Beautiful
Genre: General
Rating: G
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! Nothing!! Now leave me alone...
Merry gazed up through the thick roof created by the leaves and entangled branches of the trees toward the dark sky above him. Not a cloud could be seen, but the stars were dusted across the vast space, like candles shining out from an ebony vault of heaven. It was peaceful to look upon, and the solitude of the moment gave Merry's heart a throe as he remembered the serene Shire he had left behind.
How long had it been since he had last seen Buckland, or Hobbiton, or any of the Shire for that matter? Days, weeks, months? Years, even. Merry could not tell. The passage of time had been so far removed from his thoughts as of late the he could barely even remember what time was. He knew that it creeped by, though, slowly and silently, and every minute that inched past was another minute spent away from his family, his friends, and his home.
Oh, what he give to see his home again! If only he had known how long and how far he was to go on this journey, then maybe...
No Merry thought. I would have gone with Frodo, Pippin, and Sam right to the slopes of Mount Doom. No matter how far it would take me from the land that I love.
Before he could think more on the matter, Merry heard his younger cousin stir in his sleep. Pippin rolled over onto his opposite side, so that he was facing Merry now. His face and arms were covered in scratches and bruises, almost all of them testaments to their run in with the Uruk-hai, and his hair was mussed and filled with small leaves and twigs. Merry chuckled slightly as Pippin stuck his thumb lightly into his mouth after letting out a contented sigh.
Pippin missed his home as much as Merry did, but Pippin was public about how he felt. On more than one occasion, Pippin had been held by Merry as he had cried himself to sleep, out of homesickness, fear for the other members of the fellowship, and fear for Merry and himself. Merry sometimes wished that he could have the same comforts when he would weep himself to sleep most nights, but he knew he had to be strong for Pippin.
Besides, Pippin makes this so much easier! Merry thought, grinning as he looked upon his younger relation. Pippin had never once left Merry's side or questioned his judgement, true, but Pippin was doing so much more without really doing anything at all. One glance into the young Took's eyes, and Merry was home again, in the green, rolling hills of the Shire, by it's placid rivers, in it's mysterious woods. Pippin was Merry's portable piece of the Shire, and this was something Merry treasured deeply. Without Pippin, Merry would have forgotten the Shire entirely.
"Perish the thought" Merry said, a slight wave of sadness coming over him.
"Perish what thought?"
Merry smiled impishly toward the Took, who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat up, leaning against a tree trunk, and looked at Merry imploringly, waiting for his cousin to speak.
"It's nothing Pip. I'm just glad to have you here with me." Merry said simply. Pippin looked satisfied, and crawled over to his older cousin, leaning his head on Merry's shoulder.
"I'm glad you're with me too, Merry." He said, before yawning widely, and closing his eyes once more. Within moments, Pippin was sound asleep again.
Merry looked down, and held his cousin tightly. His eyelids grew heavy, and he soon found himself drifting slowly off to sleep. And not once did he feel like weeping.
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