A/N: Don't you just hate authors that don't update for months without
warning? wink
Nightmare
"Merry?" asked Pippin, shaking him by the arm. "What's the matter?" Merry groaned and opened his eyes.
"Pip?"
"Let's go, Merry, we need to get you up- what if somebody else had found you and not me?"
"Oh, you mean like someone important?" asked Merry, jokingly, using Pippin as a support to help him stand. "Precisely." Merry burst out laughing. "Well, you see, what I meant was..."
"Never mind, Pippin."
"So, where shall I take you, Crickhollow?"
"Estella's there."
"Well I can't take you to Brandy Hall looking like this." Merry cringed.
"Alright, better make it Crickhollow, then."
It was not far to Crickhollow; a hobbit in reasonable condition could have made it there in about twenty minutes. But Merry was not in reasonable condition, so it took the two almost an hour to reach it.
Meanwhile, Estella was beating all her energy into the poor piece of dough she was kneading for biscuits. How could he do that to her? She wondered. How could he kiss another lass, while he was courting her?
At that moment, the door opened.
"Hello, Estella," said Merry weakly.
"How dare you come here!" shouted Estella. "After you...you..." She burst into tears.
"Estella, Estella! It was a misunderstanding; it's a custom at weddings in the North Farthing for the male witness and the female witness to share a kiss. Please believe me!" he pleaded, lying through his teeth; it had been a drunken dare, but he couldn't tell Estella that.
"Is that true, Pippin?" Pippin glanced at Merry and then hastily nodded.
"Oh, Merry, I'm so sorry!" Estella exclaimed, rushing over to him. "I should have believed you." Merry smiled, guiltily and took her in his arms.
"It's alright, Estella, you couldn't have known."
"No, I was being unreasonable."
She pulled away from him and then, as if seeing him for the first time said, he looked a wreck and sat him down to make him some tea. Pippin sat down also.
The tea was ready quickly, but the biscuits took longer.
"When are the biscuit's going to be ready?" asked Pippin.
"Not, yet." Finally they were ready and the three sat down to eat.
"So," inquired Pippin between bites of his biscuit and jam, "where's Fatty?"
"Market," answered Estella. The two had been staying at Crickhollow with Merry and Pippin since their return, for the ruffians had destroyed their home.
That evening, Merry and Estella sat talking on the porch. Merry felt guilty, that he had lied to her, but could only hope that one day he could tell her the truth and she would forgive him. Estella was calm and happy, sitting there as day turned to dusk and as dusk turned to night.
"Merry, I love you," she said.
"I love you too, my dear Estella," he replied kissing her. For a long moment they sat in silence. Then Estella stood, saying something about being cold and that she was going inside to bed. Merry nodded and followed soon after, falling into bed and reaching sleep almost immediately.
Then he was sitting with Estella in the garden and laughing, happy, the sun shining down upon them, Her rays like honey on the fragrant blooms around them. Estella giggled and kissed his cheek. The sky darkened then, and Estella's happy face morphed before his eyes into that of Eowyn and he was facing the Witch-King again. But it wasn't the Witch-King- it had the face of the prostitute from the alley. And he couldn't kill it, instead he gave it a coin and embraced it, while Eowyn, became Estella, and looked on in tears.
He woke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. He couldn't sleep now, he willed himself to stay awake, pinching his wrist whenever he started to doze. But it couldn't work forever and soon he was sleeping again and revisiting his nightmares.
Nightmare
"Merry?" asked Pippin, shaking him by the arm. "What's the matter?" Merry groaned and opened his eyes.
"Pip?"
"Let's go, Merry, we need to get you up- what if somebody else had found you and not me?"
"Oh, you mean like someone important?" asked Merry, jokingly, using Pippin as a support to help him stand. "Precisely." Merry burst out laughing. "Well, you see, what I meant was..."
"Never mind, Pippin."
"So, where shall I take you, Crickhollow?"
"Estella's there."
"Well I can't take you to Brandy Hall looking like this." Merry cringed.
"Alright, better make it Crickhollow, then."
It was not far to Crickhollow; a hobbit in reasonable condition could have made it there in about twenty minutes. But Merry was not in reasonable condition, so it took the two almost an hour to reach it.
Meanwhile, Estella was beating all her energy into the poor piece of dough she was kneading for biscuits. How could he do that to her? She wondered. How could he kiss another lass, while he was courting her?
At that moment, the door opened.
"Hello, Estella," said Merry weakly.
"How dare you come here!" shouted Estella. "After you...you..." She burst into tears.
"Estella, Estella! It was a misunderstanding; it's a custom at weddings in the North Farthing for the male witness and the female witness to share a kiss. Please believe me!" he pleaded, lying through his teeth; it had been a drunken dare, but he couldn't tell Estella that.
"Is that true, Pippin?" Pippin glanced at Merry and then hastily nodded.
"Oh, Merry, I'm so sorry!" Estella exclaimed, rushing over to him. "I should have believed you." Merry smiled, guiltily and took her in his arms.
"It's alright, Estella, you couldn't have known."
"No, I was being unreasonable."
She pulled away from him and then, as if seeing him for the first time said, he looked a wreck and sat him down to make him some tea. Pippin sat down also.
The tea was ready quickly, but the biscuits took longer.
"When are the biscuit's going to be ready?" asked Pippin.
"Not, yet." Finally they were ready and the three sat down to eat.
"So," inquired Pippin between bites of his biscuit and jam, "where's Fatty?"
"Market," answered Estella. The two had been staying at Crickhollow with Merry and Pippin since their return, for the ruffians had destroyed their home.
That evening, Merry and Estella sat talking on the porch. Merry felt guilty, that he had lied to her, but could only hope that one day he could tell her the truth and she would forgive him. Estella was calm and happy, sitting there as day turned to dusk and as dusk turned to night.
"Merry, I love you," she said.
"I love you too, my dear Estella," he replied kissing her. For a long moment they sat in silence. Then Estella stood, saying something about being cold and that she was going inside to bed. Merry nodded and followed soon after, falling into bed and reaching sleep almost immediately.
Then he was sitting with Estella in the garden and laughing, happy, the sun shining down upon them, Her rays like honey on the fragrant blooms around them. Estella giggled and kissed his cheek. The sky darkened then, and Estella's happy face morphed before his eyes into that of Eowyn and he was facing the Witch-King again. But it wasn't the Witch-King- it had the face of the prostitute from the alley. And he couldn't kill it, instead he gave it a coin and embraced it, while Eowyn, became Estella, and looked on in tears.
He woke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. He couldn't sleep now, he willed himself to stay awake, pinching his wrist whenever he started to doze. But it couldn't work forever and soon he was sleeping again and revisiting his nightmares.