Title:Deep breath
Author: Morgane Lurkerstriker
Summary: '' It's the deep breath before diving'', Gandalf said. That was exactly what Merry felt that morning when everybody else rode out th the battlefield.
Pairing: Merry x Éowyn
Word count:452
Author's note: I usually don't like to do the summaries this detailed. It looks like I thought a fanfic was the centre of the world)
Thanks to helyon for pointing out some of my mistakes ). Readers who give nice and helpful critic is a fanfic writer's dream D
Deep Breath
''It's
so quiet'' Merry had pointed out the first night in Minas
Tirith. Not a wind sighed, not a cricket creaked, still it didn't
feel like sacrilege to speak.
'' It's
the deep breath before the plunge'' Gandalf had answered. The
surroundings felt unreal and frightening.
----
'' Hey, wait for me! I'm ready to fight for the city!''
'' You're too small! We cannot risk you'll end up crushed by a giant's foot!''
The warriors spurred their leapers, and disappeared in the distance.
The same feeling overwhelmed the hobbit when Rohirrim's soldiers rode out in battle, leaving him behind.
Merry couldn't believe it - comrades he had shared beer and bread with in the soldier camp refused to bring him with them to the frontier line. In pure well thought, of course, but the hobbit's clouded mind painted pitch black pictures of how glad the riders were to get rid of him: What said a man half their height would manage to cut the throat of an orch? Who wanted a soldier in the leads, who constantly stumbled on his too tall cloak?
Not Rohirrim's army, at least.
Merry was about to turn his back to the steadily shrinking silhouettes, when suddenly his feet literally left the ground: Somebody had grabbed him by the collar from above, and now this person hoisted him up in the saddle of a running horse.
Blood pounded in the veins behind Merry's temples, and the helmet hit the bridge of his nose when he landed. Merry quickly pulled the gear back on top of his head, and tried in same movement to catch a glimpse of the person who had taken pity of him.
''Just sit orderly and hold on tight!'' A female voice shouted over the rumble of iron-shoed hoofs. A grin spread from ear to ear at the hobbit, as he recognized the voice.
'' My lady'' Merry cheered. Éowyn smiled, and placed her left arm around his shoulders. Grateful, the hobbit held on to it. When everybody else had galloped by, the shield-maiden had slowed down just enough to pick him up and bring him with her. The lady of Rohan didn't consider him too short for battling.
The warrior princess spurred the horse afresh.
'' Let's destroy Sauron's armies now''.
---------
When Gandalf said '' it's the deep breath before the plunge'' he meant the silence before the storm. But Meriadoc Brandybuck realized he felt exactly the same when he fell in love with Éowyn, lady of Rohan
