"Aha, I am glad that Rivendell is still a safe place." Merry said
without a care in the world as he loaded his plate of dry cheese. In the
bright morning sun, he felt safe and warm as he strolled down the tables
containing an assortment of meats, fruits, bread, and cheese.
"Mmmm . elf cheese ." Pippin said beside him as he popped a chunk of white cheese as bit as his fist into his mouth. Sam was helping Frodo load his plate full of roast beef and baked bread, as he himself was looking around in amazement at the banquet of foods prepared for them.
Merry took a look around at his companions. Gandalf was too busy deep in conversation with Elrond to take notice of his meats which were going cold very fast. Elrond had a frown upon his face, which only seemed to deepen by the second. The other elves were walking around on their own business, their dark brown hair glimmering beneath the autumn sun. Old Bilbo Baggins had finished his meal and inevitably drifted off to sleep, his hands hung by his side, his head slightly tilted to the left, and he was snoring gently.
"I wonder when he is leaving." Pippin muttered to himself. It did not escape the notice of Merry's sharp ears.
"When they're leaving, you mean." He corrected Pippin hurriedly. Pippin turned around and smiled.
"I still cannot believe this." He tugged slightly at Merry's sleeves and sighed. "Imagine this. Why, I would never have thought of this just a few days ago. Frodo and Sam, now imagine! Them, both born with the spark of magic within them!"
"And off to Isengard they go, to study magic." Merry mused, trying to picture Frodo in a tall hat and holding a staff that was twice as tall as him. "I believe they shall have fun at it, too."
"Why, I just simply cannot picture them as wizards!"
"Neither can I, my friend." Merry said affectionately, looking at his old times companions. "We are splitting up again, I am afraid!"
"Hehe." Pippin merely gave a chuckle, nothing more. He lit his pipe and puffed lightly on it, then turned to look at the setting sun. "Sunset." He said, and pointed at the sun.
Merry squinted his eyes towards the sun, which was just going below the mountains, making the mountains as dark as shadows. At that moment, he saw movement on the peak of a cliff. It would not have been apparent during the daytime, but the sun behind the mountain had made every movement along the outline of the mountain very obvious.
"Who is . that . ?" Merry said as he pointed in the general direction of the movement. Elrond and Gandalf were finished with their conversations now and were looking around in interest. As they saw Merry point, they both focused their attention to where his finger was directed to. At first, they both thought that he was enjoying the sunset, but soon, Elrond's sharp Elven eyes picked out the movement amongst the hills.
"Alarm!" He shouted, and almost magically, all the elves pulled out their bows and arrows. Tensely, Elrond lifted his arm to point in the general direction of the movement, which was now rapidly descending down the hills and towards Rivendell.
"Go and see who our visitor is." He ordered the nearest elf, who nodded and ran off at a fast trot in the direction of the incomer.
"Is it an enemy?" Frodo asked Elrond worriedly as Elrond looked far away.
"We could not be sure for now." Elrond replied in an uncertain voice. "But my feelings tells me it is a friend, though he bears sad news."
The figure could now be seen clearly, riding upon a horse. The messenger was running back now, his hair flowing out behind him as his Elven boots made a soft thump on the grassy ground whenever his feet landed.
He came to Elrond and immediately kneeled. "It is our messenger to Lothlorien, my lord." He reported gravely. "He carries emergency news, it is a grave tragedy."
Elrond sighed as if it was the last thing he had wanted to hear, but now the elf on the horse had entered Rivendell and was galloping towards him at great speed. Everyone's breath almost stopped. No one knew what kind of calamity could cause an elf to ride thus far at that speed. As the figure approached Elrond, the horse gave a soft whinny and collapsed. It had apparently been running for a long time and needed rest badly. Some elves immediately went over to tend the horse as the rider was flung off, fell numbly aside, then immediately leapt up and hobbled over to Elrond and kneeled shakily.
"What news?" Elrond said urgently as he bent down to the elf. Involuntarily, Merry gathered around him, feeling Pippin following him at once. Frodo and Sam had already walked over now, and Gandalf was standing right behind Elrond, his expression once again shaded by his hat, unreadable as ever. Bilbo, unaware that this had happened, was still dreaming away deep in his sleep on his chair.
"Lady . lady Galadriel, taken . captured, woods were, were lost!" He said in no more than a breath, gasping for air in the middle. Even though said silently, the words had their impact. "Lord Celeborn also . taken, and Lord Aragorn and Gimli, son of . of Gloin ."
The safety of his companions were the first thing on Merry's mind as he listened to this news. As he heard Aragorn and Gimli's name, he felt relief running through him, and horror. It meant that they are still alive, but under the captivity of the Orcs. But there was one other name.
"And Legolas?" He asked softly, his heart thumping.
"Disappeared!" The elf replied, seeming as puzzled as Merry was. "He . was not there when the . invasion happened, but he was . apparently within the woods before . have no idea where he was . hope he had made it through ."
Merry was very comforted at the thought of not having to find Legolas killed, but at the same time, gone missing in woods full of Orcs was not exactly the best place to be. Then, he noticed the wounds on the messenger, which an elf maiden was tending to.
"Can you stand? You need a bed." Elrond said briskly, and yet quite concerned.
"No, I am sorry, my lord, but I found it impossible to move anymore."
"Then please recount your story here." Gandalf said behind Elrond's back, surprising everybody, Merry included. In the light of what had just happened, they all seemed to have forgotten each other's existence until they spoke up, the same goes for Gandalf. For a second, by the expression on Elrond's face, Merry was sure that he had also forgotten that Gandalf was right behind him.
"Yes, Mithrandir." The elf's breath was calmed down now, and he winced as the elf maiden applied some clear medicine to the gash on his shoulder. "I have been fighting Orcs for a lot of my life, so I know quite a bit of Black tongue. The story is simple. I got to the woods but found no Elven kin to greet me. Then the atmosphere of the forest struck me. The trees told of a horrible incident, and so I was cautious. Upon treading through the woods, I came upon a crowd of Orcs. I listened to just enough of their words to find out what had truly happened." Then, he grimaced as if remembering a nightmare. "It was then that they discovered me, and . it was quite a chase."
"You have done well." Elrond said in his deep voice, and made a small gesture with his hands towards the dwelling behind him. "Go and rest now, you shall need it."
The elf smiled and nodded respectfully before walking off at a hobble towards the place Elrond had indicated to. That was the chamber of healing, Frodo had almost died of the poison on a knife on their previous journey here and he had awoken in the same place, the chamber of healing.
"The situation is grave indeed ." Elrond murmured as if to himself. Nobody had anything to say. The situation was that nobody knew what to say. Peace was too short. In fact, peace was always too short. The journey of the ring was barely over, the wounds barely healed, before this new wave of danger had risen.
"And more the haste for more wizards on our side!" Gandalf stated decisively. "We had taken in several new pupils to Isengard this year, and now Frodo and Sam are to be taken there too ."
"We must have more wizards readily trained and on our side before this war gets to the open world!" Elrond said, turning his head sideways to look at Frodo and Sam, who both went red at all the attention pressed their way.
"Then the sooner we should depart." Gandalf said as he sat down beside the table and started to help himself to the food.
Frodo looked very unwilling to leave this haven of peace and quiet, and Sam seemed as if he had quite enough of adventures, but both of them nodded and started to wolf down the food in front of them, knowing very well that on a journey, the food could never be as good. They had to survive on lembas for quite a long time before, and knew perfectly clear what it felt like. As Frodo had said before, it was as if their taste buds went numb and could not taste anything anymore.
That night, all Rivendell was ablaze with the news. There was not one corner, one corridor, where the news could not be heard to be discussed. It traveled like wildfire until everyone knew what had happened. The moonlight shone and it was a clear night, there was not a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled without a worry in the world, oblivious of all the frowns down on earth.
Merry could not sleep.
Something was calling to him. Maybe it was the moon, or the stars, but something led him out of his bed and into the silvery night. At first, he thought it was just because of his anxiety for his friends, so he walked barefoot upon the cold pebbles, across the gardens of Rivendell, by himself. For most of the time he very much appreciated Pippin's company, but somehow tonight he preferred the silence just the way it was. There was something quite inviting about the silence, but it was a fragile peace. As he turned around a bend, he saw someone standing by the fountain, and stopped dead. At that moment, Merry was standing facing the moonlight, so he could not see any specific features of the person standing there, who looked like a shadow to him, all black against the radiance surrounding him. But by the height and the posture, Merry could tell it was Elrond. Elrond was standing beside the white marble fountain, deep in thought. His eyes were focused as if looking at some invisible object, he did not notice Merry coming, and Merry had no intentions of scaring him by springing onto him. A surprised elf could be dangerous.
"Master Elrond?" Merry said tentatively, in a soft voice. Then, seeing that Elrond did not notice him, he made a tiny cough, and said a bit louder, "Master Elrond."
Then, as if noticing him for the first time, Elrond turned around to look at him, half side of his face thrown into sharp contrast in the moon's rays.
"Can you not sleep?" Elrond asked gracefully before sitting down onto the side of the fountain. It was more of a remark than a question, for Merry knew perfectly well that Elrond understood why he was not asleep yet, for Elrond shared the same worry.
"No. Master Elrond, it is a beautiful night, so peaceful." Merry made an unnecessary remark, for he felt as if he had to say something.
"Peaceful it is, but paid for with a great price, and still more hardships yet to come ." Elrond sighed, running his hand into the water inside the fountain, making soft ripples go in every direction.
"I shall soon dispatch a group of peacekeepers to Mirkwood, to inform of the incidences on the tragedy, and to hear of their future plans." Elrond looked into the pool of water, reflecting. Then . "Tell me, Meriadoc Brandybuck, have you ever been to the fountain of confession?"
"Fountain of confession?" Merry was puzzled, for he had never heard of such a term from the elves. Its existence was a mystery to him. "No."
"There is one in Mirkwood, one here, and one in Lothlorien. The Elven kind uses it as . confession room of some type, like the humans do, except we do not have sins that often. We merely confess our troubles and lift off the burden from our shoulders."
"Well, I am sure that the elves will have somewhere to turn to in the time of trouble." Merry merely replied, wondering what Elrond could possibly mean by telling him this.
"My friend ." Elrond continued, after a considerable pause. "If you have any troubles, that you need to be lifted off your shoulders before your departure, please feel free to tell."
Merry was temporarily puzzled by this, as in he had no troubles nor thoughts to share.
But Elrond seemed satisfied by the pause, and got up to go. Seeing Merry unmoving, he turned around.
"Get some sleep, friend. You two have a long journey in front of you."
"What?" Merry was puzzled. Nobody had mentioned this before.
"At times like this, we need you and Pippin to carry news to Mirkwood, that it is, in fact, not a human who had committed the great crime. As you arrive there, you shall present yourselves as friends of Legolas, prince.no, king of Mirkwood. Then, you will have their support, which would be a good time to search for Legolas."
"Alright, sir." Merry said dispiritedly. He was starting to enjoy the good food and soft bed in Rivendell.
As if able to read his mind, Elrond gave a chuckle. "Young one," He said. "When you return, there will always be food and bed readily at your call."
"What do you see in our futures.Lord?" Merry asked, looking up, his eyes shining in the moonlight.
"I do not know." Elrond answered softly, looking away. "Only time can tell."
Merry knew at that moment that he would receive no further guidance from this elven lord. With a slight sigh, Merry tried to put up his happiest face for this occasion.
"Well, just more adventure for me and Pippin, is it not?"
Elrond did not reply, which deeply troubled Merry. As he laid in bed that night, he thought of the expression upon Elrond's face when he was standing in the moonlight, and knew, instinctively, that a distinct hint of uncertainty troubled Elrond's mind. The same uncertainty crossed his mind, and he could not bring himself to fall asleep.
The curtains rustled. At first, it seemed like nothing important. Just then, Merry remembered that the window was closed. Noiselessly, he stretched his hand towards his left side as silently as he could, reaching for his short sword. It was then when his hand landed on someone's hairy hand.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Merry gave a loud scream and leapt off the bed in a rolling motion. The other person, startled at this outcome, was also shocked into screaming. In the darkness, Merry and the other person continued to scream until Merry felt the flint underneath his fingers, struck it, and lit a lantern nearby. Then, he looked into the screaming visage of Pippin. Half angry, half exasperated, with a slight sense of amusement, Merry walked over and struck playfully on the side of Pippin's head to get him to stop screaming.
"Aaaaaaa~oww!" Pippin's scream abruptly ended in a groan. "Watch where you're hitting, you gave me quite a fright. You might have killed me just then!"
"Serves you right for sneaking into my room. I thought Lord Elrond made it plentifully clear that this was MY room only?"
"I just came here to tell you we must leave for Mirkwood tomorrow!" Pippin could barely contain the excitement in his voice. He was aiming for a mysterious whisper, which failed miserably as his own shock began to show through.
"I know." Merry answered, not amused anymore. this brought an hasty stop to Pippin's enthusiasm. He was apparently expecting a different reaction from his companion.
"Another adventure, old friend." Pippin said, closely regarding the expression on his old friend's face. "Yet we are still leaving together." Sighing, he pulled out his pipe and stuffed a handful of weed from the Shire into it. "Remember, old friend? This weed.from Isengard?"
"How could I forget?" Merry replied, looking at the smoke. "Gimme some of that!"
Pippin laughed. He could see that his friend had regained some of his normal spirit. "We brought down Isengard, we did, with the help of Treebeard." His mind went back to the time when they rode high on Treebeard's branches as the Ents, in their rage, flooded Isengard. It was indeed a moment to remember, it had been their moments of glory.
Merry licked his lips and could almost taste the Ent draught. "There are more things worth remembering, Pippin." Pippin laughed and puffed on his smoke, while Merry took out his own pipe and filled with the fine filling. "These traveled far. From the Shire, to Isengard, then back, and after all this. It ended up in Rivendell."
"Where will we end up?"
Pippin's sudden question surprised Merry, so did his serious tone.
Merry could only shrug.
"Mmmm . elf cheese ." Pippin said beside him as he popped a chunk of white cheese as bit as his fist into his mouth. Sam was helping Frodo load his plate full of roast beef and baked bread, as he himself was looking around in amazement at the banquet of foods prepared for them.
Merry took a look around at his companions. Gandalf was too busy deep in conversation with Elrond to take notice of his meats which were going cold very fast. Elrond had a frown upon his face, which only seemed to deepen by the second. The other elves were walking around on their own business, their dark brown hair glimmering beneath the autumn sun. Old Bilbo Baggins had finished his meal and inevitably drifted off to sleep, his hands hung by his side, his head slightly tilted to the left, and he was snoring gently.
"I wonder when he is leaving." Pippin muttered to himself. It did not escape the notice of Merry's sharp ears.
"When they're leaving, you mean." He corrected Pippin hurriedly. Pippin turned around and smiled.
"I still cannot believe this." He tugged slightly at Merry's sleeves and sighed. "Imagine this. Why, I would never have thought of this just a few days ago. Frodo and Sam, now imagine! Them, both born with the spark of magic within them!"
"And off to Isengard they go, to study magic." Merry mused, trying to picture Frodo in a tall hat and holding a staff that was twice as tall as him. "I believe they shall have fun at it, too."
"Why, I just simply cannot picture them as wizards!"
"Neither can I, my friend." Merry said affectionately, looking at his old times companions. "We are splitting up again, I am afraid!"
"Hehe." Pippin merely gave a chuckle, nothing more. He lit his pipe and puffed lightly on it, then turned to look at the setting sun. "Sunset." He said, and pointed at the sun.
Merry squinted his eyes towards the sun, which was just going below the mountains, making the mountains as dark as shadows. At that moment, he saw movement on the peak of a cliff. It would not have been apparent during the daytime, but the sun behind the mountain had made every movement along the outline of the mountain very obvious.
"Who is . that . ?" Merry said as he pointed in the general direction of the movement. Elrond and Gandalf were finished with their conversations now and were looking around in interest. As they saw Merry point, they both focused their attention to where his finger was directed to. At first, they both thought that he was enjoying the sunset, but soon, Elrond's sharp Elven eyes picked out the movement amongst the hills.
"Alarm!" He shouted, and almost magically, all the elves pulled out their bows and arrows. Tensely, Elrond lifted his arm to point in the general direction of the movement, which was now rapidly descending down the hills and towards Rivendell.
"Go and see who our visitor is." He ordered the nearest elf, who nodded and ran off at a fast trot in the direction of the incomer.
"Is it an enemy?" Frodo asked Elrond worriedly as Elrond looked far away.
"We could not be sure for now." Elrond replied in an uncertain voice. "But my feelings tells me it is a friend, though he bears sad news."
The figure could now be seen clearly, riding upon a horse. The messenger was running back now, his hair flowing out behind him as his Elven boots made a soft thump on the grassy ground whenever his feet landed.
He came to Elrond and immediately kneeled. "It is our messenger to Lothlorien, my lord." He reported gravely. "He carries emergency news, it is a grave tragedy."
Elrond sighed as if it was the last thing he had wanted to hear, but now the elf on the horse had entered Rivendell and was galloping towards him at great speed. Everyone's breath almost stopped. No one knew what kind of calamity could cause an elf to ride thus far at that speed. As the figure approached Elrond, the horse gave a soft whinny and collapsed. It had apparently been running for a long time and needed rest badly. Some elves immediately went over to tend the horse as the rider was flung off, fell numbly aside, then immediately leapt up and hobbled over to Elrond and kneeled shakily.
"What news?" Elrond said urgently as he bent down to the elf. Involuntarily, Merry gathered around him, feeling Pippin following him at once. Frodo and Sam had already walked over now, and Gandalf was standing right behind Elrond, his expression once again shaded by his hat, unreadable as ever. Bilbo, unaware that this had happened, was still dreaming away deep in his sleep on his chair.
"Lady . lady Galadriel, taken . captured, woods were, were lost!" He said in no more than a breath, gasping for air in the middle. Even though said silently, the words had their impact. "Lord Celeborn also . taken, and Lord Aragorn and Gimli, son of . of Gloin ."
The safety of his companions were the first thing on Merry's mind as he listened to this news. As he heard Aragorn and Gimli's name, he felt relief running through him, and horror. It meant that they are still alive, but under the captivity of the Orcs. But there was one other name.
"And Legolas?" He asked softly, his heart thumping.
"Disappeared!" The elf replied, seeming as puzzled as Merry was. "He . was not there when the . invasion happened, but he was . apparently within the woods before . have no idea where he was . hope he had made it through ."
Merry was very comforted at the thought of not having to find Legolas killed, but at the same time, gone missing in woods full of Orcs was not exactly the best place to be. Then, he noticed the wounds on the messenger, which an elf maiden was tending to.
"Can you stand? You need a bed." Elrond said briskly, and yet quite concerned.
"No, I am sorry, my lord, but I found it impossible to move anymore."
"Then please recount your story here." Gandalf said behind Elrond's back, surprising everybody, Merry included. In the light of what had just happened, they all seemed to have forgotten each other's existence until they spoke up, the same goes for Gandalf. For a second, by the expression on Elrond's face, Merry was sure that he had also forgotten that Gandalf was right behind him.
"Yes, Mithrandir." The elf's breath was calmed down now, and he winced as the elf maiden applied some clear medicine to the gash on his shoulder. "I have been fighting Orcs for a lot of my life, so I know quite a bit of Black tongue. The story is simple. I got to the woods but found no Elven kin to greet me. Then the atmosphere of the forest struck me. The trees told of a horrible incident, and so I was cautious. Upon treading through the woods, I came upon a crowd of Orcs. I listened to just enough of their words to find out what had truly happened." Then, he grimaced as if remembering a nightmare. "It was then that they discovered me, and . it was quite a chase."
"You have done well." Elrond said in his deep voice, and made a small gesture with his hands towards the dwelling behind him. "Go and rest now, you shall need it."
The elf smiled and nodded respectfully before walking off at a hobble towards the place Elrond had indicated to. That was the chamber of healing, Frodo had almost died of the poison on a knife on their previous journey here and he had awoken in the same place, the chamber of healing.
"The situation is grave indeed ." Elrond murmured as if to himself. Nobody had anything to say. The situation was that nobody knew what to say. Peace was too short. In fact, peace was always too short. The journey of the ring was barely over, the wounds barely healed, before this new wave of danger had risen.
"And more the haste for more wizards on our side!" Gandalf stated decisively. "We had taken in several new pupils to Isengard this year, and now Frodo and Sam are to be taken there too ."
"We must have more wizards readily trained and on our side before this war gets to the open world!" Elrond said, turning his head sideways to look at Frodo and Sam, who both went red at all the attention pressed their way.
"Then the sooner we should depart." Gandalf said as he sat down beside the table and started to help himself to the food.
Frodo looked very unwilling to leave this haven of peace and quiet, and Sam seemed as if he had quite enough of adventures, but both of them nodded and started to wolf down the food in front of them, knowing very well that on a journey, the food could never be as good. They had to survive on lembas for quite a long time before, and knew perfectly clear what it felt like. As Frodo had said before, it was as if their taste buds went numb and could not taste anything anymore.
That night, all Rivendell was ablaze with the news. There was not one corner, one corridor, where the news could not be heard to be discussed. It traveled like wildfire until everyone knew what had happened. The moonlight shone and it was a clear night, there was not a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled without a worry in the world, oblivious of all the frowns down on earth.
Merry could not sleep.
Something was calling to him. Maybe it was the moon, or the stars, but something led him out of his bed and into the silvery night. At first, he thought it was just because of his anxiety for his friends, so he walked barefoot upon the cold pebbles, across the gardens of Rivendell, by himself. For most of the time he very much appreciated Pippin's company, but somehow tonight he preferred the silence just the way it was. There was something quite inviting about the silence, but it was a fragile peace. As he turned around a bend, he saw someone standing by the fountain, and stopped dead. At that moment, Merry was standing facing the moonlight, so he could not see any specific features of the person standing there, who looked like a shadow to him, all black against the radiance surrounding him. But by the height and the posture, Merry could tell it was Elrond. Elrond was standing beside the white marble fountain, deep in thought. His eyes were focused as if looking at some invisible object, he did not notice Merry coming, and Merry had no intentions of scaring him by springing onto him. A surprised elf could be dangerous.
"Master Elrond?" Merry said tentatively, in a soft voice. Then, seeing that Elrond did not notice him, he made a tiny cough, and said a bit louder, "Master Elrond."
Then, as if noticing him for the first time, Elrond turned around to look at him, half side of his face thrown into sharp contrast in the moon's rays.
"Can you not sleep?" Elrond asked gracefully before sitting down onto the side of the fountain. It was more of a remark than a question, for Merry knew perfectly well that Elrond understood why he was not asleep yet, for Elrond shared the same worry.
"No. Master Elrond, it is a beautiful night, so peaceful." Merry made an unnecessary remark, for he felt as if he had to say something.
"Peaceful it is, but paid for with a great price, and still more hardships yet to come ." Elrond sighed, running his hand into the water inside the fountain, making soft ripples go in every direction.
"I shall soon dispatch a group of peacekeepers to Mirkwood, to inform of the incidences on the tragedy, and to hear of their future plans." Elrond looked into the pool of water, reflecting. Then . "Tell me, Meriadoc Brandybuck, have you ever been to the fountain of confession?"
"Fountain of confession?" Merry was puzzled, for he had never heard of such a term from the elves. Its existence was a mystery to him. "No."
"There is one in Mirkwood, one here, and one in Lothlorien. The Elven kind uses it as . confession room of some type, like the humans do, except we do not have sins that often. We merely confess our troubles and lift off the burden from our shoulders."
"Well, I am sure that the elves will have somewhere to turn to in the time of trouble." Merry merely replied, wondering what Elrond could possibly mean by telling him this.
"My friend ." Elrond continued, after a considerable pause. "If you have any troubles, that you need to be lifted off your shoulders before your departure, please feel free to tell."
Merry was temporarily puzzled by this, as in he had no troubles nor thoughts to share.
But Elrond seemed satisfied by the pause, and got up to go. Seeing Merry unmoving, he turned around.
"Get some sleep, friend. You two have a long journey in front of you."
"What?" Merry was puzzled. Nobody had mentioned this before.
"At times like this, we need you and Pippin to carry news to Mirkwood, that it is, in fact, not a human who had committed the great crime. As you arrive there, you shall present yourselves as friends of Legolas, prince.no, king of Mirkwood. Then, you will have their support, which would be a good time to search for Legolas."
"Alright, sir." Merry said dispiritedly. He was starting to enjoy the good food and soft bed in Rivendell.
As if able to read his mind, Elrond gave a chuckle. "Young one," He said. "When you return, there will always be food and bed readily at your call."
"What do you see in our futures.Lord?" Merry asked, looking up, his eyes shining in the moonlight.
"I do not know." Elrond answered softly, looking away. "Only time can tell."
Merry knew at that moment that he would receive no further guidance from this elven lord. With a slight sigh, Merry tried to put up his happiest face for this occasion.
"Well, just more adventure for me and Pippin, is it not?"
Elrond did not reply, which deeply troubled Merry. As he laid in bed that night, he thought of the expression upon Elrond's face when he was standing in the moonlight, and knew, instinctively, that a distinct hint of uncertainty troubled Elrond's mind. The same uncertainty crossed his mind, and he could not bring himself to fall asleep.
The curtains rustled. At first, it seemed like nothing important. Just then, Merry remembered that the window was closed. Noiselessly, he stretched his hand towards his left side as silently as he could, reaching for his short sword. It was then when his hand landed on someone's hairy hand.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Merry gave a loud scream and leapt off the bed in a rolling motion. The other person, startled at this outcome, was also shocked into screaming. In the darkness, Merry and the other person continued to scream until Merry felt the flint underneath his fingers, struck it, and lit a lantern nearby. Then, he looked into the screaming visage of Pippin. Half angry, half exasperated, with a slight sense of amusement, Merry walked over and struck playfully on the side of Pippin's head to get him to stop screaming.
"Aaaaaaa~oww!" Pippin's scream abruptly ended in a groan. "Watch where you're hitting, you gave me quite a fright. You might have killed me just then!"
"Serves you right for sneaking into my room. I thought Lord Elrond made it plentifully clear that this was MY room only?"
"I just came here to tell you we must leave for Mirkwood tomorrow!" Pippin could barely contain the excitement in his voice. He was aiming for a mysterious whisper, which failed miserably as his own shock began to show through.
"I know." Merry answered, not amused anymore. this brought an hasty stop to Pippin's enthusiasm. He was apparently expecting a different reaction from his companion.
"Another adventure, old friend." Pippin said, closely regarding the expression on his old friend's face. "Yet we are still leaving together." Sighing, he pulled out his pipe and stuffed a handful of weed from the Shire into it. "Remember, old friend? This weed.from Isengard?"
"How could I forget?" Merry replied, looking at the smoke. "Gimme some of that!"
Pippin laughed. He could see that his friend had regained some of his normal spirit. "We brought down Isengard, we did, with the help of Treebeard." His mind went back to the time when they rode high on Treebeard's branches as the Ents, in their rage, flooded Isengard. It was indeed a moment to remember, it had been their moments of glory.
Merry licked his lips and could almost taste the Ent draught. "There are more things worth remembering, Pippin." Pippin laughed and puffed on his smoke, while Merry took out his own pipe and filled with the fine filling. "These traveled far. From the Shire, to Isengard, then back, and after all this. It ended up in Rivendell."
"Where will we end up?"
Pippin's sudden question surprised Merry, so did his serious tone.
Merry could only shrug.