Far and Away
Chapter 30
Merry's Point of View
Merry sat silently against the wall of his room. The damp stonewall that supported him made him shiver. Cold, icy rain feel outside his window. He cupped his cheeks in his hands and wondered where Pippin was- Merry was so worried about Pippin. Up until Gandalf had taken Pippin away (again), Merry had always been able to look after his cousin.
Come on, Pippin had always needed someone to look after him. When Pippin was a baby, his mother couldn't even let him out of her sight. When he got old enough to walk, his sister, Pearl, took on the responsibility of looking out for him. When Merry and Pippin had met at a Family Reunion, Pippin had only been six years old. Merry was almost 12 at that time and he had felt too old to be hanging around a six year old. But there was something different about Pippin and both became friends quickly. From that day on, Merry had taken it upon himself to look out for his cousin. Even though Merry had gotten Pippin into trouble before, he still cared deeply about his cousin.
Merry sighed, and running his fingers through his curly hair, leaned heavily back against wall. Thoughts flooded his memory of better times- happier times. As Merry rubbed his eyes, a few tears slipped through his fingers.
"Stop it," he whispered to himself. "You're giving yourself a headache." Merry wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "I need a smoke," he decided. He looked around for his bag. It sat beside the large bed that he slept in and he slowly picked himself up and walked over to it. He opened up his bag and set it on the bed. He opened it and began to look through its continents. As he rummaged through his bag, several things fell out onto the floor. He knelt down to pick up the fallen items. He picked up a small leather pouch and carefully examined the wooden pipe inside. He gently took the pipe out of its bindings and shook out the bits of dirt and ash that was caught in it. The old pipe held some sentimental value to Merry. It was the pipe that his parents had given him the year he became an adult. Old Saradoc had carved it himself for his only child.
Merry grinned sadly as he filled the pipe with some long bottom leaf and lit it up. He drew in a deep breath of the sweet smoke and sighed at the thought of the old Rohan king. He shook his head. Why did everything remind him of something sad and sentimental?
Merry roughly sat down on the floor again and continued to pick up his fallen belongings. He gathered together some odds and ends, nothing that really meant anything to him, until he saw that something had rolled under the bed. He sighed, and putting his pipe firmly between his teeth, he crawled underneath the bed to retrieve it. The dust stirred up around him as he made his way under the bed. Merry stopped when he saw what it was.
In front of him, now covered with dust, lay a hand sized, unfinished wooden horse. Although the head and front legs had already been shaped, the rest of the body had been left unfinished. Pippin had been attempting to make it while they were staying in Rohan. Gimli had given him the block of wood and told him to make something so that Gimli could save himself from being talked to death by Pippin.
Merry smiled weakly with tears in his eyes as he remembered how Pippin had eagerly taken it and had sat in silence for an hour, trying to figure out what to make. Merry wiped tears from his eyes.
"This is stupid!" he told himself. "Imagine what Pippin would say right now if he could see you? I bet he'd march right up to you and say 'Meriadoc Brandybuck! What are you crying for anyhow, you big baby?' "Merry hiccupped. "Come on, pull yourself together! Pippin isn't a baby anymore! He can look after himself now! He's proven himself." Merry nodded. "Yupe- and I've proven myself too. No more crying." Merry smiled and happily smoked his pipe. He laughed to himself.
All of a sudden a hand reached toward him, grabbed a handful of hair and yanked him out from under the bed. Merry yelled in pain and struggled against the firm hands bringing him to his feet.
Eowyn appeared before him and she grabbed his flailing arms. "Merry! Stop it!" Merry stopped, but was still up tight about who had pulled his hair. He growled softly in his throat. "Merry! We saw the smoke coming from under your bed and were worried!" Her face was full of genuine concern.
Merry looked back over his shoulder to see Faramir. Merry looked back at Eowyn, trying to think of something to say. "You pulled my hair," Merry quietly pouted.
A deep, warm laugh came from behind him. Faramir knelt down beside Merry. "I'm sorry, Merry, if I hurt you. Eowyn and I were just walking passed and saw the smoke. We thought something had caught fire, and when we saw you underneath, well, the rest kind of explains itself."
Merry lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry Faramir- sir – I just wasn't expecting someone to pull me from under the bed by my hair."
Faramir smiled. "True; I'm sorry Merry. I just reached under and pulled. I didn't realize that I was hurting you. Let me make it up to you. Do you enjoy drinks?"
"Of course I do! Very much, sir!"
"Good!" Faramir said. "Then come by the kitchen in a while and I'll make sure that we'll have some good drinks. I have to see to something at the moment, but I'll meet up with you soon." Faramir nodded a good bye to Merry and glanced at Eowyn lovingly before leaving. Merry turned to see Eowyn's face flushed and red. He smiled.
"Captain Faramir is very nice, isn't he?"
Eowyn looked down at him. "Yes, he is a hospitable man."
Merry frowned. "What?! That's it?" He looked at Eowyn.
"What?!" She said angrily. "Why are you looking at me like that? I said he was nice!"
"You also said he was hospitable- who says someone is hospitable?! Are you blind? Don't you see the way that he looks at you? He's in love-"
"DON'T!" Eowyn's face was pale and she almost looked scared. "Don't you dare say that. Its not possible." She turned and left.
Merry could hear her door slam behind her. Merry sighed and gently rubbed his sore head. He felt bad now- he hadn't meant to get Eowyn upset. But he had, and now she was angry- or was she scared? Why would she be scared of Faramir loving her?
Merry stood puzzled for a moment and then made his way to the kitchen to share a drink with the Gondorian Captain.
Reviewers: Please forgive me for my mistake in my last chapter. Yes, Faramir's mother's cloak is blue and silver, not red and brown. Its my mistake and I ask you to forgive me...if you do forgive me, would you be so kind as to review now? (Thank you!)
Merry's Point of View
Merry sat silently against the wall of his room. The damp stonewall that supported him made him shiver. Cold, icy rain feel outside his window. He cupped his cheeks in his hands and wondered where Pippin was- Merry was so worried about Pippin. Up until Gandalf had taken Pippin away (again), Merry had always been able to look after his cousin.
Come on, Pippin had always needed someone to look after him. When Pippin was a baby, his mother couldn't even let him out of her sight. When he got old enough to walk, his sister, Pearl, took on the responsibility of looking out for him. When Merry and Pippin had met at a Family Reunion, Pippin had only been six years old. Merry was almost 12 at that time and he had felt too old to be hanging around a six year old. But there was something different about Pippin and both became friends quickly. From that day on, Merry had taken it upon himself to look out for his cousin. Even though Merry had gotten Pippin into trouble before, he still cared deeply about his cousin.
Merry sighed, and running his fingers through his curly hair, leaned heavily back against wall. Thoughts flooded his memory of better times- happier times. As Merry rubbed his eyes, a few tears slipped through his fingers.
"Stop it," he whispered to himself. "You're giving yourself a headache." Merry wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "I need a smoke," he decided. He looked around for his bag. It sat beside the large bed that he slept in and he slowly picked himself up and walked over to it. He opened up his bag and set it on the bed. He opened it and began to look through its continents. As he rummaged through his bag, several things fell out onto the floor. He knelt down to pick up the fallen items. He picked up a small leather pouch and carefully examined the wooden pipe inside. He gently took the pipe out of its bindings and shook out the bits of dirt and ash that was caught in it. The old pipe held some sentimental value to Merry. It was the pipe that his parents had given him the year he became an adult. Old Saradoc had carved it himself for his only child.
Merry grinned sadly as he filled the pipe with some long bottom leaf and lit it up. He drew in a deep breath of the sweet smoke and sighed at the thought of the old Rohan king. He shook his head. Why did everything remind him of something sad and sentimental?
Merry roughly sat down on the floor again and continued to pick up his fallen belongings. He gathered together some odds and ends, nothing that really meant anything to him, until he saw that something had rolled under the bed. He sighed, and putting his pipe firmly between his teeth, he crawled underneath the bed to retrieve it. The dust stirred up around him as he made his way under the bed. Merry stopped when he saw what it was.
In front of him, now covered with dust, lay a hand sized, unfinished wooden horse. Although the head and front legs had already been shaped, the rest of the body had been left unfinished. Pippin had been attempting to make it while they were staying in Rohan. Gimli had given him the block of wood and told him to make something so that Gimli could save himself from being talked to death by Pippin.
Merry smiled weakly with tears in his eyes as he remembered how Pippin had eagerly taken it and had sat in silence for an hour, trying to figure out what to make. Merry wiped tears from his eyes.
"This is stupid!" he told himself. "Imagine what Pippin would say right now if he could see you? I bet he'd march right up to you and say 'Meriadoc Brandybuck! What are you crying for anyhow, you big baby?' "Merry hiccupped. "Come on, pull yourself together! Pippin isn't a baby anymore! He can look after himself now! He's proven himself." Merry nodded. "Yupe- and I've proven myself too. No more crying." Merry smiled and happily smoked his pipe. He laughed to himself.
All of a sudden a hand reached toward him, grabbed a handful of hair and yanked him out from under the bed. Merry yelled in pain and struggled against the firm hands bringing him to his feet.
Eowyn appeared before him and she grabbed his flailing arms. "Merry! Stop it!" Merry stopped, but was still up tight about who had pulled his hair. He growled softly in his throat. "Merry! We saw the smoke coming from under your bed and were worried!" Her face was full of genuine concern.
Merry looked back over his shoulder to see Faramir. Merry looked back at Eowyn, trying to think of something to say. "You pulled my hair," Merry quietly pouted.
A deep, warm laugh came from behind him. Faramir knelt down beside Merry. "I'm sorry, Merry, if I hurt you. Eowyn and I were just walking passed and saw the smoke. We thought something had caught fire, and when we saw you underneath, well, the rest kind of explains itself."
Merry lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry Faramir- sir – I just wasn't expecting someone to pull me from under the bed by my hair."
Faramir smiled. "True; I'm sorry Merry. I just reached under and pulled. I didn't realize that I was hurting you. Let me make it up to you. Do you enjoy drinks?"
"Of course I do! Very much, sir!"
"Good!" Faramir said. "Then come by the kitchen in a while and I'll make sure that we'll have some good drinks. I have to see to something at the moment, but I'll meet up with you soon." Faramir nodded a good bye to Merry and glanced at Eowyn lovingly before leaving. Merry turned to see Eowyn's face flushed and red. He smiled.
"Captain Faramir is very nice, isn't he?"
Eowyn looked down at him. "Yes, he is a hospitable man."
Merry frowned. "What?! That's it?" He looked at Eowyn.
"What?!" She said angrily. "Why are you looking at me like that? I said he was nice!"
"You also said he was hospitable- who says someone is hospitable?! Are you blind? Don't you see the way that he looks at you? He's in love-"
"DON'T!" Eowyn's face was pale and she almost looked scared. "Don't you dare say that. Its not possible." She turned and left.
Merry could hear her door slam behind her. Merry sighed and gently rubbed his sore head. He felt bad now- he hadn't meant to get Eowyn upset. But he had, and now she was angry- or was she scared? Why would she be scared of Faramir loving her?
Merry stood puzzled for a moment and then made his way to the kitchen to share a drink with the Gondorian Captain.
Reviewers: Please forgive me for my mistake in my last chapter. Yes, Faramir's mother's cloak is blue and silver, not red and brown. Its my mistake and I ask you to forgive me...if you do forgive me, would you be so kind as to review now? (Thank you!)