A drabble and a half, Merry POV. Written for Nickey :)

Waiting

Eowyn has requested a room facing east. Does she seek her brother’s return, or a tide of darkness to drown in? I know even less what I look for when my gaze turns eastward. My heart lies neither with her cold despair, nor with Faramir’s quiet hope. It is drawn home, to gentle green hills in the north, and to these black mountains too as I wait and fear for news of what is happening behind them. There's no hiding from the shattering truth that it is over for me, that I am alone, just one soldier fallen by the wayside… though another voice persists faintly still. It is Pippin’s, the last I saw him, reminding me of my duty to be here when they return; and if Pippin, with his sad eyes and bright smile, can battle his fear, I must conquer this shadow.

Perhaps I can still fight.