Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien and New Line Cinema owns them.

AN: I wrote this when wondering what Merry and Pippin were thinking when they unexpectedly came caught up in Frodo and Sam's adventure.

Sources: The majority of quotes in this story are from 'A Shortcut to Mushrooms' from The Fellowship of the Ring movie; the last quote is from 'The Road Goes Ever On…'

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Just an Ordinary Day

I raced after my cousin through the corn, holding tightly the vegetables we had lifted. It was just another ordinary day. Farmer Maggot had yet to catch us. I smiled, congratulating ourselves for how daring we were. My mouth started watering at the thought of getting home and putting our spoils into a new stew.

My nice daydream was interrupted as I emerged from the patch of corn and hit full force into another hobbit. The vegetables went everywhere as we hit the ground with a hard thud.

"Oi!" I gasped. I lifted myself up a little and shook my head, feeling a bit dazed. With surprise, I looked down into the equally surprised and confused face of my cousin. "Frodo!" I cried. "Merry," I said as I turned toward him and saw that he had knocked into Sam, who was pushing him off, "it's Frodo Baggins!" I said.

"Hello, Frodo!" Merry greeted our cousin cheerfully.

Sam was on his feet and reached us in an instant, pulling me roughly up by the collar of my coat. "Get off him!" he growled at me, tossing me aside, and then hurled Frodo to his feet who still seemed surprised.

"What's the meaning of this?" I asked, looking from Sam to Frodo, noticing that they both had packs on their backs, as if they were going on a journey. Frodo reluctantly met my gaze, though his eyes were unreadable.

Merry had begun collecting our scattered vegetables and thrust some into Sam's arms. "Sam, hold these," he instructed.

"You've been in Farmer Maggot's crops!" he accused us as I helped Merry.

We were giving some more to Sam when we all froze and turned at the sound of barking. 

"Hey! You get out of my fields!" Farmer Maggot's outraged voice reached us.

I almost comically remembered my earlier pride in our not being caught for our lifting. That was about to end. I found my feet first and turned and plunged through the corn, hoping the others weren't far behind.

"I don't know why he's so upset," Merry breathlessly said, "it's only a couple of carrots."

"And some cabbages," I stated, glancing back. "And those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. And then the mushrooms the week before that." 

"Yes, Pippin!" he gasped. "My point is he's clearly overreacting."

I raced out the corn and then screeched to a stop and looked down a steep embankment. Three hobbits slammed into me and we tumbled down. I lost the vegetables for good that time.

I landed on the ground first, and groaned as the others landed on me.

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!" Sam grumbled as he pushed himself off us.

"What? That was just a detour. A shortcut," Merry said, also pushing himself up.

"A shortcut to what?" Sam demanded.

My eyes grew wide. "Mushrooms!" I shouted excitedly and tried to get up but was pushed down by Sam and Merry as they rushed to the patch. I scrambled over to them. We put mushrooms in a bag Merry had.

"I think we should get off the road," I heard Frodo say, but didn't pay any attention.

"Get off the road!" I heard Frodo shout frantically to us. This time we looked up. "Quick!"

We scrambled over a tree and hide in a notch around its roots. Sam, Merry, and I held the bag of mushrooms among us, peeking in. Frodo sat still tensely.

"Can I have one now?" I whispered to Sam and Merry.

They gave me a disapproving look. Merry opened his mouth, then shut it and tilted his head, seeming to listen. Sam and I also listened. The forest was suddenly very silent. Not a bird was singing or an insect buzzing. The trees seemed to be holding their breath. We all waited tensely.

The silence was broken by the sound of hoofs. It stopped above our hiding place.

I was seized with a great terror I had never felt before. A sense of something evil searching for something. I leaned back, as though that would help keep me hidden from this evil. I glanced at Frodo, who was peeking through the roots. A clang sounded as someone dismounted from the horse. He quickly looked down, his face a little pale and sweating.

A sniffing sound reached my ears. My heart started racing. Frodo now had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily. I watched his face, worried.

Sam reached an arm past me and grasped Frodo's arm. His eyes opened wide and he clutched his hands into fists. Merry hurled the bag full of mushrooms into a nearby brush. The horseman gave a shriek and rushed toward the direction that Merry had tossed the bag from what I could hear.

I did not stay still to find out. We raced from the tree and down a hill.

"What was that?!" Merry asked fearfully when we finally paused in our running.

Frodo didn't answer; he looked at something in his hand. Merry, Sam, and I exchanged a concerned look.

"A black rider," he whispered, clear fear in his voice. We looked at him. He turned towards us, fear of something in his blue eyes. "It was a black rider."

It was late. How late I did not know. It was now night and the ground was wet from the rain. We had been hiding from the black riders – I had heard more than one. Their wailing screams froze my heart.

Frodo had told us to go home. But how could I leave my cousin when he obviously was in some sort of trouble? If he wasn't, why was he hiding from these black riders? And he clearly feared them.

"Anything?" Sam called out.

"Nothing," Frodo answered, peering into the darkness from behind a tree.

"What is going on?!" I demanded, stumbling through the mud, looking at Frodo with concern.

This was not right. My cousin didn't go about in the middle of the night hiding from black riders. My cousin did not usually have fear in his eyes. Not this kind of fear; a fear of some great terrible evil. I could see he was carrying a great burden. I could see it in his eyes. This was not how I had last seen Frodo before today. Frodo had been happy. There had been a smile on his face. A fun light was in his eyes as he skipped around the table Merry and I stood on with mugs in his hands. He sang along with us happily. What had happened since then to bring this change on him?

Merry walked past me, his focus on our cousin. "That black rider was looking something…or someone. Frodo?"

Frodo turned toward Merry.

"Get down!" Sam shouted. We all dropped to the ground. We watched a black rider pass along the road.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo said softly.

I blinked in surprise. Leave the Shire?

Frodo met Merry's gaze. "Sam and I must get to Bree."

"Right. Bucklebury Ferry! Follow me!" Merry said, and then rushed through the brushes. Frodo and Sam followed. I stayed for a moment. Leave the Shire! What was Frodo doing? But if he was in trouble, he would need help, and I was going to stick with him until he had done what he must. I rushed after the others.

We ran looking all around, trying to see if there was any pursuit. A scream sounded as a black rider appeared from some trees and raced after us. I looked back to see the horse trying to block Frodo from following us.

"Frodo!" I call to him.

"Hurry! This way!" Merry cried.

Sam and I followed him, jumping over a fence and running on the dock to the ferry. Sam and I untied the ropes.

"Frodo!" Sam shouted.

I looked up to see Frodo racing toward us, the black rider closing in.

Sam pushed the ferry off. Merry rowed.

"Come on, Frodo!" I watched him with fear.

"Go!" he shouted to us.

We could not leave him! He was almost there..!

"Frodo!"

"Jump!" I shouted.

He must have heard. He leaped into the air and landed on the ferry. Sam caught him and they fell.

My eyes were on the docks. For a horrifying moment I wondered if the black rider would make the horse swim after us. But at the edge of the dock the horse reared, the black rider screamed.

Sam and Frodo were still on the ground but had turned toward the dock.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked.

"The Brandywine Bridge. Twenty miles," Merry answered.

Sam helped Frodo to his feet. We all watched as now three black riders galloped off into the mist.

It had started out as an ordinary day. But now we were leaving the Shire. We were going to help Frodo. He needed us. Mama and papa were probably worrying. But I would not leave Frodo. He needed me.

I put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me. I smiled. It did not seem right, but I could not find words to tell him my decision to stay with him. But he understood. He also smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm glad you're with me," he whispered.

THE END