A/N: Well, I have a lot of ground to cover in this chapter (literally) if I'm going to do it right. So, here we go!
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter 11: Courage
It was muddy, and that was about all that Merry knew. He knew he should be cold, as it was raining steadily, and that he should be hungry, this march had cost them two meals already, but somehow he didn't feel anything at all. Except the mud squelching under his foot. His head felt like it was spinning, and all he could hear was his Grandfather's voice.
"I could have killed you then, Merry, if I had wished. I would have, if I didn't care for you so. And the people you'll be fighting, they won't care." Could he really die? Could he really be marching to his death site? He was at the very back of a long line of Brandybucks. How many of them would die this day, on the green hills? Merry felt his chest heave, and realized that he was close to crying. His bottom lip trembled, and his eyes were stinging. Something in him was screaming. He shouldn't be here! He couldn't die, he couldn't!
He was running away and out of sight of the road before he even realized he was moving. He kept running, all other thought but that escaping him, until he slipped and fell in the mud, his chest heaving and gasping for oxygen. With blurred vision, Merry tried to take in his surroundings. He was in the forest, not far from Green Hill Country, but that was all he could really tell.
"Steady Brandybuck," Merry whispered to himself, looking around with wide eyes, between his shaking gasps, "you need to calm down, or you'll never get out of this mess. Think of your geography!" Merry looked around, and imagining the map of the Shire his mother had made him study for hours. "If we were going down the road that travels from Buckleberry Ferry, to Stock, and then down from to green hill country, we would have been near Wood Hall when I took off." This didn't help him very much, but at least he had some idea of where he was and what direction home was. Still, he couldn't go home! Everyone would know he was a coward!
Merry shuddered at the word. Coward. He was a coward! Merry's face burned with shame. He was a coward and a shame to Brandybucks! Merry clenched his fists, and leaned his head against a nearby tree. Of all things he could possibly do, he had to lose his nerve when it was most important for him not too!
"Never again shall I be a coward!" He swore to the empty forest. "Never again will I let my courage fail me! No matter what!" A shrill cry echoed through the forest and Merry looked up.
"Help!" It came again, and Merry recognized the voice. His eyes went wide, and he let out a kind of strangled cry.
"Pippin!" Not entirely sure of the direction he was running, as he was mostly in a blind panic, Merry took off through the underbrush. Branches whipped across his face, and tore at his bare skin on his arms and legs. He splashed into an icy cold stream, let out a cry, and slipped face first into it. It took him a minute to gather his wits again, but once he did he was off faster than ever. "Pip! Pippin I'm coming! Hold on!"
Sam sat quietly in the rain on top of one of the hills overlooking where the armies would meet, his cloak pulled over his head. Frodo sat silently by his side, not bothering to try and shield himself from the rain. If they looked down one direction they could see the armies of Tuckbraugh coming, and the other direction the armies of Buckland. They had not come to watch, they'd come to prevent it if possible.
"This is it Sam," Frodo whispered, "this is what we've been waiting for. The end to end all ends."
"Don't say that Mister Frodo!" Sam cried in dismay. "There must be something we can do yet!" Frodo smiled a little to himself, but his blue eyes remained sad.
"I don't know what we can do Sam," He said at last, as the two armies came to a halt facing each other. There was silence for a few minutes, and Frodo began to laugh slightly. "They don't know what to do either. Hobbits aren't meant for war Sam. We never were. War is a hard and stupid thing." Sam nodded, but looked up suddenly. Something was coming through the rain toward the armies. Squinting he saw it was actually two somethings. Two somethings that looked a lot like...
"Esmie and Eglantine!" Frodo yelled jumping up. He ran down the slope to hear what they had to say, and Sam followed close behind.
"...You're doing Eglantine?" They heard Paladin yelling over the wind. Saradoc simply ran to his wife and embraced her.
"Paladin this is insane, you know that! They're just boys, here, and this isn't worth fighting over. This is all a misunderstanding, and you're jumping to conclusions again. The Brandybucks have done nothing wrong! And now Pippin's gone missing..."
"He's what?!" Paladin roared it, and Frodo gasped it at the same time.
"You heard me Paladin Took! You're son has gone missing; because he was so afraid Merry would be killed down here thinking that he hated him! He was going to come down here and tell Merry he didn't!" Her bright eyes suddenly widened. "You haven't seen him?" Paladin shook his head. At this moment, Esmerlda pulled out of her embrace with her husband, and looked around.
"Where's Meriadoc?" Forgetting for the moment that his wife would be furious for letting Merry fight, in his excitement of having his wife back safe and sound, yelled over his shoulder.
"Merry, lad, it's alright! Come here! It's your Mammy!" When there was no answering yelp of joy, Saradoc looked very confused.
"Merry? Where are you lad?" The army of Buckland turned around, and where surprised to see the heir that had been following them in silence had disappeared. Saradoc and Paladin turned to each other in anger.
"This is all you're fault!" They roared together.
"If not for the example of you're boy, mine wouldn't have run!"
"You've already proven you're capable of kidnapping, Took!"
"There they go again." Frodo muttered. "Don't they realize they have more important things to worry about? Wolves have been seen in these parts, my cousin Deridic said when he came yesterday." As if realizing what he'd just said Frodo chocked. "Sam! We have to find them! Come one!" Frodo tried to bold up the hill, but seemed only able to slip on the wet grass.
Seeing Frodo so frightened about the safety of his cousins only frightened Sam, and that in turn made him angry. Brown eyes blazing with sudden with fire, he turned around and raced toward the center of the field in between the two armies. He stood facing the two fighting leaders. When they didn't look at him, he yelled out in fury.
"Don't you see what you're doing?" Paladin and Saradoc looked at him in surprise. Both knew who he was, and both were surprised. "Don't you see what you're doing?" He said again, quietly. "You're forgetting about what's important to you. You're sons are out there, and they might be in danger! You're the same, because you both love them. Don't you?" Saradoc and Paladin looked at each other, and nodded once.
"Lets go."
"HELP!" Merry slid down the last hill, into Willow bottom. What he saw frightened him deeply. Pippin was leaning with his back again a low stonewall, left from an old farm. And in front of him was a gigantic dog. But this wasn't any dog as Merry has ever seen them. It was bigger than he was, and covered in a layer of thick shaggy gray hair, and it had teeth about as big as Pippin. What Merry was staring at was a wolf.
"PIPPIN!"
End A/N: Dun dun dun! Now, I shall have to leave you here for now! But we're getting into the next bit REALLY soon! I promise! No one die!
Rusta Iira
By: PTB
Chapter 11: Courage
It was muddy, and that was about all that Merry knew. He knew he should be cold, as it was raining steadily, and that he should be hungry, this march had cost them two meals already, but somehow he didn't feel anything at all. Except the mud squelching under his foot. His head felt like it was spinning, and all he could hear was his Grandfather's voice.
"I could have killed you then, Merry, if I had wished. I would have, if I didn't care for you so. And the people you'll be fighting, they won't care." Could he really die? Could he really be marching to his death site? He was at the very back of a long line of Brandybucks. How many of them would die this day, on the green hills? Merry felt his chest heave, and realized that he was close to crying. His bottom lip trembled, and his eyes were stinging. Something in him was screaming. He shouldn't be here! He couldn't die, he couldn't!
He was running away and out of sight of the road before he even realized he was moving. He kept running, all other thought but that escaping him, until he slipped and fell in the mud, his chest heaving and gasping for oxygen. With blurred vision, Merry tried to take in his surroundings. He was in the forest, not far from Green Hill Country, but that was all he could really tell.
"Steady Brandybuck," Merry whispered to himself, looking around with wide eyes, between his shaking gasps, "you need to calm down, or you'll never get out of this mess. Think of your geography!" Merry looked around, and imagining the map of the Shire his mother had made him study for hours. "If we were going down the road that travels from Buckleberry Ferry, to Stock, and then down from to green hill country, we would have been near Wood Hall when I took off." This didn't help him very much, but at least he had some idea of where he was and what direction home was. Still, he couldn't go home! Everyone would know he was a coward!
Merry shuddered at the word. Coward. He was a coward! Merry's face burned with shame. He was a coward and a shame to Brandybucks! Merry clenched his fists, and leaned his head against a nearby tree. Of all things he could possibly do, he had to lose his nerve when it was most important for him not too!
"Never again shall I be a coward!" He swore to the empty forest. "Never again will I let my courage fail me! No matter what!" A shrill cry echoed through the forest and Merry looked up.
"Help!" It came again, and Merry recognized the voice. His eyes went wide, and he let out a kind of strangled cry.
"Pippin!" Not entirely sure of the direction he was running, as he was mostly in a blind panic, Merry took off through the underbrush. Branches whipped across his face, and tore at his bare skin on his arms and legs. He splashed into an icy cold stream, let out a cry, and slipped face first into it. It took him a minute to gather his wits again, but once he did he was off faster than ever. "Pip! Pippin I'm coming! Hold on!"
Sam sat quietly in the rain on top of one of the hills overlooking where the armies would meet, his cloak pulled over his head. Frodo sat silently by his side, not bothering to try and shield himself from the rain. If they looked down one direction they could see the armies of Tuckbraugh coming, and the other direction the armies of Buckland. They had not come to watch, they'd come to prevent it if possible.
"This is it Sam," Frodo whispered, "this is what we've been waiting for. The end to end all ends."
"Don't say that Mister Frodo!" Sam cried in dismay. "There must be something we can do yet!" Frodo smiled a little to himself, but his blue eyes remained sad.
"I don't know what we can do Sam," He said at last, as the two armies came to a halt facing each other. There was silence for a few minutes, and Frodo began to laugh slightly. "They don't know what to do either. Hobbits aren't meant for war Sam. We never were. War is a hard and stupid thing." Sam nodded, but looked up suddenly. Something was coming through the rain toward the armies. Squinting he saw it was actually two somethings. Two somethings that looked a lot like...
"Esmie and Eglantine!" Frodo yelled jumping up. He ran down the slope to hear what they had to say, and Sam followed close behind.
"...You're doing Eglantine?" They heard Paladin yelling over the wind. Saradoc simply ran to his wife and embraced her.
"Paladin this is insane, you know that! They're just boys, here, and this isn't worth fighting over. This is all a misunderstanding, and you're jumping to conclusions again. The Brandybucks have done nothing wrong! And now Pippin's gone missing..."
"He's what?!" Paladin roared it, and Frodo gasped it at the same time.
"You heard me Paladin Took! You're son has gone missing; because he was so afraid Merry would be killed down here thinking that he hated him! He was going to come down here and tell Merry he didn't!" Her bright eyes suddenly widened. "You haven't seen him?" Paladin shook his head. At this moment, Esmerlda pulled out of her embrace with her husband, and looked around.
"Where's Meriadoc?" Forgetting for the moment that his wife would be furious for letting Merry fight, in his excitement of having his wife back safe and sound, yelled over his shoulder.
"Merry, lad, it's alright! Come here! It's your Mammy!" When there was no answering yelp of joy, Saradoc looked very confused.
"Merry? Where are you lad?" The army of Buckland turned around, and where surprised to see the heir that had been following them in silence had disappeared. Saradoc and Paladin turned to each other in anger.
"This is all you're fault!" They roared together.
"If not for the example of you're boy, mine wouldn't have run!"
"You've already proven you're capable of kidnapping, Took!"
"There they go again." Frodo muttered. "Don't they realize they have more important things to worry about? Wolves have been seen in these parts, my cousin Deridic said when he came yesterday." As if realizing what he'd just said Frodo chocked. "Sam! We have to find them! Come one!" Frodo tried to bold up the hill, but seemed only able to slip on the wet grass.
Seeing Frodo so frightened about the safety of his cousins only frightened Sam, and that in turn made him angry. Brown eyes blazing with sudden with fire, he turned around and raced toward the center of the field in between the two armies. He stood facing the two fighting leaders. When they didn't look at him, he yelled out in fury.
"Don't you see what you're doing?" Paladin and Saradoc looked at him in surprise. Both knew who he was, and both were surprised. "Don't you see what you're doing?" He said again, quietly. "You're forgetting about what's important to you. You're sons are out there, and they might be in danger! You're the same, because you both love them. Don't you?" Saradoc and Paladin looked at each other, and nodded once.
"Lets go."
"HELP!" Merry slid down the last hill, into Willow bottom. What he saw frightened him deeply. Pippin was leaning with his back again a low stonewall, left from an old farm. And in front of him was a gigantic dog. But this wasn't any dog as Merry has ever seen them. It was bigger than he was, and covered in a layer of thick shaggy gray hair, and it had teeth about as big as Pippin. What Merry was staring at was a wolf.
"PIPPIN!"
End A/N: Dun dun dun! Now, I shall have to leave you here for now! But we're getting into the next bit REALLY soon! I promise! No one die!