can handle boats: Legolas, whose folk know the swift Forest River; and Boromir of Gondor; and Aragorn the traveller.”

Just what he had been thinking! Merry raised his eyes to look at the lord with excitement. Then he turned his gaze to the rest of the Fellowship. Frodo and Pippin looked to be in some sort of shock, half frightened and half sad that they had to leave this safe place, Frodo no doubt thinking about the Quest and the dangers lying ahead of them. Pippin probably feeling the same as himself; anxiety for what the journey would bring now and regret for not being able to stay and enjoy all the good food and the pleasant woodland. Sam paled significantly when the elven lord spoke of boats, but Legolas and Aragorn all looked at ease and fine with the plan, although Merry thought he saw Gimli fidget a little. Boromir, Merry thought, looked plain uneasy, but Merry had a feeling it was not about boats at all and he was troubled.

But now Celeborn had named Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn as capable of handling boats, and Merry forgot about Boromir’s unease. Someone had to stand up for the hobbits! Suddenly Merry felt small and insignificant again, but quenched the feeling. He would show them that the hobbits could be useful in this situation too. “And one Hobbit!” cried Merry. “Not all of us look on boats as wild horses. My people live by the banks of the Brandywine.”

Merry felt himself blush a little as everyone turned their gaze to him. Frodo looked at him searchingly for a moment then smiled and nodded in approval. He knew Merry could handle a boat very well. Pippin stared at him in awe that he had dared to speak up among all these great elves and Sam shot him a quick glance before turning his eyes away, no doubt thinking it was not his place to question Merry`s rowing skills and that boats were as bad as wild horses, at least in his book. Celeborn looked at him with a mix of amusement and loftiness but as Merry steadfastly looked back he finally nodded, pleased at Merry’s demeanour.

”That is well,” said Celeborn. “Then I will furnish your Company with boats. They must be small and light, for if you go far by water, there are places where you will be forced to carry them.”

Merry watched as Aragorn thanked the elf lord over and over, and felt grateful himself. He`d love to see an elven boat and to ride in one would be wonderful fun too! Frodo, Pippin and the others, save perhaps poor Sam, looked more hopeful now and Merry was glad.

” All shall be prepared for you and await you at the haven before noon tomorrow,” Celeborn said, and so the Fellowship descended the great mallorn again.

When they reached their pavilion, they sat for a long time discussing what to do in greater detail. It was mostly the Big Folk talking. Merry noticed that Frodo didn`t say anything and he found himself trying to once again remember the maps and which way was the most logical to take. Pippin started to nod and soon went to his bed. Merry felt sleep overtake him too, and soon he too crawled down in his bedroll, listening to the conversation. As his eyes closed he saw Boromir staring at Frodo, as if he tried to read Frodo`s thoughts.

PART TWO: Farewell to Lòrien

The next morning, elves who spoke the Common Tongue came to help them pack what little they had, but also to give gifts. Merry was very grateful for the clothing they had been provided with in Rivendell, but they were in a warmer climate now, and the heavy fur-lined coats and cloaks were too warm, really.

Merry looked in wonder at the elven waybread they were given. The thin cakes were brown on the outside, but had the colour of cream on the inside. Gimli seemed to know what it was, and tasted one, calling it cram, but the elves said it was called lembas and that it was more strengthening than cram. As Merry received a parcel of the lembas, he smelled the strange bread and broke off a tiny piece to taste. It tasted wonderful! The waybread was wrapped in leaves and would keep fresh for a long time if left so.

“Pippin!” Merry said as Pippin immediately started to eat one of his own cakes of lembas. “Don`t eat so much. Didn`t you hear what they said? One of these should be enough to keep a tall man going for a whole day.”

“Aye.” Pippin said, eyes shining. “But they didn`t say how long it would keep a hobbit on his feet. We need more food than the Big Folk, Merry. You know that!”

“Yes, yes. Just be careful with it, all right?”

Next, they were given cloaks, woven of a light stuff that felt like silk to the touch and that had none and every colour there was, blending perfectly in with the nature surrounding them, be it rock or leaf. The cloaks were fastened about the neck with a clasp shaped like a green leaf with silver veins. They were beautiful, and Merry traced the silver veins with his finger.

“Are these magic cloaks?” asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.

“I do not know what you mean by that,” answered the leader of the Elves. “They are fair garments, and the web is good, for it was made in this land. They are elvish robes certainly, if that is what you mean. They are garments, not armour, and they will not turn shaft or blade. But they should serve you well. You are indeed high in the favour of the Lady! For she herself and her maidens wove this stuff; and never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people.”

Merry found it only fitting that the Lady held Frodo in high honour. He did after all have the fate of Middle-earth in his hand, or rather, around his neck.

After their morning meal the Company said farewell to the lawn by the fountain. Their hearts were heavy; for it was a fair place, and it had become like home to them. As they stood for a moment looking at the white water in the sunlight, Haldir came walking towards them over the green grass of the glade. Frodo greeted him with delight.

“I have returned from the Northern Fences,” said the Elf, “and I am sent now to be your guide again. The Dimrill Dale is full of vapour and clouds of smoke, and the mountains are troubled. There are noises in the deeps of the earth. If any of you had thought of returning northwards to your homes, you would not have been able to pass that way. But come! Your path now goes south”'

As they walked through Caras Galadhon the green ways were empty; but in the trees above them many voices were murmuring and singing. They themselves went silently. At last Haldir led them down the southward slopes of the hill, and they came again to the great gate hung with lamps, and to the white bridge; and so they passed out and left the city of the Elves. Then they turned away from the paved road and took a path that went off into a deep thicket of mallorn-trees, and passed on, winding through rolling woodlands of silver shadow, leading them ever down, southwards and eastwards, towards the shores of the River.

They had gone some ten miles and noon was at hand when they came on a high green wall. Passing through an opening they came suddenly out of the trees. Before them lay a long lawn of shining grass, studded with golden elanor that glinted in the sun. The lawn ran out into a narrow tongue between bright margins: on the right and west the Silverlode flowed glittering; on the left and east the Great River rolled its broad waters, deep and dark. On the further shores the woodlands still marched on southwards as far as the eye could see, but all the banks were bleak and bare.

The elves had made ready three boats for the Fellowship and now the elves stored their gear in them.Merry couldn`t help but touch the boats as soon as they came to them. Being a Brandybuck and growing up on the banks of the Brandywine, Merry found boats and everything about them interesting. Now he stood watching the slim, grey elven crafts being loaded and prepared. There were three of them. Aragorn was to ride with Sam and Frodo in one, Gimli was to ride with Legolas, and he and Pippin were to join in with Boromir. The elves had told them to get accustomed to the boats and to step in and out of them a few times here where there was a landing place before setting out.

“What are these?” Sam said, blushing a bit when a surprised elf gave him the obvious answer. The poor hobbit had gone on about not taking rope since they left Rivendell, and now they got more than they needed, as the elves put three coils in each boat. And fine rope it was too, fine enough to have distracted Sam from his worry, if only for a moment.

As they arranged themselves and their baggage, Merry couldn`t help his heart going out to poor Sam. He was pale and seemed scared out of his wits. Vaguely Merry remembered that Sam had held on for his very life as they crossed the Brandywine on the Ferry. Of course, all of them were scared by the Black Riders, but Sam held on all the way across the Brandywine, long after Merry had told him the riders couldn`t reach them as they had to go twenty miles up the road to the Bridge and cross there. Now Merry went over to the stocky gardener to reassure him.

“Don`t worry Sam. These boats are completely safe and you won`t be in danger as long as you do what Aragorn says. And besides, Frodo also knows how to row, so you should be doubly safe.”

“I know, Mr. Merry. It`s just that they are so wobbly.” Sam said, gripping the edges of the perfectly still boat.

“Yes I know, but you will get used to it soon enough.” Merry squeezed his shoulder and smiled. Poor Sam. Merry could only hope that he would be all right. He walked over to his own graceful little boat and jumped confidently down in it. The boats were fashioned so that they were long and slim. There were two boards lain across the breadth, providing seating for one elf or man or two hobbits on each. Each boat had two short-handled oars with broad blades shaped like leaves, also fashioned of the same grey wood as the boats. Merry lifted an oar and studied it. As he put it in the water and pushed he found to his delight that it was light and easy to manoeuvre.

At first they took a trial trip up the swiftly flowing Silverlode. Boromir steered them along nicely. Merry took the other paddle. The crafts were low in the water, making it easy for a hobbit to reach the oar over the side and use the appropriate force when stroking through the water. It was not like rowing any of the boats they used on the Brandywine. Those boats were of course smaller and they weren`t slim and narrow like this. Some were coracles made of hide stretched over wooden frames, others rowing boats, square at the stern and with a pointed bow, and there were larger wooden ones as well, of several different sorts, made for transport, not for fishing or just having a nice trip on the River. 

Suddenly, they turned a sharp bend in the river and sailing towards them was a great swan shaped ship.

“Oh!” Pippin said, staring wide-eyed in surprise and wonder at the beautiful boat. He had soon become accustomed to their own boat and found it no more frightening to sit in than the boats the Brandybucks had and that he had been in many times with Merry and Frodo, fishing in the Brandywine or just lazing about on the River. This swan-shaped boat, now that was something different! It was white with black eyes and a beak that shone like gold. Two elves steered it and in the midst of it stood Lady Galadriel. Music came from the boat and it was a sad and beautiful song and both Merry and Pippin listened in awe as the Lady sang. They all steered their boats to the great swan and then Celeborn invited them to a parting feast. Merry felt his stomach rumble pleasantly with the thought of lunch. They had after all done a fair march that morning before they came to where the boats were moored and set out in them.

It was a grand feast. Frodo didn`t eat much, Merry noted. He seemed to stare in awe at the Lady Galadriel, and pay little heed to things about him.

“Are you all right?” Merry whispered, leaning over to where Frodo sat on the grass. “You haven`t eaten.”

“I’m fine, Merry.” Frodo answered softly, his thoughts far away.

Merry frowned but said no more. Suddenly the Lady Galadriel rose and filled a cup with a white liquor giving it first to Celeborn and then to the Fellowship to drink of in parting. As Merry drank he couldn`t quite place the taste but as all things were in Lothlòrien, it was pleasant and delicate. Celeborn now told them about the lands they were to travel in, and again Boromir and Aragorn talked of Minas Tirith. Those two seemed to know these lands pretty well, Merry understood, and he felt at ease with that. Aragorn he could trust. Boromir though, seemed to be growing more and more uneasy and edgy and Merry was a bit surprised to realise that he did not, in fact, trust the man completely. He resolved to think about this, and to keep his eyes and ears open.

As they had drunk the cup of farewell, Galadriel and Celeborn seated themselves on chairs placed out for them, and Merry waited to see what would happen next. They were comfortable here on the grass, and beside him Pippin stretched out, looking about with an expression of contentment and awe upon his face. This was all too grand for him to put into words, and when Frodo and even Merry failed to describe the beauty of it adequately, then Pippin had decided he`d not even start to try and would simply try to remember the beauty as best he could with his heart and mind.

Again the Fellowship was given gifts. Merry and Pippin received silver belts with clasps shaped like golden flowers. They were beautiful to look at and fit nicely. Merry couldn`t help but wonder what had been said as the Lady spoke so long in private with Aragorn. She had given him several gifts, and one was a beautiful stone he had pinned to his tunic. Merry couldn`t help but smile as Sam stuttered his thanks for the wooden box filled with earth and the fair words she spoke to him. When Gimli blushed and stumbled over his words Merry did his best to hide a laugh. They were the opposite of two poles, the Lady and the dwarf. It was wonderful to see though, that even if the elves weren`t too happy with letting Gimli into their wood at first, that he too was blessed by Galadriel. Frodo, Merry was pleased to see, was given a little phial of crystal, shining with a white light that was beautiful beyond the bounds of the world, and yet somehow Merry understood that its light was dimmed, its power as yet veiled. And suddenly he realised that Frodo probably had talked more to the Lady than he and the others had, as a look of peace came to Frodo`s face as he took the phial and she spoke to him. Maybe that was what happened yesterday, Merry realised. Maybe Frodo had met the Lady as he and Sam were out walking and she had talked to them? He would ask Frodo about that later. Now they were called upon to go to the boats again.

Once again they entered the boats and elves with great poles thrust them out into the stream and they were slowly borne away.  No one said anything as the boats were carried away from the Golden Wood. Lady Galadriel stood watching them and as they floated by her it seemed like Lothlòrien was floating away backwards. After a little while, the boats turned in the current and they were more swiftly borne away. The Lady disappeared from their sight and as the last trees vanished she sang to them in elvish, the song carried to them on the fair breeze.

Suddenly they came to a bend and Merry shook himself, focusing his attention on the river in front of them. A deep sadness took him, and as Pippin sniffled, Merry turned to look at him. Tears were running freely down his cheeks, and Merry felt himself tearing up too. They had left safety behind and would they ever look upon such beauty again? He drew a sleeve over his eyes.

“It will be all right, Pip.” He said, putting an arm around Pippin`s shoulders and squeezing a little, trying to bring comfort, but knowing that words really were in vain now.

Pippin nodded. “I know Merry, it`s just so sad to leave.”

Boromir said almost nothing as they journeyed on but Merry could see Gimli and Legolas talking but he couldn`t make out what they said. It looked like Gimli too was crying. This had been a hard farewell on them all, and the depth of their parting was brought home to him even more as the stalwart dwarf wept. Gimli had been hard to understand at first, not given to emotions as the hobbits were, but silent and stoic. Of course, as they went on they had got to know him better and discovered there was a very fine and sensitive person indeed beneath the beard and armour.

PART THREE: The River

The Fellowship paddled on for quite some time. Merry and Boromir soon found a rhythm that was not too slow for the long-armed man or too fast for the little hobbit. At first they didn`t talk much. The sadness over leaving Lothlòrien lay heavily on them all and now and again Merry observed Pippin brushing away a tear. The sun was covered in mist as they paddled on and dusk came early. They ate a little of the waybread for tea and by the time it was nearing suppertime Merry felt stiff and sore from sitting in the same position for hours, plying the oar. He and Pippin had switched positions a few times so that both Merry and Boromir could use the other arm to paddle with, but other than that Merry had allowed himself no relief. As they switched again, Pippin protested.

“I can paddle, Merry! Let me take a turn!” Pippin said, crossing his arms and glaring at Merry. “You have been paddling for hours and you are stiff and cramped from sitting in the same position for so long.”

“So are you, Pippin.” Merry retorted, but when Pippin mentioned it, he realised that he did feel stiff and he rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. He couldn`t remember ever paddling for this long and his hands felt sore and stiff too. He flexed his fingers, feeling his skin tighten. He himself had taught Pippin to row and paddle but Pippin was still a tweenager and so sometimes a bit clumsy and they didn`t have more than one set of oars for each boat. What if he lost one in the river and they couldn`t pick it up again?

“I can`t believe that you`re sitting there thinking I might lose an oar Merry!” Pippin was angry now. “Give me that.” He held out his hand demandingly and stared at Merry until his cousin reluctantly relinquished the paddle. “I cannot believe you.” Pippin said and thrust the oar into the water, pushing hard.

“Lads!” Boromir said. “I beg you not to quarrel. Let Pippin take a turn Merry. I`m sure he`s capable of it. I presume you taught him yourself, and knowing you, you wouldn`t give up until his proficiency met your satisfaction, hmm?”

“I`m sorry Pippin.” Merry finally said, then turned and looked at Boromir. “And you are right. There`s no reason to quarrel.”

“The sun has gone down now, Merry. Why don`t you lie down and get some sleep? I`m sure you can make a suitable nest out of our bedrolls.”

“All right.” Merry crawled down from his seat and sat down in the bottom of the boat, searching through the packs for their blankets. He knew that standing up in a boat was never a good thing unless you had someone or something counter-balancing the weight. Before they left, the elves had told them that even the slight weight of a hobbit might turn these boats upside-down very quickly if they were put off balance. And Merry knew from countless years of playing in round little coracles and sturdy rowboats in and about the streams and ponds and rivers of the Shire that these elven boats were balanced differently than the type of watercraft he was used to. These elven boats were balanced in the centre, but had several points of balance. Two people of approximately the same weight could stand up in the boat and it would float even if they stood as far apart in the boat as possible.

Boromir was sitting at the stern and Pippin in the bow, leaving Merry in the middle with the gear and facing a dilemma. The problem was that he needed to relieve himself, which could be a tricky proposition, and not one that any of them in their boat had yet attempted. Probably Pippin and Boromir were equally apprehensive and it just happened to be Merry’s luck to have the first try. Merry carefully placed the bedrolls, food and packs on the starboard side of the boat and positioned himself on the port side opposite to Pippin. Standing up slowly he spoke.

“Could you both stop paddling for a minute? I need to…” He blushed a little. This wasn`t something the Company ever really needed to talk about. If one of them needed to answer nature`s call he`d just step behind a convenient rock or tree and get it over with without any fuss. This was different however. There was nothing Merry could use for privacy here. “You know. I need to go.”

“Ah!” Boromir said, smiling. He pulled his oar up and out of reach of where Merry was aiming and politely turned his gaze in the other direction. Pippin, who had his oar on the other side of the boat also pulled the paddle up and turned and grinned at Merry before he too looked away.

Merry balanced himself carefully and leaned forward. The boat moved a little sideways beneath them, but didn`t tip over. His endeavour successful, Merry sat back down in the bottom and Boromir and Pippin started paddling again.

How to manage to sleep at the bottom of this slender boat was another problem. The wooden frame of the boat was on the inside, and it was too narrow between the wooden ribs for Merry to lie down and sleep, even if he curled up. Thinking a little, he folded a blanket across one of the ribs as a pillow and tried to place his body so that if he lay along the bottom he had his head and a shoulder on one of the ribs and his ankles propped across another. Finally he managed to find a position where he could sleep, and lulled by the movement of the boat and the rhythmic sound of the paddles in the water, Merry slept.

Pippin and Boromir paddled on, and when Aragorn hailed them to make camp, Boromir simply lifted the still sleeping Merry out of the boat and put him down beside where Aragorn had placed a sleeping Frodo. Sam carefully put an additional blanket over them both. Pippin took their gear out of the boat and watched as Boromir turned it upside down. He then helped Legolas find firewood before seeking his own bedroll.

*****

“Wake up, Mr. Frodo!” Merry heard Sam say. He felt a hand shake his own shoulder and he turned over and rubbed his eyes. How did he come to be sleeping beside Frodo and not in the bottom of the boat? When had they stopped?

“Good morning, sleepyheads!” Pippin said as his cousins sat up. Frodo and Merry looked at each other for a moment, clearly not remembering falling asleep beside each other.

“What? Morning?” Frodo said, muzzily.

“You fell asleep in the boat and when we finally stopped Strider carried you over to sleep the rest of the night here.” Pippin said. “Boromir did the same with Merry, saying that he had been rowing half the day and into the evening so he needed the rest.” Pippin yawned and mock-glared at Merry. “I paddled half the night and it seems to me that I’ve barely closed my eyes, but I suppose that I can sleep a bit more in the boat when we set off.”

“Yes, yes.” Merry said, not quite awake and a bit out of sorts. But to himself Merry was glad that Pippin had managed so well. That was no little feat for one who wasn`t accustomed to such an effort for any length of time.

Gimli started a small fire, and Sam saw to it that tea was brewing.

“I wonder,” Merry said, “are there fish in the river? Do you know, Boromir?”

“Yes. There should be enough fish in this river to sustain even the hungriest hobbit until he grows gills Meriadoc.”

Merry laughed. “I`ll get some for us then.” The Company had done some fishing earlier during their Quest, but mostly it had been Aragorn or Legolas catching it from remote streams that were too difficult for the hobbits to reach. Merry felt a chill go down his spine as he remembered the result of a fishing trip Pippin had set out on and which had left Pippin with a cold and himself with a case of the Winter Sickness.* None of the hobbits cared to fish after that.

“I`m not sure if that is wise, Merry.” Aragorn said.

“He`s a Brandybuck,” Pippin chimed in. “They`re born with a fishing pole in their hands!”

“Don`t exaggerate.” Merry said and gave Pippin a playful swat.

“That is good and well! But I do remember what happened the last time this Brandybuck tried to fish, or shall we say help a certain Took who went fishing, hmm? I do not want a repetition of that.” Aragorn said,

“Strider!” Merry walked over to stand in front of the Ranger and crossed his arms over his chest. “Both the water and the weather are warmer, the river is shallow here by the bank and I’ll bet there`s fish aplenty! The conditions are far from what they were when Pippin tried to fish back then.” He glared at the Ranger. “And I can swim. You know that.”

After looking at the slow current of the river, Aragorn turned his gaze back to the determined hobbit in front of him. He should give the lad a chance. After all, during the unfortunate episode before, he had only jumped in to save Pippin and also important to the hobbits, their meal, and he shouldn`t be gainsaid for that. He had taken enough responsibility on himself back then and had blamed himself for getting ill and slowing their journey long after he was well again.

“All right. But be careful.” Aragorn finally said, looking sternly at Merry, but with a twinkle in his eye.

“Thank you.” Merry said and immediately started to look for sticks he could make spears of. “Frodo? Do you want to go fishing with me?” Merry said, seeing Frodo sitting lost in thought and thinking that maybe his cousin needed a distraction. There was no response.

“Frodo?”

“Yes? Hm… Oh, fishing. Yes, I`ll come fishing with you Merry.”

Merry walked over to Frodo and handed him a stick and they went back to the shore and sat down on one of the boats. They had all been turned upside down so they wouldn`t float away and also to provide shelter for their things if it started to rain.

Merry took out his knife from his belt and expertly started to sharpen the end of his stick. Frodo did the same with his stick and for a while they sat silently whittling. Merry sensed Frodo wasn`t in a mood to talk and knowing when not to pry, he put his knife back and waded knee-deep into the river. The current was slow, just as he had said, and Merry could stand firmly on the bottom without struggling to keep his feet. Frodo joined him a moment later.

As Boromir had predicted there were plenty of fish, and soon Frodo and Merry had caught enough for breakfast for them all. Sam fried the fish with some greens he had found and so they all sat down to breakfast.

*****

When breakfast and washing up was done, Aragorn summoned them all for a little council.

“I sense within you the same that I feel,” he said as they all had sat down around their dying fire. “None of us wishes to hurry to meet the peril that lies ahead of us. We are content to let the day go as it may, and for the nonce we might do that. However, we should not tarry and we will start early each day and continue well into the night. Time is passing. We have been in the lands beyond time and I think that you, like me, felt that time had no meaning in the Golden Wood. We must shake off that feeling now. Let us rest and let the current take us downstream as it will, for we will need our strength for the days to come.”

With that they packed up and entered the boats again. In Merry and Pippin`s boat Boromir steered them out from the shore and now and again gave a gentle push with the oar so that their boat would stay in the middle of the river with the others. It wasn`t long before Pippin became bored and started to fidget.

“Stop that, will you?” Merry said after a while. There was only so much you could do while sitting in a boat and the banks on each side of the river didn`t have very exciting views either. They were still covered in trees and aside from a bird here and there flying over them, the world seemed quiet. “Why don`t you get some rest? You slept little enough as it was last night.”

“All right.” Pippin yawned and stretched and lay down as Merry had the night before on the bottom of the boat. Merry wrapped a blanket snugly about him and within a few minutes Pippin slept.

Merry spent most of the day thinking. Boromir was quiet and avoided conversation for the most part. That was unlike him. Boromir was a warrior, but Merry thought that he and Pippin had managed to loosen him up a bit and get him to talk a bit more as they had journeyed together. Of course, being a man, Boromir didn’t chatter away continuously as he and Pippin often were accused of doing. He answered questions, would tell an occasional story if asked, and would talk for some time if the mood took him. Merry decided that it was some time since that mood had taken him. There was something about him that had changed since Lórien.

Then there was what lay ahead of them to think about. How long would they be relatively safe? How was Frodo doing? Merry wished he could be in Frodo`s boat and talk to him or that they would stop and make camp soon, but Aragorn had said they were to continue a good while after it was dark. Merry sighed.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Pippin asked, awake from his nap. He sat watching Merry`s concentration, his faraway eyes and furrowed brow out of the corner of his own eye, almost seeing the workings going on inside his cousin’s head. A bit of conversation would not go amiss about now.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing really. Just this and that.” Merry answered, his thoughts far away.

Pippin positioned himself to properly look at him. “You`re not worrying yourself into a state again, are you?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Merry reassured him, looking him in the face, smiling.

“Good.” Pippin returned the smile then turned to look at their surroundings again.

Merry didn`t feel at ease talking with Pippin about what he was actually thinking about in front of Boromir and Boromir could use some distraction too, Merry decided. “Do you have boats like these in Gondor?” He asked.

“No, not as narrow and slim as these.”

“What are they like?” Merry asked, genuinely interested.

“There are several kinds, depending on their use.“ Boromir continued to explain about the different boats in Gondor and what they were used for. Merry found that they had several similar types of boats in Buckland and so they discussed similarities and differences for a while. The hobbits learned that Gondorian children played with toy boats and that the warriors learned to row as part of their training. “So you see, lads, even if much is different between men and hobbits, there are things that are the same.”

“Yes,” Pippin said. “Except that no proper hobbit plays around in boats and swims. That`s mostly a Brandybuck peculiarity.”

“But you know how to swim and row and you aren`t a Brandybuck.” Boromir said.

“No, I most certainly am not. But Merry has taught me.”

“Who taught you to swim and master boats, Merry? Your father?”

“Yes, partly, but I learned a good deal from Frodo actually. He`s a Brandybuck too you know.” Merry said proudly.

It wasn`t long before Pippin had Boromir laughing by telling him about happy summer days spent fishing and messing about in the boats of Buckland and swimming in the shallows of the Brandywine, and so the rest of the day passed pleasantly. After a few hours, Merry took the paddle so Boromir could get some rest. He had not slept much the previous night and he now slept until Merry roused him when Aragorn hailed them.

“Wake up Boromir, we`re making camp.”

“It`s dark already!” Boromir said, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes. You`ve slept for several hours.”  Pippin said.

“I have.” Boromir said, sitting up and looking about when suddenly his stomach rumbled loudly.

“You`re hungry!” Pippin said gleefully. It was still a bit of a marvel to him that the Big Folk could go with so little food when they were so very big.

“That`s a first!” Merry laughed. He couldn`t remember having heard Boromir`s stomach rumble before.

Boromir laughed. “Well, if I`m hungry then you two must be famished.”

“Oh, we`ll survive.” Merry said. “We had a bit of lembas for tea.”

“Speak for yourself.” Pippin said. “I`m hungry again.”

Boromir laughed. “There you have it.”

“We didn`t eat that much lembas Merry. And if you had let me eat some more I wouldn`t be hungry now and neither would you.”

“How do you know he is hungry?” Boromir asked.

“I know him. He`s just pretending to not be hungry because we have to ration the food.”

“Merry?” Boromir said.

“Yes, yes. It`s true. You do know me all too well Pippin.” Merry said. “But we do have to ration the food and if you eat all you want every time you are hungry there won’t be enough.”

“Enough for what?” Pippin said, suddenly serious.

“To last us until we can re-provision somewhere of course.” Merry answered lightly. “But I am not sure where that might be exactly, as we don’t know which way we are going to go yet.”

”The need to replenish our supplies is yet another good reason for us to make for Minas Tirith before beginning the darkest stretch of our journey,” Boromir said. The provisions we have now should at least be enough to last us until we can get to Rohan. There we can acquire new provisions before continuing to the White City.” Boromir said.

“How far is Rohan?”

“At least a week`s travel on these boats and then some days on foot I should think.” Boromir said.

“That isn`t too long.”

“No, but we need to be prepared for every eventuality and ration the food nonetheless.” Boromir said and steered them to shore.

The hobbits didn`t have any reply to that. It was once again brought home to them that this was no boating trip on the Brandywine with a large picnic basket and a warm smial and a soft bed at the end of the day.

 * ”Of Fish and Feverish Hobbits"

PART FOUR: A fish story

“I assume it`s to be fish for supper too?” Pippin said as he jumped out of the boat, his pack and bedroll in hand.

“Yes,“ Aragorn laughed. “It`s a bit difficult to hunt from a moving boat even for a Ranger, and it`s too dark to set out now. Perhaps our skilful fisher-hobbits will take pity on us?”

“Well, Merry,” Frodo said. “It looks like it is up to us to feed this Company once more! It appears we have to go fishing again. There is plenty of starlight, even if there is almost no moon, so we ought to catch something.”

Frodo picked up two straight sticks from the wood Sam and Gimli had already gathered and handed one to Merry and again they made spears. They waded into the river and started to look around for the glint of starlight on silvery, slim bodies that would pass before them in an instant and disappear down the river if they weren`t fast enough.

A flash of silver caught the corner of his eye and Merry whirled around as fast and silently as he could and thrust his spear down. He lifted the spear with the fish, and was disappointed to see how small it was. Frodo caught his eye and shrugged, Merry understanding him perfectly. It was a start. Merry took the fish off his spear, tossed it to the bank, and began searching the water again. A few minutes later, eight more small fish lay on the bank with the first one.

“That should be enough, don`t you think?” Merry said, wading back to shore with the last one he had caught.

“Yes,” Frodo said and thrust down with his spear one last time. This one seemed to be a lot larger than the others. “Merry!” He turned to his cousin. “It`s a big one! Lend a hand, would you?”

Merry put down his own spear by the fish and ran back in and reached under the water, taking hold of Frodo`s spear and forcing it deeper into the struggling fish. It was a big one. He could feel the slick surface of it under his hands and when it stilled, he reached around it with both hands and lifted it up. Frodo let go of his spear and reached to help. The fish had not been killed however, and it began struggling violently around in their grasp. Frodo had hold of the head and with a swift movement the fish slid lower in Merry`s grasp and bit down on Frodo`s palm just as Merry managed to grab it again. Frodo yelped and within seconds the whole Fellowship – minus Gimli who was guarding the camp – was down on the shore, Aragorn and Legolas running into the water. Boromir stayed Pippin and Sam with a hand on each shoulder as both hobbits set out after the others, Sam forgetting in his haste to reach his master that he couldn`t swim.

In the water the fish was still fighting, thrashing with such force that both Frodo and Merry lost their balance, the fish now in Frodo`s arms. They both went under and when the hobbits surfaced Aragorn was there and lifted both a spluttering Frodo and the belligerent fish out of the water. An instant later, arms reached around Merry`s waist and Legolas helped him to his feet, standing aside as Merry shook his head and water flew from his drenched curls. Aragorn took the fish from Frodo and slammed it against a rock with such force that the head almost was dislocated.

Everything happened so fast that no one saw that Frodo wavered on his feet before he made it to shore and sat down, shocked by the violence and by the stabbing pain in his hand.

“Are you both all right?” Aragorn asked, laying a steadying hand on Frodo`s shoulder as the hobbit stood up again. The Ranger looked him over critically before turning his gaze to Merry who was making his own way to shore. Both hobbits were dripping wet.

“Yes, I`m quite all right,” Frodo said as Sam draped a blanket over his shoulders.

“I`m fine. Just very, very wet,” Merry declared accepting a blanket from a hovering Pippin. But had he heard a quaver in Frodo‘s voice? He resolved to have a quiet word with his cousin later as Aragorn offered them both a supporting hand and began steering them towards the fire.

“Good. Let`s get back to camp. Both of you should change into dry clothes immediately. It`s late and it`s getting colder. Sam, can you and Legolas get more firewood? We shall need it tonight.”

Back near the fire Pippin looked from one cousin to the other and sat down on the warm nest of blankets that was the hobbits` bed while his cousins changed into dry clothes and hung the wet ones to dry on low branches. Frodo favoured his right hand, and when he single-handed buttoned his jacket both Merry and Pippin looked at him sternly.

“Frodo? What`s wrong with your hand?” Pippin rose and went to his cousin.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Merry was beside them in a heartbeat, buttoning his shirt as he spoke. “Frodo?” Merry took Frodo`s hand between his own and turned it with the palm up, peering at it in the firelight. “It`s a bite. That fish actually bit you. I think Strider should take a look at it, don’t you?”

“No, no. I`m fine. It`s just a little bite, it doesn`t even hurt that much any more,” Frodo lied, wincing when Merry turned the hand to better see.

“No? Then why couldn`t you use it when you buttoned your jacket? Have Strider look at it,” Merry said, letting go of the hand.

“All right,” Frodo lied. He had no such plans and could only hope Merry and Pippin would forget about it.

The three cousins went over to the fireside where the rest of the Fellowship had gathered. To show his cousins that nothing was wrong, Frodo went to Sam and helped him cut some of the greens he had been gathering before the adventure with the fish. He couldn`t hold the knife properly though, and it slipped out of his hand, landing with a loud clink on the stone. Frodo muttered something under his breath and tried to hide his hand from Sam`s view.

“Mr. Frodo?”

“It`s nothing, Sam. It just slipped right out of my hand.” Frodo took up the knife again and started cutting.

“Begging your pardon, but that’s not what I saw. I think Strider should have a look at it,” Sam said and took the knife from Frodo.

“I should have a look at what?” Aragorn had been piling up firewood just by where Sam and Frodo sat, and heard the exchange. He knelt down beside Frodo in concern.

“It`s nothing,” Frodo said, trying to hide his hand.

“Let me be the judge of that,” Aragorn said. “Now, let me see that hand.”

Reluctantly Frodo held out his hand for Aragorn to see. On the other side of the fire, Merry noticed and moved over to them, standing close behind Frodo and Aragorn. Pippin joined them and stood beside Merry, both of them watching anxiously as Aragorn examined Frodo’s injury. On the palm of his hand there were several red marks. They had stopped bleeding but it was clearly a bite mark.

“The wound is shallow,” Strider said after scrutinizing it. “Can you flex your fingers?” Frodo wriggled his fingers a little and tried to curl his hand into a fist but only managed to slightly bend his fingers. Aragorn scowled. “Do you feel any numbness around the wound?” At Frodo’s grudging nod, Aragorn spent a few moments manipulating Frodo’s fingers and then seemed to come to a decision. “I think that perhaps that fish had the power in its bite to paralyse its food for a time, prey much smaller than you, to stop it struggling. Such ability is not unknown. It should wear off soon given your size, but I cannot say exactly when, not being familiar with the creature. I shall bathe it well, and I`ll wrap a poultice around it in case there is any chance of infection but it looks clean, so I do not fear that.”

A little while later, Frodo`s hand was wrapped in an herbal mixture that Aragorn had instructed Sam on how to make. Usually Merry tried to pay close attention when Aragorn talked about herbs or instructed someone in their use, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. He must be very tired, he thought, to be so distracted.

“Tell me if you feel any changes or if you start feeling unwell,” Aragorn told Frodo. “I`ll look at it again tomorrow morning.” Now Aragorn turned to look sharply at Merry who was still standing behind Frodo. “How about you? You battled that fish too.”

“Yes, but it didn`t bite me,” Merry said.

“Let me see your hands,” Aragorn demanded.

“Really Strider, I am fine,” Merry insisted.

“Merry!” Pippin attached himself to Merry`s side and Frodo stood up, facing them. Aragorn held his ground. Knowing that he was outnumbered, Merry sighed and held out his hands.

Aragorn turned Merry`s small hands over in his own large ones. At first he couldn`t see anything but by turning Merry’s hands to a slightly different angle he saw that there was a faint scratch along Merry’s palm that looked like it could have come from the point of a sharp tooth scraping across it.

“How did you get this?”

Surprised, Merry looked closer. He hadn`t noticed the scrape. “I don`t know. I haven`t seen it before.”

Gently Aragorn felt the scrape with his own fingers.

“It`s nothing,” Merry said, wincing slightly at the touch. It was a little sore. He didn`t see the need for Aragorn to be concerned about a little scratch though. They all got them from time to time and both he and Aragorn had other things to be concerned about.

“That may be, but I think you got this from the fish. Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“Merry!” Frodo had seen Merry`s little wince and knew he wasn`t telling the truth. “Don`t lie.”

“All right,” Merry said, defeated. “It is a little sore.”

“And numb?”

Merry flexed his fingers, and was surprised that his hand was numb, just a bit.

Aragorn nodded. “I thought so. I’ll put a poultice on that too, and look at it again in the daylight.”

When Aragorn had finished, Merry looked around. “Where are the fish?” Merry asked.

“Mr. Boromir went down to clean them,” Sam said.

Merry went down to where Boromir knelt on the bank, cleaning the catch. The man had gutted five of the fish, three bream and two chub, and was working on another chub, but three more bream and the strange fish that had fought them were still untouched. “Boromir? Do you know what kind of fish this is?” Merry asked, pointing to the strange one. It was pretty to look at - the skin multicoloured and it had large fan-shaped fins and a wide mouth. Merry could see the sharp teeth, and couldn’t help but think that he and Frodo had come off lightly.

“No,” Boromir said. “I`ve never seen anything like it before.”

“It might seem like well deserved revenge, but I don`t think I would like to eat a fish that bit my cousins,” Pippin said, coming up to stand beside Merry.

“That is understandable,” Boromir said. The whole Fellowship was now gathered around to have a closer look at the odd fish.

“I say we stay away from fish from now on,” Gimli said, not much liking the look of the thing.

“I`m not sure we have the luxury of that,” Legolas commented.

“Maybe not,” Aragorn replied. “But I think we will stay away from that particular fish. We will have enough for our supper without it. It will be safer so, as we do not know its kind.“ 

Uneasiness had come over the whole Company now that they had all had a closer look at the vicious fish and they were rather subdued as they ate their supper. Frodo didn`t eat much at all. His hand was beginning to really hurt and he felt faint. Merry sat beside him, looking searchingly at him from time to time, feeling uncomfortable and a bit sick himself. Was nothing safe? Could they not even have a meal in peace? He had learned many things during the Quest and one of the most important ones were that things that looked safe quite possibly were not and that some of the birds and beasts they saw could be harmful and slaves of the Enemy. Was this fighting fish a device of the Enemy, or was it just a natural predator of the River? Merry didn’t want to ask the question in Frodo’s hearing. He looked at Frodo again. It wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t eating much, he seldom had a good appetite anymore, but Merry thought that Frodo had paled and that he was sweating a little. He leaned closer, but as he was about to ask his cousin if he was all right, Merry yawned hugely and quite unexpectedly and to everyone’s joy Frodo laughed.

“Looks like someone is tired,” Pippin said, elbowing Merry but shooting a concerned glance at Frodo. He had seen Frodo go pale too.

“Yes, and to bed we should all go,” Aragorn said. “We will start early tomorrow, so three watches should suffice. Pippin will take the first, Legolas the next and Sam the last.”

*****

“Are you feeling all right?” Merry whispered as he and Frodo snuggled down in their blankets. “Do you want to talk?” He put a hand on Frodo`s shoulder, squeezing gently. “You`ve been so quiet today.”

Frodo turned to lie on his side, and looked at Merry. “Why did you lie about your hand hurting you?”

“What?” Merry shook his head. Was Frodo angry?

“Don`t ‘what’ me. Did you think that not telling that your hand hurt you was going to help me?” Frodo looked at him sternly. “Merry. You know that any little scrape or injury can cause infection if it`s not looked after properly.”

“You’re a fine one to talk. Are you any better? You weren’t intending to tell Strider at all, and you actually tried to hide your injury from Sam, and you know he sees everything Frodo. He knows you perhaps better than I do,” Merry said, looking over Frodo`s shoulder at the slumbering Sam.

“All right,” Frodo said, smiling a little. “I guess I deserved that.” Frodo turned even more now, looking his younger cousin in the eye, his smile gone. “Merry,” he whispered. “I`m so scared. Is nothing safe? I should not have allowed you to come at all, or sent you home earlier, or made you stay in Lothlòrien until the elves could escort you back to Rivendell.” Frodo shook his head.

Merry felt tears gather in his eyes as Frodo spoke. Merry was scared too, but he couldn`t tell Frodo that. And if he was scared, how much more scared was Frodo? Oh, how he wished he could take the Ring away from Frodo and bear his burden, and make his cousin happy and carefree and safe once more! But there was nothing he could do. Frodo had to go through with this and Merry would help him in any way that he could. He would not leave his side. “I know you are scared my dear. And that you are scared for Pippin and me, and Sam too. But you know that would not have worked, don`t you, that we would not have stayed? And they told us before we left the Golden Wood that the borders there aren`t necessarily safe any more. We wouldn`t have been safe there either. We`ve been over this before, Frodo dear, and you know we would only have followed after you anyway if you had tried to leave us in the Shire, or in Rivendell, or any other place along the way.”

“I know Merry, and I really am glad you came along, though I do feel guilty for wanting you with me. If I`m not safe then you and Pippin and Sam aren`t either. I don`t want any harm to come to you or to lead you into peril,” Frodo said.

“Frodo! Pippin and Sam and I walked right into this of our own initiative, with our eyes wide open. We chose to come with you, remember?”

“Yes Merry, I do. I remember that. You all got the best of me that night at Crickhollow. I didn`t know how to tell you that I was leaving you all and then you unmasked your conspiracy! I still marvel at how you all managed to keep from me that you knew I was going away for all that time.”

“Well,” Merry laughed. “We know you very well, you know. And we had our chief conspirator in Sam. He could tell us exactly what you were doing and alerted us when you started pouring over Bilbo`s old maps.” Suddenly Merry felt a pang of homesickness and he wondered how much hold of Frodo the Ring had got. “You do remember the Shire, Frodo?” He asked, tentatively.

“Yes of course I do. What makes you say that?” Frodo said, surprised.

Merry thought a little. He could see the Ring taking hold of Frodo`s soul and being, but he didn`t know to what extent it did so, and Frodo had never talked much about it. “I`m worried about you, is all.” He tried to smile despite the seriousness of their conversation. Then he yawned again.

“We should sleep,” Frodo said mirroring Merry`s yawn. “I suppose it`s no use telling you to stop worrying, but you could try to worry a little less Merry.”

“All right. I shall try. And you need to stop hiding what hurts you. We love you and we care about you and are here for you. Come to us.” Merry said, looking his cousin earnestly in the face. “Does your hand hurt now?”

A moment passed before Frodo answered. “Yes it does. And yours?”

Merry tried flexing his fingers and curling them over the bandage on his hand, but couldn`t move them. “It is still sore and my fingers feel numb.”

“My whole hand feels numb,” Frodo said. “Let`s hope it`s over by tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Merry yawned again, so hugely that it brought tears to his eyes. “We need to get some rest.” He reached over and gave Frodo a hug. “Good night, Frodo.”

“Good night, Merry dear.” Frodo returned the hug and curled up beside his cousin, pillowing his head on Merry`s shoulder. Within moments the two of them slept, Sam long since asleep on Frodo`s other side.

*****

In the disorientation of his first waking moments, Merry thought he was somehow trapped or pinned down. He was shivering, feeling cold as ice at the same time as his face felt on fire and his stomach ready to turn on him at any moment. He managed with difficulty to twist his head a little, his neck stiff and sore. Pippin was lying fast asleep beside him, an arm draped lightly over Merry`s chest, and Legolas could be seen standing on the shore. He`d only been asleep for a few hours then. Why was he suddenly feeling so bad? He tried to reach for his blankets, wanting to draw them up higher, but he could barely move, his arm completely numb, a very scary sensation, Merry thought. Not pins and needles like he had slept on it wrongly, but dead, as though it just was not there at all. Merry fought down a rising panic. What if he never could use it again? What had happened? Why couldn`t he move? Then he remembered: Frodo and the odd fish and the bites came rushing back to him and Merry suddenly felt much worse. If he felt so sick from a small scratch, how was Frodo feeling? Merry tried to turn his head in Frodo`s direction but could barely move and let out a whimper in distress, immediately waking Pippin.

“Merry?” Pippin sat up and tried to study his cousin`s face in the dim starlight, a hand touching his cheek to get his attention.

“I don`t… feel…so good. I…can`t move,” Merry managed, feeling suddenly very faint. “Frodo?” His eyes shut and the world spiralled away and he knew no more.

PART FIVE: Interlude

“Merry!” Pippin looked on in rising fear as Merry struggled to speak, then slipped into unconsciousness. He did not look good at all and he was burning up with fever! Pippin patted Merry’s cheek gently, trying unsuccessfully to rouse him, then looked across to Frodo, reaching over to feel that he burned with fever too. Frodo did not look to have moved since Pippin had gone to sleep. Both of his cousins were obviously very ill, and terribly frightened, Pippin shot to his feet and ran over to where Strider was sleeping. He came awake at once as Pippin touched his shoulder and was at Frodo and Merry’s side bare seconds after Pippin explained what was wrong. With Pippin hovering anxiously beside him, Strider began to check them over, beginning with Frodo as he had taken the more serious wound. Feeling Frodo shifting, Sam came awake and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Is it my watch?” He asked groggily.

“No. Not yet.” Aragorn said.

Sam sat bolt upright when he saw that Aragorn was feeling Frodo`s wrist, gauging his pulse. “Mr. Frodo? Strider? What is happening?”

“Merry woke up, feeling ill and tried to check on Frodo but couldn’t manage,” Pippin said brokenly, tears running down his cheeks. He sat by his cousins` heads and stroked first one curly head, then the other. “He woke me and then passed out and I went to get Strider.”

Kneeling on the hobbits nest of blankets, Aragorn next felt Merry and Frodo`s faces to measure the fever before he gently shook them to see if they would wake up. Neither of them responded. Both Sam and Pippin were wide awake and alert by now, watching Aragorn`s ministrations keenly.

“I will need your help, both of you. Sam, would you build up the fire, then get some cold water? Pippin, you will find some clean cloths in my pack. We need to get their temperatures down first, before anything else. They are burning up, Frodo especially.”

Both hobbits sprang into action and a moment later Sam`s biggest pan was placed by the blankets, filled to the brim with cold water. Pippin lay a pile of cloths down beside it. Sam dipped one of the cloths in water and carefully started washing Frodo`s face. Pippin took another cloth and started on Merry, gently wiping away the sweat that gathered on his brow. Reassured that Sam and Pippin had their tasks well in hand, Aragorn looked more intently at the unconscious hobbits. After his examination he reached for Frodo`s bandaged hand and peeled away the wrapping. The red marks on his palm were livid and his hand was swollen. Both Pippin and Sam paled a little as they saw the red flesh. Next Aragorn unwrapped Merry`s hand and probed the red mark on his palm. Merry`s hand was also livid and swollen but not nearly as bad as Frodo`s. Neither Frodo nor Merry so much as stirred during his examination.

“Continue what you are doing. I will make a tonic for them both to drink and then make another poultice. Call me if either of them awakens.” Aragorn fetched his pack and one of Sam`s pans before heading for the River.

“How are they?” Legolas whispered. His elven hearing had not missed Merry`s whimper and he had heard everything that had happened since, but as the situation was being handled competently by others he had remained at his post.

“They both have been overcome by the fish’s poison, and I`m worried about Frodo. And Merry. Merry has been awake but just barely and Pippin tells me he couldn`t seem to move without great effort. As Frodo was more badly bitten than Merry I`m afraid he might be completely paralysed. I badly misjudged the potency of the fish’s poison I fear, but I have never heard of one so dangerous to a creature so much larger than itself. It is well we did not eat it, or I fear the Quest would have ended for all of us.”

“Is there anything to be done?” Legolas asked, deep concern written on his ageless features.

“Yes. I`m making a tonic and a poultice now and if Pippin and Sam can manage to get Frodo and Merry’s temperatures down I think they will be all right. The poison will wear off, and I believe the paralysis to be temporary; it is the side effects that will cause them harm if we do not prevent it.”

A few moments later, Aragorn returned to the hobbits` sleeping place with a steaming mug. Gently he lifted Frodo from Sam`s care and fed the tonic to him, stroking his throat to encourage Frodo to swallow. Filling the mug anew he repeated these actions with Merry. He then proceeded to wrap first Frodo`s then Merry`s hands in the freshly made poultices. If the swelling was not down by morning he would have to cut into them to drain the poison and he very much hoped that would not be necessary.

Both Pippin and Sam were silent as Aragorn worked. Pippin felt too scared to say anything. What if he lost his Merry, or Frodo? What if he lost both his cousins? Could the fish bite be that serious?

“Mr. Pippin?” Sam scooted over to where Pippin sat by Merry`s side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Without noticing, Pippin had started to cry and silent tears ran down his cheeks. “It`s not as bad as that. Mr. Frodo and Mr. Merry are strong, and we’ve got Strider here to look after them. They`ll get through this, just you wait and see.” Sam was scared himself, but Pippin was just as scared, if not more so.

Sniffling, Pippin nodded and dried his tears with his sleeve. “Yes I know, Sam. But Merry sounded so ill when he talked to me and hasn’t stirred since, and Frodo hasn’t woken up at all. What if they die? I can`t lose both my cousins! Oh, Sam…”

“Sssh. Don`t you worry Mr. Pippin. Strider knows what to do and he has healed both of them before and they have both been right as rain after. I`m sure they’ll be all right this time too.” Sam`s voice quavered a little as he said this. He was awfully worried about his master and his friend.

“Sam is right, Pippin. The tonic I just gave them and the poultice should help a great deal. Just you continue to try and keep their fevers down and Merry and Frodo should wake up in the morning feeling much better.”

“All right Strider, Sam. If you say so.” Pippin dried his tears and tried to be brave for the two hobbits he loved most in the whole world. Sam had gone back to sit by Frodo now, and was lovingly wiping the wet cloth over Frodo`s brow. Even in the dim light of the fire and the faint stars, Pippin could see the hectic red spots on his face. Merry was no better and softly brushing Merry`s curls away, Pippin traced the wet cloth over his beloved cousin`s features.

And so the night passed. Aragorn gave the unconscious cousins another dose of tonic and when there was no more water in Sam`s pan, he refilled it, directing Sam to stay with Frodo. When the time came for Sam to take his watch Legolas came over and with soft words said that Sam had enough with watching over his master now and that he would take Sam`s watch too. Relieved, Sam thanked him and remained in his place by Frodo`s head.

The night deepened and as the first light of dawn brightened the sky Aragorn woke Boromir and Gimli and told them what had happened and they held a little council. Neither Merry nor Frodo had woken, but to everyone’s relief both patient‘s fevers were reduced and the livid marks looked to be healing nicely, especially on Merry`s hand.

Aragorn debated with himself a moment before speaking to the others. “We need to get an early start. However, I would like to see both our patients awake at least before we enter the boats and set off downstream again. Let us wait here until the sun is up and then I shall examine them both carefully in the light of day before we set out.” Aragorn looked at them one after another and all nodded in agreement.

“What if they remain unconscious? Could we not let them sleep in the boats? Surely that would not harm them?” Boromir said.

“That is true. It would not harm them to sleep in the boats but I cannot look after both of them while we are on the River and I would like for at least one of them to be alert and awake as we set out, even if he sleeps again soon after. Gimli, would you see to it that the fire is burning brightly and Boromir, would you assist Sam in making breakfast? Pippin can watch over both his cousins for a while.”

Pippin, who still sat by Merry, looked down as a small movement caught his eye. Merry was moving his head and then moaned slightly.

“Strider! Merry is waking up!”

A/N: My pardon for the delay and the short chapter. Merry took the muse and fled some time ago and I am constantly on the look-out for them. I have my hopes they should return soon.

/anso

PART SIX: The Journey Continues

Merry woke up to the feeling of dampness on his face. For a moment he thought it was raining, and turned away to hide under his blankets, but realised that something wasn`t right. He opened his eyes to see Pippin`s concerned, red-rimmed eyes looking back at him hopefully from a few inches away. Pippin looked like he had been crying and Merry reached out his good hand to stroke his young cousin’s face.

“Pip?”

“Hullo Merry. Are you feeling any better?” Pippin took Merry`s hand in his own.

“You`ve been crying.” It wasn’t a question, it was clear that Pippin had been greatly distressed. Merry licked dry lips as he remembered everything.

Pippin nodded, visibly pulling himself together. “I was so worried about you. And Frodo.”

“Oh, Pippin,” Merry said and was enveloped in a careful hug. “I`m here now. I`ll be all right.” Merry felt Pippin nod against his shoulder. “How about Frodo? Is he better?” Merry asked.

“He`s right here,” Pippin said and released Merry.

Merry turned his head on his blanket-pillow and took in Frodo`s unconscious form. As he was about to reach out to him in concern, Aragorn knelt beside them.

“How`s Frodo?” Merry asked again, trying to sit up, just to be guided back down by both large and small caring hands.

“He`s better, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”

“He`s unconscious? Not just sleeping?” Merry stated more than asked, looking more closely at his cousin and reaching out with his good hand to gently stroke his face. “He`s hot!”

“Yes. His fever is still high. The fact that you can feel it is a great comfort though. It means that your fever at least is down a few degrees and I hope it also means that your hand is healing well.”

“What happened to us? What is wrong with Frodo?” Aragorn stalled the flow of questions with a gentle hand on Merry’s shoulder.

“None of that now. First things first. How are you feeling Merry?”

Merry considered. He felt weak as a new kitten and could feel the fever lingering in his body and he felt slightly sick to his stomach, but otherwise… he lifted his arm a little and felt a wave of relief, remembering that he hadn`t been able to move when he woke up during the night. He looked at his bandaged hand. “I`ll be all right. Just weak and a little nauseous. How about my hand? I can move it a little now.” Merry flexed his hand a bit more, and he curled his fingers experimentally.

“That is good.” Aragorn removed the poultice that he had wrapped around Merry`s hand the previous night. The bite mark was still red but looked to be healing in the early morning light. “This looks much better. It`s not swollen anymore, but I`m putting on a new poultice just in case. And you are to not use this hand until I say so. You are to ask others for help rather than risk aggravating the injury. Understood?” He waited for Merry to nod in acceptance, then turned to look at the sky. They should get moving soon. He set about applying the new poultice and rewrapping Merry’s hand. “We need to set out soon, and I think you should try and sleep as much as you can today. Boromir and Pippin will manage the paddling if any needs to be done.” With that he squeezed Merry’s shoulder reassuringly, and moved to care for Frodo.

Hearing his name, Boromir came over to them. He was carrying a plate of breakfast for Pippin.

“Do you want some breakfast, Merry?” Boromir asked, sitting down beside Pippin. “You should at least drink something. Do you want tea? Or perhaps water? You must be thirsty.”

“Water sounds very nice, thank you. I don`t think I`m up to eating yet.” Pippin helped Merry sit up a little and handed him a water bottle before sitting down with his own breakfast.

“Are you feeling sick?” Pippin asked as he watched Merry carefully taking little sips from the bottle.

Merry nodded, watching intently as Aragorn examined Frodo. “Just a little.”

“I think you should try and eat a little all the same. Perhaps Sam has some broth?” Aragorn said, looking up from where he was studying the bite on Frodo`s palm. “You should have something in your stomach when we set out. Or would you like some lembas? That is soothing.”

“I`ll get some!” Pippin, seeing that there was something he could do, put down his own plate and fetched a wafer of the elven waybread. He broke off a bit of it and gave it to Merry.

Taking a very small bite, Merry found that he could manage to eat and soon he had eaten what Pippin had given him and another small piece besides. To his satisfaction he saw Pippin visibly relax as he watched Merry eat.

“I will prepare the boats. Pippin, why don`t you gather Merry and Frodo`s things and make your packs ready?” Boromir said as they all were finished with breakfast and Gimli and Legolas began the washing up. Sam had eaten in silence, sitting by Frodo`s side, but after checking that Frodo was in good hands started to pack his own things.

“All right.”

Merry, still weak and shivering a little, watched as Pippin and Sam worked. He reached for a blanket and wrapped himself up again, leaning his back against the tree. It wouldn`t hurt to take a nap while everyone made ready to go… Sleepily he watched as Pippin packed their things and then carried Merry and Frodo’s down to the bank. He smiled a little. He would need to repack his pack later and give Frodo what was his, as a clearly worried Pippin had more or less just stuffed clothes and possessions into them, not really looking at what belonged to Merry or himself or what belonged to Frodo. Sam was disturbed too, Merry saw. He was constantly looking back to check on Frodo as he worked just as Pippin constantly looked over at Merry and Merry smiled reassuringly.

“Are you up to continuing, Merry?” Aragorn asked, still kneeling beside Frodo and turning from his examination to look keenly at Merry.

“I think so.” Merry rubbed his eyes and looked to Frodo. “How is he?”

“He`s doing better than I dared hope. He should regain consciousness soon.” Aragorn had finished examining Frodo now and was wrapping his hand in a fresh poultice.

“That is good. How is his hand?” Merry was grateful that Frodo would be in Aragorn’s boat, that way he would have the best of care, and of course, Sam was there to watch out for him too.

“It is healing. I feared that as his bite was more serious that it would not do so and that I would have to drain the poison from it, but as things look now I`m almost positive that I will not have to do that.”

Merry blanched at the thought of Aragorn having to drain the poison from Frodo`s hand but seeing the bite just now as Strider wrapped it up again, Merry found it was just as Aragorn had said, it appeared to be much better. He sighed in relief.

“Oh, that is good news!” Pippin said, coming to fetch his own pack.

Sam wrapped another blanket around Frodo, his own pack ready to go.

Suddenly Merry had a thought. “What happened to the fish? We should destroy it shouldn’t we? It could be dangerous should some animal come upon it.”

“Animals generally know what is safe for them to eat, better than people do, but I am not certain of the origins of that creature,” said Aragorn. “I thought as you do, that it should be destroyed and it was burnt upon the fire before you awoke. Nothing of it remains to trouble any living thing.”

Merry sighed with relief. He hadn’t wanted to even look upon the evil thing again.

Now the Company had everything packed and was ready to go. Sam saw to it that Frodo had enough blankets to keep him warm and Aragorn carried him, laying him down on the soft nest on the bottom of the boat. Pippin and Boromir and Legolas and Gimli loaded their own boats with their packs and bedrolls, and then Pippin and Boromir came for Merry.

“I can walk,” Merry said, slowly getting to his feet, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, but instantly feeling dizzy and nearly falling down again.

“Or not,” Pippin said, hurriedly wrapping an arm around Merry to steady him.

“Let me carry you Merry,” Boromir said. When Merry would have protested, he added, “It is no shame to accept assistance when it is needed.” At Merry’s reluctant nod, he reached down and lifted Merry in his strong arms, carefully walking to the boat and settling him down gently in the cosy nest of bedrolls and blankets made ready by Pippin.

Merry watched as Aragorn surveyed their campsite for any telltale hints that anyone had been there before climbing into his own boat and pushing from shore. Boromir and Legolas pushed off behind Aragorn, and they were soon moving with the current.

“Are you comfortable Merry?” Boromir asked.

“Yes, very thank you.” Merry felt sleepy again and lay down on the blankets that Pippin had arranged with such care. Pippin tucked another blanket around him and lulled by the soft movements of the boat Merry soon slept.