PART ONE: When Sam and Merry met

After Gandalf had gone, the men and hobbit toasted many happy returns of the young soldier’s birthday, they sang songs of bravery and youth, and toasted the new kings, Merry, and Gandalf too. When he felt it wasn’t inappropriate or rude to do so Merry finally put his mug down. "I think I shall go and sit with my cousin and Sam for a bit now, if you don’t mind.” His jolly mood had evaporated with the fumes of the beer and he felt rather sober and solemn, thinking about Sam and his birthday. Merry bid his fellow Riders good night and went out into the open air of the camp.

“Good night Master Holbytla!” The men said as he left them. “We wish your kin a speedy recovery.”

“Thank you!”

Under more normal circumstances he would have enjoyed sitting and singing and telling tales with them, but tonight was just not a night for living up to his name. It was not far to the grove where Frodo and Sam lay, and he arrived after a short walk. As always, two guards of honour stood at the entrance of the bower, and Merry greeted them with a smile and a nod. They knew him of course, as he came here every day, to sit by the beds of his friend and cousin and sing or tell tales to them. Frodo and Sam lay just as they had earlier in the day, and Merry thought that they could at least have moved or been moved by the healers. Despite Aragorn and Gandalf’s assurances, their stillness always bothered him. He sat down on the bedside of his beloved elder cousin and lifted a hand to gently stroke the dark curls. As sometimes happened when sitting here, watching over them, Merry shed a few tears in remembrance of what Frodo and Sam had suffered.

"Won’t you wake up soon? Please?” Merry sat there for a while, talking to his cousin before he walked over to Sam’s bed and sat down there. His friend didn’t look much like the stocky gardener he had known almost all his life, and suddenly and as vividly as if it had been yesterday Merry remembered his first real meeting with Cousin Bilbo’s gardener’s lad.

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Bag End, SR 1390, so Frodo is 21, Sam is 10, Merry has just turned eight, and Pippin has not been born yet

It was early morning, and Merry had bounced on Frodo’s bed. Frodo, who had been sick for a few days, was not as happy to be bounced on as he usually was when his energetic little cousin came visiting all the way from Buckland.

"Merry,” he groaned and turned on the bed. "I`m not awake yet."

"Yes, you are!” Eight-year-old Merry would not be fooled and dragged the blanket off Frodo. "Come on! Mum’s making eggs and bacon, and I`m starving!"

"Why don‘t you go and get breakfast then? I`ll be coming in a little while."

"But,” Merry pouted, "it’s no fun when you’re not there. There are no other lads to play with.” Merry had now dragged the blanket completely off the bed and wrapped himself in it. "It’s cold Frodo."

"Of course it’s cold. You’ve taken my blanket.” Reluctantly the other hobbit rose and made a grab for the blanket. "Merry. I`d like my blanket back please.” Merry walked back. "I`m cold Frodo,” he whispered, suddenly all miserable with tears in his bright eyes. Frodo frowned. It wasn`t that cold in his room, and beside, it was summer!

"Come here then.” Frodo opened his arms. Putting his arms around his little cousin, Frodo frowned. "Merry, you’re not cold. You’re hot.” He put a hand to the child’s forehead. It was warm. Oh, no, he thought. You`ve caught my cold. He scooped Merry up, blanket and all, and put him on the bed. "Wait there while I get dressed."

A few minutes later Frodo arrived at the kitchen with a blanket-wrapped cousin in his arms. Merry had grown drowsy again as he waited for Frodo and now lay with his head on the older lad’s shoulder.

"Wake up, sleepy,” Frodo said, putting Merry down on the long bench in front of the kitchen table. Merry opened his eyes blearily and looked about.

"Merry dearest,” Esmie said, putting plates on the table. "Why aren’t you dressed yet? You know you’re not allowed at the table in your nightshirt."

"I`m sorry Mum. I went to wake Frodo and then I got cold, so I fell asleep in his bed.” Merry reached for his mug of milk and thirstily drank it all down.

"My, but you are thirsty this morning” Bilbo said, pouring out more milk for Merry.

Meanwhile Esmie looked at Frodo for an explanation. "He came in to wake me and dragged my blanket off as I wasn’t quick enough for his liking. Then he suddenly felt cold and wrapped himself in the blanket. He’s not cold though, he’s rather warm. So I put him on my bed while I got dressed. He almost fell asleep while he waited."

"Hm...” Esmie looked searchingly at Merry. "Are you still cold?"

Merry nodded. She scooped him up and kissed his brow. "You are a little warm I think. Let’s get you dressed and then you can play inside today."

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Breakfast and dressing done, Merry padded into the parlour to see if there was anything interesting he could do. He hadn’t brought many toys with him as there always were fun things to do while visiting Bag End, so he looked about for some interesting picture-books. He didn’t read well enough for most of Cousin Bilbo`s books yet, and Frodo was helping Bilbo do the washing up and his parents had gone down to the market in Bywater so he had been left to his own devices.

Merry soon became bored when he couldn’t find any books he could read by himself, so he went back into the kitchen, where second breakfast now was in the making.

"Hullo Merry. Are you having fun?” Bilbo said, looking at the little lad from where he stood kneading bread dough. Merry shook his head.

"Well, would you like to help me then?” Merry nodded.

"Yes please."

"All right, here‘s what we’ll do.” Bilbo sat Merry down on the bench by the table and rolled his sleeves up. Then he tied a kitchen towel under his arms and put some flour on the table. Giving the lad a bit of dough, he said, "Now, you just make nice, round pieces of this and we’ll make some rolls out of this dough too."

For a while Merry and Bilbo worked in silence. "I’m tired.” Merry muttered.

Thinking it was a bit odd for a lad of Merry’s age to be tired after only a little time of silent activity, Bilbo washed his hands and sat down beside Merry. "Do you want a nap then?"

Merry nodded. "And I`m cold again too."

Bilbo fetched a couple of pillows and a blanket from the parlour and put them on the bench. "You just lie down for a little while. I`ll be right here finishing second breakfast."

Frodo, who had been studying, came back to the kitchen when Bilbo called him, and frowned when he saw Merry asleep on the bench.

"He has a bit of fever I think. It’s not much, but enough to make him tired and achy. If he won’t have any breakfast we’ll put him to bed for a little rest I think."

Frodo sat down beside Merry and shook him a little. When he didn’t want to eat, Frodo lifted him and carried him to his bed, where he slept the rest of the morning away.

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”Merry!” Saradoc called when he and Esmeralda came back from the market. “I`ve a surprise for you.” As no child`s gleeful voice answered they started for the kitchen. Since Merry had been told to stay indoors they expected him to be somewhere inside the smial, especially as Bilbo and Frodo were looking after him.

“He`s sleeping,” Frodo said, turning from preparing the stew for luncheon to help them with the parcels and bags.

“Sleeping?” Esmie said. An eight-year-old hobbit lad was too old to sleep during the day if he was well. And Merry had been a little too warm this morning.

“I`ll go check on him then. Perhaps he’ll feel up to having some lunch.”

Esmie hurried to her son`s room and as she entered, Merry turned on the bed, blinking sleepily.

“How are you, sweetie?” His mum asked, kissing his cheek.

“I`m better I think, Mum. Still cold and hot though.”

“Mmm, you`ll probably be better for some lunch, don`t you think? And your father has a surprise for you.”

“Surprise?” Merry was excited and bounced off the bed to race to the kitchen in a flurry.

“Da!” Merry literally jumped into his father`s arms. “You have a surprise for me?”

“Yes. The neighbour’ s lad, Sam, is a little sick too, and I thought maybe you two could play together for a while after lunch. He`s just two years older than you.”

Merry had seen Sam outside a few times but not really met him. “He is?” That would make Sam just as old as Berilac, and Merry had lots of fun with him. “That would be grand.”

“I thought you would like my idea. I know there are no other lads your age here Merry, and if you are to be visiting often I thought it would be fun for you to have some playmates your own age too,” Saradoc said. He knew Merry loved to stay with Frodo and Bilbo at Bag End, but little lads had much energy and Frodo did have to do his studying too.

“Yes. Frodo does an awful lot of studying and it’s not always that fun to play by myself when he is busy.”

“Then that`s settled then. I`ll see about asking Sam’s father when we have eaten.”

“Frodo is still not completely well and can mind the younger lads,” Bilbo mused. “ I`ll ask Hamfast myself, come to think of it. Excellent idea, Saradoc. Sam is a fine lad, and I’m sure that he and Merry will get along splendidly.”

When lunch was over, Bilbo persuaded the Gaffer to let Sam come inside to play with Merry, as both lads were a little under the weather, and would need to get to know one another soon anyway. Since Mr. Bilbo was his employer, the Gaffer didn`t feel he could protest too much, but Sam was his lad, and he didn`t want him to feel he was anything in particular just because Mr. Bilbo`s little cousin from Buckland was visiting and needed a playmate. There couldn`t come anything good from Buckland, now could there? Of course young master Frodo was an exception since he was Mr Bilbo`s heir, but other than that? He didn`t think so.

“Aye. If Sam wants to himself. Samwise!”

“Yes Da?”

“Mr. Bilbo`s little cousin is visiting and wants someone to play with, he`s a little younger than you, but a pleasant lad. Would you want to go inside with Mr. Bilbo?”

Sam followed Bilbo inside, and was led to the parlour where Frodo sat with Merry.

“Hullo Sam,” Frodo said. “This is my cousin, Merry. Merry, this is Sam Gamgee.”

“Meriadoc Brandybuck, at your service.” Merry stood and bowed to Sam.

“Samwise Gamgee at yours and your family’s.” Sam said, bowing lower. That was one very long and tricky name this lad had. Sam had never seen Merry before, but knew Master Frodo had a favourite little cousin in Buckland, and he had heard Frodo talk about him. He suspected Meriadoc must be that cousin then.

“But you can call me Merry. Everyone else does.” Merry added.

Sam was relieved to hear that. Now he didn’t have to use that long and tricky name.

“All right. And you can call me Sam.”

“Now then,” Bilbo said. “What do you lads want to do? Do you have any toys with you Merry?”

“No, not many. Only my carved boat. I usually borrow Frodo`s old toys.” Sam was awestruck. He`d never thought about the possibility of playing with Master Frodo`s toys. He was glad though, as he didn’t want the gentlehobbit-lad to see his own old and worn toys. Merry probably had lots of new and fancy toys at his home.

“I`ll just have to find some of them then, shall I.” Frodo rose and soon returned with some old wooden animals and soldiers.

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Sam and Merry took the toys to the Drawing Room to play there and Merry brought his wooden boat too. Sam had never seen a boat before.

“Oh, we have lots of boats in Buckland,” Merry explained. “Don`t you know how to swim either then?”

“No!” Sam answered aghast. “Do you Master Merry?”

“Of course. Frodo taught me, and soon I hope I`ll be big enough to row a boat too, but Da says I`m too little yet.”*

“Row a boat!” Sam was in wonder. This lad was really something. Thinking he should know better he added, blushing. “I`m sorry Master Merry.”

“No, no. Don`t worry about that. Lots of hobbits don`t know how to row or swim Sam,” Merry said. “Now, which army do you want to be? You can borrow my boat if you want.” Merry held the boat aloft. ”Shall we play the Battle of Five Armies? There might have been some men from the sea there too, don’t you think? The battle did happen by Laketown and there`s lots of water there, just like the sea.”

“Thank you, but I prefer to be the dwarves,” Sam said. “ I don’t see why there shouldn’t be men from the sea there. Mr. Bilbo would know. I dearly love Mr. Bilbo`s stories.”

“So do I. You know what Sam, when we`re finished here, why don`t we ask him to tell about the Battle of Five Armies? So we don`t miss anything the next time we play?”

“That would be wonderful. My gaffer don’t approve much of Mr. Bilbo’ s stories, but maybe he`ll let me stay to listen as you are here.”

“I`d like that. I like you too Sam.”

“I think you are right fun to play with too, Master Merry. Will you be staying long?”

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“You never got the hang of being around boats, did you Sam?” Merry asked his sleeping friend. “But remember, you played with that boat later…we sailed it out in the rain barrel when we were feeling better. Do you remember, Sam?” Merry looked sadly at Sam, hoping for some sign that his friend heard him speaking, but there was nothing. There never was, but that wouldn’t stop Merry from trying. He was sure that somehow, Sam and Frodo knew he was there, and took comfort in his familiar voice.

It was getting late but Merry didn’t feel like leaving. It felt like time stood still when he was sitting with Frodo and Sam. He settled down more comfortably at the bedside, and continued to think about what he and Sam had shared throughout the years.

* “Boating on the Brandywine”, found on my website or Stories of Arda