The road between Minas Tirith and the Shire, May of 1437

The journey back to the Shire would take nearly two full months, if the weather would hold up. Springtime was usually a good time for travels and the four travellers were optimistic that they would be able to make good time.

Pippin was excited to be homeward bound and seemed happier than he had been in months. He jested, sang and kept a positive outlook even when they were caught by a heavy rainstorm and when they ran out of meat halfway there because the Hobbits had eaten far more than they should have.

Merry on the other hand was edgy and nervous, afraid of what would happen when he arrived in the Shire. Being out on the open road suited him however and he felt good being outdoors a lot and sleeping under the stars. During the first week of the journey he collected lots of herbs to keep for further use, until Gimli pointed out that he would not be able to store them anywhere and they would just be going to waste.

Pippin found it easier to travel with Legolas and Gimli now than it had been during his previous trips. Legolas was more talkative and open, no longer feeling as odd in Pippin's company as he had done in the past. It was clear to Pippin however that affections had been divided when it came to the Elf and the Dwarf. Legolas had a special eye to Merry and looked after him, keeping an eye on him wherever he went. Gimli on the other hand had grown more protective of Pippin. Whenever Pippin and Merry quarrelled or there seemed to be any friction at all Legolas stood by Merry and Gimli stood by Pippin. It was enough to make Pippin wonder if the two friends would end up turning on each other.

Though for most part the company of four got along, even though not much was said during the journey. While they were riding everybody seemed lost in their own thoughts and few words were spoken. It was mostly in the evenings, when they sat by the campfire and were finished with their supper, that they talked. The subjects they spoke of were mostly neutral things which felt safe to talk about. In a way it reminded three of them of the first days and nights after they set out from Rivendell, before they had gotten to know each other and begun to form bonds.

XX
XX

"I must say this…" Merry said one day when they were three days out from Rivendell. "It is a beautiful land. The nature is stunning."

"It is lovely" Legolas agreed.

"It's almost a waste that we're making such good speed" Merry said. "We should be slowing down the pace to enjoy the scenery a bit."

Pippin looked at him from the corner of his eye and wondered if that was the real reason why Merry wished they would go at a slower pace. But he didn't say anything. If Merry wanted to stall then that was his problem, Pippin was getting home as soon as he possibly could.

"You Elves and Hobbits and your nature" Gimli snorted, seated behind Legolas on his horse. "One tree is the same as the next and grass looks the same wherever you go. I would be more concerned about our lack of meat if I were you."

"Perhaps we should set up camp early today" Legolas suggested. "You and I can go hunting Gimli and the Hobbits can find a river to fill up our canteens. We can get some more meat in our food packs, let the beasts rest for a while and enjoy the lovely day. What do you say Pippin?"

Pippin looked thoughtful for a moment. He knew Legolas had asked him because he was the one most eager to reach their destination and the subject of how slow or fast they were going had been discussed before. Pippin wanted to get home with no delays, but the idea of having no meat to eat did not sound very promising.

"I'm hungry" he said. "And I would love some fresh meat for dinner."

"Then an early camp it is" Gimli decided.

They stopped at the first place they could find which seemed to be a good camping spot and let the horse and ponies graze freely. They were not worried that they would run away, all it took was a whistle from Legolas and they would be back with their masters. Legolas lifted the pack of cooking gear off Merry's pony and told them to build a campfire and set everything up so that when he and Gimli returned they could get started on cooking their meal right away.

Merry grabbed the large ceramic pot they used to carry water to the camp and together with Pippin set out to find a nearby source of water while Legolas and Gimli grabbed their bow and axe and went hunting for food.

The sun shone brightly in the sky and it was a lovely day, Merry was happy that they hadn't thrown it away by continuing their journey. It felt good to stop and take a pause and just enjoy themselves for a while.

They found a creek not far from where they had set up camp and Merry kneeled down and filled the pot with water.

"The sight of all this water makes me thirsty…" Pippin said. "That's the down side of travelling during spring and summer; the warm weather makes you thirsty and hungry! I do hope they find some big animal to kill, I'm starved!"

"Take this" Merry said and handed the full water pot to Pippin.

Pippin took the pot but got a bad grip around it. He couldn't quite get a hold of the slippery pot and with a cry he dropped it on the ground. Merry groaned when he saw the pot shatter into a thousand pieces and the water spill out everywhere.

"That's just grand" he said. "Now we have to fill the canteens separately and then carry the heavy cooking pot here! That's the only smaller pot we had! We'll have to do without it for the remainder of the journey!"

"I'm sorry" Pippin said and began to pick up the pieces.

"Leave it" Merry said and filled his canteen with water. "You're so clumsy Pippin! Or you just don't think far enough ahead to predict that if you don't get a good grip of the pot before I let go of it you're going to drop it. Frankly I think it's a combination of both, you're clumsy and you don't think ahead."

"I'm sorry" Pippin repeated good-naturedly and began to fill his own canteen.

"Honestly, it drives me mad" Merry continued. "And you never watch where you're going either! It's very annoying. The more time I spend with you, the more I'm convinced that the old me was out of his mind."

"What makes you say that?"

"I must have been out of my mind to spend almost all my time with you and not go completely furious. Every time you do something clumsy it makes me cringe. Either I used to be insane or there's just another bit of proof that we weren't as close as you claim. Seriously, you can't tell me that I was never bothered by this."

"Of course you were bothered" Pippin said. "It used to drive you mad then too, you were constantly telling me to watch where I was going or be more careful. And I would sometimes do it just to provoke you, knowing how grumpy you are when you start to get hungry. Like right now for instance."

Merry looked at him with doubting eyes. This revelation did not fit well in with the story of how incredibly close they had been.

"Is that so now?" he said in a dry tone.

"Yes" Pippin said. "Merry you don't have to like every side to a person to love them for who they are."

The simple truth of that statement made Merry unable to keep looking into Pippin's eyes. He looked down at his canteen and took a drink of water from it, just to have something else to do. Then he took a good look at Pippin and wondered why he hadn't lost his patience by now. He had been right a few minutes ago, Merry was grumpy and he was taking it all out on Pippin. But Pippin seemed used to it and he seemed to know that it wasn't really anything personal despite what Merry had said about his clumsiness.

"I envy you" Merry said.

"Clumsy old me?" Pippin said gently and put the cork back on his canteen.

"Everything is so clear to you. You have your truth and you see it so plainly. You might be wrong about things but you know what the world is like to you and nothing seems to be able to shake you out of that."

"Nothing's clear to me anymore" Pippin said in a dejected tone and rose to his feet. "I don't have a truth, that's all passed. I'm going to get the cooking pot."

Merry watched him go and then filled Gimli's canteen with water, but his mind was far from the creek. Why was it so hard to find a way to socialise with Pippin? Every little thing Pippin did wrong annoyed him and everything he didn't do wrong made Merry want to spend more time with him. He was helpless to try and understand how it all worked and it worried him that soon Pippin would be the only familiar face around him. Once Legolas and Gimli returned to Gondor he would have only strangers aside from Pippin.

XX
XX

Late one evening, not long before they would reach Bree, Merry asked to be told a story while they sat by the campfire. It was one of their last nights travelling and although they should be getting some sleep Merry wanted to be kept awake for a while longer. He didn't want the evening to end, he wanted to make these moments last for as long as he possibly could.

"I'm too tired for a story" Pippin said and yawned and stretched. "Count me out. I'm going to sleep."

"What about you, Gimli?" Merry asked. "Do you have any interesting Dwarf tales to tell me?"

Pippin went off to wash up and get ready for bed. When he came back and crawled underneath his blankets he turned his back on the campfire to shut out most of the talking from the three people sitting by it. Though he could hear them still, there was no way of completely shutting their voices out. He could hear that Gimli had begun to tell a story, a story which was too familiar for Pippin's liking.

"… just a few days' journey from here, where they encountered three great trolls!"

Pippin groaned and wished Gimli had chosen another tale. Pippin and Merry had both seen the spot where Bilbo and the Dwarves had met the trolls, and the story had often been told to them during their childhoods. He didn't want to have to hear it being retold tonight to Merry as if Merry had never heard it before.

He shifted in the small grass pit where he had made his bed and felt more awake now than when he had been sitting by the fireplace. The familiar sound of the fire crackling and the voices speaking disturbed him rather than soothed him and he prayed that Merry would settle for hearing just one tale.

After a while he felt gentle hands placed on his shoulder and the side of his stomach and Legolas' voice spoke softly to him while pulling his covers up to his chin.

"Rest now…" the Elf said. "Go to sleep. I will herd them off to sleep too so that they won't disturb you."

Instinctively Pippin reached out his hand and grabbed the Elf's, squeezing it as a silent thank you. It had been years since Legolas had spoken softly to him this way or looked out for him.

He could hear soft mumbles by the fireplace and soon thereafter the noises of three people getting ready to lie down and go to sleep. Before long their camp quieted down and everything was silent. With a content sigh Pippin closed his eyes and went to sleep.