Chapter 16

Merry shortened the distance between him and Frodo, and reached out

at the cloth covering his cousin's eyes and nose. He untied it, with

gentleness and care.

Frodo's eyes were closed even after the blindfold completely left

his face. Merry bent down and kissed Frodo on the forehead as if he

were a small child.

"Open your eyes, Frodo," commanded Merry.

The once bright eyes were now bleary and dull. Merry ran his

fingers over Frodo's face, smoothing the knots on his brow.

"Poor lad," he murmured quietly and studied the hobbit before him.

He saw that days of incarceration had changed Frodo into a miserable

being. He had become thinner and his complexion, which was way

fairer than the other hobbits, had grown paler. Still, Merry found

that Frodo's adorable charm lingered despite the total despair

washing over his face.

"Let - me - die," Frodo mumbled haltingly. The harsh reality induced

by Merry was too much to bear. What would be the point of living at

this state?

"But you still have a task to fulfill, Frodo," a voice heard,

reminding Frodo of the quest. The voice sounded like - Gandalf's.

Frodo almost spat at the thought of the wizard.

"Go away!" he yelled as his eyes shone wildly at nobody in

particular.

Pippin cringed to see his once-vibrant cousin reduced to such a

state. Had Frodo been completely stripped of his sanity? Pippin saw

Merry stretching his arms towards Frodo. Without a second thought,

Pip grabbed Merry's wrists.

"That's enough, Merry!" Pippin exclaimed.

Pippin could not believe his own action. He had never done

something like this to Merry before, always looking up to his older

cousin. But seeing Frodo so tormented had almost awakened the jolly

old Pippin from the corrupted one now influenced by the Ring's dark

power.

"Pip, let go!" Merry growled, trying to release his hands from

Pippin's grip.

When there was no sign of Pip letting him go, Merry hissed, "Look,

fool, I'm not going to do anything anymore. Don't you see how

pathetic Frodo is? Moreover, I'm wondering who he tried to cast away

just now!"

Staring hard at Pip for several minutes, Merry was finally able to

cow the younger one into submission. Reluctantly, Pippin freed

Merry, who said nothing to him but directly turned his gaze to Frodo.

Merry caught Frodo's chin and tilted the tied hobbit's face up. "Who

were you telling to go away?" Merry asked.

Frodo's blurry eyes turned to Merry, unseeing.

"W-what?" Frodo didn't seem to remember.

"You screamed just now. It seemed like you wanted someone to go

away," repeated Merry.

Oh, that. Frodo hung his head.

"Gandalf," he said weakly. "I suddenly heard his voice in my mind,

reminding me not to abandon the journey. Yet, he himself abandoned

me."

Merry's heart jumped with joy. Frodo evidently believed that

everyone had forsaken him! Merry suppressed a grin with great effort.

"You see?" he said, feigning sympathy. "You didn't believe me,

Frodo. But now you see for yourself."

Frodo sighed heavily. He turned his gaze away.

"But, Frodo, perhaps not everybody had left you," Merry added

suddenly, his voice crisp as a morning dew. "You still have me," he

said, stroking Frodo's left cheek with the back of his hand.

Merry didn't know that in Frodo's ears, his words changed into: "You

still have me, Mr. Frodo."

Stirred, Frodo closed his eyes, leaning to the soothing hand.

"Sam, oh Sam. I'm tired, Sam. Bring me out of here. Please," he

pleaded forlornly. Tears streaming down again.

Merry started. Sam?!! So it was Sam that Frodo always had in mind?!

How dare him! Merry withdrew his caressing hand disgustedly and

replaced it with a fist striking Frodo hard on the cheek.

"Sam?!" Frodo was more surprised than hurt by the blow. He gaped in

disbelief at the person in front of him, whoever it was.

"I'm not Sam, Frodo! I'm Merry! M E R - R Y, MER-I-A-DOC!" Merry

punctuated every syllable in his name furiously. Frodo looked at him

in terror.

"Merry?" he whimpered.

"Yes, me! I'm the only friend you have, Frodo! Not that lowly

gardener of yours who's been rotting in the ground for days. You

have to accept that!"

While digging up into his past memories, Frodo gasped at the sight

of Merry releasing his heavy and thick leather belt. Vainly he tried

to struggle again against the cords wrapping him. What would Merry -

Merry swooshed his belt, making a chilling sound when it cracked in

the air. Frodo's eyes went huge, his breath caught.

"No, Merry. Pleeaassee -" his voice low and shaking.

Merry moved to Frodo's right side, still swinging his belt. His

voice thundered when asking the question.

"Who is your friend, Frodo?!"

Frodo straightened up in his chair, searching hopelessly for a name

in his mind. No, not Bilbo, and definitely not Gandalf. Sam, yes, it

had to be Sam. Frodo seemed to completely forget that for him, Sam

was dead.

"Sam?" he answered doubtfully.

"WHAT!?" Merry blew up.

With speed as fast as a flying Nazgul, he slashed the belt across

Frodo's legs. It cut the poor hobbit's shins ferociously. Frodo

arched back, screeching pitifully. It felt as if his two legs were

on fire! His scream still lingered when Merry dropped another blow

on exactly the same spot.

"Aarrgghh!!" This was unexpected. Frodo never thought the other

hobbit would resume his action that quickly. Frodo shut his eyes in

agony. This was much more painful than anything he'd ever known,

even more than when his heart was wrenched after finding out his

parents' tragic death. He started to drift off when Merry pushed on.

"Who is your friend!"

Frodo licked his parched lips. He wondered what answer would satisfy

Merry. Everyone in Hobbiton knew Frodo was such a lonesome fellow.

He never had a real friend. The only person he could get close to

was Sam --dear sweet, loyal Sam! Frodo continued to reward his

tormentor the same unwanted answer.

"Sam...?"

"NO!"

Merry angered even more and sliced down his leather belt over and

over. Ugly welts were formed on Frodo's legs and blood leaked

through his breeches. The pain was so excruciating for Frodo that

he started to slip from consciousness. With the remaining whimpers

escaping his lips, Frodo finally blacked out.

***

"Hah!" Merry barked furiously, yet satisfyingly, at the bloody frame

before him. Frodo might still be able to keep his stubbornness, but

Merry was sure it wouldn't be too long before he surrendered.

Disgustedly, he cleaned the blood that stained his hands.

"You stay here and make sure he won't go anywhere," commanded Merry

to Pippin, who had just stared wide-eyed throughout the whole

sickening ordeal.

Merry walked out of the room and the inn into the dark alley when

his eyes spotted two figures. He stared at them in utter shock.

Strider and Sam! Strider had somehow managed to track them here, and

what was more surprising, Sam was alive! Merry quickly hid behind

the wall and waited until the two least expected men were out of

sight.

He sighed loudly when Strider and Sam had gone. His mind went back

to Frodo. It was true that he had successfully blacked out Bilbo and

Gandalf from Frodo's list of favorite people. But he wasn't sure

about either Sam or this Strider. Merry felt his problems grow

tenfold. He couldn't let Frodo find out anything about Strider.

Frodo had to be convinced that the ranger was one of those ruffians

Having plotted a couse of action, Merry strolled back to the inn.

***

Frodo awoke to the smell of roasted meat. At first he thought that

it was just another cruel dream. He couldn't believe it when he saw

real meat with real smashed potato, boiled carrots and beans on the

table. They reminded Frodo of his empty stomach. When was the last

time something was brought into it? What was the last thing he ate?

Frodo barely remembered. Then it cam back to him. Applesauce!

Applesauce spoon fed to him by ..Merry. Merry.his.friend?

Frodo nervously glanced at the food. Merry had beaten the hell out

of him. It was impossible he would spare Frodo some of the meat or

even the potatoes. But hadn't Merry recently spooned Frodo the

applesauce with his own hands? Merry had wanted to be kind...if

only he had not....disobeyed. Perhaps Merry would forgive him.

Perhaps the belt and his bleeding legs had been retribution enough.

Might Merry let Frodo taste - just a little bit of the food? Would

that be too much to ask? Frodo swallowed hard. He was truly sorry,

though for what he couldn't rightly say.

Merry noticed that Frodo had come to. He walked slowly toward the

slumped figure, and looked deep into its pleading eyes.

"Remember this, Frodo. I'm your friend. In fact, I'm the only friend

you have."

Merry watched the rivlet of tears that began to stream from Frodo's

eyes.

"Still my friend?" Frodo muttered in a soft voice filled with

remourse and relief.

Merry nodded with a paternal smile before throwing his glance at the

food-laden table.

"Hey, look what we have here - food! You are hungry, aren't you,

my sweet?" purred Merry. "Frodo? I want to help you. Do you want

the food?"

Frodo couldn't trust his own ears. Merry did offer him food just

like the other day! And when Pippin approached with a plate

overflowing with food, Frodo couldn't hold back his tears anymore.

He wept and wept. He felt totally wretched. Frodo cried so long and

hard that he felt his insides would burst. It was difficult for the

two cousins to calm Frodo's wracking sobs.

"Come on, Frodo, dear," coaxed Merry as he ran his fingers through

Frodo's hair.

Pippin wiped Frodo's tears away with his own sleeve.

"It's all right," Merry cooed. "Ssssh, Beloved, it's fine. I'm

here."

Frodo's cry lessened as he let Merry's hypnotic voice sooth him.

"You didn't believe me when I told you that I was your friend," said

Merry as he gently tilted Frodo's face to meet his gaze.

"Do you believe me now?"

Frodo nodded wearily.

"All right, then."

Merry tenderly cupped Frodo's cheeks in his two

hands - something that Frodo vaguely remembered being done by his

mother in one of his dreams.

"Now, let's eat. I know you need it."
TBC