HMP:
Answer to First Question - Apparently, Iris and Byrn would!
Answer to Second Question - Merry knew HOW they got there. He didn't know WHY they were there, but he was so "head-over-heels" for Iris, he really didn't care, because as long as he was there, he got to be with her.
Answer to Third Question - Byrn will come back. All will be explained.
A/N: HAHA!! I have reached 30 reviews! Dancha to all of you who reviewed, and to Mrs. Emery Waterman, who was #30. . .and #20, I believe. Meh. *sigh* Oh, those loyal fans!
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Get it? Got it? Good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Merry's head and back ached. He found himself lying down, but moving at the same time, which didn't make sense because of what he remembered, he had been in a tavern in Bree. And, even if he had been moved from there, they hadn't had a horse with them. But he wasn't on a horse. . .he was in a cart. . .covered by a blanket.
'They must think I'm dead!' Merry thought suddenly. 'Why would Iris try to kill me? And where did she get a cart from?' He sat up, pulling the blanket from his face and looking around. It was dark, night time, and the cart was rumbling through a dense forest. . .the Old Forest! But wait. . .it made no sense. Why was Iris now traveling back to the Shire?
His head turned to look at who was driving the cart. It was a large man. . .Byrn! Where had he come from? Hadn't he disappeared? And next to him. . .Merry grinned. His Iris! Merry quickly turned his whole body around.
"Iris!" he hissed. She turned, her eyes wide, forcing a smile at the sight of him.
"Merry! Thank Elbereth you're awake!" she cried, jumping back to him, pulling him into an embrace. Byrn didn't move nor even glance in their direction. But Merry didn't care. He had never liked Byrn anyway. He was just happy that Iris wasn't the murderer he had thought her to be for a fleeting moment. He now knew that it was all a misunderstanding, as he held her close, eyes closed, a smile on his lips.
"I was afraid you were dead, Merry," Iris said softly, pulling away, and sitting down beside him, still holding his hands. "When we were in the room, you collapsed. I got scared. Then, Byrn appeared. That's why we went to Bree. I knew that was the first place to look for him. He had bought a cart and was about to go back to find us, but I saw him in the street and I went down and told him what had happened. We put you in the cart with a blanket so you wouldn't freeze."
"Where are we going?"
"Well, Pippin obviously went somewhere. He told me in the store-room that he wanted to go home. I thought maybe he had snuck out to do just that. We're going to see if we can find him. He might get hurt or lost."
"If we find him. . .could we take him home? I know he wants to go home. He misses the Shire."
Iris frowned. "I. . .I don't know if we could."
"Why not?"
"We just can't!" Merry didn't say anything. He sat back, pulling one of his hands out of hers and putting it around her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Merry. . .I have a confession to make. . ."
"What is it?"
"Pippin. . .he. . .he kissed me."
Merry frowned deeply, anger flashing through his mind. "When?"
"The morning after I woke up. . .and then, again. . .in the store-room."
"He kissed you twice?!" Merry released her and looked her straight in the eye. "Why did you let him?!"
"I. . .I didn't," Iris stammered. "He took me by surprise, Merry. You have to understand." She sighed again. "I think he's jealous of you, Merry. Maybe that's why he ran off."
"No. . .I know it wasn't right what he did, and I know he's probably a bit hurt because I haven't really spent very much time with him, or acted like his best friend lately, but he's not the type who would just take off. He hasn't the heart nor the head to do something like that. I think he was kidnapped."
"I don't think you know him as well as you think you do."
"And you do? I've been there with him since the day he was born. I think I'd know him a little better than someone who only met him a few weeks ago."
"Have you ever looked into his eyes, Merry?"
Merry didn't respond right away. What kind of a question was that? But, now that he thought of it. . . "Well, no, I guess not."
"You can tell a lot about a person, or Hobbit, by their eyes. For instance, when I look into your eyes, I see that you are kind and loyal, but you can be strict when you need to be, and you're very learned in the ways of the world. There are a lot of defining experiences in your past, and they have clearly changed you for the better." She smiled slightly. "Am I right?"
Merry blushed slightly, but she was right.
* * *
Pippin soon found himself being shaken by Will. He stirred and groaned unhappily, turning away from the man, preparing to doze off again. A sharp pain through his back caused him to jolt up. He rubbed his back.
"Do you have to kick me all the time?" he grumbled.
"How else am I supposed to get you to do anything?" Will returned, taking the blanket from him. "You Hobbits prove to be rather stubborn."
Pippin rubbed his eyes, yawning, but ignoring Will's comment. After a quick stretch, he stood and wobbled in the spot, having not stood for. . .well, he didn't know, but he was sure it was a long time. Will had already packed most of his possessions into a large pack and was now strapping the blanket onto a horse that Pippin hadn't noticed before.
"So, where are we going?" Pippin asked, brushing himself off.
"To see a friend of mine," Will replied vaguely. "He's not really known to many Men, but I happened to stumble across his home during my wanderings, and he knows everything that goes on in this forest."
"What forest?"
"The Old Forest."
Pippin grinned. "We're in the Old Forest?!" He started for the opening of the small alcove they had been under. Will held him back, chuckling.
"Not so fast, Master Pippin," he said. "Wait for me and we'll get going."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Oh, dear, now who are we to believe? Iris or Will? And what will happen now that Merry knows what Pippin did? AND. . .is Pippin getting a bit too excited for Will to handle? AND WHERE DID BYRN GO?! Ahh! So many answers to give, so little time! Please review!!
Answer to First Question - Apparently, Iris and Byrn would!
Answer to Second Question - Merry knew HOW they got there. He didn't know WHY they were there, but he was so "head-over-heels" for Iris, he really didn't care, because as long as he was there, he got to be with her.
Answer to Third Question - Byrn will come back. All will be explained.
A/N: HAHA!! I have reached 30 reviews! Dancha to all of you who reviewed, and to Mrs. Emery Waterman, who was #30. . .and #20, I believe. Meh. *sigh* Oh, those loyal fans!
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Get it? Got it? Good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Merry's head and back ached. He found himself lying down, but moving at the same time, which didn't make sense because of what he remembered, he had been in a tavern in Bree. And, even if he had been moved from there, they hadn't had a horse with them. But he wasn't on a horse. . .he was in a cart. . .covered by a blanket.
'They must think I'm dead!' Merry thought suddenly. 'Why would Iris try to kill me? And where did she get a cart from?' He sat up, pulling the blanket from his face and looking around. It was dark, night time, and the cart was rumbling through a dense forest. . .the Old Forest! But wait. . .it made no sense. Why was Iris now traveling back to the Shire?
His head turned to look at who was driving the cart. It was a large man. . .Byrn! Where had he come from? Hadn't he disappeared? And next to him. . .Merry grinned. His Iris! Merry quickly turned his whole body around.
"Iris!" he hissed. She turned, her eyes wide, forcing a smile at the sight of him.
"Merry! Thank Elbereth you're awake!" she cried, jumping back to him, pulling him into an embrace. Byrn didn't move nor even glance in their direction. But Merry didn't care. He had never liked Byrn anyway. He was just happy that Iris wasn't the murderer he had thought her to be for a fleeting moment. He now knew that it was all a misunderstanding, as he held her close, eyes closed, a smile on his lips.
"I was afraid you were dead, Merry," Iris said softly, pulling away, and sitting down beside him, still holding his hands. "When we were in the room, you collapsed. I got scared. Then, Byrn appeared. That's why we went to Bree. I knew that was the first place to look for him. He had bought a cart and was about to go back to find us, but I saw him in the street and I went down and told him what had happened. We put you in the cart with a blanket so you wouldn't freeze."
"Where are we going?"
"Well, Pippin obviously went somewhere. He told me in the store-room that he wanted to go home. I thought maybe he had snuck out to do just that. We're going to see if we can find him. He might get hurt or lost."
"If we find him. . .could we take him home? I know he wants to go home. He misses the Shire."
Iris frowned. "I. . .I don't know if we could."
"Why not?"
"We just can't!" Merry didn't say anything. He sat back, pulling one of his hands out of hers and putting it around her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Merry. . .I have a confession to make. . ."
"What is it?"
"Pippin. . .he. . .he kissed me."
Merry frowned deeply, anger flashing through his mind. "When?"
"The morning after I woke up. . .and then, again. . .in the store-room."
"He kissed you twice?!" Merry released her and looked her straight in the eye. "Why did you let him?!"
"I. . .I didn't," Iris stammered. "He took me by surprise, Merry. You have to understand." She sighed again. "I think he's jealous of you, Merry. Maybe that's why he ran off."
"No. . .I know it wasn't right what he did, and I know he's probably a bit hurt because I haven't really spent very much time with him, or acted like his best friend lately, but he's not the type who would just take off. He hasn't the heart nor the head to do something like that. I think he was kidnapped."
"I don't think you know him as well as you think you do."
"And you do? I've been there with him since the day he was born. I think I'd know him a little better than someone who only met him a few weeks ago."
"Have you ever looked into his eyes, Merry?"
Merry didn't respond right away. What kind of a question was that? But, now that he thought of it. . . "Well, no, I guess not."
"You can tell a lot about a person, or Hobbit, by their eyes. For instance, when I look into your eyes, I see that you are kind and loyal, but you can be strict when you need to be, and you're very learned in the ways of the world. There are a lot of defining experiences in your past, and they have clearly changed you for the better." She smiled slightly. "Am I right?"
Merry blushed slightly, but she was right.
* * *
Pippin soon found himself being shaken by Will. He stirred and groaned unhappily, turning away from the man, preparing to doze off again. A sharp pain through his back caused him to jolt up. He rubbed his back.
"Do you have to kick me all the time?" he grumbled.
"How else am I supposed to get you to do anything?" Will returned, taking the blanket from him. "You Hobbits prove to be rather stubborn."
Pippin rubbed his eyes, yawning, but ignoring Will's comment. After a quick stretch, he stood and wobbled in the spot, having not stood for. . .well, he didn't know, but he was sure it was a long time. Will had already packed most of his possessions into a large pack and was now strapping the blanket onto a horse that Pippin hadn't noticed before.
"So, where are we going?" Pippin asked, brushing himself off.
"To see a friend of mine," Will replied vaguely. "He's not really known to many Men, but I happened to stumble across his home during my wanderings, and he knows everything that goes on in this forest."
"What forest?"
"The Old Forest."
Pippin grinned. "We're in the Old Forest?!" He started for the opening of the small alcove they had been under. Will held him back, chuckling.
"Not so fast, Master Pippin," he said. "Wait for me and we'll get going."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Oh, dear, now who are we to believe? Iris or Will? And what will happen now that Merry knows what Pippin did? AND. . .is Pippin getting a bit too excited for Will to handle? AND WHERE DID BYRN GO?! Ahh! So many answers to give, so little time! Please review!!
