aelfgifu: My beta! You can surely have your own Frodo! Me, too!

Krista: Nothing to sorry about! I know you like the story and that's enough for me. I hope you'll still like it although it's not too confusing anymore. Weird though, my friend also thought I'm identical with surprising plotlines.

endymion: Oh? Still better off than in the book? Well, yeah. Merry doesn't have the Nazgul blade. Sorry about the word. Hope it won't happen again.

Chloe Amethyst: All the best to you, too! Merry will do just fine, for now. But I don't know later. LOL. Well, I just love Frodo so much that I always want to write about him!

Chapter 55

Warning: AU, angst

Gandalf could not help smiling victoriously as he saw Merry, now tight- lipped, leaving him without a word. After repeatedly getting what he wanted, it must have been hard for the hobbit to have something not work out as planned. Gandalf observed Merry walking, heavily, yet still trying hard to look dignified.

The men outside the hall waited for Merry, bowing slightly as he appeared through the wide door. How amusing, Gandalf thought, smirking again to himself. He wondered how long this was going to last.

Not once did Merry look back at the wizard. Courteously he summoned one of the men, their leader, it seemed. The man leaned down, and Merry, balancing himself on his toes, whispered an order which was promptly followed. The man whirled around to meet the one who carried Frodo. Again instructions were passed on in low voices. Gandalf sighed at his inability to catch anything. The hobbit on the man's back could not hear anything either, although Frodo paid no heed, his whole attention focused on Merry.

From their position, Gandalf could see where Frodo directed his glances. Merry. The hair stood erect on Gandalf's neck as he remembered what Merry had boasted to him.

//"I have done everything to him, wizard. He will only listen to me now."//

And now Gandalf saw with his very own eyes the desperate longing in Frodo's face as Merry left him behind.

The wizard's intention to catch Frodo's attention was cruelly obstructed as the hobbit was carried inside of the house while he himself was wrenched away from it by two muscular men.

"No!" Gandalf tried to wrestle. "Frodo---!"

But the men jerked him forward.

"Come on, old man!"

Gandalf stubbornly continued his struggle, planting his heels to the grassy bed and sometimes halting his steps altogether. But he was no match in strength to the men. His attempts were all swept away easily. The men went on dragging the grey pilgrim.

"Where are you taking me?" grunted Gandalf.

Those foolish ruffians, they only looked at each other and said nothing. But soon Gandalf found out himself. The little devil Merry had apparently thought of something else as the alternative. Gandalf knew he and the men were heading to a stable. One might have been cleared from the horses and prepared to be his and the elves' temporary dwelling.

Gandalf guessed correctly. Inside rather dark but far-from-shabby stable, the wizard found Elrond and his two sons. The three sat on the haystack, with arms bound behind their backs and cords wrapping along their ankles to their knees, causing the elves to stay in the only comfortable position possible - resting their backs against the stable's wooden wall and extending their legs in front of them.

"Gandalf!" cried Elrond, recognizing the figure coming from the light. "The hobbit finally decided to keep us here. It seems that you, too, are going to stay here."

"Meriadoc," murmured Gandalf.

"What?" Elrond's brow furrowed.

"The hobbit's name is Meriadoc Brandybuck, Frodo's own cousin," explained Gandalf. Merry has been so corrupted that he forgets the first thing to do when meeting someone for the first time - introduce himself!"

Gandalf's tone was so serious he looked incredibly funny, inviting a muffled chuckle from the elf lord. But a gasp could not help slipping from Elrond's lips as he learned that this Merry was a close-knit kin to the hobbit he had been so mercilessly tormenting..

"Yes, I'm Merry," said the hobbit with his clear voice as he marched into the barn, startling Gandalf and the twins, but enraging the musing Elrond. In his lengthy, immortal life, Elrond had seen many who were betrayed by those who used to be friends and loyal companions. But most of them, if not all, were men and elves. Never hobbits. Never the creatures Elrond had always thought loving and caring towards their kind.

Apparently Elrond had been mistaken. And now here he was, trussed up and completely at this twisted hobbit's mercy. Elrond did not want to yield to his fear yet he felt frightened.

"But you're wrong," Merry brought himself closer to Gandalf, trapping the wizard in the pools of his grey eyes. "Not only am I Frodo's cousin, but I'm also his best and closest friend, as you might probably have known. I love him, and he adores me. Very much. Do you think you can outweigh my love for him, Gandalf?" Merry squatted, leveling himself to the prisoner's eyes.

Love? What kind of love did this mad hobbit dare to confess, Gandalf pondered. What kind of love was it if it was expressed through pain and humiliation? Gandalf spat disgustedly.

"Hobbits were my favorites until I saw you!" replied Gandalf angrily. "But my feeling towards Frodo and his uncle Bilbo was beyond words. And no matter what, I will never have to use harmful means to make them love me!"

Gandalf was completely aware that his words would cut deep into Merry's mind - if not to bring the hobbit back to his own self, then to boil his blood even more. Gandalf knew he hit the target as Merry's right hand flew up in the air, a backhand ready to blow. Such a small hand. It would not hurt, thought Gandalf. He braced himself to receive the slap, though, whether it would hurt or not.

But the blow never came. Merry's face that had been flushed with fury turned into a mischievous smile. And he pulled back down his arm.

"I have to agree with you," Merry slumped forward, landing on his knees. "I had to hurt Frodo. But I did so for a host of good reasons!"

Gandalf lifted his eyebrows. Now what was Merry talking about?

"I mean," Merry cleared his throat, reading the wizard's confusion. "That silly Frodo didn't want to accept the facts that he was actually a failure, at first. But he was! And still is. Just see the reality. Both of Frodo's parents left him when he was still very young."

Merry raised his palm as Gandalf made to protest.

"I know it was an accident. But why did they have to leave in the late afternoon if not to purposely give up on their only son?"

Gandalf could not believe what he heard, could not believe he got the 'privilege' to witness such a twisted mind at work.

The wizard did not really know Drogo and Primula, Frodo's parents. Nor was he acquainted with the real course of events. Yes, he completely refused to gullibly chew what Merry was feeding him. If there had been a slight abnormality in the way Frodo's parents died, Bilbo would have told him.

Gandalf shook his head in disbelief. Merry just ignored him.

"To make a long story short, I did what I had to do to make Frodo accept the fact that his parents never wanted him," explained Merry, a cold glint in his eye. "The process was quite winding as he didn't want to listen to me at first. So I pushed and pushed until he finally could SEE the real thing." Merry laughed a little and turned sideways, catching Elrond's darkened eyes. The hobbit threw his innocent smile to the elf-lord.

"I realize the process was perhaps a bit painful. But it was worth doing!" Merry's eyes glimmered with joy.

Curious as to know what Marry had actually done to the poor hobbit, Gandalf lost in his thoughts for a brief moment. He did not see that Merry had stood back on his feet again and leaped up to - hug him!

"Oh, I'm so glad that you love Frodo, too!" Merry brightened. "And you said that you care for him so deeply that you don't have words to describe it."

Gandalf gasped as Merry tightened his clasp around Gandalf's neck.

"You are very fond of the hobbit!"

The wizard started to silently question the repeated statement.

"You treasure Frodo above anything else!"

Gandalf squirmed against the embrace. "Perhaps not like that---"

"You hold the hobbit so dear that you are willing to do anything for his sake!"

Gandalf yanked hard and threw himself backward. His head banged painfully at the wall. He saw spots at the result - but at least he was free from Merry's grip.

"To do anything?" Gandalf mumbled, feeling eyes observing him closely in alarm; the eyes of the elves.

* * *

Frodo knew he sounded and looked pathetic. /I want my Merry, please/? That would never come out of his mouth when he was still at the comfort of Bag End. In those days that now seemed so long ago, Frodo would preferred be alone, accompanied only by his books given to him as presents by his uncle, Bilbo. Solitude had been his middle name.

But everything had been changed since Merry, as mean as he was when delivering the lessons, succeeded in making Frodo see how wrong it was to disregard what he had in his life. Frodo should have treasured the moments when his parents, or Bilbo, were still willing to stay with him. Because those moments would not last. Because those who were dear to Frodo finally found out that the boy did not return the attention that they had lavished upon his unworthy self.

So his parents decided to leave. And Bilbo did, too. And Frodo would have ended being lonely until the end of the days if Merry had not generously settled himself as Frodo's only mate and protector. And for that Frodo was willing to pay with his freedom, his own self, anything. As long as Merry would not leave him behind like the others.

Which seemed to be exactly what his younger cousin was doing right now. He disappeared, leaving Frodo alone with this one ruffian, who appeared to drown in ecstasy at the sight of Frodo's misery.

The man was still standing at Frodo's back, arms folded on the chest and head tilted a little to one side. He knew that Frodo must have suffered a lot. He saw everything that came upon the hobbit ever since his group met Frodo and his bossy cousin. And now the fair creature, bound and leashed as he was, was sniffing softly, begging for the other one. The man did not know the nature of hobbits. But looking at Frodo and his behavior, the man could tell that hobbits were attached to each other quite closely. And he found it amusing. He saw Frodo with new eyes. This halfling was as fascinating as a lass, a sword, or a pint of beer, and he wanted to have fun with it. No mercy. No pity. Only cruel excitement played in the man's heart.

The ruffian crept slowly toward Frodo. Hearing the steps getting close to him, Frodo stunned and held his breath. His heart was drumming and Frodo started to shake. Name--- Name! He needed a name to scream at.

"No---!" Frodo was panting heavily, feeling the bed dip a little from the man's weight.

"Merry!! HEL---!"

His scream was muffled as the man clamped his hand over Frodo's mouth.

"Hush," silenced the man gently. "Why should you call for your tiny guard? I told you I don't like tattlers. So keep quiet! I'm a hundred times better than him!"

Frodo could only freeze and lie silently. Nodding in satisfaction, the man lifted his hand off Frodo. But he did not like it that Frodo was lying with his back on him. He wanted the hobbit to face him so that he could deeply savor Frodo's suffering. The man was dying to have the beautiful blue eyes look at him in terror. The big person entangled his fingers in Frodo's curly hair and tugged it sharply backward. Meeting the man's eyes, Frodo could only gaze apprehensively, his lips trembling slightly.

"Huh---!?" Frodo breathed hard in panic, quivering even more violently. "What do you want?"

TBC

AN: I love it that you are still following my story and I do hope that you would leave a word or two to let me know that you have been reading it. I have several stories that have become my favorites:

Ring Around the Merry, by my beloved beta, aelfgifu (Emma)

On the Banks of the Brandywine, by my other beta, the lovely MBradford

Failure and In Between by dearest Krista

Go, check them out and review them as soon as possible!