Disclaimer: the characters all belong to tolkien. The lyrics all belong to jimmy eat world, taken from their incredibly awesome song "sweetness." This story can be read without hearing the song I guess, but I think it ties the fic together more and makes it better. Plus the song is sooo good …I highly recommend getting it. if you're having trouble getting it, email me and I might be able to work something out. Thanks!
Are You Listening?
Are you listening?
Whoa…
A small, lone figure stared out of his bedroom window in the glorious city of Minas Tirith. But to the solitary hobbit, not all was glorious. Things were detached…not right. Nine had set out from Rivendell, he of which was the least, and now those nine were eight, and scattered all over southern Middle Earth.
Sing it back
Ohh…
From his patrol in the streets above, the shimmering white wizard had a clear view of Pippin gazing out of the window. Gandalf shared in the hobbit's thoughts. The burden of what they'd all undertaken weighted heavily on each of their shoulders. Gandalf also knew that Pippin's separation from his Shire kinsman was quite painful to the young hobbit. But it was all for the best…at least for now. With a weary sigh, Gandalf let his mind focus on sending strength to the figure at the window.
String from your tether unwinds
Up and outward but only to bind
Pippin's gaze concentrated on the moon. He couldn't keep his thoughts to Gondor or to his pledge of knighthood. He could only think of what was in store for him not as a knight but as a participant in the grander scheme of the Quest and War of the Ring. What did it all mean? What would it spell? What of the others…of Frodo and Sam…and of Merry? His brother in mind and heart. What was Merry doing?
I was spinning free
Whoa…
"Master Holbytla." Pippin and the others would certainly have a hearty laugh if they heard their dear friend, plain old Merry Brandybuck, addressed by such a fine name. Yet, a noble title was the least of the strange things to happen to four simple hobbits from the Shire, since they'd become involved in the events concerning the One Ring. Of that Merry was sure.
Merry rolled over in his bed and flopped onto his back. Sleep continued to elude him. He stared at the ceiling, trying to clear from his mind the thoughts he knew were keeping him from slumber. He now had a station, a rank of greater importance than member of the Fellowship to those who did not understand the significance of the Nine who'd set out from Rivendell.
But none of that mattered. Not in the end. For all the new loyalty in his heart to Rohan, Merry had a loyalty greater still. That loyalty was to his friends.
A beam of light fell into Merry's face. Merry turned and gazed up at the source of the silvery luminescence. The moon shone reassuringly and took Merry's mind to places far beyond Rohan.
With a little sweet and simple numbing me
Their road was dark, perilous, and not even Aragorn was entirely sure what lay ahead. On this night, seemingly a repeat of all the others, one thing stood out amidst the dim glow of the starts: the moon. In its full glory, it shone brighter than any night before.
Gimli had never been one for marveling at wonders above the earth, at least not until he joined the Fellowship. Since then, the wonders he'd seen had left no room for anything but awe. Especially when traveling with an elf, who sang praises for even the smallest of flowers. The dwarf looked at Legolas, his companion and now, somehow, dear friend.
The elven prince's gaze was also affixed to the moon. "There is something in the air," he whispered beneath his breath to no one in particular. "For once…for the first time in a long while…something not evil." He turned to Gimli and to Aragorn, who was watching silently in the background.
Aragorn stood and also set his eyes on the moon. "There is much at work tonight. But what I do not know."
Tell me what do I need
When the words lose their meaning (oh, oh)
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out." Frodo looked at the starlight packed in his bag. Tonight, though they were far into Mordor, there was radiance in the sky, and no need for Galadriel's gift. "The moon's especially bright tonight, in't it, Mr. Frodo?" Sam commented.
Frodo nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing o his face. "The light is warming."
"That it is, Mr. Frodo." A pensive gaze settled upon Sam's visage. "It seems almost to say that despite all that's happened, and all tha'ts going to happen, everything will be right in the end. 'Course," Sam broke from his thoughtful moment and the more humble Sam Gamgee the gardener returned. "That's just what I think, a simple gardener. I'm not schooled in the ways of the world, not like Strider or any of them, so I could be wrong."
"No, Sam," strength, garnered from the moon's supernatural stare, brought a stable color to Frodo's cheeks. "You're right. You're wiser than you allow." Sam reddened, and formed a protest, but he remained silent when he saw that Frodo wouldn't hear. The ringbearer had resumed his study of the moon. Selene's pull too strong, Sam joined his master in doing the same.
Stumble until you crawl
Whoa…
Sinking into sweet uncertainty
Whispers in the night; a bit of consciousness remained, just a fading sigh, of a fallen comrade. Uninhibited by previous restraints, he could see them all now. Weary, losing hope, heartsick, homesick. "Have faith," came the murmur of what used to be a voice, "stay true." The spirit of man is stronger than often credited.
If you're listening
Whoa…
One thing united them all. Though they were separate, for that night, they were together. The Fellowship Unbroken. None knew what the next day would bring, but each now had the strength to face it. Four hobbits, an elf, a wizard, a dwarf, a human, and the vanishing, wispy remains of another, all connected in thought for that one night.
I'm still running away (oh, whoa)
"I suggest you try to sleep, Peregrin." Gandalf's sage-like, slightly rumbling voice pierced the pristine silence. "You will need your rest."
Startled from his place by the window, Pippin tore his eyes from the moon and plopped into his bed with a sigh. "I won't be able to sleep. I can see them in my mind…as if I can hear their thoughts."
Gandalf said nothing, only smiled. He kept watch, his eyes often straying to the moon, until Morpheus came to claim Pippin, only then receiving slumber as his own.
I won't play your hide and seek game (oh, whoa, oh)
Merry closed his eyes and a smile settled upon his face. His mental turmoil vanished, banished by the cool fingers of the moon's silvery light. He did not sleep just yet. First, he allowed his mind to linger briefly on each of his former (and hopefully future) companions. He found them each safe, with peaceful thoughts for the night. Now content, Merry could then drift off to the dream world.
What a dizzy dance
Ohh…
Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas had not moved the entire night except to sit down. A peaceful silence blanketed them; they barely spoke. "I feel someone, many someones, watching," said Aragorn, closing his eyes and soaking in the warmth.
"We are together again, if just for this small time," Legolas' sweet voice explained what they were feeling. "Bonded again, greater than before, we will be stronger for what lies ahead."
Gimli nodded in silent agreement, not believing that the words of his own clumsy tongue could follow those of an elf, but sharing in the thought all the same. The three were quiet now, remaining awake until a gentle breeze that rustled the trees lulled them to sleep.
This sweetness will not be concerned with me
"I can feel them, all of them. They give me strength." Frodo allowed his eyes to open, and in them Sam noticed a healthy brightness that he'd not seen in a long while. Color was also returning to Frodo's cheeks.
Sam smiled in delight and gave an appreciative nod to the glowing orb in the sky above. "I don't know what's at work here and I don't know what the moon has to do with it, but I am glad."
Frodo smiled as well and patted the ground next to him, indicating Sam to come join him. "As am I, Sam, as am I."
Sam sat; his and Frodo's backs to a wall of rock (the edges of Mount Doom). Through the smoke and ash, the moon still shone. "Hullo Merry, Pippin, Strider…oh! Is that you, Mr. Gandalf? But how?" Murmuring to himself, Sam soon slept, as did Frodo.
No this sweetness will not be concerned with me
They each fell asleep within moments of each other. Then in dreams, they were brought closer still. The roads before them would be long, hard, and in most cases seemingly impossible, but as long as they had this bond, there was nothing that could not be done.
No, this sweetness will not be concerned with me
The End