A/N: I have returned! Back to the coldness of my home from the warmth of
the South. Sorry for the wait and stuff, guys.
HMP: I'm updating! And I'm sorry that they cut away most of the special. It was really good. Hopefully you still got the Dom and Billy section. That was hilarious.
Aelfgiru: I'm glad you liked that part. And I'm glad you like this story. I guess I'm just glad today!
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR. Nadda. Zilch. Zippo. Money out the ying- yang. Okay, I'll stop now.
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Merry awoke the next morning to a harsh, cold wind on his face. He grimaced, rolling over slowly to face Iris. She wasn't there. He struggled to sit up and looked around. The campfire was out and it was still a bit dark out. He realized it must be near dawn.
'Where could Iris and Byrn be?' he thought, seeing the cart looking almost deserted. He took the opportunity of the wind dying down a bit to jump out of the cart. The wind picked up again as he entered into the trees. It was less cold here, since the trees shielded him from some of the wind. He walked along slowly with his hands in his pockets, reminding himself every so often that he shouldn't travel very far. Iris might return to the cart and start worrying.
'Maybe I could convince her to look for Pippin again,' Merry thought. From what he heard the previous night, it sounded like they were just going back to the Shire and giving up on poor Pip. 'He could be in a lot of trouble.' He continued to stroll idly, kicking up the dirt, shuffling along without much thought for what was going to happen.
Suddenly, thunder clapped above him and the skies opened, letting a harsh rain fall to the ground. Merry, though sheltered by the trees, was soon soaked and hurrying back to the camp. However, he couldn't exactly remember where it was. He began to grow a bit frantic.
"Oh no, oh no. . ." he said over and over, looking around and squinting through the rain. "Okay. . .now. . .um, I went that way. . .or no, maybe. . .wait! I remember that tree! Oh. . .maybe not. . .oh no. . ."
By now, he was sure he had been gone at least an hour, if not more. Iris and Byrn were almost definitely back by now, and were probably searching for him. He began to wonder if staying where he was would be better than moving. That way, if Iris or Byrn did come along, they would be able to find him. And his mother had always told him to just stay where he was when he was lost.
Merry found himself a thick fir tree, so that he would have plenty of shelter, and sat down to wait. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and closed his eyes. A soft sigh escaped him. 'Going to sleep would probably be the best idea,' he thought. He lay there for about ten minutes, tuning out the rain and seemingly feeling nothing as the cold rain numbed him slightly.
All of a sudden, he sat straight up as a sharp cold contacted with his throat. He froze as he realized that it was a knife, his entire body tensing. A dull pain went through his neck. A hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder, pulling his head back to where the person's mouth was next to his ear.
"So, tryin' to escape, are we?" a gruff voice growled. Merry's eyes widened as it struck him. It was Byrn.
"No, Byrn, of course not!" Merry whimpered. "I just got lost when I went to look for you and Iris. Honest!"
"Don't talk!" Byrn commanded, tightening the knife against the Hobbit's throat. Merry forced himself not to make the gagging noise that was rising in his throat. "It's of no concern to me, li'l Hobbit. For you see, I have somethin' else planned fer you t'day."
Merry gulped. What was Byrn planning to do? Some foul thoughts crossed his mind, but Merry doubted that this Man was one who would do something that drastic. Perhaps he was planning to kill him? He hoped that was not the case. Killing had never even crossed his mind before. He never planned on being murdered by Byrn. A thought suddenly struck him and he began struggling.
"Where's Iris?!" he demanded angrily. "What have you done with her?! If you killed her, I'll - "
Byrn laughed dryly. "You think I would kill my own daughter? Naw, she's righ' where I put 'er, and that's where yer goin', too."
Before Merry could protest, he was struck over the head and blacked out.
* * *
"Merry!" was the sound that the stricken Hobbit woke to. He sat up, only to be met by Iris, who threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly. He pulled her away gently, smiling.
"What's the matter?" he asked. Then he remembered what happened, and looked around. They were sitting in a small cell made of stone. There were no windows, no seats, no beds, nothing, except for one door. He drew her back into an embrace, looking around in confusion. "It's ok, Iris. . .what happened? Where are we?"
"We're in the Barrow-downs," Iris said softly. "Byrn. . .he. . .locked me in here. We had a discussion two nights ago, and I don't know what happened. I went to go to sleep, and the next thing I know, I'm here. I think Byrn is planning something. . .something terrible. But I don't know what it is."
"But he's your father, shouldn't you know?"
"That's what I thought, too. I thought I knew all of our plans, but apparently not. This wasn't part of it. I was so worried about you, Merry. I thought he had killed you."
"For a moment, I thought he was going to," Merry told her. "He found me in the woods. I went to go look for you and I got lost." He paused, looking around again. Then, he pulled away from her, giving her a determined look. "We've got to get out of here, before Byrn does something."
"I know. . .but how do we get out?"
"I. . .I don't know. . ."
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A/N: I know, I know. It's short and I made you wait a LOOOOONG time, but I'm having major writer's block, so please, try to bear with me. I'll work to have an extra long chapter next time! Now, please review. Danche!
HMP: I'm updating! And I'm sorry that they cut away most of the special. It was really good. Hopefully you still got the Dom and Billy section. That was hilarious.
Aelfgiru: I'm glad you liked that part. And I'm glad you like this story. I guess I'm just glad today!
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR. Nadda. Zilch. Zippo. Money out the ying- yang. Okay, I'll stop now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Merry awoke the next morning to a harsh, cold wind on his face. He grimaced, rolling over slowly to face Iris. She wasn't there. He struggled to sit up and looked around. The campfire was out and it was still a bit dark out. He realized it must be near dawn.
'Where could Iris and Byrn be?' he thought, seeing the cart looking almost deserted. He took the opportunity of the wind dying down a bit to jump out of the cart. The wind picked up again as he entered into the trees. It was less cold here, since the trees shielded him from some of the wind. He walked along slowly with his hands in his pockets, reminding himself every so often that he shouldn't travel very far. Iris might return to the cart and start worrying.
'Maybe I could convince her to look for Pippin again,' Merry thought. From what he heard the previous night, it sounded like they were just going back to the Shire and giving up on poor Pip. 'He could be in a lot of trouble.' He continued to stroll idly, kicking up the dirt, shuffling along without much thought for what was going to happen.
Suddenly, thunder clapped above him and the skies opened, letting a harsh rain fall to the ground. Merry, though sheltered by the trees, was soon soaked and hurrying back to the camp. However, he couldn't exactly remember where it was. He began to grow a bit frantic.
"Oh no, oh no. . ." he said over and over, looking around and squinting through the rain. "Okay. . .now. . .um, I went that way. . .or no, maybe. . .wait! I remember that tree! Oh. . .maybe not. . .oh no. . ."
By now, he was sure he had been gone at least an hour, if not more. Iris and Byrn were almost definitely back by now, and were probably searching for him. He began to wonder if staying where he was would be better than moving. That way, if Iris or Byrn did come along, they would be able to find him. And his mother had always told him to just stay where he was when he was lost.
Merry found himself a thick fir tree, so that he would have plenty of shelter, and sat down to wait. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and closed his eyes. A soft sigh escaped him. 'Going to sleep would probably be the best idea,' he thought. He lay there for about ten minutes, tuning out the rain and seemingly feeling nothing as the cold rain numbed him slightly.
All of a sudden, he sat straight up as a sharp cold contacted with his throat. He froze as he realized that it was a knife, his entire body tensing. A dull pain went through his neck. A hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder, pulling his head back to where the person's mouth was next to his ear.
"So, tryin' to escape, are we?" a gruff voice growled. Merry's eyes widened as it struck him. It was Byrn.
"No, Byrn, of course not!" Merry whimpered. "I just got lost when I went to look for you and Iris. Honest!"
"Don't talk!" Byrn commanded, tightening the knife against the Hobbit's throat. Merry forced himself not to make the gagging noise that was rising in his throat. "It's of no concern to me, li'l Hobbit. For you see, I have somethin' else planned fer you t'day."
Merry gulped. What was Byrn planning to do? Some foul thoughts crossed his mind, but Merry doubted that this Man was one who would do something that drastic. Perhaps he was planning to kill him? He hoped that was not the case. Killing had never even crossed his mind before. He never planned on being murdered by Byrn. A thought suddenly struck him and he began struggling.
"Where's Iris?!" he demanded angrily. "What have you done with her?! If you killed her, I'll - "
Byrn laughed dryly. "You think I would kill my own daughter? Naw, she's righ' where I put 'er, and that's where yer goin', too."
Before Merry could protest, he was struck over the head and blacked out.
* * *
"Merry!" was the sound that the stricken Hobbit woke to. He sat up, only to be met by Iris, who threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly. He pulled her away gently, smiling.
"What's the matter?" he asked. Then he remembered what happened, and looked around. They were sitting in a small cell made of stone. There were no windows, no seats, no beds, nothing, except for one door. He drew her back into an embrace, looking around in confusion. "It's ok, Iris. . .what happened? Where are we?"
"We're in the Barrow-downs," Iris said softly. "Byrn. . .he. . .locked me in here. We had a discussion two nights ago, and I don't know what happened. I went to go to sleep, and the next thing I know, I'm here. I think Byrn is planning something. . .something terrible. But I don't know what it is."
"But he's your father, shouldn't you know?"
"That's what I thought, too. I thought I knew all of our plans, but apparently not. This wasn't part of it. I was so worried about you, Merry. I thought he had killed you."
"For a moment, I thought he was going to," Merry told her. "He found me in the woods. I went to go look for you and I got lost." He paused, looking around again. Then, he pulled away from her, giving her a determined look. "We've got to get out of here, before Byrn does something."
"I know. . .but how do we get out?"
"I. . .I don't know. . ."
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A/N: I know, I know. It's short and I made you wait a LOOOOONG time, but I'm having major writer's block, so please, try to bear with me. I'll work to have an extra long chapter next time! Now, please review. Danche!
