A/N: Well, here I am again with another update. I was kind of furious when I realized that many fanfics never mentioned Bilbo when their main character was in Rivendell. So, I decided to teach a lesson and put Bilbo in my fic. Well, not teach a lesson... let's call it giving awareness out to people.
If you guys haven't seen ROTK yet, you should! Billy Boyd (as Pippin, of course) sings! He's got a really pretty voice, ad I've gotten the soundtrack for Christmas, so I can listen to him all I want. Actually, Ive made out like a bandit this year with all of the LOTR stuff I got this year! ^^
Enjoy the fic, and be sure to review! Oh speaking of reviewing... I would like to acknowledge my 100th Reviewer... Serpent of Light!! As my 100th reviewer, Serpent of Light receives 100 individually wrapped Christmas candies. Sorry, that's all I have
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Chapter Thirteen: Familiar Faces
"Bilbo Baggins, at your service," said the hobbit, answering Meryl's unasked question. He had quite a few more wrinkles that she thought he would have, but then again, it was after the destruction of the Ring.
"Meryl, at yours and your family's," she replied, using the correct response. Or at least, she thought so. That's what the books said... right?
"I heard about your little accident," he explained, looking around the room. "May I come in?"
"Of course!" Meryl exclaimed. "If I wasn't in so much pain I would offer you a chair."
"You stay where you are," said the hobbit with a smile. "I am not too old that I cannot go and get myself a chair."
He delicately went across the room, and selected a chair with a high seat. He slowly dragged it across the room until it was next to Meryl's bed. He climbed into the chair and settled himself in.
Meryl picked at her food. "I apologize, but you came in just when I was beginning to eat."
"And you just go and keep on eating," replied the hobbit. "I have already eaten my meals for the day."
The girl sent him a grateful look, sawed off a sliver of chicken, and ate it. When she had swallowed, she asked, "So, where have you been all this time? I'm sure that I've been here more than a week now, and yet I've never seen you."
Bilbo blushed slightly and looked at the floor. "I am sad to say that I had locked myself into my room, so that I could work on my book without distraction."
Meryl couldn't help but laugh. After she stopped, she cast the hobbit a curious glance. "So, what is your book about?"
"My adventures in life," came the reply.
Meryl, who of course had read "The Hobbit", knew exactly what book Bilbo was talking about. Still, she wondered. What was it like from Bilbo's actual point of view? She chose to remain as innocent and clueless as possible and asked Bilbo to tell her about the book.
Without taking the slightest of breath, as far as Meryl could tell, Bilbo launched into telling his tale. She listened with earnest interest as he told about how he first met Gandalf and the dwarves. They spent most of the evening together, with Meryl eating her dinner and listening intently to Bilbo's stories.
They were interrupted, however, when Liselle and Elrond came into the room. Elrond smiled when he saw the elderly hobbit.
"I am pleased that you have finally come out of your room," he told Bilbo. "I was starting to wonder if you had deceased in there."
Bilbo laughed. "Good evening, Lord Elrond."
Meryl was wide-eyed. Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, making jokes? {Is that humanly possible?) she wondered.
She was brought back to the present, however, when Elrond said, "I have come in to on the Lady Meryl's recovery. Do you think that you can leave for the evening?"
The hobbit smiled. "Of course. Goodnight Lady Meryl."
"Goodnight Bilbo. Elen síla lúmenn omentilmo," replied Meryl with a smile. A star shines on the hour of our meeting.
The hobbit's eyes glittered. "Now, who taught you the elvish speech?"
Both Elrond and Liselle also were interested. "Yes, how have you come across the elvish language?" inquired the lord of Rivendell.
Meryl's smile vanished. {I shouldn't have said that. Quick! Think of something!} she thought. She placed a mask of surprise and wonder on her face. "I don't know," she lied. "It just came to me."
"Ah, that is right," said Bilbo. "You have lost your memory. Well, don't you worry my lady. When you become an old duffer like me, the memory is the first to go." He winked.
Meryl laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."
The hobbit smiled and hobbled out of the room, saying goodbye in the process. Elrond watched him leave with extreme sadness.
"He's reaching the end of his years."
Meryl was aghast. "You're kidding, right?" she exclaimed.
Elrond shook his head sadly. "I am afraid that I am not. I have foreseen that his death will come soon, although I do not know where or exactly when."
"Then why say that?" Meryl cried. "For all you know, he may live another hundred years!"
"I wish that it could be as simple." Elrond went over to Meryl's bedside. "Now, it is time to see how you are doing."
Meryl rolled her eyes and felt like groaning. "Right now? Do we have to?" she whined.
Elrond nodded. "Yes, we need to do this now."
Meryl set her long empty plate on her bedside table and burrowed deep into the covers of her bed. "Do you have to?" came her muffled question.
"Of course. Why do you ask?" he inquired.
"Because, you're a guy!"
"Excuse me?"
Meryl rolled her eyes underneath her covers. "Let me use simple speech. You. Are. Male," she began slowly. "I. Am. Not."
"I believe she is saying that she is uncomfortable that you are the one who is examining her," Meryl heard Liselle say.
"She did not object before," the Elven lord protested.
"That was because I was unconscious," Meryl snapped. "It wasn't like I knew that it was you."
"I think that it would be best if you left, my lord," Liselle said. "It appears that she will not cooperate if you are in the room."
"But she must be examined!"
"If what I say is not too bold, my lord, what if you sent your daughter in? She has been trained in medicine, nay?"
"I like that idea!" Meryl called.
Meryl heard Elrond sigh. "Alright then. It is settled. I shall go and fetch Arwen to examine the lady Meryl."
"You go do that!" Meryl yelled from underneath her covers as she heard the lord of Rivendell leave. "And don't call me lady!"
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Elrond almost stomped down the hallway. Mild anger seemed to emanate from him. His brows were drawn into a frown. He passed by Legolas, who noted the Elven lord's attitude.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked.
Elrond stopped and shook his head. "Nay, only the Lady Meryl."
"Really?" Legolas raised his eyebrows. "Why would that be?"
"She refuses to let me examine her. Apparently she is uncomfortable in my doing so."
"Why is that?"
Elrond grimaced and looked annoyed. "Because I am a male."
Legolas gave a small smile. "It does sound like something she would do."
"Yes. Now I must go and find my daughter." The Elven lord set off in search of Arwen.
"Wait!" Legolas called.
Elrond stopped and turned around. "What is it?"
"What of Dae? Is he able to return to Meryl's room?"
He nodded in reply. "She seems to be well enough, and of course, she is most likely anxious to see him."
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Meryl opened her eyes to bright sunlight streaming into her face. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face into her pillow. Arwen had come and gone a few nights before. The Queen of Gondor had given the teenage girl a check-up, and said that she needed at least another couple of days of rest.
Yeah right. Not if Meryl had anything to do with it.
Unfortunately, whenever she tried to get out of bed, a sharp pain would usually bring her to a laying position. And if she did sit up, somebody would make her lie down. She had spent the last few days counting the beams on her ceiling over and over again, eating, and talking with her visitors. The elflings came every day, telling Meryl what had happened in the secret glen. Bilbo came in the evenings, after the last meal, to tell her stories and legends. Thankfully, Laeras never again made an appearance.
Meryl felt a familiar weight at her feet and she rolled over and sat up to see Dae at her feet. The black Lab was sprawled across her bed, with his head towards the door. She grinned and stroked her dog's ears with her right hand. Dae was able to see Meryl again just the day before. He was very happy, giving her many slimy licks. She noticed that his bandages had been changed recently, something that she should have done. Obviously, someone's been doing her duties for her.
"Good boy," she murmured to the drowsing dog. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."
As she petted Dae, she slowly realized something. She raised her right arm, and waved it around wildly. She stopped and stared at her hand. Quickly she rotated her wrist.
"I can move. No pain!" she said in excitement.
An idea popped into her head, and she climbed out of bed. Both feet landed on the floor, and Meryl stood up. Feeling confident, she took a step. Her knees shook and nearly buckled underneath her weight. The pain was terrible. Apparently, her upper body had healed, but the combination of the results of her fall and not using her legs for a while, still needed some recuperation.
Meryl leaned against the chair next to her bed. She moaned, "I want to move! I've had it up to here with staying put."
Dae picked his off of the bed. He pricked his ears and gave a whumph. Meryl glanced over at him. "Morning, sleepy head."
The black Labrador leaped down from the bed and sat at Meryl's feet. He whined and pawed at her leg.
"You have to go out, don't you?"
The dog whined again. Meryl glanced around the room, searching for something to help her walk with. Her eyes found nothing. She sighed and glanced at her feet. "What now?"
She realized that she was still in her nightgown. "I need to find some clothes!" she said.
Using the chair to support herself, she circled around it and reached out to grab the edge of another chair. Slowly, using furniture to aid in her walking, she made her way to the wardrobe in her room. Dae followed her, occasionally whining to remind her that he still needed to go.
"One second Dae," Meryl mumbled. "I need to get dressed first."
She opened the doors to the wardrobe. Inside were many dresses of all colors. She dug inside, finding returning triumphantly with a decent enough outfit. Bundled up into her arms were a red long sleeved blouse, a tunic with a shade of darker red, and a pair of breeches that matched the shade of the tunic.
She turned around, and began making her way back towards her bed. She sat down on the mattress, and began the ritual of dressing. As she changed, she realized that she was missing something very, very important.
"Where in Middle-Earth did my underwear and bra go?!?"
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After a long search in her room, and finally realizing that there was probably no such thing as underwear in Middle-Earth, Meryl finally got dressed. It felt strange not wearing any undergarments, but an inkling told her that sooner or later, she would have to get used to it. She also noticed that her boots had gone missing. No doubt Dae had gotten them and had used them for chew toys. By this time, the black Labrador was wiggling and whining like there was no tomorrow. Using the furniture once again, Meryl made her way towards the door, with Dae following behind. As she stood barefoot in her doorway, she saw two Elves run by.
"Hurry, a rider from Gondor is approaching!" one called to the other who nodded as they disappeared around a corner.
{A rider from Gondor, hm?} Meryl thought. {Cool! I've got to see this!}
She placed a hand on the wall and stepped out. Using the wall to support herself, she made her way down the hall. Several times she had to stop to rest. One such time, she noticed that the hallways were virtually empty.
"Probably going to meet the rider from Gondor," she figured out loud.
She slowly went down the hallway and turned a corner. There, her face met flesh covered by cloth and she ended up on her butt. In other words, she ran into somebody. This made her really mad.
"Watch where you're going!" she spat. "Can't you see that I'm trying to walk?"
"Meryl, what are you doing out of bed?"
She knew that voice, and cringed. {Oh God, not him. Anybody but him.} She stared at his boots, and thought that if she didn't look at him, she could get out of trouble. The good old "look like you're very, very sorry" trick. Worked almost every time against her dad when she was younger.
"Meryl, look at me. I would like to know why you are out of bed when my wife told you that you were to stay there for at least a few more days."
Meryl slowly looked up. Her green eyes met Aragorn's dark ones. It looked like her trick wouldn't work. Aragorn held no softness in his eyes. They remained stern and resolute.
Her gaze shifted from side to side, looking for a way out. No chance. The wall blocked her left, Dae was on the right, and Aragorn was in front of her. His feet stood evenly to his shoulder's width. At that moment, she had an idea.
"I am waiting for your answ-- hey!" he cried as Meryl dove between his legs and began crawling away.
"Sorry, Aragorn. I'll explain later! Bye!" she called over her shoulder. She disappeared around the corner, and dashed down the hallway. When she nearly reached another turn, she ended up smacking into another body. Once again, she fell over, grumbling to herself.
"Meryl, what are you doing?" came another familiar voice.
Meryl squeezed her eyes shut. Not again!
Aragorn came around the corner. "Legolas! Do not let her get away."
Meryl stared up into the Elf's blue eyes. They widened as she heard what Aragorn had cried. She threw her body to the left and darted around the Elf. She hurried forward, and suddenly she felt her leg being pulled out from beneath her. She found herself laying belly-down on the floor. She turned her head to see Legolas kneeling on the floor, gripping her bare ankle.
"Let go!" she hissed. "Let me go!" She tried kicking her ankle out of his grasp, but pain laced up her leg, and she stopped and winced.
"You are not fully healed." This was not a question, but a statement from Legolas. "And you are not wearing anything on your feet."
"Does it look like I care?" Meryl cried. "I've had it up to here with lounging around on a mattress. I need to move! I want to be able to walk around!" Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "I want to be able to ride a horse! All I've done is hang around Rivendell, when I want adventure! Sure I didn't want to fall here, but since I'm here, I want to do stuff!"
Legolas crawled to her side. He stared into her eyes. "You are not making much sense, my lady. Are you feeling all right? Maybe you are delirious."
"Don't call me a lady," Meryl spat. "And I am perfectly fine."
"Now you sound like you are yourself."
Aragorn came up to the two and stood in front of them. Sparks flashed in his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Now that we have caught you, Meryl," he said with a low voice, "would you care to explain to us why are you out of your bed?"
Meryl looked up at him, and cringed at his glare. Nevertheless, she regained her composure. "Because I heard that a rider from Gondor was coming," she retorted. "I wanted to see him for myself. And, Dae needs to go out." Noticing that Legolas still had her ankle, she told him, "I would like my foot back, thanks."
Legolas released her and stood up. "Where are your boots?" he questioned.
Meryl glared at him from the floor. "How would I know?" she snapped. She planted her hands on the floor and pushed her way to her knees. She tentatively leaned onto her heels, biting her lower lip as pain threaded its way through her feet. She tried to straighten her legs, but a stab of pain brought her to her knees again.
"You cannot walk," Aragorn said. "So that is why you were crawling away instead of running."
Meryl felt like rolling her eyes. "Brilliant deduction, Watson."
A hand was extended in front of her face. Her eyes followed the arm up to Legolas's face. A glimmer of what looked like a plea for cooperation was in his eyes.
"I shall make a deal with you," he said.
"Which is...?" Meryl replied.
"If I carry you for you to go and meet the rider from Gondor, afterwards, will you return to your room and finish your healing?"
"It depends on who the rider is," Meryl said, "but I'll make this deal with you. Just this once." She held out her hand and shook his firmly. Legolas was surprised at this gesture.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Meryl's voice. "Hello? Legolas? You can stop shaking my hand now."
He blinked. "Of course." He let go of her hand and in one elegant movement, collected her into his arms so that her head leaned against his shoulder and her feet dangled.
Meryl frowned, an expression that Aragorn noticed. "Why are you unhappy?" he asked. "I thought that you wished to go and meet the rider."
"Why do Elves have to be so bloody graceful?" she muttered.
Over her head, Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a smile.
"I believe that we should go," Legolas said. "After all, Aragorn must meet the rider as well, since he is the King of Gondor."
"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Meryl said thoughtfully. She then broke out into a grin "Well now, don't we feel foolish?" she mimicked in a high pitched voice, and then burst out laughing.
Legolas and Aragorn were once again through into confusion. Both gave her strange looks. "I fail to see what the humor in your statement is," Aragorn told her.
Meryl took a deep breath and said in one large exhale, "Never mind."
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When the three came outside, followed by Dae, Meryl was surprised at the large crowd of Elves that had gathered. "I guess Rivendell doesn't get many visitors," she told Legolas and Aragorn.
The King of Gondor laughed and replied, "Not very many, I am afraid. Only at special occasions."
A whispered frenzy rippled through the crowd of Elves, "The rider comes closer! He is escorted by the Lords Elrohir and Elladan."
"Is that where those two got to?" Meryl asked. "To go and meet the rider?"
Legolas shook his head. "Nay, they are only accompanying him because their turn at patrolling the borders of this land is over for now."
"You mean that you guys take turns?"
"Of course, one does not simply ride out!" exclaimed Aragorn. "There is a specific schedule that we follow."
"Oh, do tell," Meryl said in a bored sounding voice.
Oblivious to the inflection in her voice, Aragorn began explaining when each group of patrollers would ride out. He told about when they would switch turns, and how long it would take, and where they would go. Meryl found it tiresome, but stored that bit of information away into her memory. Maybe it would come in handy sometime.
The Elves began to grow restless. Another excited whisper went through, saying that they were coming. There was a far cry from the gate of Rivendell to make way for the riders. The Elves began to strain to see who it was.
"Argh, I cannot see a bloody thing in this crowd," growled a gruff voice as Gimli appeared next to them.
"Join the club," replied Meryl as she stretched to see what was happening. "I can't see anything either. I'm too low."
"Is that so?" Legolas inquired. "Well, I cannot do any more that I can now."
Meryl gave him an angry look. "If you think with that attitude, than of course you can't help." She thought a moment, and then brightened up. "I have an idea!"
"What would that be?" Aragorn asked.
"Legolas, I'll need you to put me down, but stay crouched," Meryl said. She craned her neck to look at Aragorn. "I'll need you to lean on, since my legs are still weak. Okay?"
"What are you doing?" Gimli asked. "Why are you out of bed in the first place, if your legs are weak? Is that why the Elf is carrying you?"
Meryl pressed her palms against her temples. "Too many questions! I'm getting a headache. Just do what I asked, okay?"
Dae glanced up at his mistress and whined.
Legolas bent over and set Meryl on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the surface, she set a hand onto Aragorn's shoulder. Putting all of her weight into her hand, she waited until Legolas was in a crouching position.
Then, using Aragorn as a crutch, she painfully swung her leg over the Elf's head. She was now straddling over his head.
The tips of Legolas's ears turned red, although they were covered by his long hair. "I do not believe that this is proper," he said.
"Clamp it, Elf. This'll be over in a second," Meryl snapped. "This is no picnic for me either."
"Lady Meryl, what in the blazes are you doing?" thundered Gimli.
"Don't call me lady!" snapped Meryl. After settling herself around Legolas's head, she said to the Elf, "Alright, you can stand up now."
"What will this accomplish?"
"JUST DO IT!"
With a little difficulty, Legolas stood up with the girl clutching onto him. Meryl, having arranged herself around his neck as such, got a lift up and was now sitting on his shoulders. Her head rose above everybody else's. She wrapped her arms tightly around the Prince's forehead to keep herself from falling off.
"There, see?" she said. "Now Legolas, grab hold of my legs, otherwise I might fall off."
With his head tilted at a sharp angle to his left, Legolas did as he was told. His arms snaked around Meryl's legs, gripping them tightly.
"Why is your head like that?" Meryl asked.
"I am standing like this because--" as Meryl shifted her weight, Legolas gave a small gasp, "--because you are sitting on my hair."
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Meryl cried as she looked down at her leg. Sure enough, his long tresses were pinned underneath. She released her grip on his forehead and told him that he had better hold onto her, unless he wanted to lose all of his hair. She felt his grip tighten around her right leg, as she painfully used her hands to lift up her left leg. She bit her lip as the pain laced up her leg, and she felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes.
"Aragorn, a little help please?" she growled, closing her eyes. "Can you get his hair?"
With a swipe of his hand, the King of Gondor gathered the Elf's hair and pulled it out from underneath. When the deed was done, he informed her that he was finished. Meryl slowly lowered her leg back onto the Elf's shoulder. She felt his arm carefully wrap around it once again.
It was then that she realized that Elves were staring at them. Most had a confused look on their face, while a certain few looked like they had a new topic for gossip. "What, you've never seen a human before?" she snapped. "Beat it, or face the wrath of the mortal ones."
The Elves blinked and quickly turned away. Meryl grinned at her victory for a moment, and then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"What is the matter, lass?" Gimli asked. "You just sent away at least eleven Elves! Most dwarves would be proud of that deed."
"Yeah, and I just gave them another chance to stereotype humans," Meryl said sadly. "They see me as coarse, vulgar, and wild. They didn't even recognize me as the "Lady Meryl" that they saw at my banquet."
Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn all grew thoughtful. Since Aragorn was the only one in Meryl's sight range, she saw that his eyes darkened, as if he was reliving his own past.
{Maybe he had the same experiences that I do,} she thought. Her face brightened. "Enough of that now," she said. In an attempt to change the subject, she told Legolas, "You have really slim shoulders, you know that? I'm at the point of falling off."
"I believe that it is because I am an Elf."
"Whatever." Meryl said with an uncaring shrug. She stared at the back of Legolas's head. She felt the muscle underneath her eye slowly start to twitch. The urge to run her fingers through his hair was irresistible.
{I shall not do it. I shall not do it,} she repeated inside her head. {Look at Dae instead.}
She glanced down at her dog, who was sitting at Legolas's feet, and stared at him. Unfortunately, she began imagining him as a golden retriever, having long golden hair that you could just brush for hours... Meryl closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. She really had to stop thinking about that.
She then heard a cheer slowly start at one end of the crowd. The riders had come! With her height, she could easily see the three riders. The twins rode on dark brown horses, flanking a center rider. He seemed small in comparison to the two. It was probably because he was riding a white pony.
As they drew closer, Meryl suddenly realized who the rider from Gondor was. {Oh my gosh! I should have known!} she thought.
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Hee hee! I just loved writing this chapter... It must have been really awkward for Legolas to have Meryl on his shoulders... ^_^ Poor guy, see what torture I'm putting him through...
Also, with the statement that Meryl said, "Well, now, don't we feel foolish?", that's an inside joke between my friends and I. So, don't feel bad if you didn't get it.
Well, I would like to say that the voting booths will be closed as soon as I post the 14th chapter. That means that this is your last time to vote. So go and pick out my hedgehog's name!
By the Lion's Mane,
Leo