Welcome! This will be a series of short drabble-type chapters focusing in turn on different characters in the LotR universe. I hope you enjoy them.
Merry
The small veins reminded him of roads and rivers. At home, Merry knew every path and pass, where to turn and where to walk on. In his mind, he could unfurl a map etched with lines as clear as the ones on the leaf he held in his hand. Left at this stump, straight beyond that hill, a mile past field with stalks of corn taller than he was. He enjoyed the knowledge earned by wearing down walking sticks and callousing his heels, and the satisfaction of knowing that no matter how many pints he'd had, his feet could guide him home with no more trouble than the occasional stumble.
He pressed his thumb down gently, feeling the dry thing crackle and break into powdery flakes. No road he had ever known stretched here, and the foreign rocks and trees offered him no advice. For all of his adventuring, Merry had never intended to stray this far. Merry rolled onto his back quietly, doing his best not to disturb the sleeping dwarf at his side or the wizard keeping watch. Before he closed his eyes, he silently prayed that if he died on Frodo's quest, it would be in a place where his feet could have found their way home.