While they Walked
Chapter 9: A Nose That Likes to Bleed
The fellowship was walking, as usual. But the more they walked, the more Boromir found himself getting jumpy. They were out in the open and he didn't like it, never mind that they had an elf with them. Out of the corner of his eye, Boromir saw the grass move and he turned abruptly. It turned out to be a mouse. While he was turning, however, a stray hand of his had hit Merry, who was walking behind him, in the face. He hadn't realised Merry was so close as the hobbits had a natural affinity for walking almost without sound.
"Merry I'm sorry!" said Boromir immediately, but Merry waved his apology aside with his hand and wiggled his nose a bit.
"No no," he said, "It wasn't all that hard, my eyes aren't even watering." Boromir smiled and nodded but then stared at Merry's nose, it had started to bleed.
"Merry, your nose!"
"What?" Said Merry, he wiped his nose and then looked at his hand where the blood was smeared. "Oh you, you," He looked for a word strong enough to convey his annoyance, but found none. "Nose! You stupid and ridiculous nose!" He sucked the blood off his finger and tilted his head back.
"Merry what are you doing?" Said Pippin as he skipped up. "Nose bleeding?"
"Yes." Said Merry as best he could with his head back.
"I didn't think I hit you that hard Merry, I'm sorry!" Said Boromir, distraught that he'd drawn blood.
"No Boromir, don't think on it, my nose bleeds when given the slightest chance, always has."
"Gandalf!" Pippin called forward, "Can we stop?"
"Certainly not Peregrin! Whatever would you want to stop for?" Replied Gandalf without turning around.
"Oh never mind then." Said Pippin.
"Pippin, why did you want to stop?" Asked a curious Frodo. But he looked once at Merry and didn't seem to need an answer.
"You're going to keep walking?" asked Boromir.
"Oh yes, it's not as though I'm actually hurt, it'll stop some time soon." Merry reassured him.
"Mr. Merry! Here, have a handkerchief." Sam offered Merry a pristine, white handkerchief with the initials 'SG' embroidered into the corner, which he'd pulled out of somewhere. Merry looked at it down the offending nose.
"Oh no Sam, I couldn't, it's far too clean, I'll get by without it."
"I'd hate to see that jacket become bloodied though, and better my handkerchief than your clothes, your clothes are always on show."
"I think I've got enough experience to keep it off my clothes, thank you Sam, I got past that when I was eleven."
"You've had much experience then?" Said Boromir.
"Oh yes, Merry's nose has always been sensitive and prone to bleeding, I remember he couldn't get too excited when he was younger or he'd get a nosebleed." Said Frodo helpfully.
"Has it stopped yet?" Pippin asked Merry.
"No," Merry replied, "It's still going down my throat.
"You're completely sure I didn't hurt you?" said Boromir, finding it hard to believe that it didn't hurt.
"I assure you Boromir, that I am in no pain."
"What are you five up to? Hurry up!" Aragorn shouted back to them.
"I shall fall over if I go any faster, I can't see where I am going." Merry explained half-heartedly.
"Don't worry Merry, I'll carry you, it's the least I can do for causing the problem in the first place." To think that this was all started by a mouse.
"Oh Boromir, I couldn't, I'd just make you tired."
"Merry!" Said Pippin sternly, "Stop trying to be brave and accept some help will you! If you don't take up that offer then I will and we'll leave you behind to struggle by yourself!"
"Very well Pippin, I'll do as you say."
"Oh," Pippin feigned a downhearted look, "I was rather hoping you'd let me take your place." Merry stuck his tongue out at Pippin as Boromir picked him up and carried him along. He dropped his head right back so her could see Frodo, albeit upside down.
"Do I have blood on my face Frodo?"
"Yes, A smear right across here." He indicated just underneath his nose to right across his cheek.
"Oh bother." Said Merry and he licked his finger and began trying to clean his face off. "Here?" Frodo shook his head.
"No, here." Merry attempted again. "Oh let me do it." Frodo licked his own finger and cleaned off Merry's face. "I feel as though you were ten again."
"I hope not, I'd have to go through my teens again, and then my tweens!"
"Hoy, the Tweens aren't that bad!" argued Pippin.
"Tweens?" Asked Boromir.
"Twenties." Replied Frodo.
"Ah."
"Merry, are you sure your nose is still bleeding?" Asked Pippin suspiciously.
"Yes, of course it is." Answered Merry a little too quickly for Pippin's liking.
"Then put your head up the right way."
"But then I'd get blood on my clothes."
"No you wouldn't, just do it." Merry sighed and obliged, The bleeding had indeed stopped.
"You were using poor Boromir just so you didn't have to walk!" admonished Pippin.
"You would have done the same." Murmured Merry as Boromir placed him back on his feet. Pippin tilted his head to one side in thought.
"True, I would have."
"Thank you, now I feel like a packhorse to be ridden freely when any hobbit feels like it."
"Don't be silly Boromir," said Frodo, "You can't reach around a horse's waist."
Chapter 9: A Nose That Likes to Bleed
The fellowship was walking, as usual. But the more they walked, the more Boromir found himself getting jumpy. They were out in the open and he didn't like it, never mind that they had an elf with them. Out of the corner of his eye, Boromir saw the grass move and he turned abruptly. It turned out to be a mouse. While he was turning, however, a stray hand of his had hit Merry, who was walking behind him, in the face. He hadn't realised Merry was so close as the hobbits had a natural affinity for walking almost without sound.
"Merry I'm sorry!" said Boromir immediately, but Merry waved his apology aside with his hand and wiggled his nose a bit.
"No no," he said, "It wasn't all that hard, my eyes aren't even watering." Boromir smiled and nodded but then stared at Merry's nose, it had started to bleed.
"Merry, your nose!"
"What?" Said Merry, he wiped his nose and then looked at his hand where the blood was smeared. "Oh you, you," He looked for a word strong enough to convey his annoyance, but found none. "Nose! You stupid and ridiculous nose!" He sucked the blood off his finger and tilted his head back.
"Merry what are you doing?" Said Pippin as he skipped up. "Nose bleeding?"
"Yes." Said Merry as best he could with his head back.
"I didn't think I hit you that hard Merry, I'm sorry!" Said Boromir, distraught that he'd drawn blood.
"No Boromir, don't think on it, my nose bleeds when given the slightest chance, always has."
"Gandalf!" Pippin called forward, "Can we stop?"
"Certainly not Peregrin! Whatever would you want to stop for?" Replied Gandalf without turning around.
"Oh never mind then." Said Pippin.
"Pippin, why did you want to stop?" Asked a curious Frodo. But he looked once at Merry and didn't seem to need an answer.
"You're going to keep walking?" asked Boromir.
"Oh yes, it's not as though I'm actually hurt, it'll stop some time soon." Merry reassured him.
"Mr. Merry! Here, have a handkerchief." Sam offered Merry a pristine, white handkerchief with the initials 'SG' embroidered into the corner, which he'd pulled out of somewhere. Merry looked at it down the offending nose.
"Oh no Sam, I couldn't, it's far too clean, I'll get by without it."
"I'd hate to see that jacket become bloodied though, and better my handkerchief than your clothes, your clothes are always on show."
"I think I've got enough experience to keep it off my clothes, thank you Sam, I got past that when I was eleven."
"You've had much experience then?" Said Boromir.
"Oh yes, Merry's nose has always been sensitive and prone to bleeding, I remember he couldn't get too excited when he was younger or he'd get a nosebleed." Said Frodo helpfully.
"Has it stopped yet?" Pippin asked Merry.
"No," Merry replied, "It's still going down my throat.
"You're completely sure I didn't hurt you?" said Boromir, finding it hard to believe that it didn't hurt.
"I assure you Boromir, that I am in no pain."
"What are you five up to? Hurry up!" Aragorn shouted back to them.
"I shall fall over if I go any faster, I can't see where I am going." Merry explained half-heartedly.
"Don't worry Merry, I'll carry you, it's the least I can do for causing the problem in the first place." To think that this was all started by a mouse.
"Oh Boromir, I couldn't, I'd just make you tired."
"Merry!" Said Pippin sternly, "Stop trying to be brave and accept some help will you! If you don't take up that offer then I will and we'll leave you behind to struggle by yourself!"
"Very well Pippin, I'll do as you say."
"Oh," Pippin feigned a downhearted look, "I was rather hoping you'd let me take your place." Merry stuck his tongue out at Pippin as Boromir picked him up and carried him along. He dropped his head right back so her could see Frodo, albeit upside down.
"Do I have blood on my face Frodo?"
"Yes, A smear right across here." He indicated just underneath his nose to right across his cheek.
"Oh bother." Said Merry and he licked his finger and began trying to clean his face off. "Here?" Frodo shook his head.
"No, here." Merry attempted again. "Oh let me do it." Frodo licked his own finger and cleaned off Merry's face. "I feel as though you were ten again."
"I hope not, I'd have to go through my teens again, and then my tweens!"
"Hoy, the Tweens aren't that bad!" argued Pippin.
"Tweens?" Asked Boromir.
"Twenties." Replied Frodo.
"Ah."
"Merry, are you sure your nose is still bleeding?" Asked Pippin suspiciously.
"Yes, of course it is." Answered Merry a little too quickly for Pippin's liking.
"Then put your head up the right way."
"But then I'd get blood on my clothes."
"No you wouldn't, just do it." Merry sighed and obliged, The bleeding had indeed stopped.
"You were using poor Boromir just so you didn't have to walk!" admonished Pippin.
"You would have done the same." Murmured Merry as Boromir placed him back on his feet. Pippin tilted his head to one side in thought.
"True, I would have."
"Thank you, now I feel like a packhorse to be ridden freely when any hobbit feels like it."
"Don't be silly Boromir," said Frodo, "You can't reach around a horse's waist."