Merry and Pippin
When Merry and Pippin parted ways with Frodo at the Grey Havens, and left Sam on the way back, the looked at each other. Neither of them said a word but it was a mutual thought. They were at an end. Sam was a family man, Frodo was gone and they had no Gandalf to pester. All they had was each other. It was in this moment that they both realised how much they needed each other. With a hug, they both assured each other that everything would be okay. They had each other for ever.
The War of the Ring had changed each of the innocent Hobbits, Merry and Pippin the most. No longer were they pests in Farmer Maggot's fields, or the two boys that stole a crate of Longbottom leaf and smoked it till the sunrise. The brutality of the war had changed them. They valued each other at this time than ever before.
They spent the following few years sticking mostly to themselves. Each got jobs around the shire and each became men. Merry even found a wife! Trumpy Bagspurt wouldn't have been Pippins choice but Merry loved her! They even had a few children. Pippin lived alone. He had pestered Merry to come with him and visit Fangorn once more to reunite with their old friend Treebeard. But Merry wouldn't. "My family is my only priority" he had said. Pippin was shocked. This was not the person he had known, he had fought beside, he had thought of as his best friend. He would have died for Merry and Merry knew it…. But it seemed now that Merry had forgotten all that they had. Pippin didn't go and visit the elves, Treebeard, or even his old post at Gondor. He waited for Merry to change his mind and they would go together.
Pippin arrived at Merry's house. He knew this would be his last time calling. He would go to visit all the places he wanted to, but without Merry. He would have to. As he walked through the doorway, he braced himself for what was to come. These were not the terms he wanted it to be like. He kneeled down beside Merry, placed his hand on Merry's shoulder and cried. He broke down and confessed all his feelings, his plans for seeing the world. He said he was sorry for not going sooner, for not visiting more, for being too pushy. Pippin regretted not spending more time with Merry, he apologised and walked away, thanked Merry's family and walked out the door with tears in his eyes. Funerals were always sad for Hobbits, but Merry's was the worst for Pippin.
Pippin gathered all his things, quit his job and set off on the road. The sad thing was, he often turned to talk to Merry, who of course was not there and this caused tears to flow from his eyes. In the taverns, Pippin had to drink alone in silence, no songs left his lips, no smiles as he drank, no dancing to the music. It was a sad time for Pippin… Hopefully old friends that were to return soon would help him cope, as he set off on the next part of his journey.