A/N: Characters and places belong to Tolkien, please don't sue me.
"...Then he [Merry] and Thain Peregrin went to Gondor and passed what short years were left to them in that realm, until they died..." -Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring, Appendix B, Return of the King
The sun was just rising; its dazzling rays illuminating the Tree and breaking into diamonds as they shown through the nearby fountain. Merry and Pippin sat beneath the Tree and watched the sun make its ascent into the sky. They had dwelt in Minas Tirith for several years now. Pippin sometimes wished to return to the Shire, but Merry was too old anymore to travel and Pippin would not leave him behind. As of late Merry had seemed to become weaker and more tired than usual. They both knew what was coming, yet the thought that Pippin would be without his old friend caused him deepest sorrow. They sat in silence as the sun rose higher in the sky.
"Where do you think hobbit souls go Pip?"
Pippin was a little startled at Merry's question, he had been so enchanted by the sun. No matter how many times Pippin saw it rise he was amazed and grateful for it. He hesitated to answer before saying,
"I'm not quite sure Merry, it's nothing I've really thought of."
"Well, it's something I've thought of for awhile now. There's nothing in all of our stories that says where our souls go."
"The same is true for Men in a sort of way. In the book in the library they say that Men's souls leave the circles of the world. But do you think they would be doomed to dwell in the Void where that Morgoth is?"
Merry shook his head. "I highly doubt it. But I do have a theory. The old books also say that in the Void there is a place called the Halls of Time where Iluvatar lives. And since Men are his children I bet their souls go to be with him."
"But what about Elves," asked Pippin, "They go to the Halls of Mandos if they die. Why would Iluvatar make them stay in this world and not have them be with him?"
"I'm not sure. Those old books say that the Music sang of everything and its fate and Elves wound up having the good fate of living forever, but the bad fate of being bound to this world forever."
"And I suppose Men wound up getting the bad fate of dying and the good fate of leaving this world. It really is to wonder than whom should envy whom."
"But if the fate of everything and everyone was sung in the Music than hobbits and their souls must have been sung of too. I just wish someone would have bothered to pay attention to that part and tell us," Merry complained.
"Perhaps there's a hall in Mandos set aside for hobbits. Weren't the Fallohides a lot like the Elves? That could be where we go."
"But now hobbits are most closely related to Men. Perhaps we share in their fate."
"We can only guess Merry. We can only guess."
With that their conversation on souls ended. Merry and Pippin went about their regular routine, but it wasn't until nightfall that they really had a chance to speak again. They once again sat beneath the Tree and this time watched the stars twinkle in the sky and the moon gain a little more of its light.
"You said earlier that we could only guess where our souls go Pippin. But I would very much like to find out."
"You will find out one day Merry. But that day won't come for a very long time," was Pippin's forced reply. He tried to sound like he believed it, but failed miserably.
Merry held Pippin's hand and leaned his head on Pippin's shoulder.
"No Pippin. My time is now. I can feel it. Goodbye my dearest Peregrin." And with a final breath Merry died.
Pippin clutched Merry's hand and rested his head upon Merry's. Silent tears streamed down his face. All those long years together and now he was gone. Pippin had thought he would be ready for this, but he was wrong. Pippin felt a hand upon his shoulder and he turned to see who it was. He could hardly believe it. Merry! He was young again and yet he seemed different some how.
"Why are you crying Pip?"
"Because you're dead Merry." The words seemed exceedingly ridiculous to Pippin because he was talking to him.
Merry laughed. "Only the body's dead Pip, I'm still here. Come with me. We can go where all hobbit souls are together."
Pippin brightened up. "Really? I can go with you?"
Merry nodded and offered his hand to Pippin. Pippin accepted Merry's hand and stood up. Almost at once he felt as young as a tweenager again. Pippin looked back for a moment and saw his and Merry's bodies still sitting beneath the Tree. But having a body didn't matter anymore. He was free.
"Come on Pippin. Let's go home."
Fin
"...Then he [Merry] and Thain Peregrin went to Gondor and passed what short years were left to them in that realm, until they died..." -Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring, Appendix B, Return of the King
The sun was just rising; its dazzling rays illuminating the Tree and breaking into diamonds as they shown through the nearby fountain. Merry and Pippin sat beneath the Tree and watched the sun make its ascent into the sky. They had dwelt in Minas Tirith for several years now. Pippin sometimes wished to return to the Shire, but Merry was too old anymore to travel and Pippin would not leave him behind. As of late Merry had seemed to become weaker and more tired than usual. They both knew what was coming, yet the thought that Pippin would be without his old friend caused him deepest sorrow. They sat in silence as the sun rose higher in the sky.
"Where do you think hobbit souls go Pip?"
Pippin was a little startled at Merry's question, he had been so enchanted by the sun. No matter how many times Pippin saw it rise he was amazed and grateful for it. He hesitated to answer before saying,
"I'm not quite sure Merry, it's nothing I've really thought of."
"Well, it's something I've thought of for awhile now. There's nothing in all of our stories that says where our souls go."
"The same is true for Men in a sort of way. In the book in the library they say that Men's souls leave the circles of the world. But do you think they would be doomed to dwell in the Void where that Morgoth is?"
Merry shook his head. "I highly doubt it. But I do have a theory. The old books also say that in the Void there is a place called the Halls of Time where Iluvatar lives. And since Men are his children I bet their souls go to be with him."
"But what about Elves," asked Pippin, "They go to the Halls of Mandos if they die. Why would Iluvatar make them stay in this world and not have them be with him?"
"I'm not sure. Those old books say that the Music sang of everything and its fate and Elves wound up having the good fate of living forever, but the bad fate of being bound to this world forever."
"And I suppose Men wound up getting the bad fate of dying and the good fate of leaving this world. It really is to wonder than whom should envy whom."
"But if the fate of everything and everyone was sung in the Music than hobbits and their souls must have been sung of too. I just wish someone would have bothered to pay attention to that part and tell us," Merry complained.
"Perhaps there's a hall in Mandos set aside for hobbits. Weren't the Fallohides a lot like the Elves? That could be where we go."
"But now hobbits are most closely related to Men. Perhaps we share in their fate."
"We can only guess Merry. We can only guess."
With that their conversation on souls ended. Merry and Pippin went about their regular routine, but it wasn't until nightfall that they really had a chance to speak again. They once again sat beneath the Tree and this time watched the stars twinkle in the sky and the moon gain a little more of its light.
"You said earlier that we could only guess where our souls go Pippin. But I would very much like to find out."
"You will find out one day Merry. But that day won't come for a very long time," was Pippin's forced reply. He tried to sound like he believed it, but failed miserably.
Merry held Pippin's hand and leaned his head on Pippin's shoulder.
"No Pippin. My time is now. I can feel it. Goodbye my dearest Peregrin." And with a final breath Merry died.
Pippin clutched Merry's hand and rested his head upon Merry's. Silent tears streamed down his face. All those long years together and now he was gone. Pippin had thought he would be ready for this, but he was wrong. Pippin felt a hand upon his shoulder and he turned to see who it was. He could hardly believe it. Merry! He was young again and yet he seemed different some how.
"Why are you crying Pip?"
"Because you're dead Merry." The words seemed exceedingly ridiculous to Pippin because he was talking to him.
Merry laughed. "Only the body's dead Pip, I'm still here. Come with me. We can go where all hobbit souls are together."
Pippin brightened up. "Really? I can go with you?"
Merry nodded and offered his hand to Pippin. Pippin accepted Merry's hand and stood up. Almost at once he felt as young as a tweenager again. Pippin looked back for a moment and saw his and Merry's bodies still sitting beneath the Tree. But having a body didn't matter anymore. He was free.
"Come on Pippin. Let's go home."
Fin